豫西早二叠世掌蕨Chiropteris Kurr和髻籽羊齿Nystroemia Halle有机连接标本的发现

基于河南登封早二叠世肾掌蕨Chiropteris reniformis Kawasaki和髻籽羊齿Nystroemia pectiniformis Halle有机连接的标本, 确立了肾髻籽羊齿(新组合)Nystroemia reniformis (Kawasaki) comb.nov.营养叶具长柄, 肾形, 基部心形, 全缘或具细齿; 叶脉细, 多次二歧分叉并结为多边形或菱形细网.生殖枝在苞片腋部着生.苞片与营养叶同形.胚珠器官在叶性器官腋部着生或两者分别不规则地着生于生殖枝的轴上.极多的具翼双角籽倒圆锥形, 呈两列状排列, 珠孔朝上.该植物代表了一种新的已灭绝的裸子植物.     

三峡兴隆洞出土12~15万年前的古人类化石和象牙刻划

在重庆市奉节县兴隆洞发掘出土早期智人牙齿、石器、有人工刻划痕迹的象牙和丰富的哺乳动物化石. 这些材料的种类、特点和埋藏状况说明该洞穴是一处远古人类的居住遗址. 通过出土动物群推断和铀系年代测定, 古人类在该洞穴的生存行为发生在中更新世晚期, 距今12~15万年前. 这是在三峡地区首次发现的早期智人化石. 出现在剑齿象门齿上的刻划纹成组分布, 组成简单而抽象的图案, 是目前所知最早的人类有意识的刻划作品, 对原始艺术的起源和东亚地区现代人类的起源、演化和行为方式的研究具有重要的学术意义.     

高灵敏度离子分子的吸收光谱

介绍了光外差-磁旋转-速度调制吸收光谱技术对离子分子的研究,该技术综合了光外差光谱技术、磁旋转光谱技术和速度调制光谱技术三者的特点,形成可以对离子分子高灵敏度测量的光谱技术.该技术不仅保留了速度调制光谱技术对离子分子选择性探测的特点,避免了来自中性分子光谱线的干扰,同时利用光外差光谱技术降低来自光源的幅度涨落噪声,消除放电过程的干扰,再结合磁旋转光谱技术可以对顺磁性分子进行选择性测量以及进一步提高测量信噪比.介绍了光外差-磁旋转-速度调制光谱技术的基本原理、实验方案以及对N2+,CO+,H2O+等离子分子的测量研究结果.     

Differential effects of the serotonin receptors on cultured rat cerebral cortical neurons

Effects of serotonin (5-HT) on cerebral cortical neurons were examined by patch clamp techniques. 5-HT produced a variety of responses such as outward (19/73 patches/neurons), slow inward (15/73 patches/neurons), fast inward (8/73 patches/neurons), and mixed currents (initially fast inward deflection followed by an outward response: 2/73 patches/neurons), with a latency of 12 sec, 15 sec, 0 sec, and 0 sec respectively, at a holding potential of −60 mV in whole-cell patches. The fast inward currents were again evoked by a selective 5-HT3 receptor agonist, 1-(m-chlorophenyl)-biguanide hydrochloride (CPBG). In the cell-attached patch clamp configuration, 5-HT inside the patch pipette elicited single channel currents with slope conductances of 42 pS and 132 pS (4/42 patches/neurons). CPBG inside the patch pipette evoked inward single channel currents with a lower slope conductance of 41 pS (3/23 patches/neurons). In contrast, application of 5-HT or a 5-HT₂ receptor agonist, α-methyl-5-hydroxytryptamine-maleate, outside the patch pipette induced outward single channel currents with a major slope conductance of 140 pS (8/30 patches/neurons) or 135 pS (6/20 patches/neurons), respectively. These results indicate that the outward and fast inward currents may be mediated respectively by the 5-HT₂ receptor, which is coupled to a G-protein, and by the 5-HT₃ receptor, which contains the non-selective cation channel, and that the mixed type may be caused by both the 5-HT₂ and 5-HT₃ receptors. Received 27 September 1996; received after revision 4 November 1996; accepted 7 November 1996     

Effect of hydrogen peroxide on the binding of Merocyanine 540 to human erythrocytes

The fluorescent dye Merocyanine 540 (MC540) is often used as a probe to monitor the molecular packing of phospholipids in the outer leaflet of biomembranes. In a previous study we showed that the increased staining of erythrocytes with a perturbed membrane structure was mainly due to an increase in the fluorescence yield of cell-bound MC540, rather than to an increase of the number of bound molecules. Erythrocytes and ghosts exposed to continuous fluxes of H₂O₂ exhibited pronounced lipid peroxidation. Further, red blood cells subjected to this form of oxidative stress also showed increased staining with MC540. It appeared that this was caused by a strong increase in binding of MC540, together with a slight red shift of the fluorescence emission maximum and a small increase in the fluorescence yield of bound MC540. The changed MC540 binding characteristics were not observed when lipid peroxidation was suppressed by the presence of the antioxidant BHT in the incubation medium. However, open ghosts exposed to H₂O₂ showed no increase of MC540 binding, excluding a direct involvement of lipid peroxidation. Measurement of fluorescence emission spectra and gel filtration studies showed that MC540 can bind to H₂O₂-exposed hemoglobin. Experiments with erythrocytes lysed in hypotonic medium after exposure to H₂O₂ revealed that peroxidation of lipids with H₂O₂ induced a non-specific permeabilization of the plasma membrane to MC540, thereby allowing MC540 to bind to the oxidatively denatured, more hydrophobic hemoglobin. These results indicate that conclusions about packing of phospholipids in the outer leaflet of the membrane based on increased MC540-staining should be drawn with care. Received 27 September 1996; received after revision 5 November 1996; accepted 27 November 1996     

毛细压力对薄液膜蒸发的影响

介绍了一个考虑毛细压力对液膜在垂直平板上蒸发影响的模型．导出了此过程的控制方程组并用可变步长的Ｒｕｎｇｅ－Ｋｕｔｔａ方法进行数值积分．数值结果与Ｎｕｓｓｅｌｔ膜冷凝理论的分析解进行比较，当液膜变得足够薄时，结果与Ｎｕｓｓｅｌｔ膜理论产生显著偏差．这可能是由于Ｎｕｓｓｅｌｔ膜理论没有考虑毛细压力对液膜形状的影响     

Induction of autotomy in the American bird grasshopperSchistocerca americana (Drury) by the ecdysone agonist RH-5849 and investigation of its mode of action

The non-steroidal ecdysone agonist RH-5849 (1,2-dibenzoyl-l-tert-butylhydrazine) was found to be an effective neurotoxicant on injection into the American bird grasshopper,Schistocerca americana (Drury). Treated grasshoppers became immediately hyperactive, followed by loss of coordination, paralysis and eventually death. We also discovered that this compound induced bilateral autotomy of the metathoracic legs during the early stages of intoxication. However, no evidence of ecdysonergic or morphogenetic activities was observed. Synergism studies with neurotoxins of known mode of action suggested that RH-5849 has a mechanism of action similar to that of 4-amino pyridine, which blocks potassium channels.     

Butterflies and ants: The communicative domain

Associations with ants, termed myrmecophily, are widespread in the butterfly family Lycaenidae and range from mere co-existence to more or less specific mutualistic or even parasitic interactions. Secretions of specialized epidermal glands are crucial for mediating the interactions. Transfer of nutrients (carbohydrates, amino acids) from butterfly larvae to ants plays a major role, but manipulative communication with the help of odour signals is also involved. By means of myrmecophily, lycaenid butterflies largely escape ant predation, and certain species gain protection through attendant ants or achieve developmental benefits from ant-attendance. Benefits to the ants range from minimal to substantial food rewards. While most lycaenid species maintain facultative relationships with a variety of ant genera, highly specific and obligatory associations have convergently evolved in a number of butterfly lineages. As a corollary, communication systems are largely unspecific in the former, but may be highly specialized in the latter. The sophisticated communication between obligate myrmecophiles and their host ants is tightly connected with the evolutionary rise of specialized life-cycles and thus is a source of augmenting diversity within the butterflies.