Quantum dynamics of a d-wave Josephson junction

Here we present the direct observation of macroscopic quantum properties in an all high-critical-temperature superconductor d-wave Josephson junction. Although dissipation caused by low-energy excitations is expected to strongly suppress macroscopic quantum effects, we demonstrate energy level quantization in our d-wave Josephson junction. The result indicates that the role of dissipation mechanisms in high-temperature superconductors has to be revised, and it may also have consequences for the class of solid-state "quiet" quantum bits with superior coherence time.     

热应激对奶山羊瘤胃上皮细胞屏障通透性的影响

【目的】研究热应激对奶山羊瘤胃上皮细胞屏障通透性的影响,为动物在炎热环境中能够维持正常生理机能以及探索促进动物抗热应激的方法提供理论基础和试验依据。【方法】选用泌乳中后期奶山羊,采用逐渐加热的方式建立奶山羊热应激模型,研究热应激对奶山羊血浆中D-乳酸、DAO、内毒素及炎性细胞因子等异常代谢产物的浓度,瘤胃上皮细胞间紧密连接的变化及紧密连接蛋白Occludin表达的影响。【结果】①热应激显著提高了血浆中D-乳酸和DAO浓度;②热应激显著提高了血浆中内毒素及炎性细胞因子TNF-α、IL-1α、IL-6、IL-1β、干扰素-γ的浓度;③热应激破坏了瘤胃上皮间紧密连接的结构,并显著降低了紧密连接蛋白Occludin蛋白表达和mRNA表达。【结论】热应激可导致奶山羊瘤胃黏膜屏障功能受损、通透性增加、菌群移位,其机制可能与瘤胃上皮细胞紧密连接蛋白Occludin表达下降有关。     

Atomic and molecular manipulation with the scanning tunneling microscope

The prospect of manipulating matter on the atomic scale has fascinated scientists for decades. This fascination may be motivated by scientific and technological opportunities, or from a curiosity about the consequences of being able to place atoms in a particular location. Advances in scanning tunneling microscopy have made this prospect a reality; single atoms can be placed at selected positions and structures can be built to a particular design atom-by-atom. Atoms and molecules may be manipulated in a variety of ways by using the interactions present in the tunnel junction of a scanning tunneling microscope. Some of these recent developments and some of the possible uses of atomic and molecular manipulation as a tool for science are discussed.     

Cloning and expression of a Xenopus embryonic gap junction protein

Gap junctions in the early amphibian embryo may play a fundamental role in the regulation of differentiation by mediating the cell-to-cell transfer of chemical signals. A complementary DNA encoding a gap junction present in Xenopus oocytes and early embryos has now been cloned and sequenced. This protein sequence is homologous to the well-characterized gap junction structural proteins rat connexin32 and connexin43. RNA blot analysis of total Xenopus oocyte RNA showed hybridization to a single 1.6-kilobase band. This messenger RNA is abundant in oocytes, decreases to levels below the sensitivity of our assay by stage 15 (18 hours), and is not detectable in RNA from a number of adult organs. To confirm that the oocyte cDNA encodes a gap junction channel, the protein was over expressed in Xenopus oocytes by injection of RNA synthesized in vitro. Pairs of RNA-injected oocytes formed many more time- and voltage-sensitive cell-cell channels than water-injected pairs.     

Impairment of muscle stretch reflexes in tick paralysis

Experiments with tick-paralyzed dogs and woodchucks have shown impairment of stretch reflexes in addition to partial paralysis at the neuromuscular junction. Stretch reflexes disappear very early during paralysis, whereas nociceptive reflexes do not appear to be directly affected. The early incoordination and the ascending nature of the paralysis may be related to impairment of stretch reflex pathways.     

Synapses form in skeletal muscles lacking neuregulin receptors

The formation of the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) is directed by reciprocal interactions between motor neurons and muscle fibers. Neuregulin (NRG) and Agrin from motor nerve terminals are both implicated. Here, we demonstrate that NMJs can form in the absence of the NRG receptors ErbB2 and ErbB4 in mouse muscle. Postsynaptic differentiation is, however, induced by Agrin. We therefore conclude that NRG signaling to muscle is not required for NMJ formation. The effects of NRG signaling to muscle may be mediated indirectly through Schwann cells.     

Neural and immunological synaptic relations

A synapse is a stable adhesive junction between two cells across which information is relayed by directed secretion. The nervous system and immune system utilize these specialized cell surface contacts to directly convey and transduce highly controlled secretory signals between their constituent cell populations. Each of these synaptic types is built around a microdomain structure comprising central active zones of exocytosis and endocytosis encircled by adhesion domains. Surface molecules that may be incorporated into and around the active zones contribute to modulation of the functional state of the synapse.     

Morphine-induced delay of normal cell death in the avian ciliary ganglion

Repeated administration of morphine in increasing doses delayed normal cell death in the ciliary ganglion of the chick embryo; the effect was completely blocked by naloxone. Survival of spinal motoneurons was not affected. Morphine also inhibited potassium-stimulated synthesis of acetylcholine in ganglion cells cultured with muscle, suggesting that morphine can influence neurotransmission. Morphine's effect on cell death may be due to an inhibition of transmission at the neuromuscular junction, but opiates may also directly affect cell death. Although it is now known whether the endogenous opiates in the ciliary ganglion influence neuronal survival during embryogenesis, exogenous opiates can affect normal cell death in the autonomic nervous system.     

Impact of saturn ring particles on pioneer 11

The particle flux measured by the meteoroid detectors on Pioneer 11 increased greatly while the spacecraft was near the rings of Saturn. The data suggest that the particles were associated with the rings and were not interplanetary meteoroids concentrated near the planet by gravitational focusing. The data also suggest that the E ring may be 1800 kilometers thick with an optical thickness greater than 10(-8).     

谷氨酰胺对慢性酗酒大鼠肠道上皮细胞间连接蛋白表达的影响

目的观察谷氨酰胺对慢性酗酒大鼠肠道上皮紧密连接(TJ)特征性紧密连接蛋白Occludin、ZO-1和粘附连接(AJ)特征性蛋白钙粘连蛋白E表达的影响。方法40只SD大鼠随机分为对照组、谷氨酰胺组(谷氨组)、慢性酗酒处理组(酗酒组)、慢性酗酒并谷氨酰胺组(谷氨 酗酒组),每组10只,并给予相应的处理。用荧光示踪剂测定肠道上皮的渗透性、运用免疫印迹和RT-PCR测定肠道上皮细胞中Occludin、ZO-1和钙粘连蛋白E的蛋白及mRNA表达。结果慢性酗酒导致肠道上皮渗透性明显增高3倍左右(P<0.01);补充谷氨酰胺可以明显改善由慢性酗酒引起的肠道上皮渗透性增高(P<0.05)。免疫印迹和RT-PCR显示在酗酒组的Occludin、ZO-1、钙粘连蛋白E的蛋白和mRNA表达水平均较对照组的表达水平明显下降(P<0.01);在谷氨 酗酒组中Occludin、ZO-1、钙粘连蛋白E的蛋白和mRNA表达水平较酗酒组的表达水平明显增高(P<0.05)。结论慢性酗酒可使TJ分子Occludin、ZO-1和钙粘连蛋白E的mRNA、蛋白表达水平降低导致肠道上皮屏障功能受损,补充谷氨酰胺通过上调上述TJ分子而对慢性酗酒的肠道上皮屏障功能起保护作用。     

Observation of a train of attosecond pulses from high harmonic generation

In principle, the temporal beating of superposed high harmonics obtained by focusing a femtosecond laser pulse in a gas jet can produce a train of very short intensity spikes, depending on the relative phases of the harmonics. We present a method to measure such phases through two-photon, two-color photoionization. We found that the harmonics are locked in phase and form a train of 250-attosecond pulses in the time domain. Harmonic generation may be a promising source for attosecond time-resolved measurements.     

Rap1 GTPase regulation of adherens junction positioning and cell adhesion

Cell-cell junctions are distributed evenly around the lateral circumference of cells within an epithelium. We find that the even distribution of adherens junctions is an active process that requires the small guanosine triphosphatase Rap1. Cells mutant for Rap1 condensed their adherens junctions to one side of the cell. This disrupted normal epithelial cell behavior, and mutant cell clones dispersed into the surrounding wild-type tissue. Rap1 is enriched at adherens junctions, particularly between newly divided sister cells where it may reseal the adherens junction ring. The regulation of adherens junction positioning could play a role in cell mobility and cell division.     

Acetylcholine noise: analysis after chemical modification of receptor

The elementary voltage pulses ("shot effects") produced by the action of acetylcholine molecules on the receptor were studied by analyzing the membrane voltage fluctuations ("noise") after acetylcholine application at the frog neuromuscular junction. The amplitude of these pulses was decreased after treatment with a disulfide-bond reducing agent. The shot effect may thus depend on the structure or conformation of the receptor molecule.     

Atomic force microscopy and dissection of gap junctions

An atomic force microscope (AFM) was used to study the structure of isolated hepatic gap junctions in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). The thickness of these gap junctions appears to be 14.4 nanometers, close to the dimensions reported by electron microscopy (EM). When an increasing force is applied to the microscope tip, the top membrane of the gap junction can be "dissected" away, leaving the extracellular domains of the bottom membrane exposed. When such "force dissection" is performed on samples both trypsinized and fixed with glutaraldehyde, the hexagonal array of gap junction hemichannels is revealed, with a center-to-center spacing of 9.1 nanometers.     

Mechanism of transmitter release: voltage hypothesis and calcium hypothesis

The calcium hypothesis of synaptic transmission has been challenged by experimental results using the crayfish neuromuscular junction that suggest that presynaptic depolarization can trigger transmitter release directly without calcium influx. Results from electrophysiological experiments using the same preparation do not support this voltage hypothesis, but are consistent with the calcium hypothesis. Voltage may modulate, but not elicit, transmitter release.     

Death and Transfiguration of a Triple Junction in the South Atlantic

Three major lithospheric plates-Antarctic, South American, and African-meet in the South Atlantic near Bouvet Island where the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR), the Southwest Indian Ridge (SWIR), and the American Antarctic Ridge converge toward a fast evolving triple junction. A major magmatic pulse has recently built a new, swollen segment of the SWIR (Spiess Ridge) that is propagating toward the MAR at a rate of 4 to 5 centimeters per year, disrupting a former ridge-ridge-ridge (RRR) triple junction. A new triple junction will be established about 70 kilometers to the north when the propagating SWIR/Spiess segment will impact with the MAR, probably within the next 1 million years. The American Antarctic Ridge will take advantage of the MAR/SWIR duel by capturing an approximately 70-kilometer stretch of MAR, whereas the Antarctic plate will increase its size.     

Quantum mechanics of a macroscopic variable: the phase difference of a josephson junction

Experiments to investigate the quantum behavior of a macroscopic degree of freedom, namely the phase difference across a Josephson tunnel junction, are described. The experiments involve measurements of the escape rate of the junction from its zero voltage state. Low temperature measurements of the escape rate for junctions that are either nearly undamped or moderately damped agree very closely with predictions for macroscopic quantum tunneling, with no adjustable parameters. Microwave spectroscopy reveals quantized energy levels in the potential well of the junction in excellent agreement with quantum-mechanical calculations. The system can be regarded as a "macroscopic nucleus with wires."     

Spread of HTLV-I between lymphocytes by virus-induced polarization of the cytoskeleton

Cell contact is required for efficient transmission of human T cell leukemia virus- type 1 (HTLV-I) between cells and between individuals, because naturally infected lymphocytes produce virtually no cell-free infectious HTLV-I particles. However, the mechanism of cell-to-cell spread of HTLV-I is not understood. We show here that cell contact rapidly induces polarization of the cytoskeleton of the infected cell to the cell-cell junction. HTLV-I core (Gag protein) complexes and the HTLV-I genome accumulate at the cell-cell junction and are then transferred to the uninfected cell. Other lymphotropic viruses, such as HIV-1, may similarly subvert normal T cell physiology to allow efficient propagation between cells.     

Expression of functional cell-cell channels from cloned rat liver gap junction complementary DNA

An oocyte expression system was used to test the relation between a complementary DNA (cDNA) clone encoding the liver gap junction protein and cell-cell channels. Total liver polyadenylated messenger RNA injected into oocytes induced cell-cell channels between paired oocytes. This induction was blocked by simultaneous injection of antisense RNA transcribed from the gap junction cDNA. Messenger RNA selected by hybridization to the cDNA clone and translated in oocyte pairs yielded a higher junctional conductance than unselected liver messenger RNA. Cell-cell channels between oocytes were also formed when the cloned cDNA was expressed under the control of a heat-shock promoter. A concentration-dependent induction of channels was observed in response to injection with in vitro transcribed gap junction messenger RNA. Thus, the liver gap junction cDNA encodes a protein that is essential for the formation of functional cell-cell channels.     

基于计算机视觉的水稻叶部病害识别研究

【目的】文章重点分析了病健交界特征参数、病害识别流程对提高病害识别准确率的影响。实现水稻叶部15种主要病害的准确识别,尤其是相似病害的判断。【方法】（1）病斑图像获取：水稻叶部病害图像来源包括水稻大田、病害图册和病害数据库,文中选用改进的mean shift图像分割算法提取病叶图像中的病斑并根据相关方程获取病斑特征信息。（2）特征参数的选择与设计：首先选取一至三阶颜色矩和颜色直方图作为病害的颜色特征参数,选取球状性、偏心率和不变矩作为病斑的形状特征参数,选取角二阶矩、对比度和相关作为病斑的纹理特征参数;然后针对相似病斑误报率高的问题提出一种病健交界特征参数,通过病斑内部、边缘和外围颜色上的差异描述该特征,并根据3个区域相互间归一化颜色直方图的欧氏距离计算该项特征参数,该参数可以用于描述病斑与健康部分交界处的特征。（3）病害识别流程的设计：根据病害在颜色、形状、纹理、病健交界4个特征上差异的显著程度设计完成病害识别流程,流程中首先通过颜色特征识别病害,对于通过颜色特征无法识别的病害再通过形态特征识别,倘若形态特征依然无法识别则通过纹理和病健交界特征进行最终识别。（4）病害识别模型的建立：将病害数据分成两部分,一部分用于建立模型,另一部分用于模型的验证;利用LibSVM程序包完成建模,其中svmtrain函数用于建立支持向量机模型,Grid程序用于优化参数,svmpredict函数用于对模型进行验证。【结果】15种水稻叶部病斑可以从复杂的背景中分割出来,并可快速准确的被识别,平均识别准确率为92.67%,平均漏报率为7.00%,最大漏报率和误报率分别为15.00%和25.00%;病健交界特征参数引入后,识别准确率提高了14.00%,平均漏报率降低了7.50%,漏报率最大降幅为20.00%,误报率最大降幅为65.00%;与用所有特征参数直接进行病害识别相比,采用本文提出的识别流程进行病害识别的准确率提高了12.67%,漏报率降低了9.33%,一些病害的漏报率和误报率降幅达30.00%以上;在识别流程各步骤中,颜色特征识别环节的平均准确率为96.71%,漏报率和误报率均未超过10.00%;形态特征识别环节的平均准确率为94.17%,漏报率和误报率均未超过15.00%;纹理和病健交界特征识别环节的平均准确率为91.50%,漏报率和误报率均未超过25.00%。【结论】利用mean shift图像分割算法可以准确分割水稻叶部病斑;基于支持向量机模型的分类方法可以对15种水稻病斑准确分类;论文中提出的病健交界特征参数以及病斑识别流程均提高了病斑的识别准确率;病健交界特征参数对提高一些相似病害的识别精度效果显著;将这些方法相结合可以有效对水稻常见叶部病害进行识别,为水稻病害的田间智能诊断提供技术支撑。