Activation of GABA(A) receptors in the accessory olfactory bulb does not prevent the formation of an olfactory memory in mice

When female mice are mated, they form a memory to the pheromonal signal of their male partner. The neural mechanisms underlying this memory involve changes at the reciprocal dendrodendritic synapses between glutamatergic mitral cells and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-ergic granule cells in the accessory olfactory bulb (AOB). Blockade of GABA(A) receptors in the AOB leads to the formation of an olfactory memory. In an attempt to disrupt memory formation at mating, we used local infusions of the GABA(A) receptor agonist muscimol into the AOB during the critical period for memory formation. Muscimol across a wide range of doses (1-1000 pmol) did not prevent memory formation. The resistance of this memory to GABA(A) receptor activation may reflect the complexity of synaptic microcircuits in the AOB.     

Vibrational properties of heat-treated green wood

To investigate the influence of water on heat treatment, green wood was heat-treated. Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis Carr.) with about 60% moisture content (MC) was used. Young's modulus and loss tangent were measured by the free-free flexural vibration test. The specimens were heated in nitrogen at 160°C for 0.5h. The results were as follows. (1) Recognizing that the effects of heat treatment are mild and that the same specimens cannot be used for both heat treatment and as controls, it was necessary to investigate the effects of the heat treatment based on the variations of properties in the whole of the test lumber. (2) Young's modulus increased and the loss tangent decreased due to heat treatment. When the vibrational properties were measured at various MCs, the MCs at the maximum value of Young's modulus and the minimum value of the loss tangent were lower in heat-treated specimens than in controls. The effects of heat treatment in green wood were similar to those in air-dried wood. (3) The loss tangents of heat-treated specimens were smaller than those of controls at about 0% MC but were larger than those of controls at about 10% MC. We thought that this resulted from the decreased MC at the minimum loss tangent after the heat treatment mentioned above. (4) The properties measured at several MCs were more useful than those at only one moisture content for investigating the effects of heat treatment.This study was presented in part at the 46th annual meeting of the Japan Wood Research Society, Kumamoto, April 3–5, 1996; and at the 47th annual meeting of the Japan Wood Research Society, Kochi, April 3–5, 1997     

Photosynthetic capacity and nitrogen partitioning in foliage of the evergreen shrub Daphniphyllum humile along a natural light gradient

We examined the effects of leaf age and mutual shading on the morphology, photosynthetic properties and nitrogen (N) allocation of foliage of an evergreen understory shrub, Daphniphyllum humile Maxim, growing along a natural light gradient in a deciduous Fagus crenata-dominated forest in Japan. Seedlings in high-light environments were subject to greater mutual shading and 1-year-old foliage survival was lower than in seedlings in low-light environments, indicating that the survival rates of foliage were related to the degree of mutual shading. Although specific leaf area (SLA) in current- and 1-year-old foliage was curvilinearly related to daily photosynthetic photon flux (PPF), SLA was unaffected by leaf age, indicating that foliage in D. humile may not acclimate morphologically to annual changes in light caused by mutual shading. Light-saturated net photosynthetic rates (Pmax) were correlated with daily PPF in current-year foliage. In addition, a strong, positive relationship was found between nitrogen concentration per unit leaf area and Pmax. In contrast, the relationship among PPF, N and photosynthetic parameters in 1-year old foliage was weak because of the strong remobilization of N from older leaves to current-year foliage in plants growing in high light. However, the relationship between daily PPF and both photosynthetic N-use efficiency and the ratio of maximum electron transport rate to maximum carboxylation rate did not differ between current-year and 1-year-old foliage, suggesting that these responses help maintain a high photosynthetic efficiency even in older foliage. We conclude that D. humile maximizes whole-plant carbon gain by maintaining a balance among photosynthetic functions across wide ranges of leaf ages and light environments.     

Mechanisms of nematode suppression by organic soil amendments—A review

Application of organic soil amendments is a traditional control method for plant–parasitic nematodes and it is considered a part of nematode-management programs. A variety of organic amendments, such as animal and green manures, compost, nematicidal plants and proteinous wastes, are used for this purpose, but nematode control efficacy is not always satisfactory. Elucidation of nematode-control mechanisms in amended soil may lead to improved efficacy or the development of more effective control techniques, although the effects of organic amendments on nematodes, microbial communities, plants and soil environments are very complex. Possible mechanisms involved in nematode suppression are: (1) release of pre-existing nematicidal compounds in soil amendments, (2) generation of nematicidal compounds, such as ammonia and fatty acids, during degradation, (3) enhancement and/or introduction of antagonistic microorganisms, (4) increase in plant tolerance and resistance, and (5) changes in soil physiology that are unsuitable for nematode behavior. Combinations of these mechanisms, rather than a single one, appear to produce nematode suppression in amended soils.     

Mesoscopic phase coherence in a quantum spin fluid

Mesoscopic quantum phase coherence is important because it improves the prospects for handling quantum degrees of freedom in technology. Here we show that the development of such coherence can be monitored using magnetic neutron scattering from a one-dimensional spin chain of an oxide of nickel (Y2BaNiO5), a quantum spin fluid in which no classical static magnetic order is present. In the cleanest samples, the quantum coherence length is 20 nanometers, which is almost an order of magnitude larger than the classical antiferromagnetic correlation length of 3 nanometers. We also demonstrate that the coherence length can be modified by static and thermally activated defects in a quantitatively predictable manner.     

云南稻-鸭共生模式效益的研究及综合评价（三）

通过不同放鸭只数的试验,研究了在中高产田单位面积放鸭的数量与产量构成因素和病虫草害发生的关系,分析了产量构成,病虫草害发生的情况,为稻一鸭共生模式技术的推广提供理论依据。     

One-dimensional fast migration of vacancy clusters in metals

The migration of point defects, for example, crystal lattice vacancies and self-interstitial atoms (SIAs), typically occurs through three-dimensional random walk in crystalline solids. However, when vacancies and SIAs agglomerate to form planar clusters, the migration mode may change. We observed nanometer-sized clusters of vacancies exhibiting one-dimensional (1D) fast migration. The 1D migration transported a vacancy cluster containing several hundred vacancies with a mobility higher than that of a single vacancy random walk and a mobility comparable to a single SIA random walk. Moreover, we found that the 1D migration may be a key physical mechanism for self-organization of nanometer-sized sessile vacancy cluster (stacking fault tetrahedron) arrays. Harnessing this 1D migration mode may enable new control of defect microstructures such as effective defect removal and introduction of ordered nanostructures in materials, including semiconductors.     

Holes in a Quantum Spin Liquid

Magnetic neutron scattering provides evidence for nucleation of antiferromagnetic droplets around impurities in a doped nickel oxide-based quantum magnet. The undoped parent compound contains a spin liquid with a cooperative singlet ground state and a gap in the magnetic excitation spectrum. Calcium doping creates excitations below the gap with an incommensurate structure factor. We show that weakly interacting antiferromagnetic droplets with a central phase shift of pi and a size controlled by the correlation length of the quantum liquid can account for the data. The experiment provides a quantitative impression of the magnetic polarization cloud associated with holes in a doped transition metal oxide.