低温冷害对黑龙江省不同水稻品种产量的影响及防御措施

分析了黑龙江省自20世纪80年代以来生产中广泛使用的47份水稻品种(系)在低温处理下对照与处理间产量的相互关系,分析了近3年生产上应用品种的耐寒性,并提出了相应的冷害防御措施.     

Carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus dynamics in a loblolly pine-goat silvopasture system in the Southeast USA

Agroforestry presents an opportunity to increase land productivity and improve cash flow by combining income from crop or animal production and forestry on the same land. In addition, agroforestry offers numerous environmental benefits such as increased diversity of plants and animals, nutrient recycling, erosion control, and carbon (C) sequestration. We investigated the effect of grazing and forage enhancement on total soil C (TSC), soil nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) dynamics in a goat (Capra aegagrus hircus)??loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) silvopasture system on a Kipling silt loam soil (fine, smectitic, thermic, Typic Paleudalfs) at Epes, Alabama from 2006 to 2010. In 2007, the soil in the silvopasture plots was characterized by low pH, low TSC, and was deficient in N and P. Four years after tree thinning and after 3?years of grazing in June 2010, the silvopasture plots still depicted low soil pH (<6) and TSC levels less than 20?g?kg^?1. TSC content in all the silvopasture plots in June 2010 were generally similar to levels obtained after thinning and prior to grazing in May 2007. However, soil disturbance for liming, fertilizer incorporation, and forage planting increased soil N and P levels, but resulted in lower TSC in the enhanced forage plots compared to the other treatments. Grazing increased N and P levels during the study period. Our study suggests that in the long-term, grazing without additional soil management practices can improve soil fertility through nutrient recycling and C sequestration and thereby making the goat-loblolly silvopasture system both environmentally and economically sustainable.     

Insecticidal and neuroexciting actions of DDT analogs

The neuroexciting activity of DDT and its analogs to produce repetitive responses on the nerve cord of Periplaneta americana was determined using the extracellular electrode method. The convulsive activity on P. americana and the insecticidal effect on Callosobruchus chinensis were also examined. It was found that the convulsive and insecticidal activities increase almost proportionally with increase in the neuroexciting activity within a set of p,p′-substituted DDT analogs. The intimate connections among these biological effects suggest that symptoms such as convulsion and death caused by DDT analogs are closely related with their neuroexcitory effect and there is a common mode of action in spite of differences in insect species.     

A kuroko-type polymetallic sulfide deposit in a submarine silicic caldera

Manned submersible studies have delineated a large and actively growing Kuroko-type volcanogenic massive sulfide deposit 400 kilometers south of Tokyo in Myojin Knoll submarine caldera. The sulfide body is located on the caldera floor at a depth of 1210 to 1360 meters, has an area of 400 by 400 by 30 meters, and is notably rich in gold and silver. The discovery of a large Kuroko-type polymetallic sulfide deposit in this arc-front caldera raises the possibility that the numerous unexplored submarine silicic calderas elsewhere might have similar deposits.     

Hypothalamic mTOR signaling regulates food intake

The mammalian Target of Rapamycin (mTOR) protein is a serine-threonine kinase that regulates cell-cycle progression and growth by sensing changes in energy status. We demonstrated that mTOR signaling plays a role in the brain mechanisms that respond to nutrient availability, regulating energy balance. In the rat, mTOR signaling is controlled by energy status in specific regions of the hypothalamus and colocalizes with neuropeptide Y and proopiomelanocortin neurons in the arcuate nucleus. Central administration of leucine increases hypothalamic mTOR signaling and decreases food intake and body weight. The hormone leptin increases hypothalamic mTOR activity, and the inhibition of mTOR signaling blunts leptin's anorectic effect. Thus, mTOR is a cellular fuel sensor whose hypothalamic activity is directly tied to the regulation of energy intake.     

White-noise analysis of a neuron chain: an application of the Wiener theory

The Wiener theory of nonlinear system identification was applied to a three-stage neuron chain in the catfish retina in order to determine the functional relationship between the artificial polarization of the horizontal cell membrane potential and the resulting discharge of the ganglion cell. A mathematical model was obtained that can predict quantitatively, with reasonable accuracy, the nonlinear, dynamic behavior of the neuron chain. The applicability of the method is discussed. We conclude that this is a very powerful method in the analysis of information transfer in the central nervous system.