The Effects of Visual Object Size in The Depth Perception in KM Mouse

Whether mice perceive the depth of space dependent on the visual size of object targets was explored when visual cues such as perspective and partial occlusion in space were excluded. A mouse was placed on a platform the height of which is adjustable. The platform located inside a box in which all other walls were dark exception its bottom through that light was projected as a sole visual cue. The visual object cue was composed of 4x4 grids to allow a mouse estimating the distance of the platform relative to the grids. Three sizes of grids reduced in a proportion of 2/3 and seven distances with an equal interval between the platform and the grids at the bottom were applied in the experiments. The duration of a mouse staying on the platform at each height was recorded when the different sizes of the grids were presented randomly to test whether the Judgment of the mouse for the depth of the platform from the bottom was affected by the size information of the visual target. The results from all conditions of three object sizes show that time of mice staying on the platform became longer with the increase in height. In distance of 20 similar to 30 cm, the mice did not use the size information of a target to judge the depth, while mainly used the information of binocular disparity. In distance less than 20 cm or more than 30 cm, however, especially in much higher distance 50 cm, 60 cm and 70 cm, the mice were able to use the size information to do so in order to compensate the lack of binocular disparity information from both eyes. Because the mice have only 1/3 of the visual field that is binocular. This behavioral paradigm established in the current study is a useful model and can be applied to the experiments using transgenic mouse as an animal model to investigate the relationships between behaviors and gene functions.

Different masking effects on "hole" and "no-hole" figures

Global information is considered the primitive of visual perception in Gestalt psychology. Further, L. Chen ( 2005) proposed a new theory of topological visual perception. According to this theory, the perception of topological difference is faster than o

Crossmodal effects of Guqin and piano music on selective attention: An event-related potential study (vol 466, pg 21, 2009)

Special thanks to Christopher Blair and Mumtaz Baig for their suggestions. This work was supported by National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program, 2007CB411600), National Natural Science Foundation of China (30621092), and Bureau of Science and Technology of Yunnan Province.

Detour behavior changes associated with prenatal morphine exposure in 11-day-old chicks

The central nervous system exhibits remarkable plasticity in early life. Prenatal morphine exposure may induce adverse behavioral effects on the neonate and the developing offspring. In the present study, we investigated the effect of prenatal morphine exposure (daily from embryonic days 12-16, 20 mg/kg) on 11-day-old chicks using two forms of spatial paradigms: one trial detour behavior task in which animals must bypass an obstacle to reach the desired goal without any training and detour learning task which required several trials of training to reach the detour criterion. The results showed that, on the condition that chicks could successfully detour in the first trial, morphine exposed chicks exhibited longer detour latency to finish the task, coupled by a preference for turning right versus turning left. In contrast, no significant difference in learning and memory was found in detour learning task between morphine exposed chicks and saline chicks. These findings suggest specific behavioral changes associated with prenatal exposure to opioids during mid to late gestation, also raise attention to the possible health hazard from pregnancy drug use in everyday life. (C) 2010 ISDN. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

利用夏季自然发情的云南黄牛进行奶牛胚胎移植效果研究

利用夏季自然发情的云南黄牛为受体,开展了奶牛体内冷冻胚胎移植.留用的114头受体牛中,本地黄牛59头,年龄在3～10岁,均为经产牛,最终移植27头,西杂牛56头(其中2岁以下的青年牛26头),移植29头(青年牛11头),两个品种受体利用率分别为45.8%和51.8%;移植后妊娠率分别为59.3%和55.2%;解冻的63枚胚胎移植给了56头受体牛,A级胚胎单独移植和B、C级胚胎搭配移植最终妊娠结果分别是58.5%(24/41)和53.3%(8/15);发情后第6 d和第7 d移植妊娠率分别为56%和58.1%.结果表明,1～10岁的西杂牛和3～10岁体型较大的本地黄牛均可作为受体移植奶牛胚胎;利用自然发情的云南黄牛做受体移植效果较为理想,是一种经济、方便、适合云南广大农村推广的技术途径;A级胚胎单独移植和B、C级搭配移植可获得较为理想的妊娠结果;处于发情后第6 d和第7 d的云南黄牛都可以作为桑囊期奶牛胚胎的移植受体.

Hepatocyte growth factor enhances the generation of high-purity oligodendrocytes from human embryonic stem cells

Generation of homogeneous oligodendrocytes as donor cells is essential for human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-based cell therapy for demylinating diseases. Herein we present a novel method for efficiently obtaining mature oligodendrocytes from hESCs with high purity (79.7 +/- 6.9%), using hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and G5 supplement(containing insulin, transferrin, selenite, biotin, hydrocortisone, basic fibroblast growth factor and epidermal growth factor) in a four-step method. We induced hESCs into neural progenitors (NP) with HGF (5 ng/ml) and G5 (1 x) supplemented medium in an adherent differentiation system. The purified NPs were amplified in suspension as neurospheres for 1 month, and terminal oligodendrocyte differentiation was then induced by G5 supplement withdrawal and HGF treatment (20 ng/ml). The cells generated displayed typical morphologies of mature oligodendrocytes and expressed oligodendrocyte markers O4 and myelin basic protein (MBP). Our result revealed that HGF significantly enhanced the proliferation of hESC-derived NPs and promoted the differentiation as well as the maturation of oligodendrocytes from NPs. Further studies suggest that HGF/c-Met signaling pathway might play an important role in oligodendrocyte differentiation in our system. Our studies provide a means for generating the clinically relevant cell type and a platform for deciphering the molecular mechanisms that control oligodendrocyte differentiation. (C) 2009 International Society of Differentiation. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

云南省两栖动物一新纪录——阔褶蛙

下载PDF阅读器2008年3月13日,在云南省勐仑中国科学院西双版纳热带植物园(21°4′N,101°25′E,570 m)采集到一种蛙类标本,经鉴定为阔褶蛙Rana latouchii,为云南省新纪录.标本保存于西华师范大学生命科学学院标本室.简报如下

云南省蛇类新记录——菱斑小头蛇

介绍云南省绿春县气候及植被特点.对2008年5月在黄连山国家级自然保护区内采集的云南省蛇类新记录种--菱斑小夹蛇形态特征、生活环境进行描述,对其地理分布进行了讨论.

云南无量山黑长臂猿对植物种子的传播作用

2005年9月至2006年4月,对无量山一群黑长臂猿进行观察,研究黑长臂猿在植物种子传播中的作用.观察记录黑长臂猿一天的排便次数并收集粪便.通过直接观察和收集长臂猿粪便确定长臂猿取食的果实种类.以森林中采集的果实种子为对照标本,对粪便中的种子进行鉴定,并记录各种种子的数量,测量其长度、宽度和重量.结果表明观察期间黑长臂猿共取食31种果实,其中有1种在被取食时尚未成熟,另有2种果实的种子在取食后遭到破坏,还有1种植物的种子不能被长臂猿吞食而得不到传播,黑长臂猿可为27种植物传播种子.黑长臂猿个体平均每天排便2次,粪便的平均湿重为22.7 g,每份粪便平均含有1种植物的种子;在不包含小种子(直径<3 mm)的情况下,平均每份粪便中含有12粒种子.总的来说,黑长臂猿是有效的种子传播者.

无量山大寨子黑长臂猿(Nomascus concolor jingdongensis)种群生存力

据2003年9月至2005年9月,对云南中部无量山大寨子黑长臂猿种群(5个群体)进行了观察,获得了群体大小、配偶体制、繁殖间隔、环境容纳量、死亡率、灾害的发生频率等种群参数,并结合近缘种的一些相关数据,利用旋涡模型(Vortex 914),对无量山大寨子地区黑长臂猿亚种群的动态进行了模拟分析.结果显示:大寨子亚种群是一个具有很强的潜在繁殖力的种群,如果没有偷猎,亚种群在100a之内不会灭绝,并且能迅速达到环境容纳量.但是每年如果有1只成年雄性和1只成年雌性被猎杀,该种群将会在第78年灭绝,且灭绝概率为100%.不同程度的死亡率对种群影响不大,但高死亡率显著延缓了种群到达环境容纳量的时间.环境容纳量对种群遗传多样性损失具有重要的影响,在没有猎杀的情况下,种群的长期存活需要一个较大的环境容纳量.因此,在黑长臂猿受到严格保护、且栖息地主要在保护区内的今天,严密监控火灾的发生,限制牲畜进入林区等人为干扰的影响,保护好黑长臂猿栖息地是首要工作之一.但如果能使其栖息地周围的森林植被得到恢复,增加其栖息范围,将有利于该地区黑长臂猿的发展.

云南哀牢山平河黑长臂猿栖息地乔木结构分析

采用样方方法对栖息于云南省哀牢山平河(E 101°17′16.1″,N 24°20′09.5″,海拔2 600 m)的黑长臂猿(Nomascus concolor)栖息地乔木层结构进行了调查.调查中共记录到乔木57种隶属于23科37属;木质藤本植物9种隶属于6科8属.优势科主要为杜鹃花科(Ericaceae)、木兰科(Magnoliaceae)、山茶科(Theaceae)和壳斗科(Fagaceae)植物.主要树种重要值排序表明,露珠杜鹃(Rhododendron irroratum)为该地区最主要的优势种,在各坡位中均有广泛分布.乔木的多样性指数、均匀度指数在沟底明显降低,而乔木1层和2层所占的比例以及木质藤本的平均多度均随着坡位的下降而升高.与其他地区的长臂猿相比,哀牢山黑长臂猿的活动程度较低(10-22 m),果实性食物种类较少.

云南中部无量山黑长臂猿(Nomascus concolor jingdongensis)栖息地乔木层物种多样性和结构特征

无量山是黑长臂猿景东亚种的唯一分布区,现栖息着98群500余只黑长臂猿。长臂猿是典型的树栖性灵长类动物,通过对无量山西坡大寨子地区250个样方的调查,分析了随海拔梯度升高,黑长臂猿栖息地植被乔木层物种多样性和结构的变化情况。共记录乔木111种,隶属于33科;木质藤本23种,隶属于18科。其中优势科主要有樟科(Lauraceae)、木兰科(Magnoliaceae)、壳斗科(Fagaceae)、山茶科(Theaceae)和杜鹃花科(Ericaceae)。根据不同海拔乔木层物种组成的差异,该区可划分为半湿润常绿阔叶林(2100~2300m)和中山湿性常绿阔叶林(2400~2600m)两种植被类型。多样性指数(Shannon-Wiener指数)随海拔升高在两种植被类型中均呈下降趋势;均匀度指数(Pielou指数)在半湿润常绿阔叶林中呈下降趋势,在中山湿性常绿阔叶林中无明显变化。半湿润常绿阔叶林中,阳坡的乔木物种多样性低于阴坡;而阳坡物种多样性在两种植被类型间差异显著。随着海拔的升高,乔木层的平均高度和上层乔木(Ⅰ层)的比例均逐渐降低,但下层乔木却呈上升趋势。6种优势乔木树种的种群年龄结构分析表明,该区植被的乔木层呈...

菜阳河自然保护区两栖爬行动物调查报告

："))) 年( * ’ 月对云南省思茅菜阳河省级自然保护区两栖爬行动物多样性进行了调查。调查结果表明：菜 阳河自然保护区共有两栖爬行动物+, 种。其中，两栖类#, 种，隶属于" 目’ 科!+ 属；爬行类() 种，隶属于# 目!- 科$! 属。属于国家!级重点保护的种类有" 种；"级重点保护的种类有( 种；云南省省级保护动物# 种； 列入云南省“三有”动物的!) 种。结合调查结果，对菜阳河自然保护区提出了进行功能区划，分区管理，以及 严格管理农药的使用等两方面的建议。

KARYOTYPE AND BANDING-PATTERNS OF FEA TREE RAT (CHIROMYSCUS-CHIROPUS)

Fea's tree rat (Chiromyscus chiropus) is a very rare species which there are only a few specimens in the world. The chromosomes of two male specimens, collected from Xishuanbanna, Yunnan, are analysed by several banding technique (G-, C-bands, as well as Ag-staining). The diploid chromosome number is 22, and autosomes comprise 5 pairs of metacentrics, 2 pairs of subacrocentrics, and 3 pairs of acrocentrics. The X chromosome is a acrocentric, and Y is a micro-chromosome, almost a point, which could be a marker chromosome of the species and the genus. The centromeric C-bands are very faint, and C-bands of Nos. 1, 2, 9 and Y chromosome are negative. Only one pair Ag-NORs was found on No. 10 in the silver-stained karyotype. The relationship between morphologic and chromosomal features was discussed, and C-banded karyotype evolutionary trend has also been discussed. Moreover, the conventional karyotype of Niviventer confucianus was described.

Molecular phylogeny and taxonomy of wood mice (genus Apodemus Kaup, 1829) based on complete mtDNA cytochrome b sequences, with emphasis on Chinese species

Phylogenetic relationships among 15 species of wood mice (genus Apodemus) were reconstructed to explore some long-standing taxonomic problems. The results provided support for the monophyly of the genus Apodemus, but could not reject the hypothesis of paraphyly for this genus. Our data divided the 15 species into four major groups: (1) the Sylvaemus group (A. sylvaticus, A. flavicollis, A. alpicola, and A. uralensis), (2) the Apodemus group (A. peninsulae, A. chevreri, A. agrarius, A. speciosus, A. draco, A. ilex, A. semotus, A. latronum, and A. mystacinus), (3) A. argenteus, and (4) A. gurkha. Our results also suggested that orestes should be a valid subspecies of A. draco rather than an independent species; in contrast, A. ilex from Yunnan may be regarded as a separate species rather than a synonym of orestes or draco. The species level status of A. latronum, tscherga as synonyms of A. uralensis, and A. chevrieri as a valid species and the closest sibling species of A. agrarius were further corroborated by our data. Applying a molecular clock with the divergences of Mus and Rattus set at 12 million years ago (Mya) as a calibration point, it was estimated that five old lineages (A. mystacinus and four major groups above) diverged in the late Miocene (7.82-12.74 Mya). Then the Apodemus group (excluding A. mystacinus) split into two subgroups: agrarius and draco, at about 7.17-9.95 Mya. Four species of the Sylvaemus group were estimated to diverge at about 2.92-5.21 Mya. The Hengduan Mountains Region was hypothesized to have played important roles in Apodemus evolutionary histories since the Pleistocene. (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.