Exploring prior experience and the effects of age on product interaction and Learning

The purpose of this research was to investigate the extent to which prior technological experience of products is related to age, and if this has implications for the success of subsequent product interaction. The contribution of this work is to provide the design community with new knowledge and a greater awareness of the diversity of user needs, and particularly the needs and skills of older people. The focus of this paper is to present how individual's mental models of products and interaction were developed through experiential learning; what new knowledge was acquired, and how this contributed to the development of mental models and product understanding. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

Vertical distribution and migration of planktonic rotifers in Xiangxi Bay of the three Gorges Reservoir, China

We investigated diel vertical migrations (DVM) and distributions of rotifers in summer, 2004 and spring, 2005, in Xiangxi Bay of the Three Gorges Reservoir, China. Water temperature, pH, conductivity, and phytoplankton were closely related to rotifer vertical distribution, while dissolved oxygen had no relationship with the vertical distribution of rotifers. The species composition and population density of rotifers changed significantly between seasons. However, rotifer vertical distributions in both seasons were similar. They aggregated at specific depths in the water column. All the rotifer species inhabited the surface layers (0.5-5 m). Generally, the rotifers did not display DVM except for Polyarthra vulgaris (in summer), which performed reverse migration. The reason that rotifers did not perform DVM may be explained by the low abundance of competitors and predators and the high density of food resources at the surface strata.

Biologically inspired visual odometer for navigation of a flying robot

Experimental research in biology has uncovered a number of different ways in which flying insects use cues derived from optical flow for navigational purposes, such as safe landing, obstacle avoidance and dead reckoning. In this study, we use a synthetic methodology to gain additional insights into the navigation behavior of bees. Specifically, we focus on the mechanisms of course stabilization behavior and visually mediated odometer by using a biological model of motion detector for the purpose of long-range goal-directed navigation in 3D environment. The performance tests of the proposed navigation method are conducted by using a blimp-type flying robot platform in uncontrolled indoor environments. The result shows that the proposed mechanism can be used for goal-directed navigation. Further analysis is also conducted in order to enhance the navigation performance of autonomous aerial vehicles. © 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Experimental study of trophic cascade effect of silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrixon) in a subtropical lake, Lake Donghu: on plankton community and underlying mechanisms of changes of crustacean community

An enclosure experiment was carried out to test trophic cascade effect of filter-feeding fish on the ecosystem: growth of crustacean zooplankton, and possible mechanism of changes of crustacean community structure. Four fish biomass levels were set as follows: 0, 116, 176 and 316 g m(-2), and lake water ( containing ca. 190 g m(-2) of filter-feeding fishes) was comparatively monitored. Nutrient levels were high in all treatments during the experiment. Lowest algal biomass were measured in fishless treatment. Algal biomass decreased during days 21-56 as a function of fish biomass in treatments of low (LF), medium (MF) and high (HF) fish biomass. Crustaceans biomass decreased with increasing fish biomass. Small-bodied cladocerans, Moina micrura, Diaphanosoma brachyurum and Scapholeberis kingii survived when fish biomass was high whilst, large-bodied cladocerans Daphnia spp. and the cyclopoids Theromcyclops taihokuensis, T. brevifuratus, Mescyclops notius and Cyclops vicinus were abundant only in NF enclosures. Evasive calanoid Sinodiaptomus sarsi was significantly enhanced in LF, but decreased significantly with further increase of fish biomass. Demographic data indicated that M. micrura was well developed in all treatments. Our study indicates that algal biomass might be controlled by silver carp biomass in eutrophic environment. Changes of crustacean community are probably affected by the age of the first generation of species. Species with short generation time were dominant and species with long generation time survived less with high fish biomass. Evasive calanoids hardly developed in treatments with high fish biomass because of the ( bottle neck) effect of nauplii. Species abundance were positively related to fish predation avoidance. Other than direct predation, zooplankton might also be suppressed by filter-feeding fish via competition.

Ontogenetic behavior and migration of Chinese sturgeon, Acipenser sinensis

The Chinese sturgeon, Acipenser sinensis, is an anadromous protected species that presently only spawns in the Yangtze River. Using laboratory experiments, we examined the behavioral preference of young Chinese sturgeon to physical habitat (water depth, illumination intensity, substrate color, and cover) and monitored their downstream migration. Hatchling free embryos were photopositive, preferred open habitat, and immediately upon hatching, swam far above the bottom using swim-up and drift. Downstream migration peaked on days 0-1, decreased about 50% or more during days 2-7, and ceased by day 8. Days 0-1 migrants were active both day and night, but days 2-7 migrants were most active during the day. After ceasing migration, days 8-11 embryos were photonegative, preferred dark substrate and sought cover. Free embryos developed into larvae and began feeding on day 12, when another shift in behavior occurred-larvae returned to photopositive behavior and preferred white substrate. The selective factor favoring migration of free embryos upon hatching and swimming far above the bottom may be avoidance of benthic predatory fishes. Free embryos, which must rely on yolk energy for activity and growth, only used 19 cumulative temperature degree-days for peak migration compared to 234 degree-days for growth to first feeding larvae, a 1 : 12 ratio of cumulative temperature units. This ratio suggests that sturgeon species with large migratory embryos, like Chinese sturgeon, which require a high level of energy to swim during migration, may migrate only a short time to conserve most yolk energy for growth.

Microdefects and electrical uniformity of InP annealed in phosphorus and iron phosphide ambiances

Microdefects originating from impurity-dislocation interactions in undoped InP that had been annealed in phosphorus and iron phosphide ambiances have been studied using optical microscopy. The electrical uniformity of the annealed wafer is improved by removing impurity aggregation around dislocations and by eliminating impurity striations in the annealing process. Compared to as-grown Fe-doped semi-insulating (SI) material, SI wafers obtained by annealing undoped InP in iron phosphide ambiances have better uniformity. This is attributed to the avoidance of Fe aggregation around dislocations and dislocation clusters, Fe precipitation and impurity striations, and is related to the use of a low concentration of Fe in the annealed material. The influence of Fe diffusion on the migration of dislocations in the annealing process has been studied and reviewed. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Magnetic Properties of FePt Nanoparticles Prepared by a Micellar Method

FePt nanoparticles with average size of 9 nm were synthesized using a diblock polymer micellar method combined with plasma treatment. To prevent from oxidation under ambient conditions, immediately after plasma treatment, the FePt nanoparticle arrays were in situ transferred into the film-growth chamber where they were covered by an SiO2 overlayer. A nearly complete transformation of L1(0) FePt was achieved for samples annealed at temperatures above 700 A degrees C. The well control on the FePt stoichiometry and avoidance from surface oxidation largely enhanced the coercivity, and a value as high as 10 kOe was obtained in this study. An evaluation of magnetic interactions was made using the so-called isothermal remanence (IRM) and dc-demagnetization (DCD) remanence curves and Kelly-Henkel plots (Delta M measurement). The Delta M measurement reveals that the resultant FePt nanoparticles exhibit a rather weak interparticle dipolar coupling, and the absence of interparticle exchange interaction suggests no significant particle agglomeration occurred during the post-annealing. Additionally, a slight parallel magnetic anisotropy was also observed. The results indicate the micellar method has a high potential in preparing FePt nanoparticle arrays used for ultrahigh density recording media.

一种三维航迹快速搜索方法

本文提出了基于SAS的自动三维航迹规划方法。该方法通过把约束条件结合到搜索算法中去，有效地减小了搜索空间，缩短了搜索时间，从而使三维规划能够用于实时航迹规划。在搜索过程中地形信息得到了充分利用，使算法生成的航迹能够自动回避地形和威胁。实验证明，该方法能够快速有效地完成规划任务，获得满意的三维航迹。

1. 大鼠海马-前额叶回路在学习记忆中的作用2. 芬克罗酮改善恒河猴空间工作记忆的谷氨酸机制

一、大鼠海马-前额叶回路在学习记忆中的作用 解剖学研究证实大鼠和猴的海马结构（hippocampal formation, HF；本文‘海马 (hippocampus, Hip)’一词即指海马结构）和前额叶 (prefrontal cortex, PFC) 之间存在一条单向、同侧和单突触的神经回路，即海马-前额叶回路（Hip-PFC回路）。Hip和PFC均参与学习记忆等多种认知功能，PFC是工作记忆的关键脑区，而Hip是空间参考记忆的关键脑区。虽然人们已经对PFC和Hip进行了广泛深入的研究，但对Hip-PFC回路参与哪些认知功能还知之甚少。本研究的目的就是通过暂时阻断Hip-PFC回路，探讨其在学习和记忆中的作用。 在大鼠，Hip-PFC回路中的纤维主要从Hip腹部 (ventral hippocampus, VH)发出，投射到PFC的前边缘皮质(prelimbic cortex, PLC)、下边缘皮质 (infralimbic cortex, ILC) 和外侧前额叶 (lateral prefrontal cortex) 等亚区，其中PLC是Hip-PFC主要投射的区域。我们通过给动物安装慢性导管向脑内注射GABAA受体激动剂muscimol (MU) 阻断Hip-PFC回路。注射位点包括 ①双侧PLC，②双侧VH，③一侧VH和对侧PLC (VH-PLC)。我们首先观察了在PLC或VH局部注射MU对自由活动大鼠PLC和VH脑电功率的影响，并以此确定在行为实验中所用蝇蕈醇的剂量。然后采用T-迷宫空间交互延缓作业 (spatial delayed alternation task) 测试Hip-PFC回路被阻断的动物的空间工作记忆功能；采用被动回避作业 (passive avoidance task) 测试其情绪相关记忆的能力（训练前给药；24 h后重测试）；采用Morris水迷宫作业 (Morris water maze task) 测试其空间参考记忆的能力（每天训练前给药；训练期（3 d）结束24 h后重测试）。结果表明：在大鼠PLC或VH局部注射0.5 μg/0.25μl MU后30 min显著抑制VH 和PLC的脑电功率 (VH, p < 0.01; PLC, p < 0.05 vs. PBS/baseline)。注射MU (0.5 μg/0.25μl) 到 ①双侧PLC、②双侧VH、③VH-PLC均显著降低动物在空间交互延缓作业 (All p < 0.001, vs. PBS) 和空间Morris水迷宫作业中的成绩 (All p < 0.05, vs. PBS)，表明Hip-PFC回路在空间工作记忆（空间短时记忆）和在空间参考记忆（空间长时记忆）中均起重要作用。在空间交互延缓作业中，双侧PLC被抑制的大鼠的成绩显著低于双侧VH或VH-PLC被抑制的动物，说明PFC在空间工作记忆功能中占有主导地位。在被动回避作业中，双侧VH被抑制动物的回避反应的潜伏期显著短于对照动物 (p < 0.05 vs. PBS)，说明双侧VH被抑制动物的情绪记忆受损；而双侧PLC或VH-PLC被抑制的动物其回避反应的潜伏期与对照动物无显著差异 (PLC, p > 0.9; VH-PLC, p > 0.3 vs. PBS)，表明双侧PLC或VH-PLC被抑制的动物情绪记忆正常。被动回避作业的结果说明VH参与情绪记忆的形成，但Hip-PFC回路在情绪记忆形成中不起重要作用。 以上结果表明，大鼠Hip-PFC回路参与空间工作记忆和空间参考记忆而不是情绪记忆功能。情绪记忆的关键脑结构是杏仁复合体 (amygdala complex, AMC)，VH与AMC有密切的纤维联系。VH被抑制的大鼠情绪记忆受损，说明情绪记忆可能与AMC-Hip回路有关。情绪记忆与空间记忆（参考记忆和工作记忆）在解剖上的分离说明，对于不同类型的记忆来说，其在脑内的信息加工过程是并行的。神经回路内部的信息加工过程则是串行的，回路上任何一个结构的破坏均可导致回路功能的损伤。本研究的结果为学习记忆的“多重记忆系统”理论和记忆信息加工的串行并行机制提供了新的实验证据。 二、芬克罗酮改善成年恒河猴空间工作记忆的谷氨酸机制 芬克罗酮是中科院昆明植物所郝小江等合成的取代吡咯烷酮类化合物。中科院昆明动物所蔡景霞等发现芬克罗酮能改善东莨菪碱、育亨宾等导致的多种动物的不同类型的学习记忆障碍，提高老年动物的学习记忆能力，尤其是老年猴的空间工作记忆。已证实芬克罗酮为部分钙激动剂，可使脑缺血沙土鼠脑内升高的谷氨酸降低，而使正常的沙土鼠海马胞外谷氨酸释放增加。那么芬克罗酮能否提高正常动物的学习记忆，其对正常动物学习记忆的提高是否与其增加谷氨酸的释放有关？本研究采用空间延缓反应作业和谷氨酸NMDA受体拮抗剂MK-801在正常成年猴恒河猴上探讨了以上问题。 结果表明，口服芬克罗酮可显著提高成年猴的空间工作记忆，其量效曲线呈倒‘U’形，符合许多促智药的量效特点。0.25 mg/kg和0.5 mg/kg为芬克罗酮的最佳有效剂量 (p < 0.05 vs. 安慰剂)。肌注MK-801 (0.1 mg/kg) 显著降低成年猴的空间工作记忆 (p < 0.01 vs. 安慰剂)，而口服2.0 mg/kg和4.0 mg/kg的芬克罗酮则显著改善MK-801导致的工作记忆障碍 (p < 0.05 vs. MK-801)。芬克罗酮的所有测试剂量不影响猴在作业中的反应时 (p > 0.05 vs. 安慰剂)，表明芬克罗酮在该剂量范围不影响动物的运动能力。 本研究结果提示，芬克罗酮可能通钙激动作用促进谷氨酸的释放，在一定剂量范围内提高胞外谷氨酸水平，提高正常动物的空间工作记忆等认知功能。 关键词：芬克罗酮，恒河猴，空间工作记忆，空间延缓反应作业，谷氨酸，MK-801

青杨组(Section Tacamahaca Spach)杨树不同种群对土壤干旱和重金属锰污染的生态生理响应

土壤是人类赖以生存的自然环境和农业生产的重要资源，世界面临的粮食、资源和环境问题与土壤密切相关，目前危害土壤的主要因素是干旱和重金属污染。杨树具有适应性强、生长快和丰产等特性，本论文以青杨组杨树为模式植物，采用植物生态、生理及生物化学等方法，研究杨树对土壤干旱和锰胁迫的生态生理反应以及种群间差异，研究成果可为我国干旱半干旱地区营造人工林、防止沙漠化提供理论依据，也为恢复与重建重金属污染地区退化生态系统提供科学指导。主要研究结果如下： 1. 青海杨不同种群对干旱胁迫的响应差异 干旱胁迫显著降低了两个青海杨种群（干旱种群和湿润种群）生物量积累，包括株高、基径、干物质积累等，通过植物结构的调整，有更多的生物量向根部分配。干旱胁迫还显著降低了叶绿素和类胡萝卜素含量，增加了游离脯氨酸和总氨基酸含量。另一方面，干旱胁迫诱导了活性氧的积累，作为第二信使，激活了抗氧化系统，包括抗坏血酸（ASA）含量和酶系统如超氧化物歧化酶（SOD），愈创木酚过氧化物酶（GPX），抗坏血酸过氧化物酶（APX）和谷胱甘肽还原酶（GR）。这样，杨树既有避旱机制又有耐旱机制，使其在干旱胁迫下有相当程度的可塑性。与湿润种群相比，干旱种群杨树有更多的生物量分配到根部，积累了更多的游离脯氨酸和总氨基酸来进行渗透调节，并且有更有效的抗氧化系统，包括更高含量的ASA 和更高活性的APX 和GR，这些使得干旱种群杨树比湿润种群杨树对干旱有更好的耐性。 2. 喷施硝普钠（SNP）对青海杨阿坝种群干旱胁迫耐性的影响 干旱胁迫显著的降低了青海杨阿坝种群的生长和生物量积累以及叶片相对含水量，还诱导了脯氨酸的合成以进行渗透调节。干旱胁迫下过氧化氢（H2O2）显著累积从而造成对膜脂和蛋白的伤害，使得丙二醛和蛋白羰基含量升高。干旱胁迫下喷施SNP可以减轻干旱胁迫造成的伤害，包括增加叶片的相对含水量，增加脯氨酸和总氨基酸的积累，并激活抗氧化酶系统如SOD，GPX和APX，从而减少丙二醛（MDA）和蛋白羰基（C＝O）的积累，但是在水分良好情况下SNP的效果不显著。 3. 青杨不同种群对锰胁迫的生长与形态响应差异 在同一锰浓度下，干旱种群的耐性指数都要高于湿润种群，这表明青杨对干旱和高锰胁迫具有交叉耐性。两个种群的株高，生物量和叶绿素含量都随锰浓度的升高而逐渐下降。就累积浓度而言，0 和0.1 mM 锰胁迫下，干旱种群积累的锰浓度要高于湿润种群，而在高浓度锰胁迫下(0.5 和1 mM)，湿润种群要高于干旱种群。在0，0.1 和0.5 mM下，锰大多积累在根中，叶片次之，茎中最少。而在1 mM，锰更多的积累在叶片中。就累积总量而言，在各个锰浓度胁迫下，根，茎和叶相比，两个种群青杨都是叶片累积的锰总量要高于根和茎。两个种群间比较，对照中没有显著区别，0.1 mM 锰胁迫下，湿润种群根中累积的锰要高于干旱种群，而在地上部中，干旱种群要高于湿润种群。而0.5 和1 mM 锰胁迫下，根、叶、茎+叶、根+茎+叶中，锰累积总量都是湿润种群高于干旱种群。锰胁迫下，青杨叶片数和叶面积包括总叶面积和平均叶面积都显著降低。叶片横切面的光学显微观察结果表明未经锰胁迫的栅栏组织的细胞饱满，海绵组织发达、清晰；胁迫后杨树叶片栅栏组织细胞出现不同程度的皱缩，海绵组织几乎不可见，此外还发现输导组织在胁迫下密度变小和分生组织严重割裂等现象。 4. 青杨不同种群对锰胁迫的生理与生化响应差异 青杨两个种群脱落酸（ABA）含量在锰胁迫下都显著增加，干旱种群的增幅更大。三种多胺含量在锰胁迫下显示了不同的响应趋势：腐胺在两个种群的各个锰处理下都增加，亚精胺只在干旱种群中显著增加，而精胺除了干旱种群在1 mM 下有所增加外，在锰胁迫下变化很小。谷胱甘肽含量随锰浓度升高而增加，在0.5 mM 锰时达到最高值，1mM 时有所下降。植物络合素（PCs）含量与非蛋白巯基（NP-SH）趋势相似，随锰浓度的升高而增加，且干旱种群中含量要高于湿润种群。锰处理还引起氧化胁迫，表现为过氧化氢和丙二醛含量增加。SOD 活性在湿润种群中，在0 到0.5 mM 锰胁迫下活性升高，但在1 mM 锰胁迫时，其活性有所下降。而在干旱种群中，SOD 活性变化较小，并始终维持在一个较高的水平。APX 活性在两个种群中都随锰浓度的升高而增加，干旱种群活性要高于湿润种群。锰胁迫还显著增加了酚类物质的含量，同时GPX 和多酚氧化酶（PPO）活性也随锰浓度的升高而增加。干旱种群的酚类含量和GPX 与PPO 活性都要高于湿润种群。锰胁迫还改变了氨基酸的含量和构成，根据锰胁迫下浓度变化的不同，可以将游离氨基酸分为三组：第一组包括，谷氨酸，丙氨酸和天门冬氨酸，这一组氨基酸含量在锰胁迫下有所下降。第二组包括缬氨酸，亮氨酸和苏氨酸含量在锰胁迫下基本不变化或变化很小。剩下的氨基酸为第三组，这组氨基酸含量在锰胁迫下显著增加，而根据增加的幅度又可以将它们分为两个亚组，丝氨酸，酪氨酸，苯丙氨酸，组氨酸和脯氨酸，在1 mM 下的含量是对照的4 倍以上。异亮氨酸，赖氨酸，精氨酸和甘氨酸含量在1 mM 下是对照含量的2 倍以下。同时，同一锰浓度下，干旱种群比湿润种群积累的氨基酸含量要高。 Soil is the indispensable environment for human survival and important resource foragriculture development. Food and environmental problems facing the world are all closelyrelated to soil and nowadays it is threatened by many factors, among which drought stress andheavy metal pollution are the most serious ones. Poplars (Populus spp.) are importantcomponents of ecosystem and suitable as a source of fuel, fiber and lumber due to their fastgrowth. In this study, different populations of Section Tacamahaca spach were used as modelplants to investigate the adaptability to drought stress and manganese toxicity and differencesbetween populations from dry and wet climate regions. Our results can provide theoreticalevidence for the afforestation and prevention of desertification in the arid and semi-arid areas,and also can supply scientific direction for the reconstruction and rehalibitation of ecosystemscontaminated by heavy metals. The results are as follows: 1. Differences in ecophysiological responses to drought stress in two contrastingpopulations of Populus przewalskii Drought stress not only significantly affected dry mass accumulation and allocation, butalso significantly decreased chlorophyll pigment contents and accumulated free proline andtotal amino acids. On the other hand, drought also significantly increased the levels ofabscisic acid and reactive oxygen species, as secondary messengers, to induce the entire set ofantioxidative systems including the increase of reduced ascorbic acid content and the activities of superoxide dismutase, guaiacol peroxidase, ascorbate peroxidase and glutathioneredutase. Thus the combination of drought avoidance and tolerance mechanisms conferredpoplar a high degree of plasticity in response to drought stress. Compared with the wetclimate population, the dry climate population showed lower dry matter accumulation andallocated more biomass to root systems, and accumulated more free proline and total aminoacids for osmotic adjustment. The dry climate population also showed more efficientantioxidant systems with higher content of ascorbic acid and higher activities of ascorbateperoxidase and glutathione redutase than the wet climate population. All these made the dryclimate population superior in adaptation to drought stress than the wet climate population. 2. Effect of exogenous applied SNP on drought tolerance in Populus przewalskii Drought stress significantly increased hydrogen peroxide content and caused oxidativestress to lipids and proteins assessed by the increase in malondialdehyde and total carbonylcontents, respectively. The cuttings of P. przewalskii accumulated proline and other aminoacids for osmotic adjustment to lower water potential, and activated the antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase, guaiacol peroxidase and ascorbate peroxidase to maintain thebalance of generation and quenching of reactive oxygen species. Moreover, exogenous SNPapplication significantly heightened the growth performance of P. przewalskii cuttings underdrought treatment by promotion of proline accumulation and activation of antioxidant enzymeactivities, while under well-watered treatment the effect of SNP application was very little. 3. Morphological responses to manganese toxicity in the two contrasting populations ofPopulus cathayana High concentration of manganese caused significant decrease in shoot height andbiomass accumulation. The tolerance index of the dry climate population was significantlyhigher than that of the wet climate population, suggesting the superior Mn tolerance in theformer and the existence of cross-tolerance of drought stress and high Mn toxicity. Injuries tothe leaf anatomical features were also found as the reduced thickness in palisade and spongyparenchyma, the decreased density in the conducting tissue and the collapse and split in themeristematic tissue in the central vein. As for the Mn concentrations in the plant tissues, under0, 0.1 and 0.5 mM, most of the Mn accumulated in the roots, then leaves, and stem the least, while under 1 mM, most of the Mn accumulated in the leaves. As far as the total amounts ofMn extraction are concerned, the leaf extracted more Mn than the root and stem in the twopopulations under various Mn concentrations. There is no difference between the twopopulations under control. Under 0.1 mM, the wet climate population extracted higher Mn inthe root than the dry climate population, while in the shoot, the dry climate populationextracted much more Mn. Under 0.5 and 1 mM, the wet climate population translocated moreMn both in the root and the shoot than the dry climate population. 4. Physiological and biochemical responses to manganese toxicity in the two contrastingpopulations of Populus cathayana Mn treatment resulted in oxidative stress indicated by the oxidation to lipids, proteinsand DNA. A regulated network of defence strategies was employed for the chelation,detoxification and tolerance of Mn including the enhanced synthesis of ABA and polyamines,the accumulation of free amino acids, especially His and Pro, and the activation of theenzymes superoxide dismutase and guaiacol peroxidase. Contents of non-protein thiol,reduced glutathione, phytochelatins and phenolics compounds and activities of superoxide dismutase, guaiacol peroxidase and polyphenol oxidase also increased significantly forantioxidant or chelation functions. The wet climate population not only accumulated lessabscisic acid, free amino acids, phytochelatins and phenolics compounds, but also exhibitedlower activities of superoxide dismutase, guaiacol peroxidase and polyphenol oxidase thusresulting in more serious oxidative damage and more curtained growth.

三种豆科灌木对干旱胁迫的响应与适应

干旱胁迫是全球范围内影响植物生存、生长和分布的重要环境因子。岷江上游干旱河谷区，由于生态环境的脆弱性和长期人类活动的干扰和过度利用，导致植被严重退化，水土流失加剧，山地灾害频繁，干旱化和荒漠化趋势明显。这种趋势若不能遏制，将严重阻碍区域社会经济的快速协调发展，并且威胁成都平原地区的发展和长江中下游地区的生态安全。因而开展干旱河谷生态恢复研究成为解决这些问题的关键。水分匮乏是限制干旱河谷生态恢复的关键因子，在全球气候变化的背景下，干旱胁迫在区域尺度上可能会更加严重，并使干旱河谷的生态环境更加恶化。因此，深入研究干旱河谷乡土植物对干旱胁迫的响应和适应机理，具有非常重要的理论和实践意义。 本论文以岷江上游干旱河谷的三种乡土豆科灌木，白刺花（Sophora davidii）、小马鞍羊蹄甲（Bauhinia faberi var. microphylla）和小雀花（Campylotropics polyantha）理论和实践意义。为研究对象，在人工控制条件下设计了4-5个连续性干旱胁迫处理，系统地研究了灌木幼苗的生长、生物量积累和水分利用效率（WUE）、形态结构和生理过程等对干旱胁迫的反应，揭示了幼苗的干旱适应能力及种间差异。主要研究结论如下： 1) 灌木生长和繁殖对干旱胁迫的反应 在干旱胁迫下，幼苗生长速率显著减小，叶片衰老和脱落比率增大，这些变化随着胁迫强度的增加具有累积效应。叶片比茎对干旱胁迫的反应更敏感。在严重干旱胁迫下，幼苗的有性繁殖被限制，但在中等程度干旱胁迫下，幼苗的有性繁殖能力被提高。 2) 灌木生物量积累及其分配和WUE对干旱胁迫的反应 在干旱胁迫下，灌木各器官的生物量都显著减小，但是生物量的分配侧重于地下部分，使得根茎比在干旱条件下增大。幼苗的耗水量（WU）随着干旱胁迫的增加而显著减少。白刺花和小马鞍羊蹄甲WUE在干旱胁迫下降低；小雀花的WUE在中等干旱胁迫下升高。 3) 灌木叶片结构特征对干旱胁迫反应 白刺花叶片具有较为典型的旱生型结构，而小马鞍羊蹄甲和小雀花则为中生型结构。在1至2年的干旱胁迫下，灌木叶片结构组成未发生本质性的改变，主要是细胞大小的变化。在中等和严重干旱胁迫下，叶肉组织厚度明显减小；并且气孔和表皮细胞面积也显著减小，气孔和表皮细胞密度显著增大；叶肉细胞层数、P/S值、表皮厚度等无显著变化。 4) 灌木对干旱胁迫的生理响应 气体交换参数和叶片相对含水量（RWC）在中等干旱胁迫下发生了明显的改变，而叶绿素荧光参数和光合色素含量在严重干旱胁迫下才发生显著变化。在干旱胁迫下，净光合作用速率（Pn）、气孔导度（gs）和RWC呈下降趋势，而叶片温度（Tl）呈增加趋势，蒸腾速率（Tr）的变化不明显。除了日最大Pn减小以外，干旱胁迫对气体交换参数的日变化无显著影响，但是对光合-光响应曲线有显著的影响，使有效光合时间缩短。在严重干旱胁迫下光系统受到损害而代谢减弱，PSⅡ中心的内禀光能转换效率（Fv/Fm）、量子产量（Yield）、光化学淬灭参数（qP）显著降低，而非光化学淬灭参数（NPQ）明显增加。气孔限制和非气孔限制对Pn的影响与干旱胁迫强度有关。在中度胁迫下，气孔限制起主导作用，在严重胁迫下非气孔限制起主导作用，40% FC水分条件可能是灌木由气孔限制向非气孔限制的转折点。 5) 灌木对干旱胁迫的适应能力及其种间差异 三种灌木对干旱胁迫具有较好的适应能力，即使在20% FC，幼苗未因干旱胁迫III而死亡；80% FC适宜于幼苗生长。白刺花生长速率慢，耗水量较少，具有较强的耐旱和耐贫瘠能力，并具有干旱忍受机制，能够在较干旱的环境中定居和生长。小马鞍羊蹄甲和小雀花，生长快，水分消耗量较大，尤其是小雀花，对干旱胁迫的忍受能力较弱，具有干旱回避机制，因而适宜于在较为湿润的生境中生长。综合分析表明，生长速率较慢的物种抗旱能力较强，其更适宜于作为干旱地区植被恢复物种。 Drought is often a key factor limiting plant establishment, growth and distribution inmany regions of the world. The harsh environmental conditions and long-termanthropogenic disturbance had resulted in habitat destruction in the dry valley ofMinjiang river, southwest China. Recently, it tended to be more severe on the vegetationdegradation, soil erosion and water loss, natural disaster, as well as desertification, whichimpact on regional booming economy and harmonious development, and would be verydangerous to the environmental security in the middle and lower reaches of Yangzi River.Therefore, ecological restoration in the dry valley is one of the vital tasks in China. Waterdeficit is known to affect adversely vegetation restoration in this place. Moreover, in thecontext of climate change, an increased frequency of drought stress might occur at aregional scale in the dry valleys of Minjiang River. The selection of appropriate plantingspecies for vegetation restoration in regard to regional conditions is an important issue atpresent and in further. The research on responses of indigenous species to drought stresscould provide insights into the improvement of the vegetation restoration in the dry valleys of Minjiang River. In this paper, the responses of three indigenous leguminous shrubs, Sophora davidii,Bauhinia faberi var. microphylla and Campylotropics polyantha, to various soil watersupplies were studied in order to assess drought tolerance of seedlings, and to compare interspecific differences in seedlings’ responses to drought stress. The results were as follows: 1 Growth and reproduction of shrubs in response to drought stress Seedling growth reduced significantly while leaf senescence accelerated underdrought stress, the cumulative responses to prolonged drought were found. The capacityfor reproduction was limited by severe drought stress, and improved by moderate droughtstress. Leaf responses were more sensitive than shoot to various water supplies. 2 WUE, biomass production and its partitioning of shrubs in response to drought stress Drought stress reduced significantly the total dry mass and their components ofseedlings, and altered more biomass allocation to root system, showing higher R/S ratiounder drought. Water use (WU) and water-use efficiency (WUE) of both S. davidii and B.faberi var. microphylla declined strongly with drought stress. The WU C. polyantha ofalso declined with drought stress, but WUE improved under moderate drought stress. 3 Anatomical characteristics and ultrastructures of leaves in response to drought stress There were xeromorphic for S. davidii leaves and mesomorphic for B. faberi var.microphylla and C. polyantha at the all water supplies. The foundational changes in leafstructures were not found with drought stress. However, mesophyll thickness, the areas ofstomatal and epidermis reduced slightly while the densities of stomatal and epidermisincreased under severe drought stress. Variations in these parameters could mainly be duoto cell size. Other structures did not displayed significant changes with drought stress. 4 Physiological responses of shrubs to drought stress The gas exchange parameters and leaf relative water content (RWC) were affectedby moderate stress, while chlorophyll fluorescence and chlorophyll content were onlyaffected by severe stress. Drought stress decreased net photosynthesis rate (Pn), stomatalconductance, light-use efficiency and RWC, and increased leaf temperature. Therespiration rates (Tr) were kept within a narrower range than Pn, resulting in aprogressively increased instantaneous water use effiecency (WUEi) under drought stress.Moreover, drought stress also affected the response curve of Pn to RAR, there was adepression light saturation point (Lsat) and maximum Pn (Pnmax) for moderate andsevere stressed seedling. However, diurnal changes of gas exchange parameters did notdiffer among water supplies although maximum daily Pn declined under severe stress.VISevere stress reduced Fv/Fm, Yield and qP while increased NPQ and chlorophyll content.Photosynthetic activity decreased during drought stress period due to stomatal andnon-stomatal limitations. The relative contribution of these limitations was associatedwith the severity of stress. The limitation to Pn was caused mainly by stomatal limitationunder moderate drought stress, and by the predominance of non-stomatal limitation undersevere stress. In this case, 40% FC water supply may be a non-stomatal limitation 5 Interspecific differences in drought tolerance of shrubs Three shrubs exhibited good performance throughout the experiment process, evenif at 20% FC treatment there were no any seedlings died, 80% FC water supply wassuitable for their establishment and growth. S. davidii minimized their water loss byreducing total leaf area and growth rate, as well as maintained higher RWC and Pncompared to the other two species under drought stress, thus they might be more tolerantto the drought stress than the other two species. On the contrary, it was found that C.polyantha and B. faberi var. microphylla had higher water loss because of their stomatalconductance and higher leaf area ratios. They reduced water loss with shedding theirleaves and changing leaf orientation under drought stress. Based on their responses, thestudied species could be categorized into two: (1) S. davidii with a tolerance mechanismin response to drought stress; (2) C. polyantha and B. faberi var. microphylla withdrought avoidance mechanism. These results indicated that slow-growing shrub speciesare better adapted to drought stress than intermediate or fast-growing species in present orpredicted drought conditions. Therefore, selecting rapid-growing species might leavethese seedlings relatively at a risk of extreme drought.

Anticancer Drug-DNA Interactions Measured Using a Photoinduced Electron-Transfer Mechanism Based on Luminescent Quantum Dots

A sensing system based on the photoinduced electron transfer of quantum dots (QDs) was designed to measure the interaction of anticancer drug and DNA, taking mitoxantrone (MTX) as a model drug. MTX adsorbed on the surface of QDs can quench the photoluminescence (PL) of QDs through the photoinduced electron-transfer process; and then the addition of DNA will bring the restoration of QDs PL intensity, as DNA can bind with MTX and remove it from QDs. Sensitive detection of MTX with the detection limit of 10 nmol L-1 and a linear detection range from 10 nmol L-1 to 4.5 mu mol L-1 was achieved. The dependence of PL intensity on DNA amount was successfully utilized to investigate the interactions between MTX and DNA. Both the binding constants and the sizes of binding site of MTX-DNA interactions were calculated based on the equations deduced for the PL recovery process. The binding constant obtained in our experiment was generally consistent with previous reports. The sensitive and speedy detection of MTX as well as the avoidance of modification or immobilization process made this system suitable and promising in the drug-DNA interaction studies.

A NOVEL SHELL COLOR VARIANT OF THE PACIFIC ABALONE HALIOTIS DISCUS HANNAI INO SUBJECT TO GENETIC CONTROL AND DIETARY INFLUENCE

Molluscan shells may display a variety of colors, which formation, inheritance, and evolutionary significance are not Well understood. Here we report a new variant of the Pacific abalone Haliotis discus hannai that displays a novel orange shell coloration (O-type) that is clearly distinguishable from the Wild green-shelled abalone (G-type). Controlled mating experiments between O- and G-type abalones demonstrated apparent Mendelian segregations (1:1 or 3:1) in shell colors in F-2 families, which support the notion that the O- and G-types are under strict genetic control at a single locus With a recessive o (for orange shell) allele and a dominant G (for green shell) allele. Feeding with different diets caused modifications of shell color within each genotype, ranging from orange to yellow for O-type and green to dark-brown for the G-type, without affecting the distinction between genotypes. A previously described bluish-purple (B-type) shell color was found in one of the putative oo X oG crosses, suggesting that the B-type may be it recessive allele belonging to the same locus. The new O-type variant had no effect on the growth of Pacific abalone on the early seed-stage. This Study demonstrates that shell color in Pacific abalone is subject to genetic control as well as dietary modification, and the latter probably offers selective advantages in camouflage and predator avoidance.

Cultivation of the brown alga Hizikia fusiformis (Harvey) Okamura: stress resistance of artificially raised young seedlings revealed by chlorophyll fluorescence measurement

Commercial farming of the intertidal brown alga Hizikia fusiformis (Harvey) Okamura in China and South Korea in the sea depends on three sources of seedlings: holdfast-derived regenerated seedlings, young plants from wild population and zygote-derived seedlings. Like many successfully farmed seaweed species, the sustainable development of Hizikia farming will rely on a stable supply of artificial seedlings via sexual reproduction under controlled conditions. However, the high rate of detachment of seedlings after transfer to open sea is one of the main obstacles, and has limited large-scale application of zygote-derived seedlings. To seek the optimal condition for growing seedlings on substratum in land-based tanks for avoidance of detachment in this investigation, young seedlings were grown in both outdoor tanks exposed directly to sunlight and in indoor raceway tanks in reduced, filtered sunlight. Results showed that young seedlings, immediately after fertilization, could withstand a daily fluctuation of direct solar irradiance up to a level of 1800 mu mol photons m(-1)s(-1), and maintained a faster growth rate than seedlings grown in indoor tanks. Detailed experiments by use of chlorophyll fluorescence measurements further demonstrated that the overnight (12 h) recovery of optimal fluorescence quantum yield (F-v/F-m) of seedlings after 1 h treatment at 40 degrees C was 98%, and the 48 h recovery of F-v/F-m of seedlings after 1 h exposure to 1800 mu mol m(-2)s(-1) was 92%. Forty-one-day-old seedlings showed no significant decrease of optimal fluorescence quantum yield at salinity ranging from 30 to 5 ppt for a treatment up to 17 h. Six-hour desiccation treatment did not have any influence on the optimal fluorescence quantum yield. Exposure to 18 mmol L-1 sodium hypochlorite for 10 min did not damage the PSII efficiency, and thus could be used to remove epiphytic algae. The strong tolerance of young seedlings to high temperature, high irradiance, low salinity and desiccation found in this investigation supports the view that mass production of Hizikia seedlings should be performed in ambient light and temperature instead of in shaded greenhouse tanks.

Control mechanisms of diel vertical migration: Theoretical assumptions

We explore control mechanisms underlying the vertical migration of zooplankton in the water column under the predator-avoidance hypothesis. Two groups of assumptions in which the organisms are assumed to migrate vertically in order to minimize realized or effective predation pressure (type-I) and to minimize changes in realized or effective predation pressure (type-II), respectively, are investigated. Realized predation pressure is defined as the product of light intensity and relative predation abundance and the part of realized predation pressure that really affects organisms is termed as effective predation pressure. Although both types of assumptions can lead to the migration of zooplankton to avoid the mortality from predators, only the mechanisms based on type-II assumptions permit zooplankton to undergo a normal diel vertical migration (morning descent and evening ascent). The assumption of minimizing changes in realized predation pressure is based on consideration of DVM induction only by light intensity and predators. The assumption of minimizing changes in effective predation pressure takes into account, apart from light and predators also the effects of food and temperature. The latter assumption results in the same expression of migration velocity as the former one when both food and temperature are constant over water depth. A significant characteristic of the two type-II assumptions is that the relative change in light intensity plays a primary role in determining the migration velocity. The photoresponse is modified by other environmental variables: predation pressure, food and temperature. Both light and predation pressure are necessary for organisms to undertake DVM. We analyse the effect of each single variable. The modification of the phototaxis of migratory organisms depends on the vertical distribution of these variables. (C) 2001 Academic Press.