On the Way to Assess Emotions in Animals: Do Lambs (Ovis aries) Evaluate an Event Through Its Suddenness, Novelty, or Unpredictability?

Appraisal theories provide a framework that gives insight into emotions and could allow comparisons across species. According to these theories, events are first evaluated on their suddenness, novelty, and unpredictability. The authors examined the ability of lambs (Ovis aries) to evaluate an event according to these 3 criteria through 3 tests. The lambs responded to suddenness with a startle response coupled with an increase in heart rate and to novelty with an orientation response coupled with an increase of vagal activity. There was no clear evidence that lambs can detect the predictability of an event. Those results support the usefulness of appraisal theories to assess emotion in animals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

沙漠生物结皮土壤发育特征的研究

通过对沙漠生物结皮层相关的土壤特性研究表明,结皮层不仅具有明显的养分富集和细粒物质的聚集作用,而且结皮层腐殖质成份的含量以及其分子结构和复杂程度也在增加。腐殖质光学特性的变化趋势明显反映了不同地区结皮层土壤发育的地带性特征。结皮层持水量明显高于沙层,并对降水再分配有一定影响。     

在LabVIEW程序运行中实现控件的动态移动

通过两种在LabVIEW程序运行中实现控件移动的方法的对比,着重介绍了结合了VI Sever技术的动态注册事件结构的用法,从而总结出其具有优化程序、减少内存、提高CPU利用率等方面的优点.     

长期酸化对红壤中活性固相铝库大小及亏损程度的影响

用连续分级提取和反复多次酸提取方法研究了长期土壤酸化对红壤固相铝库中铝含量及亏损程度的影响。研究结果表明:嵊县红壤的活性铝库大于永春红壤和屯溪红壤;因永春红壤和屯溪红壤的酸化程度大于嵊县红壤,前两者的有机铝库和无机铝库都比嵊县红壤的亏损,因此反复酸提取过程中铝的释放量也比嵊县红壤少;当高强度酸输入土壤后,弱键合的有机络合态铝可快速活化并亏损,剩余铝库因活性小而释放速率减小,但长期酸化过程中,动力学控制的低活性铝库的活化可能对铝的溶解量仍有重要贡献。     

LP-BM5 virus causes changes in lactic dehydrogenase and oxygen radical production in splenocytes of C57BL/6J mice

The LP-BM5 murine leukemia virus causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome in C57BL/6J mice (MAIDS), similar to that of AIDS in humans. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of LP-BM5 viral infection on cellular activation and membrane integrity of splenocytes. Oxidative burst in splenocytes in response to exposure to PMA (20 microg/ml) was significantly higher (p<.02) in infected than in control mice at two weeks post-infection using luminol-enhanced chemiluminescence. By 13 weeks post-infection superoxide anion production in infected mice was significantly lower when compared to controls coinciding with decreased proliferative response to mitogens. The extent of cell membrane damage as indicated by lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) activity in serum was significantly higher in infected than in control mice (p<.001). The results from this study suggests that LP-BM5 virus causes an initial stimulation of cellular activity followed by a decreased cell activation characterized by decreased proliferation of splenocytes and decreased oxygen radical production. Decreased cell membrane integrity indicated by increased LDH activity may partly be responsible for these changes.     

ATP-sensitive voltage- and calcium-dependent chloride channels in sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles from rabbit skeletal muscle

In addition to its role in olfaction and as a primary epileptogenic site, the anterior piriform cortex has been suggested to play a role in neuroperception of deficiencies or imbalances in physiologically essential amino acids. In recent studies, amino acid deficient diets were shown to induce expression of c-fos in the anterior piriform cortex within the rapid time frame associated with the normal anorectic response to such diets. It became important to examine the neurocytochemical architecture of this region for clues as to how and more precisely where dietary amino acid deficiency or imbalance might be monitored. The relationships of neuropeptide Y-, somatostatin-, and cholecystokinin-containing neurons were of particular interest because ongoing studies indicate that those peptides administered to the anterior piriform cortex alter intake of diets deficient in essential amino acids. The neuropeptides were endogenous to intrinsic neurons only; none resembled pyramidal projection neurons. Peptidergic neurons and fibers were concentrated most heavily in layer III of the paleocortex. The cytoarchitecture suggests that neuropeptide Y-, somatostatin-, and cholecystokin-containing neurons of the anterior piriform cortex may relate synaptically or multisynaptically to local circuit neurons during electrical activity, modulation of olfactory information, and neuroperception of essential amino acids.     

Health status of the over 60 years of age population and its relationship with sociodemographic factors (ANCO Project)

OBJECTIVE: To describe the health status of a population over 60 years and to study their relationship with several socio-demographic variables. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study, population based. SETTINGS: A community. PARTICIPANTS: A randomized sample of 1,103 non institutionalized people over 60 years living in the city of Cordoba (Spain). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: By mean of a personal interview at home we used the OARS-MFAQ-VE questionnaire. Low self-rated health was associated with the age, to be female sex, a low cultural background, and a low income. Only 5.2% of the study people do not suffered any illness and 56% state that their health problems are major problems for doing their current activities. 4.9% declared to have some degree of physical incapacity. 3.7% of elderly population has an important cognitive deficit. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of elderly people has good health. Age is related with a poor health. Women have more health problems than men.     

Development of calcium signalling mechanisms during maturation of human oocytes

Sperm-induced Ca2+ signals mediate the events of oocyte activation at fertilization. In this study, the development of mechanisms involved in the generation of Ca2+ signals in human oocytes was investigated. The thiol reagent, thimerosal, which induces oscillations of intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) similar to those seen during fertilization, was used to mobilize Ca2+ in in-vivo matured, immature and in-vitro matured human oocytes. There was an increase in the sensitivity to thimerosal during maturation of human oocytes, with oocytes from small antral follicles being relatively insensitive, compared with those from luteinized follicles, which displayed a large spike followed by sustained oscillations in [Ca2+]i. These oscillations were inhibited by caffeine which suggests that they were mediated by the inositol trisphosphate receptor Ca2+ release system. When immature oocytes were cultured in vitro they acquired the capacity to undergo a single large spike in [Ca2+]i, however, subsequent sustained oscillations were not observed, indicating that these oocytes failed to develop fully competent Ca2+ signalling mechanisms during culture in vitro. This finding may be a key factor in the poor developmental competence of in-vitro matured human oocytes.     

StAR protein is expressed in both medulla and cortex of the bovine and rat adrenal gland

We have employed polyclonal antibodies to a peptide sequence of bovine steroidogenic acute regulatory (StAR) protein and human placental 3beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3beta-HSD) to determine the localisation and distribution of these proteins in rat and bovine adrenal glands. Immunohistochemical staining demonstrated the presence of StAR protein in the zona glomerulosa (ZG), zona fasciculata (ZF), zona reticularis (ZR) and in the medulla of both species. For 3beta-HSD, immunostaining was observed in the ZG, ZF and ZR of the rat adrenal and was absent in the medulla. Immunoblotting experiments showed intense bands for StAR protein (30 kDa, 37 kDa) in the mitochondria of bovine ZG, ZF and medulla and a less intense band (30 kDa) in the microsomes. In rat ZG and ZF/R mitochondria only the 30 kDa protein was present. For 3beta-HSD, an intense band (42 kDa) was found in microsomes and mitochondria of rat and bovine ZG and ZFR. A very faint signal for 3beta-HSD was seen in adrenal medulla. In conclusion, StAR (or a closely related) protein is present throughout the adrenal gland in rat and bovine species in contrast to 3beta-HSD which is confined to the steroidogenic zones. The possible function of StAR protein in the adrenal medulla merits investigation.