Free running period affected by network structures of suprachiasmatic nucleus neurons exposed to constant light

Exposed to the natural light-dark cycle,24 h rhythms exist in behavioral and physiological processes of living beings.Interestingly,under constant darkness or constant light,living beings can maintain a robust endogenous rhythm with a free running period(FRP)close to 24 h.In mammals,the circadian rhythm is coordinated by a master clock located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus(SCN)of the brain,which is composed of about twenty thousand self-oscillating neurons.These SCN neurons form a heterogenous network to output a robust rhythm.Thus far,the exact network topology of the SCN neurons is unknown.In this article,we examine the effect of the SCN network structure on the FRP when exposed to constant light by a Poincare model.Four typical network structures are considered,including a nearest-neighbor coupled network,a Newman-Watts small world network,an Erd¨os-Renyi random network and a Barabasi-Albert(BA)scale free network.The results show that the FRP is longest in the BA network,because the BA network is characterized by the most heterogeneous structure among these four types of networks.These findings are not affected by the average node degree of the SCN network or the value of relaxation rate of the SCN neuronal oscillators.Our findings contribute to the understanding of how the network structure of the SCN neurons influences the FRP.

Collective behaviors of suprachiasm nucleus neurons under different light–dark cycles

The principal circadian clock in the suprachiasm nucleus （SCN） regulates the circadian rhythm of physiological and behavioral activities of mammals. Except for the normal function of the circadian rhythm, the ensemble of SCN neurons may show two collective behaviors, i.e., a free running period in the absence of a light-dark cycle and an entrainment ability to an external T cycle. Experiments show that both the free running periods and the entrainment ranges may vary from one species to another and can be seriously influenced by the coupling among the SCN neurons. We here review the recent progress on how the heterogeneous couplings influence these two collective behaviors. We will show that in the case of homogeneous coupling, the free running period increases monotonically while the entrainment range decreases monotonically with the increase of the coupling strength. While in the case of heterogenous coupling, the dispersion of the coupling strength plays a crucial role. It has been found that the free running period decreases with the increase of the dispersion while the entrainment ability is enhanced by the dispersion. These findings provide new insights into the mechanism of the circadian clock in the SCN.

The Underground Water Level Simulation in Imamzadeh Jafar Plateau by the Use of Mudflow Software

The most secure method in providing water in the dry and semi-dry regions is the use of underground water sources and due to over consumption of water aquifers capacities, most of fields and specially Imamzadeh Jafar are faced with negative performance and balance, which threatens the land subsiding. The plateau with the annual raining of 438 millimeters has 169 deep and semi-deep wells with annual 36.68 million consumption and this issue has increased the research signification, in order to protect and relive the required water aquifers, there is a need to predict the underground water level accurately in different condition. In this research, by the use of balance equation and modflow software in Imamzadeh Jafar, water aquifer was analyzed within seven scenario. The underground water level evaluation for the short run periods for 2 years and middle term of 4 years and 12 years of long term was performed;and the results showed that the performance and balance of the plateau was increased due to increase of water consumption compared to the water aquifer quantity in the region that was negative. To the point that the 1, 3, 4, 5, 7 scenarios (minimum 0.17 and maximum -11.34) and 2, 6 scenarios in different timely periods show that the underground water saving volume is positive (minimum 3.64 and maximum 19.83).

A Comparison of Three Kinds of Multimodel Ensemble Forecast Techniques Based on the TIGGE Data

Based on the ensemble mean outputs of the ensemble forecasts from the ECMWF （European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts）, JMA （Japan Meteorological Agency）, NCEP （National Centers for Environmental Prediction）, and UKMO （United Kingdom Met Office） in THORPEX （The Observing System Research and Predictability Experiment） Interactive Grand Global Ensemble （TIGGE） datasets, for the Northern Hemisphere （10~ 87.5~N, 0~ 360~） from i June 2007 to 31 August 2007, this study carried out multimodel ensemble forecasts of surface temperature and 500-hPa geopotential height, temperature and winds up to 168 h by using the bias-removed ensemble mean （BREM）, the multiple linear regression based superensemble （LRSUP）, and the neural network based superensemble （NNSUP） techniques for the forecast period from 8 to 31 August 2007. A running training period is used for BREM and LRSUP ensemble forecast techniques. It is found that BREM and LRSUP, at each grid point, have different optimal lengths of the training period. In general, the optimal training period for BREM is less than 30 days in most areas, while for LRSUP it is about 45 days.

DYNAMICS IN COUPLED SYSTEMS OF JOSEPHSON JUNCTIONS WITHOUT CAPACITY EFFECT

In this paper, we analyze the structures of the global attractors of the coupled systems of continuous Josephson junctions and the two-point Josephson junction without capacity effect.We prove that each system has a unique one-dimensional invariant continuous curve which is globally attracting. Therefore, the systems behave exactly as a one-dimensional system.