Many behavioral activities of the horseshoe crab Limulus are rhythmic, and most of these are produced in large part by central pattern generators within the CNS. The chain of opisthosomal （‘abdominal＇） ganglia con...Many behavioral activities of the horseshoe crab Limulus are rhythmic, and most of these are produced in large part by central pattern generators within the CNS. The chain of opisthosomal （‘abdominal＇） ganglia controls gill movements of ventilation and gill cleaning, and the prosomal ring of fused ganglia （brain and segmental ‘thoracic＇ ganglia） controls generation of feeding and locomotor movements of the legs. Both the opisthosomal CNS and the prosomal CNS can generate behaviorally ap- propriate patterns of motor output in isolation, without movements or sensory input. Preparations of the isolated opisthosomal CNS generate rhythmic output patterns of motor activity characterized as fictive ventilatory and gill cleaning rhythms. Moreover, CNS preparations also express longer-term patterns, such as intermittent ventilation or sequential bouts of ventilation and gill cleaning. Such longer-term patterns are commonly observed in intact animals. The isolated prosomal CNS does not spontaneously generate the activity patterns characteristic of walking, swimming, and feeding. However, perfusion of octopamine in the isolated prosomal CNS activates central pattern generators underlying rhythmic chewing movements, and injection of octopamine into in- tact Limulus promotes the chewing pattern of feeding, whether or not food is presented. Our understanding of the ability of neu-romodulators such as octopamine to elicit or alter central motor programs may help to clarify the central neural circuits of pattern generation that oroduce and coordinate these rhythmic behaviors展开更多
Thermal behavior and phase behavior in blends of liquid crystalline poly(aryl ether ketone) with lateral methoxy groups (M-PAEK) and poly(aryl ether ether ketone) containing thioether units (S-PEEK) have been investig...Thermal behavior and phase behavior in blends of liquid crystalline poly(aryl ether ketone) with lateral methoxy groups (M-PAEK) and poly(aryl ether ether ketone) containing thioether units (S-PEEK) have been investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and polarized light microscopy (PLM) techniques. The results indicate that the composition of the blends has great effect on the phase behavior and morphology. Thin films of pure M-PAEK and S-PEEK crystallized from the melts exhibit typical mosaic and spherulitic structures, respectively. For the blends with higher M-PAEK contents (> 50%), an unusual ring-banded spherulite with structural discontinuity is formed. The bright core and rings of the ring-banded spherulites under PLM are composed of M-PAEK phase, while the dark rings consist mainly of S-PEEK phase. For the 50:50 M-PAEK/S-PEEK blend, the ring-banded spherulites and S-PEEK spherulites coexist, which implies that a partial phase separation between the two components takes place in the melting state. In S-PEEK-rich blends, a volume-filled spherulite is produced. In addition, the effect of isothermal crystallization temperature on the phase behavior, especially the ring-banded spherulite formation in the blends, is discussed.展开更多
基金the U.S. Public Health Service for research grant funding for much of the work in my laboratory
文摘Many behavioral activities of the horseshoe crab Limulus are rhythmic, and most of these are produced in large part by central pattern generators within the CNS. The chain of opisthosomal （‘abdominal＇） ganglia controls gill movements of ventilation and gill cleaning, and the prosomal ring of fused ganglia （brain and segmental ‘thoracic＇ ganglia） controls generation of feeding and locomotor movements of the legs. Both the opisthosomal CNS and the prosomal CNS can generate behaviorally ap- propriate patterns of motor output in isolation, without movements or sensory input. Preparations of the isolated opisthosomal CNS generate rhythmic output patterns of motor activity characterized as fictive ventilatory and gill cleaning rhythms. Moreover, CNS preparations also express longer-term patterns, such as intermittent ventilation or sequential bouts of ventilation and gill cleaning. Such longer-term patterns are commonly observed in intact animals. The isolated prosomal CNS does not spontaneously generate the activity patterns characteristic of walking, swimming, and feeding. However, perfusion of octopamine in the isolated prosomal CNS activates central pattern generators underlying rhythmic chewing movements, and injection of octopamine into in- tact Limulus promotes the chewing pattern of feeding, whether or not food is presented. Our understanding of the ability of neu-romodulators such as octopamine to elicit or alter central motor programs may help to clarify the central neural circuits of pattern generation that oroduce and coordinate these rhythmic behaviors
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (50973038)the Basic Research Fund of Jilin University
文摘Thermal behavior and phase behavior in blends of liquid crystalline poly(aryl ether ketone) with lateral methoxy groups (M-PAEK) and poly(aryl ether ether ketone) containing thioether units (S-PEEK) have been investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and polarized light microscopy (PLM) techniques. The results indicate that the composition of the blends has great effect on the phase behavior and morphology. Thin films of pure M-PAEK and S-PEEK crystallized from the melts exhibit typical mosaic and spherulitic structures, respectively. For the blends with higher M-PAEK contents (> 50%), an unusual ring-banded spherulite with structural discontinuity is formed. The bright core and rings of the ring-banded spherulites under PLM are composed of M-PAEK phase, while the dark rings consist mainly of S-PEEK phase. For the 50:50 M-PAEK/S-PEEK blend, the ring-banded spherulites and S-PEEK spherulites coexist, which implies that a partial phase separation between the two components takes place in the melting state. In S-PEEK-rich blends, a volume-filled spherulite is produced. In addition, the effect of isothermal crystallization temperature on the phase behavior, especially the ring-banded spherulite formation in the blends, is discussed.
