Multiple Bifurcations and Chaos in a Discrete Prey-Predator System with Generalized Holling III Functional Response

A prey-predator system with the strong Allee effect and generalized Holling type III functional response is presented and discretized. It is shown that the combined influences of Allee effect and step size have an important effect on the dynamics of the system. The existences of Flip and Neimark-Sacker bifurcations and strange attractors and chaotic bands are investigated by using the center manifold theorem and bifurcation theory and some numerical methods

Genetic variation in human NPY expression affects stress response and emotion

Understanding inter- individual differences in stress response requires the explanation of genetic influences at multiple phenotypic levels, including complex behaviours and the metabolic responses of brain regions to emotional stimuli. Neuropeptide Y ( NPY) is anxiolytic(1,2) and its release is induced by stress(3). NPY is abundantly expressed in regions of the limbic system that are implicated in arousal and in the assignment of emotional valences to stimuli and memories(4-6). Here we show that haplotype- driven NPY expression predicts brain responses to emotional and stress challenges and also inversely correlates with trait anxiety. NPY haplotypes predicted levels of NPY messenger RNA in postmortem brain and lymphoblasts, and levels of plasma NPY. Lower haplotype- driven NPY expression predicted higher emotion- induced activation of the amygdala, as well as diminished resiliency as assessed by pain/ stress- induced activations of endogenous opioid neurotransmission in various brain regions. A single nucleotide polymorphism ( SNP rs16147) located in the promoter region alters NPY expression in vitro and seems to account for more than half of the variation in expression in vivo. These convergent findings are consistent with the function of NPY as an anxiolytic peptide and help to explain inter- individual variation in resiliency to stress, a risk factor for many diseases.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/62768/1/nature06858.pd

An epigenetic mechanism mediates developmental nicotine effects on neuronal structure and behavior

Developmental nicotine exposure causes persistent changes in cortical neuron morphology and in behavior. We used microarray screening to identify master transcriptional or epigenetic regulators mediating these effects of nicotine and discovered increases in Ash2lmRNA, encoding a component of a histone methyltransferase complex. We therefore examined genome-wide changes in trimethylation of histone H3 on Lys4 (H3K4me3), a mark induced by the Ash2l complex associated with increased gene transcription. A large proportion of regulated promoter sites were involved in synapse maintenance. We found that Mef2c interacts with Ash2l and mediates changes in H3K4me3. Knockdown of Ash2l or Mef2c abolished nicotine-mediated alterations of dendritic complexity in vitro and in vivo, and attenuated nicotine-dependent changes in passive avoidance behavior. In contrast, overexpression mimicked nicotine-mediated alterations of neuronal structure and passive avoidance behavior. These studies identify Ash2l as a target induced by nicotinic stimulation that couples developmental nicotine exposure to changes in brain epigenetic marks, neuronal structure and behavior

Refinement of Light-Responsive Transcript Lists Using Rice Oligonucleotide Arrays: Evaluation of Gene-Redundancy

Studies of gene function are often hampered by gene-redundancy, especially in organisms with large genomes such as rice (Oryza sativa). We present an approach for using transcriptomics data to focus functional studies and address redundancy. To this end, we have constructed and validated an inexpensive and publicly available rice oligonucleotide near-whole genome array, called the rice NSF45K array. We generated expression profiles for light- vs. dark-grown rice leaf tissue and validated the biological significance of the data by analyzing sources of variation and confirming expression trends with reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. We examined trends in the data by evaluating enrichment of gene ontology terms at multiple false discovery rate thresholds. To compare data generated with the NSF45K array with published results, we developed publicly available, web-based tools (www.ricearray.org). The Oligo and EST Anatomy Viewer enables visualization of EST-based expression profiling data for all genes on the array. The Rice Multi-platform Microarray Search Tool facilitates comparison of gene expression profiles across multiple rice microarray platforms. Finally, we incorporated gene expression and biochemical pathway data to reduce the number of candidate gene products putatively participating in the eight steps of the photorespiration pathway from 52 to 10, based on expression levels of putatively functionally redundant genes. We confirmed the efficacy of this method to cope with redundancy by correctly predicting participation in photorespiration of a gene with five paralogs. Applying these methods will accelerate rice functional genomics

Adaptive Modified Function Projective Lag Synchronization of Memristor-Based Five-Order Chaotic Circuit Systems

The modified function projective lag synchronization of the memristor-based five-order chaotic circuit system with unknown bounded disturbances is investigated. Based on the LMI approach and Lyapunov stability theorem, an adaptive control law is established to make the states of two different memristor-based five-order chaotic circuit systems asymptotically synchronized up to a desired scaling function matrix, while the parameter controlling strength update law is designed to estimate the parameters well. Finally, the simulation is put forward to demonstrate the correctness and effectiveness of the proposed methods. The control method involved is simple and practical

Dual-stage adaptive finite-time modified function projective multi-lag combined synchronization for multiple uncertain chaotic systems

In this paper, for multiple different chaotic systems with unknown bounded disturbances and fully unknown parameters, a more general synchronization method called modified function projective multi-lag combined synchronization is proposed. This new method covers almost all of the synchronization methods available. As an advantage of the new method, the drive system is a linear combination of multiple chaotic systems, which makes the signal hidden channels more abundant and the signal hidden methods more flexible. Based on the finite-time stability theory and the sliding mode variable structure control technique, a dual-stage adaptive variable structure control scheme is established to realize the finite-time synchronization and to tackle the parameters well. The detailed theoretical derivation and representative numerical simulation is put forward to demonstrate the correctness and effectiveness of the advanced scheme

Finite–Time Adaptive Modified Function Projective Multi–Lag Generalized Compound Synchronization for Multiple Uncertain Chaotic Systems

In this paper, for multiple different chaotic systems with fully unknown parameters, a novel synchronization scheme called ‘modified function projective multi-lag generalized compound synchronization’ is put forward. As an advantage of the new method, not only the addition and subtraction, but also the multiplication of multiple chaotic systems are taken into consideration. This makes the signal hidden channels more abundant and the signal hidden methods more flexible. By virtue of finite-time stability theory and an adaptive control technique, a finite-time adaptive control scheme is established to realize the finite-time synchronization and to properly evaluate the unknown parameters. A detailed theoretical derivation and a specific numerical simulation demonstrate the feasibility and validity of the advanced scheme