Molecular evolution of the keratin associated protein gene family in mammals, role in the evolution of mammalian hair

Background: Hair is unique to mammals. Keratin associated proteins (KRTAPs), which contain two major groups: high/ultrahigh cysteine and high glycine-tyrosine, are one of the major components of hair and play essential roles in the formation of rigid and

On the origin of new genes in Drosophila

Several mechanisms have been proposed to account for the origination of new genes. Despite extensive case studies, the general principles governing this fundamental process are still unclear at the whole-genome level. Here, we unveil genome-wide patterns

The stripe-backed weasel Mustela strigidorsa: taxonomy, ecology, distribution and status

1. The stripe-backed weasel Mustela strigidorsa is one of the rarest and least-known mustelids in the world. Its phylogenetic relationships with other Mustela species remain controversial, though several unique morphological features distinguish it from congeners. 2. It probably lives mainly in evergreen forests in hills and mountains, but has also been recorded from plains forest, dense scrub, secondary forest, grassland and farmland. Known sites range in altitude from 90 m to 2500 m. Data are insufficient to distinguish between habitat and altitudes which support populations, and those where only dispersing animals may occur. 3. It has been confirmed from many localities in north-east India, north and central Myanmar, south China, north Thailand, north and central Laos, and north and central Vietnam. Given the limited survey effort, the number of recent records shows that the species is not as rare as hitherto believed. Neither specific nor urgent conservation needs are apparent.

Projectile fragmentation of Kr-86 at 64 MeV/nucleon

We measured fragmentation cross sections produced using the primary beam of Kr-86 at 64 MeV/nucleon on Be-9 and Ta-181 targets. The cross sections were obtained by integrating the momentum distributions of isotopes with 25 <= Z <= 36 measured using the RIPS fragment separator at RIKEN. The cross-section ratios obtained with the Ta-181 and Be-9 targets depend on the fragment masses, contrary to the simple geometrical models. We compared the extracted cross sections to EPAX; an empirical parametrization of fragmentation cross sections. Predictions from current EPAX parametrization severely overestimate the production cross sections of very neutron-rich isotopes. Attempts to obtain another set of EPAX parameters specific to the reaction studied here to extrapolate the neutron-rich nuclei more accurately have not been very successful, suggesting that accurate predictions of production cross sections of nuclei far from the valley of stability require information of nuclear properties that are not present in EPAX.

Neutron-Proton Asymmetry Dependence of Spectroscopic Factors in Ar Isotopes

Spectroscopic factors have been extracted for proton-rich Ar-34 and neutron-rich Ar-46 using the (p, d) neutron transfer reaction. The experimental results show little reduction of the ground state neutron spectroscopic factor of the proton-rich nucleus Ar-34 compared to that of Ar-46. The results suggest that correlations, which generally reduce such spectroscopic factors, do not depend strongly on the neutronproton asymmetry of the nucleus in this isotopic region as was reported in knockout reactions. The present results are consistent with results from systematic studies of transfer reactions but inconsistent with the trends observed in knockout reaction measurements.

Neutron spectroscopic factors of Ar-34 and Ar-46 from (p,d) transfer reactions

Single-neutron-transfer measurements using (p,d) reactions have been performed at 33 MeV per nucleon with proton-rich Ar-34 and neutron-rich Ar-46 beams in inverse kinematics. The extracted spectroscopic factors are compared to the large-basis shell-model calculations. Relatively weak quenching of the spectroscopic factors is observed between Ar-34 and Ar-46. The experimental results suggest that neutron correlations have a weak dependence on the asymmetry of the nucleus over this isotopic region. The present results are consistent with the systematics established from extensive studies of spectroscopic factors and dispersive optical-model analyses of Ca40-49 isotopes. They are, however, inconsistent with the trends obtained in knockout-reaction measurements.

The crystal structure and supramolecular chain of [La(NO3)(3)(OH2)(2)(phen)]center dot 15-crown-5

[La(NO3)(3)(OH2)(2)(phen)]. 15-crown-5 is hexagonal, P6(5), with a = 10.955(2), c = 43.769(9) Angstrom, and D-calc = 1.668 g cm(-3) for Z = 6. In the complex, two nitrogen atoms (from phen) and eight oxygen atoms (six from three bidentate nitrate anions and two from water molecules) are coordinated to the central La(III) ion, forming a coordination polyhedron which is approximately a bicapped square antiprism. The coordinated water molecules donate hydrogen bonds to the oxygen atoms of the crown ether, forming polymeric hydrogen bonded chains which wrap helically along the unit cell direction c.

THE SYNTHESIS AND CRYSTAL-STRUCTURE OF [LA(OH2)(5)(PHEN)(2)]CL-3-CENTER-DOT-4H(2)O-CENTER-DOT-PHEN

[La(OH2)(5)(phen)(2)]Cl-3 4H(2)O.phen is centric, Pnna, with a = 19.946(7), b = 16.458(5), c = 12.207(4)Angstrom and D-calc = 1.57 g cm(-3) for Z = 4. The La(III) ion resides on a crystallographic twofold axis and is coordinated to four nitrogen atoms (fr

STRUCTURE OF [LA(NO3)(3)(OH2)(2)(OHME)(BIPY)].15-CROWN-5

[La(NO3)(3)(OH2)(2)(OHMe)(bipy).15-crown-5 is monoclinic, P2(1)/n, with a = 11.239(6), b = 19.302(7), c = 14.458(8) Angstrom, beta = 92.47(5)degrees, and D-calc = 1.63 g cm(-3) for Z = 4. In the complex, two nitrogen atoms (from bipy) and nine oxygen atom