Population genetic structure, gene flow and sex-biased dispersal in frillneck lizards (Chlamydosaurus kingii)

By using both mitochondrial and nuclear multiloci markers, we explored population genetic structure, gene flow and sex-specific dispersal of frillneck lizards (Chlamydosaurus kingii) sampled at three locations, separated by 10 to 50 km, in a homogenous savannah woodland in tropical Australia. Apart from a recombinant lizard, the mitochondrial analyses revealed two nonoverlapping haplotypes/populations, while the nuclear markers showed that the frillneck lizards represented three separate clusters/populations. Due to the small population size of the mtDNA, fixation may occur via founder effects and/or drift. We therefore suggest that either of these two processes, or a combination of the two, are the most likely causes of the discordant results obtained from the mitochondrial and the nuclear markers. In contrast to the nonoverlapping mitochondrial haplotypes, in 12 out of 74 lizards, mixed nuclear genotypes were observed, hence revealing a limited nuclear gene flow. Although gene flow should ultimately result in a blending of the populations, we propose that the distinct nuclear population structure is maintained by frequent fires resulting in local bottlenecks, and concomitant spatial separation of the frillneck lizard populations. Limited mark-recapture data and the difference in distribution of the mitochondrial and nuclear markers suggest that the mixed nuclear genotypes were caused by juvenile male-biased dispersal.

Synthesis and structure of pentamethylcyclopentadienyltin(II) tetraphenylborate

The title compound (Cp*Sn)BPh 4 was obtained by the metathesis reaction of Cp*SnCl with NaBPh4and characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction as well as solution and solid-state 119Sn nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The coordination modes are best described as (ν 5-C5Me 5)Sn(μ-ν6-Ph) 2BPh2.

Preliminary investigations into triazole derived androgen receptor antagonists

A range of 1,4-substituted-1,2,3-N-phenyltriazoles were synthesized and evaluated as non-steroidal androgen receptor (AR) antagonists. The motivation for this study was to replace the N-phenyl amide portion of small molecule antiandrogens with a 1,2,3-triazole and determine effects, if any, on biological activity. The synthetic methodology presented herein is robust, high yielding and extremely rapid. Using this methodology a series of 17 N-aryl triazoles were synthesized from commercially available starting materials in less than 3h. After preliminary biological screening at 20 and 40 μM, the most promising three compounds were found to display IC50 values of 40-50 μM against androgen dependent (LNCaP) cells and serve as a starting point for further structure-activity investigations. All compounds in this work were the focus of an in silico study to dock the compounds into the human androgen receptor ligand binding domain (hARLBD) and compare their predicted binding affinity with known antiandrogens. A comparison of receptor-ligand interactions for the wild type and T877A mutant AR revealed two novel polar interactions. One with Q738 of the wild type site and the second with the mutated A877 residue.

Insight into local structure and molecular dynamics in organic solid-state ionic conductors

Elucidating the rate and geometry of molecular dynamics is particularly important for unravelling ion-conduction mechanisms in electrochemical materials. The local molecular motions in the plastic crystal 1-ethyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium tetrafluoroborate ([C2 mpyr][BF4 ]) are studied by a combination of quantum chemical calculations and advanced solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. For the first time, a restricted puckering motion with a small fluctuation angle of 25° in the pyrrolidinium ring has been observed, even in the low-temperature phase (-45 °C). This local molecular motion is deemed to be particularly important for the material to maintain its plasticity, and hence, its ion mobility at low temperatures.

Synthesis and preliminary investigations into norbornane-based amphiphiles and their self-assembly

A range of norbornane based amphiphiles, which possess a rigid 'kink' in the centre of amphiphiles, were accessed via a concise four step synthesis. The self-assembly properties of these novel compounds were then investigated and the critical aggregation concentration (CAC), hydrodynamic diameter (DH) by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and their morphology by cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryoTEM) and negatively stained transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were determined. These compounds while possessing similar CAC values (50-70 μM) exhibited a wide variety of particle size (60-140 nm) and morphologies, including vesicles, cigar-shaped aggregates and rod-like micelles. Considering the similarities in molecular structure we have proposed that the unique nature of the molecular 'kink' is affecting molecular assembly in which subtle changes in molecular structure have large ramifications on aggregate size and morphology.

Mechanical properties of graphene films enhanced by homo-telechelic functionalized polymer fillers via π-π Stacking interactions

© 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Most researches on graphene/polymer composites are focusing on improving the mechanical and electrical properties of polymers at low graphene content instead of paying attention to constructing graphene's macroscopic structures. In current study the homo-telechelic functionalized polyethylene glycols (FPEGs) were tailored with π-orbital-rich groups (namely phenyl, pyrene and di-pyrene) via esterification reactions, which enhanced the interaction between polyethylene glycol (PEG) molecules and chemical reduced graphene oxide (RGO) sheets. The π-π stacking interactions between graphene sheets and π-orbital-rich groups endowed the composite films with enhanced tensile strength and tunable electrical conductivity. The formation of graphene network structure mediated by the FPEGs fillers via π-π stacking non-covalent interactions should account for the experimental results. The experimental investigations were also complemented with theoretical calculation using a density functional theory. Atomic force microscope (AFM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), UV-vis and fluorescence spectroscopy were used to monitor the step-wise preparation of graphene composite films.

Morphological and molecular investigations of the holocephalan elephant fish nephron: the existence of a countercurrent-like configuration and two separate diluting segments in the distal tubule

In marine cartilaginous fish, reabsorption of filtered urea by the kidney is essential for retaining a large amount of urea in their body. However, the mechanism for urea reabsorption is poorly understood due to the complexity of the kidney. To address this problem, we focused on elephant fish (Callorhinchus milii) for which a genome database is available, and conducted molecular mapping of membrane transporters along the different segments of the nephron. Basically, the nephron architecture of elephant fish was similar to that described for elasmobranch nephrons, but some unique features were observed. The late distal tubule (LDT), which corresponded to the fourth loop of the nephron, ran straight near the renal corpuscle, while it was convoluted around the tip of the loop. The ascending and descending limbs of the straight portion were closely apposed to each other and were arranged in a countercurrent fashion. The convoluted portion of LDT was tightly packed and enveloped by the larger convolution of the second loop that originated from the same renal corpuscle. In situ hybridization analysis demonstrated that co-localization of Na(+),K(+),2Cl(-) cotransporter 2 and Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase α1 subunit was observed in the early distal tubule and the posterior part of LDT, indicating the existence of two separate diluting segments. The diluting segments most likely facilitate NaCl absorption and thereby water reabsorption to elevate urea concentration in the filtrate, and subsequently contribute to efficient urea reabsorption in the final segment of the nephron, the collecting tubule, where urea transporter-1 was intensely localized.

Lingo: linearized grassmannian optimization for nuclear norm minimization

As a popular heuristic to the matrix rank minimization problem, nuclear norm minimization attracts intensive research attentions. Matrix factorization based algorithms can reduce the expensive computation cost of SVD for nuclear norm minimization. However, most matrix factorization based algorithms fail to provide the theoretical guarantee for convergence caused by their non-unique factorizations. This paper proposes an efficient and accurate Linearized Grass-mannian Optimization (Lingo) algorithm, which adopts matrix factorization and Grassmann manifold structure to alternatively minimize the subproblems. More specially, linearization strategy makes the auxiliary variables unnecessary and guarantees the close-form solution for low periteration complexity. Lingo then converts linearized objective function into a nuclear norm minimization over Grass-mannian manifold, which could remedy the non-unique of solution for the low-rank matrix factorization. Extensive comparison experiments demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of Lingo algorithm. The global convergence of Lingo is guaranteed with theoretical proof, which also verifies the effectiveness of Lingo.

Anodization parameters influencing the morphology and electrical properties of TiO2 nanotubes for living cell interfacing and investigations

Nanotube structures have attracted tremendous attention in recent years in many applications. Among such nanotube structures, titania nanotubes (TiO2) have received paramount attention in the medical domain due to their unique properties, represented by high corrosion resistance, good mechanical properties, high specific surface area, as well as great cell proliferation, adhesion and mineralization. Although lot of research has been reported in developing optimized titanium nanotube structures for different medical applications, however there is a lack of unified literature source that could provide information about the key parameters and experimental conditions required to develop such optimized structure. This paper addresses this gap, by focussing on the fabrication of TiO2 nanotubes through anodization process on both pure titanium and titanium alloys substrates to exploit the biocompatibility and electrical conductivity aspects, critical factors for many medical applications from implants to in-vivo and in-vitro living cell studies. It is shown that the morphology of TiO2 directly impacts the biocompatibility aspects of the titanium in terms of cell proliferation, adhesion and mineralization. Similarly, TiO2 nanotube wall thickness of 30-40nm has shown to exhibit improved electrical behaviour, a critical factor in brain mapping and behaviour investigations if such nanotubes are employed as micro-nano-electrodes.

Population genetic structure of serotine bats (Eptesicus serotinus) across Europe and implications for the potential spread of bat rabies (European bat lyssavirus EBLV-1).

Understanding of the movements of species at multiple scales is essential to appreciate patterns of population connectivity and in some cases, the potential for pathogen transmission. The serotine bat (Eptesicus serotinus) is a common and widely distributed species in Europe where it frequently harbours European bat lyssavirus type 1 (EBLV-1), a virus causing rabies and transmissible to humans. In the United Kingdom, it is rare, with a distribution restricted to south of the country and so far the virus has never been found there. We investigated the genetic structure and gene flow of E. serotinus across the England and continental Europe. Greater genetic structuring was found in England compared with continental Europe. Nuclear data suggest a single population on the continent, although further work with more intensive sampling is required to confirm this, while mitochondrial sequences indicate an east-west substructure. In contrast, three distinct populations were found in England using microsatellite markers, and mitochondrial diversity was very low. Evidence of nuclear admixture indicated strong male-mediated gene flow among populations. Differences in connectivity could contribute to the high viral prevalence on the continent in contrast with the United Kingdom. Although the English Channel was previously thought to restrict gene flow, our data indicate relatively frequent movement from the continent to England highlighting the potential for movement of EBLV-1 into the United Kingdom.