Chromosome painting in the long-tailed field mouse provides insights into the ancestral murid karyotype

We report on the hybridization of mouse chromosomal paints to Apodemus sylvaticus, the long-tailed field mouse. The mouse paints detected 38 conserved segments in the Apodemus karyotype. Together with the species reported here there are now six species of rodents mapped with Mus musculus painting probes. A parsimony analysis indicated that the syntenies of nine M. musculus chromosomes were most likely already formed in the muroid ancestor: 3, 4, 7, 9, 14, 18, 19, X and Y. The widespread occurrence of syntenic segment associations of mouse chromosomes 1/17, 2/13, 7/19, 10/17, 11/16, 12/17 and 13/15 suggests that these associations were ancestral syntenies for muroid rodents. The muroid ancestral karyotype probably had a diploid number of about 2n = 54. It would be desirable to have a richer phylogenetic array of species before any final conclusions are drawn about the Muridae ancestral karyotype. The ancestral karyotype presented here should be considered as a working hypothesis. Copyright (C) 2004 S. Karger AG, Basel.

A novel fusion gene, TRIMS-Cyclophilin A in the pig-tailed macaque determines its susceptibility to HIV-1 infection

Objective: In Old World monkeys, the tripartite motif Sec (TRIM5 alpha) protein confers resistance to HIV-1 infection following virus entry into host cells. However, the pig-tailed macaque (Macaca nemestrina) is an exception and is susceptible to HIV-1 in

Genotyping of TRIM5 locus in northern pig-tailed macaques (Macaca leonina), a primate species susceptible to Human Immunodeficiency Virus type 1 infection

Background: The pig-tailed macaques are the only Old World monkeys known to be susceptible to human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection. We have previously reported that the TRIM5-Cyclophilin A (TRIMCyp) fusion in pig-tailed macaques (Macaca n

Load-displacement behavior during sharp indentation of viscous-elastic-plastic materials

A constitutive equation is developed for geometrically-similar sharp indentation of a material capable of elastic, viscous, and plastic deformation. The equation is based on a series of elements consisting of a quadratic (reversible) spring, a quadratic (time-dependent, reversible) dashpot, and a quadratic (time-independent, irreversible) slider-essentially modifying a model for an elastic-perfectly plastic material by incorporating a creeping component. Load-displacement solutions to the constitutive equation are obtained for load-controlled indentation during constant loading-rate testing. A characteristic of the responses is the appearance of a forward-displacing "nose" during unloading of load-controlled systems (e.g., magnetic-coil-driven "nanoindentation" systems). Even in the absence of this nose, and the associated initial negative unloading tangent, load-displacement traces (and hence inferred modulus and hardness values) are significantly perturbed on the addition of the viscous component. The viscous-elastic-plastic (VEP) model shows promise for obtaining material properties (elastic modulus, hardness, time-dependence) of time-dependent materials during indentation experiments.

MULTIVARIATE COMPARISON OF THE FORELIMB BETWEEN STUMP-TAILED AND RHESUS MACAQUES

Rhesus macaques and stump-tailed macaques are sympatric in western Yunnan (China), coexisting or occupying habitats that show little difference. This paper tests hypotheses based on theoretical expectation from the differing biomechanical demands of terrestrial and arboreal quadrupedalism in stump-tailed macaques and rhesus macaques, respectively. Individuals of these two macaque taxa were markedly separated by the first two principal components and discriminant analyses based on 18 variables of the upper limb. The rhesus macaques appear to be more adapted for arboreal quadruped habits because of elongation of the clavicle and forearm, a larger humeral head and greater midshaft sagittal diameters of the radius and ulna.

Molecular phylogeography of endangered sharp-snouted pitviper (Deinagkistrodon acutus; Reptilia, Viperidae) in Mainland China

Using phylogenetic and population genetic approaches, the present study reports the phylogeographic structure of the sharp-snouted pitviper (Deinagkistrodon acutus), a threatened snake species with commercial and medicinal importance in China. The entire mitochondrial ND2 gene (NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2) sequences of 86 individuals of D. acutus from 14 localities across its range in China were determined. Based on the results of phylogenetic analyses, distribution of diagnostic sites, haplotype network, and AMOVA hierarchical analysis, an cast-west division of the whole D. acutus population could be observed. Geographically, a line formed by a lake, river, and mountain chain (the Poyang Lake, Gan River to the southern end of the Wuyi Mountains), results in vicariance and approximately vertically splits the range into two and the whole population into two main lineages (western and eastern). The bifurcating tree suggested generally west to east dispersal trend. The data fit the isolation by distance (IBD) model well. Star-like clusters in haplotype network, significantly negative values of Fs statistics, and unimodal mismatch distributions all suggest recent demographic expansions in four areas. The results show that isolation, dispersal, bottleneck, and expansion jointly constitute the history of D. acutus. In a haplotype network, the excessive predominance of central haplotypes, few medium-frequency haplotypes, predominance (73.1 %) of the singletons among the derived haplotypes, most of which are connected to the central haplotype by only one mutational step, unsymmetrical campanulate unimodal curve of mismatch distributions and leftwards shift of the peaks, all suggest that the whole D. acutus population is a young population with low genetic diversity. Based on the data, the first priority for conservation action should be given to the Huangshan unit. (c) 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Origin of flat-band voltage sharp roll-off in metal gate/high-k/ultrathin- SiO2/Si p-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor stacks

The origin of the flat band voltage roll-off (V-FB roll-off) in metal gate/high-k/ultrathin-SiO2/Si metal-oxide-semiconductor stacks is analyzed and a model describing the role of the dipoles at the SiO2/Si interface on the V-FB sharp roll-off is proposed. The V-FB sharp roll-off appears when the thickness of the SiO2 interlayer diminishes to below the oxygen diffusion depth. The results derived using our model agree well with experimental data and provide insights to the mechanism of the V-FB sharp roll-off.

Mix it and fix it: functions of composite olfactory signals in ring-tailed lemurs.

Animals communicating via scent often deposit composite signals that incorporate odorants from multiple sources; however, the function of mixing chemical signals remains understudied. We tested both a 'multiple-messages' and a 'fixative' hypothesis of composite olfactory signalling, which, respectively, posit that mixing scents functions to increase information content or prolong signal longevity. Our subjects-adult, male ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta)-have a complex scent-marking repertoire, involving volatile antebrachial (A) secretions, deposited pure or after being mixed with a squalene-rich paste exuded from brachial (B) glands. Using behavioural bioassays, we examined recipient responses to odorants collected from conspecific strangers. We concurrently presented pure A, pure B and mixed A + B secretions, in fresh or decayed conditions. Lemurs preferentially responded to mixed over pure secretions, their interest increasing and shifting over time, from sniffing and countermarking fresh mixtures, to licking and countermarking decayed mixtures. Substituting synthetic squalene (S)-a well-known fixative-for B secretions did not replicate prior results: B secretions, which contain additional chemicals that probably encode salient information, were preferred over pure S. Whereas support for the 'multiple-messages' hypothesis underscores the unique contribution from each of an animal's various secretions, support for the 'fixative' hypothesis highlights the synergistic benefits of composite signals.

Identification in the Ca II K spectral region of sharp-lined B- type stars

Previous Call K observations of the B-type star HD 83206 have revealed putative high-velocity interstellar clouds (HVCs) at Local Standard of Rest (LSR) velocities of -80 and -110 km s(- 1). Similar results were also found for the sightline towards HD135485. In this article, we show that these absorption lines are in fact due tr, stellar SII features. As the Call K absorption line in B-type stars is often used to assess the presence and distance of HVCs. we also present a very high quality spectrum of HD 83206 in the Ca II K region (similar to+/-4 Angstrom or +/-300 km s(-1)), so that in the future confusion between stellar lines and HVC features may be avoided.