Is The amphibian tree of life really fatally flawed?

Wiens (2007, Q. Rev. Biol. 82, 55-56) recently published a severe critique of Frost et al.'s (2006, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 297, 1-370) monographic study of amphibian systematics, concluding that it is a disaster and recommending that readers simply ignore this study. Beyond the hyperbole, Wiens raised four general objections that he regarded as fatal flaws: (1) the sampling design was insufficient for the generic changes made and taxonomic changes were made without including all type species; (2) the nuclear gene most commonly used in amphibian phylogenetics, RAG-1, was not included, nor were the morphological characters that had justified the older taxonomy; (3) the analytical method employed is questionable because equally weighted parsimony assumes that all characters are evolving at equal rates; and (4) the results were at times clearly erroneous, as evidenced by the inferred non-monophyly of marsupial frogs. In this paper we respond to these criticisms. In brief: (1) the study of Frost et al. did not exist in a vacuum and we discussed our evidence and evidence previously obtained by others that documented the non-monophyletic taxa that we corrected. Beyond that, we agree that all type species should ideally be included, but inclusion of all potentially relevant type species is not feasible in a study of the magnitude of Frost et al. and we contend that this should not prevent progress in the formulation of phylogenetic hypotheses or their application outside of systematics. (2) Rhodopsin, a gene included by Frost et al. is the nuclear gene that is most commonly used in amphibian systematics, not RAG-1. Regardless, ignoring a study because of the absence of a single locus strikes us as unsound practice. With respect to previously hypothesized morphological synapomorphies, Frost et al. provided a lengthy review of the published evidence for all groups, and this was used to inform taxonomic decisions. We noted that confirming and reconciling all morphological transformation series published among previous studies needed to be done, and we included evidence from the only published data set at that time to explicitly code morphological characters (including a number of traditionally applied synapomorphies from adult morphology) across the bulk of the diversity of amphibians (Haas, 2003, Cladistics 19, 23-90). Moreover, the phylogenetic results of the Frost et al. study were largely consistent with previous morphological and molecular studies and where they differed, this was discussed with reference to the weight of evidence. (3) The claim that equally weighted parsimony assumes that all characters are evolving at equal rates has been shown to be false in both analytical and simulation studies. (4) The claimed strong support for marsupial frog monophyly is questionable. Several studies have also found marsupial frogs to be non-monophyletic. Wiens et al. (2005, Syst. Biol. 54, 719-748) recovered marsupial frogs as monophyletic, but that result was strongly supported only by Bayesian clade confidence values (which are known to overestimate support) and bootstrap support in his parsimony analysis was < 50%. Further, in a more recent parsimony analysis of an expanded data set that included RAG-1 and the three traditional morphological synapomorphies of marsupial frogs, Wiens et al. (2006, Am. Nat. 168, 579-596) also found them to be non-monophyletic.Although we attempted to apply the rule of monophyly to the naming of taxonomic groups, our phylogenetic results are largely consistent with conventional views even if not wth the taxonomy current at the time of our writing. Most of our taxonomic changes addressed examples of non-monophyly that had previously been known or suspected (e.g., the non-monophyly of traditional Hyperoliidae, Microhylidae, Hemiphractinae, Leptodactylidae, Phrynobatrachus, Ranidae, Rana, Bufo; and the placement of Brachycephalus within Eleutherodactylus, and Lineatriton within Pseudoeurycea), and it is troubling that Wiens and others, as evidenced by recent publications, continue to perpetuate recognition of non-monophyletic taxonomic groups that so profoundly misrepresent what is known about amphibian phylogeny. (C) The Willi Hennig Society 2007.

A phylogenetic analysis of Pleurodema (Anura: Leptodactylidae: Leiuperinae) based on mitochondrial and nuclear gene sequences, with comments on the evolution of anuran foam nests

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Annexin 1 peptides protect against experimental myocardial ischemia-reperfusion: analysis of their mechanism of action

Myocardial reperfusion injury is associated with the infiltration of blood-borne polymorphonuclear leukocytes. We have previous described the protection afforded by annexin 1 (ANXA1) in an experimental model of rat myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury. We examined the 1) amino acid region of ANXA1 that retained the protective effect in a model of rat heart IR; 2) changes in endogenous ANXA1 in relation to the IR induced damage and after pharmacological modulation; and 3) potential involvement of the formyl peptide receptor (FPR) in the protective action displayed by ANXA1 peptides. Administration of peptide Ac2-26 at 0, 30, and 60 min postreperfusion produced a significant protection against IR injury, and this was associated with reduced myeloperoxidase activity and IL-1 beta levels in the infarcted heart. Western blotting and electron microscopy analyses showed that IR heart had increased ANXA1 expression in the injured tissue, associated mainly with the infiltrated leukocytes. Finally, an antagonist to the FPR receptor selectively inhibited the protective action of peptide ANXA1 and its derived peptides against IR injury. Altogether, these data provide further insight into the protective effect of ANXA1 and its mimetics and a rationale for a clinical use for drugs developed from this line of research.

Dynamics at infinity and other global dynamical aspects of Shimizu-Morioka equations

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

GLOBAL DYNAMICS IN THE POINCARE BALL of THE CHEN SYSTEM HAVING INVARIANT ALGEBRAIC SURFACES

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

On the periodic orbits and the integrability of the regularized Hill lunar problem

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Influence of prior 810-nm-diode intracanal laser irradiation on hydrophilic resin-based sealer obturation

Dentin wall structural changes caused by 810-nm-diode laser irradiation can influence the sealing ability of endodontic sealers. The objective of this study was to evaluate the apical leakage of AH Plus and RealSeal resin-based sealers with and without prior diode laser irradiation. Fifty-two single-rooted mandibular premolars were prepared and divided into 4 groups, according to the endodontic sealer used and the use or non-use of laser irradiation. The protocol for laser irradiation was 2.5W, continuous wave in scanning mode, with 4 exposures per tooth. After sample preparation, apical leakage of 50% ammoniacal silver nitrate impregnation was analyzed. When the teeth were not exposed to irradiation, the Real Seal sealer achieved the highest scores, showing the least leakage, with significant differences at the 5% level (Kruskal-Wallis test, p = 0.0004), compared with AH Plus. When the teeth were exposed to the 810-nm-diode laser irradiation, the sealing ability of AH Plus sealer was improved (p = 0282). In the Real Seal groups, the intracanal laser irradiation did not interfere with the leakage index, showing similar results in the GRS and GRSd groups (p = 0.1009).

Effects of cement thickness and bonding on the failure loads of CAD/CAM ceramic crowns: Multi-physics FEA modeling and monotonic testing

Objective. To determine the influence of cement thickness and ceramic/cement bonding on stresses and failure of CAD/CAM crowns, using both multi-physics finite element analysis and monotonic testing.Methods. Axially symmetric FEA models were created for stress analysis of a stylized monolithic crown having resin cement thicknesses from 50 to 500 mu m under occlusal loading. Ceramic-cement interface was modeled as bonded or not-bonded (cement-dentin as bonded). Cement polymerization shrinkage was simulated as a thermal contraction. Loads necessary to reach stresses for radial cracking from the intaglio surface were calculated by FEA. Experimentally, feldspathic CAD/CAM crowns based on the FEA model were machined having different occlusal cementation spaces, etched and cemented to dentin analogs. Non-bonding of etched ceramic was achieved using a thin layer of poly(dimethylsiloxane). Crowns were loaded to failure at 5 N/s, with radial cracks detected acoustically.Results. Failure loads depended on the bonding condition and the cement thickness for both FEA and physical testing. Average fracture loads for bonded crowns were: 673.5 N at 50 mu m cement and 300.6 N at 500 mu m. FEA stresses due to polymerization shrinkage increased with the cement thickness overwhelming the protective effect of bonding, as was also seen experimentally. At 50 mu m cement thickness, bonded crowns withstood at least twice the load before failure than non-bonded crowns.Significance. Occlusal "fit" can have structural implications for CAD/CAM crowns; pre-cementation spaces around 50-100 mu m being recommended from this study. Bonding benefits were lost at thickness approaching 450-500 mu m due to polymerization shrinkage stresses. (C) 2012 Academy of Dental Materials. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Integrable aspects of the scaling q-state Potts models I: bound states and bootstrap closure

We discuss the q-state Potts models for q less than or equal to 4, in the scaling regimes close to their critical or tricritical points. Starting from the kink S-matrix elements proposed by Chim and Zamolodchikov, the bootstrap is closed for the scaling regions of all critical points, and for the tricritical points when 4 > q greater than or equal to 2. We also note a curious appearance of the extended last line of Freudenthal's magic square in connection with the Potts models. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. B.V. All rights reserved.

The impossibility of a universal relativistic temperature transformation

The non-existence of a relativistic temperature transformation is due to the fact that an observer moving in a heat reservoir cannot detect a blackbody spectrum. (C) 2004 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Instability zones for satellites of asteroids: The example of the (87) Sylvia system

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Kinetics of martensite decomposition in the Cu-9Al-6Ag alloy

The non-occurrence of the beta' -> (alpha+ gamma(1)) decomposition reaction in the Cu-9 wt.% Al-6 wt.% Ag alloy, on ageing between 200 and 450 degrees C, is discussed considering the influence of Ag on point defects redistribution and energy difference between martensite and the ordered parent phase. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V All rights reserved.

Frequency of the BCR/ABL rearrangements and associated alterations detected by FISH during monitoring of patients taking imatinib mesylate in isolation

A introdução do mesilato de imatinibe como tratamento da leucemia mielóide crônica tem salvado muitos pacientes, mas o sucesso da terapia tem sido prejudicado pela resistência e possível não destruição do clone maligno. Este artigo descreve a resposta citogenética e padrões citogenéticos anormais envolvendo os genes ABL e BCR detectados por FISH em pacientes em uso exclusivo de imatinibe. Os resultados mostraram que outras alterações envolvendo os genes BCR e ABL não parecem estar relacionadas à resistência à droga, elas ocorrem em baixas freqüências e podem não estar associadas à resposta citogenética ou ao tempo de tratamento. Contudo, a resposta ao imatinibe parece ser individual e imprevisível, independente do tempo e do início do tratamento após o diagnóstico.

Desenvolvimento de plantas de maracujazeiro-amarelo produzidas por enxertia hipocotiledonar em cinco porta-enxertos de passifloras silvestres

O experimento foi realizado em área de pequeno produtor fornecedor da Maguari (Kraft Foods do Brasil) em Araguari - MG, e teve por objetivo avaliar o desenvolvimento de maracujazeiro-amarelo propagado por enxertia hipocotiledonar, sobre cinco porta-enxertos de passifloráceas nativas. Os tratamentos utilizados foram cinco porta-enxertos: P. edulis f. flavicarpa, P. caerulea, P. alata, P. gibertii e P. cincinnata, e o maracujazeiro-amarelo de pé-franco como controle, totalizando seis tratamentos. Para todos os tratamentos, a variedade-copa utilizada foi o maracujazeiro-amarelo Cv. FB 200. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi o de blocos ao acaso, com três repetições. A parcela foi constituída de uma fileira de 20 metros de comprimento contendo quatro plantas. A condução foi realizada conforme os tratos culturais recomendados para a cultura. As características avaliadas foram: altura das plantas, número de folhas, diâmetro da região da enxertia, diâmetro do enxerto, diâmetro do porta-enxerto, relação enxerto/porta-enxerto. As plantas de P. edulis f. flavicarpa, P. caerulea e pé-franco apresentaram melhor desenvolvimento. Já as plantas sobre o porta-enxerto P. alata não desenvolveram bem. Embora as plantas de pé-franco tenham superado numericamente o desenvolvimento das enxertadas sobre P. cincinnata e P. gibertii, não houve diferenças significativas entre eles. O porta-enxerto P. alata influenciou negativamente na altura das plantas, número de folhas, diâmetro da região da enxertia, diâmetro do enxerto, diâmetro do porta-enxerto e na relação enxerto/porta-enxerto.

Desenvolvimento e produção das plantas de maracujazeiro-amarelo produzidas por enxertia hipocotiledonar sobre seis porta-enxertos

O trabalho foi realizado no ripado e na área de Fruticultura do Departamento de Produção Vegetal da Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias, Universidade Estadual Paulista (FCAV/UNESP), e teve por objetivo avaliar o desenvolvimento de maracujazeiro-amarelo enxertado por enxertia hipocotiledonar, sobre seis porta-enxertos de passifloraceas em Jaboticabal-SP. Foram utilizados sete tratamentos, sendo seis tratamentos com porta-enxertos: P. edulis, P. caerulea, P. alata, P. gibertii, P. coccinea, P. cincinnata e um tratamento com pé-franco de P. edulis. Para todos os tratamentos, a variedade-copa utilizada foi o maracujazeiro-amarelo 'FB 200'. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi o de blocos ao acaso, com 03 repetições. A parcela foi constituída de uma linha de quatro plantas (20m lineares). A condução foi realizada conforme os tratos culturais recomendados para a cultura. As características avaliadas foram altura das plantas, diâmetro da região da enxertia, diâmetro do enxerto, diâmetro do porta-enxerto, relação enxerto/porta-enxerto, produção, número e peso médio de frutos. As plantas pé-franco apresentaram melhor desenvolvimento que as enxertadas, e as plantas do porta-enxerto P. caerulea foram as de pior desenvolvimento. Já as plantas do porta-enxerto P. coccinea apresentaram a menor velocidade de crescimento, apesar de bastante vigorosas.