First measurements of natural surface and bulk
Po specific activities for metals are reported. If covered with protective foils, the surfaces did not show indications of
Po and the obtained upper ...limits are in the range of single mBqm
. Weak bulk activities, in the range of 50 - 280mBqkg
, were registered for Stainless Steel and Copper, while significant amounts of
Po, ∼1.5Bqkg
, were detected in Titanium. One special Teflon sample was investigated with respect to its bulk
Po.
Highlights • Long-term video follow-up of six patients with neuroacanthocytosis is presented. • Variability of clinical presentation of neuroacanthocytosis syndromes is highlighted. • Clinical clues ...to differential diagnosis are provided. • Several red flags that should raise the suspicion of neuroacanthocytosis are proposed.
The vertebrate photoperiodic neuroendocrine system uses the photoperiod as a proxy to time the annual rhythms in reproduction. The thyrotropin receptor (TSHR) is a key protein in the mammalian ...seasonal reproduction pathway. Its abundance and function can tune sensitivity to the photoperiod. To investigate seasonal adaptation in mammals, the hinge region and the first part of the transmembrane domain of the
gene were sequenced for 278 common vole (
) specimens from 15 localities in Western Europe and 28 localities in Eastern Europe. Forty-nine single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs; twenty-two intronic and twenty-seven exonic) were found, with a weak or lack of correlation with pairwise geographical distance, latitude, longitude, and altitude. By applying a temperature threshold to the local photoperiod-temperature ellipsoid, we obtained a predicted critical photoperiod (pCPP) as a proxy for the spring onset of local primary food production (grass). The obtained pCPP explains the distribution of the genetic variation in
in Western Europe through highly significant correlations with five intronic and seven exonic SNPs. The relationship between pCPP and SNPs was lacking in Eastern Europe. Thus,
, which plays a pivotal role in the sensitivity of the mammalian photoperiodic neuroendocrine system, was targeted by natural selection in Western European vole populations, resulting in the optimized timing of seasonal reproduction.
Carnivores tend to exhibit a lack of (or less pronounced) genetic structure at continental scales in both a geographic and temporal sense and this can confound the identification of post‐glacial ...colonization patterns in this group. In this study we used genome‐wide data (using genotyping by sequencing GBS) to reconstruct the phylogeographic history of a widespread carnivore, the red fox (Vulpes vulpes), by investigating broad‐scale patterns of genomic variation, differentiation and admixture amongst contemporary populations in Europe. Using 15,003 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from 524 individuals allowed us to identify the importance of refugial regions for the red fox in terms of endemism (e.g., Iberia). In addition, we tested multiple post‐glacial recolonization scenarios of previously glaciated regions during the Last Glacial Maximum using an Approximate Bayesian Computation (ABC) approach that were unresolved from previous studies. This allowed us to identify the role of admixture from multiple source population post‐Younger Dryas in the case of Scandinavia and ancient land‐bridges in the colonization of the British Isles. A natural colonization of Ireland was deemed more likely than an ancient human‐mediated introduction as has previously been proposed and potentially points to a larger mammalian community on the island in the early post‐glacial period. Using genome‐wide data has allowed us to tease apart broad‐scale patterns of structure and diversity in a widespread carnivore in Europe that was not evident from using more limited marker sets and provides a foundation for next‐generation phylogeographic studies in other non‐model species.
Aim
Many species experienced population turnover and local extinction during the Late Pleistocene. In the case of megafauna, it remains challenging to disentangle climate change and the activities of ...Palaeolithic hunter‐gatherers as the main cause. In contrast, the impact of humans on rodent populations is likely to be negligible. This study investigated which climatic and/or environmental factors affect the population dynamics of the common vole. This temperate rodent is widespread across Europe and was one of the most abundant small mammal species throughout the Late Pleistocene.
Location
Europe.
Taxon
Common vole (Microtus arvalis).
Methods
We generated a dataset comprised of 4.2 kb long fragment of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from 148 ancient and 51 modern specimens sampled from multiple localities across Europe and covering the last 60 thousand years (ka). We used Bayesian inference to reconstruct their phylogenetic relationships and to estimate the age of the specimens that were not directly dated.
Results
We estimated the time to the most recent common ancestor of all last glacial and extant common vole lineages to be 90 ka ago and the divergence of the main mtDNA lineages present in extant populations to between 55 and 40 ka ago, which is earlier than most previous estimates. We detected several lineage turnovers in Europe during the period of high climate variability at the end of Marine Isotope Stage 3 (MIS 3; 57–29 ka ago) in addition to those found previously around the Pleistocene/Holocene transition. In contrast, data from the Western Carpathians suggest continuity throughout the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) even at high latitudes.
Main Conclusions
The main factor affecting the common vole populations during the last glacial period was the decrease in open habitat during the interstadials, whereas climate deterioration during the LGM had little impact on population dynamics. This suggests that the rapid environmental change rather than other factors was the major force shaping the histories of the Late Pleistocene faunas.
•Pool boiling analyzed for micro-fins with perforated foil (MF+F) and mesh (MF+M).•Results compared with plain micro-fins (MF).•The best boiling heat transfer enhancement obtained from MF+M with ...water.•The most effective heat transfer for ethanol, FC-72 and Novec-649 obtained from MF.•Simplified model to predict heat flux with a ±30–40% error.
The paper focuses on the comparison of pool boiling heat transfer on micro-fin enhanced structures with and without porous covering. The purpose of the present study was to find the optimal parameters of the perforated foil or wire mesh sintered to the micro-fin tips to provide the highest heat transfer coefficient. Additionally, a simplified model was proposed for determining total heat flux for investigated surfaces.
Three types of structured surface were used: 1.0 mm high plain micro-fins (designated as MF), enhanced surfaces made by sintering micro-fin tips with the copper perforated foil (MF+F) and structured surfaces formed by sintering the woven copper wire mesh to the micro-fin tips (MF+M).
The experiments were carried out for water, ethanol, Novec-649 and FC-72 at atmospheric pressure. At medium and high heat fluxes for water, low and medium heat fluxes for ethanol and medium heat fluxes for FC-72, surfaces with micro-fins covered with wire mesh produced the highest heat transfer coefficient. The plain micro-fin surfaces helped obtain the increase in the heat transfer coefficient value about two times higher than that of the micro-fins with perforated foil at FC-72 boiling for high heat fluxes. The simplified semi-analytical model was proposed for determining total heat flux for the studied surfaces. The model provided a heat flux prediction with a ±30–40% margin of error.
Abstract Objectives The most common technique of determining biological paternity or another relationship among people are the investigations of DNA polymorphism called Fingerprinting DNA. The key ...concept of these investigations is the statistical analysis, which leads to obtain the likelihood ratio (LR), sometimes called the paternity index. Methods Among the different assumptions stated in these computations is a mutation model (this model is used for all the computations). Results and conclusions Although its influence on LR is usually negligible, there are some situations (when the mother–child mutation arises) when it is crucial.
Retracing complex population processes that precede extreme bottlenecks may be impossible using data from living individuals. The wisent (Bison bonasus), Europe's largest terrestrial mammal, ...exemplifies such a population history, having gone extinct in the wild but subsequently restored by captive breeding efforts. Using low coverage genomic data from modern and historical individuals, we investigate population processes occurring before and after this extinction. Analysis of aligned genomes supports the division of wisent into two previously recognized subspecies, but almost half of the genomic alignment contradicts this population history as a result of incomplete lineage sorting and admixture. Admixture between subspecies populations occurred prior to extinction and subsequently during the captive breeding program. Admixture with the Bos cattle lineage is also widespread but results from ancient events rather than recent hybridization with domestics. Our study demonstrates the huge potential of historical genomes for both studying evolutionary histories and for guiding conservation strategies.
First measurements of natural surface and bulk 210Po specific activities for metals are reported. If covered with protective foils, the surfaces did not show indications of 210Po and the obtained ...upper limits are in the range of single mBqm−2. Weak bulk activities, in the range of 50 – 280mBqkg−1, were registered for Stainless Steel and Copper, while significant amounts of 210Po, ∼1.5Bqkg−1, were detected in Titanium. One special Teflon sample was investigated with respect to its bulk 210Po.
•First measurements of natural Surface and bulk Po-210 specific activities for metals and Teflon.•Determination of Po-210 in copper, stainless steel and titanium.•High Po-210 in Ti found.
Fuzzy logic determination of the material hardening parameters based on the Heyer’s method was applied in this research. As the fuzzy input variables, the length of two measuring bases and the ...maximum force registered in the Heyer’s test were used. Firstly, the numerical experiment (the simulation of the fuzzification of the input data) with the assumed disturbance of input variables was performed. Next, on the basis of experimental investigations (eleven samples made from the same material), the membership functions associated with the input data were created. After that, the fuzzy analysis was examined. Fuzzy material hardening constants obtained by means of the α-level optimization and the extension principle methods were compared. Discrete values of the hardening data are found in the defuzzification process, by application of the mass center method.
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