Background Tree squirrels (Sciuridae, Sciurini), in particular the highly diverse Neotropical lineages, are amongst the most rapidly diversifying branches of the mammal tree of life but also some of ...the least known. Negligence of this group by systematists is likely a product of the difficulties in assessing morphological informative traits and of the scarcity or unavailability of fresh tissue samples for DNA sequencing. The highly discrepant taxonomic arrangements are a consequence of the lack of phylogenies and the exclusive phenotypic-based classifications, which can be misleading in a group with conservative morphology. Here we used high-throughput sequencing and an unprecedented sampling of museum specimens to provide the first comprehensive phylogeny of tree squirrels, with a special emphasis on Neotropical taxa. Results We obtained complete or partial mitochondrial genomes from 232 historical and modern samples, representing 40 of the 43 currently recognized species of Sciurini. Our phylogenetic analyses—performed with datasets differing on levels of missing data and taxa under distinct analytical methods—strongly support the monophyly of Sciurini and consistently recovered 12 major clades within the tribe. We found evidence that the diversity of Neotropical tree squirrels is underestimated, with at least six lineages that represent taxa to be named or revalidated. Ancestral state reconstructions of number of upper premolars and number of mammae indicated that alternative conditions of both characters must have evolved multiple times throughout the evolutionary history of tree squirrels. Conclusions Complete mitogenomes were obtained from museum specimens as old as 120 years, reinforcing the potential of historical samples for phylogenetic inferences of elusive lineages of the tree of life. None of the taxonomic arrangements ever proposed for tree squirrels fully corresponded to our phylogenetic reconstruction, with only a few of the currently recognized genera recovered as monophyletic. By investigating the evolution of two morphological traits widely employed in the taxonomy of the group, we revealed that their homoplastic nature can help explain the incongruence between phylogenetic results and the classification schemes presented so far. Based on our phylogenetic results we suggest a tentative supraspecific taxonomic arrangement for Sciurini, employing 13 generic names used in previous taxonomic classifications.
Dear Editor, Mast cells are the main effector cells in urticaria, and interact with various cells in the dermal microenvironment, such as macrophages, which form an essential component of innate ...immunity, and are involved in numerous functions including protein secretion. Macrophages perform two main functions and recently two phenotypic macrophage variants, called M1 and M2, have been characterized and linked to the type of response they can orchestrate; (i) M1 populations, that has a killer function; eliminate a pathogen or defective cell, or (ii) M2 macrophages, also named as "alternatively activated macrophages", that produces repair function that involves the regulation of immune response, angiogenesis, and healing and promotes a TH2 response, as well was considered immunosuppressive, and leads to a worse response in eosinophilic or allergic diseases, such as nasal polyposis and asthma. Our study aimed to characterize the presence and phenotype of macrophages in lesions of chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) patients nonresponsive to treatment with antihistamines at optimized doses (fourfold doses), and to compare to control skin, as well with clinical and laboratory parameters.
We theoretically show that a single free electron in circular motion radiates an electromagnetic wave possessing helical phase structure, which is closely related to orbital angular momentum carried ...by it. We experimentally demonstrate it by interference and double-slit diffraction experiments on radiation from relativistic electrons in spiral motion. Our results indicate that photons carrying orbital angular momentum should be created naturally by cyclotron/synchrotron radiations or Compton scatterings in various situations in cosmic space. We propose promising laboratory vortex photon sources in various wavelengths ranging from radio wave to gamma-rays.
Fine time-resolved analysis of matter—i.e., spectroscopy and photon scattering—in the linear response regime requires a fs-scale pulsed, high repetition rate, fully coherent x-ray source. A seeded ...free-electron laser (FEL) driven by a super-conducting linac, generating108–1010coherent photons at 2–5 keV with about 0.5 MHz of repetition rate, can address this need. The seeding scheme proposed is the echo-enabled harmonic generation, alimented by a FEL oscillator working at 13.6 nm with a cavity based on Mo-Si mirrors. The whole chain of the x-ray generation is here described by means of start-to-end simulations. Comparisons with the self-amplified spontaneous emission and a fresh-bunch harmonic cascade performed with similar electron beams show the validity of this scheme.
The optimal performance of high-brightness free-electron lasers (FELs) is limited by the microbunching instability, which can cause variations in both the slice energy spread and longitudinal profile ...of electron beams. In this paper, we perform 2D Fourier analysis of the full bunch longitudinal phase space, such that modulations in both planes can be studied simultaneously. Unlike the standard 1D analysis, this method is able to reveal modulations in a folded phase space, which would otherwise remain uncovered. Additionally, the plasma oscillation between energy and density modulations is also revealed by this method. The damping of the microbunching instability, through the use of a laser heater, is also analysed with this technique. We confirm a mitigation of the amplitude of modulation and a red-shift of the microbunching frequency as the energy spread added increases. As an outcome of this work, a systematic experimental comparison of the development of the instability in the presence of different compression schemes is here presented for the first time.
An understanding of collective effects is of fundamental importance for the design and optimisation of the performance of modern accelerators. In particular, the design of an accelerator with strict ...requirements on the beam quality, such as a free electron laser (FEL), is highly dependent on a correspondence between simulation, theory and experiments in order to correctly account for the effect of coherent synchrotron radiation (CSR), and other collective effects. A traditional approach in accelerator simulation codes is to utilise an analytic one-dimensional approximation to the CSR force. We present an extension of the 1D CSR theory in order to correctly account for the CSR force at the entrance and exit of a bending magnet. A limited range of applicability to this solution-in particular, in bunches with a large transverse spot size or offset from the nominal axis-is recognised. More recently developed codes calculate the CSR effect in dispersive regions directly from the Liénard-Wiechert potentials, albeit with approximations to improve the computational time. A new module of the General Particle Tracer code was developed for simulating the effects of CSR, and benchmarked against other codes. We experimentally demonstrate departure from the commonly used 1D CSR theory for more extreme bunch length compression scenarios at the FERMI FEL facility. Better agreement is found between experimental data and the codes which account for the transverse extent of the bunch, particularly in more extreme compression scenarios.
The Large Hadron electron Collider (LHeC) is a proposed future particle-physics project colliding 60 GeV electrons from a six-pass recirculating energy-recovery linac (ERL) with 7 TeV protons stored ...in the LHC. The ERL technology allows for much higher beam current and, therefore, higher luminosity than a traditional linac. The high-current, high-energy electron beam can also be used to drive a free electron laser (FEL). In this study, we investigate the performance of an LHeC-based FEL, operated in the self-amplified spontaneous emission mode using electron beams after one or two turns, with beam energies of, e.g., 10, 20, 30 and 40 GeV, and aim at producing x-ray pulses at wavelengths ranging from 8 to 0.5 Å. In addition, we explore a possible path to use the 40 GeV electron beam for generating photon pulses at much lower wavelengths, down to a few picometer. We demonstrate that such ERL-based high-energy FEL would have the potential to provide orders of magnitude higher average brilliance at Å wavelengths than any other FEL either existing or proposed. It might also allow a pioneering step into the picometer wavelength regime.
North America is recognized for the exceptional richness of rabies virus (RV) wildlife reservoir species. Management of RV is accomplished through vaccination targeting mesocarnivore reservoir ...populations, such as the raccoon (Procyon lotor) in Eastern North America. Raccoons are a common generalist species, and populations may reach high densities in developed areas, which can result in contact with humans and pets with potential exposures to the raccoon variant of RV throughout the eastern United States. Understanding the spatial movement of RV by raccoon populations is important for monitoring and refining strategies supporting the landscape‐level control and local elimination of this lethal zoonosis. We developed a high‐throughput genotyping panel for raccoons based on hundreds of microhaplotypes to identify population structure and genetic diversity relevant to rabies management programs. Throughout the eastern United States, we identified hierarchical population genetic structure with clusters that were connected through isolation‐by‐distance. We also illustrate that this genotyping approach can be used to support real‐time management priorities by identifying the geographic origin of a rabid raccoon that was collected in an area of the United States that had been raccoon RV‐free for 8 years. The results from this study and the utility of the microhaplotype panel and genotyping method will provide managers with information on raccoon ecology that can be incorporated into future management decisions.
We discuss a two-color self-amplified spontaneous emission free-electron laser (FEL) amplifier where the emission is obtained from two orthogonally polarized undulators with different periods and ...field intensities. Nonaveraged and averaged equations are compared. The two radiations have not only different frequencies, but also different polarizations, while the total length of the device does not change with respect to usual single-color FELs. The wavelengths of two different colors can be changed by choosing different periods, while variation in the magnetic strengths can be used to modify the gain lengths.
We present the first comprehensive taxonomic revision and review the biology of the olingos, the endemic Neotropical procyonid genus Bassaricyon, based on most specimens available in museums, and ...with data derived from anatomy, morphometrics, mitochondrial and nuclear DNA, field observations, and geographic range modeling. Species of Bassaricyon are primarily forest-living, arboreal, nocturnal, frugivorous, and solitary, and have one young at a time. We demonstrate that four olingo species can be recognized, including a Central American species (Bassaricyon gabbii), lowland species with eastern, cis-Andean (Bassaricyon alleni) and western, trans-Andean (Bassaricyon medius) distributions, and a species endemic to cloud forests in the Andes. The oldest evolutionary divergence in the genus is between this last species, endemic to the Andes of Colombia and Ecuador, and all other species, which occur in lower elevation habitats. Surprisingly, this Andean endemic species, which we call the Olinguito, has never been previously described; it represents a new species in the order Carnivora and is the smallest living member of the family Procyonidae. We report on the biology of this new species based on information from museum specimens, niche modeling, and fieldwork in western Ecuador, and describe four Olinguito subspecies based on morphological distinctions across different regions of the Northern Andes.
PDF
