Recent Situation of Taeniasis in Mongolia (2002-2012)

Epidemiological situation of taeniasis in Mongolia was assessed based on mitochondrial DNA identification of the parasite species. Multiplex PCR was used on a total of 194 proglottid specimens of Taenia species and copro-PCR and loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assays were utilized for detection of copro-DNA of 37 fecal samples from taeniasis patients submitted to the Mongolian National Center for Communicable Diseases (NCCD) from 2002 to 2012. In addition, 4 out of 44 calcified cysts in beef kept in formalin since 2003 were evaluated for histopathological confirmation of cattle cysticercosis. All proglottid specimens and stool samples were confirmed to be Taenia saginata by multiplex PCR and by copro-PCR and LAMP, respectively. Cysts collected from cattle were morphologically confirmed to be metacestodes of Taenia species. T. saginata taeniasis was identified from almost all ages from a 2-year-old boy up to a 88-year-old woman and most prominently in 15-29 age group (37%, 74/198) followed by 30-44 age group (34.8%, 69/198 ) from 15 of Mongolia''s 21 provinces, while cattle cysticerci were found from 12 provinces. The highest proportion of taeniasis patients was in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia.     

Cryptic variation in mole voles Ellobius (Arvicolinae,Rodentia) of Mongolia

The mole vole subgenus Ellobius is currently considered to include three species: Ellobius talpinus (distributed from SE Europe and Turkmenistan through Kazakhstan to SW Siberia), Ellobius alaicus (S Tianshan, Pamir-Alay) and Ellobius tancrei (East and West Central Asia, from the Amu-Darya to Mongolia and N China). A study focusing on the genetic variation in Ellobius from Mongolia was conducted using one mitochondrial and three nuclear markers. Two divergent allopatric lineages endemic to East Central Asia were revealed. The first lineage occurs from Dzungaria eastwards to central Mongolia and represents E. tancrei sensu stricto. The second lineage is found in East Gobi only and corresponds to a taxon described as Ellobius orientalis, which has been traditionally treated as a subspecies of E. tancrei. However, molecular and chromosome data indicate that orientalis is related not to E. tancrei but to E. talpinus, which is separated from the former by a distribution gap of ~2,000 km. The taxonomic status of the East Gobi mole vole is ambiguous, and its genetic distance from E. talpinus s. str. falls into the range characteristic for closely related vole species or semi-species. According to molecular estimates, the two taxa have been isolated since the late Middle Pleistocene. A similar divergence is observed between the East and West Central Asian lineages of E. tancrei. E. alaicus is placed as sister to the latter rendering E. tancrei sensu lato paraphyletic. The revealed phylogeographic pattern implies that East Central Asia was colonized by mole voles through multiple eastward dispersal events.     

Phylogeography,phylogeny, and taxonomical revision of the Midday jird (Meriones meridianus) species complex from Dzungaria

The Midday jird Meriones meridianussensu lato is a widely distributed and highly variable species complex, whose taxonomy is still controversial despite several genetic and morphological studies. Dzungaria is a crucial region for understanding the phylogeny and phylogeography of this species complex. In this work, the genetic variation of M. meridianus in Dzungaria and adjacent areas was studied based on mitochondrial (Cytb) and nuclear (BRCA1 and IRBP) genes. To compare morphological and genetic differentiation among lineages, craniological variation of the genotyped specimens was examined. Moreover, environmental data were used to estimate the most probable dispersal routes of M. meridianus clades in the studied area. Three clades of M. meridianus with interspecific level of differentiation were found and treated as distinct species: M. psammophilus (Milne-Edwards, 1871); M. meridianus (Pallas, 1773); and M. penicilliger (Heptner, 1933). The distribution ranges of all three species overlap in Dzungaria. According to the molecular data, M. psammophilus and M. meridianus are sister taxa that diverged ca. 500 kya, while M. penicilliger separated from the common ancestor of the other two lineages ca. 800 kya. These three species have significantly different cranial measurements. Moreover, traces of hybridization between M. psammophilus and M. meridianus were detected, but not between M. penicilliger and the other two species. Finally, the dispersal scenarios for M. psammophilus, M. meridianus, and M. penicilliger are herein discussed. It is suggested that M. meridianusand M. penicilligerindependently colonized Dzungaria from the west via Dzungarian gates.     

Effect of Crystal Orientation and Conduction Band Grading of Absorber on Efficiency of Cu(In,Ga)Se2 Solar Cells Grown on Flexible Polyimide Foil at Low Temperature

Flexible Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ (CIGS) solar cells are developed on polyimide (PI) foil by using a three‐stage co‐evaporation method. To deposit CIGS on a PI substrate, low temperature deposition process (below 440 °C) is investigated. By optimizing the three‐stage process, power conversion efficiency (PCE) values of 12.1% and 13.6% are obtained at maximum process temperatures of 400 °C and 440 °C, respectively (without anti‐reflection coating). The CIGS absorber deposited at 400 °C is grown with (220)/(204) rather than (112) as its dominant growth orientation, accompanied by highly homogeneous crystal structure and phases. Admittance spectroscopy reveals that the defect levels were lower in the CIGS absorber with (220)/(204) dominant growth orientation, which could have contributed to the PCE of 12.1%. The CIGS solar cell deposited at a temperature of 440 °C exhibits worse defect characteristics compared to that fabricated at 400 °C. However, the CIGS solar cell fabricated below 440 °C exhibited marginal double‐grading of Ga/(Ga + In) in the absorber layer, which resulted in an improved PCE of 13.6%. This result implies that at a temperature below 440 °C, the double‐grading of Ga/(Ga + In) is the more dominant factor causing the PCE improvement above 13%.     

Response to water-deficit following waterlogging varies among ecotypes of subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum ssp. yanninicum), a waterlogging-tolerant annual pasture legume

The pasture legume Trifolium subterraneum ssp. yanninicum L. is waterlogging tolerant, but water-deficit (WD) susceptible. The interactive effect of waterlogged (WL) and WD (soil moisture fluctuation [SMF]) results in a severe stress impact. We studied three diverse ecotypes to identify traits associated with adaptation to SMF. Ecotypes were established in a glasshouse with two treatments imposed at 21 days: well-watered (WW–WW; 80% field capacity [FC]) and WL to WD (WL–WD). For WL–WD, pots were WL for 28 days (Harvest I), and then transitioned to WD (drained to 40% FC) and maintained for 10 days (Harvest II). For shoot relative growth rates (RGR) at Harvest I, WL had relatively little impact, although there was a greater reduction for Ecotype A (80% of WW) than Ecotypes B (92%) and C (87%). However, between Harvests I and II, the impact of WL–WD varied among ecotypes with Ecotype A being less affected (75% of WW–WW) than Ecotypes B (57%) and C (63%). For root RGR at Harvest I, WL resulted in a greater reduction for Ecotype A (52% of WW) than Ecotypes B (77%) and C (74%), while for WL–WD between Harvests I and II, Ecotype A showed a large increase (117% of WW–WW) compared to Ecotypes B (95%) and C (87%). In conclusion, the response to WD following WL varied among ecotypes, which demonstrates contrasting adaptation responses to SMF unrelated to WL tolerance. High yield under WL together with capacity for rapid growth post-WL in a drying soil profile could enhance adaptation to SMF.