Do surname differences mirror dialect variation?

Our focus in this paper is the analysis of surnames, which have been proven to be reliable genetic markers because in patrilineal systems they are transmitted along generations virtually unchanged, similarly to a genetic locus on the Y chromosome. We compare the distribution of surnames to the distribution of dialect pronunciations, which are clearly culturally transmitted. Because surnames, at the time of their introduction, were words subject to the same linguistic processes that otherwise result in dialect differences, one might expect their geographic distribution to be correlated with dialect pronunciation differences. In this paper we concentrate on the Netherlands, an area of only 40,000 km2, where two official languages are spoken, Dutch and Frisian. We analyze 19,910 different surnames, sampled in 226 locations, and 125 different words, whose pronunciation was recorded in 252 sites. We find that, once the collinear effects of geography on both surname and cultural transmission are taken into account, there is no statistically significant association between the two, suggesting that surnames cannot be taken as a proxy for dialect variation, even though they can be safely used as a proxy for Y-chromosome genetic variation. We find the results historically and geographically insightful, hopefully leading to a deeper understanding of the role that local migrations and cultural diffusion play in surname and dialect diversity.     

Microbial communities and activities in alpine and subalpine soils

Soil samples were collected along two slopes (south and north) at subalpine (1500–1900 m, under closed vegetation, up to the forest line) and alpine altitudes (2300–2530, under scattered vegetation, above the forest line) in the Grossglockner mountain area (Austrian central Alps). Soils were analyzed for a number of properties, including physical and chemical soil properties, microbial activity and microbial communities that were investigated using culture-dependent (viable heterotrophic bacteria) and culture-independent methods (phospholipid fatty acid analysis, FISH). Alpine soils were characterized by significantly ( P <0.01) colder climate conditions, i.e. lower mean annual air and soil temperatures, more frost and ice days and higher precipitation, compared with subalpine soils. Microbial activity (soil dehydrogenase activity) decreased with altitude; however, dehydrogenase activity was better adapted to cold in alpine soils compared with subalpine soils, as shown by the lower apparent optimum temperature for activity (30 vs. 37 °C) and the significantly ( P <0.01–0.001) higher relative activity in the low-temperature range. With increasing altitude, i.e. in alpine soils, a significant ( P <0.05–0.01) increase in the relative amount of culturable psychrophilic heterotrophic bacteria, in the relative amount of the fungal population and in the relative amount of Gram-negative bacteria was found, which indicates shifts in microbial community composition with altitude.     

Stratigraphy and palaeoenvironmental implications of Pleistocene and Holocene aeolian sediments in the Lhasa area,southern Tibet (China)

Along the middle and lower reaches of the Kyichu River and its tributaries (Lhasa area, southern Tibet), a multidisciplinary study was carried out in order to investigate the areal distribution, sedimentological properties, ages and palaeoenvironmental implications of aeolian deposits including intercalated palaeosols. This research was initiated to investigate to what extent southern Tibet is influenced by past human activity, as even recent evaluations perceive the present treeless desertic environment as natural. Fifteen profiles were recorded at an altitude of 3540–4580 m a.s.l. with subsequent sedimentological, geochronological (OSL, AMS ¹⁴C) and palaeobotanical (charcoal) analyses. Sediment properties of both loesses and aeolian sands reveal an origin from aeolian sorting of nearby fluvial deposits. The calculated ages are the oldest obtained thus far on aeolian sediments from southern and interior Tibet, revealing natural aeolian sedimentation before and around the Last Glacial Maximum (c. 20 ka). However, a distinct portion of Late Holocene sandy aeolian sediments also occurs. Both the evidence for the aeolian dynamics (widespread Pleistocene loess and aeolian sand deposition, local Late Holocene aeolian sand deposition, modern reactivation of widespread Pleistocene aeolian sands) and the palaeobotanical findings (Late Holocene vegetation change from a tree-bearing to a widely treeless landscape) provide evidence that the Lhasa area was strongly influenced by human activity since at least the Late Neolithic (c. 4200 cal yrs BP). Thus the present-day desertic environment might not primarily be a result of the semiarid climate or the high-altitude conditions, but rather of activities of the humans and their collateral effects. However, once established, this semi-natural ecosystem persisted, controlled by strong grazing, firewood extraction, erosion and harsh edaphic conditions, preventing the recovery of trees.     

Fewer peak trials per session facilitate acquisition of peak responding despite elimination of response rate differences

It has been shown in previous research [Kaiser, D.H., 2008. The proportion of fixed interval trials to probe trials affects acquisition of the peak procedure fixed interval timing task. Behav. Process., 77 (1), 100-108] that rats acquired peak responding sooner when fewer peak trials were presented during sessions of training with the peak procedure timing task. One potential problem with that research was that there were large differences in response rates among the groups. The present experiment attempted to examine the effect of proportion of peak trials when differences in response rate were controlled. Two groups of rats were each simultaneously tested with two versions of the peak procedure. One group was tested with 10% peak trials per session, and the other group was tested with 50% peak trials per session. For both of the groups, one of the panel lights and levers was associated with the traditional peak procedure. The other panel light and lever was associated with a similar peak procedure; however, reinforcement was provided at the end of each peak trial. This manipulation eliminated differences in response rate among the groups, however, Group 10% acquired peak responding more quickly than Group 50%, effectively replicating previous work in the absence of a response bias.     

Functional dissection of XDppa2/4 structural domains in Xenopus development

The maintenance of pluripotency in mammalian embryonic stem cells depends upon the expression of regulatory genes like Oct3/4 and Sox2. While homologues of these genes are also characterized in non-mammalian vertebrates, like birds, amphibians and fish, existence and function of developmental pluripotency associated genes (Dppa) in lower vertebrates have not yet been reported. Here we describe a Dppa2/4-like gene, XDppa2/4, in Xenopus. The protein contains a SAP domain and a conserved C-terminal region. Overexpression of XDppa2/4, murine Dppa2 or Dppa4 produces similar phenotypes (defects in blastopore closure), while injection of XDppa2/4 morpholino generates a loss of blastopore closure and neural fold formation. Embryos die up to tailbud stage. mDppa2 (but not mDppa4) rescues blastopore closure and neurulation defects caused by XDppaMO, but does not prevent subsequent death of embryos. Although XDppa2/4 exhibits a Dppa-like expression pattern and is indispensable for embryogenesis, analyses of various marker genes make its role as a pluripotency factor rather unlikely. Both the gain and loss of function effects until the end of neurulation are caused by the conserved C-terminal region but not by the SAP domain. The SAP domain is required for association of XDppa2/4 to chromatin and for embryonic survival at later stages of development suggesting epigenetic programming events.     

Budburst and leaf area expansion measured with a novel mobile camera system and simple color thresholding

Plant phenology relates strongly to primary productivity and the energy that enters into ecological food webs, and thus is vital in understanding ecosystem function and the effects of climate and climate change. The manual collection of phenological data is labor-intensive and not easily scalable, thus the ability to quantify leaf flush and other parameters at many locations requires innovative new methodologies such as the use of visible light digital cameras. Improved imaging performance was obtained by using a cabled, mobile camera system that allowed a repeated image census of branches of Rhododendron occidentale in the understory along a 30 m transect during leaf flush. Automatic division of acquired images into areas of interest (leaves) and background for calculating leaf area was accomplished by thresholding images in different color spaces. Transformation of the color space into the hue, saturation, and luminance (HSL) color space before thresholding resulted in a mean RMS error of 21.2 cm² compared to hand-counts of leaf area. Thresholding in the native red, green, and blue (RGB) color space to isolate leaves resulted in a larger error, as did using algebraic combinations of the color components or color ratios. Relating physiological function to images, as for sap flow for branches of R. occidentale, indicates that the greening and calculated leaf area of a species as detected by imagers requires additional meteorological sensor data for interpretation.     

γ-Pyrone natural products—A privileged compound class provided by nature

In “Biology Oriented Synthesis” (BIOS), the inherent biological relevance of natural products is employed for the design and synthesis of compound libraries. Towards this end, library generation in BIOS is focused on compound classes from biologically relevant space such as the natural product space or also the drug space and only scaffolds of these areas of proven relevance are employed for synthesis of small focused libraries with limited diversity. We here present a short overview of γ-pyrone natural products, highlighting their biological properties and their potential applicability in a BIOS of a compound library.     

Pan-caspase inhibition suppresses polyethylene particle-induced osteolysis

Particle-induced osteolysis is a major cause of aseptic loosening after total joint replacement. Earlier studies demonstrated apoptotic macrophages, giant cells, fibroblasts and T-lymphocytes in capsules and interface membranes of patients with aseptic hip implant loosening. The aim of the current study was to determine in a murine calvarial model of wear particle-induced osteolysis whether inhibition of apoptosis using the pan-caspase inhibitor BOC-D-FMK reduces aseptic loosening. Healthy 12-week-old male C57BL/6J mice were treated with UHMWPE particles and received a daily peritoneal injection of BOK-D-FMK, respectively only buffer at a dose of 3 mg/kg of body weight for 12 days until sacrifice. Bone resorption was measured by histomorphometry, micro CT (computed tomography) and TRAP-5b serum analysis. Apoptosis was measured using caspase-3 cleaved staining. The results demonstrated that UHMWPE particles induced stronger apoptotic reactions in macrophages and osteoblasts and increased bone resorption in non-specifically treated mice, whereas peritoneal application of BOC-D-FMK significantly counteracted these adverse particle-related effects. We think that in particle-induced osteolysis apoptosis is pathologically increased, and that failure to reduce the quantity of apoptotic bodies leads to an up-regulation of proinflammtory cytokines, which may be responsible for the induction of osteolysis. We showed for the first time in vivo that a reduction in apoptosis leads to a significant reduction in particle-induced osteolysis. Clinically, the apoptotic cascade could become an interesting novel therapeutic target to modulate particle-induced osteolysis. This is an investigation performed at the University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany.