Dual origin of tribosphenic mammals

Marsupials, placentals and their close therian relatives possess complex (tribosphenic) molars that are capable of versatile occlusal functions. This functional complex is widely thought to be a key to the early diversification and evolutionary success of extant therians and their close relatives (tribosphenidans). Long thought to have arisen on northern continents, tribosphenic mammals have recently been reported from southern landmasses. The great age and advanced morphology of these new mammals has led to the alternative suggestion of a Gondwanan origin for the group. Implicit in both biogeographic hypotheses is the assumption that tribosphenic molars evolved only once in mammalian evolutionary history. Phylogenetic and morphometric analyses including these newly discovered taxa suggest a different interpretation: that mammals with tribosphenic molars are not monophyletic. Tribosphenic molars evolved independently in two ancient (holotherian) mammalian groups with different geographic distributions during the Jurassic/Early Cretaceous: an australosphenidan clade endemic to Gondwanan landmasses, survived by extant monotremes; and a boreosphenidan clade of Laurasian continents, including extant marsupials, placentals and their relatives.     

无约束优化的一个全局收敛算法及其收敛速度

对最速下降法与拟牛顿法的结合算法进行了改进,证明了改进算法的全局收敛性,而且给出了局部超线性收敛性.初步的数值计算结果也表明了改进的算法比原算法有更好的收敛效果.     

关于量子力学中效应代数上的收敛理论及不变量

本文介绍了量子力学中效应代数的研究进展。指出利用无穷矩阵理论研究其上的收敛理论和不变量，对建立量子力学的数学基础有重要意义。     

Convergent evolution in mechanical design of lamnid sharks and tunas

The evolution of 'thunniform' body shapes in several different groups of vertebrates, including whales, ichthyosaurs and several species of large pelagic fishes supports the view that physical and hydromechanical demands provided important selection pressures to optimize body design for locomotion during vertebrate evolution. Recognition of morphological similarities between lamnid sharks (the most well known being the great white and the mako) and tunas has led to a general expectation that they also have converged in their functional design; however, no quantitative data exist on the mechanical performance of the locomotor system in lamnid sharks. Here we examine the swimming kinematics, in vivo muscle dynamics and functional morphology of the force-transmission system in a lamnid shark, and show that the evolutionary convergence in body shape and mechanical design between the distantly related lamnids and tunas is much more than skin deep; it extends to the depths of the myotendinous architecture and the mechanical basis for propulsive movements. We demonstrate that not only have lamnids and tunas converged to a much greater extent than previously known, but they have also developed morphological and functional adaptations in their locomotor systems that are unlike virtually all other fishes.     

关于收敛p级数的一般估值不等式

本文建立收敛p级数的一般估值不等式.     

拟牛顿算法的收敛特性及算法的拓广

介绍了拟牛顿算法的收敛特性，即算法采用精确线性搜索与非精确线性搜索时具有的全局收敛性与超线性收敛性。这些优良性质使拟牛顿算法类在优化算法中占有极为重要的地位。相关的研究成果十分丰富，这里作一简要介绍及若干算法拓广。     

收敛因子e-xy的一般推广及应用

探讨了收敛因子e^-xy的一般情况,并给出了其应用。     

Evolution of homeothermy in mammals

We propose that mammalian homeothermy was was acquired in two steps. The first step enabled mammals to invade a nocturnal niche without an increase in resting metabolic rate. The second step enabled them to invade a diurnal niche and involved the acquisition of higher body temperatures and metabolic rates.     

Imaging stem-cell-driven regeneration in mammals

The ability to observe biological processes continuously, instead of at discrete time points, holds great promise for the study of tissue regeneration. Ideally, single cells would be followed continuously within large tissue volumes (such as organs) over long periods of time. Technical limitations, however, preclude such studies. But, recently, there have been improvements in imaging technologies and biologically compatible labelling agents. Together with new insights into the molecular characteristics of stem cells, which are ultimately responsible for the regenerative potential of all tissues, researchers are now much closer to applying single-cell imaging approaches to research into regeneration and its clinical applications.     

Intrasexual competition and sexual selection in cooperative mammals

In most animals, the sex that invests least in its offspring competes more intensely for access to the opposite sex and shows greater development of secondary sexual characters than the sex that invests most. However, in some mammals where females are the primary care-givers, females compete more frequently or intensely with each other than males. A possible explanation is that, in these species, the resources necessary for successful female reproduction are heavily concentrated and intrasexual competition for breeding opportunities is more intense among females than among males. Intrasexual competition between females is likely to be particularly intense in cooperative breeders where a single female monopolizes reproduction in each group. Here, we use data from a twelve-year study of wild meerkats (Suricata suricatta), where females show high levels of reproductive skew, to show that females gain greater benefits from acquiring dominant status than males and traits that increase competitive ability exert a stronger influence on their breeding success. Females that acquire dominant status also develop a suite of morphological, physiological and behavioural characteristics that help them to control other group members. Our results show that sex differences in parental investment are not the only mechanism capable of generating sex differences in reproductive competition and emphasize the extent to which competition for breeding opportunities between females can affect the evolution of sex differences and the operation of sexual selection.     

Comparative genomic analysis reveals more functional nasal chemoreceptors in nocturnal mammals than in diurnal mammals

Natural selection has a critical role in the diversity of morphological traits. However, the genetic basis underlying the evolution and diversity of morphological characteristics, particularly in the context an organism’s behavior, lifestyle, and environment, is not well understood. The discovery of nasal chemoreceptors in mammals provided an opportunity to address this question. Here, we identify 4 nasal chemoreceptor gene families (V1R, V2R, OR, and TAAR) from horse, guinea pig, marmoset and orangutan genome sequences, respectively. Together with previously described mammalian nasal chemoreceptor gene repertoires, we found a significant positive correlation between functional gene number and morphological complexity, both in the main olfactory system and the vomeronasal system. The combined analysis of morphological data, behavioral data, and gene repertoires suggests that nocturnal mammals tend to possess more species-specific chemoreceptor genes and more complicated olfactory organs than diurnal mammals. Moreover, analysis of evolutionary forces revealed the existence of positive selection on the species-specific genes, likely reflecting the species-specific detection of odors and pheromones. Taken together, these results reflect a rare case of adaptation to circadian rhythm activity at the genome scale, and strongly suggest that the complexity of morphological olfactory organs and the diversification of nasal chemoreceptors in nocturnal mammals are under selection for the ability to perceive the variety of odors that nocturnal mammals may encounter in their particular dark environments.     

收敛正项级数余项r_n的最优估计

对收敛正项级数余项r_n的估计有个优劣问题,本文对这个问题作了研究。首先给出正项级数余项r_n的最优估计概念,并指出这种最优估计的基本性质和意义,证明最优估计的两个充要条件,还给出了三个充分性定理(判别法)。最后的例子是判别法的应用和最优估计概念的实例说明。     

广义几何规划一个超线性与二次收敛算法

建立带等式与不等式约束的广义几何规划一个新的快速收敛算法,算法的搜索方向由一个二次规划和一个线性方程组的解产生,效益函数为广义精确罚函数．在适当的条件下证明了算法的全局收敛性、超线性收敛性与二次收敛率．     

一个数列收敛性质的应用和推广

对一个数列的奇子列和偶子列收敛且极限相等则原数列收敛的性质做了推广.     

Female transfer and inbreeding avoidance in social mammals

In most social mammals, males leave their natal group to breed in other groups whereas females commonly remain in the same group throughout their lives. In a few species however, females usually transfer between groups during adolescence. The functional significance of sex differences in dispersal and their connection, if any, to the avoidance of inbreeding is disputed. Here I show that in polygynous mammals where females commonly remain to breed in their natal group, their average age at first conception typically exceeds the average period of residence of adult males in breeding groups. In contrast, where females usually transfer to breed in other groups, the average residence of breeding males or of resident male kin groups typically exceeds the average age of females at first conception. These results support the suggestion that female mammals commonly transfer to avoid inbreeding with their father or other close relatives, although female dispersal may also occur for other reasons.