Two new carnivores from an unusual late Tertiary forest biota in eastern North America

Late Cenozoic terrestrial fossil records of North America are biased by a predominance of mid-latitude deposits, mostly in the western half of the continent. Consequently, the biological history of eastern North America, including the eastern deciduous forest, remains largely hidden. Unfortunately, vertebrate fossil sites from this vast region are rare, and few pertain to the critically important late Tertiary period, during which intensified global climatic changes took place. Moreover, strong phylogenetic affinities between the flora of eastern North America and eastern Asia clearly demonstrate formerly contiguous connections, but disparity among shared genera (eastern Asia-eastern North America disjunction) implies significant periods of separation since at least the Miocene epoch. Lacustrine sediments deposited within a former sinkhole in the southern Appalachian Mountains provide a rare example of a late Miocene to early Pliocene terrestrial biota from a forested ecosystem. Here we show that the vertebrate remains contained within this deposit represent a unique combination of North American and Eurasian taxa. A new genus and species of the red (lesser) panda (Pristinailurus bristoli), the earliest and most primitive so far known, was recovered. Also among the fauna are a new species of Eurasian badger (Arctomeles dimolodontus) and the largest concentration of fossil tapirs ever recorded. Cladistical analyses of the two new carnivores strongly suggest immigration events that were earlier than and distinct from previous records, and that the close faunal affinities between eastern North America and eastern Asia in the late Tertiary period are consistent with the contemporaneous botanical record.     

The regulatory role of phosphodiesterase in adenosine cyclic 3′,5′-monophosphate mediated ACTH action

Résumé Le désoxycholate de soude inhibe fortement l'activité de la phosphodiestérase surrénalienne du rat. Par contre, l'administration de l'ACTH in vivo augmente cette activité en présence du déoxycholate. In vitro, chez le rat traité préalablement par le l'ACTH, cette activité est moins inhibée par le désoxycholate dans la fraction particulière comme dans la fraction surnageante. L'action de l'ACTH joue donc un rôle régulateur de la phosphodiestérase.     

TNF-RII and c-IAP1 mediate ubiquitination and degradation of TRAF2

Tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) is a proinflammatory mediator that exerts its biological functions by binding two TNF receptors (TNF-RI and TNF-RII), which initiate biological responses by interacting with adaptor and signalling proteins. Among the signalling components that associate with TNF receptors are members of the TNF-R-associated factor (TRAF) family. TRAF2 is required for TNF-alpha-mediated activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), contributes to activation of NF-kappaB, and mediates anti-apoptotic signals,. TNF-RI and TNF-RII signalling complexes also contain the anti-apoptotic ('inhibitor of apoptosis') molecules c-IAP1 and c-IAP2 (refs 5, 6), which also have RING domain-dependent ubiquitin protein ligase (E3) activity. The function of IAPs in TNF-R signalling is unknown. Here we show that binding of TNF-alpha to TNF-RII induces ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation of TRAF2. Although c-IAP1 bound TRAF2 and TRAF1 in vitro, it ubiquitinated only TRAF2. Expression of wild-type c-IAP1, but not an E3-defective mutant, resulted in TRAF2 ubiquitination and degradation. Moreover, E3-defective c-IAP1 prevented TNF-alpha-induced TRAF2 degradation and inhibited apoptosis. These findings identify a physiologic role for c-IAP1 and define a mechanism by which TNF-RII-regulated ubiquitin protein ligase activity can potentiate TNF-induced apoptosis.     

Annexin II light chain regulates sensory neuron-specific sodium channel expression

The tetrodotoxin-resistant sodium channel Na(V)1.8/SNS is expressed exclusively in sensory neurons and appears to have an important role in pain pathways. Unlike other sodium channels, Na(V)1.8 is poorly expressed in cell lines even in the presence of accessory beta-subunits. Here we identify annexin II light chain (p11) as a regulatory factor that facilitates the expression of Na(V)1.8. p11 binds directly to the amino terminus of Na(V)1.8 and promotes the translocation of Na(V)1.8 to the plasma membrane, producing functional channels. The endogenous Na(V)1.8 current in sensory neurons is inhibited by antisense downregulation of p11 expression. Because direct association with p11 is required for functional expression of Na(V)1.8, disrupting this interaction may be a useful new approach to downregulating Na(V)1.8 and effecting analgesia.     

国际互联网技术与旅游业企业过程重组

信息技术、互联网、通讯技术的发展引起了整个旅游业的一场革命,正在深刻地改变着旅游业的经营、管理和运作模式。网络技术的出现则恰好给旅游业的加速发展、企业过程重组带来了新的机遇。文章集中分析了旅游业的信息特征、信息技术、互联网技术引起的旅游业的经营环境变化,提出了旅游服务供应链管理的概念。在此基础上,结合英特网技术在旅游业的功能,提出了旅游业的企业过程重组,建立虚拟旅游公司模式。     

[Zn(bim)2]·(H2O)1.67: A metal-organic open-framework with sodalite topology

Considerable efforts have been focused on the crystal engineering of the supramolecular architectures with desired properties such as zeolitic, magnetic and electric conducting materials[1—3]. But crystal engineering is still a great challenge to the chemists since lack of control over the coordination modes of metal centers and ligands during assembly of extended structures[4]. Some successful synthetic strategies based on topologic control of building blocks have been developed especially i…     

Thermodynamic evolution of lithosphere of the North China craton： Records from lower crust and upper mantle xenoliths from Hannuoba

Lithospheric thinning in East China attracts much attention of geologists. In many cases where a lithospheric thinning is inferred, the trigger for instability is a preced-ing episode of crustal thickening by the continental colli-sion[1]. Lithospheric processes (e.g. lithospheric thinning) could be recorded by the thermal history of the lower crustal and upper mantle xenoliths. Xu et al.[2] suggested that the cooling (from >1200 to 850℃) recorded by spinel harzburgite from Northeast China …     

吕梁山中南部地区农田害鼠调查研究

调查明确了山西省吕梁山中南部农田害鼠的种类和数量组成,明确了数量分布特点,本项研究为该区域害鼠综合治理对策的制定提供了科学依据.     

贝叶斯规整化神经网络预测苯取代物的毒性

利用贝叶斯规整化神经网络(BRNN)研究了59种苯取代的环境毒性和分子结构的关系.建立了基于脂水分配系数和4种量子指数的QSAR环境毒性预测模型.结果表明:该模型的预测性能超过偏最小二乘法(PLS)和逐步线性回归方法,残差分析显示其稳定可靠,有望成为一种良好的苯取代物毒性的环境评价和预测的方法.