A Cretaceous terrestrial snake with robust hindlimbs and a sacrum

It has commonly been thought that snakes underwent progressive loss of their limbs by gradual diminution of their use. However, recent developmental and palaeontological discoveries suggest a more complex scenario of limb reduction, still poorly documented in the fossil record. Here we report a fossil snake with a sacrum supporting a pelvic girdle and robust, functional legs outside the ribcage. The new fossil, from the Upper Cretaceous period of Patagonia, fills an important gap in the evolutionary progression towards limblessness because other known fossil snakes with developed hindlimbs, the marine Haasiophis, Pachyrhachis and Eupodophis, lack a sacral region. Phylogenetic analysis shows that the new fossil is the most primitive (basal) snake known and that all other limbed fossil snakes are closer to the more advanced macrostomatan snakes, a group including boas, pythons and colubroids. The new fossil retains several features associated with a subterranean or surface dwelling life that are also present in primitive extant snake lineages, supporting the hypothesis of a terrestrial rather than marine origin of snakes.     

Assembly of the inner rod determines needle length in the type III secretion injectisome

Assembly of multi-component supramolecular machines is fundamental to biology, yet in most cases, assembly pathways and their control are poorly understood. An example is the type III secretion machine, which mediates the transfer of bacterial virulence proteins into host cells. A central component of this nanomachine is the needle complex or injectisome, an organelle associated with the bacterial envelope that is composed of a multi-ring base, an inner rod, and a protruding needle. Assembly of this organelle proceeds in sequential steps that require the reprogramming of the secretion machine. Here we provide evidence that, in Salmonella typhimurium, completion of the assembly of the inner rod determines the size of the needle substructure. Assembly of the inner rod, which is regulated by the InvJ protein, triggers conformational changes on the cytoplasmic side of the injectisome, reprogramming the secretion apparatus to stop secretion of the needle protein.     

战略人力资源管理学说

对“战略人力资源管理”这一人力资源管理领域新内容的基本范畴进行简要的阐述,并阐述了其发展背景和理论与实践价值,进而对战略人力资源管理竞争环境的定位、组织发展阶段定位、人力资源管理特征、组织变革战略、人力资源人员与工作角色方面的主要学说进行了介绍。对“战略人力资源管理”这一人力资源管理领域新内容的基本范畴进行简要的阐述,并阐述了其发展背景和理论与实践价值,进而对战略人力资源管理竞争环境的定位、组织发展阶段定位、人力资源管理特征、组织变革战略、人力资源人员与工作角色方面的主要学说进行了介绍。     

海洋环境下硅灰混凝土的抗冻性与氯离子扩散性

针对海洋环境条件,重点研究了硅灰混凝土的抗冻性和氯离子扩散性能的关系.试验分析了水胶比、硅灰等量替代水泥掺量大小、引气剂掺量等因素对混凝土抗冻性和氯离子扩散性能的影响,并与普通混凝土进行了对比.结果表明,掺加硅灰不能提高混凝土的抗冻性但可提高混凝土的抗氯离子渗透性;硅灰只有与引气剂共同使用,才能同时提高混凝土的抗冻性和抗氯离子渗透性能;硅灰掺量在10%左右对混凝土的抗冻和抗氯离子渗透综合性能影响存在一个最佳值.为评估混凝土的抗冻性和抗氯离子渗透性的综合性能,提出了新的评价方法--冻渗比(R值方法),并进行了试验验证.