Regulation of male sex determination: genital ridge formation and Sry activation in mice

Sex determination is essential for the sexual reproduction to generate the next generation by the formation of functional male or female gametes. In mammals, primary sex determination is commenced by the presence or absence of the Y chromosome, which controls the fate of the gonadal primordium. The somatic precursor of gonads, the genital ridge is formed at the mid-gestation stage and gives rise to one of two organs, a testis or an ovary. The fate of the genital ridge, which is governed by the differentiation of somatic cells into Sertoli cells in the testes or granulosa cells in the ovaries, further determines the sex of an individual and their germ cells. Mutation studies in human patients with disorders of sex development and mouse models have revealed factors that are involved in mammalian sex determination. In most of mammals, a single genetic trigger, the Y-linked gene Sry (sex determination region on Y chromosome), regulates testicular differentiation. Despite identification of Sry in 1990, precise mechanisms underlying the sex determination of bipotential genital ridges are still largely unknown. Here, we review the recent progress that has provided new insights into the mechanisms underlying genital ridge formation as well as the regulation of Sry expression and its functions in male sex determination of mice.     

Some surprising facts about (the problem of) surprising facts: (from the Dusseldorf Conference,February 2011)

A common intuition about evidence is that if data x have been used to construct a hypothesis H, then x should not be used again in support of H. It is no surprise that x fits H, if H was deliberately constructed to accord with x. The question of when and why we should avoid such “double-counting” continues to be debated in philosophy and statistics. It arises as a prohibition against data mining, hunting for significance, tuning on the signal, and ad hoc hypotheses, and as a preference for predesignated hypotheses and “surprising” predictions. I have argued that it is the severity or probativeness of the test—or lack of it—that should determine whether a double-use of data is admissible. I examine a number of surprising ambiguities and unexpected facts that continue to bedevil this debate.     

Structural,morphological, and optical properties of tin(Ⅳ) oxide nanoparticles synthesized using Camellia sinensis extract: a green approach

Tin oxide (SnO2) nanoparticles were cost-effectively synthesized using nontoxic chemicals and green tea (Camellia sinensis) extract via a green synthesis method.The structural properties of the obtained nanoparticles were studied using X-ray diffraction,which indicated that the crystallite size was less than 20 nm.The particle size and morphology of the nanoparticles were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy.The morphological analysis revealed agglomerated spherical nanoparticles with sizes varying from 5 to 30 nm.The optical properties of the nanoparticles' band gap were characterized using diffuse reflectance spectroscopy.The band gap was found to decrease with increasing annealing temperature.The O vacancy defects were analyzed using photoluminescence spectroscopy.The increase in the crystallite size,decreasing band gap,and the increasing intensities of the UV and visible emission peaks indicated that the green-synthesized SnO2 may play future important roles in catalysis and optoelectronic devices.     

Structural,compositional and mineralogical characterization of carbonatitic copper sulfide: Run of mine,concentrate and tailings

The aim of this study was to determine the structural, compositional, and mineralogical composition of carbonatitic copper sulfide concentrator plant streams. Three samples, each from a different stream(run of mine(ROM), concentrate, and tailings) of a copper concentrator were characterized using various techniques, including stereomicroscopy, X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared(FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy(SEM) in conjunction with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy(EDS), and optical microscopy. The results reveal that each stream possesses its own unique compositional features. Carbonate minerals associated with calcite and dolomite, followed by quartz, remain the major minerals in both the ROM and tails streams. In the ROM stream, chalcopyrite appears to occur as veins within the carbonatite-hosting ore body. Mineral phase mutation was discovered in the tails stream because magnetite formerly identified in the ROM as the primary iron oxide had evolved into hematite. This metamorphosis was likely promoted by the concentration process. The concentration process was effective, upgrading the chalcopyrite content from 2 wt% in the ROM stream to 58 wt% in the concentrate stream; it was accompanied by bornite(4 wt%), anilite(3 wt%), and digenite(2.5 wt%). In addition, the concentrate stream exhibited properties distinctive from those of the other streams. The FTIR analysis showed the existence of a sulfide group related to the chalcopyrite mineral. Free chalcopyrite grains were observed in the concentrate by SEM analysis, and their mineral presence was supported by the EDS analysis results. All characterization techniques corresponded well with each other regarding the structure, chemistry, and composition of the samples.     

新疆旅游业对经济增长影响的实证分析

近年来,旅游业已经成为很多地区拉动经济增长的重要产业之一。新疆具有浓郁的民族风情以及各种得天独厚的旅游资源,这为旅游业蓬勃发展提供了坚实基础。首先介绍了新疆旅游业的基本发展状况及趋势;其次,针对新疆2005-2017年的统计数据,运用Stata14.0软件对该数据进行多元回归,分析了旅游业对地区经济增长的贡献,并对新疆经济增长与旅游业之间的影响机制进行研究;最后根据实证分析得出的结论,提出了若干对策建议。     

Wolves in sheep’s clothing: three new cases of aggressive mimicry in Red Sea coral reef fishes

ABSTRACT

Here we document three cases of mimicry in coral reef fishes not previously reported in the literature involving two groupers (Epinephelus leucogrammicus and Plectropomus marisrubri) and a soapfish (Diploprion drachi) as mimics, and two wrasses (Larabicus quadrilineatus and Cheilinus quinquecinctus) and a blenny (Meiacanthus nigrolineatus) as models. All three cases are of aggressive mimicry, with a predatory species mimicking a harmless one, and in one of the cases, the mimicry is also Müllerian, where both the predator and harmless species are unpalatable.     

Diversity and dispersal history of the talitrids (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Talitridae) of Bermuda

Five taxa of talitrid amphipods were found in the archipelago of Bermuda, of which three were recorded there for the first time. Four of these are supralittoral wrack generalists: Platorchestia monodi BOLD:AAB3402, (a unique Molecular Operational Taxonomic Unit according to the Barcode Index Number system), a related species recognized by molecular methods, Platorchestia platensis BOLD:AAA2949, Mexorchestia carpenteri carpenteri BOLD:AAC1491 and Tethorchestia antillensis; and one a terrestrial leaf-litter generalist: Talitroides alluaudi. A key is provided to discriminate between the formally described talitrids of Bermuda. Dispersal mechanisms from the American continent to Bermuda were considered for all taxa based on species distributions along the North American Atlantic coast and also investigated by molecular methods, using genetic population differentiation and haplotype network analysis based on the barcode region of cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene. For P. monodi BOLD:AAB3402 the genetic results suggest that some dispersal events occurred before human colonization of Bermuda but are equivocal about the source population and therefore the direction of dispersal. Some very recent synanthropic dispersal is possible with this species. For the other two species studied genetically, P. platensis BOLD:AAA2949 and M. c. carpenteri BOLD:AAC1491, the small population samples analysed support dispersal to Bermuda from the American mainland, before human occupation of Bermuda, although the available sample size was limited for these species. The available limited direct, non-genetic evidence supports synanthropic transport for Talitroides alluaudi. Platorchestia monodi BOLD:AAB3402 is found in the same wrack habitat as P. platensis BOLD:AAA2949 on Bermuda, apparently without interbreeding. No evidence was found that driftwood specialist talitrids had become established in Bermuda.