Sesamoid Bones in Tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus) Investigated With X-Ray Microtomography, and Implications for Sesamoid Evolution in Lepidosauria

Sesamoids bones are small intra‐tendinous (or ligamentous) ossifications found near joints and are often variable between individuals. Related bones, lunulae, are found within the menisci of certain joints. Several studies have described sesamoids and lunulae in lizards and their close relatives (Squamata) as potentially useful characters in phylogenetic analysis, but their status in the extant outgroup to Squamata, tuatara (Sphenodon), remains unclear. Sphenodon is the only living rhynchocephalian, but museum specimens are valuable and difficult to replace. Here, we use non‐destructive X‐ray microtomography to investigate the distribution of sesamoids and lunulae in 19 Sphenodon specimens and trace the evolution of these bones in Lepidosauria (Rhynchocephalia + Squamata). We find adult Sphenodon to possess a sesamoid and lunula complement different from any known squamate, but also some variation within Sphenodon specimens. The penultimate phalangeal sesamoids and tibial lunula appear to mineralize prior to skeletal maturity, followed by mineralization of a sesamoid between metatarsal I and the astragalocalcaneum (MTI‐AC), the palmar sesamoids, and tibiofemoral lunulae around attainment of skeletal maturity. The tibial patella, ulnar, and plantar sesamoids mineralize late in maturity or variably. Ancestral state reconstruction indicates that the ulnar patella and tibiofemoral lunulae are synapomophies of Squamata, and the palmar sesamoid, tibial patella, tibial lunula, and MTI‐AC may be synapomorphies of Lepidosauria

A new rhynchocephalian from the late jurassic of Germany with a dentition that is unique amongst tetrapods.

Rhynchocephalians, the sister group of squamates (lizards and snakes), are only represented by the single genus Sphenodon today. This taxon is often considered to represent a very conservative lineage. However, rhynchocephalians were common during the late Triassic to latest Jurassic periods, but rapidly declined afterwards, which is generally attributed to their supposedly adaptive inferiority to squamates and/or Mesozoic mammals, which radiated at that time. New finds of Mesozoic rhynchocephalians can thus provide important new information on the evolutionary history of the group. A new fossil relative of Sphenodon from the latest Jurassic of southern Germany, Oenosaurus muehlheimensis gen. et sp. nov., presents a dentition that is unique amongst tetrapods. The dentition of this taxon consists of massive, continuously growing tooth plates, probably indicating a crushing dentition, thus representing a previously unknown trophic adaptation in rhynchocephalians. The evolution of the extraordinary dentition of Oenosaurus from the already highly specialized Zahnanlage generally present in derived rhynchocephalians demonstrates an unexpected evolutionary plasticity of these animals. Together with other lines of evidence, this seriously casts doubts on the assumption that rhynchocephalians are a conservative and adaptively inferior lineage. Furthermore, the new taxon underlines the high morphological and ecological diversity of rhynchocephalians in the latest Jurassic of Europe, just before the decline of this lineage on this continent. Thus, selection pressure by radiating squamates or Mesozoic mammals alone might not be sufficient to explain the demise of the clade in the Late Mesozoic, and climate change in the course of the fragmentation of the supercontinent of Pangaea might have played a major role

Body image, visual working memory and visual mental imagery

Body dissatisfaction (BD) is a highly prevalent feature amongst females in society, with the majority of individuals regarding themselves to be overweight compared to their personal ideal, and very few self-describing as underweight. To date, explanations of this dramatic pattern have centred on extrinsic social and media factors, or intrinsic factors connected to individuals' knowledge and belief structures regarding eating and body shape, with little research examining links between BD and basic cognitive mechanisms. This paper reports a correlational study in which visual and executive cognitive processes that could potentially impact on BD were assessed. Visual memory span and self-rated visual imagery were found to be predictive of BD, alongside a measure of inhibition derived from the Stroop task. In contrast, spatial memory and global precedence were not related to BD. Results are interpreted with reference to the influential multi-component model of working memory

Role of RNA helicases in HIV-1 replication

Viruses are replication competent genomes which are relatively gene-poor. Even the largest viruses (i.e. Herpesviruses) encode only slightly >200 open reading frames (ORFs). However, because viruses replicate obligatorily inside cells, and considering that evolution may be driven by a principle of economy of scale, it is reasonable to surmise that many viruses have evolved the ability to co-opt cell-encoded proteins to provide needed surrogate functions. An in silico survey of viral sequence databases reveals that most positive-strand and double-stranded RNA viruses have ORFs for RNA helicases. On the other hand, the genomes of retroviruses are devoid of virally-encoded helicase. Here, we review in brief the notion that the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) has adopted the ability to use one or more cellular RNA helicases for its replicative life cycle

Rapport moral et rapport d'activité

Cocude Marguerite. Rapport moral et rapport d'activité. In: Diplômées, n°257, 2016. pp. 19-22

L’organisation des pionniers en U.R.S.S.

Cocude Marguerite. L’organisation des pionniers en U.R.S.S.. In: Diplômées, n°73, 1970. pp. 10-14

Les violences faites aux femmes - Préface

Cocude Marguerite. Les violences faites aux femmes - Préface. In: Diplômées, n°262-263, 2017. Les violences faites au femmes. pp. 1-4

Éditorial

Cocude Marguerite. Éditorial. In: Diplômées, n°256, 2016. Les femmes économistes. p. 2

Adresse de la présidente de l'AFFDU, Marguerite Cocude, à Monsieur le Maire du 6e arrondissement

Cocude Marguerite. Adresse de la présidente de l'AFFDU, Marguerite Cocude, à Monsieur le Maire du 6e arrondissement. In: Diplômées, n°255, 2015. p. 99