Selection on selected records

International audienc

Taxonomic and floristic notes on neotropical Macromitrioideae (Orthotrichaceae)

Upon examination of type material, the following new synonymies are proposed: Macromitrium altituberculosum Bartr. with M. carionis C. Muell.; M. aureum C. Muell. with M. longifolium (Hook.) Brid.; M. crumianum Steere & Buck with M. leprieurii Mont.; M. semimarginatum C. Muell. with Groutiella chimborazense (Spruce ex Mitten) Florsch.; M. standleyi Bartr. var. subundulatum Bartr. with M. fulgescens Bartr. In addition, the following synonymies were confirmed: M. brevipes C. Muell. with Groutiella apiculata (Hook. & Grev.) Crum & Steere; M. sartorii C. Muell. with M. punctatum (Hook. & Grev.) Brid. Floristic reports include M. leprieurii new to Dominica, Guadeloupe, and Panama, and M. ulophyllum Mitten is reported for the first time from Central America (Panama) and Venezuela. A complete description including illustration is provided for the first time for the latter species. Lectotypes are chosen for all types examined

What makes us human? A biased view from the perspective of comparative embryology and mouse genetics

For a neurobiologist, the core of human nature is the human cerebral cortex, especially the prefrontal areas, and the question "what makes us human?" translates into studies of the development and evolution of the human cerebral cortex, a clear oversimplification. In this comment, after pointing out this oversimplification, I would like to show that it is impossible to understand our cerebral cortex if we focus too narrowly on it. Like other organs, our cortex evolved from that in stem amniotes, and it still bears marks of that ancestry. More comparative studies of brain development are clearly needed if we want to understand our brain in its historical context. Similarly, comparative genomics is a superb tool to help us understand evolution, but again, studies should not be limited to mammals or to comparisons between human and chimpanzee, and more resources should be invested in investigation of many vertebrate phyla. Finally, the most widely used rodent models for studies of cortical development are of obvious interest but they cannot be considered models of a "stem cortex" from which the human type evolved. It remains of paramount importance to study cortical development directly in other species, particularly in primate models, and, whenever ethically justifiable, in human

The $10.53 Billion Question--When Are the Parties Bound?: Pennzoil and the Use of Agreements in Principle in Mergers and Acquisitions

This Note addresses the problems created by Pennzoil and the use of agreements in principle in the area of mergers and acquisitions. Part II discusses the relevant law on agreements in principle formed before entering into the formal contract contemplated by the parties. Part III analyzes in depth the problems associated with agreements in principle in mergers and acquisitions. Finally, Part IV suggests three possible solutions that, if adopted, could avoid the problems discussed in Part III

La gestion globale des garanties.

Le projet 3G (gestion globale des garanties), lancé en juillet 2006 par la Banque de France et la place de Paris, avait l’ambition de refondre les modalités de mise en garantie des actifs dans le cadre des opérations de refinancement de l’Eurosystème. Mis en service le 18 février 2008, 3G répond aujourd’hui complètement aux attentes des établissements de crédit en leur permettant d’optimiser la gestion de leur collatéral.

Phylogenetic relationships among basal-most arthrodontous mosses with special emphasis on the evolutionary significance of the Funariineae

The classification of the Bryopsida (mosses) has been based primarily on the variation of sporophytic characters i.e., architectural features of the peristome teeth that line the capsule mouth. Five arthrodontous peristome types have been recognized. Whether peristome types define natural groups and how they are evolutionary related has, however, remained unclear. Nucleotide sequence data from one nuclear and two chloroplast loci are generated and compiled to test two contrasting hypotheses regarding the ancestral peristome type in the Arthrodonteae. The genomic data partitions are incongruent with regard to the phylogenetic signal they carry. All phylogenetic analyses converge toward the polyphyly of the Funariineae and the Funariaceae. The Funariaceae are defined by the loss of a codon in the rps4 gene. Goniomitrium acuminatum, the type of the genus, lacks this deletion, and is always resolved within the Haplolepideae