DrosoPhyla: Resources for Drosophilid Phylogeny and Systematics.

The vinegar fly Drosophila melanogaster is a pivotal model for invertebrate development, genetics, physiology, neuroscience, and disease. The whole family Drosophilidae, which contains over 4,400 species, offers a plethora of cases for comparative and evolutionary studies. Despite a long history of phylogenetic inference, many relationships remain unresolved among the genera, subgenera, and species groups in the Drosophilidae. To clarify these relationships, we first developed a set of new genomic markers and assembled a multilocus data set of 17 genes from 704 species of Drosophilidae. We then inferred a species tree with highly supported groups for this family. Additionally, we were able to determine the phylogenetic position of some previously unplaced species. These results establish a new framework for investigating the evolution of traits in fruit flies, as well as valuable resources for systematics

Body Fluid Cytokine Levels in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer’s Disease: a Comparative Overview

This article gives a comprehensive overview of cytokine and other inflammation associated protein levels in plasma, serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). We reviewed 118 research articles published between 1989 and 2013 to compare the reported levels of 66 cytokines and other proteins related to regulation and signaling in inflammation in the blood or CSF obtained from MCI and AD patients. Several cytokines are evidently regulated in (neuro-) inflammatory processes associated with neurodegenerative disorders. Others do not display changes in the blood or CSF during disease progression. However, many reports on cytokine levels in MCI or AD are controversial or inconclusive, particularly those which provide data on frequently investigated cytokines like tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) or interleukin-6 (IL-6). The levels of several cytokines are possible indicators of neuroinflammation in AD. Some of them might increase steadily during disease progression or temporarily at the time of MCI to AD conversion. Furthermore, elevated body fluid cytokine levels may correlate with an increased risk of conversion from MCI to AD. Yet, research results are conflicting. To overcome interindividual variances and to obtain a more definite description of cytokine regulation and function in neurodegeneration, a high degree of methodical standardization and patients collective characterization, together with longitudinal sampling over years is essential

Application of the Taylor Equation to Five-Power-Law Creep Considering the Influence of Solutes

This study determines the feasibility of describing the flow stress within the five-power-law creep regime, using a linear superposition of a dislocation hardening term and a significant solute strengthening term. It is assumed that the solutes are randomly distributed. It was found that by using an energy balance approach, the flow stress at high temperatures can be well-described by the classic Taylor equation with a solute strengthening term, τo, that is added to the αMGbρ1/2 dislocation hardening term

New Developments in Understanding Harper–Dorn, Five-Power Law Creep and Power-Law Breakdown

This paper discusses recent developments in creep, over a wide range of temperature, that may change our understanding of creep. The five-power law creep exponent (3.5–7) has never been explained in fundamental terms. The best the scientific community has done is to develop a natural three power-law creep equation that falls short of rationalizing the higher stress exponents that are typically five. This inability has persisted for many decades. Computational work examining the stress-dependence of the climb rate of edge dislocations may rationalize the phenomenological creep equations. Harper–Dorn creep, “discovered” over 60 years ago, has been immersed in controversy. Some investigators have insisted that a stress exponent of one is reasonable. Others believe that the observation of a stress exponent of one is a consequence of dislocation network frustration. Others believe the stress exponent is artificial due to the inclusion of restoration mechanisms, such as dynamic recrystallization or grain growth that is not of any consequence in the five power-law regime. Also, the experiments in the Harper–Dorn regime, which accumulate strain very slowly (sometimes over a year), may not have attained a true steady state. New theories suggest that the absence or presence of Harper–Dorn may be a consequence of the initial dislocation density. Novel experimental work suggests that power-law breakdown may be a consequence of a supersaturation of vacancies which increase self-diffusion

Rate-Controlling Mechanisms in Five-Power-Law Creep

OAK-B135 Rate-Controlling Mechanisms in Five-Power-Law Creep. The initial grant emphasized the rate-controlling processes for five power-law creep. The effort has six aspects: (1) Theory of Taylor hardening from the Frank dislocation network in five power law substructures. (2) The dual dynamical and hardening nature of dislocations in five power law substructures. (3) Determination of the existence of long-range internal stress in five-power law creep dislocation substructures. (4) Dynamic recovery mechanisms associated with dislocation heterogeneities during five power law creep. (5) Versatility of five power law creep concept to other (hcp) crystal structures. (6) Writing of a book on ''Fundamental of Creep in Metals and Alloys'' by M.E. Kassner and Maria-Teresa Perez-Frado (postdoctoral scholar, funded by this project) Elsevier Press, 2004, in press. These areas are consistent with the original goals of this project as delineated in the original proposal to Basic Energy Sciences. The progress in each of these areas will be discussed separately and there will be an attempt to tie each aspect together so as to allow a summary regarding the conclusions with respect to the rate-controlling mechanisms of five power-law creep

Application of the Taylor Equation to Five-Power-Law Creep Considering the Influence of Solutes

This study determines the feasibility of describing the flow stress within the five-power-law creep regime, using a linear superposition of a dislocation hardening term and a significant solute strengthening term. It is assumed that the solutes are randomly distributed. It was found that by using an energy balance approach, the flow stress at high temperatures can be well-described by the classic Taylor equation with a solute strengthening term, τo, that is added to the αMGbρ1/2 dislocation hardening term

Low temperature creep plasticity

The creep behavior of crystalline materials at low temperatures (T < 0.3Tm) is discussed. In particular, the phenomenological relationships that describe primary creep are reviewed and analyzed. A discussion of the activation energy for creep at T < 0.3Tm is discussed in terms of the context of higher temperature activation energy. The basic mechanism(s) of low temperature creep plasticity are discussed, as well

Large-Strain Softening of Metals at Elevated Temperatures by Deformation Texture Development

Many (if not a majority) of metals and alloys evince substantial softening with torsion deformation to strains not usually achievable in tension. Of course, softening has long been observed by discontinuous dynamic recrystallization (DDRX) but this paper will discuss cases where softening is associated by texture development with large-strain deformation that is not reliant on changes in the dislocation density. This paper discusses the work of the current authors on FCC metals and alloys and extends to a new discussion of BCC and HCP cases. The analysis of the basis for torsional softening in BCC steel and HCP Zr discussed here is a novel concept that has not been addressed in the literature before