A new hypercarnivorous hyaenodont from the Eocene of South China

A new hyaenodont Maocyon peregrinus, gen. et sp. nov., is described based on a partial skull and associated mandible from the upper Eocene Youganwo Formation at Maoming locality in Guangdong Province, China. It shows certain similarities with the Hyainailouroidea in the skull structure, including anteroposteriorly extended jugal/squamosal suture, presence of a preglenoid crest, a lateral expansion of the squamosal posterior to the zygomatic arch, a transversally expanded mastoid process, a nuchal crest that does not extend laterally to mastoid process, and large occipital condyles. The phylogenetic analysis clusters the new taxon with Orienspterodon dahkoensis from the late middle Eocene of China and Myanmar and places this clade within the Hyainailouridae in a polytomy with the Apternodontinae and the Hyainailourinae

Comparative Analysis of B-Cell Receptor Repertoires Induced by Live Yellow Fever Vaccine in Young and Middle-Age Donors

Age-related changes can significantly alter the state of adaptive immune system and often lead to attenuated response to novel pathogens and vaccination. In present study we employed 5′RACE UMI-based full length and nearly error-free immunoglobulin profiling to compare plasma cell antibody repertoires in young (19–26 years) and middle-age (45–58 years) individuals vaccinated with a live yellow fever vaccine, modeling a newly encountered pathogen. Our analysis has revealed age-related differences in the responding antibody repertoire ranging from distinct IGH CDR3 repertoire properties to differences in somatic hypermutation intensity and efficiency and antibody lineage tree structure. Overall, our findings suggest that younger individuals respond with a more diverse antibody repertoire and employ a more efficient somatic hypermutation process than elder individuals in response to a newly encountered pathogen

Liquid-phase exfoliation of flaky graphite

International audienc

Anthracotheriid artiodactyl <i>Anthracokeryx</i> and an upper Eocene age for the Youganwo Formation of southern China

<p>The two recently collected mammalian dentary fragments from the Eocene Youganwo Formation of Guangdong Province, southern China, are referred to the anthracotheriid species <i>Anthracokeryx naduongensis</i> based on phylogenetic analysis and size comparison. One of these specimens (SYSU-M-1) is the first mammal fossil described from the Youganwo Formation. It was attributed previously to the perissodactyl genus <i>Lunania</i>. <i>Anthracokeryx naduongensis</i> was described originally from the lower upper Eocene Na Duong Formation in Northern Vietnam. The second record of this species supports a basal upper Eocene correlation for the Youganwo Formation, which was estimated previously as middle or late Eocene.</p

The cranial morphology of <i>Anosteira maomingensis</i> (Testudines, Pan-Carettochelys) and the evolution of pan-carettochelyid turtles

<p>This paper describes the cranial morphology of <i>Anosteira maomingensis</i>, a turtle of the clade Pan-Carettochelys, based on a skull that is part of a more complete specimen from the middle-upper Eocene Youganwo Formation of Maoming, Guangdong Province, China. The cranial data of <i>An. maomingensis</i> were included in a phylogenetic analysis of pan-carettochelyids, one that was complemented with new codings and characters and also including cranial and non-shell postcranial characters of <i>Kizylkumemys schultzi</i> (Late Cretaceous of Uzbekistan). It also included characters of vertebral scutes of pan-carettochelyids based on a newly proposed nomenclature of vertebral scutes for this group. The result of our phylogenetic analyses supports a recently proposed hypothesis of probable paraphyly of Anosteirinae, <i>Kizylkumemys, Anosteira</i>, and <i>Allaeochelys</i>. In addition, our study summarizes data on cranial morphology of pan-carettochelyid turtles and discusses some aspects of their evolution.</p

Structural changes of BN nanotubes irradiated by Al ions

International audienceBoron nitride nanotubes (BNNT) have many potential applications as structural and reinforcing materials due to attractive combination of their excellent mechanical characteristics and high thermal and chemical stabilities. Recent progress in their reliable synthesis opened a way to pioneering experiments in BNNT/metal composite fabrication. In this work we have prepared BNNT/Al nanocomposites using the method of ion implantation. Using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy we have confirmed the formation of hybrid BNNT/Al nanostructures with a partial modification of nanotubes depending on the parameters of ion implantation process. Obtained nanohybrids are envisaged to be an interesting playground for the investigation of processes occurring on the aluminum-BNNT interface

Surface Glycans of Microvesicles Derived from Endothelial Cells, as Probed Using Plant Lectins

Glycans of MVs are proposed to be candidates for mediating targeting specificity or at least promoting it. In contrast to exosomes, glycomic studies of MVs are largely absent. We studied the glycoprofile of endothelial cell-derived MVs using 21 plant lectins, and the results show the dominance of oligolactosamines and their α2-6-sialylated forms as N-glycans and low levels of α2-3-sialylated glycans. The low levels of α2-3-sialosides could not be explained by the action of extracellular glycosidases. Additionally, the level of some Man-containing glycans was also decreased in MVs. Spatial masking as the causative relationship between these low level glycans (as glycosphingolipids) by integral proteins or proteoglycans (thus, their lack of interaction with lectins) seems unlikely. The results suggest that integral proteins do not pass randomly into MVs, but instead only some types, differing in terms of their specific glycosylation, are integrated into MVs

Photoluminescent properties of single crystal diamond microneedles

Single crystal needle-like diamonds shaped as rectangular pyramids were produced by combination of chemical vapor deposition and selective oxidation with dimensions and geometrical characteristics depending on the deposition process parameters. Photoluminescence spectra and their dependencies on wavelength of excitation radiation reveal presence of nitrogen- and silicon-vacancy color centers in the diamond crystallites. Photoluminescence spectra, intensity mapping, and fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy indicate that silicon-vacancy centers are concentrated at the crystallites apex while nitrogen-vacancy centers are distributed over the whole crystallite. Dependence of the photoluminescence on excitation radiation intensity demonstrates saturation and allows estimation of the color centers density. The combination of structural parameters, geometry and photoluminescent characteristics are prospective for advantageous applications of these diamond crystallites in quantum information processing and optical sensing.Authors are grateful for financial support from Russian Federation President Program for young scientist: Grant# МК-9230.2016.2 (for EAO and FTT) and Grant# MK-5860.2016.2 (for KGK).Peer reviewe