Manifold-Constrained Geometric Optimization via Local Parameterizations.

Many geometric optimization problems contain manifold constraints that restrict the optimized vertices on some specified manifold surface. The constraints are highly nonlinear and non-convex, therefore existing methods usually suffer from a breach of condition or low optimization quality. In this article, we present a novel divide-and-conquer methodology for manifold-constrained geometric optimization problems.

Shift of Maternal Gut Microbiota of Tibetan Antelope (Pantholops hodgsonii) During the Periparturition Period.

The maternal gut microbiota can influence and be affected by the substantial physiological changes taking place during the periparturition period. However, little information is known about the changes in the maternal gut microbiota and hormonal variations during this period in nonmodel organisms. Tibetan antelope (Pantholops hodgsonii) provide a unique system to address this issue because their summer migration cycle is synchronized with the periparturition period.

The complete mitochondrial DNA sequence of the Chinese red pika ().

In this study, we undertook the first complete mitochondrial genome. The genome sequence was 16,663 bp in length, including the typical structure of 22 transfer RNA genes, 13 protein-coding genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes, and the non-coding control region. The overall base composition of mitogenome is 31.

[Molecular authentication of Sailonggu and its resource distribution in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau].

To provide accurate information on geographic distribution of crude drug Sailonggu in the plateau, we identified zokor species (Eospalax spp.) in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau using molecular methods. Based on the mitochondrial cytochrome B (cytb) gene sequences, we then extracted haplotypes from these sequences and reconstructed phylogenetic trees for the haplotypes using both maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian inference (BI) methods.

Molecular identification of Taenia mustelae cysts in subterranean rodent plateau zokors (Eospalax baileyi).

Cestode larvae spend one phase of their two-phase life cycle in the viscera of rodents, but cases of cestodes infecting subterranean rodents have only been rarely observed. To experimentally gain some insight into this phenomenon, we captured approximately 300 plateau zokors (Eospalax baileyi), a typical subterranean rodent inhabiting the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and examined their livers for the presence of cysts. Totally, we collected five cysts, and using a mitochondrial gene (cox1) and two nuclear genes (pepck and pold) as genetic markers, we were able to analyze the taxonomy of the cysts.

Transcriptome sequencing and phylogenomic resolution within Spalacidae (Rodentia).

Background: Subterranean mammals have been of great interest for evolutionary biologists because of their highly specialized traits for the life underground. Owing to the convergence of morphological traits and the incongruence of molecular evidence, the phylogenetic relationships among three subfamilies Myospalacinae (zokors), Spalacinae (blind mole rats) and Rhizomyinae (bamboo rats) within the family Spalacidae remain unresolved. Here, we performed de novo transcriptome sequencing of four RNA-seq libraries prepared from brain and liver tissues of a plateau zokor (Eospalax baileyi) and a hoary bamboo rat (Rhizomys pruinosus), and analyzed the transcriptome sequences alongside a published transcriptome of the Middle East blind mole rat (Spalax galili).