Foundation for Advancement of International Science

Abstract Integumentary fossils have improved understanding of dinosaur physiology, appearance and ecological niches. Fossil melanin and fossil melanosome organelles that produced melanin have made it possible to reconstruct dinosaur colour patterns, evidencing fundamental but previously elusive behaviours like camouflage. However, the colouration of several important groups, including sauropods, is still unknown. Here, we propose the first evidence of colouration in a sauropod based on potential melanosome-bearing epidermal scales. The fossil skin originates from juvenile diplodocids from the Mother’s Day Quarry of the Morrison formation in Montana, USA. Scanning electron microscopy reveals two fossilized epidermal layers in the scales that vary in microbody and carbon density. Two distinct microbodies are grouped together and dispersed within the potential outermost epidermal layer. The first are oblong-shaped and interpreted as melanosomes. The nature of the second disc-shaped microbody is unclear, but their flat shape is reminiscent of platelet melanosomes, though they are smaller in size.

The fall webworm Hyphantria cunea Drury (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae) is an invasive pest in Japan that has expanded its range since its accidental introduction in 1945. To investigate the genetic structure and potential source of a northern population recently established in Hirosaki (Aomori Prefecture), we analyzed five geographic populations using the random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) method. Two primers revealed 18 polymorphic bands among 155 individuals collected across five prefectures. Cluster analysis based on Nei′s genetic distances grouped the populations into two major clusters corresponding to the Pacific coast and Sea of Japan coast, with the Hirosaki population showing close affinity to the Pacific coast group. These results suggest possible evolutionary divergence and local adaptation following invasion, and they highlight the utility of RAPD markers in assessing geographic genetic variation in introduced insect populations.

BackgroundMicroraptor is an essential animal for understanding the evolution of flight in birds and their closest relatives. Recent studies have uncovered evidence of its powered flight potential and details of its diet and ecology. However, we are still missing a thorough description of the anatomy of Microraptor connecting feathers, soft tissues, and osteology together. Here we focus on the forelimbs of ten new Microraptor specimens from the Shandong Tianyu Museum of Nature studied under Laser-Stimulated Fluorescence. We compared our results with extensively studied existing specimens (e.g., IVPP V13352 and BMNHC PH881), other key early paravians (e.g., Anchiornis, Archaeopteryx and Confuciusornis), as well as modern birds to expand what we know about flight origins, and early diverging paravian theropods more generally.ResultsPlumage was previously only minimally known. Reconstruction of the forewings relied on brief descriptions of the primary and secondary feathers. With the new specimens studied here, we uncovered the whole shape of the wing from the tip of the digits to the proximal end of the ulna, the different layers of feathers, and the number as well as characteristics of each feather type. Skeletal features of the forelimb remain mostly unchanged from previous descriptions, but we bring new information regarding wrist bones and functional implications of humerus and radius features. The most significant advances have been recovered in preserved soft tissues including those of the shoulder, propatagium and postpatagium. In particular, the new specimens of Microraptor help us to understand the impact of the soft tissues on lift generation and cohesiveness of the forewing.ConclusionsThis study permitted us to recreate the most accurate forewing of Microraptor to date. Taken together, new information on the forelimb anatomy shows that Microraptor shares many of the forewing characteristics of early avialans and modern birds, and helps us to better understand the flight behaviour and ecology of this iconic and unique ‘four-winged’ animal along with its role in flight evolution. These results serve as a starting point to conduct more precise and integrative analyses (e.g., including hindwings and/or tail) on the locomotor behaviours of Microraptor.

Parents' emotions towards a child are extremely important. The Scale of Parent-to-Child Emotions (SPCE) consists of five basic and four self-conscious emotion domains for assessment of parental emotional states. Abridgement of the SPCE is needed for research and clinical settings. Our previous investigational data for SPCE development were used in this study. The sample of 2336 fathers and 2264 mothers, whose eldest child's age was up to 12 years old, was analyzed. Total information for each pair (form) of items corresponding to a latent trait (θ) was calculated. The form with the greatest amount of total information was selected as the best for each domain. In addition, relative efficiency for each form and correlations of raw sum scores in classical test theory (CTT) for short forms with factor scores in item response theory (IRT) were calculated. The SPCE was shortened to 18 items by selecting two items each for nine domains. Correlations of raw sum scores in CTT for short forms with factor scores in IRT were correlated strongly and significantly. This abridged form of the scale, the SPCE-18, may be applicable in a busy clinical setting or research works to investigate the trajectory of parent-to-child emotions across a long span of time.

The Nausea and Vomiting of Pregnancy Quality of Life (NVP QOL) Questionnaire is a self-report measure of health-related QOL for nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. This study determines the best fitting factor structure for the NVP QOL Questionnaire and explores its measurement invariance in terms of observation time and parity. A test-retest study of pregnant women was conducted at Gestational Weeks (GWs) 10-13 (T1: N = 381) and 1 week later (T2: n = 128) at one hospital and five clinics with the NVP QOL and the Pregnancy-Unique Quantification of Emesis and Nausea (PUQE). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed to compare different factor structure models and evaluate measurement invariance of the best fitting model between two time points and between primiparas and multiparas. Concurrent validity of the NVP QOL was clarified by correlations with the PUQE, Sheehan Disability Scale, and other scales. The one-factor model had the best fit. This factor structure model was acceptable up to the factor invariance level for two time points and up to the factor mean level for primiparas versus multiparas. Correlations between NVP QOL, PUQE, and Sheehan Disability Scale scores were strong. Women with higher NVP QOL scores were more likely to lose weight, have lower daily fluid intake, have reduced fluid and food intake since pregnancy began, and receive outpatient or inpatient treatment. The one-factor structure and measurement invariance of the NVP QOL at different times and parities were demonstrated, suggesting that the NVP QOL can be used to evaluate primiparas and multiparas in a longitudinal study.

Abstract The Frankfurt specimen of the early-branching ceratopsian dinosaur Psittacosaurus is remarkable for the exquisite preservation of squamous (scaly) skin and other soft tissues that cover almost its entire body. Newly detected details revealed under Laser-Stimulated Fluorescence (LSF) reveals the complexity of the squamous skin of Psittacosaurus, including several unique features and details of newly detected and previously-described integumentary structures. Variations in the scaly skin are found to be strongly regionalised in Psittacosaurus. For example, feature scales consist of truncated cone-shaped scales on the shoulder, but form a longitudinal row of quadrangular scales on the tail. Re-examined through LSF, the cloaca of Psittacosaurus has a longitudinal opening, or vent; a condition that it shares only with crocodylians. This implies that the cloaca had crocodylian-like internal anatomy, including a single, ventrally-positioned copulatory organ. Combined with these new integumentary data, a comprehensive review of integument in ceratopsian dinosaurs reveals that scalation was generally conservative in ceratopsians and typically consisted of large subcircular-to-polygonal feature scales surrounded by a network of smaller non-overlapping polygonal basement scales. This study highlights the importance of combining exceptional specimens with modern imaging techniques, which are helping to redefine the perceived complexity of squamation in ceratopsians and other dinosaurs.

Abstract Laser-Stimulated Fluorescence (LSF) has seen increased use in palaeontological investigations in recent years. The method uses the high flux of laser light to reveal details sometimes missed by ultraviolet (UV) and optical wavelengths. In this study, we compare the results of LSF with UV on a range of fossils from the Upper Jurassic Solnhofen Limestone Konservat-Lagerstätte of Bavaria, Germany. The methodology follows previous protocols with modifications made to enhance laser beam intensity. Our experiments show the value of LSF in revealing shallow subsurface detail of specimens, previously not widely applied to Solnhofen fossils. In particular, fossil decapods from the Solnhofen Limestone reveal full body outlines, even under the matrix, along with details of segmentation within the appendages such as limbs and antennae. The results indicate that LSF can be used on both vertebrate and invertebrate fossils and may surpass the information provided by traditional UV methods in some specimens.