Refine
Year of publication
Document Type
- Article (45)
- Part of Periodical (6)
- Preprint (2)
Language
- English (53)
Has Fulltext
- yes (53)
Is part of the Bibliography
- no (53)
Keywords
- taxonomy (5)
- biodiversity (3)
- Arizona (2)
- Caribbean (2)
- Lucayan Archipelago (2)
- New Mexico (2)
- West Indies (2)
- checklist (2)
- click beetle (2)
- new country record (2)
Institute
- Physik (32)
- Medizin (4)
- Georg-Speyer-Haus (2)
- Biowissenschaften (1)
- Institut für Ökologie, Evolution und Diversität (1)
- Pharmazie (1)
A new state record of Eucera (Xenoglossa) kansensis (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in South Dakota, USA
(2023)
Eucera (Xenoglossa) kansensis (Cockerell, 1905) (Hymenoptera: Apidae) is newly recorded for the state of South Dakota, USA. The bees were sampled predominantly with blue vane traps, and E. kansensis was associated with a wide range of habitats that did not include its primary floral resources of Cucurbita L. and Ipomoea L. Further study is warranted to determine the basis for the association of E. kansensis within the wide range of habitats in this study.
ZooBank registration. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:4504A68E-8629-4CE7-996B-1D0EA793C944
Investigators in the cognitive neurosciences have turned to Big Data to address persistent replication and reliability issues by increasing sample sizes, statistical power, and representativeness of data. While there is tremendous potential to advance science through open data sharing, these efforts unveil a host of new questions about how to integrate data arising from distinct sources and instruments. We focus on the most frequently assessed area of cognition - memory testing - and demonstrate a process for reliable data harmonization across three common measures. We aggregated raw data from 53 studies from around the world which measured at least one of three distinct verbal learning tasks, totaling N = 10,505 healthy and brain-injured individuals. A mega analysis was conducted using empirical bayes harmonization to isolate and remove site effects, followed by linear models which adjusted for common covariates. After corrections, a continuous item response theory (IRT) model estimated each individual subject’s latent verbal learning ability while accounting for item difficulties. Harmonization significantly reduced inter-site variance by 37% while preserving covariate effects. The effects of age, sex, and education on scores were found to be highly consistent across memory tests. IRT methods for equating scores across AVLTs agreed with held-out data of dually-administered tests, and these tools are made available for free online. This work demonstrates that large-scale data sharing and harmonization initiatives can offer opportunities to address reproducibility and integration challenges across the behavioral sciences.
Lissomus quisqueya new species and L. woodruffi new species are described. Both species are reported from the Dominican Republic on the island of Hispaniola. These are the first species of Lissomus Dalman reported from the Greater Antilles. Lissomus quisqueya is recorded from montane mesic forests in the Cordillera Central from Dajadon and La Vega provinces. Lissomus woodruffi is recorded from Barahona, Independencia and Pedernales provinces from montane mesic forest in the Sierra de Bahoruco. Morphologically, these species are most similar to members of the L. discedens Bonvouloir species group from Mesoamerica and South America. Known sites of occurrence of L. quisqueya and L. woodruffi are remnants of formerly more extensive mesic forests. Some of the specimens were found in secondary forests and ecotonal areas at sites near to primary forest or remnants, and all these forests are threatened by anthropogenic activities and stochastic climate changes.
We report first results on elliptic flow of identified particles at midrapidity in Au+Au collisions at sqrt[sNN] = 130 GeV using the STAR TPC at RHIC. The elliptic flow as a function of transverse momentum and centrality differs significantly for particles of different masses. This dependence can be accounted for in hydrodynamic models, indicating that the system created shows a behavior consistent with collective hydrodynamical flow. The fit to the data with a simple model gives information on the temperature and flow velocities at freeze-out.
Infectious diseases are an existential health threat, potentiated by emerging and re-emerging viruses and increasing bacterial antibiotic resistance. Targeted treatment of infectious diseases requires precision diagnostics, especially in cases where broad-range therapeutics such as antibiotics fail. There is thus an increasing need for new approaches to develop sensitive and specific in vitro diagnostic (IVD) tests. Basic science and translational research are needed to identify key microbial molecules as diagnostic targets, to identify relevant host counterparts, and to use this knowledge in developing or improving IVD. In this regard, an overlooked feature is the capacity of pathogens to adhere specifically to host cells and tissues. The molecular entities relevant for pathogen–surface interaction are the so-called adhesins. Adhesins vary from protein compounds to (poly-)saccharides or lipid structures that interact with eukaryotic host cell matrix molecules and receptors. Such interactions co-define the specificity and sensitivity of a diagnostic test. Currently, adhesin-receptor binding is typically used in the pre-analytical phase of IVD tests, focusing on pathogen enrichment. Further exploration of adhesin–ligand interaction, supported by present high-throughput “omics” technologies, might stimulate a new generation of broadly applicable pathogen detection and characterization tools. This review describes recent results of novel structure-defining technologies allowing for detailed molecular analysis of adhesins, their receptors and complexes. Since the host ligands evolve slowly, the corresponding adhesin interaction is under selective pressure to maintain a constant receptor binding domain. IVD should exploit such conserved binding sites and, in particular, use the human ligand to enrich the pathogen. We provide an inventory of methods based on adhesion factors and pathogen attachment mechanisms, which can also be of relevance to currently emerging pathogens, including SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19.
Ishtarella Martens new genus (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Aphidiinae) and I. thailandica Martens new species are described and illustrated from Doi Phu Kha National Park, Nan Province, Thailand. The genus is assigned to the tribe Aphidiini, subtribe Trioxina. Based on morphology, Ishtarella appears most closely related to Binodoxys Mackauer. An updated checklist of the aphidiine fauna of Thailand, based on published records, is presented.
The arboreal click beetle fauna (Coleoptera: Elateridae) in a lowland tropical rainforest in southern Venezuela was observed and collected by means of a tower crane for a full year. The evaluation of the elaterid assemblage is part of a general survey of Coleoptera associated with several canopy trees. The Elateridae represented the tenth most species-rich beetle family in the canopy of the crane plot and was therefore selected for a detailed analysis of host-use patterns. In total, 20 species of Elateridae with 402 adult individuals were sampled, including seven singletons. Species were either flower visiting (Aeolus Eschscholtz and Cosmesus Candèze) or fed mainly on extrafloral nectaries (Chalcolepidius Eschscholtz, Crepidius Candèze, Lacon Castelnau, Lissomus Dalman, and Semiotus Eschscholtz). The most abundant species was Aeolus sp. 1 (N = 306) feeding on flowers of nine different host-tree species. This species was found often in high abundances during the entire flowering period of a single tree species with highest abundances coinciding with the maximum of open flowers. Aeolus sp. 1 was recorded almost every month of the year moving usually from one flowering tree species to another comprising possibly the entire local population. This species showed preferences between different tree species and occurred there only at night. Tree species that supported the most species-rich elaterid assemblages were Ruizterania trichanthera (Spruce ex Warm.) Marc.-Berti (Vochysiaceae) (N = 8) and Goupia glabra Aubl. (Goupiaceae) (N = 6). Only one elaterid species with at least two collected individuals was found restricted to one tree species.
Eleven species of Elateridae (Coleoptera) were collected during a two-year arthropod inventory survey at the Cuatrociénegas Natural Protected Area, Coahuila, Mexico. Aeolus cuatro new species, Horistonotus coahuila new species, and Megapenthes cienegas new species are described for the first time. Additionally reported as new state records are Conoderus athoides (LeConte), C. lividus (De Geer), Deilelater mexicanus (Champion), Esthesopus parcus Horn, and Dipropus rufulus (Candèze). Sixteen species of click beetle are now recorded from Coahuila. The sampled habitats and the environmental setting are briefly described with images of each sampling site.
The last decade has seen a sharp increase in the number of scientific publications describing physiological and pathological functions of extracellular vesicles (EVs), a collective term covering various subtypes of cell-released, membranous structures, called exosomes, microvesicles, microparticles, ectosomes, oncosomes, apoptotic bodies, and many other names. However, specific issues arise when working with these entities, whose size and amount often make them difficult to obtain as relatively pure preparations, and to characterize properly. The International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) proposed Minimal Information for Studies of Extracellular Vesicles (“MISEV”) guidelines for the field in 2014. We now update these “MISEV2014” guidelines based on evolution of the collective knowledge in the last four years. An important point to consider is that ascribing a specific function to EVs in general, or to subtypes of EVs, requires reporting of specific information beyond mere description of function in a crude, potentially contaminated, and heterogeneous preparation. For example, claims that exosomes are endowed with exquisite and specific activities remain difficult to support experimentally, given our still limited knowledge of their specific molecular machineries of biogenesis and release, as compared with other biophysically similar EVs. The MISEV2018 guidelines include tables and outlines of suggested protocols and steps to follow to document specific EV-associated functional activities. Finally, a checklist is provided with summaries of key points.
Dipropus tequesta Johnson new species (Coleoptera: Elateridae) is described from southern Florida. Dipropus fuscus (LeConte) is a new synonym of D. soleatus (Say), and D. granosus (Fall) is a new synonym of D. asper (LeConte). The fl ightless female of D. asper is described and provides the fi rst report of brachyptery and endogean habits in Dipropus. A key to the species of the eastern United States and a new checklist of species for the country are provided.