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A new species of Paranthrene Hübner (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae) from the northern midwest United States
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A clearwing moth species, Paranthrene sogaardi Taft and Smith, 2024, new species, is described from Michigan and Minnesota. The recognition of this new species is based on a phylogeny estimated from mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I and wingless DNA sequences of 25 specimens representing all Paranthrene Hübner species including individuals from various locations. Paranthrene sogaardi new species was monophyletic and differed from Paranthrene tabaniformis Rottenburg, 1775 by a mean of 7.6% COI pairwise “p” distance, coloration, and genitalic morphology.
ZooBank registration. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:8B9ED6CE-4DEB-4CB2-9235-3CA593F4D9DB
Hurd (1952) separated Pepsis cerberus Lucas from P. elegans Lepeletier (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae: Pepsinae: Pepsini) based on external morphology and biogeography. Vardy (2005) synonymized the familiar and historically well-documented P. cerberus and P. elegans, combining these Nearctic taxa with several Neotropical variants in an extremely broad definition of P. menechma Lepeletier. In doing so, Vardy (2005) breached the principle of nomenclatural stability. He ignored the prevailing usage and clearly violated articles 23.2, 23.3 and 23.9.1.2 of the ICZN (1999). Morphological differences, ecological divergence, and narrow sympatric geographic distribution of P. cerberus and P. elegans contradict Vardy (2005) and justify full species status (Kurczewski 2023a). Furthermore, we propose the removal of the two species from the P. menechma list of synonyms and recommend full species reinstatement as Pepsis cerberus, restored status and Pepsis elegans, restored status. Pepsis menechma becomes a senior synonym of P. elegans. Morphometric re-examination and statistical analysis of P. cerberus and P. elegans structural features strongly support their reinstatement. Quantitative measurement of 10 parasitoid-related morphological characteristics of the females revealed the two species differ significantly in frons width/head width, head length/head width, vertex length/head width, vertex length/head length, flagellomere 1 length/flagellomere 1 width, forewing length/mesosoma width, and hind tibial inner spur length/hind basitarsus length. Pepsis cerberus and P. elegans females are structurally and statistically similar in gena-postgena corner radius, fore femur width/mesosoma width, and number of hind tibial serrations.
ZooBank registation. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:D22EC64F-7C55-4071-9290-4661CA377B24
The geographic distributions of three large wasps, Sphecius speciosus (Drury), Stictia carolina Fabricius and Stizus brevipennis Walsh (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae), occurring in Arkansas are defined using museum specimens and three internet-based data platforms. The internet-based data platforms generally provided more county location records than museum records. Using data from internet sources for easily identified species can better serve to illustrate the known distributions for some species thus making for a powerful tool elucidating distributional patterns and conservation planning.
ZooBank registration. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:DCAE9192-1765-40CD-952B-0A094F413991
Corrections and additions to the Hydnocerina (Coleoptera: Cleridae: Clerinae: Hydnocerini) of Mexico
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Corrections, additions and remarks are made with respect to the recent checklist of the Cleridae (Coleoptera) of Mexico (Araujo-Castillo et al. 2024). Current valid names, synonymies, clarifications of taxonomic problems, and omitted taxa are reviewed. This work is intended to serve as a supplement to the “Hydnocerinae” section of the checklist.
ZooBank registration. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:EF3E45B5-6EA6-41AB-B92F-DB4ABF9D8215
The exclusively New World velvet ant genus Timulla Ashmead, 1899 (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae: Mutillinae: Trogaspidiini) contains 180 species and ten subspecies. Most of these species are known from a single sex, and the validity of the subspecies has not been evaluated since their original description in 1937 and 1938. The Timulla fauna of the United States of America includes thirty species and eight subspecies, and the fauna of Canada includes three species. The faunas of these two countries were critically studied with the following results. Out of the eight total subspecies, seven were found to be structurally identical to and sympatric with the nominate subspecies. The subspecific differences were limited to cuticle and/or setal coloration in males and intergrades between them were found in several cases. With the senior synonym listed first, seven subspecies-level synonymies are proposed, which include: Timulla barbigera (Bradley, 1916) = T. barbigera rohweri Mickel, 1937, new synonym; T. dubitata (Smith, 1855) = T. dubitata fugitiva Mickel, 1937, new synonym; T. hollensis (Melander, 1903) = T. hollensis melanderi Mickel, 1937, new synonym; T. ocellaria Mickel, 1937 = T. ocellaria rufidorsa Mickel, 1937, new synonym; T. suspensa (Gerstaecker, 1874) = T. suspensa jonesi Mickel, 1937, new synonym, = T. suspensa sonora Mickel, 1937, new synonym; T. vagans (Fabricius, 1798) = T. vagans rufinota Mickel, 1937, new synonym. The final remaining subspecies, Timulla navasota coahuila Krombein, 1951, is raised to a full species, Timulla coahuila Krombein, 1951, new status, based on its unique female morphology. Also, four new sex associations are proposed, which include: Timulla barbata (Fox, 1899) = T. wileyae Mickel, 1937, new synonym; T. euterpe (Blake, 1879) = T. compressicornis Mickel, 1937, new synonym; T. neobule Mickel, 1937 = T. nicholi Mickel, 1937, new synonym; T. subhyalina Mickel, 1937 = T. dubitatiformis Mickel, 1937, new synonym. The former species, T. dubitatiformis, which was previously known only from females, is here recognized as being a morphologically-conservative complex of species; its synonymy with T. subhyalina effectively associates the remaining male-based members of the Timulla ocellaria species-group with it as well, which includes Timulla hollensis (Melander, 1903), T. kansana Mickel, 1937, T. ocellaria Mickel, 1937, T. rufosignata (Bradley, 1916), T. sayi (Blake, 1871), T. subhyalina Mickel, 1937, and T. tolerata Mickel, 1937. Further, two species-level synonymies are proposed, which include: Timulla dubitata (Smith, 1855) = T. murcia Mickel, 1938, new synonym; T. vagans (Fabricius, 1798) = T. huntleyensis Mickel, 1937, new synonym. Finally, Timulla cyllene (Cameron, 1894) is newly recorded in the United States of America from the state of Arizona.
ZooBank registration. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:891E0C92-B8BF-4487-84D4-42EB2254AF4A
In this study, I describe two new species of Macrobiotus based on morphological data collected through light and scanning electron microscopy. Both species are accompanied by DNA sequences from four commonly used molecular markers (18S rDNA, 28S rDNA, ITS-2, and COI). Macrobiotus ovovittatus sp. nov. was discovered in Greenland and can be distinguished from similar taxa of Macrobiotus by its continuous, solid, and clearly wrinkled egg surface, adorned with sparse, very small and irregularly spaced pores. Additionally, the terminal discs of egg processes are covered in multiple light-refracting dots, resembling crocheted napkins. Macrobiotus mileri sp. nov. was found in Israel and is characterized by unique pore arrangements in its body cuticle, expressed in two distinct animal forms: (i) forma porata with large pores arranged in five distinct patches and (ii) forma aporata with single, almost undetectable pores. It also features weakly defined convex terminal discs with smooth edges. Furthermore, the phylogenetic analyses conducted in this study offer the most updated phylogeny of superclade I within the family Macrobiotidae. This facilitates additional discussion concerning the interrelationships among species within the genus Macrobiotus and the circumscription of species groups within it.
Four new species of the jumping spider genus Stenaelurillus Simon, 1886 are described from India: Stenaelurillus feral Tripathi, Kuni & Kadam sp. nov. (♂, from the Eastern Coastline), S. naldurg Kuni, Kadam & Tripathi sp. nov. (♂♀, from the Deccan Plateau), S. judithbleisterae Kadam, Tripathi & Kuni sp. nov. (♂♀, from the Western Ghats) and S. solapur Kuni, Tripathi & Kadam sp. nov. (♂♀, from the Deccan Plateau). Detailed diagnoses, descriptions, illustrations, natural history and distribution map are provided. Additionally, new locality records for the other five species within the states are presented and mapped.
The ant genus Syscia Roger, 1861 is a cryptobiotic group of the subfamily Dorylinae. In this study, eight species of this genus from Asia are recognized, including two new species, Syscia arcodorsa sp. nov. and S. zhoui sp. nov., both described from Guangxi in China. In addition, Cerapachys guizhouensis Zhou, 2006 is redescribed and transferred to Syscia as S. guizhouensis (Zhou, 2006) comb. nov. The species Syscia typhla Roger, 1861 is removed from the ant fauna of China. Lastly, a key to species of Syscia from Asia based on the worker caste is presented.
A re-analysis of the morphological phylogeny of the Nopinae is made, based on an update in the description of Aamunops Galán-Sánchez & Álvarez-Padilla, 2022 and the addition of the recently described genera Nopsma Sánchez-Ruiz, Brescovit & Bonaldo, 2020 and Roddemberryus Sánchez-Ruiz & Bonaldo, 2023. Two new species, Aamunops hoof sp. nov. (male) and Aamunops yiselae sp. nov. (male and female), are also described, which allows a better understanding of the genus morphology and resulted in an emended diagnosis. The description of Aamunops has been updated to include several characteristics of the ultrastructural morphology, legs, chelicerae, palps and female genitalia. The inclusion of these new characters of Aamunops along with those of Nopsma and Roddemberryus in the previous data matrix resulted in a new, completely different hypothesis of the relationships of the nopine genera: Nopsma is part of a group formed by Cubanops and Nyetnops, while Aamunops and Roddemberryus are grouped with representatives of Tarsonops. The four-eyed Nopsides ceralbonus Chamberlin, 1924 was recovered as the most basal species of Nopinae. The relationships among genera of Nopinae and the phylogenetic position of three species, whose taxonomic position is doubtful (Cubanops luquillo Sánchez-Ruiz, Brescovit & Alayón, 2015, Orthonops confuso Galán-Sánchez & Álvarez-Padilla, 2022 and Tarsonops irataylori Bond & Taylor, 2013), is also discussed.
Cicadellinae is a relatively large subfamily of leafhoppers (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) with a cosmopolitan distribution with most genera known to occur in the Neotropics. Mexico houses nearly 16% of the total genera and most are endemic, inhabiting threatened native forests. Here, a new unusual Mexican genus, Christopherus gen. nov., is described to accommodate a new species of Cicadellini, C. mictlantecuhtli sp. nov., collected in the endangered Cloud Forest of Sierra Juárez, Oaxaca State of Mexico, based on dry-pinned museum specimen data. The new taxa can be separated from other Neotropical Cicadellini genera easily using male genitalia features: (i) pygofer without processes, (ii) segment 10th without processes, (iii) paraphysis absent, and (iv) edeagus with single basal atrial process elongate and asymmetrical. The monotypic genus Gillonella with its type species, G. ampulla Nielson & Godoy, 1995, are redescribed. A detailed extensive morphological description and discussion to distinguish the new genus from allied red-striped Neotropical genera in Mexico, Central America, and South America are given. Distributional data for new taxa within Mexican forests is also provided.
The genus Jambu gen. nov. is proposed based on two new species: Jambu paru gen. et sp. nov. and Jambu manoa gen. et sp. nov. Hapalopus butantan is transferred to Jambu; consequently, Jambu butantan gen. et comb. nov. is proposed. The geographic distribution of J. butantan is extended on the basis of new material collected. The new genus and the new species are here diagnosed, described and illustrated. The shape of the genitalia of Jambu resembles that of Hapalopini but differs from most of them by the presence of type IV urticating setae. The presence of this type of urticating setae allows us to hypothesize that this new genus is phylogenetically related with Grammostolini. Males of Jambu differ from those of other genera of Grammostolini by the presence of a paraembolic apophysis on the palpal bulb. Females also differ from those of other Grammostolini by the spermathecae morphology, with one medial lamp-shaped or heart-shaped receptacle. The homology of some features and the taxonomic placement of the new genus are discussed.
Two new species of Strandesia Stuhlmann, 1888 are described from the northeastern part of Thailand: S. karanovicae sp. nov. and S. amnatcharoenensis sp. nov. Strandesia karanovicae is characterized by a tumid carapace in dorsal view, a small anterior overlap, the absence of a dorso-subapical seta on the first segment of the antennule (A1), a large aesthetasc Y on the antenna, an α seta shape with a needle-like tip and a large β seta on the mandibular palp (Md-palp), serrated bristles on the maxilla, a long h1 seta on the second thoracopod (T2) and a slender caudal ramus (CR). Strandesia amnatcharoenensis has a small compressed posterior part of the right valves (RV) which makes it closely related to S. pholpunthini Savatenalinton, 2015. The new species can be distinguished primarily by a considerably small anterior overlap of the left valve over the right valve (RV), a postero-ventral flange of the RV, a remarkably large claw Ga of the CR and the chaetotaxy of the limbs, especially A1, Md-palp and T2. In addition, in the present study, the sexual population of S. martensi Savatenalinton, 2015 is recorded for the first time, and thus the first description of the male is provided here. Moreover, the morphological examination of both males and females revealed differences between asexual and sexual females and also points to the fact that S. martensi is a mixed reproduction species. This is the first record of the mixed reproductive mode in the genus Strandesia or even in the Cypricercinae.
The use of integrative taxonomy has confirmed the existence of a new distinct crab species, cryptic, within the group of the former genus Liocarcinus, now Polybius, closely related to P. holsatus, P. vernalis and P. marmoreus. Previous reports have considered it to be the Atlantic form of P. vernalis, or as a species “affinis” or “comparable to” P. holsatus. Diagnostic morphological characters are presented for identification and the morphological variability in these species, mainly within P. vernalis (the most related) is analysed. Furthermore, based on molecular and other previous data, a new combination (genus change) is proposed. This new species, Polybius dioscurus sp. nov., lives on infralittoral sandy bottoms, coexisting with the other species mentioned, in the temperate and subtropical zone of the North Atlantic Ocean, including the Alboran Sea (westernmost Mediterranean).
The present corrigendum corrects a nomenclatural error regarding Apolysis bicolor (Efflatoun, 1945) comb. nov. in the “Excluded species” section Gibbs (2023: 148).
The cleptoparasitic bee genus Triepeolus Robertson, 1901 (Hymenoptera: Apidae) is revised for species occurring in South America. A total of nine species are confirmed from the continent, of which T. tuberculifer Onuferko, Rightmyer & Roig-Alsina sp. nov. is newly described. Four new synonymies are proposed: T. aguilari Moure, 1955 syn. nov. and T. megadelphus Cockerell, 1914 syn. nov. under T. buchwaldi (Friese, 1908); T. bilineatus Cockerell, 1949 syn. nov. under T. flavipennis (Friese, 1916); and Epeolus merus Brèthes, 1909 syn. nov. under T. nemoralis (Holmberg, 1886). Males of T. alvarengai Moure, 1955 and T. rufotegularis (Ashmead, 1900) and females of T. atoconganus Moure, 1955 and T. cecilyae Packer, 2016 are described for the first time. Lectotypes are designated for the following (all originally described under Epeolus Latreille, 1802 but now recognized as Triepeolus): E. buchwaldi, E. flavipennis, E. osiriformis Schrottky, 1910 and its junior synonym E. luteipes Friese, 1916, and E. rufotegularis. Diagnoses and complete descriptions/redescriptions are provided for all species, along with a fully illustrated dichotomous identification key (with Portuguese and Spanish versions available as supplementary material) to distinguish them based on external morphological features. Additionally, known collection records and information about the ecology of the treated species are presented.
Two new endemic genera of Therevinae are described from Madagascar. Rinhatiana gen. nov. contains three new species (R. arctifestuca gen. et sp. nov., R. cracentis gen. et sp. nov. and R. latifestuca gen. et sp. nov.) as well as R. distincta (Lyneborg, 1976) comb. nov., which is transferred from Stenopomyia Lyneborg, 1976. Tianarinha gen. nov. is described containing two new species, T. goodmani gen. et sp. nov. and T. micet gen. et sp. nov. All species are diagnosed and figured along with distribution data.
Seven species of the cheilostome bryozoan genus Microporella were identified across 15 rocky intertidal sites spanning 940 km of the California coast, from Mill Creek in the Montereyan Pacific Transition Region north to Point Saint George in the Mendocinian Region. Colonies of Microporella were found encrusting boulders and mollusc shells. Among these species, three are new to science, namely Microporella dentata Chowdhury & Di Martino sp. nov., M. pauciperforata Chowdhury & Di Martino sp. nov. and M. rota Chowdhury & Di Martino sp. nov. Three other species, M. californica, M. setiformis, and M. umbonata have previously been recorded from other localities in California. Finally, Microporella neocribroides, originally described from off Kodiak Island, Alaska, and subsequently found in Hokkaido, Japan, was recorded in California for the first time. An additional new species, M. similis Chowdhury & Di Martino sp. nov., was identified through the re-examination of museum material previously attributed to M. cribrosa and M. californica. These newly acquired data allowed for a more comprehensive examination of the distribution of species, intraspecific variability, and potential predator-induced teratologies in certain species, thanks to the availability of numerous colonies from various sites and the re-examination of museum records. Altogether, this study increases the known Recent diversity of Microporella in California’s waters to a total of 18 species.
Two new species of the genus Macrothele Ausserer, 1871 are described from Yunnan Province, China: Macrothele nullispine sp. nov. and M. auriculata sp. nov. Detailed descriptions, photos of morphological characteristics, DNA barcode sequences and genetic distances of the new species are provided.
Zebragryllus Desutter-Grandcolas & Cadena-Castañeda, 2014 is a Neotropical genus of field crickets that inhabits the leaf litter of the Amazon rainforest. The genus has six species and is characterized by the distinct ‘zebra’ pattern displayed by some of them. The species are recorded in French Guiana, Peru, and Colombia. Here, we describe two new species of the genus from the Brazilian Amazon rainforest, the first record of the genus for Brazil. We expand the records of Z. guianensis Desutter-Grandcolas, 2014 and Z. nouragui Desutter-Grandcolas, 2014 to Brazil. We also describe but do not name two females corresponding to two new species, provide an up-to-date key for species of Zebragryllus, and discuss the potential distribution for the genus.
Angel sharks (Squatina spp. Duméril, 1805) are a group of coastal benthic sharks distributed worldwide, currently including threatened and understudied species. Two species are formally described along the East Pacific coast, the California angel shark S. californica Ayres, 1859 and the Chilean angel shark S. armata (Philippi, 1887). The latter species occurs in the southeastern Pacific and has historically been understudied. Additionally, the original description of S. armata lacks sufficient data to confidently identify individuals of this species compared to modern descriptions, and no type specimen is currently available to ensure specimen identification. Detailed morphological descriptions for identifying species are an essential resource for solving taxonomic issues in groups of morphologically similar species and to promote the conservation of critically endangered species. Therefore, a neotype from the type locality is here designated for S. armata, and a detailed and standardized morphological characterization based on modern taxonomic works is provided. This work contributes in improving the knowledge on the Chilean angel shark taxonomy and provides an improved frame of reference for identifying angel sharks in the East Pacific, especially in areas where species may occur in sympatry.
The cosmopolitan pipunculid genus Dasydorylas Skevington, 2001 includes just a few species from the Neotropical Region and is completely unknown to Colombia. Three new species of Dasydorylas are described from protected areas and conflict territories of limited access in Colombia, namely Dasydorylas colombiensis sp. nov. (type locality: Santuario de Fauna y Flora Iguaque, Boyacá), D. gibber sp. nov. (type locality: Santuario de Fauna y Flora Iguaque, Boyacá), and D. santainesensis sp. nov. (type locality: Páramo de Santa Inés, Belmira, Antioquia). Diagnoses, illustrations and distributional data of the new species are presented. Dasydorylas nigellus (Rafael, 1991) is recorded for the first time from Colombia and its amended diagnosis is provided. An identification key to males of all Neotropical species is presented. With this paper, the number of Neotropical species of Dasydorylas is increased from six to nine.
The review of the taxonomic status of Herpetoreas xenura species complex, based on morphological and molecular data, revealed a new species from Myanmar, which we describe as Herpetoreas davidi sp. nov. from the Rakhine Yoma Elephant Wildlife Sanctuary in Rakhine State. It is suggested to be a sister species to Herpetoreas pealii and Herpetoreas xenura sensu stricto, and can be separated from the latter species by a combination of morphological and scalation characters, and by its pattern. Another population from the Htamanthi Wildlife Sanctuary, Sagaing Region, was previously confused with H. xenura. However, as a closer examination of its morphology, shows it to be closer to Hebius khasiensis, we herein tentatively refer to this population as Hebius khasiensis, pending further molecular data confirming its taxonomic status. Consequently, we propose to temporarily remove Herpetoreas xenura from the fauna of Myanmar. Further studies, especially in the northwestern region of Myanmar, such as near border with India in Chin Hills and Naga Hills, are required. An updated key for the species of Herpetoreas is also provided.
An update on the diversity and distribution of Caponiidae from Peru is presented. New distributional records for Caponina cajabamba Platnick, 1994 are given and the male is described for the first time. Additionally, three new species of the genus Nyetnops Platnick & Lise, 2007 are described: Nyetnops alexanderi Villarreal & Martínez sp. nov. (♂♀), Nyetnops madre Villarreal & Martínez sp. nov. (♂♀) and Nyetnops josei Villarreal & Martínez sp. nov. (♂). The taxonomic key proposed by Sánchez-Ruiz et al. (2020) for Nyetnops is updated to include all the described species as well as the new ones proposed herein. Maps showing the distribution of the records of Caponiidae species in Peru, mainly focused on the genus Nyetnops is included.
Diospyros L. is a large genus of flowering plants predominantly distributed in the tropics. It comprises over 700 species globally and around 300 are believed to occur in South-East Asia. Many species are economically important and exploited for the production of ebony wood and persimmons, yet taxonomic information on the genus is incomplete and inconsistent due to its morphological and nomenclatural complexity. Revisions of Diospyros in continental and insular South-East Asia were conducted independently by different authors, occasionally with different names used for the same species, or different species being given the same name in different countries. During our ongoing study of the genus Diospyros in Indochina (Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam), we identified several such instances. Here, we clarify the most commonly misidentified species, including 1) D. apiculata Hiern, D. strigosa Hemsl. and D. tamiriensis Lecomte; 2) D. bejaudii Lecomte and D. retrofracta Bakh.; 3) D. dictyoneura Hiern and D. hasseltii Zoll.; 4) D. borneensis Hiern and D. fecunda H.R.Fletcher. Lectotypifications are also made for D. brachiata King & Gamble var. lanceolata H.R.Fletcher, D. fecunda, D. similis Craib and D. strigosa.
Two new species, Habrocestum sahyadri sp. nov., and Irura shendurney sp. nov. are described from the Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary, Kerala. The unknown female of Habrocestum kerala Asima, Caleb, Babu #38; Prasad, 2022 is described and three other species: Gelotia lanka Wijesinghe, 1991, Phintella accentifera (Simon, 1901) and Vailimia jharbari Basumatary, Caleb #38; Das, 2020 are recorded from the locality. Detailed descriptions, diagnosis and illustrations of the species are provided.
Belostomatidae Leach, 1815 (Insecta: Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Nepomorpha), also known as giant water bugs, is a family with 11 genera and about 160 described species, most of which are recorded from the Neotropical region. Knowledge about these bugs in northeastern Brazil is relatively poor, with 16 previously recorded species. Here, we present new records for five additional species based on material from the states of Ceará, Maranhão, and Piauí deposited in the Coleção Zoológica do Maranhão, Caxias, Brazil. This increases to 21 the number of species recorded from the region. In addition, we provide photographs, distribution maps, and a key to the fauna of Belostomatidae from northeastern Brazil.
Taxonomic analysis of the genital plates and associated structures in Ophiuroidea (Echinodermata)
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Recently, new insights have been gained from the ophiuroid skeleton that were instrumental in the inference of a new phylogeny. The so far least studied ossicles are the adradial and abradial genital plates and the radial shields, which articulate with each other and support the genital slit and disc. In addition, the inner sides of the oral shields and madreporites have never been examined in detail. The present study utilized SEM, micro-CT and digital photography to document and examine these structures in 57 species from 28 of the currently accepted 34 families of Ophiuroidea. Early ontogeny and fossils were also considered. Previously, mainly the articular structures had been analysed, but the overall shape of the genital plates was here found to hold important phylogenetic signals. A long-neglected ossicle was re-discovered and studied in detail for the first time, here named the oral genital plate. It was recognized in all Ophintegrida, but was found to be absent in all Euryophiurida. The oral genital plate articulates with the oral shield and supports the proximal part of the genital slit wall. Abradial and oral genital plates were found to be absent in species that lack genital slits, but the adradial genital plate was always present. Numerous new morphological characters with potential phylogenetic signals were identified, described and figured in detail. A pre-existing character matrix was extended and revised with these new data, as well as with recently revised data on oral papillae, and a Bayesian phylogenetic analysis was performed. This phylogeny largely agrees with the current molecular hypothesis, but some branches were not supported.
Taxonomy lays the foundations for the study of biodiversity and its conservation. Procrustean geometric morphometrics (GMM) is a most common technique for the taxonomic assessment of phenotypic population differences. To measure biological variation and detect evolutionarily significant units, GMM is often used on its own, although it is much more powerful with an integrative approach, in combination with molecular, ecological and behavioural data, as well as with meristic morphological traits. GMM is particularly effective in taxonomic research, when applied to 2D images, which are fast and low cost to obtain. Yet, taxonomists who may want to explore the usefulness of GMM are rarely experts in multivariate statistical analyses of size and shape differences. In these twin papers, I aim to provide a detailed step-by-step guideline to taxonomic analysis employing Procrustean GMM in user-friendly software (with tips for R users). In the first part (A) of the study, I will focus on preliminary analyses (mainly, measurement error, outliers and statistical power), which are fundamental for accuracy, but often neglected. I will also use this first paper, and its appendix (Appendix A), to informally introduce, and discuss, general topics in GMM and statistics, that are relevant to taxonomic applications. In the second part (B) of the work, I will move on to the main taxonomic analyses. Thus, I will show how to compare size and shape among groups, but I will also explore allometry and briefly examine differences in variance, as a potential clue to population bottlenecks in peripheral isolates. A large sample of North American marmot mandibles provides the example data (available online, for readers to replicate the study and practice with analyses). However, as this sample is larger than in previous studies and mostly unpublished, it also offers a chance to further explore the patterns of interspecific morphological variation in a group, that has been prominent in mammalian sociobiology, and whose evolutionary divergence is complex and only partially understood.
In this second part of the study, using a ‘clean’ dataset without very low precision landmarks and outliers, I describe how to compare mandibular size and shape using Procrustes methods in adult North American marmots. After demonstrating that sex differences are negligible, females and males are pooled together with specimens of unknown sex and species are compared using a battery of tests, that estimate both statistical significance and effect size. The importance of allometric variation and its potential effect on shape differences is also explored. Finally, to provide potential clues on founder effects, I compare the magnitude of variance in mandibular size and shape between the Vancouver Island marmot (VAN) and the hoary marmot, its sister species on the mainland. In almost all main analyses, I explore the sensitivity of results to heterogeneous sample size and small samples using subsamples and randomized selection experiments. For both size and shape, I find a degree of overlap among species variation but, with very few exceptions, mean interspecific differences are well supported in all analyses. Shape, in particular, is an accurate predictor of taxonomic affiliation. Allometry in adults, however, explains a modest amount of within-species shape change. Yet, there is a degree of divergence in allometric trajectories that seems consistent with subgeneric separation. VAN is the most distinctive species for mandibular shape and mandibular morphology suggests a long history of reduced variation in this insular population. Geometric morphometrics (GMM) is a powerful tool to aid taxonomic research. Regardless of the effectiveness of this family of methods and the apparent robustness of results obtained with GMM, however, large samples and careful measurements remain essential for accuracy. Even with excellent data, morphometrics is important, but its findings must be corroborated with an integrative approach that combines multiple lines of evidence to taxonomic assessment. The analytical protocol I suggest is described in detail, with a summary checklist, in the Appendix, not to miss important steps. All the analyses can be replicated using the entire dataset, which is freely available online. Beginners may follow all the steps, whereas more experienced researchers can focus on one specific aspect and read only the relevant chapter. There are limitations, but the protocol is flexible and easy to improve or implement using a programming language such as R.
Field work in the Kibira National Park (Burundi), located in the Kivu-Ruwenzori system of the Afromontane Region, revealed the existence of a new species clearly belonging to the Argocoffeopsis-Calycosiphonia clade (Coffeeae, Rubiaceae). The species shows striking heterophylly: the plagiotropous branches have several nodes bearing reduced or even scaly leaves. For the rest, it shares characters with Calycosiphonia and Kupeantha. Therefore, a morphological comparison with the clade is done, as well as molecular phylogenetic analyses. The morphology of the novelty is closer to Kupeantha than to Calycosiphonia, inter alia because the anthers have no transverse septa, in contrast to the multilocellate anthers of Calycosiphonia. However, the molecular data advocate for a position in Calycosiphonia – a result weakening the morphological distinction between Calycosiphonia and Kupeantha. The former genus is no longer restricted to species with transverse septa in the anthers and with placental outgrowths around the seed. The new species is formally described as Calycosiphonia albertina Ntore & Robbr. sp. nov. Nomenclaturally, this placement is also the most conservative option. A taxonomic treatment, illustrations, a geographical distribution map, and a preliminary conservation assessment are provided. The previous inclusion of Calycosiphonia pentamera in Kupeantha based on morphology is here corroborated by molecular analyses.
Five new species of the genus Phlugiolopsis Zeuner, 1940 (Tettigoniidae: Meconematinae) from China
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This paper reports five new species of Phlugiolopsis Zeuner, 1940 from Sichuan, Yunnan and Guangxi in China, i.e., Phlugiolopsis luojishanensis sp. nov., Phlugiolopsis lata sp. nov., Phlugiolopsis rongshuiensis sp. nov., Phlugiolopsis acuta sp. nov. and Phlugiolopsis daweishanensis sp. nov. We present a redescription of the male of Phlugiolopsis punctata Wang, Li & Liu, 2012, describe the female of Phlugiolopsis punctata Wang, Li & Liu, 2012 and the male of Phlugiolopsis pentagonis Bian, Shi & Chang, 2013 for the first time. In addition, images illustrating the morphology of these species and seven previously described species are provided. The distribution map of the genus Phlugiolopsis from China is also provided.
A new genus and species of Parabathynellidae (Crustacea: Bathynellacea), Megabathynella totemensis Camacho & Abrams gen. et sp. nov., is described from the Northern Territory, Australia. This species is the first to be described from an Australian cave. It is a new giant species (4 to 6 mm). The new species displays several unique morphological character states within Parabathynellidae and is the only known species with: more than 12 articles on antennules, with a short, curved barbed seta on each article from the fifth; eight setae on the last article of antennae; more than three setae on the mandibular palp; up to 17 articles on the exopod of the thoracopods, without ctenidia but with a strong spine on each article at the base of the external seta; strong row of pair of spines on latero-external side of second article of endopod in all thoracopods; the male thoracopod VIII is different from all those known; more than 50 spines on the sympod of the uropod and more than 35 spines on the furcal rami. Specimens of the new species are morphologically different from all known species, but more closely resemble some giant species of the genera Kampucheabathynella (Asia), and Billibathynella and Brevisomabathynella (Australia).
We review the diagnosis of the genus Eugenys Quate, 1996 (Diptera: Psychodidae) which occurs in the Neotropical Region. Initially known from Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Panama, we describe one additional species from Costa Rica, Eugenys singularis sp. nov., and two species from Ecuador, namely, Eugenys micra sp. nov. and E. upsilon sp. nov., bringing the total known species to six. This study provides detailed descriptions of the new species based on male and female specimens, along with the first DNA barcodes for the genus and some of the newly described species. We also provide an identification key for identifying male specimens of the genus worldwide. Finally, we discuss the morphological characteristics of Eugenys and compare the genus with other taxa, tentatively suggesting a placement within the tribe Pericomaini.
Two species new to science Willowsia sikkimensis sp. nov. and W. arunachalensis sp. nov., and one new record of the genus Willowsia Shoebotham, 1917 are described and illustrated here. The new species are mainly distinguished from the others on the basis of pigment pattern, scale type and chaetotaxy. The species were collected from the states of Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim (India). Willowsia shiae Pan, Zhang & Chen, 2006 is recorded for the first time from India (Arunachal Pradesh) and redescribed with detailed chaetotaxic nomenclature. A key to the Indian species of Willowsia and a comparison table of related species are also provided.
Two new species of Fomitopsidaceae, Pseudofomitopsis fusca R.Saha, A.K.Dutta & K.Acharya sp. nov. and Fomitopsis benghalensis R.Saha, A.K.Dutta & K.Acharya sp. nov., are described from West Bengal, India, based on morphological and molecular phylogenetic analyses (nuclear ITS sequence). Pseudofomitopsis fusca sp. nov. possesses perennial, triquetrous to ungulate, sessile basidiocarps with a shiny, glabrous, azonate, dark brown upper surface, a yellowish grey pore surface with angular pores (3–5 per mm), a dimitic type of hyphal system with clamped generative hyphae, fusoid cystidioles; ellipsoid, cotton blue positive, and basidiospores 3–5 × 1.5–3.5 µm. Fomitopsis benghalensis sp. nov. is characterized by its annual, resupinate basidiocarp with pilose, bluish white to orange-grey, warty, woody upper surface, bluish-white pore surface, circular to angular pores (5–7 per mm), a trimitic type of hyphal system with clamped generative hyphae, fusoid cystidioles, and cylindrical to elongate basidiospores (5.5–8 × 2.5–3.5 µm). The new taxa are compared to closely related taxa. Photomicrographs of the basidiocarps, along with detailed morphological descriptions and a molecular sequence-based phylogenetic tree, are provided.
Since the description of Eulithinus analis (Rambur, 1838) the taxonomic position of this Sierra Nevada endemic earwig has been controversial. It has been subdivided in different taxa, assigned to various genera or transferred to different subfamilies. With the aim of clarifying its systematics, we performed a mitochondrial phylogeographic analysis using specimens from different localities of Sierra Nevada representing the diverse phenotypes treated as differentiated taxa until now, and a phylogenetic analysis including representatives of apparently distant, but morphologically close, relatives. The phylogenetic and phylogeographic results obtained using mitochondrial (cytb, cox1) and nuclear (ITS2) markers and the study of morphological characters, indicate that the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range harbors a single species of the genus Eulithinus. Based on these molecular data, the morphological characters used to date in the internal taxonomy of this group of earwigs, especially size and shape of the cerci, lack diagnostic validity and show a large inter- and intra-populational variability. These results imply the synonymy of Eulithinus montanus (Steinmann, 1981) with Eulithinus analis (Rambur, 1838) syn. nov. and the reconsideration of Eulithinus analis outside the subfamily Allodahliinae. We established the synonymy between Eulithinus analis (Rambur, 1838) and Forficula brevis Rambur, 1838 syn. nov., a name that must be removed from the synonymy of Forficula decipiens Gené, 1832.
The nine genera of Malagasy spittlebug are revised, with the addition of new characters, facilitating the identification of the species. Nesaulax Jacobi, 1917, is synonymized with Amberana Distant, 1908, leading to a new combination for Amberana vittipennis (Bergroth, 1894). A new endemic genus Soulierana Bucher & Bouteille gen. nov. is proposed for two species originally placed in Literna Stål, 1866, based on morphological characters of the head, tegmina and male genitalia. Also, three new species are described in this genus: Soulierana bigidea Bucher gen. et sp. nov., Soulierana claudinae Bouteille gen. et sp. nov. and Soulierana kelymena Le Cesne gen. et sp. nov. Pictures of species and drawings of the male genitalia for all genera, with the exception of Rhinaulax Amyot & Serville, 1843, Alluaudensia Lallemand, 1920 and Literna, are included. An identification key is available in both a dichotomous format and an interactive format (Xper3).
A collection of 1149 otoliths of the Ypresian and Ypresian–Lutetian transition (early Eocene) from 18 sites across five states in the eastern and southern regions of the USA was analyzed. In total, 33 otolith-based taxa are documented, of which 27 are identified at the species level. Nine of these are introduced as new species: “Conger” biaculeatus sp. nov., Bauzaia gibbosa sp. nov., Ampheristus brevicaudatus sp. nov., Symmetrosulcus virginicus sp. nov., Neobythites longesulcatus sp. nov., “Neobythites” pamunkeyensis sp. nov., “Neobythites” stringeri sp. nov., Waitakia dorsogibbosa sp. nov., and “Haemulon” ypresiensis sp. nov. The assemblages are distinct when compared to their younger Eocene counterparts in America. This distinction is primarily characterized by the high proportion of the newly introduced species or exclusive Ypresian species. Additionally, we highlight the presence of 10 amphi-Atlantic species originally described in European deposits. Significantly, the composition of the otolith collection supports the interpretation of a shallow-water environment for the sampled sites during the Ypresian. This ecological setting appears to persist into the subsequent middle and late Eocene within the same geographic region.
The taxonomic status of recently described Isophya taxa from Serbia (Tettigoniidae, Phaneropterinae)
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During recent decades, increasing research of the taxonomy of the genus Isophya resulted in taxonomic descriptions of several new species. The delimitation of these species is mainly based on oscillographic song analysis of the male song in combination with morphological characters, such as the shape of male cerci, tegmina and ovipositor. In the present paper, we used an integrative taxonomic approach in order to resolve the status of four recently described Isophya taxa from Serbia. Based on our molecular and bioacoustic analyses, all analyzed taxa belong to a single species: Isophya modestior. The majority of the morphological characters used to differentiate the taxa showed strong intra- and interpopulational variability, proving that describing new species within the genus Isophya should not rely on morphological characters alone, but needs to consider bioacoustic analyses as the main tool and a larger series of specimens.
Two new species of Perinereis with single bar-shaped paragnaths on area VI (Group 1) from the rocky shores of Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, are described with barely (Subgroup 1A) or largely (Subgroup 1B) expanded proximal region of dorsal ligule in posterior parapodia. Perinereis malabarensis sp. nov. can be distinguished from the morphologically similar 1B species P. euiini Park & Kim, 2017 by the paragnath count in area I, the laterally isolated paragnaths in area III, and the length of the dorsal cirrus and dorsal ligule. Additionally, P. misrai sp. nov. is more similar to 1A species P. falsovariegata Monro, 1933 and P. villalobosi Rioja, 1947, but differs by the paragnath count in areas III–V and VII–VIII, the isolated paragnaths in area III, and the number of rows in the anterior band of areas VII–VIII. The morphological characters of the current 44 species within Perinereis G1 are compared, and an identification key to the species belonging to this group is also provided.
Research on the Heteroptera fauna of Turkey has not been extensive enough to illustrate its true diversity. Although several factors contribute to this, the lack of an up-to-date and comprehensive review is a basic factor. To address this issue, we compiled a list of all the Heteroptera species recorded from Turkey in the literature and iNaturalist. In addition, we re-examined several specimens preserved in the Lodos Entomological Museum, İzmir, Turkey (LEMT). Consequently, we excluded 24 species from the checklist of Heteroptera fauna of Turkey, and proposed a new synonymy: Psallus (Psallus) pardalis Seidenstücker, 1966 = Psallus (Psallus) oenderi Wagner, 1976 syn. nov. Furthermore, we recorded following six species from Turkey for the first time: Blissus hirtulus Burmeister, 1835 (Blissidae), Loricula (Loricula) pselaphiformis Curtis, 1833 (Microphysidae), Globiceps (Globiceps) coryli V.G. Putshkov, 1970, Heterocordylus (Heterocordylus) cytisi Josifov, 1958, Mesopsallus fagi (Drapolyuk, 1990) and Psallus (Psallus) helenae Josifov, 1969 (Miridae); and described following six species as new for science: Orthonotus efei Çerçi & Koçak sp. nov., Orthotylus (Parapachylops) oenderi Çerçi, Tezcan & Koçak sp. nov., Orthotylus (Pinocapsus) girayi Çerçi & Tezcan sp. nov., Psallus (Psallus) eceae Çerçi & Koçak sp. nov., Psallus (Psallus) pehlivani Çerçi & Tezcan sp. nov. and Ribautocapsus tezcani Çerçi sp. nov. Altogether, 1668 species of Heteroptera have been recorded from Turkey (664 species in the European part and 1633 species in the Anatolian part) until now, out of them, the presence of 37 species needs confirmation. We determined the chorotypical composition of species as follows: Mediterranean (399 spp., 23.9%), European (380 spp., 22.8%), Local (280 spp., 16.8%), Widespread (182 spp., 10.9%), Endemic (128 spp., 7.7%), Turanian (127 spp., 7.5%), Turano-Mediterranean (89 spp., 5.3%), Europeo-Mediterranean (68 spp., 4.1%) and Alien (12 spp., 0.7%). We showed that provinces in the Eastern Anatolian, Southeastern Anatolian, and Black Sea regions had lower numbers of species recorded, compared to the provinces in the remaining regions. Finally, we underlined that 109 species, absent from Turkey, were recorded from three or more neighboring countries of Turkey. In summary, our findings emphasize that despite the abundant research devoted over the last 150 years to the Heteroptera fauna of Turkey, our understanding of it remains incomplete in the majority, if not in all, of the regions. Our findings strongly encourage further research, particularly in regions with small numbers of recorded species. This endeavor will undoubtedly lead to numerous novel discoveries and provide a better understanding of the true Heteroptera diversity in Turkey.
As insect decline threatens the fauna of Central Europe, “dark taxa” present an obstacle to understanding biodiversity loss. The superfamily Platygastroidea is a dark taxon, with many superficial descriptions requiring examination of type material to characterize and revise species and genera. The Natural History Museum Vienna (Naturhistorisches Museum Wien) is arguably the most important historical collection of Platygastroidea in Central Europe. Type specimens from 85 species in 21 genera and three families are here catalogued and photographically illustrated, including previously undocumented types described by Förster, Kieffer, Nees von Esenbeck, and Ratzeburg. Lectotypes are designated for Anteris bicolor Kieffer, Anteris simulans Kieffer, Hadronotus laticeps Kieffer, Leptacis foersteri Kieffer, Plastogryon investis Kieffer, Plastogryon sagax Kieffer, Prophanurus mayri Kieffer, and Telenomus laeviceps Förster. Trissolcus schimitsheki (Szelényi) syn. nov. is treated as a junior synonym of Trissolcus scutellaris (Thomson) and Telenomus nomas Förster syn. nov. is treated as a junior synonym of Trissolcus semistriatus (Nees). Baeus maculatus (Förster) comb. nov. is transferred from Telenomus. Historical, taxonomic, and curatorial remarks are included, providing an essential foundation for revisionary work on the Platygastroidea of Central Europe and beyond.
Until now, the genus Porcelliniodes Miers, 1877 is represented in the Ibero-Balearic region by seven species. The study of 721 specimens from Portugal and Spain has led to the identification of 11 species, including poorly known species, and the description of a new species, Porcellionides ibericus sp. nov. This new species is characterized by the absence of transverse ridges on the pereonites, medium-sized lateral lobes on the cephalon, the pleon slightly retracted in relation to the pereon, pereopods without sexual differentiation, and a truncated posterior inner tip in the male pleopod I. We consider P. glaber (Koch, 1856), P. hispanus (Vandel, 1953), P. lucasioides (Vandel, 1953), P. lusitanus (Vandel, 1946), and P. molleri (Verhoeff, 1901) as valid species, while P. buddelundi (Verhoeff, 1901) and P. rufocinctus (Dollfus, 1892) are considered species inquirendae. Five species are recorded for the first time in some Portuguese districts and seven in some Spanish provinces.
Twenty-one species of Mysidae were sampled by three ANDEEP expeditions to the Southern Ocean with epibenthic sledges dragged over the deep-sea floor in the realm of 58–71° S and 00–65° W, depth 774–5190 m. Previously known ranges are significantly extended southward for four species and to greater depth in the same four species plus two other species. Supplementary descriptions are given for Amblyops tattersalli and Dactylamblyops murrayi, and a first description of a (subadult) male for Thalassomysis tattersalli. The definitions of the genera Amphiakrops gen. nov., Chelamblyops gen. nov., Desmocornea gen. nov. and Schizurakrops gen. nov. are mainly based on the structure of the eyes as well as of the antennal peduncle, chelate second thoracic endopod and telson. These structures are also important for the descriptions of Amblyops arianii sp. nov., A. bipapillatus sp. nov., Amblyopsoides fenestragothica sp. nov., A. lepidophthalma sp. nov., Amphiakrops brandtae gen. et sp. nov., Dactylamblyops benthophilus sp. nov., Desmocornea subchelata gen. et sp. nov., Paramblyops petrescui sp. nov., Schizurakrops meesi gen. et sp. nov., Scolamblyops muehlenhardtae sp. nov., Stellamblyops doryphorus sp. nov. and Mysidella antarctica sp. nov. Six previously described taxa are recombined as Amblyopsoides laticauda comb. nov., Amphiakrops bidigitatus comb. nov., A. japonicus comb. nov., Chelamblyops globorostris comb. nov., Meierythrops tattersalli comb. nov. and M. triangulatus comb. nov. One species is revised back to the initial combination as Dactylamblyops japonicus. All except one (Mysidella antarctica sp. nov.) newly described (12), newly recombined (6) or back-combined (1) species belong to the Erythropinae. Keys to the resulting 61 genera and 263 species of Erythropinae and 18 species of Mysidellinae are given at the world-wide scale. Ocular papillae with a terminal pore (sensory pore organ) are recorded in nine ANDEEP species. The organ of Bellonci is identified on the reduced eyes in 16 species, among which D. subchelata gen. et sp. nov. has many ommatidia arranged in a self-contained ribbon which shows a banded rhabdom only in non-adults. Reduction of visual elements together with shrinking of ocular papillae during ontogenetic development suggest that non-adults of D. subchelata and T. tattersalli stay in the photic zone for feeding and growth and then descend only once during their lifetime to the abyss for reproduction.
Four new species of the Australian genus of Eurybrachidae (Hemiptera, Fulgoromorpha) Olonia Stål, 1862 are described from northern Queensland: O. albomarginata sp. nov., O. aschei sp. nov., O. jackiei sp. nov. and O. lindae sp. nov. Host plants and natural history data are documented and additional new records provided for O. guillaumei Constant, 2018, O. hochae Constant, 2018, O. picea Kirkaldy, 1906, O. rubicunda (Walker, 1851) and O. soulierae Constant, 2018. Trophobiosis is recorded for the first time in the genus, between a female of O. hochae and ants of the genus Camponotus Mayr, 1861 (Hymenoptera, Formicidae), representing the second record of trophobiosis in Australian Eurybrachidae. The male terminalia of the new species are illustrated and photographs of collection and live specimens, distribution maps, biological data and an identification key are provided. The genus Olonia currently contains sixteen species.
Rove beetles (Staphylinidae) are a diverse insect group, especially in the Neotropical region. At the same time, this fauna remains significantly understudied. During our visits to museum collections, we encountered numerous specimens of undescribed species representing the Neotropical genus Neolindus Scheerpeltz, 1933 which was earlier thought to be rare. To address the knowledge gap in the genus, we studied the museum material that resulted in descriptions of 21 new species. Our work involves the redescription of the genus, descriptions of the new species, and an updated identification key to 39 previously described and new species. The newly described species are Neolindus bicornis Guzman, Tokareva & Żyła sp. nov., N. elegans Guzman, Tokareva & Żyła sp. nov., N. longithorax Guzman, Tokareva & Żyła sp. nov., N. luxipenis Guzman, Tokareva & Żyła sp. nov., N. maya Guzman, Tokareva & Żyła sp. nov., N. minutus Guzman, Tokareva & Żyła sp. nov., N. napo Guzman, Tokareva & Żyła sp. nov., N. niger Guzman, Tokareva & Żyła sp. nov., N. ornatus Guzman, Tokareva & Żyła sp. nov., N. parahermani Guzman, Tokareva & Żyła sp. nov., N. paraplectrus Guzman, Tokareva & Żyła sp. nov., N. parasinuatus Guzman, Tokareva & Żyła sp. nov., N. parautriensis Guzman, Tokareva & Żyła sp. nov., N. pseudosensillaris Guzman, Tokareva & Żyła sp. nov., N. sauron Guzman, Tokareva & Żyła sp. nov., N. sibyllae Guzman, Tokareva & Żyła sp. nov., N. triangularis Guzman, Tokareva & Żyła sp. nov., N. tropicalis Guzman, Tokareva & Żyła sp. nov., N. utriensis Guzman, Tokareva & Żyła sp. nov., N. volkeri Guzman, Tokareva & Żyła sp. nov., and N. yotokae Guzman, Tokareva & Żyła sp. nov. This research emphasises the importance of museum collections in advancing taxonomy and enriching biodiversity knowledge. With these contributions, the known number of species of Neolindus reaches 60, thereby enhancing data on the Neotropical rove beetles diversity. Additionally, we provide several new country records for the genus (Guyana, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Suriname), which widen its distribution, and new occurrence records for the described species of Neolindus, N. agilis Herman, 1991; N. apiculus Herman, 1991; N. basisinuatus Herman, 1991; N. campbelli Herman, 1991; N. cuneatus Herman, 1991; N. hermani Asenjo, 2011; N. irmleri Asenjo, 2011; N. lodhii Herman, 1991; N. procarinatus Herman, 1991; N. punctogularis Herman, 1991; and N. retusus Herman, 1991.
The fossil record of the diverse subfamily Passifloroideae (>750 species and 17 genera) is relatively poor. Despite the distinctiveness of its leaves (glandular and often emarginate), most of the fossils from this group have been described from seeds. Fossil seeds have been recovered from Europe, and North and South America. A lack of information on seed morphology for all the genera and tribes of this subfamily has prevented a tribe-level identification of the fossils and a better understanding of their biogeographic patterns. The Passifloroideae is divided into three tribes: Passifloreae with 10 genera, Paropsieae with six genera and the monotypic Jongkindieae. This study provides new descriptions for 15 species from 5 genera from the mostly Afrotropical tribe Paropsieae based on herbarium material, and introduces an online seed database and a key for 100 species of Passifloroideae compiled from literature and direct observations. Our study shows a low morphological diversity among the seeds of Paropsieae in comparison to a much larger diversity within Passifloreae. Some rare morphologies are only present in Passifloreae and can be used to assign seeds to this tribe. Within the Paropsieae, Androsiphonia has seed that are very distinct from those in the other genera in the tribe and also from the rest of the subfamily. The genus Paropsia exhibits two main morphotypes, while the genera Barteria, Paropsiopsis and Smeathmannia have very similar seeds with a highly conserved morphology. These results suggest that living or fossil Paropsieae cannot be identified confidently based solely on seed characters.
Yes, they are. The securities services industry is at a tipping point of its digital transformation and will now see industry solutions to scale. We identify three fundamental drivers being adopted more broadly: cloud migration, data, and digitization. This triage also drives the scaling of Clearstream’s digital infrastructure D7, one of the leading digital infrastructures globally.
This study explores high-frequency cross-asset lead-lag relationships for various market microstructure dimensions. Utilizing data from stocks, futures, and exchange traded products, the findings uncover significant lead-lag patterns, particularly among fundamentally related instruments. Our results demonstrate that knowledge about lead-lag relationships can be leveraged for forecasting short-term changes in financial markets.
Nowadays, firms lack information to derive the share of wallet, a vital metric that identifies how much additional spending a firm could capture from each customer. However, decoding Blockchain data enables observing all transactions of each wallet, respectively customer, on the Ethereum NFT market. To shed light on the share of wallet, we analyzed 22.7 million transactions from over 1.3 million customers across eight competing firms on the Ethereum NFT market.
In a year marked by challenging market dynamics, the importance of ESG investments remains unwavering. But the wave of ESG regulations and requests generates a demand for more scalable ways to collect and analyze ESG data. The rise of AI could mark a turning point in an industry heavily burdened by reporting requirements, and unlock the true potential of ESG for businesses and investors alike.
Beyond well-established difficulties with working memory in individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), evidence is emerging that other memory processes may also be affected. We investigated, first, which memory processes show differences in adults and adolescents with ADHD in comparison to control participants, focusing on working and short-term memory, initial learning, interference, delayed and recognition memory. Second, we investigated whether ADHD severity, co-occurring depressive symptoms, IQ and physical fitness are associated with the memory performance in the individuals with ADHD.
We assessed 205 participants with ADHD (mean age 25.8 years, SD 7.99) and 50 control participants (mean age 21.1 years, SD 5.07) on cognitive tasks including the digit span forward (DSF) and backward (DSB), the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT), and the vocabulary and matrix reasoning subtests of the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence. Participants with ADHD were additionally assessed on ADHD severity, depression symptoms and cardiorespiratory fitness. A series of regressions were run, with sensitivity analyses performed when variables were skewed.
ADHD-control comparisons were significant for DSF, DSB, delayed and recognition memory, with people with ADHD performing less well than the control participants. The result for recognition memory was no longer significant in sensitivity analysis. Memory performance was not associated with greater ADHD or depression symptoms severity. IQ was positively associated with all memory variables except DSF. Cardiorespiratory fitness was negatively associated with the majority of RAVLT variables.
Individuals with ADHD showed difficulties with working memory, short-term memory and delayed memory, as well as a potential difficulty with recognition memory, despite preserved initial learning.
We study the many implications of the Eurosystem collateral framework for corporate bonds. Using data on the evolving collateral eligibility list, we identify the first inclusion dates of bonds and issuers and use these events to find that the increased supply and demand for pledgeable collateral following eligibility (a) increases activity in the corporate securities lending market, (b) lowers eligible bond yields, and (c) affects bond liquidity. Thus, corporate bond lending relaxes the constraint of limited collateral supply and thereby improves market functioning.
The 2011 Arab Spring marked the opening of the Central Mediterranean Route for irregular border crossings between Libya and Italy, which produced heterogeneous reductions of bilateral smuggling distances between country pairs in the Mediterranean region. We exploit this source of spatial and temporal variation in bilateral distance along land and sea routes to estimate the elasticity of irregular migration intentions for African and Near East countries. We estimate an elasticity of migration intentions to smuggling distances exceeding −3, mainly driven by countries with weak rule of law and high internet penetration. Our findings are consistent across irregular migration measures both at the aggregate and individual levels. We show that irregular migration elasticity is higher for youth, relatively skilled individuals and those with an informative advantage (having a social network abroad or a mobile phone).
Highlights
• Pathways for a circular economy towards the EU goals require policy support that, in turn, requires legitimacy.
• Legitimacy is often contested in the public discourse at all phases in the technological innovation system.
• Legitimacy remains poorly understood for ‘in-between’ technologies that struggle to move from the formative to the growth stage.
• The article explores legitimacy for chemical recycling primarily based on evidence from the UK, Germany, and Italy.
Abstract
The European Commission aims to increase the recycling of plastic packaging to 60% by 2025, requiring fundamental changes towards a more circular economy. Pathways for this transition require policy support that largely depends on their legitimacy in the public discourse. These normative aspects remain poorly understood for ‘in-between’ technologies, i.e., technologies that are no longer novel but struggle to move to the growth phase within the technological innovation system. Therefore, we ask: How do discourses shape technology legitimacy for in-between technologies? Drawing on the empirical example of chemical recycling, the analysis renders two principal findings. First, legitimising and delegitimising storylines present contesting views on in-between technologies regarding their technological aspects, environmental and social impacts, and economic and policy implications. Second, how discourses contribute to technology legitimacy depends on the actors and interests that drive the prevalent storylines in particular contexts.
In a unifying framework generalizing established theories we characterize under which conditions Joint Ownership of assets creates the best cooperation incentives in a partnership. We endogenise renegotiation costs and assume that they weakly increase with additional assets. A salient sufficient condition for optimal cooperation incentives among patient partners is if Joint Ownership is a Strict Coasian Institution for which transaction costs impede an efficient asset reallocation after a breakdown. In contrast to Halonen (2002) the logic behind our results is that Joint Ownership maximizes the value of the relationship and the costs of renegotiating ownership after a broken relationship.
Highlights
• We present the first results of a deep learning model based on a convolutional neural network for earthquake magnitude estimation, using HR-GNSS displacement time series.
• The influence of different dataset configurations, such as station numbers, epicentral distances, signal duration, and earthquake size, were analyzed to figure out how the model can be adapted to various scenarios.
• The model was tested using real data from different regions and magnitudes, resulting in the best cases with 0.09 ≤ RMS ≤ 0.33.
Abstract
High-rate Global Navigation Satellite System (HR-GNSS) data can be highly useful for earthquake analysis as it provides continuous high-frequency measurements of ground motion. This data can be used to analyze diverse parameters related to the seismic source and to assess the potential of an earthquake to prompt strong motions at certain distances and even generate tsunamis. In this work, we present the first results of a deep learning model based on a convolutional neural network for earthquake magnitude estimation, using HR-GNSS displacement time series. The influence of different dataset configurations, such as station numbers, epicentral distances, signal duration, and earthquake size, were analyzed to figure out how the model can be adapted to various scenarios. We explored the potential of the model for global application and compared its performance using both synthetic and real data from different seismogenic regions. The performance of our model at this stage was satisfactory in estimating earthquake magnitude from synthetic data with 0.07 ≤ RMS ≤ 0.11. Comparable results were observed in tests using synthetic data from a different region than the training data, with RMS ≤ 0.15. Furthermore, the model was tested using real data from different regions and magnitudes, resulting in the best cases with 0.09 ≤ RMS ≤ 0.33, provided that the data from a particular group of stations had similar epicentral distance constraints to those used during the model training. The robustness of the DL model can be improved to work independently from the window size of the time series and the number of stations, enabling faster estimation by the model using only near-field data. Overall, this study provides insights for the development of future DL approaches for earthquake magnitude estimation with HR-GNSS data, emphasizing the importance of proper handling and careful data selection for further model improvements.
Highlights
• Since there is only a low level of evidence, it is difficult to agree on state-of-the-art standards or to provide recommendations and guidelines.
• The value of combining several monitoring devices for dual or triple guidance must be challenged.
• The principle of fascial plane blocks is suitable to avoid traumatic needle-to-nerve contact. However, local toxicity must be regarded as a possible mechanism for nerve injuries.
• Block procedures might be conducted during sedation or general anesthesia when considering the individual patients' clinical situations and the expertise of the anesthesiologist.
• The quality of ultrasound equipment and education provided by the corresponding anesthesia department is highly relevant
Highlights
• NCoR1 is the most highly expressed endothelial corepressor.
• Loss of NCoR1 promotes angiogenic function in endothelial cells.
• Loss of NCoR1 promotes a tip cell position during angiogenic sprouting.
Abstract
Corepressors negatively regulate gene expression by chromatin compaction. Targeted regulation of gene expression could provide a means to control endothelial cell phenotype. We hypothesize that by targeting corepressor proteins, endothelial angiogenic function can be improved. To study this, the expression and function of nuclear corepressors in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) and in murine organ culture was studied. RNA-seq revealed that nuclear receptor corepressor 1 (NCoR1), silencing mediator of retinoid and thyroid hormone receptors (SMRT) and repressor element-1 silencing transcription factor (REST) are the highest expressed corepressors in HUVECs. Knockout and knockdown strategies demonstrated that the depletion of NCoR1 increased the angiogenic capacity of endothelial cells, whereas depletion of SMRT or REST did not. Interestingly, the effect was VEGF signaling independent. NCoR1 depletion significantly upregulated angiogenesis-associated genes, especially tip cell genes, including ESM1, DLL4 and NOTCH4, as observed by RNA- and ATAC-seq. Confrontation assays comparing cells with and without NCoR1-deficiency revealed that loss of NCoR1 promotes a tip-cell position during spheroid sprouting. Moreover, a proximity ligation assay identified NCoR1 as a direct binding partner of the Notch-signaling-related transcription factor RBPJk. Luciferase assays showed that siRNA-mediated knockdown of NCOR1 promotes RBPJk activity. Furthermore, NCoR1 depletion prompts upregulation of several elements in the Notch signaling cascade. Downregulation of NOTCH4, but not NOTCH1, prevented the positive effect of NCOR1 knockdown on spheroid outgrowth. Collectively, these data indicate that decreasing NCOR1 expression is an attractive approach to promote angiogenic function.
Highlights
• TAM polarization induces CP RNA.
• CP RNA expression is regulated by HIF-2 and STAT1.
• CP RNA is transferred from TAMs to HT1080 cells.
• CP RNA is translated by HT1080 cells and protects from ferroptosis.
• Co-cultured HT1080 cells decrease iron and lipid peroxidation.
Abstract
Solid tumors are characterized by hypoxic areas, which are prone for macrophage infiltration. Once infiltrated, macrophages polarize to tumor associated macrophages (TAM) to support tumor progression. Therefore, the crosstalk between TAMs and tumor cells is of current interest for the development of novel therapeutic strategies. These may comprise induction of an iron- and lipid peroxidation-dependent form of cell death, known as ferroptosis. To study the macrophage - tumor cell crosstalk we polarized primary human macrophages towards a TAM-like phenotype, co-cultured them with HT1080 fibrosarcoma cells, and analyzed the tumor cell response to ferroptosis induction. In TAMs the expression of ceruloplasmin mRNA increased, which was driven by hypoxia inducible factor 2 and signal transducer and activator of transcription 1. Subsequently, ceruloplasmin mRNA was transferred from TAMs to HT1080 cells via extracellular vesicles. In tumor cells, mRNA was translated into protein to protect HT1080 cells from RSL3-induced ferroptosis. Mechanistically this was based on reduced iron abundance and lipid peroxidation. Interestingly, in naïve macrophages also hypoxia induced ceruloplasmin under hypoxia and a co-culture of HT1080 cells with hypoxic macrophages recapitulated the protective effect observed in TAM co-cultures. In conclusion, TAMs provoke tumor cells to release iron and thereby protect them from lipid peroxidation/ferroptosis.
Neanderthal diet has been on the spotlight of paleoanthropological research for many years. The majority of studies that tried to reconstruct the diet of Neanderthals were based on the analysis of zooarchaeological remains, stable isotopes, dental calculus and dental microwear patterns. In the past few years, there have been a few studies that linked dental macrowear patterns of Neanderthals and modern humans to diet and cultural habits. However, they mostly focused on maxillary molars. Although mandibular molars have been widely used in microwear dietary research, little is known about their usage at the macroscopic scale to detect information about human subsistence strategies. In this study, we compare the macrowear patterns of Neanderthal (NEA), fossil Homo sapiens (FHS), modern hunter-gatherers (MHG), pastoralists, early farmers and Australian Aborigines from Yuendumu mandibular molars in order to assess their utility in collecting any possible information about dietary and cultural habits among diverse human groups. We use the occlusal fingerprint analysis method, a quantitative digital approach that has been successfully employed to reconstruct the diet of living non-human primates and past human populations. Our results show macrowear pattern differences between meat-eater MHG and EF groups. Moreover, while we did not find eco-geographical differences in the macrowear patterns of the fossil sample, we found statistically significant differences between NEA and FHS inhabiting steppe/coniferous forest. This latter result could be associated with the use of distinct technological complexes in these two species, which ultimately could have allowed modern humans to exploit natural resources in a different way compared to NEA.
In recent years, several jurisdictions have lowered the voting age, with many more discussing it. Sceptics question whether young people are ready to vote, while supporters argue that allowing them to vote would increase their specific engagement with politics. To test the latter argument, we use a series of register-based surveys of over 10,000 German adolescents. Knowing the exact birthdates of our respondents, we estimate the causal effect of eligibility on their information-seeking behaviour in a regression discontinuity design. While eligible and non-eligible respondents do not differ in their fundamental political dispositions, those allowed to vote are more likely to discuss politics with their family and friends and to use a voting advice application. This effect appears to be stronger for voting age 16 than for 18. The right to vote changes behaviour. Therefore, we cannot conclude from the behaviour of ineligible citizens that they are unfit to vote.
Highlights
• We present a novel alternative to the die-in-the-cup experiment.
• Participants’ payoffs depend on their reported mothers’ birthdays.
• We find that subjects lied to obtain real monetary payoffs.
• The extent of lying is small and insensitive to several design variations.
Abstract
We ask a representative sample of German household decision-makers to enter their mother's birthday, with potential payments depending on the month and the day they state. Thus, we create an incentive to lie. Compared to the die-under-the-cup experiment, our alternative has a lower probability that the income-maximizing outcome is true. Furthermore, it is better suited for online surveys and samples in which gambling is socially stigmatized. We conduct different variations of this game to crystalize design recommendations for researchers interested in our tool. Participants lied to receive higher payoffs, but only with real monetary incentives and only to a relatively small extent. Our results are largely insensitive to several design elements that we vary, such as the probability of being paid and the magnitude of the payoffs.
This paper empirically analyses whether post-global financial crisis regulatory reforms have created appropriate incentives to voluntarily centrally clear over-the-counter (OTC) derivative contracts. We use confidential European trade repository data on single-name sovereign credit default swap (CDS) transactions and show that both seller and buyer manage counterparty exposures and capital costs, strategically choosing to clear when the counterparty is riskier. The clearing incentives seem particularly responsive to seller credit risk, which is in line with the notion that counterparty credit risk (CCR) is asymmetric in CDS contracts. The riskiness of the underlying reference entity also impacts the decision to clear as it affects both CCR capital charges for OTC contracts and central counterparty clearing house (CCP) margins for cleared contracts. Lastly, we find evidence that when a transaction helps netting positions with the CCP and hence lower margins, the likelihood of clearing is higher.
Highlights
• Out of the six edible pumpkin seeds found in Cameroonian C. sativus showed most potent anti-proliferative effects on prostate cells.
• Its oil conserved almost all the effects of raw seeds and prevented benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).
• It exhibited potent anti-inflammatory activities in rat with BPH.
Abstract
Pumpkin seeds are claimed to treat prostate tumour/cancer. The in vitro (ability to inhibit cell growth through MTT assay) and in vivo (ability to prevent testosterone-induced BPH in rats at the doses of 125, 250, 500 and 1000 mg/kg BW) of six edible pumpkin seeds found in Cameroonian were assessed. The endpoints were cell growth arrest, prostate mass and volume, prostatic epithelium height, prostatic proteins, prostate specific antigen (PSA) and inflammatory cytokines. In vitro, C. sativus seeds exhibited the most potent antiproliferative effects on DU145 and PC3 prostate cancer cells and its oil conserved almost all the effects of raw seeds. Further, it prevented the increased of prostate relative mass and volume, prostate epithelium height, PSA and testosterone dose-dependently compared to normal rats. This effect is thought to be mediated through antiandrogenic, estrogenic and anti-inflammatory activities, evidenced by a decreased in IL-1β, IL-6 and TNFα level. Overall, this results justify its traditional use.
• Mexican and German populations of L. sericata differ in their development times.
• Mexican L. sericata had a shorter development time at 20°C than German flies.
• At 30 °C, German L. sericata pupariated and eclosed earlier than the Mexican flies.
• Differences in study design make the comparison of developmental studies difficult.
Abstract
The cosmopolitan blow fly Lucilia sericata is often used in forensic case work for estimating the minimum postmortem interval (PMImin). For this, the age of immature specimens developing on the dead body is calculated by measuring the time taken to reach the sampled developmental stage at a given temperature. To test whether regional developmental data of L. sericata is valid on a global scale, the time taken to reach different developmental stages was compared between a population from Mexico and one from Germany at two different constant temperatures.
The German population of L. sericata was collected in Frankfurt/Main, while the Mexican population originated near Oaxaca de Juarez and was transported to Germany in the larval stage. Only the F1 generation was used to avoid adaption of the Mexican flies. Eggs were immediately placed at 20 °C and 30 °C. Five times 30 freshly eclosed larvae per replicate (n = 5) were then transferred to a cup of minced meat in separate containers. The larvae were checked every 8 h for migration, pupariation or emergence of adult flies. The time at which the first individual and 50 % of the specimens per container entered each of these stages, was recorded.
Significant differences in the time of development between the two populations were observed at both temperatures. At 20 °C, the first specimens of the Mexican population reached all developmental stages a little (< 1 day to < 2 days) earlier than the German L. sericata. At 30 °C, the Mexican flies also reached the post-feeding stage slightly earlier (0.2 days). However, at 30 °C, the German flies started pupariation significantly earlier (after 5 days) than the Mexican flies (6.9 days) and the adults from Germany also emerged earlier (10.5 days compared to 13.1 days). The same pattern was observed when looking at 50 % of the total number of specimens per container. A comparison with previously published developmental studies was difficult as the experimental design varied widely between studies. However, the results were within the range of most studies. Our study has shown that age estimation can vary widely depending on the population on which the reference data used for the calculations are based. This highlights the importance of using local and population-specific developmental data for estimating the age of blow flies in case work.
Central Message: Right-sided minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass (r-MIDCAB) can offer an attractive minimally invasive alternative to full sternotomy in isolated complex right coronary artery (RCA) disease or in anomalous RCA.
Viruses that carry a positive-sense, single-stranded (+ssRNA) RNA translate their genomes soon after entering the host cell to produce viral proteins, with the exception of retroviruses. A distinguishing feature of retroviruses is reverse transcription, where the +ssRNA genome serves as a template to synthesize a double-stranded DNA copy that subsequently integrates into the host genome. As retroviral RNAs are produced by the host cell transcriptional machinery and are largely indistinguishable from cellular mRNAs, we investigated the potential of incoming retroviral genomes to directly express proteins. Here we show through multiple, complementary methods that retroviral genomes are translated after entry. Our findings challenge the notion that retroviruses require reverse transcription to produce viral proteins. Synthesis of retroviral proteins in the absence of productive infection has significant implications for basic retrovirology, immune responses and gene therapy applications.
When estimating misspecified linear factor models for the cross-section of expected returns using GMM, the explanatory power of these models can be spuriously high when the estimated factor means are allowed to deviate substantially from the sample averages. In fact, by shifting the weights on the moment conditions, any level of cross-sectional fit can be attained. The mathematically correct global minimum of the GMM objective function can be obtained at a parameter vector that is far from the true parameters of the data-generating process. This property is not restricted to small samples, but rather holds in population. It is a feature of the GMM estimation design and applies to both strong and weak factors, as well as to all types of test assets.
Does political conflict with another country influence domestic consumers' daily consumption choices? We exploit the volatile US-China relations in 2018 and 2019 to analyze whether US consumers reduce their visits to Chinese restaurants when bilateral relations deteriorate. We measure the degree of political conflict through negativity in media reports and rely on smartphone location data to measure daily visits to over 190,000 US restaurants. A deterioration in US-China relations induces a significant decline in visits not only to Chinese but also to other foreign ethnic restaurants, while visits to typical American restaurants increase. We identify consumers' age, race, and cultural openness to moderate the strength of this ethnocentric effect.
Highlights
• Germany plans more long-distances water transfers to secure drinking water supply.
• Long-distance water transfers can unfold lock-ins that limit adaptive water governance.
• Our interdisciplinary case study shows how lock-ins emerge over different spaces and times.
• Commercialisation of water but also local protests contributed to various lock-ins.
• We therefore call for context-specific assessments of potentials and risks of LDWT.
Abstract
Germany plans to expand water transfers over long distances in the light of numerous and pressing challenges for drinking water supply. Research on inter- and intrabasin water transfers warns, however, that major investments in large-scale infrastructure systems accompanied by institutional logics and political interests often lead to a so-called lock-in. As a consequence, long-distance water transfers can limit the potential for adaptive water governance in the involved supply areas over decades with negative impacts for people and the environment. By using a case study in Germany as an example, we researched when, where and how such lock-ins around long-distance water transfers emerge. In the infrastructural development of the Elbaue-Ostharz transfer system we found various lock-ins that overlap in space and time. Some are located at the centre others at the margins of the infrastructure and commercialization of the water sector as well as hydraulic and hygienic concerns interlock with local protests in a way that the expansion of the long-distance water transfer infrastructure is presented continuously as imperative. Our findings contribute to a relational understanding of lock-ins of long-distance water transfers as contingent and diverse processes. Given the widespread occurrence of lock-ins, we argue for a context-specific assessment of potentials and risks of long-distance water transfers in times of multiple crises.
The ICH M13A draft bioequivalence guideline allows the exclusion of very low plasma profiles from the statistical evaluation in exceptional cases, i.e., if such phenomenon occurs due to non-compliance of subjects (not swallowing the product). Moreover, the draft ICH guideline requests additional bioequivalence studies for medicinal products with pH-dependent solubility after concomitant administration of gastric pH modifying preparations, e.g., proton pump inhibitors. Both regulations are scientifically sound, however, would need further specification. Main problem in this context is that compounds with very low solubility and slow intrinsic dissolution in the intestinal environment will cause significant bioavailability problems if their solid oral dosage forms are emptied from the stomach undisintegrated. Also very low plasma profiles may result under these circumstances. Such cases can occur accidentally and are not resultant of non-compliance. Thus, limitation for one case per study only as suggested in the guideline is not justified.
Virtual currencies have gained popularity as part of the digital transformation of the financial system. In particular stablecoins are becoming increasingly popular with consumers. The tokens, which are pegged to a value and - according to their name - promise price stability, pose significant risks from which consumers need to be protected. This article focuses first on consumerspecific risks (B.) and German consumer protection law and in particular on the applicability of a right of withdrawal from the acquisition of stablecoins (C.). Subsequently, the EU legislator’s effort to minimize price stability as well as transparency and exchangeability risks, the Markets in Crypto-assets Regulation (2023/1114), is examined in terms of its consumer protection instruments (D.).
Mit dem am 22. September 2021 neu in Kraft getretenen § 126a StGB, der nun explizit das Anlegen von Feindeslisten unter Strafe stellt, sollen Menschen (noch) besser gegen Hass und Hetze im Internet geschützt werden. So legitim diese Intention auch ist, drängt sich gleichsam die Frage auf, ob diesem Phänomen wirkungsvoll mit dem Strafrecht entgegnet werden kann und aus rechtsstaatlicher Perspektive überhaupt werden darf. Unter dieser Prämisse wird kritisch eruiert, ob und inwiefern sich § 126a StGB in das dogmatische Gerüst des Strafrechts einordnen lässt. Dabei ist § 126a StGB dem modernen Präventionsstrafrecht zuzuordnen. Dieses verfolgt den Ansatz, durch eine Vorverlagerung der Strafbarkeit das Strafrecht als funktionales Mittel zur Erhöhung des Sicherheitsgefühls zu instrumentalisieren. Nach der Bewertung der tatsächlichen Bedrohungslage wird der Handlungsunwert der Verbreitung von Feindeslisten analysiert. Daneben werden weitere Grenzen der strafrechtlichen Vorverlagerung beleuchtet, namentlich die fundamentalen Prinzipien des Tatstrafrechts, des Bestimmtheitsgebots und des Ultima-Ratio-Grundsatzes, an denen sich § 126a StGB messen lassen muss.
Der Beitrag knüpft an die vergangenes Jahr intensiv geführte Debatte um die strafrechtliche Bewertung von Klima-Protesten an und lenkt die Aufmerksamkeit auf einen bislang kaum beachteten Aspekt, nämlich die Frage, ob sich Klima-Aktivistinnen und Aktivisten dem Unrecht ihres Verhaltens im Rahmen von Protestaktionen mit Blick auf die mögliche „Klimakatastrophe“ (stets) bewusst sind und entfaltet erste Überlegungen im Hinblick auf mögliche Verbotsirrtümer. In diesem Zusammenhang geht der Beitrag auch auf die Frage ein, ob eine Rechtfertigung von Protestaktionen wegen eines rechtfertigenden (Klima-)Notstands oder eines möglichen verfassungswidrigen Staatshandelns im Zusammenhang mit der Klimaschutzpolitik denkbar ist.
Targeted protein degradation (TPD) has recently emerged as an exciting new drug modality. However, the strategy of developing small molecule-based protein degraders has evolved over the past two decades and has now established molecular tags that are already in clinical use, as well as chimeric molecules, PROteolysis TArgeting Chimeras (PROTACs), based mainly on ligand systems developed for the two E3 ligases CRBN and VHL. The large size of the human E3 ligase family suggests that PROTACs can be developed by targeting a large diversity of E3 ligases, some of which have restricted expression patterns with the potential to design disease- or tissue-specific degraders. Indeed, many new E3 ligands have been published recently, confirming the druggability of E3 ligases. This review summarises recent data on E3 ligases and highlights the challenges in developing these molecules into efficient PROTACs rivalling the established degrader systems.
Background: Despite known clinical benefits, guideline-recommended heart rate (HR) control is not achieved for a significant proportion of patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction. The wearable cardioverter-defibrillator (WCD) provides continuous HR monitoring and alerts that could aid medication titration.
Objective: This study sought to evaluate sex differences in achieving guideline-recommended HR control during a period of WCD use.
Methods: Data from patients fitted with a WCD from 2015 to 2018 were obtained from the manufacturer’s database (ZOLL). The proportion of patients with adequate nighttime resting HR control at the beginning of use (BOU) and at the end of use (EOU) were compared by sex. Adequate HR control was defined as having a nighttime median HR <70 beats/min.
Results: A total of 21,440 women and a comparative sample of 17,328 men (median 90 [IQR 59–116] days of WCD wear) were included in the final dataset. Among patients who did not receive a shock, over half had insufficient HR control at BOU (59% of women, 53% of men). Although the proportion of patients with resting HR ≥70 beats/min improved by EOU, 43% of women and 36% of men did not achieve guideline-recommended HR control.
Conclusion: A significant proportion of women and men did not achieve adequate HR control during a period of medical therapy optimization. Compared with men, a greater proportion of women receiving WCD shocks had insufficiently controlled HR in the week preceding ventricular tachyarrhythmia/ventricular fibrillation and 43% of nonshocked women, compared with 36% of men, did not reach adequate HR control during the study period. The WCD can be utilized as a remote monitoring tool to record HR and inform adequate uptitration of beta-blockers, with particular focus on reducing the treatment gap in women.
Evidence-based and comprehensible health information is a key element of evidence-based medicine and public health. The goal is informed decision-making based on realistic estimations of health risks and accurate expectations about benefits and harms of interventions. In Germany, standards of evidence-based risk information were poorly followed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Frequently, public information was biased, fragmentary and misleading. Pandemic-related threat scenarios induced emotional distress and unnecessary anxiety. A systematic and comprehensive evaluation of the pandemic measures is crucial, but still pending in Germany. A critical analysis of risk communication by experts, politicians and the media during the pandemic should be a key element of the evaluation process. Evaluation of decision making and media reporting during the pandemic should improve preparedness for future crises.
Background: Urachal cancer (UrC) is a rare disease with limited availability of representative incidence and clinical data. Although, the prevalence is accounting for less than 1% of bladder tumors, the 5-year survival rate is around only 50% for patients with resectable tumors, and even worse for patients with metastatic disease. Due to the lack of comprehensive prospective studies, our current knowledge of UrC is still limited.
Objective: The present study aimed to summarize the available registry-based studies with unselected UrC patients to evaluate its incidence and clinicopathological characteristics.
Material and methods: We conducted a systematic literature search of registry-based UrC publications on the 15th of May 2023 in 5 databases, which identified 4,748 publications. After duplicate removal and selection by 2 independent investigators, 6 publications proved to be appropriate for the final meta-analysis. Estimated incidence and clinicopathological parameters were extracted.
Results: Estimated incidence ranged between 0.022 and 0.060/ 100.000 person-years, with the highest occurrence in Japan and the lowest in Canada, while the random effect model calculated an overall incidence rate of 0.04 (95%CI: 0.03–0.05) 100.000 person-years. The median age at first diagnosis was 60 years (range: 58–64). The female to male ratio was 2:3. Lymph node or distant metastases were present in 9% and 14% of patients. The predominant tumour type was adenocarcinoma (86%) followed by urothelial carcinoma (12%) and squamous cell carcinoma (2%). The 5-year survival rate was 51.0% with 95%CI: 45.2–57.4.
Conclusions: Our study provides an up-to-date comparison of estimated incidence rates between 6 countries of 3 continents based on rigorously selected registry-based studies. The results suggest low incidence rates for UrC with considerable geographic differences. The present meta-analysis provides unbiased registry-based data on the incidence, clinicopathological parameters and survival of UrC.
Highlights
• Students have limited concerns about privacy in learning analytics (LA).
• Students' privacy concerns in LA vary across countries.
• Culture shapes students' privacy concerns in LA.
• Power distance, uncertainty avoidance and masculinity affect privacy concerns in LA.
• Cultural values should be considered in LA privacy management.
Abstract
Applications of learning analytics (LA) can raise concerns from students about their privacy in higher education contexts. Developing effective privacy-enhancing practices requires a systematic understanding of students’ privacy concerns and how they vary across national and cultural dimensions. We conducted a survey study with established instruments to measure privacy concerns and cultural values for university students in five countries (Germany, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, and the United States; N = 762). The results show that students generally trusted institutions with their data and disclosed information as they perceived the risks to be manageable even though they felt somewhat limited in their ability to control their privacy. Across the five countries, German and Swedish students stood out as the most trusting and least concerned, especially compared to US students who reported greater perceived risk and less control. Students in South Korea and Spain responded similarly on all five privacy dimensions (perceived privacy risk, perceived privacy control, privacy concerns, trusting beliefs, and non-self-disclosure behavior), despite their significant cultural differences. Culture measured at the individual level affected the antecedents and outcomes of privacy concerns. Perceived privacy risk and privacy control increase with power distance. Trusting beliefs increase with a desire for uncertainty avoidance and lower masculinity. Non-self-disclosure behaviors rise with power distance and masculinity and decrease with more uncertainty avoidance. Thus, cultural values related to trust in institutions, social equality and risk-taking should be considered when developing privacy-enhancing practices and policies in higher education.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine illustrates the increasingly judicialized nature of international relations and geopolitics. By viewing aspects of the invasion as illegal – in particular through the identification of war crimes and crimes against humanity – the international response draws attention to the political geographies of international criminal investigation. Human rights groups, academics, journalists, and open-source forensic investigations have joined forces to collect, evaluate and analyze the violent nature of war crimes. While similar shifts in evidence gathering have been observed in the case of the Bosnia-Herzegovina war and the Assad regime's violence against Syrian citizens, the use of evidence-gathering technologies and evidence-securing institutions in the case of Ukraine is distinctive. In this scholarly intervention we seek to illustrate the intimate geopolitics of evidence gathering by zooming in on two different elements that shape evidential procedures in Ukraine: i) the blurring of civilian/military boundaries; and ii) the challenges of access. By evaluating what is new and what is similar to previous war sites, we suggest that these two areas reflect a geopolitics of evidence gathering, highlighting its global-local intimacies. Both these areas are well positioned to foster new research on the (geo)legal nature of war crimes in political geography and beyond.
We conducted a systematic review investigating the efficacy and tolerability of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and corticosteroids in children with epilepsies other than infantile epileptic spasm syndrome (IESS) that are resistant to anti-seizure medication (ASM). We included retrospective and prospective studies reporting on more than five patients and with clear case definitions and descriptions of treatment and outcome measures. We searched multiple databases and registries, and we assessed the risk of bias in the selected studies using a questionnaire based on published templates. Results were summarized with meta-analyses that pooled logit-transformed proportions or rates. Subgroup analyses and univariable and multivariable meta-regressions were performed to examine the influence of covariates. We included 38 studies (2 controlled and 5 uncontrolled prospective; 31 retrospective) involving 1152 patients. Meta-analysis of aggregate data for the primary outcomes of seizure response and reduction of electroencephalography (EEG) spikes at the end of treatment yielded pooled proportions (PPs) of 0.60 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.52–0.67) and 0.56 (95% CI 0.43–0.68). The relapse rate was high (PP 0.33, 95% CI 0.27–0.40). Group analyses and meta-regression showed a small benefit of ACTH and no difference between all other corticosteroids, a slightly better effect in electric status epilepticus in slow sleep (ESES) and a weaker effect in patients with cognitive impairment and “symptomatic” etiology. Obesity and Cushing's syndrome were the most common adverse effects, occurring more frequently in trials addressing continuous ACTH (PP 0.73, 95% CI 0.48–0.89) or corticosteroids (PP 0.72, 95% CI 0.54–0.85) than intermittent intravenous or oral corticosteroid administration (PP 0.05, 95% CI 0.02–0.10). The validity of these results is limited by the high risk of bias in most included studies and large heterogeneity among study results. This report was registered under International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) number CRD42022313846. We received no financial support.
Key points
* Systematic review resulting in low to moderately solid evidence on the efficacy and tolerability of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and corticosteroid treatment in children with epilepsy other than infantile spasms.
* Meta-analysis based on aggregate data from 2 controlled prospective, 5 uncontrolled prospective, and 31 retrospective studies.
* Pooled data showing a seizure response in 60% and electroencephalography (EEG) response in 56% of patients, with no major differences between drugs. However, 30%–40% of patients relapse after the cessation of treatment.
* The most frequent adverse effects are obesity and Cushing's syndrome, occurring in 70% of patients under continuous treatment for some weeks, but in less than 10% undergoing pulsed, intermittent regimens.
* More prospective, randomized-controlled studies are needed to improve the level of evidence and define the optimal doses and treatment duration.
Die vorliegende Studie beschäftigt sich mit der Konstituierung von amicitia im Mythos und fragt nach der Erzählung als Gabe im amikalen Gabentauschzyklus. Die Hinweise auf amicitia als eine der zentralen Bindungstypen des römischen Gemeinwesens sind über verschiedene Werke verstreut, lassen aber bereits die Wirkkraft erahnen, weil sie rückblickend in die Frühzeit hineingeschrieben wurden. In diesem Zusammenhang wird auch die Bedeutung der Erzählung als Gabe im Gabentauschzyklus untersucht, da diese die Transformation vom Fremden zum Anderen ermöglichen kann; erst auf diese Weise wird eine Grundlage für amicitia geschaffen. Darüber hinaus gelingt erst in der Urvergangenheit des Mythos’ die Perpetuierung von amicitia und dem sie konstituierenden amikalen Gabentausch.
The remains of the ancient Roman town, crossed by the Flaminia road and lapped by a bend of the Tiber, are located in a natural landscape of significant beauty, perfect synthesis of archaeology and nature that remained unchanged throughout centuries. Excavations were conducted here from a very early period, especially from 1776 to 1784, when a great quantity of material was removed. The archaeological excavations carried out in Otricoli in the second half of the Seventeenth century together with discoveries in Herculaneum, Pompeii, Stabiae and other cities of ancient Italy, contributed during the Neoclassical period to the rediscovery of classical ideals in art and architecture, partly already rediscovered during Humanism and the Renaissance in Italy.
Non-matrix-matched calibration of laser ablation ICPMS (trace/major) element data is a common quantification strategy. However, LA sampling is associated with downhole elemental fractionation, potentially causing inaccuracies if the magnitude of fractionation between the sample and reference material (RM) differs. Here, we estimate fractionation factors (FFs) for different elements (El) in a range of RMs relative to NIST SRM610/612 (FFEl/Ca-NIST) and evaluate element-specific corrections for downhole fractionation using these measured FFEl/Ca-NIST. Significantly different mean El/Ca values were observed before and after correction, particularly for the alkali elements (all RMs), and B, Fe, and Zn (some RMs), notably improving accuracy, especially for the alkali elements. In cases where this methodology does not result in an accuracy improvement, this may help identify underlying issues in reported/reference values for RMs, given that this phenomenon should be accounted for. Overall, we recommend considering routine assessment of FFs and applying a FF correction to enhance data quality.
Rationale: Potassium (K) is a major component of several silicate minerals and seawater, and, therefore, constraining past changes in the potassium cycle is a promising way of tracing large-scale geological processes on Earth. However, [K] measurement using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is challenging due to an ArH+ interference, which may be of a similar magnitude to the K+ ion beam in samples with <0.1% m/m [K].
Methods: In this work, we investigated the effect of the ArH+ interference on K/Ca data quality by comparing results from laser-ablation (LA)-ICP-MS measured in medium and high mass resolution modes and validating our LA results via solution ICP-optical emission spectroscopy (OES) and solution ICP-MS measurements. To do so, we used a wide range of geological reference materials, with a particular focus on marine carbonates, which are potential archives of past changes in the K cycle but are typically characterised by [K] < 200 μg/g. In addition, we examine the degree to which trace-element data quality is driven by downhole fractionation during LA-ICP-MS measurements.
Results: Our results show that medium mass resolution (MR) mode is sufficiently capable of minimising the effect of the ArH+ interference on K+. However, the rate of downhole fractionation for Na and K varies between different samples as a result of their differing bulk composition, resulting in matrix-specific inaccuracy. We show how this can be accounted for via downhole fractionation corrections, resulting in an accuracy of better than 1% and a long-term reproducibility (intermediate precision) of <6% (relative standard deviation) in JCp-1NP using LA-ICP-MS in MR mode.
Conclusion: Our [K] measurement protocol is demonstrably precise and accurate and applicable to a wide range of materials. The measurement of K/Ca in relatively low-[K] marine carbonates is presented here as a key example of a new application opened up by these advances.
Sentence repetition tasks (SRTs) have been extensively used as measures of bilinguals’ language abilities. Most studies relied on SRTs in which the target sentences were not connected to each other. However, participants’ performance may differ if these sentences are embedded in discourse, since discourse provides participants with additional cues for sentence comprehension and interpretation. For the present study, we designed a discourse-based SRT, whereby the target sentences were connected to each other in a story. We examined the effect of discourse on bilinguals’ performance in the SRT and investigated whether this effect varied based on the language of administration, bilinguals’ dominance score and type of target structure. We tested 32 Italian-German bilingual children (7–12 years) living in Germany with two SRTs in each language, one with discourse and one without discourse. Participants showed a better performance in the SRTs with discourse, especially in the heritage language (Italian). The effect of discourse was visible across the board with all target structures. On the whole, SRTs with discourse seem to reduce the processing costs associated with lexical retrieval and shifts in scenarios, thus tapping more directly into children's processing abilities, compared to more traditional SRTs. The results are discussed in terms of ecological validity of different assessment instruments.
There has been a growing awareness of the need for scientific research to focus on somatic and mental comorbidities in recent years due to the emerging evidence showing their substantial overlap at numerous levels. In this special issue, initiated by members of the EU-funded PRIME consortium (“Prevention and Remediation of Insulin Multimorbidity in Europe; www.prime-study.eu), the focus is on the comorbidities of metabolic disturbances, especially related to insulin signalling dysregulation and mental and neurological disorders. Thus, while obesity, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome are commonly known to be insulin-related disorders, the last decades have shown that neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease, as well as neurodevelopment disorders, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and attention deficit / hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) also fall into this category. The special issue draws together a series of basic and clinical review articles that describe the current knowledge and future perspectives regarding insulin comorbidities across a multidisciplinary group of experts
Highlights
• Cryo-EM structures of the yeast low-affinity phosphate importer ScPho90
• Complementary structures reveal insights into the substrate translocation mechanism
• Comparisons with homologous transporters highlight the conserved transport mechanism
• Regulation by the SPX domain is discussed
Summary
Phosphate homeostasis is essential for all living organisms. Low-affinity phosphate transporters are involved in phosphate import and regulation in a range of eukaryotic organisms. We have determined the structures of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae phosphate importer Pho90 by electron cryomicroscopy in two complementary states at 2.3 and 3.1 Å resolution. The symmetrical, outward-open structure in the presence of phosphate indicates bound substrate ions in the binding pocket. In the absence of phosphate, Pho90 assumes an asymmetric structure with one monomer facing inward and one monomer facing outward, providing insights into the transport mechanism. The Pho90 transport domain binds phosphate ions on one side of the membrane, then flips to the other side where the substrate is released. Together with functional experiments, these complementary structures illustrate the transport mechanism of eukaryotic low-affinity phosphate transporters.
Carbonate archives record a brief snapshot of the ambient Earth’s surface conditions at their deposition. However, the geologically reasonable extraction and interpretation of geochemical proxy data from ancient, diagenetically altered rock archives is fraught with problems. Three issues stand out: the dichotomy between petrographic and geochemical alteration; the lack of quantitative age constraints for specific diagenetic phases resulting in a poorly constrained admixture of local, basin-wide and over-regional (far-field) features; and an often insufficient understanding of the temperatures and compositions of diagenetic fluids. Here, the archive of Devonian marine limestones exposed to multiple far-field diagenetic events is used as an example to explore the above-listed issues. Methods applied include petrography, micro XRF, fluid inclusion data, clumped isotopes, δ13C and δ18O isotopes, 87Sr/86Sr ratios and quartz trace element data. Devonian limestones studied here were overprinted by two cross-cutting regional fault zones (T ≈ 230 °C) by multiple events between the Variscan Orogeny and the late Paleogene. The following processes are recorded: (i) protolith deposition and partial dolomitisation during rapid burial in the Middle/Late Devonian (T ≈ 180 °C); (ii) deep burial to ca 6.5 km and tectonic/hydrothermal overprint during the Variscan Orogeny in the Carboniferous (T ≈ 90–230 °C); (iii) rapid uplift to 1–2 km burial depth at the end of the Variscan Orogeny and hypogene karstification (T ≈ 50 to 100 °C) initiated by regional geology in the Permian/Triassic; (iv) tectonic/hydrothermal overprint during the opening of the Proto-Atlantic Ocean between the Early Jurassic and the Early Cretaceous (T ≈ 50 to 130 °C); (v) tectonic/hydrothermal overprint including renewed hypogene karstification and hydrothermal calcite cement precipitation (T ≈ 50 to 180 °C) during Alpine Orogeny between the Late Cretaceous and late Paleogene. Despite this complex series of diagenetic events, the protolith limestones largely preserved their respective Middle/Late Devonian dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and 87Sr/86Sr signatures. This study documents that geochemical proxy data, placed into their petrographic, paleotemperature, and local to over-regional context, significantly increases the ability to extract quantitative information from ancient carbonate rock archives. Research shown here has wider relevance for carbonate archive research in general.
Hematopoietic mutations in epigenetic regulators like DNA methyltransferase 3 alpha (DNMT3A), play a pivotal role in driving clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP), and are associated with unfavorable outcomes in patients suffering from heart failure (HF). However, the precise interactions between CHIP-mutated cells and other cardiac cell types remain unknown. Here, we identify fibroblasts as potential partners in interactions with CHIP-mutated monocytes. We used combined transcriptomic data derived from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of HF patients, both with and without CHIP, and cardiac tissue. We demonstrate that inactivation of DNMT3A in macrophages intensifies interactions with cardiac fibroblasts and increases cardiac fibrosis. DNMT3A inactivation amplifies the release of heparin-binding epidermal growth factor-like growth factor, thereby facilitating activation of cardiac fibroblasts. These findings identify a potential pathway of DNMT3A CHIP-driver mutations to the initiation and progression of HF and may also provide a compelling basis for the development of innovative anti-fibrotic strategies.
Highlights
• The Munich Procedure, developed for p-XRF data, standardises coefficient corrections.
• It ensures consistent, reproducible data, benefiting specialists in various industries.
• The protocol, documented as R-Skript, enhances accuracy and transparency of p-XRF data.
• Establishing a common baseline fosters discussion and improves the overall understanding of p-XRF.
Abstract
The Munich Procedure, a protocol presented as R code and initially developed on the basis of archaeometric portable X-ray fluorescence (p-XRF) data, offers adaptability and standardisation to evaluate coefficient corrections. These corrections are derived from linear regressions calculated by comparing p-XRF values with laboratory chemical analyses of the same sample set. The versatility of this procedure allows collaboration and ensures consistent data structure. Not tied to specific instrumentation, this approach helps to universally improve the accuracy of p-XRF data, benefiting specialists in a variety of industries. By providing a common baseline for performance evaluation, it enables discussion across different applications.
The production of K∗(892)± meson resonance is measured at midrapidity (|y|<0.5) in Pb−Pb collisions at √sNN=5.02 TeV using the ALICE detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The resonance is reconstructed via its hadronic decay channel K∗(892)±→K0Sπ±. The transverse momentum distributions are obtained for various centrality intervals in the pT range of 0.4−16 GeV/c . Measurements of integrated yields, mean transverse momenta, and particle yield ratios are reported and found to be consistent with previous ALICE measurements for K∗(892)0 within uncertainties. The pT-integrated yield ratio 2K∗(892)±/(K++K−) in central Pb−Pb collisions shows a significant suppression at a level of 9.3σ relative to pp collisions. Thermal model calculations result in an overprediction of the particle yield ratio. Although both hadron resonance gas in partial chemical equilibrium (HRG-PCE) and music + smash simulations consider the hadronic phase, only HRG-PCE accurately represents the measurements, whereas music + smash simulations tend to overpredict the particle yield ratio. These observations, along with the kinetic freeze-out temperatures extracted from the yields measured for light-flavored hadrons using the HRG-PCE model, indicate a finite hadronic phase lifetime, which decreases with increasing collision centrality percentile. The pT-differential yield ratios 2K∗(892)±/(K++K−) and 2K∗(892)±/(π++π−) are presented and compared with measurements in pp collisions at √s=5.02 TeV. Both pa rticle ratios are found to be suppressed by up to a factor of five at pT<2.0 GeV/c in central Pb−Pb collisions and are qualitatively consistent with expectations for rescattering effects in the hadronic phase. The nuclear modification factor (RAA) shows a smooth evolution with centrality and is found to be below unity at pT>8 GeV/c, consistent with measurements for other light-flavored hadrons. The smallest values are observed in most central collisions, indicating larger energy loss of partons traversing the dense medium.
Highlights
• BaP exposure increases the mutation rate of C. riparius.
• BaP exposure is detrimental for the fitness and the population dynamics of C. riparius.
• Multi-generational studies are essential to assess evolutionary implications of anthropogenic substances on biodiversity.
Abstract
The release of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) into the environment is posing a threat to ecosystems and human health. Benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) is considered a biomarker of PAH exposure and is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen. However, it was not known whether BaP is mutagenic, i.e. induces inherited germline mutations. In this study, we used a recently established method, which combines short-term mutation accumulation lines (MAL) with whole genome sequencing (WGS) to assess mutagenicity in the non-biting midge Chironomus riparius. The mutagenicity analysis was supplemented by an evaluation of the development of population fitness in three successive generations in the case of chronic exposure to BaP at a high concentration (100 μg/L). In addition, the level of ROS-induced oxidative stress was examined in vivo. Exposure to the higher BaP concentration led to an increase in germline mutations relative to the control, while the lower concentration showed no mentionable effect. Against expectations, BaP exposure decreased ROS-level compared to the control and is thus probably not responsible for the increased mutation rate. Likewise, the higher BaP concentration decreased fitness measured as population growth rate per day (PGR) significantly over all generations, without signs of rapid evolutionary adaptations. Our results thus highlighted that high BaP exposure may influence the evolutionary trajectory of organisms.
The human immune system is determined by the functionality of the human lymph node. With the use of high-throughput techniques in clinical diagnostics, a large number of data is currently collected. The new data on the spatiotemporal organization of cells offers new possibilities to build a mathematical model of the human lymph node - a virtual lymph node. The virtual lymph node can be applied to simulate drug responses and may be used in clinical diagnosis. Here, we review mathematical models of the human lymph node from the viewpoint of cellular processes. Starting with classical methods, such as systems of differential equations, we discuss the values of different levels of abstraction and methods in the range from artificial intelligence techniques formalism.
Highlights
• Constrictional structures range from dome-and-basin folds to coeval folds and boudins.
• Under bulk constriction, the competent layer rotates slower than a passive plane.
• Extension-parallel and –perpendicular folds grow simultaneously.
• Extension-perpendicular folds affect previous boudins.
Abstract
We conducted scaled analogue modelling to show the influence of varying single layer initial orientation on the geometry of folds and boudins in a bulk constrictional strain field. The initial angle between the plane of shortening and the competent layer (θZ(i)) was incrementally increased from 0° to 90° by multiples of 11.25°. While the amount of layer thickening decreased with increasing θZ(i), the deformation structures produced range from pure dome-and-basin folds to coeval folds and boudins. Based on the attitude of fold axes, there are extension-parallel (FEPR) and extension-perpendicular (FEPP) folds, with axes subparallel and subperpendicular to the principal stretching axis (X), respectively. Coeval growth of FEPR folds and boudins occurred when θZ(i) > ca. 25°. The FEPP folds can be subdivided into a first type which affect the entire layer (if θZ(i) ranges between 11.25 and 78.75°) and a second type, referred to as FBEPP folds, which are affecting pre-existing boudins if θZ(i) > 45°. The interlimb angle of all types of folds increases with increasing θZ(i). Folds and boudins similar to the ones produced in this study can be found in salt domes and in tectonites of subduction zones.
The inclusive production of the charm-strange baryon Ω0c is measured for the first time via its semileptonic decay into Ω−e+νe at midrapidity (|y| < 0.8) in proton–proton (pp) collisions at the centre-of-mass energy √s = 13 TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC. The transverse momentum (pT) differential cross section multiplied by the branching ratio is presented in the interval 2 < pT < 12 GeV/c. The branching-fraction ratio BR(Ω0c → Ω−e+νe)/BR(Ω0c → Ω−π+) is measured to be 1.12 ± 0.22 (stat.) ± 0.27 (syst.). Comparisons with other experimental measurements, as well as with theoretical calculations, are presented.
Background: A good physician should be empathic and altruistic, among other qualities. Therefore, the levels of socially undesirable personality traits (Dark Triad) as well as implicit motives of achievement, affiliation and power (Multi-Motive Grid) among medical students as future physicians were analyzed at two different points in their medical training.
Methods: This study includes 380 medical students in their first year and 217 in their third year in Germany. All participants completed the Dirty Dozen (DD) and Multi-Motive Grid (MMG) questionnaires at the end of two different classes as paper-and-pencil tests. Relevant differences of the Dark Triad traits between the medical students and reference sample and the two different cohorts, as well as their implicit motives, the associations of Dark Triad traits and MMG components and gender differences of the Dark Triad traits were calculated.
Results: There were no significant group differences between year one and year three medical students in narcissism, psychopathy and Machiavellianism (Dark Triad). There were no significant differences between the medical students and reference sample except in psychopathy. Male students scored significantly higher in the Dark Triad traits than female students. In the MMG, first-year students scored significantly higher levels in Fear of Rejection, and lower levels in Hope of Success and Hope of Power than the third-year students. Some associations were found between narcissism and Machiavelliansim with Hope of Success, Hope of Power and Fear of power.
Conclusions: Dark Triad traits already appear to exist before the commencement of medical studies. These traits do not differ significantly between the medical students and reference sample; only a few MMG components seem to differ at different stages of their studies. This lack of differences between the medical students and validation cohort indicates that tests based on (undesirable) personality traits are not suitable criteria for the admission selection of medical students.
Human feline leukaemia virus subgroup C receptor-related proteins 1 and 2 (FLVCR1 and FLVCR2) are members of the major facilitator superfamily1. Their dysfunction is linked to several clinical disorders, including PCARP, HSAN and Fowler syndrome2,3,4,5,6,7. Earlier studies concluded that FLVCR1 may function as a haem exporter8,9,10,11,12, whereas FLVCR2 was suggested to act as a haem importer13, yet conclusive biochemical and detailed molecular evidence remained elusive for the function of both transporters14,15,16. Here, we show that FLVCR1 and FLVCR2 facilitate the transport of choline and ethanolamine across the plasma membrane, using a concentration-driven substrate translocation process. Through structural and computational analyses, we have identified distinct conformational states of FLVCRs and unravelled the coordination chemistry underlying their substrate interactions. Fully conserved tryptophan and tyrosine residues form the binding pocket of both transporters and confer selectivity for choline and ethanolamine through cation–π interactions. Our findings clarify the mechanisms of choline and ethanolamine transport by FLVCR1 and FLVCR2, enhance our comprehension of disease-associated mutations that interfere with these vital processes and shed light on the conformational dynamics of these major facilitator superfamily proteins during the transport cycle.