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Immune cells are key players in several physiological and pathophysiological events such as acute and chronic inflammation, atherosclerosis and cancer. Especially in acute inflammation, macrophages are indispensable for the switch from the acute inflammatory phase to the resolution phase. Not only the phagocytosis of apoptotic cells, but especially the surrounding cytokines and mediators are able to switch macrophage polarization from inflammatory- to anti-inflammatory phenotypes. Within this cytokine environment, sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) plays an important role for immune cell activation, polarization and migration.
Heme-copper oxidases (HCOs) are the terminal enzymes of the aerobic respiratory chain in the inner mitochondrial membrane or the plasma membrane in many prokaryotes. These multi-subunit membrane protein complexes catalyze the reduction of oxygen to water, coupling this exothermic reaction to the establishment of an electrochemical proton gradient across the membrane in which they are embedded. The energy stored in the electrochemical proton gradient is used e.g. by the FOF1-ATP synthase to generate ATP from ADP and inorganic phosphate. The superfamily of HCOs is phylogenetically classified into three major families: A, B and C. The A-family HCOs, represented by the well-studied aa3-type cytochrome c oxidases (aa3-CcOs), are found in mitochondria and many bacteria. The B-family of HCOs contains a number of bacterial and archaeal oxidases. The C-family comprises only the cbb3-type cytochrome c oxidase (cbb3-CcO) and is most distantly related to the mitochondrial respiratory oxidases.
A second Yalta
(2014)
On 11 February, the World Fought back against Mass Surveillance. See those capital letters? They denote Things that Matter – somehow. We don’t necessarily know who ‘We’ are, what the ‘World’ is, nor whether the Mass Surveillance We’re against is the big and sexy kind run by acronymized (foreign) government agencies that We all recently learned about through Edward Snowden or the everyday kind conducted by means of cookies, computer profiles and GPS data we all send to whomever is watching in the course of a normal day’s activities, like checking Facebook, leaving the house to buy some bread or sending family pictures over the holidays via email. But ‘We’ ‘Fought’ ‘Them’, or maybe ‘It’.
The bloody rebellion in Syria has aroused hostilities between Sunni and Shiite Muslims, a religious conflict that dates back to the first Muslim civilwar and the Battle of Siffin in 657 AD which took place on the banks of the Euphrates river, in what is now Ar-Raqqah, Syria. Today we see how the conflict is again spreading from Syria to the rest of the Middle East in places like Tripoli in Libanon, Falludscha in Iraq and Sad’ah in Yemen. But how did it come to this?
Trust me, I’m an expert
(2014)
Given such phenomena as the dramatic leaks of the last decade, the vibrantand inflammatory discourse about ‘cyberwar’ and the conflation of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement with the ‘backbone of the European economy’, regulation of what the Internet is supposed to be and what people are allowed to do in it is always and everywhere about security, whether users like it or not. And that regulation comes from people, special people we like to think of as experts.
With the current conflict in Gaza going full tilt, the usual questions have popped up: Who is to blame, what is everyone’s motivation and strategy, how to stop the bloodshed, how to end the conflict. And as usual, the two-state solution, i.e. two separate, sovereign states within the borders of the 1949 armistice agreement, keeps popping up as a purported solution. This is especially prominent in the statements of politicians in countries not directly involved in the conflict. Countries that at least claim to want to help end the conflict, be it through mediation or other diplomatic measures. But for those countries, the two-state solution has become an idea to hide behind. It does not help solve the conflict, neither in the short- nor mid-term. Clinging to the idea merely prolongs the status quo. However, it does allow the rest of the world to avoid facing the facts, which would force them to reevaluate their position on who to support and actually do something about the conflict as it currently is. But it’s high time we face the music and admit it: The two-state solution is no longer a viable option when it comes to mediating this conflict...
Out of area or out of business?: the bourgeois parochialism of international studies conferences
(2014)
Most face-to-face interaction with other IR types happens at conferences, and it’s easy to break conferences down by profile and inclusiveness. The ISA annual conference is supposed to rate pretty highly on both, and almost everyone has been a few times by the end of their post-grad careers. Then there are the conferences that are high profile but less inclusive. APSA, BISA, the ISA regional conferences, and the newly constituted EISA are fairly high profile in that most IR professionals have heard of them, but they’re less inclusive in that few of us would cross broad bodies of water and long customs lines to participate...
Soil water potential is crucial to plant transpiration and thus to carbon cycling and biosphere–atmosphere interactions, yet it is difficult to measure in the field. Volumetric and gravimetric water contents are easy and cheap to measure in the field, but can be a poor proxy of plant-available water. Soil water content can be transformed to water potential using soil moisture retention curves. We provide empirically derived soil moisture retention curves for seven soil types in the Kruger National Park, South Africa. Site-specific curves produced excellent estimates of soil water potential from soil water content values. Curves from soils derived from the same geological substrate were similar, potentially allowing for the use of one curve for basalt soils and another for granite soils. It is anticipated that this dataset will help hydrologists and ecophysiologists understand water dynamics, carbon cycling and biosphere–atmosphere interactions under current and changing climatic conditions in the region.
Buff, red, grey – these are common descriptions of pottery in archaeology. Colour is usually part of the recording of ceramic data, but these data are rarely used for more than the most general characterisation of pottery. Despite hesitations concerning the subjective nature of these observations and other factors involved in colour notation, is has been shown that the data can lead the way to broader interpretations, and careful recording with a standardised system such as the Munsell colour charts may reduce the effects of personal perception. A sample of colour notations of pottery from Tell Mozan, Syria, is presented here as an example of the possibilities; it is hoped that this study will provide comparative data for other sites in the region.
Der Radiofrequenzquadrupol (RFQ) wird typischerweise als erstes beschleunigendes Element in Beschleunigeranlagen eingesetzt. Das elektrische Quadrupolfeld ermöglicht die gleichzeitige Fokussierung und Beschleunigung des Ionenstrahls. Zudem ist der RFQ in der Lage den Gleichstromstrahl von der Ionenquelle zu Teilchenpaketen (Bunche) zu formen, die von den nachfolgenden Driftröhrenbeschleunigern benötigt werden. Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit war die Untersuchung zur Realisierbarkeit eines 325 MHz 4-rod RFQ Beschleunigers. Die Frequenz von 325 MHz stellt eine ungewöhnlich hohe Betriebsfrequenz für die 4-rod Struktur dar und wird z.B. für den Protonenlinac des FAIR Projektes benötigt. Ein Problem hierbei war, dass durch die bauartbedingten unsymmetrischen Elektrodenaufhängung und der hohen Frequenz ein, das Quadrupolfeld überlagerndes, Dipolfeld erzeugt wird. Dieses störende Feld kann z.B. zu einem Versatz der Strahlachse führen. Hierzu wurde die 4-rod Struktur in Simulationen grundlegend auf Einflüsse von verschiedenen Parametern auf die Resonanzfrequenz und das Dipolfeld untersucht. Es wurden Lösungsstrategien erarbeitet das Diopolfeld zu kompensieren und auf einen Prototypen angewendet. Zudem wurde das Verhalten höherer Schwingungsmoden dieser Struktur simuliert. In diesem Rahmen wurden auch Simulationen zu Randfeldern zwischen den 4-rod Elektroden und der Tankwand untersucht, um nachteilige Effekte für die Strahlqualität auszuschließen. Basierend auf den Simulationsergebnissen wurde ein Prototyp angefertigt. Dieser Prototyp wurde zur Demonstration der Betriebseigenschaften mit Leistungen bis 40 kW getestet. Hierbei wurde die Elektrodenspannung mittels Gammaspektroskopie bestimmt und daraus die Shuntimpedanz berechnet. Diese Werte wurden mit anderen Methoden der Shuntimpedanzbes- timmung verglichen. Außerdem wurden alternative RFQ Resonatorkonzepte ebenfalls auf ihre Realisierbarkeit für den Protonenlinac untersucht. Die Einflüsse verschiedener Parameter auf die Betriebsfrequenz, die Möglichkeiten des Frequenztunings und der Einstellung der longitudinalen Spannungsverteilung gefertigter Modelle wurden in einer Diskussion gegenübergestellt.
The neuroanatomical connectivity of cortical circuits is believed to follow certain rules, the exact origins of which are still poorly understood. In particular, numerous nonrandom features, such as common neighbor clustering, overrepresentation of reciprocal connectivity, and overrepresentation of certain triadic graph motifs have been experimentally observed in cortical slice data. Some of these data, particularly regarding bidirectional connectivity are seemingly contradictory, and the reasons for this are unclear. Here we present a simple static geometric network model with distance-dependent connectivity on a realistic scale that naturally gives rise to certain elements of these observed behaviors, and may provide plausible explanations for some of the conflicting findings. Specifically, investigation of the model shows that experimentally measured nonrandom effects, especially bidirectional connectivity, may depend sensitively on experimental parameters such as slice thickness and sampling area, suggesting potential explanations for the seemingly conflicting experimental results.
Background: High-dose chemotherapy (HDC) with autologous stem-cell rescue (ASCR) is a treatment option for pediatric patients with relapsed nephroblastoma. We present long term results of 9 patients treated between 1993 and 2013 at our center.
Procedure: Reinduction therapy was carried out according to GPOH and SIOP recommendations. The conditioning regimen consisted of carboplatin (1 200 mg/m²), etoposide (800 mg/m² or 40 mg/kg) and melphalan (180 mg/m²). Purging of the grafts with immunomagnetic CD34 positive selection was performed in 5 patients.
Results: 8 of 9 Patients (90%) are alive without evidence of disease after a median follow-up of 8.5 years. Leukocyte engraftment occurred after a median of 10 days (range 8-12). Median numbers of 667/µl CD3+, 329/µl CD4+, 369/µl CD8+T cells and 949/µl B cells were reached after 180 days. No negative impact of CD34 selection was observed. No transplantation-related death occurred. Acute toxicity comprised mucositis III°-IV° in all and veno-occlusive disease in one patient. Long term effects probably related to treatment occurred in 3/7 evaluable patients and comprised hearing impairment, reduced renal phosphate reabsorption, mild creatinine elevation and hypothyroidism (n=1, each).
Conclusion: Thus, in our experience HDC with ASCR is an effective treatment of recurrent or refractory nephroblastoma with acceptable side effects. However, a randomized trial proving its efficiency with a high level of evidence is needed.
Introduction - Issue 7
(2014)
A recent trend in international development circles is "New Institutionalism". In a slogan, the idea is just that good institutions matter. The slogan itself is so innocuous as to be hardly worth comment. But the push to improve institutional quality has the potential to have a much less innocuous impact on aid efforts and other aspects of international development. This paper provides a critical introduction to some of the literature on institutional quality. It looks, in particular, at an argument for the conclusion that making aid conditional on good institutional quality will promote development by reducing poverty. This paper suggests that there is little theoretical or empirical evidence that this kind of conditionality is good for the poor.
Justice, not development : Sen and the hegemonic framework for ameliorating global inequality
(2014)
Starting from the merits of Sen's "Development as freedom", the article also explores its shortcomings. It argues that they are related to an uncritical adoption of the discourse of "development", which is the hegemonic framework for ameliorating global inequality today. This discourse implies certain limitations of thought and action, and the article points out three areas where urgent questions of global justice have been largely ignored by development theory and policy as a consequence. Struggles for justice on a global scale, this is the conclusion, should not take the detour of "development".
The debate about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are to replace the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) when they expire in 2015, is moving very quickly. Weighing in on this debate, we argue that if the SDGs are to be as effective as they can realistically be, concrete responsibilities must be assigned to specific competent actors, measurement methods involved in development targets must not be allowed to be changed midway, and the tracking of progress must be left to independent experts. New development goals should aim for inequality reduction, a more comprehensive view of poverty, and, most importantly, systemic reforms of global institutions. The world will not make decent progress against poverty until the most powerful agents accept real action commitments, not only in the marginal area of development assistance, but in all their policy and institutional design decisions, at both the domestic and especially the supranational level. We end with eight examples of institutional reform goals – ranging from deterring trade barriers to mitigating the effects of lost corporate tax revenues on poor populations – that should be included in the new list.
Rising powers are fundamentally shifting the relations of power in the global economic and political landscape. International political theory, however, has so far failed to evaluate this nascent multipolarity. This article fills this lacuna by synthesizing empirical and normative modes of inquiry. It examines the transformation of sovereignty exercised by emerging democracies and focuses especially on the case of Brazil. The paper shows that – in stark contrast to emerging democracies' foreign policy rhetoric – the "softening" of sovereignty, which means that emerging powers gain as well as lose certain aspects of sovereignty, has become the norm. The paper explores this softening of sovereignty from the perspective of global justice by assessing it on the basis of globalist, statist, and internationalist conceptions of global justice. We find that the emergent multipolarity contributes in various ways to the realization of the distinct socioeconomic and political criteria of these three conceptions of global justice. However, we also point out that the transformation of sovereignty generates particular problems for the realization of all three conceptions.
Facts about global justice
(2014)
The recent financial crisis highlighted the limits of the "originate to distribute" model of banking, but its nexus with the macroeconomy remains unexplored. I build a business cycle model with banks engaging in credit risk transfer (CRT) under informational externalities. Markets for CRT provide liquidity insurance to banks, but the emergence of a pooling equilibrium can also impair the banks’ monitoring incentives. In normal times and in face of standard macro shocks the insurance benefits of CRT prevail and the business cycle is stabilized. In face of financial/liquidity shocks the extent of informational asymmetries is larger and the business cycle is amplified. The macro model with CRT can also reproduce well a number of macro and banking statistics over the period of rapid growth of this banks’ business model.
Objective: To examine risk of malignancy and death in patients with kidney transplant who receive the immunosuppressive drug sirolimus.
Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis of individual patient data.
Data sources: Medline, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials from inception to March 2013.
Eligibility: Randomized controlled trials comparing immunosuppressive regimens with and without sirolimus in recipients of kidney or combined pancreatic and renal transplant for which the author was willing to provide individual patient level data. Two reviewers independently screened titles/abstracts and full text reports of potentially eligible trials to identify studies for inclusion. All eligible trials reported data on malignancy or survival.
Results: The search yielded 2365 unique citations. Patient level data were available from 5876 patients from 21 randomized trials. Sirolimus was associated with a 40% reduction in the risk of malignancy (adjusted hazard ratio 0.60, 95% confidence interval 0.39 to 0.93) and a 56% reduction in the risk of non-melanoma skin cancer (0.44, 0.30 to 0.63) compared with controls. The most pronounced effect was seen in patients who converted to sirolimus from an established immunosuppressive regimen, resulting in a reduction in risk of malignancy (0.34, 0.28 to 0.41), non-melanoma skin cancer (0.32, 0.24 to 0.42), and other cancers (0.52, 0.38 to 0.69). Sirolimus was associated with an increased risk of death (1.43, 1.21 to 1.71) compared with controls.
Conclusions: Sirolimus was associated with a reduction in the risk of malignancy and non-melanoma skin cancer in transplant recipients. The benefit was most pronounced in patients who converted from an established immunosuppressive regimen to sirolimus. Given the risk of mortality, however, the use of this drug does not seem warranted for most patients with kidney transplant. Further research is needed to determine if different populations, such as those at high risk of cancer, might benefit from sirolimus.
Library Buildings around the World" is a survey based on researches of several years. The objective was to gather library buildings on an international level starting with 1990.
The parts Germany, France, United Kingdom, United States have been thoroughly revised, supplemented and completed for this 2nd edition. A revision of the other countries is planned for the next edition.
Brachiacantha Dejean (Coccinellinae: Hyperaspidini), containing 49 species, is discussed, species described, illustrations provided, and a key to all recognized taxa included. Coccinella octopustulata F., Cleothera groendali Mulsant, Hyperaspis argentinica Weise, Hyperaspis blandula Weise, and Hyperaspis egae Crotch are transferred to Brachiacantha. Cleothera billoti parva Mulsant is recognized as a valid species and transferred to Brachiacantha. Brachiacantha arrowi Brèthes, Brachiacantha australe Leng, Brachiacantha manni Nunenmacher, and Brachiacantha propria Kirsch are recognized as synonyms of Brachiacantha groendali (Mulsant). A total of 29 new species of Brachiacantha are described; B. amber, B. anita, B. april, B. cathy, B. clara, B. charlotte, B. danielle, B. darlene, B. debbie, B. eleanor, B. emma, B. esther, B. eva, B. gail, B. hazel, B. jamie, B. joanne, B. jill, B. juanita, B. lauren, B. leslie, B. lynn, B. monica, B. pauline, B. pseudoarrowi, B. regina, B. sally, B. valerie, and B. veronica. Lectotypes are designated for B. argentinica (Weise), B. armandi (Mulsant), B. arrowi Brèthes, B. bahiensis Brethès, B. bilineata Weise, B. blandula Weise, B. bruchi Weise, B. loricata (Mulsant), B. octopustulata (F.), B. propria Kirsch.
Three new species of Pselnophorus are described from the Nearctic region. Pselnophorus chihuahuaensis Matthews, Gielis, and Watkins, Pselnophorus hodgesi Matthews, Gielis, and Watkins, and Pselnophorus kutisi Matthews, Gielis, and Watkins, are described and distinguished from the only previously named Nearctic congener Pselnophorus belfragei (Fish). Illustrations of the adults and male and female genitalia are provided along with a key to males.
The ladybeetle Anovia sp. (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae: Noviini), known as an important natural enemy of the Colombian fluted scale, Crypticeria muticicatrices Kondo and Gullan (Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Monophlebidae) is here identified as A. punica Gordon, 1972, and reported for the first time from Peru. Here we provide information and illustrations of the great variation in color and dorsal patterns of A. punica found in Colombia and Peru.
The fauna of the small carrion beetles and round fungus beetles (Leiodidae) of the oceanic islands of the West Indies is reviewed with 11 genera and 81 species recorded. Keys to adults of all genera and species, descriptions, and figures are provided to aid in identification. All species are endemic to the islands of the West Indies. Most species are endemic to a single island, but some species in the Lesser Antilles occur on more than one island. It is certain that more species remain to be discovered, especially on larger and less explored islands. Two new genera are described: Parvocyrtusa (type species Parvocyrtusa hispaniolensis), and Pseudolionothus (type species Pseudolionothus insularis). The genus Pseudoagathidium Angelini is reported from the New World for the first time with one species. The higher taxa and 61 new species and their island distributions are as follows: Cholevinae, Eucatopini, Eucatops Portevin (first West Indian record): E. annulus, Hispaniola. Ptomaphagini, Proptomaphaginus Szymczakowski (four species, no new taxa), Greater Antilles and Bahamas (new genus record). Anemadini, Dissochaetus Reitter (five species, one new species): D. santalucia, St. Lucia. Leiodinae, Agathidiini, Agathidium Panzer (first West Indian record): A. minutum, Hispaniola. Pseudoagathidium Angelini (first New World record): P. ignotum, St. Vincent. Leiodini, Isoplastus Horn (first West Indian record): I. hispaniolensis, Hispaniola. Zeadolopus Broun (five known species, 28 new species): Z. acinaces, Hispaniola; Z. angulatus, St. Vincent; Z. antiguensis, Antigua, Saba, Montserrat; Z. atratus, Cuba; Z. bahamensis, Bahamas Islands (Andros Island); Z. caborojo, Hispaniola; Z. carinatus, Jamaica; Z caymanensis, Cayman Islands (Grand Cayman); Z. cubensis, Cuba; Z. dominica, Dominica; Z. exiguus, Hispaniola; Z. flavidus, Cuba; Z. hatomayor, Hispaniola; Z. hispaniolensis, Hispaniola; Z. iviei, Hispaniola; Z. jarabacoa, Hispaniola; Z. lavega, Hispaniola; Z. longipes, Hispaniola; Z. lucidus, Cuba; Z. miniusculus, Hispaniola; Z. nanus, Hispaniola; Z. nesiotes, St. Lucia and Martinique; Z. oviedoensis, Hispaniola; Z. parvantilliensis, Montserrat, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada; Z. paulus, Hispaniola; Z. pedernales, Hispaniola; Z. pusillus, Cuba. Parvocyrtusa (new genus, one new species): P. hispaniolensis, Hispaniola. Pseudolionothus (new genus, two new species): P. andersoni, Cuba; P. insularis, Hispaniola. Scotocryptini, Aglyptinus Cockerell (five known species, 19 new species): A. angulatus, Hispaniola; A. bahamensis, Bahamas Islands (Andros Island); A. biserriatus, Cuba; A. capitaneus, Cuba; A. dominica, Dominica; A. fortipunctatus, Cuba; A. grandis, Hispaniola; A. grenadensis, Grenada; A. hemipterus, Jamaica; A. hispaniolensis, Hispaniola; A. longipalpus, Hispaniola; A. luciae, St. Lucia; A. maculatus, Jamaica; A. martiniquensis, Martinique; A. minutus, Cuba; A. parvoculus, Jamaica; A. parvus, St. Lucia; A. sinuatus, Cuba; A. vincentii, St. Vincent. Creagrophorus Matthews (one known species, seven new species): C. bicolor, Martinique; C. cubensis, Cuba; C. dominica, Dominica; C. hispaniolensis, Hispaniola; C. microdentatus, Hispaniola; C. santalucia, St. Lucia; C. unidentatus, St. Vincent and Grenada.
A new species of soft scale from Mexico, Toumeyella martinezi Kondo and Gonzalez sp. nov. (Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Coccidae) collected on Myrtillocactus geometrizans (Mart. ex Pfeiff.) Console (Cactaceae) is described and illustrated. An updated taxonomic key to the soft scale insects of the genus Toumeyella Cockerell known from Mexico is provided. A list of all currently known species of Toumeyella worldwide is given.
We provide new state and county records of biting midges in the genus Culicoides Latreille (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) from the southeastern United States collected with CDC miniature light traps during 2007–2012 in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Texas. The primary goals of the surveys were to identify the presence of exotic Culicoides, and determine the ranges of known and possible vectors of bluetongue virus (BTV) and epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV). Included are the fi rst records of: Culicoides (Amossovia) beckae Wirth and Blanton from Louisiana and Mississippi, C. (A.) oklahomensis Khalaf from Alabama and Arkansas, C. (Avaritia) alachua Jamnback and Wirth from Alabama, C. (Culicoides) neopulicaris Wirth from Alabama, C. (Drymodesmyia) butleri Wirth and Hubert from Texas, C. (Hoffmania) insignis Lutz from Mississippi, C. (Oecacta) barbosai Wirth and Blanton from Georgia, C. (Silvaticulicoides) loisae Jamnback from Alabama, and C. kirbyi Glick and Mullen from Mississippi. We also provide new Florida county records for C. alachua, C. barbosai, C. (Beltranmyia) hollensis (Melander and Brues), C. insignis, and C. (Monoculicoides) sonorensis Wirth and Jones; a new Georgia county record for C. alachua; and new Alabama county records for C. insignis, and C. sonorensis.
A revised checklist for the butterfl y families Hedylidae and Hesperiidae (Lepidoptera) of Trinidad (Trinidad and Tobago) is presented, bringing nomenclature in line with modern usage, and indicating synonyms from earlier lists and papers. The following are new records for Trinidad: Thessia athesis (Hewitson), Bungalotis clusia Evans, Sarmientoia eriopis (Hewitson), Pellicia tyana toza Evans, Quadrus contubernalis contubernalis (Mabille) and Decinea decinea derisor (Mabille). The checklist includes two species of Hedylidae and 314 species of 157 genera of Hesperiidae, comprising 87 species of 37 genera of Eudaminae, 73 species of 41 genera of Pyrginae, and 154 species of 80 genera of Hesperiinae.
We clarify the taxonomy and nomenclature of several species-group names and the family-group name for the anticheirine scarabs (Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae: Rutelini), a group that includes nearly 550 species and subspecies in 44 genera and subgenera. These clarifications are necessary due to taxonomic and nomenclatural inaccuracies in recent revisionary works. We provide a list of genera included in the anticheirine scarabs sensu Soula. Numerous nomenclatural changes are necessary due to invalid type designations or misspellings: the valid type species of Aequatoria Arrow is Chlorota associata Waterhouse; the valid type species of Chlorota Burmeister is Rutela terminata Le Peletier de Saint-Fargeau and Audinet-Serville; the valid type species of Dorysthetus Blanchard is Macraspis chlorophana Burmeister; the valid type species of Anticheira Eschscholtz is Scarabaeus virens Drury. Changes to the type species of Anticheira result in new combinations: Anticheira virens virens (Drury), new combination, Anticheira virens bleuzeni (Soula), new combination and Anticheira virens jossi (Soula), new combination. Some anticheirine species names were not associated with species descriptions or type designations, making these names nomina nuda and unavailable: “Chlorota smithi”, “Macraspis cincta guatemalensis”, “Parachlorota equatoriana”, “Parachlorota pardoi”, “Pseudothyridium (Megathyridium) bousqueti”, “Theuremaripa rivae brasiliensis” and “Thyridium cupriventre blanchardi”. Dorysthaetus rufipennis Dejean is a nomen nudum and an unavailable name. We correct numerous misspellings from Soula’s five volumes on anticheirine scarabs and provide a list to avoid propagation of these errors by future researchers. Eighteen names are unavailable infrasubspecific names, and thirty-six of Soula’s names were misspelled. These names confuse and obscure ruteline systematics. Lastly, we provide a comprehensive list of infrasubspecific names in the anticheirine scarabs and we establish these as available or unavailable names.
Pocket gopher burrows were sampled from 22 counties within Arkansas to determine the associated faunal composition of three major families of Coleoptera (Histeridae, Leiodidae and Scarabaeidae) commonly associated with pocket gopher burrows. We collected eight species of Histeridae, four species of Leiodidae and eight species of Scarabaeidae from the burrows of Geomys breviceps Baird. Three of the Histeridae were new state records, Geomysaprinus goffi Ross, G. rugosifrons (Fall) and Margarinotus felipae (Lewis). All of the Leiodidae were new state records and one Scarabaeidae was a new state record, Dellacasiellus concavus (Say). The most commonly collected scarab beetles were Cryptoscatomaseter haldemani (Horn) and Geomyphilus insolitus (Brown). The most commonly collected hister beetle was Onthophilus kirni Ross. The Leiodidae were infrequently captured.
Trixagus steineri (Coleoptera: Throscidae), a new species and first genus record from The Bahamas
(2014)
Trixagus Kugelann 1794 is the second largest genus of Throscidae with 80 valid species presently assigned. Horn (1885, 1890) reviewed the species for the United States and Mesoamerica, and then Blanchard (1917) revised part of the family for Canada and the United States in a posthumous article edited by H.C. Fall. Schenkling (1928) provided the only published worldwide catalog. Yensen (1975) provided a modern revision for the species for Canada and the United States, and then (Yensen 1980) described T. cobosi from Panama and provided a new key to all of the described American species. Among these studies only T. chevrolati (Bonvouloir 1859) was recorded from southern Florida, thus being a species potentially shared with The Bahamas. Aulonothroscus bicarinatus Fleutiaux (1911, 1947) (Blackwelder 1944), from Guadeloupe, is the only other throscid species previously described from the West Indies. Prior to the work of Lawrence and Newton (1995) the subfamily Lissominae received divergent treatment and was usually treated as a subfamily of Throscidae (e.g., Schenkling 1928, Blackwelder 1944, Yensen 1975). This subfamily is represented in The Bahamas by two species of Drapetes Megerle 1821 (Turnbow and Thomas 2008). Representation of the subsequently restricted family in The Bahamas was provided by two undetermined species of Aulonothroscus Horn listed by Turnbow and Thomas (2008) from Andros, Eleuthera, and Great Inagua islands; these will be treated separately from here. The reporting of a new species of Trixagus from New Providence Island provides a second genus from the country and the entire Lucayan Archipelago, and suggests that related species of both genera from Hispaniola and Cuba are probable and await discovery (Peck 2005; Perez-Gelabert 2008).
On 23 July 2014, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) passed the “Money Market Reform: Amendments to Form PF ,” designed to prevent investor runs on money market mutual funds such as those experienced in institutional prime funds following the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers. The present article evaluates the reform choices in the U.S. and draws conclusions for the proposed EU regulation of money market funds.
Can a tightening of the bank resolution regime lead to more prudent bank behavior? This policy paper reviews arguments for why this could be the case and presents evidence linking changes in bank resolution regimes with bank risk-taking. The authors find that the tightening of bank resolution in the U.S. (i.e., the introduction of the Orderly Liquidation Authority) significantly decreased overall risk-taking of the most affected banks. This effect, however, does not hold for the largest and most systemically important banks – too-big-to-fail seems to be unresolved. Building on the insights from the U.S. experience, the authors derive principles for effective resolution regimes and evaluate the emerging resolution regime for Europe.
A recent proposal by the Financial Stability Board (FSB) suggests a new risk capital buffer for globally operating systemically important financial institutions. The suggested metric, “Total Loss Absorbing Capacity“ (TLAC), is composed of Tier-1 capital and loss absorbing debt. In a crisis situation, “bail-in-able” debt is to be written down or converted into equity. Jan Krahnen argues that the credibility of bail-in, in the case of systemically important financial institutions, hinges crucially on the design of TLAC and the requirements that will be placed on loss absorbing “bail-in-able” debt.The fear of direct systemic consequences through bail-in could be overcome, if a holding ban were placed on the “bail-in-bonds” of financial institutions. The holding ban would stipulate that these bonds cannot be held by other institutions within the banking sector.
Twenty six species of the genus Purenleon Stange (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae: Nemoleontini) are recognized from the New World, of which ten are described as new species: P. oaxacae, P. fernandezi, P. tibialis, P. adamsi, P. andinus, P. apache, P. aztecus, P. cavei, P. farri and P. toltecus. Neotypes are designated for Psammoleon banksi Esben-Petersen 1933 and for Formicaleo inaequalis Navás 1913. The larvae of sixteen species have been reared and are described with data on their biologies. The genus is subdivided into three species groups based mostly on leg structure. The inscriptus group consists of fi ve species, the tibialis group consists of two species and the rest of the species are in the bistictus group. Keys to the species based both on adults and larvae are provided and descriptions given.
Besides the two species at present known belonging to the genus Trichonotuloides Balthasar (T. glyptus (Bates) and T. latecrenatus (Bates)), two new Mexican species, T. alfonsinae and T. hansferyi, are herein described (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae). The complete set of fi gures is supplied for all taxa herein dealt with.
The known range of Oxybleptes meridionalis Smetana (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) is expanded in Florida, USA, from Indian River and Manatee counties to now include Brevard, Highlands, Orange, Seminole and Volusia. Oxybleptes davisi (Notman) is confi rmed to exist in Florida, with records from Leon, Liberty and Wakulla counties in the Panhandle, and Orange County in central Florida. Lissohypnus texanus Casey is newly reported from Florida. A new species, Lissohypnus fullertoni, is described from Florida. Diochus schaumii Kraatz reverts to this original spelling; its widespread form in Florida is identical to that in the northeastern USA.
Aleurolobus confusus David and Subramaniam and Bemisia lespedezae (Danzig) occurring on Stephanandra incisa (Thunb.) and Lespedeza bicolor Turcz. are newly documented in the Korean fauna of whiteflies (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae). Characteristics of these species are briefly redescribed and illustrative photographs and information on their distribution and hosts are provided. A dichotomous key to whiteflies of Korea is given for correct species identification. In addition, the current status of Bemisia takahashii (Danzig) in Korea is discussed based on the results of a survey of the whiteflies of Korea and related papers.
Two new species of pselaphine staphylinids in the genus Batrisodes are described: B. (Declivodes) dorothae Ferro and Carlton from Feliciana Preserve, Louisiana; and B. (Babnormodes) spretoides Ferro and Carlton from Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee. They differ from all other described Batrisodes species in secondary male characters, especially details of the frontal region of the head. These two species bring the total diversity of the genus in North America to 88 species. Specimens were imaged using light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray microtomography (micro-CT) techniques. Utility of multiple imaging techniques, especially micro-CT, is discussed.
Taxonomic revision of North American Eusphalerum Kraatz, 1857 (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Omaliinae)
(2014)
The North American species of the genus Eusphalerum Kraatz (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Omaliinae) are revised. The taxonomic history, natural history, geographical distribution of the genus, characters, species groups, diversity, and biogeography of North American species are presented. Two main phylogenetic lineages and 13 species groups are provisionally recognized. The following new synonymies are proposed: Eusphalerum farrarae (Hatch, 1944) = E. lawrencei Hatch, 1957; Eusphalerum californicum (Fauvel, 1878) = E. atriventre (Casey, 1894), = E. nigerrimum (Casey, 1894), = E. gilvipenne (Casey, 1894), = E. dichroum (Fall, 1922), = E. bonnelli (Hatch, 1944), = E. lunae Hatch, 1957; Eusphalerum fraternum (Casey, 1894) = E. minskae (Hatch, 1944); Eusphalerum rugulosum (Mäklin, 1853) = E. grayae (Hatch, 1944); Eusphalerum orientale (Bernhauer, 1912) = E. frosti (Bernhauer, 1928). The following lectotypes are designated: E. subangulatum (Casey), E. californicum (Fauvel), E. gilvipenne (Casey), E. diversicolle (Casey), E. convexum (Fauvel), E. fraternum (Casey), E. horni (Fauvel), E. orientale (Bernhauer), E. pothos (Mannerheim), and E. punctatum (Casey). The following new species are described: Eusphalerum pilosum (California); E. klimaszewskii (British Columbia); E. chatzimanolisi (California); E. carolinensis (Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia); E. caterinoi (California); E. luteipes (California); E. thayeranum (Alberta, British Columbia, Idaho, Indiana (doubtful record), Oregon, Washington); E. margaretae (Tennessee); E. newtoni (British Columbia, Oregon, California); E. parvispiculum (California, Oregon); E. uncinatum (British Columbia, California, Oregon, Washington). Eusphalerum lapponicum (Mannerheim, 1830) is excluded from the North American fauna. The following new combination is proposed: Xylodromus segmentarius (Mäklin, 1852: 322) (ex Omalium), wrongly attributed to Eusphalerum in the literature. Omalium marginatum Say, 1832 is considered a doubtful species, probably not Eusphalerum. A key to the 27 recognized North American Eusphalerum species and a catalog of the species are provided.
Past concepts and synonymies of Anadenobolus monilicornis (Porat, 1876) (Spirobolida: Rhinocricidae), including the implied synonymy of Rhinocricus ectus Chamberlin, 1920, are consolidated into a formal account with the fi rst illustrations of the holotype. Prior to 1492, A. monilicornis was probably indigenous to an unknown number of southern Antillean islands, but through modern commerce, man has introduced it to Florida, Bermuda, Barbados, the Cayman Islands, and Jamaica, and probably repeatedly (re)introduced conspecifi c material to all the Lesser Antilles, resulting in subcontinuous gene pool mixing and reticulate evolution. A broad species concept is necessary to encompass the multitudinous variants, some of which have been recognized as species; only one true Caribbean species of Anadenobolus Silvestri, 1897, may exist, for which arboreus (Saussure, 1859) is the oldest name. The distribution of A. monilicornis presently extends from Bermuda and southern coastal Florida through the Greater and Lesser Antilles (excepting Cuba) to eastern coastal Venezuela and central Suriname, with outlier populations in Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, and Tampa Bay and the eastern Floridian panhandle; excepting Barbados, the indigenous range may have extended from Hispaniola through the same area. Introductions into Manitoba, Canada, and North Carolina, USA, have not yielded viable populations. Localities are newly recorded from St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands.
Distributional records of the 71 tiger beetle species and subspecies known for Argentina are given together with a key and habitus photos (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae). Brasiella (Brasiella) cuyabaensis Mandl, 1970 and Brasiella (Gaymara) rotundatodilatata (Horn, 1925) are reported as new for the fauna of Argentina. Brasiella (Brasiella) stamatovi (Sumlin, 1979) is transferred to Cylindera (Plectographa), becoming C. (P.) stamatovi (Sumlin), new combination. Cylindera (Plectographa) siccalacicola (Sumlin, 1979) is placed into synonymy under Cylindera (Plectographa) hassenteufeli (Mandl, 1960), new synonymy. A lectotype is designated for Cylindera (Plectographa) patagonica bergiana (Horn, 1895).
We characterize optimal redistribution in a dynastic family model with human capital. We show how a government can improve the trade-off between equality and incentives by changing the amount of observable human capital. We provide an intuitive decomposition for the wedge between human-capital investment in the laissez faire and the social optimum. This wedge differs from the wedge for bequests because human capital carries risk: its returns depend on the non-diversi
able risk of children's ability. Thus, human capital investment is encouraged more than bequests in the social optimum if human capital is a bad hedge for consumption risk.
Money is more than memory
(2014)
Impersonal exchange is the hallmark of an advanced society. One key institution for impersonal exchange is money, which economic theory considers just a primitive arrangement for monitoring past conduct in society. If so, then a public record of past actions — or memory — supersedes the function performed by money. This intriguing theoretical postulate remains untested. In an experiment, we show that the suggested functional equality between money and memory does not translate into an empirical equivalence. Monetary systems perform a richer set of functions than just revealing past behaviors, which proves to be crucial in promoting large-scale cooperation.
Five new species of Cerambycidae (Coleoptera) from Peru and Bolivia, and two new records for Peru
(2014)
The following four new species of Cerambycidae are described from Bolivia: Chrysoprasis imitatrix (Heteropsini); Carneades vigneaulti (Colobotheini); Colobothea larriveei (Colobotheini); Colobothea boliviana (Colobotheini). Esthlogena (Pseudotaxia) bella (Pteropliini) is described from Peru. A key to species of Carneades Bates, 1869 is provided. The other new species are included in previously published keys. Additionally, two new country records are reported for the fauna of Peru.
Emotions-at-risk: an experimental investigation into emotions, option prices and risk perception
(2014)
This paper experimentally investigates how emotions are associated with option prices and risk perception. Using a binary lottery, we find evidence that the emotion ‘surprise’ plays a significant role in the negative correlation between lottery returns and estimates of the price of a put option. Our findings shed new light on various existing theories on emotions and affect. We find gratitude, admiration, and joy to be positively associated with risk perception, although the affect heuristic predicts a negative association. In contrast with the predictions of the appraisal tendency framework (ATF), we document a negative correlation between option price and surprise for lottery winners. Finally, the results show that the option price is not associated with risk perception as commonly used in psychology.
This chapter analyzes the risk and return characteristics of investments in artists from the Middle East and Northern Africa (MENA) region over the sample period 2000 to 2012. With hedonic regression modeling we create an annual index that is based on 3,544 paintings created by 663 MENA artists. Our empirical results prove that investing in such a hypothetical index provides strong financial returns. While the results show an exponential growth in sales since 2006, the geometric annual return of the MENA art index is a stable13.9 percent over the whole period. We conclude that investing in MENA paintings would have been profitable but also note that we examined the performance of an emerging art market that has only seen an upward trend without any correction, yet.
The record-breaking prices observed in the art market over the last three years raise the question of whether we are experiencing a speculative bubble. Given the difficulty to determine the fundamental value of artworks, we apply a right-tailed unit root test with forward recursive regressions (SADF test) to detect explosive behaviors directly in the time series of four different art market segments (“Impressionist and Modern”, “Post-war and Contemporary”, “American”, and “Latin American”) for the period from 1970 to 2013. We identify two historical speculative bubbles and find an explosive movement in today’s “Post-war and Contemporary” and “American” fine art market segments.
This paper investigates the impact of news media sentiment on financial market returns and volatility in the long-term. We hypothesize that the way the media formulate and present news to the public produces different perceptions and, thus, incurs different investor behavior. To analyze such framing effects we distinguish between optimistic and pessimistic news frames. We construct a monthly media sentiment indicator by taking the ratio of the number of newspaper articles that contain predetermined negative words to the number of newspaper articles that contain predetermined positive words in the headline and/or the lead paragraph. Our results indicate that pessimistic news media sentiment is positively related to global market volatility and negatively related to global market returns 12 to 24 months in advance. We show that our media sentiment indicator reflects very well the financial market crises and pricing bubbles over the past 20 years.
Since the 2008 financial crisis, in which the Reserve Primary Fund “broke the buck,” money market funds (MMFs) have been the subject of ongoing policy debate. Many commentators view MMFs as a key contributor to the crisis because widespread redemption demands during the days following the Lehman bankruptcy contributed to a freeze in the credit markets. In response, MMFs were deemed a component of the nefarious shadow banking industry and targeted for regulatory reform. The Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) misguided 2014 reforms responded by potentially exacerbating MMF fragility while potentially crippling large segments of the MMF industry.
Determining the appropriate approach to MMF reform has been difficult. Banks regulators supported requiring MMFs to trade at a floating net asset value (NAV) rather than a stable $1 share price. By definition, a floating NAV prevents MMFs from breaking the buck but is unlikely to eliminate the risk of large redemptions in a time of crisis. Other reform proposals have similar shortcomings. More fundamentally, the SEC’s reforms may substantially reduce the utility of MMFs for many investors, which could, in turn, affect the availability of short term credit.
The shape of MMF reform has been influenced by a turf war among regulators as the SEC has battled with bank regulators both about the need for additional reforms and about the structure and timing of those reforms. Bank regulators have been influential in shaping the terms of the debate by using banking rhetoric to frame the narrative of MMF fragility. This rhetoric masks a critical difference between banks and MMFs – asset segregation. Unlike banks, MMF sponsors have assets and operations that are separate from the assets of the MMF itself. This difference has caused the SEC to mistake sponsor support as a weakness rather than a key stability-enhancing feature. As a result, the SEC mistakenly adopted reforms that burden sponsor support instead of encouraging it.
As this article explains, required sponsor support offers a novel and simple regulatory solution to MMF fragility. Accordingly this article proposes that the SEC require MMF sponsors explicitly to guarantee the $1 share price. Taking sponsor support out of the shadows embraces rather than ignores the advantage that MMFs offer over banks through asset partitioning. At the same time, sponsor support harnesses market discipline as a constraint against MMF risk-taking and moral hazard.
A new species of Nephus Mulsant (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) from southern Florida is described: Nephus (Nephus) alyssae. This represents the fi rst member of the subgenus Nephus reported in the southeastern United States. Florida species previously placed in the genus Nephus, now placed in Scymnobius Casey, are compared with the new species.
A newly discovered population of Xystocheir brachymacris Shelley, 1996 (Polydesmida: Xystodesmidae: Xystocheirini), in Placer County (Co.), California, exhibits an unusual grayish-black color dorsally with mottled, ovoid patches at paranotal bases; it cons titutes northern generic and specifi c range extensions of ~28.4 km (17.6 mi). The gonopods differ from those in the El Dorado Co. population in having shorter/acuminate prefemoral processes and blade-like, rather than spatulate, processes “B” that angle away from the solenomere instead of overhanging it. Additionally, a strong distomedial prefemoral lobe, absent from the El Dorado population, arises from the stem in Placer Co. males. Authorship of Xystocheirini is properly attributed to Hoffman, 1980.
The rediscovery of an older available name threatens the stability of the long accepted name of Strategus oblongus (Palisot de Beauvois, 1807) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) from Hispaniola. Using Article 23.9 of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, Scarabaeus monoceros Nicolson, 1776 is designated a nomen oblitum to maintain nomenclatural stability while its junior synonym, Scarabaeus oblongus Palisot de Beauvois, 1807, is designated a nomen protectum.
Multiple sources of confusion surround the identity of Ochodaeus grandiceps Fairmaire, 1897, from Sichuan, China (Coleoptera: Ochodaeidae). Herein the type specimen is illustrated to solve these taxonomic issues. Examination of the holotype indicates that the species must be transferred to the genus Nothochodaeus Nikolajev, 2005, resulting in a new combination. The genus Mimochodaeus Nikolajev, 2009, based on a misidentifi cation of O. grandiceps as its purported type species, is discussed. Finally, Cuban specimens had been treated erroneously as belonging to O. grandiceps, and so the species had remained undescribed. A new species, Parochodaeus perdidus, is described to accommodate them.
A gomphid male from west-central Wisconsin (Eau Claire County, North Fork Eau Claire River, 11 June 1994, K. J. Tennessen leg) with characters that are intermediate between Ophiogomphus carolus Needham, 1897 and Ophiogomphus rupinsulensis (Walsh), 1862 is described and illustrated. The specimen appears to be a hybrid based on intermediate character states of 1) color pattern (slightly closer to O. carolus), 2) hamule morphology (shaped slightly more like those of O. carolus), and 3) anal appendage morphology (slightly more like those of O. rupinsulensis).
How much additional tax revenue can the government generate by increasing labor income taxes? In this paper we provide a quantitative answer to this question, and study the importance of the progressivity of the tax schedule for the ability of the government to generate tax revenues. We develop a rich overlapping generations model featuring an explicit family structure, extensive and intensive margins of labor supply, endogenous accumulation of labor market experience as well as standard intertemporal consumption-savings choices in the presence of uninsurable idiosyncratic labor productivity risk. We calibrate the model to US macro, micro and tax data and characterize the labor income tax Laffer curve under the current choice of the progressivity of the labor income tax code as well as when varying progressivity. We find that more progressive labor income taxes significantly reduce tax revenues. For the US, converting to a flat tax code raises the peak of the Laffer curve by 6%, whereas converting to a tax system with progressivity similar to Denmark would lower the peak by 7%. We also show that, relative to a representative agent economy tax revenues are less sensitive to the progressivity of the tax code in our economy. This finding is due to the fact that labor supply of two earner households is less elastic (along the intensive margin) and the endogenous accumulation of labor market experience makes labor supply of females less elastic (around the extensive margin) to changes in tax progressivity.
An adventive female Julidae (Julida), discovered in a moist, grassy depression in the Peninsula de Brunswick south of Punta Arenas, Chile, and assigned to Cylindroiulus Verhoeff, 1894, is the fi rst vouchered milliped from southern Patagonia. The southernmost milliped ever collected in Chile, South America, and the Western Hemisphere, it may also constitute the southernmost in the world as the site is only ~1,176 km (735 mi) northwest of the Antarctic Peninsula. Records are consolidated of the two families, three genera, and fi ve species of this Holarctic order that are known from South America. They are documented from Argentina, Chile, and southern Peru and Brazil; three species are known from the Juan Fernandez Islands.
US data and new stockholding data from fifteen European countries and China exhibit a common pattern: stockholding shares increase in household income and wealth. Yet, there is a multitude of numbers to match through models. Using a single utility function across households (parsimony), we suggest a strategy for fitting stockholding numbers, while replicating that saving rates increase in wealth, too. The key is introducing subsistence consumption to an Epstein-Zin-Weil utility function, creating endogenous risk-aversion differences across rich and poor. A closed-form solution for the model with insurable labor-income risk serves as calibration guide for numerical simulations with uninsurable labor-income risk.
Eleven Neotropical species of Laemophloeus Dejean with antennal clubs composed of three antennomeres are reviewed, diagnosed, and illustrated. Six of the species are described as new: L. capitesculptus Thomas, n. sp., L. corporeflavus Thomas, n. sp., L. dozieri Thomas, n. sp., L. insulatestudinorum Thomas, n. sp., L. planaclavatus Thomas, n. sp., and L. taurus Thomas, n. sp. Four new synonymies are proposed: L. catharinensis Kessel (=L. incisus Sharp), new synonym; L. similans Kessel (=L. incisus Sharp), new synonym; L. distinguendus Sharp (=L. megacephalus Grouvelle), new synonym, and L. chevrolati Grouvelle (=L. lecontei Grouvelle), new synonym. A key to the species is provided.
The crape myrtle aphid Sarucallis kahawaluokalani (Kirkaldy) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) collected on Lagerstroemia indica (Lythraceae) is herein reported as a new invasive species in the city of Palmira, State of Valle del Cauca, and on San Andres island, in the State of San Andres, Old Providence and Santa Catalina, Colombia. The species is illustrated and diagnosed. A brief review of recent invasive species in Colombia, i.e., Ceroplastes rubens Maskell (Hemiptera: Coccidae), Crypticerya multicicatrices Kondo and Unruh (Hemiptera: Monophlebidae) [invasive on the island of San Andres], Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Liviidae), Harmonia axyridis (Pallas) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), Maconellicoccus hirsutus (Green) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) and Singhiella simplex (Singh) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae); and other adventive (but non-invasive) species in Colombia, i.e., Anagyrus kamali Moursi (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae), Gyranusoidea indica Shafee, Alam and Agarwal (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae), and Tamarixia radiata (Waterston) (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) is provided.
New North American records of Pyraloidea (Lepidoptera: Crambidae, Pyralidae) from southern Florida
(2014)
We report six new North American records, one new state record, and one rare record of pyraloid moths from southern Florida, together with diagnostic characters for all taxa. We transfer Ennomosia Amsel from Spilomelinae to Glaphyriinae, Cangetta micralis (Hampson) n. comb. from Deuterophysa Warren, and Microthyris lelex (Cramer) n. comb. from Cyclocena Möschler. We revise Pseudocabotia Blanchard and Knudson rev. stat. to a subgenus of Ancylosis Zeller, with its type species A. (P.) balconiensis (Blanchard and Knudson) n. comb., and discuss the classifi cation of Cabotia Ragonot as a subgenus of Ancylosis.
Two new species and a new genus of Cerambycidae are described from South America: Cotyclytus arriagadai sp. nov., from Bolivia; and Lembu dieguezi, gen. nov., sp. nov., from Paraguay. Orthomegas irroratus (Lameere, 1915) is redescribed, based on the second and third known specimens, and its distribution is expanded to include Ecuador. The male of Jamesia fuscofasciata Dillon and Dillon, 1952 is described and illustrated for the fi rst time, and the distribution of the species is expanded to Peru. Thirty-two new country records (twelve for Paraguay, fi fteen for Peru, two for Ecuador, three for Bolivia) and one new province record (Argentina) are presented.
Four new species and one new genus of Cerambycinae are described from French Guiana: Sphagoeme premarginata sp. nov. and Atenizus apicalis sp. nov. (Oemini); Paraniophis signatipes gen. nov., sp. nov., and Niophis brusteli sp. nov. (Ectenessini). Three new country records for French Guiana are provided: Sphagoeme paraensis Martins, 1977, Atenizus simplex Bates, 1884, and Macroeme vittipennis (Melzer, 1934). All taxa are illustrated.
Tumor cell plasticity is an event that has been observed in several malignancies. In fact, most of the solid tumors are characterized by cellular heterogeneity and undergo constant changes as the tumor develops. The increased plasticity displayed by these cells allows them to acquire additional properties, enabling epithelial-mesenchymal transitions, dedifferentiation and the acquisition of stem cell-like properties. Here we discuss the particular importance of an inflammatory microenvironment for the bidirectional control of cellular plasticity and the potential for therapeutic intervention.
Background: Oral anticoagulation (OAC) with coumarins and new anticoagulants are highly effective in preventing thromboembolic complications. However, some studies indicate that over- and under-treatment with anticoagulants are fairly common. The aim of this paper is to assess the appropriateness of treatment in patients with a long-term indication for OAC, and to describe the corresponding characteristics of such patients on the basis of screening results from the cluster randomized PICANT trial.
Methods: Randomly selected family practices in the federal state of Hesse, Germany, were visited by study team members. Eligible patients were screened using an anonymous patient list that was generated by the general practitioners? software according to predefined instructions. A documentation sheet was filled in for all screened patients. Eligible patients were classified into 3 categories (1: patients with a long-term indication for OAC and taking anticoagulants, 2: patients with a long-term indication for OAC but not taking anticoagulants, 3: patients without a long-term indication for OAC but taking an anticoagulant on a permanent basis). IBM SPSS Statistics 20 was used for descriptive statistical analysis.
Results: We screened 2,036 randomly selected, potentially eligible patients from 52 family practices. 275 patients could not be assigned to one of the 3 categories and were therefore not considered for analysis. The final study sample comprised 1,761 screened patients, 1,641 of whom belonged to category 1, 78 to category 2, and 42 to category 3. INR values were available for 1,504 patients of whom 1,013 presented INR values within their therapeutic ranges. The majority of screened patients had very good compliance, as assessed by the general practitioner. New antithrombotic drugs were prescribed in 6.1% of cases.
Conclusions: The screening results showed that a high proportion of patients were receiving appropriate anticoagulation therapy. The numbers of patients with a long-term indication for OAC therapy that were not receiving oral anticoagulants, and without a long-term indication that were receiving OAC, were considerably lower than expected. Most patients take coumarins, and the quality of OAC control is reasonably high.
We study the equilibrium properties of strongly-interacting infinite parton-hadron matter, characterized by the transport coefficients such as shear and bulk viscosity and electric conductivity, and the non-equilibrium dynamics of heavy-ion collisions within the Parton-Hadron-String Dynamics (PHSD) transport approach, which incorporates explicit partonic degrees of freedom in terms of strongly interacting quasiparticles (quarks and gluons) in line with an equation of state from lattice QCD as well as the dynamical hadronization and hadronic collision dynamics in the final reaction phase. We discuss in particular the possible origin for the strong elliptic flow v2 of direct photons observed at RHIC energies.
Reaction times to previously ignored information are often delayed, a phenomenon referred to as negative priming (NP). Rothermund et al. (2005) proposed that NP is caused by the retrieval of incidental stimulus-response associations when consecutive displays share visual features but require different responses. In two experiments we examined whether the features (color, shape) that reappear in consecutive displays, or their level of processing (early-perceptual, late-semantic) moderate the likelihood that stimulus-response associations are retrieved. Using a perceptual matching task (Experiment 1), NP occurred independently of whether responses were repeated or switched. Only when implementing a semantic-matching task (Experiment 2), negative priming was determined by response-repetition as predicted by response-retrieval theory. The results can be explained in terms of a task-dependent temporal discrimination process (Milliken et al., 1998): Response-relevant features are encoded more strongly and/or are more likely to be retrieved than irrelevant features.
Reintroductions of plant species are increasingly popular in conservation practice. Steppe grasslands contain many rare and endangered plant species that are potential objects for such reintroductions. Most reintroduction projects, however, can only target a restricted number of species, which raises the question of how species should be prioritised. Here, we present a method to select priority species for reintroduction based on species' characteristics that are widely used in conservation practice. We first determined the local species pool containing those vascular plant species that occurred both in our target region (Thuringia, Germany) and target habitat (steppe grasslands), yielding 369 species. With the help of an a priori filter that selected currently endangered species with limited distribution, 136 potential target species were determined. These potential target species had experienced stronger decline, had a narrower phytosociological amplitude and were more likely to be species of the Festuco-Brometea class and the Festucetalia valesiacae order than non-target species. Potential target species were then ranked by a points system based on ten conservation-relevant characteristics of the species from the categories "threat and protection status", "distribution and decline", and "habitat affiliation". In the ranking, six steppe grassland plant species (Astragalus exscapus, Bothriochloa ischaemum, Prunella laciniata, Pulsatilla pratensis subsp. nigricans, Scorzonera purpurea, and Seseli hippomarathrum) achieved the highest scores. An additional seven species not specifically characteristic for steppe grasslands also scored highly. A post hoc evaluation of these 13 highest scoring species based on additional conservation criteria left five species (Astragalus exscapus, Linum leonii, Orchis morio, Pulsatilla pratensis subsp. nigricans and Scorzonera purpurea) as species with highest priority for reintroductions and another five species as highly suitable for reintroductions. Associations between the ranking order and different ranking criteria revealed that a species’ threat and rarity in Thuringia and its protection status had the highest representation in the ranking, followed by threat in Germany, regional decline and habitat affiliation. In contrast, international threat and responsibility of Thuringia for its conservation had only low representation in the ranking, probably because these characteristics applied to only a few species. The ranking list gives a selection of species for reintroductions, which combined with additional information based on comprehensive local and floristic knowledge, allows the identification of the species with the highest priority. Our method can be transferred to other regions or habitat types.
Central European dry grasslands are remarkably diverse plant communities that occur at the western edge of the Eurasian forest-steppe zone and harbour many species of continental distribution. Although their plant community types have been described in detail, the diversity patterns and their environmental determinants are still poorly known for these grasslands. Here, we study environmental drivers of species composition and richness in dry grasslands of northern Bohemia (České středohoří Mts) and central Bohemia (Křivoklát region), both in the Czech Republic. In vegetation plots of 100 m2 we recorded all vascular plant species, measured soil chemistry variables, above-ground biomass production and nutrient concentrations in biomass. Species richness in these plots ranged from 13 to 55. The relationships between species composition and the environment were explored using detrended correspondence analysis and canonical correspondence analysis, while the relationships between species richness and the environment were assessed using univariate and multiple regression models. In both regions, species composition and richness strongly responded to the soil pH (ranging from 4.0 to 7.8), which was positively correlated with calcium and magnesium concentrations and negatively with annual precipitation. The response of species richness to soil pH was unimodal with a peak at pH of about 6.5 in the České středohoří Mts, and positive in the Křivoklát region. Plots on soils with a pH higher than 5 consistently contained more than 35 species. In the České středohoří Mts, species richness was positively related to the aboveground biomass production, whereas in the Křivoklát region, this relationship was only significant for graminoid species. In both areas, plots with soils deeper than 20 cm and with aboveground biomass dry weight above 200 g/m2 harboured more than 40 species per 100 m2. Moreover, in the České středohoří Mts, nitrogen concentrations in the biomass had considerable effects on both species composition and richness: species numbers were lower at sites with higher nitrogen concentration. This indicates a threat to diversity of these dry grasslands under currently high atmospheric nitrogen deposition coupled with the absence of management at most of the studied sites.
Cryophytic steppes in the Minusinskaya intermountain basin containing plant species that are predominantly distributed in the alpine zone such as Androsace dasyphylla, Dryas oxyodonta, Festuca sphagnicola, Kobresia myosuroides, K. filifolia, Minuartia verna, Oxytropis bracteata, Sagina saginoides, Papaver nudicaule, Patrinia sibirica, Pedicularis lasiostachys, Pulsatilla ambigua, Saussurea schanginiana, which are considered remnants of the Pleistocene vegetation. Based on 89 relevés, we classified cryophytic steppes using the Braun-Blanquet method within two phytosociological classes: Central Asian steppes of the Cleistogenetea squarrosae and West Palearctic steppes of the Festuco-Brometea. Three associations (Androsaco dasyphyllae-Caricetum pediformis, Pulsatillo patentis-Caricetum pediformis and Bupleuro multinervi-Helictotrichetum desertori) with three subassociations and three variants were described with respect to their phytosociological affinities and ecology. DCA ordination showed floristic differences between syntaxa, while correlations of DCA axes and floristic and environmental variables detected substrate type and temperature regime as presumably main drivers for vegetation differentiation. Another driver for vegetation differentiation seems to be continentality of the climate. Small scale distribution of cryophytic steppes were mapped using satellite images with resolution of 1.8 m. Cryophytic steppes always occupy only small areas in landscapes, on convex parts of undulated microrelief of mountain slopes and summits characterised by drought in summer and deep soil freezing in winter. These special micro-ecological conditions play an essential role for the existence of alpine flora in the Minusinskaya intermountain basin.
We present the data of the 2nd research expedition of the European Dry Grassland Group (EDGG), which was conducted in 2010 in Central Podolia, Ukraine. The aim was to collect plot data to compare Ukrainian dry grasslands with those of other parts of Europe in terms of syntaxonomy and biodiversity. We sampled 21 nested-plot series (0.0001–100 m2) and 184 normal plots (10 m2) covering the full variety of dry grassland types occurring in the study region. For all plots, we recorded species composi-tion of terrestrial vascular plants, bryophytes and lichens, while for the 226 10-m2 plots we estimated and measured percentage cover of all species, structural, topographic, soil and landuse parameters. The 10-m² plots were used for phytosociological classification based on iteratively refined TWINSPAN classification as well as for DCA ordination. Differences between the derived vegetation types with respect to environmental conditions and species richness were assessed with ANOVAs. We assigned our plots to nine association-level units but refrained from placing them into formal associations with two exceptions. In the study area, dry grasslands of the Festuco-Brometea were far more common than those of the Koelerio-Corynephoretea. Among the Festuco-Brometea, xeric Festucetalia valesiacae grasslands were more frequent and represented by the Festucion valesiacae (2 associations, including the Allio taurici-Dichanthietum ischaemi ass. nova) and the Stipion lessingianae (1) compared to the Brachypodietalia pinnati with the Agrostio vinealis-Avenulion schellianae (3). The Koelerio-Corynephoretea were represented by three associations, each from a different order and alliance: basiphilous outcrops (Alysso alyssoidis-Sedetalia: Alysso alyssoidis-Sedion?), acidophilous outcrops (Sedo-Scleranthetalia: Veronico dillenii-Sedion albi?) and mesoxeric sandy grasslands (Trifolio arvensis-Festucetalia ovinae: Agrostion vinealis). We discuss the issue of the mesoxeric order Galietalia veri placed within the Molinio-Arrhenatheretea by Ukrainian authors and conclude that the content of that order would probably be better placed in the mesoxeric orders of the Koelerio-Corynephoretea and Festuco-Brometea. Other syntaxonomic questions could not be solved with our geographically limited dataset and await a supraregional analysis, e.g. whether the Ukrainian outcrop communities should be assigned to the same alliances as known from Central Europe or rather represent new vicariant units. The analysis of the biodiversity patterns showed that at a grain size of 10 m2, Podolian Koelerio-Corynephoretea communities were overall richer than Festuco-Brometea communities (46.4 vs. 40.6 species). This difference was due to the Koelerio-Corynephoretea containing twice as many bryophytes and nine times more lichens, while vascular plant species richness did not differ significantly between classes. The orders within the classes showed no real differences in species richness. The richness patterns observed in Podolia were almost the opposite of those usually found in dry grasslands, where Brachypodietalia pinnati are richer than Festucetalia valesiacae, and these richer than stands of the Koelerio-Corynpehoretea – and we do not have a good explanation for these idiosyncrasies. In conclusion, Podolian dry grasslands behave quite unexpectedly regarding biodiversity, and their syntaxonomy is still poorly understood. These knowledge gaps can only be addressed with supranational analyses based on comprehensive datasets.
An extensive survey of the relevant literature of dry grassland communities described for the territory of Serbia allowed us to check the validity and legitimacy of the nomenclature of this vegetation. Nomenclature rules of the International Code of Phytosociological Nomenclature were strictly followed. The syntaxonomic affiliation of communities to higher syntaxa was assessed according to existing syntaxonomic schemes for Serbia and the position determined by the original source. Higher syntaxa followed the synsystem of the socalled “EuroVegChecklist”. We have highlighted problems and some disagreement with the existing classification of dry grassland communities in Europe. A total of 134 dry grassland communities have so far been registered for Serbia. This list of syntaxa may serve for further research of grassland vegetation and its appropriate positioning within a syntaxonomical scheme of Europe.
Der diesjährige 9. Trockenrasen-Sonderteil von Tuexenia beginnt mit einem Bericht über die aktuellen Aktivitäten der European Dry Grassland Group (EDGG). Zunächst geben wir einen Überblick über die Entwicklung der Mitgliederzahl. Dann berichten wir vom letzten European Dry Grassland Meeting in Zamość (Polen, 2013) und vom letzten European Dry Grassland Field Workshop in Chakassien (Russland, 2013) und informieren über künftige Veranstaltungen der EDGG. Anschließend erläutern wir die Publikationsaktivitäten der EDGG. Im zweiten Teil des Editorials geben wir eine Einführung zu den fünf Artikeln des diesjährigen Trockenrasen-Sonderteils: Zwei davon beschäftigen sich mit der Syntaxonomie von Trockenrasen in Osteuropa: Der eine Artikel präsentiert erstmalig eine nach internationalen Nomenklaturregeln gültige Liste der Trockenrasengesellschaften Serbiens während der andere die Ergebnisse des zweiten EDGG-Field Workshop 2010 nach Podolien (Ukraine) vorstellt. Im dritten Artikel werden kryophytische Steppen in Südsibirien (Russland) analysiert. Der vierte Artikel analysiert in Böhmen (Tschechien) die bestimmenden Kräfte für Artenreichtum und Artenzusammensetzung der Trockenrasen. Der fünfte Artikel befasst sich mit der Auswahl von Wiederansiedlungsarten am Beispiel der Steppenrasen in Thüringen (Deutschland).
The Feldbach district is situated near the town of Feldbach in the southeastern province of Styria, Austria. Since 2007, a climate observation network of 151 climate stations within an area of approximately 20 x 15 km (grid cell 1.4 × 1.4 km) has provided a unique collection of spatial and temporal meteorological data. Examining short-lived ruderal and arable weed communities, we search for correlations and spatial patterns between the community composition and climate data. Do such plant communities respond to temperature differences within an agricultural landscape and on a regional scale? Data of 277 relevés from short-lived weed communities were collected across the investigated area during the summer of 2011. Relevés were assigned to the corresponding climate stations and classified. Average Ellenberg indicator values for temperature were calculated for each relevé and community cluster. Measured temperature data were assigned and correlated with community data by applying linear regression and redundancy analyses (RDA). The classification resulted in six associations; the two most frequently observed associations were divided into subtypes resulting in 13 vegetation clusters that could be analyzed further. A significant relationship could be found only between the clusters of arable weed communities and the average winter temperatures. Site variables explain twice as much variance as measured climate variables; this ratio changes to 50 : 50 when we analyzed only arable field community data. No clear spatial patterns concerning mean annual temperature were visible. However, the Setaria faberi subtype of the Echinochloo-Setarietum and the Sorghum halepense subtype of the Convolvulo-Agropyretum show a tendency toward a temperature-induced spatial pattern, such that both were sensitive to winter temperature. On a regional scale, the occurrence and composition of short-lived ruderal plant communities correlated weakly with climate variables. However, the studied arable weed communities showed a certain tendency to follow small-scale temperature differences, especially those of average winter temperature. We conclude that short-lived weed communities have the potential to be indicators for global warming, but the spatial temperature gradients are not clear enough in our approach to allow the production of better regression models and elucidation of distinct spatial patterns.
Background: IL28B gene polymorphism is the best baseline predictor of response to interferon alfa-based antiviral therapies in chronic hepatitis C. Recently, a new IFN-L4 polymorphism was identified as first potential functional variant for induction of IL28B expression. Individualization of interferon alfa-based therapies based on a combination of IL28B/IFN-L4 polymorphisms may help to optimize virologic outcome and economic resources.
Methods: Optimization of treatment outcome prediction was assessed by combination of different IL28B and IFN-L4 polymorphisms in patients with chronic HCV genotype 1 (n = 385), 2/3 (n = 267), and 4 (n = 220) infection treated with pegylated interferon alfa (PEG-IFN) and ribavirin with (n = 79) or without telaprevir. Healthy people from Germany (n = 283) and Egypt (n = 96) served as controls.
Results: Frequencies of beneficial IL28B rs12979860 C/C genotypes were lower in HCV genotype 1/4 infected patients in comparison to controls (20–35% vs. 46–47%) this was also true for ss469415590 TT/TT (20–35% vs. 45–47%). Single interferon-lambda SNPs (rs12979860, rs8099917, ss469415590) correlated with sustained virologic response (SVR) in genotype 1, 3, and 4 infected patients while no association was observed for genotype 2. Interestingly, in genotype 3 infected patients, best SVR prediction was based on IFN-L4 genotype. Prediction of SVR with high accuracy (71–96%) was possible in genotype 1, 2, 3 and 4 infected patients who received PEG-IFN/ribavirin combination therapy by selection of beneficial IL28B rs12979860 C/C and/or ss469415590 TT/TT genotypes (p<0.001). For triple therapy with first generation protease inhibitors (PIs) (boceprevir, telaprevir) prediction of high SVR (90%) rates was based on the presence of at least one beneficial genotype of the 3 IFN-lambda SNPs.
Conclusion: IFN-L4 seems to be the best single predictor of SVR in genotype 3 infected patients. For optimized prediction of SVR by treatment with dual combination or first generation PI triple therapies, grouping of interferon-lambda haplotypes may be helpful with positive predictive values of 71–96%.
Background: In cystic fibrosis, highly variable glucose tolerance is suspected. However, no study provided within-patient coefficients of variation. The main objective of this short report was to evaluate within-patient variability of oral glucose tolerance.
Methods: In total, 4,643 standardized oral glucose tolerance tests of 1,128 cystic fibrosis patients (median age at first test: 15.5 [11.5; 21.5] years, 48.8% females) were studied. Patients included were clinically stable, non-pregnant, and had at least two oral glucose tolerance tests, with no prior lung transplantation or systemic steroid therapy. Transition frequency from any one test to the subsequent test was analyzed and within-patient coefficients of variation were calculated for fasting and two hour blood glucose values. All statistical analysis was implemented with SAS 9.4.
Results: A diabetic glucose tolerance was confirmed in 41.2% by the subsequent test. A regression to normal glucose tolerance at the subsequent test was observed in 21.7% and to impaired fasting glucose, impaired glucose tolerance or both in 15.2%, 12.0% or 9.9%. The average within-patient coefficient of variation for fasting blood glucose was 11.1% and for two hour blood glucose 25.3%.
Conclusion: In the cystic fibrosis patients studied, a highly variable glucose tolerance was observed. Compared to the general population, variability of two hour blood glucose was 1.5 to 1.8-fold higher.
The approximate number system (ANS) has been consistently found to be associated with math achievement. However, little is known about the interactions between the different instantiations of the ANS and in how many ways they are related to exact calculation. In a cross-sectional design, we investigated the relationship between three measures of ANS acuity (non-symbolic comparison, non-symbolic estimation and non-symbolic addition), their cross-sectional trajectories and specific contributions to exact calculation. Children with mathematical difficulties (MD) and typically achieving (TA) controls attending the first six years of formal schooling participated in the study. The MD group exhibited impairments in multiple instantiations of the ANS compared to their TA peers. The ANS acuity measured by all three tasks positively correlated with age in TA children, while no correlation was found between non-symbolic comparison and age in the MD group. The measures of ANS acuity significantly correlated with each other, reflecting at least in part a common numerosity code. Crucially, we found that non-symbolic estimation partially and non-symbolic addition fully mediated the effects of non-symbolic comparison in exact calculation.
Introduction: Curare is one of the best-examined neurotoxins of the world, which has empirically been used for centuries by American Indigenes. Research on curare has been performed much later, a global scientometric analysis on curare research or its derivates does not yet exist. This bibliometric analysis is part of the global NewQis-project and should illuminate both toxic and historic issues of research on curare.
Methods: The ISI Web of Science was searched for data covering 1900 to 2013 using a term which included as many original articles on curare as possible. 3,867 articles were found and analyzed for common bibliometric items such as the number of citations, language of the articles or the (modified) Hirsch-Index (h-index). Results are illustrated utilizing modern density equalizing map projections (DEMP) or beam diagrams.
Results: Most publications were located in North America and Europe. The USA has the highest number of publications as well as the highest h-index. The number of publications overall rose until the late 1990s and later decreased. Furthermore, sudden increases of research activity are ascribable to historic events, like the first use of curare as muscle relaxant during surgery.
Discussion: This scientometric analysis of curare research reflects several tendencies as previously seen in other bibliometric investigations, i.e. the scientific quality standard of North America and Europe. Research on curare decreased however, due to the declining attention towards this muscle relaxant. This work exemplifies also how scientometric methods can be used to illuminate historic circumstances immediately stimulating scientific research.
Introduction: To determine the esthetic outcome of implant-based reconstructions after autologous and allogeneic bone grafting.
Methods: From 2003 to 2009, 67 patients underwent alveolar ridge augmentation and were enrolled in the study, 41 meet the inclusion criteria and 31 agreed to take part in the study. Patients were 18-69 years old (mean: 49.3 ± 13.8 years), and predominantly female. Patients received bone block grafts either autologous (n = 48) (AUBB) or allografts (ABB) (n = 19). Implants were inserted 4-7 months (autografts) or 5-6 months (allografts) after bone grafting. The Pink Esthetic Score (PES) as well as radiographic and subjective assessments were employed for the outcome analysis. The PES was assessed twice within one month based on digital photographic images that were randomly rearranged between evaluations by three independent, experienced investigators.
Results: Across all observations and investigators, the average PES was 7.5 ± 2.6 without differences between implants inserted in auto- and allografted bone, respectively. Patients assessed the allograft procedures as less painful and would have repeated it more often. The intra-rater reliability was excellent (correlation coefficients 0.7-0.9). The inter-observer agreement was lower (correlation coefficients 0.6-0.8).
Conclusions: Bone grafting with ABB allografts yields equivalent results to autologous grafting, and patients appreciate the omission of bone harvesting. The PES is a reliable method but should be performed by the same individual.
In this study, we describe the synthesis of 1,4-disustituted-1,2,3-triazolo-quinazoline ribonucleosides or acyclonucleosides by means of 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition between various O or N-alkylated propargyl-quinazoline and 1'-azido-2',3',5'-tri-O-benzoylribose or activated alkylating agents under microwave conditions. None of the compounds selected showed significant anti-HCV activity in vitro.
Recent advances in understanding the mechanisms of nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has led to the development of targeted treatments, including the reversible epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors gefitinib and erlotinib, and the irreversible ErbB family blocker afatinib. Several important activating EGFR mutations have now been identified, which correlate strongly with response to treatment with these agents. Multiple randomised controlled trials have confirmed the association between the presence of activating EGFR mutations and objective response to gefitinib, erlotinib and afatinib, thus demonstrating their superiority over platinum-based chemotherapy as first-line treatment for NSCLC patients with EGFR mutation-positive tumours, and resulting in approval of these agents for use in this setting. It can be tempting to compare outcome data across multiple clinical trials and agents; however, substantial differences in methodology between studies, including investigator versus independent assessment and differences in patient eligibility, makes such comparisons fraught with difficulty. This critical review provides an overview of the evolution of the methodology used in eight phase III trials investigating first-line targeted treatment of NSCLC, identifies key differences in methodology and reporting, and critically assesses how these differences should be taken into account when interpreting the findings from such trials.
Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) is a rare haematopoietic malignancy characterized by dismal prognosis and overall poor therapeutic response. Since the biology of BPDCN is barely understood, our study aims to shed light on the genetic make-up of these highly malignant tumors. Using targeted high-coverage massive parallel sequencing, we investigated 50 common cancer genes in 33 BPDCN samples. We detected point mutations in NRAS (27.3% of cases), ATM (21.2%), MET, KRAS, IDH2, KIT (9.1% each), APC and RB1 (6.1% each), as well as in VHL, BRAF, MLH1, TP53 and RET (3% each). Moreover, NRAS, KRAS and ATM mutations were found to be mutually exclusive and we observed recurrent mutations in NRAS, IDH2, APC and ATM. CDKN2A deletions were detected in 27.3% of the cases followed by deletions of RB1 (9.1%), PTEN and TP53 (3% each). The mutual exclusive distribution of some mutations may point to different subgroups of BPDCN whose biological significance remains to be explored.
1D-3D hybrid modeling : from multi-compartment models to full resolution models in space and time
(2014)
Investigation of cellular and network dynamics in the brain by means of modeling and simulation has evolved into a highly interdisciplinary field, that uses sophisticated modeling and simulation approaches to understand distinct areas of brain function. Depending on the underlying complexity, these models vary in their level of detail, in order to cope with the attached computational cost. Hence for large network simulations, single neurons are typically reduced to time-dependent signal processors, dismissing the spatial aspect of each cell. For single cell or networks with relatively small numbers of neurons, general purpose simulators allow for space and time-dependent simulations of electrical signal processing, based on the cable equation theory. An emerging field in Computational Neuroscience encompasses a new level of detail by incorporating the full three-dimensional morphology of cells and organelles into three-dimensional, space and time-dependent, simulations. While every approach has its advantages and limitations, such as computational cost, integrated and methods-spanning simulation approaches, depending on the network size could establish new ways to investigate the brain. In this paper we present a hybrid simulation approach, that makes use of reduced 1D-models using e.g., the NEURON simulator—which couples to fully resolved models for simulating cellular and sub-cellular dynamics, including the detailed three-dimensional morphology of neurons and organelles. In order to couple 1D- and 3D-simulations, we present a geometry-, membrane potential- and intracellular concentration mapping framework, with which graph- based morphologies, e.g., in the swc- or hoc-format, are mapped to full surface and volume representations of the neuron and computational data from 1D-simulations can be used as boundary conditions for full 3D simulations and vice versa. Thus, established models and data, based on general purpose 1D-simulators, can be directly coupled to the emerging field of fully resolved, highly detailed 3D-modeling approaches. We present the developed general framework for 1D/3D hybrid modeling and apply it to investigate electrically active neurons and their intracellular spatio-temporal calcium dynamics.