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This paper reports on Monte Carlo simulation results for future measurements of the moduli of time-like proton electromagnetic form factors, |GE | and |GM|, using the ¯pp → μ+μ− reaction at PANDA (FAIR). The electromagnetic form factors are fundamental quantities parameterizing the electric and magnetic structure of hadrons. This work estimates the statistical and total accuracy with which the form factors can be measured at PANDA, using an analysis of simulated data within the PandaRoot software framework. The most crucial background channel is ¯pp → π+π−,due to the very similar behavior of muons and pions in the detector. The suppression factors are evaluated for this and all other relevant background channels at different values of antiproton beam momentum. The signal/background separation is based on a multivariate analysis, using the Boosted Decision Trees method. An expected background subtraction is included in this study, based on realistic angular distribuations of the background contribution. Systematic uncertainties are considered and the relative total uncertainties of the form factor measurements are presented.
Mittelasien (Kasachstan, Kirgistan, Tadschikistan, Turkmenistan, Usbekistan) ist neben dem Mediterranraum das bedeutendste paläarkische Bienen-Diversitätszentrum (MICHENER 1979). POPOV (1957) schätzt für den Raum 1.200 Arten aus 70 Gattungen, die Gesamtzahl dürfte jedoch bei über 2.000 Arten liegen. Über die innere biogeographische Gliederung der Region und die Lage von Endemiezentren ist bei den Bienen jedoch kaum etwas bekannt (POPOV 1958, MARIKOVSKAYA 1999). Am Beispiel der Seidenbienengattung Colletes, die hier aufgrund ihres Artenreichtums sowie des breiten Spektrums besiedelter Lebensraumtypen und Klimagebiete repräsentativ für andere Bienengruppen behandelt wird, werden Verbreitungsbilder analysiert und Endemiezentren identifiziert. Faunistisches und biogeographisches Arbeiten in Mittelasien ist bis heute ein aufwändiges Unternehmen. Die Größe des Raumes – mit 4 Mio. km² fast halb so groß wie Europa –, die in vielen Regionen unterentwickelte Infrastruktur sowie die in vergangenen und gegenwärtigen bürokratischen Hemmnissen begründete schwierige Zugänglichkeit vieler Gebiete ist ursächlich für den unzureichenden Bearbeitungsstand vieler Taxa. Durch uneinheitliche Transliteration, Schreibfehler bei der Etikettierung und Umbenennung von Orten ist die Identifikation von Fundorten häufig schwierig und in einigen Fällen selbst unter Zuhilfenahme historischen Kartenmaterials unmöglich. Die begrenzte Verfügbarkeit lokalfaunistischer Literatur in deutschen Bibliotheken und die Sprachbarriere bei der Nutzung kyrillisch geschriebener Arbeiten sind ein weiteres Hindernis. Aufgrund dieser Schwierigkeiten und dem daraus resultierenden niedrigen Erfassungsgrad in weiten Teilen Mittelasien haben die hier vorgelegten Ergebnisse vorläufigen Charakter.
Nine new species of the South African endemic group of euryglossiform bees of the genus Scrapter Lepeletier & Serville, 1828 are described, thus bringing the total number of species to 29 in this species-group: Scrapter avontuurensis Kuhlmann sp. nov. ♀, S. bokkeveldensis Kuhlmann sp. nov. ♀, S. fynbosensis Kuhlmann sp. nov. ♀, S. hergi Kuhlmann sp. nov. ♂, S. keiskiensis Kuhlmann sp. nov. ♀, S. mellonholgeri Kuhlmann sp. nov. ♀♂, S. nitens Kuhlmann sp. nov. ♀, S. oubergensis Kuhlmann sp. nov. ♀ and S. willemstrydomi Kuhlmann sp. nov. ♂. The new replacement name S. punctulatus nom. nov. is proposed for S. punctatus Kuhlmann, 2014 which is a junior primary homonym of S. punctatus Lepeletier & Audinet-Serville, 1825 (= Allodape punctata [Lepeletier & Audinet-Serville, 1825]). Moreover, new records for already described taxa are presented and an updated key to all species of euryglossiform Scrapter is provided.
A new species of Fidelia Friese, 1899 is described from southern Africa: Fidelia (Fideliopsis) whiteheadi Litman & Kuhlmann sp. nov. Diagnostic characters are provided to distinguish this species from others in the genus, particularly from the closely related F. hessei; an updated description for Fidelia hessei is also given. The host plant preferences and seasonal activity of F. whiteheadi Litman & Kuhlmann sp. nov. and F. hessei are discussed. Finally, a revised, illustrated key to species of the genus Fidelia is presented.
The South African endemic bees of the "euryglossiform" species of the genus Scrapter Lepeletier & Serville, 1828 are revised and illustrated. The species-group is defined for the first time and comprises 20 species, 16 of which are described here as new: Scrapter exiguus sp. nov. ♀, ♂, S. gessorum sp. nov. ♀, S. inexpectatus sp. nov. ♀, S. luteistigma sp. nov. ♀, ♂, S. minutissimus sp. nov. ♂, S. minutuloides sp. nov. ♀, S. minutus sp. nov. ♀, S. nanus sp. nov. ♀, ♂, S. nigerrimus sp. nov. ♀, S. nigritarsis sp. nov. ♀, S. papkuilsi sp. nov. ♀, ♂, S. punctatus sp. nov. ♀, ♂, S. pygmaeus sp. nov. ♀, S. roggeveldi sp. nov. ♀, ♂, S. spinipes sp. nov. ♀, ♂ and S. ulrikae sp. nov. ♀, ♂. For S. acanthophorus Davies, 2005 and S. sittybon Davies, 2005 the female is here described for the first time. A key to all species is provided.
The South African endemic bee genus Redivivoides Michener, 1981 is revised and redefined. The genus comprises seven species, six of which are described here as new: Redivivoides capensis sp. nov. ♀♂, R. eardleyi sp. nov. ♀, R. kamieskroonensis sp. nov. ♀, R. karooensis sp. nov. ♀♂, R. namaquaensis sp. nov. ♀♂ and R. variabilis sp. nov. ♀♂. A key to species is provided.
Capalictus, a new subgenus of Lasioglossum Curtis, 1833 (Hymenoptera, Apoidea, Halictidae), endemic to the South African Cape Province, is described. The type species is Halictus mosselinus Cockerell, 1945. Evylaeus (Sellalictus) fynbosensis (Pauly et al., 2008) is a new junior synonym of L. (C.) mosselinum. Three new species are described: Lasioglossum (Capalictus) hantamense sp. nov., L. (C.) tigrinum sp. nov. and L. (C.) timmermanni sp. nov. DNA sequence data from three nuclear genes support morphologically-determined species limits. Capalictus is a basal clade of the Hemihalictus series of Lasioglossum.
Global investment in biomedical research has grown significantly over the last decades, reaching approximately a quarter of a trillion US dollars in 2010. However, not all of this investment is distributed evenly by gender. It follows, arguably, that scarce research resources may not be optimally invested (by either not supporting the best science or by failing to investigate topics that benefit women and men equitably). Women across the world tend to be significantly underrepresented in research both as researchers and research participants, receive less research funding, and appear less frequently than men as authors on research publications. There is also some evidence that women are relatively disadvantaged as the beneficiaries of research, in terms of its health, societal and economic impacts. Historical gender biases may have created a path dependency that means that the research system and the impacts of research are biased towards male researchers and male beneficiaries, making it inherently difficult (though not impossible) to eliminate gender bias. In this commentary, we – a group of scholars and practitioners from Africa, America, Asia and Europe – argue that gender-sensitive research impact assessment could become a force for good in moving science policy and practice towards gender equity. Research impact assessment is the multidisciplinary field of scientific inquiry that examines the research process to maximise scientific, societal and economic returns on investment in research. It encompasses many theoretical and methodological approaches that can be used to investigate gender bias and recommend actions for change to maximise research impact. We offer a set of recommendations to research funders, research institutions and research evaluators who conduct impact assessment on how to include and strengthen analysis of gender equity in research impact assessment and issue a global call for action.
Background: Taxonomy or biological systematics is the basic scientific discipline of biology, postulating hypotheses of identity and relationships, on which all other natural sciences dealing with organisms relies. However, the scientific contributions of taxonomists have been largely neglected when using species names in scientific publications by not citing the authority on which they are based.
Discussion: Consequences of this neglect is reduced recognition of the importance of taxonomy, which in turn results in diminished funding, lower interest from journals in publishing taxonomic research, and a reduced number of young scientists entering the field. This has lead to the so-called taxonomic impediment at a time when biodiversity studies are of critical importance.
Here we emphasize a practical and obvious solution to this dilemma. We propose that whenever a species name is used, the author(s) of the species hypothesis be included and the original literature source cited, including taxonomic revisions and identification literature - nothing more than what is done for every other hypothesis or assumption included in a scientific publication. In addition, we postulate that journals primarily publishing taxonomic studies should be indexed in ISISM.
Summary: The proposal outlined above would make visible the true contribution of taxonomists within the scientific community, and would provide a more accurate assessment for funding agencies impact and importance of taxonomy, and help in the recruitment of young scientists into the field, thus helping to alleviate the taxonomic impediment. In addition, it would also make much of the biological literature more robust by reducing or alleviating taxonomic uncertainty.
Keywords: Taxonomy crisis; taxonomic impediment; impact factor; original species description; citation index; systematics
Ecological networks are more sensitive to plant than to animal extinction under climate change
(2016)
Impacts of climate change on individual species are increasingly well documented, but we lack understanding of how these effects propagate through ecological communities. Here we combine species distribution models with ecological network analyses to test potential impacts of climate change on >700 plant and animal species in pollination and seed-dispersal networks from central Europe. We discover that animal species that interact with a low diversity of plant species have narrow climatic niches and are most vulnerable to climate change. In contrast, biotic specialization of plants is not related to climatic niche breadth and vulnerability. A simulation model incorporating different scenarios of species coextinction and capacities for partner switches shows that projected plant extinctions under climate change are more likely to trigger animal coextinctions than vice versa. This result demonstrates that impacts of climate change on biodiversity can be amplified via extinction cascades from plants to animals in ecological networks.
