First results of inventarisation of Blattodea,Mantodea and Orthoptera (Insecta: Polyneoptera) of the Dinara Mountain area

The polyneopteran insect fauna of Dinara Mountain area has been poorly studied in the past, with only scarce data published on the topic. During a study conducted in 2012 and 2013, a total of 19 better-investigated localities were visited and 68 species of Blattodea, Mantodea and Orthoptera were recorded for the first time in the investigated area, one species being recorded for the first time in Croatia. Our results, together with all available museum and literature data, are presented in this paper to complete the picture of polyneopteran insect fauna inhabiting this area.     

基于高通量测序的杨树人工林根际土壤真菌群落结构

研究不同根序细根根际土壤微生物群落组成结构对深入了解根系-微生物互作关系具有重要意义.本研究采用Illumina MiSeq测序平台,对杨树人工林非根际土壤和不同根序细根根际土壤的真菌群落结构进行分析.物种注释结果显示: 杨树1～2级根(R1)、3级根(R2)和4～5级(R3)根际及非根际土壤(NR)中分别包含128、124、130和101个真菌属,表明杨树根际存在对真菌群落构建的选择性机制.不同根序根际土壤中相对丰度>1%的真菌属有7个,木霉属在1～2级根根际土壤中丰度较高,毛孢子菌属和曲霉属分别是3级根和4～5级根根际土壤中丰度最高的真菌属.α多样性指数表明: 根际土壤真菌的多样性在不同根序间存在显著差异,低级根显著高于高级根(P<0.05).β多样性指数表明: 真菌群落随着序级的升高差异性不断上升,相似性不断降低.不同根序细根根际真菌群落的趋异化组成和结构与细根功能具有密切关系.     

Variability and stability in the rank relations of nonhuman primate females: Analysis by computer simulation

This paper summarizes results of simulation analyses aimed at elucidating the way in which two important dimensions of female rank orders—nepotism and age-gradedness—are affected by variation in individual strategies of rank acquisition on the one hand and by variation in population-wide demographic parameters (eg, birth rate, death rate, etc) on the other. Female rank orders in simulated primate groups were characterized by substantial variability on a year-to-year basis in both nepotism and age-gradedness owing to stochastic processes alone. Although, in general, groups characterized by strongly nepotistic rank orders were not also strongly age-graded, quantitative measures of these two rank-order dimensions for individual groups showed little stability over intervals of time exceeding 3 years. Surprisingly, changes in birth and death rates did not strongly affect either nepotism or age-gradedness so long as average group size remained constant. However, in populations characterized by expanding or declining group size, variation in demographic parameters did indeed exert a powerful influence on the structure of female rank orders. Both nepotism and age-gradedness were also strongly affected, and in quite different ways, by changes in the rules of rank acquisition by females. In sum, the present analyses suggest that differences between species in the degree of nepotism and age-gradedness characteristic of their female rank orders does not in and of itself constitute evidence that the females of those species use markedly different strategies of rank acquisition.     

Shelter-in-place orders,loneliness, and collaborative behavior

The outbreak of COVID-19 resulted in numerous jurisdictions instituting “shelter-in-place'' orders (SPOs). While designed to restrict or impede normal levels of social proximity, SPOs altered the way or degree to which workers interact with each other and have likely imposed a toll on employee well-being. The authors exploit the temporal and geographic variation in U.S. SPOs to investigate their effect on loneliness among online workers. Variation in loneliness is then linked to worker behavior in a simple two-person, collaborative task (a framed stag hunt). The analysis reveals a strong positive relationship between SPOs and loneliness on average, peaking during the wave associated with the most prolonged duration of isolation. SPOs disproportionately impacted workers in occupations not substantially involving teamwork or collaboration. As reported loneliness increases, the probability of an individual collaborating in a simple interactive workplace scenario decreases significantly. In the final survey wave, SPOs are scarcer, loneliness subsides, and cooperative behavior increases dramatically.     

A molecular dynamics study to investigate the local atomic arrangements during martensitic phase transformations

In this study, the local atomic rearrangements caused by thermally induced martensitic phase transitions in Ni-37.5 at.%Al alloy model based on embedded atom method are studied using molecular dynamics simulations. The local atomic orders and defective structural part of the transformed regions are analysed using the bond orientational order parameters, which are employed mainly to diagnose short-range order of liquid state structures, and the radial distribution functions. In addition, short-range order properties in the model alloy were analysed using Honeycutt–Andersen method, which is commonly used to determine the relationship between atomic pairs. The results of our simulations disclosed that the local atomic rearrangement is of great importance to understand the local character of the transformation path from austenite to martensite phase.     

A new classification of the branchiopod Crustacea

The first satisfactory groupings of the components of the Branchiopoda (Crustacea) were those of G. O. Sars, whose successive refinements, as modified by Caiman in a much used work, received wide acceptance. These schemes, and the more important of the subsequently suggested changes, are listed and tabulated. The Branchiopoda is a morphologically heterogeneous group whose component subgroups share a constellation of primitive features. It is also ancient, with representatives known from as far back as the Devonian, and probably originated in pre-Devonian times, yet still has many extant, sometimes highly successful, representatives. Such a situation presents difficulties to the would-be classifier. A new scheme is proposed which involves the elevation of four lower categories among the so-called Cladocera to ordinal rank. Two conchostracan taxa are also given ordinal status. The ten constituent orders now recognized within the Branchiopoda are defined in more detail than hitherto as a working basis for future investigations.