New data on the Rectogordius (foraminifera) abundance zone (Latest Carboniferous: Gzhelian) of the Zaladou Formation (east-central Iran,Tabas block,Shishtu section)

The Rectogordius (Foraminifera) abundance zone is described in the east of the Shishtu village in the Ozbak Kuh Mountain. The samples were collected in the Zaladou Formation., which is 60 m thick and composed of shales, sandstones, sandy limestones, microconglomerate, bioclastic limestones, coral limestone and fusulinid limestones. The Rectogordius abundance zone was found in sandy bioclastic limestone. It displays two species and three subspecies of this foraminifer, including Rectogordius iranicus, R. iranicus gadukensis, R. minimus and R. minimus shishtuensis n. subsp., R. iranicus ozbakensis n. subsp. The age of this abundance zone is considered to be Gzhelian, due to the distribution of Rectogordius in Central Iran (Ozbak Kuh; Zaladou Formation), central and eastern Alborz (Emarat Fm.), Sanandaj-Sirjan zone (Vazhnan Formation), as well as in the Donets, Arctic Canada, Afghanistan, and the Carnic Alps. The genus Rectogordius is possibly restricted to the northern Paleotethys margin, northern Cimmerian margin, shelf of the Uralian Ocean as far as the northernmost part of North America. Two new subspecies Rectogordius minimus shishtuensis n. subsp. and Rectogordius iranicus ozbakensis n. subsp. are described.     

Vassiljukia,a new colonial rugose coral from the Early Visean (Mississippian) of the Donets Basin (Ukraine) and NW Turkey

The cerioid colonial coral previously described as Lithostrotion columnariformis from the Early Visean of the Donets Basin (Ukraine) is here reattributed to the new genus Vassiljukia. This genus is introduced for colonial amygdalophylloid developing a stable cerioid habitus. It differs from amygdalophylloid proto-colonies by its ability to produce second generation offsets. This ability is proposed here as a definition to differentiate proto-colonial stages from genuine colonies within the rugose corals. Vassiljukia columnariformis is also known from equivalent strata of northwestern Turkey where it occurs with the oldest cerioid Lithostrotion and Ceriodotia. The origin and affinity of Vassiljukia columnariformis within the Amygdalophyllidae are also discussed.     

New in vivo and ex vivo models for the experimental study of sheep scrapie: development and perspectives

Sheep scrapie is a prototypical transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE), and the most widespread of these diseases. Experimental study of TSE infectious agents from sheep and other species essentially depends on bioassays in rodents. Transmission of natural sheep scrapie to conventional mice commonly requires one or two years. In an effort to develop laboratory models in which investigations on the sheep TSE agent would be facilitated, we have established mice and cell lines that were genetically engineered to express ovine PrP protein and examined their susceptibility to the infection. A series of transgenic mice lines (tgOv) expressing the high susceptibility allele (VRQ) of the ovine PrP gene from different constructs was expanded. Following intracerebral inoculation with natural scrapie isolates, all animals developed typical TSE neurological signs and accumulated abnormal PrP in their brain. The survival time in the highest expressing tgOv lines ranged from 2 to 7 months, depending on the isolate. It was inversely related to the brain PrP content, and essentially unchanged on further passaging. Ovine PrP transgene expression thus enhanced scrapie disease transmission from sheep to mice. Such tgOv mice may bring new opportunities for analysing the natural variation of scrapie strains and measuring infectivity. As no relevant cell culture models for agents of naturally-occurring TSE exist, we have explored various strategies in order to obtain stable cell lines that would propagate the sheep agent ex vivo without prior adaptation to rodent. In one otherwise refractory rabbit epithelial cell line, a regulable expression of ovine PrP was achieved and found to enable an efficient replication of the scrapie agent in inoculated cultures. Cells derived from sheep embryos or from tgOv mice were also used in an attempt to establish permissive cell lines derived from the nervous system. Cells engineered to express PrP proteins of a specified sequence may thus represent a promising strategy to further explore, at the cellular level, various aspects of TSE diseases.     

The geographical and chronological pattern of herpetofaunal Pleistocene extinctions on the Iberian Peninsula

Despite the postulation of the “herpetofaunal stability hypothesis”, which suggests that the herpetofauna underwent relatively few changes during the Pleistocene, the amphibian and squamate faunas of western Europe are known to have progressively diminished during the Pliocene and the beginning of the Pleistocene. Iberian Early Pleistocene sites continue to document the presence of “exotic” herpetofaunal elements that are supposed to have disappeared from the mainland, such as Oriental vipers, agamid lizards, the anguids Pseudopus and Dopasia, and a representative of the green toad group (Bufo viridis sensu lato), as well as possibly gekkonids, a scincid lizard (Lygosominae), the anguid Ragesaurus and blind snake (Scolecophidia). The geographical and temporal pattern of these progressive southward withdrawals and extirpations on the Iberian Peninsula shows that extirpation events occurred in northern Spain at roughly the Olduvai paleomagnetic event and in southern Spain just before the Jaramillo paleomagnetic reversal, thus permitting us to establish a framework that can be used to complement the biochronological zonation of the Iberian Early Pleistocene.     

The evolution of anisogamy: the adaptive significance of damage, repair and mortality

Classic theory on the evolution of anisogamy focuses on the trade-off between gamete productivity and provisioning and mechanisms associated with post-zygotic survival. In this article, the role of mortality acting on both zygotes and gametes is explored as a factor influencing the evolution of different sized gametes. In particular, variable mortality through differential survival or metabolic damage is shown to affect the persistence of isogamy, the evolution of more than two sexes and the evolution of anisogamy. Evolutionary stable isogamous states are shown to be locally unstable and disruptive selection can induce the evolution of anisogamy. Analysis of both the isogamous and anisogamous ESS points reveals that the persistence of either of these conditions is not always assured. The implications of variable survival on the evolution of anisogamy are discussed.     

The presumed hagfish Myxineidus gononorum from the Upper Carboniferous of Montceau-les-Mines (Saône-et-Loire,France): New data obtained by means of Propagation Phase Contrast X-ray Synchrotron Microtomography

The re-examination of the presumed hagfish Myxineidus gononorum from the Carboniferous of Montceau-les-Mines by means of propagation phase contrast X-ray synchrotron microtomography confirms the presence of two series of non-mineralized denticles arranged in chevrons in the oral region. It also indicates the presence of possible traces of post-mortem mineralized soft tissues. A peculiar zone of less X ray-absorbing matter around the animal suggests the presence of an enlarged, lamprey-like oral disc. Re-interpreting Myxineidus as a lamprey would be in better agreement with the reputedly fresh-water environment of the Montceau-les-Mines Lagerstätte.     

The significance of host patch edges to the colonization and development of Corythucha marmorata (Hemiptera: Tingidae)

Abstract. 1. Corythucha marmorata (Hemiptera: Tingidae) was more abundant in clusters of small experimental patches of its host plant, goldenrod (Solidago altissima) , than in large patches covering the same area.
2. Adults and egg masses were more abundant on stems on the edges of the patches than on those in the interior.
3. Female Cmarmorata caged on edge plants laid more eggs than females caged on interior plants, and eggs on exposed plants developed faster than those in the middle of a pacth.
4. A preference for edges results in negative 'response' to patch size because large patches invariably have a lower proportion of edge than small patches.     

The effects of parasitoid fecundity and host taxon on the biological control of insect pests: the relationship between theory and data

1. A simple, intuitive argument and the tenets of the biological control literature both suggest that, in general, parasitoids with a greater fecundity will provide better control of their hosts, and will thus be better biological control agents. 2. A model of host-parasitoid dynamics, based on the standard Thompson–Nicholson–Bailey approach and incorporating the effects of parasitoid fecundity-limitation and host density-dependence, also indicates that as parasitoid fecundity decreases so does local stability and the degree of host suppression. 3. A taxonomically diverse data set obtained from the biological control record failed to support this theoretical prediction, but at the same time indicated a strong effect of host taxon on the outcome of biological control. 4. The hypothesis that the fecundity of parasitoids is correlated positively with their ability to suppress host populations is supported by data exclusively from the host order Lepidoptera. 5. Possible explanations for the divergence between the fecundity-limitation hypothesis and the complete data set include: the ability of parasitoids to provide long-term control of pests without the presence of a stable host–parasitoid equilibrium; differences between the concepts of successful control in theory and practice; evolutionary trade-offs between fecundity and other parasitoid life-history features, such as search efficiency, leading to better pest control by parasitoids with low fecundity; and differing windows of vulnerability to parasitoid attack between host taxa.     

The diversity and radiation of the largest monophyletic animal group on New Caledonia (Trichoptera: Ecnomidae: Agmina)

In area, New Caledonia is the smallest of the world’s 25 official biodiversity hotspots, but in many taxonomic groups, the island has the highest concentration of species on earth, particularly so in the freshwater insect order Trichoptera. This study aims at applying molecular data and morphology for estimating the real species diversity of the genus Agmina on New Caledonia and investigating potential effects of ultramafic rock substrate on diversification. A dated molecular phylogeny was applied to study diversity and diversification related to geological substrate using the dispersal–extinction–cladogenesis model, diva and Bayesian ancestral character reconstruction. More than 47 species (> 63%) were unknown to science. Initial radiation occurred on ultramafic substrate followed by several independent dispersal events to nonultramafic substrate. The rate of shift from ultramafic to nonultramafic substrate was significantly higher than the rate of shift in the opposite direction, indicating a possible cost associated with living on ultramafic substrate.     

The effects of elk velvet antler consumption on the rat: development, behavior, toxicity and the activity of liver gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase

The effect of exposure to, followed by consumption of, a diet containing 10% powdered elk velvet antler (EVA) from the 18th day of gestation to the 88th day after birth was examined in male and female Fischer 344 rats. There were no teratogenic effects of EVA exposure in utero or differences in birth outcomes between pups born to regular chow fed and EVA chow fed dams. Growth curves of the EVA fed rats were identical to those of regular chow fed rats, as were developmental milestones of pinna development and eye-opening. Acoustical startle and righting reflexes, developmental and behavioral indices, were identical. Blood glucose levels were comparable in EVA chow fed and regular chow fed rats, indicating that EVA is without effect on glucose balance. There were no signs of toxicity in the EVA chow fed compared to regular chow fed rats as judged from plasma enzyme markers of liver damage: plasma levels of alanine aminotransferase were 50% lower in EVA chow fed rats compared to regular chow fed rats; and plasma levels of gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase (gammaGT) were the same. The activity of gammaGT displayed a decrease in the livers of EVA chow fed rats, more so in the male (22%) than in the female (14%), suggestive of an androgenic effect. A possible hepatobeneficial effect of the EVA induced decrease in liver gammaGT is discussed. In summary, dietary10% EVA chow is without long term effect on growth, development and behavior is non-toxic and may be hepatobeneficial.     

New data on the genus Chrysotoxum Meigen (Diptera: Syrphidae) from North-East Turkey,Armenia, Azerbaijan and Iran including descriptions of three new species

New data and records of the genus Chrysotoxum Meigen, 1803 are reported, arising from taxonomic and faunistic examination of adult specimens collected from 1920 to 2011 from four northeastern provinces of Turkey (Erzurum, Bayburt, Kars, and Artvin), and from the neighboring countries of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Iran. Three new species are described: Chrysotoxum antennalis Vuji?, Nedeljkovi? &; Hayat sp. n., C. clausseni Vuji?, Nedeljkovi? &; Hayat sp. n. and C. persicum Vuji?, Nedeljkovi? &; Hayat sp. n. The first two are known only from northeastern Turkey, and the third also occurs in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Iran. These new species have in common an antenna with the basoflagellomere being shorter than the scape and pedicel together.

http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:4C264678-8E47-4DE0-AC7D-91DABC597BCD     

Recent sedimentation in a freshwater reservoir in SW-Finland: The diatomological and chemical evidence of sediments on the development of the water body

A freshwater reservoir was dammed from the Baltic Sea in 1965. The recent sediments and the processes of accumulation in the reservoir have been investigated. The physical, chemical and diatom analyses of the sediments were carried out at 5 sampling points in order to dinstinquish the freshwater sediments from the underlying brackish sediments as well as to date the freshwater sediments. The pattern of sedimentation in the reservoir is described on the basis of these results and conclusions are drawn regarding the development of the water body. In interpretating the diatomological and the chemical results from the recent sediments certain common features are highlighted.     

The effect of the dark interval in intermittent light on thylakoid development: photosynthetic unit formation and light harvesting protein accumulation

Etiolated bean plants were grown in intermittent light with dark intervals of shorter or longer duration, to modulate the rate of chlorophyll accumulation, relative to that of the other thylakoid components formed. We thus produced conditions under which chlorophyll becomes more or less a limiting factor. We then tested whether LHC complexes can be incorporated in the thylakoid. It was found that an equal amount of chlorophyll, formed under the same total irradiation received, may be used for the stabilization of few and large-in-size PS units containing LHC components (short dark-interval intermittent light), or for the stabilization of many and small-in-size PS units with no LHC components (long dark-interval intermittent light). The size of the PS units diminishes as the dark-interval duration is increased, with no further change after 98 minutes. The PSII/cytf ratio remains constant throughout development in intermittent light and equal to that of mature chloroplasts (PSII/cytf = 1) except in the case of very long dark-interval regimes, where about half PSII units per cytf are present. The PSII/PSI ratio was found to be correlated with the PSII unit size (the larger the size, the lower the ratio). The number of PSI units operating on the same electron transfer chain varied depending on the size of the PSII unit (the larger the PSII unit size, the more the PSI units per chain). The results suggest that it is not the chlorophyll content per se which regulates the stabilization of LHC in developing thylakoids and consequently the size of the PS units, but rather the rate by which it is accumulated, relative to that of the other thylakoid components.Abbreviations Chl Chlorophyll - CL Continuous light - CPa the reaction center complex of PSII - CPI the reaction center complex of PSI - CPIa Chlorophyll protein complex containing the CPI and the light harvesting complex of PSI - fr w fresh weight - LDC Light dark cycles - LHC-I Light-harvesting complex of PSI - LHC-II Light harvesting complex of PSII - PS photosystem - PSI photosystem I - PSII photosystem II     

Feel the heat: The effect of temperature on development, behavior and central pattern generation in 3rd instar Calliphora vicina larvae

Like in all poikilothermic animals, higher temperatures increase developmental rate and activity in Calliphora vicina larvae. We therefore could expect temperature to have a persistent effect on the output of the feeding and crawling central pattern generators (CPGs). When confronted with a steep temperature gradient, larvae show evasive behavior after touching the substrate with the cephalic sense organs. Beside this reflex behavior the terminal- and dorsal organ might also mediate long term CPG modulation. Both organs were thermally stimulated while their response was recorded from the maxillary- or antennal nerve. The terminal organ showed a tonic response characteristic while the dorsal organ was not sensitive to temperature. Thermal stimulation of the terminal organ did not affect the ongoing patterns of fictive feeding or crawling, recorded from the antennal- or abdominal nerve respectively. A selective increase of the central nervous system (CNS) temperature accelerated the motor patterns of both feeding and crawling. We propose that temperature affects centrally generated behavior via two pathways: short term changes like thermotaxis are mediated by the terminal organ, while long term adaptations like increased feeding rate are caused by temperature sensitive neurons in the CNS which were recently shown to exist in Drosophila larvae.     

The effect of temperature on the growth,development and survival of Macropetasma africanus (Balss) (Penaeoidea:Penaeidae) larvae reared in the laboratory

Macropetasma africanus (Balss) has been successfully spawned and its larvae reared under controlled laboratory conditions. The relationship between egg number (E) and female total length (L) was E = 18.59 L^2.11. An experiment was designed to test the effect of temperature on larval development, survival and growth. Temperature effected larval development time, from 13–15 days at 25°C, to 25 days at 15°C (nauplius 1 to post-larva). Mortality was low for the naupliar stages at 25, 22 and 18°C, while at 15°C only 52% of the larvae reached nauplius 6. Mortality was highest from nauplius 6 to protozoea 1 (17, 21, and 18% at 25, 22, and 18°C, respectively), but decreased considerably for all temperatures once the mysis stage was reached. Overall survival rates from nauplius 1 to post-larva decreased with decreasing temperature (65, 54, 48, and 39% at 25, 22, 18, and 15°C respectively). Temperature also significantly affected larval growth. At 25°C mean total length was significantly (P < 0.05) larger than at 15°C (protozoea 2 to post-larva), while from protozoea 3 to post-larva total length differences were significantly different (P < 0.05) between 18 and 25°C. M. africanus has a major spawning peak in summer, suggesting that there may be a selective advantage to reproducing during the warmer months.     

The impact of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) program on radiation and tissue banking in Uruguay: development of tissues quality control and quality management system in the National Multi-Tissue Bank of Uruguay

BNOT was created and regulated in 1977 and started its operation in 1978 according to the Decree No. 86/1977. By the Decree 248/005 is transformed in the National Institute of Donation and Transplantation of Cells, Tissues and Organs (Instituto Nacional de Donación y Trasplante de Células, Tejidos y órganos—INDT). The organisation has been operating within the State University Medical School and the Public Health Secretary and it is the governmental organisation responsible for the regulation, policy and management of donation and transplantation in Uruguay. By the Decree 160/2006 is responsible for human cells and tissues regulation too. The participation of the INDT in the IAEA program facilitated the introduction of the radiation sterilisation technique for the first time in the country. The radiation sterilisation of tissues processed by INDT (ex BNOT), was initially carried out in the 60 Cobalt Industrial Plant in the National Atomic Energy Commission of Argentina and now is carried out in INDT, using a Gamma Cell 220 Excel, which was provided by the IAEA through the national project URU/7/005. The results of the implementation of tissues, quality control and quality management system, are showed.     

The Knight and the King: two new species of giant bent-toed gecko (Cyrtodactylus,Gekkonidae, Squamata) from northern New Guinea,with comments on endemism in the North Papuan Mountains

The diverse biota of New Guinea includes many nominally widespread species that actually comprise multiple deeply divergent lineages with more localised histories of evolution. Here we investigate the systematics of the very large geckos of the Cyrtodactylusnovaeguineae complex using molecular and morphological data. These data reveal two widespread and divergent lineages that can be distinguished from each other, and from type material of Cyrtodactylusnovaeguineae, by aspects of size, build, coloration and male scalation. On the basis of these differences we describe two new species. Both have wide distributions that overlap extensively in the foothill forests of the North Papuan Mountains, however one is seemingly restricted to hill and lower montane forests on the ranges themselves, while the other is more widespread throughout the surrounding lowlands. The taxon endemic to the North Papuan Mountains is related to an apparently lowland form currently known only from Waigeo and Batanta Island far to the west – hinting at a history on island arcs that accreted to form the North Papuan Mountains.     

The importance of the ratio UV-B/photosynthetic active radiation (PAR) during leaf development as determining factor of plant sensitivity to increased UV-B irradiance: effects on growth, gas exchange and pigmentation of bean plants (Phaseolus vulgaris cv. Label)

To evaluate the effect of different naturally occurring irradiation conditions on the sensitivity of bean (Phaseolus vulgaris cv. Label) to increased UV-B levels, plants were grown under six different light treatments. In the control series (at ambient levels of UV-B), UV-B and visible light were decreased in parallel, resulting in three different total irradiation treatments with the same UV-B/PAR ratio. A second series with a 15% increase in UV-B irradiation at each PAR level was used to investigate the effect of UV-B under the varying total irradiance levels. The different total irradiance levels resulted in large differences in total dry weight, specific leaf weight, photosynthesis-light response and pigment concentrations. Nevertheless, the 15% increase in UV-B resulted in equal reductions in total dry weight (from 24.5 to 34.3%) and effective photosynthesis for all light levels. The accumulation of protective pigments in the primary bean leaves was strongly correlated to the total irradiance level (200% increase from the lowest to the highest light level), but was not influenced by increasing UV-B levels. As the UV-B/PAR ratio outside increases with decreasing total irradiance (when induced by cloud cover) this implies that low radiation levels are potentially dangerous to some plants, even though the UV-B levels may seem negligible.