The effects of grazing on the distribution and composition of low-shore algal communities on the central coast of Portugal and on the southern coast of Britain

A red algal turf is often found just below the barnacle/limpet zone of many European shores, especially on steep shores of moderate exposure. The hypothesis that grazing by limpets determines the upper limit of distribution of this red algal turf was tested on moderately exposed shores in Portugal and Britain. We also aimed to assess whether the grazing effect is modified at various spatial scales. Grazers were excluded by fences, with half-fenced and unfenced controls. Exclusion plots were rapidly colonised by green ephemeral algae in the months immediately after the beginning of the experiment (summer); these algae were later replaced by perennial algae. The percentage cover of turf-forming macroalgae showed a significant increase at both locations. The upper limit of distribution extended more than 50 cm on most of the shores studied. In contrast, control and half-fenced plots remained devoid of algae. After 2 years, ungrazed plots were mainly colonised by a red algal turf (e.g. Caulacanthus ustulatus, Gelidium spp., Laurencia pinnatifida) in Portugal, while canopy cover (Fucus serratus and Himanthalia elongata) dominated in Britain in marked contrast to the grazed plots. Physical factors acting at both local and geographical scales may explain these differences. However, although physical factors probably have an important influence on the identity, size and abundance of sublittoral fringe macroalgae, grazers play a major role in directly setting their upper limits. The effect of grazing by limpets was not consistent for all of the morphological algal groups and spatial scales considered in the present study. The effect of grazing on the cover of turf algae varied between Portugal and Britain (location scale), while effects on ephemeral and canopy algal cover varied at the shore scale within location.     

内蒙古自治区上侏罗统最原始的蠼螋昆虫化石(昆虫纲:革翅目:始螋亚目)

我国上侏罗统牛津阶-基末利阶（163-150Ma)保存有完好的最原始的蠼螋昆虫化石,首次描述,分析和讨论了原始蠼螋后翅脉序特征,认为与现代生存的蠼螋后翅基本相同。因此,提出了与西方某些蠼螋昆虫分类学者不同的意见,认为始螋亚目（Aechidermaptera)应归入于革翅目（Dermaptera)之中,且视其为一个最原始的类群较为合理,内蒙古自治区这个原始类群的下列重要特征皆为首次发现;胸骨具有特殊的形态结构;革翅锁具（Tegmina locking device)和刺脊突（spiny crest)发育;前,中,后足跗节皆为5节;后足基节显著伸长;颈部被划分为前,后两个颈片;革翅后缘收缩变尖,上述5项被视为厚原始蠼螋特有的祖征,下列特征应为早期蠼螋共有的原始性状;虫体扁平,通常具毛;腹部侧缘彼此近平行;触角显长,丝状,多节（通常多于11节）;两只单眼发育;上颚具齿;中胸小盾片显大;革翅较长,通常具有明显的翅脉;股节具隆脊;爪和爪垫通常发育;腹部各节背板与腹板不重叠（两者位置非简单的上,下关系）;尾须柔软,多节,雌性产卵器鞘显著外伸,本文建立了始螋亚目1新科Sinopalaeo-dermatidae和2新属2新种Sinopalaeodermata neimonggolensis gen.et sp.nov,Jurassimedeola orientalis gen,et sp.nov。同时,对蠼螋昆虫的起源和演化重新进行了讨论,做出了与西方某些蠼螋昆虫研究者结论不同的推断。     

A new child-friendly 3D bimanual protocol to assess upper limb movement in children with unilateral cerebral palsy: Development and validation

Unilateral cerebral palsy (uCP) causes upper limb movement disorders that impact on daily activities, especially in bimanual condition. However, a few studies have proposed bimanual tasks for 3D motion analysis. The aim of this study was to validate the new version of a child-friendly, 3D, bimanual protocol for the measurement of joint angles and movement quality variables. Twenty children with uCP and 20 typically developing children (TDC) performed the five-task protocol integrated into a game scenario. Each task specifically targeted one or two upper limb degrees of freedom. Joint angles, smoothness and trajectory straightness were calculated. Elbow extension, supination, wrist extension and adduction amplitudes were reduced; hand trajectories were less smooth and straight in children with uCP compared to TDC. Correlations between the performance-based score and kinematic variables were strong. High within and between-session reliability was found for most joint angle variables and lower reliability was found for smoothness and straightness in most tasks. The results therefore demonstrated the validity and reliability of the new protocol for the objective assessment of bimanual function in children with uCP. The evaluation of both joint angles and movement quality variables should increase understanding of pathological movement patterns and help clinicians to optimize treatment.ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03888443.     

Dendrochronological analysis of the ancient architecture of Kingdom of Lo. Upper Mustang,Nepal

Upper Mustang is a land of extraordinary, precious, tangible and intangible cultural heritage deeply rooted in the Tibetan culture and tradition of Buddhism as well as the Bön religion. The unique architecture provides a great source of timber suitable for dendrochronological research. Century-old fortresses, palaces, Buddhist monasteries and temples, houses and chörtens reflect the great importance of wood as a building material (used alongside clay and stone). We present pioneering research on historical wood from Upper Mustang. The objectives of the study were to determine the wood species used in the traditional architecture of the region, to make an attempt to date materials from Upper Mustang using existing tree-ring chronologies developed for neighbouring geographical regions and to determine the need and the chance of creating separate tree-ring chronologies for Upper Mustang. For the presented study we collected 191 samples from the oldest buildings preserved in Upper Mustang. Anatomical studies of samples resulted in the identification of four species of conifer wood: Himalayan pine – Pinus wallichiana A.B. Jacks, Himalayan fir – Abies spectabilis D.Don, Juniperus spp. and Larix spp. The main achievement of our research was the development of an Upper Mustang master chronology covering the period from 1317 to 1943. The chronology is based on data derived from Pinus wallichiana A.B. Jacks.     

Turonian Pinaceae of the Raritan Formation, New Jersey

 Fossil vegetative and reproductive structures from deposits of the Raritan Formation in New Jersey (Turonian, Upper Cretaceous, ∼90 MYBP) include ferns, gymnosperms, and angiosperms. Gymnosperms collected from this formation have been known since the beginning of the 20th century. Fossil leaves, wood and seed cones have been are identified as belonging to the Cupressaceae, Pinaceae, and Taxodiaceae. In the present contribution, we describe a series of fossil dwarf shoots, leaves and a pollen cone belonging to the family Pinaceae. Fossils are charcoalified with preserved three-dimensional structure and excellent cellular detail. The dwarf shoots are assigned to a new species Prepinus crossmanensis sp. nov. and to the previously described Pinus quinquefolia Jeffrey. The new species Prepinus crossmanensis differs in size, shape, presence of hypodermis, sclerenchyma and stomata in the cataphylls, and number and shape of needle leaves from previously known species. Also, isolated leaves were found that were assigned to the new species, Prepinus raritanensis sp. nov. The new species is differentiated by the size and shape of stomata, the presence of number of layers of the hypodermis; and the cell-shape and number of layers of the mesophyll and transfusion tissue. A previously undescribed male cone, Amboystrobus cretacicum gen. and sp. nov., has an axis with spirally attached microsporophylls, each bearing two abaxial ovoid microsporangia. The pollen grains are monosulcate and bisaccate (eusaccate), with an elliptical corpus, granulate exine sculpture, and honeycomb-like wall structure. Received March 21, 2000 Accepted November 13, 2000     

Bryozoans as substratum of fossil fistulose Foraminifera (Fam. Polymorphinidae)

In the Upper Cretaceous-Lower Tertiary sections exposed in the Curfs quarries at Berg (munic. Berg en Terblijt - also known as Geulhem, southern Netherlands) and some other localities, numerous foraminifers of the family Polymorphinidae with complete fistulose apertures have been found. These apertures, which are equipped with circular openings and auxiliary apertural chambers, branching and numerous narrow projecting tubes or stolons, have been widely reported, but their role has been the subject of controversy. The Dutch material shows the foraminifers attached with the apertural tubes to fragments of bryozoan colonies or molluscan shells, suggesting that the tubes could perhaps act as holdfast organs. Most specimens were found in calcarenites of the nearshore facies. The foraminifers cannot be treated as symbiotic organisms nor parasites but as epifauna in search of protection from mechanical destruction by waves and current action. The present case may be best explained as an adaptation of sessile foraminifers with fragile hyaline tests to live in highly disadvantageous, high-energy conditions.     

Selection of the conodont Idiognathodus simulator (Ellison) as the event marker for the base of the global Gzhelian Stage (Upper Pennsylvanian, Carboniferous)

Studies carried out for more than 10 years by the Task Group to establish GSSPs at the base of the Moscovian–Kasimovian and Kasimovian–Gzhelian boundaries have resulted in the proposal that the level at which the conodont species Idiognathodus simulator (Ellison, 1941) first appears be selected to mark the base of the Gzhelian Stage. This expands this eastern European chronostratigraphic unit to a global scale.I. simulator (sensu Barrick et al., 2008) has been identified so far in Midcontinent and eastern North America, the Moscow and Donets basins and southern Urals of eastern Europe, and in south-central China. Correlation of this level based on this species and other conodont species can be reinforced in some areas by ammonoid and fusulinid data.     

Motor unit number estimation and quantitative needle electromyography in stroke patients

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effect of upper motor neuron damage upon motor units’ function by means of two separate and supplementary electrophysiological methods.MethodsThe abductor digiti minimi muscle of the non-paretic and the paretic side was studied in forty-six stroke patients with (a) motor unit number estimation (MUNE) – adapted multiple point stimulation method and (b) computerized quantitative needle electromyography (EMG) assessing the configuration of voluntary recruited motor unit potentials. Main outcome comparisons were focused on differences between non-paretic and paretic side.ResultsOn the affected hands mean MUNE value was significantly lower and mean area of the surface recorded single motor unit potentials was significantly larger than the corresponding ones on the non-paretic hands. EMG findings did not reveal remarkable differences between the two sides. Neither severity nor chronicity of stroke was related to MUNE or EMG parameters.DiscussionMUNE results, which suggested reduced motor unit numbers in stroke patients, in conjunction with the normal EMG features in these same muscles has given rise to different interpretations. In a clinical setting, reinnervation type changes in the EMG similar to that occurring in neuronopathies or axonal neuropathies should not be expected in muscles with central neurogenic lesion.     

Fixation probabilities of additive alleles in diploid populations

The calculation of the survival probability of a selectively advantageous allele is a central part of the quantitative theory of genetic evolution. However, several areas of investigation in population genetics theory, including the generalized neutrality theory, the concept of Muller's ratchet, and the risk of extinction of sexually reproducing populations due to the accumulation of deleterious mutations, rely on the calculation of the survival probability of selectively disadvantageous mutant genes. The calculation of these probabilities in the standard Wright-Fisher model of genetic evolution appears to be intractable, and yet is a key element in the above investigations. In this paper we find bounds for the fixation probability of deleterious and advantageous additive mutants, as well as finding close approximations for these probabilities. In addition, we derive analytical estimates for the relative error of our approximations and compare our results with those from numerical computation. Our results justify the diffusion approximation for the fixation probability of a single mutant.     

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma in Malaysia – Pooled data from upper gastrointestinal centers in a multiethnic Asian population

BackgroundEsophageal cancer is the sixth leading cause of cancer death worldwide with considerable geographical histological variation There is a paucity of data in esophageal cancer in demographics, histology, and survival among the multi-ethnic Malaysian population. This paper is a review of esophageal cancer epidemiology and survival among esophageal cancer patients from data collected by the Malaysian Upper Gastrointestinal Surgical Society.MethodsThis is a multicenter retrospective observational study of esophageal cancer patients from six upper gastrointestinal surgical centers in Malaysia between 2005 and 2019. Patient characteristics, histological type and stage were compared and survival analyzed.ResultsThere were 820 patients with esophageal cancer included, where 442 (53.9 %) cases had squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and 378 (46.1 %) had adenocarcinomas (AC). Malays were the predominant ethnicity with AC (66.7 %) while Indians were the ethnic majority (74.6 %) with SCC. Majority of patients (56.8 %) presented as stage IV disease. Overall, the 1-, 3-, and 5-years’ survival were 35.8 %, 13.8 % and 11.0 %, respectively. Surgical resection with curative intent yielded the best 5-year survival (29.4 %). Intervention in stage IV AC yielded superior survival when compared to SCC (median survival, 7.9 months vs 4.8 months; p, 0.018) Our series demonstrated an increase in AC to SCC over the last 15 years.ConclusionsThere was an ethnic preponderance seen between different histology in this region, not previously discussed. An increase in AC was observed over the last 15 years. Late diagnosis seen in most patients imparts poor prognosis as curative surgery affords the best outcome.