bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Textiles from the Museum of San Isidoro (León): New Evidence for Re-evaluating Their Chronology and Provenance
Authors: Cabrera Lafuente Ana
Published: April 2019

This paper presents the first in-depth analysis of the textiles held by the Museo de la Real Colegiata de San Isidoro de León, providing a careful investigation of textile features and raw materials, in addition to carbon-14 dating and archival research. These new data have allowed us to redate the fabrics, placing them within their tenth- through early thirteenth-century Mediterranean and European contexts. The result is a more complex image than was previously assumed, and it offers a significant starting point for further research into the roles played by textiles in medieval Iberia.
Demons and Diversity in León
Authors: Patton Pamela A.
Published: April 2019

This article examines a wall painting of the temptation of Saint Martin in the so-called Panteón de los Reyes of San Isidoro in León, focusing on its unorthodox portrayal of Satan as an Ethiopianized, dark-skinned figure wearing a robe reflective of Fatimid textile traditions. Tracing the scene’s divergent sources within the complex network of images, texts, and ideas then circulating in León, it argues that the unusually configured image constituted an innovative, intervisual response to the concerns of a palatine viewership that in the first decades of the twelfth century remained preoccupied with its own dynastic and political position, both within the Leonese kingdom and with reference to its wider European sphere.
Objectivity Discourse, the Protestant Secular, and the Decolonization of Religious Studies
Authors: Cooper Travis Warren
Published: April 2019

This article documents a complex genealogy of objectivity discourse that has shaped the study of religion in the modern academy. Analyzing data derived from a 2015 survey administered to Big 10, Research 1, and Ivy League religious studies institutions in the United States, the study posits a provisional taxonomy of neutrality language. The debates about positionality and self-disclosure in religion classrooms, as explored in the taxonomy, is evidence of the pervasive epistemic framework of the “Protestant secular.” The article proposes that religious studies, as a hybrid discipline, may address the status of the academy as an agent of the secular state by acknowledging its complicity in regimes of power and engaging in the rigorously critical, robustly ethnographic, and concertedly reflexive study of its own institutions and practices. Rather than removing objectivity discourse from religious studies, the article concludes by arguing for retaining a modified form of objectivist realism as a productive, decolonized ideal.
Life on the Border: Dealing with Territorial Violations of the Demilitarised and Neutralised Zone of the Åland Islands
Authors: Åkermark Sia Spiliopoulou , Hyttinen Tatu , Kleemola-Juntunenc Pirjo
Published: April 2019

How does Finland deal in practice with instances of alleged violations of the demilitarised and neutralised zone of the Åland Islands? This is the main question in this text. We examine three levels of regulation and practice, namely international law, legislation concerning territorial surveillance and criminal law during the period 2010–2015. We examine unique materials obtained upon application. We conclude that the criminalisation presents Finland with several advantages but also some problems, in particular in matters of criminal liability. The absence of easily accessible and visible nautical and aeronautical charts indicating the coordinates of the demilitarised and neutralised zone for all those practically concerned remains a major obstacle. While the total number of reported violations remains low, the investigations confirm the continued validity of the demilitarisation regime and the intricate interplay between domestic and international law.
The Absence of Norm Modification and the Intensification of Norm Contestation: Africa and the Responsibility to Prosecute
Authors: Arcudi Antonio
Published: April 2019

In recent norm research, the question of the relationship between norm contestation and norm dynamics has been the subject of substantial debate. However, until now too little attention has been paid to the question of how and when contestation intensifies. Based on the differentiation between applicatory and validity contestation, this article proposes a specific mechanism for intensifying contestation—understood as an increase in the contestation itself as well as an extension to its validity level—by treating norm modification as an intervening variable. The main argument is that norm modification may be necessary to reconcile different interpretations of norms. Consequently, if norm modification does not occur, norm contestation may intensify. This article elaborates this mechanism by examining the controversies involving the International Criminal Court (icc). It shows that contestation began at a low and applicatory level but intensified after several attempts at norm modification had failed.
Kugelzellen in larval anuran epidermis: an ultrastructural study on tadpoles of Pelobates cultripes (Pelobatidae) and Phyllobates bicolor (Dendrobatidae)
Authors: Delfino Giovanni , Quagliata Sara , Giachi Filippo , Malentacchi Cecilia
Published: April 2019

Prior to hind limb development, tadpoles of the western spadefoot frog Pelobates cultripes (Pelobatidae) and dart-arrow frog Phyllobates bicolor (Dendrobatidae) possess large clear cells in the basal layer of the epidermis. These cells closely resemble Kugelzellen (KZn) of larval clawed frog, Xenopus laevis (Pipidae) and share ultrastructural traits with Leydig cells (LCs) of Caudata and Caecilia. In both species, KZn possess a transparent cytoplasm and a remarkable peripheral cytoskeleton of tonofilaments: in the arrow frog tonofilaments form bands parallel to the cell surface, in the spadefoot frog thin bundles, arranged in a three-dimensional network. KZn combine turgor (resulting from the hydrated cytoplasm) with stiffness (from peripheral cytoskeleton), thus providing structural stability to the larval epidermis.
Dolphins and African apes: comparisons of sympatric socio-ecology
Authors: Bearzi Maddalena , Stanford Craig B.
Published: April 2019

Dolphins and African apes are distantly related mammalian taxa that exhibit striking convergences in their socioecology. In both cetaceans and African apes, two or more closely related species sometimes occur in sympatry. However, detailed reviews of the ways in which sympatric associations of dolphins and apes are similar have not been done. As field studies of dolphins and apes have accumulated, comparisons of how the two groups avoid direct food competition when in sympatry have become possible. In this paper we review sympatric ecology among dolphins and African apes, and examine convergences in species-associations in each taxa. We review evidence for hypotheses that seek to explain avoidance of food competition, and consider whether ape-dolphin similarities in this area may be related to the way in which social groups in both taxa optimally exploit their food resources.
Immature stages and phylogenetic importance of Astrapaeus, a rove beetle genus of puzzling systematic position (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Staphylinini)
Authors: Pietrykowska-Tudruj Ewa , Staniec Bernard , Wojas Tadeusz , Solodovnikov Alexey
Published: April 2019

For the first time eggs, larvae and pupae obtained by rearing are described for Astrapaeus, a monotypic West Palearctic rove beetle genus of a puzzling phylogenetic position within the megadiverse tribe Staphylinini. Morphology of the immature stages of Astrapaeus ulmi is compared to that of other members of the tribe and discussed in a phylogenetic context. Contrary to conventional systematics and in accordance with recently developed phylogenetic hypotheses based on morphology of adults, larval morphology supports the non-Quediina affiliation of Astrapaeus. Eggs and pupae provided fewer characters with putative phylogenetic signal. Under laboratory conditions, a peculiar preference for isopod prey was observed for A. ulmi. However, this could not be evaluated in an evolutionary context because of the lack of data on the diet of this and related taxa in nature.
Variation in skull size and shape of the Common wall lizard (Podarcis muralis): allometric and non-allometric shape changes
Authors: Urošević Aleksandar , Ljubisavljević Katarina , Ivanović Ana
Published: April 2019

We analysed patterns of skull size and shape variation among populations of the Common wall lizard (Podarcis muralis) in the Central Balkans, particularly the effecs of insularity and the presence of the ecologically similar lacertid lizard species P. melisellensis. Two components of shape variation were analysed – size dependent (allometric) and size independent shape changes. The observed shape differentiation relating to insularity was greatly size-dependent and concordant to allometric shape changes which explained over 20% of variation in the skull shape in the analysed sample. The explorative analysis of size-independent shape changes revealed that populations of P. muralis which share habitat with P. melisellensis diverge from populations which do not share habitat with potentially competing species. These changes related to the general shortening and widening of the skull and increase of the jaw adductor muscle chambers were more pronounced in males. We suppose that the observed pattern of shape changes is driven by competition among species (character displacement) and, possibly, is further modified by heterospecific aggression and trophic shift.
Tooth wear in captive rhinoceroses (Diceros, Rhinoceros, Ceratotherium: Perissodactyla) differs from that of free-ranging conspecifics
Authors: Taylor Lucy A. , Müller Dennis W.H. , Schwitzer Christoph , Kaiser Thomas M. , Codron Daryl , Schulz Ellen , Clauss Marcus
Published: April 2019

Tooth wear can affect body condition, reproductive success and life expectancy. Poor dental health is frequently reported in the zoo literature, and abrasion-dominated tooth wear, which is typical for grazers, has been reported in captive browsing ruminants. The aim of this study was to test if a similar effect is evident in captive rhinoceros species. Dental casts of maxillary cheek teeth of museum specimens of captive black (Diceros bicornis; browser), greater one-horned (Rhinoceros unicornis; intermediate feeder) and white rhinoceroses (Ceratotherium simum; grazer) were analysed using the recently developed extended mesowear method for rhinoceroses. Captive D. bicornis exhibited significantly more abrasion-dominated tooth wear than their free-ranging conspecifics (p<0.001), whereas captive C. simum exhibited significantly less abrasion-dominated tooth wear, particularly in the posterior cusp of the second molar (p=0.005). In R. unicornis, fewer differences were exhibited between free-ranging and captive animals, but tooth wear was highly variable in this species. In both free-ranging and captive D. bicornis, anterior cusps were significantly more abrasiondominated than posterior cusps (p<0.05), which indicates morphological differences between cusps that may represent functional adaptations. By contrast, tooth wear gradients between free-ranging and captive animals differed, which indicates ingesta- specific influences responsible for inter-tooth wear differences. Captive D. bicornis exhibited more homogenous tooth wear than their free-ranging conspecifics, which may be caused by an increase in the absolute dietary abrasiveness and a decrease in relative environmental abrasiveness compared to their freeranging conspecifics. The opposite occurred in C. simum. The results of this study suggest that diets fed to captive browsers are too abrasive, which could result in the premature loss of tooth functionality, leading to reduced food acquisition and processing ability and, consequently, malnourishment.
Vertebral number is highly evolvable in salamanders and newts (family Salamandridae) and variably associated with climatic parameters
Authors: Arntzen Jan W. , Beukema Wouter , Galis Frietson , Ivanović Ana
Published: April 2019

In vertebrates, the relative proportion of the number of trunk and caudal vertebrae is an important determinant of body shape. While among amphibians frogs and toads show low variation in vertebrae numbers, in salamanders the numbers of trunk and caudal vertebrae vary widely, giving rise to phenotypes in the range from short-bodied and long-tailed to long-bodied and short-tailed. We analysed vertebral numbers in the family Salamandridae in a phylogenetic context and calculated the relationship between vertebral changes and changes in climate and other environmental parameters. A significant association was found between morphological change with precipitation and temperature. However, annual precipitation affected the two main groups of salamandrid salamanders differently, with trunk elongation in the terrestrial ‘true salamanders’ and tail elongation in the more aquatic ‘newts’. A - male biased - sexual dimorphism was only observed in Lissotriton vulgaris vulgaris in the number of trunk vertebrae and in Ommatotriton ophryticus and Lissotriton species for the number of caudal vertebrae. Our data indicated that the number of trunk and caudal vertebrae are highly evolvable traits with frequent evolutionary reversals. In some groups (e.g. Cynops, Lyciasalamandra, Neurergus and the Laotriton- Pachytriton-Paramesotriton clade) the number of trunk vertebrae is stable, while in many groups it is subject to change (e.g. Tylototriton). This latter, species-rich genus appears to be an excellent group to further test effects of the environment on body shape.
The relationships of Cuspicephalus scarfi Martill and Etches, 2013 and Normannognathus wellnhoferi Buffetaut et al., 1998 to other monofenestratan pterosaurs
Authors: Witton Mark P. , O’Sullivan Michael , Martill David M.
Published: April 2019

The evolution of pterodactyloid pterosaurs occurred in a ‘modular’ fashion with ‘pterodactyloid’-type crania and cervical vertebrae evolving in pterodactyloid sister taxa – early monofenestratan pterosaurs – before later postcervical modifications marked the development of the true pterodactyloid condition. This means of evolution creates problems for distinguishing isolated pterodactyloid crania from those of non-pterodactyloid monofenestratans, and has led to uncertainty over the affinities of two Late Jurassic European pterosaurs known only from skulls, Cuspicephalus scarfi Martill and Etches, 2013 and Normannognathus wellnhoferi Buffetaut et al. , 1998. Some aspects of their cranial anatomy suggest affinities to early pterodactyloids – specifically the Germanodactylidae – while others indicate a relationship with a group of non-pterodactyloid monofenestratans, the Wukongopteridae. Here, we characterise the skulls of Jurassic monofenestratans to provide greater insight into the identity of these pterosaurs. We find a suite of characters indicating that Cuspicephalus is a wukongopterid, notable for being a particularly large and long snouted member of the group, as well as the youngest, and the first European record of this clade. The affinities of Normannognathus are less clear however. We consider its previous allocation to the Germanodactylidae doubtful, and note some similarities it shares with ctenochasmatoid pterodactyloids, but the only known specimen is probably too fragmentary for confident referral to any specific clade within Monofenestrata.
The anatomy of the king crab Hapalogaster mertensii Brandt, 1850 (Anomura: Paguroidea: Hapalogastridae) – new insights into the evolutionary transformation of hermit crabs into king crabs
Authors: Keiler Jonas , Richter Stefan , Wirkner Christian S.
Published: April 2019

The emergence of king crabs from a hermit crab-like ancestor is one of the most curious events in decapod evolution. King crabs comprise two taxa, Lithodidae and Hapalogastridae, and while lithodids have formed the focus of various anatomical studies, the internal anatomy of hapalogastrids has never been studied although this group might represent a more ancestral morphological condition within king crabs than lithodids do. To better understand the evolutionary transformation of pagurid-like hermit crabs into king crabs, we studied the hemolymph vascular system and associated organs of representatives of Hapalogaster and present here the first micro-computer tomography data pertaining to the internal anatomy of hapalogastrids. Our results for Hapalogastridae are compared with existing and new data on Paguridae and Lithodidae and are discussed in the light of the process of carcinization or evolutionary transformation into a crab-like habitus. Hapalogaster resembles both pagurids on the one hand and lithodids on the other, not only with regard to external morphological characters but also in terms of certain internal anatomical features. In this and other respects, Hapalogaster represents an evolutionary intermediate form that connects pagurids and lithodids.
A new early brachyuran (Crustacea, Decapoda) from the Middle Jurassic of northwest France, epibionts and ecological considerations
Authors: Robin Ninon , van Bakel Barry W.M. , d’Hondt Jean-Loup , Charbonnier Sylvain
Published: April 2019

The earliest known crabs are of Early and Middle Jurassic age; in general, they are rare. Here we describe a new species of homolodromioid from the late Bathonian of Sarthe (France), based on a single dorsal carapace, Tanidromites raboeufi n. sp. This specimen has mostly well-preserved cuticle, and shows two episkeletozoans (bryozoan colonies) on its dorsal side, which is unique amongst early brachyurans (Early and Middle Jurassic). These bryozoans are identified as juvenile colonies of the morphogenus Berenicea (sheet-like tubuluporines), typical encrusters of hard substrates. Their presence directly on the carapace crab shows that they were closely cohabitating with this early brachyuran in its palaeoenvironment. One of these colonies appears to have attached to the internal carapace surface, indicative of post-mortem settlement and growth. Colony sizes suggest a growth phase of at least several months on the sea floor, implying a certain resistance to decomposition of the crab carapace. This is of note in the light of extant homolodromioids which are known to have extremely fragile carapaces. This association demonstrates that post-mortem associations may yield palaeoecological insights into both substrate and colonising organisms.
Dawn chorus variation in East-Asian tropical montane forest birds and its ecological and morphological correlates
Authors: Chen Wei-Ming , Lee Ya-Fu , Tsai Chi-Feng , Yao Cheng-Te , Chen Yung-Hsiu , Li Shou-Hsien , Kuo Yen-Min
Published: April 2019

Many birds in breeding seasons engage in vigorous dawn singing that often turns to a prominent chorus. We examined dawn chorus variation of avian assemblages in a tropical montane forest in Taiwan and tested the hypothesis that onset sequence is affected by eye sizes, foraging heights, and diet of birds. Chorus onset and duration varied between sampling months, but generally peaked in the prime breeding season. Overall dawn chorus length increased with, but mean duration per species was negatively correlated with, species richness. The inter-correlation among trait variables in phylogenetic independent contrasts was calculated and examined. Both foraging height and relative eye size were selected as positively explanatory factors, but no dietary effects were detected, for chorus onsets. Dawn singing onsets also tended to delay as decreasing log (eye sizes) that, however, was not selected with enough explanatory power. The positive relationship of chorus onsets versus relative eye sizes contradicts our prediction, yet the negative correlation of relative eye sizes with log (eye sizes) indicates an allometric constraint on eye sizes along with increasing body sizes. Lowerlayer species initiated singing earlier than upper-layer species, which complies with the positive correlation of onsets with foraging heights and supports our prediction. This pattern may be condition-specific and more likely occurs in forests lacking a sufficient canopy height and layering and a distinct light difference among forest layers. Foraging heights were additionally found negatively correlated with canopy coverage and slightly positively correlated with ground coverage of perches. Our results concord that foraging height is a relevant factor as eye size in determining the onset and sequence of dawn chorus, yet, suggest that forest settings and vegetation structure may likely complicate the prediction.
Atypical mating in a scorpionfly without a notal organ
Authors: Zhong Wen , Qi Zi-Yi , Hua Bao-Zhen
Published: April 2019

Firm coupling of genitalia is critical for copulation in most groups of insects. To counter female resistance that usually breaks off genital connection, male scorpionflies (Mecoptera: Panorpidae) usually provide nuptial gifts for the female and seize their mates with grasping devices. The notal organ, a modified clamp on tergum III of male scorpionflies, plays a significant role in seizing the female wings and helping maintain mating position during copulation. The mating behaviour remains unknown for the scorpionfly Furcatopanorpa longihypovalva (Hua and Cai, 2009) whose male lacks a notal organ. In this paper, we first attempt to study the mating behaviour of F. longihypovalva. The results show that the male provides liquid salivary secretion through a mouth-to-mouth mode for the female, and maintains copulation mainly by continuous provision of salivary secretion rather than by seizing the female with grasping devices. Thus the male copulates with the female in an atypical O-shaped position, with only their mouthparts and genitalia connected to each other. The salivary glands exhibit remarkable sexual dimorphism: short and bifurcated in the female, but well-developed and multi-furcated in the male. The extremely developed salivary glands of the male lay a structural foundation for the male to continuously provide liquid salivary secretion, and to help the male to mediate female resistance, being likely to serve as a compensation to his absence of the notal organ. We also investigated the functional morphology and copulatory mechanism of the male and female genitalia. The evolution of the atypical mating pattern of F. longihypovalva is putatively discussed as an adaptation in the context of sexual conflict.
Was the tail bud the ancestral centre where the fin developmental program evolved in chordates?
Authors: Cotoras Darko D. , Allende Miguel L.
Published: April 2019

The structural origin of the vertebrates’ paired limbs is still an unsolved problem. Historically, two hypotheses have been raised to explain the origin of vertebrate limbs: the Archipterygium Hypothesis and the Fin Fold Hypothesis. Current knowledge provides support for both ideas. In the recent years, it has been also suggested that (1) all appendages correspond to body axis duplications and (2) they are originated by the ventralization of the developmental program present in the median fins. The tail bud is also a relevant structure in the attempt to understand the origin of the vertebrates’ limbs. Due to their similarities in gene expression and general organization, both structures should be studied more closely to understand their potential evolutionary link. Interestingly, in non-vertebrate chordates such as Amphioxus, it is possible to find a tail fin that during development expresses several genes that are conserved with other vertebrates’ limbs and tails. This shared gene expression could be considered as an evidence of potential co-option of the same genetic tool kit from the tail to the extremities. This observation is congruent with the hypothesis of Axis paramorphism, which previously suggested similarities between the tail and limb buds.
A partial braincase and other skeletal remains of Oligocene angel sharks (Chondrichthyes, Squatiniformes) from northwest Belgium, with comments on squatinoid taxonomy
Authors: Mollen Frederik H. , van Bakel Barry W.M. , Jagt John W.M.
Published: April 2019

A detailed redescription of a chondrocranium from the basal Boom Clay Formation (Rupelian, Upper Oligocene) at the SVK clay pit, Sint-Niklaas (province of Oost-Vlaanderen, Belgium), previously assigned to the sawshark Pristiophorus rupeliensis, is presented. The chondrocranium is re-identified as that of an angel shark (Squatinidae), based on comparative anatomy of extant Squatina, inclusive of CT scans of Squatina africana, S. australis, S. dumeril, S. guggenheimand S. squatina, with different geographic distributions and representing all four angel shark clades as defined in a previous molecular study. Differential characters for chondrocrania listed in earlier accounts to discriminate angel shark species from the southwest Atlantic proved to be even more revealing when comparing angel sharks from different regions/clades. Despite this wide interspecific variation, the fossil chondrocranium compares well with modern Squatina, but differs in having a UUU-shaped ventral margin of the occipital region and rounded margins of the upper postorbital processes. The distal expansion of the upper postorbital processes present in modern species has not yet been observed in extinct squatinoids and might constitute a derived character for modern representatives only. Angel shark teeth and vertebrae are well known from the same basal deposit at the SVK clay pit, but Cenozoic squatinid taxonomy remains problematic. It is here discussed in detail for the Oligocene taxa S. angeloides, S. rupeliensisand S. beyrichi. For the time being, all SVK material is left in open nomenclature and referred to as Squatinasp.
Experimental taxonomy exposes ontogenetic variability and elucidates the taxonomic value of claw configuration in MilnesiumDoyère, 1840 (Tardigrada: Eutardigrada: Apochela)
Authors: Morek Witold , Gąsiorek Piotr , Stec Daniel , Blagden Brian , Michalczyk Łukasz
Published: April 2019

In this paper we describe a new apochelan species, Milnesium variefidumsp. nov. from Scotland and provide novel morphological and molecular data for Milnesium berladnicorumCiobanu et al., 2014. The new species differs from the most similar M. berladnicorumby the presence of developmental dimorphism in claw configuration, absent or weakly developed cuticular bars under claws I-III, a different arrangement of cuticular pseudoplates, and by differences in the sequences of three nuclear DNA fragments: 18S rRNA (p-distance: 0.6%), 28S rRNA (2.0%), ITS-2 (9.3%), and on mitochondrial gene COI (12.4%). Although ontogenetic claw configuration change was suspected to occur in some Milnesiumspecies, we are the first to document it through the combined use of traditional, molecular and experimental methodologies. We discuss the implications of the observed phenomenon for the taxonomy of the genus and propose a new diagnostic key to all Milnesiumspecies described up to the end of 2015. We also review other traits used for species differentiation in the genus and offer recommendations to improve the quality of future descriptions as well as suggest a need for integrative redescriptions of the known species. Finally, we propose to suppress M. dujiangensisand M. tardigradum trispinosumand suggest that M. alpigenumand M. quadrifidumare valid species that require thorough redescriptions.
Sponge-collecting from a drifting ice floe: the Porifera obtained in the Kara Sea by the Dutch Polar Expedition 1882-83
Authors: van Soest Rob W. M.
Published: April 2019

Sponges from the Kara Sea (Arctic Russia) collected by the Dutch Polar Expedition 1882-83 are identified and discussed. The expedition experienced an unfortunate course of events, as the research vessel RV ’Varna’ was ice-bound and eventually got crushed by ice, leaving the crew and the scientists stranded on an ice floe drifting around in the Kara Sea. The scientists still managed to do many observations and made collections of bottom animals lowering collecting gear through a hole in the ice. After being enclosed for more than a year in the ice, the men travelled in small boats and sledges to the mainland of Russia and from there returned home. The zoological collections were brought to Copenhagen by the Danish research vessel RV ‘Dijmphna’, from where the material was picked up by the Dutch scientists. Most animal groups were subsequently discussed in a series of papers published in the Bijdragen tot de Dierkunde volume 14 (1887). The sponges of the Dutch Polar Expedition were in a rather bad condition when they arrived in Amsterdam and possibly for that reason were largely ignored. They nevertheless appear to be interesting and are here presented as a belated contribution to the 1887 issue, including the description of a species new to science, Lycopodina ruijsi sp. nov. The results are discussed in the framework of our present knowledge of the sponge fauna of the Kara Sea. In Appendix ten already known species are briefly described and SEM images of their spicules provided as a contribution to Kara Sea sponge morphology,
Evidence for the validity of Protatlanta sculpta (Gastropoda: Pterotracheoidea)
Authors: Wall-Palmer Deborah , Burridge Alice K. , Peijnenburg Katja T.C.A. , Janssen Arie , Goetze Erica , Kirby Richard , Hart Malcolm B. , Smart Christopher W.
Published: April 2019

The genus Protatlanta is thought to be monotypic and is part of the Atlantidae, a family of shelled heteropods. These microscopic planktonic gastropods are poorly known, although research on their ecology is now increasing in response to concerns about the effects of ocean acidification on calcareous plankton. A correctly implemented taxonomy of the Atlantidae is fundamental to this progressing field of research and it requires much attention, particularly using integrated molecular and morphological techniques. Here we use DNA barcoding, shell morphology and biogeography to show that the genus Protatlanta includes at least two valid species in the Atlantic Ocean. Protatlanta souleyeti and Protatlanta sculpta were found to be separate species, with different shell morphology and separated by a K2P genetic distance of 19% sequence divergence at the Cytochrome Oxidase 1 gene. This evidence supports the revival of the species name P. sculpta, which was described by Issel in 1911, but has not been recognised as a valid species since 1915
Paul Kammerer and the inheritance of acquired characteristics
Authors: van Alphen Jacques J.M. , Arntzen Jan W.
Published: April 2019

The Austrian biologist Paul Kammerer (1880-1926) would by now be long forgotten if Arthur Koestler had not published ‘The case of the Midwife toad’, in which he depicted Kammerer as a victim of the paradigm battle between neo-Darwinists and Lamarckists. Kammerer is still on the scientific agenda, with at least 10 publications since 2005. The question is still out if Kammerer fabricated his scientific results or not. In this paper we provide the evidence that Kammerer consistently faked experimental results. We show (1) that the design of his experiments could never have produced the results that he claimed, (2) that the assumptions he made about the developmental biology of the species he studied are falsified by recent research, and (3) that the specimens he showed as proof for the success of his experiments came from nature.
Disentangling a cryptic species complex and defining new species within the Eumerus minotaurus group (Diptera: Syrphidae), based on integrative taxonomy and Aegean palaeogeography
Authors: Chroni Antonia , Grković Ana , Ačanski Jelena , Vujić Ante , Radenković Snežana , Veličković Nevena , Djan Mihajla , Petanidou Theodora
Published: April 2019

This study provides an overview of the Eumerus minotaurus taxon group, diagnosing a new species, E. anatolicus Grković, Vujić and Radenković sp. n. (Muğla, Turkey), and unraveling three cryptic species within E. minotaurus: E. karyates Chroni, Grković and Vujić sp. n. (Peloponnese, Greece), E. minotaurus Claussen and Lucas, 1988 (Crete and Karpathos, Greece) and E. phaeacus Chroni, Grković and Vujić sp. n. (Corfu and Mt Olympus, Greece; Mt Rumija, Montenegro). We applied an integrative taxonomic approach based on molecular, morphological and wing geometric morphometric data to corroborate and delimit cryptic species within the complex. In addition, we discuss the latent biogeographic patterns and speciation processes leading to configuration of the E. minotaurus group based on palaeogeographic evolution of the Aegean. Mitochondrial phylogeographic analysis suggested that speciation within the E. minotaurus group is attributable to formation of the mid-Aegean Trench and Messinian Salinity Crisis, and was integrated at the Pleistocene. We show that more accurate estimates of divergence times may be based on geological events rather than the standard arthropod mtDNA substitution rate.
Does the grey mouse lemur use agonistic vocalisations to recognise kin?
Authors: Kessler Sharon E. , Radespiel Ute , Hasiniaina Alida I. F. , Nash Leanne T. , Zimmermann Elke
Published: April 2019

Frequent kin-biased coalitionary behaviour is a hallmark of mammalian social complexity. Furthermore, selection to understand complex social dynamics is believed to underlie the co-evolution of social complexity and large brains. Vocalisations have been shown to be an important mechanism with which large-brained mammals living in complex social groups recognise and recruit kin for coalitionary support during agonistic conflicts. We test whether kin recognition via agonistic calls occurs in a small-brained solitary foraging primate living in a dispersed social network, the grey mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus, Miller JF, 1777). As mouse lemurs are frequent models for ancestral solitary foraging mammals, this study examines whether kin recognition via agonistic calls could be the foundation from which more complex, kin-based coalitionary behaviour evolved. We test whether female wild mouse lemurs in Ankarafantsika National Park, Madagascar, react differently to agonistic calls from kin and nonkin and to calls from familiar and unfamiliar individuals during playback experiments. Subjects showed no significant differences in reactions to the different stimuli; thus they did not react differently based upon kinship or familiarity. Results suggest that this solitary foraging species does not use agonistic calls to recognise kin and monitor agonistic interactions involving kin, unlike several species of Old World monkeys and hyenas. Thus, kin recognition via agonistic calls may have evolved independently in these lineages in parallel with greater social complexity and frequent coalitionary behaviour.
New Light on the Prosecution of Soviet Homosexuals under Brezhnev
Authors: Alexander Rustam
Published: April 2019

Drawing on fresh archival sources – a type-written appeal submission launched by a Soviet advocate in a move to overturn his client’s sodomy conviction in 1969, and a handbook for advocates with guidelines on how to defend individuals accused of sodomy, published in 1977 – this article will shed new light on how sodomy cases were handled by the police under Brezhnev and how advocates sought to overturn sentences in these cases. The article will demonstrate that quashing sodomy convictions on appeal was a challenging task for Soviet advocates. It will also seek answers to the following questions: What arguments did Soviet advocates use to defend their clients in sodomy cases? What were the authorities’ responses to these arguments? And what challenges did investigators face when dealing with those accused of sodomy?
Language Rights of Minorities in the Areas of Education, the Administration of Justice and Public Administration: European Developments in 2017
Authors: Nagy Noémi
Published: April 2019

This section overviews the 2017 situation of the language rights of European minorities in the fields of education, the administration of justice and public administration. The author presents the relevant legal developments in the activities of the major international organizations, i.e. the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the European Union, and the Council of Europe including the case law of the European Court of Human Rights, and the implementation of the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages as well as the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities. In the concluding remarks, tendencies and common patterns are emphasized.
Participation, Citizenship and Transfrontier Exchanges—2017
Authors: Barlow Anna
Published: April 2019

This article provides an update on the protection of minorities in Europe during 2017, in the areas of participation, citizenship and transfrontier exchanges. It will summarize developments at the United Nations level as well as regional information from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the Council of Europe (CoE) and the European Union (EU) and identify trends.
Asymmetry and (Dis)accommodation of Minority Nations in a Complex Constitutional Framework: Catalonia, the Basque Country and other Autonomous Regions within the Spanish Kingdom
Authors: Ruiz Vieytez Eduardo J.
Published: April 2019

The Spanish 1978 Constitution establishes a complex state. In constitutional terms, it is not defined as a federal state, but rather as a unitary state with significant scope for political decentralization. This complex constitutional arrangement is in response to both internal and cultural features, and to a search for greater administrative efficiency. The pluri-national character of the state is the subject of fierce debate in Spain, while the way in which certain minority nations (Catalonia and the Basque Country) are accommodated is a permanent source of friction. This paper seeks to provide an overview of this complex political/constitutional situation by analysing the historical, political and legal developments that have occurred during the last 40 years, with a focus on the last developments of the Catalan crisis. Although Spain is markedly asymmetric in political and identity terms, this asymmetry is not adequately reflected in Constitutional Law. In addition, the ongoing tension between unionism and separatism in some regions poses significant challenges to the Spanish constitutional system as a whole, in particular, through the pro-independence process in the autonomous region of Catalonia.
Aging Impairs Temporal Sensitivity, but not Perceptual Synchrony, Across Modalities
Authors: Scurry Alexandra N. , Vercillo Tiziana , Nicholson Alexis , Webster Michael , Jiang Fang
Published: April 2019

Encoding the temporal properties of external signals that comprise multimodal events is a major factor guiding everyday experience. However, during the natural aging process, impairments to sensory processing can profoundly affect multimodal temporal perception. Various mechanisms can contribute to temporal perception, and thus it is imperative to understand how each can be affected by age. In the current study, using three different temporal order judgement tasks (unisensory, multisensory, and sensorimotor), we investigated the effects of age on two separate temporal processes: synchronization and integration of multiple signals. These two processes rely on different aspects of temporal information, either the temporal alignment of processed signals or the integration/segregation of signals arising from different modalities, respectively. Results showed that the ability to integrate/segregate multiple signals decreased with age regardless of the task, and that the magnitude of such impairment correlated across tasks, suggesting a widespread mechanism affected by age. In contrast, perceptual synchrony remained stable with age, revealing a distinct intact mechanism. Overall, results from this study suggest that aging has differential effects on temporal processing, and general impairments with aging may impact global temporal sensitivity while context-dependent processes remain unaffected.
Looking Back, Looking Forward
Authors: T. Vala Carsten
Published: April 2019

This essay sketches the current state of fieldwork-based studies of Christianity in China, focusing on monographs published from 2008 to 2018. It discusses strengths and gaps in research paradigms (religious economy or market theory; rational-actor bargaining; institutional theory; religious ecology), levels of analysis (macro- or national level; meso- or regional level; micro- or congregational level), and modes of interaction (resistance-domination; negotiation; cooperation) in an effort to point out areas rich for future research: the impact of theologies and denominations, the existence of regional models of Christianity, and the study of money, real estate, social service, syncretism, and religious decline.
History Lessons
Authors: White Chris
Published: April 2019

This article contends that Chinese Protestant history is increasingly produced and consumed by various interest groups in China today. Protestant families, church congregations, and local state actors are all involved in reassessing and promoting local Protestant history. These processes reveal vibrant, organic forms of acculturation of Christianity into Chinese society. This article further argues that it would be prudent for scholars of contemporary Chinese Protestantism to focus greater analytical attention on Chinese Protestant history.
Deterioration of the cell wall in waterlogged wooden archeological artifacts, 2400 years old
Authors: Guo Juan , Xiao Lin , Han Liuyang , Wu Hao , Yang Tao , Wu Shunqing , Yin Yafang
Published: April 2019

The relationship between the cell wall ultrastructure of waterlogged wooden archeological artifacts and the state of water bound to cell walls and free in voids is fundamental to develop consolidating and drying technologies. Herein, a lacquer-wooden ware and a boat-coffin dating 4th century BC were selected as representative artifacts to study. Wood anatomy results indicated that they belonged to Idesia sp. and Machilus sp., respectively. They exhibited a typical spongy texture, as revealed by SEM observations, and their water contents had increased significantly. Solid state NMR, Py-GC/MS, imaging FTIR microscopy and 2D-XRD results demonstrated that the deterioration resulted from the partial cleavages of both polysaccharide backbones and cellulose hydrogen-bonding networks, almost complete elimination of acetyl side chains of hemicellulose, the partial depletion of β-O-4 interlinks, as well as oxidation and demethylation/demethoxylation of lignin. These further caused the disoriented arrangement of crystalline cellulose, and the decrease in cellulose crystallite dimensions and crystallinity. In consequence, mesopores and macropores formed, and the number of moisture-adsorbed sites and their accessibility increased. Moreover, results on free water deduced by the changes of pore structure and the maximum monolayer water capacity achieved by the GAB model indicated that water in waterlogged archeological wooden artifacts was mainly free water in mesopores.
Endō Shūsaku’s Wonderful Fool: Gaston, a Christ-Figure for Japan
Authors: Hashimoto Joshua Ryo Nelson
Published: April 2019

This article aims to identify the hidden and obvious parallels between Endō Shūsaku’s Christ-figure and Gaston Bonaparte in Endō Shūsaku’s novel Wonderful Fool. I argue that the post-war writer develops and realizes a Christ-figure that would take root in the Japanese religious landscape through the character of Gaston. Building on the late author’s literary works and other scholarly reflections, this study attempts to piece together and reorganize Endō’s inculurated Christ-figure in relation to the French protagonist in Wonderful Fool. Tracing the Catholic author’s literary and theological development of Gaston enriches the research into Endō’s Christology and Japanese Christianity.
Portrayal of Christianity and Use of Christian Sources in the Tafsir-i Sanai of Sanaullah Amritsari (d. 1948)
Authors: Siddiqui Ataullah
Published: April 2019

This article explores Christian-Muslim relations during the colonial period, with special reference to Sanaullah Amritsari. It highlights how his Quranic exegesis responded to the multi-dimensional challenges of the time with special reference to Christianity. It points out how the Charter Act 1813 opened up India to Christian missionaries, and suggests that the polemical responses provided by Amritsari were influenced by successive aggressive missions of the time. The methods deployed to respond to Islam, particularly by converts from Islam, also left a particular impact on the two communities. Amritsari responds to them in his tafsir but also via other publications. In this exploratory article, some of the issues discussed through such publications are also included as an example of these polemics.
Maria Dorothea Ziegenbalg, the First German Lutheran Female Missionary to the Tamil People in South India
Authors: Jeyaraj Daniel
Published: April 2019

The life of Maria Dorothea Ziegenbalg (c. 1693–1722) constitutes an important aspect of Tamil Lutheranism, which has been forgotten on the Tamil side. Available works on her short life among the Tamil in the Danish colony of Tranquebar in South Eastern India from August 1716 to January 1720 highlight her missionary work; this essay, by contrast, provides a fuller picture of her life and work from the perspective of social dislocation and immigration stress. After examining the nature and interpretations of both primary and secondary sources, it explores the role of Maria Dorothea within the changing contexts of her life. Her relationships to her parents and husband remained important. Her travel from Germany to Tranquebar and life in Tranquebar demonstrate a strange mixture of joys and sorrows. Eventually, she succumbed to emotional stress. Yet her sons lived on to help other missionaries who came to serve not only in Tranquebar, but also in Serampore.
Taxonomic novelties in Clusia (Clusiaceae) from Venezuela
Authors: DO NASCIMENTO-JR JOSÉ E. , BITTRICH VOLKER , AMARAL MARIA DO CARMO E.
Published: April 2019

Although a comprehensive taxonomic treatment of the genus Clusia in the Venezuelan Guayana was published 20 years ago, much taxonomic work remains to be done regarding the genus in the region, including description of new species. In this paper we describe and illustrate five new species of Clusia sect. Oedematopus (Clusia dickinsoniana, C. donramonii, C. peterstevensii, C. punctata and C. tetramera), which are characterized by their small flowers without resin or nectar secretion.
A new genus of cricket with one new species from western Yunnan, China (Orthoptera: Gryllidae: Gryllinae)
Authors: LIU YUN-FEI , SHEN CHU-ZE , ZHANG LING , HE ZHU-QING
Published: April 2019

Most male crickets can produce songs mostly for attracting females. Songs are specific among species,. this depending on physiology and the structural characteristics of the forewings. Nevertheless, some species belonging to subfamily Gryllinae have lost their singing abilities (mute species). Chinese examples include Agryllus spp., Conoblemmus spp., Goniogryllus spp. and Callogryllus yunnanus. Males of these genera are either wingless or have forwings similar to those of females. These crickets have been poorly studied in China. In this study, we describe one new genus Asonicogryllus He gen. nov. with a new species Asonicogryllus kwanghua sp. nov. from western Yunnan. The type specimens are deposited in Museum of Biology, East China Normal University (ECNU).