bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Early Infection with Cytomegalovirus and Risk of Childhood Hematologic Malignancies
Authors: Wiemels Joseph L. , Talbäck Mats , Francis Stephen , Feychting Maria
Published: April 2019

Background:

Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection was recently identified as a risk factor for childhood acute lymphocytic leukemia by detecting the presence of CMV sequences in neonatal blood spots. In this study, we asked whether clinically apparent CMV infection could be identified prior to hematologic malignancy, using high-quality Swedish population-based registries.

Methods:

CMV infection was identified with appropriate ICD-9 or ICD-10 codes in the Patient and Medical Birth Registries, and childhood malignancies below the age of 15 years were identified in the Cancer Registry, among 2,782,507 children born in Sweden 1987 to 2014.

Results:

Observing all CMV infections registered earlier than 6 months prior to malignancy diagnosis, an increased HR of CMV-related infections, adjusting for congenital malformations, deformations, and chromosome abnormalities, was detected for hematologic malignancies [HR, 11.2; 95% confidence interval (CI), 5.8–21.5], but not for central nervous system tumors.

Conclusions:

Higher CMV incidence was detected for children ostensibly exposed through maternal CMV infection during pregnancy with the index child.

Impact:

The data are compatible with a congenital infection of CMV leading to increased risk of childhood hematologic malignancies, but not tumors of the central nervous system, although a cautious interpretation is warranted because of the small numbers.
A Novel Mechanism Driving Poor-Prognosis Prostate Cancer: Overexpression of the DNA Repair Gene, Ribonucleotide Reductase Small Subunit M2 (RRM2)
Authors: Mazzu Ying Z. , Armenia Joshua , Chakraborty Goutam , Yoshikawa Yuki , Coggins Si'Ana A. , Nandakumar Subhiksha , Gerke Travis A. , Pomerantz Mark M. , Qiu Xintao , Zhao Huiyong , Atiq Mohammad , Khan Nabeela , Komura Kazumasa , Lee Gwo-Shu Mary , Fine Samson W. , Bell Connor , O'Connor Edward , Long Henry W. , Freedman Matthew L. , Kim Baek , Kantoff Philip W.
Published: April 2019

Purpose:

Defects in genes in the DNA repair pathways significantly contribute to prostate cancer progression. We hypothesize that overexpression of DNA repair genes may also drive poorer outcomes in prostate cancer. The ribonucleotide reductase small subunit M2 (RRM2) is essential for DNA synthesis and DNA repair by producing dNTPs. It is frequently overexpressed in cancers, but very little is known about its function in prostate cancer.

Experimental Design:

The oncogenic activity of RRM2 in prostate cancer cells was assessed by inhibiting or overexpressing RRM2. The molecular mechanisms of RRM2 function were determined. The clinical significance of RRM2 overexpression was evaluated in 11 prostate cancer clinical cohorts. The efficacy of an RRM2 inhibitor (COH29) was assessed in vitro and in vivo. Finally, the mechanism underlying the transcriptional activation of RRM2 in prostate cancer tissue and cells was determined.

Results:

Knockdown of RRM2 inhibited its oncogenic function, whereas overexpression of RRM2 promoted epithelial mesenchymal transition in prostate cancer cells. The prognostic value of RRM2 RNA levels in prostate cancer was confirmed in 11 clinical cohorts. Integrating the transcriptomic and phosphoproteomic changes induced by RRM2 unraveled multiple oncogenic pathways downstream of RRM2. Targeting RRM2 with COH29 showed excellent efficacy. Thirteen putative RRM2-targeting transcription factors were bioinformatically identified, and FOXM1 was validated to transcriptionally activate RRM2 in prostate cancer.

Conclusions:

We propose that increased expression of RRM2 is a mechanism driving poor patient outcomes in prostate cancer and that its inhibition may be of significant therapeutic value.
Exserohilum rostratum Keratitis in a Patient with Human Immunodeficiency Virus
Authors: Chaidaroon Winai , Phaocharoen Nutt , Srisomboon Titipol , Vanittanakom Nongnuch
Published: April 2019

Purpose: To report a case of fungal keratitis infected by Exserohilum rostratumin a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) patient. Method: A retrospective study of the HIV patient with keratomycosis caused by E. rostratumwas reviewed for history, clinical characteristics, risk factors, laboratory findings, treatments, and outcomes. Results: A 48-year-old man with HIV infection presented with a history of trauma with an unknown species of insect in the right eye. He also had redness and blurred vision in the right eye. Biomicroscopic examination showed white infiltrate in the right cornea. A feathery edge, satellite lesion, and brownish pigmented deposits in the epithelial surface and anterior stroma were noted. Corneal scraping specimen showed numerous large dematiaceous septate hyphae and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) identified E. rostratum.Treatment was started with 5% natamycin eyedrops and oral itraconazole. The corneal lesion responded well to medication and debridement. Conclusions: Corneal phaeohyphomycosis caused by Exserohilumwas noted in an immunocompromised patient with ocular trauma. A brown pigmented lesion in an otherwise white infiltrate due to Exserohilumwas diagnosed with corneal scrapings and polymerase chain reaction. Antifungal medications and debridement were the mainstay of corneal fungal infection treatment.
Fruit and Vegetable Treatment of Chronic Kidney Disease-Related Metabolic Acidosis Reduces Cardiovascular Risk Better than Sodium Bicarbonate
Authors: Goraya Nimrit , Munoz-Maldonado Yolanda , Simoni Jan , Wesson Donald E.
Published: April 2019

Background: Current guidelines recommend treatment of metabolic acidosis in chronic kidney disease (CKD) with sodium-based alkali. We tested the hypothesis that treatment with base-producing fruits and vegetables (F + V) better improves cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk indicators than oral sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3). Methods: We randomized 108 macroalbuminuric, matched, nondiabetic CKD patients with metabolic acidosis to F + V (n = 36) in amounts to reduce dietary acid by half, oral NaHCO3 (HCO3, n = 36) 0.3 mEq/kg bw/day, or to Usual Care (UC, n = 36) to assess the 5-year effect of these interventions on estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) course as the primary analysis and on indicators of CVD risk as the secondary analysis. Results: Five-year plasma total CO2 was higher in HCO3 and F + V than UC but was not different between HCO3 and F + V (difference p value < 0.01). Five-year net eGFR decrease was less in HCO3 (mean –12.3, 95% CI –12.9 to –11.7 mL/min/1.73 m2) and F + V (–10.0, 95% CI –10.6 to –9.4 mL/min/1.73 m2) than UC (–18.8, 95% CI –19.5 to –18.2 mL/min/1.73 m2; p value < 0.01) but was not different between HCO3 and F + V. Five-year systolic blood pressure was lower in F + V than UC and HCO3 (p value < 0.01). Despite similar baseline values, F + V had lower low-density lipoprotein, Lp(a), and higher serum vitamin K1 (low serum K1 is associated with coronary artery calcification) than HCO3 and UC at 5 years. Conclusion: Metabolic acidosis improvement and eGFR preservation were comparable in CKD patients treated with F + V or oral NaHCO3 but F + V better improved CVD risk indicators, making it a potentially better treatment option for reducing CVD risk.
Arhgef1 Plays a Vital Role in Platelet Function and Thrombogenesis
Authors: Qasim Hanan , Karim Zubair A. , Hernandez Keziah R. , Lozano Dante , Khasawneh Fadi T. , Alshbool Fatima Z.
Published: April 2019

Background

Platelets are the cellular mediators of hemostasis and thrombosis, and their function is regulated by a number of molecular mediators, such as small
GTP
ases. These small
GTP
ases are themselves regulated by guanine nucleotide exchange factors such as Arhgefs, several of which are found in platelets, including the highly expressed Arhgef1. However, the role of Arhgef1 in platelets has not yet been investigated.

Methods and Results

We employed mice with genetic deletion of Arhgef1 (ie, Arhgef1
−/−
) and investigated their platelet phenotype by employing a host of in vivo and in vitro platelet assays. Our results indicate that Arhgef1
−/−
mice had prolonged carotid artery occlusion and tail bleeding times. Moreover, platelets from these mice exhibited defective aggregation, dense and α granule secretion, α
II
bβ3 integrin activation, clot retraction and spreading, in comparison to their wild‐type littermates. Finally, we also found that the mechanism by which Arhgef1 regulates platelets is mediated in part by a defect in the activation of the RhoA–Rho‐associated kinase axis, but not Rap1b.

Conclusions

Our data demonstrate, for the first time, that Arhgef1 plays a critical role in platelet function, in vitro and in vivo.
Assessment of potential impact of domestic cats on small mammals in a protected insular area
Authors: Ferreira Giovanne A. , Nakano-Oliveira Eduardo , Andriolo Artur , Genaro Gelson
Published: April 2019

The presence of domestic cats in natural areas is considered one of the main reasons for species loss, especially on islands and among native small non-volant mammals, birds and reptiles. However, in this study, we detected values opposite to those expected for species richness, abundance, and diversity among different areas when considering the presence or absence and density of these felines. We also observed that in the evaluated environments, prey availability did not influence consumption of small mammal species. Our results reinforce the theory of domestic cats’ behaviour as being opportunistic and generalist predators. In addition, we only recorded the presence of exotic species in the faeces of cats; that is, we did not capture exotic species in the traps. The close relationship between these exotic species and anthropogenic environments indicates that felines are likely hunting in areas close to the homes where they live. Assessing the impact of predation by domestic cats on native fauna is important for the development and implementation of strategic resource management and to minimize long-term impacts.
The first painting of a Javan rhinoceros in Europe
Authors: Dittrich Lothar
Published: April 2019

The Dutch painter Philips Angel (1616-1683) was born in Middelburg, the Netherlands, worked some time in Haarlem, but spent most of his time in his native city (Bol, 1949). He made a water-colour of the Javan one-horned rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus Desmarest, 1822). Since the painting is so lifelike, it appears to have been drawn from a living specimen. Therefore, it could represent the first specimen of this rare species that ever reached Europe alive. The water-colour, now in a private collection, is signed but not dated by the painter. The painting must have been made between the years 1630, around which time the career of Angel began, and 1658, when a woodcut of the water-colour was printed. The water-colour was published by Müllenmeister (1978), but until now there has been no reference to it in the zoological literature dealing with the rhinoceroses in Europe. Nothing could be found in archives in the Netherlands concerning the origin and ultimate fate of that specimen of rhino.
The distribution of exocrine glands in Lepeophtheirus salmonis and Caligus elongatus (Copepoda: Caligidae)
Authors: Bell S. , Bron J.E. , Sommerville C.
Published: April 2019

The morphology, function and distribution of exocrine glands of copepods have rarely been studied in detail and almost nothing is known about them in the sea lice species L. salmonis and C. elongatus. This study utilised a novel application of a light-microscopy staining technique to reveal a variety of glands m nauplius, copepodid, chalimus, preadult and adult stages. The stain, 3’,3-diaminobenzidine tetrahydrochloride (DAB), applied to fresh material, differentiated a population of exocrine glands and enabled a study of their distribution. The stain was successful in highlighting the ducts and pores associated with the larger glands. The locations of gland sub-populations were conserved in all life-stages, although glands in the swimming legs were found to be better represented in mobile and free-swimming stages i.e. copepodids, preadults and adults. Glands associated with the mouth-tube were also located. Other, non-glandular, peroxidase-positive regions were also highlighted by the stain. These regions were found mainly in preadult and adult stages where they formed characteristic bi-symmetrical patterns on the cuticle of the dorsal surface. A study of some calanoid copepods suggested that peroxidase-positive glands are a feature peculiar to caligid copepods. This staining technique has proven useful for elucidating the ontogeny of gland populations in caligids.
Moulting in the chalimus larva of the salmon louse Lepeophtheirus salmonis (Copepoda, Caligidae)
Authors: Bron J.E. , Shinn A.P. , Sommerville C.
Published: April 2019

The ultrastructure of moulting in the chalimus phase of the parasitic caligid copepod Lepeophtheirus salmonis is described for the first time. The major features of the moult sequence correspond to those of other Crustacea, save for the absence of a distinguishable intermoult as defined by reduced epidermal activity and a cessation of cuticle production. This latter may be explained cither in terms of a continuous moulting process related to the constant food supply available to a parasite or in terms of a highly abbreviated intermoult period. The findings are discussed with respect to studies of other Crustacean species.
Crustacean biodiversity through the marine fossil record
Authors: Sepkoski J. John
Published: April 2019

Approximately 2,600 genera of marine crustaceans have been recognized in the fossil record, and crustaceans constitute the major component of marine arthropod diversity from the mid- Paleozoic to the Recent. Despite problems of sporadic fossil preservation and/or taxonomic ambiguity, some general statements can be made about the history of crustacean biodiversity, based on global taxonomic data bases. Ostracodes were the first major group to radiate, attaining high diversity during the Ordovician Period with other members of the Paleozoic evolutionary fauna; rates of extinction and responses to mass extinctions were also similar to those of groups within the Paleozoic fauna. Malacostracans and barnacles (cirripedes), the two other crustacean groups with important fossil records, had minor diversity throughout the Paleozoic Era. Both groups experienced diversification from the mid-Mesozoic to Recent with lower extinction rates, as characteristic members of the Modern evolutionary fauna.
Re-evaluation of the Cancridae Latreille, 1802 (Decapoda: Brachyura) including three new genera and three new species
Authors: Schweitzer Carrie E. , Feldmann Rodney M.
Published: April 2019

New fossils referable to the Cancridae Latreille, 1802 extend the known stratigraphic range of the family into the middle Eocene and the geographic range into South America. Each genus within the family has been reevaluated within the context of the new material. A suite of diagnostic characters for each cancrid genus makes it possible to assign both extant and fossil specimens to genera and the two cancrid subfamilies, the Cancrinae Latreille, 1802, and Lobocarcininae Beurlen, 1930, based solely upon dorsal carapace morphology. Cheliped morphology is useful in assigning genera to the family but is significantly less useful at the subfamily and generic level. Each of the four subgenera sensu Nations (1975), Cancer Linnaeus, 1758, Glebocarcinus Nations, 1975, Metacarcinus A. Milne Edwards, 1862, and Romaleon Gistl, 1848, are elevated to full generic status. Additionally, three new genera and three new species accommodate the new, as well as some previously described taxa, and include Anatolikos new genus, Anisospinos berglundi new genus and species, and Notocarcinus sulcatus new genus and species and several new combinations. Recognition of new genera and reassignment of several species within the Cancrinae indicates that that subfamily may have arisen in the southern hemisphere, contrary to the previous interpretation of the subfamily as a primarily North Pacific or Tethyan group. The Lobocarcininae was primarily a Tethyan group.
First data of Iberian Nematomorpha, with redescription of Gordius aquaticus Linnaeus, G. plicatulus Heinze, Gordionus wolterstorffii (Camerano) and Paragordius tricuspidatus (Dufour)
Authors: de Villalobos Leonor Cristina , Ribera Ignacio , Bilton David T.
Published: April 2019

Four species of Nematomorpha are recorded from NE Spain, representing the first reliable data on the group in the Iberian peninsula. Gordius aquations Linnaeus, 1758, G. plicatulus Heinze, 1937, Gordionus wolterstorffii (Camerano, 1888) and Paragordius tricuspidatus (Dufour, 1828) are redescribed based on scanning electron microscope observations. Notes on intraspecific morphological variation and ecology of the species are given.
Soil-dwelling polychaetes: enigmatic as ever? Some hints on their phylogenetic relationships as suggested by a maximum parsimony analysis of 18S rRNA gene sequences
Authors: Rota Emilia , Martin Patrick , Erséus Christer
Published: April 2019

To re-evaluate the various hypotheses on the systematic position of Parergodrilus heideri Reisinger, 1925 and Hrabeiella periglandulata Pizl & Chalupský, 1984, the sole truly terrestrial non-clitellate annelids known to date, their phylogenetic relationships were investigated using a data set of new 18S rDNA sequences of these and other five relevant annelid taxa, including an unknown species of Ctenodrilidae, as well as homologous sequences already available for 18 polychaetes, one aphanoneuran, 11 clitellates, two pogonophorans, one echiuran, one sipunculan, three molluscs and two arthropods. Two different alignments were constructed, according to an algorithmic method (Clustal W) and on the basis of a secondary structure model (DCSE), A maximum parsimony analysis was performed with arthropods as an unambiguous outgroup. With both alignments, the resulting topology confirms the validity of grouping P. heideri and Stygocapitella subterranean Knöllner, 1934 into the family Parergodrilidae. Hrabeiella periglandulata never clusters with them and its position relative to this and other polychaete families is still obscure, but a close relationship with aphanoneurans is suggested by the most parsimonious trees. All these taxa appear to be far from the Clitellata. Most relationships among polychaetes are not supported by significant bootstrap and Bremer values. These polytomies are corroborated by independent evidence and are interpreted as resulting from an ancient emergence and a rapid radiation of Polychaeta.
Conservation of the endemic Javan hawk-eagle Spizaetus bartelsi Stresemann, 1924 (Aves: Falconiformes): density, age-structure and population numbers
Authors: (Bas) van Bales S. , Nijman Vincent , Sözer Resit
Published: April 2019

The endemic Javan hawk-eagle Spizaetus bartelsi is considered threatened with extinction because of its small population size and fragmentation of its habitat on the densely populated island of Java, Indonesia. Like many other tropical forest raptors little is known about many of its population parameters. Research was carried out from 1980 to 2000 in order to assess the status of this species. Its presence was confirmed throughout the island in both wet and dry climatic zones. Home range sizes were calculated to range between 12-36 km2, and comparison with published estimates suggests that these may differ significantly between areas. Encounter rates are in the order of 0.1-0.9 birds per survey day, and were significantly higher in areas with a short dry season compared to areas with a long dry season. Based on field-observations, museum skins and captive birds, the adult: non adult ratio is 1: 1.3. An assessment of habitat quality for all large areas where Javan hawk-eagles have been recorded, and a conservative working density differentiated to habitat quality, lead us to estimate that there are 137-188 remaining pairs, which account for a total world population of just short of a thousand birds. We make a number of suggestions for further research aimed at obtaining more insight on dispersal, recruitment and age-related habitat preferences, and for improved conservation, including more strict law enforcement and gazettment of new reserves.
Landmark-based morphometric analysis of two sibling species of the genus Asida (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae)
Authors: Palmer Miquel
Published: April 2019

The case described here analyses morphological change at the boundary between ecological and evolutionary scales. The size and shape of 8 populations of two sibling species of tenebrionid beetles (Asida planipennis and A. moraguesi) are analysed using landmark-based methods. The two species differ in size, shape and in allometric trajectory. Thin-Plate Spline Analysis (TPSA) combined with Canonical Variate Analysis (CVA) reveal the specific shape changes that allow the best inter-species discrimination. These changes involve the outline of the posterior margin of the pronotum. Moreover, the landmark based method provides useful tools for interpreting the intraspecies variability of some continuously varying morphological characters. In the case of A. planipennis, size and shape are correlated at the inter-population level, but are independent at the intra-population level. Moreover, size and shape do not reflect any spatial (i.e., geographical) structure or phylogenetic inertia at the inter-population level. These facts favour site specific environmental conditions as the main cause of shape and size variability in this species. One environmental variable is suggested to be the cause of the inter-population morphological differences detected.
The improbability of dorso-ventral axis inversion during animal evolution, as presumed by Geoffroy Saint Hilaire
Authors: van den Biggelaar J.A.M. , Edsinger-Gonzales E. , Schram F.R.
Published: April 2019

Recent discoveries in the field of developmental genetics have lead to the resurrection of the old idea, first proposed in the early 19th century, that the dorso-ventral axis of deuterostomes, such as vertebrates, has been inverted during the course of evolution from that noted in protostomes, i.e., what in deuterostomes dorsal, is in protostomes ventral. However, while attractive its simplicity, such a suggestion ignores the real events of embryogenesis. During the onset of gastrulation in deuterostomes as well as in protostomes a blastopore is formed with exactly the same embryonic, antero-posterior/dorso-ventral polarity. Subsequent differences in the patterns or morphogenetic movement in gastrulation result in a spatial inversion of this developmental architecture in the adult body plans of protostomes versus deuterostomes. In deuterostomes, the initial anterior posterior axis is extended more or less evenly while the blastopore remains located posteriorly. In protostomes, such as annelids and gastropods, the growth of the original antero-posterior or animal-vegetal axis is extremely uneven and almost exclusively limited to cells of the embryonic dorsal side. This is coupled with the cells of the original ventral side of the embryo in part moving into the inside of the embryo, and in part moving into what had spatially been the embryonic lateral and more dorsal position. Because of this uneven migration, the embryonic ventral side of the developing larva is not extended and the initial antero-posterior axis is bent, with the blastopore moving into an animal-vegetal position. What were originally dorsal cells move to a ventral position. This fully explains the conservation of developmental gene expression patterns as resulting from a shift of initially dorsally specified cells to a secondarily ventral position.
The limitations of ontogenetic data in phylogenetic analyses
Authors: Koenemann Stefan , Schram Frederick R.
Published: April 2019

The analysis of consecutive ontogenetic stages, or events, introduces a new class of data to phylogenetic systematics that are distinctly different from traditional morphological characters and molecular sequence data. Ontogenetic event sequences are distinguished by varying degrees of both a collective and linear type of dependence and, therefore, violate the criterion of character independence. We applied different methods of phylogenetic reconstruction to ontogenetic data including maximum parsimony and distance (cluster) analyses. Two different data sets were investigated: (1) four simulated ontogenies with defined phylogenies of six hypothetical taxa, and (2) a set of “real” data comprising sequences of 29 ontogenetic events from 11 vertebrate taxa. We confirm that heterochronic event sequences do contain a phylogenetic signal. However, based on our results we argue that maximum parsimony is a biased method to analyze such developmental sequence data. Ontogenetic events require a special analytical algorithm that would not neglect instances of chronological (horizontal) dependence of this type of data. One coding method, “event-pairing”, appeared to fulfill this requirement in the vertebrate analyses. However, to accurately analyze ontogenetic sequence data, a more sophisticated coding method and algorithm are needed, for example, measuring distances of dependent events.
Justitia Holthuis, 1946 (Crustacea, Decapoda, Palinuridea) from the Middle Eocene of Verona and Vicenza (northern Italy)
Authors: Garassino Alessandro , De Angeli Antonio
Published: April 2019

Recently, Beschin et al. (2001) have described two specimens of palinurids, discovered at Chiampo (“Albanello” quarry, Vicenza, northern Italy). Preserved three dimensionally, these were collected from limestones of Lutetian (middle Eocene) age. The peculiar ornament of the dorsal carapace surface, consisting of imbricate scales in the cephalic region and parallel grooves in the branchial and cardiac regions, has allowed these to be ascribed to Justitia Holthuis, 1946, as a new species (J. vicetina Beschin et al., 2001), in the infraorder Palinuridea Latreille, 1802. This represents the first fossil record of this genus.
Munida casadioi (Schweitzer & Feldmann, 2000) from the Eocene of the Bariloche area, Patagonia (Argentina)
Authors: Garassino Alessandro , De Angeli Antonio
Published: April 2019

New material forces a reconsideration of Austromunida casadioi Schweitzer & Feldmann, 2000. Originally the type species of a new genus, we find that this is only a species of the genus Munida Leach, 1820.
A new preparatory approach of decapod and thoracican crustaceans from the Middle Danian at Fakse, Denmark
Authors: Jakobsen Sten Lennart
Published: April 2019

Many papers on the taxonomy of fossil crustaceans are often based upon poorly preserved material and/or specimens that have been insufficiently prepared. The purpose of the present note is to outline some preparation methods that are applied in our (J.S.H. Collins and S.L.J.) ongoing studies of anomuran and brachyuran decapods from the Middle Danian lime stones at Fakse quarry (Denmark), which have greatly enhanced the quality of our material. The techniques briefly outlined here involve: 1 - staining method; 2 - water blasting (as a cleaning tool in preparation of fossils); and 3 - negative preparation (with acid). Some of these techniques will have wide applications in other fields of paleontological research.
A ?carcineretid crab from Lower Turonian (Cretaceous) black shales of Misburg, Hannover area (Germany)
Authors: Neumann Christian , Jagt John W.M.
Published: April 2019

Although poorly preserved and missing most, if not all, carapace features that would allow for a proper assignment at the generic level, we think a crab (Fig. 1) contained in the collections of the late Professor Gundolf Ernst warrants a short description, if only in view of its preservational style.
New studies of decapod crustaceans from the Upper Jurassic lithographic limestones of southern Germany
Authors: Schweigert Günter , Garassino Alessandro
Published: April 2019

The Upper Jurassic lithographic limestones of southern Germany have long been known for their exceptional preservation of decapod crustaceans (Glaessner, 1965), similar to the Upper Cretaceous of Lebanon (Hakel, Hadjoula) and the still poorly known Callovian strata at La Voulte-sur-Rhône (France). In these non-bioturbated lime stones, the decay of decapod skeletons is reduced, so that besides the heavily mineralized chelae and carapace often even delicate structures such as pleopods and antennae are preserved. Recently, new decapod material has been obtained from both scientific and commercial excavations, in part in reopened lithographic limestone quarries.
Progress on the fossil Xanthoidea MacLeay, 1838 (Decapoda, Brachyura)
Authors: Schweitzer Carrie E.
Published: April 2019

Identification and utilization of proxy characters in extant families has been accomplished with success for fossil members of the Calappidae, Hepatidae, Necrocarcinidae, Matutidae, and Hexapodidae. The fossil and extant Raninidae have been revised using primarily hard-part morphology preserved in the fossil record although formal designation of “proxy characters” has not occurred. Hard-part characters can also be used to differentiate among members of the Atelecyclidae and the Cheiragonidae. Thus, the method of using proxy characters is demonstrably suitable for application to a difficult group like the Xanthoidea.
Seasonal activity patterns and diet divergence of three sympatric Afrotropical tortoise species (genus Kinixys)
Authors: Luiselli Luca
Published: April 2019

Three species of hinge-back tortoises (Kinixys belliana nogueyi, Kinixys erosa, Kinixys homeana) are found in simpatry in the rainforests of the Niger Delta, southern Nigeria (west Africa). The seasonal activity patterns and food habits of these tortoises are studied in the present paper. K. erosa and K. homeana have similar activity patterns, with peaks occurring during the wet season. Kinixys belliana was found only during the wet months. There was no evidence of any specific effect of humidity of the air on their activity intensity, and it seems likely that, more than absolute values of air humidity, the crucial factor to force tortoises into high activity is the sudden change between dry days and very wet days at the onset of the rainy season (end of March-early April). K. homeana was significantly more active in the early phase of the wet season. Common items, which were consumed by all three predator species, were: plant matters, fruits and berries, fungi, Oligochaeta, and Gastropoda Pulmonata, whereas Araneidae were also consumed by all species, but much more rarely. Common prey items, which were consumed by K. homeana and not by K. erosa were: Coleoptera larvae, Dermaptera, and termites. K. homeana appeared more generalist than K. erosa, and the respective diets diverged considerably both in dry and in wet seasons. On the other hand, the diets of K. erosa and K. belliana were more similar (at least in wet season).
Carcinization in the Anomura – fact or fiction? II. Evidence from larval, megalopal and early juvenile morphology
Authors: McLaughlin Patsy A. , Lemaitre Rafael , Tudge Christopher C.
Published: April 2019

In this second of a two-part series, carcinization in the Anomura has been reviewed from early juvenile, megalopal, and larval perspectives. Data from megalopal and early juvenile development in ten genera of the Lithodidae have provided unequivocal evidence that earlier hypotheses regarding evolution of the king crab pleon were erroneous. A pattern of sundering, and decalcification has been traced from the megalopal stage through several early crabs stages in species of Lithodes and Paralomis, with supplemental evidence from species in eight other genera. Of major significance has been the attention directed to the Marginal plates of the second pleomere, which when separeted in lithodids are not homologous with the adult so-called “marginal plates” of the following three tergites. Auxiliary megalopal and early juvenile lithodid data, as well as equivalent data from other paguroids, support the evolutionary direction indicated by lithodid pleonal plate development. Therefore, while carcinization, or development of a crab-like body form, has occurred in the Lithodidae, it has not proceeded from a hermit crab ancestor. Rather the data suggest the reverse, thus effectively refuting the “hermit to king” myth. Brief reviews of data available from the Lomisidae and Porcellanidae support the proposition of independent anomuran carcinization events in these taxa as well. Results of cladistic analysis of megalopal and juvenile data, although somewhat unconventional, do not support the claim of a sister-group relation of the lithodid genera Lithodes and Paralithodes with the pagurid genus Pagurus. Attempts to subject larval phase data to similar analysis were thwarted by the tendency in paguroids, including lithodids, for lecithotrophic development. Additionally, presumed initial and terminal stage deletions disallow the ontogenetic stage homologies required for meaningful phylogenetic results.
Alternation of generations in Andricus corruptrix (Schlechtendal): comments on and description of a new sexual form (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae)
Authors: Folliot R. , Ros-Farré P. , Bellido D. , Pujade-Villar J.
Published: April 2019

Life cycle of A. corruptrix (Schlechtendal, 1870) is treated and corrections to previous experiments are discussed. A new sexual form for A. corruptrix is herein described, while A corruptrix forma larshemi is considered a valid species and for taxonomical reasons is renamed as Andricus improprius n. stat & n.sp, only known by the sexual form, and not linked with A. corruptrix. Lectotypes for A. improprius n. stat & n, sp. (= A. larshemi not available) are also designated.
The shape of endemics: Notes on male and female genitalia in the genus Maniola (Schrank, 1801), (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae, Satyrinae)
Authors: Grill Andrea , de Vos Rob , van Arkel Jan
Published: April 2019

Butterflies of the genus Maniola are known for their large morphological variation, at the inter- as well as intraspecific level. Given the overlap in wing-patterns, habitat selection, and geographic distribution of various Maniola species, genitalia morphology is sometimes the only possibility to tell specimen apart. In this paper we describe diagnostic characters to distinguish different Maniola species by means of their genitalia. Included is also the first detailed description and illustration of the genitalia apparatus of the Sardinian endemic Maniola nurag. Further, we describe two Sardinian individuals with intermediate characteristics between Maniola nurag and Maniola jurtina, and propose that they are hybrids. Further, we shortly discuss the justification ofthe species status for the island endemics Maniola chia and Maniola cypricola.
Quantitative morphological variation in Sagitta setosa Müller, 1847 (Chaetognatha) and two closely related taxa
Authors: Peijnenburg Katja T.C.A. , Pierrot-Bults Annelies C.
Published: April 2019

This paper reviews the quantitative morphological variation published for Sagitta setosa Müller, 1847 and two other species described within the S. serosa-complex, viz., S. euxina Moltschanoff, 1909 from the Black Sea, and S. batava Biersteker & Van der Spoel, 1966 from the Scheldt Estuary (Netherlands). Data on total (body) length, caudal length, numbers of teeth and hooks, ovary length, and dimensions of fins are compared between these three taxa. Additionally, samples from the North Sea, Mediterranean, and Black Sea are compared to look for geographic differences. Specimens from the Mediterranean were smallest with relatively long caudal segments, and few teeth and hooks, whereas specimens from the Black Sea were largest with relatively short caudal segments and many teeth and hooks. Specimens from the North Sea were intermediate with regards to these characters, but ranges overlapped and there were no obvious differences in allometry. These differences may be ecophenotypic, as the warm and salty Mediterranean Sea and cool and brackish Black Sea are at opposite ends of the environmental spectrum. The dimensions related to the fins showed clearer distinction between samples from different geographical areas, and slight differences in allometry. However, few data were available and little is known about the variance within each geographical area. We found more variation in quantitative characters within S. setosa from different parts of its range than between S. setosa and either S. batava, or S. euxina. Sagitta batava conformed to S. setosa in terms of all the morphological characters considered. The data for S. setosa derived from Biersteker & Van der Spoel (1966) were atypical and were found to be based on misidentifications of S. elegans. Therefore, we concluded that S. batava cannot be considered a separate taxon. For S. euxina, the data were inconclusive. Quantitative data completely overlapped between S. setosa from the Black Sea and S. euxina, but few data of S. setosa from the Black Sea were available. Because samples were either composed entirely of S. setosa or S. euxina (depending on sampling season and depth)and there was a large variation in body lengths and relative ovary lengths, we consider it possible that these samples represent seasonal variants of one and the same species.
Perizomini (Lepidoptera: Geometridae: Larentiinae) are polyphyletic
Authors: Õunap Erki , Tammaru Toomas , Truuverk Andro
Published: April 2019

Recent advances in molecular systematics have led to an emerging understanding of the phylogenetic history of the family Geometridae. These studies have basically confirmed the traditional subdivision of the subfamily Larentiinae into tribes but unsolved problems remain. Here we test the monophyly of the tribe Perizomini, and evaluate the division of this tribe into genera using Bayesian and maximum likelihood analyses of one mitochondrial and eight nuclear gene fragments. We show that the Eurasian members of Perizoma Hübner, 1825, Mesotype Hübner, 1825 and Gagitodes Warren, 1893 together form a monophyetic tribe Perizomini. However, Martania Mironov, 2000 is not closely related to these genera, but is considered to belong to Melanthiini according to the results of the phylogenetic analyses. Morphological evidence supporting this rearrangement is discussed. The Nearctic Larentia basaliata Walker, 1862 was shown to belong in the genus Martania as M. basaliata (Walker, 1862) comb. nov. and being specifically distinct from the morphologically similar Palaearctic M. taeniata. Three other studied ‘Perizoma’ species from the New World were similarly placed far from Perizomini in the phylogenetic tree, and were not related to each other. We conclude that both the tribe Perizomini and the genus Perizoma are polyphyletic which indicates that the group needs a global revision. It remains an open question whether Perizomini have a worldwide distribution as previously assumed, or is this tribe confined to the Palaearctic region.
Taxonomic notes on the Eocene Helopini, and a review of the genus Isomira Mulsant, 1856 from Baltic amber (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)
Authors: Nabozhenko Maxim , Chigray Ivan , Bukejs Andris
Published: April 2019

The new monotypic subgenus Stenolassus
subgen. nov. of the genus Stenohelops Reitter, 1922 is described for Stenohelops klebsi (Nabozhenko, Perkovsky et Chernei, 2016) comb. nov. (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), which was previously described within the genus Nalassus Mulsant, 1856. This species is transferred to Stenohelops Reitter, 1922 based on the structure of the male aedeagus, abdominal ventrite 5, and the protarsi. A key to the subgenera of the genus Stenohelops is provided. The problematic species Isomira (Mucheimira) avula
Seidlitz, 1896 is redescribed and its taxonomic placement addressed. A new species, Isomira (Isomira) hoffeinsorum
sp. nov. is also described from Baltic amber. This new species possesses a mixture of characters associated with Mucheimira and Isomira, which can be a result of incomplete diversification of the genus Isomira during the Eocene.
Mindful of their Bellies and gullets: Anatomical imagery in English Colonization
Authors: Sellers Jason R.
Published: April 2019

This essay examines the anatomical language that appears in 16th- and 17th-century English travel narratives, which authors used to portray efforts to colonize North America as a series of encounters between an American continental body and the English nation. Imagery related to the digestive tract marked struggling or failed efforts, while reproductive and marital imagery described successful ventures or encouraged new ones. The imprecision of early modern anatomical terms left them versatile enough to appear in relation to both digestive and reproductive images, allowing English observers contrasting colonial projects to provide lessons about proper modes of colonization. Anatomical language thus provided English authors with a mechanism for representing the changing nature of England’s encounter with the American continental body, redirecting anxieties about the dangers America posed into confidence about the continent’s productive potential, and England’s future on its lands.
Teuku Panglima Polem’s Purse
Authors: Witkam Jan Just
Published: April 2019

The Dutch colonial wars in Southeast Asia had manuscripts as by-products. The subject of the present article is the content of the purse of Teuku Panglima Polem (d. 1940), an Acehnese leader during the final episode of the colonial war that the Dutch waged in Aceh, a staunch Muslim country in the Northern part of Sumatra. The captured purse was part of war booty in 1899. It contained a number of short Islamic texts, written in anyone of the three languages that at the time were in current use in Aceh: Acehnese, Malay and Arabic. It is, in fact, a small portable library. A full description of the purse’s contents is given and an attempt is made to offer an analysis of the texts that Panglima Polem carried on his person. Such documents were often considered as subversive by the colonial authorities. In an appendix, the author identifies a considerable number Islamic manuscripts in the Leiden collection with similar provenances.
The Role of the External in Local Peacebuilding: Enabling Action—Managing Risk
Authors: Lilja Jannie , Höglund Kristine
Published: April 2019

Local peacebuilding has been embraced in principle by many donors, but the practice of external support to local initiatives needs further systematic study. While previous research has exposed the weaknesses of externally supported peacebuilding, less attention has been given to alternative strategies that can be taken to scale. This article puts the focus on international nongovernmental organizations as key intermediary actors in peacebuilding, and how they deal with dilemmas attached to local peacebuilding support. It contributes to the research on external-local dimensions of peacebuilding practice by identifying constructive functions that can be fulfilled by INGOs in situations where local institutions and actors are not able to address conflict on their own. Specifically, it uncovers the role of INGOs as risk absorbers and enablers of local peacebuilding action through the accompaniment of local partners.
Global Governance and the Interplay of Coordination and Contestation: The Case of Renewable Energies in the South
Authors: Hein Wolfgang , Holstenkamp Lars
Published: April 2019

Developing an adequate sustainable energy supply in developing countries is a major challenge for the global community. Recently, a large number of organizations and enterprises have been supporting technological development, carrying out advocative actions, and offering finance for renewable energy. Concomitantly, there have been strong calls to improve coordination in this field. This article elaborates on the importance of institutional opportunities not only to favor coordination, but also to contest common wisdom shaping energy policies and specific project features at a given time. The result would be a more flexible renewable energy “governance dynamics” to provide the institutional framework for private actors and the interaction with public entities. Thus, three dimensions of global governance are analyzed: coordination, contestation, and the resulting process of collective/interactive regulation.
“We Who Are Enemy”: Incarceration Redress in the Paintings of Roger Shimomura
Authors: Matsumura Kimiko
Published: April 2019

This article establishes historically specific connections between American artist Roger Shimomura’s paintings about Japanese American Incarceration and Incarceration Redress from roughly 1978 to 2003. Deploying a kind of history painting in the Minidoka series before turning to personal narrative in Diary and the juxtaposition of contrasting visual tropes in Stereotypes and Admonitions, Shimomura’s varying approaches reflect connections to timely emphases on raising awareness, sharing testimony, and preventing reoccurrences associated with significant moments in the detainment’s afterlife. Throughout these shifts in focus, Shimomura’s use of visual stereotype increasingly frames incarceration within its broader social meaning, rather than through its historical progression or its personal resonances. I show how Shimomura’s work comes to connect incarceration to its enduring social consequences, making it but one of many recent, racially motivated transgressions that provide greater lessons about the perpetuation of naturalized prejudice in the United States and its material effects.
Social Domains of Knowledge: Technology, Art, and Religion
Authors: Zuidervaart Lambert
Published: April 2019

This essay asks whether and how a Reformational epistemology should distinguish different types of knowledge within a unified conception of knowledge as a whole. I begin with the thesis that knowledge, in its deepest meaning, is not a thing to possess but a complex relationship to inhabit. It encompasses human knowers, practices of knowing, the knowable, known results, guiding principles, and procedures of confirmation. Within this complex relationship, humans achieve insight of various sorts. After briefly distinguishing artistic from scientific knowledge, I examine two other social domains of knowledge, namely, technology and religion. Taking issue with Hendrik Hart, I then argue for the religious legitimacy of propositional beliefs, provided they support genuinely religious knowledge, which is post-propositional. Knowledge, I conclude, takes on distinct contours within different social domains; some of them, like art and technology, provide pre-propositional insight, and others, like religion, offer insight that is post-propositional.
Il fr. 21 Ross dal De Philosophia e il modello astronomico di Eudosso: un’ipotesi di datazione del dialogo
Authors: Trivellizzi Lara
Published: April 2019

In this paper I aim to discuss a fragment of Aristotle’s De Philosophia (fr. 21 Ross = Cic. N.D.
ii, 44). After defending Cicero’s reliability as a source for the present fragment, I will focus on its contents, with particular reference to the similarities and differences between fr. 21 Ross and De Caelo A-B: my aim in this comparison is to identify two different astronomical systems underlying, on the one hand, the account of fr. 21 Ross and, on the other hand, that given in the treatise. This shift of model is in my view the actual reason for the inconsistency between these accounts. Such an inconsistency might be explained in chronological terms: the last part of the paper, indeed, develops the hypothesis that De Philosophia Γ was written before 353–350bc, namely before Aristotle got acquainted with Eudoxus’ astronomical system.
Meaning Something and Meaning One in Metaphysics Γ 4
Authors: de Castilho Moreira Vivianne
Published: April 2019

This article is intended to examine the lines 1006a34-b9 of Metaphysics Γ 4, where Aristotle conjectures and discusses an objection to the very first step of his proof of the principle of the most universal science. As we shall see in detail, this objection consists in claiming that the meaning of a word is multiple, so that it is not possible for a word to have one single meaning, contrarily to what it seems to be required for one to say something. As we shall also see, some crucial aspects of aristotelian notion of meaning emerge in this context, among which those related to the unity proper to it.