bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
DNA barcoding of a large genus, Aspalathus L. (Fabaceae)
Authors: Edwards Dawn , Horn Anne , Taylor Diane , Savolainen Vincent , Hawkins Julie A.
Published: February 2019

The DNA barcode potential of three regions (the nuclear ribosomal ITS and the plastid psbA‐trnH and trnT‐trnL intergenic spacers) was investigated for the plant genus Aspalathus L. (Fabaceae: Crotalarieae). Aspalathus is a large genus (278 species) that revealed low levels of DNA sequence variation in phylogenetic studies. In a 51‐species dataset for the psbA‐trnH and ITS regions, 45% and 16% of sequences respectively were identical to the sequence of at least one other species, with two species undiscriminated even when the two regions were combined. In contrast, trnT‐trnL discriminated between all species in this dataset. In a larger ITS and trnT‐trnL dataset, including a further 82 species, 7 species in five pairwise comparisons remained undiscriminated when the two regions were combined. Four of the five pairs of species not discriminated by sequence data were readily distinguished using a combination of qualitative and quantitative morphological data. The difficulty of barcoding in this group is increased by the presence of intraspecific variation in all three regions studied. In the case of psbA‐trnH, three intraspecific samples had a sequence identical to at least one other species. Overall, psbA‐trnH, currently a candidate for plant barcoding, was the least discriminatory region in our study.
Characters, taxonomic groups, and relationships in botany 1770–1850 as exemplified by the work of Henri Cassini
Authors: Stevens Peter F.
Published: February 2019

Using the French botanist Henri Cassini's work as an example, the complex relationship between characters, groups and relationships in the period 1770–1850 is explored. Cassini thought that classifications should be natural and that groups were to be based on numerous characters, although they would be difficult to recognize and characterize. For the most part he saw relationships between organisms as two dimensional, with one group directly joining two or more other groups. At the same time he asserted that the best way to think about affinities was as if they were linear, largely because this was most compatible with how he thought that the human mind worked. When he discussed relationships between individual plant parts he used words like type, analogy, and hypothesis that were rarely used when he discussed relationships between groups. In Cassini's writings it is difficult to connect his work on the analogies between plant parts with his ideas of affinities between groups. In the early nineteenth century zoologists in particular were developing various ways of thinking about organisms as being related indirectly, whether using abstract types or the taxonomic hierarchy to structure relationships. Similarly, Darwin's discussion of affinities between groups was separate from that on homologies between particular structures, but he saw relationships as being like a tree, with extant taxa being related indirectly by their ancestors.
Phenetics: revolution, reform or natural consequence?
Authors: Jensen Richard J.
Published: February 2019

Linnaeus had it right—essentially, a classification should allow ease of identification. However, his classification had a significant shortcoming: it could not be used to determine relationships in any meaningful way. As the desire for a natural system developed and, more especially, as the implications of Darwinian evolution were realized, biologists recognized that a system of classification should serve more than a single, artificial purpose. What that purpose is, or should be, continues to be a point of contention. Application of mathematical tools to taxonomic problems led to a logical conclusion: natural classifications, employing a large suite of characters, could be attained by multivariate analyses. The concept of overall similarity was, perhaps too blithely, likened to both naturalness and information content. Pheneticists were not concerned with approximating phylogeny, but acknowledged that their classifications could form the basis for phylogenetic deductions under certain restricted conditions. Despite the promise of phenetics, the concurrent development of cladistic methodology (both under the rubric of numerical taxonomy, s.l.) shifted focus from classifications with high information‐content, predictivity, and stability, to classifications reflecting hypothesized phylogenetic relationships. While a number of critics raised valid questions about the utility of phenetics and the underlying principles of proposed phenetic taxonomy, many criticisms consisted of over‐simplified or unwarranted objections. Nevertheless, today phenetic analyses are de riguer for identifying fundamental units (populations, species) that form the bases for phylogenetic studies. After all, it is only natural that members of a species show greater overall similarity to each other than to members of different species, a view that can often be applied to higher ranks as well.
Three centuries of paradigm changes in biological classification: Is the end in sight?
Authors: Mishler Brent D.
Published: February 2019

Classification has been a centerpiece of biology ever since Linnaeus, providing a framework on which existing knowledge can be organized and predictions about unknown traits can be made. But the basis of biological classification has gone through a series of upheavals over the last three centuries, from being considered a plan in the mind of the creator, to a neutral assessment of overall similarity, to a reflection of evolutionary niches, and finally to a phylogenetic mapping of the tree of life. This paper will consider this historical process, with emphasis on phylogenetic systematics (cladistics), and also consider where we might be heading in the future. It is necessary first, however, to consider the purposes of classification itself, which have not changed much over time.
Generic classification of the Verrucariaceae (Ascomycota) based on molecular and morphological evidence: recent progress and remaining challenges
Authors: Gueidan Cécile , Savić Sanja , Thüs Holger , Roux Claude , Keller Christine , Tibell Leif , Prieto Maria , Heiðmarsson Starri , Breuss Othmar , Orange Alan , Fröberg Lars , Wynns Anja Amtoft , Navarro-Rosinés Pere , Krzewicka Beata , Pykälä Juha , Grube Martin , Lutzoni François
Published: February 2019

Recent molecular phylogenetic analyses and morphological studies have shown that it is necessary to revise the present morphology‐based generic delineation of the lichen family Verrucariaceae in order to account for evolutionary relatedness between species. Consequently, several genera were recently described or resurrected, and others were re‐circumscribed. As an additional step toward this generic revision, three new genera (Hydropunctaria, Parabagliettoa, Wahlenbergiella) and eleven new combinations are proposed here. A summary of the current taxonomic and morphological circumscription of all genera investigated so far is also presented. Several monophyletic groups are identified for which further taxonomical changes will be required, but for which taxon and gene sampling is presently viewed as insufficient. Clear morphological synapomorphies were found to be rare for newly delimited genera. In some cases (reduced morphology or plesiomorphism), even the combinations of slightly homoplasious phenotypic characters do not allow a clear morphological generic circumscription. Molecular features are envisioned as characters for delimiting these taxa.
The use of digital image‐based morphometrics to study the phenotypic mosaic in taxa with porous genomes
Authors: Lexer Christian , Joseph Jeffrey , van Loo Marcela , Prenner Gerhard , Heinze Berthold , Chase Mark W. , Kirkup Don
Published: February 2019

Rapid recent developments in DNA sequencing and genetic marker technologies call for the establishment of cost‐effective, automated phenotyping assays for evolutionary biology and systematics, so that the effects of DNA polymorphisms and epigenetic changes on the phenotype can be evaluated. We discuss the use of digital image‐based morphometrics in evolutionary biology and systematics with special emphasis on studies of taxa with porous genomes, i.e., taxa that do not conform to the traditional view of whole‐genome isolation between species. We outline the phenomenon of the 'phenotypic mosaic' in taxa with porous genomes using well‐documented examples from the literature and describe three important challenges arising for taxonomists: (1) character conflict in phylogenetic studies, (2) biased sampling of traits in morphological studies, and (3) cryptic ecological speciation. We demonstrate the use of geometric morphometrics using a combined molecular and morphometric dataset from an interspecific hybrid zone between two divergent Eurasian species of Populus, P. alba (white poplar) and P. tremula (European aspen). Elliptic Fourier analysis (EFA)‐based morphometric data were collected for 527 leaf specimens from 84 trees with known genomic composition as determined by a set of 30 nuclear DNA microsatellites. In addition, to demonstrate the ease of scoring functionally relevant phenotypes via digital image analysis, quantitative differences in leaf reflectance were examined and their structural basis determined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The EFA results indicate a heritable inter‐individual component for symmetric aspects and an important intra‐individual component for asymmetric aspects of variation in leaf outlines. Symmetric traits displayed a striking variety of phenotypes in hybrids compared to their parental species, consistent with the notion of the phenotypic mosaic. Linear discriminant analysis of these morphometric traits revealed (1) clear differentiation between parental species and (2) divergence between recombinant hybrids and their sympatric backcross parent P. alba, mediated primarily by two P. tremula–like and two transgressive traits. Our results demonstrate the usefulness of geometric morphometrics to interrogate multiple independent phenotypic characters and detect individual traits affected by introgression and divergence in taxa with porous genomes. Digital image‐based morphometrics holds great promise for large‐scale studies of relationships between DNA polymorphism and phenotypes in evolutionary biology.
The effect of incongruence on molecular dates
Authors: Pfeil Bernard E.
Published: February 2019

Despite what is known about processes that can cause topological incongruence among datasets, combined analysis of concatenated datasets (simultaneous analysis) without examination of congruence is still advocated and practiced. Although the danger in such cases of inferring the incorrect topology is known (and sometimes ignored), here I examine an under‐appreciated effect of the combined analysis of incongruent datasets on molecular date inferences. Using simulated character matrices, a bias towards either increased or decreased dates is demonstrated that increases in its effect with greater proportion of incongruent characters. A general prediction is made regarding the behaviour of molecular date estimates based on the phylogenetic position of taxa that are incongruent. This prediction is borne out in a case study using real data from incongruent nuclear genes in Medicago (Fabaceae).
Phylogeography of the ancient Eurasian medicinal plant genus Bryonia (Cucurbitaceae) inferred from nuclear and chloroplast sequences
Authors: Volz Stefanie M. , Renner Susanne S.
Published: February 2019

Medicinal uses of Bryonia (Cucurbitaceae) have been recorded for over two millennia, and even today there is a considerable market for Bryonia preparations in homeopathic medicine. The long use as a medicinal plant has led to anthropogenic range changes, followed by naturalization and invasiveness in disturbed habitats, for example, in the United States and New Zealand. Here we use phylogenetic and phylogeographic analyses of chloroplast and nuclear sequences to infer the major evolutionary units within Bryonia as well as their geographic history. Major clades in the gene trees fit with morphological differences and probably define ten biological species. Five species are endemic in the Irano‐Turanian region, which also harbors the greatest chloroplast and nuclear haplotype diversity. Eurasia north of the southern permafrost border during the last glacial maximum has low species and haplotype diversity, fitting with relatively recent recolonization. The provenience of the B. alba genotype introduced to the United States could not be narrowed down; the B. dioica introduced to New Zealand and Georgia came from north‐central, not southwestern Europe. In spite of anthropogenic range changes, Bryonia chloroplast haplotypes show a clear geographic pattern, and the role of interspecific hybridization appears to have been limited.
Typification of Sphaerocarpos michelii Bellardi, S. terrestris Sm. and Targioniasphaerocarpos Dicks. (Marchantiophyta, Sphaerocarpaceae)
Authors: Schill Daniela B. , Miserere Luca , Long David G.
Published: February 2019

Plate 3 (lower) in Micheli’s Nova Plantarum Genera is selected as lectotype for the names Sphaerocarpos michelii Bellardi, S. terrestris Sm. and Targionia sphaerocarpos Dicks. Because no other original material could be traced and as Micheli’s illustration is demonstrably ambiguous and cannot be critically identified for purposes of the precise application of the name (Art. 9.7) an epitype has been designated from Northern Italy. Spores of the epitype are illustrated.
Phylogenetic placement of Triaenophora (formerly Scrophulariaceae) with some implications for the phylogeny of Lamiales
Authors: Albach Dirk C. , Yan Kun , Jensen Søren Rosendal , Li Hong-Qing
Published: February 2019

Phylogenetic placement of Triaenophora together with Rehmannia were explored with DNA sequence data from five regions (rbcL, ndhF, rps16, trnL‐F, nr ITS) in two combined data matrices. One (rbcL, ndhF, rps16) represented a wide sampling across most families of Lamiales. The other data matrix represented two DNA regions partly unalignable across Lamiales (trnL‐F, nr ITS) plus rps16, which proved to be variable enough to give resolution at a smaller taxonomic level in Lamiales. Triaenophora rupestris and Rehmannia are sister taxa, composing a strongly supported clade, which is sister to all representative genera of Orobanchaceae. Furthermore, Paulowniaceae and Phrymaceae are next to Orobanchaceae and Triaenophora‐Rehmannia clade. All of the above taxa are only distantly related to Scrophulariaceae and/or Plantaginaceae (sensu APG II). Mazus and Lancea would be excluded from Phrymaceae. The resulting phylogeny is in agreement with other data such as phytochemistry and provides a framework for further investigation of character evolution in Lamiales.
Phylogenetic relationships of Atocion and Viscaria (Sileneae, Caryophyllaceae) inferred from chloroplast, nuclear ribosomal, and low‐copy gene DNA sequences
Authors: Frajman Božo , Heidari Nahid , Oxelman Bengt
Published: February 2019

Atocion and Viscaria are two of seven small genera recognised in the tribe Sileneae on the basis of molecular phylogenies. The aim of the present study is to infer phylogenetic relationships among their subordinate taxa, using chloroplast (rps16 intron, psbE‐petG spacer region) and nuclear (ITS and the RNA polymerase gene family) DNA sequences. Relative dating was used to discriminate among intralineage and interlineage processes that cause incongruence among different gene‐tree topologies. Atocion asterias is demonstrated to belong to Viscaria, which contains three species: V. vulgaris (incl. V. atropurpurea), V. alpina, and V. asterias. Infraspecific differentiation of V. alpina is not supported by the sequence data. The traditional sectional delimitation of Atocion taxa within Silene is not supported phylogenetically, and Silene tatarinowii as well as S. hoefftiana do not belong to Atocion, as classified previously. Atocion contains six species: A. armeria, A. compactum, A. lerchenfeldianum, A. reuterianum, A. rupestre, and A. scythicinum (not included in our study). With this circumscription, Atocion and Viscaria, respectively, form monophyletic groups in the cpDNA, ITS, RPD2a and RPD2b trees, but not in the RPA2 tree, where such relationships were possibly distorted by ancient hybridisation. Hybridisation with subsequent chloroplast capture is likely to have taken place in the evolutionary history of A. compactum. Three novel nomenclatural combinations are made: Atocion reuterianum, A. scythicinum and Viscaria asterias.
Circumscription and phylogeny of the Elaphoglossum ciliatum group (E. sect. Lepidoglossa, Dryopteridaceae) based on cpDNA sequences
Authors: Vasco Alejandra , Moran Robbin C. , Rouhan Germinal
Published: February 2019

Elaphoglossum (Dryopteridaceae) is one of the most diverse genera of ferns, yet it is noteworthy for lacking monographic studies for any of its subgroups. This study was an attempt to find a clade within Elaphoglossum with a convenient size for monographic study. The main goals were to determine what other species might belong to a clade of three species (E. burchellii, E. ciliatum, E. nigrescens) recovered by previous molecular analyses and to examine the phylogeny of the constituent species of that clade. Molecular data from three non‐coding intergenic chloroplast spacers atpB‐rbcL, rps4‐trnS, and trnL‐trnF, were used. The taxon sampling included 52 species of Elaphoglossum sect. Lepidoglossa. Maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood analyses resolved a ten‐species clade (here named the Elaphoglossum ciliatum group), which included the three original species. Three of the species are endemic to the island of St. Helena in the southern Atlantic Ocean. The other seven species are all Neotropical, occurring from Mexico and the West Indies to southern Brazil. Species of the E. ciliatum group are characterized by laminar scales reduced to minute dots, cristate, echinate perispores, and resinous rhizomes. Other well‐supported clades within E. sect. Lepidoglossa were recovered in the analyses and are briefly discussed.
Resolving maternal relationships in the clubmoss genus Diphasiastrum (Lycopodiaceae)
Authors: Aagaard Sunniva M.D. , Vogel Johannes C. , Wikström Niklas
Published: February 2019

Diphasiastrum comprises 20–30 species. In addition to a number of species with a circumboreal distribution, several island endemics and putative diploid hybrid species contribute to the diversity of the group. To assess the integrity and relationships of the recognized species, a global phylogeny of Diphasiastrum is constructed using five chloroplast regions comprising ca. 9,000 bp. Six monophyletic groups are established. Accessions identified as hybrid species cluster in all but one case together with one of its putative parents. Allelic information combined with sequence information obtained from two chloroplast microsatellite loci is found diagnostic for the three putative parental taxa in the Central Europe hybrid complexes. Haplotype screening is performed on six Central European populations, from where one or more putative diploid hybrid species have been reported to grow in sympatry with their parent species. The most common parental haplotypes are identified in all populations. Additional intraspecific variation, restricted to single populations, is identified in all sympatric populations at very low frequencies. Taking the low degree of sequence and microsatellite variation into consideration, the acknowledged morphological diversity in Central Europe is probably best explained by phenotypic plasticity, ancestral polymorphisms or relatively recent events of reticulate evolution.
Globally grown, but poorly known: species limits and biogeography of Gazania Gaertn. (Asteraceae) inferred from chloroplast and nuclear DNA sequence data
Authors: Howis Seranne , Barker Nigel P. , Mucina Ladislav
Published: February 2019

Gazania is a popular horticultural subject worldwide and comprises 16 species, all from southern Africa. However, species delimitation is difficult as many species are morphologically variable. Here we present a phylogenetic analysis of 15 species of Gazania, based on DNA sequence data from four non‐coding chloroplast regions (trnL‐intron, trnL‐trnF spacer, psbA‐trnH spacer, rps16 intron) and two nuclear spacers (Internal Transcribed Spacer, ITS; partial External Transcribed Spacer, ETS). The phylogenies derived from the plastid and nuclear datasets were not entirely congruent, but data combination was undertaken. Of the 15 species sampled, only 7 are supported as monophyletic. Most of the remaining taxa form a large, poorly resolved clade corresponding to a large, morphologically variable species complex. Using a range of ITS mutation rates, the diversification of the genus is estimated to have begun approximately 6.6 mya. The phylogeny, in conjunction with the distribution patterns, suggests that this genus arose in the semi‐arid to arid Richtersveld/Namib regions of South Africa and Namibia.
Successful DNA amplification of a more than 200‐year‐old herbarium specimen: recovering genetic material from the Linnaean era
Authors: Andreasen Katarina , Manktelow Mariette , Razafimandimbison Sylvain G.
Published: February 2019

The limit for successful DNA extraction was tested by amplification and sequencing of an over 200‐year‐old herbarium specimen collected by Adam Afzelius, a student of Carl Linnaeus. We amplified and sequenced a 800‐bp region between 16S ribosomal DNA and the 3′ part of the trnI gene (16S‐trnI) in the chloroplast genome of Phaulopsis talbotii S. Moore (Acanthaceae). To test the replicability and to control for contamination the procedure was performed in sealed vials and with negative PCR controls. The procedure was also repeated in a separate laboratory. In addition, the chloroplast rpl16 intron was successfully amplified and sequenced and the rps16 intron amplified. Sequences of taxa closely related to Acanthaceae were found to be most similar to the produced sequences. The results suggest that molecular investigations of other 18th century botanical collections are feasible and that molecular methods could be employed for comparative studies to extant plant collections. An important application would be to identify descendants or clones of Linnaean lectotypes by comparing DNA from these with potentially remnant plants from Linnaeus' cultivations.
Imperato, Cirillo, and a series of unfortunate events: a novel approach to assess the unknown provenance of historical herbarium specimens
Authors: De Natale Antonino , Cellinese Nicoletta
Published: February 2019

During a survey of the historical collections stored at the Herbarium of the Facolta' di Agraria, Universita' di Napoli (PORUN), we found 170 specimens of unknown provenance mixed within the surviving Domenico Cirillo’s herbarium (18th century). These 170 specimens were strikingly different from the rest and had never been studied previously. From an initial close examination, we suggested that they may date back to the 16th to 17th century, and likely have been part of Ferrante Imperato’s historical herbarium. To test our initial hypothesis, we employed an empirical approach to assess the age and provenance of these specimens. First of all, we assembled the available literature regarding the history of Italian botanical collections and collectors from the 16th to the 18th century in the political context of those years. We integrated our historical reconstruction with results obtained by radiocarbon analyses of the specimens and mounting paper, and watermark and paleographic analyses. Our combined results are consistent with the hypothesis that these unknown specimens may have been part of an 80 volumes herbarium that belonged to Ferrante Imperato, one of the earliest natural historians of our times. Our integrated methodology is novel in the field of historical specimen research and was critical in generating our final conclusions.
Typification of names in Papaver sect. Meconella Spach (Papaveraceae)
Authors: Elven Reidar , Petrovsky Vladislav V. , Solstad Heidi
Published: February 2019

Several names in the widespread arctic and northern boreal complexes of Papaver lapponicum–radicatum, P. nudicaule s.l., P. pulvinatum s.l., and related species are without identified or formally selected types. This absence of a nomenclatural standard has sometimes made the application of these names contradictory among authors. Lectotypes are designated for the following names: Papaver angustifolium, P. lapponicum subsp. orientale, P. minutiflorum, P. nudicaule var. labradoricum, P. pulvinatum, P. pulvinatum subsp. tschuktschorum, and P. radicatum subsp. occidentale. A previously designated lectotype for P. pulvinatum subsp. lenaense is rejected on the grounds that it was based on inadmissible material and a new one is designated. A holotype of P. nudicaule subsp. gracile is identified.
Methods and considerations concerning cardiac output measurement in pregnant women: recommendations of the International Working Group on Maternal Hemodynamics
Authors: Bijl R. C. , Valensise H. , Novelli G. P. , Vasapollo B. , Wilkinson I. , Thilaganathan B. , Stöhr E. J. , Lees C. , van der Marel C. D. , Cornette J. M. J. ,   on behalf of the International Working Group on Maternal Hemodynamics
Published: February 2019

Cardiac output (CO), along with blood pressure and vascular resistance, is one of the most important parameters of maternal hemodynamic function. Substantial changes in CO occur in normal pregnancy and in most obstetric complications. With the development of several non‐invasive techniques for the measurement of CO, there is a growing interest in the determination of this parameter in pregnancy. These techniques were initially developed for use in critical‐care settings and were subsequently adopted in obstetrics, often without appropriate validation for use in pregnancy. In this article, methods and devices for the measurement of CO are described and compared, and recommendations are formulated for their use in pregnancy, with the aim of standardizing the assessment of CO and peripheral vascular resistance in clinical practice and research studies on maternal hemodynamics. Copyright © 2019 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Elastodynamic problem for a layered composite with penny‐shaped crack under harmonic torsion
Authors: Mykhas'kiv Viktor , Stankevych Volodymyr
Published: February 2019

Dynamic stress intensification due to the penny‐shaped crack in a three‐component elastic solid consisting of two dissimilar half‐spaces and intermediate layer is analyzed. Twisting time‐harmonic loading is applied to the opposite surfaces of the crack, which can be located in any component of the composite and has parallel orientation to its interfaces. Corresponding frequency‐domain problem is solved by an improved boundary integral equation method, where identical satisfaction of perfect contact conditions at two presented interfaces is provided. Then, application of the dynamic loading condition on the crack‐surfaces results in two uncoupled boundary integral equations relative to the tangential crack‐opening‐displacements. These quantities are defined by the collocation technique. Numerical examples concern the effects of the dimensionless wave number, the material mismatch, and the crack‐interfaces distance on the mode‐III dynamic stress intensity factor in the crack vicinity.
A Multi-scalar Approach to Long-Term Dynamics, Spatial Relations and Economic Networks of Roman Secondary Settlements in Italy and the Ombrone Valley System (Southern Tuscany): Towards a Model?
Authors: Bertoldi Stefano , Castiglia Gabriele , Castrorao Barba Angelo
Published: February 2019

In Roman landscapes, the particular sites defined as secondary settlements (also known asvici/villages, minor centres,agglomérations secondairesand/orstationes/mansiones) have played an ‘intermediary’ role between the cities and other rural structures (villae/farms), linked to medium- and long-distance economic and commercial trajectories. The aim of this paper is to apply a multi-scalar approach to model their long-term spatial relationships and connectivity with the Mediterranean exchange network. On the macro-scale, we have analysed a sample of 219 reviewed sites to understand the diachronic trends and spatial dynamics of attraction/proximity to significant elements of the landscape such as towns, roads, rivers and coastline. The Ombrone Valley (Tuscany, Italy) represents a micro-scale case study of a complex system, in which the imported pottery (amphorae, African Red Slip ware,ingobbiata di rosso) found in thevicus/mansioof Santa Cristina in Caio, the Romanvillaof La Befa and the town of Siena (Saena Iulia) provided diagnostic ‘macroeconomic’ perspectives. The results show how the secondary settlements occupied a nodal position in the Roman landscape in terms of resilience (long period of occupation until the Early Middle Ages) and spatial organization with a close relationship to natural and anthropic infrastructures and trade functions linked to Mediterranean routes.
Palaeogeographic-Analysis Approaches to Transport and Settlement in the Dutch Part of the Roman Limes
Authors: Groenhuijzen Mark R.
Published: February 2019

The aim of the PhD research on which this chapter is based is to reconstruct and analyse the cultural landscape of the Dutch limes area using computational approaches, specifically to model and analyse transport networks, settlement patterns and their relationship with the natural environment, to better understand the interactions between the Roman military population and the local population that lived in this frontier region. The goal of this chapter is to present the general results of this study and showcase the technical, methodological and interpretative aspects that it has contributed to the research field of computational archaeology and to the archaeological understanding of the Dutch part of the Roman limes.
Thermal correlation functions of KdV charges in 2D CFT
Authors: Maloney Alexander , Ng Gim Seng , Ross Simon F. , Tsiares Ioannis
Published: February 2019

Abstract

Two dimensional CFTs have an infinite set of commuting conserved charges, known as the quantum KdV charges, built out of the stress tensor. We compute the thermal correlation functions of the these KdV charges on a circle. We show that these correlation functions are given by quasi-modular differential operators acting on the torus partition function. We determine their modular transformation properties, give explicit expressions in a number of cases, and give an expression for an arbitrary correlation function which is determined up to a finite number of functions of the central charge. We show that these modular differential operators annihilate the characters of the (2m + 1, 2) family of non-unitary minimal models. We also show that the distribution of KdV charges becomes sharply peaked at large level.
The Coxford Lecture Do Markets Drive Out Traditional Values?
Authors: Satz Debra
Published: February 2019

This article explores the claim that markets can undermine the traditional values and motivations upon which a liberal society depends. Markets are alleged to do this through producing and distributing human motivations as well as goods and services. If this is correct, then this consequence gives us reason to protect non-market spheres of life. This concern finds little place in standard economic models. However, an earlier tradition—which includes Adam Smith as well as Karl Marx—addressed the corrosive effects of economic incentives on non-market values. I assess their earlier arguments and examine the contemporary evidence that markets provide individuals with incentives to be self-centered, unreliable and base. I conclude that we have much to learn from this earlier tradition.
Technology development for ultraintense all-OPCPA systems
Authors: Bromage J. , Bahk S.-W. , Begishev I. A. , Dorrer C. , Guardalben M. J. , Hoffman B. N. , Oliver J. B. , Roides R. G. , Schiesser E. M. , Shoup III M. J. , Spilatro M. , Webb B. , Weiner D. , Zuegel J. D.
Published: February 2019

Optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification (OPCPA) [Dubietis et al., Opt. Commun. 88, 437 (1992)] implemented by multikilojoule Nd:glass pump lasers is a promising approach to produce ultraintense pulses (${>}10^{23}~\text{W}/\text{cm}^{2}$). Technologies are being developed to upgrade the OMEGA EP Laser System with the goal to pump an optical parametric amplifier line (EP OPAL) with two of the OMEGA EP beamlines. The resulting ultraintense pulses (1.5 kJ, 20 fs, $10^{24}~\text{W}/\text{cm}^{2}$) would be used jointly with picosecond and nanosecond pulses produced by the other two beamlines. A midscale OPAL pumped by the Multi-Terawatt (MTW) laser is being constructed to produce 7.5-J, 15-fs pulses and demonstrate scalable technologies suitable for the upgrade. MTW OPAL will share a target area with the MTW laser (50 J, 1 to 100 ps), enabling several joint-shot configurations. We report on the status of the MTW OPAL system, and the technology development required for this class of all-OPCPA laser system for ultraintense pulses.
Does Love Matter to Infants' Health: Influence of Maternal Attachment Representations on Reports of Infant Health
Authors: Scharfe Elaine , Black Nicole
Published: February 2019

Although there is considerable support for the influence of maternal attachment on children's development (see Gerhardt, 2015), this is one of the first studies to examine the effects of maternal prenatal reports of attachment representations with close others on reports of infants’ health. Mothers (N = 483) completed surveys to assess attachment and depression in the second or third trimester of pregnancy, infants’ health over the first 6 months, and depression and infant temperament when infants were 6 months old. We found that insecure mothers, as compared to secure mothers, were more likely to report that their infants experienced colic and illnesses associated with immune, cardiovascular, and respiratory systems. It may be that secure mothers experience less anxiety associated with parenting and, as expected, were consistently found to report lower levels of infant illness symptoms. Alternatively, secure mothers would be expected to provide more consistent and responsive care compared to insecure mothers, which may also influence their infants’ physical health (see also Gerhardt, 2015). Future research needs to further explore this finding — do secure mothers simply perceive their infants to be healthier due to their own low anxiety or are infants of secure mothers healthier due to consistent and responsive care received?
THE “LEGITIMATE INTEREST IN PERFORMANCE” IN THE LAW ON PENALTIES
Authors: Rowan Solène
Published: February 2019

The article focuses on the “legitimate interest in performance” requirement which is now at the heart of the new test on penalty clauses but which has been left undefined by the Supreme Court in Cavendish Square Holding BV v Talal El Makdessi and ParkingEye Ltd v Beavis [2016]. It seeks to bring clarity to what is meant by “legitimate interest in performance” by examining other areas of the law of remedies for breach of contract where concepts of legitimate interest have featured in the court’s reasoning. It also makes suggestions as to what considerations are or might be relevant in determining whether a contracting party has a legitimate interest in performance, in particular a legitimate interest that goes beyond compensation.
Challenges and opportunities to tackle the rising prevalence of diet-related non-communicable diseases in Africa
Authors: Owino Victor O.
Published: February 2019

Africa is experiencing a sharp rise in non-communicable diseases (NCD) related to rapid globalisation and urbanisation leading to shifts in dietary and lifestyle patterns characterised by increased energy intake and physical inactivity. However, unlike more resource-endowed regions, Africa has a double burden of disease: NCD co-exist with infectious diseases including lower respiratory tract infections, HIV/AIDS and diarrhoeal diseases. The African economy is also relatively weaker, making it difficult to cope with this burden. It is postulated that NCD will soon overtake infectious diseases as the number one cause of death in the African region. The recognition of NCD as diseases and obesity as a related risk factor is weak in Africa, compounded by stigma associated with wasting in HIV/AIDS and obesity being perceived as a sign of wealth, achievement and care. There is also a dearth of data on overweight and obesity in the region and little knowledge that infant feeding practices, such as breast-feeding, are linked to reduced risk of NCD in both children and mothers. While complex multi-sectoral approaches to address this NCD menace are needed, Africa may benefit from taking simple initial steps to address NCD risk factors including: (1) behaviour change communication to challenge perceptions on NCD; (2) promoting and protecting breast-feeding; (3) formulating policies and regulations limiting wide availability of unhealthy foods; (4) mainstream nutrition education in school curricula and (5) collection of accurate data based on indicators that can reflect the double burden of disease and malnutrition; and fostering multi-sectoral actions against NCD.
Annealing of ssDNA and compaction of dsDNA by the HIV-1 nucleocapsid and Gag proteins visualized using nanofluidic channels
Authors: Jiang Kai , Humbert Nicolas , KK Sriram , Lequeu Thiebault , Lin Yii-Lih , Mely Yves , Westerlund Fredrik
Published: February 2019

The nucleocapsid protein NC is a crucial component in the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 life cycle. It functions both in its processed mature form and as part of the polyprotein Gag that plays a key role in the formation of new viruses. NC can protect nucleic acids (NAs) from degradation by compacting them to a dense coil. Moreover, through its NA chaperone activity, NC can also promote the most stable conformation of NAs. Here, we explore the balance between these activities for NC and Gag by confining DNA–protein complexes in nanochannels. The chaperone activity is visualized as concatemerization and circularization of long DNA via annealing of short single-stranded DNA overhangs. The first ten amino acids of NC are important for the chaperone activity that is almost completely absent for Gag. Gag condenses DNA more efficiently than mature NC, suggesting that additional residues of Gag are involved. Importantly, this is the first single DNA molecule study of full-length Gag and we reveal important differences to the truncated Δ-p6 Gag that has been used before. In addition, the study also highlights how nanochannels can be used to study reactions on ends of long single DNA molecules, which is not trivial with competing single DNA molecule techniques.
Sweet Chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) in Britain: Re-assessment of its Status as a Roman Archaeophyte
Authors: Jarman R. , Hazell Z. , Campbell G. , Webb J. , Chambers F.M.
Published: February 2019

The Roman period sees the introduction of many new plants and animals into Britain, with a profound impact on people's experience of their environment. Sweet chestnut is considered to be one such introduction, for which records of sweet chestnut wood and charcoal from archaeological excavations of Romano-British period contexts have been used as evidence. This paper reviews the records for sweet chestnut in Britain pre-a.d. 650, by critically evaluating original excavation reports and examining archived specimens. This review re-assesses the original identifications of sweet chestnut and/or their dating and concludes that most of the evidence that justified sweet chestnut's status as a Roman archaeophyte is untenable. The review emphasises the importance of securely identifying and directly dating plant material and of long-term curation by museums and archives. The Supplementary Material online (https://doi.org/10.1017/S0068113X19000011) contains details of all published records of finds of sweet chesnut.
Ooid growth: Uniqueness of time-invariant, smooth shapes in 2D
Authors: SIPOS ANDRÁS A.
Published: February 2019

Evolution of planar curves under a nonlocal geometric equation is investigated. It models the simultaneous contraction and growth of carbonate particles called ooids in geosciences. Using classical ODE results and a bijective mapping, we demonstrate that the steady parameters associated with the physical environment determine a unique, time-invariant, compact shape among smooth, convex curves embedded in ℝ2. It is also revealed that any time-invariant solution possesses D2 symmetry. The model predictions remarkably agree with ooid shapes observed in nature.
Anglican Theology in the Midst of a Migration Crisis
Authors: Zink Jesse
Published: February 2019

This article explores what Anglicanism may have to say to a world struggling with a ‘migration crisis’. It begins with the story of the nineteenth-century African martyr, Bernard Mizeki, who was both a migrant and, as a missionary, a place-maker. Using three pairs of words – place and displacement, guest and host, and journey and destination – the article connects Anglicanism’s historic emphasis on parishes and the Incarnation to contemporary thinking on migration. It argues that eschatological thinking is necessary so Christians can consider what sort of destination they offer in their communal life. It concludes by urging more study of the relationship between migration, Anglican identity, and Christian being in the world.
Abolition, Chinese Indentured Labor, and the State:Cuba, Peru, and the United States during the Mid Nineteenth Century
Authors: Narváez Benjamin N.
Published: February 2019

Abolition forced planters in the post-Civil War US South to consider new sources and forms of labor. Some looked to Spanish America for answers. Cuba had long played a prominent role in the American imagination because of its proximity, geostrategic location, and potential as a slave state prior to the Civil War. Even as the United States embraced abolition and Cuba maintained slavery, the island presented Southern planters with potential labor solutions. Cuban elites had been using male Chinese indentured workers (“coolies” orcolonos asiáticos) to supplement slave labor and delay the rise of free labor since 1847. Planters in coastal Peru similarly embraced Chinese indentured labor in 1849 as abolition neared. Before the Civil War, Southerners generally had noted these developments with anxiety, fearing that coolies were morally corrupt and detrimental to slavery. However, for many, these concerns receded once legal slavery ended. Planters wanted cheap exploitable labor, which coolies appeared to offer. Thus, during Reconstruction, Southern elites, especially in Louisiana, attempted to use Chinese indentured workers to minimize changes in labor relations.
The Neglected Narratives of Cuba's Partido Independiente de Color:Civil Rights, Popular Politics, and Emancipatory Reading Practices
Authors: Eastman Alexander Sotelo
Published: February 2019

On March 10, 1910, Pío Coronel informed his readers that he was abandoning his home in the western province of Pinar del Río and saddling up his horse to set out on an important journalistic and political assignment. The black press journalist noted that once he got wind of Cuban president José Miguel Gómez's plans to set off from the presidential palace on a political campaign across the island, he kissed his wife goodbye and took off in pursuit with little more than a pen and a shoulder bag. In the following weeks, Pío galloped hundreds of miles across the Cuban countryside, or, as he called it, the “ill-fated American Colony,” to report on how black communities from Havana to Guantánamo received President Gómez. In other words, Pío showcased Cuba's black public sphere, which despite its effervescent political and civic life was outside the purview of Cuba's mainstream reporters. As this article argues, it was also largely neglected by subsequent generations of historians.
Democrats Move Forward with Climate Hearings
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: February 2019

House Natural Resources chair says the committee is turning the page “from climate denial to climate action.”
Targeting growth hormone function: strategies and therapeutic applications
Authors: Lu Man , Flanagan Jack U. , Langley Ries J. , Hay Michael P. , Perry Jo K.
Published: February 2019

Human growth hormone (GH) is a classical pituitary endocrine hormone that is essential for normal postnatal growth and has pleiotropic effects across multiple physiological systems. GH is also expressed in extrapituitary tissues and has localized autocrine/paracrine effects at these sites. In adults, hypersecretion of GH causes acromegaly, and strategies that block the release of GH or that inhibit GH receptor (GHR) activation are the primary forms of medical therapy for this disease. Overproduction of GH has also been linked to cancer and the microvascular complications that are associated with diabetes. However, studies to investigate the therapeutic potential of GHR antagonism in these diseases have been limited, most likely due to difficulty in accessing therapeutic tools to study the pharmacology of the receptor in vivo. This review will discuss current and emerging strategies for antagonizing GH function and the potential disease indications.
The pro-apoptotic Bcl-2 family member Harakiri (HRK) induces cell death in glioblastoma multiforme
Authors: Kaya-Aksoy Ezgi , Cingoz Ahmet , Senbabaoglu Filiz , Seker Fidan , Sur-Erdem Ilknur , Kayabolen Alisan , Lokumcu Tolga , Sahin Gizem Nur , Karahuseyinoglu Sercin , Bagci-Onder Tugba
Published: February 2019

Harakiri (HRK) is a BH3-only protein of the Bcl-2 family and regulates apoptosis by interfering with anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL proteins. While its function is mainly characterized in the nervous system, its role in tumors is ill-defined with few studies demonstrating HRK silencing in tumors. In this study, we investigated the role of HRK in the most aggressive primary brain tumor, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). We showed that HRK is differentially expressed among established GBM cell lines and that HRK overexpression can induce apoptosis in GBM cells at different levels. This phenotype can be blocked by forced expression of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL, suggesting the functional interaction of Bcl-2/Bcl-xL and HRK in tumor cells. Moreover, HRK overexpression cooperates with tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL), a known tumor-specific pro-apoptotic agent. Besides, secondary agents that augment TRAIL response, such as the histone deacetylase inhibitor MS-275, significantly increases HRK expression. In addition, GBM cell response to TRAIL and MS-275 can be partly abolished by HRK silencing. Finally, we showed that HRK induction suppresses tumor growth in orthotopic GBM models in vivo, leading to increased survival. Taken together, our results suggest that HRK expression is associated with GBM cell apoptosis and increasing HRK activity in GBM tumors might offer new therapeutic approaches.