125,133 research outputs found
Platyarthrus alticolus Taiti & Checcucci 2009, sp. n.
No full textPlatyarthrus alticolus Taiti & Checcucci, sp. n. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 038A9573-9E37-462D-B357-98445905FC21 Material examined. Socotra: 1 ♀ Holotype, Hagghier Mts, Adho Dimelho, 980 m, 12°34'19.9"N 54°02'49.4"E, 22.I.2003, under stones in meadow, leg. S. Taiti, MZUF- 9227; 1 ♀ Paratype, same data, MZUF-9227. New species and records of terrestrial Isopoda (Crustacea, Oniscidea) from Socotra Island... 91 D A B E C F Diagnosis. A species of Platyarthus characterized by the dorsal ornamentation with two bosses on vertex and two prominent and two shallow ribs per side on pereionites 1–6 and two prominent ribs per side on pereionite 7, two paramedian ribs on pleonites 3–5, and very short telson with obtuse triangular distal part. Description. Maximum length: 4.1 mm. Body very convex, colourless (Fig. 7A, B). Dorsal ornamentation: cephalon with two paramedian large bosses on vertex; pereionites 1–6 with two more internal prominent ribs and two more external shallow ribs per side; pereionite 7 with two prominent ribs per side; pleonites 3–5 with two paramedian ribs. Dorsum with many rounded and flattened scale-setae (Fig. 7C). Cephalon (Fig. 7D) with median lobe broadly rounded, protruding frontwards and slightly hollow dorsally; lateral lobes subquadrangular, tranversely directed frontwards; eye absent. Pereionite 1 with posterior corners right-angled, becoming progressively more acute in the following pereionites. Pleonites 3–5 with epimera quadrangular, directed backwards. Telson (Fig. 7E) very short, about three times as wide as long, with an obtuse triangular distal part, covering just a small part of uropodal protopods. Antenna (Fig. 7F) with thickset peduncular articles; second flagellar article about five times as long as first. Uropods (Fig. 7E) with thickset exopod, shorter than protopod. Etymology. Latin alticolus = living at altitude. The name refers to the collecting site of the species at ca. 1000 m elevation on the Hagghier Mts. Remarks. The genus Platyarthrus currently includes 28 species (Schmalfuss 2003) mainly distributed in the Mediterranean area, with a few species from the Atlantic islands and west to Tajikistan. One species, P. acropyga Chopra, 1924, has been described from Chilka Lake, India. In the Socotra Archipelago only the introduced species Platyarthus schoblii was previously recorded (Taiti and Ferrara 2004). Even if only two female specimens were collected, Platyarthrus alticolus sp. n. is worth of a description because of its peculiar dorsal ornamentation and the high probability of being authocthonous on Socotra Island. It belongs to the schoblii -group of species, characterized by the short telson and dorsal longitudinal ribs on the pereion. For the presence of four dorsal ribs per side on the pereionites 1– 6 P. alticolus is similar to P. sorrentinus Verhoeff, 1931 from southern Italy. All the other species in the group have five or six longitudinal ribs per side on pereionites 1–6. It is readily distinguishable from P. sorrentinus in having two prominent and two more shallow ribs per side instead of all with the same development, and in having two large bosses instead of ribs on the cephalic vertex (compare Pl. 8 fig. 43 in Verhoeff 1931 for P. sorrentinus). This last character distinguishes the new species also from all the other species of the schoblii -group.Published as part of Taiti, Stefano & Checcucci, Ilaria, 2009, New species and records of terrestrial Isopoda (Crustacea, Oniscidea) from Socotra Island, Yemen, pp. 73-103 in ZooKeys 31 (3) on pages 89-92, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.31.140, http://zenodo.org/record/57658
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
No full textThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
No full textWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
Fluorescence lifetime microscopy reveals the biologically-related photophysical heterogeneity of oxyblepharismin in light-adapted (blue) Blepharisma japonicum cells
No full textThe step-up photophobic response of the heterotrich ciliate Blepharisma japonicum is mediated by a hypericinic pigment, blepharismin, which is not present in any of the known six families of photoreceptors, namely rhodopsins, phytochromes, xanthopsins, cryptochromes, phototropins, and BLUF proteins. Upon irradiation, native cells become light-adapted (blue) by converting blepharismin into the photochemically stable oxyblepharismin (OxyBP). So far, OxyBP has been investigated mainly from a photophysical point of view in vitro, either alone or complexed with proteins. In this work, we exploit the vivid fluorescence of OxyBP to characterize its lifetime emission in blue B. Japonicum cells, on account of the recognized role of the fluorescence lifetime to provide physicochemical insights into the fluorophore environment at the nanoscale. In a biological context, OxyBP modifies its emission lifetime as compared to isotropic media. The phasor approach to fluorescence lifetime microscopy in confocal mode highlights that fluorescence originates from two excited states, whose relative balance changes throughout the cell body. Additionally, Cilia and kinetids, i.e., the organelles involved in photomovement, display lifetime asymmetry between the anterior and posterior part of the cell. From these data, some hypotheses on the phototransduction mechanism are proposed
Somalodillo sulcatus Taiti & Ferrara 2004
No full text<i>Somalodillo sulcatus</i> Taiti & Ferrara, 2004 <p> <i>Somalodillo sulcatus</i> Taiti & Ferrara, 2004: 291, figs 52, 53, pl. 23.</p> <p> <b>Material examined.</b> Socotra: 1 ♁, along path to Hoq Cave, 12°35'40"N 54°21'00.6"E, 170 m, under stones, 14.I.2003, leg. S. Taiti, MZUF-9279.</p> <p> <b>Distribution.</b> Species endemic to Socotra Island.</p>Published as part of <i>Taiti, Stefano & Checcucci, Ilaria, 2009, New species and records of terrestrial Isopoda (Crustacea, Oniscidea) from Socotra Island, Yemen, pp. 73-103 in ZooKeys 31 (3)</i> on page 97, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.31.140, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/576582">http://zenodo.org/record/576582</a>
Figure 4. Dumetoniscus graniticus gen. n in New species and records of terrestrial Isopoda (Crustacea, Oniscidea) from Socotra Island, Yemen
No full textFigure 4. Dumetoniscus graniticus gen. n., sp. n. ♀ from Adho Dimelho: A Adult specimen, dorsal view B Dorsal scale-seta C Co-ordinates of noduli laterales D Cephalon, frontal view E Cephalon, dorsal view F Cephalon and pereionite 1, lateral view G Pereionite 7, pleon, telson and uropods H Antennule I Antenna.Published as part of Taiti, Stefano & Checcucci, Ilaria, 2009, New species and records of terrestrial Isopoda (Crustacea, Oniscidea) from Socotra Island, Yemen, pp. 73-103 in ZooKeys 31 (3) on page 88, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.31.140, http://zenodo.org/record/57658
Main photophysical properties of oxyblepharismin
No full textOxyblepharismin is the photo-oxidized form of blepharismin, the chromophore responsible for the photophobic response of heterotrich ciliate Blepharisma joponicum, and represents a nice model for the study of phototransduction. In this work, we focused on the photophysical characterization of OxyBP, in view of highlighting the main features related to excitation and emission. By a combined experimental and computational approach we identified the main features of absorption and fluorescence emission of the molecule in solvents of different properties, identifying the nature of transitions as well as the possible heterogeneity at ground/excited state. The thorough photophysical characterization of OxyBP is meant to provide the starting point for the elucidation of the photo-transduction pathway in vivo
Pragmatic Case Studies as a Source of Unity in Applied Psychology
No full textTo unify or not to unify applied psychology: that is the question. In this article we review pendulum swings in the historical efforts to answer this question—from a comprehensive, positivist, “top-down,” deductive yes between the 1930s and the early 60s, to a postmodern no since then. A rationale and proposal for a limited, “bottom-up,” inductive yes in applied psychology is then presented, employing a case-based paradigm that integrates both positivist and postmodern themes and components. This paradigm is labeled “pragmatic psychology” and, its specific use of case studies, the “Pragmatic Case Study Method” (“PCS Method”). We call for the creation of peer-reviewed journal-databases of pragmatic case studies as a foundational source of unifying applied knowledge in our discipline. As one example, the potential of the PCS Method for unifying different angles of theoretical regard is illustrated in an area of applied psychology, psychotherapy, via the case of Mrs. B. The article then turns to the broader historical and epistemological arguments for the unifying nature of the PCS Method in both applied and basic psychology.Peer reviewe
Editorial: Optimizing probiotic applications in agriculture: Exploring the role of growth and health promoter's microorganisms in plants and livestock animals
No full textAt the current state, the agricultural and livestock production would not be able to sustain the exponential increase of global population expected for the next 50 years. Furthermore, the change in dietary habits in favor of a higher meat consumption, will increase the food demand in the coming decades (Salter, 2017).
Intensive agricultural farming also involves the use of substances causing agrochemical pollution such as chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and plant growth regulators, to control damages that may arise from environmental conditions or biotic stresses toward crops. Furthermore, the large use of antibiotics to sustain livestock production would lead to the emerging of antibiotic resistant strains and to a decrease of the overall microbial biodiversity (Aidara-Kane et al., 2018).
The need for a sustainable increase of agricultural productivity has then become one of the most important challenges of the last 25 years. The slowing of environmental degradation (due to deforestation practices) and soil depletion (due to the overuse of agricultural land) are among the primary goals for forward-looking and non-impacting agricultural practices (Borrelli et al., 2017).
Probiotics are defined as beneficial microbes, conferring health benefits to the host whether it is a plant or an animal. In this sense, in the last years the exploitation of probiotic microorganisms for the plant wellness and growth has largely caught on, so much so that nowadays, bioinoculants based on plant growth promoting (PGP) microorganisms are fundamental in green agriculture (Maitra et al., 2022). PGP microorganisms are part of a complex microbial community which naturally colonize plants as endophytes diffusing in internal tissues and roots and as rhizobacteria diffusing in the rhizosphere and contributing to their biotic (such as pathogens) and abiotic stress tolerance like high salinity concentrations (Bellabarba et al., 2019).
PGP traits and abilities range over nitrogen fixation, phosphorus solubilization, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase, indole acetic acid (IAA) and siderophores production, biocontrol agents against pathogens production. These are the characteristics mostly used to screen for PGP rhizobacteria (PGPR); however other features may be useful for their identification. Shi et al. showed that the capability to use metabolites commonly found in root exudates could be an alternative approach for the screening of potential PGPR, as rhizosphere and roots colonization is a fundamental prerequisite to exert their PGP role.
Among the PGP traits mostly screened, one of particular interest is the resistance to water deficiency, as this issue will become more and more prominent in the next few years because of climate change. Riva et al. tested different PGP bacterial strains as bioinoculants on tomato plants in normal and water deficit conditions, showing a significant effect of the strains tested to increase the number of productive plants in a short-term assay.
In the past years, PGP strains have been isolated from many different plants, in particular from plants of commercial interest. PGP bacteria may be highly different within the same plant species exhibiting different functional roles to increase plant productivity. Gushgary-Doyle et al. have characterized three N2 fixing switchgrass endophytes, at genomic and phenotypic level, highlighting the presence of multiple PGP features in each strain, from nutrient mobilization to plant hormone production.
However, also less common plant species could be a potential resource for novel PGP bacteria; Jain et al. explored the cultivable endophytic community of Arnebia euchroma, a plant typical of the cold Himalayan desert, isolating several microorganisms (bacteria and fungi) with different PGP capabilities that may help their host to withstand in cold environments.
The use of probiotic bacteria is not limited to plants but is now increasing its interest as a potential strategy to reduce the use of antibiotics and antimicrobials to increase performance and sustain the health of livestock animals.
As reviewed by Luise et al. the use of Bacillus strains as a probiotic strategy can have promising results in terms of growth performance and health; contributing in a reduced post-weaning diarrhea in piglets and the mortality in broilers. The correct definition of probiotic strains and doses would allow achieving the same performance and health parameters obtained using antimicrobials.
Furthermore, probiotics strains can be used together with specific prebiotics to obtain a synergic effect as proposed by Rodríguez-Sorrento et al. The authors observed that the supplementation of B. longum subsp. infantis combined with a mixture of inulin and fructooligosaccharides may have promising results against infections due to Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium and Escherichia coli F4, which are two of the most relevant pathogens for piglets. The symbiotic combination was able to influence the fermentation and the immune system activities in the gut of post-weaning piglets, depending on the pathogen infection.
Overall, considering the potential of probiotics for improving plant and animal health, a continuous development and research would be necessary to identify new bacterial strains or new combinations of probiotics. Studies for a deeper characterization of PGP microorganisms and their in-planta effects should be necessary to foresee the induced physiological effects in plant growth and development. Furthermore, account for the consequences of probiotics inoculation on pre-existing plant microbiota could allow the development of highly specific bioinoculants, selected on the basis of plant genome and its microbiome.
The research for their use in livestock animals should aim to offset the specific requirements during the different growing phases, as well as the specific sanitary conditions/pathogen infections. Furthermore, the continuous collaboration between scientific research, industry and in-field figures is encouraged to facilitate the development of a practical guide to lead to a transition into a more sustainable production of meat, based on a reduction of antimicrobials use
Dr. Edwin Wright Collection: Author Unknown
No full textNotes - The author relates several short stories about his neighbours including Alex McDonell, homesteading and life around Meanook and Athabasca (1 page
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