8 research outputs found
Change of Highway Traffic Method on Okinawa Islands
No full textHighway traffic in Okinawa islands had been operated under right-way traffic method since 1945 when the islands were separated from Mainland Japan due to U.S occupation in the World War Ⅱ. However, on May 15 1972, the sovereignty over the area was returned to Japan following the conclution of Reversion Treaty between U.S. and Japan. Since then, together with other social and economic conditions, the highway traffic method was changed to fit newly imposed Japanese laws. The change, right-way to left, was performed exactly at 6 a.m. on July 30 1978. The change of traffic method seen on the islands was not the first experience in the world. In 1967 and following years Sweden, Finland and Iceland experienced left-to-right change. However, as the author sees it, the right-to-left change performed on Okinawa islands is a case rarely seen before in other countries in the world. In this paper the author reviews the chlonicle and some fundamental materials issued in the process of policying the change of traffic method on the islands since 1971 when for the first time the issue appeared in the public.紀要論
Campylopterus calcirupicola Lopes, Vasconcelos & Gonzaga, 2017, sp. nov.
No full text<i>Campylopterus calcirupicola</i> sp. nov. <p>Dry-forest Sabrewing (English)</p> <p> <i>Asa-de-sabre-da-mata-seca</i> (Portuguese)</p> <p> <b>Holotype.</b> MZUSP 99024: adult female (bill not corrugated) from Sítio Duboca (16°43’19’’S, 43°58’20’’W, elevation 840 m), municipality of Montes Claros, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, collected on June 6, 2007, by L.E.L., M.F.V. and S. D’Angelo Neto, prepared as a study skin and partial skeleton by M.F.V. Skeleton (MCNA 1753) and tissue samples (B03899) were also preserved.</p> <p> <b>Paratypes.</b> MZUSP 99025: adult male (skeleton MCNA 1755, tissue B03896). DZUFMG 5730: adult female (skeleton MCNA 1752, tissue B03898). MCNA 1754: young female (same number for skeleton, tissue B03897). All specimens collected in the same locality and date of holotype and prepared as study skins and partial skeletons by M.F.V. The remaining specimens examined (Appendix) are not part of the type series.</p> <p> <b>Diagnosis.</b> <i>Campylopterus calcirupicola</i> (Figures 7 and 8) differs from <i>C. l. obscurus</i> and from <i>C. l. aequatorialis</i> by its smaller size; basal half of outer rectrices bright bronze green, instead of bright bluish black; LTTs long and white, instead of greyish. It differs from <i>C. l. largipennis</i> by its smaller size; bases of outer rectrices bright bronze green instead of bright bluish black; and LTTs proportionally longer (Figure 6). It differs from <i>C. l. diamantinensis</i> by its smaller size and LTTs proportionally longer. A practical rule of thumb for separating these two taxa is to divide the sum of the length of LTT-2 and LTT-3 by the length of wing. Values below 0.44 indicate <i>C. l. diamantinensis</i>, whereas values above this indicate <i>C. calcirupicola</i> (see below an identification key for the species in this complex). Another character that might help in the identification of <i>C. calcirupicola</i> is the shape of the rectrices, which are narrower and more pointed than in <i>C. l. diamantinensis</i>, but given that this character varies with age (see below), a thorough evaluation of it in light of larger samples is necessary.</p> <p> <b>Description of holotype.</b> Bill long and slightly decurved; all of upperparts, upper and lower wing coverts bright bronze green, with the pileum darker with coppery reflections; post-ocular white spot; remiges bluish black (5PB 2.5/1) with a metallic shine; underparts uniform light grey (2.5Y 7/1) except abdomen whitish (2.5Y 8/1); undertail coverts light grey (2.5Y 7/1); tail rounded, with 10 rectrices, the central pair being bright bronze green, the same color shown in the sub-central pair, which has a small terminal spot dark olive grey, three pairs of lateral rectrices with the base bright bronze green, with a narrow dark olive grey (5Y 3/2) band, especially in the inner vanes, preceding the white tip of these rectrices, which corresponds to 49% of the length of outermost rectrices, 44% of the length of the second outermost rectrices and 27% of the length of the third outermost rectrices. Barepart colors in life: iris dark brown; maxilla black; mandible greyish red with black tip; tarsus, toes and nails black.</p> <p> <b>Measurements of holotype.</b> Total length 139 mm; culmen 29.4 mm; wing 66.5 mm; tail 45.9 mm (LTTs of the three outer rectrices, from outside: 22.4, 20.3 and 12.5 mm); weight 6.1 g.</p> <p> <b>Etymology.</b> The name <i>calcirupicola</i> is Latin, composed by “calx”, calcis, limestone; “rupes”, steep rocks; and “cola”, dwelling (Eggli & Newton 2004). It refers to the habitat of this new hummingbird, which inhabits dry forests growing on limestone outcrops. This specific name matches that for the cactus <i>Cereus calcirupicola</i> F. Ritter, found in the type locality and in the same habitat (Ritter 1979) of the new hummingbird. The vernacular names we propose also refer to the habitat used by the new species.</p> <p> <b>Sexual dimorphism and variation among paratypes and non-type material.</b> Sexes are alike, but males in definitive plumage have the shafts of the three outer primaries, which lack part of the outer vane, broad and flattened, and strongly bent distally; and bill slightly shorter and straighter than that of female (Figure 1). Young males, which can be separated from definitive plumage birds by the corrugated rather than smooth bill texture as in adults (Ortiz-Crespo 1972), do not have broad shafts of the outer primaries. Individual variation in plumage is small and apparently unrelated to sex, age or geographic distribution. Individual variation is shown in the intensity of the coppery reflections in the head and the color of upperparts, which appears more golden in some specimens and more bluish in others. In many specimens it is possible to observe a small invasion of bright bluish black in the area dominated by the dark olive grey in the tail feathers. Young birds have somewhat more pointed and narrower rectrices than adult birds, a feature already described for members of the <i>C</i>. <i>aequatorialis</i> / <i>obscurus</i> complex (Naumburg 1930). Table 1 presents descriptive measurements of this taxon, in comparison to other members of the complex.</p> <p> <b>Geographic distribution.</b> <i>Campylopterus calcirupicola</i> has been recorded from Divinópolis de Goiás (northeastern state of Goiás) and Coribe (southwestern state of Bahia) to Bocaiúva (northern state of Minas Gerais) on both banks of the São Francisco River, as well as in the Paranã River valley, an important tributary of the Tocantins River, west of the Serra Geral (Figures 9 and 10). The altitudinal range of this new species is between 460–880 m asl. The range of <i>C. calcirupicola</i> probably extends to southeastern Tocantins (Dornas <i>et al.</i> 2014) and the southern part of the state of Piauí (Santos 2004), from where there are sight records of <i>C. largipennis</i>. We believe that the specimen of <i>C. largipennis</i> from “Posse, Goiás ” cited by Silva (1990) as housed in the MNRJ refers to the specimen from “Galheiros” housed in the same institution and mentioned by Ruschi (1951), probably representing a toponymic mistake committed by Silva (1990).</p> <p> <b>Habitat and behavior.</b> <i>Campylopterus calcirupicola</i> is a resident of dry forests on limestone rocky outcrops or on limestone-derived soils (Figure 11). The diet of the species is poorly known, but it was recorded (M.F.V. and S. D’Angelo Neto, pers. obs.) visiting flowers of native and exotic species belonging to the following taxa: Acanthaceae (<i>Justicia</i> sp.); Bignoniaceae (<i>Spathodea campanulata</i>); Bromeliaceae (unidentified terrestrial species); Caricaceae (<i>Carica papaya</i>); Fabaceae (<i>Camptosema</i> sp., <i>Delonix regia</i>, <i>Inga laurina</i>); Lamiaceae (<i>Salvia</i> sp.) and Malvaceae (<i>Malvaviscus arboreus</i>). Only 50% of males (n = 10) have the shafts of the outer primaries broad, with a mean width of 2.5 mm (n = 5). Males with normal shafts can also be reproductively active, as demonstrated by the enlarged testes of some collected specimens. Its breeding biology is unknown, and its nest has not yet been described. Breeding season can be inferred from the gonads of collected specimens (deposited in DZUFMG and in MPEG). Males with enlarged testes (> 2.5 mm) were collected on 13 May, 19 July and 27 September. Females with a well-developed brood patch (DZUFMG) were collected on 24 June and 21 December, suggesting an extended breeding season.</p> <p> <b> Geographic distribution of members of the <i>Campylopterus largipennis</i> complex.</b> Members of the <i>C. largipennis</i> complex are widely distributed across the entire Amazon region and seem to come into contact in some isolated parts of their range (Figure 9). The range of <i>C. l. largipennis</i> is centered in the Guianan shield, north of the Amazon river, extending westward to both banks of the Uaupés River (<i>e.g.</i>, AMNH 434093–434099; three unnumbered NRM specimens from “Taraquá, Rio Uaupés”), in the headwaters of the Negro River, which demonstrates that this river does not represent a geographical barrier for the taxon. This subspecies is found mainly below 600 m, but can be found locally to ~ 1300 m in isolated tepuis. No zone of sympatry is known between <i>C. l. largipennis</i> and <i>C. l. aequatorialis</i>, which was collected in “Río Duda, Mt Macarena” (AMNH 460155–460158), ~ 600 km to the northwest, the nearest locality from where we examined specimens of this taxon.</p> <p>There is an alleged specimen collected by Natterer in August at Ypanema ” (von Pelzeln 1868–1870), an old iron mill in the state of São Paulo, located at 23°26’S 47°36’W, c. 600 m asl (Vanzolini 1993). This record, although considered doubtful by Ihering (1898), was later accepted by the same author (Ihering & Ihering 1907). It is noteworthy that, to our knowledge, this record was not cited in the literature during the last one hundred years, even in compilations and checklists of the São Paulo avifauna (e.g. Willis & Oniki 2003; Silveira & Uezu 2011). We visited the Naturhistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria, where this specimen was supposed to be housed, but failed to locate it there, and we did not find it in more than a dozen museums which could have received it in exchange (see Methods). Therefore, we suggest that the “Ypanema” record may have originated from a typographic error.</p> <p> <i>Campylopterus l. aequatorialis</i> is a western Amazonian taxon with a strong foothill component, being frequently found in pre-Andean forests up to ~ 1600 m. <i>Campylopterus l. obscurus</i> is a southern Amazonian taxon, restricted to lowlands. Both reach the headwaters of some of the tributaries of the Madeira, Tapajós, Xingu and Tocantins rivers, in transitional areas between the Amazonian forests and savannahs, where rivers are relatively narrow and apparently do not act as barriers for these taxa (Figure 9). The likely contact between these taxa was predictable, because this is not a true humid lowland forest species, being often found in riverine forests and borders. The seeming absence of members of this complex from much of lowland western and central Amazonia (Figure 9) deserves further investigation, because it may be due to poor sampling.</p> <p> Populations from eastern Brazil are isolated from Amazonian taxa by almost 600 km (Figure 9) of predominantly non-forested habitats across central Brazil. <i>Campylopterus l. diamantinensis</i> and <i>C. calcirupicola</i> occur in parapatry, living in very distinctive habitats (compare Figures 11 and 12), with the nearest known records of both being only 25 km apart (Figure 10), without any evidence of hybridization between these populations.</p>Published as part of <i>Lopes, Leonardo Esteves, Vasconcelos, Marcelo Ferreira De & Gonzaga, Luiz Pedreira, 2017, A cryptic new species of hummingbird of the Campylopterus largipennis complex (Aves: Trochilidae), pp. 1-33 in Zootaxa 4268 (1)</i> on pages 15-21, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4268.1.1, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/579854">http://zenodo.org/record/579854</a>
ATLANTIC BIRDS: a data set of bird species from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest
No full textSouth America holds 30% of the world's avifauna, with the Atlantic Forest representing one of the richest regions of the Neotropics. Here we have compiled a data set on Brazilian Atlantic Forest bird occurrence (150,423) and abundance samples (N = 832 bird species; 33,119 bird individuals) using multiple methods, including qualitative surveys, mist nets, point counts, and line transects). We used four main sources of data: museum collections, on‐line databases, literature sources, and unpublished reports. The data set comprises 4,122 localities and data from 1815 to 2017. Most studies were conducted in the Florestas de Interior (1,510 localities) and Serra do Mar (1,280 localities) biogeographic sub‐regions. Considering the three main quantitative methods (mist net, point count, and line transect), we compiled abundance data for 745 species in 576 communities. In the data set, the most frequent species were Basileuterus culicivorus, Cyclaris gujanensis, and Conophaga lineata. There were 71 singletons, such as Lipaugus conditus and Calyptura cristata. We suggest that this small number of records reinforces the critical situation of these taxa in the Atlantic Forest. The information provided in this data set can be used for macroecological studies and to foster conservation strategies in this biodiversity hotspot. No copyright restrictions are associated with the data set. Please cite this Data Paper if data are used in publications and teaching events
Guidance on mucositis assessment from the MASCC Mucositis Study Group and ISOO: an international Delphi studyResearch in context
No full textSummary: Background: Mucositis is a common and highly impactful side effect of conventional and emerging cancer therapy and thus the subject of intense investigation. Although common practice, mucositis assessment is heterogeneously adopted and poorly guided, impacting evidence synthesis and translation. The Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) Mucositis Study Group (MSG) therefore aimed to establish expert recommendations for how existing mucositis assessment tools should be used, in clinical care and trials contexts, to improve the consistency of mucositis assessment. Methods: This study was conducted over two stages (January 2022–July 2023). The first phase involved a survey to MASCC-MSG members (January 2022–May 2022), capturing current practices, challenges and preferences. These then informed the second phase, in which a set of initial recommendations were prepared and refined using the Delphi method (February 2023–May 2023). Consensus was defined as agreement on a parameter by >80% of respondents. Findings: Seventy-two MASCC-MSG members completed the first phase of the study (37 females, 34 males, mainly oral care specialists). High variability was noted in the use of mucositis assessment tools, with a high reliance on clinician assessment compared to patient reported outcome measures (PROMs, 47% vs 3%, 37% used a combination). The World Health Organization (WHO) and Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) scales were most commonly used to assess mucositis across multiple settings. Initial recommendations were reviewed by experienced MSG members and following two rounds of Delphi survey consensus was achieved in 91 of 100 recommendations. For example, in patients receiving chemotherapy, the recommended tool for clinician assessment in clinical practice is WHO for oral mucositis (89.5% consensus), and WHO or CTCAE for gastrointestinal mucositis (85.7% consensus). The recommended PROM in clinical trials is OMD/WQ for oral mucositis (93.3% consensus), and PRO-CTCAE for gastrointestinal mucositis (83.3% consensus). Interpretation: These new recommendations provide much needed guidance on mucositis assessment and may be applied in both clinical practice and research to streamline comparison and synthesis of global data sets, thus accelerating translation of new knowledge into clinical practice. Funding: No funding was received
ATLANTIC BIRD TRAITS: a dataset of bird morphological traits from the Atlantic forests of South America
No full textGuidance on mucositis assessment from the MASCC Mucositis Study Group and ISOO:an international Delphi study
No full textBackground: Mucositis is a common and highly impactful side effect of conventional and emerging cancer therapy and thus the subject of intense investigation. Although common practice, mucositis assessment is heterogeneously adopted and poorly guided, impacting evidence synthesis and translation. The Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) Mucositis Study Group (MSG) therefore aimed to establish expert recommendations for how existing mucositis assessment tools should be used, in clinical care and trials contexts, to improve the consistency of mucositis assessment. Methods: This study was conducted over two stages (January 2022–July 2023). The first phase involved a survey to MASCC-MSG members (January 2022–May 2022), capturing current practices, challenges and preferences. These then informed the second phase, in which a set of initial recommendations were prepared and refined using the Delphi method (February 2023–May 2023). Consensus was defined as agreement on a parameter by >80% of respondents. Findings: Seventy-two MASCC-MSG members completed the first phase of the study (37 females, 34 males, mainly oral care specialists). High variability was noted in the use of mucositis assessment tools, with a high reliance on clinician assessment compared to patient reported outcome measures (PROMs, 47% vs 3%, 37% used a combination). The World Health Organization (WHO) and Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) scales were most commonly used to assess mucositis across multiple settings. Initial recommendations were reviewed by experienced MSG members and following two rounds of Delphi survey consensus was achieved in 91 of 100 recommendations. For example, in patients receiving chemotherapy, the recommended tool for clinician assessment in clinical practice is WHO for oral mucositis (89.5% consensus), and WHO or CTCAE for gastrointestinal mucositis (85.7% consensus). The recommended PROM in clinical trials is OMD/WQ for oral mucositis (93.3% consensus), and PRO-CTCAE for gastrointestinal mucositis (83.3% consensus). Interpretation: These new recommendations provide much needed guidance on mucositis assessment and may be applied in both clinical practice and research to streamline comparison and synthesis of global data sets, thus accelerating translation of new knowledge into clinical practice. Funding: No funding was received.</p
: a data set of bird morphological traits from the Atlantic forests of South America
No full textScientists have long been trying to understand why the Neotropical region holds the highest diversity of birds on Earth. Recently, there has been increased interest in morphological variation between and within species, and in how climate, topography, and anthropogenic pressures may explain and affect phenotypic variation. Because morphological data are not always available for many species at the local or regional scale, we are limited in our understanding of intra- and interspecies spatial morphological variation. Here, we present the ATLANTIC BIRD TRAITS, a data set that includes measurements of up to 44 morphological traits in 67,197 bird records from 2,790 populations distributed throughout the Atlantic forests of South America. This data set comprises information, compiled over two centuries (1820–2018), for 711 bird species, which represent 80% of all known bird diversity in the Atlantic Forest. Among the most commonly reported traits are sex (n = 65,717), age (n = 63,852), body mass (n = 58,768), flight molt presence (n = 44,941), molt presence (n = 44,847), body molt presence (n = 44,606), tail length (n = 43,005), reproductive stage (n = 42,588), bill length (n = 37,409), body length (n = 28,394), right wing length (n = 21,950), tarsus length (n = 20,342), and wing length (n = 18,071). The most frequently recorded species are Chiroxiphia caudata (n = 1,837), Turdus albicollis (n = 1,658), Trichothraupis melanops (n = 1,468), Turdus leucomelas (n = 1,436), and Basileuterus culicivorus (n = 1,384). The species recorded in the greatest number of sampling localities are Basileuterus culicivorus (n = 243), Trichothraupis melanops (n = 242), Chiroxiphia caudata (n = 210), Platyrinchus mystaceus (n = 208), and Turdus rufiventris (n = 191). ATLANTIC BIRD TRAITS (ABT) is the most comprehensive data set on measurements of bird morphological traits found in a biodiversity hotspot; it provides data for basic and applied research at multiple scales, from individual to community, and from the local to the macroecological perspectives. No copyright or proprietary restrictions are associated with the use of this data set. Please cite this data paper when the data are used in publications or teaching and educational activities. © 2019 The Authors. Ecology © 2019 The Ecological Society of Americ
Knowledge on Colombian insects and arachnids: a bibliometric approach
No full textDespite Arthropoda being a major animal taxon, it is underrepresented in South American scientific publications. Here, we present the results of a bibliometric analysis of published studies on insects and arachnids in Colombia to understand the general patterns of knowledge of both taxa across this megadiverse country. We compiled 3119 studies on insects and 353 on arachnids published between 1918 and 2019 in more than 600 journals. Research on both insects and arachnids reflects the effort done by researchers working in Colombian institutions, but because publications are mainly domestic, their international impact is limited. The studies included 19 taxonomic orders of insects and 72 families of arachnids with a bias toward a few well-studied taxa like Diptera, Lepidoptera, Hymenoptera, Araneidae, and Salticidae, while the majority of taxa are understudied. The geographic coverage of the studies was broad and includes Colombia’s 32 departments, but their distribution was heterogeneous being the Andean region the most studied, while the Caribbean and Orinoquia regions could be considered knowledge gaps. Considering our analysis, we give recommendations to expand and advance the knowledge of Colombian insects and arachnids, a major scientific enterprise in which collaboration among researchers from different institutions is needed.
KEYWORDS: BiodiversityNeotropicsInsectaArachnid
