100,309 research outputs found
Trachylepis boehmei Koppetsch 2020, sp. nov.
No full textTrachylepis boehmei, sp. nov. Suggested common English name: Böhme’s Grass Skink urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: D0E725F7-C9BB-4B6D-929E-386974A67671 Material examined: Holotype: ZFMK 16795, adult female, Ankober (9°36′N, 39°44′E), elevation 2,450 m.a.sl., North Shewa, Amhara Region, Ethiopia (Fig. 2), collected by G. Nikolaus on 12 November 1975 (Fig. 1). Paratypes: ZFMK 16785–86, 16788, 16791–92, 16794 and 16796: adult females, ZFMK 16787, 16789–90 and 16793: adult males, all with the same data as the holotype (Fig. 4B). Diagnosis: Trachylepis boehmei sp. nov. can be distinguished from all other congeners by the following combination of characters: (1) slender body of small size, SVL up to 55.3 mm; (2) relatively short tail length, up to 69.6 mm (about 1.3 times SVL); (3) relatively short eye–snout distance, up to 0.3 times head length; (4) 26–29 scale rows around midbody; (5) smooth uncarinated dorsal scales; (6) unique colour pattern showing a striped throat (11–12 stripes), a lateral white stripe from eye to tail, dorsally a pale brownish colouration with 6–8 darkish brown stripes ranging from neck to the end of the tail, an unpatterned cremish white ventral colouration and a head with small brown spots dorsally. Description of the holotype: A small skink with a total length of 103.1 mm (snout-vent length of 46.3 mm and a tail length of 56.8 mm) (Fig. 1). Cylindrical body and slender appearance; habitus and proportions of limbs and body comparable to T. megalura. Complete, non-regenerated tail relatively short, only 1.23 times SVL. Compact head (HL 9.8 mm; HW 6.2 mm) with blunt snout (ESD/HL 0.24) (Fig. 1D,E,F). Small, vertically oval ear opening. Transparent scale characteristic for Trachylepis skinks present in lower eyelid. Small nostrils, set posteriorly so that postnasal effectively borders the nostril. Rostral visible from above. Supranasals with contact. Wide frontonasal, in contact with loreal scale. Prefrontals in contact with each other, also bordering frontal, frontonasal, loreal, first and second supraocular and first supraciliary. Two loreals. Frontoparietals in contact with each other, also bordering frontal, third and fourth supraoculars, parietal and interparietal. Parietals only in slight contact. Frontal in contact with two supraoculars on each side. Frontoparietal plus interparietal length greater than frontal length. Interparietal with a visible parietal foramen. Five supraciliaries, seven supralabials. Both dorsal and ventral scales smooth without being even slightly keeled or carinated. 26 scales around midbody (MSR), 57 paravertebral scale rows (PSR). The limbs have five digits, order of finger size (first longest) is IV>III>II>V>I, relative length of toes IV>III>V>II>I. Smooth tarsal and palmar scalation. 13 subdigital lamellae under fourth finger, 16 subdigital lamellae under fourth toe. Additional mensural and meristic measurements of the holotype are shown in Table 1. Colour pattern in preservative: The female holotype shows a striped throat with twelve stripes (Fig. 1D). A lateral white stripe extends from the eye to the tail. Dorsally the holotype is coloured pale brownish with six darkish brown stripes ranging from the neck to the end of the tail (Fig. 1C). Posteriorly those stripes are discontinuous by flowing into each other. On the ventral side it shows an unpatterned cremish white colouration (Fig. 1A). On the dorsal side of the head small brown spots are present (Fig. 1F). Variation: Variation in mensural and meristic characters for the adult type series is shown in Table 1. The paratypes of Trachylepis boehmei sp. nov. show eleven to twelve ventral stripes on the throat. Six to eight darkish brown stripes range from neck to the end of the tail. Head scalation is similar to holotype except for the contact of parietals and the contact of prefrontals, which vary in the paratypes from being separated to bordering each other (Fig. 4B). Comparisons: Trachylepis boehmei sp. nov. can be easily distinguished from the other representatives of the genus Trachylepis occurring in Ethiopia (see the key to the Ethiopian Trachylepis provided below) by a variety of morphological characteristics. By having a smooth dorsal scalation it can be separated from all congeners showing a characteristic number of distinct keels (indicated in brackets) on their dorsal scales, T. brevicollis (2–3), T. hildebrandtii (3), T. maculilabris (5–8), T. planifrons (3, rarely 4–5), T. quinquetaeniata (3, rarely 4–5), T. striata (3, rarely up to 7), T. varia (3) and T. wingati (3). In addition, Trachylepis boehmei sp. nov. shows a comparable low number of midbody scale rows (26–29) and is easily distinguishable from T. brevicollis (30–35), T. hildebrandtii (32), T. maculilabris (30–38, rarely more than 34), T. quinquetaeniata (32–46, rarely more than 40), T. striata (32–42, rarely more than 36) and T. wingati (30–32). It differs from T. megalura by having a relatively short tail length, maximal 1.7 times the SVL (vs. generally more than twice the SVL), a relatively low eye–snout distance, up to 0.3 times the head length (vs. 0.4) and a shorter body size of around 46.8 mm SVL (vs. generally more than 55 mm SVL). Most specimens of T. megalura show at least 3 indistinct keels on their dorsal scales (vs. completely absent in the new species) (Marques et al., 2019), but in some populations these can be also completely reduced (T. Mazuch, pers. commun.). Although, Trachylepis boehmei sp. nov. shows the closest morphological resemblance concerning its habitus and appearance to T. megalura, it is additionally distinguishable by its coloration and number of midbody scale rows. Both species have a prominent lateral white band running from below the eye along the entire body to the tail. However, T. megalura shows only 4 darkish brown, relatively indistinct fine dorsal stripes from the neck to the base of the tail, while the new species differs in having 6–8 darkish brown stripes dorsally ranging from the neck to the end of the tail by flowing into each other. While a maximum range of 22–28 scale rows at midbody has been reported for T. megalura, most individuals show 24–26 MSR, a lower number compared to Trachylepis boehmei sp. nov. having 26–29 MSR. Despite the fact that the type series has been assigned to T. irregularis before, this biogeographically separated montane endemic from Kenya and Uganda can be easily distinguished from the new species by having 2–5 (regularly 3–4) distinct dorsal keels and a prominent vertebral whitish or golden double-stripe and two dorsolateral white stripes (see figure 2 in Koppetsch, in prep). Comparisons are based on species characteristics from Largen & Spawls (2010), Sindaco et al. (2012) and Marques et al. (2019). Differences between Trachylepis boehmei sp. nov. and congeners of similar habitus and size are shown in Table 2. Etymology: The species is named after Wolfgang Böhme, German herpetologist at the Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig in Bonn, to honour his comprehensive and passionate research on African herpetofauna, the numerous contributions to its knowledge and his outstanding and ongoing strong promotion and supervision of the author. ......continued on the next page Distribution, conservation and natural history: At present, Trachylepis boehmei sp. nov. is only known from its type locality, at elevations more than 2,400 m.a.sl. around Ankober in Ethiopia (Fig. 2). It is likely that this species also inhabits parts of the Ethiopian Highlands near the type locality in the eastern Amhara region, in particular other surrounding mountain ranges of higher altitude west of the Great Rift. While no observations of living specimens have been made so far, it is likely that also this newly described species of Trachylepis shows a diurnal activity pattern and lives predominantly on the ground or lower vegetation of mountainous moor- or moist grasslands at medium or higher elevation (Largen & Spawls, 2010), similar to other representatives of the T. varia group sensu Weinell et al. (2019), particularly to T. megalura. The currently known distribution range of Trachylepis boehmei sp. nov. is only restricted to a small area outside protected areas or a national park. Therefore, habitat destruction and fragmentation resulting from expansions of agricultural areas or logging activities might threaten this possibly endemic species and its ecological requirements. Nevertheless, its occurrence in the Wof-Washa Forest located between the Ankober, Tarmaber, and Basona Worana districts cannot be ruled out. Six of the seven of the female paratypes, whose reproductive tracts have been dissected, contained three to four fetuses. Consequently, also Trachylepis boehmei sp. nov. is ovoviviparous, as the other species of the T. varia group (Weinell et al., 2019). The fetuses revealed by dissection are at different levels of development, but in all of them the ground colour is cremish brown. Like the adults they show a lateral white stripe and six darkish brown stripes ranging from the neck to the end of the tail (Fig. 4A). Unlike T. raymondlaurenti, closely related to T. megalura and having neonates with prominent reddish-orange caudal colouration (Marques et al., 2019), juveniles of Trachylepis boehmei sp. nov. seem to have no brightly coloured tails.Published as part of Koppetsch, Thore, 2020, A new species of Trachylepis (Squamata: Scincidae) from the Amhara Region Ethiopia, and a key to the Ethiopian Trachylepis, pp. 113-126 in Zootaxa 4859 (1) on pages 115-122, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4859.1.4, http://zenodo.org/record/441283
Letter, [Author unclear] to Paulina T. Merritt
No full textHandwritten letter to Paulina Merritt from an unknown author, October 1, 1876.
Handwritten biographical information on Paulina T. McClung Merritt
No full textA handwritten biography of Paulina T. McClung Merritt by an unknown author, 1892.
Heterogeneous and tissue-specific regulation of effector T cell responses by IFN-gamma during Plasmodium berghei ANKA infection.
Get PDFIFN-γ and T cells are both required for the development of experimental cerebral malaria during Plasmodium berghei ANKA infection. Surprisingly, however, the role of IFN-γ in shaping the effector CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell response during this infection has not been examined in detail. To address this, we have compared the effector T cell responses in wild-type and IFN-γ(-/-) mice during P. berghei ANKA infection. The expansion of splenic CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells during P. berghei ANKA infection was unaffected by the absence of IFN-γ, but the contraction phase of the T cell response was significantly attenuated. Splenic T cell activation and effector function were essentially normal in IFN-γ(-/-) mice; however, the migration to, and accumulation of, effector CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells in the lung, liver, and brain was altered in IFN-γ(-/-) mice. Interestingly, activation and accumulation of T cells in various nonlymphoid organs was differently affected by lack of IFN-γ, suggesting that IFN-γ influences T cell effector function to varying levels in different anatomical locations. Importantly, control of splenic T cell numbers during P. berghei ANKA infection depended on active IFN-γ-dependent environmental signals--leading to T cell apoptosis--rather than upon intrinsic alterations in T cell programming. To our knowledge, this is the first study to fully investigate the role of IFN-γ in modulating T cell function during P. berghei ANKA infection and reveals that IFN-γ is required for efficient contraction of the pool of activated T cells
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Get PDFWe 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
Pelevin’s Trinity in the novel “t”: author – protagonist – reader
No full textThe article attempts to interpret Pelevin's artistic strategy in the novel "T" by exploring its subject organization and addressing the key problems of the author, the protagonist, and the reader as they are seen by the researcher. The article analyzes the peculiarities of constructing the narrative reality in the novel "T", and goes on to discuss Pelevin's philosophic models of the development of the humankind, and the emergence of his new anthropology
Measuring industry-science links through inventor-author relations: A profiling method
Get PDFIn this pilot study we examine the performance of text-based profiling in recovering a set of validated inventor-author links. In a first step we match patents and publications solely based on their similarity in content. Next, we compare inventor and author names on the highest ranked matches for the occurrence of name matches. Finally, we compare these candidate matches with the names listed in a validated set of inventor-author names. Our text-based profile methodology performs significantly better than a random matching of patents and publications, suggesting that text-based profiling is a valuable complementary tool to the name searches used in previous studies.innovation; industry-science links; text-based profiling;
Wave turbulence of a rotating array of quantized vortices in the T → 0 temperature limit
No full textThe dynamics of quantized vortices in the zero temperature limit is currently of great interest, particularly in the case of the Fermi superfluid He-B. Here we study wave turbulence, generated by the librating motion of a rotating cylindrical container filled with He-B, in the limit of vanishing viscous forces at temperatures . The polarization of the quantized vortices with respect to the axis of rotation is measured using non-invasive NMR techniques. We observe a decrease of the polarization when the librating motion is started, and a two-stage relaxation process when the modulation of the rotation velocity is stopped. The first relaxation process is associated with the dissipation of large-scale flow stored in inertial waves and the solid body rotation of the vortex array. From the decay of these energy reservoirs we determine the rate of energy dissipation of large-scale flow. The later second process is related to the relaxation of Kelvin waves on individual vortices. This process is monitored by the recovery of the polarization. The existence of a Kelvin wave cascade at the lowest temperatures is currently a central open question. We supply some evidence for the cascade
DNA fusion gene vaccination mobilizes effective anti-leukemic cytotoxic T lymphocytes from a tolerized repertoire
No full textThe majority of known human tumor-associated antigens derive from non-mutated self proteins. T cell tolerance, essential to prevent autoimmunity, must therefore be cautiously circumvented to generate cytotoxic T cell responses against these targets. Our strategy uses DNA fusion vaccines to activate high levels of peptide-specific CTL. Key foreign sequences from tetanus toxin activate tolerance-breaking CD4+ T cell help. Candidate MHC class Ibinding tumor peptide sequences are fused to the C terminus for optimal processing and presentation. To model performance against a leukemia-associated antigen in a tolerized setting, we constructed a fusion vaccine encoding an immunodominant CTL epitopederived from Friend murine leukemia virus gag protein (FMuLVgag) and vaccinated tolerant FMuLVgag-transgenic (gag-Tg) mice. Vaccination with the construct induced epitopespecificIFN-c-producing CD8+ T cells in normal and gag-Tg mice. The frequency and avidity of activated cells were reduced in gag-Tg mice, and no autoimmune injury resulted. However, these CD8+ T cells did exhibit gag-specific cytotoxicity in vitro and in vivo. Also, epitope-specific CTL killed FBL-3 leukemia cells expressing endogenous FMuLVgag antigen and protected against leukemia challenge in vivo. These results demonstrate a simple strategy to engage anti-microbial T cell help to activate epitope-specific polyclonal CD8+ T cell responses from a residual tolerized repertoire
Acoustic radiation due to scattering of T-S wave by the mean-flow distortion induced by steady local suction
No full textSubstantial sound waves can be generated by boundary-layer instability modes when the latter are scattered by a rapid mean-flow distortion. This is a rather generic mechanism and operates when an oncoming T-S wave is scattered by a steady local suction slot. This paper focuses on this problem by extending a recently developed Local Scattering Theory (Wu & Dong, J. Fluid Mech. submitted), where a so-called transmission coefficient, defined as the ratio of the T-S wave amplitude downstream of the scatter to that upstream, is introduced to characterize the effect of a local scatter on boundary-layer instability and transition. As in the earlier work, the mathematical formulation is based on triple-deck formulism, but in order to accommodate the acoustic far field, which was not considered in the paper mentioned, the unsteady terms in the upper deck, which play a leading-order role in radiation, are retained, and the influence of the radiated sound on the near-wall perturbation is included. The upper deck equation for the pressure is the Helmholtz equation rather than the Laplace equation. This leads to a modified pressure-displacement relation, which is coupled with the linearized boundary-layer equations in the lower deck. Discretization of the whole system formulates a generalized eigenvalue problem, which is solved numerically. It is found that suction suppresses oncoming T-S waves, and this effect increases with the suction velocity and the slot width. The directivity is ndependent of the flow parameters only when the Mach number is low. The intensity of the radiated sound in general increases with the frequency, the suction velocity and the width of the suction slot. Interestingly, for O(1) suction velocities, the radiated sound is very weak, indicating that the gain of stabilizing effect does not cause aeroacoustic penalty
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