Character Complexes Research Articles

Conflict Resolution for Mesozoic Mammals: Reconciling Phylogenetic Incongruence Among Anatomical Regions.

The evolutionary history of Mesozoic mammaliaformes is well studied. Although the backbone of their phylogeny is well resolved, the placement of ecologically specialized groups has remained uncertain. Functional and developmental covariation has long been identified as an important source of phylogenetic error, yet combining incongruent morphological characters altogether is currently a common practice when reconstructing phylogenetic relationships. Ignoring incongruence may inflate the confidence in reconstructing relationships, particularly for the placement of highly derived and ecologically specialized taxa, such as among australosphenidans (particularly, crown monotremes), haramiyidans, and multituberculates. The alternative placement of these highly derived clades can alter the taxonomic constituency and temporal origin of the mammalian crown group. Based on prior hypotheses and correlated homoplasy analyses, we identified cheek teeth and shoulder girdle character complexes as having a high potential to introduce phylogenetic error. We showed that incongruence among mandibulodental, cranial, and postcranial anatomical partitions for the placement of the australosphenidans, haramiyids, and multituberculates could largely be explained by apparently non-phylogenetic covariance from cheek teeth and shoulder girdle characters. Excluding these character complexes brought agreement between anatomical regions and improved the confidence in tree topology. These results emphasize the importance of considering and ameliorating major sources of bias in morphological data, and we anticipate that these will be valuable for confidently integrating morphological and molecular data in phylogenetic and dating analyses.

Integrative redescription of Hypsibius pallidoides Pilato et al., 2011 (Eutardigrada: Hypsibioidea) with the erection of a new genus and discussion on the phylogeny of Hypsibiidae

An integrative redescription of Hypsibius pallidoides Pilato, Kiosya, Lisi, Inshina & Biserov, 2011 was undertaken following a reexamination of the type material and new material using high-quality light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and methods of molecular taxonomy. Detailed morphological investigations revealed a unique complex of characters that precluded the attribution of this species to the genus Hypsibius Ehrenberg, 1848. Furthermore, phylogenetic analyses indicated the affinity of this species within the subfamily Pilatobiinae (Hypsibiidae). Notahypsibius gen. nov. is erected for H. pallidoides and two putatively related species: H. scaber Maucci, 1987 and Ramazzottius arcticus (Murray, 1907). An emended diagnosis for the genus Pilatobius is given, while the subfamily Pilatobiinae lacks a cohesive morphological diagnosis despite representing, at the same time, a well-supported molecular clade. Obvious controversy between the results of the morphological and molecular analyses of the phylogeny of Hypsibioidea is discussed. The distribution of morphological characters such as the claw type, organization of the bucco-pharyngeal apparatus, and egg shell sculpture type within Eutardigrada is analyzed and their phylogenetic significance discussed.

High Performance Liquid Chromatography–Diode Array Detector Method for Benznidazole Quantitation in Lipid Based and Self Assembling Cyclodextrins Drug Delivery Systems

The challenge of the present work concerned in benznidazole assay in two drug delivery systems (DDS) which are different in the solubility character and sample complexity using HPLC−diode array detector (DAD) method. The lipid based DDS were mainly composed of medium-chain triglycerides and a mixture of surfactants, while the multicomponent inclusion complex systems involved cosolvents and different cyclodextrins. The method was validated according to the International Conference on Harmonization guidelines. The linearity of the standard curves was greater than 0.999 (r2) with the limits of detection of 0.05 µg/mL and quantification of 0.18 µg/mL. The method was specific, precise (RSD < 1.99%) and robust. The different drug interactions with systems did not alter the recovery which ranged from 93 to 106% for the distinct DDS. Statistical data analysis of different DDS demonstrated that selected parameters for HPLC−DAD method offered equivalent results and could be applied for stability studies and quality control of these drug delivery systems.

Architectural and ultrastructural features of tessellated calcified cartilage in modern and extinct chondrichthyan fishes.

Tessellated calcified cartilage (TCC) is a distinctive kind of biomineralized perichondral tissue found in many modern and extinct chondrichthyans (sharks, rays, chimaeroids and their extinct allies). Customarily, this feature has been treated somewhat superficially in phylogenetic analyses, often as a single "defining" character of a chondrichthyan clade. TCC is actually a complex hard tissue with numerous distinctive attributes, but its use as a character complex for phylogenetic analysis has not yet been optimized. This study attempts to improve this situation by presenting new terminology for certain aspects of tesseral architecture, including single-monolayered, multiple-monolayered, polylayered and voussoir tesserae; new histological data, including thin sections of TCC in several Palaeozoic taxa, and new proposals for ways in which various characters and states (many of which are defined here for the first time) could be applied in future phylogenetic analyses of chondrichthyan fishes. It can be concluded that many, but not all, of the unique attributes of modern TCC evolved by the Early Devonian (ca. 400 before present (bp)). The globular calcified cartilage reported in Silurian sinacanthids and the so-called subtessellated perichondral biomineralization (with irregular and ill-defined geometries of a layer or layers of calcified cartilage blocks) of certain extinct "acanthodians" (e.g., Climatius, Ischnacanthus, Cheiracanthus) could represent evolutionary precursors of TCC, which seems to characterize only part of the chondrichthyan total group. It is hypothesized that heavily biomineralized "layer-cake" TCC in certain Palaeozoic chondrichthyans perhaps served a dual physiological role, as a phosphate sink and in providing increased skeletal density in very large (>7 m) Devonian-Permian marine sharks such as ctenacanths and as an adaptation to calcium-deficient environments among Permo-Carboniferous non-marine sharks such as xenacanths. By contrast, the equivalent tissue in modern elasmobranchs probably serves only to reinforce regions of cartilage (mostly in the jaws) subjected to high loading. It is also noted that much of the variation observed in tesseral architecture (including localized remodelling), ultrastructure and histology in modern and extinct chondrichthyans is confined to the perichondrally facing cap zone (where Type-1 collagen matrix predominates in modern TCC), whereas the main body of the tessera (where Type-2 collagen matrix predominates) exhibits comparatively little evidence of remodelling and histological or structural variation.

Genre and style peculiarities of “The Sound of Music” musical by R. Rodgers

The research subject is the musical by the composer Richard Rodgers and the book writer Oscar Hammerstein II &amp;ldquo;The Sound of Music&amp;rdquo; - one of the bright examples of classic Broadway musicals. The author describes the main genre and style and dramatic peculiarities of the musical and attempts to solve the following research tasks: to analyze the narrative and genre components of the piece, the intonation complexes of the main characters and the most significant groups of characters and vocal techniques, and to trace back the influence of Austrian national genres on the music fabric of the musical. The author uses the following methods: cultural-historical, comparative analysis, and the methods of music-style and music-history analysis. Despite the obvious significance of this piece of music and its thumping success, the musical &amp;ldquo;The Sound of Music&amp;rdquo; hasn&amp;rsquo;t been studied thoroughly enough in the scientific literature. The author arrives at the conclusion that the special dramatism, the bright plot, the developed music drama, and the multifaceted genre and style alligation are the peculiarity of the musical and form that unique quality that brought success in the past and still makes the musical successful.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;

Chan Ho-KeiSecond Sister by Jeremy Tiang

Chan Ho-Kei Second Sister Trans. Jeremy Tiang. New York. Black Cat. 2020. 432 pages. CHAN HO-KEI, who lives in Taiwan, is one of the most successful rising stars of Asian crime writing. Born in Hong Kong, he began writing at age thirty-three. His first novel, The Man Who Sold the World, won the top award in Chinese mystery publishing, the Soji Shimada Mystery Award. His first novel translated into English, The Borrowed, was one of the most memorable novels I’ve read in several years, proceeding dexterously through a series of mystery-genre styles and linked to the political history of Hong Kong by tracing in steps the progression of a police officer rising through the ranks. What could have been a merely theoretical exercise in virtuosity filled all the simpler pleasures of entertainment fiction and, despite its length, read quickly. A new novel, Second Sister, the story of a woman trying to uncover the truth behind her younger sister’s death, has just been released in the anglophone market. Au Nga-Yee and Au Siu-Man are orphans, their widowed mother having followed her husband to the grave. They have lived in difficult circumstances, but the older sister, Nga-Yee, is managing to support them. She returns to her apartment building one day to find that Siu-Man has apparently thrown herself off the top floor. The police, of course, and everyone else believe that the act was suicide, and, in the familiar pattern of many mysteries, Nga-Yee won’t believe it. In the long-hallowed tradition of the amateur detective, Nga-Yee sets out to find the truth, learning that her sister was being libeled online, beginning a dark odyssey through the world of hacking and getting assistance from a mysterious cybersecurity expert and hacker called “N.” We live in a digital world, and I think too many writers dodge that complex reality primarily because the implications aren’t clear yet or because they don’t really understand it and, ironically, because of their discomfort, usually oversimplify it into something grossly dystopian. Chan Ho-Kei has been a software engineer and game designer, however, and has a tight grasp on the technical world, but the problem is that we readers largely don’t, and he knows we’re not reading with a firm knowledge of coding and such. To keep us on the journey, he ends up explaining a lot and reminding us of things he’s already explained. Unfortunately, there are many places with repetitions of ideas and plot elements, and many of them have nothing to do with the more technical aspects of the story. The novel weighs in at more than four hundred pages, like The Borrowed, but it seems much longer. A big ship should carry a big cargo. There are ingenious twists in the plot, some real cleverness, but is there enough story, complexity of character , and thematic content? Although the sense of Hong Kong is strong, Second Sister isn’t as strong as The Borrowed in implicitly commenting on the social and cultural aspects of life there. There’s also a certain quality here of the composed best seller—that is, a novel that rings all the appropriate bells to make it predictably popular for marketing purposes . Did I mention that besides Chan’s technical expertise, he has been a scriptwriter and an editor of comic magazines? A major part of the story concerns itself with sexual harassment, a more-than-worthy subject for our times, if handled right, but difficult and maybe a too-obvious choice to gin up the revenge theme of a popular novel. Just after something on the page reminds you of Raymond Chandler’s The High Window, you think of Lisbeth Salander of Stieg Larsson’s “Dragon Tattoo” trilogy, and then N does something to remind you of Sherlock Holmes. Coincidence? As so many fictional detectives say, “I don’t believe in coincidence.” Chan Ho-Kei seems to be a master of form and destined for international success . Keeping an eye on him seems like a smart thing to do, but it remains to be seen how much the adeptness he has compares...

ASECS at 50: Interview with Maximillian Novak

ASECS at 50:Interview with Maximillian Novak Rebekah Mitsein (bio) and Maximillian Novak Reflecting on his early days of graduate school at UCLA in an article for the launch issue of Digital Defoe in 2009, Maximillian Novak observed that he was "far from your single minded, professionally oriented graduate student," unsure what field to specialize in and absorbed by a range of writers and critical questions.1 "My favorite author was Swift," he wrote, but it was the topic of "Defoe and economics" that ultimately grabbed Novak's attention. At the time "it seemed as if ideas were swirling around Defoe's work and reputation, as if studies in Defoe were becoming possible in a way they had not been before." Novak entered that conversation with a dissertation that became his first book, Economics and the Fiction of Daniel Defoe (Univ. of California Press, 1962), in which he pushed back against the tendency to read Defoe as a champion of economic individualism, instead presenting Defoe's fiction through the lens of his mercantilist sensibilities and arguing for the moral and social complexity of Defoe's characters. Several monographs and a compendious biography (Daniel Defoe: Master of Fictions, Oxford Univ. Press, 2001) followed, covering topics ranging from Defoe's engagement with natural law (Defoe and the Nature of Man, Oxford Univ. Press, 1963), to the intersections among Defoe's fiction, journalism, historical writing, and interest in painting (Realism, Myth, and History in Defoe's Fiction, Univ. of Nebraska Press, 1983). In the introduction to Transformations, Ideology, and the Real in Defoe's Robinson Crusoe and Other Narratives (Univ. of Delaware Press, 2015), Novak wrote that he first began publishing on Defoe with an aim "to establish Defoe as a significant thinker both outside and inside his fiction."2 Across a six-decade career, Novak has done that and more, not only rendering Defoe's protean oeuvre more approachable and meaningful for subsequent scholars, but also making significant [End Page 379] contributions to the study of the eighteenth-century novel by scrupulously situating it within the era's cultural, political, and economic networks. Nevertheless, Novak never left the broad curiosity of his early days in graduate school behind. Interspersed with his research on Defoe are several volumes of John Dryden's Works (Univ. of California Press, 1956–2000), a book on William Congreve (William Congreve, Twayne, 1971), an overview of eighteenth-century literature that examined the contradictions and conflicts within the period's literary ideals (Eighteenth-Century English Literature, Macmillan, 1983), a book on the twentieth-century Jewish American writer I.J. Singer written with Estelle Gershgoren Novak (The Writer as Exile: Israel Joshua Singer, AMS Press, 2016), and numerous essays on Dryden and Jonathan Swift, among other eighteenth-century literary luminaries. Novak received a Ph.D. from UCLA in 1958 and a D.Phil. from Oxford in 1961. He taught at the University of Michigan from 1958–1962. He then returned to UCLA where he remains, continuing to bring eighteenth-century literature to life for newcomers and old hands alike. Rebekah Mitsein: You've been a part of ASECS for much of its history, first appearing on an ASECS program as an organizer in 1971, when UCLA hosted the society's 3rd annual meeting, and serving on its executive board from 1978–1981. What are your most noteworthy recollections of ASECS? How has the organization influenced the study of the eighteenth century? Maximillian Novak: I recall the formation of ASECS at an MLA. The meetings of that organization were arranged around a few plenary sessions—none of the many seminars that exist now, and there were few such sessions allotted to the Restoration and eighteenth century. Donald Greene, who was one of the early organizers of ASECS, expressed his dissatisfaction to me and the need for an organization such as ASECS. There was so much important scholarship and criticism that needed to be discussed. The founding of ASECS helped to reveal the centrality of the period to the literature, arts, history, and philosophy of later periods. This may seem obvious now, but nineteenth-century writers had made a conscious effort to deny the importance of the previous century. Mitsein: Do...

«Предел кровавому поприщу»: мотив возмездия в повествовании А. Иванова «Вилы»

The research investigates the genre-forming function of the motive of retribution in the documentary and journalistic narrative of A.V. Ivanov “Pitchfork”. The relevance of the study is due to the attention of modern literary criticism to the historiosophical and social and political problems in Russian prose, the need to study the works of modern literature in its most striking manifestations. The purpose of this work is to try to determine the specificity of the main “bearing constructs” of the narrative of A. Ivanov “Pitchfork” in the aspect of the dominant motives of the work. The leading way to achieve this goal is the comparative and historical method, supplemented by comparative and typological, intertextual and mythopoetic approaches to the work of literature. As a result of the analysis, it was found that in the documentary and journalistic narrative of A. Ivanov “Pitchfork” the main genre-forming motive of the work, organizing its entire structure from the title to the “stories” of the main and secondary actors, is the retribution motive, derived from it and related motives, originally interpreted by the author. It is concluded that the motive of metaphysical, transcendental retribution “to all for everything” reproduced and transformed by Ivanov the artist, despite the extreme generality of this motive, helps the writer to comprehend and convey the contradictory complexity of historical events and historical characters involved in it. The field of application of the work results are researches on the latest literature, teaching literature in higher and secondary schools.

Evaluation of Large-Sunflower Lines of Sunflower on Quantitative Morphological Traits

Confectionery sunflower - a special area of use of sunflower, which requires the creation of marketable seeds quality features. One of the possible ways to create large-fruited sunflower is to create production hybrids and lines. Objective: to evaluate the created new large-fruited sunflower lines by a complex of morphological characters and determine the best lines for use as large-seeds hybrids as parent components or source material. In 2016-2019 years on the basis of the Institute of Oilseed Crops NAAS a study was conducted to assess the economic characteristics of large-fruited sunflower lines. We studied a collection of 27 lines of large-seeds sources. The lines were created by direct selection or crossing and sampling: Reyny of Argentinean origin, Zaporizhzhya confectionery variety, confectionery hybrid with striped pericarp color of Israeli origin, white seed of Turkish origin, synthetic population - donor of complex resistance. To study from the collection, lines were drawn that went through at least 7 generations with selection for seed size. Experience has shown that the shortest growing season for lines 174d and KP11 was 99 days, and the longest for lines I2K670 was 109 days. In the studied collection, the greatest mass of 1000 seeds has the KP11-146.47g line, which is the mother component and does not have branching. The second by weight of 1000 seeds (109 g) stood out line 168v, which also had branches and pollen fertility restoration genes and will be used as the paternal form. The third largest is also one basket line ZKN51-100. The collection included lines originating from the same combination, but with a different morphotype for the presence and absence of branching. So, based on the combination of KP11 x Zaporizhzhya Confectionery, three lines were obtained. A mass of 1000 seeds was observed in 98-86 g, with the branching line having the largest mass of 1000 seeds. The lines created with one combination VK678 x ZKN32: with a branch 168a had a mass of 1000 seeds 95g, and a line 168b - without a branch 109 g. Of the two lines obtained from the descendants of the combination KP11 x the striped hybrid both had branches, but the seeds were much smaller (weight of 1000 seeds 59 and 79 g). The collection also studied samples created on the basis of varieties and populations 160c, 174, 175b, the mass of 1000 seeds of which turned out to be more acceptable for large-fruited use from 83 to 99 g. Summing up the results of studying the collection of newly created lines, we can highlight the lines 162d, 168v, 175b, KP11 that are potentially promising for use in hybrids. The selections showed that large-fruited lines can be obtained from large-fruited varieties, self-pollination of large-fruited hybrids and crossing lines with hybrids and varieties. Self-pollination and selection of large-fruited lines in several generations does not provide the necessary variability for positive changes in selections. The result of the selection by weight of 1000 seeds in the offspring from crosses and from populations creates opportunities for new large-seeds sunflower.

The Psychology of Pollution Control

This chapter argues that exploring the psychology of pollution perception and response can help in crafting more effective regimes for pollution control. The impacts of pollution—like other environmental problems—are often diffuse, complex, and nonhuman in character. Furthermore, pollution itself often generates an affective, disgusted response, and perceptions of pollution risk are mediated by who is polluting. Each of these characteristics has implications for managing human behaviors that create, promote, or reduce pollution. As a result, understanding the psychology of pollution control can help in understanding, predicting, and evaluating how existing environmental policies shape human behavior, and in crafting policies that are better at controlling pollution.

The oldest Tenebrionidae (Coleoptera) of the subfamily Diaperinae and the tribe Scaphidemini from the Paleocene of Menat (France)

The oldest tenebrionid beetle Palaeobasanus neli gen. et sp. n. of the tribe Scaphidemini (subfamily Diaperinae) is described from the Paleocene of Menat (Thanetian) in France. The new extinct genus shows a distinct complex of characters of the tribe Scaphidemini, such as modified procoxal cavities, modified prosternal “cowling” and mesocoxal cavities partly closed by mesepimera. Palaeobasanus gen. n. differs from the extant Scaphidemini in the narrowly separated coxae, structure of prosternal process, which is moderately narrow at middle but strongly widened at apex and rounded (not truncate), abdominal intercoxal process, antennomeres 4–7 clearly covered by simple trichoid sensilla but without round sensory complexes as in recent Scaphidemini and Diaperini. All these mentioned characters seem to be symplesiomorphies within the tenebrionoid lineage, including oldest Mesozoic ‘tenebrionoid’ darkling beetles. It is thought that Palaeobasanus gen. n. could be a basal group within Scaphidemini, closely related to Diaperini, which probably existed at least in the border of the Mesozoic and Cenozoic.

Repeated Evolution of Divergent Modes of Herbivory in Non-avian Dinosaurs

The importance of adaptation [1-4] versus organizational constraints [5-7] in shaping common macroevolutionary trends remains unclear [8]. The fossil record is key to this problem, as it provides data on repetitive trait evolution between lineages [4,8]. However, quantitative analyses investigating these dynamics with fossil data are rare [8]. Herbivory evolved multiple times within Mesozoic dinosaurs [9, 10], allowing analysis of common phenotypic responses to dietary evolution. Whereas repeated patterns of character acquisition [9] and functional changes [11-13] are observed between some herbivorous dinosaur clades, biomechanical studies resolve significant differences between morphologically similar taxa [12-14]. However, previous biomechanical analyses have not accounted for phylogenetic non-independence (e.g., [13-16]) or been restricted to individual clades (e.g., [11,12, 16]). Here, we use multivariate analysis of biomechanical characters, within a robust phylogenetic context, toinvestigate functional pathways to herbivory inalarge sample of non-avian dinosaurs. Results demonstrate multiple solutions to herbivory. Notably, two fundamentally different modes are observed to evolve independently multiple times, with morphofunctional changes in the skull co-varying with digestive strategy. These modes distinguish between gut-processing sauropodomorphs and theropods tending toward gracile crania and low bite forces and ornithischian taxa exhibiting character complexes associated with extensive oral processing. Although convergence within thesesubsets of taxa is common, it is not observed between them due to functional constraints imposed during the early evolution of each group. This highlights the hierarchical nature of evolution, withadaptation driving convergence within regionsof morphospace delimited by phylogenetic contingency.

Junction Point Elimination based Tamil Handwritten Character Recognition: An Experimental Analysis

Optical Character Recognition is the mechanical or electronic conversion of images of typed, handwritten or printed text into machine-encoded text for online reading and study. In this OCR technique, Tamil handwritten character recognition is one of the most needed and challengeable subjects of research. An encounter between selection and extraction of proper features eliminates the issues faced by the Tamil handwritten recognition. The character and the writers complexities are the major difficulties and challenges faced by this recognition system. Eventually, the character complexity can be overcome by any pre-extraction or selection process, wherein, structured or statistical pre-extraction algorithm can be designed, discovering the essential features, in the case of writer difficulties. The challenges of Tamil handwritten characters are structure over looping; unnecessary character portion; structure discontinuations and so on. The character portions in this research are chosen by implementing a new algorithm called the Junction Point Elimination (JPE) after conscientious analysis done on the existing algorithms like Zoning, Zoning and Junction Point (ZJP) and the Junction Point (JP) based feature pre-extraction process. The novelty behind this work is introducing an algorithm in order to truncate the problem in the existing feature selection and pre-extraction algorithms. Suitable feature extraction and classification algorithm are chosen and applied on the features extracted by JPE to test whether the same can be reached in successful manner. The final analysis and experiments shows that the JPE is better than the others.

Caste-specific morphological modularity in the ant tribe Camponotini (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)

BackgroundThe morphological structures of organisms form tightly integrated but mutually independent character complexes (modules) linked through common development and function. Even though their abundance, diversity, and complex caste systems make camponotine ants ideal subjects to research developmental modularity and phenotypic integration, no studies investigating these phenomena have been conducted in this taxonomic group. This study attempts to identify and visualize integrated character complexes in 14 taxa from the genera Camponotus and Colobopsis using statistical analyses of morphometry.ResultsThe identified modules differ between castes: Minor workers have small heads and long extremities, while major workers have enlarged heads modified for defence, and short, thick appendages; extremities (legs and antennae) are strongly correlated in both worker castes. Gynes show weaker integration of extremities, but a strong correlation of mesosoma and eyes, and highly variable median ocellus size. Gynes infested by mermithid nematodes exhibit reduction of gyne-specific characters and altered patterns of phenotypic integration.ConclusionThe integrated character complexes described herein can largely be interpreted as functional, caste-specific modules related to behavioural ecology and task allocation within ant colonies. This modular nature of the body plan is hypothesized to facilitate the evolution of novel phenotypes and thus contributes to the tremendous evolutionary success of ants. The study of these modules can help to further elucidate the evolution and ontogeny of castes in camponotine ants, as well as the effects of parasite infestation on the phenotype.

Rodent Suborders

Abstract For two hundred years the status of rodent suborders has been unstable. What are the natural groupings of extant rodent families? The formal recognition of rodent suborders has remained challenging and consensus has been elusive. Classically conceived rodent suborders are widely viewed as artificial, but no universally accepted classification has emerged to reflect the major features of rodent evolution. Over the last two decades molecular studies have established that extant rodents comprise three monophyletic clades. We review the molecular basis for these groups and recognize them as taxonomic units: Suborder Ctenohystrica Huchon et al., 2000, Suborder Supramyomorpha D’Elía et al., 2019, and a group of families clustered with Sciuridae. The latter differs from Sciuromorpha as traditionally conceived because the suborder includes Aplodontiidae but excludes Castoridae. We review morphological character complexes that are distributed broadly within these three clades, name the third group Eusciurida, new suborder, and find this three-fold division of extant Rodentia to reflect well the major features of rodent phylogeny. That some morphological features do not characterize all families within suborders, or are not unique to individual suborders, indicates major parallel innovations and reversals in rodent evolution. These incongruent morphologies invite future study.

Using of morphometric and phenological parameters of &lt;i&gt;Tilia cordata&lt;/i&gt; Mill. for bioindication

The paper contains the results of long-term bioindication studies of assessing the state ofTilia cordataMill. in the conditions of Yoshkar-Ola city, which differ in the degree of environmental pollution by industrial transport emissions. The work analyzes a variability ofTilia cordataindividuals of various ontogenetic states of the generative period according to a complex of morphological and phenological characters using statistical methods of principal components and an analysis of variance. The heterogeneity of ontogenetic groups of trees according to morphological and phenological characteristics is established. The individuals of the mesobiontic speciesT.cordataunder the conditions of an average degree of pollution of the urban environment are considered to be small-leaved. With an increase in anthropogenic load the area of the leaf blade decreases, but the area of its damage increases. The index of fluctuating asymmetry of the leaf blade does not differ concerning the trees growing in various environmental conditions. A method of principal components helped to identifyT. cordatasmost variable signs of shoots and rhythms of seasonal development, which can be used for bioindication: sizes and number of structural elements of buds and shoots, terms and duration of phenophases. The most sensitive to habitat pollution are middle-aged generative trees ofT.cordata.

Identification of univalent chromosomes in monosomic lines of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) by means of cytogenetic markers

The lack of clear morphological markers of cotton chromosomes contributed to the development of an unconventional method for marking chromosomes using translocations. Today, tester translocation cotton lines represent the most complete set of cytological markers. The results of cytogenetic analysis of F1 hybrids obtained from crosses of monosomic cotton lines with translocation lines with identified chromosomes are presented. Cytogenetic identification and numbering of univalent chromosomes in 25 monosomic lines of the cytogenetic collection of the National University of Uzbekistan allowed us to establish the following univalent occurrences: chromosome 2 in four monosomic lines, chromosome 4 in 15 lines, chromosome 6 in four lines, chromosome 7 of the At-subgenome in one line and chromosome 18 of the Dt-subgenome in one line. The remaining 21 lines were duplicates of three non-homologous chromosomes. All monosomic lines identified were characterized by differences in univalent sizes, meiotic index, number of tetrads with micronuclei, pollen fertility, frequency of monosomy in the progeny, and a complex of morphological characters associated with the monosomy of the chromosome identified. Despite differences in the genotypic environment and methods for producing monosomics in the two cotton collections, there is a surprising coincidence of data suggesting a higher frequency of chromosomes 2, 4 and 6 occurring as monosomics, while the other chromosomes of the set occur as monosomics at a much lower frequency, and eight nonhomologous chromosomes (5, 8, 13 of the At-subgenome and 14, 15, 19, 22 and 24 of the Dt-subgenome of cotton) never do.

Species identification in complex groups of medicinal plants based on DNA barcoding: a case study on Astragalus spp. (Fabaceae) from southwest China

Species from the genus Astragalus L. (Fabaceae) are distributed throughout the world, with southwest China being one of the distribution centers of this genus. Many Astragalus species are used by local Chinese people as traditional medicines for enhancing immunity. However, the complexity of morphological characters in many Astragalus species makes it difficult to correctly identify them. DNA barcoding is a useful tool for species identification based on standardized DNA markers. In this study, internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and three chloroplast regions (matK, rbcL, and trnH–psbA) were used for the identification of Astragalus species from SW China. The ITS region showed a high success rate of PCR amplification and bidirectional sequencing, as well as a high discriminatory ability (72%). The matK region also possessed relatively perfect university and had a high discriminatory ability (61%); while the rbcL region, the most popular cpDNA marker, showed good university but low discriminatory ability (44%). We found that the trnH–psbA region was not suitable for identifying Astragalus species because of its low success rate of DNA sequencing. In the studied species, combination of multiple DNA barcodes could improve the discriminatory ability. The ITS region was able to identify frequently used Astragalus species in SW China, such as A. yunnanensis, A. acaulis, A. bhotanensis, and A. camptodontoides, and we concluded that this region could be listed as the core barcode for species identification of medicinal Astragalus species from SW China.

Analysis of non-morphometric morphological characters used in the taxonomy of the genus Pseudechiniscus (Tardigrada: Echiniscidae)

Abstract Pseudechiniscus, the second-largest genus of the family Echiniscidae (Tardigrada: Heterotardigrada: Echiniscoidea), is notoriously difficult for taxonomic studies. In this study, I performed a morphological analysis of a new species from Croatia, based on a light microscopic and scanning electron microscopic examination of 45 specimens from the same sample. Furthermore, I have summarized all available data on Pseudechiniscus species, including their original descriptions, and have analysed the following complexes of morphological characters: (1) arrangement and morphology of dorsal cuticular plates, (2) ventral sculpture, (3) morphology of cephalic, trunk and leg sensory organs and (4) claw morphology. The applicability of these characters in the taxonomy and their distribution in the genus are discussed. Some of the characters traditionally used for species delimitation were shown to be unsuitable and others in need of a thorough reinvestigation. The meaning of the old term ‘faceted’, commonly used but often misapplied, has been clarified, based on the initial definition. Several characters of the claw structure were suggested as potentially useful for species delimitation. The taxonomic status of several old forms and species was discussed.

｢閱讀促進學習｣教學法在中文第二語言課堂的漢字 教學之應用及成效

Due to the variety and complexity of Chinese characters in terms of form, pronunciation and meaning, many non-Chinese speaking (NCS) students failed to master the formation of characters and sentences. It might be worth mentioning that English language and some NCS students’ first languages such as Pilipino, Urdu and Nepali, are all based on alphabetic writing system. A lack of understandings of font and word meaning makes NCS students feel particularly difficult when writing Chinese characters. In view of the difficulties of NCS students in writing Chinese characters and the achievements of predecessors in applying Reading to Learn (R2L) pedagogy, this paper attempts to explore the application and effectiveness of R2L pedagogy in teaching Chinese characters to NCS students during Chinese classes. The participants were a group of 15 secondary one students who are learning Chinese as a second language, and their Chinese teacher. Using a qualitative research approach, interviews, lesson study and text analysis were conducted to explore whether R2L was considered and in fact effective for the students to acquire Chinese characters. The results of the study showed that the students with different Chinese levels significantly improved their writing after they received R2L pedagogy teaching. Based on the results, the researchers put forward relevant suggestions on the R2L teaching strategies that Chinese teachers might apply when teaching NCS students. Keywords : “Reading to Learn” pedagogy, Han characters, Teaching Chinese as a second language, NCS students 中文字詞在形, 音, 義上的繁多和複雜, 導致許多非華語學生無法很好地辨認不同字, 詞, 句組合的特徵, 而非華語學生所掌握的英語或其本身母語例如菲律賓語, 巴基斯坦語, 尼泊爾語等都是以拼音文字系統為主, 缺乏字型, 字義的概念, 故他們在書寫漢字時感到特別困難｡ 鑒於非華語學生在漢字書寫上的困難, 以及前賢學者在應用｢閱讀促進學習｣(Reading to Learn, 簡稱R2L)教學法取得的成果, 本文嘗試探究這種教學法在非華語學生中文課堂的漢字教學之應用, 觀察並分析中文老師運用R2L教學法進行漢字教學的課堂設計和教學步驟, 以評估這種教學法對提高學生寫作描寫文字詞的成效｡ 本文以個案研究的方式探討R2L教學法如何應用在香港非華語學生中文漢字的寫作教學上, 透過分析一位中文老師運用R2L教學法給十五位中一級非華語學生講解描寫文的篇章和字詞寫作的課堂教學情況, 利用師生訪談, 課堂研習和文本分析等研究工具, 總結R2L教學法在中文第二語言課堂的漢字教學的應用情況及評估其成效｡ 研究結果顯示中文老師運用R2L教學法施教後, 可有效提高不同程度學生寫作描寫文字詞和篇章的能力｡ 研究者根據本文的研究結果, 對於R2L教學法應用在非華語學生中文課堂的漢字教學策略提出相關建議｡ 關鍵字 : ｢閱讀促進學習｣教學法, 中文第二語言, 漢字教學, 非華語學生