scholarly journals Mini-barcodes are equally useful for species identification and more suitable for large-scale species discovery in Metazoa than full-length barcodes

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darren Yeo ◽  
Amrita Srivathsan ◽  
Rudolf Meier
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Species Level ◽  
Full Length ◽  
New Techniques ◽  
Species Discovery ◽  
Operational Taxonomic Units ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Window Approach ◽  
Moderate Length

AbstractNew techniques for the species-level sorting of millions of specimens are needed in order to accelerate species discovery, determine how many species live on earth, and develop efficient biomonitoring techniques. These sorting methods should be reliable, scalable and cost-effective, as well as being largely insensitive to low-quality genomic DNA, given that this is usually all that can be obtained from museum specimens. Mini-barcodes seem to satisfy these criteria, but it is unclear how well they perform for species-level sorting when compared to full-length barcodes. This is here tested based on 20 empirical datasets covering ca. 30,000 specimens and 5,500 species, as well as six clade-specific datasets from GenBank covering ca. 98,000 specimens for over 20,000 species. All specimens in these datasets had full-length barcodes and had been sorted to species-level based on morphology. Mini-barcodes of different lengths and positions were obtained in silico from full-length barcodes using a sliding window approach (3 windows: 100-bp, 200-bp, 300-bp) and by excising nine mini-barcodes with established primers (length: 94 – 407-bp). We then tested whether barcode length and/or position reduces species-level congruence between morphospecies and molecular Operational Taxonomic Units (mOTUs) that were obtained using three different species delimitation techniques (PTP, ABGD, objective clustering). Surprisingly, we find no significant differences in performance for both species- or specimen-level identification between full-length and mini-barcodes as long as they are of moderate length (>200-bp). Only very short mini-barcodes (<200-bp) perform poorly, especially when they are located near the 5’ end of the Folmer region. The mean congruence between morphospecies and mOTUs is ca. 75% for barcodes >200-bp and the congruent mOTUs contain ca. 75% of all specimens. Most conflict is caused by ca. 10% of the specimens that can be identified and should be targeted for re-examination in order to efficiently resolve conflict. Our study suggests that large-scale species discovery, identification, and metabarcoding can utilize mini-barcodes without any demonstrable loss of information compared to full-length barcodes.

scholarly journals Longer is Not Always Better: Optimizing Barcode Length for Large-Scale Species Discovery and Identification

2020 ◽  
Vol 69 (5) ◽  
pp. 999-1015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darren Yeo ◽  
Amrita Srivathsan ◽  
Rudolf Meier
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Species Level ◽  
Full Length ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
New Techniques ◽  
Species Discovery ◽  
Operational Taxonomic Units ◽  
Window Approach ◽  
Prime End

Abstract New techniques for the species-level sorting of millions of specimens are needed in order to accelerate species discovery, determine how many species live on earth, and develop efficient biomonitoring techniques. These sorting methods should be reliable, scalable, and cost-effective, as well as being largely insensitive to low-quality genomic DNA, given that this is usually all that can be obtained from museum specimens. Mini-barcodes seem to satisfy these criteria, but it is unclear how well they perform for species-level sorting when compared with full-length barcodes. This is here tested based on 20 empirical data sets covering ca. 30,000 specimens (5500 species) and six clade-specific data sets from GenBank covering ca. 98,000 specimens ($&gt;$20,000 species). All specimens in these data sets had full-length barcodes and had been sorted to species-level based on morphology. Mini-barcodes of different lengths and positions were obtained in silico from full-length barcodes using a sliding window approach (three windows: 100 bp, 200 bp, and 300 bp) and by excising nine mini-barcodes with established primers (length: 94–407 bp). We then tested whether barcode length and/or position reduces species-level congruence between morphospecies and molecular operational taxonomic units (mOTUs) that were obtained using three different species delimitation techniques (Poisson Tree Process, Automatic Barcode Gap Discovery, and Objective Clustering). Surprisingly, we find no significant differences in performance for both species- or specimen-level identification between full-length and mini-barcodes as long as they are of moderate length ($&gt;$200 bp). Only very short mini-barcodes (&lt;200 bp) perform poorly, especially when they are located near the 5$^\prime$ end of the Folmer region. The mean congruence between morphospecies and mOTUs was ca. 75% for barcodes $&gt;$200 bp and the congruent mOTUs contain ca. 75% of all specimens. Most conflict is caused by ca. 10% of the specimens that can be identified and should be targeted for re-examination in order to efficiently resolve conflict. Our study suggests that large-scale species discovery, identification, and metabarcoding can utilize mini-barcodes without any demonstrable loss of information compared to full-length barcodes. [DNA barcoding; metabarcoding; mini-barcodes; species discovery.]

scholarly journals The challenges and potential utility of phenotypic specimen-level phylogeny based on maximum parsimony

2018 ◽  
Vol 109 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 301-323 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emanuel TSCHOPP ◽  
Paul UPCHURCH
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Analysis ◽  
Maximum Parsimony ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Intraspecific Variability ◽  
Species Level ◽  
A Posteriori ◽  
Operational Taxonomic Units ◽  
Vertebrate Palaeontology ◽  
Tree Topologies ◽  
Parsimony Criterion

ABSTRACTSpecimen-level phylogenetic approaches are widely used in molecular biology for taxonomic and systematic purposes. However, they have been largely ignored in analyses based on morphological traits, where phylogeneticists mostly resort to species-level analyses. Recently, a number of specimen-level studies have been published in vertebrate palaeontology. These studies indicate that specimen-level phylogeny may be a very useful tool for systematic reassessments at low taxonomic levels. Herein, we review the challenges when working with individual organisms as operational taxonomic units in a palaeontological context, and propose guidelines of how best to perform a specimen-level phylogenetic analysis using the maximum parsimony criterion. Given that no single methodology appears to be perfectly suited to resolve relationships among individuals, and that different taxa probably require different approaches to assess their systematics, we advocate the use of a number of methodologies. In particular, we recommend the inclusion of as many specimens and characters as feasible, and the analysis of relationships using an extended implied weighting approach with different downweighting functions. Resulting polytomies should be explored using a posteriori pruning of unstable specimens, and conflicting tree topologies between different iterations of the analysis should be evaluated by a combination of support values such as jackknifing and symmetric resampling. Species delimitation should be consistent among the ingroup and based on a reproducible approach. Although time-consuming and methodologically challenging, specimen-level phylogenetic analysis is a highly useful tool to assess intraspecific variability and provide the basis for a more informed and accurate creation of species-level operational taxonomic units in large-scale systematic studies. It also has the potential to inform us about past speciation processes, morphological trait evolution, and their potential intrinsic and extrinsic drivers in pre-eminent detail.

scholarly journals Large-scale Integrative Taxonomy (LIT): resolving the data conundrum for dark taxa

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Hartop ◽  
Amrita Srivathsan ◽  
Fredrik Ronquist ◽  
Rudolf Meier
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Integrative Taxonomy ◽  
Maximum Match ◽  
Single Linkage ◽  
Clustering Techniques ◽  
Species Discovery ◽  
Life Data ◽  
Multiple Data ◽  
Quantitative Indicators

AbstractNew, rapid, accurate, scalable, and cost-effective species discovery and delimitation methods are needed for tackling “dark taxa”, that we here define as clades for which <10% of all species are described and the estimated diversity exceeds 1000 species. Species delimitation should be based on multiple data sources (“integrative taxonomy”) but collecting several types of data for the same specimens risks impeding the discovery process that is already too slow. We here show how this can be avoided with Large-scale Integrative Taxonomy (LIT). Preliminary species hypotheses are generated based on inexpensive data that are obtained quickly and cost-effectively in a technical exercise. The validation step is then based on a more expensive type of data that are only obtained for few specimens selected based on objective criteria. We here use this approach to sort 18 000 scuttle flies (Diptera: Phoridae) from Sweden into 315 preliminary species hypotheses based on NGS barcode (313bp) clusters. These clusters went through subsequent validation based on morphology and were then used to develop quantitative indicators for predicting which barcode clusters are in conflict with morphospecies. For this purpose, we first randomly selected 100 clusters for in-depth validation with morphology. Afterwards, we used a linear model to demonstrate that the best predictors for conflict between barcode clusters and morphology are maximum p-distance within the cluster and cluster stability across different clustering thresholds. A test of these indicators using the 215 remaining clusters reveals that these predictors correctly identify all clusters that conflict with morphology. The morphological validation step in our study involved just 1 039 specimens (5.8% of all specimens), but a newly proposed simplified protocol would only require the study of 915 (5.1%: 2.5 specimens per species) as we show that clusters without signatures of incongruence can be validated by only studying two specimens representing the most divergent haplotypes. To test the generality of our results across different barcode clustering techniques, we establish that the levels of conflict are similar across Objective Clustering (OC), Automatic Barcode Gap Discovery (ABGD), Poisson Tree Processes (PTP) and Refined Single Linkage (RESL) (used by Barcode of Life Data System (BOLD) to assign Barcode Index Numbers (BINs)). OC and ABGD achieved a maximum match score with morphology of 89% while PTP was slightly less effective (84%). RESL could only be tested for a subset of the specimens because the algorithm is not public. BINs based on 277 of the original 1 714 haplotypes were 86% congruent with morphology while the values were 89% for OC, 74% for PTP, and 72% for ABGD.

scholarly journals Effectiveness of Levofloxacin in Community Acquired Pneumonia in Adult Bangladeshi Population

2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 9-13
Author(s):  
SM Rokonuzzaman ◽  
Mohammad Hyder Ali ◽  
Soheli Parvin ◽  
Deb Prasad ◽  
Md Enayet Hossain ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Community Acquired Pneumonia ◽  
Population Total ◽  
Cost Effective Treatment ◽  
Oral Form ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Bangladeshi Population ◽  
Injectable Form ◽  
Significant Mortality

Community- acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a common condition with a significant mortality. Levofloxacin is recommended for the empiric management of CAP in inpatienst and outpatients. The present study conducted to find out the effectiveness of Levofloxacin in CAP among Bangladeshi Population. Total 50 Patients aged more than 18 years, diagnosed pneumonia based upon clinical features of respiratory tract infection and rediological changes, were included in this study. The study consists of four visits: first one for screening and enrollment. Second visit on day 2-4 during which patient on therapy, third visit 5-7 day after the last dose of the drug and fourth visit 28days after the last dose of the drug. The mean # SD of age of the respondents was 34.3# 19.1 years with a range of 18-100 years. Among the respondents 62.0% were male and 38.0% were female. Most of the respondents presented with fever (98.0%) and cough (100.0%) and chest pain was present in 66.0% cases. Ninety six percent respondents presented with productive cough and only 4.0% respondents with dry cough. Consolidation in left lower zone was the most common findings (32.0%) followed by consolidation in right mild zone (30.0%). Among the respondents 32.0% were treated with oral form and 68.0% were treated with injectable form of levofloxacin. About 92.0% were improved with the treatment. Levofloxacin monotherapy is well tolerated, cost-effective treatment for patients with CAP. Further large scale multi- centered study will help to strengthen this outcomeMedicine Today 2015 Vol.27(2): 9-13

scholarly journals Identification of Indian Spiders through DNA barcoding: Cryptic species and species complex

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaomud Tyagi ◽  
Vikas Kumar ◽  
Shantanu Kundu ◽  
Avas Pakrashi ◽  
Priya Prasad ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Barcoding ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Dna Barcode ◽  
Genetic Distances ◽  
Pairwise Distance ◽  
Global Database ◽  
Species Discovery ◽  
Operational Taxonomic Units ◽  
Tree Topologies ◽  
Multiple Species

Abstract Spiders are mega diverse arthropods and play an important role in the ecosystem. Identification of this group is challenging due to their cryptic behavior, sexual dimorphism, and unavailability of taxonomic keys for juveniles. To overcome these obstacles, DNA barcoding plays a pivotal role in spider identification throughout the globe. This study is the first large scale attempt on DNA barcoding of spiders from India with 101 morphospecies of 72 genera under 21 families, including five endemic species and holotypes of three species. A total of 489 barcodes was generated and analyzed, among them 85 novel barcodes of 22 morphospecies were contributed to the global database. The estimated delimitation threshold of the Indian spiders was 2.6% to 3.7% K2P corrected pairwise distance. The multiple species delimitation methods (BIN, ABGD, GMYC and PTP) revealed a total of 107 molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTUs) for 101 morphospecies. We detected more than one MOTU in 11 morphospecies with discrepancies in genetic distances and tree topologies. Cryptic diversity was detected in Pardosa pusiola, Cyclosa spirifera, and Heteropoda venatoria. The intraspecies distances which were as large as our proposed delimitation threshold were observed in Pardosa sumatrana, Thiania bhamoensis, and Cheiracanthium triviale. Further, shallow genetic distances were detected in Cyrtophora cicatrosa, Hersilia savignyi, Argiope versicolor, Phintella vittata, and Oxyopes birmanicus. Two morphologically distinguished species (Plexippus paykulli and Plexippus petersi) showed intra-individual variation within their DNA barcode data. Additionally, we reinstate the original combination for Linyphia sikkimensis based on both morphology and DNA barcoding. These data show that DNA barcoding is a valuable tool for specimen identification and species discovery of Indian spiders.

The Role of Computer Modeling in Combined Sewer Overflow Abatement Planning

1992 ◽  
Vol 26 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 1831-1840 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. A. Roesner ◽  
E. H. Burgess
Keyword(s):  
System Modeling ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Combined Sewer Overflows ◽  
Sewer System ◽  
New Techniques ◽  
Hydraulic Simulation ◽  
Continuous Simulation ◽  
Combined Sewer ◽  
The U.S

Increased concern regarding water quality impacts from combined sewer overflows (CSOs) in the U.S. and elsewhere has emphasized the role of computermodeling in analyzing CSO impacts and in planning abatement measures. These measures often involve the construction of very large and costly facilities, and computer simulation during plan development is essential to cost-effective facility sizing. An effective approach to CSO system modeling focuses on detailed hydraulic simulation of the interceptor sewers in conjunction with continuous simulation of the combined sewer system to characterize CSOs and explore storage-treatment tradeoffs in planning abatement facilities. Recent advances in microcomputer hardware and software have made possible a number of new techniques which facilitate the use of computer models in CSO abatement planning.

scholarly journals Rapid, large-scale species discovery in hyperdiverse taxa using 1D MinION sequencing

BMC Biology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amrita Srivathsan ◽  
Emily Hartop ◽  
Jayanthi Puniamoorthy ◽  
Wan Ting Lee ◽  
Sujatha Narayanan Kutty ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Sequences ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Small Body ◽  
Small Subset ◽  
Similar Species ◽  
Large Species ◽  
Morphological Examination ◽  
Species Discovery ◽  
Short Period

Abstract Background More than 80% of all animal species remain unknown to science. Most of these species live in the tropics and belong to animal taxa that combine small body size with high specimen abundance and large species richness. For such clades, using morphology for species discovery is slow because large numbers of specimens must be sorted based on detailed microscopic investigations. Fortunately, species discovery could be greatly accelerated if DNA sequences could be used for sorting specimens to species. Morphological verification of such “molecular operational taxonomic units” (mOTUs) could then be based on dissection of a small subset of specimens. However, this approach requires cost-effective and low-tech DNA barcoding techniques because well-equipped, well-funded molecular laboratories are not readily available in many biodiverse countries. Results We here document how MinION sequencing can be used for large-scale species discovery in a specimen- and species-rich taxon like the hyperdiverse fly family Phoridae (Diptera). We sequenced 7059 specimens collected in a single Malaise trap in Kibale National Park, Uganda, over the short period of 8 weeks. We discovered > 650 species which exceeds the number of phorid species currently described for the entire Afrotropical region. The barcodes were obtained using an improved low-cost MinION pipeline that increased the barcoding capacity sevenfold from 500 to 3500 barcodes per flowcell. This was achieved by adopting 1D sequencing, resequencing weak amplicons on a used flowcell, and improving demultiplexing. Comparison with Illumina data revealed that the MinION barcodes were very accurate (99.99% accuracy, 0.46% Ns) and thus yielded very similar species units (match ratio 0.991). Morphological examination of 100 mOTUs also confirmed good congruence with morphology (93% of mOTUs; > 99% of specimens) and revealed that 90% of the putative species belong to the neglected, megadiverse genus Megaselia. We demonstrate for one Megaselia species how the molecular data can guide the description of a new species (Megaselia sepsioides sp. nov.). Conclusions We document that one field site in Africa can be home to an estimated 1000 species of phorids and speculate that the Afrotropical diversity could exceed 200,000 species. We furthermore conclude that low-cost MinION sequencers are very suitable for reliable, rapid, and large-scale species discovery in hyperdiverse taxa. MinION sequencing could quickly reveal the extent of the unknown diversity and is especially suitable for biodiverse countries with limited access to capital-intensive sequencing facilities.

Efficient Schedule of Energy-Constrained UAV Using Crowdsourced Buses in Last-Mile Parcel Delivery

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-23
Author(s):  
Yan Pan ◽  
Shining Li ◽  
Qianwu Chen ◽  
Nan Zhang ◽  
Tao Cheng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Congestion ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Load Capacity ◽  
Scheduling Algorithm ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Promising Alternative ◽  
Logistics Industry ◽  
Last Mile ◽  
Delivery Scheduling ◽  
Schedule Approach

Stimulated by the dramatical service demand in the logistics industry, logistics trucks employed in last-mile parcel delivery bring critical public concerns, such as heavy cost burden, traffic congestion and air pollution. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are a promising alternative tool in last-mile delivery, which is however limited by insufficient flight range and load capacity. This paper presents an innovative energy-limited logistics UAV schedule approach using crowdsourced buses. Specifically, when one UAV delivers a parcel, it first lands on a crowdsourced social bus to parcel destination, gets recharged by the wireless recharger deployed on the bus, and then flies from the bus to the parcel destination. This novel approach not only increases the delivery range and load capacity of battery-limited UAVs, but is also much more cost-effective and environment-friendly than traditional methods. New challenges therefore emerge as the buses with spatiotemporal mobility become the bottleneck during delivery. By landing on buses, an Energy-Neutral Flight Principle and a delivery scheduling algorithm are proposed for the UAVs. Using the Energy-Neutral Flight Principle, each UAV can plan a flying path without depleting energy given buses with uncertain velocities. Besides, the delivery scheduling algorithm optimizes the delivery time and number of delivered parcels given warehouse location, logistics UAVs, parcel locations and buses. Comprehensive evaluations using a large-scale bus dataset demonstrate the superiority of the innovative logistics UAV schedule approach.

scholarly journals Quality Control in 3D Printing: Accuracy Analysis of 3D-Printed Models of Patient-Specific Anatomy

Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 1021
Author(s):  
Bernhard Dorweiler ◽  
Pia Elisabeth Baqué ◽  
Rayan Chaban ◽  
Ahmed Ghazy ◽  
Oroa Salem
Keyword(s):  
Wall Thickness ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Fused Deposition Modeling ◽  
Vascular Anatomy ◽  
3D Models ◽  
Patient Specific ◽  
Stl File ◽  
Fused Deposition ◽  
3D Printed ◽  
The Mean

As comparative data on the precision of 3D-printed anatomical models are sparse, the aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of 3D-printed models of vascular anatomy generated by two commonly used printing technologies. Thirty-five 3D models of large (aortic, wall thickness of 2 mm, n = 30) and small (coronary, wall thickness of 1.25 mm, n = 5) vessels printed with fused deposition modeling (FDM) (rigid, n = 20) and PolyJet (flexible, n = 15) technology were subjected to high-resolution CT scans. From the resulting DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) dataset, an STL file was generated and wall thickness as well as surface congruency were compared with the original STL file using dedicated 3D engineering software. The mean wall thickness for the large-scale aortic models was 2.11 µm (+5%), and 1.26 µm (+0.8%) for the coronary models, resulting in an overall mean wall thickness of +5% for all 35 3D models when compared to the original STL file. The mean surface deviation was found to be +120 µm for all models, with +100 µm for the aortic and +180 µm for the coronary 3D models, respectively. Both printing technologies were found to conform with the currently set standards of accuracy (<1 mm), demonstrating that accurate 3D models of large and small vessel anatomy can be generated by both FDM and PolyJet printing technology using rigid and flexible polymers.

scholarly journals Multi-Country Scale Assessment of Available Energy Recovery Potential Using Micro-Hydropower in Drinking, Pressurised Irrigation and Wastewater Networks, Covering Part of the EU

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 899
Author(s):  
Djordje Mitrovic ◽  
Miguel Crespo Chacón ◽  
Aida Mérida García ◽  
Jorge García Morillo ◽  
Juan Antonio Rodríguez Diaz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Northern Ireland ◽  
Energy Recovery ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Net Energy ◽  
Water Networks ◽  
Scale Assessment

Studies have shown micro-hydropower (MHP) opportunities for energy recovery and CO2 reductions in the water sector. This paper conducts a large-scale assessment of this potential using a dataset amassed across six EU countries (Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Spain, and Portugal) for the drinking water, irrigation, and wastewater sectors. Extrapolating the collected data, the total annual MHP potential was estimated between 482.3 and 821.6 GWh, depending on the assumptions, divided among Ireland (15.5–32.2 GWh), Scotland (17.8–139.7 GWh), Northern Ireland (5.9–8.2 GWh), Wales (10.2–8.1 GWh), Spain (375.3–539.9 GWh), and Portugal (57.6–93.5 GWh) and distributed across the drinking water (43–67%), irrigation (51–30%), and wastewater (6–3%) sectors. The findings demonstrated reductions in energy consumption in water networks between 1.7 and 13.0%. Forty-five percent of the energy estimated from the analysed sites was associated with just 3% of their number, having a power output capacity >15 kW. This demonstrated that a significant proportion of energy could be exploited at a small number of sites, with a valuable contribution to net energy efficiency gains and CO2 emission reductions. This also demonstrates cost-effective, value-added, multi-country benefits to policy makers, establishing the case to incentivise MHP in water networks to help achieve the desired CO2 emissions reductions targets.

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