Preliminary Assessment of the Diversity and Habitat Preferences of Herpetofauna in Cholistan Desert, Pakistan

2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 375-379
Author(s):  
Waqas Ali ◽  
Arshad Javid ◽  
Ali Hussain ◽  
Syed Mohsin Bukhari ◽  
Saddam Hussain
Keyword(s):  
Native Species ◽  
Habitat Preferences ◽  
Wiener Index ◽  
Field Surveys ◽  
Cholistan Desert ◽  
Distribution Ranges ◽  
Baseline Information ◽  
One Year ◽  
High Level ◽  
First Time

This one-year survey was conducted from February 2017 to January 2018 to assess the herpetofaunal diversity in Cholistan desert, Bahawalnagar district, Punjab, Pakistan. Field surveys were conducted during dawn and dusk for fifteen consecutive days in alternate months and five sub sampling sites were sampled at ten field visits. Specimens were collected through hand capture, using snake sticks, forceps, drag nets, noose traps, pitfall and funnel traps. Overall, two species of toads, two species of frogs, two species of turtles, ten lizards species and ten snake species belonging to 23 genera and 14 families were recorded. Simpson index was calculated as 0.933, evenness 0.733 and Shannon – Wiener index was 2.947 indicating moderate to high level of diversity. Bufo stomaticus (Pi = 0.1253), Uromastyx hardwickii (Pi = 0.0739) were the dominant amphibian and reptilian species, respectively while Uromastyx asmussi was recorded for the first time in the study area. Hand capture and pitfall traps appeared to be the most effective methods to capture the amphibian and reptiles. The distribution ranges of amphibians and reptiles have changed and such surveys are necessary to update baseline information in the country. We recommend further systematic survey work and molecular analysis of the native species be undertaken in the future to supplement our findings.

Criteria for new inclusions in the OED – A case study of informatization

English Today ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 20-27
Author(s):  
Guohua Chen ◽  
Lixia Cheng
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Information Society ◽  
English Language ◽  
Civil Servant ◽  
List Type ◽  
Type Number ◽  
One Year ◽  
High Level ◽  
First Time

In 1977 two French men, Simon Nora, a high-level civil servant, and Alain Minc, an economist, co-authored a report entitled L'informatisation de la société to French president Valery Giscard d'Estaing, which was later translated into English and published as The Computerization of Society (Nora & Minc, 1980). However, in a paper of the same title written in English and published in 1987, Minc simply transplanted the French word informatisation directly into English rather than sticking to the old translation computerization. However that was not the first time the word informatisation was used in the English language. One year before, the word informatization had appeared in an article published in the American magazine Dædalus: (1)This is what the information society is offering as a by-product of a new stage in the mechanization of the economy and the informatization of culture. […] It is no accident that the phrase “artificial intelligence” has become such an important term within the culture of those responsible for the informatization of society, because, if intelligence can be artificial, then the randomness of history will disappear (Smith, 1986: 165–6).

Seasonal dynamics of Bythonomus lemani and Bothrioneurum vejdovskyanum (Oligochaeta, Annelida) in relation to environmental variables

Biologia ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 61 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jana Schenková ◽  
Jan Helešic ◽  
Jiří Jarkovský
Keyword(s):  
Seasonal Dynamics ◽  
Environmental Variables ◽  
Habitat Preferences ◽  
Oxygen Demand ◽  
Significant Negative Correlation ◽  
Life Cycles ◽  
Reproduction Cycle ◽  
Influence Of Water ◽  
One Year ◽  
First Time

AbstractThe seasonal dynamics of Bythonomus lemani (Lumbriculidae) were studied for the first time and the knowledge of Bothrioneurum vejdovskyanum (Tubificidae) was extended based on four quantitative samples of oligochaetes taken monthly in the Rokytná River (Czech Republic) during a two-year study (April 1999–April 2001). The influence of water temperature, velocity, depth, discharge, pH, conductivity, dissolved oxygen amount and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) on their life cycles was evaluated. Habitat preferences of the juvenile and adult stages were recorded. Time series analysis was used to determine the worm densities, seasonality and trends. For Byth. lemani one distinct reproduction cycle per year was found and this was regulated by temperature, while Both. vejdovskyanum showed a one-year cycle not significantly dependent on measured environmental variables. The overall trend was an increase in density for Byth. lemani and a decrease in density for Both. vejdovskyanum. Byth. lemani showed a significant negative correlation between the trend of its density and BOD concentration.

On the genus Systaria (Araneae: Clubionidae) in Southeast Asia: new species from caves and forests

Zootaxa ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 4504 (4) ◽  
pp. 524
Author(s):  
PETER JÄGER
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Southeast Asia ◽  
Time Distribution ◽  
Habitat Preferences ◽  
Distribution Ranges ◽  
First Time ◽  
Informal Groups

The genus Systaria Simon 1897 is reviewed in Southeast Asia and eight new species are described: S. lannops spec. nov. from Thailand (female), S. longinqua spec. nov. (male, female) and S. luangprabang spec. nov. (female) from Laos, S. procera spec. nov. (male, female) and S. bregibec spec. nov. (male) from Cambodia, S. bifidops spec. nov. from Malaysia (male), S. panay spec. nov. (female) and S. princesa spec. nov. (male, female) from Philippines. S. elberti (Strand 1913) is illustrated and partly re-described. Informal groups of species are proposed for the first time. Distribution ranges and habitat preferences are mapped. 

scholarly journals Sobre el género Sternbergia (Amaryllidaceae) en Iraq

2017 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
pp. 053
Author(s):  
Sami Youssef ◽  
Ahmed Mahmood ◽  
Errol Vela
Keyword(s):  
Rare Species ◽  
Mediterranean Region ◽  
Regional Level ◽  
Kurdistan Region ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Field Surveys ◽  
Distribution Ranges ◽  
Flora Of Iraq ◽  
First Time ◽  
Iucn Criteria

Sternbergia is a genus containing mostly remarkable autum flowering taxa within Amaryllidaceae. Its distribution ranges from the Mediterranean region through the Irano-Anatolian region to Caucasus and Central Asia. In Flora of Iraq, the information about the occurrence, habitat, and distribution of its species is outdated or incomplete. The main aim of this study has been to contribute with new data from the field in order to update its status in the Kurdistan Region. Botanical field surveys were mostly carried out between 2013 and 2015 in autumn and spring. The main result of this study has been the occurrence of 3 species of Sternbergia: S. colchiciflora, which is reported in this study for the first time for the Kurdistan Region and therefore for Iraq; S. clusiana, which has been rediscovered in Iraq; and S. vernalis, which has been found again in the Berwarya Mountains, after being considered a lost species in Iraq over the last 80 years. These 3 observed species occur in the mountains of Amadiya District, making this area the richest territory for Sternbergia in the country. Due to certain factors that currently threaten their natural habitats, they are rare species and could be regarded as potentially endangered at regional level according to the IUCN criteria.

scholarly journals Assessment of Mountain Ecosystems Changes Under Anthropogenic Pressure in Latorica River Basin (Transcarpathian Region, Ukraine)

2014 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Olena Kozak ◽  
Yakiv Didukh
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Ecological Factors ◽  
Wiener Index ◽  
Ecological Indicator ◽  
Anthropogenic Pressure ◽  
Mountain Ecosystems ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
High Level ◽  
Intermediate Disturbances

AbstractThe Carpathian mountain ecosystems have been changed under anthropogenic pressure during last decades. The different types of anthropogenic pressure affect the ecosystem characteristics and functioning. The species composition, species richness and ecological indicator values of 12 ecological factors were compared among 14 habitats: natural, semi-natural, degraded and ruderal ecosystems in different altitude zones. The results show that anthropogenic pressure and altitude gradient influence indices of edaphic and climate conditions. The anthropogenic pressure also affects biodiversity: the highest species richness and Shannon-Wiener index are observed in habitats with ‘intermediate’ disturbances level, while high level of disturbances cause decrease in bio-diversity. The disturbances cause the ecosystem to become susceptible to invasion of alien species, while native species, especially rare, become vulnerable and can disappear.

A Confrontation between Two Doctrines: The Birth of Struggle for Hegemony in Hebrew Children's Literature during the 1930s and 1940s

2008 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 139-155 ◽  
Author(s):  
YAEL DARR
Keyword(s):  
Children's Literature ◽  
Educational System ◽  
Single Channel ◽  
Children’S Literature ◽  
The Political ◽  
Literary Creation ◽  
History Of ◽  
High Level ◽  
First Time ◽  
Literary Quality

This article describes a crucial and fundamental stage in the transformation of Hebrew children's literature, during the late 1930s and 1940s, from a single channel of expression to a multi-layered polyphony of models and voices. It claims that for the first time in the history of Hebrew children's literature there took place a doctrinal confrontation between two groups of taste-makers. The article outlines the pedagogical and ideological designs of traditionalist Zionist educators, and suggests how these were challenged by a group of prominent writers of adult poetry, members of the Modernist movement. These writers, it is argued, advocated autonomous literary creation, and insisted on a high level of literary quality. Their intervention not only dramatically changed the repertoire of Hebrew children's literature, but also the rules of literary discourse. The article suggests that, through the Modernists’ polemical efforts, Hebrew children's literature was able to free itself from its position as an apparatus controlled by the political-educational system and to become a dynamic and multi-layered field.

Peculiarities of the juvenile period of the native Chechen genotypes of willow leaf pear (Pyrus salicifolia Pall.)

2020 ◽  
Vol 62 ◽  
pp. 32-38
Author(s):  
E. A. Dolmatov ◽  
R. B. Borzayev ◽  
A. N. Shaipov
Keyword(s):  
Chestnut Soil ◽  
Crop Breeding ◽  
Juvenile Period ◽  
Period 2 ◽  
Russian Research Institute ◽  
The Common ◽  
One Year ◽  
First Time ◽  
Selection Of ◽  
Creative Cooperation

The results of the study of the duration of the juvenile period of indigenous Chechen willow leaf pear genotypes (Pyrus salicifolia Pall.) are given in connection with the acceleration of the breeding process and the use of selected forms in pear breeding for high precocity. The studies were carried out in 2016-2019 at OOO “Orchards of Chechnya” in accordance with the Agreement on creative cooperation with the Russian Research Institute of Fruit Crop Breeding. The work was carried out in accordance with generally accepted programs and methods. The objects of the study were one-year and two-year-old pear seedlings obtained from sowing seeds of selected dwarf and low-growing local Chechen forms of willow pear (P. salicifolia Pall.), laying fruit buds on annual growths and seedlings of Caucasian pear (P. caucasica Fed.), 20 500 pcs. of each specie. The aim of the research was to study the potential of precocity of willow pear seedlings and to reveal of selected forms with the greatest degree of this trait. Stratified seeds were sown in the sowing department of the OOO “Orchards of Chechnya” production nursery in April, 2017. The seedlings were grown according to the common technology in dryland conditions on the plot with chestnut soil. The first fl owering of plants was noted in the spring, 2019. As a result of the research, for the first time on a large number of the experimental material it was found that in the off spring of the indigenous Chechen willow leaf pear genotypes, the selection of a little more than 2% of seedlings with a very short juvenile period (2 years) was possible. They are of great interest in accelerating the breeding process and in the selection of new pear varieties with high precocity. 20 willow leaf pear genotypes were selected for the further use in breeding for high precocity and as sources of the trait of short juvenile period.

scholarly journals A review of cephalopods (Phylum: Mollusca) of the Canary Current Large Marine Ecosystem (Central-East Atlantic, African coast)

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-25
Author(s):  
Amanda Luna ◽  
Francisco Rocha ◽  
Catalina Perales-Raya
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
Atlantic Coast ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Western Sahara ◽  
Guinea Bissau ◽  
Distribution Ranges ◽  
Large Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Sepiola Atlantica ◽  
First Time ◽  
Subsequent Identification

Abstract An extensive review of cephalopod fauna in the Central and North Atlantic coast of Africa was performed based on material collected during 10 research cruises in these waters. In the Canary Current Large Marine Ecosystem (CCLME) area, a total of 378,377 cephalopod specimens was collected from 1247 bottom trawl stations. Of those specimens, 300 were sampled for subsequent identification in the laboratory and found to belong to 65 different species and 23 families. After an exhaustive review of the existing literature on the cephalopods and new data obtained from the surveys, an updated checklist of 138 species was generated for the CCLME area. Our knowledge of the known geographic distribution ranges of several species has been expanded: Muusoctopus januarii has been sighted from Guinea–Bissau waters, passing through Western Sahara, to Morocco waters for the first time; Lepidoteuthis grimaldii and Octopus salutii have been sighted off Morocco waters for the first time; Austrorossia mastigophora, Abralia (Heterabralia) siedleckyi, Abralia (Pygmabralia) redfieldi and Sepiola atlantica have been cited off Western Sahara waters for the first time; Magnoteuthis magna, Abralia (Asteroteuthis) veranyi and Octopoteuthis megaptera have been sighted off Moroccan and Western Sahara waters for the first time; Ancistroteuthis lichtensteinii, Opisthoteuthis grimaldii, Onykia robsoni, Muusoctopus levis and Bathypolypus valdiviae have been cited in the Guinea–Bissau coast for the first time; the northern geographic limit of Bathypolypus ergasticus has been expanded to Morocco, Western Sahara and Mauritania and southward to Guinea–Bissau waters. The presence of Muusoctopus johnsonianus in Senegalese waters has been reported for the first time. A Chtenopteryx sicula specimen was reported in Western Sahara waters. A specimen belonging to the poorly known Cirrothauma murrayi species was found in South Moroccan waters. Amphitretus pelagicus, a probably cosmopolitan species, has been reported in the Western Sahara and Guinea–Bissau waters. Some species that were previously recorded in the area, Sepia angulata, Sepia hieronis, Heteroteuthis dagamensis, Helicocranchia joubini and Tremoctopus gelatus, were removed from the final checklist and considered to be not present in the CCLME area. Cycloteuthis akimushkini was substituted with Cycloteuthis sirventi, its senior synonym, in the final checklist. Similarly, Mastigoteuthis flammea and Mastigoteuthis grimaldii were substituted with Mastigoteuthis agassizii.

scholarly journals Long Term Interactions of Native and Invasive Species in a Marine Protected Area Suggest Complex Cascading Effects Challenging Conservation Outcomes

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 71
Author(s):  
Charalampos Dimitriadis ◽  
Ivoni Fournari-Konstantinidou ◽  
Laurent Sourbès ◽  
Drosos Koutsoubas ◽  
Stelios Katsanevakis
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Native Species ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Marine Protected Area ◽  
Habitat Degradation ◽  
Population Increase ◽  
Rocky Reef ◽  
Cascading Effects ◽  
High Level

Understanding the interactions among invasive species, native species and marine protected areas (MPAs), and the long-term regime shifts in MPAs is receiving increased attention, since biological invasions can alter the structure and functioning of the protected ecosystems and challenge conservation efforts. Here we found evidence of marked modifications in the rocky reef associated biota in a Mediterranean MPA from 2009 to 2019 through visual census surveys, due to the presence of invasive species altering the structure of the ecosystem and triggering complex cascading effects on the long term. Low levels of the populations of native high-level predators were accompanied by the population increase and high performance of both native and invasive fish herbivores. Subsequently the overgrazing and habitat degradation resulted in cascading effects towards the diminishing of the native and invasive invertebrate grazers and omnivorous benthic species. Our study represents a good showcase of how invasive species can coexist or exclude native biota and at the same time regulate or out-compete other established invaders and native species.

scholarly journals Aberrant Expression of TLR2, TLR7, TLR9, Splicing Variants of TLR4 and MYD88 in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Patients

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 867
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Skorka ◽  
Paulina Wlasiuk ◽  
Agnieszka Karczmarczyk ◽  
Krzysztof Giannopoulos
Keyword(s):  
Bone Marrow ◽  
Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia ◽  
Cytotoxic T Cells ◽  
Lymphocytic Leukemia ◽  
Aberrant Expression ◽  
Downstream Signaling ◽  
Splicing Variants ◽  
High Level ◽  
Time To First Treatment ◽  
First Time

Functional toll-like receptors (TLRs) could modulate anti-tumor effects by activating inflammatory cytokines and the cytotoxic T-cells response. However, excessive TLR expression could promote tumor progression, since TLR-induced inflammation might stimulate cancer cells expansion into the microenvironment. Myd88 is involved in activation NF-κB through TLRs downstream signaling, hence in the current study we provided, for the first time, a complex characterization of expression of TLR2, TLR4, TLR7, TLR9, and MYD88 as well as their splicing forms in two distinct compartments of the microenvironment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL): peripheral blood and bone marrow. We found correlations between MYD88 and TLRs expressions in both compartments, indicating their relevant cooperation in CLL. The MYD88 expression was higher in CLL patients compared to healthy volunteers (HVs) (0.1780 vs. 0.128, p < 0.0001). The TLRs expression was aberrant in CLL compared to HVs. Analysis of survival curves revealed a shorter time to first treatment in the group of patients with low level of TLR4(3) expression compared to high level of TLR4(3) expression in bone marrow (13 months vs. 48 months, p = 0.0207). We suggest that TLRs expression is differentially regulated in CLL but is similarly shared between two distinct compartments of the microenvironment.

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