scholarly journals Does urbanization have positive or negative effects on Crab spider (Araneae: Thomisidae) diversity?

2017 ◽  
Vol 34 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carina Argañaraz ◽  
Raquel M. Gleiser

Urbanization has a great impact on the diversity of living organisms. Spiders, for example, have been shown to respond negatively (some orb weaving species) and positively (ground dwelling species) to urbanization. The effects of urbanization on crab spiders (Thomisidae) (sit-and-wait predators that generally ambush their prey on flowers and leaves) are not sufficiently known. This paper describes the Thomisidae community that inhabits green patches in a temperate Neotropical city, Cordoba, Argentina, and its surroundings, and ascertains whether there are differences in species richness, abundance and composition between urban and exurban sites. Samples were collected from 30 sites during the summer and spring of 2013 and 2014, using the garden-vacuum method. We compared the abundance, richness and composition of Thomisidae among three habitat categories (urban, suburban and external). Seven species in three genera, Misumenops, Wechselia and Tmarus, were detected. Misumenops was the most abundant genus in Córdoba, and Tmarus elongates Mello-Leitão, 1929 was collected in Argentina for the first time. The abundance, richness and composition of thomisid spiders did not differ between habitat categories, indicating that urbanization does not have a negative effect on the communities of these spiders in open green spaces. Site variability, on the other hand, does, suggesting that local factors may be more relevant than broad-scale factors to explain community patterns in this family.

Author(s):  
V.I. Golik ◽  
◽  
Z.A. Gashimova ◽  
M.Yu. Liskova ◽  
Ch.B. Kongar-Syuryun ◽  
...  

Technogenic factors that have a negative effect on the environment and humans are analyzed. The integrated effect of negative impact on the environment aggravated by the number of factors is revealed. These factors include the following: gorges, river valleys and mountain landscapes. From the previously conducted studies it was concluded that the main source of negative effects on living organisms is the mineralized dust. The actual task of the study is determined, which consists in detailing the mechanisms and methods of the mineralized dust formation for improving the methods of minimizing its formation. Using the example of an open pit development of a dolomite deposit the relationship is established between the indicators of atmospheric dusting by the products of rock technological crushing and grinding. Dependence is established related to the dust emission intensity on the air flow velocity and dust concentration. It is proved that all the dust-like products formed as the result of mining and processing of the mineral raw materials have dimensions that allow them to move with the help of air masses. The results of the experiments on solving the problem of reducing dust by minimizing the output of mobile dust classes are presented (studies of the granulometric composition of rocks of various types with differentiation by type of the dust source, the mechanism of pollution using trapping screens and the development of directions for minimizing dusting of the atmosphere of the quarry and the surrounding area). The measures to reduce dust formation are proposed. The model for assessing the potential of environmental pollution by gas and dust products is developed. The proposed measures and the developed model will allow to minimize the effect of mining production on the environment of the region and the health of the workers of the mining enterprise and the residents of the region. The results obtained may be in demand when improving existing and developing new methods for improving occupational safety in the mining industry.


Zootaxa ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 4382 (3) ◽  
pp. 501 ◽  
Author(s):  
MIGUEL MACHADO ◽  
RENATO AUGUSTO TEIXEIRA ◽  
ARNO ANTONIO LISE

The Neotropical crab spider genera Tobias Simon, 1895 and Epicadus Simon, 1895 comprise species with remarkable somatic morphology and confounding taxonomic history. The results of our recent cladistic analysis corroborate and extend preceding taxonomic assumptions in showing that Tobias is a junior synonym of Epicadus. In the present paper the six species recently transferred from Tobias to Epicadus are redescribed. Two new species are described based on both males and females: Epicadus dimidiaster sp. nov. and Epicadus tigrinus sp. nov.; the male of Epicadus granulatus Banks, 1909 is described for the first time. The diagnosis of the genus is revised, an identification key is provided, and information on geographical distribution is updated. Epicadus now comprises eleven species. 


Zootaxa ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 2223 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-68
Author(s):  
GUO TANG ◽  
SHU-QIANG LI

Four new and three known crab spider species of the genus Tmarus are reported from the Xishuangbanna Rainforest of Yunnan, China: T. byssinus sp. nov., T. hastatus sp. nov. male only), T. spicatus sp. nov. (female only), T. undatus sp. nov. (female only), T. menglae Song and Zhao, 1994, T. songi Han and Zhu, 2008 and T. taiwanus Ono, 1977. The male of T. menglae is described for the first time. The type specimens are deposited in the Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing.


2002 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
William E. Shafer ◽  
D. Jordan Lowe ◽  
Timothy J. Fogarty

The current trend toward corporate acquisitions of CPA firms poses potential threats to the autonomy and ethical standards of public accounting professionals. This recent consolidation movement suggests that for the first time a significant number of public accounting professionals are subject to the supervision and control of nonprofessionals. In addition to acknowledging the potential threats to auditor independence and objectivity, this paper suggests that these new organizational arrangements for the provision of public accounting services have other negative effects on professionalism and ethics such as desensitizing CPAs to traditional professional values, and subverting professional institutions to the goals of corporate employers. This paper develops a framework that identifies several specific research questions related to the effects of corporate ownership on professionalism and ethics in public accounting.


Author(s):  
Philip James

The focus of this chapter is an examination of the diversity of living organisms found within urban environments, both inside and outside buildings. The discussion commences with prions and viruses before moving on to consider micro-organisms, plants, and animals. Prions and viruses cause disease in plants and animals, including humans. Micro-organisms are ubiquitous and are found in great numbers throughout urban environments. New technologies are providing new insights into their diversity. Plants may be found inside buildings as well as in gardens and other green spaces. The final sections of the chapter offer a discussion of the diversity of animals that live in urban areas for part or all of their life cycle. Examples of the diversity of life in urban environments are presented throughout, including native and non-native species, those that are benign and deadly, and the common and the rare.


2021 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
pp. 147997312110296
Author(s):  
Geertje M de Boer ◽  
Laura Houweling ◽  
Rudi W Hendriks ◽  
Jan H Vercoulen ◽  
Gerdien A Tramper-Stranders ◽  
...  

Population studies showed a decrease in psychological wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Asthma is associated with a negative effect on anxiety and depression, which might worsen during the COVID-19 lockdown. The aim of the study was to compare fear, anxiety and depression between asthma patients and patients wit hout asthma pre-COVID-19 and during COVID-19 pandemic. This study compares fear, anxiety and depression in asthma patients and controls between pre-COVID-19 and during COVID-19 lockdown with a cross-sectional online survey. Participants were invited to fill out several questionnaires pertaining to fear, anxiety, depression, asthma control and quality of life. Asthma patients (N = 37) displayed, during the course of the pandemic, a clinically relevant increase in anxiety (3.32 ± 2.95 vs. 6.68 ± 3.78; p < 0.001) and depression (1.30 ± 1.15 vs. 3.65 ± 3.31; p < 0.001), according to the hospital anxiety and depression levels (HADS) compared to pre-COVID-19 assessment. This was not seen in controls. Also, asthma patients displayed more anxiety about acquiring COVID-19 disease compared to controls ((5.11 ± 1.99 vs. 3.50 ± 2.79), p = 0.006). Patients with asthma experienced an increase in anxiety and depression levels and were more afraid of acquiring COVID-19 disease compared to controls. Also, patients with asthma were more likely to avoid healthcare facilities due to fear of acquiring COVID-19 disease compared to controls. Therefore, we advise health care workers to address these possible negative effects on mental health by phone or e-consults.


Author(s):  
John M. Mola ◽  
Clara Stuligross ◽  
Maureen L. Page ◽  
Danielle Rutkowski ◽  
Neal M. Williams

Abstract Recent bumble bee declines have prompted the development of novel population monitoring tools, including the use of putatively non-lethal tarsal clipping to obtain genetic material. However, the potential side effects of tarsal clipping have only been tested in the worker caste of a single domesticated species, prompting the need to more broadly test whether tarsal clipping negatively affects sampled individuals. To determine if tarsal clipping reduces queen survivorship and colony establishment, we collected wild queens of Bombus vosnesenskii and clipped tarsi from a single leg of half the individuals. We reared captive queens and estimated survivorship and nest establishment success. We also clipped tarsi of workers from a subset of colonies across a range of body sizes. We found no consistent negative effect of clipping on queen survival. In the first year, clipped nest-searching queens suffered heavy mortality, but there was no effect on foraging queens. The following year, we found no effect of clipping on queen survival or establishment. Clipping did not reduce overall worker survival but reduced survivorship for those in the smallest size quartile. Implications for insect conservation Our findings suggest tarsal clipping does not have consistent negative effects on individual survival. However, our results varied with queen behavioral state, year, and worker size, suggesting differences within and among species and interactions with landscape stressors warrant further study. In the interim, we recommend researchers and conservationists minimize the use of tarsal clipping for sensitive species, populations, or small workers except in cases of exceptional scientific need.


BJPsych Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Sigström ◽  
Axel Nordenskjöld ◽  
Anders Juréus ◽  
Caitlin Clements ◽  
Erik Joas ◽  
...  

Background There have been reports of long-term subjective memory worsening after electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Aims To study the prevalence and risk factors of long-term subjective memory worsening among patients receiving ECT in routine clinical practice. Method Patients (n = 535, of whom 277 were included in the final analysis) were recruited from eight Swedish hospitals. Participants' subjective memory impairment was assessed before ECT and a median of 73 days after ECT using the memory item from the Comprehensive Psychopathological Rating Scale. Participants also rated their pre-ECT expectations and post-ECT evaluations of the effect of ECT on memory on a 7-point scale. We used ordinal regression to identify variables associated with subjective memory worsening and negative evaluations of the effect of ECT on memory. Results Comparisons of pre- and post-ECT assessments showed that subjective memory worsened in 16.2% of participants, remained unchanged in 52.3% and improved in 31.4%. By contrast, when asked to evaluate the effect of ECT on memory after treatment 54.6% reported a negative effect. Subjective memory worsening was associated with negative expectations before ECT, younger age and shorter duration of follow-up. Conclusions Although subjective memory improved more often than it worsened when assessed before and after ECT, a majority of patients reported that ECT had negative effects on their memory when retrospectively asked how ECT had affected it. This might suggest that some patients attribute pre-existing subjective memory impairment to ECT. Clinicians should be aware that negative expectations are associated with subjective worsening of memory after ECT.


Blood ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 93 (12) ◽  
pp. 4154-4166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert L. Ilaria ◽  
Robert G. Hawley ◽  
Richard A. Van Etten

Abstract STAT5 is a member of the signal transducers and activation of transcription (STAT) family of latent transcription factors activated in a variety of cytokine signaling pathways. We introduced alanine substitution mutations in highly conserved regions of murine STAT5A and studied the mutants for dimerization, DNA binding, transactivation, and dominant negative effects on erythropoietin-induced STAT5-dependent transcriptional activation. The mutations included two near the amino-terminus (W255KR→AAA and R290QQ→AAA), two in the DNA-binding domain (E437E→AA and V466VV→AAA), and a carboxy-terminal truncation of STAT5A (STAT5A/▵53C) analogous to a naturally occurring isoform of rat STAT5B. All of the STAT mutant proteins were tyrosine phosphorylated by JAK2 and heterodimerized with STAT5B except for the WKR mutant, suggesting an important role for this region in STAT5 for stabilizing dimerization. The WKR, EE, and VVV mutants had no detectable DNA-binding activity, and the WKR and VVV mutants, but not EE, were defective in transcriptional induction. The VVV mutant had a moderate dominant negative effect on erythropoietin-induced STAT5 transcriptional activation, which was likely due to the formation of heterodimers that are defective in DNA binding. Interestingly, the WKR mutant had a potent dominant negative effect, comparable to the transactivation domain deletion mutant, ▵53C. Stable expression of either the WKR or ▵53C STAT5 mutants in the murine myeloid cytokine-dependent cell line 32D inhibited both interleukin-3–dependent proliferation and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF)–dependent differentiation, without induction of apoptosis. Expression of these mutants in primary murine bone marrow inhibited G-CSF–dependent granulocyte colony formation in vitro. These results demonstrate that mutations in distinct regions of STAT5 exert dominant negative effects on cytokine signaling, likely through different mechanisms, and suggest a role for STAT5 in proliferation and differentiation of myeloid cells.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 6842
Author(s):  
Érika Martins Silva Ramos ◽  
Cecilia Jakobsson Bergstad

The present study investigates the determinants of intention to use carsharing services by an integrated model of psychological predictors of travel behavior. The model proposed is tested by multigroup confirmatory factor analysis (MGCFA) in structural equation modeling (SEM) with further discussion about analysis of invariance and its relevance for comparisons between groups. The sample was classified into four groups: Italian users, Italian non-users, Swedish users, and Swedish non-users of carsharing. The users were respondents who have used or are currently using carsharing, while non-users reported never using the carsharing services. The analysis of data from 6072 respondents revealed that control was the main predictor of intention to use carsharing; driving habits had stronger negative effects for users of carsharing than for non-users; subjective norms positively predicted the intention to use carsharing among all groups; trust was a predictor of intention only for the Italian groups; and climate morality had a small negative effect on the Swedish groups only. The outcomes of this investigation will increase the knowledge about the use of carsharing and help to identify the behavioral and psychological factors that primarily influence people’s intention to use it.


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