A new species of the processid shrimp genus Nikoides Paul’son, 1875 (Decapoda: Caridea) from Japan

A new species of the processid shrimp genus Nikoides Paul’son, 1875, N. subdistalis, is described and illustrated on the basis of five specimens collected from Kushimoto, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan, at depths of 7–12 m. The new species appears most similar to N. maldivensis Borradaile, 1915 among the 10 known congeners, but is notable in the unique dentition of the rostrum and the characteristic shape of the antennular stylocerite. A partial segment of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene was sequenced from one of the paratypes of the new species, and genetic divergence among four congeneric taxa, of which three was downloaded from the GenBank database, is shown. An identification key to 11 species of Nikoides, including the new species, is given.

Efektivitas Penggunaan Seleksi Ciri CFS pada Klasifikasi Ciri Bentuk Nodul Kanker Payudara dengan Citra Ultrasonografi

The implementation of nodule shape characteristics is one of the parameters used in determining breast cancer malignancy. Mathematical calculations are used as a second decision to strengthen radiologists in determining breast cancer malignancy using ultrasound images (USG). The method used in this research is to filter ultrasound images that contain speckle noise, then continue the segmentation process, extracting shape features, selecting shape features, and classifying them. The feature selection process using Correlated based Feature Selection (CFS) is used to select the dominant shape features in the image. The classification results obtained show that the results of feature selection using CFS can improve the results of image accuracy, sensitivity and specificity, so as to be able to better distinguish the characteristic shape of the cancer nodule.

ANATOMICAL CHARATERISTICS OF ARACEAE FAMILY IN LIWA BOTANICAL GARDEN, WEST LAMPUNG, LAMPUNG

Indonesia is one of the countries with high Araceae diversity, which is about 36 genera consisting of 669 species. However research on the characteristics of Araceae in Indonesia is still limited. The existence of Araceae in Liwa Botanical Garden has not been studied. One of the characteristics in assessing plant diversity is anatomical features. Therefore, the aim of this study is to determine the anatomical characteristics of Araceae in Liwa Botanical Garden. This research was conducted from October to November 2019 in Liwa Botanical Garden, West Lampung, Lampung using the cruise method (Cruise Method). Araceae plants that are found identified in the Botany Laboratory, Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Lampung. The anatomical features of the leaves and petioles of Araceae was studied carefully. The results of this study indicate that each type of Araceae plant has different characteristics of epidermal cell structure and stomata. The characteristic shape of the epidermal cells is upright, while the characteristic shape of the stomata is amphibrachyparacitic. A certain types of Araceaeshows s a special characteristic which is having secretory cells.

Development of Nanosized Mica Particles from Natural Mica by Sonication/Organic Intercalation Method for Pearlescent Pigment

In this study, the possibility of reducing natural mica particles to nanosizes without damaging its surface properties and smooth flake shape for pearlescent pigment application was investigated by using the sonication delamination method. For this purpose, the layer charge density of the natural mica mineral was reduced using surfactant intercalation followed by maximum exfoliation of mica interlayers with the help of sonication. Therefore, the delamination was achieved in a simple and more energy-efficient way by the sonication process and, in turn, the dimensions of mica were reduced to nanoscale with smooth surface features. With this new delamination process, the lowest particle thickness values were obtained as 0.061 microns after only 1 h sonication period. The results were found to be much significant when compared to the literature. Furthermore, the unique pearlescent pigment properties of mica particles were attributed to the characteristic shape and nanosized mica, which are coated with TiO2.

Aphelonotus schuhi sp. nov., the first s­­pecies of the family Pachynomidae from Puerto Rico (Hemiptera: Heteroptera)

Aphelonotus schuhi sp. nov. (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pachynomidae: Aphelonotinae) is described from Puerto Rico based on a single male collected by flight interception trap. The new species is morphologically similar to A. taino Schuh, Weirauch & Grillo, 2015 and A. xenos Schuh, Weirauch & Grillo, 2015, being distinguished from them by the combination of the presence of a stout subapical spine on the protibia and the characteristic shape of the parameres. An informal A. xenos species-group is proposed to accommodate these three species.

Age-Specific Incidence of Influenza A Responds to Change in Virus Subtype Dominance

When H3N2 replaced H1N1 as the dominant influenza A subtype during the 2018–2019 season, the pattern of age-specific incidence shifted due to the lingering effects of antigenic imprinting. The characteristic shape that imprinting leaves on influenza susceptibility could foster important advances in understanding and predicting the epidemiology of influenza.

Group adaptations do not need group selection

The article provides an overview of the works on different species of birds and mammals (and other vertebrates to a lesser extent), which show the origin of group adaptations that benefit society as a whole or the entire population developing a new landscape, but costly and / or risky for each of the individuals. Their formation and development are recorded in three cases: urbanization of “wild” birds and mammal species culminating in the emergence of specialized urban populations; animal communication, when individuals in communities interact not directly, but the action of one and the counter-action of the other is mediated by a specific set of demonstrations, visual and acoustic, with a characteristic shape and signal function; in the formation of a family-group lifestyle of rodents. The objective of the research was to investigate whether the formation of group adaptations (at least in these three cases) really requires “multiplication of entities” – the use of the concept of group selection or, like the others, these adaptations can be explained by the action of individual selection. In all three cases, it turns out that the formation of the corresponding group adaptations is an action of individual selection, but influencing individuals not independent, but connected by a certain structure – social or population (spatial-ethological) to the corresponding system of supra-individual level. In all cases it turns out that first of all the structure of the system is transformed, and only then there is the process of selection of individuals who are the most adapted to the changed relationships, i.e. the selection is stabilizing rather than moving. So we pass between Scylla of socio-biological explanations and Charybdis of group selection. This is necessary because both of them are useless as a general explanation of the origin of group adaptations.