Translating Member Ability Into Group Brainstorming Performance: The Role of Collective Intelligence

In investigating how member ability is translated into group brainstorming performance, it was predicted that a group’s collective intelligence (CI) would enable it to capitalize on member ability while maximizing process gains and mitigating process losses. Ninety-nine groups were randomly assigned to complete a short brainstorming task using a hybrid (individual-group work) or collective (only group work) task structure. High CI groups were better than low CI groups at translating member ability into group brainstorming performance. Additionally, this hybrid structure was more beneficial for low CI groups than for high CI groups in generating total ideas.

Features of a Hybrid of Common Guinea Fowl and Rooster of Orpington Breed MAU "Yaroslavl Zoo"

Исследованы и сопоставлены размеры и экстерьерные признаки гибридной особи цесарка обыкновенная × петух орпингтон и родительских особей, содержащихся в МАУ «Ярославский зоопарк». Исследования проводились с помощью взятия промеров птиц измерительной лентой и фотофиксации их отличительных признаков. В результате исследования размеров птиц установлено, что гибридная особь имеет большие размеры, чем цесарка обыкновенная, но меньшие, чем петух породы орпингтон, при этом обладает большей длиной шеи и ног, чем родительские особи. При исследовании экстерьерных признаков установлено, что гибридная особь обладает уникальной окраской (белая с бежевыми и серыми вкраплениями), а также полным отсутствием наростов на голове, которые характерны для родительских особей. Остальные признаки гибрида имеют общие черты с родительскими особями. The sizes and exterior features of the hybrid individual of the common guinea fowl × Orpington rooster and parental animals keeping in the Yaroslavl Zoo MAU were investigated and compared. Researches were carried out by taking measurements of birds with yard-measure and photofixing their distinctive features. As a result of a study of the size of birds it was found that the hybrid individual has larger sizes than the common guinea fowl but smaller than the rooster of Orpington breed while having a larger neck and leg length than the parental animals. When studying the exterior features it was found that the hybrid individual has a unique color (white interspersed with beige and gray) as well as the complete absence of growths on the head which are characteristic of parental animals. The remaining features of the hybrid have common features with parental animals.

Mobilidade político-religiosa na vida de Jerônimo de Stridon

Entre as várias formas existentes de mobilidade no âmbito histórico, apresentamos neste artigo sobretudo a mobilidade política e religiosa na vida de um personagem que viveu no século IV e V d.C.: Jerônimo de Stridon. A sua atuação enquanto homem altamente erudito, produtor de diversas obras cristãs, as suas extensas viagens por terras ocidentais e orientais, a assunção de cargos importantes na sociedade romano-helenística e as pessoas com as quais conviveu, apontam para uma forte movimentação em sua trajetória, característica do período em questão, a Antiguidade Tardia. O percurso de Jerônimo enquanto um indivíduo híbrido - cristão devoto de formação clássica pagã, e homem político e religioso atuante em seu contexto, representam as particularidades da época tardo-antiga romano-oriental, sendo a mais importante, ao nosso ver, a intensa efervescência de ideias dentro de um panorama de transformações e readaptações.Palavras-chave: Jerônimo de Stridon, Mobilidade político-religiosa, Antiguidade Tardia. AbstractAmong the many existing ways of mobility in the historical ambit, in this article we present mainly the political and religious mobility into the life of a person who lived in the IV and V centuries b.C.: Jerome of Stridon. His acting as highly erudite man, writer of many christian works, his extense travels in western and eastern lands, the assumption in important functions in the roman-helenical society and the people he lived with, point to a strong movimentation in his trajectory, characteristic of the period in point, the Late Antiquity. Jerome’s path as a hybrid individual – devout christian with a classic pagan formation, and active political and religious man on his context, represent the particularities of the late-ancient roman-oriental age, being the most important, in our perspective, the intense effervescence of ideas inside of a panorama of transformations and readaptations.Key-words: Jerome of Stridon, Political-religious mobility, Late Antiquity.

Hybridization generates a hopeful monster: a hermaphroditic selfing cichlid

Compared with other phylogenetic groups, self-fertilization (selfing) is exceedingly rare in vertebrates and is known to occur only in one small clade of fishes. Here we report observing one F 1 -hybrid individual that developed into a functional hermaphrodite after crossing two closely-related sexually reproducing species of cichlids. Microsatellite alleles segregated consistent with selfing and Mendelian inheritance and we could rule out different modes of parthenogenesis including automixis. We discuss why selfing is not more commonly observed in vertebrates in nature, and the role of hybridization in the evolution of novel traits.

Genome size and phenotypic variation of Nymphaea (Nymphaeaceae) species from Eastern Europe and temperate Asia

Despite long-term research, the aquatic genus <em>Nymphaea</em> still possesses major taxonomic challenges. High phenotypic plasticity and possible interspecific hybridization often make it impossible to identify individual specimens. The main aim of this study was to assess phenotypic variation in <em>Nymphaea</em> taxa sampled over a wide area of Eastern Europe and temperate Asia. Samples were identified based on species-specific genome sizes and diagnostic morphological characters for each taxon were then selected. A total of 353 specimens from 32 populations in Poland, Russia and Ukraine were studied, with nine biometric traits being examined. Although some specimens morphologically matched <em>N. ×borealis</em> (a hybrid between <em>N. alba</em> and <em>N. candida</em>) according to published determination keys, only one hybrid individual was revealed based on genome size data. Other specimens with intermediate morphology possessed genome size corresponding to <em>N. alba</em>, <em>N. candida</em> or <em>N. tetragona</em>. This indicates that natural hybridization between <em>N. alba</em> and <em>N. candida</em> is not as frequent as previously suggested. Our results also revealed a considerably higher variation in the studied morphological traits (especially the quantitative ones) in <em>N. alba</em> and <em>N. candida</em> than reported in the literature. A determination key for the investigated <em>Nymphaea</em> species is provided, based on taxonomically-informative morphological characters identified in our study.

Surveys on populations of green frogs (Pelophylax) of Western Tuscany sites with molecular and morphometric methods

The water frogs of western Tuscany (Italy) belong to the L-E hybridogenetic system, and comprise one parental species and its hybrid. A stringent morphological approach for discriminating the Italian hybrids from non-hybrids has yet to be established. In this work, using the molecular marker RrS1, we have determined the hybrid versus non-hybrid status of 43 water frogs collected from two sampling sites (“Fiume Morto Vecchio” and “Padule di Bientina”). At “Fiume Morto Vecchio” we determined 25 non-hybrids and nine hybrids and in “Padule di Bientina” we determined eight hybrids and one non-hybrid individual. All individuals of these two frog populations were analyzed morphologically. We used the derived residuals from regression analysis of all normally distributed morphological parameters on callus internus length (snout to vent length, tibia length, head width, distance nostril eye, first toe length and body mass) to build sex independent variables in discriminant analysis providing a valid contribution to morphologically distinguish hybrids from non-hybrid green frogs in Italy.