scholarly journals Caenagnathids of the Dinosaur Park Formation (Campanian) of Alberta, Canada: anatomy, osteohistology, taxonomy, and evolution

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 105-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory Funston
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Skeletal Maturity ◽  
Niche Overlap ◽  
Niche Space ◽  
The Past ◽  
Adult Body ◽  
New Material ◽  
Taxonomic Framework ◽  
Dinosaur Park Formation ◽  
Insight Into

Our understanding of caenagnathid anatomy, diversity, and ecology has improved considerably in the past twenty years, but numerous issues still remain. Among these, the diversity and taxonomy of caenagnathids from the Dinosaur Park Formation of Alberta, Canada, have remained problematic. Whereas some authors recognize three genera, others suggest only two were present, and there is considerable disagreement about which specimens are referable to which genus. This study aims to resolve this issue by reviewing the known specimens and using osteohistology, to establish a testable taxonomic framework of Dinosaur Park Formation caenagnathids. Numerous new specimens from all regions of the skeleton provide insight into morphological variation in caenagnathids, and three morphotypes are recognized based on a combination of morphological features and body size. Osteohistology shows that representatives in each body size class are at skeletal maturity, and therefore supports the delineation of three taxa: the smaller Citipes elegans gen. nov., the intermediate Chirostenotes pergracilis, and the larger Caenagnathus collinsi, new material of which shows it rivalled Anzu wyliei in size. However, these analyses also raise concerns about the referral of isolated material to each taxon in the absence of skeletal overlap between specimens or osteohistological analysis. Caenagnathids are consistently recovered throughout the Dinosaur Park Formation interval, and two geographic clusters of increased abundance probably reflect collection and taphonomic biases. The coexistence of three taxa was apparently facilitated by differences in both adult body size and functional morphology of the dentary and pes, which suggests that caenagnathids minimized niche overlap rather than subdividing niche space. Regardless, little is known of the exact roles caenagnathids played in Late Cretaceous ecosystems. Incorporation of the new material and taxonomic framework into a phylogenetic analysis drastically improves our understanding of the relationships between caenagnathines, and sheds light on the evolution of body size in caenagnathids and its role in their diversification.

scholarly journals Genomic Comparisons of Lactobacillus crispatus and Lactobacillus iners Reveal Potential Ecological Drivers of Community Composition in the Vagina

2016 ◽  
Vol 82 (24) ◽  
pp. 7063-7073 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael T. France ◽  
Helena Mendes-Soares ◽  
Larry J. Forney
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Niche Overlap ◽  
Vaginal Microbiome ◽  
Niche Space ◽  
Healthy Human ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Lactobacillus Crispatus ◽  
Human Vagina ◽  
Insight Into

ABSTRACTLactobacillus crispatusandLactobacillus inersare common inhabitants of the healthy human vagina. These two species are closely related and are thought to perform similar ecological functions in the vaginal environment. Temporal data on the vaginal microbiome have shown that nontransient instances of cooccurrence are uncommon, while transitions from anL. iners-dominated community to one dominated byL. crispatus, and vice versa, occur often. This suggests that there is substantial overlap in the fundamental niches of these species. Given this apparent niche overlap, it is unclear how they have been maintained as common inhabitants of the human vagina. In this study, we characterized and compared the genomes ofL. inersandL. crispatusto gain insight into possible mechanisms driving the maintenance of this species diversity. Our results highlight differences in the genomes of these two species that may facilitate the partitioning of their shared niche space. Many of the identified differences may impact the protective benefits provided to the host by these two species.IMPORTANCEThe microbial communities that inhabit the human vagina play a critical role in the maintenance of vaginal health through the production of lactic acid and lowering the environmental pH. This precludes the growth of nonindigenous organisms and protects against infectious disease. The two most common types of vaginal communities are dominated by eitherLactobacillus inersorLactobacillus crispatus, while some communities alternate between the two over time. We combined ecological theory with state-of-the-art genome analyses to characterize how these two species might partition their shared niche space in the vagina. We show that the genomes ofL. inersandL. crispatusdiffer in many respects, several of which may drive differences in their competitive abilities in the vagina. Our results provide insight into factors that drive the complicated temporal dynamics of the vaginal microbiome and demonstrate how closely related microbial species partition shared fundamental niche space.

Microhabitat separation and niche overlap among five assemblages of tropical skinks

2007 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brett A. Goodman
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Null Model ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Ground Cover ◽  
Niche Overlap ◽  
Microhabitat Use ◽  
Niche Space ◽  
North East ◽  
Species Packing

The niche axes of microhabitat use, activity and size for 21 skink species from five assemblages (Alligator Creek, Cairns, Chillagoe, Cooktown and Mt Bartle Frere) in the biodiverse tropics of north-east Queensland were examined. Species within the same assemblage separated predominantly along two structural microhabitat gradients; one that ranged from microhabitats dominated by large rocks to leaf litter and total ground cover, and a second defined by increasing leaf litter, ground cover, undergrowth, proximity to vegetation and increased canopy cover. All species used available microhabitats non-randomly, with species from the same ecotype (arboreal, generalist, litter-dwelling, rock-using) clustering in multivariate ecological space. Despite evidence of within-assemblage niche overlap, null-model comparisons revealed that only one assemblage (Chillagoe) had greater niche overlap than would be expected by chance. Assemblages with more species occupied smaller niche space, indicating species packing. However, species with more diverse niches were less evenly packed. While most species overlapped in activity time and body size, differences among species from the same ecotype were observed. Despite subtle differences in temporal activity and body size, differences in structural microhabitat use appears to be the dominant niche axis allowing the coexistence of species within these assemblages of tropical skinks.

Recovery boiler sootblowers: History and technological advances

TAPPI Journal ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-60
Author(s):  
HONGHI TRAN ◽  
DANNY TANDRA
Keyword(s):  
Cfd Modeling ◽  
Computing Systems ◽  
The Past ◽  
Technological Advances ◽  
Recovery Boilers ◽  
Computational Fluid Dynamics Cfd ◽  
Recovery Boiler ◽  
Steam Parameters ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Deposit Removal

Sootblowing technology used in recovery boilers originated from that used in coal-fired boilers. It started with manual cleaning with hand lancing and hand blowing, and evolved slowly into online sootblowing using retractable sootblowers. Since 1991, intensive research and development has focused on sootblowing jet fundamentals and deposit removal in recovery boilers. The results have provided much insight into sootblower jet hydrodynamics, how a sootblower jet interacts with tubes and deposits, and factors influencing its deposit removal efficiency, and have led to two important innovations: fully-expanded sootblower nozzles that are used in virtually all recovery boilers today, and the low pressure sootblowing technology that has been implemented in several new recovery boilers. The availability of powerful computing systems, superfast microprocessors and data acquisition systems, and versatile computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling capability in the past two decades has also contributed greatly to the advancement of sootblowing technology. High quality infrared inspection cameras have enabled mills to inspect the deposit buildup conditions in the boiler during operation, and helped identify problems with sootblower lance swinging and superheater platens and boiler bank tube vibrations. As the recovery boiler firing capacity and steam parameters have increased markedly in recent years, sootblowers have become larger and longer, and this can present a challenge in terms of both sootblower design and operation.

Upcoming Drifts In Bio-Similars

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geeta Aggarwal ◽  
Manju Nagpal ◽  
Ameya Sharma ◽  
Vivek Puri ◽  
Gitika Arora Dhingra
Keyword(s):  
Metabolic Diseases ◽  
Market Competition ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Medicinal Products ◽  
The Past ◽  
Biologic Activity ◽  
Emerging Trends ◽  
Regulatory Guidelines ◽  
Food Drug Administration ◽  
Insight Into

Background: Biopharmaceuticals such as Biologic medicinal products have been in clinical use over the past three decades and have benefited towards the therapy of degenerative and critical metabolic diseases. It is forecasted that market of biologics will be going to increase at a rate of 20% per year, and by 2025, more than ˃ 50% of new drug approvals may be biological products. The increasing utilization of the biologics necessitates for cost control, especially for innovators products that have enjoyed a lengthy period of exclusive use. As the first wave of biopharmaceuticals is expired or set to expire, it has led to various opportunities for the expansion of bio-similars i.e. copied versions of original biologics with same biologic activity. Development of biosimilars is expected to promote market competition, meet worldwide demand, sustain the healthcare systems and maintain the incentives for innovation. Methods: Appraisal of published articles from peer reviewed journals, PubMed literature, latest news and guidelines from European Medicine Agency, US Food Drug Administration (FDA) and India are used to identify data for review. Results: Main insight into the quality requirements concerning biologics, current status of regulation of biosimilars and upcoming challenges lying ahead for the upgrading of marketing authorization of bio-similars has been incorporated. Compiled literature on therapeutic status, regulatory guidelines and the emerging trends and opportunities of biosimilars has been thoroughly stated. Conclusion: Updates on biosimilars will support to investigate the possible impact of bio-similars on healthcare market.

Cybersecurity Teamwork: A Review of Current Practices and Suggested Improvements

2020 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 451-455
Author(s):  
Richard J. Simonson ◽  
Joseph R. Keebler ◽  
Mathew Lessmiller ◽  
Tyson Richards ◽  
John C. Lee
Keyword(s):  
Cyber Security ◽  
Cyber Attacks ◽  
Team Science ◽  
The Past ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Current Practices

As cyber-attacks and their subsequent responses have become more frequent and complex over the past decade, research into the performance and effectiveness of cybersecurity teams has gained an immense amount of traction. However, investigation of teamwork in this domain is lacking due to the exclusion of known team competencies and a lack of reliance on team science. This paper serves to provide insight into the benefit that can be gained from utilizing the extant teamwork literature to improve teams’ research and applications in the domain of cyber-security.

scholarly journals An Insight into Saponins from Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd): A Review

Molecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 1059 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khadija El Hazzam ◽  
Jawhar Hafsa ◽  
Mansour Sobeh ◽  
Manal Mhada ◽  
Moha Taourirte ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heat Treatment ◽  
Bitter Taste ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Chenopodium Quinoa ◽  
Toxic Effects ◽  
Mechanical Abrasion ◽  
Important Group ◽  
The Past ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Insight Into

Saponins are an important group found in Chenopodium quinoa. They represent an obstacle for the use of quinoa as food for humans and animal feeds because of their bitter taste and toxic effects, which necessitates their elimination. Several saponins elimination methods have been examined to leach the saponins from the quinoa seeds; the wet technique remains the most used at both laboratory and industrial levels. Dry methods (heat treatment, extrusion, roasting, or mechanical abrasion) and genetic methods have also been evaluated. The extraction of quinoa saponins can be carried out by several methods; conventional technologies such as maceration and Soxhlet are the most utilized methods. However, recent research has focused on technologies to improve the efficiency of extraction. At least 40 saponin structures from quinoa have been isolated in the past 30 years, the derived molecular entities essentially being phytolaccagenic, oleanolic and serjanic acids, hederagenin, 3β,23,30 trihydroxy olean-12-en-28-oic acid, 3β-hydroxy-27-oxo-olean-12en-28-oic acid, and 3β,23,30 trihydroxy olean-12-en-28-oic acid. These metabolites exhibit a wide range of biological activities, such as molluscicidal, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, hemolytic, and cytotoxic properties.

Newsmaking criminology in Australia and New Zealand: Results from a mixed methods study of criminologists’ media engagement

2019 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 84-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Iliadis ◽  
Imogen Richards ◽  
Mark A Wood
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
News Media ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mixed Methods Study ◽  
The Past ◽  
Professional Duty ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Survey Responses ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Newsmaking Criminology

‘Newsmaking criminology’, as described by Barak, is the process by which criminologists contribute to the generation of ‘newsworthy’ media content about crime and justice, often through their engagement with broadcast and other news media. While newsmaking criminological practices have been the subject of detailed practitioner testimonials and theoretical treatise, there has been scarce empirical research on newsmaking criminology, particularly in relation to countries outside of the United States and United Kingdom. To illuminate the state of play of newsmaking criminology in Australia and New Zealand, in this paper we analyse findings from 116 survey responses and nine interviews with criminologists working in universities in these two countries, which provide insight into the extent and nature of their news media engagement, and their related perceptions. Our findings indicate that most criminologists working in Australia or New Zealand have made at least one news media appearance in the past two years, and the majority of respondents view news media engagement as a professional ‘duty’. Participants also identified key political, ethical, and logistical issues relevant to their news media engagement, with several expressing a view that radio and television interviewers can influence criminologists to say things that they deem ‘newsworthy’.

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