The Next Generation: Creating New Peace Processes in the Middle East

This essay describes how Israeli students in a course on mediation and consensus building taught in an Israeli university law department by and American law professor and an Israeli instructor analyzed and studied the conflict in the Middle East. It describes the suggestions they made for process design for the next stages of whatever peace process might emerge for the region. In light of the students\u27 suggestions, the authors present some ideas as to how different approaches to reconciliation and peace might be used, managed, and coordinated

AMADA-Analysis of Multidimensional Astronomical Datasets

We present AMADA, an interactive web application to analyse multidimensional datasets. The user uploads a simple ASCII file and AMADA performs a number of exploratory analysis together with contemporary visualizations diagnostics. The package performs a hierarchical clustering in the parameter space, and the user can choose among linear, monotonic or non-linear correlation analysis. AMADA provides a number of clustering visualization diagnostics such as heatmaps, dendrograms, chord diagrams, and graphs. In addition, AMADA has the option to run a standard or robust principal components analysis, displaying the results as polar bar plots. The code is written in R and the web interface was created using the Shiny framework. AMADA source-code is freely available at https://goo.gl/KeSPue, and the shiny-app at http://goo.gl/UTnU7I.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Computin

interAdapt -- An Interactive Tool for Designing and Evaluating Randomized Trials with Adaptive Enrollment Criteria

The interAdapt R package is designed to be used by statisticians and clinical investigators to plan randomized trials. It can be used to determine if certain adaptive designs offer tangible benefits compared to standard designs, in the context of investigators' specific trial goals and constraints. Specifically, interAdapt compares the performance of trial designs with adaptive enrollment criteria versus standard (non-adaptive) group sequential trial designs. Performance is compared in terms of power, expected trial duration, and expected sample size. Users can either work directly in the R console, or with a user-friendly shiny application that requires no programming experience. Several added features are available when using the shiny application. For example, the application allows users to immediately download the results of the performance comparison as a csv-table, or as a printable, html-based report.Comment: 14 pages, 2 figures (software screenshots); v2 includes command line function descriptio

ranacapa: An R package and Shiny web app to explore environmental DNA data with exploratory statistics and interactive visualizations.

Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding is becoming a core tool in ecology and conservation biology, and is being used in a growing number of education, biodiversity monitoring, and public outreach programs in which professional research scientists engage community partners in primary research. Results from eDNA analyses can engage and educate natural resource managers, students, community scientists, and naturalists, but without significant training in bioinformatics, it can be difficult for this diverse audience to interact with eDNA results. Here we present the R package ranacapa, at the core of which is a Shiny web app that helps perform exploratory biodiversity analyses and visualizations of eDNA results. The app requires a taxonomy-by-sample matrix and a simple metadata file with descriptive information about each sample. The app enables users to explore the data with interactive figures and presents results from simple community ecology analyses. We demonstrate the value of ranacapa to two groups of community partners engaging with eDNA metabarcoding results

Taxonomy of Phanaeus revisited: revised keys to and comments on species of the New World dung beetle genus PhanaeusMacLeay, 1819 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae: Phanaeini)

The purpose of this paper is to reassess the taxonomy of Phanaeus MacLeay (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) to accommodate new taxa and changes in taxonomic opinion since the publication of Edmonds’ 1994 revision of the genus. The two subgenera and 13 species groups established by Edmonds (1994) remain unchanged. A revised set of keys with accompanying comments and illustrations separates 54 recognized valid species. Seven recently described valid species are incorporated into the revised classification: Phanaeus blackalleri Delgado-Castillo, 1991; P. bordoni Arnaud, 1996; P. changdiazi Kohlmann and Solís, 2001; P. lecourti Arnaud, 2000; P. martinezorum Arnaud, 2000; P. yecoraensis Edmonds, 2004; and P. zapotecus Edmonds, 2006. The new name Phanaeus sororibispinus Edmonds and Zidek replaces Phanaeus alvarengai Arnaud, 1984, a primary junior homonym of P. alvarengai Pereira and d’Andretta, 1955. Three subspecies recognized in 1994 are elevated to species rank, new status: Phanaeus texensis Edmonds, 1994; P. pilatei Harold, 1863; and P. guatemalensis Harold, 1871. Phanaeus obliquans Bates, 1887 is removed from synonymy and given new status as a valid species. Twelve new junior subjective synonyms (bold) are recognized: P. tridens balthasari Arnaud, 2002 (of P. tridens Castelnau, 1840); P. dzidoi Arnaud, 2000 (of P. palaeno Blanchard, 1843); P. genieri Arnaud, 2002 (of P. amethystinus Harold, 1863); P. prasinus jolyi Arnaud, 2001 (of P. prasinus Harold, 1868); P. kirbyi ledezmai Arnaud, 2002 (of P. kirbyi Vigors, 1825); P. achilles lydiae Arnaud, 2000 (of P. achilles Boheman, 1858); P. chalcomelas grossii Arnaud, 2001 (of P. chalcomelas [Perty, 1830]); P pyrois malyi Arnaud, 2002 (of P. pyrois Bates, 1887); P. tridens moroni Arnaud, 2001 (of P. tridens Castenau, 1840); P. lecourti peruanus Arnaud, 2000 (of P. lecourti Arnaud, 2000); P. endymion porioni Arnaud, 2001 (of P. endymion Harold, 1863); P. pseudofurcosus Balthasar, 1939 (of P. tridens Castelnau, 1840); and P. prasinus trinidadensis Arnaud, 2001 (of P. prasinus Harold, 1868). “Phanaeus viridicollis” Olsoufieff, 1924 (sensu Arnaud 2002) is an unavailable name here considered a color variant of P. pyrois Bates, 1887

Revision of the South African endemic bee genus Redivivoides Michener, 1981 (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Melittidae)

The South African endemic bee genus Redivivoides Michener, 1981 is revised and redefined. The genus comprises seven species, six of which are described here as new: Redivivoides capensis sp. nov. ♀♂, R. eardleyi sp. nov. ♀, R. kamieskroonensis sp. nov. ♀, R. karooensis sp. nov. ♀♂, R. namaquaensis sp. nov. ♀♂ and R. variabilis sp. nov. ♀♂. A key to species is provided

Ranging behavior of female and male Shiny Cowbirds and Screaming Cowbirds while searching for host nests

Pusimos a prueba la hipótesis que los tordos parásitos de cría buscan y localizan nidos de hospedadores dentro de un área relativamente constante, ya que esto facilitaría el monitoreo de nidos a través del tiempo y la sincronización del parasitismo con la puesta del hospedador. Testeamos esta hipótesis en Molothrus bonariensis y M. rufoaxillaris, dos especies que difieren en su especificidad de uso de hospedadores y, aparentemente, en su sistema de apareamiento social, mediante radio telemetría de hembras y machos durante 3–6 días consecutivos, determinando las áreas de acción diarias y las áreas de acción acumuladas. En M. bonariensis, el tamaño medio de las áreas de acción diarias y de las áreas de acción acumuladas fue mayor para los machos que para las hembras, pero no encontramos diferencias entre sexos en M. rufoaxillaris. En ambas especies, hubo un extenso solapamiento de las áreas de acción de cada hembra en días consecutivos y la incorporación de área nueva disminuyó a través del tiempo. Tanto para M. bonariensis como para M. rufoaxillaris, las áreas de acción de hembras conespecíficas monitoreadas en un mismo día se solaparon, indicando ausencia de territorialidad. Los machos y hembras de M. rufoaxillaris que fueron capturados juntos se mantuvieron asociados espacialmente durante el monitoreo, indicando monogamia social. La mayoría de los individuos de M. bonariensis y M. rufoaxillaris monitoreados usaron principalmente un dormidero relativamente cercano a sus áreas de acción, el cual fue mantenido durante la temporada reproductiva. Nuestros resultados muestran que las hembras de M. bonariensis y M. rufoaxillaris usan áreas relativamente constantes para buscar nidos y que existe monogamia social en M. rufoaxillaris.Brood-parasitic cowbirds are hypothesized to search for and locate host nests within a relatively constant area, as this is presumed to facilitate the monitoring of nests over time and the synchronization of parasitism with host laying. We tested this hypothesis in Shiny Cowbirds (Molothrus bonariensis) and Screaming Cowbirds (M. rufoaxillaris), two cowbird species that differ in host specificity and, apparently, in social mating system, by radio-tracking females and males for 3–6 consecutive days and determining individual daily morning ranges and cumulative morning ranges. In Shiny Cowbirds, the mean size of morning daily ranges and cumulative morning ranges was larger for males than for females, but we did not find a difference between the sexes in range size for Screaming Cowbirds. In both species, there was extensive overlap in the morning ranges of individual females between consecutive days, and the addition of new area to their ranges decreased over time. For both Shiny and Screaming cowbirds, morning ranges of conspecific females radio-tracked the same day overlapped, indicating lack of territoriality. Male and female Screaming Cowbirds that were trapped together were also spatially associated during radio-tracking, indicating social monogamy. Most radio-tracked Shiny and Screaming cowbirds used mainly one roost, relatively close to their morning ranges, which was maintained throughout the breeding season. Our results show that Shiny and Screaming cowbird females use relatively constant areas for nest searching and that Screaming Cowbirds are socially monogamous.Fil: Scardamaglia, Romina Clara. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Geociencias Basicas, Aplicadas y Ambientales de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Geociencias Basicas, Aplicadas y Ambientales de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Reboreda, Juan Carlos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Geociencias Basicas, Aplicadas y Ambientales de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Geociencias Basicas, Aplicadas y Ambientales de Buenos Aires; Argentin