First inventory of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) on Baltra Island, Galapagos

Baltra Island is vulnerable to ant invasions because it is one of the principal ports of entry to the Galapagos archipelago. In spite of this, little was known about its ant fauna. We present 13 new records of ants for Baltra collected during 2005 and 2006: Tapinoma melanocephalum, Camponotus planus, Paratrechina longicornis, Paratrechina sp., Monomorium destructor, M. floricola, Pheidole sp., Solenopsis geminata, S. globularia pacifica, Tetramorium bicarinatum, T. lanuginosum and T. simillimum. In addition to this, we report a new species for Galapagos: Monomorium sp. nr. pharaonis. S. geminata and M. destructor are considered threats to native faun

Designing a supply network for a startup company

Thesis (M. Eng. in Logistics)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2010.Cataloged from student submitted PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 86-88).Our thesis introduces a supply chain framework catered for startup companies. Startup companies face unique circumstances such as constraints on financial and human resources, and greater uncertainty in demand. From our work with XL Hybrids, a startup company that hybridizes aftermarket vehicles, as well as interviews and literature review, we have attempted to distill supply chain strategies that can be applied to startup companies. To plan XL Hybrids' supply chain, we developed models for the following aspects of their supply chain: production scheduling, capacity planning, inventory policy, and component distribution. By running different demand and pricing scenarios, we gained an understanding of the impact of these variables on the four aspects of XL Hybrid's supply chain. Based on the scenario analysis and supply chain framework that we developed, we recommend that XL Hybrids be conservative with capacity expansion while strategically sourcing key components after considering volume discounts and different distribution methods.by Marcus S. Causton and Jianmin Wu.M.Eng.in Logistic

An updated checklist of scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) of the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

The information available on Coccoidea in the Galapagos Islands is sparse. Data on the species present, their distribution and host plants were compiled using recent information at the Charles Darwin Research Station and from the literature. Up to January 2008, 80 species from eight families were reported, more than doubling the total known in 2001. Of the 63 species whose origin has been determined, 50 are believed to have been introduced inadvertently on plants, fruits or vegetables, nine are endemic and four more are thought to be native. The low number of endemic and native species suggests that scale insects have been poor at reaching the islands naturally

Development of FuGO: An ontology for functional genomics investigations

The development of the Functional Genomics Investigation Ontology (FuGO) is a collaborative, international effort that will provide a resource for annotating functional genomics investigations, including the study design, protocols and instrumentation used, the data generated and the types of analysis performed on the data. FuGO will contain both terms that are universal to all functional genomics investigations and those that are domain specific. In this way, the ontology will serve as the “semantic glue” to provide a common understanding of data from across these disparate data sources. In addition, FuGO will reference out to existing mature ontologies to avoid the need to duplicate these resources, and will do so in such a way as to enable their ease of use in annotation. This project is in the early stages of development; the paper will describe efforts to initiate the project, the scope and organization of the project, the work accomplished to date, and the challenges encountered, as well as future plans

Serum microRNA array analysis identifies miR-140-3p, miR-33b-3p and miR-671-3p as potential osteoarthritis biomarkers involved in metabolic processes.

Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) in circulation have emerged as promising biomarkers. In this study, we aimed to identify a circulating miRNA signature for osteoarthritis (OA) patients and in combination with bioinformatics analysis to evaluate the utility of selected differentially expressed miRNAs in the serum as potential OA biomarkers. Methods: Serum samples were collected from 12 primary OA patients, and 12 healthy individuals were screened using the Agilent Human miRNA Microarray platform interrogating 2549 miRNAs. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of the deregulated miRNAs. Expression levels of selected miRNAs were validated by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) in all serum and in articular cartilage samples from OA patients (n = 12) and healthy individuals (n = 7). Bioinformatics analysis was used to investigate the involved pathways and target genes for the above miRNAs. Results: We identified 279 differentially expressed miRNAs in the serum of OA patients compared to controls. Two hundred and five miRNAs (73.5%) were upregulated and 74 (26.5%) downregulated. ROC analysis revealed that 77 miRNAs had area under the curve (AUC) > 0.8 and p < 0.05. Bioinformatics analysis in the 77 miRNAs revealed that their target genes were involved in multiple signaling pathways associated with OA, among which FoxO, mTOR, Wnt, pI3K/akt, TGF-β signaling pathways, ECM-receptor interaction, and fatty acid biosynthesis. qRT-PCR validation in seven selected out of the 77 miRNAs revealed 3 significantly downregulated miRNAs (hsa-miR-33b-3p, hsa-miR-671-3p, and hsa-miR-140-3p) in the serum of OA patients, which were in silico predicted to be enriched in pathways involved in metabolic processes. Target-gene analysis of hsa-miR-140-3p, hsa-miR-33b-3p, and hsa-miR-671-3p revealed that InsR and IGFR1 were common targets of all three miRNAs, highlighting their involvement in regulation of metabolic processes that contribute to OA pathology. Hsa-miR-140-3p and hsa-miR-671-3p expression levels were consistently downregulated in articular cartilage of OA patients compared to healthy individuals. Conclusions: A serum miRNA signature was established for the first time using high density resolution miR-arrays in OA patients. We identified a three-miRNA signature, hsa-miR-140-3p, hsa-miR-671-3p, and hsa-miR-33b-3p, in the serum of OA patients, predicted to regulate metabolic processes, which could serve as a potential biomarker for the evaluation of OA risk and progression.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio