Preparation and characterization of novel polymer-based gel electrolyte for dye-sensitized solar cells based on poly(vinylidene fluoride-cohexafluoropropylene) and poly(acrylonitrile-cobutadiene) or poly(dimethylsiloxane) bis(3-aminopropyl) copolymers

Polymer gel electrolytes based on poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) and poly(acrylonitrile-co-butadiene) (PAB) or poly(dimethylsiloxane) bis(3-aminopropyl)-terminated (PDES-bAP) copolymers were prepared and investigated in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Selected optical and electrochemical properties of all compositions with various ratio from 9:1 to 6:4 were investigated towards DSSC applications. The highest value of power conversion efficiency equal to 5.07% was found for DSSCs containing a PVDF-HPF:PAB (9:1) gel electrolyte. Compositions of electrolytes were additionally tested by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The influence of the ratio and type of polymers used as an additive to PVDF-HPF on absorption wavelengths, energy gap, and Highest Occupied Molecular Orbital (HOMO) and Lowest Unoccupied Molecular Orbital (LUMO) levels were investigated. Individual components of DSSCs, such as the TiO2 layer and platinum nanoparticles, were imaged by scanning electron microscope. Finally, a DSSC module with six electrically separated solar cells with a 7 × 80 mm2 active area was constructed based on gel electrolytes and tested. © 2020 by the authors

Analysis of the immune response of calves to various saponin-based adjuvants for an experimental Mycoplasma bovis vaccine

Mycoplasma bovis is a primary infectious agent of many disorders in cattle including bovine respiratory disease. No commercial vaccines against M. bovis are available in Europe. The immune response of calves to three saponin-based adjuvants combined with a field Polish M. bovis strain was evaluated. Four groups of six calves each were injected subcutaneously with the M. bovis strain combined with either saponin, saponin + Emulsigen®, saponin + Emulsigen® + alphatocopherol acetate, or with phosphate-buffered saline as control group. Blood and nasal swab samples were collected up to day 84 post injection. All formulations effectively stimulated the humoral and the cellular immune response of the calves, but the course of the response depended on the adjuvant formulation. These immunological data provide additional information supporting the findings of previous M. bovis saponin and Emulsigen® vaccine challenge studies to facilitate the development of successful M. bovis vaccines

Female terminalia morphology and cladistic relations among Tok-Tok beetles (Tenebrionidae: Sepidiini)

Tok-tokkies are one of the most iconic lineages within Tenebrionidae. In addition to containing some of the largest darkling beetles, this tribe is recognized for its remarkable form of sexual communication known as substrate tapping. Nevertheless, the phylogenetic relationships within the group remain poorly understood. This study investigates the usefulness of female terminalia morphology for delimiting Sepidiini and reconstructing relationships among it. Data on the structure of the ovipositors, genital tubes and spicula ventrali have been generated for >200 species representing 28 Pimeliinae tribes. This dataset was used in a comparative analysis at the subfamilial level, which resulted in recognition of several unique features of tok-tokkie terminalia. Additionally, new features linking phenotypically challenging tribes also were recovered (Cryptochilini + Idisiini + Pimeliini).Secondly, 23 characters linked to the structure of female terminalia were defined for tok-tok beetles. Cladistic analysis demonstrates the nonmonophyletic nature of most of the recognized subtribes. The morphological dataset was analysed separately and in combination with available molecular data (CAD, Wg, cox1, cox2, 28S). All obtained topologies were largely congruent, supporting the following changes: Palpomodina Kaminski & Gearner subtr.n. is erected to accommodate the genera Namibomodes and Palpomodes; Argenticrinis and Bombocnodulus are transferred from Hypomelina to Molurina; 153 species and subspecies previously classified within Psammodes are distributed over three separate genera (Mariazofia Kaminski nom.n., Piesomera stat.r., Psammodes sens.n.). Psammodes sklodowskae Kaminski & Gearner sp.n. is described. Preliminary investigation of the ovipositor of Mariazofia basuto (Koch) comb.n. was carried out with the application of microcomputed tomography, illuminating the muscular system as a reliable reference point for recognizing homologous elements in highly modified ovipositors.Funding was provided by the National Science Centre, Poland (OPUS-19 Project 2020/37/B/NZ8/02496) and National Science Foundation (DEB-1754630/2009247)Peer reviewe

Interpretation of the tribes Opatrini and Pedinini (sensu Iwan 2004) versus subfamily Opatrinae (sensu Koch 1956 and Medvedev 1968) and "opatrine lineage" (sensu Doyen and Tschinkel 1982)

The studies of the male genitalia and other structures of the tribe Platynotini and subfamily Opatrinae (sensu Medvedev 1968) presented by Iwan (2001, 2002, 2004) gave the following conclusions : (1) the shape of clypeus and structure of female genitalia present the high level of differentiation ; (2) the above-mentioned characters are not appropriate to distinguishing the monophyletic taxa (subfamily Opatrinae sensu Medvedev, opatrine lineage sensu Doyen and Tschinkel) ; (3) Pedinini and Opatrini are hypothetical monophyletic taxa (division based on the structure of trochanter and aedeagus).Les études des organes génitaux masculins et d'autres structures de la tribu des Platynotini et de la sous-famille des Opatrinae (sensu Medvedev 1968) présentées par Iwan (2001, 2002, 2004) ont donné les conclusions suivantes : (1) la forme du clypeus et la structure des organes génitaux femelles présentent un niveau élevé de différenciation ; (2) les caractères mentionnés ci-dessus ne sont pas appropriés pour distinguer les taxa monophyletic (sous-famille des Opatrinae sensu Medvedev, opatrine lineage sensu Doyen and Tschinkel) ; (3) Pedinini et Opatrini sont des taxa monophylétiques hypothétiques (division basée sur la structure du trochanter et de l'édéage).Iwan Dariusz. Interpretation of the tribes Opatrini and Pedinini (sensu Iwan 2004) versus subfamily Opatrinae (sensu Koch 1956 and Medvedev 1968) and "opatrine lineage" (sensu Doyen and Tschinkel 1982). In: Cahiers scientifiques du Muséum d'histoire naturelle de Lyon - Centre de conservation et d'étude des collections, tome 10, 2006. pp. 71-74

Interpretation of the tribes Opatrini and Pedinini (sensu Iwan 2004) versus subfamily Opatrinae (sensu Koch 1956 and Medvedev 1968) and "opatrine lineage" (sensu Doyen and Tschinkel 1982)

The studies of the male genitalia and other structures of the tribe Platynotini and subfamily Opatrinae (sensu Medvedev 1968) presented by Iwan (2001, 2002, 2004) gave the following conclusions : (1) the shape of clypeus and structure of female genitalia present the high level of differentiation ; (2) the above-mentioned characters are not appropriate to distinguishing the monophyletic taxa (subfamily Opatrinae sensu Medvedev, opatrine lineage sensu Doyen and Tschinkel) ; (3) Pedinini and Opatrini are hypothetical monophyletic taxa (division based on the structure of trochanter and aedeagus).Les études des organes génitaux masculins et d'autres structures de la tribu des Platynotini et de la sous-famille des Opatrinae (sensu Medvedev 1968) présentées par Iwan (2001, 2002, 2004) ont donné les conclusions suivantes : (1) la forme du clypeus et la structure des organes génitaux femelles présentent un niveau élevé de différenciation ; (2) les caractères mentionnés ci-dessus ne sont pas appropriés pour distinguer les taxa monophyletic (sous-famille des Opatrinae sensu Medvedev, opatrine lineage sensu Doyen and Tschinkel) ; (3) Pedinini et Opatrini sont des taxa monophylétiques hypothétiques (division basée sur la structure du trochanter et de l'édéage).Iwan Dariusz. Interpretation of the tribes Opatrini and Pedinini (sensu Iwan 2004) versus subfamily Opatrinae (sensu Koch 1956 and Medvedev 1968) and "opatrine lineage" (sensu Doyen and Tschinkel 1982). In: Cahiers scientifiques du Muséum d'histoire naturelle de Lyon - Centre de conservation et d'étude des collections, tome 10, 2006. pp. 71-74

<strong>A second species of the genus <em>Helibatus</em> Mulsant &amp; Rey, 1859 (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Opatrina)</strong>

Iwan, Dariusz, Schimrosczyk, David (2013): A second species of the genus Helibatus Mulsant &amp; Rey, 1859 (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Opatrina). Zootaxa 3626 (4): 569-575, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3626.4.1

Larvae of the genus Anomalipus Latreille, 1846 (Coleoptera : Tenebronidae)

The immature stages of the 1 1 species of the genus Anomalipus Latreille, 1846 were presented on base of the material preserved in the Transvaal Museum in Pretoria (33 eggs and 152 larvae). The materials were collected in the natural conditions (larvae with adults association) or came from the beetles-breeding. The following larval characters distinguished the genus Anomalipus : (1) subdivided sensorium surrounding the base of the apical antennomere ; (2) deep holes places on the epicranial plate of head and lateral part of prothorax ; (3) anal segment smooth, conical, with ninth sternum extremely reduced. The results of the presented studies are not confirmed Schultze's (1978) informations of antennal structures and divisions of the Anomalipus species based on the adults (Endrôdy-Younga 1988). The high level of homogenous larval structures of the Anomalipus make its useless for species describing and grouping.Les larves de 11 espèces du genre Anomalipus Latreille, 1846 sont examinées. Les spécimens viennent du Transvaal Museum de Pretoria (33 œufs et 152 larves). Le matériel a été recueilli sur le terrain ou bien vient de l'élevage. Les caractéristiques mentionnées ci-dessous sont typiques pour les stades larvaires du genre Anomalipus : 1) plage sensorielle (sensorium) entourant la base de l'article apicale de l'antenne divisée ; 2) "profonds orifices" situés sur l'épicrâne et sur le prothorax ; 3) segment anal glabre avec le neuvième sternite fortement réduit. Les résultats des recherches présentées ne confirment ni les informations données par Schultze (1978) concernant la structure des antennes ni la division des espèces du genre Anomalipus basée sur les adultes publié par Endrôdy-Younga (1988). Le degré élevé d'homogénéité de la morphologie des larves d 'Anomalipus rend impossible le groupement et la description des espèces.Iwan Dariusz, Banaszkiewicz Malgorzata. Larvae of the genus Anomalipus Latreille, 1846 (Coleoptera : Tenebronidae). In: Cahiers scientifiques du Muséum d'histoire naturelle de Lyon - Centre de conservation et d'étude des collections, tome 10, 2006. pp. 127-131

The concept of work organisation in a scientific institution - surveys and studies from the occupation period (1941-1942) at the State Zoological Museum in Warsaw

During the Second World War, the State Zoological Museum in Warsaw (PMZ) suffered severe losses. Many workers were killed, and parts of the zoological and book collections were stolen by the Germans as early as 1939. The Museum became an important centre of the resistance movement, as it became a storage for weapons, explosives, and chemicals used for sabotage. Despite the repressions, the Museum employees tried to continue their work under the occupation and developed a modern model for the functioning of this institution to be implemented after the war. In the archives of the Museum and Institute of Zoology, a folder was found containing the documentation of the surveys conducted in 1941-1942 on the organisation of work and the future structure of the PMZ. This article presents the first analysis of these documents, which turned out to be a valuable source of information on the functioning of scientific institutions during the occupation, as well as on the history of the PMZ itself

Revision of the genus Heliopates Dejean, 1834 (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae). I: The species of the Iberian Peninsula, the Balearics and Sicily)

[ES] Las especies del género Heliopates Dejean, 1834 de las colecciones históricas de J. W. F. Herbst (Museo de Berlín), del Deutsche Entomologische Institut, de C. P. Thunberg (Museum of Evolution, Universidad de Uppsala) y de Claude Rey (Centre de Conservation et Etude des Collections, Lyon) se comparan con los tipos y ejemplares de este género, conservados en la colección de E. Marseul (Muséum national d´Histoire naturelle, Paris) y la de A. Chevrolat (Naturhistoriska riksmuseet, Estocolmo, y Zoological Museum, Universidad de Glasgow). Se ha confrontado este material histórico con ejemplares depositados en los museos alemanes determinados por Edmund Reitter y Adrian Schuster, y con materiales determinados por Español & Viñolas (1983) del Museo de Nacional de Ciencias Naturales de Madrid, del Museo de Zoología de Barcelona y de la colección Julio Ferrer (Haninge, Suecia). Se describen cuatro nuevas especies: Heliopates sprecherae n. sp. de Portugal, Madrid y noroeste de España, Heliopates castrotovari n. sp. de Albacete y Jaén, Heliopates martinezi n. sp. de Murcia, y Heliopates torresmendezi n. sp. de Cádiz. Se rehabilita una especie descrita como variedad de Heliopates agrestis Mulsant & Rey, 1854: Heliopates striatoforatus Mulsant y Rey, 1854 stat. nov. = Heliopathes agrestis v. striatoforatus Mulsant & Rey, 1854, redescrita como Olocrates sulcipennis Reitter, 1904 syn. nov.; Heliopates (s. str.) perroudi Mulsant, 1854 es una especie válida. Se designa un lectotipo de Heliopates (s. str.) perroudi Mulsant para asegurar la validez taxonómica de esta especie. Heliopates (s. str.) simulans Chevrolat, 1865 es una especie válida, no un sinónimo de Heliopates (s. str.) perroudi, Mulsant 1854 ni de Heliopates (s. str.) ibericus Mulsant, 1854. Heliopates luctuosus (Le Pelletier & Audinet de Serville, 1825) y Heliopates rupestris Mulsant & Rey, 1854 son dos especies válidas. Se constatan tres nuevas sinonimias a la vista de los tipos: Heliopates interstitialis Mulsant & Rey, 1854 es Heliopathes strigicollis Baudi, 1875 syn. nov.; Heliopates avarus ambiguus Baudi 1875 syn. nov. es idéntico a H. avarus neptunius Baudi, 1875, no a H. avarus avarus Mulsant & Rey, 1854; Heliopathes pujeti Español, 1951 syn. nov, es un sinónimo de Heliopathes balearicus Español, 1951. Heliopates ilerdensis (Español & Viñolas, 1981) comb. nov. es transferido del género Phylan Dejean, 1821 al género Heliopates Dejean, 1834 a causa de sus caracteres congenéricos. Se dan claves con figuras y fotografías del material estudiado para identificar todos los táxones.[EN] The species belonging to the genus Heliopates Dejean, 1834 are revised. The species of this genus found in the historical collections of J. F. W. Herbst (Museum für Naturkunde, Humboldt University, Berlin), Deutsche Entomologische Institut, of C. P. Thunberg (Museum of Evolution, Uppsala University) and Claude Rey (Centre de Conservation et Etude des Collections, Lyon), are compared with types or other specimens from the collection of E. Marseul (Muséum national d´Histoire naturelle, Paris) and that of Auguste Chevrolat (Naturhistoriska riksmuseet, Stockholm, and Zoological Museum of Glasgow University). This historical material has been compared with specimens identified by Edmund Reitter and Adrian Schuster, kept in German institutions, and with material identified by Español & Viñolas (1983) from the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (Madrid), from Barcelona’s Museum of Zoology and from the Julio Ferrer collection (Haninge, Sweden). Four new species are described: Heliopates sprecherae n. sp. from Portugal, Madrid and north-western Spain, Heliopates castrotovari n. sp. from Albacete and Jaen, Heliopates martinezi n. sp. from Murcia and Heliopates torresmendezi n. sp. from Cadiz. A valid species described as a variety of Heliopates agrestis Mulsant & Rey, 1854 is redescribed: Heliopates striatoforatus Mulsant & Rey, 1854 stat. nov. = Heliopathes agrestis v. striatoforatus Mulsant & Rey, 1854, redescribed as Olocrates sulcipenis Reitter, 1904, syn. nov.; Heliopates (s. str.) perroudi Mulsant, 1854 is found to be a valid species. A lectotype of Heliopates (s. str.) perroudi Mulsant is designated to guarantee the taxonomic value of this species. Heliopates (s. str.) simulans Chevrolat, 1865 is found to be a valid species, not a synonym of Heliopates (s. str.) perroudi, Mulsant, 1854 or of Heliopates (s. str.) ibericus Mulsant, 1854. Heliopates luctuosus (Le Pelletier & Audinet de Serville, 1825) and Heliopates rupestris Mulsant & Rey, 1854 are two valid species. Three new synonyms are established: Heliopates interstitialis Mulsant & Rey, 1854 is Heliopathes strigicollis Baudi, 1875 syn. nov.; Heliopates avarus ambiguus Baudi 1875 syn. nov. is identical with H. avarus neptunius Baudi, 1875, not with H. avarus avarus Mulsant & Rey, 1854; Heliopathes pujeti Español, 1951 syn. nov, is a junior synonym of Heliopathes balearicus Español, 1951. Phylan ilerdensis (Español & Viñolas) is transferred from the genus Phylan Dejean, 1821 to the genus Heliopates Mulsant & Rey, 1854, because of its congeneric characters: the name Heliopates ilerdensis (Español & Viñolas, 1981) comb. nov. is proposed. Keys with figures and photographs are given to identify all species.Este trabajo ha recibido apoyo a Julio Ferrer de Synthesys Project PL TAF 5654 and PL TAF 882 para visitar las colecciones del Museo e Instituto de Zoología, de Varsovia y ESTAF 287 para visitar el Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales de Madrid, (http://www.synthesys.info/), financiado por el Programa de Investigación científica de la Comunidad Europea, para el estudio de las infraestructuras, FP6 "Estructuración del Programa de Investigación Europea (European Community Research Infrastructure Action under the FP6 “Structuring the European Research Area Programme”).Peer reviewe