Diversity and distribution of type specimens deposited in the Invertebrate section of the Museum of Zoology QCAZ, Quito, Ecuador

The Invertebrate section of the Museum of Zoology QCAZ at the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador in Quito maintains nearly two million curated specimens, and comprises Ecuador's largest collection of native taxa. We review 1902 type specimens from 6 subspecies and 320 species in 121 genera and 42 families, currently kept in the Museum. The list includes 116 holotypes, 10 allotypes, 1774 paratypes and 2 neoparatypes. The collection of type specimens is particularly strong in the Coleoptera (family Carabidae and Staphylinidae) and Hymenoptera. However, other insect orders such as Diptera and Lepidoptera and non-insect arthropods such as Acari, Aranea and Scorpiones, are moderately represented in the collection. This report provides original data from labels of every type specimen record. An analysis of the geographic distribution of type localities showed that collection sites are clustered geographically with most of them found towards the northern region of Ecuador, in Pichincha, Cotopaxi and Napo provinces. Sites are mainly located in highly accessible areas near highways and towns. Localities with a high number of type species include the cloud forest reserve Bosque Integral Otonga and Parque Nacional Yasuni in the Amazon rainforest near PUCE's Yasuni Scientific Station. Type localities are not well represented in the Ecuadorian National System of Protected Areas. Future fieldwork should include localities in the southern region of Ecuador but also target less accessible areas not located near highways or towns. We discuss the value of the collection as a source of information for conservation and biodiversity policies in Ecuador

Mediation of Problematic Use in the Relationship Between Types of Internet Use and Subjective Well-Being in Schoolchildren

Indexación: ScopusSubjective well-being is a broad category of phenomena that includes people’s emotional responses, domain satisfactions, and global judgments of life satisfaction. This research investigates how schoolchildren’s subjective well-being is affected by the different types of technology use, in personal contexts, and, concurrently, whether these effects are different when the use of technology is problematic. The central hypotheses are as follows: (1) the use of the Internet affects the subjective well-being of schoolchildren negatively only when this use is problematic and (2) the effect on subjective well-being is different according to the type of Internet use. To respond to the objectives of the research, a survey was applied to 15-year-old adolescents (2,579 cases), distributed in 330 public schools, beneficiaries of a government program for the delivery of personal computers and Internet for a year. The different uses of the Internet were measured using frequency scales by type of activity (social, recreational, and educational). Problematic use scale measured the perception of negative consequences of the intensity of Internet use on a daily basis. Subjective well-being was measured by the Personal Well-Being Index-School Children (PWI-SC). Subsequently, for analytical purposes, three simple mediation models were created, whose dependent variable was PWI-SC, while its independent variables were Internet use scales differentiated by purpose (social, recreational, and educational) and problematic use as a mediating variable, as well as attributes of the subjects and their social environment, which were incorporated as control variables. The main results show that only if Internet use is expressed as problematic does it negatively affect subjective well-being. On the contrary, when the use of the Internet is not problematic, the effect is positive and even greater than the simple effect (without mediation) between these two variables. This finding is relevant, since it allows us to provide evidence that suggests that, when studying the effect that the intensity of the Internet, firstly, one must consider the mediating effect exerted by the network’s problematic use and, secondly, that not all types of use have the same impact. Therefore, it is useful to enrich the discussion on subjective well-being and social integration of schoolchildren in the digital age. © Copyright © 2021 Donoso, Casas, Rubio and Céspedes.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.641178/ful

The macroecology of chemical communication in lizards: do climatic factors drive the evolution of signalling glands?

Chemical communication plays a pivotal role in shaping sexual and ecological interactions among animals. In lizards, fundamental mechanisms of sexual selection such as female mate choice have rarely been shown to be influenced by quantitative phenotypic traits (e.g., ornaments), while chemical signals have been found to potentially influence multiple forms of sexual and social interactions, including mate choice and territoriality. Chemical signals in lizards are secreted by glands primarily located on the edge of the cloacae (precloacal glands, PG) and thighs (femoral glands), and whose interspecific and interclade number ranges from 0 to >100. However, elucidating the factors underlying the evolution of such remarkable variation remains an elusive endeavour. Competing hypotheses suggest a dominant role for phylogenetic conservatism (i.e., species within clades share similar numbers of glands) or for natural selection (i.e., their adaptive diversification results in deviating numbers of glands from ancestors). Using the prolific Liolaemus lizard radiation from South America (where precloacal glands vary from 0-14), we present one of the largest-scale tests of both hypotheses to date. Based on climatic and phylogenetic modelling, we show a clear role for both phylogenetic inertia and adaptation underlying gland variation: (i) solar radiation, net primary productivity, topographic heterogeneity and precipitation range have a significant effect on number of PG variation, (ii) humid and cold environments tend to concentrate species with a higher number of glands, (iii) there is a strong phylogenetic signal that tends to conserve the number of PG within clades. Collectively, our study confirms that the inertia of niche conservatism can be broken down by the need of species facing different selection regimes to adjust their glands to suit the demands of their specific environments

How do ICP variants perform when used for scan matching terrain point clouds?

Many variants of the Iterative Closest Point (ICP) algorithm have been proposed for registering point clouds. This paper explores the performance of 20,736 ICP variants applied to the registration of point clouds for the purpose of terrain mapping, using data obtained from a mobile platform. The methodology of the study has involved taking sequences of 100 consecutive scans at three distinct scenes along the route of a mining haul truck operating in a typical surface mining environment. The scan sequences were obtained at 20 Hz from a Velodyne HDL-64E mounted on the truck. The aim is to understand how well the ICP variants perform in consolidating these scans into sub-maps. Variants are compared against three metrics: accuracy, precision, and relative computational cost. The main finding of the paper is that none of the variants is simultaneously accurate, precise, and fast to compute, across all three scenes. The best performing variants employed strategies that filtered the data sets, used local surface geometry in the form normals, and used the distance between points in one point cloud to a corresponding surface from a reference point cloud as a measure of the fit between two point clouds. The significance of this work is that it: (i) provides guidance in the construction of ICP variants for terrain mapping; and (ii) identifies the significant limitations of existing ICP variants for this application

Efecto del laboreo sobre la biomasa de Eucalyptus globulus en el Suroeste de España

The aim of the study was to asses the plough effects in the above and below ground biomass Eucalyptus globulus plantations. At the same time the root damage was evaluated. The project was carried out in two experimental stands, three trees were chosen by stand and plought treatment. The above ground biomass was determining harvesting the tree. The coarse and fine root were evaluated in 3.6 and 0.688 m3 of soil volume, respectively. Furthermore the root damage were analized in 50 trees. Afterward the predawn leaf water potential were determining in plough and unplough trees. The total above ground biomass have not statistical differences between treatments. The coarse roots represent a high percentage of the below ground biomass and the fine root biomass is higher near the stump. The plough effect was concentrated within the 0-20 cm soil profile. In the plough assay the amount of fine root was higher in the undisturbed than in ploughed soil. Greater part of more superficial fine roots were cuted and linearly decrease the predawn leaf water potential when increase the root damage.El objetivo del estudio fue determinar los efectos del laboreo sobre la biomasa aérea y radical de los árboles, además de evaluar el daño a nivel radical que produce esta práctica en plantaciones de Eucalyptus globulus ubicados en la Provincia de Huelva. El trabajo se realizó en dos rodales y se escogieron tres árboles por tratamiento y rodal. La biomasa aérea se determinó cosechando la totalidad del árbol. Las raíces gruesas y finas se evaluaron en un volumen de suelo de 3,6 y 0,688 m3 respectivamente. Además se analizó el daño que el laboreo produce a las raíces, para ello se analizaron 50 árboles. Luego, se determinó el potencial hídrico de los árboles, tanto en el sector no laboreado como en el laboreado. La biomasa aérea total, no presenta diferencias entre los tratamientos. Las raíces gruesas representan un alto porcentaje de la biomasa subterránea y la biomasa de raíces finas es mayor en la proximidad del tocón. El efecto del laboreo se concentra en los primeros 20 cm del perfil de suelo y en los sectores no laboreados del tratamiento de laboreo hay una mayor cantidad de raíces finas que en los sectores laboreados. Las raíces finas más superficiales en su mayoría son cortadas y el potencial hídrico disminuye linealmente al aumentar el daño a las raíces

Constructing a WISE High Resolution Galaxy Atlas

After eight months of continuous observations, the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mapped the entire sky at 3.4 {\mu}m, 4.6 {\mu}m, 12 {\mu}m and 22 {\mu}m. We have begun a dedicated WISE High Resolution Galaxy Atlas (WHRGA) project to fully characterize large, nearby galaxies and produce a legacy image atlas and source catalogue. Here we summarize the deconvolution technique used to significantly improve the spatial resolution of WISE imaging, specifically designed to study the internal anatomy of nearby galaxies. As a case study, we present results for the galaxy NGC 1566, comparing the WISE super-resolution image processing to that of Spitzer, GALEX and ground-based imaging. The is the first paper in a two part series; results for a much larger sample of nearby galaxies is presented in the second paper.Comment: Published in the AJ (2012, AJ, 144, 68

Antiproliferative activity of yatein isolated from Austrocedrus chilensis against murine myeloma cells: Cytological studies and chemical investigations

Context: Fitzroya cupressoides (Molina) I. M. Johnst. and Austrocedrus chilensis (D. Don) Pic.Serm. & Bizzarri are two Chilean Cupressaceae that are naturally resistant to biodegradation. Secondary metabolites from these species display a variety of biological activities. Objective: To evaluate the antiproliferative activity of two lignans, a diterpene and a flavonol isolated from A. chilensis and F. cupressoides, to elucidate their cytological effects on P3X murine myeloma cells. Materials and methods: The antiproliferative activity of yatein, isotaxiresinol, ferruginol, and isorhamnetin was evaluated in vitro using the MTT assay. The effect of yatein at the cellular level, due to its high antiproliferative activity was evaluated. P3X cells treated for 24 h with 12.5 and 25 \u3bcg/mL of yatein were also examined at the cytological level using immunofluorescence and scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Results: Yatein, a lignan isolated from A. chilensis, potentially inhibited P3X murine myeloma cell proliferation, resulting in approximately 75% cell death in response to a 25 \u3bcg/mL treatment with the lignan. P3X cells lost membrane integrity at the nuclear and cytoplasmic levels, including organelles, in response to yatein treatment (12.5 \u3bcg/mL), and we observed changes in the cytoplasmic organization and distribution of microtubules. The other compounds tested had low activity. Discussion and conclusions: Yatein is a lignan precursor of podophyllotoxin, a key agent in anticancer drugs. Due to its structural similarities to podophyllotoxin, yatein could have similar cytoplasmic target(s), such as the microtubular apparatus. These findings suggest that yatein may be of potential pharmacological interest and warrants further investigation in human cell lines