Notes on the Fauna of the Pterostichus Ground beetle in and around the Hiruzen Experimental Forest

鳥取大学蒜山演習林の生物多様性調査の一環として、同演習林および周辺地域でナガゴミムシ類Pterostichus (s.str) (Coleoptera, Carabidae)のチョウサを実施した。2001年～2002年にかけて、演習林内および周辺地域でピットフォールトラップを用いた採集を実施し、7種のナガゴミムシ類を採集した

Low-power display system enabled by combining oxide semiconductor and neural network technologies

An oxide semiconductor (OS)-based field effect transistor (OSFET) exhibits the advantage of having an extremely low off-state current; moreover, the OSFET displays an off-state current that is ten orders of magnitude lower than that of a CMOS-FET [1]. Recently, numerous applications that harness this feature have been reported [2]. For instance, charge leakage from a data retention node of a pixel significantly decreases when the display incorporates OSFETs in its pixel circuit (OS display) [3, 4]. This minimizes degradation in the image quality when the displayed image is static despite using lower refresh rates. Consequently, the consumed power of the display driver circuit can be reduced by a large margin. This driving method is termed idling stop (IDS) driving. The OSFET’s low-leakage can also effectively enable a type of ULSICs that we term OS-large-scale integrated circuits (OSLSI) [5, 6]. Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract

Investigating subtle changes in facial expression to assess acute pain in Japanese macaques

Changes in facial expression provide cues for assessing emotional states in mammals and may provide non-verbal signals of pain. This study uses geometric morphometrics (GMM) to explore the facial shape variation in female Japanese macaques who underwent experimental laparotomy. Face image samples were collected from video footage of fourteen macaques before surgery and 1, 3, and 7 days after the procedure. Image samples in the pre-surgical condition were considered pain-free, and facial expressions emerging after surgery were investigated as potential indicators of pain. Landmarks for shape analysis were selected based on the underlying facial musculature and their corresponding facial action units and then annotated in 324 pre-surgical and 750 post-surgical images. The expression of pain is likely to vary between individuals. Tightly closed eyelids or squeezed eyes and lip tension were the most commonly observed facial changes on day 1 after surgery (p < 0.01974). A good overall inter-rater reliability [ICC = 0.99 (95% CI 0.75–1.0)] was observed with the method. The study emphasizes the importance of individualized assessment and provides a better understanding of facial cues to pain for captive macaque care

Lurking in the dark: cryptic Strongyloides in a Bornean slow loris

Within host communities, related species are more likely to share common parasitic agents, and as a result, morphological similarities have led researchers to conclude that parasites infecting closely related hosts within a community represent a single species. However, genetic diversity within parasite genera and host range remain poorly investigated in most systems. Strongyloides is a genus of soil-transmitted nematode that has been reported from several primate species in Africa and Asia, and has been estimated to infect hundreds of millions of people worldwide, although no precise estimates are available. Here we describe a case of infection with a cryptic species of Strongyloides in a Bornean (Philippine) slow loris (Nycticebus menagensis) living within a diverse community of several primate species in the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary, Malaysian Borneo. Fresh fecal samples were collected from five primate species and nematode larvae cultured from these samples were selected for phylogenetic analyses. Sequences obtained for most larvae were identified as S. fuelleborni, grouping into three different clusters and showing no aggregation within specific hosts or geographic location. In contrast, a set of parasite sequences obtained from a slow loris clustered closely with S. stercoralis into a different group, being genetically distinct to sequences reported from other primate hosts, humans included. Our results suggest that although S. fuelleborni infects all haplorrhines sampled in this primate community, a different species might be infecting the slow loris, the only strepsirrhine in Borneo and one of the least studied primates in the region. Although more data are needed to support this conclusion, we propose that Strongyloides species in primates might be more diverse than previously thought, with potential implications for ecological and evolutionary host-parasite associations, as well as epidemiological dynamics

A pinworm's tale: The evolutionary history of Lemuricola (Protenterobius) nycticebi

Lemuricola (Protenterobius) nycticebi is the only pinworm species known to infect strepsirrhine primates outside Africa, and the only pinworm species yet described in slow lorises. Here, we provided a detailed morphological comparison of female and male worms, and a first description of fourth-stage larvae collected from free-living slow lorises (Nycticebus menagensis) in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. Using mitochondrial and nuclear markers, we also reconstructed the species' phylogenetic relationship with other pinworms infecting primates. Both morphological and molecular results indicated a distinct association between L. (P.) nycticebi and its host. However, while taxonomy identified this species as a member of the Lemuricola clade and grouped pinworms infecting lemurs and slow lorises together, phylogenetic reconstruction split them, placing L. (P.) nycticebi within the Enterobius clade. Our results suggest that L. (P.) nycticebi may represent a different taxon altogether, and that it is more closely related to pinworm species infecting Old World primates outside Madagascar. Pongobius pongoi (Foitová et al., 2008) n. comb. is also proposed

Parasite community structure in sympatric Bornean primates

Parasites are important components of ecosystems, influencing trophic networks, competitive interactions and biodiversity patterns. Nonetheless, we are not nearly close to disentangling their complex roles in natural systems. Southeast Asia falls within global areas targeted as most likely to source parasites with zoonotic potential, where high rates of land conversion and fragmentation have altered the circulation of wildlife species and their parasites, potentially resulting in altered host-parasite systems. Although the overall biodiversity in the region predicts equally high, or even higher, parasite diversity, we know surprisingly little about wild primate parasites, even though this constitutes the first step towards a more comprehensive understanding of parasite transmission processes. Here, we characterise the gastrointestinal helminth parasite assemblages of a community of Bornean primates living along the Kinabatangan floodplain in Sabah (Malaysian Borneo), including two species endemic to the island. Through parasitological analyses, and by using several measures of parasite infection as proxies for parasite diversity and distribution, we show that (i) most parasite taxonomic groups are not limited to a single host, suggesting a greater flexibility for habitat disturbance, (ii) parasite infracommunities of nocturnal primates differ from their diurnal counterparts, reflecting both phylogenetic and ecological constraints, and (iii) soil-transmitted helminths such as whipworm, threadworm and nodule worm are widespread across the primate community. This study also provides new parasite records for southern pig-tailed macaques (Macaca nemestrina), silvered langurs (Trachypithecus cristatus) and Western tarsiers (Cephalopachus bancanus) in the wild, while adding to the limited records for the other primate species in the community. Given the information gap regarding primate-parasite associations in the region, the information presented here should prove relevant for future studies of parasite biodiversity and infectious disease ecology in Asia and elsewhere

Risk factors and prevalence of taeniasis among the Karen people of Tha Song Yang District, Tak Province, Thailand

Taeniasis remains a prevalent public health problem in Thailand. National helminthiasis surveys report only the incidence of Taenia spp. eggs. The ability to differentiate Taenia species using morphological and molecular techniques is vital for epidemiological surveys. This study detected taeniasis carriers and other helminthic infections by Kato’s thick smear technique and identified the Taenia species by multiplex PCR. The study subjects were the ethnic Karen people in Tha Song Yang District, Tak Province, Thailand, bordering Myanmar. In total, 983 faecal samples from villagers were examined for helminthiases. Interview-based questionnaires were used to gather information on possible risk factors for infection. The prevalence of helminth infections was 42.7% (420/983), including single (37.3%, 367/983) and mixed infections (5.4%, 53/983). The most common infection (19.23%, 189/983) was Ascaris lumbricoides, whereas taeniasis carriers comprised 2.8% (28/983). Multiplex PCR of Cox1 was used for species identification of Taenia tapeworms, eggs, or both in 22 taeniasis carriers. Most of the parasites (20 cases) were Taenia solium, with two cases of Taenia saginata. Taenia saginata asiatica was not found in the villagers examined. The analysis of 314 completed questionnaires showed that a statistically significant (p < 0.05) risk of taeniasis was correlated with being male, a history of being allowed to forage during childhood, a history of seeing tapeworm proglottids, and a history of raw or undercooked pork consumption. Health education programmes must seek to reduce and prevent reinfection in these communities

Problems in three Japanese drug users with Human Immunodeficiency Virus infection

Numbers of individuals infected with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) are increasing in Japan. The majority of them are Men who have sex with men and a part of them take drugs as ‘Sex drug’ at their sexual intercourse. Especially, Amyl nitrite, Methamphetamine, 5-methoxy-N, N-diisopropyltryptamine (5-MeO-DIPT Foxy), and 3, 4- methylenedioxy- methamphetamine (MDMA Ecstasy) are used, and they sometimes cause the physical and mental disorders. However, the actual drug inducing troubles among Japanese HIV-infected drug users had not yet been discussed enough. In this report, we describe three cases with HIV infection a case developed severe neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) after taking 5-MeO-DIPT, a case with persistent convulsion due to multiple drug intake and a case with rhabdomyolysis due to the nonsubjective methamphetamine intake. Through these cases, we raise and discuss several underlying problems associated with drug use among HIV-infected individuals