The Spin of Holographic Electrons at Nonzero Density and Temperature

We study the Green's function of a gauge invariant fermionic operator in a strongly coupled field theory at nonzero temperature and density using a dual gravity description. The gravity model contains a charged black hole in four dimensional anti-de Sitter space and probe charged fermions. In particular, we consider the effects of the spin of these probe fermions on the properties of the Green's function. There exists a spin-orbit coupling between the spin of an electron and the electric field of a Reissner-Nordstrom black hole. On the field theory side, this coupling leads to a Rashba like dispersion relation. We also study the effects of spin on the damping term in the dispersion relation by considering how the spin affects the placement of the fermionic quasinormal modes in the complex frequency plane in a WKB limit. An appendix contains some exact solutions of the Dirac equation in terms of Heun polynomials.Comment: 27 pages, 11 figures; v2: minor changes, published versio

Sharks of the order Carcharhiniformes from the British Coniacian, Santonian and Campanian (Upper Cretaceous).

Bulk sampling of phosphate-rich horizons within the British Coniacian to Campanian (Upper Cretaceous) yielded very large samples of shark and ray teeth. All of these samples yielded teeth of diverse members of the Carcharhiniformes, which commonly dominate the fauna. The following species are recorded and described: Pseudoscyliorhinus reussi (Herman, 1977) comb. nov., Crassescyliorhinus germanicus (Herman, 1982) gen. nov., Scyliorhinus elongatus (Davis, 1887), Scyliorhinus brumarivulensis sp. nov., ? Palaeoscyllium sp., Prohaploblepharus riegrafi (Müller, 1989) gen. nov., ? Cretascyliorhinus sp., Scyliorhinidae inc. sedis 1, Scyliorhinidae inc. sedis 2, Pteroscyllium hermani sp. nov., Protoscyliorhinus sp., Leptocharias cretaceus sp. nov., Palaeogaleus havreensis Herman, 1977, Paratriakis subserratus sp. nov., Paratriakis tenuis sp. nov., Paratriakis sp. indet. and ? Loxodon sp. Taxa belonging to the families ?Proscylliidae, Leptochariidae, and Carcharhinidae are described from the Cretaceous for the first time. The evolutionary and palaeoecological implications of these newly recognised faunas are discussed

Alburnoides manyasensis (Actinopterygii, Cyprinidae), a new species of cyprinid fish from Manyas Lake basin, Turkey

GUCLU, Salim Serkan/0000-0002-9256-449X; Kaya, Cuneyt/0000-0002-4531-798XWOS: 000315765700006PubMed: 23794819Alburnoides manyasensis, sp. n., is described from the Koca Stream (Lake Manyas drainage, Marmara Sea basin) in Anatolia. It is distinguished from all species of Alburnoides in Turkey and adjacent regions, Alburnoides tzanevi (Rezovska [Rezve], Istranca and Terkos streams in the western Black Sea drainage), Alburnoides cf. smyrnae (Banaz Stream, a drainage of Buyuk Menderes River, Aegean Sea basin), Alburnoides fasciatus (streams and rivers in the eastern Black Sea drainage) and Alburnoides eichwaldii (Kura and Aras rivers [a drainage of Kura River], Caspian Sea basin) by a combination of the following characters (none unique to the species): marked hump at nape, especially in specimens larger than 60 mm SL; partly developed ventral keel between pelvic fin and anal fin, scaleless 1/2 to 2/3 its length; body depth at dorsalfin origin 29-32% SL; caudal peduncle depth 11-12% SL; 45-52+ 2-3 lateral-line scales; 9-12 scale rows between lateral line and dorsal-fin origin; 4-5 scale rows between lateral line and anal-fin origin, 101/2-121/2 branched anal-fin rays; 40-42 total vertebrae

Delimitation of Funga as a valid term for the diversity of fungal communities: the Fauna, Flora & Funga proposal (FF&F)

As public policies and conservation requirements for biodiversity evolve there is a need for a term for the kingdom Fungi equivalent to Fauna and Flora. Thisneed is considered to be urgent in order to simplify projects oriented toward implemention of educational and conservation goals. In an informal meeting held duringthe IX Congreso Latinoamericano de Micología by the authors, the idea of clarifying this matter initiated an extensive search of pertinent terminologies. As a result ofthese discussions and reviews, we propose that the word Funga be employed as an accurate and encompassing term for these purposes. This supports the proposal of thethree Fs, Fauna, Flora and Funga, to highlight parallel terminology referring to treatments of these macrorganism of particular geographical areas. Alternative terms andproposals are acknowledged and discussedFil: Kuhar, José Francisco. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; ArgentinaFil: Furci, Giuliana. Fundación Fungi; ChileFil: Drechsler-Santos, Elisandro Ricardo. Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina; BrasilFil: Pfister, Donald H.. Harvard University; Estados Unido

Current and potential geographical distribution of Platymeris biguttatus (Linnaeus, 1767) with description of nymphs

Background: The description of Platymeris biguttatus (Linnaeus 1767) nymphal instars as well as the prediction of the potentially suitable ecological niche was the main goal of this study. Our research was based on 258 specimens of P. biguttatus species of museum collections. A set of 23 environmental predictor variables covering Africa was used at ecological niche modeling - a method performed using the Maxent software to prepare potential distribution maps for this species. Results: The results suggested the most suitable areas seen as potentially suitable ecological niche for P. biguttatus in Africa. A jackknife test showed that temperature seasonality and percentage of tree cover were among the most important environmental variables affecting the distribution of the species. The analysis of climate preferences shows that most of the potentially suitable niches for this species were located in the area of tropical savanna climate, with a small participation of tree vegetation. Conclusions: P. biguttatus was only known to be widely distributed in the tropical part of continental Africa. Thanks to the ecological niche modeling methods and the museum data on the occurrence of the species, we introduced new information about potentially suitable ecological niches and the possible range of distribution

Ethnobotany genomics - discovery and innovation in a new era of exploratory research

We present here the first use of DNA barcoding in a new approach to ethnobotany we coined "ethnobotany genomics". This new approach is founded on the concept of 'assemblage' of biodiversity knowledge, which includes a coming together of different ways of knowing and valorizing species variation in a novel approach seeking to add value to both traditional knowledge (TK) and scientific knowledge (SK). We employed contemporary genomic technology, DNA barcoding, as an important tool for identifying cryptic species, which were already recognized ethnotaxa using the TK classification systems of local cultures in the Velliangiri Hills of India. This research is based on several case studies in our lab, which define an approach to that is poised to evolve quickly with the advent of new ideas and technology. Our results show that DNA barcoding validated several new cryptic plant species to science that were previously recognized by TK classifications of the Irulas and Malasars, and were lumped using SK classification. The contribution of the local aboriginal knowledge concerning plant diversity and utility in India is considerable; our study presents new ethnomedicine to science. Ethnobotany genomics can also be used to determine the distribution of rare species and their ecological requirements, including traditional ecological knowledge so that conservation strategies can be implemented. This is aligned with the Convention on Biological Diversity that was signed by over 150 nations, and thus the world's complex array of human-natural-technological relationships has effectively been re-organized

DNA Barcoding Reveals Cryptic Diversity in Lumbricus terrestris L., 1758 (Clitellata): Resurrection of L. herculeus (Savigny, 1826)

The widely studied and invasive earthworm, Lumbricus terrestris L., 1758 has been the subject of nomenclatural debate for many years. However these disputes were not based on suspicions of heterogeneity, but rather on the descriptions and nomenclatural acts associated with the species name. Large numbers of DNA barcode sequences of the cytochrome oxidase I obtained for nominal L. terrestris and six congeneric species reveal that there are two distinct lineages within nominal L. terrestris. One of those lineages contains the Swedish population from which the name-bearing specimen of L. terrestris was obtained. The other contains the population from which the syntype series of Enterion herculeum Savigny, 1826 was collected. In both cases modern and old representatives yielded barcode sequences allowing us to clearly establish that these are two distinct species, as different from one another as any other pair of congeners in our data set. The two are morphologically indistinguishable, except by overlapping size-related characters. We have designated a new neotype for L. terrestris. The newly designated neotype and a syntype of L. herculeus yielded DNA adequate for sequencing part of the cytochrome oxidase I gene (COI). The sequence data make possible the objective determination of the identities of earthworms morphologically identical to L. terrestris and L. herculeus, regardless of body size and segment number. Past work on nominal L. terrestris could have been on either or both species, although L. herculeus has yet to be found outside of Europe

Genetic structure among Charadrius plovers on the African mainland and islands of Madagascar and St Helena

Colonisation of islands by long distance dispersers has great impact on genetic diversification among populations and may spearhead speciation events. We investigated intra‐ and interspecific divergence in Charadrius plovers with populations on mainland Africa, Madagascar and St Helena. We analysed microsatellite loci and sequence data from four nuclear and two mitochondrial gene regions. Charadrius plovers are shorebirds with high dispersal and mobility. Our results confirmed genetic differentiation between Madagascar and mainland populations of three plover species (White‐fronted Plovers, C. marginatus; Kittlitz's Plovers, C. pecuarius; and based on sequence data only, Three‐banded Plovers, C. tricollaris) but highlight substantial variation in levels of intraspecific divergence among the three species. Namely, the Kittlitz's Plover, a dispersive habitat generalist with a polygamous mating system, exhibited lower island‐mainland differentiation (0.05% COI sequence divergence) than two monogamous species, the White‐fronted Plover (0.6% COI divergence) and Three‐banded Plover (1.6% COI divergence). In addition, past colonisation of the islands of St Helena and Madagascar by ancestors of today's Kittlitz's Plover led to the evolution of two endemic island species, the Madagascar Plover C. thoracicus and the more closely‐related St Helena Plover C. sanctaehelenae. We discuss the factors driving species differences in island‐mainland divergence, and highlight the importance of conserving genetically unique island populations and island habitats to safe‐guard future evolutionary potential