The European Robotic Arm: A High-performance Mechanism Finally on Its Way to Space

This paper describes the design and qualification of the European Robotic Arm (ERA), which is planned to be launched by the end of 2015. After years of changes, a shift of launcher and new loads, launch preparation is underway. The European Robotic Arm ERA has been designed and manufactured by Dutch Space and its subcontractors such as Astrium, SABCA and Stork with key roles for the mechanical aspects. The arm was originally designed to be launched by the STS (mounted on a Russian module for the ISS) in 2001. However, due to delays and the STS disaster, a shift was made to the Russian Proton rocket. ERA will be launched on the Multipurpose Laboratory Module (MLM). This module, which is now planned for launch to the ISS in 2015, will carry the ERA. The symmetrical design of the arm with a complete 3 degree-of-freedom wrist and general-purpose end effector on both sides, allows ERA to relocate on the station by grappling a new base point and releasing the old one, and move to different working locations

Females learn from mothers and males learn from others: The effect of mother and siblings on the development of female mate preferences and male aggression biases in Lake Victoria cichlids, genus Mbipia

Animal science

Reproductive isolation between two populations of Aglaoctenus lagotis , a funnel-web wolf spider

Aglaoctenus lagotis (Lycosidae: Sosippinae) is a spider that, in contrast to the predominant wandering habit of the family, constructs funnel webs. The species is widely distributed throughout the Neotropics and is credited with high levels of intraspecific variation. Here, we evaluate whether reproductive isolating barriers operate between some populations of A. lagotis. We used heterotypic encounters between individuals from two distant localities: southern Uruguay (SU) and Central Argentina (CA). Additionally, we used spiders from an ntermediate locality, western Uruguay (WU), where both forms of the species overlap (SU.WU was used to describe individuals from WU reminiscent of those from SU; and CA.WU was used to describe individuals from WU reminiscent of those from CA). No copulations occurred between SU and CA individuals, whereas a single and atypical copulation occurred between SU.WU and CA.WU individuals. Attacks (only by females on males) were rare. In tests of choice based on silk cues, SU males did not prefer homotypic cues but almost did not court CA females, whereas CA males preferred homotypic cues but usually courted heterotypic females. These findings, with a previously reported temporal asynchrony between populations, suggest the occurrence of reproductive isolation between both spider forms and a speciation process favoured by the wide distribution and plasticity of the species.Fil: González Pérez, María de la Macarena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Cátedra de Diversidad Animal I; ArgentinaFil: Peretti, Alfredo Vicente. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Cátedra de Diversidad Animal I; ArgentinaFil: Costa, Fernando G.. Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas "Clemente Estable"; Urugua

A Deep Learning Model for Segmentation of Geographic Atrophy to Study Its Long-Term Natural History

__Purpose:__ To develop and validate a deep learning model for the automatic segmentation of geographic atrophy (GA) using color fundus images (CFIs) and its application to study the growth rate of GA. __Design:__ Prospective, multicenter, natural history study with up to 15 years of follow-up. __Participants:__ Four hundred nine CFIs of 238 eyes with GA from the Rotterdam Study (RS) and Blue Mountain Eye Study (BMES) for model development, and 3589 CFIs of 376 eyes from the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) for analysis of GA growth rate. __Methods:__ A deep learning model based on an ensemble of encoder–decoder architectures was implemented and optimized for the segmentation of GA in CFIs. Four experienced graders delineated, in consensus, GA in CFIs from the RS and BMES. These manual delineations were used to evaluate the segmentation model using 5-fold cross-validation. The model was applied further to CFIs from the AREDS to study the growth rate of GA. Linear regression analysis was used to study associations between structural biomarkers at baseline and the GA growth rate. A general estimate of the progression of GA area over time was made by combining growth rates of all eyes with GA from the AREDS set. __Main Outcome Measures:__ Automatically segmented GA and GA growth rate. __Results:__ The model obtained an average Dice coefficient of 0.72±0.26 on the BMES and RS set while comparing the automatically segmented GA area with the graders’ manual delineations. An intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.83 was reached between the automatically estimated GA area and the graders’ consensus measures. Nine automatically calculated structural biomarkers (area, filled area, convex area, convex solidity, eccentricity, roundness, foveal involvement, perimeter, and circularity) were significantly associated with growth rate. Combining all growth rates indicated that GA area grows quadratically up to an area of approximately 12 mm2, after which growth rate stabilizes or decreases. __Conclusions:__ The deep learning model allowed for fully automatic and robust segmentation of GA on CFIs. These segmentations can be used to extract structural characteristics of GA that predict its growth rate

Genetic Approaches To The Analysis of Body Colouration in Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)

Body colouration in tilapia is an important trait affecting consumer preference. In the Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), there are three colour variants which are normal (wild type), red and blond. In some countries, the red variant is important and reaches higher prices in the market. However, one major problem regarding red tilapia culture is their body colouration which is often associated with blotching (mainly black but also red) which is undesirable for the consumer. The overall aim of this work was to expand knowledge on various aspects of body colouration in Nile tilapia using genetic approaches. The results of this research are presented as four different manuscripts. The manuscripts (here referred as Papers) have either been published (Paper IV) or are to be submitted (Paper I, II and III) in relevant peer reviewed journals. Paper I and II investigated the inheritance of black blotching and other body colour components of the red body colour. Specifically, Paper I consisted of two preliminary trials (Trial 1 and 2), to look at the ontogeny of black blotching and body colour components over a period of six months. Trial 1 investigated the effect of tank background colour (light vs dark) on black blotching and other body colour components and was carried out using a fully inbred (all female) clonal red line. Trial 2 was carried out using mixed sex fish and was aimed to investigate the association of black blotching with the sex of the fish. The results from this study were used to guide the experiment described in Paper II. Sixteen red sires with various levels of black and red blotching were crossed to clonal females and the inheritance of blotching and other body colour components were investigated using parent-offspring regressions. The results showed no significant heritability for black blotching and body redness, but a significant correlation for body redness and black blotching was found in female offspring at one sampling point suggesting that attempts to increase body redness may increase black blotching, as had been hypothesized. Paper III was divided into two parts. The first objective was to map the blond locus onto the tilapia linkage map and the second was to investigate the interaction of the blond and red genes on black blotching using the blond-linked markers to distinguish different blond genotypes in heterozygous red fish (i.e. RrBlbl or Rrblbl). In the blond fish, the formation of melanin is almost blocked via much reduced melanophores and this feature may be able to help reducing the black blotching in red tilapia. Two intraspecific families (O. niloticus) and one interspecific family (O. aureus and O. niloticus) were used as mapping families and the blond locus was located in LG5. Four out of eight markers were successfully used to assess the interaction of blond on red blotched fish. The blond gene did not significantly reduce the area of blotching but did reduce the saturation (paler blotching) and enhanced the redness of body colour in the Rrblbl fish compared to the RrBlbl group. Finally, Paper IV aimed to find out the effect of male colouration on reproductive success in Nile tilapia. A choice of one wild type male and one red male was presented to red or wild type females and these fish were allowed to spawn under semi-natural spawning conditions. Eggs were collected from the female’s mouth after spawning and paternity was assessed using microsatellite genotyping and phenotype scoring. No significant departures from equal mating success were observed between the red and wild type males, however there was a significant difference between the red and wild type females in the frequency of secondary paternal contribution to egg batches. The results suggest that mating success of wild type and red tilapia is approximately equal. The results from this research help to broaden our knowledge and understanding on the aspects of body colouration in Nile tilapia and provide fundamental information for further research

The coevolution of sexual imprinting by males and females

© 2016 The Authors. Published by Wiley. This is an open access article available under a Creative Commons licence. The published version can be accessed at the following link on the publisher’s website: https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.2409Sexual imprinting is the learning of a mate preference by direct observation of the phenotype of another member of the population. Sexual imprinting can be paternal, maternal, or oblique if individuals learn to prefer the phenotypes of their fathers, mothers, or other members of the population, respectively. Which phenotypes are learned can affect trait evolution and speciation rates. “Good genes” models of polygynous systems predict that females should evolve to imprint on their fathers, because paternal imprinting helps females to choose mates that will produce offspring that are both viable and sexy. Sexual imprinting by males has been observed in nature, but a theory for the evolution of sexual imprinting by males does not exist. We developed a good genes model to study the conditions under which sexual imprinting by males or by both sexes can evolve and to ask which sexual imprinting strategies maximize the fitness of the choosy sex. We found that when only males imprint, maternal imprinting is the most advantageous strategy. When both sexes imprint, it is most advantageous for both sexes to use paternal imprinting. Previous theory suggests that, in a given population, either males or females but not both will evolve choosiness in mating. We show how environmental change can lead to the evolution of sexual imprinting behavior by both sexes in the same population.Natural Environment Research Council, (Grant/Award Number: “NE/K500859/1”).Published versio

Strong selection on male plumage in a hybrid zone between a hybrid bird species and one of its parents

Homoploid hybrid speciation (HHS) requires reproductive barriers between hybrid and parent species, despite incomplete reproductive isolation (RI) between the parents. Novel secondary sexual trait values in hybrids may cause prezygotic isolation from both parents, whereas signals inherited by the hybrid from one parent species may cause prezygotic isolation with the other. Here we investigate whether differences in male plumage function as a premating barrier between the hybrid Italian sparrow and one of its parent species, the house sparrow, in a narrow Alpine hybrid zone. Italian sparrow male plumage is a composite mosaic of the parental traits, with its head plumage most similar to its other parent, the Spanish sparrow. We use geographical cline analysis to examine selection on three plumage traits, 75 nuclear single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and hybrid indices based on these SNPs. Several SNPs showed evidence of restricted introgression in the Alps, supporting earlier findings. Crown colour exhibited the narrowest plumage cline, representing a 37% (range 4–65%) drop in fitness. The cline was too narrow to be due to neutral introgression. Only crown colour was significantly bimodal in the hybrid zone. Bimodality may be due to RI or a major QTL, although fitness estimates suggest that selection contributes to the pattern. We discuss the implications with respect to HHS and the species status of the Italian sparrow

Increased High Density Lipoprotein-levels associated with Age-related Macular degeneration. Evidence from the EYE-RISK and E3 Consortia

Purpose Genetic and epidemiologic studies have shown that lipid genes and high-density lipoproteins (HDLs) are implicated in age-related macular degeneration (AMD). We studied circulating lipid levels in relationship to AMD in a large European dataset. Design Pooled analysis of cross-sectional data. Participants Individuals (N = 30 953) aged 50 years or older participating in the European Eye Epidemiology (E3) consortium and 1530 individuals from the Rotterdam Study with lipid subfraction data. Methods AMD features were graded on fundus photographs using the Rotterdam classification. Routine blood lipid measurements, genetics, medication, and potential confounders were extracted from the E3 database. In a subgroup of the Rotterdam Study, lipid subfractions were identified by the Nightingale biomarker platform. Random-intercepts mixed-effects models incorporating confounders and study site as a random effect were used to estimate associations. Main Outcome Measures AMD features and stage; lipid measurements. Results HDL was associated with an increased risk of AMD (odds ratio [OR], 1.21 per 1-mmol/l increase; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.14–1.29), whereas triglycerides were associated with a decreased risk (OR, 0.94 per 1-mmol/l increase; 95% CI, 0.91–0.97). Both were associated with drusen size. Higher HDL raised the odds of larger drusen, whereas higher triglycerides decreases the odds. LDL cholesterol reached statistical significance only in the association with early AMD (P = 0.045). Regarding lipid subfractions, the concentration of extra-large HDL particles showed the most prominent association with AMD (OR, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.10–1.40). The cholesteryl ester transfer protein risk variant (rs17231506) for AMD was in line with increased HDL levels (P = 7.7 × 10–7), but lipase C risk variants (rs2043085, rs2070895) were associated in an opposite way (P = 1.0 × 10–6 and P = 1.6 × 10–4). Conclusions Our study suggested that HDL cholesterol is associated with increased risk of AMD and that triglycerides are negatively associated. Both show the strongest association with early AMD and drusen. Extra-large HDL subfractions seem to be drivers in the relationship with AMD, and variants in lipid genes play a more ambiguous role in this association. Whether systemic lipids directly influence AMD or represent lipid metabolism in the retina remains to be answered.</p

Sexual selection and population divergence I. the influence of socially flexible cuticular hydrocarbon expression in male field crickets (Teleogryllus oceanicus).

This is the peer reviewed version of the article which has been published in final form at DOI: 10.1111/evo.12839.© 2015 The Author(s). Evolution © 2015 The Society for the Study of Evolution.Debates about how coevolution of sexual traits and preferences might promote evolutionary diversification have permeated speciation research for over a century. Recent work demonstrates that the expression of such traits can be sensitive to variation in the social environment. Here we examined social flexibility in a sexually selected male trait - cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) profiles - in the field cricket Teleogryllus oceanicus and tested whether population genetic divergence predicts the extent or direction of social flexibility in allopatric populations. We manipulated male crickets' social environments during rearing and then characterised CHC profiles. CHC signatures varied considerably across populations and also in response to the social environment, but our prediction that increased social flexibility would be selected in more recently founded populations exposed to fluctuating demographic environments was unsupported. Furthermore, models examining the influence of drift and selection failed to support a role of sexual selection in driving population divergence in CHC profiles. Variation in social environments might alter the dynamics of sexual selection, but our results align with theoretical predictions that the role social flexibility plays in modulating evolutionary divergence depends critically on whether responses to variation in the social environment are homogeneous across populations, or whether gene-by-social-environment interactions occur. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)University of California Pacific Rim Research GrantRoyal SocietyBiotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)Erasmus Exchang