Distribution, chorological structure and centers od diversity of the balkan endemic flora in Montenegro

Glavni cilj ovog rada je utvrivanje ukupnog broja balkanskih endemicnih taksona ranga vrste i podvrste na teritoriji Crne Gore. Terenskim istraživanjima, i pregledom obimne literaturne grae i herbarskih zbirki utvreno je da u Crnoj Gori rastu 372 balkanska endemicna taksona. Podaci koji obuhvataju rasprostranjenje, ekološke karakteristike kao i literaturne i herbarske izvore za svaki pojedinacan takson inkorporirani su u bazu podataka Microsoft Excel koja broji 7215 zapisa. Popisani su svi lokaliteti na kojima je svaki pojedinacan takson bio konstatovan. Uraene su areal karte sa UTM koordinatama 10x10 km na kojima je prikazano rasprostranjenje svakog pojedinacnog taksona na teritoriji Crne Gore. Analizom opšteg rasprostranjenja tj. rasprostranjenja na Balkanskom poluostrvu, za svaki takson je odreen florni elemenat, areal podgrupa i areal grupa. Prikazane su i ekološke karakteristike endemicnih taksona koje su podrazumijevale utvrivanje pripadnosti odgovarajucoj životnoj formi, tipova staništa koje naseljava dati takson, dijapazona nadmorskih visina i tipova geološke podloge. U slucajevima preuzimanja literaturnih podataka iz fitocenoloških radova unošene su i informacije o ekspoziciji i nagibu terena staništa, te stepenu prisutnosti endemicnih taksona u odreenoj asocijaciji. Taksonomska analiza balkanske endemicne flore Crne Gore pokazala je da su najbogatije familije Asteraceae, Caryophyllaceae, Campanulaceae, Fabaceae i Lamiaceae, dok cak 13 familija ima predstavnika u jednom endemicnom taksonu. U okviru najbrojnije familije Asteraceae je i najbrojniji rod Hieracium sa 71 taksonom, slijede rodovi Dianthus, Edraianthus i Campanula. Rodovi Stachys, Cerastium i Alchemilla su zastupljeni sa istim brojem endemicnih vrsta i podvrsta. Zanimljivo je da cak 80 rodova ima po jednog endemicnog predstavnika. Horološka struktura balkanskih biljnih endemita Crne Gore ukazuje da gotovo dvije trecine endemicnih taksona cine orofite koje pripadaju dvjema horološkim grupama: južno evropsko planinskoj (146 taksona ili 39,2%) i srednje evropskoj planinskoj (99 taksona ili 26,6%)...The main objective of this study is to determine the total number of the Balkan endemic taxa of species and subspecies rank on the territory of Montenegro. Field research and extensive literature and herbarium collection review has found that there are 372 Balkan endemic taxa in Montenegro. The data which include distribution, ecological characteristics, as well as literature and herbarium sources for each individual taxon have been incorporated in a Microsoft Excel database which includes 7215 records. The study lists all sites in which individual taxa were identified. Areal maps with UTM coordinates 10x10 km have been made, representing the distribution of each individual taxon on the territory of Montenegro. Analysis of the general distribution, i.e. the distribution on the Balkan Peninsula has defined the floral element, areal subgroup and areal group for each taxon. Ecological characteristics of endemic taxa have also been stated, which implied determining the affiliation to appropriate life form, habitat types inhabited by the given taxon, range of altitudes and geological substrate types. When citing literature data from phytocoenological papers, information have been entered on habitat exposure and slope, as well as on endemic taxa presence in a certain association. Taxonomic analysis of the Balkan endemic flora in Montenegro has shown that Asteraceae, Caryophyllaceae, Campanulaceae, Fabaceae and Lamiaceae are the richest families, while as many as 13 families have a representative in one endemic taxon. The most numerous Asteraceae family includes the largest Hieracium genus with 71 taxa, followed by Dianthus, Edraianthus and Campanula genera. Stachys, Cerastium and Alchemilla genera are represented with an equal number of endemic species and subspecies. It is interesting to note that as many as 80 genera have one endemic representative. Chorological structure of the Balkan endemic plants in Montenegro shows that almost two thirds of endemic taxa are orophytes that belong to two chorological groups: south European mountain (146 taxa or 39.2%) and central European mountain group (99 taxa or 26.6%)..

Noun and verb knowledge in monolingual preschool children across 17 languages: Data from cross-linguistic lexical tasks (LITMUS-CLT)

This article investigates the cross-linguistic comparability of the newly developed lexical assessment tool Cross-linguistic Lexical Tasks (LITMUS-CLT). LITMUS-CLT is a part the Language Impairment Testing in Multilingual Settings (LITMUS) battery (Armon-Lotem, de Jong & Meir, 2015). Here we analyse results on receptive and expressive word knowledge tasks for nouns and verbs across 17 languages from eight different language families: Baltic (Lithuanian), Bantu (isiXhosa), Finnic (Finnish), Germanic (Afrikaans, British English, South African English, German, Luxembourgish, Norwegian, Swedish), Romance (Catalan, Italian), Semitic (Hebrew), Slavic (Polish, Serbian, Slovak) and Turkic (Turkish). The participants were 639 monolingual children aged 3;0-6;11 living in 15 different countries. Differences in vocabulary size were small between 16 of the languages; but isiXhosa-speaking children knew significantly fewer words than speakers of the other languages. There was a robust effect of word class: accuracy was higher for nouns than verbs. Furthermore, comprehension was more advanced than production. Results are discussed in the context of cross-linguistic comparisons of lexical development in monolingual and bilingual populations

Imageability ratings across languages

Imageability is a psycholinguistic variable that indicates how well a word gives rise to a mental image or sensory experience. Imageability ratings are used extensively in psycholinguistic, neuropsychological, and aphasiological studies. However, little formal knowledge exists about whether and how these ratings are associated between and within languages. Fifteen imageability databases were cross-correlated using nonparametric statistics. Some of these corresponded to unpublished data collected within a European research network-the Collaboration of Aphasia Trialists (COST IS1208). All but four of the correlations were significant. The average strength of the correlations (rho = .68) and the variance explained (R (2) = 46%) were moderate. This implies that factors other than imageability may explain 54% of the results. Imageability ratings often correlate across languages. Different possibly interacting factors may explain the moderate strength and variance explained in the correlations: (1) linguistic and cultural factors; (2) intrinsic differences between the databases; (3) range effects; (4) small numbers of words in each database, equivalent words, and participants; and (5) mean age of the participants. The results suggest that imageability ratings may be used cross-linguistically. However, further understanding of the factors explaining the variance in the correlations will be needed before research and practical recommendations can be made

Distribution, chorological structure and centers od diversity of the balkan endemic flora in Montenegro

Glavni cilj ovog rada je utvrivanje ukupnog broja balkanskih endemicnih taksona ranga vrste i podvrste na teritoriji Crne Gore. Terenskim istraživanjima, i pregledom obimne literaturne grae i herbarskih zbirki utvreno je da u Crnoj Gori rastu 372 balkanska endemicna taksona. Podaci koji obuhvataju rasprostranjenje, ekološke karakteristike kao i literaturne i herbarske izvore za svaki pojedinacan takson inkorporirani su u bazu podataka Microsoft Excel koja broji 7215 zapisa. Popisani su svi lokaliteti na kojima je svaki pojedinacan takson bio konstatovan. Uraene su areal karte sa UTM koordinatama 10x10 km na kojima je prikazano rasprostranjenje svakog pojedinacnog taksona na teritoriji Crne Gore. Analizom opšteg rasprostranjenja tj. rasprostranjenja na Balkanskom poluostrvu, za svaki takson je odreen florni elemenat, areal podgrupa i areal grupa. Prikazane su i ekološke karakteristike endemicnih taksona koje su podrazumijevale utvrivanje pripadnosti odgovarajucoj životnoj formi, tipova staništa koje naseljava dati takson, dijapazona nadmorskih visina i tipova geološke podloge. U slucajevima preuzimanja literaturnih podataka iz fitocenoloških radova unošene su i informacije o ekspoziciji i nagibu terena staništa, te stepenu prisutnosti endemicnih taksona u odreenoj asocijaciji. Taksonomska analiza balkanske endemicne flore Crne Gore pokazala je da su najbogatije familije Asteraceae, Caryophyllaceae, Campanulaceae, Fabaceae i Lamiaceae, dok cak 13 familija ima predstavnika u jednom endemicnom taksonu. U okviru najbrojnije familije Asteraceae je i najbrojniji rod Hieracium sa 71 taksonom, slijede rodovi Dianthus, Edraianthus i Campanula. Rodovi Stachys, Cerastium i Alchemilla su zastupljeni sa istim brojem endemicnih vrsta i podvrsta. Zanimljivo je da cak 80 rodova ima po jednog endemicnog predstavnika. Horološka struktura balkanskih biljnih endemita Crne Gore ukazuje da gotovo dvije trecine endemicnih taksona cine orofite koje pripadaju dvjema horološkim grupama: južno evropsko planinskoj (146 taksona ili 39,2%) i srednje evropskoj planinskoj (99 taksona ili 26,6%)...The main objective of this study is to determine the total number of the Balkan endemic taxa of species and subspecies rank on the territory of Montenegro. Field research and extensive literature and herbarium collection review has found that there are 372 Balkan endemic taxa in Montenegro. The data which include distribution, ecological characteristics, as well as literature and herbarium sources for each individual taxon have been incorporated in a Microsoft Excel database which includes 7215 records. The study lists all sites in which individual taxa were identified. Areal maps with UTM coordinates 10x10 km have been made, representing the distribution of each individual taxon on the territory of Montenegro. Analysis of the general distribution, i.e. the distribution on the Balkan Peninsula has defined the floral element, areal subgroup and areal group for each taxon. Ecological characteristics of endemic taxa have also been stated, which implied determining the affiliation to appropriate life form, habitat types inhabited by the given taxon, range of altitudes and geological substrate types. When citing literature data from phytocoenological papers, information have been entered on habitat exposure and slope, as well as on endemic taxa presence in a certain association. Taxonomic analysis of the Balkan endemic flora in Montenegro has shown that Asteraceae, Caryophyllaceae, Campanulaceae, Fabaceae and Lamiaceae are the richest families, while as many as 13 families have a representative in one endemic taxon. The most numerous Asteraceae family includes the largest Hieracium genus with 71 taxa, followed by Dianthus, Edraianthus and Campanula genera. Stachys, Cerastium and Alchemilla genera are represented with an equal number of endemic species and subspecies. It is interesting to note that as many as 80 genera have one endemic representative. Chorological structure of the Balkan endemic plants in Montenegro shows that almost two thirds of endemic taxa are orophytes that belong to two chorological groups: south European mountain (146 taxa or 39.2%) and central European mountain group (99 taxa or 26.6%)..

Modeling functional connectivity on empirical and randomized structural brain networks

This study combines modeling of neuronal activity and networks derived from neuroimaging data in order to investigate how the structural organization of the human brain affects the temporal dynamics of interacting brain areas. The dynamics of the neuronal activity is modeled with FitzHugh–Nagumo oscillators and the blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) time series is inferred via the Balloon–Windkessel hemodynamic model. The simulations are based on anatomical probability maps between considered brain regions of interest. These maps were derived from diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging measurements. In addition, the length of the fiber tracks allows for inference of coupling delays due to finite signal propagation velocities. We aim to investigate (i) graph-theoretical properties of the network topology derived from neuroimaging data and (ii) how randomization of structural connections influences the dynamics of neuronal activity. The network characteristics of the structural connectivity data are compared to density-matched Erdős–Rényi random graphs. Furthermore, the neuronal and BOLD activity are modeled on both empirical and random (Erdős–Rényi type) graphs. The simulated temporal dynamics on both graphs are compared statistically to capture whether the spatial organization of these network affects the modeled time series. Results support previous findings that key topological network properties such as small-worldness of our neuroimaging data are distinguishable from random networks. We also show that simulated BOLD activity is affected by the underlying network topology and the strength of connections between the network nodes. The difference of the modeled temporal dynamics of brain networks from the dynamics on randomized graphs suggests that anatomical connections in the human brain together with dynamical self-organization are crucial for the temporal evolution of the resting-state activity

Habitat use of endemic Balkan rock lizards (Dinarolacerta spp.)

Dinarolacerta mosorensis and D. montenegrina are allopatric and closely related rock lizards endemic to the Dinaric Mountains of the Balkan Peninsula. We analysed their habitat characteristics and relative abundances in the mountains of Montenegro. We found significant differences in structural features of the microhabitat used both between populations of D. mosorensis and the two species. Dinarolacerta mosorensis was associated with relatively more shaded and damper spots on rocks closer to vegetation and leaf litter, while D. montenegrina was found in more open, rocky situations. There were significant differences in relative abundance between the sampling sites. Generally, the studied lizards were more abundant at sites with greater percentage of leaf litter and lower percentages of bare ground and small rocks, despite the lower frequency of available refuges in these places. Our results provide basic information that could assist in the adoption of adequate management practices for protection or restoration of habitat attributes relevant to these vulnerable (D. mosorensis) and endemic species.Salamandra (2017), 53(2): 279-28

Habitat use of endemic Balkan rock lizards (Dinarolacerta spp.)

Dinarolacerta mosorensis and D. montenegrina are allopatric and closely related rock lizards endemic to the Dinaric Mountains of the Balkan Peninsula. We analysed their habitat characteristics and relative abundances in the mountains of Montenegro. We found significant differences in structural features of the microhabitat used both between populations of D. mosorensis and the two species. Dinarolacerta mosorensis was associated with relatively more shaded and damper spots on rocks closer to vegetation and leaf litter, while D. montenegrina was found in more open, rocky situations. There were significant differences in relative abundance between the sampling sites. Generally, the studied lizards were more abundant at sites with greater percentage of leaf litter and lower percentages of bare ground and small rocks, despite the lower frequency of available refuges in these places. Our results provide basic information that could assist in the adoption of adequate management practices for protection or restoration of habitat attributes relevant to these vulnerable (D. mosorensis) and endemic species.Salamandra (2017), 53(2): 279-28