Calibration of Glass Electrode in Terms of H+ Concentration by Titration of Weak Acid in Cells with and without Liquid Junction

Calibration of glass-electrode cells with and without transference in terms of hydrogen ion concentration was performed by potentiometric titrations of aqueous solutions of two weak acids, 2-amino-2-hydroxymethyl-1,3-propanediol hydrochloride, TrisHCl, and potassium hydrogenphthalate, with a strong base (KOH). Cell calibration parameters were computed from the titration data, along with the values of stoichiometric protonation equilibrium constants, by using an iterative optimisation procedure. No significant difference between the E vs. [H+] responses of the glass-electrode cells with and without liquid junction was observed. For both kinds of cell, the imposed model of linear E vs. p[H] relation proved to be a satisfactory approximation only in the buffer regions of the titration curves. The values of protonation equilibrium constants, expressed as lg(K1 H/dm3 mol–1), determined at 25 °C, Ic = 0.1 mol dm–3 (KNO3 or KNO3 + KCl) in the cell with transference (Tris: 8.058, phthal2–: 4.933) are in very good agreement with those determined in the cell without transference (Tris: 8.091, phthal2–: 4.928), as well as with comparable literature values

DNA barcoding and surveillance sampling strategies for Culicoides biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) in southern India

Background: Culicoides spp. biting midges transmit bluetongue virus (BTV), the aetiological agent of bluetongue (BT), an economically important disease of ruminants. In southern India, hyperendemic outbreaks of BT exert high cost to subsistence farmers in the region, impacting on sheep production. Effective Culicoides spp. monitoring methods coupled with accurate species identification can accelerate responses for minimising BT outbreaks. Here, we assessed the utility of sampling methods and DNA barcoding for detection and identification of Culicoides spp. in southern India, in order to provide an informed basis for future monitoring of their populations in the region. Methods: Culicoides spp. collected from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka were used to construct a framework for future morphological identification in surveillance, based on sequence comparison of the DNA barcode region of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene and achieving quality standards defined by the Barcode of Life initiative. Pairwise catches of Culicoides spp. were compared in diversity and abundance between green (570 nm) and ultraviolet (UV) (390 nm) light emitting diode (LED) suction traps at a single site in Chennai, Tamil Nadu over 20 nights of sampling in November 2013. Results: DNA barcode sequences of Culicoides spp. were mostly congruent both with existing DNA barcode data from other countries and with morphological identification of major vector species. However, sequence differences symptomatic of cryptic species diversity were present in some groups which require further investigation. While the diversity of species collected by the UV LED Center for Disease Control (CDC) trap did not significantly vary from that collected by the green LED CDC trap, the UV CDC significantly outperformed the green LED CDC trap with regard to the number of Culicoides individuals collected. Conclusions: Morphological identification of the majority of potential vector species of Culicoides spp. samples within southern India appears relatively robust; however, potential cryptic species diversity was present in some groups requiring further investigation. The UV LED CDC trap is recommended for surveillance of Culicoides in southern India

Mud crab susceptibility to disease from white spot syndrome virus is species-dependent

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Based on a report for one species (<it>Scylla serrata</it>), it is widely believed that mud crabs are relatively resistant to disease caused by white spot syndrome virus (WSSV). We tested this hypothesis by determining the degree of susceptibility in two species of mud crabs, <it>Scylla olivacea </it>and <it>Scylla paramamosain</it>, both of which were identified by mitochondrial 16 S ribosomal gene analysis. We compared single-dose and serial-dose WSSV challenges on <it>S. olivacea </it>and <it>S. paramamosain</it>.</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>In a preliminary test using <it>S. olivacea </it>alone, a dose of 1 × 10⁶WSSV copies/g gave 100% mortality within 7 days. In a subsequent test, 17 <it>S. olivacea </it>and 13 <it>S. paramamosain </it>were divided into test and control groups for challenge with WSSV at 5 incremental, biweekly doses starting from 1 × 10⁴and ending at 5 × 10⁶copies/g. For 11 <it>S. olivacea </it>challenged, 3 specimens died at doses between 1 × 10⁵and 5 × 10⁵copies/g and none died for 2 weeks after the subsequent dose (1 × 10⁶copies/g) that was lethal within 7 days in the preliminary test. However, after the final challenge on day 56 (5 × 10⁶copies/g), the remaining 7 of 11 <it>S. olivacea </it>(63.64%) died within 2 weeks. There was no mortality in the buffer-injected control crabs. For 9 <it>S. paramamosain </it>challenged in the same way, 5 (55.56%) died after challenge doses between 1 × 10⁴and 5 × 10⁵copies/g, and none died for 2 weeks after the challenge dose of 1 × 10⁶copies/g. After the final challenge (5 × 10⁶copies/g) on day 56, no <it>S. paramamosain </it>died during 2 weeks after the challenge, and 2 of 9 WSSV-infected <it>S. paramamosain </it>(22.22%) remained alive together with the control crabs until the end of the test on day 106. Viral loads in these survivors were low when compared to those in the moribund crabs.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p><it>S. olivacea </it>and <it>S. paramamosain </it>show wide variation in response to challenge with WSSV. <it>S. olivacea </it>and <it>S. paramamosain </it>are susceptible to white spot disease, and <it>S. olivacea </it>is more susceptible than <it>S. paramamosain</it>. Based on our single-challenge and serial challenge results, and on previous published work showing that <it>S. serrata </it>is relatively unaffected by WSSV infection, we propose that susceptibility to white spot disease in the genus <it>Scylla </it>is species-dependent and may also be dose-history dependent. In practical terms for shrimp farmers, it means that <it>S. olivacea </it>and <it>S. paramamosain </it>may pose less threat as WSSV carriers than <it>S. serrata</it>. For crab farmers, our results suggest that rearing of <it>S. serrata </it>would be a better choice than <it>S. paramamosain </it>or <it>S. olivacea </it>in terms of avoiding losses from seasonal outbreaks of white spot disease.</p

Hidden Floridian biodiversity: mitochondrial and nuclear gene trees reveal four cryptic species within the scorched mussel, Brachidontes exustus , species complex

The well-documented Floridian ‘Gulf/Atlantic’ marine genetic disjunction provides an influential example of vicariant cladogenesis along a continental coastline for major elements of a diverse nearshore fauna. We are engaged in a two-part study that aims to place this disjunction into a regional Caribbean Basin phylogenetic perspective using the scorched mussel Brachidontes exustus as an exemplar. Our first step, documented here, is to thoroughly characterize the genetic structure of Floridian scorched mussel populations using mitochondrial (mt) and nuclear markers. Both sets of markers recovered the expected disjunction involving sister clades distributed on alternate flanks of peninsular Florida and lineage-specific mt molecular clocks placed its origin in the Pliocene. The two sister clades had distinct population genetic profiles and the Atlantic clade appears to have experienced an evolutionarily recent bottleneck, although plots of the relative estimates of N through time are consistent with its local persistence through the last Ice Age Maximum. Our primary novel result, however, was the discovery that the Gulf/Atlantic disjunction represents but one of three cryptic, nested genetic discontinuities represented in Floridian scorched mussel populations. The most pronounced phylogenetic split distinguished the Gulf and Atlantic sister clades from two additional nested cryptic sister clades present in samples taken from the southern Florida tropical marine zone. Floridian populations of B. exustus are composed of four cryptic taxa, a result consistent with the hypothesis that the Gulf/Atlantic disjunction in this morphospecies is but one of multiple latent regional genetic breakpoints.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/72545/1/j.1365-294X.2004.02337.x.pd

On the origin of endemic species in the Red Sea

Aim: The geological and palaeo-climatic forces that produced the unique biodiversity in the Red Sea are a subject of vigorous debate. Here, we review evidence for and against the hypotheses that: (1) Red Sea fauna was extirpated during glacial cycles of the Pleistocene and (2) coral reef fauna found refuge within or just outside the Red Sea during low sea level stands when conditions were inhospitable. Location: Red Sea and Western Indian Ocean. Methods: We review the literature on palaeontological, geological, biological and genetic evidence that allow us to explore competing hypotheses on the origins and maintenance of shallow-water reef fauna in the Red Sea. Results: Palaeontological (microfossil) evidence indicates that some areas of the central Red Sea were devoid of most plankton during low sea level stands due to hypersaline conditions caused by almost complete isolation from the Indian Ocean. However, two areas may have retained conditions adequate for survival: the Gulf of Aqaba and the southern Red Sea. In addition to isolation within the Red Sea, which separated the northern and southern faunas, a strong barrier may also operate in the region: the cold, nutrient-rich water upwelling at the boundary of the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. Biological data are either inconclusive or support these putative barriers and refugia, but no data set, that we know of rejects them. Genetic evidence suggests that many endemic lineages diverged from their Indian Ocean counterparts long before the most recent glaciations and/or are restricted to narrow areas, especially in the northern Red Sea. Main conclusions: High endemism observed in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden appears to have multiple origins. A cold, nutrient-rich water barrier separates the Gulf of Aden from the rest of the Arabian Sea, whereas a narrow strait separates the Red Sea from the Gulf of Aden, each providing potential isolating barriers. Additional barriers may arise from environmental gradients, circulation patterns and the constriction at the mouth of the Gulf of Aqaba. Endemics that evolved within the Red Sea basin had to survive glacial cycles in relatively low salinity refugia. It therefore appears that the unique conditions in the Red Sea, in addition to those characteristics of the Arabian Peninsula region as a whole, drive the divergence of populations via a combination of isolation and selection

Assessment of population genetic structure in the arbovirus vector midge, Culicoides brevitarsis (Diptera Ceratopogonidae), using multi-locus DNA microsatellites

Bluetongue virus (BTV) is a major pathogen of ruminants that is transmitted by biting midges (Culicoides spp.). Australian BTV serotypes have origins in Asia and are distributed across the continent into two distinct episystems, one in the north and another in the east. Culicoides brevitarsis is the major vector of BTV in Australia and is distributed across the entire geographic range of the virus. Here, we describe the isolation and use of DNA microsatellites and gauge their ability to determine population genetic connectivity of C. brevitarsis within Australia and with countries to the north. Eleven DNA microsatellite markers were isolated using a novel genomic enrichment method and identified as useful for genetic analyses of sampled populations in Australia, northern Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Timor-Leste. Significant (P < 0.05) population genetic subdivision was observed between all paired regions, though the highest levels of genetic sub-division involved pair-wise tests with PNG (PNG vs. Australia (F-ST = 0.120) and PNG vs. Timor-Leste (F-ST = 0.095)). Analysis of multi-locus allelic distributions using STRUCTURE identified a most probable two-cluster population model, which separated PNG specimens from a cluster containing specimens from Timor-Leste and Australia. The source of incursions of this species in Australia is more likely to be Timor-Leste than PNG. Future incursions of BTV positive C. brevitarsis into Australia may be genetically identified to their source populations using these microsatellite loci. The vector's panmictic genetic structure within Australia cannot explain the differential geographic distribution of BTV serotypes

Communication Strategy of the Croatian Natural History Museum Zagreb

Muzejska komunikacija najčešći je i najspecifičniji oblik komunikacije. Muzej je medij kojim se društvu komunicira muzealnost samih eksponata, omogućava da iskazuje i prikazuje znanje. Glavni oblik muzejske komunikacije vezanu uz muzej kao instituciju je izložba kojom se uspostavljaju neprekidni komunikacijski procesi između posjetitelja izložbe i onoga što izložbu predstavlja. Odnosi s javnošću u kulturnim institucijama uvelike poboljšavaju cjelokupan imidž nje same, te time pridonose dugoročnoj učinkovitosti i profitabilnosti poslovanja što se ne može reći za naše kulturne institucije koje imaju relativno zanemaren odnos prema odnosima s javnošću. Hrvatski prirodoslovni muzej, koji je utemeljio odjel Narodnog muzeja i posebnih muzejskih specijalističkih odjela, posjeduje bogatu knjižnicu koja je utemeljena 1868. godine, zbirku nalaza od 2 milijuna primjeraka minerala, stijena, fosila, prepariranih biljaka i životinja iz svih krajeva hrvatskog ozemlja, oko 100 000 herbarijskih primjeraka vaskularne flore i svojim fundusom jedna od najznačajnijih muzejskih institucija u Hrvatskoj. Anketnim istraživanjem provedenim u periodu od 15. 6. 2019. – 15. 7. 2019. na uzorku od 31 ispitanika utvrdili smo iz rezultata da je imidž Hrvatskog prirodoslovnog muzeja Zagreb neprepoznatljiv, muzej nije dovoljno promoviran, a iz samog istraživanja vidljiva je I neiskorištenost tradicionalnog medijskog prostora i oglašavanja u istima. Cjelokupna komunikacijska strategija kampanje temeljit će se na određivanju ciljane javnosti, pozicioniranju, pozitivnoj percepciji i određivanju Jedinstvenog prodajnog prijedloga (USP), komunikacijski se fokusirati na odnose s javnošću, oblike oglašavanja, marketinga i istaknuti naše prednosti.Museum communication is the most frequent and most specific form of communication, the museum is a medium used to communicate the museality of exponents to the public, and it enables us to express and display knowledge. The main form of museum communication related to the museum as an institution is the exhibition which establishes a continuous communication process between the exhibition visitors and what the exhibition represents. Public relations in cultural institutions greatly improve the overall image of a cultural institution and thus contribute to long-term business efficiency and profitability, which cannot be said for our cultural institutions, as they have a relatively neglected relationship to public relations. The Croatian Natural History Museum, founded from the departments of the National Museum and individual specialist museum departments, has a rich library founded in 1868, a collection of 2 million specimens of minerals, rocks, fossils, prepared plants and animals from all parts of the Croatian territory, about 100 000 herbaceous specimens of vascular flora, and its holdings make it one of the most important museum institutions in Croatia. A survey conducted in the period from 15 June 2019 to 15 July 2019 on a sample of 31 respondents showed that the image of the Croatian Natural History Museum in Zagreb is unrecognisable, the museum is not sufficiently promoted, and an obvious underutilisation of traditional media space as well as advertising therein was identified in the survey. The overall communication strategy of the campaign is going to be based on determining the target audience, positioning, creating positive perception and determining the unique selling proposition (USP), and the communication will be focused on public relations, advertising, marketing, and highlighting our strengths