Eduardo A. B. Almeida, Margarita M. López-Uribe, Laurence Packer
et al.
Diversity can be examined and interpreted from various perspectives, including species richness, genetic and phenotypic differences, variation in behaviors and natural history, and phylogenetic history. Centuries of taxonomic research have revealed approximately 21,000 bee species worldwide. These can be subdivided into a hierarchy of subgroups that reflects their evolutionary history, thanks to the increasingly more comprehensive phylogenetic hypotheses available. Advances in bee systematics have enhanced our understanding of how their diversity has evolved, including their origin in the Cretaceous, shifts in their geographical distribution, the evolution of social and parasitic behaviors, and changes in relationships between bees and the plants they visit throughout a 120-million-year shared evolutionary history. An important outcome of the enduring relationship with flowering plants is the vital role bees play in pollination in both natural and agricultural ecosystems. Habitat loss, climate change, and other anthropogenic environmental alterations have led to declines in bee populations, which have sparked concerns about bee conservation and highlighted the importance of understanding the complementary aspects of diversity, including the evolutionary and geographical components of this variation. The availability of increasingly reliable and comprehensive phylogenetic hypotheses has led to significant advancements, enabling assessments of the phylogenetic diversity of bee communities and predictions regarding their vulnerability to habitat change and their ecological functions. This review explores perspectives of documenting and interpreting bee diversity in a changing world and summarizes the current bee classification while discussing the phylogenetic advances in contemporary research.
A review of epidemiological research of the effects of preconception (prior to conception) radiation exposure to a mother’s body was presented. The anatomical and physiological characteristics that affect radiosensitivity and radioresistance of female reproductive system were reported. Biological prerequisites accounting for different effects of radiation exposure to animals and humans were indicated. The results that were published in open access on epidemiological assessments of the effects of preconception exposure of mothers to the health of their offspring were described based on various cohorts as examples. Analysis of the research work was performed for the cohort of the offspring of atomic bomb survivors in Japan, among the offspring of the individuals affected by radiation accidents and nuclear weapon tests, among the population of the sites with high natural level of radiation. The results of research work among the offspring of female patients exposed to diagnostic and therapeutical radiation and of the offspring of the mothers who were in contact with ionizing radiation sources at workplaces were presented. A special attention was paid to specifics of standardization of occupational exposure of female personnel according to national and international approaches. Generally, it was demonstrated that despite a wide range of epidemiological research works there is still no clear understanding of the effects of preconception exposure of mothers to their offspring. The total results of the analysis of the effects of maternal exposure in preconception period are quite controversial and usually involve a range of uncertainties. In the course of such sort of epidemiological research the following difficulties are indicated: poor verification of medical outcomes, primary data based on questionnaire surveys, lack of detailed information on individual exposure parameters, low statistical power of research works and too short period of follow up of the cohort under research. For this reason, the necessity of further analysis of the effects of exposure of female body was indicated involving detailed risk coefficients of unfavorable reproductive outcomes. Prospective trends for epidemiological analysis of preconception exposure of mothers were indicated. Feasibility of assessment of long-term preconception radiation exposure was described based on the cohort of female workers of Mayak Production Association that is the leading atomic enterprise in the national history.
Medical physics. Medical radiology. Nuclear medicine, Radioactivity and radioactive substances
The history of the Arcetri Institute of Physics at the University of Florence is analyzed from the beginning of the 20th century to the 1960s. Thanks to the arrival of Garbasso in 1913, not only did the Institute gain new premises on Arcetri hill, but also hosted brilliant young physicists such as Rita Brunetti, Enrico Fermi, Franco Rasetti in the '20s and Enrico Persico, Bruno Rossi, Gilberto Bernardini, Daria Bocciarelli, Lorenzo Emo Capodilista, Giuseppe Occhialini and Giulio Racah in the '30s, engaged in the emerging fields of Quantum Mechanics and Cosmic Rays. This internationally renowned Arcetri School dissolved in the late 1930s mainly for the transfer of its protagonists to chairs in other Italian or foreign universities. After the war, the legacy was taken up by some students of this school who formed research groups in the fields of nuclear physics and elementary particle physics. As far as theoretical physics is concerned, after the Fermi and Persico periods, these studies enjoyed a new expansion in the sixties thanks to the arrival of Raoul Gatto who created in Arcetri the first Italian school of theoretical physics.
Shunta Ichimura, Hideko Takayanagi, Hideko Takayanagi
et al.
Temperature seasonality during the middle Cretaceous provides vital information about climate dynamics and ecological traits of organisms under the conditions of the “supergreenhouse” Earth. However, sub-annual scale paleotemperature records in the mid-latitude region remain limited. In this study, sclerochronological and stable oxygen isotope (δ18O) analyses of bivalve fossils from the northwestern Pacific (paleolatitude: 44°N) were used to estimate their life history and sub-annual scale temperature patterns of the middle Cretaceous. The materials studied included Cucullaea (Idonearca) delicatostriata and Aphrodina pseudoplana recovered from middle Turonian (middle Cretaceous) shallow marine deposits in Hokkaido, northern Japan. Growth increment width and shell δ18O of C. (I.) delicatostriata revealed that the growth rate was temporally maximized and then minimized, which can be interpreted as representing spring and winter growth, respectively. Approximately 25 fortnightly growth increments occurred within that cycle, suggesting that shell formation proceeded continuously throughout the year. Based on shell δ18O values, shallow-water temperatures from 28°C to 35°C with 7°C seasonality were estimated, under the assumption that seawater δ18O values were annually invariant at −1‰ relative to VSMOW. This temperature seasonality in the middle Cretaceous is more than 5°C smaller than the seasonality of modern shallow-water environments at the same latitudes. These findings, taken together with previous studies of other oceanic regions, suggest that the Northern Hemisphere had low seasonal shallow-water temperature variation of up to 10°C in the middle Cretaceous.
Science, General. Including nature conservation, geographical distribution
The convergence zone holds significant importance in deep-sea underwater acoustic propagation, playing a pivotal role in remote underwater acoustic detection and communication. Despite the adaptability and predictive power of machine learning, its practical application in predicting the convergence zone remains largely unexplored. This study aimed to address this gap by developing a high-resolution ocean front-based model for convergence zone prediction. Out of 24 machine learning algorithms tested through K-fold cross-validation, the multilayer perceptron–random forest hybrid demonstrated the highest accuracy, showing its superiority in predicting the convergence zone within a complex ocean front environment. The research findings emphasized the substantial impact of ocean fronts on the convergence zone’s location concerning the sound source. Specifically, they highlighted that in relatively cold (or warm) water, the intensity of the ocean front significantly influences the proximity (or distance) of the convergence zone to the sound source. Furthermore, among the input features, the turning depth emerged as a crucial determinant, contributing more than 25% to the model’s effectiveness in predicting the convergence zone’s distance. The model achieved an accuracy of 82.43% in predicting the convergence zone’s distance with an error of less than 1 km. Additionally, it attained a 77.1% accuracy in predicting the convergence zone’s width within a similar error range. Notably, this prediction model exhibits strong performance and generalizability, capable of discerning evolving trends in new datasets when cross-validated using in situ observation data and information from diverse sea areas.
Science, General. Including nature conservation, geographical distribution
In the theoretical study of distributed communication networks, "history trees" are a discrete structure that naturally models the concept that anonymous agents become distinguishable upon receiving different sets of messages from neighboring agents. By conveniently organizing temporal information in a systematic manner, history trees have been instrumental in the development of optimal deterministic algorithms for networks that are both anonymous and dynamically evolving. This note provides an accessible introduction to history trees, drawing comparisons with more traditional structures found in existing literature and reviewing the latest advancements in the applications of history trees, especially within dynamic networks. Furthermore, it expands the theoretical framework of history trees in new directions, also highlighting several open problems for further investigation.
General relativity and quantum field theory are the cornerstones of our understanding of physical processes, from subatomic to cosmic scales. While both theories work remarkably well in their tested domains, they show minimal overlap. However, our research challenges this separation by revealing that non-perturbative effects bridge these distinct domains. We introduce a novel mechanism wherein, at linear order, spin-2 fields around an arbitrary background acquire \emph{effective mass} due to the spontaneous symmetry breaking (SSB) of either global or local symmetry of complex scalar field minimally coupled to gravity. The action of the spin-2 field is identical to the extended Fierz-Pauli (FP) action, corresponding to the mass deformation parameter $α= 1/2$. We show that this occurs due to the effect of SSB on the variation of the energy-momentum tensor of the matter field, which has a dominant effect during SSB. The extended FP action has a salient feature, compared to the standard FP action: the action has 6 degrees of freedom with no ghosts. For local $U(1)$ SSB, we establish that the effective mass of spin-2 fields is related to the mass of the gauge boson and the electric charge of the complex scalar field. Interestingly, our results indicate that the millicharged dark matter scalar fields, generating dark photons, can produce a mass of spin-2 fields of the same order as the Hubble constant $(H_0)$. Hence, we argue that the dark sector offers a natural explanation for the acceleration of the current Universe.
Critical rationalism faces difficulty in Karl Popper’s Socratic formulation: “I may be wrong, and you may be right, and by an effort, we may find the truth.” But the Socratic elenchus, using refutations, can only give us negative knowledge of general principles, which is not the wisdom we seek. Affirmatively, we can only find a collection of opinions to be coherent, which is one of many. Francis Bacon proposed an improved elenchus to find general truths. You must take up a limited topic to study, then cross-examine your evidence for and against its apparent nature. Experiments contrary to evidence and presumed knowledge are entered as self-contradictions in tables of opposition recorded in an “experimental and natural history.” Such an account highlights a challenging puzzle if the account is to be made coherent. With enough problematized evidence, a coherent reading, or a solution of the puzzle, will be unique. Being both coherent and unique, it will be the truth about that limited reality being investigated. Unlike the method of hypothesis (“Anticipating Nature”), deciphering a coherent model is “Interpreting Nature,” allowing us to find a general truth on a limited topic. Isaac Newton achieved great success using Robert Boyle’s mechanistic version of this method. Using the “experimental philosophy,” he discovered general principles of optics and astronomy.
We should begin to consider the issue of “Birds and power lines” in Russia with the state plan for the electrification of Russia, which was adopted in the USSR in 1920. The length of overhead power lines (PLs) had increased by several dozen times over ten years back then, but they were seated on wooden supports, which are pretty much safe for birds. The issue arose in the 1970s, with the adoption of the standard for PL on grounded reinforced concrete supports with pin insulators. Introduction of this standard led to the widespread bird mortality from electric shock.
General. Including nature conservation, geographical distribution, Zoology
Roberto Fusco-Costa, Bianca Ingberman, Gabriel Shimokawa Magezi
et al.
The jaguar Panthera onca has lost 85% of its habitat in the Atlantic Forest, where it persists in small and isolated populations in the largest fragments. In the absence of recent records, the jaguar had previously been presumed extinct in the large Atlantic Forest fragments of the Serra do Mar in southern Brazil. However, as this region is mountainous, densely forested and difficult to access, the jaguar could still be present, but undetected. We carried out an intensive survey using camera traps and interviews with local people in a large (c. 6,500 km2) forest block. During 2011–2019, 98 camera-trap stations were established (14,239 trap-days), and 249 interviews were conducted in 102 grid cells of 5 × 5 km. We obtained the first images of the jaguar in the region, from which five individuals were identified, and interviewees provided records of the jaguar in 24 grid cells. Our findings increase the range of this species in the Atlantic Forest by 9%, and we recommend that the area should be classified as a jaguar conservation unit. As the area we surveyed is adjacent to the Serra do Mar jaguar conservation unit, the combined area of 19,262 km2 is the largest priority area for jaguar conservation in the Atlantic Forest. This proposed jaguar conservation unit could serve as a vital source of jaguar individuals for the coastal forests further south. We recommend that surveys are extended southwards to Santa Catarina state to determine whether the presumed extinction of jaguars in this state is another case of a false absence.
General. Including nature conservation, geographical distribution
One of the primary obstacles in the advancement of Natural Language Processing (NLP) technologies for low-resource languages is the lack of annotated datasets for training and testing machine learning models. In this paper, we present Antarlekhaka, a tool for manual annotation of a comprehensive set of tasks relevant to NLP. The tool is Unicode-compatible, language-agnostic, Web-deployable and supports distributed annotation by multiple simultaneous annotators. The system sports user-friendly interfaces for 8 categories of annotation tasks. These, in turn, enable the annotation of a considerably larger set of NLP tasks. The task categories include two linguistic tasks not handled by any other tool, namely, sentence boundary detection and deciding canonical word order, which are important tasks for text that is in the form of poetry. We propose the idea of sequential annotation based on small text units, where an annotator performs several tasks related to a single text unit before proceeding to the next unit. The research applications of the proposed mode of multi-task annotation are also discussed. Antarlekhaka outperforms other annotation tools in objective evaluation. It has been also used for two real-life annotation tasks on two different languages, namely, Sanskrit and Bengali. The tool is available at https://github.com/Antarlekhaka/code.
Yusuke Koshio, Gabriel D. Orebi Gann, Erin O'Sullivan
et al.
This is the final report from the Snowmass 2021 Neutrino Frontier Topical Group on Neutrinos from Natural Sources. It covers a broad range of neutrino sources, from low-energy neutrinos from the early universe to ultra high-energy sources. We divide this report by source, and discuss the motivations for pursuing searches in each case, the current state of the field, and the prospects for future theoretical and experimental developments. We consider neutrinos produced in the early universe; solar neutrinos; geoneutrinos; supernova neutrinos, including the diffuse supernova neutrino background (DSNB); neutrinos produced in the atmosphere; and high-energy astrophysical neutrinos.
En este trabajo se presentan las relaciones de conflicto durante la colonización del sector sur de la cuenca del Plata durante el siglo XVI, entre las sociedades cazadoras recolectoras del Humedal del Paraná Inferior y poblaciones horticultoras amazónicas migrantes que ocuparon posteriormente estas áreas. Se utilizaron crónicas del siglo XVI y se obtuvo como resultado que en el humedal del Paraná Inferior existieron relaciones de conflicto entre poblaciones cazadoras recolectoras y horticultoras amazónicas. Estos resultados fueron confrontados y contextualizados con las evidencias arqueológicas disponibles. El objetivo general es aportar información indirecta con la finalidad de intentar verificar las evidencias empíricas que se obtienen a partir del estudio de los restos exhumados de sitios arqueológicos. Estos datos se confrontaron con el estudio de diferentes crónicas y se concluyó que existió violencia entre algunos grupos cazadores-recolectores del área y los migrantes guaraníes.
After the death of Alexander, the Great in 323 BCE at Babylon, his generals, friends, family, and even secretaries would fight for decades to control the spoils of his newly forged empire. Eventually a series of Hellenistic kingdoms would carve up his empire stretching from Western Greece to Northern India. For nearly 300 years after his death Alexander’s successors would fight a series of titanic and seemingly never-ending wars with each war simply leading into the next. The Seleucids and Ptolemies would fight six Syrian Wars and never manage to fully conquer one another, Pyrrhus of Epirus would go on a never-ending series of military expeditions each time failing until he was finally killed in skirmish in Argos. The question must be asked then what compelled the Hellenistic Kings to go to war so much? By looking at primary and secondary sources it becomes clear that Hellenistic Kings were motivate by a powerful fusion of economics, geography, military, ideological, and legitimacy needs that would propel them into war after war. This essay determines what these myriad reasons were specifically and how it affected the Hellenistic kingdoms rational for going to war.
C. Henrik Woolley, Nathan D. Smith, Joseph J.W. Sertich
Recent collection efforts in the upper Campanian (∼76-73.5 Ma) Fruitland and Kirtland formations of northwestern New Mexico have significantly increased the taxonomic diversity of lizards in this historically poorly understood squamate assemblage. New lizard specimens from the “Hunter Wash Local Fauna” of the upper Fruitland and lower Kirtland formations include: (1) new specimens referable to Chamopsiidae; (2) new material belonging to Scincomorpha, (3) new material belonging to Anguidae; and (4) the first reported predatory lizard (Platynota) material from the Campanian of New Mexico. The increase in lizard diversity in the “Hunter Wash Local Fauna” expands our understanding of Late Cretaceous squamate taxonomy, distribution, and diversity in the Western Interior of North America (Laramidia). Collectively, the described specimens represent family-level diversity similar to that seen in other Campanian foreland basin deposits of the Western Interior, such as the mid-paleolatitude Kaiparowits Formation of southern Utah, the higher paleolatitude Dinosaur Park Formation of southern Alberta, and the lower paleolatitude Aguja Formation of southwestern Texas. The lizards of the “Hunter Wash Local Fauna” represent crucial mid-paleolatitude data from a coastal plain depositional setting in Laramidia—allowing for comparisons to more well-studied assemblages at different latitudes and in different depositional settings.
Alexis Bahl, Anand Gnanadesikan, Marie-Aude S. Pradal
An important technique used by climate modelers to isolate the impacts of increasing greenhouse gasses on Earth System processes is to simulate the impact of an abrupt increase in carbon dioxide. The spatial pattern of change provides a “fingerprint” that is generally much larger than natural variability. Insofar as the response to radiative forcing is linear (the impact of quadrupling CO2 is twice the impact of doubling CO2) this fingerprint can then be used to estimate the impact of historical greenhouse gas forcing. However, the degree to which biogeochemical cycles respond linearly to radiative forcing has rarely been tested. In this paper, we evaluate which ocean biogeochemical fields are likely to respond linearly to changing radiative forcing, which ones do not, and where linearity breaks down. We also demonstrate that the representation of lateral mixing by mesoscale eddies, which varies significantly across climate models, plays an important role in modulating the breakdown of linearity. Globally integrated surface rates of biogeochemical cycling (primary productivity, particulate export) respond in a relatively linear fashion and are only moderately sensitive to mixing. By contrast, the habitability of the interior ocean (as determined by hypoxia and calcite supersaturation) behaves non-linearly and is very sensitive to mixing. This is because the deep ocean, as well as certain regions in the surface ocean, are very sensitive to the magnitude of deep wintertime convection. The cessation of convection under global warming is strongly modulated by the representation of eddy mixing.
Science, General. Including nature conservation, geographical distribution
Durante los siglos XVII y XVIII la Compañía de Jesús fundó una serie de misiones entre los nativos de diversas partes del mundo recientemente conquistadas por el Reino de España. Una de estas experiencias tuvo lugar en la región chaqueña, específicamente entre los indígenas mocovíes. Estas misiones tuvieron un trazado urbano particular conformado por una serie de edificaciones que fueron funcionales a las tareas de evangelización y gestión de los poblados. En este trabajo analizamos la huerta de los padres, un espacio escasamente estudiado por la historiografía reduccional, a partir de las descripciones y representaciones contenidas en la obra del Padre Florián Paucke ?Hacia allá y para acá. Una estadía entre los indios Mocobíes, 1749-1767?. Paralelamente, nos moveremos hacia la región de las misiones de guaraníes reparando en sus similitudes y diferencias utilizando datos arqueológicos y fuentes documentales. El abordaje propuesto permitió avanzar en el conocimiento de la identidad de los huertos jesuíticos en particular y el estudio de la jardinería que se desarrolló en esta porción de Sudamérica durante el período colonial en general. Los jardines jesuíticos de las reducciones de mocovíes o guaraníes compartieron concepciones acerca del orden, la organización y las funciones de este espacio dentro de la vida y gestión misionera, en donde el componente indígena estuvo dado por la presencia de especies nativas y sus usos, pero su concepción y diseño respondió a pautas exóticas para los reducidos.