New findings of Hexalona-branch representatives in Brazil,with a description of Prenda gen. nov. (Crustacea: Anomopoda: Aloninae)

Altogether, Coronatella and Hexalona-branches are considered the main lineages of Aloninae – a subfamily of common bottom-dwelling microcrustaceans in freshwater environments. Although the taxonomic features of Brazilian members of the Hexalona-branch have been summarised for species from the costata-group and affinis-group, a revision of other widely distributed species in the world is still lacking in this country. The aim of this paper was to study the morphology of Brazilian populations from the guttata-group and intermedia-group, and to describe a new genus from the Hexalona-branch. The parthenogenetic females of Alona cf. guttata from Brazil have similar morphology when compared to data from the literature, but the armature of the terminal claw of its males seems to be different from those of Alona guttata sensu stricto, Alona barbulata and Alona werestschagini. The intermedia-group is formed by Alona elisae sp. nov., which seems to be endemic to the Cerrado of Brazil Central, and Alona isabellae sp. nov., which is widely distributed in Brazil; this species has a labral keel armed with 2–4 setulae, and postabdomen with setulae of lateral fascicles longer than the level of marginal denticles, morphological traits that differentiate it from Alona elisae sp. nov. Another endemic species from the Hexalona-branch is Prenda arvensis gen. nov. and sp. nov., which has two main head pores, a reduced seta on endite 1 of the first limb, sixth limb is a wide lobe. The potential of biodiversity from the Hexalona-branch from Brazil is still underestimated, and a global revision of the guttata-group and intermedia-group is very important for the progress of Aloninae taxonomy and systematics.

http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:0A2E4A30-0C9C-43E8-8E72-1DEDA6AFF3C3     

Cladocera and Copepoda of Shokalsky Island: new data from northwest Siberia

Information on the freshwater fauna of the remote Arctic territories is very patchy, and most of the isolated islands of the Arctic Ocean remain absolutely unexplored. The pioneer data on the species composition of microcrustaceans of Shokalsky Island (northwest Siberia, Russia) is reported here. The initial three-year research revealed a total of 31 new for the area species of Cladocera and Copepoda, including new records for the whole of northwestern Siberia. Comparing the interannual differences in faunal composition, we suggested the hypothesis of the existence of a cryptic pool of species’ resting stages, which can invade the community in the event of favourable environmental conditions in the Arctic freshwaters. We also compiled all the available data from different parts of northern Siberia and compared them with the fauna of Shokalsky Island to analyse the connection between the diversity and distributional patterns of copepods and cladoceran species and the climate conditions of different territories.     

A Time‐Simultaneous Prediction Box for a Multivariate Time Series

A sample‐based method in Kolsrud (Journal of Forecasting 2007; 26 (3): 171–188) for the construction of a time‐simultaneous prediction band for a univariate time series is extended to produce a variable‐ and time‐simultaneous prediction box for a multivariate time series. A measure of distance based on the L_∞ ‐norm is applied to a learning sample of multivariate time trajectories, which can be mean‐ and/or variance‐nonstationary. Based on the ranking of distances to the centre of the sample, a subsample of the most central multivariate trajectories is selected. A prediction box is constructed by circumscribing the subsample with a hyperrectangle. The fraction of central trajectories selected into the subsample can be calibrated by bootstrap such that the expected coverage of the box equals a prescribed nominal level. The method is related to the concept of data depth, and thence modified to increase coverage. Applications to simulated and empirical data illustrate the method, which is also compared to several other methods in the literature adapted to the multivariate setting. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Testing Interval Forecasts: A GMM‐Based Approach

This paper proposes a new evaluation framework for interval forecasts. Our model‐free test can be used to evaluate interval forecasts and high‐density regions, potentially discontinuous and/or asymmetric. Using a simple J‐statistic, based on the moments defined by the orthonormal polynomials associated with the binomial distribution, this new approach presents many advantages. First, its implementation is extremely easy. Second, it allows for a separate test for unconditional coverage, independence and conditional coverage hypotheses. Third, Monte Carlo simulations show that for realistic sample sizes our GMM test has good small‐sample properties. These results are corroborated by an empirical application on SP500 and Nikkei stock market indexes. It confirms that using this GMM test leads to major consequences for the ex post evaluation of interval forecasts produced by linear versus nonlinear models. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Co-occurrence of three Aristolochia-feeding Papilionids (Archon apollinus,Zerynthia polyxena and Zerynthia cerisy) in Greek Thrace

Comparative studies of co-occurring species using overlapping resources may help in understanding the mechanisms supporting biotic diversity in species-rich regions, such as the Mediterranean region of Europe. Three Papilionidae butterflies, Archon apollinus, Zerynthia cerisy and Zerynthia polyxena, develop on Aristolochia plants and co-occur in Greek Thrace. We used mark–recapture to describe adult demography and dispersal, and searched for eggs and larvae to assess host plants and microhabitat preferences. Adult flight timing followed a sequence from earliest A. apollinus, through Z. polyxena to late Z. cerisy; this was more prominent in 2010 (warm early spring) than in 2011 (cold delayed spring). Population densities were highest for A. apollinus and lowest for Z. cerisy, whereas dispersal ability followed a reverse pattern. Adults of all three species crossed distances > 3 km and used all habitat types present. Four Aristolochia host plants were used at the study locality: small Aristolochia pallida, intermediate Aristolochia rotunda and Aristolochia hirta, and bulky, late-sprouting Aristolochia clematitis. Both A. apollinus and Z. polyxena used all four Aristolochia species, the former preferring Aristolochia rotunda and Aristolochia hirta, the latter Aristolochia rotunda and Aristolochia pallida. Zerynthia cerisy did not use the early-growing Aristolochia pallida while frequently using the late-growing Aristolochia clematitis. Further parameters affecting oviposition were biotope and canopy closure: early A. apollinus tolerated shady sites but late Z. cerisy avoided them. The simultaneous use of several host plants differing in phenology and habitat requirements, combined with rather high dispersal ability, arguably buffers the butterflies’ population dynamics against yearly variation in weather, while allowing efficient occupation of the diverse Mediterranean landscapes. The regional habitat diversity, created during millennia of human activity, is currently threatened by land abandonment, which may diminish the resource base for the studied butterflies.     

Halacarid mites (Acari: Halacaridae) associated with a North Atlantic subtidal population of the kelp Laminaria ochroleuca

We characterised the mite fauna associated with a subtidal population of Laminaria ochroleuca in the Cantabrian Sea during a 4-year study. We found 2780 individuals belonging to 35 species. The mite assemblage comprised both north Atlantic and Mediterranean species, as usually reported from the Lusitanian region. The most abundant and diverse subfamily was Copidognathinae, followed by Halacarinae and Lohmannellinae. The greatest abundance of mites was detected on kelp holdfasts, not only strictly phytal mites were found but also interstitial mites or those associated with other macrofauna. Such a distribution could be explained by the high diversity and heterogeneity of microhabitats provided by holdfasts. Mite abundance fluctuated during the 4 years of the study. However, the lowest abundance was detected during the last year of sampling. During that year, the studied algal population suffered a severe decay leaving only degenerating holdfasts attached to the substrate, which could explain the decrease in mite numbers.     

从智慧城市到智慧区域——新的城市与区域发展模式

 信息技术的快速发展不仅推动了中微观层面上智慧城市的发展建设,在宏观概念上更是未来区域协调高效合作的核心驱动力。中国的智慧城市建设已经体现出由点到面、连片发展的态势,智慧区域建设是必然趋势。对国外智慧区域分析表明智慧区域建设的经验是：重视信息通信技术、注重创新、高效合作、人才培养等。建议国内智慧区域建设重视区域的范围多维化、合作效率高效化、教育与创新积极化、市民参与的多元化等。     

基于邻域相关性的背景重构

 背景差法是一种重要的运动检测方法,当场景中背景被长时遮挡,并非总是以最大频率出现时,往往容易将前景错误地认为是背景,从而产生错误的重构,针对该问题本文提出了一种基于邻域相关性的背景重构算法.算法首先对输入数据进行排序;其次利用简单归类算法对排序后的数据进行分类;再次计算灰度类的出现频率,根据灰度类的出现频率得到像素的背景确定标识,并为背景不确定的像素选定候选背景;最后对背景不确定的像素循环执行背景确定程序,即基于像素邻域相关性,选择和邻域相似度最大的候选背景为像素的确定背景.为验证算法的有效性,对算法进行了多种场景的仿真实验,仿真实验表明,即使在背景被长时遮挡的环境中,算法仍能很好构建背景,从而有利于后续的运动目标检测、识别和跟踪.     

半光滑无约束优化信赖域算法的全局收敛性

信赖域方法具有较强的收敛性和可靠性,一直被众多学者关注.基于光滑优化信赖域算法模型,证明了半光滑无约束优化信赖域算法的全局收敛性.