A revision of the Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous dragonfly family Tarsophlebiidae, with a discussion on the phylogenetic positions of the Tarsophlebiidae and Sieblosiidae (Insecta, Odonatoptera, Panodonata)

The Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous dragonfly family Tarsophlebiidae is revised. The type species of the type genus Tarsophlebia Hagen, 1866, T eximia (Hagen, 1862) from the Upper Jurassic Solnhofen Limestones, is redescribed, including important new information on its head, legs, wings, anal appendages and male secondary genital apparatus. The type specimen of Tarsophlebiopsis mayi Tillyard, 1923 is regarded as an aberrant or unusually preserved Tarsophlebia eximia. One new species of Tarsophlebia and three new species of Turanophlebia are described, i.e. Tarsophlebia minor n. sp., Turanophlebia anglicana n. sp., T mongolica n. sp., and T. vitimensis n. sp. A new combination is proposed for Turanophlebia neckini (Martynov, 1927) n. comb. The phylogenetic relationships of the Mesozoic Tarsophlebiidae are discussed on the basis of new body and wing venation characters. The present analysis supports a rather derived position for the Tarsophlebiidae, as sister group of the the Epiproctophora rather than of (Zygoptera + Epiproctophora). Also, through the present discussion, the Oligo-Miocene family Sieblosiidae seems to be more closely related to the Epiproctophora than to the Zygoptera. But the present study and previous analyses suffer of the lack of informations concerning the more inclusive groups of Odonatoptera, viz. Protozygoptera, Triadophlebiomorpha, Protanisoptera, etc. The significance of the tarsophlebiid secondary male genital apparatus for the reconstruction of the evolution of odonate copulation is discussed.

Strengthening argumentation in medical explanations by text planning revision

Explanations are an important by-product of medical decisionsupport activities, as they have proved to favour compliance and correct treatment performance. To achieve this purpose, these texts should have a strong argumentation content and should adapt to emotional, as well as to rational attitudes of the Addressee. This paper describes how Rhetorical Sentence Planning can contribute to this aim: the rulebased plan discourse revision is introduced between Text Planning and Linguistic Realization, and exploits knowledge about the user personality and emotions and about the potential impact of domain items on user compliance and memory recall. The proposed approach originates from analytical and empirical evaluation studies of computer generated explanation texts in the domain of drug prescription. This work was partially supported by a British-Italian Collaboration in Research and Higher Education Project, which involved the Universities of Reading and of Bari, in 1996.

Vibrational intensities IX: C2F6, extension and revision

The intensity of the low fundamental of C2F6 at 219 cm—1 was measured using a CsI prism. This completed earlier studies on the other fundamentals, and permits extension and revision of the interpretation. Effective bond moments are compared with those of other fluorocarbons.

Variance estimation for systematic sampling from deliberately ordered populations

The systematic sampling (SYS) design (Madow and Madow, 1944) is widely used by statistical offices due to its simplicity and efficiency (e.g., Iachan, 1982). But it suffers from a serious defect, namely, that it is impossible to unbiasedly estimate the sampling variance (Iachan, 1982) and usual variance estimators (Yates and Grundy, 1953) are inadequate and can overestimate the variance significantly (Särndal et al., 1992). We propose a novel variance estimator which is less biased and that can be implemented with any given population order. We will justify this estimator theoretically and with a Monte Carlo simulation study.

Genetic structure and systematic relationships within the Ophrys fuciflora aggregate (Orchidaceae: Orchidinae): high diversity in Kent and a wind-induced discontinuity bisecting the Adriatic

A recent phylogenetic study based on multiple datasets is used as the framework for a more detailed examination of one of the ten molecularly circumscribed groups identified, the Ophrys fuciflora aggregate. The group is highly morphologically variable, prone to phenotypic convergence, shows low levels of sequence divergence and contains an unusually large proportion of threatened taxa, including the rarest Ophrys species in the UK. The aims of this study were to (a) circumscribe minimum resolvable genetically distinct entities within the O. fuciflora aggregate, and (b) assess the likelihood of gene flow between genetically and geographically distinct entities at the species and population levels. Fifty-five accessions sampled in Europe and Asia Minor from the O. fuciflora aggregate were studied using the AFLP genetic fingerprinting technique to evaluate levels of infraspecific and interspecific genetic variation and to assess genetic relationships between UK populations of O. fuciflora s.s. in Kent and in their continental European and Mediterranean counterparts. The two genetically and geographically distinct groups recovered, one located in England and central Europe and one in south-eastern Europe, are incongruent with current species delimitation within the aggregate as a whole and also within O. fuciflora s.s. Genetic diversity is higher in Kent than in the rest of western and central Europe. Gene flow is more likely to occur between populations in closer geographical proximity than those that are morphologically more similar. Little if any gene flow occurs between populations located in the south-eastern Mediterranean and those dispersed throughout the remainder of the distribution, revealing a genetic discontinuity that runs north-south through the Adriatic. This discontinuity is also evident in other clades of Ophrys and is tentatively attributed to the long-term influence of prevailing winds on the long-distance distribution of pollinia and especially seeds. A cline of gene flow connects populations from Kent and central and southern Europe; these individuals should therefore be considered part of an extensive meta-population. Gene flow is also evident among populations from Kent, which appear to constitute a single metapopulation. They show some evidence of hybridization, and possibly also introgression, with O. apifera.

A revision of Foetidia (Lecythidaceae subfamily Foetidioideae)

Seventeen species of Foetidia are recognized; one from East Africa, two from the Mascarene Islands and the remaining fourteen from Madagascar. A key to all the species is provided for the first time.