The Group III metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR) are located presynaptically on axon terminals and act as autoreceptors and heteroreceptors by inhibiting neurotransmitter release. Much has been learned about these receptors through exogenous application of L-serine-O-phosphate (L-SOP), an endogenous amino acid derivative and known activator of the Group III mGluRs. We hypothesized that L-SOP is the endogenous co-agonist at the high affinity Group III mGluR, mGluR4. We found the EC50 of L-SOP at mGluR4 was 0.5 μM, and determined that the concentration of L-SOP in whole brain was approximately 5 μM. An immunocytochemical survey revealed that cells containing the enzymatic machinery necessary for L-SOP synthesis and metabolism were observed in two brain regions known to express mGluR4, namely, cerebellum and hippocampus. In the cerebellum, the L-SOP synthetic and metabolic enzymes were found in Bergmann glia and Purkinje cells, two cells which form a tripartite synapse with parallel fiber axon terminals where the mGluR4 subtype is exclusively expressed at high levels. In the hippocampus, the L-SOP metabolic enzyme was detected in young neurons emanating from the neurogenic subventricular zone. Attempts to raise endogenous levels of L-SOP by crippling the L-SOP metabolizing enzyme (phosphoserine phosphatase), over-expressing the L-SOP synthesizing enzyme (phosphoserine aminotransferase), or through dietary protein restriction, to study the effects on neurotransmission and neurodevelopment in the central nervous system (CNS) were unsuccessful, suggesting that the production of L-SOP remains stable despite manipulation of the synthetic and metabolic enzymes. Finally, the ability of L-SOP to modulate glutamate release from presynaptic terminals was examined in cerebellar synaptosomes. Co-incident activation of presynaptic mGluR4 and presynaptic GABAA receptors facilitated glutamate release, suggesting that simultaneous activation of parallel fibers and Bergmann glia may serve to enhance synaptic transmission. This observation expands the traditional view of Group III mGluRs acting solely as inhibitory autoreceptors. Taken together, these results provide compelling evidence to support the hypothesis that L-SOP is the endogenous agonist at mGluR4, and possibly other Group III mGluRs.

The Group III metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR) are located presynaptically on axon terminals and act as autoreceptors and heteroreceptors by inhibiting neurotransmitter release. Much has been learned about these receptors through exogenous application of L-serine-O-phosphate (L-SOP), an endogenous amino acid derivative and known activator of the Group III mGluRs. We hypothesized that L-SOP is the endogenous co-agonist at the high affinity Group III mGluR, mGluR4. We found the EC50 of L-SOP at mGluR4 was 0.5 μM, and determined that the concentration of L-SOP in whole brain was approximately 5 μM. An immunocytochemical survey revealed that cells containing the enzymatic machinery necessary for L-SOP synthesis and metabolism were observed in two brain regions known to express mGluR4, namely, cerebellum and hippocampus. In the cerebellum, the L-SOP synthetic and metabolic enzymes were found in Bergmann glia and Purkinje cells, two cells which form a tripartite synapse with parallel fiber axon terminals where the mGluR4 subtype is exclusively expressed at high levels. In the hippocampus, the L-SOP metabolic enzyme was detected in young neurons emanating from the neurogenic subventricular zone. Attempts to raise endogenous levels of L-SOP by crippling the L-SOP metabolizing enzyme (phosphoserine phosphatase), over-expressing the L-SOP synthesizing enzyme (phosphoserine aminotransferase), or through dietary protein restriction, to study the effects on neurotransmission and neurodevelopment in the central nervous system (CNS) were unsuccessful, suggesting that the production of L-SOP remains stable despite manipulation of the synthetic and metabolic enzymes. Finally, the ability of L-SOP to modulate glutamate release from presynaptic terminals was examined in cerebellar synaptosomes. Co-incident activation of presynaptic mGluR4 and presynaptic GABAA receptors facilitated glutamate release, suggesting that simultaneous activation of parallel fibers and Bergmann glia may serve to enhance synaptic transmission. This observation expands the traditional view of Group III mGluRs acting solely as inhibitory autoreceptors. Taken together, these results provide compelling evidence to support the hypothesis that L-SOP is the endogenous agonist at mGluR4, and possibly other Group III mGluRs.

Paropsis atomaria (Coleoptera; Chrysomelidae) is a eucalypt feeding leaf beetle endemic to southern and east coast Australia, and it is an emergent pest of the eucalypt hardwood industry. Paropsis atomaria was suspected to be a cryptic species complex based on apparent differences in life history characteristics between populations, its wide geographical distribution, and extensive host range within Eucalyptus. In this study genetic and ecological characters of P. atomaria were examined to determine the likelihood of a cryptic complex, and to identify the nature and causes of ecological variation within the taxon. Mitochondrial sequence variation of the gene COI was compared between populations from the east coast of Australia (South Australia to central Queensland) to assess genetic divergence between individuals from different localities and host plant of origin. Individuals from four collection localities used for the molecular analysis were then compared in a morphometric study to determine if observed genetic divergence was reflected by morphology, and common-garden trials using individuals from Lowmead (central Qld) and Canberra (ACT) were conducted to determine if morphological (body size) variation had a genetic component. Host plant utilisation (larval survival, development time, and pupal weight) by individuals from Lowmead and Canberra were then compared to determine whether differential host plant use had occurred between populations of P. atomaria; individuals from each population were reared on an allopatric and sympatric host eucalypt species (E. cloeziana and E. pilularis). Finally, developmental data from each population was compared and incorporated into a phenology modelling program (Dymex(tm)) using temperature as the principle factor explaining and predicting population phenology under field conditions. Molecular results demonstrated relatively low genetic divergence between populations of P. atomaria which is concomitant with the single species hypothesis, however, there is reduced gene flow between northern and southern populations, but no host plant related genetic structuring. Morphometric data revealed insufficient evidence to separate populations into different taxa; however a correlation between latitude and size of adults was discovered, with larger beetles found at lower latitudes (i.e., adhering to a converse Bergmann cline). Common garden experiments revealed body size to be driven by both genetic and environmental components. Host plant utilisation trials showed one host plant, E. cloeziana, to be superior for both northern and southern P. atomaria populations (increased larval survival and reduced larval development time). Eucalyptus pilularis had a negative effect on pupal weight for Lowmead (northern) individuals (to which it is allopatric), but not so for Canberra (southern) individuals. DYMEX(tm) modelling showed voltinism to be a highly plastic trait driven largely by temperature. Results from across all trials suggest that P. atomaria represents a single species with populations locally adapted to season length, with no evidence of differential host plant utilisation between populations. Further, voltinism is a seasonally plastic trait driven by temperature, but with secondary influential factors such as host plant quality. These data, taken combined, reveal phenotypic variability within P. atomaria as the product of multiple abiotic and biotic factors and representing a complex interplay between local adaptation, phenotypic plasticity, and seasonal plasticity. Implications for pest management include an understanding of population structure, nature of local adaptation and host use characteristics, and predictive models for development of seasonal control regimens.

No description available.

Der Kleinbergbau ist ein bedeutender Wirtschaftszweig. Ein großer Anteil der Kleinbergbauaktivitäten wird informell oder illegal durchgeführt. Wichtige Merkmale dieser Formen des Kleinbergbaus sind ein hoher Beschäftigungsgrad, eine geringe Technisierung und Mechanisierung aller Arbeiten, sowie ein niedriger Kapitaleinsatz. Diese Bergbauaktivitäten sind vor allem in Entwicklungs- und Schwellenländern auf den Kontinenten Mittel- und Südamerika, Afrika und Asien verbreitet. Der informelle und illegale Kleinbergbau ist Lebensgrundlage für weltweit ca. 15 Mio. Menschen, die in diesem Sektor direkt beschäftigt und etwa 100 Mio. die indirekt davon abhängig sind. Neben der positiven Tatsache, dass der Kleinbergbau ein wichtiger Wirtschaftsfaktor ist sowie Beschäftigung und Wertschöpfung schafft, sind mit ihm erhebliche negative soziale und ökologische Auswirkungen verbunden. Um gezielte Handlungsempfehlungen in Form von Projekten zur Weiterentwicklung des Kleinbergbausektors aufzuzeigen, wurde in dieser Arbeit ein computergestütztes Expertensystem (XPS) entwickelt. / Artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) is an important economic sector. A large amount of ASM activities are carried out in an informal or illegal way. These specific types of ASM are characteristic for being labor-intensive and capital-, mechanization- and technology-poor. In general ASM takes place within developing and emerging countries of Middle and South America, Africa and Asia. Informal and illegal ASM forms a livelihood for a population of approx. 15 Mio people worldwide, who are directly employed within the sector and about 100 Mio, who are indirectly dependent on it. On the one hand ASM is an important economic factor but on the other hand it has significant negative social and environmental impacts. In order to develop targeted recommendations for the further development of ASM, a computer-based expert system (XPS) was programmed within this dissertation.

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No. of bitstreams: 2 Tese - Lucas Lacerda Caldas Zanini Jardim - 2018.pdf: 5066072 bytes, checksum: 4280b5b19a9111a59fea8065049fd5b3 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-04-27 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / Macroecology studies ecological pattern at large geographical and temporal scales. At these scales, information about hundreds or even thousands of studied species. This lack of information may potentially bias studies’ conclusions related with macroecological processes and patterns. In this thesis, we evaluated phylogenetic imputation methods, their uses and effects in macroecological studies. The first chapter evaluated different methods used to deal with missing data, taking into account different scenarios of species trait evolution, as well as percentage and pattern of missing data. We found that dealing with missing data relies on the specific goals and data of the study. Therefore, we suggested caution while using imputed database. In the second chapter, we tested the island rule effect in body mass and brain volume of primates. To do so, we fitted evolutionary models to those traits and then imputed the body mass and brain volume for Homo floresiensis. We concluded that primates do not follow the island rule and even though our models overestimated, on average, brain and body size of Homo floresiensis, its evolution did not deviate from primates’ evolutionary expectation. Lastly, in the third chapter, we tested existence of Bergmann’s rule in mammals using multiple imputation methods, in addition to considering the consequences of ignoring missing data while testing the rule. We found that ignoring missing data can invert (eg. changing from positive to negative effect) the effect of temperature on body mass, but this bias did not turn the effect statistically significant. Therefore, we concluded that mammals do not follow Bergmann’s rule, when evaluated at the class taxonomic level. Finally, this thesis discussed pros, cons and future research avenues in order to make phylogenetic imputation a more robust tool to deal with missing data in macroecology. / A macroecologia estuda padrões ecológicos em grandes escalas geográficas e temporais, em busca de quais processos moldam esses padrões. Nessas escalas de estudo, há raramente informações completas sobre as centenas ou até milhares de espécies estudadas. Essa ausência de informações tem o potencial de enviesar as conclusões dos estudos sobre padrões e processos macroecológicos. Nessa tese, nós avaliamos métodos de imputação filogenética, a sua aplicação e consequências em estudos macroecológicos. Para avaliar potenciais vieses do uso de banco de dados imputados, no primeiro capítulo, nós aplicamos diferentes métodos utilizados para tratar dados faltantes, sob diferentes cenários de evolução dos atributos das espécies, porcentagem e padrão dos dados faltantes. Nós encontramos que a forma de tratar o dado faltante pode ser dependente dos objetivos e dos dados de cada estudo e, portanto, nós sugerimos cautela ao utilizarmos bancos de dados imputados. No segundo capítulo, nós testamos o efeito da regra de ilha na evolução da massa corpórea e do volume cerebral de primatas. A partir dos melhores modelos evolutivos ajustados a esses atributos, nós imputamos a massa corpórea e volume cerebral de Homo floresiensis. Nós concluímos que primatas não seguem regra de ilha e que apesar de nossos modelos superestimarem, em média, o tamanho do corpo e cérebro de Homo floresiensis, a sua evolução não se desvia do esperado pela evolução de primatas. Por fim, no terceiro capítulo testamos a regra de Bergmann em mamíferos, utilizando métodos de imputação múltipla e avaliamos as consequências de desconsiderar os dados faltantes na detecção da regra. Nós encontramos que testar a regra sem considerar os dados faltantes pode inverter o efeito da temperatura na massa do corpo, mas esse viés não tornou o efeito estatisticamente significante. Portanto, concluímos que mamíferos não seguem a regra de Bergmann, quando toda a classe é avaliada. Por fim, essa tese discutiu vantagens, desvantagens e futuras linhas de pesquisa para tornar a imputação filogenética uma ferramenta mais robusta para tratarmos dados faltantes em macroecologia.

Der Kleinbergbau ist ein bedeutender Wirtschaftszweig. Ein großer Anteil der Kleinbergbauaktivitäten wird informell oder illegal durchgeführt. Wichtige Merkmale dieser Formen des Kleinbergbaus sind ein hoher Beschäftigungsgrad, eine geringe Technisierung und Mechanisierung aller Arbeiten, sowie ein niedriger Kapitaleinsatz. Diese Bergbauaktivitäten sind vor allem in Entwicklungs- und Schwellenländern auf den Kontinenten Mittel- und Südamerika, Afrika und Asien verbreitet. Der informelle und illegale Kleinbergbau ist Lebensgrundlage für weltweit ca. 15 Mio. Menschen, die in diesem Sektor direkt beschäftigt und etwa 100 Mio. die indirekt davon abhängig sind. Neben der positiven Tatsache, dass der Kleinbergbau ein wichtiger Wirtschaftsfaktor ist sowie Beschäftigung und Wertschöpfung schafft, sind mit ihm erhebliche negative soziale und ökologische Auswirkungen verbunden. Um gezielte Handlungsempfehlungen in Form von Projekten zur Weiterentwicklung des Kleinbergbausektors aufzuzeigen, wurde in dieser Arbeit ein computergestütztes Expertensystem (XPS) entwickelt. / Artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) is an important economic sector. A large amount of ASM activities are carried out in an informal or illegal way. These specific types of ASM are characteristic for being labor-intensive and capital-, mechanization- and technology-poor. In general ASM takes place within developing and emerging countries of Middle and South America, Africa and Asia. Informal and illegal ASM forms a livelihood for a population of approx. 15 Mio people worldwide, who are directly employed within the sector and about 100 Mio, who are indirectly dependent on it. On the one hand ASM is an important economic factor but on the other hand it has significant negative social and environmental impacts. In order to develop targeted recommendations for the further development of ASM, a computer-based expert system (XPS) was programmed within this dissertation.

This thesis examines how the concept of evil was understood by opposing German perspectives during the era of National Socialist rule (1933-1945). The rise of Nazism in Germany marked a period of massive political upheaval wherein the National Socialist government encouraged the masses to view the world in terms of a great struggle between forces of good and evil. This was the central theme of their propaganda, which zealously encouraged racialist beliefs in the popular consciousness, and was based on assumptions of German superiority and Jewish evil. Despite Hitler's apparent success in creating an obedient nation, a significant number of Germans opposed his rule, amongst whom a small group of writers expressed their discontent through creative fiction. Through a comparison of the worldviews communicated through political propaganda and anti-Nazi literature, it is revealed that the crux of the divide between their opposing perspectives hinged on the meaning of evil. Since evil is a concept with many meanings, this thesis approaches the subject thematically. The comparison begins by focusing on the perception of evil as an all-corrupting force that had taken hold of Germany, followed by an exploration of how power and brutality were understood, ending with a comparison of views on how the struggle between good and evil took place on both a social and individual level. In addition to demonstrating the subjectivity of moral perspective during a tumultuous period of the recent past, this research reveals how the struggle against Nazism existed as a conflict of ideas. Moreover, the comparison of cultural sources (including Nazi art, visual propaganda, written texts such as Mein Kampf, and anti-Nazi creative fiction) demonstrates the value of art as a tool for conducting historical enquiry. Since the legacy of the Third Reich continues to directly influence modern perceptions of evil, exploring how evil was understood according to contemporary Germans – from both pro and anti-Nazi perspectives – is of particular historical interest.