Multiple, solid evidence support that Austropotamobius italicus is not native to Spain

Peer Reviewe

Dissipative Particle Dynamics Simulation of Suspensions Rheology, and Electroosmotic Flow in Nanochannels

The dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) method is developed using innovative numerical techniques and extensively examined in the contexts of rheology and electroosmosis. In Chapters 3-5, it is attempted to classify practical ranges of DPD parameters under a variety of simulation settings, thermostating schemes and shearing methods. Through a calibration process, useful windows of parameters are categorised so that DPD users can model a wide range of rheological systems conveniently with proper temperature control and equilibrium statistics. DPD was found to perform poorly under certain dissipation rates and shear rates when sheared via original Lees-Edwards boundary condition. Hence, a modified version of this shearing method is shown to be an effective remedy to improve the hydrodynamics and thermal stability of sheared DPD systems. These achievements shed light on unclear correlations between input parameters and simulation outputs, and relatively rectifies the lack of predictability embedded in DPD method. In Chapter 6, it is shown that plain DPD is inherently a flexible numerical tool to reproduce experimental behaviour of dilute to dense suspensions. This is achieved via a simple calibration of parameters without unnecessary and computationally intensive modifications to DPD underlying formulas. In Chapter 7, contrary to existing DPD modellings of electroosmotic flow (EOF), soft-core electrostatic interactions are treated fully explicitly by inclusion of charge clouds around DPD soft beads and adopting the corrected Ewald sum method (EW3DC). The developed DPD platform is then calibrated to match the results of molecular dynamics, and reproduce experimental trends. A new system of unit conversion between DPD reduced units and SI units is introduced, which is also useful in other electrokinetic applications. The coarse-graining degree of beads is set to unity to challenge DPD performance in the smallest possible length scale, i.e. in a nanochannel sized at 3.8 nm

Genomics and the challenging translation into conservation practice

\ua9 2014 Elsevier Ltd.The global loss of biodiversity continues at an alarming rate. Genomic approaches have been suggested as a promising tool for conservation practice as scaling up to genome-wide data can improve traditional conservation genetic inferences and provide qualitatively novel insights. However, the generation of genomic data and subsequent analyses and interpretations remain challenging and largely confined to academic research in ecology and evolution. This generates a gap between basic research and applicable solutions for conservation managers faced with multifaceted problems. Before the real-world conservation potential of genomic research can be realized, we suggest that current infrastructures need to be modified, methods must mature, analytical pipelines need to be developed, and successful case studies must be disseminated to practitioners

Evolutionary and dispersal history of Eurasian house mice Mus musculus clarified by more extensive geographic sampling of mitochondrial DNA.

We examined the sequence variation of mitochondrial DNA control region and cytochrome b gene of the house mouse (Mus musculus sensu lato) drawn from ca. 200 localities, with 286 new samples drawn primarily from previously unsampled portions of their Eurasian distribution and with the objective of further clarifying evolutionary episodes of this species before and after the onset of human-mediated long-distance dispersals. Phylogenetic analysis of the expanded data detected five equally distinct clades, with geographic ranges of northern Eurasia (musculus, MUS), India and Southeast Asia (castaneus, CAS), Nepal (unspecified, NEP), western Europe (domesticus, DOM) and Yemen (gentilulus). Our results confirm previous suggestions of Southwestern Asia as the likely place of origin of M. musculus and the region of Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and northern India, specifically as the ancestral homeland of CAS. The divergence of the subspecies lineages and of internal sublineage differentiation within CAS were estimated to be 0.37-0.47 and 0.14-0.23 million years ago (mya), respectively, assuming a split of M. musculus and Mus spretus at 1.7 mya. Of the four CAS sublineages detected, only one extends to eastern parts of India, Southeast Asia, Indonesia, Philippines, South China, Northeast China, Primorye, Sakhalin and Japan, implying a dramatic range expansion of CAS out of its homeland during an evolutionary short time, perhaps associated with the spread of agricultural practices. Multiple and non-coincident eastward dispersal events of MUS sublineages to distant geographic areas, such as northern China, Russia and Korea, are inferred, with the possibility of several different routes