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"A Scanning Electron Microscopy method to visualise the copulatory organ morphology of microturbellarian flatworms: Trigonostomum Schmidt, 1852 as a case study"
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Traditional methods for studying the morphology of microturbellarian flatworms rely on light microscopy, which often lacks the resolution necessary to capture fine structural details. Therefore, we present a protocol to improve the visualisation of structural morphological details in microturbellarians by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM). We demonstrate this method by imaging the sclerotised copulatory organs of three species of Trigonostomum (Rhabdocoela, Trigonostomidae): T. venenosum, T. setigerum, and T. penicillatum. Additionally, we successfully visualise the bursal appendage of T. penicillatum. SEM imaging offered new morphological insights for the genus, and corrected earlier interpretations made with light microscopy. The method requires precision and careful handling, especially during the isolation of the hard parts. However, it is cost-effective and straightforward to carry out in any standard laboratory setting. Hence, our SEM protocol complements traditional light microscopy and opens new avenues for taxonomical research in microturbellarian taxa with hard parts.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2025
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Utilization of Cloud Computing for Water Quality Monitoring in the Northern Waters of Aceh
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Managing marine geographic information systems is crucial, especially with climate change and the rise of spatial big data. Cloud-based geospatial systems are essential for stakeholders needing quick decision-making in marine conservation. This study examines the capabilities of Google Earth Engine (GEE) in analyzing sea surface quality in the northern waters of Aceh (NWA). The results show GEE can access remote sensing datasets and reanalysis models to map temperature, salinity, and chlorophyll-a. Annual trends reveal lower salinity near the Malacca Strait and higher levels in the Indian Ocean and Andaman Sea. GEE supports proactive coastal ecosystem management, emphasizing the role of geospatial technology in marine conservation and civil engineering for climate-resilient coastal development.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2024
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Micro-computed tomography for natural history specimens: a handbook of best practice protocols
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Micro-computed tomography (micro-CT or microtomography) is a non-destructive imaging technique using X-rays which allows the digitisation of an object in three dimensions. The ability of micro-CT imaging to visualise both internal and external features of an object, without destroying the specimen, makes the technique ideal for the digitisation of valuable natural history collections. This handbook serves as a comprehensive guide to laboratory micro-CT imaging of different types of natural history specimens, including zoological, botanical, palaeontological and geological samples.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2019
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Saproxylic beetles in tropical and temperate forests – A standardized comparison of vertical stratification patterns
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RBINS Staff Publications 2019
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Tree-dwelling ant survey (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in Mitaraka, French Guiana
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RBINS Staff Publications 2019
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First checklist of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of French Guiana
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RBINS Staff Publications 2019
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Biotic and abiotic determinants of the formation of ant mosaics in primary Neotropical rainforests
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RBINS Staff Publications 2019
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A new record of Gunnellichnus moghraensis from the Middle Miocene of Belgium, with some remarks on the origin of this seemingly uncommon ichnospecies
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RBINS Staff Publications 2022
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Country-scale InSAR monitoring for settlement and uplift damage calculation in architectural heritage structures
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The article proposes a methodology for assessing the development of damage in building structures, subjected to differential settlement and uplift, using the analysis of Interferometry Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) data. The proposed methodology is targeted towards general applicability, capable of providing assessment results for measurements over wide geographic areas and for varying structural typologies. The methodology is not limited to ground movement measurements linked to tunnelling, as is the common case. Instead it extends to the monitoring of arbitrary movement in buildings, for example, due to ground consolidation, water table changes or excavation. The methodology is designed for use alongside patrimonial building databases, from which data on individual building geometry and typology are extracted on a region or country scale. Ground movement monitoring data are used for the calculation of the building deformation, expressed in different types of deformation parameters. The combined use of this data with analytical models for settlement damage classification in building structures enables the assessment in patrimonial building structures, at a country scale. The methodology is elaborated and applied on the patrimonial inventory of Belgium for the evaluation of potential settlement and uplift damage on buildings over a period of nearly three decades. The analysis results are compared to on-site observations.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2020
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Ancient DNA suggests modern wolves trace their origin to a Late Pleistocene expansion from Beringia
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Grey wolves (Canis lupus) are one of the few large terrestrial carnivores that have maintained a wide geographical distribution across the Northern Hemisphere throughout the Pleistocene and Holocene. Recent genetic studies have suggested that, despite this continuous presence, major demographic changes occurred in wolf populations between the Late Pleistocene and early Holocene, and that extant wolves trace their ancestry to a single Late Pleistocene population. Both the geographical origin of this ancestral population and how it became widespread remain unknown. Here, we used a spatially and temporally explicit modelling framework to analyse a data set of 90 modern and 45 ancient mitochondrial wolf genomes from across the Northern Hemisphere, spanning the last 50,000 years. Our results suggest that contemporary wolf populations trace their ancestry to an expansion from Beringia at the end of the Last Glacial Maximum, and that this process was most likely driven by Late Pleistocene ecological fluctuations that occurred across the Northern Hemisphere. This study provides direct ancient genetic evidence that long‐range migration has played an important role in the population history of a large carnivore, and provides insight into how wolves survived the wave of megafaunal extinctions at the end of the last glaciation. Moreover, because Late Pleistocene grey wolves were the likely source from which all modern dogs trace their origins, the demographic history described in this study has fundamental implications for understanding the geographical origin of the dog.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2020