Johan Billen
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View article: Added value of serum proteins to clinical and ultrasound information in predicting the risk of malignancy in ovarian tumors
Added value of serum proteins to clinical and ultrasound information in predicting the risk of malignancy in ovarian tumors Open
Assessment of Different Neoplasias in the Adnexa (ADNEX) is the best-performing model to estimate the risk of malignancy in ovarian tumors. We assessed the incremental value of serum proteins over ADNEX predictors in an exploratory multice…
View article: Pumping Venom: Valvilli Architecture and Implications for Stinger Functionality
Pumping Venom: Valvilli Architecture and Implications for Stinger Functionality Open
The internal structure of the insect stinger plays a central role in venom delivery, yet critical components in this process remain poorly understood. Of these, the valvilli, a pair of articulated structures within the valve chamber that a…
View article: Functional morphology of the Dufour gland in the queenless ant Dinoponera quadriceps
Functional morphology of the Dufour gland in the queenless ant Dinoponera quadriceps Open
Colonies of the queenless ponerine antDinoponera quadricepsare characterized by a social hierarchy among the workers, in which the gamergate occupies the alpha rank. She may be challenged, however, by a beta worker in an attempt to take ov…
View article: Parthenogenetic Reproduction in Strumigenys Ants: An Update
Parthenogenetic Reproduction in Strumigenys Ants: An Update Open
Parthenogenetic reproduction is a common feature for social Hymenoptera, as males typically develop from unfertilized eggs (arrhenotoky). Production of female offspring without the involvement of sperm (thelytoky) also exists but is rather…
View article: Data to: "Wonderfully weird: The head anatomy of the armadillo ant, Tatuidris tatusia (Formicidae: Agroecomyrmecinae)"
Data to: "Wonderfully weird: The head anatomy of the armadillo ant, Tatuidris tatusia (Formicidae: Agroecomyrmecinae)" Open
Data to "Wonderfully weird: The head anatomy of the armadillo ant, Tatuidris tatusia (Formicidae: Agroecomyrmecinae)". The dataset contains the raw µCT scan data and three surface models that can be used to generate 3D-prints of the head …
View article: The ant abdomen: The skeletomuscular and soft tissue anatomy of <i>Amblyopone australis</i> workers (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
The ant abdomen: The skeletomuscular and soft tissue anatomy of <i>Amblyopone australis</i> workers (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Open
Recent studies of insect anatomy evince a trend towards a comprehensive and integrative investigation of individual traits and their evolutionary relationships. The abdomen of ants, however, remains critically understudied. To address this…
View article: Comparison of the External Morphology of the Sternal Glands for Hornets in the Genus Vespa
Comparison of the External Morphology of the Sternal Glands for Hornets in the Genus Vespa Open
Many social wasps in the speciose subfamilies Polistinae and Vespinae have two sternal glands—the van der Vecht gland and the Richards gland—that are not found in other insects. The presence of these glands has been confirmed in only 6 of …
View article: Complex co‐evolutionary relationships between cicadas and their symbionts
Complex co‐evolutionary relationships between cicadas and their symbionts Open
Summary Previous evidence suggests that cicadas lacking Hodgkinia may harbour the yeast‐like fungal symbionts (YLS). Here, we reinforce an earlier conclusion that the pathogenic ancestor of YLS independently infected different cicada linea…
View article: Linking the Morphology of Sternal Glands to Rubbing Behavior by<i>Vespa soror</i>(Hymenoptera: Vespidae) Workers During Recruitment for Group Predation
Linking the Morphology of Sternal Glands to Rubbing Behavior by<i>Vespa soror</i>(Hymenoptera: Vespidae) Workers During Recruitment for Group Predation Open
The activities of social insect colonies are supported by exocrine glands and the tremendous functional diversity of the compounds that they secrete. Many social wasps in the subfamilies Vespinae and Polistinae have two sternal glands—the …
View article: Structural diversity of symbionts and related cellular mechanisms underlying vertical symbiont transmission in cicadas
Structural diversity of symbionts and related cellular mechanisms underlying vertical symbiont transmission in cicadas Open
Summary Many insects depend on symbiont(s) for survival. This is particularly the case for sap‐feeding hemipteran insects. In this study, we revealed that symbionts harboured in cicadas are diverse and complex, and the yeast‐like fungal sy…
View article: Morphology and closing mechanism of the mandibular gland orifice in ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
Morphology and closing mechanism of the mandibular gland orifice in ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Open
The mandibular gland of ants releases chemical compounds with functions ranging from nestmate alarm and recognition to antimicrobial defense. While the morphology of this ethologically important gland is well investigated in several specie…
View article: The head anatomy of Protanilla lini (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Leptanillinae), with a hypothesis of their mandibular movement
The head anatomy of Protanilla lini (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Leptanillinae), with a hypothesis of their mandibular movement Open
The hypogaeic ant subfamilies Leptanillinae and Martialinae likely form the sister group to the remainder of the extant Formicidae. In order to increase the knowledge of anatomy and functional morphology of these unusual and phylogenetical…