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Selected AbstractsEndocrine signatures underlying plasticity in postembryonic development of a lower termite, Cryptotermes secundus (Kalotermitidae)EVOLUTION AND DEVELOPMENT, Issue 3 2009Judith Korb SUMMARY Wood-dwelling termites are characterized by an extremely high and unique developmental flexibility that allows workers, which are immatures, to explore all caste options. The endocrine signatures underlying this flexibility are only vaguely understood. We determined juvenile hormone (JH) and ecdysteroid hemolymph titers during postembryonic development and in terminal instars of the drywood termite Cryptotermes secundus using field and laboratory colonies. Postembryonic development is characterized by a drop in JH titers at the transition from larval (individuals without wing buds) to nymphal (individuals with wing buds) instars. JH titers were low in winged sexuals and reproducing primary reproductives (<200 pg/,l) but were by an order of magnitude higher in neotenic replacement reproductives. The unique regressive molts of termites seem to be characterized by elevated JH titers, compared with progressive or stationary molts. Ecdysteroid titers were generally low in nymphal instars and in primary reproductives (<50 pg/,l). It was only during the third and fourth nymphal instars and in winged sexuals where some individuals showed elevated ecdysteroid titers. These results are the most comprehensive endocrinological data set available for any lower termite, with the potential to serve as baseline for understanding the extreme developmental flexibility underlying the evolution of social life in termites. [source] Institutional Performance And Social Capital: An Application To The Local Government LevelJOURNAL OF URBAN AFFAIRS, Issue 5 2005Hilde Coffé This literature reveals that societies characterized by higher levels of social capital tend to achieve superior performance. Still, enquiries to date predominantly concentrate on country-level data or large sub-national units. The primary purpose of this article is to extend the empirical work to the local government level, while retaining the use of objective data to gauge institutional performance. This use of local data has the advantage of increasing the data set available and provides a more stringent test of the effect of social capital because social capital is likely to vary less at lower levels of government. The results,based on an empirical analysis of 305 Flemish municipalities in 2000,support the view that social capital leads to government (out)performance also at the local level of government. [source] Phylogeography of the greater horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus ferrumequinum: contrasting results from mitochondrial and microsatellite dataMOLECULAR ECOLOGY, Issue 2 2009JON FLANDERS Abstract Phylogeographical studies are typically based on haplotype data, occasionally on nuclear markers such as microsatellites, but rarely combine both. This is unfortunate because the use of markers with contrasting modes of inheritance and rates of evolution might provide a more accurate and comprehensive understanding of a species' history. Here we present a detailed study of the phylogeography of the greater horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus ferrumequinum, using 1098 bp of the mitochondrial ND2 gene from 45 localities from across its Palaearctic range to infer population history. In addition, we re-analysed a large microsatellite data set available for this species and compared the results of both markers to infer population relationships and the historical processes influencing them. We show that mtDNA, the most popular marker in phylogeography studies, yielded a misleading result, and would have led us to conclude erroneously that a single expansion had taken place in Europe. Only by combining the mitochondrial and microsatellite data sets are we able to reconstruct the species' history and show two colonization events in Europe, one before the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and one after it. Combining markers also revealed the importance of Asia Minor as an ancient refugium for this species and a source population for the expansion of the greater horseshoe bat into Europe before the LGM. [source] Research Using Emergency Department,related Data Sets: Current Status and Future DirectionsACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 11 2009Jon Mark Hirshon MD Abstract The 2009 Academic Emergency Medicine consensus conference focused on "Public Health in the ED: Surveillance, Screening and Intervention." One conference breakout session discussed the significant research value of health-related data sets. This article represents the proceedings from that session, primarily focusing on emergency department (ED)-related data sets and includes examples of the use of a data set based on ED visits for research purposes. It discusses types of ED-related data sets available, highlights barriers to research use of ED-related data sets, and notes limitations of these data sets. The paper highlights future directions and challenges to using these important sources of data for research, including identification of five main needs related to enhancing the use of ED-related data sets. These are 1) electronic linkage of initial and follow-up ED visits and linkage of information about ED visits to other outcomes, including costs of care, while maintaining deidentification of the data; 2) timely data access with minimal barriers; 3) complete data collection for clinically relevant and/or historical data elements, such as the external cause-of-injury code; 4) easy access to data that can be parsed into smaller jurisdictions (such as states) for policy and/or research purposes, while maintaining confidentiality; and 5) linkages between health survey data and health claims data. ED-related data sets contain much data collected directly from health care facilities, individual patient records, and multiple other sources that have significant potential impact for studying and improving the health of individuals and the population. [source] A baseline biological survey of the proposed Taputeranga Marine Reserve (Wellington, New Zealand): spatial and temporal variability along a natural environmental gradientAQUATIC CONSERVATION: MARINE AND FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS, Issue 2 2009Anjali Pande Abstract 1.Four macroalgal, four macroinvertebrate and eight fish species were surveyed at eight sites (three inside, five outside the proposed reserve) over three years before the establishment of the Taputeranga Marine Reserve (MR) on Cook Strait (Wellington, New Zealand). This baseline data set was used to estimate temporal and spatial variability in size and abundance of these taxa, and will be used to quantify taxon-specific changes in size and abundance once the MR is established. 2.Statistically significant differences in size and/or abundance were observed for many taxa among the sites. These differences are consistent with the existence of a natural environmental gradient from the west (entrance to Cook Strait) to the east (Wellington Harbour). This gradient highlights the importance of conducting a pre-reserve baseline survey at multiple sites and over multiple years to better understand the conservation or fisheries benefits that MRs are expected to deliver. 3.Two macroalgal, one macroinvertebrate, and six fish species showed statistically significant seasonal variation in abundance. Subsequent multi-taxa monitoring needs to include a seasonal component to capture this natural variability. 4.This multi-site and multi-year data set represents one of the most comprehensive and robust baseline data sets available anywhere in the world. It will be used to quantify the ecological changes associated with a newly established full no-take marine reserve. Ongoing monitoring will enhance understanding of the sizes and abundances of key taxa, allow a detailed determination of the conservation effects of reserve establishment, and inform management decisions for Wellington's south coast. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] | ||||||||||