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British Population (british + population)
Selected AbstractsUsing SimBritain to Model the Geographical Impact of National Government PoliciesGEOGRAPHICAL ANALYSIS, Issue 1 2007Dimitris Ballas In this article, we use a dynamic spatial microsimulation model of Britain for the analysis of the geographical impact of policies that have been implemented in Britain in the last 10 years. In particular, we show how spatial microsimulation can be used to estimate the geographical and socio-economic impact of the following policy developments: introduction of the minimum wage, winter fuel payments, working families tax credits, and new child and working credits. This analysis is carried out with the use of the SimBritain model, which is a product of a 3-year research project aimed at dynamically simulating urban and regional populations in Britain. SimBritain projections are based on a method that uses small area data from past Censuses of the British population in order to estimate small-area data for 2001, 2011, and 2021. [source] The challenges of conservation for declining migrants: are reserve-based initiatives during the breeding season appropriate for the Pied Flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca?IBIS, Issue 3 2009ANNE E. GOODENOUGH Creating conservation policies for declining migrant species in response to global change presents a considerable challenge. Migrant species are affected by factors at breeding grounds, overwintering areas and during migration. Accordingly, reserve-based management during the breeding season is not always a suitable conservation strategy. Recent Pied Flycatcher population decline typifies the pattern for many migrants. The UK population has declined by 43% in the past decade, but explanations, and possible solutions, remain elusive. We use 15 years of data (1990,2004) from a declining British population to establish possible reasons for decline, considering: (1) breeding performance (including the influences of competition and predation); (2) weather patterns caused by the winter phase (December,March) of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), which modify conditions experienced at wintering grounds and on migration; and (3) possible impacts of climate change on spring temperatures. We conclude that decreasing breeding performance is contributing to decline, but that non-breeding factors are more important. Winter NAO index is a strong predictor of breeding population, probably because it influences food abundance in Africa and at migratory stopover points. Importantly, however, year itself enhances the predictive model, indicating that influences on population remain unaccounted for by current research. Management strategies based on increasing breeding productivity cannot fully address population decline because non-breeding factors appear important. However, as breeding performance is declining, breeding-based strategies remain useful conservation tools. To this end, our research indicates that optimal placement of nestboxes as regards orientation and habitat management to increase larval food supplies could increase productivity significantly. [source] Local annual survival of booming male Great Bittern Botaurus stellaris in Britain, in the period 1990,1999IBIS, Issue 1 2002Gillian Gilbert Male Great Bitterns Botaurus stellaris have individually distinctive boom vocalizations which have been used since 1990 to count the British population accurately. We used vocal individuality to identify birds between years and analyse the survival of the British booming population. We used six instances of Great Bitterns known to be the same birds (from radio tracking and re-sighting of darvic rings) in successive years to provide a means of identification independent from vocalizations. All of these birds remained in the same territory from one year to the next. Seven spectrogram measures were chosen as quantitative descriptors of Great Bittern booms. Boom similarity was expressed in terms of Euclidean ,acoustic' distance between descriptors of pairs of birds. Great Bitterns that were known to be the same birds had more similar booms across years than those known to be different. The acoustic distances and knowledge of site fidelity were used to construct parsimonious rules on which to base re-identification decisions and to build survival histories. Great Bittern local survival in Britain as a whole was estimated as 70% (± 5.1 se) with survival in north-west England (at Leighton Moss) higher (82.8%, ± 7.3 se) than that in East Anglian sites (65.2%, ± 5.4 se) (,12 = 3.4, P = 0.07). Movements of males between years were apparent between sites within the Suffolk and Norfolk coastal regions but not on a large scale. Survival of adult males in East Anglia was positively related to winter rainfall, but there was no significant relationship with winter temperature. There was a positive relationship between the annual population change in East Anglia and the annual local adult survival rate. [source] Microalbuminuria and stroke in a British population: the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer in Norfolk (EPIC-Norfolk) population studyJOURNAL OF INTERNAL MEDICINE, Issue 2 2004M. F. Yuyun Abstract. Objectives., To examine the relationship between microalbuminuria and incident stroke in the general population. Design., Population-based prospective cohort study. Setting., Participants were recruited in a primary care setting from 35 participating general practice units in Norfolk, UK. Subjects and main outcome measures., The study population consisted of 23 630 individuals aged 40,79 years recruited between 1993 and 1997 for the EPIC-Norfolk Study and followed up for an average of 7.2 years. Random spot urine specimens were collected at baseline and albumin-to-creatinine ratio measured. Participants were categorized into normoalbuminuria, microalbuminuria and macroalbuminuria groups. During follow-up, the main end point was stroke incidence (fatal and nonfatal), ascertained from the UK Office for National Statistics and from the National Health Service Health District database of all hospital admissions. Results., A total of 246 stroke events occurred during follow-up [crude incidence rate of stroke, 1.5 per 1000 person years (pyrs)]. The age-adjusted incidence of stroke increased significantly across categories of baseline albuminuria (0.9, 1.1 and 1.4/1000 pyrs for tertiles of normoalbuminuria, 2.6/1000 pyrs for microalbuminuria, and 6/1000 pyrs for macroalbuminuria in the total population, P < 0.001 for trend). In all women and men, the multivariate hazard ratio [95% confidence interval (CI)] for stroke associated with microalbuminuria was 1.49 (1.13,2.14) and macroalbuminuria 2.43 (1.11,6.26). After stratifying by stroke subtype, microalbuminuria was only independently predictive of ischaemic stroke, with hazard ratio (95% CI) of 2.01 (1.29,3.31). Conclusion., Microalbuminuria is independently associated with approximately 50% increased risk of stroke in the general population. Microalbuminuria may be useful in identifying those at increased risk of stroke in the general population. [source] Genetic variation and population structure in the endangered greater horseshoe bat Rhinolophus ferrumequinumMOLECULAR ECOLOGY, Issue 8 2000Stephen J. Rossiter Abstract Following a dramatic decline last century, the British population of the endangered greater horseshoe bat Rhinolophus ferrumequinum is highly fragmented. To examine the consequences of fragmentation and limited dispersal on patterns of genetic structure and variation, we used microsatellite markers to screen bats from around 50% of the known maternity colonies in Britain, and two areas from continental Europe. Analyses revealed that Welsh and English colonies were genetically isolated. This, and lower variability in Britain than north France, may result from either genetic drift, or the species' colonization history. Gene flow among most neighbouring colonies was not generally restricted, with one exception. These findings have important implications for the ongoing conservation management of this species. [source] Production, Reproduction, and Education: Women, Children, and Work in a British PerspectivePOPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT REVIEW, Issue 3 2002Heather Joshi This article reviews findings of studies by the author and colleagues on relationships between women's work and the reproduction of the British population based on data for female birth cohorts 1922,70. The studies address three questions: (1) How do children affect women's paid work and lifetime earnings? (2) How does women's employment affect the quantity of children born? (3) How does women's employment affect the "quality" of children? The answers are affected by the woman's educational attainment. On question 1, childrearing may often halve lifetime earnings, but seldom for the well educated. By contrast, any effects from employment to childbearing are most apparent in the late motherhood of the well educated. Child quality, as assessed by indicators of child development, benefits from maternal education and suffers little from maternal employment. The economic advantages for children in dual-career families are thus unabated. A widening gulf between mothers will tend to polarize the life chances of their children, unless there are more options to combine employment and childrearing, especially including good-quality child care for those who cannot afford the market price. Education is a powerful influence, but does not alone solve all issues of equity, whether between families or between sexes. [source] The chromosome 7q region association with rheumatoid arthritis in females in a british population is not replicated in a North American case,control seriesARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM, Issue 1 2009Benjamin D. Korman Objective The single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs11761231 on chromosome 7q has been reported to be sexually dimorphic marker for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) susceptibility in a British population. We sought to replicate this finding and to better characterize susceptibility alleles in the region in a North American population. Methods DNA from 2 North American collections of RA patients and controls (1,605 cases and 2,640 controls) was genotyped for rs11761231 and 16 additional chromosome 7q tag SNPs using Sequenom iPlex assays. Association tests were performed for each collection and also separately, contrasting male cases with male controls and female cases with female controls. Principal components analysis (EigenStrat) was used to determine association with RA before and after adjusting for population stratification in the subset of the samples for which there were whole-genome SNP data (772 cases and 1,213 controls). Results We failed to replicate an association of the 7q region with RA. Initially, rs11761231 showed evidence for association with RA in the North American Rheumatoid Arthritis Consortium (NARAC) collection (P = 0.0073), and rs11765576 showed association with RA in both the NARAC (P = 0.038) and RA replication (P = 0.0013) collections. These markers also exhibited sex differentiation. However, in the whole-genome subset, neither SNP showed significant association with RA after correction for population stratification. Conclusion While 2 SNPs on chromosome 7q appeared to be associated with RA in a North American cohort, the significance of this finding did not withstand correction for population substructure. Our results emphasize the need to carefully account for population structure to avoid false-positive disease associations. [source] Population structure and its implications for conservation of the great silver beetle Hydrophilus piceus in BritainFRESHWATER BIOLOGY, Issue 11 2007TREVOR J. C. BEEBEE Summary 1. The great silver water beetle Hydrophilus piceus is one of the largest aquatic insects in Europe. In Britain it is rare and endangered, and confined to a small number of low-lying marshes. Very little is known about the beetle populations in any of these areas, or the connectivity between them. 2. To investigate the population structure of H. piceus in Britain, four polymorphic microsatellite loci were identified and characterized. The genome of this beetle seems to have few microsatellites but contains a high proportion of a larger repeated sequence. 3. All six of the main British populations (Somerset, Lewes, Pevensey, Romney, North Kent and Norfolk) showed substantial genetic diversity at the microsatellite loci. However, estimates of effective population size at one site (Pevensey) were remarkably low, at <10 adults for the period 2004,05. 4. Most of the genetic diversity was partitioned within rather than among the populations, although there was, nevertheless, significant genetic sub-structuring. Almost all population pairwise Fst estimates were significantly different from zero, and there was a clear isolation-by-distance effect. Assignment tests and cluster analyses demonstrated interpopulation relationships largely consistent with their geographical separations. 5. Hydrophilus disperses by flight, and records from moth traps indicated that there was no month in which the beetles never flew, but that flight activity was highest in the spring. 6. The genetic data highlight the need to maintain or regenerate habitat connectivity within flying distance for H. piceus, and to sustain large areas of suitable breeding marshes. [source] A molecular approach to detect hybridisation between crucian carp (Carassius carassius) and non-indigenous carp species (Carassius spp. and Cyprinus carpio)FRESHWATER BIOLOGY, Issue 3 2005B. HÄNFLING Summary 1. Releases of non-native fish into the wild is an increasing problem posing considerable ecological and genetic threats through direct competition and hybridisation. 2. We employed six microsatellite markers to identify first generation hybrids and backcrosses between native crucian carp (Carassius carassius) and introduced goldfish (C. auratus) and common carp (Cyprinus carpio) in the U.K. We also investigated the genetic characteristics of the taxonomically controversial gibel carp (Carassius spp.) from sites across Europe. 3. Natural hybridisation between goldfish and crucian carp occurs frequently, although hybrids between all other species pairs were observed. Only 62% of British crucian carp populations (n = 21) consisted exclusively of pure crucian carp. In some populations hybrids were so frequent, that no pure crucian carp were caught, indicating a high competitive ability of hybrids. 4. Most hybrids belonged to the F1 generation but backcrossing was evident at a low frequency in goldfish × crucian carp hybrids and goldfish × common carp hybrids. Furthermore, some local populations had high frequencies of backcrosses, raising the opportunity for introgression. 5. Gibel carp from Germany and Italy belonged to two triploid clonal lineages that were genetically closely related to goldfish, whereas all individuals identified from British populations proved to be crucian carp × goldfish hybrids. 6. Our study suggests that the release of closely related exotic cyprinids not only poses a threat to the genetic integrity and associated local adaptations of native species, but may also contribute to shifts in community structure through competitive interactions. [source] Plastid DNA haplotype variation in Dactylorhiza incarnata (Orchidaceae): evidence for multiple independent colonization events into ScandinaviaNORDIC JOURNAL OF BOTANY, Issue 1 2009Mikael Hedrén The early marsh orchid, Dactylorhiza incarnata (L.) Soó s. l., grows in medium-rich to rich fens and marshes over much of Europe and parts of Asia. The species is highly polymorphic and different forms may grow together at the same site. In the present study, I tested the hypothesis that these forms represent different migrant populations that have colonized Scandinavia independently of each other, possibly from different source areas. Accessions from Scandinavia and elsewhere were screened for variation at three size-variable plastid marker loci, one polyA repeat, one polyA-polyTA-polyT repeat and one 9 bp indel. Ten haplotypes were defined on basis on the combined variation pattern. The common occurrence of several haplotypes in southern Scandinavia and adjacent areas to the south and the east of the Baltic Sea suggests that D. incarnata has been dispersed on repeated occasions across the Baltic. Also, there was some correlation between haplotype composition and morphological form on the island of Gotland, in agreement with the independent colonization hypothesis. Material from northernmost Sweden, Finland and northwest Russia was fixed for a single widespread haplotype, indicating that populations in this area are located farther away from the Pleistocene refugia. Dactylorhiza incarnata ssp. lobelii from southwest Norway was characterized by a haplotype that was not encountered elsewhere in Scandinavia. Given its proximity to British populations dominated by the same haplotype, it is suggested that D. incarnata ssp. lobelii was established independently of the other Scandinavian populations, from coastal refugia located in western Europe. [source] Adaptations to humeral torsion in medieval BritainAMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 2 2006Jill A. Rhodes Abstract Adaptations to the humeral torsion angle have been identified in the professional throwing athlete. This movement pattern increases the humeral torsion angle, and also increases the extent of external rotation movements in the dominant, throwing limb when compared with the nondominant limb. The purpose of this paper is to test the hypothesis that the humeral torsion angle is an adaptation to upper limb use. This project examines the humeral torsion angle in a number of medieval British populations, as well as a modern cadaver-based sample. The results identify significant differences in the humeral torsion angle both between and within male (P < 0.001, ANOVA) and female (P < 0.014, ANOVA) populations, although the results are not consistent with expected behavior patterns. Statistically significant differences between males and females within the same site were identified in 2 of the 5 samples examined. The mean level of bilateral asymmetry does not approach that reported for the professional throwing athlete. However, a number of individuals have high levels of asymmetry in excess of that identified in the professional throwing athlete. This analysis demonstrates the need for individual rather than population-based analyses, as the heterogeneity within population samples obscures individual variation in activity patterns. The diversity within British medieval society and a lack of specific known behaviors prevent further identification of the functional significance of the humeral torsion angle within the archaeological record examined here. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2006. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] The chromosome 7q region association with rheumatoid arthritis in females in a british population is not replicated in a North American case,control seriesARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM, Issue 1 2009Benjamin D. Korman Objective The single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs11761231 on chromosome 7q has been reported to be sexually dimorphic marker for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) susceptibility in a British population. We sought to replicate this finding and to better characterize susceptibility alleles in the region in a North American population. Methods DNA from 2 North American collections of RA patients and controls (1,605 cases and 2,640 controls) was genotyped for rs11761231 and 16 additional chromosome 7q tag SNPs using Sequenom iPlex assays. Association tests were performed for each collection and also separately, contrasting male cases with male controls and female cases with female controls. Principal components analysis (EigenStrat) was used to determine association with RA before and after adjusting for population stratification in the subset of the samples for which there were whole-genome SNP data (772 cases and 1,213 controls). Results We failed to replicate an association of the 7q region with RA. Initially, rs11761231 showed evidence for association with RA in the North American Rheumatoid Arthritis Consortium (NARAC) collection (P = 0.0073), and rs11765576 showed association with RA in both the NARAC (P = 0.038) and RA replication (P = 0.0013) collections. These markers also exhibited sex differentiation. However, in the whole-genome subset, neither SNP showed significant association with RA after correction for population stratification. Conclusion While 2 SNPs on chromosome 7q appeared to be associated with RA in a North American cohort, the significance of this finding did not withstand correction for population substructure. Our results emphasize the need to carefully account for population structure to avoid false-positive disease associations. [source] | ||||||||||||||||