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Selected AbstractsSpatial patterns of disparity and diversity of the Recent cuttlefishes (Cephalopoda) across the Old WorldJOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY, Issue 8 2003Pascal Neige Abstract Aim Diversity and disparity metrics of all Recent cuttlefishes are studied at the macroevolutionary scale (1) to establish the geographical biodiversity patterns of these cephalopods at the species level and (2) to explore the relationships between these two metrics. Location Sampling uses what is known about these tropical, subtropical and warm temperate cephalopods of the Old World based on a literature review and on measurements of museum specimens. Some 111 species spread across seventeen biogeographical areas serve as basic units for exploring diversity and disparity metrics in space. Methods Landmarks describe the shape of the cuttlebone (the inner shell of the sepiids) and differences between shapes are quantified using relative warp analyses. Relative warps are thus used as the morphological axis for constructing morphospaces whose characteristics are described by disparity indices: total variance, range, and minimum and maximum of relative warps. These are analysed and then compared with the diversity (species richness) metric. Results Results show no significant latitudinal or longitudinal gradients either for diversity or for disparity. Around the coast of southern Africa, disparity is high regardless of whether diversity (species richness) is high or low. In the ,East Indies' area disparity is low despite the high diversity. Main conclusions The relationship between diversity and disparity is clearly not linear and no simple adjustment models seem to fit. The number of species in a given area does not predict its disparity level. The particular pattern of southern Africa may be the result of paleogeographical changes since the Eocene, whereas that of the ,East Indies' may indicate that this area could act as a centre of origin. However, the lack of any clear phylogenetical hypothesis precludes the study from providing any explanation of the observed patterns. [source] Do insects lose flight before they lose their wings?MOLECULAR ECOLOGY, Issue 19 2009Population genetic structure in subalpine stoneflies Abstract Wing reduction and flightlessness are common features of alpine and subalpine insects, and are typically interpreted as evolutionary adaptations to increase fecundity and promote local recruitment. Here, we assess the impact of wing reduction on dispersal in stoneflies (Plecoptera: Gripopterygidae: Zelandoperla) in southern New Zealand. Specifically, we present comparative phylogeographic analyses (COI; H3) of strong-flying Zelandoperla decorata (144 individuals, 63 localities) vs. the co-distributed but weak-flying Zelandoperla fenestrata species group (186 individuals, 81 localities). The latter group exhibits a variety of morphotypes, ranging from fully winged to completely wingless. Consistent with its capacity for strong flight-mediated dispersal, Z. decorata exhibited no substantial phylogeographic differentiation across its broad South Island range. Conversely the weak-flying fenestrata species group exhibited substantial genetic structure across both fine and broad geographic scales. Intriguingly, the variable degrees of wing development observed within the fenestrata species group had no apparent impact on levels of phylogeographic structure, which were high regardless of morphotype, suggesting that even fully winged specimens of this group do not fly. This finding implies that Zelandoperla flight loss occurs independently of wing loss, and might reflect underlying flight muscle reduction. [source] Preventing conduct problems and improving school readiness: evaluation of the Incredible Years Teacher and Child Training Programs in high-risk schoolsTHE JOURNAL OF CHILD PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHIATRY AND ALLIED DISCIPLINES, Issue 5 2008Carolyn Webster-Stratton Background:, School readiness, conceptualized as three components including emotional self-regulation, social competence, and family/school involvement, as well as absence of conduct problems play a key role in young children's future interpersonal adjustment and academic success. Unfortunately, exposure to multiple poverty-related risks increases the odds that children will demonstrate increased emotional dysregulation, fewer social skills, less teacher/parent involvement and more conduct problems. Consequently intervention offered to socio-economically disadvantaged populations that includes a social and emotional school curriculum and trains teachers in effective classroom management skills and in promotion of parent,school involvement would seem to be a strategic strategy for improving young children's school readiness, leading to later academic success and prevention of the development of conduct disorders. Methods:, This randomized trial evaluated the Incredible Years (IY) Teacher Classroom Management and Child Social and Emotion curriculum (Dinosaur School) as a universal prevention program for children enrolled in Head Start, kindergarten, or first grade classrooms in schools selected because of high rates of poverty. Trained teachers offered the Dinosaur School curriculum to all their students in bi-weekly lessons throughout the year. They sent home weekly dinosaur homework to encourage parents' involvement. Part of the curriculum involved promotion of lesson objectives through the teachers' continual use of positive classroom management skills focused on building social competence and emotional self-regulation skills as well as decreasing conduct problems. Matched pairs of schools were randomly assigned to intervention or control conditions. Results:, Results from multi-level models on a total of 153 teachers and 1,768 students are presented. Children and teachers were observed in the classrooms by blinded observers at the beginning and the end of the school year. Results indicated that intervention teachers used more positive classroom management strategies and their students showed more social competence and emotional self-regulation and fewer conduct problems than control teachers and students. Intervention teachers reported more involvement with parents than control teachers. Satisfaction with the program was very high regardless of grade levels. Conclusions:, These findings provide support for the efficacy of this universal preventive curriculum for enhancing school protective factors and reducing child and classroom risk factors faced by socio-economically disadvantaged children. [source] Effects of boundary-permeated self and patriotism on social participation in the Beijing Olympic GamesASIAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 2 2010Yiyin Yang Indigenous theories proposed that the self boundary of Chinese has permeability. The present study examines the moderating effect of the boundary-permeated self on Beijing residents' support and participation in the Beijing Olympic Games (BOG). In a survey after BOG, data about the boundary-permeated self, patriotism, BOG focus, and BOG participation were collected. The results indicate that the boundary-permeated self moderated the relationship between patriotism and participation in BOG. For respondents with a high permeability of the self boundary, their national focus and participation became more positive as their patriotism increased; for respondents with low permeability, their participation was high regardless of their patriotism level. [source] Efficacy and safety of the combination of rituximab, fludarabine, and mitoxantrone for rituximab-naive, recurrent/refractory follicular non-Hodgkin lymphoma with high tumor burden,CANCER, Issue 18 2010A multicenter phase 2 trial by the Groupe d'Etude des Lymphomes de l'Adulte (GELA), Groupe Ouest Est des Leucémies et Autres Maladies du Sang (GOELAMS) Abstract BACKGROUND: This phase 2 trial was undertaken to evaluate the efficacy and safety of rituximab combined with intravenous fludarabine and mitoxantrone (R-FM) for patients with recurrent/refractory follicular lymphoma who had high tumor burden according to Groupe d'Etude des Lymphomes Folliculaires (GELF) criteria. METHODS: Fifty patients were enrolled who had received a maximum of 2 previous regimens, including 1 cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (CHOP)/CHOP-like regimen but no previous exposure to rituximab, fludarabine, or mitoxantrone. At baseline, 58% of patients had bulky disease (lesion >7cm), 56% had high-risk Follicular Lymphoma International Prognostic Index (FLIPI) scores (range, 3-5), and 22% were refractory. Treatment consisted of 4 courses of R-FM (rituximab 375 mg/m2 intravenously on Day 1, fludarabine 25 mg/m2 intravenously on Days 2 through 4, and mitoxantrone 10 mg/m2 intravenously on Day 2, recycling at Day 28) and consolidation with 2 courses of fludarabine and mitoxantrone (the same regimen without rituximab). RESULTS: The best response (84% overall response rate including 68% complete response/complete response unconfirmed) was achieved after 4 courses of R-FM. Response rates were high regardless of age, refractoriness to last previous therapy, and FLIPI score. After a median follow-up of 4 years, the 3-year progression-free survival rate was 47%, the event-free survival rate was 41%, and the 3-year overall survival rate was 66%. Grade ,3 neutropenia and infections were the most common toxicities and occurred in 72% and 14% of patients, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Cytoreduction with 4 courses of R-FM was safe and highly efficient in patients with recurrent/refractory follicular lymphoma who had high tumor burden; however, better consolidation than FM is needed to further improve outcome. Cancer 2010. © 2010 American Cancer Society. [source] Primary central nervous system post-transplantation lymphoproliferative disorder,CANCER, Issue 4 2010An International Primary Central Nervous System Lymphoma Collaborative Group Report Abstract BACKGROUND: Primary central nervous system (CNS) post-transplantation lymphoproliferative disorder (PCNS-PTLD) is a rare complication of solid organ transplantation. The objectives of this study were to define the clinical, radiologic, and pathologic features of this disease and to explore the impact of treatment on patient outcomes. METHODS: The authors reviewed the databases of participating institutions of the International Primary CNS Lymphoma Collaborative Group for cases of PCNS-PTLD. Thirty-four patients who had pathologically confirmed PCNS-PTLD without evidence of systemic PTLD were investigated retrospectively. RESULTS: The median time from transplantation to diagnosis of PCNS-PTLD was 4.4 years. Disease usually was multifocal and involved any location of the brain but was most common in the cerebral hemispheres, usually in the subcortical white matter or basal ganglia. Radiographically, all lesions enhanced either homogenously or in a ring-enhancing pattern. Cerebral biopsy was required to establish diagnosis in most patients. Most patients had monomorphic, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-positive disease of B-cell origin. Response rates were high regardless of treatment type, and the median survival was 47 months. Age was the only factor predictive of survival. CONCLUSIONS: The current study demonstrated that PCNS-PTLD is typically an EBV-induced B-cell lymphoma that is responsive to treatment with favorable survival in many patients. An aggressive approach to tissue confirmation of diagnosis and treatment with chemotherapy or radiotherapy should be strongly considered. Cancer 2010. © 2010 American Cancer Society [source] | ||||||||||