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Areas Important (area + important)
Selected AbstractsPerformance of Sub-Saharan Vertebrates as Indicator Groups for Identifying Priority Areas for ConservationCONSERVATION BIOLOGY, Issue 1 2003Joslin L. Moore Often, these sets of important areas, referred to as priority sets, have been identified through use of data on a single taxon (e.g., birds), which is assumed to act as an indicator for all biodiversity. Using a database of the distributions of 3882 vertebrate species in sub-Saharan Africa, we conducted one of very few large-scale tests of this assumption. We used six potential indicator groups,birds, mammals, amphibians, snakes, threatened birds, and threatened mammals,to find priority sets of 200 areas that best represent the species in that group. Priority sets of grid cells designed to maximize representation of a single indicator group captured 83,93% of species in the other groups. This high degree of representation is consistent with observed high levels of overlap in the patterns of distribution of species in different groups. Those species of highest conservation interest were more poorly represented, however, with only 75,88% of other groups' threatened species and 63,76% of other groups' narrow-range species represented in the priority sets. We conclude that existing priority sets based on indicator groups provide a pragmatic basis for the immediate assessment of priorities for conservation at a continental scale. However, complete and efficient representation,especially of narrow-range species,will not be achieved through indicator groups alone. Therefore, priority-setting procedures must remain flexible so that new areas important for other taxa can be incorporated as data become available. Resumen: La meta de la identificación de prioridades globales y continentales de conservación es la identificación de áreas particularmente valiosas para la conservación en las cuales enfocar esfuerzos más detallados. A menudo, estos conjuntos de áreas importantes (referidas como conjuntos prioritarios) han sido identificados utilizando datos de un solo taxón (e. g. aves), el cual se supone que actúa como indicador de toda la biodiversidad. Utilizando una base de datos de la distribución de 3882 especies de vertebrados en África sub-Sahara, realizamos una de las pocas pruebas a gran escala de este supuesto. Utilizamos seis grupos de indicadores potenciales (aves, mamíferos, anfibios, serpientes, aves amenazadas y mamíferos amenazados ) para encontrar conjuntos prioritarios de 200 áreas que mejor representan las especies de ese grupo. Conjuntos prioritarios de celdas matriciales diseñadas para maximizar la representatividad de un grupo indicador capturaron 83,93% de las especies de los otros grupos. Este alto grado de representatividad es consistente con los altos niveles de superposición observados en los patrones de distribución de especies en los diferentes grupos. Sin embargo, las especies de mayor interés para la conservación estaban poco representadas, con solo 75,88% de las especies amenazadas de otros grupos y 63,76% de las especies de distribución restringida de otros grupos representados en los conjuntos prioritarios. Concluimos que los conjuntos prioritarios existentes, basados en grupos indicadores, proporcionan una base pragmática para la evaluación inmediata de las prioridades de conservación a escala continental. Sin embargo, no se logrará la representación completa y eficiente,especialmente de especies de distribución restringida,solo con grupos indicadores. Por lo tanto, los procedimientos de definición de prioridades deben permanecer flexibles para que se puedan incorporar nuevas áreas importantes para otros taxones a medida que se obtienen los datos. [source] Localization of estrogen receptor-, and -,mRNA in brain areas controlling sexual behavior in Japanese quailDEVELOPMENTAL NEUROBIOLOGY, Issue 2 2006Krister Halldin Abstract Two estrogen receptors (ERs), denoted ER, and ER,, have been identified in humans and various animal species, including the Japanese quail. Estrogens play a key role in sexual differentiation and in activation of sexual behavior in Japanese quail. The distribution of ER, in the brain of male and female adult quail has previously been studied using immunohistochemistry, whereas in situ hybridization has been employed to study the distribution of ER, mRNA in males only. In this article, we used in situ hybridization to study the distribution of mRNAs for both ER, and ER, in brain areas controlling sexual behavior of Japanese quail. Our results show that both ER, mRNA and ER, mRNA are localized in areas important for sexual behavior, such as the preoptic area and associated limbic areas, in both males and females. Moreover, we found differences in distribution of mRNA for the two receptors in these areas. The results of this article support previously reported data and provide novel data on localization of ER mRNAs in adult quail brain of both sexes. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Neurobiol, 2005 [source] Being liked activates primary reward and midline self-related brain regionsHUMAN BRAIN MAPPING, Issue 4 2010Christopher G. Davey Abstract The experience of being liked is a key social event and fundamental to motivating human behavior, though little is known about its neural underpinnings. In this study, we examined the experience of being liked in a group of 15- to 24-year-old: a cohort for whom forming friendships has a great degree of salience, and for whom the explicit representation of relationships is familiar from their frequent use of social networking technologies. Study participants (n = 19) were led to believe that other participants had formed an opinion on their likability based on their appearance in a photograph, and during fMRI scanning viewed the photographs of people who had purportedly responded favorably to them (alongside photographs of control participants). Results indicated that being liked activated primary reward- and self-related regions, including the nucleus accumbens, midbrain (in an area corresponding to the ventral tegmentum), ventromedial prefrontal cortex, posterior cingulate cortex (including retrosplenial cortex), amygdala, and insula/opercular cortex. Participants showed greater activation of ventromedial prefrontal cortex and amygdala in response to being liked by people that they regarded highly compared to those they regarded less so. Finally, being liked by the opposite compared to the same gender activated the right caudal orbitofrontal cortex and right anterior insula: areas important for the representation of primary somatic rewards. This study demonstrates that neural response to being liked has features that are consistent with response to other rewarding events, but it has additional features that reflect its intrinsically interpersonal character. Hum Brain Mapp, 2010. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Company Competencies as a Network: The Role of Product DevelopmentTHE JOURNAL OF PRODUCT INNOVATION MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2000Hanne Harmsen Product development managers and academics like to assure themselves and each other that new product development is one of the most critical areas of company competence and contributes positively to company success. But does top management agree? Because if they do not, the consequences will heavily influence the resource allocation to product development and career possibilities of new product developments manager. This study examines how top managers view the importance of product development relative to other central competence areas. Although asking managers about their perception is one way of evaluating the importance, its contribution to company success is another important measure. In this study, the impact of product development, relative to other important competence areas, is measured to assess further how critical product development is for overall company success. The authors investigate these matters in a survey of top managers in 513 Danish production companies. Ten areas important for achieving company objectives are identified. These are product development, market intelligence, production management, strategy and vision, sales, market responsiveness, promotion, internal co-operation, image, and supply management. Product development is rated a fairly important competence as it ranks number four, with sales, market responsiveness, and production management ranking numbers one to three. Yet a distressing negative impact on overall company success is found for product development proficiency, whereas success is positively related to production management, image, and differentiation of products. Further analysis reveals that product development contributes positively to success by enabling product differentiation and enhancing promotion proficiency. Influenced by and influencing many other competencies, product development is found to be a central competence. Results support a nonfunctional and broad perspective of how bundles of competences interact and impact on success and establish a positive overall contribution to product development. [source] Impact of recreational power boating on two populations of northern map turtles (Graptemys geographica)AQUATIC CONSERVATION: MARINE AND FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS, Issue 1 2010G. Bulté Abstract 1.Recreational power boating is growing in popularity in North America. This activity is known to have lethal and sub-lethal effects on aquatic wildlife and freshwater turtles may be particularly sensitive to this activity. 2.This study reports on patterns of traumatic injuries inflicted by powerboat propellers to northern map turtles (Graptemys geographica) from two sites differing in boat traffic intensity in Ontario, Canada. 3.The relative vulnerability of turtles was assessed, in light of seasonal patterns in boat traffic, as a function of sex- and age-specific movement patterns, habitat use, and basking behaviour obtained by radio-telemetry. Population viability analyses (PVA) were also conducted to evaluate the potential demographic consequences of mortality induced by powerboats. 4.The prevalence of propeller injuries was two to nine times higher in adult females than in adult males and juvenile females. Patterns of movement, habitat use, and aquatic basking indicated that adult females are more exposed to collisions with boats. PVA showed that boat-induced mortality in adult females could lead to rapid population extinction if the risk of mortality when hit by a boat is greater than 10%. 5.The results of this study showed that recreational power boating is a serious threat to northern map turtles, even under moderate boat traffic. The need to adopt measures restricting boat traffic in areas important to turtles is discussed. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] | ||||||||||