Presence of broadly reactive and group-specific neutralizing epitopes on newly described isolates of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus.

PubMed

Ahmed, Asim A; McFalls, Jeanne M; Hoffmann, Christian; Filone, Claire Marie; Stewart, Shaun M; Paragas, Jason; Khodjaev, Shabot; Shermukhamedova, Dilbar; Schmaljohn, Connie S; Doms, Robert W; Bertolotti-Ciarlet, Andrea

2005-12-01

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV), a member of the genus Nairovirus of the family Bunyaviridae, causes severe disease in humans with high rates of mortality. The virus has a tripartite genome composed of a small (S), a medium (M) and a large (L) RNA segment; the M segment encodes the two viral glycoproteins, G(N) and G(C). Whilst relatively few full-length M segment sequences are available, it is apparent that both G(N) and G(C) may exhibit significant sequence diversity. It is unknown whether considerable antigenic differences exist between divergent CCHFV strains, or whether there are conserved neutralizing epitopes. The M segments derived from viral isolates of a human case of CCHF in South Africa (SPU 41/84), an infected tick (Hyalomma marginatum) in South Africa (SPU 128/81), a human case in Congo (UG 3010), an infected individual in Uzbekistan (U2-2-002) and an infected tick (Hyalomma asiaticum) in China (Hy13) were sequenced fully, and the glycoproteins were expressed. These novel sequences showed high variability in the N-terminal region of G(N) and more modest differences in the remainder of G(N) and in G(C). Phylogenetic analyses placed these newly identified strains in three of the four previously described M segment groups. Studies with a panel of mAbs specific to G(N) and G(C) indicated that there were significant antigenic differences between the M segment groups, although several neutralizing epitopes in both G(N) and G(C) were conserved among all strains examined. Thus, the genetic diversity exhibited by CCHFV strains results in significant antigenic differences that will need to be taken into consideration for vaccine development.

Examining assortativity in the mental lexicon: Evidence from word associations.

PubMed

Van Rensbergen, Bram; Storms, Gert; De Deyne, Simon

2015-12-01

Words are characterized by a variety of lexical and psychological properties, such as their part of speech, word-frequency, concreteness, or affectivity. In this study, we examine how these properties relate to a word's connectivity in the mental lexicon, the structure containing a person's knowledge of words. In particular, we examine the extent to which these properties display assortative mixing, that is, the extent to which words in the lexicon are more likely to be connected to words that share these properties. We investigated three types of word properties: 1) subjective word covariates: valence, dominance, arousal, and concreteness; 2) lexical information: part of speech; and 3) distributional word properties: age-of-acquisition, word frequency, and contextual diversity. We assessed which of these factors exhibit assortativity using a word association task, where the probability of producing a certain response to a cue is a measure of the associative strength between the cue and response in the mental lexicon. Our results show that the extent to which these aspects exhibit assortativity varies considerably, with a high cue-response correspondence on valence, dominance, arousal, concreteness, and part of speech, indicating that these factors correspond to the words people deem as related. In contrast, we find that cues and responses show only little correspondence on word frequency, contextual diversity, and age-of-acquisition, indicating that, compared to subjective and lexical word covariates, distributional properties exhibit only little assortativity in the mental lexicon. Possible theoretical accounts and implications of these findings are discussed.

Influences of Air, Oxygen, Nitrogen, and Carbon Dioxide Nanobubbles on Seed Germination and Plant Growth.

PubMed

Ahmed, Ahmed Khaled Abdella; Shi, Xiaonan; Hua, Likun; Manzueta, Leidy; Qing, Weihua; Marhaba, Taha; Zhang, Wen

2018-05-23

Nanobubbles (NBs) hold promise in green and sustainable engineering applications in diverse fields (e.g., water/wastewater treatment, food processing, medical applications, and agriculture). This study investigated the effects of four types of NBs on seed germination and plant growth. Air, oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide NBs were generated and dispersed in tap water. Different plants, including lettuce, carrot, fava bean, and tomato, were used in germination and growth tests. The seeds in water-containing NBs exhibited 6-25% higher germination rates. Especially, nitrogen NBs exhibited considerable effects in the seed germination, whereas air and carbon dioxide NBs did not significantly promote germination. The growth of stem length and diameter, leave number, and leave width were promoted by NBs (except air). Furthermore, the promotion effect was primarily ascribed to the generation of exogenous reactive oxygen species by NBs and higher efficiency of nutrient fixation or utilization.

Altitudinal Patterns of Species Diversity and Phylogenetic Diversity across Temperate Mountain Forests of Northern China.

PubMed

Zhang, Wenxin; Huang, Dizhou; Wang, Renqing; Liu, Jian; Du, Ning

2016-01-01

The spatial patterns of biodiversity and their underlying mechanisms have been an active area of research for a long time. In this study, a total of 63 samples (20m × 30m) were systematically established along elevation gradients on Mount Tai and Mount Lao, China. We explored altitudinal patterns of plant diversity in the two mountain systems. In order to understand the mechanisms driving current diversity patterns, we used phylogenetic approaches to detect the spatial patterns of phylogenetic diversity and phylogenetic structure along two elevation gradients. We found that total species richness had a monotonically decreasing pattern and tree richness had a unimodal pattern along the elevation gradients in the two study areas. However, altitudinal patterns in shrub richness and herbs richness were not consistent on the two mountains. At low elevation, anthropogenic disturbances contributed to the increase of plant diversity, especially for shrubs and herbs in understory layers, which are more sensitive to changes in microenvironment. The phylogenetic structure of plant communities exhibited an inverted hump-shaped pattern along the elevation gradient on Mount Tai, which demonstrates that environmental filtering is the main driver of plant community assembly at high and low elevations and inter-specific competition may be the main driver of plant community assembly in the middle elevations. However, the phylogenetic structure of plant communities did not display a clear pattern on Mount Lao where the climate is milder. Phylogenetic beta diversity and species beta diversity consistently increased with increasing altitudinal divergence in the two study areas. However, the altitudinal patterns of species richness did not completely mirror phylogenetic diversity patterns. Conservation areas should be selected taking into consideration the preservation of high species richness, while maximizing phylogenetic diversity to improve the potential for diversification in the future.

Methodological and Epistemological Considerations in Utilizing Qualitative Inquiry to Develop Interventions.

PubMed

Duggleby, Wendy; Williams, Allison

2016-01-01

The purpose of this article is to discuss methodological and epistemological considerations involved in using qualitative inquiry to develop interventions. These considerations included (a) using diverse methodological approaches and (b) epistemological considerations such as generalization, de-contextualization, and subjective reality. Diverse methodological approaches have the potential to inform different stages of intervention development. Using the development of a psychosocial hope intervention for advanced cancer patients as an example, the authors utilized a thematic study to assess current theories/frameworks and interventions. However, to understand the processes that the intervention needed to target to affect change, grounded theory was used. Epistemological considerations provided a framework to understand and, further, critique the intervention. Using diverse qualitative methodological approaches and examining epistemological considerations were useful in developing an intervention that appears to foster hope in patients with advanced cancer. © The Author(s) 2015.

Spatial Patterns in Water Temperature in Pacific Northwest Rivers: Diversity at Multiple Scales and Potential Influence of Climate Change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Torgersen, C. E.; Fullerton, A.; Lawler, J. J.; Ebersole, J. L.; Leibowitz, S. G.; Steel, E. A.; Beechie, T. J.; Faux, R.

2016-12-01

Understanding spatial patterns in water temperature will be essential for evaluating vulnerability of aquatic biota to future climate and for identifying and protecting diverse thermal habitats. We used high-resolution remotely sensed water temperature data for over 16,000 km of 2nd to 7th-order rivers throughout the Pacific Northwest and California to evaluate spatial patterns of summertime water temperature at multiple spatial scales. We found a diverse and geographically distributed suite of whole-river patterns. About half of rivers warmed asymptotically in a downstream direction, whereas the rest exhibited complex and unique spatial patterns. Patterns were associated with both broad-scale hydroclimatic variables as well as characteristics unique to each basin. Within-river thermal heterogeneity patterns were highly river-specific; across rivers, median size and spacing of cool patches <15 °C were around 250 m. Patches of this size are large enough for juvenile salmon rearing and for resting during migration, and the distance between patches is well within the movement capabilities of both juvenile and adult salmon. We found considerable thermal heterogeneity at fine spatial scales that may be important to fish that would be missed if data were analyzed at coarser scales. We estimated future thermal heterogeneity and concluded that climate change will cause warmer temperatures overall, but that thermal heterogeneity patterns may remain similar in the future for many rivers. We demonstrated considerable spatial complexity in both current and future water temperature, and resolved spatial patterns that could not have been perceived without spatially continuous data.

Statistical analysis of the Bacterial Carbohydrate Structure Data Base (BCSDB): Characteristics and diversity of bacterial carbohydrates in comparison with mammalian glycans

PubMed Central

Herget, Stephan; Toukach, Philip V; Ranzinger, René; Hull, William E; Knirel, Yuriy A; von der Lieth, Claus-Wilhelm

2008-01-01

Background There are considerable differences between bacterial and mammalian glycans. In contrast to most eukaryotic carbohydrates, bacterial glycans are often composed of repeating units with diverse functions ranging from structural reinforcement to adhesion, colonization and camouflage. Since bacterial glycans are typically displayed at the cell surface, they can interact with the environment and, therefore, have significant biomedical importance. Results The sequence characteristics of glycans (monosaccharide composition, modifications, and linkage patterns) for the higher bacterial taxonomic classes have been examined and compared with the data for mammals, with both similarities and unique features becoming evident. Compared to mammalian glycans, the bacterial glycans deposited in the current databases have a more than ten-fold greater diversity at the monosaccharide level, and the disaccharide pattern space is approximately nine times larger. Specific bacterial subclasses exhibit characteristic glycans which can be distinguished on the basis of distinctive structural features or sequence properties. Conclusion For the first time a systematic database analysis of the bacterial glycome has been performed. This study summarizes the current knowledge of bacterial glycan architecture and diversity and reveals putative targets for the rational design and development of therapeutic intervention strategies by comparing bacterial and mammalian glycans. PMID:18694500

Evolutionary Dynamics of Influenza A Viruses in US Exhibition Swine

PubMed Central

Nelson, Martha I.; Wentworth, David E.; Das, Suman R.; Sreevatsan, Srinand; Killian, Mary L.; Nolting, Jacqueline M.; Slemons, Richard D.; Bowman, Andrew S.

2016-01-01

The role of exhibition swine in influenza A virus transmission was recently demonstrated by >300 infections with influenza A(H3N2) variant viruses among individuals who attended agricultural fairs. Through active influenza A virus surveillance in US exhibition swine and whole-genome sequencing of 380 isolates, we demonstrate that exhibition swine are actively involved in the evolution of influenza A viruses, including zoonotic strains. First, frequent introduction of influenza A viruses from commercial swine populations provides new genetic diversity in exhibition pigs each year locally. Second, genomic reassortment between viruses cocirculating in exhibition swine increases viral diversity. Third, viral migration between exhibition swine in neighboring states demonstrates that movements of exhibition pigs contributes to the spread of genetic diversity. The unexpected frequency of viral exchange between commercial and exhibition swine raises questions about the understudied interface between these populations. Overall, the complexity of viral evolution in exhibition swine indicates that novel viruses are likely to continually reemerge, presenting threats to humans. PMID:26243317

Allo-allo-triploid Sphagnum × falcatulum: single individuals contain most of the Holantarctic diversity for ancestrally indicative markers.

PubMed

Karlin, Eric F; Smouse, Peter E

2017-08-01

Allopolyploids exhibit both different levels and different patterns of genetic variation than are typical of diploids. However, scant attention has been given to the partitioning of allelic information and diversity in allopolyploids, particularly that among homeologous monoploid components of the hologenome. Sphagnum × falcatulum is a double allopolyploid peat moss that spans a considerable portion of the Holantarctic. With monoploid genomes from three ancestral species, this organism exhibits a complex evolutionary history involving serial inter-subgeneric allopolyploidizations. Studying populations from three disjunct regions [South Island (New Zealand); Tierra de Fuego archipelago (Chile, Argentina); Tasmania (Australia)], allelic information for five highly stable microsatellite markers that differed among the three (ancestral) monoploid genomes was examined. Using Shannon information and diversity measures, the holoploid information, as well as the information within and among the three component monoploid genomes, was partitioned into separate components for individuals within and among populations and regions, and those information components were then converted into corresponding diversity measures. The majority (76 %) of alleles detected across these five markers are most likely to have been captured by hybridization, but the information within each of the three monoploid genomes varied, suggesting a history of recurrent allopolyploidization between ancestral species containing different levels of genetic diversity. Information within individuals, equivalent to the information among monoploid genomes (for this dataset), was relatively stable, and represented 83 % of the grand total information across the Holantarctic, with both inter-regional and inter-population diversification each accounting for about 5 % of the total information. Sphagnum × falcatulum probably inherited the great majority of its genetic diversity at these markers by reticulation, rather than by subsequent evolutionary radiation. However, some post-hybridization genetic diversification has become fixed in at least one regional population. Methodology allowing statistical analysis of any ploidy level is presented. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Annals of Botany Company. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com

Population genetic structure of traditional populations in the Peruvian Central Andes and implications for South American population history.

PubMed

Cabana, Graciela S; Lewis, Cecil M; Tito, Raúl Y; Covey, R Alan; Cáceres, Angela M; Cruz, Augusto F De La; Durand, Diana; Housman, Genevieve; Hulsey, Brannon I; Iannacone, Gian Carlo; López, Paul W; Martínez, Rolando; Medina, Ángel; Dávila, Olimpio Ortega; Pinto, Karla Paloma Osorio; Santillán, Susan I Polo; Domínguez, Percy Rojas; Rubel, Meagan; Smith, Heather F; Smith, Silvia E; Massa, Verónica Rubín de Celis; Lizárraga, Beatriz; Stone, Anne C

2014-01-01

Molecular-based characterizations of Andean peoples are traditionally conducted in the service of elucidating continent-level evolutionary processes in South America. Consequently, genetic variation among "western" Andean populations is often represented in relation to variation among "eastern" Amazon and Orinoco River Basin populations. This west-east contrast in patterns of population genetic variation is typically attributed to large-scale phenomena, such as dual founder colonization events or differing long-term microevolutionary histories. However, alternative explanations that consider the nature and causes of population genetic diversity within the Andean region remain underexplored. Here we examine population genetic diversity in the Peruvian Central Andes using data from the mtDNA first hypervariable region and Y-chromosome short tandem repeats among 17 newly sampled populations and 15 published samples. Using this geographically comprehensive data set, we first reassessed the currently accepted pattern of western versus eastern population genetic structure, which our results ultimately reject: mtDNA population diversities were lower, rather than higher, within Andean versus eastern populations, and only highland Y-chromosomes exhibited significantly higher within-population diversities compared with eastern groups. Multiple populations, including several highland samples, exhibited low genetic diversities for both genetic systems. Second, we explored whether the implementation of Inca state and Spanish colonial policies starting at about ad 1400 could have substantially restructured population genetic variation and consequently constitute a primary explanation for the extant pattern of population diversity in the Peruvian Central Andes. Our results suggest that Peruvian Central Andean population structure cannot be parsimoniously explained as the sole outcome of combined Inca and Spanish policies on the region's population demography: highland populations differed from coastal and lowland populations in mtDNA genetic structure only; highland groups also showed strong evidence of female-biased gene flow and/or effective sizes relative to other Peruvian ecozones. Taken together, these findings indicate that population genetic structure in the Peruvian Central Andes is considerably more complex than previously reported and that characterizations of and explanations for genetic variation may be best pursued within more localized regions and defined time periods.

Methods of alleviation of ionospheric scintillation effects on digital communications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Massey, J. L.

1974-01-01

The degradation of the performance of digital communication systems because of ionospheric scintillation effects can be reduced either by diversity techniques or by coding. The effectiveness of traditional space-diversity, frequency-diversity and time-diversity techniques is reviewed and design considerations isolated. Time-diversity signaling is then treated as an extremely simple form of coding. More advanced coding methods, such as diffuse threshold decoding and burst-trapping decoding, which appear attractive in combatting scintillation effects are discussed and design considerations noted. Finally, adaptive coding techniques appropriate when the general state of the channel is known are discussed.

Constancy despite variability: Local and regional macrofaunal diversity in intertidal seagrass beds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boyé, Aurélien; Legendre, Pierre; Grall, Jacques; Gauthier, Olivier

2017-12-01

The importance of seagrass habitat for the diversity of benthic fauna has been extensively studied worldwide. Most of the information available is, however, about α diversity while little consideration has been given to β diversity. To fill the knowledge gaps regarding the variability of epifaunal and infaunal seagrass assemblages at large spatial and temporal scales, we scrutinized an extensive dataset covering five years of monitoring of eight intertidal Zostera marina meadows around Brittany (France). High species richness arose at the regional scale from the combination of high local diversity of the meadows and substantial among-meadows β diversity. Epifauna and infauna appeared as distinct self-communities as they displayed different spatial and temporal patterns and varied in their responses to local hydrological conditions. Infauna had higher total β diversity than epifauna due to a tighter link to the great variability of local environmental conditions in the region. Both exhibited substantial variations in species composition and community structure with variations of dominant species that were accompanied by extensive change in numerous rare species. The dominant epifaunal species were all grazers. Changes in species composition were induced mostly by species replacement and rarely by richness differences between meadows. Indeed, species richness remained within a narrow range for all seagrass beds, suggesting a potential carrying capacity for species richness of the meadows. Overall, all meadows contributed equally to the regional turnover of seagrass macrofauna, emphasizing high variability and complementarity among beds at the regional scale. The implications of this substantial within-seagrass variability for the functioning of benthic ecosystems at broad scale and for conservation purposes in habitat mosaics warrant further investigations but our results clearly advocate taking into account within-habitat variation when evaluating the diversity of benthic habitats and the potential effect of habitat loss.

Variations in working memory capacity predict individual differences in general learning abilities among genetically diverse mice.

PubMed

Kolata, Stefan; Light, Kenneth; Townsend, David A; Hale, Gregory; Grossman, Henya C; Matzel, Louis D

2005-11-01

Up to 50% of an individuals' performance across a wide variety of distinct cognitive tests can be accounted for by a single factor (i.e., "general intelligence"). Despite its ubiquity, the processes or mechanisms regulating this factor are a matter of considerable debate. Although it has been hypothesized that working memory may impact cognitive performance across various domains, tests have been inconclusive due to the difficulty in isolating working memory from its overlapping operations, such as verbal ability. We address this problem using genetically diverse mice, which exhibit a trait analogous to general intelligence. The general cognitive abilities of CD-1 mice were found to covary with individuals' working memory capacity, but not with variations in long-term retention. These results provide evidence that independent of verbal abilities, variations in working memory are associated with general cognitive abilities, and further, suggest a conservation across species of mechanisms and/or processes that regulate cognitive abilities.

Improving reflectance reconstruction from tristimulus values by adaptively combining colorimetric and reflectance similarities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Bin; Liao, Ningfang; Li, Yasheng; Cheng, Haobo

2017-05-01

The use of spectral reflectance as fundamental color information finds application in diverse fields related to imaging. Many approaches use training sets to train the algorithm used for color classification. In this context, we note that the modification of training sets obviously impacts the accuracy of reflectance reconstruction based on classical reflectance reconstruction methods. Different modifying criteria are not always consistent with each other, since they have different emphases; spectral reflectance similarity focuses on the deviation of reconstructed reflectance, whereas colorimetric similarity emphasizes human perception. We present a method to improve the accuracy of the reconstructed spectral reflectance by adaptively combining colorimetric and spectral reflectance similarities. The different exponential factors of the weighting coefficients were investigated. The spectral reflectance reconstructed by the proposed method exhibits considerable improvements in terms of the root-mean-square error and goodness-of-fit coefficient of the spectral reflectance errors as well as color differences under different illuminants. Our method is applicable to diverse areas such as textiles, printing, art, and other industries.

Response diversity can increase ecological resilience to disturbance in coral reefs.

PubMed

Baskett, Marissa L; Fabina, Nicholas S; Gross, Kevin

2014-08-01

Community-level resilience depends on the interaction between multiple populations that vary in individual responses to disturbance. For example, in tropical reefs, some corals can survive higher stress (resistance) while others exhibit faster recovery (engineering resilience) following disturbances such as thermal stress. While each type will negatively affect the other through competition, each might also benefit the other by reducing the potential for an additional competitor such as macroalgae to invade after a disturbance. To determine how community composition affects ecological resilience, we modeled coral-macroalgae interactions given either a resistant coral, a resilient coral, or both together. Having both coral types (i.e., response diversity) can lead to observable enhanced ecological resilience if (1) the resilient coral is not a superior competitor and (2) disturbance levels are high enough such that the resilient coral would collapse when considered alone. This enhanced resilience occurs through competitor-enabled rescue where each coral increases the potential for the other to recover from disturbance through external recruitment, such that both corals benefit from the presence of each other in terms of total cover and resilience. Therefore, conservation management aimed at protecting resilience under global change requires consideration of both diversity and connectivity between sites experiencing differential disturbance.

Genetic affinities of Helicobacter pylori isolates from ethnic Arabs in Kuwait

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Helicobacter pylori is one of the most genetically diverse of bacterial species, and since the 5'-end of cagA gene and the middle allele of vacA gene of H. pylori from different populations exhibit considerable polymorphisms, these sequence diversities were used to gain insights into the genetic affinities of this gastric pathogen from different populations. Because the genetic affinity of Arab strains from the Arabian Gulf is not known, we carried out genetic analysis based on sequence diversities of the cagA and the vacA genes of H. pylori from 9 ethnic Arabs in Kuwait. The analysis showed that the Kuwaiti isolates are closely related to the Indo-European group of strains, although some strains have a tendency to form a separate cluster close to the Indo- European group, but clearly distinct from East Asian strains. However, these results need to be confirmed by analyses of neutral markers (house-keeping genes in a multi-locus sequence typing [MLST]) platform. The profiling of virulence-associated genes may have resulted from ecologically distinct populations due to human migration and geographical separation over long periods of time. PMID:20602767

Discover Space: an IYA program for libraries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dusenbery, P.

2009-12-01

Across the country, there is a growing concern regarding the number of students entering science and technology careers. While the focus for education reform is on school improvement, there is considerable research that supports the role that out-of-school experiences can play in student achievement. This is particularly true when family interactions are factored in. Libraries provide an untapped resource for engaging underserved youth and their families in fostering an appreciation and deeper understanding of science and technology topics. The nation’s more than 17,000 public libraries attract diverse audiences in almost every community. Science exhibits in libraries could potentially reach many adults and upper elementary and middle school students with STEM content. The Space Science Institute (SSI) is partnering with the American Library Association (ALA) to develop a pilot exhibit called Discover Space. The exhibit includes two areas: Space Storms and Star Quest and is currently on tour in Colorado. It is a featured IYA outreach project from SSI. This presentation will focus on the results of a national survey of libraries that SSI and ALA conducted in 2008 about interest in STEM exhibits as well as the development process that was used to design and fabricate the exhibit. Preliminary evaluation results will also be shared. The presentation will conclude with an examination of how this program could benefit underserved communities around the country.

Differential Natural Selection of Human Zinc Transporter Genes between African and Non-African Populations

PubMed Central

Zhang, Chao; Li, Jing; Tian, Lei; Lu, Dongsheng; Yuan, Kai; Yuan, Yuan; Xu, Shuhua

2015-01-01

Zinc transporters play important roles in all eukaryotes by maintaining the rational zinc concentration in cells. However, the diversity of zinc transporter genes (ZTGs) remains poorly studied. Here, we investigated the genetic diversity of 24 human ZTGs based on the 1000 Genomes data. Some ZTGs show small population differences, such as SLC30A6 with a weighted-average FST (WA-FST = 0.015), while other ZTGs exhibit considerably large population differences, such as SLC30A9 (WA-FST = 0.284). Overall, ZTGs harbor many more highly population-differentiated variants compared with random genes. Intriguingly, we found that SLC30A9 was underlying natural selection in both East Asians (EAS) and Africans (AFR) but in different directions. Notably, a non-synonymous variant (rs1047626) in SLC30A9 is almost fixed with 96.4% A in EAS and 92% G in AFR, respectively. Consequently, there are two different functional haplotypes exhibiting dominant abundance in AFR and EAS, respectively. Furthermore, a strong correlation was observed between the haplotype frequencies of SLC30A9 and distributions of zinc contents in soils or crops. We speculate that the genetic differentiation of ZTGs could directly contribute to population heterogeneity in zinc transporting capabilities and local adaptations of human populations in regard to the local zinc state or diets, which have both evolutionary and medical implications. PMID:25927708

Mapping and comparing bacterial microbiota in the sinonasal cavity of healthy, allergic rhinitis, and chronic rhinosinusitis subjects.

PubMed

Lal, Devyani; Keim, Paul; Delisle, Josie; Barker, Bridget; Rank, Matthew A; Chia, Nicholas; Schupp, James M; Gillece, John D; Cope, Emily K

2017-06-01

The role of microbiota in sinonasal inflammation can be further understood by targeted sampling of healthy and diseased subjects. We compared the microbiota of the middle meatus (MM) and inferior meatus (IM) in healthy, allergic rhinitis (AR), and chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) subjects to characterize intrasubject, intersubject, and intergroup differences. Subjects were recruited in the office, and characterized into healthy, AR, and CRS groups. Endoscopically-guided swab samples were obtained from the MM and IM bilaterally. Bacterial microbiota were characterized by sequencing the V3-V4 region of the 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene. Intersubject microbiome analyses were conducted in 65 subjects: 8 healthy, 11 AR, and 46 CRS (25 CRS with nasal polyps [CRSwNP]; 21 CRS without nasal polyps [CRSsNP]). Intrasubject analyses were conducted for 48 individuals (4 controls, 11 AR, 8 CRSwNP, and 15 CRSwNP). There was considerable intersubject microbiota variability, but intrasubject profiles were similar (p = 0.001, nonparametric t test). Intrasubject bacterial diversity was significantly reduced in MM of CRSsNP subjects compared to IM samples (p = 0.022, nonparametric t test). CRSsNP MM samples were enriched in Streptococcus, Haemophilus, and Fusobacterium spp. but exhibited loss of diversity compared to healthy, CRSwNP, and AR subject-samples (p < 0.05; nonparametric t test). CRSwNP patients were enriched in Staphylococcus, Alloiococcus, and Corynebacterium spp. This study presents the sinonasal microbiome profile in one of the larger populations of non-CRS and CRS subjects, and is the first office-based cohort in the literature. In contrast to healthy, AR, and CRSwNP subjects, CRSsNP MM samples exhibited decreased microbiome diversity and anaerobic enrichment. CRSsNP MM samples had reduced diversity compared to same-subject IM samples, a novel finding. © 2017 ARS-AAOA, LLC.

Evaluation of Genetic Diversity of Candida spp. and Klebsiella spp. Isolated from the Denture Plaque of COPD Patients.

PubMed

Przybyłowska, D; Piskorska, K; Gołaś, M; Sikora, M; Swoboda-Kopeć, E; Kostrzewa-Janicka, J; Mierzwińska-Nastalska, E

2017-01-01

Yeast-like fungi and gram-negative bacilli are the most frequent potential pathogens of the respiratory tract isolated from the denture plaque of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Dominant species among yeast-like fungi are Candida albicans and Candida tropicalis. Significant frequency is also exhibited by Klebsiella pneumoniae and Klebsiella oxytoca. The purpose of this study was to analyze genetic diversity of the strains of C. albicans, C. tropicalis, and Klebsiella spp. present in patients in stable phases of COPD. The analysis was conducted by the random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) method on clinical strains isolated from patients with COPD and control patients in overall good health. Forty one strains of Candida albicans, 12 of Candida tropicalis, as well as 9 strains of K. pneumoniae and 7 of K. oxytoca were scrutinized. The dominant species in clinical material from COPD patients was Candida albicans with a substantial degree of variations of genetic profiles. On the basis of affinity analysis, 19 genetic types were identified within this strain. An analysis of the banding patterns among C. tropicalis strains indicated the existence of 6 genetic types. A considerable diversity of genetic profiles among Klebsiella spp. also was established. The genotype diversity of Klebsiella spp. strains may indicate the endogenic character of the majority of infections, regardless of the therapy applied for the underlying condition.

Wetland-stream ecosystems of the western Kentucky coalfield: environmental disturbance and the shaping of aquatic community structure

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hill, P.L. Jr.

1983-01-01

The effects of surface mining effluents of the shaping of aquatic community structure in wetland-stream ecosystems of the western Kentucky coalfield were examined. Three variously impacted drainage systems were utilized for the investigation of cause-and-effect relationships. Clear Creek wetland-stream ecosystem had a uniformly low pH, high conductivity and high dissolved minerals load linked to the oozing of old, unreclaimed surface mine spoils. Cypress Creek wetland-stream ecosystem exhibited a slug-pulsing of mine drainage effluents tied to active surface mining limited to the headwaters region. Henderson Sloughs-Pond Creek wetland-stream ecosystem had no mining impact and was utilized as a comparison site. Macroinvertebratemore » taxa and diversity were considerably lowered in the systems receiving mine drainage. The Shannon-Weaver diversity index (H) was 0.61 for Clear Creek, 1.80 for Cypress Creek and 2.01 for Henderson Sloughs. Large numbers of chironomid larvae dominated the benthic community of Clear Creek while mayflies, caddisflies and crustaceans were the major components of the Cypress Creek community. Henderson Sloughs-Pond Creek had an even more diverse community of mayflies, caddisflies, crustaceans, molluscs and odonates. Fishes followed the same general trend, being almost absent in Clear Creek (H - 0.47), slightly depressed in Cypress Creek (H = 1.74) and generally diverse in Henderson Sloughs (H = 2.37).« less

Waterbird use of catfish ponds and migratory bird habitat initiative wetlands in Mississippi

USGS Publications Warehouse

Feaga, James S.; Vilella, Francisco; Kaminski, Richard M.; Davis, J. Brian

2015-01-01

Aquaculture can provide important surrogate habitats for waterbirds. In response to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the National Resource Conservation Service enacted the Migratory Bird Habitat Initiative through which incentivized landowners provided wetland habitats for migrating waterbirds. Diversity and abundance of waterbirds in six production and four idled aquaculture facilities in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley were estimated during the winters of 2011–2013. Wintering waterbirds exhibited similar densities on production (i.e., ∼22 birds/ha) and idled (i.e., ∼20 birds/ha) sites. A total of 42 species were found using both types of aquaculture wetlands combined, but there was considerable departure in bird guilds occupying the two wetland types. The primary users of production ponds were diving and dabbling ducks and American coots. However, idled ponds, with varying water depths (e.g., mudflats to 20 cm) and diverse emergent vegetation-water interspersion, attracted over 30 species of waterbirds and, on average, had more species of waterbirds from fall through early spring than catfish production ponds. Conservation through the Migratory Bird Habitat Initiative was likely responsible for this difference. Our results suggest production and idled Migratory Bird Habitat Initiative aquaculture impoundments produced suitable conditions for various waterbird species and highlight the importance of conservation programs on private lands that promote diversity in vegetation structure and water depths to enhance waterbird diversity.

Solar Influences on El Nino/Southern Oscillation Dynamics Over the Last Millennium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stevenson, S.; Capotondi, A.; Fasullo, J.; Otto-Bliesner, B. L.

2017-12-01

The El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) exhibits considerable differences between the evolution of individual El Nino and La Nina events (`ENSO diversity'), with significant implications for impacts studies. However, the degree to which external forcing may affect ENSO diversity is not well understood, due to both internal variability and potentially compensatory contributions from multiple forcings. The Community Earth System Model Last Millennium Ensemble (CESM LME) provides an ideal testbed for studying the sensitivity of twentieth century ENSO to forced climate changes, as it contains many realizations of the 850-2005 period with differing combinations of forcings. Metrics of ENSO amplitude and diversity are compared across LME simulations, and although forced changes to ENSO amplitude are generally small, forced changes to diversity are often detectable. Anthropogenic changes to greenhouse gas and ozone/aerosol emissions modify the persistence of Eastern and Central Pacific El Nino events, through shifts in the upwelling and zonal advective feedbacks; these influences generally cancel one another over the twentieth century. Natural forcings are generally small over the 20th century, but when epochs of high/low solar irradiance are compared, distinct shifts in the development and termination of El Nino events can be observed. This indicates that solar variability can indeed have a significant role to play in setting the characteristics of tropical Pacific climate variability. Implications for configuring and evaluating projections of future climate change will be discussed.

Myths Dispelled: A Historical Account of Diversity and Inclusion at HBCUs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gasman, Marybeth; Nguyen, Thai-Huy

2015-01-01

This chapter provides a historical and contemporary overview of diversity at HBCUs, challenges five myths related to diversity at HBCUs, and concludes with opportunities for future research consideration on diversity at HBCUs.

A fluid-filled soft robot that exhibits spontaneous switching among versatile spatiotemporal oscillatory patterns inspired by the true slime mold.

PubMed

Umedachi, Takuya; Idei, Ryo; Ito, Kentaro; Ishiguro, Akio

2013-01-01

Behavioral diversity is an essential feature of living systems, enabling them to exhibit adaptive behavior in hostile and dynamically changing environments. However, traditional engineering approaches strive to avoid, or suppress, the behavioral diversity in artificial systems to achieve high performance in specific environments for given tasks. The goals of this research include understanding how living systems exhibit behavioral diversity and using these findings to build lifelike robots that exhibit truly adaptive behaviors. To this end, we have focused on one of the most primitive forms of intelligence concerning behavioral diversity, namely, a plasmodium of true slime mold. The plasmodium is a large amoeba-like unicellular organism that does not possess any nervous system or specialized organs. However, it exhibits versatile spatiotemporal oscillatory patterns and switches spontaneously between these. Inspired by the plasmodium, we built a mathematical model that exhibits versatile oscillatory patterns and spontaneously transitions between these patterns. This model demonstrates that, in contrast to coupled nonlinear oscillators with a well-designed complex diffusion network, physically interacting mechanosensory oscillators are capable of generating versatile oscillatory patterns without changing any parameters. Thus, the results are expected to shed new light on the design scheme for lifelike robots that exhibit amazingly versatile and adaptive behaviors.

Multicultural and Diversity Considerations in the New "Code of Professional Ethics for Rehabilitation Counselors"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cartwright, Brenda Y.; Fleming, Christine L.

2010-01-01

As the demographic transformation of the U.S. population continues, the challenges of multicultural and diversity-based considerations remain a central focus, as does the need to incorporate cultural competencies into the practice of rehabilitation. The Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification's 2010 "Code of Professional Ethics for…

Site Diversity Considerations for V/W Band Satellite Communications

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-08-01

HOUSE 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 62702F 6. AUTHOR(S) George Brost , William Cook, William Lipe 5d. PROJECT NUMBER RIGD 5e. TASK...Distribution Unlimited: 88ABW-2010-3874 19 July 2010 SITE DIVERSITY CONSIDERATIONS FOR V/W BAND SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS George Brost AFRL, 525 Brooks Rd

Fungus-feeding Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripinae of the Idiothrips genus-group in Australia, with nine new species.

PubMed

Mound, Laurence A; Tree, Desley J

2015-10-29

In a group of fungus-feeding Phlaeothripinae characterized by complex body sculpture, identification keys are provided to three genera and 15 species from Australia, including nine new species. In the genus Azaleothrips one new species is described, and one Asian species is newly recorded from Australia. The genus Stictothrips is recorded from Australia for the first time, with two new species. Within the genus Strepterothrips considerable structural diversity is recorded including three new species in which antennal segment III is greatly reduced and bears no sense cones. Some species in this genus exhibit the unusual condition of having several setae on the pelta, the first abdominal tergite. Problems in the production of generic diagnoses within the Phlaeothripinae are discussed.

Describing functional diversity of brain regions and brain networks

PubMed Central

Anderson, Michael L.; Kinnison, Josh; Pessoa, Luiz

2013-01-01

Despite the general acceptance that functional specialization plays an important role in brain function, there is little consensus about its extent in the brain. We sought to advance the understanding of this question by employing a data-driven approach that capitalizes on the existence of large databases of neuroimaging data. We quantified the diversity of activation in brain regions as a way to characterize the degree of functional specialization. To do so, brain activations were classified in terms of task domains, such as vision, attention, and language, which determined a region’s functional fingerprint. We found that the degree of diversity varied considerably across the brain. We also quantified novel properties of regions and of networks that inform our understanding of several task-positive and task-negative networks described in the literature, including defining functional fingerprints for entire networks and measuring their functional assortativity, namely the degree to which they are composed of regions with similar functional fingerprints. Our results demonstrate that some brain networks exhibit strong assortativity, whereas other networks consist of relatively heterogeneous parts. In sum, rather than characterizing the contributions of individual brain regions using task-based functional attributions, we instead quantified their dispositional tendencies, and related those to each region’s affiliative properties in both task-positive and task-negative contexts. PMID:23396162

Microbial diversity in a bagasse-based compost prepared for the production of Agaricus brasiliensis

PubMed Central

Silva, Cristina Ferreira; Azevedo, Raquel Santos; Braga, Claudia; da Silva, Romildo; Dias, Eustáquio Souza; Schwan, Rosane Freitas

2009-01-01

Edible mushrooms are renowned for their nutritional and medicinal properties and are thus of considerable commercial importance. Mushroom production depends on the chemical composition of the basic substrates and additional supplements employed in the compost as well as on the method of composting. In order to minimise the cost of mushroom production, considerable interest has been shown in the use of agro-industrial residues in the preparation of alternative compost mixtures. However, the interaction of the natural microbiota present in agricultural residues during the composting process greatly influences the subsequent colonisation by the mushroom. The aim of the present study was to isolate and identify the microbiota present in a sugar cane bagasse and coast-cross straw compost prepared for the production of Agaricus brasilienses. Composting lasted for 14 days, during which time the substrates and additives were mixed every 2 days, and this was followed by a two-step steam pasteurisation (55 - 65°C; 15 h each step). Bacteria, (mainly Bacillus and Paenibacillus spp. and members of the Enterobacteriaceae) were the predominant micro-organisms present throughout the composting process with an average population density of 3 x 108 CFU/g. Actinomycetes, and especially members of the genus Streptomyces, were well represented with a population density of 2 - 3 x 108 CFU/g. The filamentous fungi, however, exhibited much lower population densities and were less diverse than the other micro-organisms, although Aspergillus fumigatus was present during the whole composting process and after pasteurisation. PMID:24031404

Mining and characterization of EST-SSR markers for Zingiber officinale Roscoe with transferability to other species of Zingiberaceae.

PubMed

Awasthi, Praveen; Singh, Ashish; Sheikh, Gulfam; Mahajan, Vidushi; Gupta, Ajai Prakash; Gupta, Suphla; Bedi, Yashbir S; Gandhi, Sumit G

2017-10-01

Zingiber officinale is a model spice herb, well known for its medicinal value. It is primarily a vegetatively propagated commercial crop. However, considerable diversity in its morphology, fiber content and chemoprofiles has been reported. The present study explores the utility of EST-derived markers in studying genetic diversity in different accessions of Z. officinale and their cross transferability within the Zingiberaceae family. A total of 38,115 ESTs sequences were assembled to generate 7850 contigs and 10,762 singletons. SSRs were searched in the unigenes and 515 SSR-containing ESTs were identified with a frequency of 1 SSR per 25.21 kb of the genome. These ESTs were also annotated using BLAST2GO. Primers were designed for 349 EST-SSRs and 25 primer pairs were randomly picked for EST SSR study. Out of these, 16 primer pairs could be optimized for amplification in different accessions of Z. officinale as well as other species belonging to Zingiberaceae. GES454, GES466, GES480 and GES486 markers were found to exhibit 100% cross-transferability among different members of Zingiberaceae.

Diversity of HLA-B61 alleles and haplotypes in East Asians and Spanish Gypsies.

PubMed

Ogawa, A; Tokunaga, K; Lin, L; Kashiwase, K; Tanaka, H; Herrero, M J; Vilches, C; Park, M H; Jia, G J; Chimge, N O; Sideltseva, E W; Ishikawa, Y; Akaza, T; Tadokoro, K; Juji, T

1998-04-01

The distribution of HLA-B61 alleles and their association with HLA-C and DRB1 alleles were investigated in six East Asian populations (South Korean, Chinese Korean, Man (Manchu), Northern Han, Mongolian and Buryat) and Spanish Gypsies and compared to our previous report on the Japanese population. The alleles were identified using a group-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and genomic DNA followed by hybridization with sequence-specific oligonucleotide probes (SSOP). Both HLA-B*4002 and B*4006 were commonly detected in the South Korean, Chinese Korean, Man, Northern Han and Japanese populations, while HLA-B*4002 was predominant in the Mongolian and Buryat populations. Strong associations of B*4002 with Cw*0304 and of B*4006 with Cw*0801 were commonly observed in these East Asian populations. In contrast, in Spanish Gypsies, only HLA-B*4006 was found and the allele exhibited a strong association with Cw*1502. HLA-B*4003 was also identified in the South Korean, Chinese Korean, Northern Han, Mongolian and Japanese populations at relatively low frequencies, and exhibited an association with Cw*0304. Moreover, the association of these B61 alleles with the DRB1 alleles revealed considerable diversity among the different populations. HLA-B*4004 and B*4009 were not observed in these populations. Consequently, the frequencies of the B61 alleles varied among the different East Asian populations, but the individual B61 alleles were carried by specific haplotypes often regardless of the ethnic differences.

Relationships between gross- and fine motor functions, cognitive abilities, and self-regulatory aspects of students with physical disabilities.

PubMed

Varsamis, Panagiotis; Agaliotis, Ioannis

2015-12-01

This article reports research on self-regulatory aspects (i.e., goal-setting, self-efficacy and self-evaluation) of secondary and post-secondary students with congenital motor disabilities, who performed a ball-throwing-at-a-target task. Participants were divided into four subgroups presenting distinct combinations of motor and cognitive abilities (i.e., normal cognitive development and mild physical disabilities, normal cognitive development and severe physical disabilities, mild-to-moderate intellectual disability and mild physical disabilities, and mild-to-moderate intellectual disability and severe physical disabilities). Results showed that students presenting mild motor disabilities exhibited a positive self-concept and self-regulation profile, irrespective of their cognitive functioning. Students with considerable motor disabilities, but without cognitive challenges, presented a negative, though realistic self-concept and self-regulation profile. Finally, students with considerable motor disabilities and mild-to-moderate cognitive disabilities showed a positive, though unrealistic, self-regulation profile. The nature of the diverse relationship of motor and cognitive (dis)abilities to specific self-regulatory aspects are discussed, and important instructional implications are mentioned. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Simultaneous Profiling of Lysoglycerophospholipids in Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Using Direct Infusion-Tandem Mass Spectrometry with Multiple Reaction Monitoring.

PubMed

Lim, Dong Kyu; Mo, Changyeun; Long, Nguyen Phuoc; Kim, Giyoung; Kwon, Sung Won

2017-03-29

White rice is the final product after the hull and bran layers have been removed during the milling process. Although lysoglycerophospholipids (lysoGPLs) only occupy a small proportion in white rice, they are essential for evaluating rice authenticity and quality. In this study, we developed a high-throughput and targeted lipidomics approach that involved direct infusion-tandem mass spectrometry with multiple reaction monitoring to simultaneously profile lysoGPLs in white rice. The method is capable of characterizing 17 lysoGPLs within 1 min. In addition, unsupervised and supervised analyses exhibited a considerably large diversity of lysoGPL concentrations in white rice from different origins. In particular, a classification model was built using identified lysoGPLs that can differentiate white rice from Korea, China, and Japan. Among the discriminatory lysoGPLs, for the lysoPE(16:0) and lysoPE(18:2) compositions, there were relatively small within-group variations, and they were considerably different among the three countries. In conclusion, our proposed method provides a rapid, high-throughput, and comprehensive format for profiling lysoGPLs in rice samples.

Characterizing the dynamics of rubella relative to measles: the role of stochasticity

PubMed Central

Rozhnova, Ganna; Metcalf, C. Jessica E.; Grenfell, Bryan T.

2013-01-01

Rubella is a completely immunizing and mild infection in children. Understanding its behaviour is of considerable public health importance because of congenital rubella syndrome, which results from infection with rubella during early pregnancy and may entail a variety of birth defects. The recurrent dynamics of rubella are relatively poorly resolved, and appear to show considerable diversity globally. Here, we investigate the behaviour of a stochastic seasonally forced susceptible–infected–recovered model to characterize the determinants of these dynamics and illustrate patterns by comparison with measles. We perform a systematic analysis of spectra of stochastic fluctuations around stable attractors of the corresponding deterministic model and compare them with spectra from full stochastic simulations in large populations. This approach allows us to quantify the effects of demographic stochasticity and to give a coherent picture of measles and rubella dynamics, explaining essential differences in the recurrent patterns exhibited by these diseases. We discuss the implications of our findings in the context of vaccination and changing birth rates as well as the persistence of these two childhood infections. PMID:24026472

Diversity, Stability, and Reproducibility in Stochastically Assembled Microbial Ecosystems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goyal, Akshit; Maslov, Sergei

2018-04-01

Microbial ecosystems are remarkably diverse, stable, and usually consist of a mixture of core and peripheral species. Here we propose a conceptual model exhibiting all these emergent properties in quantitative agreement with real ecosystem data, specifically species abundance and prevalence distributions. Resource competition and metabolic commensalism drive the stochastic ecosystem assembly in our model. We demonstrate that even when supplied with just one resource, ecosystems can exhibit high diversity, increasing stability, and partial reproducibility between samples.

Sensory characteristics and volatile composition of a cereal beverage fermented with Bifidobacterium breve NCIMB 702257.

PubMed

Salmerón, Ivan; Rozada, Raquel; Thomas, Keith; Ortega-Rivas, Enrique; Pandiella, Severino S

2014-04-01

Most of the commercialized lactic acid fermented products are dairy-based. Hence, the development of non-dairy fermented products with probiotic properties draws significant attention within the functional foods industry. The microorganisms used in such products have complex enzyme systems through which they generate diverse metabolites (volatile and non-volatile) that provide significant flavour attributes of importance for fermented foods. The correlation of the volatile flavour compounds of a malt beverage fermented with a Bifidobacterium breve strain with its unique sensory characteristics was performed. The volatile composition analysis exposed the presence of 12 components. Eight of these flavour volatiles were produced through the metabolic activity of the bifidobacteria strain. Notably acetic acid, of reported sour flavour characteristics, exhibited the greatest intensity. Four components of considerable organoleptic characteristics were identified as Maillard-derived products, namely maltol, pyranone, 2 (5H)-furanmethanol and 3-furanmethanol. The sensory evaluation exhibited that the fermented cereal beverage had a sour flavour with mild sweet and malty notes. These results indicate that the volatile compounds identified can be appointed as significant flavour markers of the novel fermented cereal beverage.

Microbes on mountainsides: Contrasting elevational patterns of bacterial and plant diversity

PubMed Central

Bryant, Jessica A.; Lamanna, Christine; Morlon, Hélène; Kerkhoff, Andrew J.; Enquist, Brian J.; Green, Jessica L.

2008-01-01

The study of elevational diversity gradients dates back to the foundation of biogeography. Although elevational patterns of plant and animal diversity have been studied for centuries, such patterns have not been reported for microorganisms and remain poorly understood. Here, in an effort to assess the generality of elevational diversity patterns, we examined soil bacterial and plant diversity along an elevation gradient. To gain insight into the forces that structure these patterns, we adopted a multifaceted approach to incorporate information about the structure, diversity, and spatial turnover of montane communities in a phylogenetic context. We found that observed patterns of plant and bacterial diversity were fundamentally different. While bacterial taxon richness and phylogenetic diversity decreased monotonically from the lowest to highest elevations, plants followed a unimodal pattern, with a peak in richness and phylogenetic diversity at mid-elevations. At all elevations bacterial communities had a tendency to be phylogenetically clustered, containing closely related taxa. In contrast, plant communities did not exhibit a uniform phylogenetic structure across the gradient: they became more overdispersed with increasing elevation, containing distantly related taxa. Finally, a metric of phylogenetic beta-diversity showed that bacterial lineages were not randomly distributed, but rather exhibited significant spatial structure across the gradient, whereas plant lineages did not exhibit a significant phylogenetic signal. Quantifying the influence of sample scale in intertaxonomic comparisons remains a challenge. Nevertheless, our findings suggest that the forces structuring microorganism and macroorganism communities along elevational gradients differ. PMID:18695215

Inbreeding and the evolution of sociality in arthropods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tabadkani, Seyed Mohammad; Nozari, Jamasb; Lihoreau, Mathieu

2012-10-01

Animals have evolved strategies to optimally balance costs and benefits of inbreeding. In social species, these adaptations can have a considerable impact on the structure, the organization, and the functioning of groups. Here, we consider how selection for inbreeding avoidance fashions the social behavior of arthropods, a phylum exhibiting an unparalleled richness of social lifestyles. We first examine life histories and parental investment patterns determining whether individuals should actively avoid or prefer inbreeding. Next, we illustrate the diversity of inbreeding avoidance mechanisms in arthropods, from the dispersal of individuals to the rejection of kin during mate choice and the production of unisexual broods by females. Then, we address the particular case of haplodiploid insects. Finally, we discuss how inbreeding may drive and shape the evolution of arthropods societies along two theoretical pathways.

Mode Matching for Optical Antennas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feichtner, Thorsten; Christiansen, Silke; Hecht, Bert

2017-11-01

The emission rate of a point dipole can be strongly increased in the presence of a well-designed optical antenna. Yet, optical antenna design is largely based on radio-frequency rules, ignoring, e.g., Ohmic losses and non-negligible field penetration in metals at optical frequencies. Here, we combine reciprocity and Poynting's theorem to derive a set of optical-frequency antenna design rules for benchmarking and optimizing the performance of optical antennas driven by single quantum emitters. Based on these findings a novel plasmonic cavity antenna design is presented exhibiting a considerably improved performance compared to a reference two-wire antenna. Our work will be useful for the design of high-performance optical antennas and nanoresonators for diverse applications ranging from quantum optics to antenna-enhanced single-emitter spectroscopy and sensing.

Environmentally friendly chemoselective oxidation of primary aliphatic amines by using a biomimetic electrocatalytic system.

PubMed

Largeron, Martine; Chiaroni, Angèle; Fleury, Maurice-Bernard

2008-01-01

Environmentally friendly oxidation of primary aliphatic amines to imines has been successfully achieved, under metal-free conditions, by the use of diverse electrogenerated o-azaquinone mediators. High catalytic performance, together with high chemoselectivity, were observed with electron-poor o-azaquinone catalysts generated from 2-aminoresorcinol derivatives. Similar to copper amine oxidase enzymes, these mediators exhibited lower reactivity toward alpha-branched primary amines and no reactivity toward secondary amines. In the case of 3,4-aminophenol derivatives lacking a 2-hydroxy group, the generated o-azaquinone species failed to catalyze the oxidation of the amine to the corresponding imine. Further mechanistic considerations allowed a rationalization of the crucial role of the 2-hydroxy group in converting a catalytically inert species into a highly effective biomimetic catalyst.

Inbreeding and the evolution of sociality in arthropods.

PubMed

Tabadkani, Seyed Mohammad; Nozari, Jamasb; Lihoreau, Mathieu

2012-10-01

Animals have evolved strategies to optimally balance costs and benefits of inbreeding. In social species, these adaptations can have a considerable impact on the structure, the organization, and the functioning of groups. Here, we consider how selection for inbreeding avoidance fashions the social behavior of arthropods, a phylum exhibiting an unparalleled richness of social lifestyles. We first examine life histories and parental investment patterns determining whether individuals should actively avoid or prefer inbreeding. Next, we illustrate the diversity of inbreeding avoidance mechanisms in arthropods, from the dispersal of individuals to the rejection of kin during mate choice and the production of unisexual broods by females. Then, we address the particular case of haplodiploid insects. Finally, we discuss how inbreeding may drive and shape the evolution of arthropods societies along two theoretical pathways.

Converting quadratic entropy to diversity: Both animals and alleles are diverse, but some are more diverse than others

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

The use of diversity metrics has a long history in population ecology, while population genetic work has been dominated by variance-derived metrics instead, a technical gap that has slowed cross-communication between the fields. Interestingly, Rao’s Quadratic Entropy (RQE), comparing elements for ‘degrees of divergence’, was originally developed for population ecology, but has recently been deployed for evolutionary studies. We here translate RQE into a continuous diversity analogue, and then construct a multiply nested diversity partition for alleles, individuals, populations, and species, each component of which exhibits the behavior of proper diversity metrics, and then translate these components into [0,1]—scaled form. We also deploy non-parametric statistical tests of the among-stratum components and novel tests of the homogeneity of within-stratum diversity components at any hierarchical level. We then illustrate this new analysis with eight nSSR loci and a pair of close Australian marsupial (Antechinus) congeners, using both ‘different is different’ and ‘degree of difference’ distance metrics. The total diversity in the collection is larger than that within either species, but most of the within-species diversity is resident within single populations. The combined A. agilis collection exhibits more diversity than does the combined A. stuartii collection, possibly attributable to localized differences in either local ecological disturbance regimes or differential levels of population isolation. Beyond exhibiting different allelic compositions, the two congeners are becoming more divergent for the arrays of allele sizes they possess. PMID:29088229

Tainted visions: the effect of visionary leader behaviors and leader categorization tendencies on the financial performance of ethnically diverse teams.

PubMed

Greer, Lindred L; Homan, Astrid C; De Hoogh, Annebel H B; Den Hartog, Deanne N

2012-01-01

Despite the increasing prevalence of ethnic diversity, findings regarding its effects on team performance remain contradictory. We suggest that past inconsistencies can be reconciled by examining the joint impact of leader behavior and leader categorization tendencies in ethnically diverse teams. We propose that leaders who exhibit high levels of visionary leader behavior and also have the tendency to categorize their team members into in- and out-groups will facilitate a negative effect of ethnic diversity on team communication and financial performance, whereas leaders who exhibit visionary behaviors but do not tend to categorize will lead ethnically diverse teams to positive outcomes. We find support for these ideas in a study of 100 retail outlets.

Is plant temporal beta diversity of field margins related to changes in management practices?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alignier, Audrey; Baudry, Jacques

2016-08-01

Field margins have considerable ecological significance in agriculture-dominated landscapes by supporting biodiversity and associated services. However, agricultural changes during mid-20th century led to their drastic loss with a serious threat for biodiversity. Using time-series data, we aimed to get better insights into processes underlying plant patterns of field margins through time by i) quantifying plant temporal beta diversity components, ii) assessing whether the observed changes in plant communities can be related to changes in management practices applied to field margins. During the springs of 1994, 1998 and 2001, we surveyed plant communities and management practices of the same 116 field margins in three contrasted landscapes. We estimated temporal beta diversity in plant communities and partitioned it into its two dissimilarity resultant components, accounting for replacement of species (i.e. turnover) and for the nested gain or loss of species (i.e. nestedness). We then tested whether the observed changes in plant communities between 1994 and 1998 and, between 1998 and 2001 were related to changes in management practices using linear models. Plant communities of field margins exhibited strong temporal beta diversity dominated by turnover. Temporal turnover in plant communities was partly related to changes in management practices, i.e., a decrease of grazing concomitant to an increase of herbicide spraying. However, relationships were not consistent between all landscape contexts nor time period, suggesting that other unmeasured deterministic or stochastic processes could be driving the observed plant patterns. Taken together, our results suggest that maintaining a wide diversity of field margins with contrasted management contribute to maintaining plant diversity at a landscape scale. They underline the value of investigating plant temporal diversity patterns using time-series data and thus, the need to develop long-term studies making it possible to understand ecological processes shaping plant communities in agricultural landscapes.

OUS Diversity Report 2005: Charting a Course for the Future

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oregon University System, 2005

2005-01-01

In recognition of the need for Oregon to address issues associated with the increasing diversity of students in the education pipeline as well as on postsecondary campuses, the 2005 annual diversity report provides an overview of information relating to all sectors of Oregon University System (OUS) involvement in diversity considerations,…

Developmental Changes in the Consideration of Sample Diversity in Inductive Reasoning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rhodes, Marjorie; Gelman, Susan A.; Brickman, Daniel

2008-01-01

Determining whether a sample provides a good basis for broader generalizations is a basic challenge of inductive reasoning. Adults apply a diversity-based strategy to this challenge, expecting diverse samples to be a better basis for generalization than homogeneous samples. For example, adults expect that a property shared by two diverse mammals…

Diversity rankings among bacterial lineages in soil.

PubMed

Youssef, Noha H; Elshahed, Mostafa S

2009-03-01

We used rarefaction curve analysis and diversity ordering-based approaches to rank the 11 most frequently encountered bacterial lineages in soil according to diversity in 5 previously reported 16S rRNA gene clone libraries derived from agricultural, undisturbed tall grass prairie and forest soils (n=26,140, 28 328, 31 818, 13 001 and 53 533). The Planctomycetes, Firmicutes and the delta-Proteobacteria were consistently ranked among the most diverse lineages in all data sets, whereas the Verrucomicrobia, Gemmatimonadetes and beta-Proteobacteria were consistently ranked among the least diverse. On the other hand, the rankings of alpha-Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Chloroflexi varied widely in different soil clone libraries. In general, lineages exhibiting largest differences in diversity rankings also exhibited the largest difference in relative abundance in the data sets examined. Within these lineages, a positive correlation between relative abundance and diversity was observed within the Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria and Chloroflexi, and a negative diversity-abundance correlation was observed within the Bacteroidetes. The ecological and evolutionary implications of these results are discussed.

Gene-trait matching across the Bifidobacterium longum pan-genome reveals considerable diversity in carbohydrate catabolism among human infant strains.

PubMed

Arboleya, Silvia; Bottacini, Francesca; O'Connell-Motherway, Mary; Ryan, C Anthony; Ross, R Paul; van Sinderen, Douwe; Stanton, Catherine

2018-01-08

Bifidobacterium longum is a common member of the human gut microbiota and is frequently present at high numbers in the gut microbiota of humans throughout life, thus indicative of a close symbiotic host-microbe relationship. Different mechanisms may be responsible for the high competitiveness of this taxon in its human host to allow stable establishment in the complex and dynamic intestinal microbiota environment. The objective of this study was to assess the genetic and metabolic diversity in a set of 20 B. longum strains, most of which had previously been isolated from infants, by performing whole genome sequencing and comparative analysis, and to analyse their carbohydrate utilization abilities using a gene-trait matching approach. We analysed their pan-genome and their phylogenetic relatedness. All strains clustered in the B. longum ssp. longum phylogenetic subgroup, except for one individual strain which was found to cluster in the B. longum ssp. suis phylogenetic group. The examined strains exhibit genomic diversity, while they also varied in their sugar utilization profiles. This allowed us to perform a gene-trait matching exercise enabling the identification of five gene clusters involved in the utilization of xylo-oligosaccharides, arabinan, arabinoxylan, galactan and fucosyllactose, the latter of which is an abundant human milk oligosaccharide (HMO). The results showed high diversity in terms of genes and predicted glycosyl-hydrolases, as well as the ability to metabolize a large range of sugars. Moreover, we corroborate the capability of B. longum ssp. longum to metabolise HMOs. Ultimately, their intraspecific genomic diversity and the ability to consume a wide assortment of carbohydrates, ranging from plant-derived carbohydrates to HMOs, may provide an explanation for the competitive advantage and persistence of B. longum in the human gut microbiome.

Assessment of genome origins and genetic diversity in the genus Eleusine with DNA markers.

PubMed

Salimath, S S; de Oliveira, A C; Godwin, I D; Bennetzen, J L

1995-08-01

Finger millet (Eleusine coracana), an allotetraploid cereal, is widely cultivated in the arid and semiarid regions of the world. Three DNA marker techniques, restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP), randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD), and inter simple sequence repeat amplification (ISSR), were employed to analyze 22 accessions belonging to 5 species of Eleusine. An 8 probe--3 enzyme RFLP combination, 18 RAPD primers, and 6 ISSR primers, respectively, revealed 14, 10, and 26% polymorphism in 17 accessions of E. coracana from Africa and Asia. These results indicated a very low level of DNA sequence variability in the finger millets but did allow each line to be distinguished. The different Eleusine species could be easily identified by DNA marker technology and the 16% intraspecific polymorphism exhibited by the two analyzed accessions of E. floccifolia suggested a much higher level of diversity in this species than in E. coracana. Between species, E. coracana and E. indica shared the most markers, while E. indica and E. tristachya shared a considerable number of markers, indicating that these three species form a close genetic assemblage within the Eleusine. Eleusine floccifolia and E. compressa were found to be the most divergent among the species examined. Comparison of RFLP, RAPD, and ISSR technologies, in terms of the quantity and quality of data output, indicated that ISSRs are particularly promising for the analysis of plant genome diversity.

Isolated populations of a rare alpine plant show high genetic diversity and considerable population differentiation.

PubMed

Aegisdóttir, Hafdís Hanna; Kuss, Patrick; Stöcklin, Jürg

2009-12-01

Gene flow and genetic variability within and among alpine plant populations can be greatly influenced by the steep environmental gradients and heterogeneous topography of alpine landscapes. In this study, the effects are examined of natural isolation of alpine habitats on genetic diversity and geographic structure in populations of C. thyrsoides, a rare and isolated European Alpine monocarpic perennial with limited seed dispersal capacity. Molecular diversity was analysed for 736 individuals from 32 populations in the Swiss Alps and adjacent Jura mountains using five polymorphic microsatellite loci. Pollen flow was estimated using pollen grain-sized fluorescent powder. In addition, individual-based Bayesian approaches were applied to examine population structure. High within-population genetic diversity (H(E) = 0.76) and a relatively low inbreeding coefficient (F(IS) = 0.022) were found. Genetic differentiation among populations measured with a standardized measure was considerable (G'(ST) = 0.53). A significant isolation-by-distance relationship was found (r = 0.62, P < 0.001) and a significant geographic sub-structure, coinciding with proposed postglacial migration patterns. Altitudinal location and size of populations did not influence molecular variation. Direct measures of pollen flow revealed that insect-mediated pollen dispersal was restricted to short distances within a population. The natural isolation of suitable habitats for C. thyrsoides restricts gene flow among the populations as expected for a monocarpic species with very limited seed dispersal capacities. The observed high within-population genetic diversity in this rare monocarpic perennial is best explained by its outcrossing behaviour, long-lived individuals and overlapping generations. Despite the high within-population genetic diversity, the considerable genetic differentiation and the clear western-eastern differentiation in this species merits consideration in future conservation efforts.

Prophage Integrase Typing Is a Useful Indicator of Genomic Diversity in Salmonella enterica

PubMed Central

Colavecchio, Anna; D’Souza, Yasmin; Tompkins, Elizabeth; Jeukens, Julie; Freschi, Luca; Emond-Rheault, Jean-Guillaume; Kukavica-Ibrulj, Irena; Boyle, Brian; Bekal, Sadjia; Tamber, Sandeep; Levesque, Roger C.; Goodridge, Lawrence D.

2017-01-01

Salmonella enterica is a bacterial species that is a major cause of illness in humans and food-producing animals. S. enterica exhibits considerable inter-serovar diversity, as evidenced by the large number of host adapted serovars that have been identified. The development of methods to assess genome diversity in S. enterica will help to further define the limits of diversity in this foodborne pathogen. Thus, we evaluated a PCR assay, which targets prophage integrase genes, as a rapid method to investigate S. enterica genome diversity. To evaluate the PCR prophage integrase assay, 49 isolates of S. enterica were selected, including 19 clinical isolates from clonal serovars (Enteritidis and Heidelberg) that commonly cause human illness, and 30 isolates from food-associated Salmonella serovars that rarely cause human illness. The number of integrase genes identified by the PCR assay was compared to the number of integrase genes within intact prophages identified by whole genome sequencing and phage finding program PHASTER. The PCR assay identified a total of 147 prophage integrase genes within the 49 S. enterica genomes (79 integrase genes in the food-associated Salmonella isolates, 50 integrase genes in S. Enteritidis, and 18 integrase genes in S. Heidelberg). In comparison, whole genome sequencing and PHASTER identified a total of 75 prophage integrase genes within 102 intact prophages in the 49 S. enterica genomes (44 integrase genes in the food-associated Salmonella isolates, 21 integrase genes in S. Enteritidis, and 9 integrase genes in S. Heidelberg). Collectively, both the PCR assay and PHASTER identified the presence of a large diversity of prophage integrase genes in the food-associated isolates compared to the clinical isolates, thus indicating a high degree of diversity in the food-associated isolates, and confirming the clonal nature of S. Enteritidis and S. Heidelberg. Moreover, PHASTER revealed a diversity of 29 different types of prophages and 23 different integrase genes within the food-associated isolates, but only identified four different phages and integrase genes within clonal isolates of S. Enteritidis and S. Heidelberg. These results demonstrate the potential usefulness of PCR based detection of prophage integrase genes as a rapid indicator of genome diversity in S. enterica. PMID:28740489

Levels of Intra-specific AFLP Diversity in Tuber-Bearing Potato Species with Different Breeding Systems and Ploidy Levels

PubMed Central

Bryan, Glenn J.; McLean, Karen; Waugh, Robbie; Spooner, David M.

2017-01-01

DNA-based marker analysis of plant genebank material has become a useful tool in the evaluation of levels of genetic diversity and for the informed use and maintenance of germplasm. In this study, we quantify levels of amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) in representative accessions of wild and cultivated potato species of differing geographic origin, ploidy, and breeding system. We generated 449 polymorphic AFLP fragments in 619 plants, representing multiple plants (16–23) from 17 accessions of 14 potato taxa as well as single plants sampled from available accessions (from 3 to 56) of the same 14 taxa. Intra-accession diversities were compared to those of a synthetic ‘taxon-wide’ population comprising a single individual from a variable number of available accessions of each sampled taxon. Results confirm the expected considerably lower levels of polymorphism within accessions of self-compatible as compared to self-incompatible taxa. We observed broadly similar levels of ‘taxon-wide’ polymorphism among self-compatible and self-incompatible species, with self-compatible taxa showing only slightly lower rates of polymorphism. The most diverse accessions were the two cultivated potato accessions examined, the least diverse being the Mexican allohexaploids Solanum demissum and S. iopetalum. Generally allopolyploid self-compatible accessions exhibited lower levels of diversity. Some purported self-incompatible accessions showed relatively low levels of marker diversity, similar to the more diverse self-compatible material surveyed. Our data indicate that for self-compatible species a single plant is highly representative of a genebank accession. The situation for self-incompatible taxa is less clear, and sampling strategies used will depend on the type of investigation. These results have important implications for those seeking novel trait variation (e.g., disease resistance) in gene banks as well as for the selection of individuals for genomics studies. We also show that AFLPs, despite having been largely replaced by other marker types, is highly suitable for the evaluation of within and between accession diversity in genebanks. PMID:28983315

Prophage Integrase Typing Is a Useful Indicator of Genomic Diversity in Salmonella enterica.

PubMed

Colavecchio, Anna; D'Souza, Yasmin; Tompkins, Elizabeth; Jeukens, Julie; Freschi, Luca; Emond-Rheault, Jean-Guillaume; Kukavica-Ibrulj, Irena; Boyle, Brian; Bekal, Sadjia; Tamber, Sandeep; Levesque, Roger C; Goodridge, Lawrence D

2017-01-01

Salmonella enterica is a bacterial species that is a major cause of illness in humans and food-producing animals. S. enterica exhibits considerable inter-serovar diversity, as evidenced by the large number of host adapted serovars that have been identified. The development of methods to assess genome diversity in S. enterica will help to further define the limits of diversity in this foodborne pathogen. Thus, we evaluated a PCR assay, which targets prophage integrase genes, as a rapid method to investigate S. enterica genome diversity. To evaluate the PCR prophage integrase assay, 49 isolates of S. enterica were selected, including 19 clinical isolates from clonal serovars (Enteritidis and Heidelberg) that commonly cause human illness, and 30 isolates from food-associated Salmonella serovars that rarely cause human illness. The number of integrase genes identified by the PCR assay was compared to the number of integrase genes within intact prophages identified by whole genome sequencing and phage finding program PHASTER. The PCR assay identified a total of 147 prophage integrase genes within the 49 S. enterica genomes (79 integrase genes in the food-associated Salmonella isolates, 50 integrase genes in S . Enteritidis, and 18 integrase genes in S . Heidelberg). In comparison, whole genome sequencing and PHASTER identified a total of 75 prophage integrase genes within 102 intact prophages in the 49 S. enterica genomes (44 integrase genes in the food-associated Salmonella isolates, 21 integrase genes in S . Enteritidis, and 9 integrase genes in S . Heidelberg). Collectively, both the PCR assay and PHASTER identified the presence of a large diversity of prophage integrase genes in the food-associated isolates compared to the clinical isolates, thus indicating a high degree of diversity in the food-associated isolates, and confirming the clonal nature of S . Enteritidis and S . Heidelberg. Moreover, PHASTER revealed a diversity of 29 different types of prophages and 23 different integrase genes within the food-associated isolates, but only identified four different phages and integrase genes within clonal isolates of S. Enteritidis and S. Heidelberg. These results demonstrate the potential usefulness of PCR based detection of prophage integrase genes as a rapid indicator of genome diversity in S. enterica .

Health-Related Quality of Life after Cystectomy and Urinary Diversion for Bladder Cancer

PubMed Central

Shih, Cheryl; Porter, Michael P.

2011-01-01

With multiple options for urinary diversion after radical cystectomy for bladder cancer that have comparable cancer control and complication rates, health-related quality of life (HRQOL) has become an important consideration. This article reviews the methods for defining HRQOL, the challenges in measuring HRQOL in bladder cancer, and the literature comparing HRQOL after various methods of urinary diversion. Recent contributions include the validation of HRQOL instruments specific to bladder cancer and the publication of several prospective studies measuring HRQOL outcomes after cystectomy and urinary diversion. There is no convincing evidence from existing literature that any particular method of urinary diversion offers superior HRQOL outcomes. Rather, there is growing evidence that good HRQOL can be achieved with patient education and consideration of each patient's clinical and psychosocial situation. Future research should utilize the validated bladder cancer specific HRQOL instruments and perhaps explore the impact of preoperative counseling on postoperative HRQOL. PMID:21826139

True-slime-mould-inspired hydrostatically coupled oscillator system exhibiting versatile behaviours.

PubMed

Umedachi, Takuya; Idei, Ryo; Ito, Kentaro; Ishiguro, Akio

2013-09-01

Behavioural diversity is an indispensable attribute of living systems, which makes them intrinsically adaptive and responsive to the demands of a dynamically changing environment. In contrast, conventional engineering approaches struggle to suppress behavioural diversity in artificial systems to reach optimal performance in given environments for desired tasks. The goals of this research include understanding the essential mechanism that endows living systems with behavioural diversity and implementing the mechanism in robots to exhibit adaptive behaviours. For this purpose, we have focused on an amoeba-like unicellular organism: the plasmodium of true slime mould. Despite the absence of a central nervous system, the plasmodium exhibits versatile spatiotemporal oscillatory patterns and switches spontaneously among these patterns. By exploiting this behavioural diversity, it is able to exhibit adaptive behaviour according to the situation encountered. Inspired by this organism, we built a real physical robot using hydrostatically coupled oscillators that produce versatile oscillatory patterns and spontaneous transitions among the patterns. The experimental results show that exploiting physical hydrostatic interplay—the physical dynamics of the robot—allows simple phase oscillators to promote versatile behaviours. The results can contribute to an understanding of how a living system generates versatile and adaptive behaviours with physical interplays among body parts.

What is the role of culture, diversity, and community engagement in transdisciplinary translational science?

PubMed

Graham, Phillip W; Kim, Mimi M; Clinton-Sherrod, A Monique; Yaros, Anna; Richmond, Alan N; Jackson, Melvin; Corbie-Smith, Giselle

2016-03-01

Concepts of culture and diversity are necessary considerations in the scientific application of theory generation and developmental processes of preventive interventions; yet, culture and/or diversity are often overlooked until later stages (e.g., adaptation [T3] and dissemination [T4]) of the translational science process. Here, we present a conceptual framework focused on the seamless incorporation of culture and diversity throughout the various stages of the translational science process (T1-T5). Informed by a community-engaged research approach, this framework guides integration of cultural and diversity considerations at each phase with emphasis on the importance and value of "citizen scientists" being research partners to promote ecological validity. The integrated partnership covers the first phase of intervention development through final phases that ultimately facilitate more global, universal translation of changes in attitudes, norms, and systems. Our comprehensive model for incorporating culture and diversity into translational research provides a basis for further discussion and translational science development.

An Interactive Exhibition about Animal Skeletons: Did the Visitors Learn Any Zoology?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tunnicliffe, Sue Dale; Laterveer-de Beer, Manon

2002-01-01

Explores museum visitors' understanding of skeleton exhibits and whether such exhibits increase their understanding of the zoology displayed. The exhibition under study focused on the diversity of vertebrae skeletons which were arranged according to the mode of locomotion. (DDR)

Spatial structure of morphological and neutral genetic variation in Brook Trout

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kazyak, David C.; Hilderbrand, Robert H.; Keller, Stephen R.; Colaw, Mark C.; Holloway, Amanda E.; Morgan, Raymond P.; King, Timothy L.

2015-01-01

Brook Trout Salvelinus fontinalis exhibit exceptional levels of life history variation, remarkable genetic variability, and fine-scale population structure. In many cases, neighboring populations may be highly differentiated from one another to an extent that is comparable with species-level distinctions in other taxa. Although genetic samples have been collected from hundreds of populations and tens of thousands of individuals, little is known about whether differentiation at neutral markers reflects phenotypic differences among Brook Trout populations. We compared differentiation in morphology and neutral molecular markers among populations from four geographically proximate locations (all within 24 km) to examine how genetic diversity covaries with morphology. We found significant differences among and/or within streams for all three morphological axes examined and identified the source stream of many individuals based on morphology (52.3% classification efficiency). Although molecular and morphological differentiation among streams ranged considerably (mean pairwise FST: 0.023–0.264; pairwise PST: 0.000–0.339), the two measures were not significantly correlated. While in some cases morphological characters appear to have diverged to a greater extent than expected by neutral genetic drift, many traits were conserved to a greater extent than were neutral genetic markers. Thus, while Brook Trout exhibit fine-scale spatial patterns in both morphology and neutral genetic diversity, these types of biological variabilities are being structured by different ecological and evolutionary processes. The relative influences of genetic drift versus selection and phenotypic plasticity in shaping morphology appear to vary among populations occupying nearby streams.

Phenotypic and metabolic traits of commercial Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeasts

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Currently, pursuing yeast strains that display both a high potential fitness for alcoholic fermentation and a favorable impact on quality is a major goal in the alcoholic beverage industry. This considerable industrial interest has led to many studies characterizing the phenotypic and metabolic traits of commercial yeast populations. In this study, 20 Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains from different geographical origins exhibited high phenotypic diversity when their response to nine biotechnologically relevant conditions was examined. Next, the fermentation fitness and metabolic traits of eight selected strains with a unique phenotypic profile were evaluated in a high-sugar synthetic medium under two nitrogen regimes. Although the strains exhibited significant differences in nitrogen requirements and utilization rates, a direct relationship between nitrogen consumption, specific growth rate, cell biomass, cell viability, acetic acid and glycerol formation was only observed under high-nitrogen conditions. In contrast, the strains produced more succinic acid under the low-nitrogen regime, and a direct relationship with the final cell biomass was established. Glucose and fructose utilization patterns depended on both yeast strain and nitrogen availability. For low-nitrogen fermentation, three strains did not fully degrade the fructose. This study validates phenotypic and metabolic diversity among commercial wine yeasts and contributes new findings on the relationship between nitrogen availability, yeast cell growth and sugar utilization. We suggest that measuring nitrogen during the stationary growth phase is important because yeast cells fermentative activity is not exclusively related to population size, as previously assumed, but it is also related to the quantity of nitrogen consumed during this growth phase. PMID:24949272

Phenotypic and metabolic traits of commercial Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeasts.

PubMed

Barbosa, Catarina; Lage, Patrícia; Vilela, Alice; Mendes-Faia, Arlete; Mendes-Ferreira, Ana

2014-01-01

Currently, pursuing yeast strains that display both a high potential fitness for alcoholic fermentation and a favorable impact on quality is a major goal in the alcoholic beverage industry. This considerable industrial interest has led to many studies characterizing the phenotypic and metabolic traits of commercial yeast populations. In this study, 20 Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains from different geographical origins exhibited high phenotypic diversity when their response to nine biotechnologically relevant conditions was examined. Next, the fermentation fitness and metabolic traits of eight selected strains with a unique phenotypic profile were evaluated in a high-sugar synthetic medium under two nitrogen regimes. Although the strains exhibited significant differences in nitrogen requirements and utilization rates, a direct relationship between nitrogen consumption, specific growth rate, cell biomass, cell viability, acetic acid and glycerol formation was only observed under high-nitrogen conditions. In contrast, the strains produced more succinic acid under the low-nitrogen regime, and a direct relationship with the final cell biomass was established. Glucose and fructose utilization patterns depended on both yeast strain and nitrogen availability. For low-nitrogen fermentation, three strains did not fully degrade the fructose. This study validates phenotypic and metabolic diversity among commercial wine yeasts and contributes new findings on the relationship between nitrogen availability, yeast cell growth and sugar utilization. We suggest that measuring nitrogen during the stationary growth phase is important because yeast cells fermentative activity is not exclusively related to population size, as previously assumed, but it is also related to the quantity of nitrogen consumed during this growth phase.

Insights into the genetic structure and diversity of 38 South Asian Indians from deep whole-genome sequencing.

PubMed

Wong, Lai-Ping; Lai, Jason Kuan-Han; Saw, Woei-Yuh; Ong, Rick Twee-Hee; Cheng, Anthony Youzhi; Pillai, Nisha Esakimuthu; Liu, Xuanyao; Xu, Wenting; Chen, Peng; Foo, Jia-Nee; Tan, Linda Wei-Lin; Koo, Seok-Hwee; Soong, Richie; Wenk, Markus Rene; Lim, Wei-Yen; Khor, Chiea-Chuen; Little, Peter; Chia, Kee-Seng; Teo, Yik-Ying

2014-05-01

South Asia possesses a significant amount of genetic diversity due to considerable intergroup differences in culture and language. There have been numerous reports on the genetic structure of Asian Indians, although these have mostly relied on genotyping microarrays or targeted sequencing of the mitochondria and Y chromosomes. Asian Indians in Singapore are primarily descendants of immigrants from Dravidian-language-speaking states in south India, and 38 individuals from the general population underwent deep whole-genome sequencing with a target coverage of 30X as part of the Singapore Sequencing Indian Project (SSIP). The genetic structure and diversity of these samples were compared against samples from the Singapore Sequencing Malay Project and populations in Phase 1 of the 1,000 Genomes Project (1 KGP). SSIP samples exhibited greater intra-population genetic diversity and possessed higher heterozygous-to-homozygous genotype ratio than other Asian populations. When compared against a panel of well-defined Asian Indians, the genetic makeup of the SSIP samples was closely related to South Indians. However, even though the SSIP samples clustered distinctly from the Europeans in the global population structure analysis with autosomal SNPs, eight samples were assigned to mitochondrial haplogroups that were predominantly present in Europeans and possessed higher European admixture than the remaining samples. An analysis of the relative relatedness between SSIP with two archaic hominins (Denisovan, Neanderthal) identified higher ancient admixture in East Asian populations than in SSIP. The data resource for these samples is publicly available and is expected to serve as a valuable complement to the South Asian samples in Phase 3 of 1 KGP.

[Effect of Trichoderma species fungi on soil micromycetes, causing infectious conifer seedling lodging in Siberian tree nurseries].

PubMed

Iakimenko, E E; Grodinitskaia, I D

2000-01-01

Soils in the tree nurseries studied were characterized by a lower species diversity of fungi than adjacent virgin soils. In particular, the relative abundances of representatives of the genera Mucor, Chaetomium, and Trichoderma in the nursery soil were two times lower than in adjacent virgin soils. On the other hand, the nursery soil exhibited greater abundances of fungi of the genus Fusarium, which are causative agents of many diseases of conifer seedlings. To appreciate the efficiency of biocontrol of the infectious diseases of conifer seedlings, we introduced several indigenous Trichoderma strains into the nursery soil and found that this affected the species composition of soil microflora considerably. Changes in the species composition of mycobiota beneficially influenced the phytosanitary state of soils and reduced the infectious lodging of conifer seedlings.

Modulating Effects of Dicaffeoylquinic Acids from Ilex kudingcha on Intestinal Microecology in Vitro.

PubMed

Xie, Minhao; Chen, Guijie; Wan, Peng; Dai, Zhuqing; Hu, Bing; Chen, Ligen; Ou, Shiyi; Zeng, Xiaoxiong; Sun, Yi

2017-11-29

Dietary polyphenols have been considered as novel prebiotics, and polyphenols could exert their functions through modulating intestinal microbiota. The diverse bioactivities of kudingcha could derive from its phenolic compounds, but the effects of dicaffeoylquinic acids (diCQAs) from Ilex kudingcha on intestinal microbiota have not been investigated. In the present study, high-throughput sequencing and anaerobic fermentation in vitro were utilized to investigate the microecology-modulating function of I. kudingcha diCQAs. As a result, diCQAs raised the diversity and exhibited a more considerable impact than a carbon source on the microbial profile. DiCQAs increased the relative abundances of Alistipes, Bacteroides, Bifidobacterium, Butyricimonas, Clostridium sensu stricto, Escherichia/Shigella, Parasutterella, Romboutsia, Oscillibacter, Veillonella, Phascolarctobacterium, Lachnospiracea incertae sedis, Gemmiger, Streptococcus, and Haemophilus and decreased the relative abundances of Ruminococcus, Anaerostipes, Dialister, Megasphaera, Megamonas, and Prevotella. DiCQAs also affected the generation of short-chain fatty acids through microbiota. The contents of acetic and lactic acids were raised, while the production of propionic and butyric acids was reduced. Conclusively, diCQAs from I. kudingcha had significant modulating effects on intestinal microbiota in vitro, which might be the fundamental of diCQAs exerting their bioactivities.

Characterising private and shared signatures of positive selection in 37 Asian populations.

PubMed

Liu, Xuanyao; Lu, Dongsheng; Saw, Woei-Yuh; Shaw, Philip J; Wangkumhang, Pongsakorn; Ngamphiw, Chumpol; Fucharoen, Suthat; Lert-Itthiporn, Worachart; Chin-Inmanu, Kwanrutai; Chau, Tran Nguyen Bich; Anders, Katie; Kasturiratne, Anuradhani; de Silva, H Janaka; Katsuya, Tomohiro; Kimura, Ryosuke; Nabika, Toru; Ohkubo, Takayoshi; Tabara, Yasuharu; Takeuchi, Fumihiko; Yamamoto, Ken; Yokota, Mitsuhiro; Mamatyusupu, Dolikun; Yang, Wenjun; Chung, Yeun-Jun; Jin, Li; Hoh, Boon-Peng; Wickremasinghe, Ananda R; Ong, RickTwee-Hee; Khor, Chiea-Chuen; Dunstan, Sarah J; Simmons, Cameron; Tongsima, Sissades; Suriyaphol, Prapat; Kato, Norihiro; Xu, Shuhua; Teo, Yik-Ying

2017-04-01

The Asian Diversity Project (ADP) assembled 37 cosmopolitan and ethnic minority populations in Asia that have been densely genotyped across over half a million markers to study patterns of genetic diversity and positive natural selection. We performed population structure analyses of the ADP populations and divided these populations into four major groups based on their genographic information. By applying a highly sensitive algorithm haploPS to locate genomic signatures of positive selection, 140 distinct genomic regions exhibiting evidence of positive selection in at least one population were identified. We examined the extent of signal sharing for regions that were selected in multiple populations and observed that populations clustered in a similar fashion to that of how the ancestry clades were phylogenetically defined. In particular, populations predominantly located in South Asia underwent considerably different adaptation as compared with populations from the other geographical regions. Signatures of positive selection present in multiple geographical regions were predicted to be older and have emerged prior to the separation of the populations in the different regions. In contrast, selection signals present in a single population group tended to be of lower frequencies and thus can be attributed to recent evolutionary events.

Global priorities for conservation across multiple dimensions of mammalian diversity

PubMed Central

Graham, Catherine H.; Costa, Gabriel C.; Hedges, S. Blair; Penone, Caterina; Radeloff, Volker C.; Rondinini, Carlo; Davidson, Ana D.

2017-01-01

Conservation priorities that are based on species distribution, endemism, and vulnerability may underrepresent biologically unique species as well as their functional roles and evolutionary histories. To ensure that priorities are biologically comprehensive, multiple dimensions of diversity must be considered. Further, understanding how the different dimensions relate to one another spatially is important for conservation prioritization, but the relationship remains poorly understood. Here, we use spatial conservation planning to (i) identify and compare priority regions for global mammal conservation across three key dimensions of biodiversity—taxonomic, phylogenetic, and traits—and (ii) determine the overlap of these regions with the locations of threatened species and existing protected areas. We show that priority areas for mammal conservation exhibit low overlap across the three dimensions, highlighting the need for an integrative approach for biodiversity conservation. Additionally, currently protected areas poorly represent the three dimensions of mammalian biodiversity. We identify areas of high conservation priority among and across the dimensions that should receive special attention for expanding the global protected area network. These high-priority areas, combined with areas of high priority for other taxonomic groups and with social, economic, and political considerations, provide a biological foundation for future conservation planning efforts. PMID:28674013

Global priorities for conservation across multiple dimensions of mammalian diversity.

PubMed

Brum, Fernanda T; Graham, Catherine H; Costa, Gabriel C; Hedges, S Blair; Penone, Caterina; Radeloff, Volker C; Rondinini, Carlo; Loyola, Rafael; Davidson, Ana D

2017-07-18

Conservation priorities that are based on species distribution, endemism, and vulnerability may underrepresent biologically unique species as well as their functional roles and evolutionary histories. To ensure that priorities are biologically comprehensive, multiple dimensions of diversity must be considered. Further, understanding how the different dimensions relate to one another spatially is important for conservation prioritization, but the relationship remains poorly understood. Here, we use spatial conservation planning to ( i ) identify and compare priority regions for global mammal conservation across three key dimensions of biodiversity-taxonomic, phylogenetic, and traits-and ( ii ) determine the overlap of these regions with the locations of threatened species and existing protected areas. We show that priority areas for mammal conservation exhibit low overlap across the three dimensions, highlighting the need for an integrative approach for biodiversity conservation. Additionally, currently protected areas poorly represent the three dimensions of mammalian biodiversity. We identify areas of high conservation priority among and across the dimensions that should receive special attention for expanding the global protected area network. These high-priority areas, combined with areas of high priority for other taxonomic groups and with social, economic, and political considerations, provide a biological foundation for future conservation planning efforts.

Antimicrobial Peptides: An Introduction.

PubMed

Haney, Evan F; Mansour, Sarah C; Hancock, Robert E W

2017-01-01

The "golden era" of antibiotic discovery has long passed, but the need for new antibiotics has never been greater due to the emerging threat of antibiotic resistance. This urgency to develop new antibiotics has motivated researchers to find new methods to combat pathogenic microorganisms resulting in a surge of research focused around antimicrobial peptides (AMPs; also termed host defense peptides) and their potential as therapeutics. During the past few decades, more than 2000 AMPs have been identified from a diverse range of organisms (animals, fungi, plants, and bacteria). While these AMPs share a number of common features and a limited number of structural motifs; their sequences, activities, and targets differ considerably. In addition to their antimicrobial effects, AMPs can also exhibit immunomodulatory, anti-biofilm, and anticancer activities. These diverse functions have spurred tremendous interest in research aimed at understanding the activity of AMPs, and various protocols have been described to assess different aspects of AMP function including screening and evaluating the activities of natural and synthetic AMPs, measuring interactions with membranes, optimizing peptide function, and scaling up peptide production. Here, we provide a general overview of AMPs and introduce some of the methodologies that have been used to advance AMP research.

Characterising private and shared signatures of positive selection in 37 Asian populations

PubMed Central

Liu, Xuanyao; Lu, Dongsheng; Saw, Woei-Yuh; Shaw, Philip J; Wangkumhang, Pongsakorn; Ngamphiw, Chumpol; Fucharoen, Suthat; Lert-itthiporn, Worachart; Chin-inmanu, Kwanrutai; Chau, Tran Nguyen Bich; Anders, Katie; Kasturiratne, Anuradhani; de Silva, H Janaka; Katsuya, Tomohiro; Kimura, Ryosuke; Nabika, Toru; Ohkubo, Takayoshi; Tabara, Yasuharu; Takeuchi, Fumihiko; Yamamoto, Ken; Yokota, Mitsuhiro; Mamatyusupu, Dolikun; Yang, Wenjun; Chung, Yeun-Jun; Jin, Li; Hoh, Boon-Peng; Wickremasinghe, Ananda R; Ong, RickTwee-Hee; Khor, Chiea-Chuen; Dunstan, Sarah J; Simmons, Cameron; Tongsima, Sissades; Suriyaphol, Prapat; Kato, Norihiro; Xu, Shuhua; Teo, Yik-Ying

2017-01-01

The Asian Diversity Project (ADP) assembled 37 cosmopolitan and ethnic minority populations in Asia that have been densely genotyped across over half a million markers to study patterns of genetic diversity and positive natural selection. We performed population structure analyses of the ADP populations and divided these populations into four major groups based on their genographic information. By applying a highly sensitive algorithm haploPS to locate genomic signatures of positive selection, 140 distinct genomic regions exhibiting evidence of positive selection in at least one population were identified. We examined the extent of signal sharing for regions that were selected in multiple populations and observed that populations clustered in a similar fashion to that of how the ancestry clades were phylogenetically defined. In particular, populations predominantly located in South Asia underwent considerably different adaptation as compared with populations from the other geographical regions. Signatures of positive selection present in multiple geographical regions were predicted to be older and have emerged prior to the separation of the populations in the different regions. In contrast, selection signals present in a single population group tended to be of lower frequencies and thus can be attributed to recent evolutionary events. PMID:28098149

The State of Multiculturalism and Diversity in Undergraduate Psychology Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fuentes, Milton A.; Shannon, Casey R.

2016-01-01

Over the past few decades, diversity and multiculturalism have received considerable attention in the field of psychology. While there have been notable efforts to ensure these important areas are addressed in undergraduate psychology training, little is known about this undertaking. The present study examined how diversity and multiculturalism…

10 CFR 960.3-1-2 - Diversity of rock types.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Diversity of rock types. 960.3-1-2 Section 960.3-1-2... NUCLEAR WASTE REPOSITORY Implementation Guidelines § 960.3-1-2 Diversity of rock types. Consideration... sites for characterization shall have different types of host rock. ...

10 CFR 960.3-1-2 - Diversity of rock types.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Diversity of rock types. 960.3-1-2 Section 960.3-1-2... NUCLEAR WASTE REPOSITORY Implementation Guidelines § 960.3-1-2 Diversity of rock types. Consideration... sites for characterization shall have different types of host rock. ...

10 CFR 960.3-1-2 - Diversity of rock types.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Diversity of rock types. 960.3-1-2 Section 960.3-1-2... NUCLEAR WASTE REPOSITORY Implementation Guidelines § 960.3-1-2 Diversity of rock types. Consideration... sites for characterization shall have different types of host rock. ...

10 CFR 960.3-1-2 - Diversity of rock types.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Diversity of rock types. 960.3-1-2 Section 960.3-1-2... NUCLEAR WASTE REPOSITORY Implementation Guidelines § 960.3-1-2 Diversity of rock types. Consideration... sites for characterization shall have different types of host rock. ...

10 CFR 960.3-2-1 - Site screening for potentially acceptable sites.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... that contain rock formations of suitable depth, thickness, and lateral extent and have structural... require diversity of geohydrologic settings and rock types and consideration of regionality, as specified... provisions for diversity of geohydrologic settings, diversity of rock types, and regionality (§§ 960.3-1-1...

Discourses of Greyness and Diversity: Revisiting the ALBE and ESL Interface.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Suda, Liz

Australia's culturally and linguistically diverse society is an important consideration in the role of adult literacy and numeracy in lifelong learning and socioeconomic well-being. A case study highlights the complexities diversity brings to development of language and literacy practices and challenges facing educators in developing a culturally…

Genetic consequences of seed dispersal to sleeping trees by white-bellied spider monkeys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karubian, Jordan; Ottewell, Kym; Link, Andres; Di Fiore, Anthony

2015-10-01

Frugivorous animals frequently generate clumped distributions of seeds away from source trees via 'destination-based' dispersal processes. For example, use of traditional sleeping trees by white-bellied spider monkeys Ateles belzebuth generates high densities of seeds of a preferred food source, the palm Oenocarpus bataua, at these sites. Little is known about the maternal seed source diversity and population genetic metrics of seed pools encountered at these sites. Given the repeated use of sleeping trees over time, and the fluid social organization and wide ranging movements exhibited by spider monkeys, we predicted that O. bataua seed pools beneath sleeping trees would be characterized by relatively high values of maternal seed source diversity and standard metrics of genetic diversity. Contrary to these expectations, we found relatively low average maternal seed source diversity beneath each of 6 sleeping trees we studied (weighted mean α = 3.74), but considerable variation in diversity of maternal seed sources between sleeping trees (range = 1.75-10.1) and high heterogeneity in standard genetic diversity measures between sleeping trees. There was no evidence for overlap in maternal seed sources between sleeping tree sites (δ = 1.0), resulting in significant genetic differentiation (Fst = 0.055-0.319) between these sites. Observed variation between sleeping trees could not be explained by the number of individual spider monkeys whose core home ranges included a given tree, nor by distance to a central mineral lick, a focal point of spider monkey activity. These findings suggest that spider monkey seed dispersal to sleeping trees is spatially restricted, perhaps because the animals visit sleeping trees at the end of the day and therefore only disperse O. bataua fruits that they ingest late in the day. These results add to our growing appreciation of the ways frugivore behavior mechanistically shapes seed dispersal outcomes.

Increased genetic diversity of ADME genes in African Americans compared with their putative ancestral source populations and implications for Pharmacogenomics

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background African Americans have been treated as a representative population for African ancestry for many purposes, including pharmacogenomic studies. However, the contribution of European ancestry is expected to result in considerable differences in the genetic architecture of African American individuals compared with an African genome. In particular, the genetic admixture influences the genomic diversity of drug metabolism-related genes, and may cause high heterogeneity of drug responses in admixed populations such as African Americans. Results The genomic ancestry information of African-American (ASW) samples was obtained from data of the 1000 Genomes Project, and local ancestral components were also extracted for 32 core genes and 252 extended genes, which are associated with drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) genes. As expected, the global genetic diversity pattern in ASW was determined by the contributions of its putative ancestral source populations, and the whole profiles of ADME genes in ASW are much closer to those in YRI than in CEU. However, we observed much higher diversity in some functionally important ADME genes in ASW than either CEU or YRI, which could be a result of either genetic drift or natural selection, and we identified some signatures of the latter. We analyzed the clinically relevant polymorphic alleles and haplotypes, and found that 28 functional mutations (including 3 missense, 3 splice, and 22 regulator sites) exhibited significantly higher differentiation between the three populations. Conclusions Analysis of the genetic diversity of ADME genes showed differentiation between admixed population and its ancestral source populations. In particular, the different genetic diversity between ASW and YRI indicated that the ethnic differences in pharmacogenomic studies are broadly existed despite that African ancestry is dominant in Africans Americans. This study should advance our understanding of the genetic basis of the drug response heterogeneity between populations, especially in the case of population admixture, and have significant implications for evaluating potential inter-population heterogeneity in drug treatment effects. PMID:24884825

Bee communities along a prairie restoration chronosequence: similar abundance and diversity, distinct composition.

PubMed

Tonietto, Rebecca K; Ascher, John S; Larkin, Daniel J

2017-04-01

Recognition of the importance of bee conservation has grown in response to declines of managed honey bees and some wild bee species. Habitat loss has been implicated as a leading cause of declines, suggesting that ecological restoration is likely to play an increasing role in bee conservation efforts. In the midwestern United States, restoration of tallgrass prairie has traditionally targeted plant community objectives without explicit consideration for bees. However, restoration of prairie vegetation is likely to provide ancillary benefits to bees through increased foraging and nesting resources. We investigated community assembly of bees across a chronosequence of restored eastern tallgrass prairies and compared patterns to those in control and reference habitats (old fields and prairie remnants, respectively). We collected bees for 3 yr and measured diversity and abundance of in-bloom flowering plants, vegetation structure, ground cover, and surrounding land use as predictors of bee abundance and bee taxonomic and functional diversity. We found that site-level variables, but not site type or restoration age, were significant predictors of bee abundance (bloom diversity, P = 0.004; bare ground cover, P = 0.02) and bee diversity (bloom diversity, P = 0.01). There were significant correlations between overall composition of bee and blooming plant communities (Mantel test, P = 0.002), and both plant and bee assemblages in restorations were intermediate between those of old fields and remnant prairies. Restorations exhibited high bee beta diversity, i.e., restored sites' bee assemblages were taxonomically and functionally differentiated from each other. This pattern was strong in younger restorations (<20 yr old), but absent from older restorations (>20 yr), suggesting restored prairie bee communities become more similar to one another and more similar to remnant prairie bee communities over time with the arrival of more species and functional groups of bees. Our results indicate that old fields, restorations, and remnants provide habitat for diverse and abundant bee communities, but continued restoration of old fields will help support and conserve bee communities more similar to reference bee communities characteristic of remnant prairies. © 2016 by the Ecological Society of America.

Effective Assistive Technology Consideration and Implications for Diverse Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Vita L.; Hinesmon-Matthews, Lezlee J.

2014-01-01

Often the consideration of assistive technology devices and services during the individualized education program (IEP) process is overlooked. Because the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) authorized this consideration, IEP team members must be keenly aware of the importance they hold in providing this valuable input. Thus, IEP…

Qualitative research in multicultural psychology: philosophical underpinnings, popular approaches, and ethical considerations.

PubMed

Ponterotto, Joseph G

2010-10-01

This article reviews the current and emerging status of qualitative research in psychology. The particular value of diverse philosophical paradigms and varied inquiry approaches to the advancement of psychology generally, and multicultural psychology specifically, is emphasized. Three specific qualitative inquiry approaches anchored in diverse philosophical research paradigms are highlighted: consensual qualitative research, grounded theory, and participatory action research. The article concludes by highlighting important ethical considerations in multicultural qualitative research. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved.

Common origins and the ethics of planetary seeding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Milligan, Tony

2016-10-01

Faced with a choice between attempting to seed another world with terrestrially-sourced microbes (with which we would have a shared origin) and microbes sourced from elsewhere within the solar system (whose origins might therefore differ), would we have any non-instrumental ethical reason to favour the terrestrial microbes? What follows will argue that in relation to the goals of promoting life similar to our own, or even simply microbial life, we might conceivably make such an appeal and do so in a defensible manner. However, in no case would such a consideration operate as a silencer for rival considerations (such as likelihood of success, enhancing diversity or historical justice). The thought experiment serves to highlight the diversity of considerations which are in play in ethical deliberation about matters of astrobiology and the role of practical wisdom rather than trumping considerations.

Cognitive Adaptation to the Experience of Social and Cultural Diversity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crisp, Richard J.; Turner, Rhiannon N.

2011-01-01

Diversity is a defining characteristic of modern society, yet there remains considerable debate over the benefits that it brings. The authors argue that positive psychological and behavioral outcomes will be observed only when social and cultural diversity is experienced in a way that challenges stereotypical expectations and that when this…

Commonalities and Diversities among Asian Americans for Considerations in Special Education and Related Services.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leung, Esther Kau-To

The paper examines diversities and commonalities among Asian Americans and draws implications relative to special education service for Asian minorities. The first section focuses on diversities and complexities in this group with subsections on origin, sociocultural background prior to migration, immigration and settlement history, degree and…

Interrogating Practice in Culturally Diverse Classrooms: What Can an Analysis of Student Resistance and Teacher Response Reveal?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Santoro, Ninetta; Forghani-Arani, Neda

2015-01-01

As classrooms have increasingly become diverse and complex, developing culturally responsive pedagogies is a professional imperative for teachers. However, considerable international research suggests that meeting the needs of diverse pupil cohorts is challenging for many teachers. In this article, we highlight how curriculum and teaching…

Genetic Diversity in the UV Sex Chromosomes of the Brown Alga Ectocarpus.

PubMed

Avia, Komlan; Lipinska, Agnieszka P; Mignerot, Laure; Montecinos, Alejandro E; Jamy, Mahwash; Ahmed, Sophia; Valero, Myriam; Peters, Akira F; Cock, J Mark; Roze, Denis; Coelho, Susana M

2018-06-06

Three types of sex chromosome system exist in nature: diploid XY and ZW systems and haploid UV systems. For many years, research has focused exclusively on XY and ZW systems, leaving UV chromosomes and haploid sex determination largely neglected. Here, we perform a detailed analysis of DNA sequence neutral diversity levels across the U and V sex chromosomes of the model brown alga Ectocarpus using a large population dataset. We show that the U and V non-recombining regions of the sex chromosomes (SDR) exhibit about half as much neutral diversity as the autosomes. This difference is consistent with the reduced effective population size of these regions compared with the rest of the genome, suggesting that the influence of additional factors such as background selection or selective sweeps is minimal. The pseudoautosomal region (PAR) of this UV system, in contrast, exhibited surprisingly high neutral diversity and there were several indications that genes in this region may be under balancing selection. The PAR of Ectocarpus is known to exhibit unusual genomic features and our results lay the foundation for further work aimed at understanding whether, and to what extent, these structural features underlie the high level of genetic diversity. Overall, this study fills a gap between available information on genetic diversity in XY/ZW systems and UV systems and significantly contributes to advancing our knowledge of the evolution of UV sex chromosomes.

Concordance between genetic and species diversity in coral reef fishes across the Pacific Ocean biodiversity gradient.

PubMed

Messmer, Vanessa; Jones, Geoffrey P; Munday, Philip L; Planes, Serge

2012-12-01

The relationship between genetic diversity and species diversity provides insights into biogeography and historic patterns of evolution and is critical for developing contemporary strategies for biodiversity conservation. Although concordant large-scale clines in genetic and species diversity have been described for terrestrial organisms, whether these parameters co-vary in marine species remains largely unknown. We examined patterns of genetic diversity for 11 coral reef fish species sampled at three locations across the Pacific Ocean species diversity gradient (Australia: ∼1600 species; New Caledonia: ∼1400 species; French Polynesia: ∼800 species). Combined genetic diversity for all 11 species paralleled the decline in species diversity from West to East, with French Polynesia exhibiting lowest total haplotype and nucleotide diversities. Haplotype diversity consistently declined toward French Polynesia in all and nucleotide diversity in the majority of species. The French Polynesian population of most species also exhibited significant genetic differentiation from populations in the West Pacific. A number of factors may have contributed to the general positive correlation between genetic and species diversity, including location and time of species origin, vicariance events, reduced gene flow with increasing isolation, and decreasing habitat area from West to East. However, isolation and habitat area, resulting in reduced population size, are likely to be the most influential. © 2012 The Author(s). Evolution© 2012 The Society for the Study of Evolution.

2012 Diversity Day

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-10-31

John C. Stennis Space Center employees enjoyed 2012 Diversity Day activities Oct. 31. During the day, Stennis employees were able to visit exhibits highlighting different cultures and participate in a range of activities.

The origin of multicellularity in cyanobacteria

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Cyanobacteria are one of the oldest and morphologically most diverse prokaryotic phyla on our planet. The early development of an oxygen-containing atmosphere approximately 2.45 - 2.22 billion years ago is attributed to the photosynthetic activity of cyanobacteria. Furthermore, they are one of the few prokaryotic phyla where multicellularity has evolved. Understanding when and how multicellularity evolved in these ancient organisms would provide fundamental information on the early history of life and further our knowledge of complex life forms. Results We conducted and compared phylogenetic analyses of 16S rDNA sequences from a large sample of taxa representing the morphological and genetic diversity of cyanobacteria. We reconstructed ancestral character states on 10,000 phylogenetic trees. The results suggest that the majority of extant cyanobacteria descend from multicellular ancestors. Reversals to unicellularity occurred at least 5 times. Multicellularity was established again at least once within a single-celled clade. Comparison to the fossil record supports an early origin of multicellularity, possibly as early as the "Great Oxygenation Event" that occurred 2.45 - 2.22 billion years ago. Conclusions The results indicate that a multicellular morphotype evolved early in the cyanobacterial lineage and was regained at least once after a previous loss. Most of the morphological diversity exhibited in cyanobacteria today —including the majority of single-celled species— arose from ancient multicellular lineages. Multicellularity could have conferred a considerable advantage for exploring new niches and hence facilitated the diversification of new lineages. PMID:21320320

Improved techniques for fluid diversion in oil recovery. Final report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Seright, R.

This three-year project had two technical objectives. The first objective was to compare the effectiveness of gels in fluid diversion (water shutoff) with those of other types of processes. Several different types of fluid-diversion processes were compared, including those using gels, foams, emulsions, particulates, and microorganisms. The ultimate goals of these comparisons were to (1) establish which of these processes are most effective in a given application and (2) determine whether aspects of one process can be combined with those of other processes to improve performance. Analyses and experiments were performed to verify which materials are the most effective inmore » entering and blocking high-permeability zones. The second objective of the project was to identify the mechanisms by which materials (particularly gels) selectively reduce permeability to water more than to oil. A capacity to reduce water permeability much more than oil or gas permeability is critical to the success of gel treatments in production wells if zones cannot be isolated during gel placement. Topics covered in this report include (1) determination of gel properties in fractures, (2) investigation of schemes to optimize gel placement in fractured systems, (3) an investigation of why some polymers and gels can reduce water permeability more than oil permeability, (4) consideration of whether microorganisms and particulates can exhibit placement properties that are superior to those of gels, and (5) examination of when foams may show placement properties that are superior to those of gels.« less

Exploring natural variation of photosynthetic, primary metabolism and growth parameters in a large panel of Capsicum chinense accessions.

PubMed

Rosado-Souza, Laise; Scossa, Federico; Chaves, Izabel S; Kleessen, Sabrina; Salvador, Luiz F D; Milagre, Jocimar C; Finger, Fernando; Bhering, Leonardo L; Sulpice, Ronan; Araújo, Wagner L; Nikoloski, Zoran; Fernie, Alisdair R; Nunes-Nesi, Adriano

2015-09-01

Collectively, the results presented improve upon the utility of an important genetic resource and attest to a complex genetic basis for differences in both leaf metabolism and fruit morphology between natural populations. Diversity of accessions within the same species provides an alternative method to identify physiological and metabolic traits that have large effects on growth regulation, biomass and fruit production. Here, we investigated physiological and metabolic traits as well as parameters related to plant growth and fruit production of 49 phenotypically diverse pepper accessions of Capsicum chinense grown ex situ under controlled conditions. Although single-trait analysis identified up to seven distinct groups of accessions, working with the whole data set by multivariate analyses allowed the separation of the 49 accessions in three clusters. Using all 23 measured parameters and data from the geographic origin for these accessions, positive correlations between the combined phenotypes and geographic origin were observed, supporting a robust pattern of isolation-by-distance. In addition, we found that fruit set was positively correlated with photosynthesis-related parameters, which, however, do not explain alone the differences in accession susceptibility to fruit abortion. Our results demonstrated that, although the accessions belong to the same species, they exhibit considerable natural intraspecific variation with respect to physiological and metabolic parameters, presenting diverse adaptation mechanisms and being a highly interesting source of information for plant breeders. This study also represents the first study combining photosynthetic, primary metabolism and growth parameters for Capsicum to date.

10 CFR 960.3-1-2 - Diversity of rock types.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... NUCLEAR WASTE REPOSITORY Implementation Guidelines § 960.3-1-2 Diversity of rock types. Consideration shall be given to a variety of geologic media in which sites for the development of repositories may be...

T-cell stimuli independently sum to regulate an inherited clonal division fate

PubMed Central

Marchingo, J. M.; Prevedello, G.; Kan, A.; Heinzel, S.; Hodgkin, P. D.; Duffy, K. R.

2016-01-01

In the presence of antigen and costimulation, T cells undergo a characteristic response of expansion, cessation and contraction. Previous studies have revealed that population-level reproducibility is a consequence of multiple clones exhibiting considerable disparity in burst size, highlighting the requirement for single-cell information in understanding T-cell fate regulation. Here we show that individual T-cell clones resulting from controlled stimulation in vitro are strongly lineage imprinted with highly correlated expansion fates. Progeny from clonal families cease dividing in the same or adjacent generations, with inter-clonal variation producing burst-size diversity. The effects of costimulatory signals on individual clones sum together with stochastic independence; therefore, the net effect across multiple clones produces consistent, but heterogeneous population responses. These data demonstrate that substantial clonal heterogeneity arises through differences in experience of clonal progenitors, either through stochastic antigen interaction or by differences in initial receptor sensitivities. PMID:27869196

Ultrastructural diversity between centrioles of eukaryotes.

PubMed

Gupta, Akshari; Kitagawa, Daiju

2018-02-16

Several decades of centriole research have revealed the beautiful symmetry present in these microtubule-based organelles, which are required to form centrosomes, cilia, and flagella in many eukaryotes. Centriole architecture is largely conserved across most organisms, however, individual centriolar features such as the central cartwheel or microtubule walls exhibit considerable variability when examined with finer resolution. Here, we review the ultrastructural characteristics of centrioles in commonly studied organisms, highlighting the subtle and not-so-subtle differences between specific structural components of these centrioles. Additionally, we survey some non-canonical centriole structures that have been discovered in various species, from the coaxial bicentrioles of protists and lower land plants to the giant irregular centrioles of the fungus gnat Sciara. Finally, we speculate on the functional significance of these differences between centrioles, and the contribution of individual structural elements such as the cartwheel or microtubules towards the stability of centrioles.Centriole structure, cartwheel, triplet microtubules, SAS-6, centrosome.

An algebraic algorithm for nonuniformity correction in focal-plane arrays.

PubMed

Ratliff, Bradley M; Hayat, Majeed M; Hardie, Russell C

2002-09-01

A scene-based algorithm is developed to compensate for bias nonuniformity in focal-plane arrays. Nonuniformity can be extremely problematic, especially for mid- to far-infrared imaging systems. The technique is based on use of estimates of interframe subpixel shifts in an image sequence, in conjunction with a linear-interpolation model for the motion, to extract information on the bias nonuniformity algebraically. The performance of the proposed algorithm is analyzed by using real infrared and simulated data. One advantage of this technique is its simplicity; it requires relatively few frames to generate an effective correction matrix, thereby permitting the execution of frequent on-the-fly nonuniformity correction as drift occurs. Additionally, the performance is shown to exhibit considerable robustness with respect to lack of the common types of temporal and spatial irradiance diversity that are typically required by statistical scene-based nonuniformity correction techniques.

Tensile properties of helical auxetic structures: A numerical study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wright, J. R.; Sloan, M. R.; Evans, K. E.

2010-08-01

This paper discusses a helical auxetic structure which has a diverse range of practical applications. The mechanical properties of the system can be determined by particular combinations of geometry and component material properties; finite element analysis is used to investigate the static behavior of these structures under tension. Modeling criteria are determined and design issues are discussed. A description of the different strain-dependent mechanical phases is provided. It is shown that the stiffnesses of the component fibers and the initial helical wrap angle are critical design parameters, and that strain-dependent changes in cross-section must be taken into consideration: we observe that the structures exhibit nonlinear behavior due to nonzero component Poisson's ratios. Negative Poisson's ratios for the helical structures as low as -5 are shown. While we focus here on the structure as a yarn our findings are, in principle, scaleable.

Tattoo-based potentiometric ion-selective sensors for epidermal pH monitoring.

PubMed

Bandodkar, Amay J; Hung, Vinci W S; Jia, Wenzhao; Valdés-Ramírez, Gabriela; Windmiller, Joshua R; Martinez, Alexandra G; Ramírez, Julian; Chan, Garrett; Kerman, Kagan; Wang, Joseph

2013-01-07

This article presents the fabrication and characterization of novel tattoo-based solid-contact ion-selective electrodes (ISEs) for non-invasive potentiometric monitoring of epidermal pH levels. The new fabrication approach combines commercially available temporary transfer tattoo paper with conventional screen printing and solid-contact polymer ISE methodologies. The resulting tattoo-based potentiometric sensors exhibit rapid and sensitive response to a wide range of pH changes with no carry-over effects. Furthermore, the tattoo ISE sensors endure repetitive mechanical deformation, which is a key requirement of wearable and epidermal sensors. The flexible and conformal nature of the tattoo sensors enable them to be mounted on nearly any exposed skin surface for real-time pH monitoring of the human perspiration, as illustrated from the response during a strenuous physical activity. The resulting tattoo-based ISE sensors offer considerable promise as wearable potentiometric sensors suitable for diverse applications.

Gold-promoted structurally ordered intermetallic palladium cobalt nanoparticles for the oxygen reduction reaction.

PubMed

Kuttiyiel, Kurian A; Sasaki, Kotaro; Su, Dong; Wu, Lijun; Zhu, Yimei; Adzic, Radoslav R

2014-11-06

Considerable efforts to make palladium and palladium alloys active catalysts and a possible replacement for platinum have had a marginal success. Here we report on a structurally ordered Au10Pd₄₀Co₅₀ catalyst that exhibits comparable activity to conventional platinum catalysts in both acid and alkaline media. Electron microscopic techniques demonstrate that, at elevated temperatures, palladium cobalt nanoparticles undergo an atomic structural transition from core-shell to a rare intermetallic ordered structure with twin boundaries forming stable {111}, {110} and {100} facets via addition of gold atoms. The superior stability of this catalyst compared with platinum after 10,000 potential cycles in alkaline media is attributed to the atomic structural order of PdCo nanoparticles along with protective effect of clusters of gold atoms on the surface. This strategy of making ordered palladium intermetallic alloy nanoparticles can be used in diverse heterogeneous catalysis where particle size and structural stability matter.

Shape-Dependent Skin Penetration of Silver Nanoparticles: Does It Really Matter?

PubMed Central

Tak, Yu Kyung; Pal, Sukdeb; Naoghare, Pravin K.; Rangasamy, Sabarinathan; Song, Joon Myong

2015-01-01

Advancements in nano-structured materials have facilitated several applications of nanoparticles (NPs). Skin penetration of NPs is a crucial factor for designing suitable topical antibacterial agents with low systemic toxicity. Available reports focus on size-dependent skin penetration of NPs, mainly through follicular pathways. Herein, for the first time, we demonstrate a proof-of-concept study that entails variations in skin permeability and diffusion coefficients, penetration rates and depth-of-penetration of differently shaped silver NPs (AgNPs) via intercellular pathways using both in vitro and in vivo models. The antimicrobial activity of AgNPs is known. Different shapes of AgNPs may exhibit diverse antimicrobial activities and skin penetration capabilities depending upon their active metallic facets. Consideration of the shape dependency of AgNPs in antimicrobial formulations could help developing an ideal topical agent with the highest efficacy and low systemic toxicity. PMID:26584777

Evaluation of feed grade sodium bisulfate impact on gastrointestinal tract microbiota ecology in broilers via a pyrosequencing platform.

PubMed

Park, Si Hong; Dowd, Scot E; McReynolds, Jack L; Byrd, James A; Nisbet, David J; Ricke, Steven C

2015-12-01

The gastrointestinal microbial community in broiler chickens consists of many different species of bacteria, and the overall microbiota can vary from bird to bird. To control pathogenic bacteria in broilers and improve gut health, numerous potential dietary amendments have been used. In this study, we used a pyrosequencing platform to evaluate the effect of sodium bisulfate on microbiota of the crop, cecum, and ileum of broiler chickens grown over several weeks. The diversity information in each digestive organ sample exhibited considerable variation and was clearly separable, suggesting distinct bacterial populations. Although no apparent microbial clustering occurred between the control and the dietary treatments, we did observe shifts in overall microbiota populations in the crop, ileum, and ceca as well as changes in specific microorganisms such as Bacteroides, Clostridium, and Lactobacillus species that were identified as birds became older. © 2015 Poultry Science Association Inc.

Distance, elevation and environment as drivers of diversity and divergence in bumble bees across latitude and altitude.

PubMed

Jackson, Jason M; Pimsler, Meaghan L; Oyen, Kennan Jeannet; Koch-Uhuad, Jonathan B; Herndon, James D; Strange, James P; Dillon, Michael E; Lozier, Jeffrey D

2018-06-04

Identifying drivers of dispersal limitation and genetic differentiation is a key goal in biogeography. We examine patterns of population connectivity and genetic diversity using restriction site-associated DNA sequencing (RADseq) in two bumble bee species, Bombus vosnesenskii and Bombus bifarius, across latitude and altitude in mountain ranges from California, Oregon and Washington, U.S.A. Bombus vosnesenskii, which occurs across a broader elevational range at most latitudes, exhibits little population structure while B. bifarius, which occupies a relatively narrow higher elevation niche across most latitudes, exhibits much stronger population differentiation, although gene flow in both species is best explained by isolation with environmental niche resistance. A relationship between elevational habitat breadth and genetic diversity is also apparent, with B. vosnesenskii exhibiting relatively consistent levels of genetic diversity across its range, while B. bifarius has reduced genetic diversity at low latitudes, where it is restricted to high-elevation habitat. The results of this study highlight the importance of the intersect between elevational range and habitat suitability in influencing population connectivity and suggest that future climate warming will have a fragmenting effect even on populations that are presently well connected, as they track their thermal niches upward in montane systems. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Elongation of the body in eels.

PubMed

Mehta, Rita S; Ward, Andrea B; Alfaro, Michael E; Wainwright, Peter C

2010-12-01

The shape of the body affects how organisms move, where they live, and how they feed. One body plan that has long engaged the interest of both evolutionary biologists and functional morphologists is axial elongation. There is a growing interest in the correlates and evolution of elongation within different terrestrial and aquatic vertebrate clades. At first glance, Anguilliformes may appear to exhibit a single cylindrical form but there is considerable diversity underlying this seemingly simplified body plan. Here, we explore evolution of the axial skeleton in 54 anguilliform taxa and some close relatives. We describe the diversity of axial elongation as well as investigate how characters such as head length, branchial-arch length, and shape of the pectoral fins correlate with vertebral number to possibly facilitate changes in absolute diameter of the body. Overall, we find that precaudal vertebral numbers and caudal vertebral numbers are evolving independently across elopomorph fishes. We also find that precaudal and caudal vertebral aspect ratios are evolving together across elopomorph fishes. When focusing within Anguilliformes we find striking diversity in the mechanisms of elongation of the body, including almost every trend for axial elongation known within actinopterygian fishes. The three major clades of eels we examined have slightly different mechanisms of elongation. We also find a suite of morphological characters associated with elongation in anguilliform fishes that appears to coincide with a more fossorial lifestyle such as high elongation ratios, a more posteriorly extended-branchial region, and a reduction in the size of the pectoral fins. Lastly, we point out that a diverse range of derived behaviors such as head- and tail-first burrowing, rotational feeding, and knotting around prey are only found in long cylindrical vertebrates.

Drivers of aboveground wood production in a lowland tropical forest of West Africa: teasing apart the roles of tree density, tree diversity, soil phosphorus, and historical logging.

PubMed

Jucker, Tommaso; Sanchez, Aida Cuni; Lindsell, Jeremy A; Allen, Harriet D; Amable, Gabriel S; Coomes, David A

2016-06-01

Tropical forests currently play a key role in regulating the terrestrial carbon cycle and abating climate change by storing carbon in wood. However, there remains considerable uncertainty as to whether tropical forests will continue to act as carbon sinks in the face of increased pressure from expanding human activities. Consequently, understanding what drives productivity in tropical forests is critical. We used permanent forest plot data from the Gola Rainforest National Park (Sierra Leone) - one of the largest tracts of intact tropical moist forest in West Africa - to explore how (1) stand basal area and tree diversity, (2) past disturbance associated with past logging, and (3) underlying soil nutrient gradients interact to determine rates of aboveground wood production (AWP). We started by statistically modeling the diameter growth of individual trees and used these models to estimate AWP for 142 permanent forest plots. We then used structural equation modeling to explore the direct and indirect pathways which shape rates of AWP. Across the plot network, stand basal area emerged as the strongest determinant of AWP, with densely packed stands exhibiting the fastest rates of AWP. In addition to stand packing density, both tree diversity and soil phosphorus content were also positively related to productivity. By contrast, historical logging activities negatively impacted AWP through the removal of large trees, which contributed disproportionately to productivity. Understanding what determines variation in wood production across tropical forest landscapes requires accounting for multiple interacting drivers - with stand structure, tree diversity, and soil nutrients all playing a key role. Importantly, our results also indicate that logging activities can have a long-lasting impact on a forest's ability to sequester and store carbon, emphasizing the importance of safeguarding old-growth tropical forests.

Primate vaginal microbiomes exhibit species specificity without universal Lactobacillus dominance.

PubMed

Yildirim, Suleyman; Yeoman, Carl J; Janga, Sarath Chandra; Thomas, Susan M; Ho, Mengfei; Leigh, Steven R; White, Bryan A; Wilson, Brenda A; Stumpf, Rebecca M

2014-12-01

Bacterial communities colonizing the reproductive tracts of primates (including humans) impact the health, survival and fitness of the host, and thereby the evolution of the host species. Despite their importance, we currently have a poor understanding of primate microbiomes. The composition and structure of microbial communities vary considerably depending on the host and environmental factors. We conducted comparative analyses of the primate vaginal microbiome using pyrosequencing of the 16S rRNA genes of a phylogenetically broad range of primates to test for factors affecting the diversity of primate vaginal ecosystems. The nine primate species included: humans (Homo sapiens), yellow baboons (Papio cynocephalus), olive baboons (Papio anubis), lemurs (Propithecus diadema), howler monkeys (Alouatta pigra), red colobus (Piliocolobus rufomitratus), vervets (Chlorocebus aethiops), mangabeys (Cercocebus atys) and chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). Our results indicated that all primates exhibited host-specific vaginal microbiota and that humans were distinct from other primates in both microbiome composition and diversity. In contrast to the gut microbiome, the vaginal microbiome showed limited congruence with host phylogeny, and neither captivity nor diet elicited substantial effects on the vaginal microbiomes of primates. Permutational multivariate analysis of variance and Wilcoxon tests revealed correlations among vaginal microbiota and host species-specific socioecological factors, particularly related to sexuality, including: female promiscuity, baculum length, gestation time, mating group size and neonatal birth weight. The proportion of unclassified taxa observed in nonhuman primate samples increased with phylogenetic distance from humans, indicative of the existence of previously unrecognized microbial taxa. These findings contribute to our understanding of host-microbe variation and coevolution, microbial biogeography, and disease risk, and have important implications for the use of animal models in studies of human sexual and reproductive diseases.

Education in a Diverse Society Necessitates the Implementation of an Equitable Language Policy: The Russian Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sinagatullin, Ilghiz M.

2013-01-01

Russia's secondary school populations are becoming increasingly diverse in terms of ethnicity, culture, language, and religion. The growing diversity makes a considerable impact on the functions and goals of schools, the realization of which requires the implementation of an equitable language policy. In this article, I briefly represent Russia as…

Do I Really Know You? Do You Really Know Me? Empathy amid Diversity in Differing Learning Contexts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kasl, Elizabeth; Yorks, Lyle

2016-01-01

We explore the need for empathy in diverse groups, conceptualize the epistemology of empathy in relationship to "whole-person dialogue," and examine strategies for creating empathic space that take into consideration the "paradox of diversity." Two examples from our practice illustrate the role of empathic connection in…

Cultural Diversity and the ADA. Implementing the Americans with Disabilities Act.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bruyere, Susanne M.; Hoying, Joyce

One of a series of guides on implementing the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), this guide focuses on cultural diversity and the ADA. First, the major components of the ADA are summarized. This is followed by discussion of employer considerations in addressing cultural diversity issues and implications of the ADA, such as diversity…

taxonomic diversity and pest vulnerability in street tree assemblages

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Urban foresters routinely emphasise the importance of taxonomic diversity to reduce the vulnerability of tree assemblages to invasive pests, but it is unclear to what extent diversity reduces vulnerability to polyphagous (i.e. generalist) pests. Drawing on field data from seven communities in metropolitan Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, we tested the hypothesis that communities with higher diversity would exhibit lower vulnerability to the polyphagous Asian longhorned beetle, which currently threatens the region. Based on street tree compositions and the beetle??s host preferences, Asian longhorned beetle threatened up to 35.6% of individual street trees and 47.5% of the total basal area across the study area, but we did not see clear connections between taxonomic diversity and beetle vulnerability among study communities. For example, the city of Fairfield was among the least diverse communities but had the lowest proportion of trees vulnerable to Asian longhorned beetle, whereas the city of Wyoming exhibited high diversity and high vulnerability. On the other hand, Forest Park aligned with our original hypothesis, as it was characterised by low diversity and high vulnerability. Our results demonstrate that relatively high taxonomic diversity in street tree assemblages does not necessarily lead to reduced vulnerability to a polyphagous pest. Considering the threats posed by polyphagous pests, selecting a set of relatively pest resistant trees known to perform well in ur

A novel complexity-to-diversity strategy for the diversity-oriented synthesis of structurally diverse and complex macrocycles from quinine.

PubMed

Ciardiello, J J; Stewart, H L; Sore, H F; Galloway, W R J D; Spring, D R

2017-06-01

Recent years have witnessed a global decline in the productivity and advancement of the pharmaceutical industry. A major contributing factor to this is the downturn in drug discovery successes. This can be attributed to the lack of structural (particularly scaffold) diversity and structural complexity exhibited by current small molecule screening collections. Macrocycles have been shown to exhibit a diverse range of biological properties, with over 100 natural product-derived examples currently marketed as FDA-approved drugs. Despite this, synthetic macrocycles are widely considered to be a poorly explored structural class within drug discovery, which can be attributed to their synthetic intractability. Herein we describe a novel complexity-to-diversity strategy for the diversity-oriented synthesis of novel, structurally complex and diverse macrocyclic scaffolds from natural product starting materials. This approach exploits the inherent structural (including functional) and stereochemical complexity of natural products in order to rapidly generate diversity and complexity. Readily-accessible natural product-derived intermediates serve as structural templates which can be divergently functionalized with different building blocks to generate a diverse range of acyclic precursors. Subsequent macrocyclisation then furnishes compounds that are each based around a distinct molecular scaffold. Thus, high levels of library scaffold diversity can be rapidly achieved. In this proof-of-concept study, the natural product quinine was used as the foundation for library synthesis, and six novel structurally diverse, highly complex and functionalized macrocycles were generated. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Case Study of the Diversity Culture of an American University Athletic Department: Perceptions of Senior Level Administrators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Singer, John N.; Cunningham, George B.

2012-01-01

The topic of diversity has received considerable attention from scholars who study sport within the context of higher education in the USA. But despite this interest in the topic, an in-depth focus on how college and university athletic departments effectively manage diversity is missing from the literature. Therefore, we conducted an intrinsic…

Reaching Out: Challenges and Opportunities of Recruiting a Diverse Staff of Resident Assistants

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Healea, C. Daryl; Hale, Patrick J.

2016-01-01

Recruiting a diverse staff of resident assistants at an institution of American higher education involves both challenges and opportunities. This study employed the theoretical framework of multicultural organizational development to explore how diversity was cultivated in a resident assistant staff and why that staff exhibited a particular form…

Dramatic Increases of Soil Microbial Functional Gene Diversity at the Treeline Ecotone of Changbai Mountain.

PubMed

Shen, Congcong; Shi, Yu; Ni, Yingying; Deng, Ye; Van Nostrand, Joy D; He, Zhili; Zhou, Jizhong; Chu, Haiyan

2016-01-01

The elevational and latitudinal diversity patterns of microbial taxa have attracted great attention in the past decade. Recently, the distribution of functional attributes has been in the spotlight. Here, we report a study profiling soil microbial communities along an elevation gradient (500-2200 m) on Changbai Mountain. Using a comprehensive functional gene microarray (GeoChip 5.0), we found that microbial functional gene richness exhibited a dramatic increase at the treeline ecotone, but the bacterial taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing did not exhibit such a similar trend. However, the β-diversity (compositional dissimilarity among sites) pattern for both bacterial taxa and functional genes was similar, showing significant elevational distance-decay patterns which presented increased dissimilarity with elevation. The bacterial taxonomic diversity/structure was strongly influenced by soil pH, while the functional gene diversity/structure was significantly correlated with soil dissolved organic carbon (DOC). This finding highlights that soil DOC may be a good predictor in determining the elevational distribution of microbial functional genes. The finding of significant shifts in functional gene diversity at the treeline ecotone could also provide valuable information for predicting the responses of microbial functions to climate change.

Integrating Genomic Data Sets for Knowledge Discovery: An Informed Approach to Management of Captive Endangered Species.

PubMed

Irizarry, Kristopher J L; Bryant, Doug; Kalish, Jordan; Eng, Curtis; Schmidt, Peggy L; Barrett, Gini; Barr, Margaret C

2016-01-01

Many endangered captive populations exhibit reduced genetic diversity resulting in health issues that impact reproductive fitness and quality of life. Numerous cost effective genomic sequencing and genotyping technologies provide unparalleled opportunity for incorporating genomics knowledge in management of endangered species. Genomic data, such as sequence data, transcriptome data, and genotyping data, provide critical information about a captive population that, when leveraged correctly, can be utilized to maximize population genetic variation while simultaneously reducing unintended introduction or propagation of undesirable phenotypes. Current approaches aimed at managing endangered captive populations utilize species survival plans (SSPs) that rely upon mean kinship estimates to maximize genetic diversity while simultaneously avoiding artificial selection in the breeding program. However, as genomic resources increase for each endangered species, the potential knowledge available for management also increases. Unlike model organisms in which considerable scientific resources are used to experimentally validate genotype-phenotype relationships, endangered species typically lack the necessary sample sizes and economic resources required for such studies. Even so, in the absence of experimentally verified genetic discoveries, genomics data still provides value. In fact, bioinformatics and comparative genomics approaches offer mechanisms for translating these raw genomics data sets into integrated knowledge that enable an informed approach to endangered species management.

Integrating Genomic Data Sets for Knowledge Discovery: An Informed Approach to Management of Captive Endangered Species

PubMed Central

Irizarry, Kristopher J. L.; Bryant, Doug; Kalish, Jordan; Eng, Curtis; Schmidt, Peggy L.; Barrett, Gini; Barr, Margaret C.

2016-01-01

Many endangered captive populations exhibit reduced genetic diversity resulting in health issues that impact reproductive fitness and quality of life. Numerous cost effective genomic sequencing and genotyping technologies provide unparalleled opportunity for incorporating genomics knowledge in management of endangered species. Genomic data, such as sequence data, transcriptome data, and genotyping data, provide critical information about a captive population that, when leveraged correctly, can be utilized to maximize population genetic variation while simultaneously reducing unintended introduction or propagation of undesirable phenotypes. Current approaches aimed at managing endangered captive populations utilize species survival plans (SSPs) that rely upon mean kinship estimates to maximize genetic diversity while simultaneously avoiding artificial selection in the breeding program. However, as genomic resources increase for each endangered species, the potential knowledge available for management also increases. Unlike model organisms in which considerable scientific resources are used to experimentally validate genotype-phenotype relationships, endangered species typically lack the necessary sample sizes and economic resources required for such studies. Even so, in the absence of experimentally verified genetic discoveries, genomics data still provides value. In fact, bioinformatics and comparative genomics approaches offer mechanisms for translating these raw genomics data sets into integrated knowledge that enable an informed approach to endangered species management. PMID:27376076

Molecular evidence for a recent demographic expansion in the puma (Puma concolor) (Mammalia, Felidae).

PubMed

Matte, Eunice M; Castilho, Camila S; Miotto, Renata A; Sana, Denis A; Johnson, Warren E; O'Brien, Stephen J; de Freitas, Thales R O; Eizirik, Eduardo

2013-12-01

The puma is an iconic predator that ranges throughout the Americas, occupying diverse habitats. Previous phylogeographic analyses have revealed that it exhibits moderate levels of genetic structure across its range, with few of the classically recognized subspecies being supported as distinct demographic units. Moreover, most of the species' molecular diversity was found to be in South America. To further investigate the phylogeographic structure and demographic history of pumas we analyzed mtDNA sequences from 186 individuals sampled throughout their range, with emphasis on South America. Our objectives were to refine the phylogeographic assessment within South America and to investigate the demographic history of pumas using a coalescent approach. Our results extend previous phylogeographic findings, reassessing the delimitation of historical population units in South America and demonstrating that this species experienced a considerable demographic expansion in the Holocene, ca. 8,000 years ago. Our analyses indicate that this expansion occurred in South America, prior to the hypothesized re-colonization of North America, which was therefore inferred to be even more recent. The estimated demographic history supports the interpretation that pumas suffered a severe demographic decline in the Late Pleistocene throughout their distribution, followed by population expansion and re-colonization of the range, initiating from South America.

Molecular evidence for a recent demographic expansion in the puma (Puma concolor) (Mammalia, Felidae)

PubMed Central

Matte, Eunice M.; Castilho, Camila S.; Miotto, Renata A.; Sana, Denis A.; Johnson, Warren E.; O’Brien, Stephen J.; de Freitas, Thales R. O.; Eizirik, Eduardo

2013-01-01

The puma is an iconic predator that ranges throughout the Americas, occupying diverse habitats. Previous phylogeographic analyses have revealed that it exhibits moderate levels of genetic structure across its range, with few of the classically recognized subspecies being supported as distinct demographic units. Moreover, most of the species’ molecular diversity was found to be in South America. To further investigate the phylogeographic structure and demographic history of pumas we analyzed mtDNA sequences from 186 individuals sampled throughout their range, with emphasis on South America. Our objectives were to refine the phylogeographic assessment within South America and to investigate the demographic history of pumas using a coalescent approach. Our results extend previous phylogeographic findings, reassessing the delimitation of historical population units in South America and demonstrating that this species experienced a considerable demographic expansion in the Holocene, ca. 8,000 years ago. Our analyses indicate that this expansion occurred in South America, prior to the hypothesized re-colonization of North America, which was therefore inferred to be even more recent. The estimated demographic history supports the interpretation that pumas suffered a severe demographic decline in the Late Pleistocene throughout their distribution, followed by population expansion and re-colonization of the range, initiating from South America. PMID:24385863

The Ecology of Microbial Communities Associated with Macrocystis pyrifera.

PubMed

Michelou, Vanessa K; Caporaso, J Gregory; Knight, Rob; Palumbi, Stephen R

2013-01-01

Kelp forests are characterized by high biodiversity and productivity, and the cycling of kelp-produced carbon is a vital process in this ecosystem. Although bacteria are assumed to play a major role in kelp forest carbon cycling, knowledge of the composition and diversity of these bacterial communities is lacking. Bacterial communities on the surface of Macrocystis pyrifera and adjacent seawater were sampled at the Hopkins Marine Station in Monterey Bay, CA, and further studied using 454-tag pyrosequencing of 16S RNA genes. Our results suggest that M. pyrifera-dominated kelp forests harbor distinct microbial communities that vary temporally. The distribution of sequence tags assigned to Gammaproteobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria and Bacteriodetes differed between the surface of the kelp and the surrounding water. Several abundant Rhodobacteraceae, uncultivated Gammaproteobacteria and Bacteriodetes-associated tags displayed considerable temporal variation, often with similar trends in the seawater and the surface of the kelp. Bacterial community structure and membership correlated with the kelp surface serving as host, and varied over time. Several kelp-specific taxa were highly similar to other bacteria known to either prevent the colonization of eukaryotic larvae or exhibit antibacterial activities. Some of these kelp-specific bacterial associations might play an important role for M. pyrifera. This study provides the first assessment of the diversity and phylogenetic profile of the bacterial communities associated with M. pyrifera.

The identification of sympatric cryptic free-living nematode species in the Antarctic intertidal

PubMed Central

Canales-Aguirre, Cristian B.; Nuñez, Daniela; Pérez, Karla; Hernández, Crisitan E.; Brante, Antonio

2017-01-01

The diversity of free-living nematodes in the beaches of two Antarctic islands, King George and Deception islands was investigated. We used morphological and molecular (LSU, and two fragments of SSU sequences) approaches to evaluate 236 nematodes. Specimens were assigned to at least genera using morphology and were assessed for the presence of cryptic speciation. The following genera were identified: Halomonhystera, Litoditis, Enoploides, Chromadorita, Theristus, Oncholaimus, Viscosia, Gammanema, Bathylaimus, Choanolaimus, and Paracanthonchus; along with specimens from the families Anticomidae and Linhomoeidae. Cryptic speciation was identified within the genera Halomonhystera and Litoditis. All of the cryptic species identified live sympatrically. The two cryptic species of Halomonhystera exhibited no significant morphological differences. However, Litoditis species 2 was significantly larger than Litoditis species 1. The utility of molecular data in confirming the identifications of some of the morphologically more challenging families of nematodes was demonstrated. In terms of which molecular sequences to use for the identification of free-living nematodes, the SSU sequences were more variable than the LSU sequences, and thus provided more resolution in the identification of cryptic speciation. Finally, despite the considerable amount of time and effort required to put together genetic and morphological data, the resulting advance in our understanding of diversity and ecology of free-living marine nematodes, makes that effort worthwhile. PMID:28982192

Genetic characterization and phylogenetic analysis of porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) in Serbia.

PubMed

Savic, Bozidar; Milicevic, Vesna; Jakic-Dimic, Dobrila; Bojkovski, Jovan; Prodanovic, Radisa; Kureljusic, Branislav; Potkonjak, Aleksandar; Savic, Borivoje

2012-01-01

Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) is the main causative agent of postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS). To characterize and determine the genetic diversity of PCV2 in the porcine population of Serbia, nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences of the open reading frame 2 (ORF2) of PCV2 collected from the tissues of pigs that either had died as a result of PMWS or did not exhibit disease symptoms were analyzed. Sequencing and phylogenetic analysis showed considerable diversity among PCV2 ORF2 sequences and the existence of two main PCV2 genotypes, PCV2b and PCV2a, with at least three clusters, 1A/B, 1C and 2D. In order to provide further proof that the 1C strain is circulating in the porcine population, the whole viral genome of one PCV2 isolate was sequenced. Genotyping and phylogenetic analysis using the entire viral genome sequences confirmed that there was a PMWS-associated 1C strain emerging in Serbia. Our analysis also showed that PCV2b is dominant in the porcine population, and that it is exclusively associated with PMWS occurrences in the country. These data constitute a useful basis for further epidemiological studies regarding the heterogeneity of PCV2 strains on the European continent.

[Genetic diversity of modern Russian durum wheat cultivars at the gliadin-coding loci].

PubMed

Kudriavtsev, A M; Dedova, L V; Mel'nik, V A; Shishkina, A A; Upelniek, V P; Novosel'skaia-Dragovich, A Iu

2014-05-01

The allelic diversity at four gliadin-coding loci was examined in modern cultivars of the spring and winter durum wheat Triticum durum Desf. Comparative analysis of the allelic diversity showed that the gene pools of these two types of durum wheat, having different life styles, were considerably different. For the modern spring durum wheat cultivars, a certain reduction of the genetic diversity was observed compared to the cultivars bred in the 20th century.

Asian longhorned beetle complicates the relationship ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Urban foresters routinely emphasise the importance of taxonomic diversity to reduce the vulnerability of tree assemblages to invasive pests, but it is unclear to what extent diversity reduces vulnerability to polyphagous (i.e. generalist) pests. Drawing on field data from seven communities in metropolitan Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, we tested the hypothesis that communities with higher diversity would exhibit lower vulnerability to the polyphagous Asian longhorned beetle, which currently threatens the region. Based on street tree compositions and the beetle?s host preferences, Asian longhorned beetle threatened up to 35.6% of individual street trees and 47.5% of the total basal area across the study area, but we did not see clear connections between taxonomic diversity and beetle vulnerability among study communities. For example, the city of Fairfield was among the least diverse communities but had the lowest proportion of trees vulnerable to Asian longhorned beetle, whereas the city of Wyoming exhibited high diversity and high vulnerability. On the other hand, Forest Park aligned with our original hypothesis, as it was characterised by low diversity and high vulnerability. Our results demonstrate that relatively high taxonomic diversity in street tree assemblages does not necessarily lead to reduced vulnerability to a polyphagous pest. Considering the threats posed by polyphagous pests, selecting a set of relatively pest resistant trees known to perform well in urb

Subalpine vegetation pattern three decades after stand-replacing fire: Effects of landscape context and topography on plant community composition, tree regeneration, and diversity

Treesearch

Jonathan D. Coop; Robert T. Massatti; Anna W. Schoettle

2010-01-01

These subalpine wildfires generated considerable, persistent increases in plant species richness at local and landscape scales, and a diversity of plant communities. The findings suggest that fire suppression in such systems must lead to reduced diversity. Concerns about post-fire invasion by exotic plants appear unwarranted in high-elevation wilderness settings.

2012 Diversity Day

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-10-31

John C. Stennis Space Center employees enjoyed 2012 Diversity Day activities Oct. 31. The day's color-filled schedule included an employee talent showcase, a car/motorcycle show, Stennis 'Family Feud' contests, a cultural dress parade, food vendors and various cultural exhibits.

Wanting to See People Like Me? Racial and Gender Diversity in Popular Adolescent Television

PubMed Central

Ellithorpe, Morgan E.; Bleakley, Amy

2016-01-01

Media are one source for adolescent identity development and social identity gratifications. Nielsen viewing data across the 2014–2015 television season for adolescents ages 14–17 was used to examine racial and gender diversity in adolescent television exposure. Compared to U.S. Census data, mainstream shows underrepresent women, but the proportion of Black characters is roughly representative. Black adolescents watch more television than non-Black adolescents and, after taking this into account, shows popular with Black adolescents are more likely than shows popular with non-Black adolescents to exhibit racial diversity. In addition, shows popular with female adolescents are more likely than shows popular with males to exhibit gender diversity. These results support the idea that adolescents seek out media messages with characters that are members of their identity groups, possibly because the characters serve as tools for identity development and social identity gratifications. PMID:26759131

Wanting to See People Like Me? Racial and Gender Diversity in Popular Adolescent Television.

PubMed

Ellithorpe, Morgan E; Bleakley, Amy

2016-07-01

Media are one source for adolescent identity development and social identity gratifications. Nielsen viewing data across the 2014-2015 television season for adolescents ages 14-17 was used to examine racial and gender diversity in adolescent television exposure. Compared to US Census data, mainstream shows under represent women, but the proportion of Black characters is roughly representative. Black adolescents watch more television than non-Black adolescents and, after taking this into account, shows popular with Black adolescents are more likely than shows popular with non-Black adolescents to exhibit racial diversity. In addition, shows popular with female adolescents are more likely than shows popular with males to exhibit gender diversity. These results support the idea that adolescents seek out media messages with characters that are members of their identity groups, possibly because the characters serve as tools for identity development and social identity gratifications.

The Diversity Dilemma: A National Study of Minorities in Dental Hygiene Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, Tracye A.

2012-01-01

Given the predicted shortages of minority dental healthcare providers in the United States and the expanding diversity of the general population, it is important to recruit and retain an ethnically and culturally diverse allied dental workforce. The objectives of this study were to explore why the profession of dental hygiene exhibits minimal…

Organic Waste Diversion in Columbia, South Carolina, Feasibility Study

EPA Science Inventory

The study found that a variety of methods are technically and economically feasible for diverting food wastes and providing a positive return on investment for the source. Potential barriers and considerations for food waste diversion are identified in the study. Given the E...

Large-scale dark diversity estimates: new perspectives with combined methods.

PubMed

Ronk, Argo; de Bello, Francesco; Fibich, Pavel; Pärtel, Meelis

2016-09-01

Large-scale biodiversity studies can be more informative if observed diversity in a study site is accompanied by dark diversity, the set of absent although ecologically suitable species. Dark diversity methodology is still being developed and a comparison of different approaches is needed. We used plant data at two different scales (European and seven large regions) and compared dark diversity estimates from two mathematical methods: species co-occurrence (SCO) and species distribution modeling (SDM). We used plant distribution data from the Atlas Florae Europaeae (50 × 50 km grid cells) and seven different European regions (10 × 10 km grid cells). Dark diversity was estimated by SCO and SDM for both datasets. We examined the relationship between the dark diversity sizes (type II regression) and the overlap in species composition (overlap coefficient). We tested the overlap probability according to the hypergeometric distribution. We combined the estimates of the two methods to determine consensus dark diversity and composite dark diversity. We tested whether dark diversity and completeness of site diversity (log ratio of observed and dark diversity) are related to various natural and anthropogenic factors differently than simple observed diversity. Both methods provided similar dark diversity sizes and distribution patterns; dark diversity is greater in southern Europe. The regression line, however, deviated from a 1:1 relationship. The species composition overlap of two methods was about 75%, which is much greater than expected by chance. Both consensus and composite dark diversity estimates showed similar distribution patterns. Both dark diversity and completeness measures exhibit relationships to natural and anthropogenic factors different than those exhibited by observed richness. In summary, dark diversity revealed new biodiversity patterns which were not evident when only observed diversity was examined. A new perspective in dark diversity studies can incorporate a combination of methods.

Genetic diversity among air yam (Dioscorea bulbifera) varieties based on single sequence repeat markers.

PubMed

Silva, D M; Siqueira, M V B M; Carrasco, N F; Mantello, C C; Nascimento, W F; Veasey, E A

2016-05-23

Dioscorea is the largest genus in the Dioscoreaceae family, and includes a number of economically important species including the air yam, D. bulbifera L. This study aimed to develop new single sequence repeat primers and characterize the genetic diversity of local varieties that originated in several municipalities of Brazil. We developed an enriched genomic library for D. bulbifera resulting in seven primers, six of which were polymorphic, and added four polymorphic loci developed for other Dioscorea species. This resulted in 10 polymorphic primers to evaluate 42 air yam accessions. Thirty-three alleles (bands) were found, with an average of 3.3 alleles per locus. The discrimination power ranged from 0.113 to 0.834, with an average of 0.595. Both principal coordinate and cluster analyses (using the Jaccard Index) failed to clearly separate the accessions according to their origins. However, the 13 accessions from Conceição dos Ouros, Minas Gerais State were clustered above zero on the principal coordinate 2 axis, and were also clustered into one subgroup in the cluster analysis. Accessions from Ubatuba, São Paulo State were clustered below zero on the same principal coordinate 2 axis, except for one accession, although they were scattered in several subgroups in the cluster analysis. Therefore, we found little spatial structure in the accessions, although those from Conceição dos Ouros and Ubatuba exhibited some spatial structure, and that there is a considerable level of genetic diversity in D. bulbifera maintained by traditional farmers in Brazil.

A comparative analysis of benthic nematode assemblages from Zostera noltii beds before and after a major vegetation collapse

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Materatski, Patrick; Vafeiadou, Anna-Maria; Ribeiro, Rui; Moens, Tom; Adão, Helena

2015-12-01

Benthic nematodes are widely regarded as very suitable organisms to monitor potential ecological effects of natural and anthropogenic disturbances in aquatic ecosystems. During 2008, the seagrass beds of Zostera noltii located in the Mira estuary (SW Portugal) disappeared completely. However, during 2009, slight symptoms of natural recovery were observed, a process which has since evolved intermittently. This study aims to investigate changes in patterns of nematode density, diversity, and trophic composition between two distinct habitat conditions: "before" the collapse of seagrass beds, and during the early recovery "after" the seagrass habitat loss, through the analysis of: i) temporal and spatial distribution patterns of nematode communities, and ii) the most important environmental variables influencing the nematode assemblages. The following hypotheses were tested: i) there would be differences in nematode assemblage density, biodiversity and trophic composition during both ecological conditions, "before" and "after"; and ii) there would be differences in nematode assemblage density, biodiversity and trophic composition at different sampling occasions during both ecological conditions. Nematode density and diversity were significantly different between the two ecological situations. A higher density was recorded before, but a higher diversity was evident after the collapse of Z. noltii. In spite of the disturbance caused by the seagrass habitat loss in the Mira estuary, the nematode trophic composition did not significantly differ between the before and after seagrass collapse situations. Despite the significant differences found among sampling occasions, a consistent temporal pattern was not evident. The response of nematode communities following this extreme event exhibited considerable resistance and resilience to the new environmental conditions.

Diversity and inclusiveness in large scientific collaborations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lucatello, Sara; Diamond-Stanic, Aleksandar

2017-06-01

Considerable progress has been made in the past decade to increase diversity in astronomy, and in particular to reach a 'critical mass' of women. It is however important to realize that this progress has mainly been the result of the selective inclusion of women from more privileged backgrounds.

Spatial variation in the climatic predictors of species compositional turnover and endemism.

PubMed

Di Virgilio, Giovanni; Laffan, Shawn W; Ebach, Malte C; Chapple, David G

2014-08-01

Previous research focusing on broad-scale or geographically invariant species-environment dependencies suggest that temperature-related variables explain more of the variation in reptile distributions than precipitation. However, species-environment relationships may exhibit considerable spatial variation contingent upon the geographic nuances that vary between locations. Broad-scale, geographically invariant analyses may mask this local variation and their findings may not generalize to different locations at local scales. We assess how reptile-climatic relationships change with varying spatial scale, location, and direction. Since the spatial distributions of diversity and endemism hotspots differ for other species groups, we also assess whether reptile species turnover and endemism hotspots are influenced differently by climatic predictors. Using New Zealand reptiles as an example, the variation in species turnover, endemism and turnover in climatic variables was measured using directional moving window analyses, rotated through 360°. Correlations between the species turnover, endemism and climatic turnover results generated by each rotation of the moving window were analysed using multivariate generalized linear models applied at national, regional, and local scales. At national-scale, temperature turnover consistently exhibited the greatest influence on species turnover and endemism, but model predictive capacity was low (typically r (2) = 0.05, P < 0.001). At regional scales the relative influence of temperature and precipitation turnover varied between regions, although model predictive capacity was also generally low. Climatic turnover was considerably more predictive of species turnover and endemism at local scales (e.g., r (2) = 0.65, P < 0.001). While temperature turnover had the greatest effect in one locale (the northern North Island), there was substantial variation in the relative influence of temperature and precipitation predictors in the remaining four locales. Species turnover and endemism hotspots often occurred in different locations. Climatic predictors had a smaller influence on endemism. Our results caution against assuming that variability in temperature will always be most predictive of reptile biodiversity across different spatial scales, locations and directions. The influence of climatic turnover on the species turnover and endemism of other taxa may exhibit similar patterns of spatial variation. Such intricate variation might be discerned more readily if studies at broad scales are complemented by geographically variant, local-scale analyses.

Reconcilable differences? Human diversity, cultural relativity, and sense of community.

PubMed

Townley, Greg; Kloos, Bret; Green, Eric P; Franco, Margarita M

2011-03-01

Sense of community (SOC) is one of the most widely used and studied constructs in community psychology. As proposed by Sarason in (The Psychological sense of community: prospects for a community psychology, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, 1974), SOC represents the strength of bonding among community members. It is a valuable component of community life, and it has been linked to positive mental health outcomes, citizen participation, and community connectedness. However, promotion of SOC can become problematic in community psychology praxis when it conflicts with other core values proposed to define the field, namely values of human diversity, cultural relativity, and heterogeneity of experience and perspective. Several commentators have noted that promotion of SOC can conflict with multicultural diversity because it tends to emphasize group member similarity and appears to be higher in homogeneous communities. In this paper, we introduce the idea of a community-diversity dialectic as part of praxis and research in community psychology. We argue that systematic consideration of cultural psychology perspectives can guide efforts to address a community-diversity dialectic and revise SOC formulations that ultimately will invigorate community research and action. We provide a working agenda for addressing this dialectic, proposing that systematic consideration of the creative tension between SOC and diversity can be beneficial to community psychology.

Armillaria species: Primary drivers of forest ecosystem processes and potential impacts of climate change

Treesearch

Ned B. Klopfenstein; Mee-Sook Kim; John W. Hanna; Amy L. Ross-Davis; Sara M. Ashiglar; Geral I. McDonald

2012-01-01

Species of the fungal genus Armillaria are pervasive in forest soils and are associated with widely ranging tree species of diverse forests worldwide (Baumgartner et al., 2011). As primary decay drivers of ecosystem processes, Armillaria species exhibit diverse ecological behaviors, ranging from virulent root and/or butt pathogens of diverse woody hosts, such as timber...

Dramatic Increases of Soil Microbial Functional Gene Diversity at the Treeline Ecotone of Changbai Mountain

PubMed Central

Shen, Congcong; Shi, Yu; Ni, Yingying; Deng, Ye; Van Nostrand, Joy D.; He, Zhili; Zhou, Jizhong; Chu, Haiyan

2016-01-01

The elevational and latitudinal diversity patterns of microbial taxa have attracted great attention in the past decade. Recently, the distribution of functional attributes has been in the spotlight. Here, we report a study profiling soil microbial communities along an elevation gradient (500–2200 m) on Changbai Mountain. Using a comprehensive functional gene microarray (GeoChip 5.0), we found that microbial functional gene richness exhibited a dramatic increase at the treeline ecotone, but the bacterial taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing did not exhibit such a similar trend. However, the β-diversity (compositional dissimilarity among sites) pattern for both bacterial taxa and functional genes was similar, showing significant elevational distance-decay patterns which presented increased dissimilarity with elevation. The bacterial taxonomic diversity/structure was strongly influenced by soil pH, while the functional gene diversity/structure was significantly correlated with soil dissolved organic carbon (DOC). This finding highlights that soil DOC may be a good predictor in determining the elevational distribution of microbial functional genes. The finding of significant shifts in functional gene diversity at the treeline ecotone could also provide valuable information for predicting the responses of microbial functions to climate change. PMID:27524983

2012 Diversity Day

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-10-31

John C. Stennis Space Center employees enjoyed 2012 Diversity Day activities Oct. 31. During the day, Stennis employees were able to visit cultural exhibits and participate such events as an employee talent showcase, a car/motorcycle show, Stennis 'Family Feud' contests and a cultural dress parade.

Stennis Space Center celebrates Diversity Day

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2009-01-01

Kendall Mitchell of the Naval Oceanographic Office (right) learns about the culture of Bolivia from Narda Inchausty, president of the Foreign Born Wives Association in Slidell, La., during 2009 Diversity Day events at NASA's John Stennis Space Center. Stennis hosted Diversity Day activities for employees on Oct. 7. The day's events included cultural and agency exhibits, diversity-related performances, a trivia contest and a classic car and motorcycle show. It also featured the first-ever sitewide Stennis Employee Showcase.

Developing core collections to optimize the management and the exploitation of diversity of the coffee Coffea canephora.

PubMed

Leroy, Thierry; De Bellis, Fabien; Legnate, Hyacinthe; Musoli, Pascal; Kalonji, Adrien; Loor Solórzano, Rey Gastón; Cubry, Philippe

2014-06-01

The management of diversity for conservation and breeding is of great importance for all plant species and is particularly true in perennial species, such as the coffee Coffea canephora. This species exhibits a large genetic and phenotypic diversity with six different diversity groups. Large field collections are available in the Ivory Coast, Uganda and other Asian, American and African countries but are very expensive and time consuming to establish and maintain in large areas. We propose to improve coffee germplasm management through the construction of genetic core collections derived from a set of 565 accessions that are characterized with 13 microsatellite markers. Core collections of 12, 24 and 48 accessions were defined using two methods aimed to maximize the allelic diversity (Maximization strategy) or genetic distance (Maximum-Length Sub-Tree method). A composite core collection of 77 accessions is proposed for both objectives of an optimal management of diversity and breeding. This core collection presents a gene diversity value of 0.8 and exhibits the totality of the major alleles (i.e., 184) that are present in the initial set. The seven proposed core collections constitute a valuable tool for diversity management and a foundation for breeding programs. The use of these collections for collection management in research centers and breeding perspectives for coffee improvement are discussed.

Special Considerations with Response to Intervention and Instruction for Students with Diverse Backgrounds

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hernandez Finch, Maria E.

2012-01-01

Response to Intervention (RtI) has been heralded as having significant promise for improving outcomes, reducing disproportional placement in special education, and making education more culturally responsive for culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) youth. This article reviews the major recent empirical and qualitative research findings with…

School, Cultural Diversity, Multiculturalism, and Contact

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pagani, Camilla; Robustelli, Francesco; Martinelli, Cristina

2011-01-01

The basic assumption of this paper is that school's potential to improve cross-cultural relations, as well as interpersonal relations in general, is enormous. This assumption is supported by a number of theoretical considerations and by the analysis of data we obtained from a study we conducted on the attitudes toward diversity and…

Teacher Resistance to Improvement of Schools with Diverse Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McKenzie, Kathryn Bell; Scheurich, James Joseph

2008-01-01

Two university researchers who have considerable practitioner and research experience in urban schools conducted an interventionist action research project in collaboration with the professional staff of a diverse urban elementary school. The goal was to collaborate with the administration, faculty and staff in an average urban elementary school…

The Role of Leadership in Planning and Implementing Diversity.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kappner, Augusta Souza

As institutions enrolling a disproportionate number of the minority students attending colleges and universities nationwide, community colleges have a considerable responsibility to develop policies that will support diversity and serve as models for the rest of higher education. At Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC), the student…

From Tenet to Practice: Putting Diversity-Informed Services into Action

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ippen, Chandra Ghosh; Norona, Carmen Rosa; Thomas, Kandace

2012-01-01

The Diversity-Informed Infant Mental Health Tenets provide guidelines for addressing inequities in American society. Embedding the Tenets into infant mental health systems requires intentionality and careful consideration. With the use of vignettes, this article examines each Tenet and how infant mental health practitioners, agencies, and systems…

PATTERNS OF ALLOZYME DIVERSITY IN THE THREATENED PLANT ERIGERON PARISHII (ASTERACEAE). (R826102)

EPA Science Inventory

Thirty-one occurrences of Erigeron parishii, a narrowly endemic plant threatened by mining, were sampled for allozyme diversity. This taxon held considerable genetic variation at the [4 allozyme loci surveyed. Species (e.g., alleles per locus [A] = 4.3 and proportion of polymorph...

Ecology and genetics affect relative invasion success of two Echium species in southern Australia

PubMed Central

Zhu, Xiaocheng; Weston, Paul A.; Skoneczny, Dominik; Gopurenko, David; Meyer, Lucie; Lepschi, Brendan J.; Callaway, Ragan M.; Gurr, Geoff M.; Weston, Leslie A.

2017-01-01

Echium plantagineum and E. vulgare are congeneric exotics first introduced to Australia in the early 1800 s. There, E. plantagineum is now highly invasive, whereas E. vulgare has a limited distribution. Studies were conducted to evaluate distribution, ecology, genetics and secondary chemistry to shed light on factors associated with their respective invasive success. When sampled across geographically diverse locales, E. plantagineum was widespread and exhibited a small genome size (1 C = 0.34 pg), an annual life cycle, and greater genetic diversity as assessed by DNA sequence analysis. It was found frequently in areas with temperature extremes and low rainfall. In contrast, E. vulgare exhibited a larger genome size (1 C = 0.43 pg), a perennial lifecycle, less chloroplast genetic diversity, and occurred in areas with lower temperatures and higher rainfall. Twelve chloroplast haplotypes of E. plantagineum were evident and incidence aligned well with reported historical introduction events. In contrast, E. vulgare exhibited two haplotypes and was found only sporadically at higher elevations. Echium plantagineum possessed significantly higher levels of numerous pyrrolizidine alkaloids involved in plant defence. We conclude that elevated genetic diversity, tolerance to environmental stress and capacity for producing defensive secondary metabolites have contributed to the successful invasion of E. plantagineum in Australia. PMID:28211478

Abundant mtDNA diversity and ancestral admixture in Colombian criollo cattle (Bos taurus).

PubMed

Carvajal-Carmona, Luis G; Bermudez, Nelson; Olivera-Angel, Martha; Estrada, Luzardo; Ossa, Jorge; Bedoya, Gabriel; Ruiz-Linares, Andrés

2003-11-01

Various cattle populations in the Americas (known as criollo breeds) have an origin in some of the first livestock introduced to the continent early in the colonial period (16th and 17th centuries). These cattle constitute a potentially important genetic reserve as they are well adapted to local environments and show considerable variation in phenotype. To examine the genetic ancestry and diversity of Colombian criollo we obtained mitochondrial DNA control region sequence information for 110 individuals from seven breeds. Old World haplogroup T3 is the most commonly observed CR lineage in criollo (0.65), in agreement with a mostly European ancestry for these cattle. However, criollo also shows considerable frequencies of haplogroups T2 (0.9) and T1 (0.26), with T1 lineages in criollo being more diverse than those reported for West Africa. The distribution and diversity of Old World lineages suggest some North African ancestry for criollo, probably as a result of the Arab occupation of Iberia prior to the European migration to the New World. The mtDNA diversity of criollo is higher than that reported for European and African cattle and is consistent with a differentiated ancestry for some criollo breeds.

Considerable MHC Diversity Suggests That the Functional Extinction of Baiji Is Not Related to Population Genetic Collapse

PubMed Central

Xu, Shixia; Ju, Jianfeng; Zhou, Xuming; Wang, Lian; Zhou, Kaiya; Yang, Guang

2012-01-01

To further extend our understanding of the mechanism causing the current nearly extinct status of the baiji (Lipotes vexillifer), one of the most critically endangered species in the world, genetic diversity at the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II DRB locus was investigated in the baiji. Nine highly divergent DRB alleles were identified in 17 samples, with an average of 28.4 (13.2%) nucleotide difference and 16.7 (23.5%) amino acid difference between alleles. The unexpectedly high levels of DRB allelic diversity in the baiji may partly be attributable to its evolutionary adaptations to the freshwater environment which is regarded to have a higher parasite diversity compared to the marine environment. In addition, balancing selection was found to be the main mechanisms in generating sequence diversity at baiji DRB gene. Considerable sequence variation at the adaptive MHC genes despite of significant loss of neutral genetic variation in baiji genome might suggest that intense selection has overpowered random genetic drift as the main evolutionary forces, which further suggested that the critically endangered or nearly extinct status of the baiji is not an outcome of genetic collapse. PMID:22272349

Cross-Cultural Considerations in the Education of Young Immigrant Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keengwe, Jared, Ed.; Onchwari, Grace, Ed.

2014-01-01

As the American immigrant population continues to expand, immigrant children and children of immigrants are entering the public school system. To be most effective, new teaching pedagogies must take cultural diversity into account. "Cross-Cultural Considerations in the Education of Young Immigrant Learners" explores some of the…

38 CFR 16.107 - IRB membership.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... diversity of the members, including consideration of race, gender, and cultural backgrounds and sensitivity... entirely of women, including the institution's consideration of qualified persons of both sexes, so long as no selection is made to the IRB on the basis of gender. No IRB may consist entirely of members of one...

40 CFR 26.1107 - IRB membership.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... the diversity of the members, including consideration of race, gender, and cultural backgrounds and... the institution's consideration of qualified persons of both sexes, so long as no selection is made to the IRB on the basis of gender. No IRB may consist entirely of members of one profession. (c) Each IRB...

45 CFR 690.107 - IRB membership.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... diversity of the members, including consideration of race, gender, and cultural backgrounds and sensitivity... entirely of women, including the institution's consideration of qualified persons of both sexes, so long as no selection is made to the IRB on the basis of gender. No IRB may consist entirely of members of one...

40 CFR 26.1107 - IRB membership.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... the diversity of the members, including consideration of race, gender, and cultural backgrounds and... the institution's consideration of qualified persons of both sexes, so long as no selection is made to the IRB on the basis of gender. No IRB may consist entirely of members of one profession. (c) Each IRB...

45 CFR 690.107 - IRB membership.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... diversity of the members, including consideration of race, gender, and cultural backgrounds and sensitivity... entirely of women, including the institution's consideration of qualified persons of both sexes, so long as no selection is made to the IRB on the basis of gender. No IRB may consist entirely of members of one...

38 CFR 16.107 - IRB membership.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... diversity of the members, including consideration of race, gender, and cultural backgrounds and sensitivity... entirely of women, including the institution's consideration of qualified persons of both sexes, so long as no selection is made to the IRB on the basis of gender. No IRB may consist entirely of members of one...

Phylogenetic Diversity and Membership Patterns of Fecal and Environmental Bacteroidales Populations

EPA Science Inventory

Members of the Bacteroidales order have recently been targets of microbial source tracking assays. While several studies have documented that some populations exhibit preferential host-distribution, given the vast diversity of this bacterial group, it is still necessary to resolv...

Microbial-Catalyzed Biotransformation of Multifunctional Triterpenoids Derived from Phytonutrients

PubMed Central

Shah, Syed Adnan Ali; Tan, Huey Ling; Sultan, Sadia; Mohd Faridz, Muhammad Afifi Bin; Mohd Shah, Mohamad Azlan Bin; Nurfazilah, Sharifah; Hussain, Munawar

2014-01-01

Microbial-catalyzed biotransformations have considerable potential for the generation of an enormous variety of structurally diversified organic compounds, especially natural products with complex structures like triterpenoids. They offer efficient and economical ways to produce semi-synthetic analogues and novel lead molecules. Microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi could catalyze chemo-, regio- and stereospecific hydroxylations of diverse triterpenoid substrates that are extremely difficult to produce by chemical routes. During recent years, considerable research has been performed on the microbial transformation of bioactive triterpenoids, in order to obtain biologically active molecules with diverse structures features. This article reviews the microbial modifications of tetranortriterpenoids, tetracyclic triterpenoids and pentacyclic triterpenoids. PMID:25003642

DS-CDMA satellite diversity reception for personal satellite communication: Downlink performance analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

DeGaudenzi, Riccardo; Giannetti, Filippo

1995-01-01

The downlink of a satellite-mobile personal communication system employing power-controlled Direct Sequence Code Division Multiple Access (DS-CDMA) and exploiting satellite-diversity is analyzed and its performance compared with a more traditional communication system utilizing single satellite reception. The analytical model developed has been thoroughly validated by means of extensive Monte Carlo computer simulations. It is shown how the capacity gain provided by diversity reception shrinks considerably in the presence of increasing traffic or in the case of light shadowing conditions. Moreover, the quantitative results tend to indicate that to combat system capacity reduction due to intra-system interference, no more than two satellites shall be active over the same region. To achieve higher system capacity, differently from terrestrial cellular systems, Multi-User Detection (MUD) techniques are likely to be required in the mobile user terminal, thus considerably increasing its complexity.

Molecular characterization of accessions of Cratylia argentea (Camaratuba) using ISSR markers.

PubMed

Luz, G A; Gomes, S O; Araujo Neto, R B; Nascimento, M S C B; Lima, P S C

2015-11-27

Cratylia argentea (Desv.) Kuntze (Fabaceae) is a drought-tolerant, perennial legume found primarily in Brazil, Bolivia, and Peru. The shrub is well adapted to acid soils and exhibits high productivity and nutritional value, characteristics that would favor its use as a dry season animal forage supplement in semiarid regions. In plant improvement programs, the production of elite hybrids with superior traits is generally achieved by crossing parents that exhibit the highest level of genetic divergence. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to assess genetic diversity among 13 accessions of C. argentea from the same population maintained in the active germplasm bank of Embrapa Meio-Norte using inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers. Genetic similarities between C. argentea accessions were estimated from Jaccard coefficients, and a dendrogram was constructed using the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic average (UPGMA). The set of 15 primers selected for ISSR analysis generated a total of 313 loci of which 79.23% were polymorphic. The mean number of bands per primer was 20.87, and the amplicons ranged from 280 to 3000 bp in size. Primers UBC834 and UBC827 generated the largest number of polymorphic loci and exhibited 90.91 and 100% polymorphism, respectively. The coefficients of genetic similarity among accessions varied between 0.49 and 0.73. UPGMA cluster analysis allowed the identification of four genotypic groups and demonstrated the existence of considerable variability within the collection. Potential progenitors were selected that would offer good possibilities of obtaining unusual and favorable combinations of genes in a plant breeding program.

Diversity begets diversity in competition for space

Treesearch

Daniel S. Maynard; Mark A. Bradford; Daniel L. Lindner; Linda T. A. van Diepen; Serita D. Frey; Jessie A. Glaeser; Thomas W. Crowther

2017-01-01

Competition can profoundly affect biodiversity patterns by determining whether similar species are likely to coexist. When species compete directly for space, competitive ability differences should theoretically promote trait and phylogenetic clustering, provided that niche differences are otherwise minimal. Yet many sessile communities exhibit high biodiversity...

Life-span adjustment of children to their parents' divorce.

PubMed

Amato, P R

1994-01-01

Children who experience parental divorce, compared with children in intact two-parent families, exhibit more conduct problems, more symptoms of psychological maladjustment, lower academic achievement, more social difficulties, and poorer self-concepts. Similarly, adults who experienced parental divorce as children, compared with adults raised in continuously intact two-parent families, score lower on a variety of indicators of psychological, interpersonal, and socioeconomic well-being. However, the overall group differences between offspring from divorced and intact families are small, with considerable diversity existing in children's reactions to divorce. Children's adjustment to divorce depends on several factors, including the amount and quality of contact with noncustodial parents, the custodial parents' psychological adjustment and parenting skills, the level of interparental conflict that precedes and follows divorce, the degree of economic hardship to which children are exposed, and the number of stressful life events that accompany and follow divorce. These factors can be used as guides to assess the probable impact of various legal and therapeutic interventions to improve the well-being of children of divorce.

Profiling the repertoire of phenotypes influenced by environmental cues that occur during asexual reproduction.

PubMed

Dombrovsky, Aviv; Arthaud, Laury; Ledger, Terence N; Tares, Sophie; Robichon, Alain

2009-11-01

The aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum population is composed of different morphs, such as winged and wingless parthenogens, males, and sexual females. The combined effect of reduced photoperiodicity and cold in fall triggers the apparition of sexual morphs. In contrast they reproduce asexually in spring and summer. In our current study, we provide evidence that clonal individuals display phenotypic variability within asexual morph categories. We describe that clones sharing the same morphological features, which arose from the same founder mother, constitute a repertoire of variants with distinct behavioral and physiological traits. Our results suggest that the prevailing environmental conditions influence the recruitment of adaptive phenotypes from a cohort of clonal individuals exhibiting considerable molecular diversity. However, we observed that the variability might be reduced or enhanced by external factors, but is never abolished in accordance with a model of stochastically produced phenotypes. This overall mechanism allows the renewal of colonies from a few adapted individuals that survive drastic episodic changes in a fluctuating environment.

Gold–promoted structurally ordered intermetallic palladium cobalt nanoparticles for the oxygen reduction reaction

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kuttiyiel, Kurian A.; Sasaki, Kotaro; Su, Dong

2014-11-06

Considerable efforts to make palladium and palladium alloys active catalysts and a possible replacement for platinum have had a marginal success. Here, we report on a structurally ordered Au₁₀Pd₄₀Co₅₀ catalyst that exhibits comparable activity to conventional platinum catalysts in both acid and alkaline media. Electron microscopic techniques demonstrate that via addition of gold atoms PdCo nanoparticles undergo at elevated temperatures an atomic structural transition from core-shell to a rare intermetallic ordered structure with twin boundaries forming stable {111}, {110} and {100} facets. The superior stability of this catalyst compared to platinum after 10,000 potential cycles in alkaline media is attributedmore » to the atomic structural order of PdCo nanoparticles along with protective effect of clusters of gold atoms on the surface. This strategy of making ordered palladium intermetallic alloy nanoparticles can be used in diverse heterogeneous catalysis where particle size and structural stability matters.« less

Emergent lineages of mumps virus suggest the need for a polyvalent vaccine.

PubMed

May, Meghan; Rieder, Courtney A; Rowe, Rebecca J

2018-01-01

Mumps outbreaks among vaccinated patients have become increasingly common in recent years. While there are multiple conditions driving this re-emergence, convention has suggested that these outbreaks are associated with waning immunity rather than vaccine escape. Molecular evidence from both the ongoing American and Dutch outbreaks in conjunction with recent structural biology studies challenge this convention, and suggest that emergent lineages of mumps virus exhibit key differences in antigenic epitopes from the vaccine strain employed: Jeryl-Lynn 5. The American and Dutch 2016-2017 outbreak lineages were examined using computational biology through the lens of diversity in immunogenic epitopes. Findings are discussed and the laboratory evidence indicating neutralization of heterologous mumps strains by serum from vaccinated individuals is reviewed. Taken together, it is concluded that the number of heterologous epitopes occurring in mumps virus in conjunction with waning immunity is facilitating small outbreaks in vaccinated patients, and that consideration of a polyvalent mumps vaccine is warranted. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Magnetic Nanoparticles: Surface Effects and Properties Related to Biomedicine Applications

PubMed Central

Issa, Bashar; Obaidat, Ihab M.; Albiss, Borhan A.; Haik, Yousef

2013-01-01

Due to finite size effects, such as the high surface-to-volume ratio and different crystal structures, magnetic nanoparticles are found to exhibit interesting and considerably different magnetic properties than those found in their corresponding bulk materials. These nanoparticles can be synthesized in several ways (e.g., chemical and physical) with controllable sizes enabling their comparison to biological organisms from cells (10–100 μm), viruses, genes, down to proteins (3–50 nm). The optimization of the nanoparticles’ size, size distribution, agglomeration, coating, and shapes along with their unique magnetic properties prompted the application of nanoparticles of this type in diverse fields. Biomedicine is one of these fields where intensive research is currently being conducted. In this review, we will discuss the magnetic properties of nanoparticles which are directly related to their applications in biomedicine. We will focus mainly on surface effects and ferrite nanoparticles, and on one diagnostic application of magnetic nanoparticles as magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents. PMID:24232575

A flexible microbial co-culture platform for simultaneous utilization of methane and carbon dioxide from gas feedstocks

DOE PAGES

Hill, Eric A.; Chrisler, William B.; Beliaev, Alex S.; ...

2017-01-03

A new co-cultivation technology is presented that converts greenhouse gasses, CH 4 and CO 2, into microbial biomass. The methanotrophic bacterium, Methylomicrobium alcaliphilum 20z, was coupled to a cyanobacterium, Synechococcus PCC 7002 via oxygenic photosynthesis. The system exhibited robust growth on diverse gas mixtures ranging from biogas to those representative of a natural gas feedstock. A continuous processes was developed on a synthetic natural gas feed that achieved steady-state by imposing coupled light and O 2 limitations on the cyanobacterium and methanotroph, respectively. Continuous co-cultivation resulted in an O 2 depleted reactor and does not require CH 4/O 2 mixturesmore » to be fed into the system, thereby enhancing process safety considerations over traditional methanotroph mono-culture platforms. This co-culture technology is scalable with respect to its ability to utilize different gas streams and its biological components constructed from model bacteria that can be metabolically customized to produce a range of biofuels and bioproducts.« less

Date (Phoenix dactylifera L.) fruit soluble phenolics composition and anti-atherogenic properties in nine Israeli varieties.

PubMed

Borochov-Neori, Hamutal; Judeinstein, Sylvie; Greenberg, Amnon; Volkova, Nina; Rosenblat, Mira; Aviram, Michael

2013-05-08

Date (Phoenix dactylifera L.) fruit soluble phenolics composition and anti-atherogenic properties were examined in nine diverse Israeli grown varieties. Ethanol and acetone extracts of 'Amari', 'Barhi', 'Deglet Noor', 'Deri', 'Hadrawi', 'Hallawi', 'Hayani', 'Medjool', and 'Zahidi' fruit were analyzed for phenolics composition by RP-HPLC and tested for anti-atherogenicity by measuring their effects on LDL susceptibility to copper ion- and free radical-induced oxidation, and on serum-mediated cholesterol efflux from macrophages. The most frequently detected phenolics were hydroxybenzoates, hydroxycinnamates, and flavonols. Significant differences in phenolics composition were established between varieties as well as extraction solvents. All extracts inhibited LDL oxidation, and most extracts also stimulated cholesterol removal from macrophages. Considerable varietal differences were measured in the levels of the bioactivities. Also, acetone extracts exhibited a significantly higher anti-atherogenic potency for most varieties. The presence of soluble ingredients with anti-atherogenic capacities in dates and the possible involvement of phenolics are discussed.

Profiling the repertoire of phenotypes influenced by environmental cues that occur during asexual reproduction

PubMed Central

Dombrovsky, Aviv; Arthaud, Laury; Ledger, Terence N.; Tares, Sophie; Robichon, Alain

2009-01-01

The aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum population is composed of different morphs, such as winged and wingless parthenogens, males, and sexual females. The combined effect of reduced photoperiodicity and cold in fall triggers the apparition of sexual morphs. In contrast they reproduce asexually in spring and summer. In our current study, we provide evidence that clonal individuals display phenotypic variability within asexual morph categories. We describe that clones sharing the same morphological features, which arose from the same founder mother, constitute a repertoire of variants with distinct behavioral and physiological traits. Our results suggest that the prevailing environmental conditions influence the recruitment of adaptive phenotypes from a cohort of clonal individuals exhibiting considerable molecular diversity. However, we observed that the variability might be reduced or enhanced by external factors, but is never abolished in accordance with a model of stochastically produced phenotypes. This overall mechanism allows the renewal of colonies from a few adapted individuals that survive drastic episodic changes in a fluctuating environment. PMID:19635846

A further look at the intergenerational transmission of violence: witnessing interparental violence in emerging adulthood.

PubMed

Black, David S; Sussman, Steve; Unger, Jennifer B

2010-06-01

The intergenerational transmission (IGT) of violence has been a main the oretical consideration to explain the link between interparental aggression in the family of origin and intimate partner violence (IPV) in subsequent intimate relationships. Studies have examined this theoretical link based on self reports of interparental violence witnessed during childhood and adolescence. However, no study has examined whether emerging adults who currently witness interparental violence are more likely to exhibit violence in their own intimate relationships. Data were analyzed from undergraduate students (N = 223) attending an ethnically diverse Southern California uni versity. Multivariate linear regression analyses were used to examine the impact of witnessing interparental violence on the physical and psycho logical IPV experienced in emerging adult relationships. The joint effects of witnessing both forms of interparental violence were also tested. Support for the intergenerational transmission of violence was identified for specific types of violence. Future directions of study and implications for prevention and treatment are offered.

Psychosocial characteristics of nonoffending mothers of sexually abused girls: findings from a prospective, multigenerational study.

PubMed

Kim, Kihyun; Noll, Jennie G; Putnam, Frank W; Trickett, Penelope K

2007-11-01

This study examined psychosocial characteristics of nonoffending mothers of sexually abused girls. The sample consisted of 72 ethnically diverse mothers of sexually abused girls aged 6 to 16 years, and 55 mothers of girls who were demographically similar with the abused girls on age, socioeconomic status, and family constellation. The variables examined included measures of the mothers' childhood developmental histories and current functioning (e.g., depression, parenting), as well as their current family environment. The specific questions addressed were (a) whether mothers of sexually abused girls could be distinguished from mothers of comparison girls on various psychosocial characteristics and (b) whether three subgroups of mothers (i.e., mother and daughter sexually abused, daughter-only abused, neither mother nor daughter abused) would exhibit different patterns of psychosocial characteristics. Results show that nonoffending mothers of sexually abused girls may confront considerable psychosocial challenges following the disclosure of their daughters' sexual abuse and that mother's own childhood abuse experiences may be an important factor to understand these challenges.

Chromosome evolution in kangaroos (Marsupialia: Macropodidae): cross species chromosome painting between the tammar wallaby and rock wallaby spp. with the 2n = 22 ancestral macropodid karyotype.

PubMed

O'Neill, R J; Eldridge, M D; Toder, R; Ferguson-Smith, M A; O'Brien, P C; Graves, J A

1999-06-01

Marsupial mammals show extraordinary karyotype stability, with 2n = 14 considered ancestral. However, macropodid marsupials (kangaroos and wallabies) exhibit a considerable variety of karyotypes, with a hypothesised ancestral karyotype of 2n = 22. Speciation and karyotypic diversity in rock wallabies (Petrogale) is exceptional. We used cross species chromosome painting to examine the chromosome evolution between the tammar wallaby (2n = 16) and three 2n = 22 rock wallaby species groups with the putative ancestral karyotype. Hybridization of chromosome paints prepared from flow sorted chromosomes of the tammar wallaby to Petrogale spp., showed that this ancestral karyotype is largely conserved among 2n = 22 rock wallaby species, and confirmed the identity of ancestral chromosomes which fused to produce the bi-armed chromosomes of the 2n = 16 tammar wallaby. These results illustrate the fission-fusion process of karyotype evolution characteristic of the kangaroo group.

A flexible microbial co-culture platform for simultaneous utilization of methane and carbon dioxide from gas feedstocks

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hill, Eric A.; Chrisler, William B.; Beliaev, Alex S.

A new co-cultivation technology is presented that converts greenhouse gasses, CH 4 and CO 2, into microbial biomass. The methanotrophic bacterium, Methylomicrobium alcaliphilum 20z, was coupled to a cyanobacterium, Synechococcus PCC 7002 via oxygenic photosynthesis. The system exhibited robust growth on diverse gas mixtures ranging from biogas to those representative of a natural gas feedstock. A continuous processes was developed on a synthetic natural gas feed that achieved steady-state by imposing coupled light and O 2 limitations on the cyanobacterium and methanotroph, respectively. Continuous co-cultivation resulted in an O 2 depleted reactor and does not require CH 4/O 2 mixturesmore » to be fed into the system, thereby enhancing process safety considerations over traditional methanotroph mono-culture platforms. This co-culture technology is scalable with respect to its ability to utilize different gas streams and its biological components constructed from model bacteria that can be metabolically customized to produce a range of biofuels and bioproducts.« less

A Directed Molecular Evolution Approach to Improved Immunogenicity of the HIV-1 Envelope Glycoprotein

PubMed Central

Du, Sean X.; Xu, Li; Zhang, Wenge; Tang, Susan; Boenig, Rebecca I.; Chen, Helen; Mariano, Ellaine B.; Zwick, Michael B.; Parren, Paul W. H. I.; Burton, Dennis R.; Wrin, Terri; Petropoulos, Christos J.; Ballantyne, John A.; Chambers, Michael; Whalen, Robert G.

2011-01-01

A prophylactic vaccine is needed to slow the spread of HIV-1 infection. Optimization of the wild-type envelope glycoproteins to create immunogens that can elicit effective neutralizing antibodies is a high priority. Starting with ten genes encoding subtype B HIV-1 gp120 envelope glycoproteins and using in vitro homologous DNA recombination, we created chimeric gp120 variants that were screened for their ability to bind neutralizing monoclonal antibodies. Hundreds of variants were identified with novel antigenic phenotypes that exhibit considerable sequence diversity. Immunization of rabbits with these gp120 variants demonstrated that the majority can induce neutralizing antibodies to HIV-1. One novel variant, called ST-008, induced significantly improved neutralizing antibody responses when assayed against a large panel of primary HIV-1 isolates. Further study of various deletion constructs of ST-008 showed that the enhanced immunogenicity results from a combination of effective DNA priming, an enhanced V3-based response, and an improved response to the constant backbone sequences. PMID:21738594

Measuring food and nutrition security: tools and considerations for use among people living with HIV.

PubMed

Fielden, Sarah J; Anema, Aranka; Fergusson, Pamela; Muldoon, Katherine; Grede, Nils; de Pee, Saskia

2014-10-01

As an increasing number of countries implement integrated food and nutrition security (FNS) and HIV programs, global stakeholders need clarity on how to best measure FNS at the individual and household level. This paper reviews prominent FNS measurement tools, and describes considerations for interpretation in the context of HIV. There exist a range of FNS measurement tools and many have been adapted for use in HIV-endemic settings. Considerations in selecting appropriate tools include sub-types (food sufficiency, dietary diversity and food safety); scope/level of application; and available resources. Tools need to reflect both the needs of PLHIV and affected households and FNS program objectives. Generalized food sufficiency and dietary diversity tools may provide adequate measures of FNS in PLHIV for programmatic applications. Food consumption measurement tools provide further data for clinical or research applications. Measurement of food safety is an important, but underdeveloped aspect of assessment, especially for PLHIV.

The Anatomy of International Students' Acculturation in UK Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gbadamosi, Ayantunji

2018-01-01

The diversity of the student population in the United Kingdom's higher education sector evokes a vision of the world as a global village. The effect of this diversity on the UK economy has been considerable. Nevertheless, the research attention given to how overseas students can become integrated into UK culture remains inadequate. This…

Intelligence Testing and Cultural Diversity: Concerns, Cautions, and Considerations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ford, Donna Y.

2004-01-01

With so many unanswered questions and controversies regarding intelligence, testing in general, and testing diverse students in particular, what can educators in gifted education do to ensure that these students have access to and are represented in gifted education programs and services? In this monograph, the author examines test bias by first…

Creating and Maintaining a Diverse Faculty. New Directions for Community Colleges, Number 87.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harvey, William B., Ed.; Valadez, James, Ed.

1994-01-01

Dealing with issues relating to creating and maintaining a diverse faculty at the community college level, this collection of articles focuses on African-American and Hispanic faculty and presents both theoretical and practical considerations for administrators and scholars. The following articles are included: (1) "The Status of Faculty in…

Ecological consequences of the MPB epidemic for habitats and populations of wildlife [Chapter 5

Treesearch

Beth Hahn; Vicki Saab; Barbara Bentz; Rachel Loehman; Bob Keane

2014-01-01

Wildlife biologists must balance a diverse array of ecological and social considerations in managing species and habitats. The challenges of managing species and habitats in dynamic landscapes are influenced by diverse factors, including natural disturbances, vegetation development, and anthropogenic-mediated changes, such as climate change, management activities, and...

Language Interpretation for Diverse Families: Considerations for Special Education Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

More, Cori M.; Hart, Juliet E.; Cheatham, Gregory A.

2013-01-01

The special education field is challenged by a lack of attention to and recruitment of well-trained language interpreters in schools. As such, special education teachers need to take a leadership role in working with interpreters to ensure diverse families are collaborative members of individualized education program (IEP) teams. Using the…

Teaching about Islam in Secondary Schools: Curricular and Pedagogical Considerations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, James R.

2006-01-01

Current demographic trends are contributing to a rapid increase in religious, racial, and ethnic diversity in the United States. This article provides a rationale for teaching about religious diversity, particularly Islam, in public schools and the vital role religion has played in American history. The article provides readers with important…

Genetic diversity, structure and differentiation in cultivate walnut (Juglans regia L.)

Treesearch

M. Aradhya; K. Woeste; D. Velasco

2012-01-01

An analysis of genetic structure and differentiation in cultivated walnut (Juglans regia) using 15 microsatellite loci revealed a considerable amount of genetic variation with a mild genetic structure indicating five genetic groups corresponding to the centers of diversity within the home range of walnut in Eurasia. Despite the narrow genetic...

Building bridges: marketing managed care to ethnically diverse populations.

PubMed

Rosen, M B

1996-12-01

America's population "stew" creates specific challenges to health plans attempting to reach ethnically differentiated enrollee groups. In this article, the author provides snapshots of four ethnic groups, suggests some marketing considerations when preparing communications to these groups, and helps draw some conclusions about marketing managed care products to a culturally diverse population.

Linking the concept of scale to studies of biological diversity: evolving approaches and tools.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Beever, E.A.; Swihart, R.K.; Bestelmeyer, B. T.

2006-01-01

Although the concepts of scale and biological diversity independently have received rapidly increasing attention in the scientific literature since the 1980s, the rate at which the two concepts have been investigated jointly has grown much more slowly. We find that scale considerations have been incorporated explicitly into six broad areas of investigation related to biological diversity: (1) heterogeneity within and among ecosystems, (2) disturbance ecology, (3) conservation and restoration, (4) invasion biology, (5) importance of temporal scale for understanding processes, and (6) species responses to environmental heterogeneity. In addition to placing the papers of this Special Feature within the context of brief summaries of the expanding literature on these six topics, we provide an overview of tools useful for integrating scale considerations into studies of biological diversity. Such tools include hierarchical and structural-equation modelling, kriging, variable-width buffers, k-fold cross-validation, and cascading graph diagrams, among others. Finally, we address some of the major challenges and research frontiers that remain, and conclude with a look to the future.

Phyllosphere bacterial community of floating macrophytes in paddy soil environments as revealed by illumina high-throughput sequencing.

PubMed

Xie, Wan-Ying; Su, Jian-Qiang; Zhu, Yong-Guan

2015-01-01

The phyllosphere of floating macrophytes in paddy soil ecosystems, a unique habitat, may support large microbial communities but remains largely unknown. We took Wolffia australiana as a representative floating plant and investigated its phyllosphere bacterial community and the underlying driving forces of community modulation in paddy soil ecosystems using Illumina HiSeq 2000 platform-based 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. The results showed that the phyllosphere of W. australiana harbored considerably rich communities of bacteria, with Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes as the predominant phyla. The core microbiome in the phyllosphere contained genera such as Acidovorax, Asticcacaulis, Methylibium, and Methylophilus. Complexity of the phyllosphere bacterial communities in terms of class number and α-diversity was reduced compared to those in corresponding water and soil. Furthermore, the bacterial communities exhibited structures significantly different from those in water and soil. These findings and the following redundancy analysis (RDA) suggest that species sorting played an important role in the recruitment of bacterial species in the phyllosphere. The compositional structures of the phyllosphere bacterial communities were modulated predominantly by water physicochemical properties, while the initial soil bacterial communities had limited impact. Taken together, the findings from this study reveal the diversity and uniqueness of the phyllosphere bacterial communities associated with the floating macrophytes in paddy soil environments. Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Effect of Rice Cultivation Systems on Indigenous Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungal Community Structure

PubMed Central

Watanarojanaporn, Nantida; Boonkerd, Nantakorn; Tittabutr, Panlada; Longtonglang, Aphakorn; Young, J. Peter W.; Teaumroong, Neung

2013-01-01

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in an agricultural ecosystem are necessary for proper management of beneficial symbiosis. Here we explored how the patterns of the AMF community in rice roots were affected by rice cultivation systems (the system of rice intensification [SRI] and the conventional rice cultivation system [CS]), and by compost application during growth stages. Rice plants harvested from SRI-managed plots exhibited considerably higher total biomass, root dry weight, and seed fill than those obtained from conventionally managed plots. Our findings revealed that all AMF sequences observed from CS plots belonged (only) to the genus Glomus, colonizing in rice roots grown under this type of cultivation, while rice roots sown in SRI showed sequences belonging to both Glomus and Acaulospora. The AMF community was compared between the different cultivation types (CS and SRI) and compost applications by principle component analysis. In all rice growth stages, AMF assemblages of CS management were not separated from those of SRI management. The distribution of AMF community composition based on T-RFLP data showed that the AMF community structure was different among four cultivation systems, and there was a gradual increase of Shannon-Weaver indices of diversity (H′) of the AMF community under SRI during growth stages. The results of this research indicated that rice grown in SRI-managed plots had more diverse AMF communities than those grown in CS plots. PMID:23719585

Genome scale transcriptional response diversity among ten ecotypes of Arabidopsis thaliana during heat stress

PubMed Central

Barah, Pankaj; Jayavelu, Naresh D.; Mundy, John; Bones, Atle M.

2013-01-01

In the scenario of global warming and climate change, heat stress is a serious threat to crop production worldwide. Being sessile, plants cannot escape from heat. Plants have developed various adaptive mechanisms to survive heat stress. Several studies have focused on diversity of heat tolerance levels in divergent Arabidopsis thaliana (A. thaliana) ecotypes, but comprehensive genome scale understanding of heat stress response in plants is still lacking. Here we report the genome scale transcript responses to heat stress of 10 A. thaliana ecotypes (Col, Ler, C24, Cvi, Kas1, An1, Sha, Kyo2, Eri, and Kond) originated from different geographical locations. During the experiment, A. thaliana plants were subjected to heat stress (38°C) and transcript responses were monitored using Arabidopsis NimbleGen ATH6 microarrays. The responses of A. thaliana ecotypes exhibited considerable variation in the transcript abundance levels. In total, 3644 transcripts were significantly heat regulated (p < 0.01) in the 10 ecotypes, including 244 transcription factors and 203 transposable elements. By employing a systems genetics approach- Network Component Analysis (NCA), we have constructed an in silico transcript regulatory network model for 35 heat responsive transcription factors during cellular responses to heat stress in A. thaliana. The computed activities of the 35 transcription factors showed ecotype specific responses to the heat treatment. PMID:24409190

Mineralogical analysis of the Eos family from near-infrared spectra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mothé-Diniz, T.; Carvano, J. M.; Bus, S. J.; Duffard, R.; Burbine, T. H.

2008-05-01

The aim of this work is to analyze the mineralogy of the Eos family, which exhibits considerable taxonomic diversity. Its biggest fragment, (221) Eos has previously been associated, through direct spectral comparisons, with such diverse mineralogies as CV/CO and achondrite meteorites [Burbine, T.H., Binzel, R.P., Bus, S.J., Clark, B.E., 2001. Meteorit. Planet. Sci. 36, 245-253; Mothé-Diniz, T., Carvano, J.M., 2005. Astron. Astrophys. 174, 54-80]. In order to perform such analysis we obtained spectra of 30 family members in the 0.8-2.5 μm range, and used three different methods of mineralogical inference: direct spectral comparison with meteorites, intimate mixing using Hapke's theory, and fitting absorption features with the MGM. Although the direct comparison failed to yield good matches—the best candidates being R-chondrites—both mixing model and MGM analysis suggest that the bulk of the family is dominated by forsteritic ( Fa) olivine, with a minor component of orthopyroxene. This composition can be compatible with what would be expected from the partial differentiation of a parent-body with an original composition similar to ordinary chondrites, which probably formed and differentiated closer to the Sun than the present location of the family. A CK-like composition is also possible, from the inferred mineralogy, as well as from the similarities of the spectra in the NIR.

Phyllosphere Bacterial Community of Floating Macrophytes in Paddy Soil Environments as Revealed by Illumina High-Throughput Sequencing

PubMed Central

Xie, Wan-Ying

2014-01-01

The phyllosphere of floating macrophytes in paddy soil ecosystems, a unique habitat, may support large microbial communities but remains largely unknown. We took Wolffia australiana as a representative floating plant and investigated its phyllosphere bacterial community and the underlying driving forces of community modulation in paddy soil ecosystems using Illumina HiSeq 2000 platform-based 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. The results showed that the phyllosphere of W. australiana harbored considerably rich communities of bacteria, with Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes as the predominant phyla. The core microbiome in the phyllosphere contained genera such as Acidovorax, Asticcacaulis, Methylibium, and Methylophilus. Complexity of the phyllosphere bacterial communities in terms of class number and α-diversity was reduced compared to those in corresponding water and soil. Furthermore, the bacterial communities exhibited structures significantly different from those in water and soil. These findings and the following redundancy analysis (RDA) suggest that species sorting played an important role in the recruitment of bacterial species in the phyllosphere. The compositional structures of the phyllosphere bacterial communities were modulated predominantly by water physicochemical properties, while the initial soil bacterial communities had limited impact. Taken together, the findings from this study reveal the diversity and uniqueness of the phyllosphere bacterial communities associated with the floating macrophytes in paddy soil environments. PMID:25362067

Diversity of Dicotyledenous-Infecting Geminiviruses and Their Associated DNA Molecules in Southern Africa, Including the South-West Indian Ocean Islands

PubMed Central

Rey, Marie E. C.; Ndunguru, Joseph; Berrie, Leigh C.; Paximadis, Maria; Berry, Shaun; Cossa, Nurbibi; Nuaila, Valter N.; Mabasa, Ken G.; Abraham, Natasha; Rybicki, Edward P.; Martin, Darren; Pietersen, Gerhard; Esterhuizen, Lindy L.

2012-01-01

The family Geminiviridae comprises a group of plant-infecting circular ssDNA viruses that severely constrain agricultural production throughout the temperate regions of the world, and are a particularly serious threat to food security in sub-Saharan Africa. While geminiviruses exhibit considerable diversity in terms of their nucleotide sequences, genome structures, host ranges and insect vectors, the best characterised and economically most important of these viruses are those in the genus Begomovirus. Whereas begomoviruses are generally considered to be either monopartite (one ssDNA component) or bipartite (two circular ssDNA components called DNA-A and DNA-B), many apparently monopartite begomoviruses are associated with additional subviral ssDNA satellite components, called alpha- (DNA-αs) or betasatellites (DNA-βs). Additionally, subgenomic molecules, also known as defective interfering (DIs) DNAs that are usually derived from the parent helper virus through deletions of parts of its genome, are also associated with bipartite and monopartite begomoviruses. The past three decades have witnessed the emergence and diversification of various new begomoviral species and associated DI DNAs, in southern Africa, East Africa, and proximal Indian Ocean islands, which today threaten important vegetable and commercial crops such as, tobacco, cassava, tomato, sweet potato, and beans. This review aims to describe what is known about these viruses and their impacts on sustainable production in this sensitive region of the world. PMID:23170182

Hierarchy in factors affecting fish biodiversity in floodplain lakes of the Mississippi Alluvial Valley

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dembkowski, D.J.; Miranda, L.E.

2012-01-01

River-floodplain ecosystems offer some of the most diverse and dynamic environments in the world. Accordingly, floodplain habitats harbor diverse fish assemblages. Fish biodiversity in floodplain lakes may be influenced by multiple variables operating on disparate scales, and these variables may exhibit a hierarchical organization depending on whether one variable governs another. In this study, we examined the interaction between primary variables descriptive of floodplain lake large-scale features, suites of secondary variables descriptive of water quality and primary productivity, and a set of tertiary variables descriptive of fish biodiversity across a range of floodplain lakes in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley of Mississippi and Arkansas (USA). Lakes varied considerably in their representation of primary, secondary, and tertiary variables. Multivariate direct gradient analyses indicated that lake maximum depth and the percentage of agricultural land surrounding a lake were the most important factors controlling variation in suites of secondary and tertiary variables, followed to a lesser extent by lake surface area. Fish biodiversity was generally greatest in large, deep lakes with lower proportions of watershed agricultural land. Our results may help foster a holistic approach to floodplain lake management and suggest the framework for a feedback model wherein primary variables can be manipulated for conservation and restoration purposes and secondary and tertiary variables can be used to monitor the success of such efforts. ?? 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

Factors affecting fish biodiversity in floodplain lakes of the Mississippi Alluvial Valley

USGS Publications Warehouse

Miranda, Leandro E.; Dembkowski, Daniel J.

2012-01-01

River-floodplain ecosystems offer some of the most diverse and dynamic environments in the world. Accordingly, floodplain habitats harbor diverse fish assemblages. Fish biodiversity in floodplain lakes may be influenced by multiple variables operating on disparate scales, and these variables may exhibit a hierarchical organization depending on whether one variable governs another. In this study, we examined the interaction between primary variables descriptive of floodplain lake large-scale features, suites of secondary variables descriptive of water quality and primary productivity, and a set of tertiary variables descriptive of fish biodiversity across a range of floodplain lakes in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley of Mississippi and Arkansas (USA). Lakes varied considerably in their representation of primary, secondary, and tertiary variables. Multivariate direct gradient analyses indicated that lake maximum depth and the percentage of agricultural land surrounding a lake were the most important factors controlling variation in suites of secondary and tertiary variables, followed to a lesser extent by lake surface area. Fish biodiversity was generally greatest in large, deep lakes with lower proportions of watershed agricultural land. Our results may help foster a holistic approach to floodplain lake management and suggest the framework for a feedback model wherein primary variables can be manipulated for conservation and restoration purposes and secondary and tertiary variables can be used to monitor the success of such efforts.

Microbial diversity in firework chemical exposed soil and water samples collected in Virudhunagar district, Tamil Nadu, India.

PubMed

Dhasarathan, P; Theriappan, P; Ashokraja, C

2010-03-01

Microbial diversity of soil and water samples collected from pyrochemicals exposed areas of Virdhunagar district (Tamil Nadu, India) was studied. Soil and water samples from cultivable area, waste land and city area of the same region were also studied for a comparative acount. There is a remarkable reduction in total heterotrophic bacterial population (THB) in pyrochemicals exposed soil and water samples (42 × 10(4) CFU/g and 5.6 × 10(4) CFU/ml respectively), compared to the THB of cultivable area soil and water samples (98 × 10(7) CFU/g and 38.6 × 10(7) CFU/ml). The generic composition the THB of the pyrochemicals exposed samples too exhibited considerable change compared to other samples. Pseudomonas sp. was the predominant one (41.6%) followed by Achromobacter sp. (25%) in pyrochemical exposed soil and Pseudomonas sp. was the predominant one (25%) in pyrochemical exposed water samples followed by Bacillus sp. (25%) and Micrococcus sp. (16.6%). It was observed that Cornybacterium sp. and Micrococcus sp. were absent completely in pyrochemical exposed soil and Achromobacter sp. was missing in the pyrochemical exposed water samples, which were present in the other samples. The outcome of this study clearly demonstrates that pollutants such as chemicals used in pyrotechniques affect the microbial biodiversity and suitable measures have to be taken to control the pollution level and to save biodiversity.

Population Genetic Structure and Colonisation History of the Tool-Using New Caledonian Crow

PubMed Central

Abdelkrim, Jawad; Hunt, Gavin R.; Gray, Russell D.; Gemmell, Neil J.

2012-01-01

New Caledonian crows exhibit considerable variation in tool making between populations. Here, we present the first study of the species’ genetic structure over its geographical distribution. We collected feathers from crows on mainland Grande Terre, the inshore island of Toupéti, and the nearby island of Maré where it is believed birds were introduced after European colonisation. We used nine microsatellite markers to establish the genotypes of 136 crows from these islands and classical population genetic tools as well as Approximate Bayesian Computations to explore the distribution of genetic diversity. We found that New Caledonian crows most likely separate into three main distinct clusters: Grande Terre, Toupéti and Maré. Furthermore, Toupéti and Maré crows represent a subset of the genetic diversity observed on Grande Terre, confirming their mainland origin. The genetic data are compatible with a colonisation of Maré taking place after European colonisation around 1900. Importantly, we observed (1) moderate, but significant, genetic differentiation across Grande Terre, and (2) that the degree of differentiation between populations on the mainland increases with geographic distance. These data indicate that despite individual crows’ potential ability to disperse over large distances, most gene flow occurs over short distances. The temporal and spatial patterns described provide a basis for further hypothesis testing and investigation of the geographical variation observed in the tool skills of these crows. PMID:22590576

Australian barnacles (Cirripedia: Thoracica), distributions and biogeographical affinities.

PubMed

Jones, Diana S

2012-09-01

Currently, 279 barnacle species are recognized in Australia waters. The barnacle fauna of tropical Australia exhibits high species diversity (221), with a high incidence of tropical species (87 Indo-west Pacific [IWP], 16 West Pacific and 65 Indo-Malayan), a low species endemicity (8), and 44 cosmopolitan and 1 Australasian species. Conversely, that of temperate Australia shows lower species diversity (129), with a lower incidence of tropical species (26 IWP, 10 West Pacific and 25 Indo-Malayan), higher species endemicity (23), 37 cosmopolitan, 6 Australasian species, and 3 Australasian/Antarctic species. Distributions corroborate the general patterns demonstrated by the shallow-water biota of northern tropical and southern temperate Australian biogeographic provinces. Tropical and temperate provinces grade into each other in a broad overlap zone along both the western and eastern Australian coasts. This overlap zone is essentially a transitional region, with the gradual replacement of a tropical barnacle fauna in the north by a predominantly temperate barnacle fauna in the south. Both western and eastern Australian coasts are bounded by major poleward-flowing warm currents that have considerable influence on the marine flora and fauna, distributing tropical species of many taxa much farther south than could be predicted by latitude. Currently, 16 barnacle species introduced into Australian waters are identified, although this number may increase in the future due to new port developments and increased shipping arrivals.

UGT74AN1, a Permissive Glycosyltransferase from Asclepias curassavica for the Regiospecific Steroid 3-O-Glycosylation.

PubMed

Wen, Chao; Huang, Wei; Zhu, Xue-Lin; Li, Xiao-San; Zhang, Fan; Jiang, Ren-Wang

2018-02-02

A permissive steroid glycosyltransferase (UGT74AN1) from Asclepias curassavica exhibited robust capabilities for the regiospecific C3 glycosylation of cardiotonic steroids and C 21 steroid precursors, and unprecedented promiscuity toward 53 structurally diverse natural and unnatural compounds to form O-, N-, and S-glycosides, along with the catalytic reversibility for a one-pot transglycosylation reaction. These findings highlight UGT74AN1 as the first regiospecific catalyst for cardiotonic steroid C3 glycosylation and exhibit significant potential for glycosylation of diverse bioactive molecules in drug discovery.

Creating Library Interiors: Planning and Design Considerations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Plummer Alston, Jr.; Barton, Phillip K.

1997-01-01

Examines design considerations for public library interiors: access; acoustical treatment; assignable and nonassignable space; building interiors: ceilings, clocks, color, control, drinking fountains; exhibit space: slotwall display, floor coverings, floor loading, furniture, lighting, mechanical systems, public address, copying machines,…

Impact factors identification of spatial heterogeneity of herbaceous plant diversity on five southern islands of Miaodao Archipelago in North China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chi, Yuan; Shi, Honghua; Wang, Xiaoli; Qin, Xuebo; Zheng, Wei; Peng, Shitao

2016-09-01

Herbaceous plants are widely distributed on islands and where they exhibit spatial heterogeneity. Accurately identifying the impact factors that drive spatial heterogeneity can reveal typical island biodiversity patterns. Five southern islands in the Miaodao Archipelago, North China were studied herein. The spatial distribution of herbaceous plant diversity on these islands was analyzed, and the impact factors and their degree of impact on spatial heterogeneity were identified using CCA ordination and ANOVA. The results reveal 114 herbaceous plant species, belonging to 94 genera from 34 families in the 50 plots sampled. The total species numbers on different islands were significantly positively correlated with island area, and the average α diversity was correlated with human activities, while the β diversity among islands was more affected by island area than mutual distances. Spatial heterogeneity within islands indicated that the diversities were generally high in areas with higher altitude, slope, total nitrogen, total carbon, and canopy density, and lower moisture content, pH, total phosphorus, total potassium, and aspect. Among the environmental factors, pH, canopy density, total K, total P, moisture content, altitude, and slope had significant gross effects, but only canopy density exhibited a significant net effect. Terrain affected diversity by restricting plantation, plantation in turn influenced soil properties and the two together affected diversity. Therefore, plantation was ultimately the fundamental driving factor for spatial heterogeneity in herbaceous plant diversity on the five islands.

Career Pathways of Athletic Directors: Consideration of the Impact of Diversity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Armstrong, Lenora E.

2011-01-01

This study explored career pathways for becoming an athletic director (AD) at National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Divisions I, II, and, III member institutions with consideration of gender and race/ethnicity. The study employed an exploratory, descriptive research design using a quantitative electronic survey tapping a census of all…

Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL): Considerations in the Colombian Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rodriguez Bonces, Jaisson

2012-01-01

The present article seeks to encourage reflection on the characteristics and considerations when implementing Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) in a diverse context such as the Colombian one. Initially, the general aspects of an innovative and changing education in a globalized world are presented by stating the need to innovate.…

Deciduousness in a seasonal tropical forest in western Thailand: interannual and intraspecific variation in timing, duration and environmental cues.

PubMed

Williams, Laura J; Bunyavejchewin, Sarayudh; Baker, Patrick J

2008-03-01

Seasonal tropical forests exhibit a great diversity of leaf exchange patterns. Within these forests variation in the timing and intensity of leaf exchange may occur within and among individual trees and species, as well as from year to year. Understanding what generates this diversity of phenological behaviour requires a mechanistic model that incorporates rate-limiting physiological conditions, environmental cues, and their interactions. In this study we examined long-term patterns of leaf flushing for a large proportion of the hundreds of tree species that co-occur in a seasonal tropical forest community in western Thailand. We used the data to examine community-wide variation in deciduousness and tested competing hypotheses regarding the timing and triggers of leaf flushing in seasonal tropical forests. We developed metrics to quantify the nature of deciduousness (its magnitude, timing and duration) and its variability among survey years and across a range of taxonomic levels. Tree species varied widely in the magnitude, duration, and variability of leaf loss within species and across years. The magnitude of deciduousness ranged from complete crown loss to no crown loss. Among species that lost most of their crown, the duration of deciduousness ranged from 2 to 21 weeks. The duration of deciduousness in the majority of species was considerably shorter than in neotropical forests with similar rainfall periodicity. While the timing of leaf flushing varied among species, most ( approximately 70%) flushed during the dry season. Leaf flushing was associated with changes in photoperiod in some species and the timing of rainfall in other species. However, more than a third of species showed no clear association with either photoperiod or rainfall, despite the considerable length and depth of the dataset. Further progress in resolving the underlying internal and external mechanisms controlling leaf exchange will require targeting these species for detailed physiological and microclimatic studies.

Electric organ discharge diversity in the genus Gymnotus: anatomo-functional groups and electrogenic mechanisms.

PubMed

Rodríguez-Cattáneo, A; Aguilera, P; Cilleruelo, E; Crampton, W G R; Caputi, A A

2013-04-15

Previous studies describe six factors accounting for interspecific diversity of electric organ discharge (EOD) waveforms in Gymnotus. At the cellular level, three factors determine the locally generated waveforms: (1) electrocyte geometry and channel repertoire; (2) the localization of synaptic contacts on electrocyte surfaces; and (3) electric activity of electromotor axons preceding the discharge of electrocytes. At the organismic level, three factors determine the integration of the EOD as a behavioral unit: (4) the distribution of different types of electrocytes and specialized passive tissue forming the electric organ (EO); (5) the neural mechanisms of electrocyte discharge coordination; and (6) post-effector mechanisms. Here, we reconfirm the importance of the first five of these factors based on comparative studies of a wider diversity of Gymnotus than previously investigated. Additionally, we report a hitherto unseen aspect of EOD diversity in Gymnotus. The central region of the EO (which has the largest weight on the conspecific-received field) usually exhibits a negative-positive-negative pattern where the delay between the early negative and positive peaks (determined by neural coordination mechanisms) matches the delay between the positive and late negative peaks (determined by electrocyte responsiveness). Because delays between peaks typically determine the peak power frequency, this matching implies a co-evolution of neural and myogenic coordination mechanisms in determining the spectral specificity of the intraspecific communication channel. Finally, we define four functional species groups based on EO/EOD structure. The first three exhibit a heterogeneous EO in which doubly innervated electrocytes are responsible for a main triphasic complex. Group I species exhibit a characteristic cephalic extension of the EO. Group II species exhibit an early positive component of putative neural origin, and strong EO auto-excitability. Group III species exhibit an early, slow, negative wave of abdominal origin, and variation in EO auto-excitability. Representatives of Group IV generate a unique waveform comprising a main positive peak followed by a small, load-dependent negative component.

Biogeographic and phylogenetic diversity of thermoacidophilic cyanidiales in Yellowstone National Park, Japan, and New Zealand.

PubMed

Toplin, J A; Norris, T B; Lehr, C R; McDermott, T R; Castenholz, R W

2008-05-01

Members of the rhodophytan order Cyanidiales are unique among phototrophs in their ability to live in extreme environments that combine low pH levels ( approximately 0.2 to 4.0) and moderately high temperatures of 40 to 56 degrees C. These unicellular algae occur in far-flung volcanic areas throughout the earth. Three genera (Cyanidium, Galdieria, and Cyanidioschyzon) are recognized. The phylogenetic diversity of culture isolates of the Cyanidiales from habitats throughout Yellowstone National Park (YNP), three areas in Japan, and seven regions in New Zealand was examined by using the chloroplast RuBisCO large subunit gene (rbcL) and the 18S rRNA gene. Based on the nucleotide sequences of both genes, the YNP isolates fall into two groups, one with high identity to Galdieria sulphuraria (type II) and another that is by far the most common and extensively distributed Yellowstone type (type IA). The latter is a spherical, walled cell that reproduces by internal divisions, with a subsequent release of smaller daughter cells. This type, nevertheless, shows a 99 to 100% identity to Cyanidioschyzon merolae (type IB), which lacks a wall, divides by "fission"-like cytokinesis into two daughter cells, and has less than 5% of the cell volume of type IA. The evolutionary and taxonomic ramifications of this disparity are discussed. Although the 18S rRNA and rbcL genes did not reveal diversity among the numerous isolates of type IA, chloroplast short sequence repeats did show some variation by location within YNP. In contrast, Japanese and New Zealand strains showed considerable diversity when we examined only the sequences of 18S and rbcL genes. Most exhibited identities closer to Galdieria maxima than to other strains, but these identities were commonly as low as 91 to 93%. Some of these Japanese and New Zealand strains probably represent undescribed species that diverged after long-term geographic isolation.

Living with marginal coral communities: Diversity and host-specificity in coral-associated barnacles in the northern coral distribution limit of the East China Sea.

PubMed

Chan, Benny K K; Xu, Guang; Kim, Hyun Kyong; Park, Jin-Ho; Kim, Won

2018-01-01

Corals and their associated fauna are extremely diverse in tropical waters and form major reefs. In the high-latitude temperate zone, corals living near their distribution limit are considered marginal communities because they are particularly extremely sensitive to environmental and climatic changes. In this study, we examined the diversity and host usage of coral-associated barnacles on Jeju Island, Korea, the northern coral distribution limit in the East China Sea. In this study, only three coral-associated barnacles-from two genera in two subfamilies-were collected. The Pyrgomatinid barnacles Cantellius arcuatus and Cantellius cf. euspinulosum were found only on the corals Montipora millepora and Alveopora japonica, respectively. The Megatrematinid barnacle Pyrgomina oulastreae, relatively a generalist, was found on Psammocora spp. (both profundacella and albopicta) and Oulastrea crispata corals. The host usage of these three barnacles does not overlap. DNA barcode sequences of the C. arcuatus specimens collected in the present study matched those collected in Kochi in Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea, suggesting that this species has a wide geographical distribution. C. arcuatus covers a wider host range in Taiwan waters, inhabiting Montipora spp. and Porites spp., which suggests that the host specificity of coral-associated barnacles varies with host availability. C. cf. euspinulosum probably has a very narrow distribution and host usage. The sequences of C. cf. euspinulosum on Jeju Island do not match those of any known sequences of Cantellius barnacles in the Indo-Pacific region. P. oulastreae probably prefers cold water because it has been reported in temperate regions. Coral-associated barnacles in marginal communities have considerably lower diversity than their subtropical and tropical counterparts. When host availability is limited, marginal coral-associated barnacles exhibit higher host specificity than those in subtropical and tropical reef systems.

Effects of initial moisture content of Korean traditional wheat-based fermentation starter nuruk on microbial abundance and diversity.

PubMed

Bal, Jyotiranjan; Yun, Suk-Hyun; Yeo, Soo-Hwan; Kim, Jung-Mi; Kim, Beom-Tae; Kim, Dae-Hyuk

2017-03-01

The brewing of makgeolli, one of Korea's most popular alcoholic beverages that is gaining popularity globally, is facilitated by nuruk, a traditional Korean cereal starter. The nuruk microbiome greatly influences the fermentation process as well as the nutritional, hygienic, and aromatic qualities of the product. This study is a continuation of our efforts to examine nuruk biodiversity at a depth previously unattainable. In this study, microfloral dynamics in wheat-based nuruk C, composed of traditional ingredients such as barley, green gram, and wheat and fermented under various internal moisture contents of 20% (C20), 26% (C26), and 30% (C30), was evaluated using 454 pyrosequencing during the 30-day fermentation process. Rarefaction analysis and alpha diversity parameters indicated adequate sampling. C20 showed the greatest fungal richness and diversity, C20 and C26 exhibited similar bacterial richness and diversity, while C30 had low fungal and bacterial richness. Fungal taxonomic assignments revealed that the initial moisture content caused selective enrichment of Aspergillus candidus with a decreasing trend during fermentation, whereas Saccharomycetales sp. exhibited increasing relative abundance with increasing moisture content from day 6 of the fermentation process. Depending on initial moisture level, changes in bacterial communities were also observed in the genera Streptomyces, Bacillus, and Staphylococcus, with decreasing trends whereas Saccharopolyspora exhibited a sigmoidal trend with the highest abundance in C26. These findings demonstrate the possible impact of initial moisture content of nuruk on microfloral richness, diversity, and dynamics; this study is thus a step toward our ultimate goal of enhancing the quality of nuruk.

Culturable diversity and biochemical features of thraustochytrids from coastal waters of Southern China.

PubMed

Liu, Ying; Singh, Purnima; Sun, Yuan; Luan, Shengji; Wang, Guangyi

2014-04-01

Thraustochytrids are ubiquitous marine osmo-heterotrophic fungi-like microorganisms with only about 40 identified species till now. In this study, a total of 60 thraustochytrid strains were isolated from marine coastal habitats. Analysis of 18S rRNA gene sequences revealed that they belonged to three genera, i.e., Schizochytrium, Aurantiochytrium, and Thraustochytrium. All of the isolates were found to show considerable cellulolytic and lipolytic activities. Strains of Aurantiochytrium sp. and Thraustochytrium sp. were found to produce the highest levels of extracellular polysaccharides (EPS), which reached 345 μg ml(-1) in the growth media. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra of the EPS samples derived from two thraustochytrids (PKU#Sed1 and #SW1) displayed peaks for carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, uronic acids, and nucleic acids. Fatty acid profiles of four thraustochytrids comprised of palmitic acid (C16:0) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) as their major constituents. Schizochytrium sp. demonstrated the highest DHA production at 44 % of total fatty acids (TFA) with biomass and DHA yield of 7.1 and 1.6 g l(-1), respectively, on the fourth day of growth. All the four isolates exhibited considerable production of palmitic acid (16:0) in their fatty acid profiles ranging from 35 to 50 % TFA. This is the first report on extracellular enzymes, EPS, and DHA production from thraustochytrids isolated from the coastal habitats of China.

Plankton Production, Fish Catch, and the Potential for Sharp Regional Catch Trends Under Climate Change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stock, C. A.; John, J. G.; Lam, V.; Rykaczewski, R. R.; Cheung, W. W. L.; Dunne, J. P.; Asch, R. G.; Sarmiento, J. L.

2016-02-01

Fish catch has been related to diverse plankton metrics with often ambiguous mechanistic linkages to fish and varying degrees of spatial and temporal robustness. Proposed fish catch indicators also exhibit different patterns of variability and projected change, hindering fisheries assessments and the formulation of resilient marine resource management strategies. We combine 1) a new catch reconstruction featuring improved estimates of illegal and under-reported catch, 2) a novel high-resolution global Earth System Model (GFDL-ESM2.6) featuring 10 km ocean resolution and regionally robust patterns of carbon flow through the planktonic food web, and 3) simple fish trophodynamic considerations, and revisit the relationship between catch and planktonic food web fluxes in a more mechanistic context. Realized 20-year peak catches across globally distributed coastal regions could be well explained by the estimated planktonic production available to fish (via mesozooplankton and the flux of carbon to the benthos) after accounting for the catch trophic level (r = 0.64, r = 0.74 after removing lightly fished Australian systems). Similar skill, however, could result from models invoking high trophic efficiencies within the fish food web and a modest fraction of energy available to fish taken as catch, or low trophic efficiencies and a high fraction. Projections using either parameter combination suggest that projected regional changes in fish yields may be considerably larger than those implied from primary production.

Comparative genomic analysis of bacteriophages specific to the channel catfish pathogen Edwardsiella ictaluri

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background The bacterial pathogen Edwardsiella ictaluri is a primary cause of mortality in channel catfish raised commercially in aquaculture farms. Additional treatment and diagnostic regimes are needed for this enteric pathogen, motivating the discovery and characterization of bacteriophages specific to E. ictaluri. Results The genomes of three Edwardsiella ictaluri-specific bacteriophages isolated from geographically distant aquaculture ponds, at different times, were sequenced and analyzed. The genomes for phages eiAU, eiDWF, and eiMSLS are 42.80 kbp, 42.12 kbp, and 42.69 kbp, respectively, and are greater than 95% identical to each other at the nucleotide level. Nucleotide differences were mostly observed in non-coding regions and in structural proteins, with significant variability in the sequences of putative tail fiber proteins. The genome organization of these phages exhibit a pattern shared by other Siphoviridae. Conclusions These E. ictaluri-specific phage genomes reveal considerable conservation of genomic architecture and sequence identity, even with considerable temporal and spatial divergence in their isolation. Their genomic homogeneity is similarly observed among E. ictaluri bacterial isolates. The genomic analysis of these phages supports the conclusion that these are virulent phages, lacking the capacity for lysogeny or expression of virulence genes. This study contributes to our knowledge of phage genomic diversity and facilitates studies on the diagnostic and therapeutic applications of these phages. PMID:21214923

Culture-independent genomic characterisation of Candidatus Chlamydia sanzinia, a novel uncultivated bacterium infecting snakes.

PubMed

Taylor-Brown, Alyce; Bachmann, Nathan L; Borel, Nicole; Polkinghorne, Adam

2016-09-05

Recent molecular studies have revealed considerably more diversity in the phylum Chlamydiae than was previously thought. Evidence is growing that many of these novel chlamydiae may be important pathogens in humans and animals. A significant barrier to characterising these novel chlamydiae is the requirement for culturing. We recently identified a range of novel uncultured chlamydiae in captive snakes in Switzerland, however, nothing is known about their biology. Using a metagenomics approach, the aim of this study was to characterise the genome of a novel chlamydial taxon from the choana of a captive snake. In doing so, we propose a new candidate species in the genus Chlamydia (Candidatus Chlamydia sanzinia) and reveal new information about the biological diversity of this important group of pathogens. We identified two chlamydial genomic contigs: a 1,113,073 bp contig, and a 7,504 bp contig, representing the chromosome and plasmid of Ca. Chlamydia sanzinia strain 2742-308, respectively. The 998 predicted coding regions include an expanded repertoire of outer membrane proteins (Pmps and Omps), some of which exhibited frameshift mutations, as well as several chlamydial virulence factors such as the translocating actin-recruitment phosphoprotein (Tarp) and macrophage inhibition potentiator (Mip). A suite of putative inclusion membrane proteins were also predicted. Notably, no evidence of a traditional chlamydial plasticity zone was identified. Phylogenetically, Ca. Chlamydia sanzinia forms a clade with C. pneumoniae and C. pecorum, distinct from former "Chlamydophila" species. Genomic characterisation of a novel uncultured chlamydiae from the first reptilian host has expanded our understanding of the diversity and biology of a genus that was thought to be the most well-characterised in this unique phylum. It is anticipated that this method will be suitable for characterisation of other novel chlamydiae.

Diversity of killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor genes in the Bengali population of northern West Bengal, India.

PubMed

Guha, P; Bhattacharjee, S; Chaudhuri, T K

2014-12-01

The Indian Subcontinent exhibits extensive diversity in its culture, religion, ethnicity and linguistic heritage, which symbolizes extensive genetic variations within the populations. The highly polymorphic Killer cell Immunoglobulin-like Receptor (KIR) family plays an important role in tracing genetic differentiation in human population. In this study, we aimed to analyse the KIR gene polymorphism in the Bengali population of northern West Bengal, India. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the KIR gene polymorphism in the Bengalis of West Bengal, India. Herein, we have studied the distribution of 14 KIR genes (KIR3DL1-3DL3, KIR2DL1-2DL5, KIR2DS1-2DS5 AND KIR3DS1) and two pseudogenes (KIR3DP1 and 2DP1) in the Bengalis. Apart from the framework genes (KIR2DL4, 3DL2, 3DL3 and 3DP1), which are present in all the individuals, the gene frequencies of other KIR genes varied between 0.34 and 0.88. Moreover, upon comparing the KIR polymorphism of the Bengalis with the available published data of other world populations, it has been found that the Indo-European-speaking Bengalis from the region share both Dravidian and Indo-Aryan gene pool with considerable influences of mongoloid and European descents. Furthermore, evidences from previously published data on human leucocyte antigen and Y-chromosome haplogroup diversity support the view. Our results will help to understand the genetic background of the Bengali population, in illustrating the population migration events in the eastern and north-eastern part of India, in explaining the extensive genetic admixture amongst the different linguistic groups of the region and also in KIR-related disease researches. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Antifungal drug susceptibility and phylogenetic diversity among Cryptococcus isolates from dogs and cats in North America.

PubMed

Singer, Lisa M; Meyer, Wieland; Firacative, Carolina; Thompson, George R; Samitz, Eileen; Sykes, Jane E

2014-06-01

Molecular types of the Cryptococcus neoformans/Cryptococcus gattii species complex that infect dogs and cats differ regionally and with host species. Antifungal drug susceptibility can vary with molecular type, but the susceptibility of Cryptococcus isolates from dogs and cats is largely unknown. Cryptococcus isolates from 15 dogs and 27 cats were typed using URA5 restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis (RFLP), PCR fingerprinting, and multilocus sequence typing (MLST). Susceptibility was determined using a microdilution assay (Sensititre YeastOne; Trek Diagnostic Systems). MICs were compared among groups. The 42 isolates studied comprised molecular types VGI (7%), VGIIa (7%), VGIIb (5%), VGIIc (5%), VGIII (38%), VGIV (2%), VNI (33%), and VNII (2%), as determined by URA5 RFLP. The VGIV isolate was more closely related to VGIII according to MLST. All VGIII isolates were from cats. All sequence types identified from veterinary isolates clustered with isolates from humans. VGIII isolates showed considerable genetic diversity compared with other Cryptococcus molecular types and could be divided into two major subgroups. Compared with C. neoformans MICs, C. gattii MICs were lower for flucytosine, and VGIII MICs were lower for flucytosine and itraconazole. For all drugs except itraconazole, C. gattii isolates exhibited a wider range of MICs than C. neoformans. MICs varied with Cryptococcus species and molecular type in dogs and cats, and MICs of VGIII isolates were most variable and may reflect phylogenetic diversity in this group. Because sequence types of dogs and cats reflect those infecting humans, these observations may also have implications for treatment of human cryptococcosis. Copyright © 2014, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

What´s in the tank? Nematodes and other major components of the meiofauna of bromeliad phytotelms in lowland Panama.

PubMed

Zotz, Gerhard; Traunspurger, Walter

2016-03-15

Nematodes are a very diverse and extremely abundant group of animals, but their occurrence in the tropics is surprisingly little understood. We investigated the meiofauna of epiphytic tank bromeliads in the lowlands of Panama with particular emphasis on nematodes. We encountered 89 morphospecies of nematodes in 54 bromeliad tanks, which were sampled in the wet and the dry season. Rotifers were by far the most abundant group in both the dry and the wet season (with up to 960 individual ml(-1)), followed by nematodes, annelids and harpacticoid copepods. Individual plants hosted up to 25 nematode species. These nematodes represented a diversity of feeding guilds, suction-feeders and deposit-feeders being most abundant. The relative abundances of feeding-types of nematodes differed considerably in the wet and dry season. Both species richness and abundance were strongly correlated with the size of the phytotelms and the season, while species diversity assessed with the Shannon-index was affected by neither of the two. This is the first study with a particular focus on the diversity of nematodes in tank bromeliads. We document a meiofauna of considerable abundance and diversity, which suggests important functional roles in ecological processes such as decomposition, which in turn warrants further study.

The complete genome sequences of 65 Campylobacter jejuni and C. coli strains

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Campylobacter jejuni (Cj) and C. coli (Cc) are genetically highly diverse based on various molecular methods including MLST, microarray-based comparisons and the whole genome sequences of a few strains. Cj and Cc diversity is also exhibited by variable capsular polysaccharides (CPS) that are the maj...

Nitrogen and crop rotation as drivers of the maize-associated soil microbiome

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Microbes inhabit an exciting and interesting array of environments, exhibiting striking amounts of diversity and variation. The soil microbiome is one of the most dynamic and diverse microbial environments, where bacteria, fungi, and plant roots all interact to shape food networks and drive ecosyste...

Assessing Host-Virus Codivergence for Close Relatives of Merkel Cell Polyomavirus Infecting African Great Apes.

PubMed

Madinda, Nadège F; Ehlers, Bernhard; Wertheim, Joel O; Akoua-Koffi, Chantal; Bergl, Richard A; Boesch, Christophe; Akonkwa, Dieudonné Boji Mungu; Eckardt, Winnie; Fruth, Barbara; Gillespie, Thomas R; Gray, Maryke; Hohmann, Gottfried; Karhemere, Stomy; Kujirakwinja, Deo; Langergraber, Kevin; Muyembe, Jean-Jacques; Nishuli, Radar; Pauly, Maude; Petrzelkova, Klara J; Robbins, Martha M; Todd, Angelique; Schubert, Grit; Stoinski, Tara S; Wittig, Roman M; Zuberbühler, Klaus; Peeters, Martine; Leendertz, Fabian H; Calvignac-Spencer, Sébastien

2016-10-01

It has long been hypothesized that polyomaviruses (PyV; family Polyomaviridae) codiverged with their animal hosts. In contrast, recent analyses suggested that codivergence may only marginally influence the evolution of PyV. We reassess this question by focusing on a single lineage of PyV infecting hominine hosts, the Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) lineage. By characterizing the genetic diversity of these viruses in seven African great ape taxa, we show that they exhibit very strong host specificity. Reconciliation analyses identify more codivergence than noncodivergence events. In addition, we find that a number of host and PyV divergence events are synchronous. Collectively, our results support codivergence as the dominant process at play during the evolution of the MCPyV lineage. More generally, our results add to the growing body of evidence suggesting an ancient and stable association of PyV and their animal hosts. The processes involved in viral evolution and the interaction of viruses with their hosts are of great scientific interest and public health relevance. It has long been thought that the genetic diversity of double-stranded DNA viruses was generated over long periods of time, similar to typical host evolutionary timescales. This was also hypothesized for polyomaviruses (family Polyomaviridae), a group comprising several human pathogens, but this remains a point of controversy. Here, we investigate this question by focusing on a single lineage of polyomaviruses that infect both humans and their closest relatives, the African great apes. We show that these viruses exhibit considerable host specificity and that their evolution largely mirrors that of their hosts, suggesting that codivergence with their hosts played a major role in their diversification. Our results provide statistical evidence in favor of an association of polyomaviruses and their hosts over millions of years. Copyright © 2016, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

The quest for knowledge transfer efficacy: blended teaching, online and in-class, with consideration of learning typologies for non-traditional and traditional students.

PubMed

Van Doorn, Judy R; Van Doorn, John D

2014-01-01

The pedagogical paradigm shift in higher education to 24-h learning environments composed of teaching delivery methods of online courses, blended/hybrid formats, and face-to-face (f2f) classes is increasing access to global, lifelong learning. Online degrees have been offered at 62.4% of 2800 colleges and universities. Students can now design flexible, life-balanced course schedules. Higher knowledge transfer rates may exist with blended course formats with online quizzes and valuable class time set for Socratic, quality discussions and creative team presentations. Research indicates that younger, traditional students exhibit heightened performance goal orientations and prefer entertaining professors who are funny, whereas non-traditional students exhibit mastery profiles and prefer courses taught by flexible, yet organized, professors. A 5-year study found that amongst 51,000 students taking both f2f and online courses, higher online failure rates occurred. Competing life roles for non-traditional students and reading and writing needs for at-risk students suggest that performance may be better if programs are started in f2f courses. Models on effective knowledge transfer consider the planning process, delivery methods, and workplace application, but a gap exists for identifying the diversity of learner needs. Higher education enrollments are being compromised with lower online retention rates. Therefore, the main purpose of this review is to delineate disparate learning styles and present a typology for the learning needs of traditional and non-traditional students. Secondly, psychology as a science may need more rigorous curriculum markers like mapping APA guidelines to knowledge objectives, critical assignments, and student learning outcomes (SLOs) (e.g., online rubric assessments for scoring APA style critical thinking essays on selected New York Times books). Efficacious knowledge transfer to diverse, 21st century students should be the Academy's focus.

The quest for knowledge transfer efficacy: blended teaching, online and in-class, with consideration of learning typologies for non-traditional and traditional students

PubMed Central

Van Doorn, Judy R.; Van Doorn, John D.

2014-01-01

The pedagogical paradigm shift in higher education to 24-h learning environments composed of teaching delivery methods of online courses, blended/hybrid formats, and face-to-face (f2f) classes is increasing access to global, lifelong learning. Online degrees have been offered at 62.4% of 2800 colleges and universities. Students can now design flexible, life-balanced course schedules. Higher knowledge transfer rates may exist with blended course formats with online quizzes and valuable class time set for Socratic, quality discussions and creative team presentations. Research indicates that younger, traditional students exhibit heightened performance goal orientations and prefer entertaining professors who are funny, whereas non-traditional students exhibit mastery profiles and prefer courses taught by flexible, yet organized, professors. A 5-year study found that amongst 51,000 students taking both f2f and online courses, higher online failure rates occurred. Competing life roles for non-traditional students and reading and writing needs for at-risk students suggest that performance may be better if programs are started in f2f courses. Models on effective knowledge transfer consider the planning process, delivery methods, and workplace application, but a gap exists for identifying the diversity of learner needs. Higher education enrollments are being compromised with lower online retention rates. Therefore, the main purpose of this review is to delineate disparate learning styles and present a typology for the learning needs of traditional and non-traditional students. Secondly, psychology as a science may need more rigorous curriculum markers like mapping APA guidelines to knowledge objectives, critical assignments, and student learning outcomes (SLOs) (e.g., online rubric assessments for scoring APA style critical thinking essays on selected New York Times books). Efficacious knowledge transfer to diverse, 21st century students should be the Academy's focus. PMID:24860517

Spherical nitrogen-doped hollow mesoporous carbon as an efficient bifunctional electrocatalyst for Zn-air batteries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hadidi, Lida; Davari, Elaheh; Iqbal, Muhammad; Purkait, Tapas K.; Ivey, Douglas G.; Veinot, Jonathan G. C.

2015-12-01

Materials based upon porous carbon have gained considerable attention due to their high surface area, electric conductivity, thermal and chemical stability, low density, and availability. These superior properties make them ideal for diverse applications. Doping these carbon nanostructures holds promise of designing the properties of these structures and opening the door to practical applications. Herein, we report the preparation of hollow N-doped mesoporous carbon (HMC) spheres fabricated via polymerization and carbonization of dopamine on a sacrificial spherical SiO2 template that is removed upon hydrofluoric acid etching. The morphology and structural features of these HMCs were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy and the N-doping (7.1 at%) was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The oxygen reduction/evolution reaction (ORR/OER) performance of N-doped HMC was evaluated using rotating disk electrode (RDE) voltammetry in an alkaline electrolyte. N-doped HMC demonstrated a high ORR onset potential of -0.055 V (vs. Hg/HgO) and excellent stability. The outstanding bifunctional activity was implemented in a practical Zn-air battery (ZAB), which exhibited a small charge-discharge voltage polarization of 0.89 V and high stability over repeated cycling.Materials based upon porous carbon have gained considerable attention due to their high surface area, electric conductivity, thermal and chemical stability, low density, and availability. These superior properties make them ideal for diverse applications. Doping these carbon nanostructures holds promise of designing the properties of these structures and opening the door to practical applications. Herein, we report the preparation of hollow N-doped mesoporous carbon (HMC) spheres fabricated via polymerization and carbonization of dopamine on a sacrificial spherical SiO2 template that is removed upon hydrofluoric acid etching. The morphology and structural features of these HMCs were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy and the N-doping (7.1 at%) was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The oxygen reduction/evolution reaction (ORR/OER) performance of N-doped HMC was evaluated using rotating disk electrode (RDE) voltammetry in an alkaline electrolyte. N-doped HMC demonstrated a high ORR onset potential of -0.055 V (vs. Hg/HgO) and excellent stability. The outstanding bifunctional activity was implemented in a practical Zn-air battery (ZAB), which exhibited a small charge-discharge voltage polarization of 0.89 V and high stability over repeated cycling. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c5nr06028a

The Core Gut Microbiome of the American Cockroach, Periplaneta americana, Is Stable and Resilient to Dietary Shifts.

PubMed

Tinker, Kara A; Ottesen, Elizabeth A

2016-11-15

The omnivorous cockroach Periplaneta americana hosts a diverse hindgut microbiota encompassing hundreds of microbial species. In this study, we used 16S rRNA gene sequencing to examine the effect of diet on the composition of the P. americana hindgut microbial community. Results show that the hindgut microbiota of P. americana exhibit a highly stable core microbial community with low variance in compositions between individuals and minimal community change in response to dietary shifts. This core hindgut microbiome is shared between laboratory-hosted and wild-caught individuals, although wild-caught specimens exhibited a higher diversity of low-abundance microbes that were lost following extended cultivation under laboratory conditions. This taxonomic stability strongly contrasts with observations of the gut microbiota of mammals, which have been shown to be highly responsive to dietary change. A comparison of P. americana hindgut samples with human fecal samples indicated that the cockroach hindgut community exhibited higher alpha diversity but a substantially lower beta diversity than the human gut microbiome. This suggests that cockroaches have evolved unique mechanisms for establishing and maintaining a diverse and stable core microbiome. The gut microbiome plays an important role in the overall health of its host. A healthy gut microbiota typically assists with defense against pathogens and the digestion and absorption of nutrients from food, while dysbiosis of the gut microbiota has been associated with reduced health. In this study, we examined the composition and stability of the gut microbiota from the omnivorous cockroach Periplaneta americana. We found that P. americana hosts a diverse core gut microbiome that remains stable after drastic long-term changes in diet. While other insects, notably ant and bee species, have evolved mechanisms for maintaining a stable association with specific gut microbiota, these insects typically host low-diversity gut microbiomes and consume specialized diets. In contrast, P. americana hosts a gut microbiota that is highly species rich and consumes a diverse solid diet, suggesting that cockroaches have evolved unique mechanisms for developing and maintaining a stable gut microbiota. Copyright © 2016, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Understanding Social Integration and Student Involvement as Factors of Self-Reported Gains for African American Undergraduate Women

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Edna Jones

2012-01-01

Diversity of student populations within higher education has considerably increased, particularly for women and minority populations, which is indicative of greater access to education toward a college degree. However, increased diversity of student populations has introduced a new set of challenges for higher education administrators in that it…

Developmentally Universal Practice: Visioning Innovative Early Childhood Pedagogy for Meeting the Needs of Diverse Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harris, Kathleen I.

2015-01-01

Although developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) has strong merits, there are considerations pertaining to its development and implementation which must be raised. In order for educators to include diverse voices of young children, the time has come for a new conversation to unfold introducing developmentally universal practice (DUP). With this…

Engineering and Development Support of General Decon Technology for the U.S. Army’s Installation Restoration Program. Task 1. Literature Review on Ground Water Containment and Diversion Barriers.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-04-01

number) This report presents a review and evaluation of the available information on the use of physical and hydrological barriers for containment or...UNCLASSIFIED 1 $SCCuRITY CLASSIFICATION OF T.qiS *&GE When Daa Entered SUMMARY The available literature on methods for containment or diversion of ground...II. Preliminary Considerations for Installation of a Ground Water Containment or Diversion Barrier .. ... ....... ...... 13 III. Slurry-Trench Cutoff

Photographic images captured while sampling for bald eagles near the Davis Pond freshwater diversion structure in Barataria Bay, Louisiana (2009-10)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jenkins, Jill A.; Jeske, Clinton W.; Allain, Larry K.

2011-01-01

The implementation of freshwater diversions in large-scale coastal restoration schemes presents several scientific and management considerations. Large-scale environmental restructuring necessitates aquatic biomonitoring, and during such field studies, photographs that document animals and habitat may be captured. Among the biomonitoring studies performed in conjunction with the Davis Pond freshwater diversion structure south of New Orleans, Louisiana, only postdiversion study images are readily available, and these are presented here.

Egg-specific expression of protein with DNA methyltransferase activity in the biocarcinogenic liver fluke Clonorchis sinensis.

PubMed

Kim, Seon-Hee; Cho, Hye-Jeong; Sohn, Woon-Mok; Ahn, Chun-Seob; Kong, Yoon; Yang, Hyun-Jong; Bae, Young-An

2015-08-01

Despite recent reports regarding the biology of cytosine methylation in Schistosoma mansoni, the impact of the regulatory machinery remains unclear in diverse platyhelminthes. This ambiguity is reinforced by discoveries of DNA methyltransferase 2 (DNMT2)-only organisms and the substrate specificity of DNMT2 preferential to RNA molecules. Here, we characterized a novel DNA methyltransferase, named CsDNMT2, in a liver fluke Clonorchis sinensis. The protein exhibited structural properties conserved in other members of the DNMT2 family. The native and recombinant CsDNMT2 exhibited considerable enzymatic activity on DNA. The spatiotemporal expression of CsDNMT2 mirrored that of 5-methylcytosine (5 mC), both of which were elevated in the C. sinensis eggs. However, CsDNMT2 and 5 mC were marginally detected in other histological regions of C. sinensis adults including ovaries and seminal receptacle. The methylation site seemed not related to genomic loci occupied by progenies of an active long-terminal-repeat retrotransposon. Taken together, our data strongly suggest that C. sinensis has preserved the functional DNA methylation machinery and that DNMT2 acts as a genuine alternative to DNMT1/DNMT3 to methylate DNA in the DNMT2-only organism. The epigenetic regulation would target functional genes primarily involved in the formation and/or maturation of eggs, rather than retrotransposons.

Vesta Mineralogy after Dawn Global Observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

ChristinaDeSanctis, Maria; Ammannito, E.; Capaccioni, F.; Cparia, M. T.; Carraro, F.; Fonte, S.; Frigeri, A.; Longobardo, A.; Marchi, S.; Palomba, E.;

Diverse Functionalities of Vertically Stacked Graphene/Single layer n-MoS2/SiO2/p-GaN Heterostructures.

PubMed

Perumal, Packiyaraj; Karuppiah, Chelladurai; Liao, Wei-Cheng; Liou, Yi-Rou; Liao, Yu-Ming; Chen, Yang-Fang

2017-08-30

Integrating different dimentional materials on vertically stacked p-n hetero-junctions have facinated a considerable scrunity and can open up excellent feasibility with various functionalities in opto-electronic devices. Here, we demonstrate that vertically stacked p-GaN/SiO 2 /n-MoS 2 /Graphene heterostructures enable to exhibit prominent dual opto-electronic characteristics, including efficient photo-detection and light emission, which represents the emergence of a new class of devices. The photoresponsivity was found to achieve as high as ~10.4 AW -1 and the detectivity and external quantum efficiency were estimated to be 1.1 × 10 10 Jones and ~30%, respectively. These values are superier than most reported hererojunction devices. In addition, this device exhibits as a self-powered photodetector, showing a high responsivity and fast response speed. Moreover, the device demonstrates the light emission with low turn-on voltage (~1.0 V) which can be realized by electron injection from graphene electrode and holes from GaN film into monolayer MoS 2 layer. These results indicate that with a suitable choice of band alignment, the vertical stacking of materials with different dimentionalities could be significant potential for integration of highly efficient heterostructures and open up feasible pathways towards integrated nanoscale multi-functional optoelectronic devices for a variety of applications.

Mate Choice and Domestic Life in the Nineteenth Century Marriage Manual

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gordon, Michael; Berstein, M. Charles

1970-01-01

A considerable amount of diversity was discovered in the views expressed in the 63 books reviewed. Religious, physical, and social considerations were the factors most heavily stressed with regard to mate choce; romantic love was not an important factor. Sex is discussed almost solely in terms of its procreative function, although some change is…

Diverse effects of degree of urbanisation and forest size on species richness and functional diversity of plants, and ground surface-active ants and spiders

PubMed Central

Melliger, Ramona Laila; Rusterholz, Hans-Peter; Baur, Bruno

2018-01-01

Urbanisation is increasing worldwide and is regarded a major driver of environmental change altering local species assemblages in urban green areas. Forests are one of the most frequent habitat types in urban landscapes harbouring many native species and providing important ecosystem services. By using a multi-taxa approach covering a range of trophic ranks, we examined the influence of degree of urbanisation and forest size on the species richness and functional diversity of plants, and ground surface-active ants and spiders. We conducted field surveys in twenty-six forests in the urban region of Basel, Switzerland. We found that a species’ response to urbanisation varied depending on trophic rank, habitat specificity and the diversity indices used. In plants, species richness decreased with degree of urbanisation, whereas that of both arthropod groups was not affected. However, ants and spiders at higher trophic rank showed greater shifts in species composition with increasing degree of urbanisation, and the percentage of forest specialists in both arthropod groups increased with forest size. Local abiotic site characteristics were also crucial for plant species diversity and species composition, while the structural diversity of both leaf litter and vegetation was important for the diversity of ants and spiders. Our results highlight that even small urban forests can harbour a considerable biodiversity including habitat specialists. Nonetheless, urbanisation directly and indirectly caused major shifts in species composition. Therefore, special consideration needs to be given to vulnerable species, including those with special habitat requirements. Locally adapted management practices could be a step forward to enhance habitat quality in a way to maximize diversity of forest species and thus ensure forest ecosystem functioning; albeit large-scale factors also remain important. PMID:29920553

Diverse effects of degree of urbanisation and forest size on species richness and functional diversity of plants, and ground surface-active ants and spiders.

PubMed

Melliger, Ramona Laila; Braschler, Brigitte; Rusterholz, Hans-Peter; Baur, Bruno

2018-01-01

Urbanisation is increasing worldwide and is regarded a major driver of environmental change altering local species assemblages in urban green areas. Forests are one of the most frequent habitat types in urban landscapes harbouring many native species and providing important ecosystem services. By using a multi-taxa approach covering a range of trophic ranks, we examined the influence of degree of urbanisation and forest size on the species richness and functional diversity of plants, and ground surface-active ants and spiders. We conducted field surveys in twenty-six forests in the urban region of Basel, Switzerland. We found that a species' response to urbanisation varied depending on trophic rank, habitat specificity and the diversity indices used. In plants, species richness decreased with degree of urbanisation, whereas that of both arthropod groups was not affected. However, ants and spiders at higher trophic rank showed greater shifts in species composition with increasing degree of urbanisation, and the percentage of forest specialists in both arthropod groups increased with forest size. Local abiotic site characteristics were also crucial for plant species diversity and species composition, while the structural diversity of both leaf litter and vegetation was important for the diversity of ants and spiders. Our results highlight that even small urban forests can harbour a considerable biodiversity including habitat specialists. Nonetheless, urbanisation directly and indirectly caused major shifts in species composition. Therefore, special consideration needs to be given to vulnerable species, including those with special habitat requirements. Locally adapted management practices could be a step forward to enhance habitat quality in a way to maximize diversity of forest species and thus ensure forest ecosystem functioning; albeit large-scale factors also remain important.

Addition of Rubber to soil damages the functional diversity of soil.

PubMed

Goswami, Madhurankhi; Bhattacharyya, Purnita; Tribedi, Prosun

2017-07-01

Rubber is a polymer of isoprene, consisting mainly of cis-1,4-polyisoprene units. The unmanageable production and its irresponsible disposal pose severe threats to environmental ecology. Therefore, the current study focuses extensively on the ill-effects of Rubber disposal on soil microbial functional diversity as it reflects the health of ecosystem by acting as a key component in ecosystem productivity. To investigate the effect of Rubber on soil microbial functional diversity, soil samples were collected from landfill sites and three different soil microcosms (Rubber treated, untreated, and sterile soil) were prepared. The soil enzymatic activity was determined by fluorescein diacetate hydrolysis followed by the determination of the microbial metabolic potential and functional diversity by average well color development and Shannon-Weaver index (H), respectively. BiOLOG ECO plates were used for determining the microbial functional diversity of the soil microcosms. Higher heterotrophic microbial count as well as higher soil microbial activity was observed in Rubber untreated soil than Rubber treated soil microcosm. The result indicated that the addition of Rubber to soil reduced soil heterotrophic microbial count and soil microbial activity considerably. Similarly, soil microbial metabolic potential as well as microbial functional diversity of soil had been decreased by the addition of Rubber gloves in it. Variation in soil microbial metabolic spectrum between Rubber treated and untreated microcosm was confirmed by multivariate analysis. Collectively, all the results demonstrated that the addition of Rubber to soil reduced the soil microbial functional diversity considerably. Therefore, it is necessary for the commission of serious steps regarding Rubber disposal and protection of the environment from serious environmental issues.

Genetic diversity of dispersed seeds is highly variable among leks of the long-wattled umbrellabird

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ottewell, Kym; Browne, Luke; Cabrera, Domingo; Olivo, Jorge; Karubian, Jordan

2018-01-01

Frugivorous animals frequently generate clumped distributions of seeds away from source trees, but genetic consequences of this phenomenon remain poorly resolved. Seed dispersal of the palm Oenocarpus bataua by long-wattled umbrellabirds Cephalopterus penduliger generates high seed densities in leks (i.e., multi-male display sites), providing a suitable venue to investigate how dispersal by this frugivore may influence seed source diversity and genetic structure at local and landscape levels. We found moderate levels of maternal seed source diversity in primary seed rain across five leks in northwest Ecuador (unweighted mean alpha diversity α = 9.52, weighted mean αr = 3.52), with considerable variation among leks (αr range: 1.81-24.55). Qualitatively similar findings were obtained for allelic diversity and heterozygosity. Higher densities of O. bataua adults around leks were associated with higher values of αr and heterozygosity (non-significant trends) and allelic diversity (significant correlation). Seed source overlap between different leks was not common but did occur at low frequency, providing evidence for long-distance seed dispersal by umbrellabirds into leks. Our findings are consistent with the idea that seed pool diversity within leks may be shaped by the interaction between density of local trees, which can vary considerably between leks, and umbrellabird foraging ecology, particularly a lack of territorial defense of fruiting trees. Taken as a whole, this work adds to our growing appreciation of the ways resource distribution and associated frugivore foraging behaviors mechanistically shape seed dispersal outcomes and the distribution of plant genotypes across the landscape.

The Relationship between Charge Nurse Leadership Style and Staff Nurse Job Satisfaction

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-12-01

8217 Leadership Styles and Number of Each Style ............................................ 43 13. Staff Nurse Job Satisfaction Information and Charge -a Nurse... leadership styles , were possible: 1. high consideration-high structure 2. high consideration-moderate structure 3. high consideration-low structure. 4...exhibit particular leadership styles . The study also revealed other factors relating to job satisfaction among staff nurses, which can be used by nurses

Diversity in migratory patterns among Neotropical fishes in a highly regulated river basin.

PubMed

Makrakis, M C; Miranda, L E; Makrakis, S; Fontes Júnior, H M; Morlis, W G; Dias, J H P; Garcia, J O

2012-07-01

Migratory behaviour of selected fish species is described in the Paraná River, Brazil-Argentina-Paraguay, to search for patterns relevant to tropical regulated river systems. In a 10 year mark-recapture study, spanning a 1425 km section of the river, 32 867 fishes composed of 18 species were released and 1083 fishes were recaptured. The fishes recaptured were at liberty an average 166 days (maximum 1548 days) and travelled an average 35 km (range 0-625 km). Cluster analysis applied to variables descriptive of movement behaviour identified four general movement patterns. Cluster 1 included species that moved long distances (mean 164 km) upstream (54%) and downstream (40%) the mainstem river and showed high incidence (27%) of passage through dams; cluster 2 also exhibited high rate of movement along the mainstem (49% upstream, 13% downstream), but moved small distances (mean 10 km); cluster 3 included the most fishes moving laterally into tributaries (45%) or not moving at all (25%), but little downstream movement (8%); fishes in cluster 4 exhibited little upstream movement (13%) and farthest downstream movements (mean 41 km). Whereas species could be numerically clustered with statistical models, a species ordination showed ample spread, suggesting that species exhibit diverse movement patterns that cannot be easily classified into just a few classes. The cluster and ordination procedures also showed that adults and juveniles of the same species exhibit similar movement patterns. Conventional concepts about Neotropical migratory fishes portray them as travelling long distances upstream. The present results broaden these concepts suggesting that migratory movements are more diverse, could be long, short or at times absent, upriver, downriver or lateral, and the diversity of movements can vary within and among species. The intense lateral migrations exhibited by a diversity of species, especially to and from large tributaries (above reservoirs) and reservoir tributaries, illustrate the importance of these habitats for the fish species life cycle. Considering that the Paraná River is highly impounded, special attention should be given to the few remaining low-impact habitats as they continue to be targets of hydropower development that will probably intensify the effects on migratory fish stocks. © 2012 The Authors. Journal of Fish Biology © 2012 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

Relationship of Productivity to Species Richness in the Xinjiang Temperate Grassland

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

The relationship between species richness (SR) and aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) is still a central and debated issue in community ecology. Previous studies have often emphasized the relationship of alpha diversity (number of species identity) to the mean ANPP with respect to the SR-ANPP relationship while neglecting the contribution of beta diversity (dissimilarity in species composition) to the mean ANPP and to the stability of ANPP (coefficient of ANPP: CV of ANPP). In this study, we used alpha and beta diversity, mean ANPP and the CV of ANPP collected from 159 sites and belonging to three vegetation types in the Xinjiang temperate grassland to first examine their trends along climatic factors and among different vegetation types and then test the relationship among alpha (beta) diversity and mean ANPP and the CV of ANPP. Our results showed that in the Xinjiang temperate grasslands, alpha diversity was positively and linearly correlated with MAP but unimodally correlated with MAT. Meanwhile, beta diversity was unimodally correlated with MAP but linearly correlated with MAT. Relative to desert steppe, meadow steppe and typical steppe had the highest alpha and beta diversity, respectively. Except for ANPP exhibiting a quadratic relationship with MAP, no significant relationship was found among ANPP, the CV of ANPP and climatic factors. ANPP and the CV of ANPP also exhibited no apparent patterns in variation among different vegetation types. Our results further showed that mean ANPP was closely associated with alpha diversity. Both linear and unimodal relationships were detected between alpha diversity and mean ANPP, but their particular form was texture-dependent. Meanwhile, the CV of ANPP was positively correlated with beta diversity. Our results indicated that in addition to incorporating alpha diversity and mean ANPP, incorporating beta diversity and the CV of ANPP could expand our understanding of the SR-ANPP relationship. PMID:27100676

Psychometric Evaluation of Lexical Diversity Indices: Assessing Length Effects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fergadiotis, Gerasimos; Wright, Heather Harris; Green, Samuel B.

2015-01-01

Purpose: Several novel techniques have been developed recently to assess the breadth of a speaker's vocabulary exhibited in a language sample. The specific aim of this study was to increase our understanding of the validity of the scores generated by different lexical diversity (LD) estimation techniques. Four techniques were explored: D, Maas,…

The Conduct of Socially Valid Investigation by Culturally Diverse Researchers: A Delphi Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dutta, Alo; Kundu, Madan; Chan, Fong

2010-01-01

Minority researchers have traditionally exhibited a need for and interest in investigating non-mainstream issues involving diverse communities. Since faculty at colleges and universities within the United States are largely Caucasian, research on issues relevant to marginalized groups is lacking. This three-stage Delphi study was designed to…

Comparative genomics of plant-associated Pseudomonas spp.: Insights into diversity and inheritance of traits involved in multitrophic interactions

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

We provide here a comparative genome analysis of the Pseudomonas fluorescens group, including seven new genomic sequences for plant-associated strains. These strains exhibit a diverse spectrum of traits involved in biological control and other multitrophic interactions with plants, microbes, and ins...

Bioactive terpenes from marine-derived fungi.

PubMed

Elissawy, Ahmed M; El-Shazly, Mohamed; Ebada, Sherif S; Singab, AbdelNasser B; Proksch, Peter

2015-04-03

Marine-derived fungi continue to be a prolific source of secondary metabolites showing diverse bioactivities. Terpenoids from marine-derived fungi exhibit wide structural diversity including numerous compounds with pronounced biological activities. In this review, we survey the last five years' reports on terpenoidal metabolites from marine-derived fungi with particular attention on those showing marked biological activities.

Teaching Kindergartners Racial Diversity through Multicultural Literature: A Case Study in a Kindergarten Classroom in Korea

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, So Jung; Wee, Su-Jeong; Lee, Young Mi

2016-01-01

Research Findings: This qualitative case study examines Korean kindergartners' literary discussions about racial/cultural diversity during a whole-group read-aloud. Using multiple sources of data, including observations, open-ended interviews, and written materials and children's artifacts, this study found that (a) the children exhibited a biased…

Spider peptide toxin lycosin-I induces apoptosis and inhibits migration of prostate cancer cells.

PubMed

Shen, Hongwei; Xie, Yuan; Ye, Senlin; He, Kancheng; Yi, Lu; Cui, Rongrong

2018-05-01

Spider toxins are molecularly diverse and some display not only a strong antibacterial effect but also exhibit significant inhibition of tumor growth and promote tumor cell apoptosis. The aim of the present investigation was to explore different antitumor effects of the spider peptide toxin lycosin-I through different pathways at different concentrations. It was found that by inactivating STAT3 pathway, high concentrations of lycosin-I induce apoptosis in prostate cancer cells and low concentrations of lycosin-I inhibit the migration of prostate cancer cells. This finding provides favorable evidence for further study of the molecular diversity of spider toxins. Impact statement The spider peptide toxin has become an important research topic. These toxins are molecularly diverse and some display not only a strong antibacterial effect but also exhibit significant inhibition of tumor growth and promote tumor cell apoptosis. Inspired by previous studies, the present study aims to investigate the effects of different concentrations of lycosin-I on the invasiveness and apoptosis of human prostate cancer cells. The findings provide favorable evidence for further study of the molecular diversity of spider toxins.

Epigenetic variation predicts regional and local intraspecific functional diversity in a perennial herb.

PubMed

Medrano, Mónica; Herrera, Carlos M; Bazaga, Pilar

2014-10-01

The ecological significance of epigenetic variation has been generally inferred from studies on model plants under artificial conditions, but the importance of epigenetic differences between individuals as a source of intraspecific diversity in natural plant populations remains essentially unknown. This study investigates the relationship between epigenetic variation and functional plant diversity by conducting epigenetic (methylation-sensitive amplified fragment length polymorphisms, MSAP) and genetic (amplified fragment length polymorphisms, AFLP) marker-trait association analyses for 20 whole-plant, leaf and regenerative functional traits in a large sample of wild-growing plants of the perennial herb Helleborus foetidus from ten sampling sites in south-eastern Spain. Plants differed widely in functional characteristics, and exhibited greater epigenetic than genetic diversity, as shown by per cent polymorphism of MSAP fragments (92%) or markers (69%) greatly exceeding that for AFLP ones (41%). After controlling for genetic structuring and possible cryptic relatedness, every functional trait considered exhibited a significant association with at least one AFLP or MSAP marker. A total of 27 MSAP (13.0% of total) and 12 AFLP (4.4%) markers were involved in significant associations, which explained on average 8.2% and 8.0% of trait variance, respectively. Individual MSAP markers were more likely to be associated with functional traits than AFLP markers. Between-site differences in multivariate functional diversity were directly related to variation in multilocus epigenetic diversity after multilocus genetic diversity was statistically accounted for. Results suggest that epigenetic variation can be an important source of intraspecific functional diversity in H. foetidus, possibly endowing this species with the capacity to exploit a broad range of ecological conditions despite its modest genetic diversity. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Using Cross-Cultural, Intergenerational Play Narratives to Explore Issues of Social Justice and Equity in Discourse on Children's Play

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shimpi, Priya Mariana; Nicholson, Julie

2014-01-01

Discussion of children's play in international and diverse communities requires careful consideration of social, cultural and political contexts impacting children's lives, as well as recognition of the complexities revealed when these variables are identified and analysed. Using diverse conceptual frameworks represented in the research…

Functional and Taxonomic Diversity of Stinging Wasps in Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest Areas.

PubMed

Dos Santos, E F; Noll, F B; Brandão, C R F

2014-04-01

Vespoidea are the most functionally diverse superfamily of Hymenoptera. Ecological studies involving this family are primarily based on eusocial groups, including ants and social paper wasps. In the present study, we examine stinging wasp (Vespoidea) faunal diversity in the Atlantic Rain Forest, which is one of the most diverse and threatened ecosystems in the World. Three conservation areas were sampled employing a standardized sample protocol. Families and functional groups of Vespoidea were collected in each area, with the exception ants (Formicidae), and analyzed using diversity analyses, to generate taxonomic diversity and distinctness indices. Results indicated Pompilidae was the most diverse family, and the idiobiont parasitoid type was the most diverse functional group in the three study areas. Núcleo Picinguaba of the Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar was taxonomically and functionally the most diverse and species rich area. Parque Estadual Intervales showed the highest number of dominant species and diversity of koinobiont parasitoids, while the Rebio Sooretama exhibited a decrease in several diversity parameters.

Spatial variation in the climatic predictors of species compositional turnover and endemism

PubMed Central

Di Virgilio, Giovanni; Laffan, Shawn W; Ebach, Malte C; Chapple, David G

2014-01-01

Previous research focusing on broad-scale or geographically invariant species-environment dependencies suggest that temperature-related variables explain more of the variation in reptile distributions than precipitation. However, species–environment relationships may exhibit considerable spatial variation contingent upon the geographic nuances that vary between locations. Broad-scale, geographically invariant analyses may mask this local variation and their findings may not generalize to different locations at local scales. We assess how reptile–climatic relationships change with varying spatial scale, location, and direction. Since the spatial distributions of diversity and endemism hotspots differ for other species groups, we also assess whether reptile species turnover and endemism hotspots are influenced differently by climatic predictors. Using New Zealand reptiles as an example, the variation in species turnover, endemism and turnover in climatic variables was measured using directional moving window analyses, rotated through 360°. Correlations between the species turnover, endemism and climatic turnover results generated by each rotation of the moving window were analysed using multivariate generalized linear models applied at national, regional, and local scales. At national-scale, temperature turnover consistently exhibited the greatest influence on species turnover and endemism, but model predictive capacity was low (typically r2 = 0.05, P < 0.001). At regional scales the relative influence of temperature and precipitation turnover varied between regions, although model predictive capacity was also generally low. Climatic turnover was considerably more predictive of species turnover and endemism at local scales (e.g., r2 = 0.65, P < 0.001). While temperature turnover had the greatest effect in one locale (the northern North Island), there was substantial variation in the relative influence of temperature and precipitation predictors in the remaining four locales. Species turnover and endemism hotspots often occurred in different locations. Climatic predictors had a smaller influence on endemism. Our results caution against assuming that variability in temperature will always be most predictive of reptile biodiversity across different spatial scales, locations and directions. The influence of climatic turnover on the species turnover and endemism of other taxa may exhibit similar patterns of spatial variation. Such intricate variation might be discerned more readily if studies at broad scales are complemented by geographically variant, local-scale analyses. PMID:25473479

Consistent patterns of high alpha and low beta diversity in tropical parasitic and free-living protists.

PubMed

Lentendu, Guillaume; Mahé, Frédéric; Bass, David; Rueckert, Sonja; Stoeck, Thorsten; Dunthorn, Micah

2018-05-30

Tropical animals and plants are known to have high alpha diversity within forests, but low beta diversity between forests. By contrast, it is unknown whether microbes inhabiting the same ecosystems exhibit similar biogeographic patterns. To evaluate the biogeographies of tropical protists, we used metabarcoding data of species sampled in the soils of three lowland Neotropical rainforests. Taxa-area and distance-decay relationships for three of the dominant protist taxa and their subtaxa were estimated at both the OTU and phylogenetic levels, with presence-absence and abundance-based measures. These estimates were compared to null models. High local alpha and low regional beta diversity patterns were consistently found for both the parasitic Apicomplexa and the largely free-living Cercozoa and Ciliophora. Similar to animals and plants, the protists showed spatial structures between forests at the OTU and phylogenetic levels, and only at the phylogenetic level within forests. These results suggest that the biogeographies of macro- and micro-organismal eukaryotes in lowland Neotropical rainforests are partially structured by the same general processes. However, and unlike the animals and plants, the protist OTUs did not exhibit spatial structures within forests, which hinders our ability to estimate the local and regional diversity of protists in tropical forests. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The origin of diverse α-element abundances in galaxy discs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mackereth, J. Ted; Crain, Robert A.; Schiavon, Ricardo P.; Schaye, Joop; Theuns, Tom; Schaller, Matthieu

2018-07-01

Spectroscopic surveys of the Galaxy reveal that its disc stars exhibit a spread in [α/Fe] at fixed [Fe/H], manifest at some locations as a bimodality. The origin of these diverse, and possibly distinct, stellar populations in the Galactic disc is not well understood. We examine the Fe and α-element evolution of 133 Milky Way-like galaxies from the EAGLE simulation, to investigate the origin and diversity of their [α/Fe]-[Fe/H] distributions. We find that bimodal [α/Fe] distributions arise in galaxies whose gas accretion histories exhibit episodes of significant infall at both early and late times, with the former fostering more intense star formation than the latter. The shorter characteristic consumption time-scale of gas accreted in the earlier episode suppresses its enrichment with iron synthesized by Type Ia SNe, resulting in the formation of a high-[α/Fe] sequence. We find that bimodality in [α/Fe] similar to that seen in the Galaxy is rare, appearing in approximately 5 per cent of galaxies in our sample. We posit that this is a consequence of an early gas accretion episode requiring the mass accretion history of a galaxy's dark matter halo to exhibit a phase of atypically rapid growth at early epochs. The scarcity of EAGLE galaxies exhibiting distinct sequences in the [α/Fe]-[Fe/H] plane may therefore indicate that the Milky Way's elemental abundance patterns, and its accretion history, are not representative of the broader population of ˜L⋆ disc galaxies.

The origin of diverse α-element abundances in galaxy discs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mackereth, J. Ted; Crain, Robert A.; Schiavon, Ricardo P.; Schaye, Joop; Theuns, Tom; Schaller, Matthieu

2018-04-01

Spectroscopic surveys of the Galaxy reveal that its disc stars exhibit a spread in [α/Fe] at fixed [Fe/H], manifest at some locations as a bimodality. The origin of these diverse, and possibly distinct, stellar populations in the Galactic disc is not well understood. We examine the Fe and α-element evolution of 133 Milky Way-like galaxies from the EAGLE simulation, to investigate the origin and diversity of their [α/Fe]-[Fe/H] distributions. We find that bimodal [α/Fe] distributions arise in galaxies whose gas accretion histories exhibit episodes of significant infall at both early and late times, with the former fostering more intense star formation than the latter. The shorter characteristic consumption timescale of gas accreted in the earlier episode suppresses its enrichment with iron synthesised by Type Ia SNe, resulting in the formation of a high-[α/Fe] sequence. We find that bimodality in [α/Fe] similar to that seen in the Galaxy is rare, appearing in approximately 5 percent of galaxies in our sample. We posit that this is a consequence of an early gas accretion episode requiring the mass accretion history of a galaxy's dark matter halo to exhibit a phase of atypically-rapid growth at early epochs. The scarcity of EAGLE galaxies exhibiting distinct sequences in the [α/Fe]-[Fe/H] plane may therefore indicate that the Milky Way's elemental abundance patterns, and its accretion history, are not representative of the broader population of ˜L⋆ disc galaxies.

Control of Dissected Leaf Morphology by a Cys(2)His(2) Zinc Finger Transcription Factor in the Model Legume Medicago Truncatula

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Different plants may have different leaf types. Diversity in leaf types contributes to a large degree of plant diversity in the natural environment. How different leaf morphology is determined is not yet understood. The leguminous plant Medicago truncatula exhibits dissected leaves with three leafl...

Dynamics of Tree Species Diversity in Unlogged and Selectively Logged Malaysian Forests.

PubMed

Shima, Ken; Yamada, Toshihiro; Okuda, Toshinori; Fletcher, Christine; Kassim, Abdul Rahman

2018-01-18

Selective logging that is commonly conducted in tropical forests may change tree species diversity. In rarely disturbed tropical forests, locally rare species exhibit higher survival rates. If this non-random process occurs in a logged forest, the forest will rapidly recover its tree species diversity. Here we determined whether a forest in the Pasoh Forest Reserve, Malaysia, which was selectively logged 40 years ago, recovered its original species diversity (species richness and composition). To explore this, we compared the dynamics of secies diversity between unlogged forest plot (18.6 ha) and logged forest plot (5.4 ha). We found that 40 years are not sufficient to recover species diversity after logging. Unlike unlogged forests, tree deaths and recruitments did not contribute to increased diversity in the selectively logged forests. Our results predict that selectively logged forests require a longer time at least than our observing period (40 years) to regain their diversity.

Forest cover type, habitat diversity, and anthropogenic influences on forest ecosystems adjoining the Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya

Treesearch

James Legilisho-Kiyiapi

2000-01-01

Through combined use of satellite imagery, aerial photographs, and ground truthing, a multilevel assessment was conducted in a forest block that forms a unique dispersal zone to the Maasai Mara National Reserve ecosystem. Results of the survey revealed considerable ecological diversity on an area-scale basis - in terms of ecotypes. Forest types ranged from Afro-montane...

Potential use of random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique to study the genetic diversity in Indian mustard (Brassica juncea) and its relationship to heterosis.

PubMed

Jain, A; Bhatia, S; Banga, S S; Prakash, S; Lakshmikumaran, M

1994-04-01

RAPD assays were performed, using 34 arbitrary decamer oligonucleotide primers and six combinations of two primers, to detect inherent variations and genetic relationships among 12 Indian and 11 exotic B. juncea genotypes. Of 595 amplification products identified, 500 of them were polymorphic across all genotypes. A low level of genetic variability was detected among the Indian genotypes, while considerable polymorphism was present among the exotic ones. Based on the pair-wise comparisons of amplification products the genetic similarity was calculated using Jaccard's similarity coefficients and a dendrogram was constructed using an unweighted pair group method was arithmetical averages (UPGMA). On the basis of this analysis the genotypes were clustered into two groups, A and B. Group A comprised only exotic genotypes, whereas all the Indian genotypes and four of the exotic genotypes were clustered in group B. Almost similar genotypic rankings could also be established by computing as few as 200 amplification products. In general, a high per cent of heterosis was recorded in crosses involving Indian x exotic genotypes. On the other hand, when crosses were made amongst Indian or exotic genotypes, about 80% of them exhibited negative heterosis. Results from this study indicate that, despite the lack of direct correlation between the genetic distance and the degree of heterosis, genetic diversity forms a very useful guide not only for investigating the relationships among Brassica genotypes but also in the selection of parents for heterotic hybrid combinations.

Validating a multiple mini-interview question bank assessing entry-level reasoning skills in candidates for graduate-entry medicine and dentistry programmes.

PubMed

Roberts, Chris; Zoanetti, Nathan; Rothnie, Imogene

2009-04-01

The multiple mini-interview (MMI) was initially designed to test non-cognitive characteristics related to professionalism in entry-level students. However, it may be testing cognitive reasoning skills. Candidates to medical and dental schools come from diverse backgrounds and it is important for the validity and fairness of the MMI that these background factors do not impact on their scores. A suite of advanced psychometric techniques drawn from item response theory (IRT) was used to validate an MMI question bank in order to establish the conceptual equivalence of the questions. Bias against candidate subgroups of equal ability was investigated using differential item functioning (DIF) analysis. All 39 questions had a good fit to the IRT model. Of the 195 checklist items, none were found to have significant DIF after visual inspection of expected score curves, consideration of the number of applicants per category, and evaluation of the magnitude of the DIF parameter estimates. The question bank contains items that have been studied carefully in terms of model fit and DIF. Questions appear to measure a cognitive unidimensional construct, 'entry-level reasoning skills in professionalism', as suggested by goodness-of-fit statistics. The lack of items exhibiting DIF is encouraging in a contemporary high-stakes admission setting where candidates of diverse personal, cultural and academic backgrounds are assessed by common means. This IRT approach has potential to provide assessment designers with a quality control procedure that extends to the level of checklist items.

Potential of small-molecule fungal metabolites in antiviral chemotherapy

PubMed Central

Roy, Biswajit G

2017-01-01

Various viral diseases, such as acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, influenza, and hepatitis, have emerged as leading causes of human death worldwide. Scientific endeavor since invention of DNA-dependent RNA polymerase of pox virus in 1967 resulted in better understanding of virus replication and development of various novel therapeutic strategies. Despite considerable advancement in every facet of drug discovery process, development of commercially viable, safe, and effective drugs for these viruses still remains a big challenge. Decades of intense research yielded a handful of natural and synthetic therapeutic options. But emergence of new viruses and drug-resistant viral strains had made new drug development process a never-ending battle. Small-molecule fungal metabolites due to their vast diversity, stereochemical complexity, and preapproved biocompatibility always remain an attractive source for new drug discovery. Though, exploration of therapeutic importance of fungal metabolites has started early with discovery of penicillin, recent prediction asserted that only a small percentage (5–10%) of fungal species have been identified and much less have been scientifically investigated. Therefore, exploration of new fungal metabolites, their bioassay, and subsequent mechanistic study bears huge importance in new drug discovery endeavors. Though no fungal metabolites so far approved for antiviral treatment, many of these exhibited high potential against various viral diseases. This review comprehensively discussed about antiviral activities of fungal metabolites of diverse origin against some important viral diseases. This also highlighted the mechanistic details of inhibition of viral replication along with structure–activity relationship of some common and important classes of fungal metabolites. PMID:28737040

Diversity in the antibacterial potential of probiotic cultures Bacillus licheniformis MCC2514 and Bacillus licheniformis MCC2512.

PubMed

Shobharani, Papanna; Padmaja, Radhakrishnan J; Halami, Prakash M

2015-01-01

The aim of the present study was to investigate the characteristic diversity and stability of antimicrobial compounds produced by two probiotic strains of Bacillus licheniformis (MCC2514 and MCC2512). Antimicrobial compounds from the two strains notably varied, related to stability and potency. The inhibitory spectrum of B. licheniformis MCC2512 was higher than MCC2514, but, related to the effect on Micrococcus luteus ATCC9341, MCC2514 (LD50 = 450 AU ml(-1)) was more potent than MCC2512 (LD50 = 750 AU ml(-1)). The compounds were thermo-resistant and stable at a wide range of pH and exhibited considerable resistance to digestive enzymes and bile salts (anionic biological detergents), contributing to their appropriate application in various food systems. The isolate B. licheniformis MCC2512 gave a positive response to Bacillus subtilis-based biosensors BSF2470 and BS168.BS2, confirming the mode of action on the cell wall and subtilin-type, respectively. For B. licheniformis MCC2514, the mode of action was characterized by constructing B. subtilis reporters that interfered in five major biosynthetic pathways, i.e., biosynthesis of DNA, RNA, protein, the cell wall and fatty acids. B. licheniformis MCC2514 responded to the yvgS reporter, indicating it as an RNA synthesis inhibitor. Overall, the investigation reveals variability of the antimicrobial compounds from B. licheniformis of different origins and for their possible application as biopreservative agents. Copyright © 2015 Institut Pasteur. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

A Novel Role of Silibinin as a Putative Epigenetic Modulator in Human Prostate Carcinoma.

PubMed

Anestopoulos, Ioannis; Sfakianos, Aristeidis P; Franco, Rodrigo; Chlichlia, Katerina; Panayiotidis, Mihalis I; Kroll, David J; Pappa, Aglaia

2016-12-31

Silibinin, extracted from milk thistle ( Silybum marianum L.), has exhibited considerable preclinical activity against prostate carcinoma. Its antitumor and chemopreventive activities have been associated with diverse effects on cell cycle, apoptosis, and receptor-dependent mitogenic signaling pathways. Here we hypothesized that silibinin's pleiotropic effects may reflect its interference with epigenetic mechanisms in human prostate cancer cells. More specifically, we have demonstrated that silibinin reduces gene expression levels of the Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2) members Enhancer of Zeste Homolog 2 (EZH2), Suppressor of Zeste Homolog 12 (SUZ12), and Embryonic Ectoderm Development (EED) in DU145 and PC3 human prostate cancer cells, as evidenced by Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR). Furthermore immunoblot and immunofluorescence analysis revealed that silibinin-mediated reduction of EZH2 levels was accompanied by an increase in trimethylation of histone H3 on lysine (Κ)-27 residue (H3K27me3) levels and that such response was, in part, dependent on decreased expression levels of phosphorylated Akt (ser473) (pAkt) and phosphorylated EZH2 (ser21) (pEZH2). Additionally silibinin exerted other epigenetic effects involving an increase in total DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) activity while it decreased histone deacetylases 1-2 (HDACs1-2) expression levels. We conclude that silibinin induces epigenetic alterations in human prostate cancer cells, suggesting that subsequent disruptions of central processes in chromatin conformation may account for some of its diverse anticancer effects.

Insight into the Role of Size Modulation on Tuning the Band Gap and Photocatalytic Performance of Semiconducting Nitrogen-Doped Graphene.

PubMed

Yang, Mei-Ling; Zhang, Nan; Lu, Kang-Qiang; Xu, Yi-Jun

2017-04-04

Considerable attention has been focused on transforming graphene (GR) into semiconducting GR by diverse strategies, which can perform as one type of promising photocatalyst toward various photoredox reactions. Herein, we report a facile alkali-assisted hydrothermal method for simultaneous tailoring of the lateral size of GR and nitrogen (N) doping into the GR matrix, by which small-sized N-doped GR (S-NGR) can be obtained. For comparison, large-sized N-doped GR (L-NGR) has also been achieved through the same hydrothermal treatment except for the addition of alkali. The photocatalytic activity test shows that S-NGR exhibits much higher activity than L-NGR toward the degradation of organic pollutants under visible-light irradiation. Structure-photoactivity correlation analysis and characterization suggest that the underlying origin for the significantly enhanced visible-light photoactivity of S-NGR in comparison with L-NGR can be assigned to the lateral size decrease in the NGR sheet, which is able to tune the band gap of semiconducting NGR, to facilitate the separation and transfer of photogenerated charge carriers, and to improve the adsorption capacity of NGR toward the reactant. It is expected that this work will cast new light on the judicious utilization of semiconducting GR with controlled size modulation and heteroatom doping to tune its physicochemical properties, thereby advancing further developments in the rational design of more efficient semiconducting GR materials for diverse applications in photocatalysis.

Of CARs and TRUCKs: chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells engineered with an inducible cytokine to modulate the tumor stroma.

PubMed

Chmielewski, Markus; Hombach, Andreas A; Abken, Hinrich

2014-01-01

Adoptive T-cell therapy recently achieved impressive efficacy in early phase trials, in particular in hematologic malignancies, strongly supporting the notion that the immune system can control cancer. A current strategy of favor is based on ex vivo-engineered patient T cells, which are redirected by a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) and recognize a predefined target by an antibody-derived binding domain. Such CAR T cells can substantially reduce the tumor burden as long as the targeted antigen is present on the cancer cells. However, given the tremendous phenotypic diversity in solid tumor lesions, a reasonable number of cancer cells are not recognized by a given CAR, considerably reducing the therapeutic success. This article reviews a recently described strategy for overcoming this shortcoming of the CAR T-cell therapy by modulating the tumor stroma by a CAR T-cell-secreted transgenic cytokine like interleukin-12 (IL-12). The basic process is that CAR T cells, when activated by their CAR, deposit IL-12 in the targeted tumor lesion, which in turn attracts an innate immune cell response toward those cancer cells that are invisible to CAR T cells. Such TRUCKs, T cells redirected for universal cytokine-mediated killing, exhibited remarkable efficacy against solid tumors with diverse cancer cell phenotypes, suggesting their evaluation in clinical trials. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Residence rule flexibility and descent groups dynamics shape uniparental genetic diversities in South East Asia.

PubMed

Ly, Goki; Alard, Bérénice; Laurent, Romain; Lafosse, Sophie; Toupance, Bruno; Monidarin, Chou; Diffloth, Gérard; Bourdier, Frédéric; Evrard, Olivier; Pavard, Samuel; Chaix, Raphaëlle

2018-03-01

Social organization plays a major role in shaping human population genetic diversity. In particular, matrilocal populations tend to exhibit less mitochondrial diversity than patrilocal populations, and the other way around for Y chromosome diversity. However, several studies have not replicated such findings. The objective of this study is to understand the reasons for such inconsistencies and further evaluate the influence of social organization on genetic diversity. We explored uniparental diversity patterns using mitochondrial HV1 sequences and 17 Y-linked short tandem repeats (STRs) in 12 populations (n = 619) from mainland South-East Asia exhibiting a wide range of social organizations, along with quantitative ethno-demographic information sampled at the individual level. MtDNA diversity was lower in matrilocal than in multilocal and patrilocal populations while Y chromosome diversity was similar among these social organizations. The reasons for such asymmetry at the genetic level were understood by quantifying sex-specific migration rates from our ethno-demographic data: while female migration rates varied between social organizations, male migration rates did not. This unexpected lack of difference in male migrations resulted from a higher flexibility in residence rule in patrilocal than in matrilocal populations. In addition, our data suggested an impact of clan fission process on uniparental genetic patterns. The observed lack of signature of patrilocality on Y chromosome patterns might be attributed to the higher residence flexibility in the studied patrilocal populations, thus providing a potential explanation for the apparent discrepancies between social and genetic structures. Altogether, this study highlights the need to quantify the actual residence and descent patterns to fit social to genetic structures. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Introduction, Evolution, and Dissemination of Influenza A Viruses in Exhibition Swine in the United States during 2009 to 2013

PubMed Central

Nelson, Martha I.; Stucker, Karla M.; Schobel, Seth A.; Dugan, Vivien G.; Nelson, Sarah W.; Sreevatsan, Srinand; Killian, Mary L.; Nolting, Jacqueline M.; Wentworth, David E.

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT The swine-human interface created at agricultural fairs, along with the generation of and maintenance of influenza A virus diversity in exhibition swine, presents an ongoing threat to public health. Nucleotide sequences of influenza A virus isolates collected from exhibition swine in Ohio (n = 262) and Indiana (n = 103) during 2009 to 2013 were used to investigate viral evolution and movement within this niche sector of the swine industry. Phylogenetic and Bayesian analyses were employed to identify introductions of influenza A virus to exhibition swine and study viral population dynamics. In 2013 alone, we identified 10 independent introductions of influenza A virus into Ohio and/or Indiana exhibition swine. Frequently, viruses from the same introduction were identified at multiple fairs within the region, providing evidence of rapid and widespread viral movement within the exhibition swine populations of the two states. While pigs moving from fair to fair to fair is possible in some locations, the concurrent detection of nearly identical strains at several fairs indicates that a common viral source was more likely. Importantly, we detected an association between the high number of human variant H3N2 (H3N2v) virus infections in 2012 and the widespread circulation of influenza A viruses of the same genotype in exhibition swine in Ohio fairs sampled that year. The extent of viral diversity observed in exhibition swine and the rapidity with which it disseminated across long distances indicate that novel strains of influenza A virus will continue to emerge and spread within exhibition swine populations, presenting an ongoing threat to humans. IMPORTANCE Understanding the underlying population dynamics of influenza A viruses in commercial and exhibition swine is central to assessing the risk for human infections with variant viruses, including H3N2v. We used viral genomic sequences from isolates collected from exhibition swine during 2009 to 2013 to understand how the peak of H3N2v cases in 2012 relates to long-term trends in the population dynamics of pandemic viruses recently introduced into commercial and exhibition swine in the United States. The results of our spatial analysis underscore the key role of rapid viral dispersal in spreading multiple genetic lineages throughout a multistate network of agricultural fairs, providing opportunities for divergent lineages to coinfect, reassort, and generate new viral genotypes. The higher genetic diversity of genotypes cocirculating in exhibition swine since 2013 could facilitate the evolution of new reassortants, potentially with even greater ability to cause severe infections in humans or cause human-to-human transmission, highlighting the need for continued vigilance. PMID:27681134

Using canonical correlation analysis to identify environmental attitude groups: Considerations for national forest planning in the southwestern U.S

Treesearch

Alejandro J. Prera; Kristine M. Grimsrud; Jennifer A. Thacher; Dan W. McCollum; Robert P. Berrens

2014-01-01

As public land management agencies pursue region-specific resource management plans, with meaningful consideration of public attitudes and values, there is a need to characterize the complex mix of environmental attitudes in a diverse population. The contribution of this investigation is to make use of a unique household, mail/ internet survey data set collected in...

The New Compulsory Schooling Age Policy in NSW, Australia: Ethnicity, Ability and Gender Considerations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reid, Carol; Young, Helen

2012-01-01

The new schooling-leaving age policy in New South Wales, a state in Australia, requires all students to stay at school until they are 17 years old. The policy was introduced in January 2010, with little warning and, it appears, little consideration of its impact in complex contexts. In south-western Sydney, the most diverse region in the city, the…

The Context for Food Service and Nutrition in the Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glaser, P. E.

1985-01-01

Commercial activities in space represent diverse markets where international competitors will be motivated by economic, technical and political considerations. These considerations are given and discussed. The space station program, industrial participation and the potential benefits of commercial activities in space are described. How food service and nutrition affects habitability, effects on physical condition, dietary goals, food preparation and meal service are detailed.

Wartime scars or reservoirs of biodiversity? The value of bomb crater ponds in aquatic conservation

PubMed Central

Vad, Csaba F.; Péntek, Attila L.; Cozma, Nastasia J.; Földi, Angéla; Tóth, Adrienn; Tóth, Bence; Böde, NóraA.; Móra, Arnold; Ptacnik, Robert; Ács, Éva; Zsuga, Katalin; Horváth, Zsófia

2017-01-01

Considering the ongoing loss of aquatic habitats, anthropogenic ponds are gaining importance as substitute habitats. It is therefore important to assess their functioning in comparison to their natural precursors. Here we assess the biodiversity value of sodic bomb crater ponds by comparing their gamma diversity to that of natural reference habitats, astatic soda pans, and assess their importance on the landscape level by studying alpha and beta diversity. We studied aquatic organisms ranging from algae to vertebrates in a dense cluster of 54 sodic bomb crater ponds in Central Europe. Despite the overall small area of the pond cluster, gamma diversity was comparable to that found in surveys of natural habitats that encompassed much wider spatial and temporal scales. We also found a considerable number of species shared with reference habitats, indicating that these anthropogenic habitats function as important refuge sites for several species that are associated with the endangered soda pans. Moreover, we found a number of regionally or worldwide rare species. Among the components of beta diversity, species replacement dominated community assembly. Individual ponds contributed similarly to beta diversity in terms of replacement, being equally important for maintaining high gamma diversity and emphasising the role of the pond network rather than individual ponds. This pattern was seen in all studied groups. Bomb crater ponds therefore acted as important contributors to aquatic biodiversity. Considering the tremendous losses of ponds throughout Europe, anthropogenic ponds should be taken into consideration in nature conservation, especially when occurring in pond networks. PMID:28529346

Dynamical electron-phonon coupling, G W self-consistency, and vertex effect on the electronic band gap of ice and liquid water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ziaei, Vafa; Bredow, Thomas

2017-06-01

We study the impact of dynamical electron-phonon (el-ph) effects on the electronic band gap of ice and liquid water by accounting for frequency-dependent Fan contributions in the el-ph mediated self-energy within the many-body perturbation theory (MBPT). We find that the dynamical el-ph coupling effects greatly reduce the static el-ph band-gap correction of the hydrogen-rich molecular ice crystal from-2.46 to -0.23 eV in great contrast to the result of Monserrat et al. [Phys. Rev. B 92, 140302 (2015), 10.1103/PhysRevB.92.140302]. This is of particular importance as otherwise the static el-ph gap correction would considerably reduce the electronic band gap, leading to considerable underestimation of the intense peaks of optical absorption spectra of ice which would be in great disagreement to experimental references. By contrast, the static el-ph gap correction of liquid water is very moderate (-0.32 eV), and inclusion of dynamical effects slightly reduces the gap correction to -0.19 eV. Further, we determine the diverse sensitivity of ice and liquid water to the G W self-consistency and show that the energy-only self-consistent approach (GnWn ) exhibits large implicit vertex character in comparison to the quasiparticle self-consistent approach, for which an explicit calculation of vertex corrections is necessary for good agreement with experiment.

Context of Physical Activity in a Representative Sample of Adults.

PubMed

Welk, Gregory J; Kim, Youngwon

2015-10-01

The establishment of formal physical activity (PA) guidelines has led to considerable interest in quantifying participation in moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA). However, evidence on the context of MVPA at the population level is scarce. The aim of this study was to provide information on the type, location, and purpose of MVPA in a representative sample of adults. Data from a representative sample of 1234 Iowa adults were included in this study. Each participant performed a telephone-administered 24-h PA recall method to recall PA in the previous 24 h. Self-reported data from the recall instrument included time and types of reported activities across five distinct location and purpose codes. Reported activities were matched with corresponding metabolic equivalent (MET) scores from a reduced list of compendium of physical activities. MVPA was defined as any activity with assigned MET ≥ 3.0. Of the top 30 most frequently reported MVPA, 16 were lifestyle activities involving walking, and only 4 can be regarded as traditional "exercises." Occupational activities (41% for purpose and 40% for location) and household activities (37% for purpose and 39% for location) accounted for nearly 80% of total reported MVPA time. Time allocations across purpose and location codes considerably differed by sociodemographic indicators. Lifestyle activities are more frequently reported than sports and/or recreational activities. Individuals with varying levels of sociodemographic indicators exhibit different patterns of use of time within a given day. A multidomain approach is needed to better understand and increase MVPA in diverse populations of US adults.

Post-breeding population dynamics indicate upslope molt-migration by Wilson's Warblers

Treesearch

Andrew K. Wiegardt; Daniel C. Barton; Jared D. Wolfe

2017-01-01

Molt is an energetically costly process, and songbirds (Order Passeriformes) exhibit a diversity of strategies to maximize their survival and reproductive success while meeting the energetic demands of the annual prebasic molt. Nearctic-Neotropic migrants in western North America commonly exhibit one of three strategies: (1) remain in breeding areas to molt, (2)...

"Moving in My World": From School PE to Participants-Centered Art Exhibitions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Azzarito, Laura

2016-01-01

To address persistent health and physical activity issues, listening to the opinions and needs of a diverse population should be at the forefront of a social justice agenda. This article examines how a participant-centered photo exhibition, as the culmination of a two-year-long visual participatory research project, provided a site of public…

Evaluation of ecological instream flow using multiple ecological indicators with consideration of hydrological alterations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Qiang; Gu, Xihui; Singh, Vijay P.; Chen, Xiaohong

2015-10-01

Dam-induced hydrological alterations and related ecological problems have been arousing considerable concern from hydrologists, ecologists, and policy-makers. The East River basin in China is the major provider of water resources for mega-cities within the Pearl River Delta and meets 80% of annual water demand of Hong Kong. In this study, ecodeficit and ecosurplus were analyzed to determine the ecological impact of water impoundments. Also, Do and DHRAM were employed to evaluate the degree of alteration of hydrological regimes, and ERHIs were analyzed to evaluate the influence of hydrological alterations on ecological diversity. Results indicate that: (1) the magnitude and frequency of high flows decrease and those of low flows increase due to the regulation of reservoirs; (2) variations of annual ecosurplus are mainly the result of precipitation changes and the annual ecodeficit is significantly influenced by reservoirs. However, ecodeficit and ecosurplus in other seasons, particularly autumn and winter, are more influenced by reservoir regulation; (3) impacts of reservoirs on hydrological regimes and eco-flow regimes are different from one station to another due to different degrees of influence of reservoirs on hydrological processes at different stations. The longer the distance between a reservoir and a hydrological station is, the weaker the influence the water reservoir has on the hydrological processes; (4) ecodeficit and ecosurplus can be accepted in the evaluation of alterations of hydrological processes at annual and seasonal time scales. Results of Shannon Index indicate decreasing biological diversity after the construction of water reservoirs, implying negative impacts of water reservoirs on biological diversity of a river basin and this should arouse considerable human concerns. This study provides a theoretical background for water resources management with consideration of eco-flow variations due to reservoir regulation in other highly-regulated river basins of the globe.

Neighborhood Moderation of Sensation Seeking Effects on Adolescent Substance Use Initiation.

PubMed

Jensen, Michaeline; Chassin, Laurie; Gonzales, Nancy A

2017-09-01

Adolescent substance use carries a considerable public health burden, and early initiation into use is especially problematic. Research has shown that trait sensation seeking increases risk for substance use initiation, but less is known about contextual factors that can potentially unmask this risk. This study utilized a diverse longitudinal subsample of youth (N = 454) from a larger study of familial alcoholism (53.1% female, 61% non-Hispanic Caucasian, 27.8% Hispanic, 11.2% other ethnicity). Study questions examined sensation seeking in early adolescence (mean age = 12.16) and its relations with later substance use initiation (mean age = 15.69), and tested whether neighborhood disadvantage moderated sensation seeking's effects on initiation of alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use. Neighborhood disadvantage significantly moderated the relation between sensation seeking and all three forms of substance use. For the most part, sensation seeking effects were weakened as neighborhood disadvantage increased, with the most advantaged neighborhoods exhibiting the strongest link between sensation seeking and substance use initiation. These results highlight the importance of focusing on relatively advantaged areas as potentially risky environments for the sensation seeking pathway to substance use.

Ethical, legal and social implications of forensic molecular phenotyping in South Africa.

PubMed

Slabbert, Nandi; Heathfield, Laura Jane

2018-06-01

Conventional forensic DNA analysis involves a matching principle, which compares DNA profiles from evidential samples to those from reference samples of known origin. In casework, however, the accessibility to a reference sample is not guaranteed which limits the use of DNA as an investigative tool. This has led to the development of phenotype prediction, which uses SNP analysis to estimate the physical appearance of the sample donor. Physical traits, such as eye, hair and skin colour, have been associated with certain alleles within specific genes involved in the melanogenesis pathways. These genetic markers are also associated with ancestry and their trait prediction ability has mainly been assessed in European and North American populations. This has prompted research investigating the discriminatory power of these markers in other populations, especially those exhibiting admixture. South Africa is well known for its diversity, and the viability of these particular SNPs still needs to be assessed within this population. South African law currently restricts the use of DNA for molecular phenotyping, and there are also numerous ethical and social considerations, all of which are discussed. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The human gut microbiome, a taxonomic conundrum.

PubMed

Sankar, Senthil Alias; Lagier, Jean-Christophe; Pontarotti, Pierre; Raoult, Didier; Fournier, Pierre-Edouard

2015-06-01

From culture to metagenomics, within only 130 years, our knowledge of the human microbiome has considerably improved. With >1000 microbial species identified to date, the gastro-intestinal microbiota is the most complex of human biotas. It is composed of a majority of Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes and, although exhibiting great inter-individual variations according to age, geographic origin, disease or antibiotic uptake, it is stable over time. Metagenomic studies have suggested associations between specific gut microbiota compositions and a variety of diseases, including irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn's disease, colon cancer, type 2 diabetes and obesity. However, these data remain method-dependent, as no consensus strategy has been defined to decipher the complexity of the gut microbiota. High-throughput culture-independent techniques have highlighted the limitations of culture by showing the importance of uncultured species, whereas modern culture methods have demonstrated that metagenomics underestimates the microbial diversity by ignoring minor populations. In this review, we highlight the progress and challenges that pave the way to a complete understanding of the human gastrointestinal microbiota and its influence on human health. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Evolution of the hominoid vertebral column: The long and the short of it.

PubMed

Williams, Scott A; Russo, Gabrielle A

2015-01-01

The postcranial axial skeleton exhibits considerable morphological and functional diversity among living primates. Particularly striking are the derived features in hominoids that distinguish them from most other primates and mammals. In contrast to the primitive catarrhine morphotype, which presumably possessed an external (protruding) tail and emphasized more pronograde trunk posture, all living hominoids are characterized by the absence of an external tail and adaptations to orthograde trunk posture. Moreover, modern humans evolved unique vertebral features that satisfy the demands of balancing an upright torso over the hind limbs during habitual terrestrial bipedalism. Our ability to identify the evolutionary timing and understand the functional and phylogenetic significance of these fundamental changes in postcranial axial skeletal anatomy in the hominoid fossil record is key to reconstructing ancestral hominoid patterns and retracing the evolutionary pathways that led to living apes and modern humans. Here, we provide an overview of what is known about evolution of the hominoid vertebral column, focusing on the currently available anatomical evidence of three major transitions: tail loss and adaptations to orthograde posture and bipedal locomotion. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Exploring Therapeutic Potentials of Baicalin and Its Aglycone Baicalein for Hematological Malignancies

PubMed Central

Chen, Haijun; Gao, Yu; Wu, Jianlei; Chen, Yingyu; Chen, Buyuan; Hu, Jianda; Zhou, Jia

2014-01-01

Despite tremendous advances in the targeted therapy for various types of hematological malignancies with successful improvements in the survival rates, emerging resistance issues are startlingly high and novel therapeutic strategies are urgently needed. In addition, chemoprevention is currently becoming an elusive goal. Plant-derived natural products have garnered considerable attention in recent years due to the potential dual functions as chemotherapeutics and dietary chemoprevention. One of the particularly ubiquitous families is the polyphenolic flavonoids. Among them, baicalin and its aglycone baicalein have been widely investigated in hematological malignancies because both of them exhibit remarkable pharmacological properties. This review focuses on the recent achievements in drug discovery research associated with baicalin and baicalein for hematological malignancy therapies. The promising anticancer activities of these two flavonoids targeting diverse signaling pathways and their potential biological mechanisms in different types of hematological malignancies, as well as the combination strategy with baicalin or baicalein as chemotherapeutic adjuvants for recent therapies in these intractable diseases are discussed. Meanwhile, the biotransformation of baicalin and baicalein and the relevant approaches to improve their bioavailability are also summarized. PMID:25128647

Fundamental considerations in dynamic fracture in nuclear materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cady, Carl; Eastwood, David; Bourne, Neil; Pei, Ruizhi; Mummery, Paul; Rau, Christoph

2017-06-01

The structural integrity of components used in nuclear power plants is the biggest concern of operators. A diverse range of materials, loading, prior histories and environmental conditions, leads to a complex operating environment. An experimental technique has been developed to characterize brittle materials and using linear elastic fracture mechanics, has given accurate measurements of the fracture toughness of materials. X-ray measurements were used to track the crack front as a function of loading parameters as well as determine the crack surface area as loads increased. This X-ray tomographic study of dynamic fracture in beryllium indicates the onset of damage within the target as load is increased. Similarly, measurements on nuclear graphite were conducted to evaluate the technique. This new, quantitative information obtained using the X-ray techniques has shown application in other materials. These materials exhibited a range of brittle and ductile responses that will test our modelling schemes for fracture. Further visualization of crack front advance and the correlated strain fields that are generated during the experiment for the two distinct deformation processes provide a vital step in validating new multiscale predicative modelling.

Integration of color, orientation, and size functional domains in the ventral pathway

PubMed Central

Ghose, Geoffrey M.; Ts’o, Daniel Y.

2017-01-01

Abstract. Functional specialization within the extrastriate areas of the ventral pathway associated with visual form analysis is poorly understood. Studies comparing the functional selectivities of neurons within the early visual areas have found that there are more similar than different between the areas. We simultaneously imaged visually evoked activation over regions of V2 and V4 and parametrically varied three visual attributes for which selectivity exists in both areas: color, orientation, and size. We found that color selective regions were observed in both areas and were of similar size and spatial distribution. However, two major areal distinctions were observed: V4 contained a greater number and diversity of color-specific regions than V2 and exhibited a higher degree of overlap between domains for different functional attributes. In V2, size and color regions were largely segregated from orientation domains, whereas in V4 both color and size regions overlapped considerably with orientation regions. Our results suggest that higher-order composite selectivities in the extrastriate cortex may arise organically from the interactions afforded by an overlap of functional domains for lower order selectivities. PMID:28573155

Nickel-copper oxide nanowires for highly sensitive sensing of glucose

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bai, Xiaofang; Chen, Wei; Song, Yanfang; Zhang, Jiazhou; Ge, Ruipeng; Wei, Wei; Jiao, Zheng; Sun, Yuhan

2017-10-01

Accurate determination of glucose is of considerable importance in diverse fields such as clinical diagnostics, biotechnology, and food industry. A low-cost and easy to scale-up approach has been developed for the preparation of nickel-copper oxide nanowires (Ni-CuO NWs) with hierarchical structures comprising porous NiO substrate and CuO nanowires. The successfully prepared Ni-CuO NWs were exploited as non-enzymatic electrochemical sensing probes for the reliable detection of glucose. Electrochemical measurements such as cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronoamperometry (CA) illustrated that the Ni-CuO NWs exhibited excellent electrochemical performance toward glucose oxidation with a superior sensitivity of 5610.6 μA mM-1 cm-2, a low detection limit of 0.07 μM, a wide linear range from 0.2 to 3.0 mM, and a good selectivity. This was attributed to the synergetic effect of the hierarchical structures and active Ni(OH)2 surface species in Ni-CuO NWs. The rational design of the metal oxide composites provided an efficient strategy for the fabrication of electrochemical non-enzymatic sensors.

Benthic community structure, diversity, and productivity in the shallow Barents Sea bank (Svalbard Bank).

PubMed

Kędra, Monika; Renaud, Paul E; Andrade, Hector; Goszczko, Ilona; Ambrose, William G

2013-01-01

The Barents Sea is among the most productive areas in the world oceans, and its shallow banks exhibit particularly high rates of primary productivity reaching over 300 g C m -2 year -1 . Our study focused on the Svalbard Bank, an important feeding area for fishes and whales. In order to investigate how benthic community structure and benthic secondary production vary across environmental gradients and through time, we sampled across the bank and compared results with a similar study conducted 85 years ago. Considerable variability in community structure and function across bank corresponded with differences in the physical structure of the habitat, including currents, sedimentation regimes and sediment type, and overlying water masses. Despite an intensive scallop fishery and climatic shifts that have taken place since the last survey in the 1920s, benthic community structure was very similar to that from the previous survey, suggesting strong system resilience. Primary and secondary production over shallow banks plays a large role in the Barents Sea and may act as a carbon subsidy to surrounding fish populations, of which many are of commercial importance.

Chemotyping of diverse Eucalyptus species grown in Egypt and antioxidant and antibacterial activities of its respective essential oils.

PubMed

Salem, Mohamed Z M; Ashmawy, Nader A; Elansary, Hosam O; El-Settawy, Ahmed A

2015-01-01

The chemical composition of the essential oil from the leaves of Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Eucalyptus camaldulensis var. obtusa and Eucalyptus gomphocephala grown in northern Egypt was analysed by using GC-FID and GC-MS techniques. The antibacterial (agar disc diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration methods) and antioxidant activities (2,2'-diphenypicrylhydrazyl) were examined. The main oils constituents were 1,8-cineole (21.75%), β-pinene (20.51%) and methyleugenol (6.10%) in E. camaldulensis; spathulenol (37.46%), p-cymene (17.20%) and crypton (8.88%) in E. gomphocephala; spathulenol (18.37%), p-cymene (19.38%) and crypton (16.91%) in E. camaldulensis var. obtusa. The essential oils from the leaves of Eucalyptus spp. exhibited considerable antibacterial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The values of total antioxidant activity were 70 ± 3.13%, 50 ± 3.34% and 84 ± 4.64% for E. camaldulensis, E. camaldulensis var. obtusa and E. gomphocephala, respectively. The highest antioxidant activity value of 84 ± 4.64% could be attributed to the high amount of spathulenol (37.46%).

Diversity-induced resonance in a model for opinion formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tessone, C. J.; Toral, R.

2009-10-01

We study an opinion formation model that takes into account that individuals have diverse preferences when adopting an opinion regarding a particular issue. We show that the system exhibits “diversity-induced resonance” [C.J. Tessone et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 97, 194101 (2006)], by which an external influence (for example advertising, or fashion trends) is better followed by populations having the right degree of diversity in their preferences, rather than others where the individuals are identical or have too different preferences. We support our findings by numerical simulations of the model in different network topologies and a mean-field type analytical theory.

A Visual Haptic System for Children with Learning Disabilities: Software and Hardware Design Considerations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Subrahmaniyan, Neeraja; Krishnaswamy, Swetha; Chowriappa, Ashirwad; Srimathveeravalli, Govindarajan; Bisantz, Ann; Shriber, Linda; Kesavadas, Thenkurussi

2012-01-01

Research has shown that children with learning disabilities exhibit considerable challenges with visual motor integration. While there are specialized Occupational Therapy interventions aimed at visual motor integration, computer games and virtual toys have now become increasingly popular, forming an integral part of children's learning and play.…

Alternative Paths to Diversity: Exploring and Implementing Effective College Admissions Policies. Policy Information Report and ETS Research Report Series No. RR-17-40

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Orfield, Gary

2017-01-01

The Supreme Court has established the parameters within which universities can practice race-conscious affirmative action for college admissions in a series of decisions beginning in l978. The key issues concern the educational impact of campus diversity and whether or not it is necessary to give some consideration to students' race into order to…

Streptococcus pneumoniae Isolates with Reduced Susceptibility to Ciprofloxacin in Spain: Clonal Diversity and Appearance of Ciprofloxacin-Resistant Epidemic Clones

PubMed Central

Alou, Luis; Ramirez, Mario; García-Rey, César; Prieto, José; de Lencastre, Hermínia

2001-01-01

Analysis of the pulsed-field gel electrophoretic profiles of 82 pneumococcal isolates with reduced susceptibility to ciprofloxacin (RSC) and of 90 co-occurring susceptible isolates indicates a considerable genetic diversity among isolates with RCS and points to a close relation between the two groups. This finding suggests that pneumococci with RCS emerge through independent mutational events. PMID:11557501

Seagrass Parameter Affect the Fish Assemblages in Karimunjawa Archipelago

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sri Susilo, Endang; Nugroho Sugianto, Denny; Munasik; Nirwani; Adhi Suryono, Chrisna

2018-02-01

Seagrass beds promote high species diversity, abundance and biomass, and become important habitats for some economically important fishes. Plants of seagrasses result in structurally highly complex habitats and offering feeding grounds, shelter from predation as well as nursery areas for diverse fish assemblages. However, research on fish communities in Southeast Asian seagrass bed is rarely conducted. In the present study fish assemblages in seagrass beds with different parameters (cover, diversity and similarity indices, domination) was investigated in the Karimunjawa Islands, Indonesia. The purpose of this study were to assess whether fish assemblages differ concerning on the abundance and the species number. This study was conducted on the seagrass bed on Karimunjawa Islands in Java Sea, particularly in the water of Menjangan Besar and Menjangan Kecil Island. Line-quadrant transect was used to assess seagrass data, while the occurrence and individual number of fish harboured in the selected seagrass bed was counted by using underwater visual census in the stationary point count transects. Seagrass cover in Menjangan Kecil Island (41%) with various canopy included both upper and lower canopy was considerable higher than those in Menjangan Besar Island (5%). Fish diversity, species composition and abundance are considerably different between the two study sites. This study revealed that seagrass density or cover and canopy structure affected the fish abundance and species number harboured.

Plant functional diversity affects climate-vegetation interaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Groner, Vivienne P.; Raddatz, Thomas; Reick, Christian H.; Claussen, Martin

2018-04-01

We present how variations in plant functional diversity affect climate-vegetation interaction towards the end of the African Humid Period (AHP) in coupled land-atmosphere simulations using the Max Planck Institute Earth system model (MPI-ESM). In experiments with AHP boundary conditions, the extent of the green Sahara varies considerably with changes in plant functional diversity. Differences in vegetation cover extent and plant functional type (PFT) composition translate into significantly different land surface parameters, water cycling, and surface energy budgets. These changes have not only regional consequences but considerably alter large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns and the position of the tropical rain belt. Towards the end of the AHP, simulations with the standard PFT set in MPI-ESM depict a gradual decrease of precipitation and vegetation cover over time, while simulations with modified PFT composition show either a sharp decline of both variables or an even slower retreat. Thus, not the quantitative but the qualitative PFT composition determines climate-vegetation interaction and the climate-vegetation system response to external forcing. The sensitivity of simulated system states to changes in PFT composition raises the question how realistically Earth system models can actually represent climate-vegetation interaction, considering the poor representation of plant diversity in the current generation of land surface models.

The structure of cross-cultural musical diversity.

PubMed

Rzeszutek, Tom; Savage, Patrick E; Brown, Steven

2012-04-22

Human cultural traits, such as languages, musics, rituals and material objects, vary widely across cultures. However, the majority of comparative analyses of human cultural diversity focus on between-culture variation without consideration for within-culture variation. In contrast, biological approaches to genetic diversity, such as the analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) framework, partition genetic diversity into both within- and between-population components. We attempt here for the first time to quantify both components of cultural diversity by applying the AMOVA model to music. By employing this approach with 421 traditional songs from 16 Austronesian-speaking populations, we show that the vast majority of musical variability is due to differences within populations rather than differences between. This demonstrates a striking parallel to the structure of genetic diversity in humans. A neighbour-net analysis of pairwise population musical divergence shows a large amount of reticulation, indicating the pervasive occurrence of borrowing and/or convergent evolution of musical features across populations.

The structure of cross-cultural musical diversity

PubMed Central

Rzeszutek, Tom; Savage, Patrick E.; Brown, Steven

2012-01-01

Human cultural traits, such as languages, musics, rituals and material objects, vary widely across cultures. However, the majority of comparative analyses of human cultural diversity focus on between-culture variation without consideration for within-culture variation. In contrast, biological approaches to genetic diversity, such as the analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) framework, partition genetic diversity into both within- and between-population components. We attempt here for the first time to quantify both components of cultural diversity by applying the AMOVA model to music. By employing this approach with 421 traditional songs from 16 Austronesian-speaking populations, we show that the vast majority of musical variability is due to differences within populations rather than differences between. This demonstrates a striking parallel to the structure of genetic diversity in humans. A neighbour-net analysis of pairwise population musical divergence shows a large amount of reticulation, indicating the pervasive occurrence of borrowing and/or convergent evolution of musical features across populations. PMID:22072606

Isolation, characterization and antifungal activity of proteinase inhibitors from Capsicum chinense Jacq. Seeds.

PubMed

Dias, Germana Bueno; Gomes, Valdirene Moreira; Pereira, Umberto Zottich; Ribeiro, Suzanna F Ferreira; Carvalho, André O; Rodrigues, Rosana; Machado, Olga L Tavares; Fernandes, Kátia Valevski Sales; Ferreira, André Teixeira S; Perales, Jonas; Da Cunha, Maura

2013-01-01

Capsicum species belong to the Solanaceae family and have great social, economic and agronomical significance. The present research presents data on the isolation and characterization of Capsicum chinense Jacq. peptides which were scrutinized in relation to their toxicity towards a diverse set of yeast species. The protein extract was separated with C18 reverse-phase chromatography in high performance liquid chromatography, resulting in three different peptide enriched fractions (PEFs) termed PEF1, PEF2 and PEF3. Tricine-SDS-PAGE of the PEF2 revealed peptides with molecular masses of approximately 5.0 and 8.5 kDa. These PEFs also exhibited strong antifungal activity against different yeasts. In the presence of the PEF2, Candida tropicalis exhibited morphological changes, including cellular agglomeration and formation of pseudohyphae. Determined N-terminal sequences of PEF2 and PEF3 were proven to be highly homologous to serine proteinase inhibitors, when analysed by comparative database sequence tools. For this reason were performed protease inhibitory activity assay. The PEFs displayed high inhibitory activity against trypsin and low inhibitory activity against chymotrypsin. PEF2 and PEF3 were considerably unsusceptible to a broad interval of pH and temperatures. Due to the myriad of application of Proteinase inhibitors (PIs) in fields ranging from plant protection against pathogens and pests to medicine such as in cancer and virus replication inhibition, the discovery of new PIs with new properties are of great interest.

Relative lipophilicities and structural-pharmacological considerations of various angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors.

PubMed

Ranadive, S A; Chen, A X; Serajuddin, A T

1992-11-01

Lipophilicities of seven structurally diverse angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, viz., captopril, zofenoprilat, enalaprilat, ramiprilat, lisinopril, fosinoprilat, and ceronapril (SQ29852), were compared by determining their octanol-water distribution coefficients (D) under physiological pH conditions. The distribution co-efficients of zofenopril, enalapril, ramipril and fosinopril, which are the prodrug forms of zofenoprilat, enalaprilat, ramiprilat, and fosinoprilat, respectively, were also determined. Attempts were made to correlate lipophilicities with the reported data for oral absorption, protein binding, ACE inhibitory activity, propensity for biliary excretion, and penetration across the blood-brain barrier for these therapeutic entities. Better absorption of prodrugs compared to their respective active forms is in agreement with their greater lipophilicities. Captopril, lisinopril, and ceronapril are orally well absorbed despite their low lipophilicities, suggesting involvement of other factors such as a carrier-mediated transport process. Of all the compounds studied, the two most lipophilic ACE inhibitors, fosinoprilat and zofenoprilat, exhibit a rank-order correlation with respect to biliary excretion. This may explain the dual routes of elimination (renal and hepatic) observed with fosinoprilat in humans. The more lipophilic compounds also exhibit higher protein binding. Both the lipophilicity and a carrier-mediated process may be involved in penetration of some of these drugs into brain. For structurally similar compounds, in vitro ACE inhibitory activity increased with the increase in lipophilicity. However, no clear correlation between lipophilicity and ACE inhibitory activity emerged when different types of inhibitors are compared, possibly because their interactions with enzymes are primarily ionic in nature.

Study of the generated genetic polymorphisms during the photocatalytic elimination of Klebsiella pneumoniae in water.

PubMed

Venieri, Danae; Fraggedaki, Antonia; Binas, Vassilios; Zachopoulos, Apostolos; Kiriakidis, George; Mantzavinos, Dionissios

2015-03-01

Klebsiella pneumoniae is considered to be an emerging pathogen persisting under extreme environmentally stressed conditions. The aim of the present study is the investigation of inactivation rates of this pathogen in water by means of heterogeneous photocatalytic treatment under solar irradiation and the induced genetic variance applying RAPD-PCR as a molecular typing tool. Novel Mn- and Co-doped TiO2 catalysts were assessed in terms of their disinfection efficiency. The reference strain of K. pneumoniae proved to be readily inactivated, since disinfection occurred rapidly (i.e. after only 10 min of treatment) and low levels of bacterial regrowth were recorded in the dark and under natural sunlight. Binary doped titania exhibited the best photocatalytic activity, verifying the synergistic effect induced by composite dopants. Applying RAPD analysis to viable cells after treatment we concluded that increasing the treatment time led to considerable alteration of RAPD profiles and the homology coefficient ranged almost between 35 and 60%. RAPD-PCR proved to be a useful typing molecular tool that under standardized conditions exhibits highly reproducible results. Genetic variation among isolates increased in relation to the period of treatment and prolonged irradiation in each case affected the overall alteration in band patterns. RAPD patterns were highly diverse between treated and untreated isolates when disinfection was performed with the Co-doped titania. The broad spectrum of genetic variance and generated polymorphisms has the potential to increase the already significant virulence of the species.

Bucking the Trend: Is Ethnoracial Diversity Declining in American Communities?

PubMed Central

Lee, Barrett A.; Hughes, Lauren A.

2015-01-01

Although increasing diversity at the national scale is a well-documented trend, substantial variation in patterns of ethnoracial change occurs across American communities. Our research considers one theoretically implied path: that some communities are ‘bucking the trend’, becoming more homogeneous over time. Using 1980 through 2010 decennial census data, we calculate panethnic (five-group) entropy index scores to measure the magnitude of diversity for nearly 11,000 census-defined places. Our results indicate that while certain places reach their diversity peak in 1980 or 1990, they are few in number. Moreover, they experience a variety of post-peak trajectories other than monotonic diversity decline. Decreasing diversity is concentrated in the South and West, among places with higher levels of diversity and larger proportions of Hispanic or black residents at the beginning of the study period. These places exhibit complex shifts in racial-ethnic structure, but Hispanic succession predominates. PMID:26023247

Political diversity will improve social psychological science.

PubMed

Duarte, José L; Crawford, Jarret T; Stern, Charlotta; Haidt, Jonathan; Jussim, Lee; Tetlock, Philip E

2015-01-01

Psychologists have demonstrated the value of diversity--particularly diversity of viewpoints--for enhancing creativity, discovery, and problem solving. But one key type of viewpoint diversity is lacking in academic psychology in general and social psychology in particular: political diversity. This article reviews the available evidence and finds support for four claims: (1) Academic psychology once had considerable political diversity, but has lost nearly all of it in the last 50 years. (2) This lack of political diversity can undermine the validity of social psychological science via mechanisms such as the embedding of liberal values into research questions and methods, steering researchers away from important but politically unpalatable research topics, and producing conclusions that mischaracterize liberals and conservatives alike. (3) Increased political diversity would improve social psychological science by reducing the impact of bias mechanisms such as confirmation bias, and by empowering dissenting minorities to improve the quality of the majority's thinking. (4) The underrepresentation of non-liberals in social psychology is most likely due to a combination of self-selection, hostile climate, and discrimination. We close with recommendations for increasing political diversity in social psychology.

Accelerating Science with the NERSC Burst Buffer Early User Program

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bhimji, Wahid; Bard, Debbie; Romanus, Melissa

NVRAM-based Burst Buffers are an important part of the emerging HPC storage landscape. The National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC) at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory recently installed one of the first Burst Buffer systems as part of its new Cori supercomputer, collaborating with Cray on the development of the DataWarp software. NERSC has a diverse user base comprised of over 6500 users in 700 different projects spanning a wide variety of scientific computing applications. The use-cases of the Burst Buffer at NERSC are therefore also considerable and diverse. We describe here performance measurements and lessons learned from the Burstmore » Buffer Early User Program at NERSC, which selected a number of research projects to gain early access to the Burst Buffer and exercise its capability to enable new scientific advancements. To the best of our knowledge this is the first time a Burst Buffer has been stressed at scale by diverse, real user workloads and therefore these lessons will be of considerable benefit to shaping the developing use of Burst Buffers at HPC centers.« less

Warfarin Pharmacogenomics in Diverse Populations.

PubMed

Kaye, Justin B; Schultz, Lauren E; Steiner, Heidi E; Kittles, Rick A; Cavallari, Larisa H; Karnes, Jason H

2017-09-01

Genotype-guided warfarin dosing algorithms are a rational approach to optimize warfarin dosing and potentially reduce adverse drug events. Diverse populations, such as African Americans and Latinos, have greater variability in warfarin dose requirements and are at greater risk for experiencing warfarin-related adverse events compared with individuals of European ancestry. Although these data suggest that patients of diverse populations may benefit from improved warfarin dose estimation, the vast majority of literature on genotype-guided warfarin dosing, including data from prospective randomized trials, is in populations of European ancestry. Despite differing frequencies of variants by race/ethnicity, most evidence in diverse populations evaluates variants that are most common in populations of European ancestry. Algorithms that do not include variants important across race/ethnic groups are unlikely to benefit diverse populations. In some race/ethnic groups, development of race-specific or admixture-based algorithms may facilitate improved genotype-guided warfarin dosing algorithms above and beyond that seen in individuals of European ancestry. These observations should be considered in the interpretation of literature evaluating the clinical utility of genotype-guided warfarin dosing. Careful consideration of race/ethnicity and additional evidence focused on improving warfarin dosing algorithms across race/ethnic groups will be necessary for successful clinical implementation of warfarin pharmacogenomics. The evidence for warfarin pharmacogenomics has a broad significance for pharmacogenomic testing, emphasizing the consideration of race/ethnicity in discovery of gene-drug pairs and development of clinical recommendations for pharmacogenetic testing. © 2017 Pharmacotherapy Publications, Inc.

The function and evolution of male and female genitalia in Phyllophaga Harris scarab beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae).

PubMed

Richmond, M P; Park, J; Henry, C S

2016-11-01

Genitalia diversity in insects continues to fuel investigation of the function and evolution of these dynamic structures. Whereas most studies have focused on variation in male genitalia, an increasing number of studies on female genitalia have uncovered comparable diversity among females, but often at a much finer morphological scale. In this study, we analysed the function and evolution of male and female genitalia in Phyllophaga scarab beetles, a group in which both sexes exhibit genitalic diversity. To document the interaction between male and female structures during mating, we dissected flash-frozen mating pairs from three Phyllophaga species and investigated fine-scale morphology using SEM. We then reconstructed ancestral character states using a species tree inferred from mitochondrial and nuclear loci to elucidate and compare the evolutionary history of male and female genitalia. Our dissections revealed an interlocking mechanism of the female pubic process and male parameres that appears to improve the mechanical fit of the copulatory position. The comparative analyses, however, did not support coevolution of male and female structures and showed more erratic evolution of the female genitalia relative to males. By studying a group that exhibits obvious female genitalic diversity, we were able to demonstrate the relevance of female reproductive morphology in studies of male genital diversity. © 2016 European Society For Evolutionary Biology. Journal of Evolutionary Biology © 2016 European Society For Evolutionary Biology.

Stratigraphy and structure of coalbed methane reservoirs in the United States: an overview

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pashin, J.C.

1998-01-01

Stratigraphy and geologic structure determine the shape, continuity and permeability of coal and are therefore critical considerations for designing exploration and production strategies for coalbed methane. Coal in the United states is dominantly of Pennsylvanian, Cretaceous and Tertiary age, and to date, more than 90% of the coalbed methane produced is from Pennsylvanian and cretaceous strata of the Black Warrior and San Juan Basins. Investigations of these basins establish that sequence stratigraphy is a promising approach for regional characterization of coalbed methane reservoirs. Local stratigraphic variation within these strata is the product of sedimentologic and tectonic processes and is a consideration for selecting completion zones. Coalbed methane production in the United States is mainly from foreland and intermontane basins containing diverse compression and extensional structures. Balanced structural models can be used to construct and validate cross sections as well as to quantify layer-parallel strain and predict the distribution of fractures. Folds and faults influence gas and water production in diverse ways. However, interwell heterogeneity related to fractures and shear structures makes the performance of individual wells difficult to predict.Stratigraphy and geologic structure determine the shape, continuity and permeability of coal and are therefore critical considerations for designing exploration and production strategies for coalbed methane. Coal in the United States is dominantly of Pennsylvanian, Cretaceous and Tertiary age, and to date, more than 90% of the coalbed methane produced is from Pennsylvanian and Cretaceous strata of the Black Warrior and San Juan Basins. Investigations of these basins establish that sequence stratigraphy is a promising approach for regional characterization of coalbed methane reservoirs. Local stratigraphic variation within these strata is the product of sedimentologic and tectonic processes and is a consideration for selecting completion zones. Coalbed methane production in the United States is mainly from foreland and intermontane basins containing diverse compressional and extensional structures. Balanced structural models can be used to construct and validate cross sections as well as to quantify layer-parallel strain and predict the distribution of fractures. Folds and faults influence gas and water production in diverse ways. However, interwell heterogeneity related to fractures and shear structures makes the performance of individual wells difficult to predict.

Resolving the substructure of molecular clouds in the LMC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wong, Tony; Hughes, Annie; Tokuda, Kazuki; Indebetouw, Remy; Wojciechowski, Evan; Bandurski, Jeffrey; MC3 Collaboration

2018-01-01

We present recent wide-field CO and 13CO mapping of giant molecular clouds in the Large Magellanic Cloud with ALMA. Our sample exhibits diverse star-formation properties, and reveals comparably diverse molecular cloud properties including surface density and velocity dispersion at a given scale. We first present the results of a recent study comparing two GMCs at the extreme ends of the star formation activity spectrum. Our quiescent cloud exhibits 10 times lower surface density and 5 times lower velocity dispersion than the active 30 Doradus cloud, yet in both clouds we find a wide range of line widths at the smallest resolved scales, spanning nearly the full range of line widths seen at all scales. This suggests an important role for feedback on sub-parsec scales, while the energetics on larger scales are dominated by clump-to-clump relative velocities. We then extend our analysis to four additional clouds that exhibit intermediate levels of star formation activity.

Effects of Fishing and Regional Species Pool on the Functional Diversity of Fish Communities

PubMed Central

Martins, Gustavo M.; Arenas, Francisco; Neto, Ana I.; Jenkins, Stuart R.

2012-01-01

The potential population and community level impacts of fishing have received considerable attention, but little is known about how fishing influences communities’ functional diversity at regional scales. We examined how estimates of functional diversity differed among 25 regions of variable richness and investigated the functional consequences of removing species targeted by commercial fisheries. Our study shows that fishing leads to substantial losses in functional diversity. The magnitude of such loss was, however, reduced in the more speciose regions. Moreover, the removal of commercially targeted species caused a much larger reduction in functional diversity than expected by random species deletions, which was a consequence of the selective nature of fishing for particular species traits. Results suggest that functional redundancy is spatially variable, that richer biotas provide some degree of insurance against the impact of fishing on communities’ functional diversity and that fishing predominantly selects for particular species traits. Understanding how fishing impacts community functional diversity is key to predict its effects for biodiversity as well as ecosystem functioning. PMID:22952950

Effects of fishing and regional species pool on the functional diversity of fish communities.

PubMed

Martins, Gustavo M; Arenas, Francisco; Neto, Ana I; Jenkins, Stuart R

2012-01-01

The potential population and community level impacts of fishing have received considerable attention, but little is known about how fishing influences communities' functional diversity at regional scales. We examined how estimates of functional diversity differed among 25 regions of variable richness and investigated the functional consequences of removing species targeted by commercial fisheries. Our study shows that fishing leads to substantial losses in functional diversity. The magnitude of such loss was, however, reduced in the more speciose regions. Moreover, the removal of commercially targeted species caused a much larger reduction in functional diversity than expected by random species deletions, which was a consequence of the selective nature of fishing for particular species traits. Results suggest that functional redundancy is spatially variable, that richer biotas provide some degree of insurance against the impact of fishing on communities' functional diversity and that fishing predominantly selects for particular species traits. Understanding how fishing impacts community functional diversity is key to predict its effects for biodiversity as well as ecosystem functioning.

The global antigenic diversity of swine influenza A viruses

PubMed Central

Lewis, Nicola S; Russell, Colin A; Langat, Pinky; Anderson, Tavis K; Berger, Kathryn; Bielejec, Filip; Burke, David F; Dudas, Gytis; Fonville, Judith M; Fouchier, Ron AM; Kellam, Paul; Koel, Bjorn F; Lemey, Philippe; Nguyen, Tung; Nuansrichy, Bundit; Peiris, JS Malik; Saito, Takehiko; Simon, Gaelle; Skepner, Eugene; Takemae, Nobuhiro; Webby, Richard J; Van Reeth, Kristien; Brookes, Sharon M; Larsen, Lars; Watson, Simon J; Brown, Ian H; Vincent, Amy L

2016-01-01

Swine influenza presents a substantial disease burden for pig populations worldwide and poses a potential pandemic threat to humans. There is considerable diversity in both H1 and H3 influenza viruses circulating in swine due to the frequent introductions of viruses from humans and birds coupled with geographic segregation of global swine populations. Much of this diversity is characterized genetically but the antigenic diversity of these viruses is poorly understood. Critically, the antigenic diversity shapes the risk profile of swine influenza viruses in terms of their epizootic and pandemic potential. Here, using the most comprehensive set of swine influenza virus antigenic data compiled to date, we quantify the antigenic diversity of swine influenza viruses on a multi-continental scale. The substantial antigenic diversity of recently circulating viruses in different parts of the world adds complexity to the risk profiles for the movement of swine and the potential for swine-derived infections in humans. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.12217.001 PMID:27113719

The diversity of the Chagas parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi, infecting the main Central American vector, Triatoma dimidiata, from Mexico to Colombia

PubMed Central

Waleckx, Etienne; Woods, Adrienne S.; Monroy, Maria Carlota; Stevens, Lori

2017-01-01

Little is known about the strains of Trypanosoma cruzi circulating in Central America and specifically in the most important vector in this region, Triatoma dimidiata. Approximately six million people are infected with T. cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease, which has the greatest negative economic impact and is responsible for ~12,000 deaths annually in Latin America. By international consensus, strains of T. cruzi are divided into six monophyletic clades called discrete typing units (DTUs TcI-VI) and a seventh DTU first identified in bats called TcBat. TcI shows the greatest geographic range and diversity. Identifying strains present and diversity within these strains is important as different strains and their genotypes may cause different pathologies and may circulate in different localities and transmission cycles, thus impacting control efforts, treatment and vaccine development. To determine parasite strains present in T. dimidiata across its geographic range from Mexico to Colombia, we isolated abdominal DNA from T. dimidiata and determined which specimens were infected with T. cruzi by PCR. Strains from infected insects were determined by comparing the sequence of the 18S rDNA and the spliced-leader intergenic region to typed strains in GenBank. Two DTUs were found: 94% of infected T. dimidiata contained TcI and 6% contained TcIV. TcI exhibited high genetic diversity. Geographic structure of TcI haplotypes was evident by Principal Component and Median-Joining Network analyses as well as a significant result in the Mantel test, indicating isolation by distance. There was little evidence of association with TcI haplotypes and host/vector or ecotope. This study provides new information about the strains circulating in the most important Chagas vector in Central America and reveals considerable variability within TcI as well as geographic structuring at this large geographic scale. The lack of association with particular vectors/hosts or ecotopes suggests the parasites are moving among vectors/hosts and ecotopes therefore a comprehensive approach, such as the Ecohealth approach that makes houses refractory to the vectors will be needed to successfully halt transmission of Chagas disease. PMID:28957315

New Peptides Isolated from Marine Cyanobacteria, an Overview over the Past Decade.

PubMed

Mi, Yue; Zhang, Jinrong; He, Shan; Yan, Xiaojun

2017-05-05

Marine cyanobacteria are significant sources of structurally diverse marine natural products with broad biological activities. In the past 10 years, excellent progress has been made in the discovery of marine cyanobacteria-derived peptides with diverse chemical structures. Most of these peptides exhibit strong pharmacological activities, such as neurotoxicity and cytotoxicity. In the present review, we summarized peptides isolated from marine cyanobacteria since 2007.

The evolution of embryonic patterning mechanisms in animals

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wray, G. A.

2000-01-01

Animals exhibit an enormous diversity of life cycles and larval morphologies. The developmental basis for this diversity is not well understood. It is clear, however, that mechanisms of pattern formation in early embryos differ significantly among and within groups of animals. These differences show surprisingly little correlation with phylogenetic relationships; instead, many are correlated with ecological factors, such as changes in life histories. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.

40 CFR 26.1107 - IRB membership.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... the diversity of the members, including consideration of race, gender, and cultural backgrounds and... the IRB on the basis of gender. No IRB may consist entirely of members of one profession. (c) Each IRB...

40 CFR 26.1107 - IRB membership.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... the diversity of the members, including consideration of race, gender, and cultural backgrounds and... the IRB on the basis of gender. No IRB may consist entirely of members of one profession. (c) Each IRB...

45 CFR 690.107 - IRB membership.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... diversity of the members, including consideration of race, gender, and cultural backgrounds and sensitivity... no selection is made to the IRB on the basis of gender. No IRB may consist entirely of members of one...

45 CFR 690.107 - IRB membership.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... diversity of the members, including consideration of race, gender, and cultural backgrounds and sensitivity... no selection is made to the IRB on the basis of gender. No IRB may consist entirely of members of one...

38 CFR 16.107 - IRB membership.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... diversity of the members, including consideration of race, gender, and cultural backgrounds and sensitivity... no selection is made to the IRB on the basis of gender. No IRB may consist entirely of members of one...

38 CFR 16.107 - IRB membership.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... diversity of the members, including consideration of race, gender, and cultural backgrounds and sensitivity... no selection is made to the IRB on the basis of gender. No IRB may consist entirely of members of one...

38 CFR 16.107 - IRB membership.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... diversity of the members, including consideration of race, gender, and cultural backgrounds and sensitivity... no selection is made to the IRB on the basis of gender. No IRB may consist entirely of members of one...

40 CFR 26.1107 - IRB membership.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... the diversity of the members, including consideration of race, gender, and cultural backgrounds and... the IRB on the basis of gender. No IRB may consist entirely of members of one profession. (c) Each IRB...

21 CFR 56.107 - IRB membership.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... of its members, and the diversity of the members, including consideration of race, gender, cultural... gender. No IRB may consist entirely of members of one profession. (c) Each IRB shall include at least one...

Cultural diversity teaching and issues of uncertainty: the findings of a qualitative study

PubMed Central

Dogra, Nisha; Giordano, James; France, Nicholas

2007-01-01

Background There is considerable ambiguity in the subjective dimensions that comprise much of the relational dynamic of the clinical encounter. Comfort with this ambiguity, and recognition of the potential uncertainty of particular domains of medicine (e.g. – cultural factors of illness expression, value bias in diagnoses, etc) is an important facet of medical education. This paper begins by defining ambiguity and uncertainty as relevant to clinical practice. Studies have shown differing patterns of students' tolerance for ambiguity and uncertainty that appear to reflect extant attitudinal predispositions toward technology, objectivity, culture, value- and theory-ladeness, and the need for self-examination. This paper reports on those findings specifically related to the theme of uncertainty as relevant to teaching about cultural diversity. Its focus is to identify how and where the theme of certainty arose in the teaching and learning of cultural diversity, what were the attitudes toward this theme and topic, and how these attitudes and responses reflect and inform this area of medical pedagogy. Methods A semi-structured interview was undertaken with 61 stakeholders (including policymakers, diversity teachers, students and users). The data were analysed and themes identified. Results There were diverse views about what the term cultural diversity means and what should constitute the cultural diversity curriculum. There was a need to provide certainty in teaching cultural diversity with diversity teachers feeling under considerable pressure to provide information. Students discomfort with uncertainty was felt to drive cultural diversity teaching towards factual emphasis rather than reflection or taking a patient centred approach. Conclusion Students and faculty may feel that cultural diversity teaching is more about how to avoid professional, medico-legal pitfalls, rather than improving the patient experience or the patient-physician relationship. There may be pressure to imbue cultural diversity issues with levels of objectivity and certainty representative of other aspects of the medical curriculum (e.g. – biochemistry). This may reflect a particular selection bias for students with a technocentric orientation. Inadvertently, medical education may enhance this bias through training effects, and accommodate disregard for subjectivity, over-reliance upon technology and thereby foster incorrect assumptions of objective certainty. We opine that it is important to teach students that technology cannot guarantee certainty, and that dealing with subjectivity, diversity, ambiguity and uncertainty is inseparable from the personal dimension of medicine as moral enterprise. Uncertainty is inherent in cultural diversity so this part of the curriculum provides an opportunity to address the issue as it relates to pateint care. PMID:17462089

Cultural diversity teaching and issues of uncertainty: the findings of a qualitative study.

PubMed

Dogra, Nisha; Giordano, James; France, Nicholas

2007-04-26

There is considerable ambiguity in the subjective dimensions that comprise much of the relational dynamic of the clinical encounter. Comfort with this ambiguity, and recognition of the potential uncertainty of particular domains of medicine (e.g.--cultural factors of illness expression, value bias in diagnoses, etc) is an important facet of medical education. This paper begins by defining ambiguity and uncertainty as relevant to clinical practice. Studies have shown differing patterns of students' tolerance for ambiguity and uncertainty that appear to reflect extant attitudinal predispositions toward technology, objectivity, culture, value- and theory-ladeness, and the need for self-examination. This paper reports on those findings specifically related to the theme of uncertainty as relevant to teaching about cultural diversity. Its focus is to identify how and where the theme of certainty arose in the teaching and learning of cultural diversity, what were the attitudes toward this theme and topic, and how these attitudes and responses reflect and inform this area of medical pedagogy. A semi-structured interview was undertaken with 61 stakeholders (including policymakers, diversity teachers, students and users). The data were analysed and themes identified. There were diverse views about what the term cultural diversity means and what should constitute the cultural diversity curriculum. There was a need to provide certainty in teaching cultural diversity with diversity teachers feeling under considerable pressure to provide information. Students discomfort with uncertainty was felt to drive cultural diversity teaching towards factual emphasis rather than reflection or taking a patient centred approach. Students and faculty may feel that cultural diversity teaching is more about how to avoid professional, medico-legal pitfalls, rather than improving the patient experience or the patient-physician relationship. There may be pressure to imbue cultural diversity issues with levels of objectivity and certainty representative of other aspects of the medical curriculum (e.g.--biochemistry). This may reflect a particular selection bias for students with a technocentric orientation. Inadvertently, medical education may enhance this bias through training effects, and accommodate disregard for subjectivity, over-reliance upon technology and thereby foster incorrect assumptions of objective certainty. We opine that it is important to teach students that technology cannot guarantee certainty, and that dealing with subjectivity, diversity, ambiguity and uncertainty is inseparable from the personal dimension of medicine as moral enterprise. Uncertainty is inherent in cultural diversity so this part of the curriculum provides an opportunity to address the issue as it relates to patient care.

Putting Beta-Diversity on the Map: Broad-Scale Congruence and Coincidence in the Extremes

PubMed Central

McKnight, Meghan W; White, Peter S; McDonald, Robert I; Lamoreux, John F; Sechrest, Wes; Ridgely, Robert S; Stuart, Simon N

2007-01-01

Beta-diversity, the change in species composition between places, is a critical but poorly understood component of biological diversity. Patterns of beta-diversity provide information central to many ecological and evolutionary questions, as well as to conservation planning. Yet beta-diversity is rarely studied across large extents, and the degree of similarity of patterns among taxa at such scales remains untested. To our knowledge, this is the first broad-scale analysis of cross-taxon congruence in beta-diversity, and introduces a new method to map beta-diversity continuously across regions. Congruence between amphibian, bird, and mammal beta-diversity in the Western Hemisphere varies with both geographic location and spatial extent. We demonstrate that areas of high beta-diversity for the three taxa largely coincide, but areas of low beta-diversity exhibit little overlap. These findings suggest that similar processes lead to high levels of differentiation in amphibian, bird, and mammal assemblages, while the ecological and biogeographic factors influencing homogeneity in vertebrate assemblages vary. Knowledge of beta-diversity congruence can help formulate hypotheses about the mechanisms governing regional diversity patterns and should inform conservation, especially as threat from global climate change increases. PMID:17927449

Divergent Viruses Discovered in Arthropods and Vertebrates Revise the Evolutionary History of the Flaviviridae and Related Viruses.

PubMed

Shi, Mang; Lin, Xian-Dan; Vasilakis, Nikos; Tian, Jun-Hua; Li, Ci-Xiu; Chen, Liang-Jun; Eastwood, Gillian; Diao, Xiu-Nian; Chen, Ming-Hui; Chen, Xiao; Qin, Xin-Cheng; Widen, Steven G; Wood, Thomas G; Tesh, Robert B; Xu, Jianguo; Holmes, Edward C; Zhang, Yong-Zhen

2016-01-15

Viruses of the family Flaviviridae are important pathogens of humans and other animals and are currently classified into four genera. To better understand their diversity, evolutionary history, and genomic flexibility, we used transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) to search for the viruses related to the Flaviviridae in a range of potential invertebrate and vertebrate hosts. Accordingly, we recovered the full genomes of five segmented jingmenviruses and 12 distant relatives of the known Flaviviridae ("flavi-like" viruses) from a range of arthropod species. Although these viruses are highly divergent, they share a similar genomic plan and common ancestry with the Flaviviridae in the NS3 and NS5 regions. Remarkably, although these viruses fill in major gaps in the phylogenetic diversity of the Flaviviridae, genomic comparisons reveal important changes in genome structure, genome size, and replication/gene regulation strategy during evolutionary history. In addition, the wide diversity of flavi-like viruses found in invertebrates, as well as their deep phylogenetic positions, suggests that they may represent the ancestral forms from which the vertebrate-infecting viruses evolved. For the vertebrate viruses, we expanded the previously mammal-only pegivirus-hepacivirus group to include a virus from the graceful catshark (Proscyllium habereri), which in turn implies that these viruses possess a larger host range than is currently known. In sum, our data show that the Flaviviridae infect a far wider range of hosts and exhibit greater diversity in genome structure than previously anticipated. The family Flaviviridae of RNA viruses contains several notorious human pathogens, including dengue virus, West Nile virus, and hepatitis C virus. To date, however, our understanding of the biodiversity and evolution of the Flaviviridae has largely been directed toward vertebrate hosts and their blood-feeding arthropod vectors. Therefore, we investigated an expanded group of potential arthropod and vertebrate host species that have generally been ignored by surveillance programs. Remarkably, these species contained diverse flaviviruses and related viruses that are characterized by major changes in genome size and genome structure, such that these traits are more flexible than previously thought. More generally, these data suggest that arthropods may be the ultimate reservoir of the Flaviviridae and related viruses, harboring considerable genetic and phenotypic diversity. In sum, this study revises the traditional view on the evolutionary history, host range, and genomic structures of a major group of RNA viruses. Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Habitat diversity and ecosystem multifunctionality—The importance of direct and indirect effects

PubMed Central

Alsterberg, Christian; Roger, Fabian; Sundbäck, Kristina; Juhanson, Jaanis; Hulth, Stefan; Hallin, Sara; Gamfeldt, Lars

2017-01-01

Ecosystems worldwide are facing habitat homogenization due to human activities. Although it is commonly proposed that such habitat homogenization can have negative repercussions for ecosystem functioning, this question has yet to receive explicit scientific attention. We expand on the framework for evaluating the functional consequences of biodiversity loss by scaling up from the level of species to the level of the entire habitats. Just as species diversity generally fosters ecosystem functioning through positive interspecies interactions, we hypothesize that different habitats within ecosystems can facilitate each other through structural complementarity and through exchange of material and energy across habitats. We show that experimental ecosystems comprised of a diversity of habitats show higher levels of multiple ecosystem functions than ecosystems with low habitat diversity. Our results demonstrate that the effect of habitat diversity on multifunctionality varies with season; it has direct effects on ecosystem functioning in summer and indirect effects, via changes in species diversity, in autumn, but no effect in spring. We propose that joint consideration of habitat diversity and species diversity will prove valuable for both environmental management and basic research. PMID:28246634

Genetic Diversity and Societally Important Disparities

PubMed Central

Rosenberg, Noah A.; Kang, Jonathan T. L.

2015-01-01

The magnitude of genetic diversity within human populations varies in a way that reflects the sequence of migrations by which people spread throughout the world. Beyond its use in human evolutionary genetics, worldwide variation in genetic diversity sometimes can interact with social processes to produce differences among populations in their relationship to modern societal problems. We review the consequences of genetic diversity differences in the settings of familial identification in forensic genetic testing, match probabilities in bone marrow transplantation, and representation in genome-wide association studies of disease. In each of these three cases, the contribution of genetic diversity to social differences follows from population-genetic principles. For a fourth setting that is not similarly grounded, we reanalyze with expanded genetic data a report that genetic diversity differences influence global patterns of human economic development, finding no support for the claim. The four examples describe a limit to the importance of genetic diversity for explaining societal differences while illustrating a distinction that certain biologically based scenarios do require consideration of genetic diversity for solving problems to which populations have been differentially predisposed by the unique history of human migrations. PMID:26354973

Aridity increases below-ground niche breadth in grass communities

USGS Publications Warehouse

Butterfield, Bradley J.; Bradford, John B.; Munson, Seth M.; Gremer, Jennifer R.

2017-01-01

Aridity is an important environmental filter in the assembly of plant communities worldwide. The extent to which root traits mediate responses to aridity, and how they are coordinated with leaf traits, remains unclear. Here, we measured variation in root tissue density (RTD), specific root length (SRL), specific leaf area (SLA), and seed size within and among thirty perennial grass communities distributed along an aridity gradient spanning 190–540 mm of climatic water deficit (potential minus actual evapotranspiration). We tested the hypotheses that traits exhibited coordinated variation (1) among species, as well as (2) among communities varying in aridity, and (3) functional diversity within communities declines with increasing aridity, consistent with the “stress-dominance” hypothesis. Across communities, SLA and RTD exhibited a coordinated response to aridity, shifting toward more conservative (lower SLA, higher RTD) functional strategies with increasing aridity. The response of SRL to aridity was more idiosyncratic and was independent of variation in SLA and RTD. Contrary to the stress-dominance hypothesis, the diversity of SRL values within communities increased with aridity, while none of the other traits exhibited significant diversity responses. These results are consistent with other studies that have found SRL to be independent of an SLA–RTD axis of functional variation and suggest that the dynamic nature of soil moisture in arid environments may facilitate a wider array of resource capture strategies associated with variation in SRL.

Mutagenesis of NosM Leader Peptide Reveals Important Elements in Nosiheptide Biosynthesis

PubMed Central

Jin, Liang; Wu, Xuri; Xue, Yanjiu; Jin, Yue; Wang, Shuzhen

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT Nosiheptide, a typical member of the ribosomally synthesized and posttranslationally modified peptides (RiPPs), exhibits potent activity against multidrug-resistant Gram-positive bacterial pathogens. The precursor peptide of nosiheptide (NosM) is comprised of a leader peptide with 37 amino acids and a core peptide containing 13 amino acids. To pinpoint elements in the leader peptide that are essential for nosiheptide biosynthesis, a collection of mutants with unique sequence features, including N- and C-terminal motifs, peptide length, and specific sites in the leader peptide, was generated by mutagenesis in vivo. The effects of various mutants on nosiheptide biosynthesis were evaluated. In addition to the necessity of a conserved motif LEIS box, native length and the N-terminal 12 amino acid residues were indispensable, and single-site substitutions of these 12 amino acid residues resulted in changes ranging from a greater-than-5-fold decrease to a 2-fold increase of nosiheptide production, depending on the sites and substituted residues. Moreover, although the C-terminal motif is not conservative, significant effects of this portion on nosiheptide production were also evident. Taken together, the present results further highlight the importance of the leader peptide in nosiheptide biosynthesis, and provide new insights into the diversity and specificity of leader peptides in the biosynthesis of various RiPPs. IMPORTANCE As a representative thiopeptide, nosiheptide exhibits excellent antibacterial activity. Although the biosynthetic gene cluster and several modification steps have been revealed, the presence and roles of the leader peptide within the precursor peptide of the nosiheptide gene cluster remain elusive. Thus, identification of specific elements in the leader peptide can significantly facilitate the genetic manipulation of the gene cluster for increasing nosiheptide production or generating diverse analogues. Given the complexity of the biosynthetic process, the instability of the leader peptide, and the unavailability of intermediates, cocrystallization of intermediates, leader peptide, and modification enzymes is currently not feasible. Therefore, a mutagenesis approach was used to construct a series of leader peptide mutants to uncover a number of crucial and characteristic elements affecting nosiheptide biosynthesis, which moves a considerable distance toward a thorough understanding of the biosynthetic machinery for thiopeptides. PMID:27913416

Beyond the Classroom: The Potential of After School Programs to Engage Diverse High School Students in the Geosciences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pickering, J.; Briggs, D. E.; Alonzo, J.

2011-12-01

Over the last decade many influential reports on how to improve the state of STEM education in the United States have concluded that students need exciting science experiences that speak to their interests - beyond the classroom. High school students spend only about one third of their time in school. After school programs are an important opportunity to engage them in activities that enhance their understanding of complex scientific issues and allow them to explore their interests in more depth. For the last four years the Peabody Museum, in partnership with Yale faculty, other local universities and the New Haven Public Schools, has engaged a diverse group of New Haven teens in an after school program that provides them with multiple opportunities to explore the geosciences and related careers, together with access to the skills and support needed for college matriculation. The program exposes 100 students each year to the world of geoscience research; internships; the development of a Museum exhibition; field trips; opportunities for paid work interpreting geoscience exhibits; mentoring by successful college students; and an introduction to local higher education institutions. It is designed to address issues that particularly influence the college and career choices of students from communities traditionally underrepresented in STEM. Independent in-depth evaluation, using quantitative and qualitative methods, has shown that the program has enormous positive impact on the students. Results show that the program significantly improves students' knowledge and understanding of the geosciences and geoscience careers, together with college and college preparation. In the last two years 70% - 80% of respondents agreed that the program has changed the way they feel about science, and in 2010/11 over half of the students planned to pursue a science degree - a considerable increase from intentions voiced at the beginning of the program. The findings show that the students' knowledge of many geoscience fields (e.g., ocean sciences, human environmental impact) and careers in these areas had increased significantly. The high school to college transition is a time when many students leave the STEM pipeline. Increased knowledge of the geosciences at this critical time encourages them to take courses in these areas in college and to delve more deeply into the subject. The program has been supported by grants from the NSF "Opportunities for Enhancing Diversity in the Geosciences" Program, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and other funders.

Patterns of range-wide genetic variation in six North American bumble bee (Apidae: Bombus) species.

PubMed

Lozier, Jeffrey D; Strange, James P; Stewart, Isaac J; Cameron, Sydney A

2011-12-01

The increasing evidence for population declines in bumble bee (Bombus) species worldwide has accelerated research efforts to explain losses in these important pollinators. In North America, a number of once widespread Bombus species have suffered serious reductions in range and abundance, although other species remain healthy. To examine whether declining and stable species exhibit different levels of genetic diversity or population fragmentation, we used microsatellite markers to genotype populations sampled across the geographic distributions of two declining (Bombus occidentalis and Bombus pensylvanicus) and four stable (Bombus bifarius; Bombus vosnesenskii; Bombus impatiens and Bombus bimaculatus) Bombus species. Populations of declining species generally have reduced levels of genetic diversity throughout their range compared to codistributed stable species. Genetic diversity can be affected by overall range size and degree of isolation of local populations, potentially confounding comparisons among species in some cases. We find no evidence for consistent differences in gene flow among stable and declining species, with all species exhibiting weak genetic differentiation over large distances (e.g. >1000 km). Populations on islands and at high elevations experience relatively strong genetic drift, suggesting that some conditions lead to genetic isolation in otherwise weakly differentiated species. B. occidentalis and B. bifarius exhibit stronger genetic differentiation than the other species, indicating greater phylogeographic structure consistent with their broader geographic distributions across topographically complex regions of western North America. Screening genetic diversity in North American Bombus should prove useful for identifying species that warrant monitoring, and developing management strategies that promote high levels of gene flow will be a key component in efforts to maintain healthy populations. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Dynamic distribution patterns of ribosomal DNA and chromosomal evolution in Paphiopedilum, a lady's slipper orchid

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Paphiopedilum is a horticulturally and ecologically important genus of ca. 80 species of lady's slipper orchids native to Southeast Asia. These plants have long been of interest regarding their chromosomal evolution, which involves a progressive aneuploid series based on either fission or fusion of centromeres. Chromosome number is positively correlated with genome size, so rearrangement processes must include either insertion or deletion of DNA segments. We have conducted Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (FISH) studies using 5S and 25S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) probes to survey for rearrangements, duplications, and phylogenetically-correlated variation within Paphiopedilum. We further studied sequence variation of the non-transcribed spacers of 5S rDNA (5S-NTS) to examine their complex duplication history, including the possibility that concerted evolutionary forces may homogenize diversity. Results 5S and 25S rDNA loci among Paphiopedilum species, representing all key phylogenetic lineages, exhibit a considerable diversity that correlates well with recognized evolutionary groups. 25S rDNA signals range from 2 (representing 1 locus) to 9, the latter representing hemizygosity. 5S loci display extensive structural variation, and show from 2 specific signals to many, both major and minor and highly dispersed. The dispersed signals mainly occur at centromeric and subtelomeric positions, which are hotspots for chromosomal breakpoints. Phylogenetic analysis of cloned 5S rDNA non-transcribed spacer (5S-NTS) sequences showed evidence for both ancient and recent post-speciation duplication events, as well as interlocus and intralocus diversity. Conclusions Paphiopedilum species display many chromosomal rearrangements - for example, duplications, translocations, and inversions - but only weak concerted evolutionary forces among highly duplicated 5S arrays, which suggests that double-strand break repair processes are dynamic and ongoing. These results make the genus a model system for the study of complex chromosomal evolution in plants. PMID:21910890

Dynamic distribution patterns of ribosomal DNA and chromosomal evolution in Paphiopedilum, a lady's slipper orchid.

PubMed

Lan, Tianying; Albert, Victor A

2011-09-12

Paphiopedilum is a horticulturally and ecologically important genus of ca. 80 species of lady's slipper orchids native to Southeast Asia. These plants have long been of interest regarding their chromosomal evolution, which involves a progressive aneuploid series based on either fission or fusion of centromeres. Chromosome number is positively correlated with genome size, so rearrangement processes must include either insertion or deletion of DNA segments. We have conducted Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (FISH) studies using 5S and 25S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) probes to survey for rearrangements, duplications, and phylogenetically-correlated variation within Paphiopedilum. We further studied sequence variation of the non-transcribed spacers of 5S rDNA (5S-NTS) to examine their complex duplication history, including the possibility that concerted evolutionary forces may homogenize diversity. 5S and 25S rDNA loci among Paphiopedilum species, representing all key phylogenetic lineages, exhibit a considerable diversity that correlates well with recognized evolutionary groups. 25S rDNA signals range from 2 (representing 1 locus) to 9, the latter representing hemizygosity. 5S loci display extensive structural variation, and show from 2 specific signals to many, both major and minor and highly dispersed. The dispersed signals mainly occur at centromeric and subtelomeric positions, which are hotspots for chromosomal breakpoints. Phylogenetic analysis of cloned 5S rDNA non-transcribed spacer (5S-NTS) sequences showed evidence for both ancient and recent post-speciation duplication events, as well as interlocus and intralocus diversity. Paphiopedilum species display many chromosomal rearrangements--for example, duplications, translocations, and inversions--but only weak concerted evolutionary forces among highly duplicated 5S arrays, which suggests that double-strand break repair processes are dynamic and ongoing. These results make the genus a model system for the study of complex chromosomal evolution in plants.

Metagenomes from High-Temperature Chemotrophic Systems Reveal Geochemical Controls on Microbial Community Structure and Function

PubMed Central

Inskeep, William P.; Rusch, Douglas B.; Jay, Zackary J.; Herrgard, Markus J.; Kozubal, Mark A.; Richardson, Toby H.; Macur, Richard E.; Hamamura, Natsuko; Jennings, Ryan deM.; Fouke, Bruce W.; Reysenbach, Anna-Louise; Roberto, Frank; Young, Mark; Schwartz, Ariel; Boyd, Eric S.; Badger, Jonathan H.; Mathur, Eric J.; Ortmann, Alice C.; Bateson, Mary; Geesey, Gill; Frazier, Marvin

2010-01-01

The Yellowstone caldera contains the most numerous and diverse geothermal systems on Earth, yielding an extensive array of unique high-temperature environments that host a variety of deeply-rooted and understudied Archaea, Bacteria and Eukarya. The combination of extreme temperature and chemical conditions encountered in geothermal environments often results in considerably less microbial diversity than other terrestrial habitats and offers a tremendous opportunity for studying the structure and function of indigenous microbial communities and for establishing linkages between putative metabolisms and element cycling. Metagenome sequence (14–15,000 Sanger reads per site) was obtained for five high-temperature (>65°C) chemotrophic microbial communities sampled from geothermal springs (or pools) in Yellowstone National Park (YNP) that exhibit a wide range in geochemistry including pH, dissolved sulfide, dissolved oxygen and ferrous iron. Metagenome data revealed significant differences in the predominant phyla associated with each of these geochemical environments. Novel members of the Sulfolobales are dominant in low pH environments, while other Crenarchaeota including distantly-related Thermoproteales and Desulfurococcales populations dominate in suboxic sulfidic sediments. Several novel archaeal groups are well represented in an acidic (pH 3) Fe-oxyhydroxide mat, where a higher O2 influx is accompanied with an increase in archaeal diversity. The presence or absence of genes and pathways important in S oxidation-reduction, H2-oxidation, and aerobic respiration (terminal oxidation) provide insight regarding the metabolic strategies of indigenous organisms present in geothermal systems. Multiple-pathway and protein-specific functional analysis of metagenome sequence data corroborated results from phylogenetic analyses and clearly demonstrate major differences in metabolic potential across sites. The distribution of functional genes involved in electron transport is consistent with the hypothesis that geochemical parameters (e.g., pH, sulfide, Fe, O2) control microbial community structure and function in YNP geothermal springs. PMID:20333304

Genetic diversity enhances the resistance of a seagrass ecosystem to disturbance.

PubMed

Hughes, A Randall; Stachowicz, John J

2004-06-15

Motivated by recent global reductions in biodiversity, empirical and theoretical research suggests that more species-rich systems exhibit enhanced productivity, nutrient cycling, or resistance to disturbance or invasion relative to systems with fewer species. In contrast, few data are available to assess the potential ecosystem-level importance of genetic diversity within species known to play a major functional role. Using a manipulative field experiment, we show that increasing genotypic diversity in a habitat-forming species (the seagrass Zostera marina) enhances community resistance to disturbance by grazing geese. The time required for recovery to near predisturbance densities also decreases with increasing eelgrass genotypic diversity. However, there is no effect of diversity on resilience, measured as the rate of shoot recovery after the disturbance, suggesting that more rapid recovery in diverse plots is due solely to differences in disturbance resistance. Genotypic diversity did not affect ecosystem processes in the absence of disturbance. Thus, our results suggest that genetic diversity, like species diversity, may be most important for enhancing the consistency and reliability of ecosystems by providing biological insurance against environmental change.

Soil pH determines fungal diversity along an elevation gradient in Southwestern China.

PubMed

Liu, Dan; Liu, Guohua; Chen, Li; Wang, Juntao; Zhang, Limei

2018-01-03

Fungi play important roles in ecosystem processes, and the elevational pattern of fungal diversity is still unclear. Here, we examined the diversity of fungi along a 1,000 m elevation gradient on Mount Nadu, Southwestern China. We used MiSeq sequencing to obtain fungal sequences that were clustered into operational taxonomic units (OTUs) and to measure the fungal composition and diversity. Though the species richness and phylogenetic diversity of the fungal community did not exhibit significant trends with increasing altitude, they were significantly lower at mid-altitudinal sites than at the base. The Bray-Curtis distance clustering also showed that the fungal communities varied significantly with altitude. A distance-based linear model multivariate analysis (DistLM) identified that soil pH dominated the explanatory power of the species richness (23.72%), phylogenetic diversity (24.25%) and beta diversity (28.10%) of the fungal community. Moreover, the species richness and phylogenetic diversity of the fungal community increased linearly with increasing soil pH (P<0.05). Our study provides evidence that pH is an important predictor of soil fungal diversity along elevation gradients in Southwestern China.

Adapting NDOR's Roadside Seed Mixture for Local Site Conditions

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-09-06

The Nebraska Department of Roads (NDOR) has considerable challenges with its objectives of rapidly establishing and maintaining a diverse and vigorous vegetation cover on roadsides. Establishing vegetation quickly on NDOR roadsides is important becau...

14 CFR § 1230.107 - IRB membership.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... members, and the diversity of the members, including consideration of race, gender, and cultural... qualified persons of both sexes, so long as no selection is made to the IRB on the basis of gender. No IRB...

32 CFR 219.107 - IRB membership.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... members, and the diversity of the members, including consideration of race, gender, and cultural... qualified persons of both sexes, so long as no selection is made to the IRB on the basis of gender. No IRB...

21 CFR 56.107 - IRB membership.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... of its members, and the diversity of the members, including consideration of race, gender, cultural... qualified persons of both sexes, so long as no selection is made to the IRB on the basis of gender. No IRB...

32 CFR 219.107 - IRB membership.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... members, and the diversity of the members, including consideration of race, gender, and cultural... qualified persons of both sexes, so long as no selection is made to the IRB on the basis of gender. No IRB...

21 CFR 56.107 - IRB membership.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... qualified persons of both sexes, so long as no selection is made to the IRB on the basis of gender. No IRB... of its members, and the diversity of the members, including consideration of race, gender, cultural...

32 CFR 219.107 - IRB membership.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... qualified persons of both sexes, so long as no selection is made to the IRB on the basis of gender. No IRB... members, and the diversity of the members, including consideration of race, gender, and cultural...

21 CFR 56.107 - IRB membership.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... qualified persons of both sexes, so long as no selection is made to the IRB on the basis of gender. No IRB... of its members, and the diversity of the members, including consideration of race, gender, cultural...

32 CFR 219.107 - IRB membership.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... qualified persons of both sexes, so long as no selection is made to the IRB on the basis of gender. No IRB... members, and the diversity of the members, including consideration of race, gender, and cultural...

Social Learning Theory and Behavioral Therapy: Considering Human Behaviors within the Social and Cultural Context of Individuals and Families.

PubMed

McCullough Chavis, Annie

2011-01-01

This article examines theoretical thoughts of social learning theory and behavioral therapy and their influences on human behavior within a social and cultural context. The article utilizes two case illustrations with applications for consumers. It points out the abundance of research studies concerning the effectiveness of social learning theory, and the paucity of research studies regarding effectiveness and evidence-based practices with diverse groups. Providing a social and cultural context in working with diverse groups with reference to social learning theory adds to the literature for more cultural considerations in adapting the theory to women, African Americans, and diverse groups.

Examining the Relationship between Equal Opportunity Climate and Individual Level Outcome Variables

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-10-28

and workplace outcomes. Within this body of literature it has been noted that diversity within organizations can be both a source of friction as well...managing with workplace diversity (Kossek & Zonia, 1993; McKay, Avery, & Morris, 2009; Mor Barak, Cherin, & Berkman, 1998; Van Knippenberg...group) exhibited by a command as well as perceptions of climate related to racism and sexual discrimination were significant predictors of outcomes

New Peptides Isolated from Marine Cyanobacteria, an Overview over the Past Decade

PubMed Central

Mi, Yue; Zhang, Jinrong; He, Shan; Yan, Xiaojun

2017-01-01

Marine cyanobacteria are significant sources of structurally diverse marine natural products with broad biological activities. In the past 10 years, excellent progress has been made in the discovery of marine cyanobacteria-derived peptides with diverse chemical structures. Most of these peptides exhibit strong pharmacological activities, such as neurotoxicity and cytotoxicity. In the present review, we summarized peptides isolated from marine cyanobacteria since 2007. PMID:28475149

Evolution and Diversity in Human Herpes Simplex Virus Genomes

PubMed Central

Gatherer, Derek; Ochoa, Alejandro; Greenbaum, Benjamin; Dolan, Aidan; Bowden, Rory J.; Enquist, Lynn W.; Legendre, Matthieu; Davison, Andrew J.

2014-01-01

Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) causes a chronic, lifelong infection in >60% of adults. Multiple recent vaccine trials have failed, with viral diversity likely contributing to these failures. To understand HSV-1 diversity better, we comprehensively compared 20 newly sequenced viral genomes from China, Japan, Kenya, and South Korea with six previously sequenced genomes from the United States, Europe, and Japan. In this diverse collection of passaged strains, we found that one-fifth of the newly sequenced members share a gene deletion and one-third exhibit homopolymeric frameshift mutations (HFMs). Individual strains exhibit genotypic and potential phenotypic variation via HFMs, deletions, short sequence repeats, and single-nucleotide polymorphisms, although the protein sequence identity between strains exceeds 90% on average. In the first genome-scale analysis of positive selection in HSV-1, we found signs of selection in specific proteins and residues, including the fusion protein glycoprotein H. We also confirmed previous results suggesting that recombination has occurred with high frequency throughout the HSV-1 genome. Despite this, the HSV-1 strains analyzed clustered by geographic origin during whole-genome distance analysis. These data shed light on likely routes of HSV-1 adaptation to changing environments and will aid in the selection of vaccine antigens that are invariant worldwide. PMID:24227835

Understanding invasion history and predicting invasive niches using genetic sequencing technology in Australia: case studies from Cucurbitaceae and Boraginaceae.

PubMed

Shaik, Razia S; Zhu, Xiaocheng; Clements, David R; Weston, Leslie A

2016-01-01

Part of the challenge in dealing with invasive plant species is that they seldom represent a uniform, static entity. Often, an accurate understanding of the history of plant introduction and knowledge of the real levels of genetic diversity present in species and populations of importance is lacking. Currently, the role of genetic diversity in promoting the successful establishment of invasive plants is not well defined. Genetic profiling of invasive plants should enhance our understanding of the dynamics of colonization in the invaded range. Recent advances in DNA sequencing technology have greatly facilitated the rapid and complete assessment of plant population genetics. Here, we apply our current understanding of the genetics and ecophysiology of plant invasions to recent work on Australian plant invaders from the Cucurbitaceae and Boraginaceae. The Cucurbitaceae study showed that both prickly paddy melon ( Cucumis myriocarpus ) and camel melon ( Citrullus lanatus ) were represented by only a single genotype in Australia, implying that each was probably introduced as a single introduction event. In contrast, a third invasive melon, Citrullus colocynthis , possessed a moderate level of genetic diversity in Australia and was potentially introduced to the continent at least twice. The Boraginaceae study demonstrated the value of comparing two similar congeneric species; one, Echium plantagineum , is highly invasive and genetically diverse, whereas the other, Echium vulgare , exhibits less genetic diversity and occupies a more limited ecological niche. Sequence analysis provided precise identification of invasive plant species, as well as information on genetic diversity and phylogeographic history. Improved sequencing technologies will continue to allow greater resolution of genetic relationships among invasive plant populations, thereby potentially improving our ability to predict the impact of these relationships upon future spread and better manage invaders possessing potentially diverse biotypes and exhibiting diverse breeding systems, life histories and invasion histories.

Immunogenetics as a tool in anthropological studies

PubMed Central

Sanchez-Mazas, Alicia; Fernandez-Viña, Marcelo; Middleton, Derek; Hollenbach, Jill A; Buhler, Stéphane; Di, Da; Rajalingam, Raja; Dugoujon, Jean-Michel; Mack, Steven J; Thorsby, Erik

2011-01-01

The genes coding for the main molecules involved in the human immune system – immunoglobulins, human leucocyte antigen (HLA) molecules and killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) – exhibit a very high level of polymorphism that reveals remarkable frequency variation in human populations. ‘Genetic marker’ (GM) allotypes located in the constant domains of IgG antibodies have been studied for over 40 years through serological typing, leading to the identification of a variety of GM haplotypes whose frequencies vary sharply from one geographic region to another. An impressive diversity of HLA alleles, which results in amino acid substitutions located in the antigen-binding region of HLA molecules, also varies greatly among populations. The KIR differ between individuals according to both gene content and allelic variation, and also display considerable population diversity. Whereas the molecular evolution of these polymorphisms has most likely been subject to natural selection, principally driven by host–pathogen interactions, their patterns of genetic variation worldwide show significant signals of human geographic expansion, demographic history and cultural diversification. As current developments in population genetic analysis and computer simulation improve our ability to discriminate among different – either stochastic or deterministic – forces acting on the genetic evolution of human populations, the study of these systems shows great promise for investigating both the peopling history of modern humans in the time since their common origin and human adaptation to past environmental (e.g. pathogenic) changes. Therefore, in addition to mitochondrial DNA, Y-chromosome, microsatellites, single nucleotide polymorphisms and other markers, immunogenetic polymorphisms represent essential and complementary tools for anthropological studies. PMID:21480890

Rhizobia Indigenous to the Okavango Region in Sub-Saharan Africa: Diversity, Adaptations, and Host Specificity

PubMed Central

Grönemeyer, Jann L.; Kulkarni, Ajinkya; Berkelmann, Dirk; Hurek, Thomas

2014-01-01

The rhizobial community indigenous to the Okavango region has not yet been characterized. The isolation of indigenous rhizobia can provide a basis for the formulation of a rhizobial inoculant. Moreover, their identification and characterization contribute to the general understanding of species distribution and ecology. Isolates were obtained from nodules of local varieties of the pulses cowpea, Bambara groundnut, peanut, hyacinth bean, and common bean. Ninety-one of them were identified by BOX repetitive element PCR (BOX-PCR) and sequence analyses of the 16S-23S rRNA internally transcribed spacer (ITS) and the recA, glnII, rpoB, and nifH genes. A striking geographical distribution was observed. Bradyrhizobium pachyrhizi dominated at sampling sites in Angola which were characterized by acid soils and a semihumid climate. Isolates from the semiarid sampling sites in Namibia were more diverse, with most of them being related to Bradyrhizobium yuanmingense and Bradyrhizobium daqingense. Host plant specificity was observed only for hyacinth bean, which was nodulated by rhizobia presumably representing yet-undescribed species. Furthermore, the isolates were characterized with respect to their adaptation to high temperatures, drought, and local host plants. The adaptation experiments revealed that the Namibian isolates shared an exceptionally high temperature tolerance, but none of the isolates showed considerable adaptation to drought. Moreover, the isolates' performance on different local hosts showed variable results, with most Namibian isolates inducing better nodulation on peanut and hyacinth bean than the Angolan strains. The local predominance of distinct genotypes implies that indigenous strains may exhibit a better performance in inoculant formulations. PMID:25239908

New evidence for the barrier reef model, Permian Capitan Reef complex, New Mexico

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kirkland, B.L.; Moore, C.H. Jr.

1990-05-01

Recent paleontologic and petrologic observations suggest that the Capitan Formation was deposited as an organic or ecologic reef that acted as an emergent barrier to incoming wave energy. In outcrops in the Guadalupe Mountains and within Carlsbad Caverns, massive reef boundstone contains a highly diverse assemblage of frame-building and binding organisms. In modern reefs, diversity among frame builders decreases dramatically with depth. Marine cement is abundant in reef boundstone, but limited in back-reef grainstone and packstone. This cementation pattern is similar to that observed in modern emergent barrier reef systems. Based on comparison with modern analogs, these dasycladrominated back-reef sedimentsmore » and their associated biota are indicative of shallow, hypersaline conditions. Few of these dasyclads exhibit broken or abraded segments and some thallus sections are still articulated suggesting that low-energy, hypersaline conditions occurred immediately shelfward of the reef. In addition, large-scale topographic features, such as possible spur and groove structures between Walnut Canyon and Rattlesnake Canyon, and facies geometries, such as the reef to shelf transition, resemble those found in modern shallow-water reefs. The organisms that formed the Capitan Reef appear to have lived in, and responded to, physical and chemical conditions similar to those that control the geometry of modern shallow-water reefs. Like their modern counterparts, they seem to have strongly influenced adjacent environments. In light of this evidence, consideration should be given to either modifying or abandoning the marginal mound model in favor of the originally proposed barrier reef model.« less

Chromosomal characterization of armored catfish Harttia longipinna (Siluriformes, Loricariidae): first report of B chromosomes in the genus.

PubMed

Blanco, Daniel Rodrigues; Vicari, Marcelo Ricardo; Artoni, Roberto Ferreira; Traldi, Josiane Baccarin; Moreira-Filho, Orlando

2012-09-01

The B chromosomes are accessory elements that are widely distributed among eukaryotic genomes and often show non-Mendelian inheritance. They are considered dispensable for the growth, development, and reproduction of organisms. Some studies have suggested that these elements may affect sex determination. Harttia is a small armored catfish genus that shows sexual dimorphism, including hypertrophied odontodes on the pectoral fin spines and along the margins of the snout in mature males. They exhibit considerable karyotypic diversity with diploid number (2n) variation and heteromorphic sex system in H. carvalhoi. To date, no occurrences of B chromosomes in the Harttia genus were detected and no relation to sexual differentiation in Neotropical fish has been determined. To determine the validity of this claim, the present paper characterized specimens of Harttia longipinna by classical and molecular cytogenetic methods. The 2n found was 58 (16m + 12sm + 16st + 14a), but of the 50 specimens analyzed (30 male and 20 female), 23 specimens (16 males and seven females) show an intra-individual from 0 to 2 micro B chromosomes. The B chromosomes were completely heterochromatic. The single NORs were shown in the first acrocentric pair with silver staining and 18S rDNA probing. FISH performed with 5S rDNA probe showed a single cistron in the proximal region of the short arm of a small metacentric pair. Thus, the cytogenetic data obtained in this study of H. longipinna highlight the karyotypic diversity found within the genus Harttia, and represent the first description of B chromosomes for this genus.

Integration of Plant Defense Traits with Biological Control of Arthropod Pests: Challenges and Opportunities

PubMed Central

Peterson, Julie A.; Ode, Paul J.; Oliveira-Hofman, Camila; Harwood, James D.

2016-01-01

Crop plants exhibit a wide diversity of defensive traits and strategies to protect themselves from damage by herbivorous pests and disease. These defensive traits may be naturally occurring or artificially selected through crop breeding, including introduction via genetic engineering. While these traits can have obvious and direct impacts on herbivorous pests, many have profound effects on higher trophic levels, including the natural enemies of herbivores. Multi-trophic effects of host plant resistance have the potential to influence, both positively and negatively, biological control. Plant defense traits can influence both the numerical and functional responses of natural enemies; these interactions can be semiochemically, plant toxin-, plant nutrient-, and/or physically mediated. Case studies involving predators, parasitoids, and pathogens of crop pests will be presented and discussed. These diverse groups of natural enemies may respond differently to crop plant traits based on their own unique biology and the ecological niches they fill. Genetically modified crop plants that have been engineered to express transgenic products affecting herbivorous pests are an additional consideration. For the most part, transgenic plant incorporated protectant (PIP) traits are compatible with biological control due to their selective toxicity to targeted pests and relatively low non-target impacts, although transgenic crops may have indirect effects on higher trophic levels and arthropod communities mediated by lower host or prey number and/or quality. Host plant resistance and biological control are two of the key pillars of integrated pest management; their potential interactions, whether they are synergistic, complementary, or disruptive, are key in understanding and achieving sustainable and effective pest management. PMID:27965695

Phylogeography of Australia's king brown snake (Pseudechis australis) reveals Pliocene divergence and Pleistocene dispersal of a top predator.

PubMed

Kuch, Ulrich; Keogh, J Scott; Weigel, John; Smith, Laurie A; Mebs, Dietrich

2005-03-01

King brown snakes or mulga snakes (Pseudechis australis) are the largest and among the most dangerous and wide-ranging venomous snakes in Australia and New Guinea. They occur in diverse habitats, are important predators, and exhibit considerable morphological variation. We infer the relationships and historical biogeography of P. australis based on phylogenetic analysis of 1,249 base pairs from the mitochondrial cytochrome b, NADH dehydrogenase subunit 4 and three adjacent tRNA genes using Bayesian, maximum-likelihood, and maximum-parsimony methods. All methods reveal deep phylogenetic structure with four strongly supported clades comprising snakes from New Guinea (I), localities all over Australia (II), the Kimberleys of Western Australia (III), and north-central Australia (IV), suggesting a much more ancient radiation than previously believed. This conclusion is robust to different molecular clock estimations indicating divergence in Pliocene or Late Miocene, after landbridge dispersal to New Guinea had occurred. While members of clades I, III and IV are medium-sized, slender snakes, those of clade II attain large sizes and a robust build, rendering them top predators in their ecosystems. Genetic differentiation within clade II is low and haplotype distribution largely incongruent with geography or colour morphs, suggesting Pleistocene dispersal and recent ecomorph evolution. Significant haplotype diversity exists in clades III and IV, implying that clade IV comprises two species. Members of clade II are broadly sympatric with members of both northern Australian clades. Thus, our data support the recognition of at least five species from within P. australis (auct.) under various criteria. We discuss biogeographical, ecological and medical implications of our findings.

Phylogeography of Australia's king brown snake (Pseudechis australis) reveals Pliocene divergence and Pleistocene dispersal of a top predator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuch, Ulrich; Keogh, J. Scott; Weigel, John; Smith, Laurie A.; Mebs, Dietrich

2005-03-01

King brown snakes or mulga snakes (Pseudechis australis) are the largest and among the most dangerous and wide-ranging venomous snakes in Australia and New Guinea. They occur in diverse habitats, are important predators, and exhibit considerable morphological variation. We infer the relationships and historical biogeography of P. australis based on phylogenetic analysis of 1,249 base pairs from the mitochondrial cytochrome b, NADH dehydrogenase subunit 4 and three adjacent tRNA genes using Bayesian, maximum-likelihood, and maximum-parsimony methods. All methods reveal deep phylogenetic structure with four strongly supported clades comprising snakes from New Guinea (I), localities all over Australia (II), the Kimberleys of Western Australia (III), and north-central Australia (IV), suggesting a much more ancient radiation than previously believed. This conclusion is robust to different molecular clock estimations indicating divergence in Pliocene or Late Miocene, after landbridge dispersal to New Guinea had occurred. While members of clades I, III and IV are medium-sized, slender snakes, those of clade II attain large sizes and a robust build, rendering them top predators in their ecosystems. Genetic differentiation within clade II is low and haplotype distribution largely incongruent with geography or colour morphs, suggesting Pleistocene dispersal and recent ecomorph evolution. Significant haplotype diversity exists in clades III and IV, implying that clade IV comprises two species. Members of clade II are broadly sympatric with members of both northern Australian clades. Thus, our data support the recognition of at least five species from within P. australis (auct.) under various criteria. We discuss biogeographical, ecological and medical implications of our findings.

Integration of Plant Defense Traits with Biological Control of Arthropod Pests: Challenges and Opportunities.

PubMed

Peterson, Julie A; Ode, Paul J; Oliveira-Hofman, Camila; Harwood, James D

2016-01-01

Crop plants exhibit a wide diversity of defensive traits and strategies to protect themselves from damage by herbivorous pests and disease. These defensive traits may be naturally occurring or artificially selected through crop breeding, including introduction via genetic engineering. While these traits can have obvious and direct impacts on herbivorous pests, many have profound effects on higher trophic levels, including the natural enemies of herbivores. Multi-trophic effects of host plant resistance have the potential to influence, both positively and negatively, biological control. Plant defense traits can influence both the numerical and functional responses of natural enemies; these interactions can be semiochemically, plant toxin-, plant nutrient-, and/or physically mediated. Case studies involving predators, parasitoids, and pathogens of crop pests will be presented and discussed. These diverse groups of natural enemies may respond differently to crop plant traits based on their own unique biology and the ecological niches they fill. Genetically modified crop plants that have been engineered to express transgenic products affecting herbivorous pests are an additional consideration. For the most part, transgenic plant incorporated protectant (PIP) traits are compatible with biological control due to their selective toxicity to targeted pests and relatively low non-target impacts, although transgenic crops may have indirect effects on higher trophic levels and arthropod communities mediated by lower host or prey number and/or quality. Host plant resistance and biological control are two of the key pillars of integrated pest management; their potential interactions, whether they are synergistic, complementary, or disruptive, are key in understanding and achieving sustainable and effective pest management.

Comparative cytogenetic studies of Curimatidae (Pisces, Characiformes) from the middle Paraná River (Argentina).

PubMed

Brassesco, M S; Pastori, M C; Roncati, H A; Fenocchio, A S

2004-06-30

Almost all species of the Curimatidae family have a stable karyotype, with a diploid number of 54 metacentric (M) and submetacentric (SM) chromosomes, and one sole nucleolus organizer pair. This family has considerable specific diversity in Argentinean fluvial basins; however, no cytogenetic data are available. Eight species from the Paraná River (Argentina): Cyphocharax voga, C. spilotus, C. platanus, Steindachnerina brevipinna, S. conspersa, Curimatella dorsalis, Psectrogaster curviventris, and Potamorhina squamoralevis were analyzed cytogenetically. Chromosome preparations were obtained from direct samples and through cell culture, and they were processed for conventional, C- and nucleolar organizer region-banding. Six of the species exhibited the standard family karyotype, with 2n = 54 M-SM and fundamental number of chromosomes (FN) = 108, as well as variations in the chromosome formula, and in heterochromatic and nucleolar organizer regions. Though nucleolar organizer regions were located on only one chromosome pair, they varied in both carrier chromosomes and pairs involved. On the other hand, C. platanus showed a complement of 2n = 58 M-SM and subtelocentric with FN = 116, and P. squamoralevis presented 2n = 102, with some M-SM and a large number of acrocentric chromosomes. Even though the karyotype macrostructure appears to be conserved, the speciation process within the family has been accompanied by micro-structural rearrangements, as evidenced by pattern diversity in the heterochromatin and nucleolar organizer regions. Some changes in chromosome macrostructure have also occurred in this group, primarily in C. platanus and P. squamoralevis, in which there have been centric dissociations and inversions.

Structure Properties and Mechanisms of Action of Naturally Originated Phenolic Acids and Their Derivatives against Human Viral Infections.

PubMed

Wu, Yi-Hang; Zhang, Bing-Yi; Qiu, Li-Peng; Guan, Rong-Fa; Ye, Zi-Hong; Yu, Xiao-Ping

2017-01-01

A great effort has been made to develop efficacious antiviral drugs, but many viral infections are still lack of efficient antiviral therapies so far. The related exploration of natural products to fight viruses has been raised in recent years. Natural compounds with structural diversity and complexity offer a great chance to find new antiviral agents. Particularly, phenolic acids have attracted considerable attention owing to their potent antiviral abilities and unique mechanisms. The aim of this review is to report new discoveries and updates pertaining to antiviral phenolic acids. The relevant references on natural phenolic acids were searched. The antiviral phenolic acids were classified according to their structural properties and antiviral types. Meanwhile, the antiviral characteristics and structure-activity relationships of phenolic acids and their derivatives were summarized. The review finds that natural phenolic acids and their derivatives possessed potent inhibitory effects on multiple virus in humans such as human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis C virus, hepatitis B virus, herpes simplex virus, influenza virus and respiratory syncytial virus. In particular, caffeic acid/gallic acid and their derivatives exhibited outstanding antiviral properties by a variety of modes of action. Naturally derived phenolic acids especially caffeic acid/gallic acid and their derivatives may be regarded as novel promising antiviral leads or candidates. Additionally, scarcely any of these compounds has been used as antiviral treatment in clinical practice. Therefore, these phenolic acids with diverse skeletons and mechanisms provide us an excellent resource for finding novel antiviral drugs. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

Individual differences in migratory behavior shape population genetic structure and microhabitat choice in sympatric blackcaps (Sylvia atricapilla)

PubMed Central

Rolshausen, Gregor; Segelbacher, Gernot; Hermes, Claudia; Hobson, Keith A; Schaefer, H Martin

2013-01-01

In migratory birds, traits such as orientation and distance are known to have a strong genetic background, and they often exhibit considerable within-population variation. How this variation relates to evolutionary responses to ongoing selection is unknown because the underlying mechanisms that translate environmental changes into population genetic changes are unclear. We show that within-population genetic structure in southern German blackcaps (Sylvia atricapilla) is related to individual differences in migratory behavior. Our 3-year study revealed a positive correlation between individual migratory origins, denoted via isotope (δ2H) values, and genetic distances. Genetic diversity and admixture differed not only across a recently established migratory polymorphism with NW- and SW-migrating birds but also across δ2H clusters within the same migratory route. Our results suggest assortment based on individual migratory origins which would facilitate evolutionary responses. We scrutinized arrival times and microhabitat choice as potential mechanisms mediating between individual variation in migratory behavior and assortment. We found significant support that microhabitat choice, rather than timing of arrival, is associated with individual variation in migratory origins. Moreover, examining genetic diversity across the migratory divide, we found migrants following the NW route to be genetically more distinct from each other compared with migrants following the traditional SW route. Our study suggests that migratory behavior shapes population genetic structure in blackcaps not only across the migratory divide but also on an individual level independent of the divide. Thus, within-population variation in migratory behavior might play an important role in translating environmental change into genetic change. PMID:24324877

The diverse density profiles of galaxy clusters with self-interacting dark matter plus baryons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robertson, Andrew; Massey, Richard; Eke, Vincent; Tulin, Sean; Yu, Hai-Bo; Bahé, Yannick; Barnes, David J.; Bower, Richard G.; Crain, Robert A.; Dalla Vecchia, Claudio; Kay, Scott T.; Schaller, Matthieu; Schaye, Joop

2018-05-01

We present the first simulated galaxy clusters (M200 > 1014 M⊙) with both self-interacting dark matter (SIDM) and baryonic physics. They exhibit a greater diversity in both dark matter and stellar density profiles than their counterparts in simulations with collisionless dark matter (CDM), which is generated by the complex interplay between dark matter self-interactions and baryonic physics. Despite variations in formation history, we demonstrate that analytical Jeans modelling predicts the SIDM density profiles remarkably well, and the diverse properties of the haloes can be understood in terms of their different final baryon distributions.

Disability Diversity Training in the Workplace: Systematic Review and Future Directions.

PubMed

Phillips, Brian N; Deiches, Jon; Morrison, Blaise; Chan, Fong; Bezyak, Jill L

2016-09-01

Purpose Misinformation and negative attitudes toward disability contribute to lower employment rates among people with disabilities. Diversity training is an intervention intended to improve intergroup relations and reduce prejudice. We conducted a systematic review to determine the use and effectiveness of disability diversity training aimed at improving employment outcomes for employees with disabilities. Methods Five databases were searched for peer-reviewed studies of disability diversity training interventions provided within the workplace. Studies identified for inclusion were assessed for quality of methodology. Results Of the total of 1322 articles identified by the search, three studies met the criteria for inclusion. Two of the three articles focused specifically on training to improve outcomes related to workplace injuries among existing employees. The other study provided an initial test of a more general disability diversity training program. Conclusions There is currently a lack of empirically validated diversity training programs that focus specifically on disability. A number of disability diversity trainings and resources exist, but none have been well researched. Related literature on diversity training and disability awareness suggests the possibility for enhancing diversity training practices through training design, content, participant, and outcomes considerations. By integrating best practices in workplace diversity training with existing disability training resources, practitioners and researchers may be able to design effective disability diversity training programs.

Seed-mediated gene flow promotes genetic diversity of weedy rice within populations: implications for weed management.

PubMed

He, Zhuoxian; Jiang, Xiaoqi; Ratnasekera, Disna; Grassi, Fabrizio; Perera, Udugahapattuwage; Lu, Bao-Rong

2014-01-01

Increased infestation of weedy rice-a noxious agricultural pest has caused significant reduction of grain yield of cultivated rice (Oryza sativa) worldwide. Knowledge on genetic diversity and structure of weedy rice populations will facilitate the design of effective methods to control this weed by tracing its origins and dispersal patterns in a given region. To generate such knowledge, we studied genetic diversity and structure of 21 weedy rice populations from Sri Lanka based on 23 selected microsatellite (SSR) loci. Results indicated an exceptionally high level of within-population genetic diversity (He = 0.62) and limited among-population differentiation (Fst = 0.17) for this predominantly self-pollinating weed. UPGMA analysis showed a loose genetic affinity of the weedy rice populations in relation to their geographical locations, and no obvious genetic structure among populations across the country. This phenomenon was associated with the considerable amount of gene flow between populations. Limited admixture from STRUCTURE analyses suggested a very low level of hybridization (pollen-mediated gene flow) between populations. The abundant within-population genetic diversity coupled with limited population genetic structure and differentiation is likely caused by the considerable seed-mediated gene flow of weedy rice along with the long-distance exchange of farmer-saved rice seeds between weedy-rice contaminated regions in Sri Lanka. In addition to other effective weed management strategies, promoting the application of certified rice seeds with no weedy rice contamination should be the immediate action to significantly reduce the proliferation and infestation of this weed in rice ecosystems in countries with similar rice farming styles as in Sri Lanka.

Genome-wide patterns of recombination, linkage disequilibrium and nucleotide diversity from pooled resequencing and single nucleotide polymorphism genotyping unlock the evolutionary history of Eucalyptus grandis.

PubMed

Silva-Junior, Orzenil B; Grattapaglia, Dario

2015-11-01

We used high-density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data and whole-genome pooled resequencing to examine the landscape of population recombination (ρ) and nucleotide diversity (ϴw ), assess the extent of linkage disequilibrium (r(2) ) and build the highest density linkage maps for Eucalyptus. At the genome-wide level, linkage disequilibrium (LD) decayed within c. 4-6 kb, slower than previously reported from candidate gene studies, but showing considerable variation from absence to complete LD up to 50 kb. A sharp decrease in the estimate of ρ was seen when going from short to genome-wide inter-SNP distances, highlighting the dependence of this parameter on the scale of observation adopted. Recombination was correlated with nucleotide diversity, gene density and distance from the centromere, with hotspots of recombination enriched for genes involved in chemical reactions and pathways of the normal metabolic processes. The high nucleotide diversity (ϴw = 0.022) of E. grandis revealed that mutation is more important than recombination in shaping its genomic diversity (ρ/ϴw = 0.645). Chromosome-wide ancestral recombination graphs allowed us to date the split of E. grandis (1.7-4.8 million yr ago) and identify a scenario for the recent demographic history of the species. Our results have considerable practical importance to Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS), while indicating bright prospects for genomic prediction of complex phenotypes in eucalypt breeding. © 2015 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2015 New Phytologist Trust.

Phylogenomics and comparative genomics of Lactobacillus salivarius, a mammalian gut commensal.

PubMed

Harris, Hugh M B; Bourin, Maxence J B; Claesson, Marcus J; O'Toole, Paul W

2017-08-01

The genus Lactobacillus is a diverse group with a combined species count of over 200. They are the largest group within the lactic acid bacteria and one of the most important bacterial groups involved in food microbiology and human nutrition because of their fermentative and probiotic properties. Lactobacillus salivarius , a species commonly isolated from the gastrointestinal tract of humans and animals, has been described as having potential probiotic properties and results of previous studies have revealed considerable functional diversity existing on both the chromosomes and plasmids. Our study consists of comparative genomic analyses of the functional and phylogenomic diversity of 42 genomes of strains of L . salivarius using bioinformatic techniques. The main aim of the study was to describe intra-species diversity and to determine how this diversity is spread across the replicons. We found that multiple phylogenomic and non-phylogenomic methods used for reconstructing trees all converge on similar tree topologies, showing that different metrics largely agree on the evolutionary history of the species. The greatest genomic variation lies on the small plasmids, followed by the repA -type circular megaplasmid, with the chromosome varying least of all. Additionally, the presence of extra linear and circular megaplasmids is noted in several strains, while small plasmids are not always present. Glycosyl hydrolases, bacteriocins and proteases vary considerably on all replicons while two exopolysaccharide clusters and several clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats-associated systems show a lot of variation on the chromosome. Overall, despite its reputation as a mammalian gastrointestinal tract specialist, the intra-specific variation of L. salivarius reveals potential strain-dependant effects on human health.

Response Diversity and Resilience in Social-Ecological Systems

PubMed Central

Leslie, Paul; McCabe, J. Terrence

2013-01-01

Recent work in ecology suggests that the diversity of responses to environmental change among species contributing to the same ecosystem function can strongly influence ecosystem resilience. To render this important realization more useful for understanding coupled human-natural systems, we broaden the concept of response diversity to include heterogeneity in human decisions and action. Simply put, not all actors respond the same way to challenges, opportunities, and risks. The range, prevalence, and spatial and temporal distributions of different responses may be crucial to the resilience or the transformation of a social-ecological system, and thus have a bearing on human vulnerability and well-being in the face of environmental, socioeconomic, and political change. Response diversity can be seen at multiple scales (e.g., household, village, region) and response diversity at one scale may act synergistically with or contrary to the effects of diversity at another scale. Although considerable research on the sources of response diversity has been done, our argument is that the consequences of response diversity warrant closer attention. We illustrate this argument with examples drawn from our studies of two East African pastoral populations and discuss the relationship of response diversity to characteristics of social-ecological systems that can promote or diminish resilience. PMID:24855324

Diversity of immunoglobulin lambda light chain gene usage over developmental stages in the horse.

PubMed

Tallmadge, Rebecca L; Tseng, Chia T; Felippe, M Julia B

2014-10-01

To further studies of neonatal immune responses to pathogens and vaccination, we investigated the dynamics of B lymphocyte development and immunoglobulin (Ig) gene diversity. Previously we demonstrated that equine fetal Ig VDJ sequences exhibit combinatorial and junctional diversity levels comparable to those of adult Ig VDJ sequences. Herein, RACE clones from fetal, neonatal, foal, and adult lymphoid tissue were assessed for Ig lambda light chain combinatorial, junctional, and sequence diversity. Remarkably, more lambda variable genes (IGLV) were used during fetal life than later stages and IGLV gene usage differed significantly with time, in contrast to the Ig heavy chain. Junctional diversity measured by CDR3L length was constant over time. Comparison of Ig lambda transcripts to germline revealed significant increases in nucleotide diversity over time, even during fetal life. These results suggest that the Ig lambda light chain provides an additional dimension of diversity to the equine Ig repertoire. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Genetic diversity among Angus, American Brahman, Senepol and Romosinuano cattle breeds.

PubMed

Brenneman, R A; Chase, C C; Olson, T A; Riley, D G; Coleman, S W

2007-02-01

The objective of this study was to quantify the genetic diversity among breeds under evaluation for tropical adaptability traits that affect the performance of beef cattle at the USDA/ARS SubTropical Agricultural Research Station (STARS) near Brooksville, FL, USA. Twenty-six microsatellite loci were used to estimate parameters of genetic diversity among the breeds American Brahman, Angus, Senepol and Romosinuano; the latter was comprised of two distinct bloodlines (Costa Rican and Venezuelan). Genotypes of 47 animals from each of these STARS herds were analysed for genetic diversity and genetic distance. Using two methods, the greatest genetic distance was detected between the Costa Rican line of Romosinuano and the Senepol. Gene diversity ranged between 0.64 (Costa Rican line of Romosinuano) and 0.75 (American Brahman). The breed relationship inferences, which are based on genetic distance, provide additional tools for consideration in future crossbreeding studies and for testing the relationship between quantified breed diversity and observed heterosis.

Addressing diversity and moving toward equity in hospital care.

PubMed

Cordova, Richard D; Beaudin, Christy L; Iwanabe, Kelly E

2010-01-01

Healthcare disparities are a major challenge for hospital and healthcare system leadership. Leaders must possess vision, visibility, and ability to drive organizational change toward an environment that fosters diversity and cultural competence. As challenging economic conditions force management to make difficult budgetary decisions, the integration of equity into the organization's core mission and strategic process is essential for sustainability. Building organizational capacity requires systematic actions including workforce composition, training and development, and policy advocacy. This article offers perspectives on the current state of diversity in hospitals, exemplars from pediatric hospitals, and considerations for the future. Healthcare leaders are influential in shaping the future of the organization through strategic planning and resource allocation to those efforts that enhance services, programs, and processes that support a culture of diversity and equity.

From the NIH: A Systems Approach to Increasing the Diversity of the Biomedical Research Workforce

PubMed Central

Valantine, Hannah A.; Lund, P. Kay; Gammie, Alison E.

2016-01-01

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is committed to attracting, developing, and supporting the best scientists from all groups as an integral part of excellence in training. Biomedical research workforce diversity, capitalizing on the full spectrum of skills, talents, and viewpoints, is essential for solving complex human health challenges. Over the past few decades, the biomedical research workforce has benefited from NIH programs aimed at enhancing diversity. However, there is considerable room for improvement, particularly at the level of independent scientists and within scientific leadership. We provide a rationale and specific opportunities to develop and sustain a diverse biomedical research workforce through interventions that promote the successful transitions to different stages on the path toward completion of training and entry into the biomedical workforce. PMID:27587850

Allelopathic dominance ofMiscanthus transmorrisonensis in an alpine grassland community in Taiwan.

PubMed

Chou, C H; Lee, Y F

1991-11-01

A study site located at 2600 m elevation in Tartarchia Anpu, Nantou county, Taiwan, exhibits a unique grassland community composed of two principal species,Miscanthus transmorrisonensis andYushinia niitakayamensis, and 35 other species. The relative frequencies of the two species are 12% and 11%, while their relative coverages are 25% and 19.5%, respectively. The values for the remaining 35 species are lower than4% each, while species diversity of the community is -3.04839, indicating great diversity. To elucidate the mechanism of dominance ofM. transmorrisonensis, allelopathic evaluation of the plant was conducted. Aqueous extracts of M.Transmorrisonensis plant parts with two ecotypes were bioassayed. The extracts showed significant phytotoxic effects on seed germination and radicle growth of four tested plants: rye grass, lettuce, and two varieties of Chinese cabbage. In addition, rhizosphere soils underMiscanthus also exhibited significant phytotoxicity, indicating that allelopathic interaction was involved. Some responsible phytotoxic phenolics, namely, p-coumaric, ferulic, vanillic, protocatechuic, o-hydroxyphenylacetic, andm-hydroxyphenylacetic acids, and 4-hydroxycoumarin and phloridzin were identified. Allelopathy thus can play an important role in regulating plant diversity in the field.

10 CFR 745.107 - IRB membership.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... expertise of its members, and the diversity of the members, including consideration of race, gender, and... qualified persons of both sexes, so long as no selection is made to the IRB on the basis of gender. No IRB...

10 CFR 745.107 - IRB membership.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... expertise of its members, and the diversity of the members, including consideration of race, gender, and... qualified persons of both sexes, so long as no selection is made to the IRB on the basis of gender. No IRB...

10 CFR 745.107 - IRB membership.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... qualified persons of both sexes, so long as no selection is made to the IRB on the basis of gender. No IRB... expertise of its members, and the diversity of the members, including consideration of race, gender, and...

10 CFR 745.107 - IRB membership.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... qualified persons of both sexes, so long as no selection is made to the IRB on the basis of gender. No IRB... expertise of its members, and the diversity of the members, including consideration of race, gender, and...

Adapting NDOR's Roadside Seed Mixture for Local Site Conditions : Tables

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-09-06

The Nebraska Department of Roads (NDOR) has considerable challenges with its objectives of rapidly establishing and maintaining a diverse and vigorous vegetation cover on roadsides. Establishing vegetation quickly on NDOR roadsides is important becau...

ADHD in school-aged youth: Management and special treatment considerations in the primary care setting.

PubMed

Weed, Elizabeth D

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is considered one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders of childhood. Primary care providers are in the unique position of providing comprehensive care-routine care, well child visits, immunizations, and other healthcare needs-to a majority of children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. As such, primary care providers are pivotal in the diagnosis, management, and treatment of this population. This article will address special treatment considerations to aid in the management of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in the primary care setting, including substance use disorders and diversion, cardiac issues and stimulant medication, medication holidays and follow-up monitoring. The database of PubMed was searched using keywords that included attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, children, prevalence, medication holidays, safety, cardiovascular, cardiac, blood pressure, substance use, diversion, adverse drug reactions; inclusion dates were January 1, 2011 to September 30, 2015. © The Author(s) 2016.

Evolutionary accounts of human behavioural diversity

PubMed Central

Brown, Gillian R.; Dickins, Thomas E.; Sear, Rebecca; Laland, Kevin N.

2011-01-01

Human beings persist in an extraordinary range of ecological settings, in the process exhibiting enormous behavioural diversity, both within and between populations. People vary in their social, mating and parental behaviour and have diverse and elaborate beliefs, traditions, norms and institutions. The aim of this theme issue is to ask whether, and how, evolutionary theory can help us to understand this diversity. In this introductory article, we provide a background to the debate surrounding how best to understand behavioural diversity using evolutionary models of human behaviour. In particular, we examine how diversity has been viewed by the main subdisciplines within the human evolutionary behavioural sciences, focusing in particular on the human behavioural ecology, evolutionary psychology and cultural evolution approaches. In addition to differences in focus and methodology, these subdisciplines have traditionally varied in the emphasis placed on human universals, ecological factors and socially learned behaviour, and on how they have addressed the issue of genetic variation. We reaffirm that evolutionary theory provides an essential framework for understanding behavioural diversity within and between human populations, but argue that greater integration between the subfields is critical to developing a satisfactory understanding of diversity. PMID:21199836

Maintenance of Distal Intestinal Structure in the Face of Prolonged Fasting: A Comparative Examination of Species From Five Vertebrate Classes.

PubMed

McCue, Marshall D; Passement, Celeste A; Meyerholz, David K

2017-12-01

It was recently shown that fasting alters the composition of microbial communities residing in the distal intestinal tract of animals representing five classes of vertebrates [i.e., fishes (tilapia), amphibians (toads), reptiles (leopard geckos), birds (quail), and mammals (mice)]. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that the extent of tissue reorganization in the fasted distal intestine was correlated with the observed changes in enteric microbial diversity. Segments of intestine adjacent to those used for the microbiota study were examined histologically to quantify cross-sectional and mucosal surface areas and thicknesses of mucosa, submucosa, and tunica muscularis. We found no fasting-induced differences in the morphology of distal intestines of the mice (3 days), quail (7 days), or geckos (28 days). The toads, which exhibited a general increase in phylogenetic diversity of their enteric microbiota with fasting, also exhibited reduced mucosal circumference at 14 and 21 days of fasting. Tilapia showed increased phylogenetic diversity of their enteric microbiota, and showed a thickened tunica muscularis at 21 days of fasting; but this morphological change was not related to microbial diversity or absorptive surface area, and thus, is unlikely to functionally match the changes in their microbiome. Given that fasting caused significant increases and reductions in the enteric microbial diversity of mice and quail, respectively, but no detectable changes in distal intestine morphology, we conclude that reorganization is not the primary factor shaping changes in microbial diversity within the fasted colon, and the observed modest structural changes are more related to the fasted state. Anat Rec, 300:2208-2219, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Natural selection on marine carnivores elaborated a diverse family of classical MHC class I genes exhibiting haplotypic gene content variation and allelic polymorphism

PubMed Central

Norman, Paul J.; Parham, Peter

2012-01-01

Pinnipeds, marine carnivores, diverged from terrestrial carnivores ~45 million years ago, before their adaptation to marine environments. This lifestyle change exposed pinnipeds to different microbiota and pathogens, with probable impact on their MHC class I genes. Investigating this question, genomic sequences were determined for 71 MHC class I variants: 27 from harbor seal and 44 from gray seal. These variants form three MHC class I gene lineages, one comprising a pseudogene. The second, a candidate nonclassical MHC class I gene, comprises a nonpolymorphic transcribed gene related to dog DLA-79 and giant panda Aime-1906. The third is the diversity lineage, which includes 62 of the 71 seal MHC class I variants. All are transcribed, and they minimally represent six harbor and 12 gray seal MHC class I genes. Besides species-specific differences in gene number, seal MHC class I haplotypes exhibit gene content variation and allelic polymorphism. Patterns of sequence variation, and of positions for positively selected sites, indicate the diversity lineage genes are the seals’ classical MHC class I genes. Evidence that expansion of diversity lineage genes began before gray and harbor seals diverged is the presence in both species of two distinctive sublineages of diversity lineage genes. Pointing to further expansion following the divergence are the presence of species-specific genes and greater MHC class I diversity in gray seals than harbor seals. The elaboration of a complex variable family of classical MHC class I genes in pinnipeds contrasts with the single, highly polymorphic classical MHC class I gene of dog and giant panda, terrestrial carnivores. PMID:23001684

Dissolved organic carbon and chromophoric dissolved organic matter properties of rivers in the USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spencer, Robert G. M.; Butler, Kenna D.; Aiken, George R.

2012-09-01

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration and chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) parameters were measured over a range of discharge in 30 U.S. rivers, covering a diverse assortment of fluvial ecosystems in terms of watershed size and landscape drained. Relationships between CDOM absorption at a range of wavelengths (a254, a350, a440) and DOC in the 30 watersheds were found to correlate strongly and positively for the majority of U.S. rivers. However, four rivers (Colorado, Colombia, Rio Grande and St. Lawrence) exhibited statistically weak relationships between CDOM absorption and DOC. These four rivers are atypical, as they either drain from the Great Lakes or experience significant impoundment of water within their watersheds, and they exhibited values for dissolved organic matter (DOM) parameters indicative of autochthonous or anthropogenic sources or photochemically degraded allochthonous DOM and thus a decoupling between CDOM and DOC. CDOM quality parameters in the 30 rivers were found to be strongly correlated to DOM compositional metrics derived via XAD fractionation, highlighting the potential for examining DOM biochemical quality from CDOM measurements. This study establishes the ability to derive DOC concentration from CDOM absorption for the majority of U.S. rivers, describes characteristics of riverine systems where such an approach is not valid, and emphasizes the possibility of examining DOM composition and thus biogeochemical function via CDOM parameters. Therefore, the usefulness of CDOM measurements, both laboratory-based analyses and in situ instrumentation, for improving spatial and temporal resolution of DOC fluxes and DOM dynamics in future studies is considerable in a range of biogeochemical studies.

Abundant Gene-by-Environment Interactions in Gene Expression Reaction Norms to Copper within Saccharomyces cerevisiae

PubMed Central

Hodgins-Davis, Andrea; Adomas, Aleksandra B.; Warringer, Jonas; Townsend, Jeffrey P.

2012-01-01

Genetic variation for plastic phenotypes potentially contributes phenotypic variation to populations that can be selected during adaptation to novel ecological contexts. However, the basis and extent of plastic variation that manifests in diverse environments remains elusive. Here, we characterize copper reaction norms for mRNA abundance among five Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains to 1) describe population variation across the full range of ecologically relevant copper concentrations, from starvation to toxicity, and 2) to test the hypothesis that plastic networks exhibit increased population variation for gene expression. We find that although the vast majority of the variation is small in magnitude (considerably <2-fold), not just some, but most genes demonstrate variable expression across environments, across genetic backgrounds, or both. Plastically expressed genes included both genes regulated directly by copper-binding transcription factors Mac1 and Ace1 and genes indirectly responding to the downstream metabolic consequences of the copper gradient, particularly genes involved in copper, iron, and sulfur homeostasis. Copper-regulated gene networks exhibited more similar behavior within the population in environments where those networks have a large impact on fitness. Nevertheless, expression variation in genes like Cup1, important to surviving copper stress, was linked with variation in mitotic fitness and in the breadth of differential expression across the genome. By revealing a broader and deeper range of population variation, our results provide further evidence for the interconnectedness of genome-wide mRNA levels, their dependence on environmental context and genetic background, and the abundance of variation in gene expression that can contribute to future evolution. PMID:23019066

Dissolved organic carbon and chromophoric dissolved organic matter properties of rivers in the USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Spencer, Robert G.M.; Butler, Kenna D.; Aiken, George R.

2012-01-01

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration and chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) parameters were measured over a range of discharge in 30 U.S. rivers, covering a diverse assortment of fluvial ecosystems in terms of watershed size and landscape drained. Relationships between CDOM absorption at a range of wavelengths (a254, a350, a440) and DOC in the 30 watersheds were found to correlate strongly and positively for the majority of U.S. rivers. However, four rivers (Colorado, Colombia, Rio Grande and St. Lawrence) exhibited statistically weak relationships between CDOM absorption and DOC. These four rivers are atypical, as they either drain from the Great Lakes or experience significant impoundment of water within their watersheds, and they exhibited values for dissolved organic matter (DOM) parameters indicative of autochthonous or anthropogenic sources or photochemically degraded allochthonous DOM and thus a decoupling between CDOM and DOC. CDOM quality parameters in the 30 rivers were found to be strongly correlated to DOM compositional metrics derived via XAD fractionation, highlighting the potential for examining DOM biochemical quality from CDOM measurements. This study establishes the ability to derive DOC concentration from CDOM absorption for the majority of U.S. rivers, describes characteristics of riverine systems where such an approach is not valid, and emphasizes the possibility of examining DOM composition and thus biogeochemical function via CDOM parameters. Therefore, the usefulness of CDOM measurements, both laboratory-based analyses and in situ instrumentation, for improving spatial and temporal resolution of DOC fluxes and DOM dynamics in future studies is considerable in a range of biogeochemical studies.

Temporal trends in arthropod abundances after the transition to organic farming in paddy fields.

PubMed

Tsutsui, Masaru H; Kobayashi, Kazuhiko; Miyashita, Tadashi

2018-01-01

Organic farming aims to reduce the effect on the ecosystem and enhance biodiversity in agricultural areas, but the long-term effectiveness of its application is unclear. Assessments have rarely included various taxonomic groups with different ecological and economic roles. In paddy fields with different numbers of years elapsed since the transition from conventional to organic farming, we investigated changes in the abundance of insect pests, generalist predators, and species of conservation concern. The abundance of various arthropods exhibited diverse trends with respect to years elapsed since the transition to organic farming. Larval lepidopterans, Tetragnatha spiders, and some planthoppers and stink bugs showed non-linear increases over time, eventually reaching saturation, such as the abundance increasing for several years and then becoming stable after 10 years. This pattern can be explained by the effects of residual pesticides, the lag time of soil mineralization, and dispersal limitation. A damselfly (Ischnura asiatica) did not show a particular trend over time, probably due to its rapid immigration from source habitats. Unexpectedly, both planthoppers and some leafhoppers exhibited gradual decreases over time. As their abundances were negatively related to the abundance of Tetragnatha spiders, increased predation by natural enemies might gradually decrease these insect populations. These results suggest that the consideration of time-dependent responses of organisms is essential for the evaluation of the costs and benefits of organic farming, and such evaluations could provide a basis for guidelines regarding the length of time for organic farming to restore biodiversity or the economic subsidy needed to compensate for pest damage.

Temporal trends in arthropod abundances after the transition to organic farming in paddy fields

PubMed Central

Tsutsui, Masaru H.; Kobayashi, Kazuhiko

2018-01-01

Organic farming aims to reduce the effect on the ecosystem and enhance biodiversity in agricultural areas, but the long-term effectiveness of its application is unclear. Assessments have rarely included various taxonomic groups with different ecological and economic roles. In paddy fields with different numbers of years elapsed since the transition from conventional to organic farming, we investigated changes in the abundance of insect pests, generalist predators, and species of conservation concern. The abundance of various arthropods exhibited diverse trends with respect to years elapsed since the transition to organic farming. Larval lepidopterans, Tetragnatha spiders, and some planthoppers and stink bugs showed non-linear increases over time, eventually reaching saturation, such as the abundance increasing for several years and then becoming stable after 10 years. This pattern can be explained by the effects of residual pesticides, the lag time of soil mineralization, and dispersal limitation. A damselfly (Ischnura asiatica) did not show a particular trend over time, probably due to its rapid immigration from source habitats. Unexpectedly, both planthoppers and some leafhoppers exhibited gradual decreases over time. As their abundances were negatively related to the abundance of Tetragnatha spiders, increased predation by natural enemies might gradually decrease these insect populations. These results suggest that the consideration of time-dependent responses of organisms is essential for the evaluation of the costs and benefits of organic farming, and such evaluations could provide a basis for guidelines regarding the length of time for organic farming to restore biodiversity or the economic subsidy needed to compensate for pest damage. PMID:29324809

50 CFR 223.203 - Anadromous fish.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... maximize consideration of the important biological diversity contained within the listed ESU, respond to... education. Coordination among involved jurisdictions is an important element in ensuring regulatory... impacts. (E) Provide for effective monitoring and adaptive management. (F) Use the best available science...

Cost of resistance to trematodes in freshwater snail populations with low clonal diversity.

PubMed

Dagan, Yael; Kosman, Evsey; Ben-Ami, Frida

2017-12-13

The persistence of high genetic variability in natural populations garners considerable interest among ecologists and evolutionary biologists. One proposed hypothesis for the maintenance of high levels of genetic diversity relies on frequency-dependent selection imposed by parasites on host populations (Red Queen hypothesis). A complementary hypothesis suggests that a trade-off between fitness costs associated with tolerance to stress factors and fitness costs associated with resistance to parasites is responsible for the maintenance of host genetic diversity. The present study investigated whether host resistance to parasites is traded off with tolerance to environmental stress factors (high/low temperatures, high salinity), by comparing populations of the freshwater snail Melanoides tuberculata with low vs. high clonal diversity. Since polyclonal populations were found to be more parasitized than populations with low clonal diversity, we expected them to be tolerant to environmental stress factors. We found that clonal diversity explained most of the variation in snail survival under high temperature, thereby suggesting that tolerance to high temperatures of clonally diverse populations is higher than that of populations with low clonal diversity. Our results suggest that resistance to parasites may come at a cost of reduced tolerance to certain environmental stress factors.

Hungaria Asteroid Region Telescopic Spectral Survey (HARTSS) II: Spectral Homogeneity Among Hungaria Family Asteroids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lucas, Michael P.; Emery, Joshua; Pinilla-Alonso, Noemi; Lindsay, Sean S.; MacLennan, Eric M.; Cartwright, Richard; Reddy, Vishnu; Sanchez, Juan A.; Thomas, Cristina A.; Lorenzi, Vania

2017-10-01

Spectral observations of asteroid family members provide valuable information regarding parent body interiors, the source regions of near-Earth asteroids, and the link between meteorites and their parent bodies. Hungaria family asteroids constitute the closest samples to the Earth from a collisional family (~1.94 AU), permitting observations of smaller fragments than accessible for Main Belt families. We have carried out a ground-based observational campaign - Hungaria Asteroid Region Telescopic Spectral Survey (HARTSS) - to record reflectance spectra of these preserved samples from the inner-most primordial asteroid belt. During HARTSS phase one (Lucas et al. [2017]. Icarus 291, 268-287) we found that ~80% of the background population is comprised of stony S-complex asteroids that exhibit considerable spectral and mineralogical diversity. In HARTSS phase two, we turn our attention to family members and hypothesize that the Hungaria collisional family is homogeneous. We test this hypothesis through taxonomic classification, albedo estimates, and spectral properties.During phase two of HARTSS we acquired near-infrared (NIR) spectra of 50 new Hungarias (19 family; 31 background) with SpeX/IRTF and NICS/TNG. We analyzed X-type family spectra for NIR color indices (0.85-J J-K), and a subtle ~0.9 µm absorption feature that may be attributed to Fe-poor orthopyroxene. Surviving fragments of an asteroid collisional family typically exhibit similar taxonomies, albedos, and spectral properties. Spectral analysis of X-type Hungaria family members and independently calculated WISE albedo determinations for 428 Hungaria asteroids is consistent with this scenario. Furthermore, ~1/4 of the background population exhibit similar spectral properties and albedos to family X-types.Spectral observations of 92 Hungaria region asteroids acquired during both phases of HARTSS uncover a compositionally heterogeneous background and spectral homogeneity down to ~2 km for collisional family members. Taxonomy, albedos, and spectral properties reveal that the Hungaria family progenitor was an igneous body that formed under reduced conditions, and was compositionally consistent with the enstatite achondrite (i.e., aubrite) meteorite group.

Hungaria Asteroid Region Telescopic Spectral Survey (HARTSS): Stony Asteroids Abundant in the Background and Family Populations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lucas, Michael P.; Emery, Joshua P.; Pinilla-Alonso, Noemi; Lindsay, Sean S.; Lorenzi, Vania

2016-10-01

The Hungaria region represents a "purgatory" for the closest, preserved samples of the material from which the terrestrial planets accreted. The Hungaria region harbors a collisional family of Xe-type asteroids, which are situated among a background of predominantly S-complex asteroids. Deciphering their surface composition may provide constraints on the nature of the primordial building blocks of the terrestrial planets. We hypothesize that planetesimals in the inner part of the primordial asteroid belt experienced partial- to full-melting and differentiation, the Hungaria region should retain any petrologically-evolved material that formed there.We have undertaken an observational campaign entitled the Hungaria Asteroid Region Telescopic Spectral Survey (HARTSS) to record near-infrared (NIR) spectra to characterize taxonomy, surface mineralogy, and potential meteorite analogs. We used NIR instruments at two ground-based facilities (NASA IRTF; TNG). Our data set includes spectra of 82 Hungaria asteroids (61 background; 21 family), 65 were observed during HARTSS. We compare S-complex background asteroids to calibrations developed via laboratory analyses of ordinary chondrites, and to our analyses (EPMA, XRD, VIS+NIR spectra) of 11 primitive achondrite (acapulcoite-lodranite clan) meteorites.We find that stony S-complex asteroids dominate the Hungaria background population (~80%). Background objects exhibit considerable spectral diversity, when quantified by spectral band parameter measurements, translates to a variety of surface compositions. Two main meteorite groups are represented within the Hungaria background: unmelted, nebular L chondrites (and/or L chondrites), and partially-melted primitive achondrites. H-chondrite mineralogies appear to be absent from the Hungaria background. Xe-type Hungaria family members exhibit spectral homogeneity, consistent with the hypothesis that the family was derived from the disruption of a parent body analogous to an enstatite achondrite (i.e., aubrite) composition. Hungaria region asteroids exhibit a full range of petrologic evolution, from nebular, unmelted ordinary chondrites, through partially-melted primitive achondrites, to fully-melted igneous aubrite meteorites.

Using Mindfulness- and Acceptance-Based Treatments with Clients from Nondominant Cultural and/or Marginalized Backgrounds: Clinical Considerations, Meta-Analysis Findings, and Introduction to the Special Series--Clinical Considerations in Using Acceptance- and Mindfulness-Based Treatments with Diverse Populations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fuchs, Cara; Lee, Jonathan K.; Roemer, Lizabeth; Orsillo, Susan M.

2013-01-01

A growing body of research suggests that mindfulness- and acceptance-based principles can increase efforts aimed at reducing human suffering and increasing quality of life. A critical step in the development and evaluation of these new approaches to treatment is to determine the acceptability and efficacy of these treatments for clients from…

Social cost considerations and legal constraints in implementing modular integrated utility systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lede, N. W.; Dixon, H. W.; King, O.; Hill, D. K.

1974-01-01

Social costs associated with the design, demonstration, and implementation of the Modular Integrated Utility System are considered including the social climate of communities, leadership patterns, conflicts and cleavages, specific developmental values, MIUS utility goal assessment, and the suitability of certian alternative options for use in a program of implementation. General considerations are discussed in the field of socio-technological planning. These include guidelines for understanding the conflict and diversity; some relevant goal choices and ideas useful to planners of the MIUS facility.

Sexual selection and allometry: a critical reappraisal of the evidence and ideas.

PubMed

Bonduriansky, Russell

2007-04-01

One of the most pervasive ideas in the sexual selection literature is the belief that sexually selected traits almost universally exhibit positive static allometries (i.e., within a sample of conspecific adults, larger individuals have disproportionally larger traits). In this review, I show that this idea is contradicted by empirical evidence and theory. Although positive allometry is a typical attribute of some sexual traits in certain groups, the preponderance of positively allometric sexual traits in the empirical literature apparently results from a sampling bias reflecting a fascination with unusually exaggerated (bizarre) traits. I review empirical examples from a broad range of taxa illustrating the diversity of allometric patterns exhibited by signal, weapon, clasping and genital traits, as well as nonsexual traits. This evidence suggests that positive allometry may be the exception rather than the rule in sexual traits, that directional sexual selection does not necessarily lead to the evolution of positive allometry and, conversely, that positive allometry is not necessarily a consequence of sexual selection, and that many sexual traits exhibit sex differences in allometric intercept rather than slope. Such diversity in the allometries of secondary sexual traits is to be expected, given that optimal allometry should reflect resource allocation trade-offs, and patterns of sexual and viability selection on both trait size and body size. An unbiased empirical assessment of the relation between sexual selection and allometry is an essential step towards an understanding of this diversity.

Identification of Novel Aldose Reductase Inhibitors from Spices: A Molecular Docking and Simulation Study.

PubMed

Antony, Priya; Vijayan, Ranjit

2015-01-01

Hyperglycemia in diabetic patients results in a diverse range of complications such as diabetic retinopathy, neuropathy, nephropathy and cardiovascular diseases. The role of aldose reductase (AR), the key enzyme in the polyol pathway, in these complications is well established. Due to notable side-effects of several drugs, phytochemicals as an alternative has gained considerable importance for the treatment of several ailments. In order to evaluate the inhibitory effects of dietary spices on AR, a collection of phytochemicals were identified from Zingiber officinale (ginger), Curcuma longa (turmeric) Allium sativum (garlic) and Trigonella foenum graecum (fenugreek). Molecular docking was performed for lead identification and molecular dynamics simulations were performed to study the dynamic behaviour of these protein-ligand interactions. Gingerenones A, B and C, lariciresinol, quercetin and calebin A from these spices exhibited high docking score, binding affinity and sustained protein-ligand interactions. Rescoring of protein ligand interactions at the end of MD simulations produced binding scores that were better than the initially docked conformations. Docking results, ligand interactions and ADMET properties of these molecules were significantly better than commercially available AR inhibitors like epalrestat, sorbinil and ranirestat. Thus, these natural molecules could be potent AR inhibitors.

Identification of Novel Aldose Reductase Inhibitors from Spices: A Molecular Docking and Simulation Study

PubMed Central

Antony, Priya; Vijayan, Ranjit

2015-01-01

Hyperglycemia in diabetic patients results in a diverse range of complications such as diabetic retinopathy, neuropathy, nephropathy and cardiovascular diseases. The role of aldose reductase (AR), the key enzyme in the polyol pathway, in these complications is well established. Due to notable side-effects of several drugs, phytochemicals as an alternative has gained considerable importance for the treatment of several ailments. In order to evaluate the inhibitory effects of dietary spices on AR, a collection of phytochemicals were identified from Zingiber officinale (ginger), Curcuma longa (turmeric) Allium sativum (garlic) and Trigonella foenum graecum (fenugreek). Molecular docking was performed for lead identification and molecular dynamics simulations were performed to study the dynamic behaviour of these protein-ligand interactions. Gingerenones A, B and C, lariciresinol, quercetin and calebin A from these spices exhibited high docking score, binding affinity and sustained protein-ligand interactions. Rescoring of protein ligand interactions at the end of MD simulations produced binding scores that were better than the initially docked conformations. Docking results, ligand interactions and ADMET properties of these molecules were significantly better than commercially available AR inhibitors like epalrestat, sorbinil and ranirestat. Thus, these natural molecules could be potent AR inhibitors. PMID:26384019

Ecological characterization of a tick community across a landscape gradient exhibiting differential anthropogenic disturbance in the Atlantic Forest ecoregion in Argentina.

PubMed

Lamattina, D; Venzal, J M; Costa, S A; Arrabal, J P; Flores, S; Berrozpe, P E; González-Acuña, D; Guglielmone, A A; Nava, S

2018-01-25

An ecological analysis of a tick (Ixodida: Ixodidae) community across a landscape gradient presenting differential anthropogenic disturbance in the Atlantic Forest ecoregion in Argentina was performed. Ticks were collected from vegetation and hosts between September 2014 and August 2016. A total of 12 697 free-living ticks and 3347 specimens from hosts were collected, including 317 ticks infesting humans. The values obtained show considerable species diversity in the forest environment accompanied by low equitability. The similarity index derived from a comparison of forest and agricultural environments was higher than that calculated by comparing forest and urban environments. The data suggest that although a cycle of one generation per year is apparent in some species, more than one cohort may co-exist within the populations of some of these species. Well-marked patterns of the seasonal distribution of free-living tick species emerged in environments with no anthropic modification. The results indicate that forest environments are more suitable habitats than agricultural and urban environments for many species of native tick, but are unsuitable for exotic species that have successfully established in environments that have been modified by man. © 2018 The Royal Entomological Society.

Functional Morphology of Eunicidan (Polychaeta) Jaws

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clemo, W. C.; Dorgan, K. M.

2016-02-01

Polychaetes exhibit diverse feeding strategies and diets, with some species possessing hardened teeth or jaws of varying complexity. Species in the order Eunicida have complex, rigidly articulated jaws consisting of multiple pairs of maxillae and a pair of mandibles. While all Eunicida possess this general jaw structure, a number of characteristics of the jaw parts vary considerably among families. These differences, described for fossilized and extant species' jaws, were used to infer evolutionary relationships, but current phylogeny shows that jaw structures that are similar among several families are convergent. Little has been done, however, to relate jaw functional morphology and feeding behavior to diet. To explore these relationships, we compared the jaw kinematics of two taxa with similar but evolutionarily convergent jaw structures: Diopatra (Onuphidae) and Lumbrineris (Lumbrineridae). Diopatra species are tube-dwelling and predominantly herbivorous, whereas Lumbrineris species are burrowing carnivores. Jaw kinematics were observed and analyzed by filming individuals biting or feeding and tracking tooth movements in videos. Differences in jaw structure and kinematics between Diopatra and Lumbrineris can be interpreted to be consistent with their differences in diet. Relating jaw morphology to diet would provide insight into early annelid communities by linking fossil teeth (scolecodonts) to the ecological roles of extant species with similar morphologies.

Nucleotide excision repair and human syndromes.

PubMed

de Boer, J; Hoeijmakers, J H

2000-03-01

DNA damage is implicated in cancer and aging, and several DNA repair mechanisms exist that safeguard the genome from these deleterious consequences. Nucleotide excision repair (NER) removes a wide diversity of lesions, the main of which include UV-induced lesions, bulky chemical adducts and some forms of oxidative damage. The NER process involves the action of at least 30 proteins in a 'cut-and-paste'-like mechanism. The consequences of a defect in one of the NER proteins are apparent from three rare recessive syndromes: xeroderma pigmentosum (XP), Cockayne syndrome (CS) and the photosensitive form of the brittle hair disorder trichothiodystrophy (TTD). Sun-sensitive skin is associated with skin cancer predisposition in the case of XP, but remarkably not in CS and TTD. Moreover, the spectrum of clinical symptoms differs considerably between the three syndromes. CS and TTD patients exhibit a spectrum of neurodevelopmental abnormalities and, in addition, TTD is associated with ichthyosis and brittle hair. These typical CS and TTD abnormalities are difficult to comprehend as a consequence of defective NER. This review briefly describes the biochemistry of the NER process, summarizes the clinical features of the NER disorders and speculates on the molecular basis underlying these pleitropic syndromes.

Drone exposure to the systemic insecticide Fipronil indirectly impairs queen reproductive potential

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kairo, Guillaume; Provost, Bertille; Tchamitchian, Sylvie; Ben Abdelkader, Faten; Bonnet, Marc; Cousin, Marianne; Sénéchal, Jacques; Benet, Pauline; Kretzschmar, André; Belzunces, Luc P.; Brunet, Jean-Luc

2016-08-01

A species that requires sexual reproduction but cannot reproduce is doomed to extinction. The important increasing loss of species emphasizes the ecological significance of elucidating the effects of environmental stressors, such as pesticides, on reproduction. Despite its special reproductive behavior, the honey bee was selected as a relevant and integrative environmental model because of its constant and diverse exposure to many stressors due to foraging activity. The widely used insecticide Fipronil, the use of which is controversial because of its adverse effects on honey bees, was chosen to expose captive drones in hives via syrup contaminated at 0.1 μg/L and gathered by foragers. Such environmental exposure led to decreased spermatozoa concentration and sperm viability coupled with an increased sperm metabolic rate, resulting in drone fertility impairment. Subsequently, unexposed queens inseminated with such sperm exhibited fewer spermatozoa with lower viability in their spermatheca, leaving no doubt about the detrimental consequences for the reproductive potential of queens, which are key for colony sustainability. These findings suggest that pesticides could contribute to declining honey bee populations through fertility impairment, as exemplified by Fipronil. More broadly, reproductive disorders should be taken into consideration when investigating the decline of other species.

Non-invasive assessment of parasitic nematode species diversity in wild Soay sheep using molecular markers.

PubMed

Wimmer, B; Craig, B H; Pilkington, J G; Pemberton, J M

2004-04-01

Considerable effort has been put into detecting and identifying parasitic nematodes in live ruminants, but to date most studies are limited to a small group of nematodes and/or to experimentally infected sheep. In this study, a PCR-based assay using species-specific primer pairs, located in the second internal transcribed spacer ribosomal DNA, was developed to identify nine different species from six different families of parasitic nematodes in a wild, unmanaged and naturally infected population of sheep. Each primer pair was tested for its specificity and sensitivity and it exclusively amplified the species it was designed for and exhibited a high degree of sensitivity. The method was applied to eggs and cultured larvae to identify the parasitic nematodes present in a pooled faecal sample from several host individuals with unknown parasite burden. To test detection reliability, a faecal sample from an individual with known parasite burden (through post-mortem analysis) was also examined. All species present could be correctly identified by PCR, but detecting very low levels and/or early stages of infection proved to be difficult. The method was also tested for its applicability to high through-put screening of faecal samples.

Resveratrol—Potential Antibacterial Agent against Foodborne Pathogens

PubMed Central

Ma, Dexter S. L.; Tan, Loh Teng-Hern; Chan, Kok-Gan; Yap, Wei Hsum; Pusparajah, Priyia; Chuah, Lay-Hong; Ming, Long Chiau; Khan, Tahir Mehmood; Lee, Learn-Han; Goh, Bey-Hing

2018-01-01

Bacterial foodborne pathogens are a significant health burden and the recent emergence of pathogenic resistant strains due to the excessive use of antibiotics makes it more difficult to effectively treat infections as a result of contaminated food. Awareness of this impending health crisis has spurred the search for alternative antimicrobials with natural plant antimicrobials being among the more promising candidates as these substances have good acceptability and likely low toxicity levels as they have long been used in traditional medicines. Resveratrol (3,5,4′-trihydroxystilbene) is a naturally occurring stilbenoid which has been gaining considerable attention in medical field due to its diverse biological activities - it has been reported to exhibit antioxidant, cardioprotective, anti-diabetic, anticancer, and antiaging properties. Given that resveratrol is phytoalexin, with increased synthesis in response to infection by phytopathogens, there has been interest in exploring its antimicrobial activity. This review aims to provide an overview of the published data on the antibacterial activity of resveratrol against foodborne pathogens, its mechanisms of action as well as its possible applications in food packing and processing; in addition we also summarize the current data on its potential synergism with known antibacterials and future research and applications. PMID:29515440

Characterisation of microbial communities in Chinese liquor fermentation starters Daqu using nested PCR-DGGE.

PubMed

Zhang, Liqiang; Wu, Chongde; Ding, Xiaofei; Zheng, Jia; Zhou, Rongqing

2014-12-01

In this study, characterises of the microbial community structures of three typical Chinese liquor Daqu, as well as different kinds of light flavour Daqu were investigated using nested PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). The results showed that microbial diversity was considerably different, and the microfloral compositions were highly variable among various Daqu. Lactic acid bacteria, which accounted for 30.95 % of all identified bacteria, were dominant in all Daqu samples, whereas Bacillus species were also predominant in the Luzhou (14.8 %) and Langjiu Daqu (18.2 %). Citrobacter and Burkholderia were first identified in light flavour Daqu. Aspergillus was the dominant moulds, and the non-Saccharomyces yeast species, Saccharomycopsis fibuligera, Wallemia sebi, Wallemia muriae, and Pichia subpelliculosa, were the dominant yeasts. Rasamsonia, Galactomyces, Geotrichum and Wallemia were first identified using nested PCR-DGGE. Cluster analysis indicated that the microbial community structures of different Daqu samples exhibited some differences. These may be ascribed to the different peak production temperatures, raw material constituents and microhabitats around the liquor enterprises. The current study provides insights into the microbial community structures of three typical Daqu samples, and may facilitate the development of starter cultures for manufacturing Chinese liquor.

Convergence, recurrence and diversification of complex sperm traits in diving beetles (Dytiscidae)

PubMed Central

Higginson, Dawn M.; Miller, Kelly B.; Segraves, Kari A.; Pitnick, Scott

2013-01-01

Sperm display remarkable morphological diversity among even closely related species, a pattern that is widely attributed to postcopulatory sexual selection. Surprisingly few studies have used phylogenetic analyses to discern the details of evolutionary diversification in ornaments and armaments subject to sexual selection, and the origins of novel sperm traits and their subsequent modification are particularly poorly understood. Here we investigate sperm evolution in diving beetles (Dytiscidae), revealing dramatic diversification in flagellum length, head shape, presence of sperm heteromorphism, and the presence/type of sperm conjugation, an unusual trait where two or more sperm unite for motility or transport. Sperm conjugation was found to be the ancestral condition in diving beetles, with subsequent diversification into three forms, each exhibiting varying degrees of evolutionary loss, convergence and recurrence. Sperm head shape, but not length or heteromorphism, was found to evolve in a significantly correlated manner with conjugation, consistent with the different mechanisms of head alignment and binding required for the different forms of conjugation. Our study reveals that sperm morphological evolution is channeled along particular evolutionary pathways (i.e., conjugate form), yet subject to considerable diversification within those pathways through modification in sperm length, head shape and heteromorphism. PMID:22519797

Biosynthesis of nucleotide sugars by a promiscuous UDP-sugar pyrophosphorylase from Arabidopsis thaliana (AtUSP).

PubMed

Liu, Jun; Zou, Yang; Guan, Wanyi; Zhai, Yafei; Xue, Mengyang; Jin, Lan; Zhao, Xueer; Dong, Junkai; Wang, Wenjun; Shen, Jie; Wang, Peng George; Chen, Min

2013-07-01

Nucleotide sugars are activated forms of monosaccharides and key intermediates of carbohydrate metabolism in all organisms. The availability of structurally diverse nucleotide sugars is particularly important for the characterization of glycosyltransferases. Given that limited methods are available for preparation of nucleotide sugars, especially their useful non-natural derivatives, we introduced herein an efficient one-step three-enzyme catalytic system for the synthesis of nucleotide sugars from monosaccharides. In this study, a promiscuous UDP-sugar pyrophosphorylase (USP) from Arabidopsis thaliana (AtUSP) was used with a galactokinase from Streptococcus pneumoniae TIGR4 (SpGalK) and an inorganic pyrophosphatase (PPase) to effectively synthesize four UDP-sugars. AtUSP has better tolerance for C4-derivatives of Gal-1-P compared to UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase from S. pneumoniae TIGR4 (SpGalU). Besides, the nucleotide substrate specificity and kinetic parameters of AtUSP were systematically studied. AtUSP exhibited considerable activity toward UTP, dUTP and dTTP, the yield of which was 87%, 85% and 84%, respectively. These results provide abundant information for better understanding of the relationship between substrate specificity and structural features of AtUSP. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Medicinal chemistry and pharmacology focused on cannabidiol, a major component of the fiber-type cannabis].

PubMed

Takeda, Shuso

2013-01-01

Considerable attention has focused on cannabidiol (CBD), a major non-psychotropic constituent of fiber-type cannabis plant, and it has been reported to possess diverse biological activities. Although CBD is obtained from non-enzymatic decarboxylation of its parent molecule, cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), several studies have investigated whether CBDA itself is biologically active. In the present report, the author summarizes findings indicating that; 1) CBDA is a selective cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor, and ii) CBDA possesses an anti-migrative potential for highly invasive cancer cells, apparently through a mechanism involving inhibition of cAMP-dependent protein kinase A, coupled with an activation of the small GTPase, RhoA. Further, the author introduces recent findings on the medicinal chemistry and pharmacology of the CBD derivative, CBD-2',6'-dimethyl ether (CBDD), that exhibits inhibitory activity toward 15-lipoxygenase (15-LOX), an enzyme responsible for the production of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL). These studies establish CBD as both an important experimental tool and as a lead compound for pharmaceutical development. In this review, the author further discusses the potential uses of CBD and its derivatives in future medicines.

The resource utilization group system: its effect on nursing home case mix and costs.

PubMed

Thorpe, K E; Gertler, P J; Goldman, P

1991-01-01

Using data from 1985 and 1986, we examine how New York state's prospective payment system affected nursing homes. The system, called Resource Utilization Group (RUG-II), aimed to limit nursing home cost growth and improve access to nursing homes by "heavy-care" patients. As in Medicare's prospective hospital reimbursement system, payments to nursing homes were based on a "price," rather than facility-specific rates. With respect to cost growth, we observed considerable diversity among homes. Specifically, those nursing homes most financially constrained by the RUG-II methodology exhibited the slowest rates of cost growth; we observed higher cost growth among the homes least constrained. This higher rate of cost growth raises a question about the desirability of using a pricing methodology to determine nursing home payment rates. In addition to moderating cost growth, we also observed a significant change in the mix of patients admitted to nursing homes. During the first year of the RUG-II program, nursing homes admitted more heavy-care patients and reduced days of care to lighter-care patients. Thus, through 1986, the RUG-II program appeared to satisfy at least one of its major policy objectives.

The Generation of Variation and The Developmental Basis for Evolutionary Novelty

PubMed Central

Hallgrímsson, Benedikt; Jamniczky, Heather A.; Young, Nathan M.; Rolian, Campbell; Schmidt-Ott, Urs; Marcucio, Ralph S.

2013-01-01

Organisms exhibit an incredible diversity of form, a fact that makes the evolution of novelty seemingly self-evident. However, despite the “obvious” case for novelty, defining this concept in evolutionary terms is highly problematic, so much so that some have suggested discarding it altogether. Approaches to this problem tend to take either an adaptation or development-based perspective, but we argue here that an exclusive focus on either of these misses the original intent of the novelty concept and undermines its practical utility. We instead propose that for a feature to be novel it must have evolved both by a transition between adaptive peaks on the fitness landscape and that this transition must have overcome a previous developmental constraint. This definition focuses novelty on the explanation of apparently difficult or low probability evolutionary transitions and highlights how the integration of developmental and functional considerations is necessary to evolutionary explanation. It further reinforces that novelty is a central concern not just of evolutionary developmental biology (i.e., “evo-devo”) but of evolutionary biology more generally. We explore this definition of novelty in light of four examples that range from the obvious to subtle. PMID:22649039

Drone exposure to the systemic insecticide Fipronil indirectly impairs queen reproductive potential.

PubMed

Kairo, Guillaume; Provost, Bertille; Tchamitchian, Sylvie; Ben Abdelkader, Faten; Bonnet, Marc; Cousin, Marianne; Sénéchal, Jacques; Benet, Pauline; Kretzschmar, André; Belzunces, Luc P; Brunet, Jean-Luc

2016-08-23

A species that requires sexual reproduction but cannot reproduce is doomed to extinction. The important increasing loss of species emphasizes the ecological significance of elucidating the effects of environmental stressors, such as pesticides, on reproduction. Despite its special reproductive behavior, the honey bee was selected as a relevant and integrative environmental model because of its constant and diverse exposure to many stressors due to foraging activity. The widely used insecticide Fipronil, the use of which is controversial because of its adverse effects on honey bees, was chosen to expose captive drones in hives via syrup contaminated at 0.1 μg/L and gathered by foragers. Such environmental exposure led to decreased spermatozoa concentration and sperm viability coupled with an increased sperm metabolic rate, resulting in drone fertility impairment. Subsequently, unexposed queens inseminated with such sperm exhibited fewer spermatozoa with lower viability in their spermatheca, leaving no doubt about the detrimental consequences for the reproductive potential of queens, which are key for colony sustainability. These findings suggest that pesticides could contribute to declining honey bee populations through fertility impairment, as exemplified by Fipronil. More broadly, reproductive disorders should be taken into consideration when investigating the decline of other species.

Drone exposure to the systemic insecticide Fipronil indirectly impairs queen reproductive potential

PubMed Central

Kairo, Guillaume; Provost, Bertille; Tchamitchian, Sylvie; Ben Abdelkader, Faten; Bonnet, Marc; Cousin, Marianne; Sénéchal, Jacques; Benet, Pauline; Kretzschmar, André; Belzunces, Luc P.; Brunet, Jean-Luc

2016-01-01

A species that requires sexual reproduction but cannot reproduce is doomed to extinction. The important increasing loss of species emphasizes the ecological significance of elucidating the effects of environmental stressors, such as pesticides, on reproduction. Despite its special reproductive behavior, the honey bee was selected as a relevant and integrative environmental model because of its constant and diverse exposure to many stressors due to foraging activity. The widely used insecticide Fipronil, the use of which is controversial because of its adverse effects on honey bees, was chosen to expose captive drones in hives via syrup contaminated at 0.1 μg/L and gathered by foragers. Such environmental exposure led to decreased spermatozoa concentration and sperm viability coupled with an increased sperm metabolic rate, resulting in drone fertility impairment. Subsequently, unexposed queens inseminated with such sperm exhibited fewer spermatozoa with lower viability in their spermatheca, leaving no doubt about the detrimental consequences for the reproductive potential of queens, which are key for colony sustainability. These findings suggest that pesticides could contribute to declining honey bee populations through fertility impairment, as exemplified by Fipronil. More broadly, reproductive disorders should be taken into consideration when investigating the decline of other species. PMID:27549030

In vitro conservation of Dendrobium germplasm.

PubMed

Teixeira da Silva, Jaime A; Zeng, Songjun; Galdiano, Renato Fernandes; Dobránszki, Judit; Cardoso, Jean Carlos; Vendrame, Wagner A

2014-09-01

Dendrobium is a large genus in the family Orchidaceae that exhibits vast diversity in floral characteristics, which is of considerable importance to orchid breeders, biotechnologists and collectors. Native species have high value as a result of their medicinal properties, while their hybrids are important as ornamental commodities, either as cut flowers or potted plants and are thus veritable industrial crops. Thus, preservation of Dendrobium germplasm is valuable for species conservation, breeding programs and the floriculture industry. Cryopreservation represents the only safe, efficient and cost-effective long-term storage option to facilitate the conservation of genetic resources of plant species. This review highlights 16 years of literature related to the preservation of Dendrobium germplasm and comprises the most comprehensive assessment of thorough studies performed to date, which shows reliable and reproducible results. Air-drying, encapsulation-dehydration, encapsulation-vitrification, vitrification and droplet-vitrification are the current cryopreservation methodologies that have been used to cryopreserve Dendrobium germplasm. Mature seeds, pollen, protoplasts, shoot primordia, protocorms and somatic embryos or protocorm-like bodies (PLBs) have been cryopreserved with different levels of success. Encapsulation-vitrification and encapsulation-dehydration are the most used protocol, while PLBs represent the main explant explored.

Influences of Phonological Context on Tense Marking in Spanish–English Dual Language Learners

PubMed Central

Barlow, Jessica A.; Potapova, Irina; Pruitt-Lord, Sonja

2017-01-01

Purpose The emergence of tense-morpheme marking during language acquisition is highly variable, which confounds the use of tense marking as a diagnostic indicator of language impairment in linguistically diverse populations. In this study, we seek to better understand tense-marking patterns in young bilingual children by comparing phonological influences on marking of 2 word-final tense morphemes. Method In spontaneous connected speech samples from 10 Spanish–English dual language learners aged 56–66 months (M = 61.7, SD = 3.4), we examined marking rates of past tense -ed and third person singular -s morphemes in different environments, using multiple measures of phonological context. Results Both morphemes were found to exhibit notably contrastive marking patterns in some contexts. Each was most sensitive to a different combination of phonological influences in the verb stem and the following word. Conclusions These findings extend existing evidence from monolingual speakers for the influence of word-final phonological context on morpheme production to a bilingual population. Further, novel findings not yet attested in previous research support an expanded consideration of phonological context in clinical decision making and future research related to word-final morphology. PMID:28750415

Form follows function: ultrastructure of different morphotypes of Physarum polycephalum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oettmeier, Christina; Lee, Jonghyun; Döbereiner, Hans-Günther

2018-04-01

The multinucleate, unicellular slime mold Physarum polycephalum is a highly motile and morphologically diverse giant amoeba. Despite being brainless and lacking neurons, it exhibits ‘smart’ behavior. There is considerable interest in describing such traits and to investigate the underlying mechanochemical patterns which may hint at universal principles of behavior and decision-making. Furthermore, the slime mold’s mechanism of locomotion is unique. It resembles amoeboid movement, but differs from the locomotion of other amoebae in many ways, e.g. in their much larger size and lack of lobopodia. These two aspects, behavior and locomotion, are linked by the cytoskeleton and the overall morphology of P. polycephalum. In this paper, we present a structural analysis of different growth forms (micro-, meso- and macroplasmodia) by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), light microscopy, and fluorescence microscopy of F-actin. With these detailed investigations of cellular ultrastructure and morphology, we provide the basis for the analysis of, e.g. viscoelastic and rheological measurements. Our data also provide structural details for the many models that have been constructed for the understanding of locomotion. We conclude that morphological information is vital for the assessment and measurement of material properties.

Monitoring super-volcanoes: geophysical and geochemical signals at Yellowstone and other large caldera systems.

PubMed

Lowenstern, Jacob B; Smith, Robert B; Hill, David P

2006-08-15

Earth's largest calderas form as the ground collapses during immense volcanic eruptions, when hundreds to thousands of cubic kilometres of magma are explosively withdrawn from the Earth's crust over a period of days to weeks. Continuing long after such great eruptions, the resulting calderas often exhibit pronounced unrest, with frequent earthquakes, alternating uplift and subsidence of the ground, and considerable heat and mass flux. Because many active and extinct calderas show evidence for repetition of large eruptions, such systems demand detailed scientific study and monitoring. Two calderas in North America, Yellowstone (Wyoming) and Long Valley (California), are in areas of youthful tectonic complexity. Scientists strive to understand the signals generated when tectonic, volcanic and hydrothermal (hot ground water) processes intersect. One obstacle to accurate forecasting of large volcanic events is humanity's lack of familiarity with the signals leading up to the largest class of volcanic eruptions. Accordingly, it may be difficult to recognize the difference between smaller and larger eruptions. To prepare ourselves and society, scientists must scrutinize a spectrum of volcanic signals and assess the many factors contributing to unrest and toward diverse modes of eruption.

Chemical and bioactive diversities of the genus Chaetomium secondary metabolites.

PubMed

Zhang, Q; Li, H-Q; Zong, S-C; Gao, J-M; Zhang, A-L

2012-02-01

The genus Chaetomium fungi are considered to be a rich source of novel and bioactive secondary metabolites of great importance. Up till now, a variety of more than 200 secondary metabolites belonging to diverse structural types of chaetoglobosins, epipolythiodioxopiperazines, azaphilones, xanthones, anthraquinones, chromones, depsidones, terpenoids, and steroids have been discovered. Most of these fungal metabolites exhibited antitumor, cytotoxic, antimalarial, enzyme inhibitory, antibiotic, and other activities. This review covers the extraction, structure elucidation, structural diversity, and biological activities of natural products isolated from about 30 fungi associated with marine- and terrestrial- origins, and highlights some bioactive compounds as well as their mechanisms of action and structure-activity relationships.

Greatest soil microbial diversity found in micro-habitats

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bach, Elizabeth M.; Williams, Ryan J.; Hargreaves, Sarah K.

Microbial interactions occur in habitats much smaller than typically considered in classic ecological studies. This study uses soil aggregates to examine soil microbial community composition and structure of both bacteria and fungi at a microbially relevant scale. Aggregates were isolated from three land management systems in central Iowa, USA to test if aggregate-level microbial responses were sensitive to large-scale shifts in plant community and management practices. Bacteria and fungi exhibited similar patterns of community structure and diversity among soil aggregates, regardless of land management. Microaggregates supported more diverse microbial communities, both taxonomically and functionally. Calculation of a weighted proportional wholemore » soil diversity, which accounted for microbes found in aggregate fractions, resulted in 65% greater bacterial richness and 100% greater fungal richness over independently sampled whole soil. Our results show microaggregates support a previously unrecognized diverse microbial community that likely effects microbial access and metabolism of soil substrates.« less

Mycophagous rove beetles highlight diverse mushrooms in the Cretaceous

PubMed Central

Cai, Chenyang; Leschen, Richard A. B.; Hibbett, David S; Xia, Fangyuan; Huang, Diying

2017-01-01

Agaricomycetes, or mushrooms, are familiar, conspicuous and morphologically diverse Fungi. Most Agaricomycete fruiting bodies are ephemeral, and their fossil record is limited. Here we report diverse gilled mushrooms (Agaricales) and mycophagous rove beetles (Staphylinidae) from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber, the latter belonging to Oxyporinae, modern members of which exhibit an obligate association with soft-textured mushrooms. The discovery of four mushroom forms, most with a complete intact cap containing distinct gills and a stalk, suggests evolutionary stasis of body form for ∼99 Myr and highlights the palaeodiversity of Agaricomycetes. The mouthparts of early oxyporines, including enlarged mandibles and greatly enlarged apical labial palpomeres with dense specialized sensory organs, match those of modern taxa and suggest that they had a mushroom feeding biology. Diverse and morphologically specialized oxyporines from the Early Cretaceous suggests the existence of diverse Agaricomycetes and a specialized trophic interaction and ecological community structure by this early date. PMID:28300055

Endemic insular and coastal Tunisian date palm genetic diversity.

PubMed

Zehdi-Azouzi, Salwa; Cherif, Emira; Guenni, Karim; Abdelkrim, Ahmed Ben; Bermil, Aymen; Rhouma, Soumaya; Salah, Mohamed Ben; Santoni, Sylvain; Pintaud, Jean Christophe; Aberlenc-Bertossi, Frédérique; Hannachi, Amel Salhi

2016-04-01

The breeding of crop species relies on the valorisation of ancestral or wild varieties to enrich the cultivated germplasm. The Tunisian date palm genetic patrimony is being threatened by diversity loss and global climate change. We have conducted a genetic study to evaluate the potential of spontaneous coastal resources to improve the currently exploited Tunisian date palm genetic pool. Eighteen microsatellite loci of Phoenix dactylifera L. were used to compare the genetic diversity of coastal accessions from Kerkennah, Djerba, Gabès and continental date palm accessions from Tozeur. A collection of 105 date palms from the four regions was analysed. This study has provided us with an extensive understanding of the local genetic diversity and its distribution. The coastal date palm genotypes exhibit a high and specific genetic diversity. These genotypes are certainly an untapped reservoir of agronomically important genes to improve cultivated germplasm in continental date palm.

Exotic species enhance response diversity to land-use change but modify functional composition.

PubMed

Stavert, Jamie R; Pattemore, David E; Gaskett, Anne C; Beggs, Jacqueline R; Bartomeus, Ignasi

2017-08-16

Two main mechanisms may buffer ecosystem functions despite biodiversity loss. First, multiple species could share similar ecological roles, thus providing functional redundancy. Second, species may respond differently to environmental change (response diversity). However, ecosystem function would be best protected when functionally redundant species also show response diversity. This linkage has not been studied directly, so we investigated whether native and exotic pollinator species with similar traits (functional redundancy) differed in abundance (response diversity) across an agricultural intensification gradient. Exotic pollinator species contributed most positive responses, which partially stabilized overall abundance of the pollinator community. However, although some functionally redundant species exhibited response diversity, this was not consistent across functional groups and aggregate abundances within each functional group were rarely stabilized. This shows functional redundancy and response diversity do not always operate in concert. Hence, despite exotic species becoming increasingly dominant in human-modified systems, they cannot replace the functional composition of native species. © 2017 The Author(s).

Seed-Mediated Gene Flow Promotes Genetic Diversity of Weedy Rice within Populations: Implications for Weed Management

PubMed Central

He, Zhuoxian; Jiang, Xiaoqi; Ratnasekera, Disna; Grassi, Fabrizio; Perera, Udugahapattuwage; Lu, Bao-Rong

2014-01-01

Increased infestation of weedy rice—a noxious agricultural pest has caused significant reduction of grain yield of cultivated rice (Oryza sativa) worldwide. Knowledge on genetic diversity and structure of weedy rice populations will facilitate the design of effective methods to control this weed by tracing its origins and dispersal patterns in a given region. To generate such knowledge, we studied genetic diversity and structure of 21 weedy rice populations from Sri Lanka based on 23 selected microsatellite (SSR) loci. Results indicated an exceptionally high level of within-population genetic diversity (He = 0.62) and limited among-population differentiation (Fst = 0.17) for this predominantly self-pollinating weed. UPGMA analysis showed a loose genetic affinity of the weedy rice populations in relation to their geographical locations, and no obvious genetic structure among populations across the country. This phenomenon was associated with the considerable amount of gene flow between populations. Limited admixture from STRUCTURE analyses suggested a very low level of hybridization (pollen-mediated gene flow) between populations. The abundant within-population genetic diversity coupled with limited population genetic structure and differentiation is likely caused by the considerable seed-mediated gene flow of weedy rice along with the long-distance exchange of farmer-saved rice seeds between weedy-rice contaminated regions in Sri Lanka. In addition to other effective weed management strategies, promoting the application of certified rice seeds with no weedy rice contamination should be the immediate action to significantly reduce the proliferation and infestation of this weed in rice ecosystems in countries with similar rice farming styles as in Sri Lanka. PMID:25436611

Pre-existing Epithelial Diversity in Normal Human Livers: A Tissue-tethered Cytometric Analysis in Portal/Periportal Epithelial Cells

PubMed Central

Isse, Kumiko; Lesniak, Andrew; Grama, Kedar; Maier, John; Specht, Susan; Castillo-Rama, Marcela; Lunz, John; Roysam, Badrinath; Michalopoulos, George; Demetris, Anthony J.

2012-01-01

Routine light microscopy identifies two distinct epithelial cell populations in normal human livers: hepatocytes and biliary epithelial cells (BEC). Considerable epithelial diversity, however, arises during disease states when a variety of hepatocyte-BEC hybrid cells appear. This has been attributed to activation and differentiation of putative hepatic progenitor cells (HPC) residing in the Canals of Hering and/or metaplasia of pre-existing mature epithelial cells. A novel analytic approach consisting of multiplex labeling, high resolution whole slide imaging (WSI), and automated image analysis was used to determine if more complex epithelial cell phenotypes pre-existed in normal adult human livers, which might provide an alternative explanation for disease-induced epithelial diversity. “Virtually digested” WSI enabled quantitative cytometric analyses of individual cells displayed in a variety of formats (e.g. scatter plots) while still tethered to the WSI and tissue structure. We employed biomarkers specifically-associated with mature epithelial forms (HNF4α for hepatocytes, CK19 and HNF1β for BEC) and explored for the presence of cells with hybrid biomarker phenotypes. Results showed abundant hybrid cells in portal bile duct BEC, canals of Hering, and immediate periportal hepatocytes. These bi-potential cells likely serve as a reservoir for the epithelial diversity of ductular reactions, appearance of hepatocytes in bile ducts, and the rapid and fluid transition of BEC to hepatocytes, and vice versa. Conclusion Novel imaging and computational tools enable increased information extraction from tissue samples and quantify the considerable pre-existent hybrid epithelial diversity in normal human liver. This computationally-enabled tissue analysis approach offers much broader potential beyond the results presented here. PMID:23150208

Silage Collected from Dairy Farms Harbors an Abundance of Listeriaphages with Considerable Host Range and Genome Size Diversity

PubMed Central

Vongkamjan, Kitiya; Switt, Andrea Moreno; den Bakker, Henk C.; Fortes, Esther D.

2012-01-01

Since the food-borne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes is common in dairy farm environments, it is likely that phages infecting this bacterium (“listeriaphages”) are abundant on dairy farms. To better understand the ecology and diversity of listeriaphages on dairy farms and to develop a diverse phage collection for further studies, silage samples collected on two dairy farms were screened for L. monocytogenes and listeriaphages. While only 4.5% of silage samples tested positive for L. monocytogenes, 47.8% of samples were positive for listeriaphages, containing up to >1.5 × 104 PFU/g. Host range characterization of the 114 phage isolates obtained, with a reference set of 13 L. monocytogenes strains representing the nine major serotypes and four lineages, revealed considerable host range diversity; phage isolates were classified into nine lysis groups. While one serotype 3c strain was not lysed by any phage isolates, serotype 4 strains were highly susceptible to phages and were lysed by 63.2 to 88.6% of phages tested. Overall, 12.3% of phage isolates showed a narrow host range (lysing 1 to 5 strains), while 28.9% of phages represented broad host range (lysing ≥11 strains). Genome sizes of the phage isolates were estimated to range from approximately 26 to 140 kb. The extensive host range and genomic diversity of phages observed here suggest an important role of phages in the ecology of L. monocytogenes on dairy farms. In addition, the phage collection developed here has the potential to facilitate further development of phage-based biocontrol strategies (e.g., in silage) and other phage-based tools. PMID:23042180

The influence of large wood accumulations on riparian seed bank diversity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Osei, N. A.

2012-04-01

Little is known about the structure and complexity of seed bank within the riparian corridor and the how large wood accumulations contribute to riparian seed bank diversity. This study aimed to examine and quantify seed bank assemblage and diversity along the undisturbed riparian corridor of the Highland Water, a second order lowland stream draining the New Forest. Seed bank samples were collected from five riparian corridor microhabitats namely mid-channel bars, floodplains, bare banks, banks adjacent large wood accumulations and within large wood accumulations that differed in their hydrologic connectivity with the river. Descriptive statistics and ordination methods applied to the floristic and sediment data sets indicates that sediment organic matter content, species richness and proportions of functional types distinctly differed among the riparian microhabitats types but there was no difference in viable seed densities. Banks adjacent large wood accumulations were the most floristically diverse and rich in organic matter with mid-channel bars exhibiting the reverse. This was due to the ability of large wood accumulations to buffer varying magnitudes of physical gradients and sort seeds and sediments, therefore altering the character of bare banks. This study not only strengthen the evidence that riparian corridors exhibit elevated spatial sediment and vegetation heterogeneity but also demonstrates the importance of large wood accumulation as habitat modifiers, ecosystem engineers and conservation sink for moisture, organic matter and seeds, resources essential for riparian vegetation conservation, recovery and restoration efforts.

Therapeutic modulation of gut microbiota in inflammatory bowel disease: More questions to be answered.

PubMed

Qiao, Yu Qi; Cai, Chen Wen; Ran, Zhi Hua

2016-12-01

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) exhibit impaired control of the microbiome in the gut, and 'dysbiosis' is commonly observed. Western diet is a risk factor for the development of IBD, but it may have different effects on gut microbiota between IBD and non-IBD individuals. Exclusive enteral nutrition (EEN) can induce remission in pediatric Crohn's disease with a decrease in gut microbial diversity. Although there are some theoretical benefits, actual treatment effects of prebiotics and probiotics in IBD vary. High-quality studies have shown that VSL#3 (a high-potency probiotic medical food containing eight different strains) exhibits benefits in treating ulcerative colitis, and gut microbial diversity is reduced after treated with VSL#3 in animal models. The effect of fecal microbiome transplantation on IBD is controversial. Increasing microbial diversity compared with impaired handling of bacteria presents a dilemma. Antibiotics are the strongest factors in the reduction of microbiome ecological diversity. Some antibiotics may help to induce remission of the disease. Microbiome alteration has been suggested to be an intrinsic property of IBD and a potential predictor in diagnosis and prognosis. However, the effects of therapeutic modulations are variable; thus, more questions remain to be answered. © 2016 Chinese Medical Association Shanghai Branch, Chinese Society of Gastroenterology, Renji Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Diverse deep-sea fungi from the South China Sea and their antimicrobial activity.

PubMed

Zhang, Xiao-Yong; Zhang, Yun; Xu, Xin-Ya; Qi, Shu-Hua

2013-11-01

We investigated the diversity of fungal communities in nine different deep-sea sediment samples of the South China Sea by culture-dependent methods followed by analysis of fungal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences. Although 14 out of 27 identified species were reported in a previous study, 13 species were isolated from sediments of deep-sea environments for the first report. Moreover, these ITS sequences of six isolates shared 84-92 % similarity with their closest matches in GenBank, which suggested that they might be novel phylotypes of genera Ajellomyces, Podosordaria, Torula, and Xylaria. The antimicrobial activities of these fungal isolates were explored using a double-layer technique. A relatively high proportion (56 %) of fungal isolates exhibited antimicrobial activity against at least one pathogenic bacterium or fungus among four marine pathogenic microbes (Micrococcus luteus, Pseudoaltermonas piscida, Aspergerillus versicolor, and A. sydowii). Out of these antimicrobial fungi, the genera Arthrinium, Aspergillus, and Penicillium exhibited antibacterial and antifungal activities, while genus Aureobasidium displayed only antibacterial activity, and genera Acremonium, Cladosporium, Geomyces, and Phaeosphaeriopsis displayed only antifungal activity. To our knowledge, this is the first report to investigate the diversity and antimicrobial activity of culturable deep-sea-derived fungi in the South China Sea. These results suggest that diverse deep-sea fungi from the South China Sea are a potential source for antibiotics' discovery and further increase the pool of fungi available for natural bioactive product screening.

Foraminiferal assemblages along the intertidal zone of Itapanhaú River, Bertioga (Brazil)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Passos, Camila Cunha; Kukimodo, Isabela; Semensatto, Décio

2017-11-01

Foraminifera found in intertidal zones have been successfully used in studies examining relative sea level monitoring around the world. For this purpose, it is necessary to establish the typical foraminiferal assemblages of different salinity regimes and sediment sub aerial exposition. In the present work we collected 27 sediment samples from 5 transversal transects in the mangroves of the Itapanhaú River (Bertioga, SP, Brazil). Transects were distributed along salinity and altitudinal gradients in order to study the community structure of recent foraminifera in terms of diversity and species composition. We identified 35 species and described 5 groups of species in different environmental settings, from downstream to upstream and from margin to landward in the mangrove forest, associated with salinity regime and sediment proportional exposure time. These variables seem to primarily control species distribution and community structure in the intertidal zone, although dissolution of calcareous taxa cannot be ruled out. The first group is dominated by Ammonia spp. and Elphidium spp., colonizes the mouth of the river on an unvegetated tidal flat in the lowest portion of the intertidal zone, under a polyhaline regime. This group exhibits the smallest sub aerial exposition (19,3%) as well as comparatively high species diversity. The second group is formed by a sample dominated by Trochammina inflata and Arenoparrella mexicana, obtained in a polyhaline area on the margin of the mangrove. The third group is dominated by Miliammina fusca and Ammotium spp., and colonizes mesohaline mangrove forests, with proportional exposure time of between 50 and 75%, and high species diversity. The fourth group comprises communities dominated by M. fusca and T. inflata, and colonizes the intermediate level in the interior of the mangrove forest, exhibiting high species diversity. The fifth group comprises communities broadly dominated by M. fusca, colonizing oligohaline margins and the highest level of polyhaline mangrove forests. This group exhibits the greatest sub aerial exposition and lowest species diversity of all five groups. Hence, these foraminifera groups may serve as a reference with which to interpret drilling core layers and reconstruct relative sea levels in other similar estuarine systems.

Wind and sunlight shape microbial diversity in surface waters of the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre

PubMed Central

Bryant, Jessica A; Aylward, Frank O; Eppley, John M; Karl, David M; Church, Matthew J; DeLong, Edward F

2016-01-01

Few microbial time-series studies have been conducted in open ocean habitats having low seasonal variability such as the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre (NPSG), where surface waters experience comparatively mild seasonal variation. To better describe microbial seasonal variability in this habitat, we analyzed rRNA amplicon and shotgun metagenomic data over two years at the Hawaii Ocean Time-series Station ALOHA. We postulated that this relatively stable habitat might reveal different environmental factors that influence planktonic microbial community diversity than those previously observed in more seasonally dynamic habitats. Unexpectedly, the data showed that microbial diversity at 25 m was positively correlated with average wind speed 3 to 10 days prior to sampling. In addition, microbial community composition at 25 m exhibited significant correlations with solar irradiance. Many bacterial groups whose relative abundances varied with solar radiation corresponded to taxa known to exhibit strong seasonality in other oceanic regions. Network co-correlation analysis of 25 m communities showed seasonal transitions in composition, and distinct successional cohorts of co-occurring phylogenetic groups. Similar network analyses of metagenomic data also indicated distinct seasonality in genes originating from cyanophage, and several bacterial clades including SAR116 and SAR324. At 500 m, microbial community diversity and composition did not vary significantly with any measured environmental parameters. The minimal seasonal variability in the NPSG facilitated detection of more subtle environmental influences, such as episodic wind variation, on surface water microbial diversity. Community composition in NPSG surface waters varied in response to solar irradiance, but less dramatically than reported in other ocean provinces. PMID:26645474

Low diversity, activity, and density of transposable elements in five avian genomes.

PubMed

Gao, Bo; Wang, Saisai; Wang, Yali; Shen, Dan; Xue, Songlei; Chen, Cai; Cui, Hengmi; Song, Chengyi

2017-07-01

In this study, we conducted the activity, diversity, and density analysis of transposable elements (TEs) across five avian genomes (budgerigar, chicken, turkey, medium ground finch, and zebra finch) to explore the potential reason of small genome sizes of birds. We found that these avian genomes exhibited low density of TEs by about 10% of genome coverages and low diversity of TEs with the TE landscapes dominated by CR1 and ERV elements, and contrasting proliferation dynamics both between TE types and between species were observed across the five avian genomes. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that CR1 clade was more diverse in the family structure compared with R2 clade in birds; avian ERVs were classified into four clades (alpha, beta, gamma, and ERV-L) and belonged to three classes of ERV with an uneven distributed in these lineages. The activities of DNA and SINE TEs were very low in the evolution history of avian genomes; most LINEs and LTRs were ancient copies with a substantial decrease of activity in recent, with only LTRs and LINEs in chicken and zebra finch exhibiting weak activity in very recent, and very few TEs were intact; however, the recent activity may be underestimated due to the sequencing/assembly technologies in some species. Overall, this study demonstrates low diversity, activity, and density of TEs in the five avian species; highlights the differences of TEs in these lineages; and suggests that the current and recent activity of TEs in avian genomes is very limited, which may be one of the reasons of small genome sizes in birds.

Wind and sunlight shape microbial diversity in surface waters of the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre.

PubMed

Bryant, Jessica A; Aylward, Frank O; Eppley, John M; Karl, David M; Church, Matthew J; DeLong, Edward F

2016-06-01

Few microbial time-series studies have been conducted in open ocean habitats having low seasonal variability such as the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre (NPSG), where surface waters experience comparatively mild seasonal variation. To better describe microbial seasonal variability in this habitat, we analyzed rRNA amplicon and shotgun metagenomic data over two years at the Hawaii Ocean Time-series Station ALOHA. We postulated that this relatively stable habitat might reveal different environmental factors that influence planktonic microbial community diversity than those previously observed in more seasonally dynamic habitats. Unexpectedly, the data showed that microbial diversity at 25 m was positively correlated with average wind speed 3 to 10 days prior to sampling. In addition, microbial community composition at 25 m exhibited significant correlations with solar irradiance. Many bacterial groups whose relative abundances varied with solar radiation corresponded to taxa known to exhibit strong seasonality in other oceanic regions. Network co-correlation analysis of 25 m communities showed seasonal transitions in composition, and distinct successional cohorts of co-occurring phylogenetic groups. Similar network analyses of metagenomic data also indicated distinct seasonality in genes originating from cyanophage, and several bacterial clades including SAR116 and SAR324. At 500 m, microbial community diversity and composition did not vary significantly with any measured environmental parameters. The minimal seasonal variability in the NPSG facilitated detection of more subtle environmental influences, such as episodic wind variation, on surface water microbial diversity. Community composition in NPSG surface waters varied in response to solar irradiance, but less dramatically than reported in other ocean provinces.

Estimation of the genetic diversity in tetraploid alfalfa populations based on RAPD markers for breeding purposes.

PubMed

Nagl, Nevena; Taski-Ajdukovic, Ksenija; Barac, Goran; Baburski, Aleksandar; Seccareccia, Ivana; Milic, Dragan; Katic, Slobodan

2011-01-01

Alfalfa is an autotetraploid, allogamous and heterozygous forage legume, whose varieties are synthetic populations. Due to the complex nature of the species, information about genetic diversity of germplasm used in any alfalfa breeding program is most beneficial. The genetic diversity of five alfalfa varieties, involved in progeny tests at Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops, was characterized based on RAPD markers. A total of 60 primers were screened, out of which 17 were selected for the analysis of genetic diversity. A total of 156 polymorphic bands were generated, with 10.6 bands per primer. Number and percentage of polymorphic loci, effective number of alleles, expected heterozygosity and Shannon's information index were used to estimate genetic variation. Variety Zuzana had the highest values for all tested parameters, exhibiting the highest level of variation, whereas variety RSI 20 exhibited the lowest. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) showed that 88.39% of the total genetic variation was attributed to intra-varietal variance. The cluster analysis for individual samples and varieties revealed differences in their population structures: variety Zuzana showed a very high level of genetic variation, Banat and Ghareh were divided in subpopulations, while Pecy and RSI 20 were relatively uniform. Ways of exploiting the investigated germplasm in the breeding programs are suggested in this paper, depending on their population structure and diversity. The RAPD analysis shows potential to be applied in analysis of parental populations in semi-hybrid alfalfa breeding program in both, development of new homogenous germplasm, and identification of promising, complementary germplasm.

Illuminating a plant’s tissue-specific metabolic diversity using computational metabolomics and information theory

PubMed Central

Li, Dapeng; Heiling, Sven; Baldwin, Ian T.

2016-01-01

Secondary metabolite diversity is considered an important fitness determinant for plants’ biotic and abiotic interactions in nature. This diversity can be examined in two dimensions. The first one considers metabolite diversity across plant species. A second way of looking at this diversity is by considering the tissue-specific localization of pathways underlying secondary metabolism within a plant. Although these cross-tissue metabolite variations are increasingly regarded as important readouts of tissue-level gene function and regulatory processes, they have rarely been comprehensively explored by nontargeted metabolomics. As such, important questions have remained superficially addressed. For instance, which tissues exhibit prevalent signatures of metabolic specialization? Reciprocally, which metabolites contribute most to this tissue specialization in contrast to those metabolites exhibiting housekeeping characteristics? Here, we explore tissue-level metabolic specialization in Nicotiana attenuata, an ecological model with rich secondary metabolism, by combining tissue-wide nontargeted mass spectral data acquisition, information theory analysis, and tandem MS (MS/MS) molecular networks. This analysis was conducted for two different methanolic extracts of 14 tissues and deconvoluted 895 nonredundant MS/MS spectra. Using information theory analysis, anthers were found to harbor the most specialized metabolome, and most unique metabolites of anthers and other tissues were annotated through MS/MS molecular networks. Tissue–metabolite association maps were used to predict tissue-specific gene functions. Predictions for the function of two UDP-glycosyltransferases in flavonoid metabolism were confirmed by virus-induced gene silencing. The present workflow allows biologists to amortize the vast amount of data produced by modern MS instrumentation in their quest to understand gene function. PMID:27821729

Protistan entomopathogens

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Protists, eukaryotes of mainly unicellular organization, are perhaps the most diverse and numerous of insect pathogens. As a group, protists exhibit the full range of symbiotic associations with insects, from mutualism and commensalism to parasitism and pathogenicity. However, most protistan etiolog...

Ethnic diversity and employment growth in English cities.

PubMed

Lee, Neil

2011-01-01

There are many reasons why cities with diverse populations may grow faster. Ethnic diversity might attract human capital, tourists or firms, increase productivity through diverse approaches to problem-solving or ethnic minority entrepreneurship. Yet there are also reasons to believe that diversity could be harmful, by leading to sub-optimal provision of public goods or reducing trust or social capital. Or it may be irrelevant, being merely a proxy for class. A number of studies have shown both positive and negative relationships between diversity and growth, using a range of different measures for "diversity." This paper asks two questions: have more diverse English cities grown faster? And does measurement matter: is it important to have a multinational population or an ethnically diverse one? To answer these questions, in this paper a range of models are estimated for employment growth for 53 English cities between 1981 and 2001. The evidence suggests that cities with a high proportion of their populations born abroad in 1981 grew faster in the subsequent 10 years. Neither diversity by country of birth nor ethnic diversity is significant in the period 1991-2001. However, when variables accounting for both are included together, it appears that cities with a large number of migrants saw higher employment growth in the 1990s, but that ethnically diverse cities were less successful. The results presented here suggest that considerable attention needs to be paid to the variable used to indicate "diversity" in these studies and that the impact of diversity varies according to nature of the groups any indicator for "diversity" is representing.

Conceptual modeling of coincident failures in multiversion software

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Littlewood, Bev; Miller, Douglas R.

1989-01-01

Recent work by Eckhardt and Lee (1985) shows that independently developed program versions fail dependently (specifically, simultaneous failure of several is greater than would be the case under true independence). The present authors show there is a precise duality between input choice and program choice in this model and consider a generalization in which different versions can be developed using diverse methodologies. The use of diverse methodologies is shown to decrease the probability of the simultaneous failure of several versions. Indeed, it is theoretically possible to obtain versions which exhibit better than independent failure behavior. The authors try to formalize the notion of methodological diversity by considering the sequence of decision outcomes that constitute a methodology. They show that diversity of decision implies likely diversity of behavior for the different verions developed under such forced diversity. For certain one-out-of-n systems the authors obtain an optimal method for allocating diversity between versions. For two-out-of-three systems there seem to be no simple optimality results which do not depend on constraints which cannot be verified in practice.

Tuneable light-emitting carbon-dot/polymer flexible films prepared through one-pot synthesis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhunia, Susanta Kumar; Nandi, Sukhendu; Shikler, Rafi; Jelinek, Raz

2016-02-01

Development of efficient, inexpensive, and environmentally-friendly light emitters, particularly devices that produce white light, have drawn intense interest due to diverse applications in the lighting industry, photonics, solar energy, and others. We present a simple strategy for the fabrication of flexible transparent films exhibiting tuneable light emission through one-pot synthesis of polymer matrixes with embedded carbon dots assembled in situ. Importantly, different luminescence colours were produced simply by preparing C-dot/polymer films using carbon precursors that yielded C-dots exhibiting distinct fluorescence emission profiles. Furthermore, mixtures of C-dot precursors could be also employed for fabricating films exhibiting different colours. In particular, we successfully produced films emitting white light with attractive properties (i.e. ``warm'' white light with a high colour rendering index) - a highly sought after goal in optical technologies.Development of efficient, inexpensive, and environmentally-friendly light emitters, particularly devices that produce white light, have drawn intense interest due to diverse applications in the lighting industry, photonics, solar energy, and others. We present a simple strategy for the fabrication of flexible transparent films exhibiting tuneable light emission through one-pot synthesis of polymer matrixes with embedded carbon dots assembled in situ. Importantly, different luminescence colours were produced simply by preparing C-dot/polymer films using carbon precursors that yielded C-dots exhibiting distinct fluorescence emission profiles. Furthermore, mixtures of C-dot precursors could be also employed for fabricating films exhibiting different colours. In particular, we successfully produced films emitting white light with attractive properties (i.e. ``warm'' white light with a high colour rendering index) - a highly sought after goal in optical technologies. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c5nr08400h

Exploring the diversity-stability paradigm using sponge microbial communities.

PubMed

Glasl, Bettina; Smith, Caitlin E; Bourne, David G; Webster, Nicole S

2018-05-30

A key concept in theoretical ecology is the positive correlation between biodiversity and ecosystem stability. When applying this diversity-stability concept to host-associated microbiomes, the following questions emerge: (1) Does microbial diversity influence the stability of microbiomes upon environmental fluctuations? (2) Do hosts that harbor high versus low microbial diversity differ in their stress response? To test the diversity-stability concept in host-associated microbiomes, we exposed six marine sponge species with varying levels of microbial diversity to non-lethal salinity disturbances and followed their microbial composition over time using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. No signs of sponge stress were evident following salinity amendment and microbiomes exhibited compositional resistance irrespective of their microbial diversity. Compositional stability of the sponge microbiome manifests itself at distinct host taxonomic and host microbial diversity groups, with (1) stable host genotype-specific microbiomes at oligotype-level; (2) stable host species-specific microbiomes at genus-level; and (3) stable and specific microbiomes at phylum-level for hosts with high versus low microbial diversity. The resistance of sponge microbiomes together with the overall stability of sponge holobionts upon salinity fluctuations suggest that the stability-diversity concept does not appear to hold for sponge microbiomes and provides further evidence for the widely recognized environmental tolerance of sponges.

Cell wall evolution and diversity

PubMed Central

Fangel, Jonatan U.; Ulvskov, Peter; Knox, J. P.; Mikkelsen, Maria D.; Harholt, Jesper; Popper, Zoë A.; Willats, William G.T.

2012-01-01

Plant cell walls display a considerable degree of diversity in their compositions and molecular architectures. In some cases the functional significance of a particular cell wall type appears to be easy to discern: secondary cells walls are often reinforced with lignin that provides durability; the thin cell walls of pollen tubes have particular compositions that enable their tip growth; lupin seed cell walls are characteristically thickened with galactan used as a storage polysaccharide. However, more frequently the evolutionary mechanisms and selection pressures that underpin cell wall diversity and evolution are unclear. For diverse green plants (chlorophytes and streptophytes) the rapidly increasing availability of transcriptome and genome data sets, the development of methods for cell wall analyses which require less material for analysis, and expansion of molecular probe sets, are providing new insights into the diversity and occurrence of cell wall polysaccharides and associated biosynthetic genes. Such research is important for refining our understanding of some of the fundamental processes that enabled plants to colonize land and to subsequently radiate so comprehensively. The study of cell wall structural diversity is also an important aspect of the industrial utilization of global polysaccharide bio-resources. PMID:22783271

Glucosinolate diversity within a phylogenetic framework of the tribe Cardamineae (Brassicaceae) unraveled with HPLC-MS/MS and NMR-based analytical distinction of 70 desulfoglucosinolates.

PubMed

Olsen, Carl Erik; Huang, Xiao-Chen; Hansen, Cecilie I C; Cipollini, Don; Ørgaard, Marian; Matthes, Annemarie; Geu-Flores, Fernando; Koch, Marcus A; Agerbirk, Niels

2016-12-01

As a basis for future investigations of evolutionary trajectories and biosynthetic mechanisms underlying variations in glucosinolate structures, we screened members of the crucifer tribe Cardamineae by HPLC-MS/MS, isolated and identified glucosinolates by NMR, searched the literature for previous data for the tribe, and collected HPLC-MS/MS data for nearly all glucosinolates known from the tribe as well as some related structures (70 in total). This is a considerable proportion of the approximately 142 currently documented natural glucosinolates. Calibration with authentic references allowed distinction (or elucidation) of isomers in many cases, such as distinction of β-hydroxyls, methylthios, methylsulfinyls and methylsulfonyls. A mechanism for fragmentation of secondary β-hydroxyls in MS was elucidated, and two novel glucosinolates were discovered: 2-hydroxy-3-methylpentylglucosinolate in roots of Cardamine pratensis and 2-hydroxy-8-(methylsulfinyl)octylglucosinolate in seeds of Rorippa amphibia. A large number of glucosinolates (ca. 54 with high structural certainty and a further 28 or more suggested from tandem MS), representing a wide structural variation, is documented from the tribe. This included glucosinolates apparently derived from Met, Phe, Trp, Val/Leu, Ile and higher homologues. Normal side chain elongation and side chain decoration by oxidation or methylation was observed, as well as rare abnormal side chain decoration (hydroxylation of aliphatics at the δ rather than β-position). Some species had diverse profiles, e.g. R. amphibia and C. pratensis (19 and 16 individual glucosinolates, respectively), comparable to total diversity in literature reports of Armoracia rusticana (17?), Barbarea vulgaris (20-24), and Rorippa indica (>20?). The ancestor or the tribe would appear to have used Trp, Met, and homoPhe as glucosinolate precursor amino acids, and to exhibit oxidation of thio to sulfinyl, formation of alkenyls, β-hydroxylation of aliphatic chains and hydroxylation and methylation of indole glucosinolates. Two hotspots of apparent biochemical innovation and loss were identified: C. pratensis and the genus Barbarea. Diversity in other species mainly included structures also known from other crucifers. In addition to a role of gene duplication, two contrasting genetic/biochemical mechanisms for evolution of such combined diversity and redundancy are discussed: (i) involvement of widespread genes with expression varying during evolution, and (ii) mutational changes in substrate specificities of CYP79F and GS-OH enzymes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Computerization of Career Services: Critical Issues To Consider.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davidson, M. Meghan

2001-01-01

Looks at the technological changes in the delivery of career services in colleges and universities and examines seven critical issues: appropriate web-based services, student diversity, ethical responsibilities, high-tech and high-touch, holistic approach, staffing and financial considerations, and outcomes. (JOW)

Comprehensive Assessment of Children and Youth with ADHD.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burcham, Barbara G.; DeMers, Stephen T.

1995-01-01

Principles of comprehensive assessment of students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are examined in relation to legal compliance, special considerations for cultural diversity, medical diagnosis versus educational identification, and the problem-solving assessment model. Strengths and weakness of specific strategies are identified as…

Group Counseling with International Students: Practical, Ethical, and Cultural Considerations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yakunina, Elena S.; Weigold, Ingrid K.; McCarthy, Alannah S.

2011-01-01

International students in higher education represent a diverse population with unique mental health needs. Foreign students commonly experience a host of adjustment issues, including acculturative stress, language difficulties, cultural misunderstandings, racial discrimination, and loss of social support. Despite their challenges, few…

First-Generation Women and Identity Intersectionality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kouzoukas, Georgia

2017-01-01

With a considerable focus to increase America's degree completion rates amongst our diverse population, higher education policymakers and researchers have examined the college access, persistence, and completion rates of first-generation students. However, minimal research has addressed the heterogeneous student population through a gendered or…

5 CFR 9901.515 - Competitive examining procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Competitive examining procedures. 9901.515 Section 9901.515 Administrative Personnel DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT AND... equal protection considerations in mind, such as whether the sources will reach a diverse applicant pool...

Evidence for label-retaining tumour-initiating cells in human glioblastoma

PubMed Central

Deleyrolle, Loic P.; Harding, Angus; Cato, Kathleen; Siebzehnrubl, Florian A.; Rahman, Maryam; Azari, Hassan; Olson, Sarah; Gabrielli, Brian; Osborne, Geoffrey; Vescovi, Angelo

2011-01-01

Individual tumour cells display diverse functional behaviours in terms of proliferation rate, cell–cell interactions, metastatic potential and sensitivity to therapy. Moreover, sequencing studies have demonstrated surprising levels of genetic diversity between individual patient tumours of the same type. Tumour heterogeneity presents a significant therapeutic challenge as diverse cell types within a tumour can respond differently to therapies, and inter-patient heterogeneity may prevent the development of general treatments for cancer. One strategy that may help overcome tumour heterogeneity is the identification of tumour sub-populations that drive specific disease pathologies for the development of therapies targeting these clinically relevant sub-populations. Here, we have identified a dye-retaining brain tumour population that displays all the hallmarks of a tumour-initiating sub-population. Using a limiting dilution transplantation assay in immunocompromised mice, label-retaining brain tumour cells display elevated tumour-initiation properties relative to the bulk population. Importantly, tumours generated from these label-retaining cells exhibit all the pathological features of the primary disease. Together, these findings confirm dye-retaining brain tumour cells exhibit tumour-initiation ability and are therefore viable targets for the development of therapeutics targeting this sub-population. PMID:21515906

Population structure and genetic diversity of greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) in fragmented landscapes at the northern edge of their range

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bush, K.L.; Dyte, C.K.; Moynahan, B.J.; Aldridge, Cameron L.; Sauls, H.S.; Battazzo, A.M.; Walker, B.L.; Doherty, K.E.; Tack, J.; Carlson, J.; Eslinger, D.; Nicholson, J.; Boyce, M.S.; Naugle, D.E.; Paszkowski, C.A.; Coltman, D.W.

2011-01-01

Range-edge dynamics and anthropogenic fragmentation are expected to impact patterns of genetic diversity, and understanding the influence of both factors is important for effective conservation of threatened wildlife species. To examine these factors, we sampled greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) from a declining, fragmented region at the northern periphery of the species' range and from a stable, contiguous core region. We genotyped 2,519 individuals at 13 microsatellite loci from 104 leks in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Montana, and Wyoming. Birds from northern Montana, Alberta, and Saskatchewan were identified as a single population that exhibited significant isolation by distance, with the Milk River demarcating two subpopulations. Both subpopulations exhibited high genetic diversity with no evidence that peripheral regions were genetically depauperate or highly structured. However, river valleys and a large agricultural region were significant barriers to dispersal. Leks were also composed primarily of non-kin, rejecting the idea that leks form because of male kin association. Northern Montana sage-grouse are maintaining genetic connectivity in fragmented and northern peripheral habitats via dispersal through and around various forms of fragmentation. ?? 2010 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

Actinobacterial diversity in limestone deposit sites in Hundung, Manipur (India) and their antimicrobial activities

PubMed Central

Nimaichand, Salam; Devi, Asem Mipeshwaree; Tamreihao, K.; Ningthoujam, Debananda S.; Li, Wen-Jun

2015-01-01

Studies on actinobacterial diversity in limestone habitats are scarce. This paper reports profiling of actinobacteria isolated from Hundung limestone samples in Manipur, India using ARDRA as the molecular tool for preliminary classification. A total of 137 actinobacteria were clustered into 31 phylotypic groups based on the ARDRA pattern generated and representative of each group was subjected to 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Generic diversity of the limestone isolates consisted of Streptomyces (15 phylotypic groups), Micromonospora (4), Amycolatopsis (3), Arthrobacter (3), Kitasatospora (2), Janibacter (1), Nocardia (1), Pseudonocardia (1) and Rhodococcus (1). Considering the antimicrobial potential of these actinobacteria, 19 showed antimicrobial activities against at least one of the bacterial and candidal test pathogens, while 45 exhibit biocontrol activities against at least one of the rice fungal pathogens. Out of the 137 actinobacterial isolates, 118 were found to have at least one of the three biosynthetic gene clusters (PKS-I, PKS-II, NRPS). The results indicate that 86% of the strains isolated from Hundung limestone deposit sites possessed biosynthetic gene clusters of which 40% exhibited antimicrobial activities. It can, therefore, be concluded that limestone habitat is a promising source for search of novel secondary metabolites. PMID:25999937

Microbial island biogeography: isolation shapes the life history characteristics but not diversity of root-symbiotic fungal communities.

PubMed

Davison, John; Moora, Mari; Öpik, Maarja; Ainsaar, Leho; Ducousso, Marc; Hiiesalu, Inga; Jairus, Teele; Johnson, Nancy; Jourand, Philippe; Kalamees, Rein; Koorem, Kadri; Meyer, Jean-Yves; Püssa, Kersti; Reier, Ülle; Pärtel, Meelis; Semchenko, Marina; Traveset, Anna; Vasar, Martti; Zobel, Martin

2018-06-08

Island biogeography theory is one of the most influential paradigms in ecology. That island characteristics, including remoteness, can profoundly modulate biological diversity has been borne out by studies of animals and plants. By contrast, the processes influencing microbial diversity in island systems remain largely undetermined. We sequenced arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal DNA from plant roots collected on 13 islands worldwide and compared AM fungal diversity on islands with existing data from mainland sites. AM fungal communities on islands (even those >6000 km from the closest mainland) comprised few endemic taxa and were as diverse as mainland communities. Thus, in contrast to patterns recorded among macro-organisms, efficient dispersal appears to outweigh the effects of taxogenesis and extinction in regulating AM fungal diversity on islands. Nonetheless, AM fungal communities on more distant islands comprised a higher proportion of previously cultured and large-spored taxa, indicating that dispersal may be human-mediated or require tolerance of significant environmental stress, such as exposure to sunlight or high salinity. The processes driving large-scale patterns of microbial diversity are a key consideration for attempts to conserve and restore functioning ecosystems in this era of rapid global change.

Translating Research on Healthy Lifestyles for Children: Meeting the Needs of Diverse Populations

PubMed Central

Kennedy, Christine; Floriani, Victoria

2008-01-01

Synopsis This paper provides two examples of approaches nursing can take to reach diverse populations of children and their families to enhance health lifestyles. First a descriptive summary of a brief after-school intervention program aimed at influencing 8 and 9 year-old children’s media habits and the prevention of negative health behaviors will be presented. Design consideration for translating health lifestyles research findings into a Nurse managed inner city primary care practice will be reviewed in the 2nd example. PMID:18674672

A Virulent Strain of Deformed Wing Virus (DWV) of Honeybees (Apis mellifera) Prevails after Varroa destructor-Mediated, or In Vitro, Transmission

PubMed Central

Ryabov, Eugene V.; Wood, Graham R.; Fannon, Jessica M.; Moore, Jonathan D.; Bull, James C.; Chandler, Dave; Mead, Andrew; Burroughs, Nigel; Evans, David J.

2014-01-01

The globally distributed ectoparasite Varroa destructor is a vector for viral pathogens of the Western honeybee (Apis mellifera), in particular the Iflavirus Deformed Wing Virus (DWV). In the absence of Varroa low levels DWV occur, generally causing asymptomatic infections. Conversely, Varroa-infested colonies show markedly elevated virus levels, increased overwintering colony losses, with impairment of pupal development and symptomatic workers. To determine whether changes in the virus population were due Varroa amplifying and introducing virulent virus strains and/or suppressing the host immune responses, we exposed Varroa-naïve larvae to oral and Varroa-transmitted DWV. We monitored virus levels and diversity in developing pupae and associated Varroa, the resulting RNAi response and transcriptome changes in the host. Exposed pupae were stratified by Varroa association (presence/absence) and virus levels (low/high) into three groups. Varroa-free pupae all exhibited low levels of a highly diverse DWV population, with those exposed per os (group NV) exhibiting changes in the population composition. Varroa-associated pupae exhibited either low levels of a diverse DWV population (group VL) or high levels of a near-clonal virulent variant of DWV (group VH). These groups and unexposed controls (C) could be also discriminated by principal component analysis of the transcriptome changes observed, which included several genes involved in development and the immune response. All Varroa tested contained a diverse replicating DWV population implying the virulent variant present in group VH, and predominating in RNA-seq analysis of temporally and geographically separate Varroa-infested colonies, was selected upon transmission from Varroa, a conclusion supported by direct injection of pupae in vitro with mixed virus populations. Identification of a virulent variant of DWV, the role of Varroa in its transmission and the resulting host transcriptome changes furthers our understanding of this important viral pathogen of honeybees. PMID:24968198

Exceptional diversity, non-random distribution, and rapid evolution of retroelements in the B73 maize genome.

PubMed

Baucom, Regina S; Estill, James C; Chaparro, Cristian; Upshaw, Naadira; Jogi, Ansuya; Deragon, Jean-Marc; Westerman, Richard P; Sanmiguel, Phillip J; Bennetzen, Jeffrey L

2009-11-01

Recent comprehensive sequence analysis of the maize genome now permits detailed discovery and description of all transposable elements (TEs) in this complex nuclear environment. Reiteratively optimized structural and homology criteria were used in the computer-assisted search for retroelements, TEs that transpose by reverse transcription of an RNA intermediate, with the final results verified by manual inspection. Retroelements were found to occupy the majority (>75%) of the nuclear genome in maize inbred B73. Unprecedented genetic diversity was discovered in the long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposon class of retroelements, with >400 families (>350 newly discovered) contributing >31,000 intact elements. The two other classes of retroelements, SINEs (four families) and LINEs (at least 30 families), were observed to contribute 1,991 and approximately 35,000 copies, respectively, or a combined approximately 1% of the B73 nuclear genome. With regard to fully intact elements, median copy numbers for all retroelement families in maize was 2 because >250 LTR retrotransposon families contained only one or two intact members that could be detected in the B73 draft sequence. The majority, perhaps all, of the investigated retroelement families exhibited non-random dispersal across the maize genome, with LINEs, SINEs, and many low-copy-number LTR retrotransposons exhibiting a bias for accumulation in gene-rich regions. In contrast, most (but not all) medium- and high-copy-number LTR retrotransposons were found to preferentially accumulate in gene-poor regions like pericentromeric heterochromatin, while a few high-copy-number families exhibited the opposite bias. Regions of the genome with the highest LTR retrotransposon density contained the lowest LTR retrotransposon diversity. These results indicate that the maize genome provides a great number of different niches for the survival and procreation of a great variety of retroelements that have evolved to differentially occupy and exploit this genomic diversity.

Synchrony, compensatory dynamics, and the functional trait basis of phenological diversity in a tropical dry forest tree community: effects of rainfall seasonality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lasky, Jesse R.; Uriarte, María; Muscarella, Robert

2016-11-01

Interspecific variation in phenology is a key axis of functional diversity, potentially mediating how communities respond to climate change. The diverse drivers of phenology act across multiple temporal scales. For example, abiotic constraints favor synchronous reproduction (positive covariance among species), while biotic interactions can favor synchrony or compensatory dynamics (negative covariance). We used wavelet analyses to examine phenology of community flower and seed production for 45 tree species across multiple temporal scales in a tropical dry forest in Puerto Rico with marked rainfall seasonality. We asked three questions: (1) do species exhibit synchronous or compensatory temporal dynamics in reproduction, (2) do interspecific differences in phenology reflect variable responses to rainfall, and (3) is interspecific variation in phenology and response to a major drought associated with functional traits that mediate responses to moisture? Community-level flowering was synchronized at seasonal scales (˜5-6 mo) and at short scales (˜1 mo, following rainfall). However, seed rain exhibited significant compensatory dynamics at intraseasonal scales (˜3 mo), suggesting interspecific variation in temporal niches. Species with large leaves (associated with sensitivity to water deficit) peaked in reproduction synchronously with the peak of seasonal rainfall (˜5 mo scale). By contrast, species with high wood specific gravity (associated with drought resistance) tended to flower in drier periods. Flowering of tall species and those with large leaves was most tightly linked to intraseasonal (˜2 mo scale) rainfall fluctuations. Although the 2015 drought dramatically reduced community-wide reproduction, functional traits were not associated with the magnitude of species-specific declines. Our results suggest opposing drivers of synchronous versus compensatory dynamics at different temporal scales. Phenology associations with functional traits indicated that distinct strategies for coping with seasonality underlie phenological diversity. Observed drought responses highlight the importance of non-linear community responses to climate. Community phenology exhibits scale-specific patterns highlighting the need for multi-scale approaches to community dynamics.

Isolation and Characterization of Bacteria Capable of Tolerating the Extreme Conditions of Clean Room Environments▿

PubMed Central

La Duc, Myron T.; Dekas, Anne; Osman, Shariff; Moissl, Christine; Newcombe, David; Venkateswaran, Kasthuri

2007-01-01

In assessing the bacterial populations present in spacecraft assembly, spacecraft test, and launch preparation facilities, extremophilic bacteria (requiring severe conditions for growth) and extremotolerant bacteria (tolerant to extreme conditions) were isolated. Several cultivation approaches were employed to select for and identify bacteria that not only survive the nutrient-limiting conditions of clean room environments but can also withstand even more inhospitable environmental stresses. Due to their proximity to spacefaring objects, these bacteria pose a considerable risk for forward contamination of extraterrestrial sites. Samples collected from four geographically distinct National Aeronautics and Space Administration clean rooms were challenged with UV-C irradiation, 5% hydrogen peroxide, heat shock, pH extremes (pH 3.0 and 11.0), temperature extremes (4°C to 65°C), and hypersalinity (25% NaCl) prior to and/or during cultivation as a means of selecting for extremotolerant bacteria. Culture-independent approaches were employed to measure viable microbial (ATP-based) and total bacterial (quantitative PCR-based) burdens. Intracellular ATP concentrations suggested a viable microbial presence ranging from below detection limits to 106 cells/m2. However, only 0.1 to 55% of these viable cells were able to grow on defined culture medium. Isolated members of the Bacillaceae family were more physiologically diverse than those reported in previous studies, including thermophiles (Geobacillus), obligate anaerobes (Paenibacillus), and halotolerant, alkalophilic species (Oceanobacillus and Exiguobacterium). Non-spore-forming microbes (α- and β-proteobacteria and actinobacteria) exhibiting tolerance to the selected stresses were also encountered. The multiassay cultivation approach employed herein enhances the current understanding of the physiological diversity of bacteria housed in these clean rooms and leads us to ponder the origin and means of translocation of thermophiles, anaerobes, and halotolerant alkalophiles into these environments. PMID:17308177

Spatial genetic structure and asymmetrical gene flow within the Pacific walrus

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sonsthagen, Sarah A.; Jay, Chadwick V.; Fischbach, Anthony S.; Sage, George K.; Talbot, Sandra L.

2012-01-01

Pacific walruses (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) occupying shelf waters of Pacific Arctic seas migrate during spring and summer from 3 breeding areas in the Bering Sea to form sexually segregated nonbreeding aggregations. We assessed genetic relationships among 2 putative breeding populations and 6 nonbreeding aggregations. Analyses of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region sequence data suggest that males are distinct among breeding populations (ΦST=0.051), and between the eastern Chukchi and other nonbreeding aggregations (ΦST=0.336–0.449). Nonbreeding female aggregations were genetically distinct across marker types (microsatellite FST=0.019; mtDNA ΦST=0.313), as was eastern Chukchi and all other nonbreeding aggregations (microsatellite FST=0.019–0.035; mtDNA ΦST=0.386–0.389). Gene flow estimates are asymmetrical from St. Lawrence Island into the southeastern Bering breeding population for both sexes. Partitioning of haplotype frequencies among breeding populations suggests that individuals exhibit some degree of philopatry, although weak. High levels of genetic differentiation among eastern Chukchi and all other nonbreeding aggregations, but considerably lower genetic differentiation between breeding populations, suggest that at least 1 genetically distinct breeding population remained unsampled. Limited genetic structure at microsatellite loci between assayed breeding areas can emerge from several processes, including male-mediated gene flow, or population admixture following a decrease in census size (i.e., due to commercial harvest during 1880–1950s) and subsequent recovery. Nevertheless, high levels of genetic diversity in the Pacific walrus, which withstood prolonged decreases in census numbers with little impact on neutral genetic diversity, may reflect resiliency in the face of past environmental challenges.

Impact of intertidal oyster trestle cultivation on the Ecological Status of benthic habitats.

PubMed

Forde, James; O'Beirn, Francis X; O'Carroll, Jack Pj; Patterson, Adrian; Kennedy, Robert

2015-06-15

A considerable number of Ireland's shellfish production areas co-occur with or are adjacent to Natura 2000 sites which are protected under European legislation. To investigate the general interaction between trestle oyster cultivation and the surrounding intertidal environment, six sites were selected within designated Natura 2000 sites. At each trestle site three Treatment areas were sampled. One Treatment area corresponded to potential impacts associated with cultivation activities occurring at trestle structures (designated the Trestle Treatment) while one Treatment area corresponded to potential impacts due to cultivation activities occurring along access routes (the Access Treatment). An area not subject to any known anthropogenic activity was used as a control (the Control Treatment). Potential impacts associated with Trestle Treatment areas included changes in sediment total organic matter (TOM) levels underneath trestles due to the bio-deposition of faecal/pseudofaecal material while the predominant impact associated with Access Treatment areas was compaction of sediments due to heavy vehicle traffic. In this study, macrobenthic communities at the sites were highly variable and exhibited low levels of diversity which prevented the detection of general effects of cultivation activity on community structure, diversity and secondary production. To overcome this variability, the Infaunal Quality Index (IQI) was used to assess impacts on Ecological Status (ES) of benthic communities (sensu Water Framework Directive). Relative to Control and Trestle Treatment areas, activities occurring at Access Treatment areas had a significant negative impact on ES. This study highlights the potential of the IQI for the management of aquaculture activity and provides validation for the use of the IQI in Irish intertidal environments. This study also highlights the IQI as a potential tool for assessing the conservation status of designated habitats in Natura 2000 sites. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Isolation and characterization of bacteria capable of tolerating the extreme conditions of clean room environments.

PubMed

La Duc, Myron T; Dekas, Anne; Osman, Shariff; Moissl, Christine; Newcombe, David; Venkateswaran, Kasthuri

2007-04-01

In assessing the bacterial populations present in spacecraft assembly, spacecraft test, and launch preparation facilities, extremophilic bacteria (requiring severe conditions for growth) and extremotolerant bacteria (tolerant to extreme conditions) were isolated. Several cultivation approaches were employed to select for and identify bacteria that not only survive the nutrient-limiting conditions of clean room environments but can also withstand even more inhospitable environmental stresses. Due to their proximity to spacefaring objects, these bacteria pose a considerable risk for forward contamination of extraterrestrial sites. Samples collected from four geographically distinct National Aeronautics and Space Administration clean rooms were challenged with UV-C irradiation, 5% hydrogen peroxide, heat shock, pH extremes (pH 3.0 and 11.0), temperature extremes (4 degrees C to 65 degrees C), and hypersalinity (25% NaCl) prior to and/or during cultivation as a means of selecting for extremotolerant bacteria. Culture-independent approaches were employed to measure viable microbial (ATP-based) and total bacterial (quantitative PCR-based) burdens. Intracellular ATP concentrations suggested a viable microbial presence ranging from below detection limits to 10(6) cells/m(2). However, only 0.1 to 55% of these viable cells were able to grow on defined culture medium. Isolated members of the Bacillaceae family were more physiologically diverse than those reported in previous studies, including thermophiles (Geobacillus), obligate anaerobes (Paenibacillus), and halotolerant, alkalophilic species (Oceanobacillus and Exiguobacterium). Non-spore-forming microbes (alpha- and beta-proteobacteria and actinobacteria) exhibiting tolerance to the selected stresses were also encountered. The multiassay cultivation approach employed herein enhances the current understanding of the physiological diversity of bacteria housed in these clean rooms and leads us to ponder the origin and means of translocation of thermophiles, anaerobes, and halotolerant alkalophiles into these environments.

Spatial genetic structure within populations and management implications of the South American species Acacia aroma (Fabaceae).

PubMed

Pometti, Carolina; Bessega, Cecilia; Cialdella, Ana; Ewens, Mauricio; Saidman, Beatriz; Vilardi, Juan

2018-01-01

The identification of factors that structure intraspecific diversity is of particular interest for biological conservation and restoration ecology. All rangelands in Argentina are currently experiencing some form of deterioration or desertification. Acacia aroma is a multipurpose species widely distributed throughout this country. In this study, we used the AFLP technique to study genetic diversity, population genetic structure, and fine-scale spatial genetic structure in 170 individuals belonging to 6 natural Argentinean populations. With 401 loci, the mean heterozygosity (HE = 0.2) and the mean percentage of polymorphic loci (PPL = 62.1%) coefficients indicated that the genetic variation is relatively high in A. aroma. The analysis with STRUCTURE showed that the number of clusters (K) was 3. With Geneland analysis, the number of clusters was K = 4, sharing the same grouping as STRUCTURE but dividing one population into two groups. When studying SGS, significant structure was detected in 3 of 6 populations. The neighbourhood size in these populations ranged from 15.2 to 64.3 individuals. The estimated gene dispersal distance depended on the effective population density and disturbance level and ranged from 45 to 864 m. The combined results suggest that a sampling strategy, which aims to maintain a considerable part of the variability contained in natural populations sampled here, would include at least 3 units defined by the clusters analyses that exhibit particular genetic properties. Moreover, the current SGS analysis suggests that within the wider management units/provinces, seed collection from A. aroma should target trees separated by a minimum distance of 50 m but preferably 150 m to reduce genetic relatedness among seeds from different trees.

Spatial genetic structure within populations and management implications of the South American species Acacia aroma (Fabaceae)

PubMed Central

Bessega, Cecilia; Cialdella, Ana; Ewens, Mauricio; Saidman, Beatriz; Vilardi, Juan

2018-01-01

The identification of factors that structure intraspecific diversity is of particular interest for biological conservation and restoration ecology. All rangelands in Argentina are currently experiencing some form of deterioration or desertification. Acacia aroma is a multipurpose species widely distributed throughout this country. In this study, we used the AFLP technique to study genetic diversity, population genetic structure, and fine-scale spatial genetic structure in 170 individuals belonging to 6 natural Argentinean populations. With 401 loci, the mean heterozygosity (HE = 0.2) and the mean percentage of polymorphic loci (PPL = 62.1%) coefficients indicated that the genetic variation is relatively high in A. aroma. The analysis with STRUCTURE showed that the number of clusters (K) was 3. With Geneland analysis, the number of clusters was K = 4, sharing the same grouping as STRUCTURE but dividing one population into two groups. When studying SGS, significant structure was detected in 3 of 6 populations. The neighbourhood size in these populations ranged from 15.2 to 64.3 individuals. The estimated gene dispersal distance depended on the effective population density and disturbance level and ranged from 45 to 864 m. The combined results suggest that a sampling strategy, which aims to maintain a considerable part of the variability contained in natural populations sampled here, would include at least 3 units defined by the clusters analyses that exhibit particular genetic properties. Moreover, the current SGS analysis suggests that within the wider management units/provinces, seed collection from A. aroma should target trees separated by a minimum distance of 50 m but preferably 150 m to reduce genetic relatedness among seeds from different trees. PMID:29389969

Genomic Heterogeneity and O-Antigenic Diversity of Campylobacter upsaliensis and Campylobacter helveticus Strains Isolated from Dogs and Cats in Germany

PubMed Central

Moser, I.; Rieksneuwöhner, B.; Lentzsch, P.; Schwerk, P.; Wieler, L. H.

2001-01-01

A serotyping scheme based on heat-stable surface antigens was established for 101 Campylobacter upsaliensis and 10 Campylobacter helveticus strains isolated from 261 dogs and 46 cats of different ages originating from two geographically distinct regions in Germany. The prevalence of C. upsaliensis varied between 27.8% in juvenile dogs (<12 months of age) and 55.4% in adult dogs (P < 0.05). Of the cats, 19.6% harbored C. upsaliensis, whereas 21.7% carried C. helveticus. Of the C. upsaliensis isolates from both host species, 93.1% belonged to five different serogroups, two of them being prevalent at rates of 47.5 and 27.7%, with different frequencies in both regions. Six (54.6%) of the C. helveticus isolates also belonged to serotypes found among C. upsaliensis strains, whereas five (45.4%) possessed an O antigen unique for C. helveticus. In contrast, a considerable degree of genomic diversity of the isolates was assessed by macrorestriction analyses with the endonucleases SmaI and XhoI, using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis as well as enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus sequence PCR (ERIC PCR). Restriction with SmaI pointed towards the existence of clonal groups associated to some extent with serotypes, while restriction with XhoI disintegrated these groups to smaller noncoherent subgroups. Analysis of ERIC PCR profiles did not exhibit any associations with serotypes. In conclusion these data demonstrate the genomic heterogeneity among C. upsaliensis strains and indicate that the combination of SmaI restriction with serotyping is a useful tool to investigate the expansion of clonal groups of C. upsaliensis. PMID:11427567

Considerations for the effects of military deployment on children and families.

PubMed

Lincoln, Alan J; Sweeten, Kathie

2011-01-01

Children of deployed military personnel represent a unique subculture in the United States. While many children exhibit high levels of resiliency, others will struggle with the impact of a parent who has gone to war. This article looks at some of the stressors of deployment as experienced by children and offers three case examples as well as clinical considerations for those who work with the children and families of the deployed.

What Controls ENSO-Amplitude Diversity in Climate Models?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wengel, C.; Dommenget, D.; Latif, M.; Bayr, T.; Vijayeta, A.

2018-02-01

Climate models depict large diversity in the strength of the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) (ENSO amplitude). Here we investigate ENSO-amplitude diversity in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) by means of the linear recharge oscillator model, which reduces ENSO dynamics to a two-dimensional problem in terms of eastern equatorial Pacific sea surface temperature anomalies (T) and equatorial Pacific upper ocean heat content anomalies (h). We find that a large contribution to ENSO-amplitude diversity originates from stochastic forcing. Further, significant interactions exist between the stochastic forcing and the growth rates of T and h with competing effects on ENSO amplitude. The joint consideration of stochastic forcing and growth rates explains more than 80% of the ENSO-amplitude variance within CMIP5. Our results can readily explain the lack of correlation between the Bjerknes Stability index, a measure of the growth rate of T, and ENSO amplitude in a multimodel ensemble.

Effect of Feedstock Size and its Distribution on the Properties of Detonation Sprayed Coatings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suresh Babu, P.; Rao, D. S.; Rao, G. V. N.; Sundararajan, G.

2007-06-01

The detonation spraying is one of the most promising thermal spray variants for depositing wear and corrosion resistant coatings. The ceramic (Al2O3), metallic (Ni-20 wt%Cr) , and cermets (WC-12 wt%Co) powders that are commercially available were separated into coarser and finer size ranges with relatively narrow size distribution by employing centrifugal air classifier. The coatings were deposited using detonation spray technique. The effect of particle size and its distribution on the coating properties were examined. The surface roughness and porosity increased with increasing powder particle size for all the coatings consistently. The feedstock size was also found to influence the phase composition of Al2O3 and WC-Co coatings; however does not influence the phase composition of Ni-Cr coatings. The associated phase change and %porosity of the coatings imparted considerable variation in the coating hardness, fracture toughness, and wear properties. The fine and narrow size range WC-Co coating exhibited superior wear resistance. The coarse and narrow size distribution Al2O3 coating exhibited better performance under abrasion and sliding wear modes however under erosion wear mode the as-received Al2O3 coating exhibited better performance. In the case of metallic (Ni-Cr) coatings, the coatings deposited using coarser powder exhibited marginally lower-wear rate under abrasion and sliding wear modes. However, under erosion wear mode, the coating deposited using finer particle size exhibited considerably lower-wear rate.

Bovine immunity - a driver for diversity in Theileria parasites?

PubMed

McKeever, Declan J

2009-06-01

Theileria parva and Theileria annulata are tick-borne parasites of cattle that infect and transform leukocytes, causing severe and often fatal parasitic leukoses. Both species provoke strong immunity against subsequent infection. However, considerable diversity is observed in field populations of each parasite and protection is only assured against homologous challenge. The life cycles of these parasites are complex and involve prolonged exposure to host and vector defence mechanisms. Although the relevant vector mechanisms are poorly defined, protective responses of cattle seem to be tightly focused and variable in their specificity between individuals. This review considers whether bovine immunity acts as a driver for diversity in T. parva and T. annulata and explores other factors that might underlie genetic variation in these parasites.

Sequence diversity and evolution of antimicrobial peptides in invertebrates.

PubMed

Tassanakajon, Anchalee; Somboonwiwat, Kunlaya; Amparyup, Piti

2015-02-01

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are evolutionarily ancient molecules that act as the key components in the invertebrate innate immunity against invading pathogens. Several AMPs have been identified and characterized in invertebrates, and found to display considerable diversity in their amino acid sequence, structure and biological activity. AMP genes appear to have rapidly evolved, which might have arisen from the co-evolutionary arms race between host and pathogens, and enabled organisms to survive in different microbial environments. Here, the sequence diversity of invertebrate AMPs (defensins, cecropins, crustins and anti-lipopolysaccharide factors) are presented to provide a better understanding of the evolution pattern of these peptides that play a major role in host defense mechanisms. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Diversity and carbon storage across the tropical forest biome

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sullivan, Martin J. P.; Talbot, Joey; Lewis, Simon L.; Phillips, Oliver L.; Qie, Lan; Begne, Serge K.; Chave, Jerôme; Cuni-Sanchez, Aida; Hubau, Wannes; Lopez-Gonzalez, Gabriela; Miles, Lera; Monteagudo-Mendoza, Abel; Sonké, Bonaventure; Sunderland, Terry; Ter Steege, Hans; White, Lee J. T.; Affum-Baffoe, Kofi; Aiba, Shin-Ichiro; de Almeida, Everton Cristo; de Oliveira, Edmar Almeida; Alvarez-Loayza, Patricia; Dávila, Esteban Álvarez; Andrade, Ana; Aragão, Luiz E. O. C.; Ashton, Peter; Aymard C., Gerardo A.; Baker, Timothy R.; Balinga, Michael; Banin, Lindsay F.; Baraloto, Christopher; Bastin, Jean-Francois; Berry, Nicholas; Bogaert, Jan; Bonal, Damien; Bongers, Frans; Brienen, Roel; Camargo, José Luís C.; Cerón, Carlos; Moscoso, Victor Chama; Chezeaux, Eric; Clark, Connie J.; Pacheco, Álvaro Cogollo; Comiskey, James A.; Valverde, Fernando Cornejo; Coronado, Eurídice N. Honorio; Dargie, Greta; Davies, Stuart J.; de Canniere, Charles; Djuikouo K., Marie Noel; Doucet, Jean-Louis; Erwin, Terry L.; Espejo, Javier Silva; Ewango, Corneille E. N.; Fauset, Sophie; Feldpausch, Ted R.; Herrera, Rafael; Gilpin, Martin; Gloor, Emanuel; Hall, Jefferson S.; Harris, David J.; Hart, Terese B.; Kartawinata, Kuswata; Kho, Lip Khoon; Kitayama, Kanehiro; Laurance, Susan G. W.; Laurance, William F.; Leal, Miguel E.; Lovejoy, Thomas; Lovett, Jon C.; Lukasu, Faustin Mpanya; Makana, Jean-Remy; Malhi, Yadvinder; Maracahipes, Leandro; Marimon, Beatriz S.; Junior, Ben Hur Marimon; Marshall, Andrew R.; Morandi, Paulo S.; Mukendi, John Tshibamba; Mukinzi, Jaques; Nilus, Reuben; Vargas, Percy Núñez; Camacho, Nadir C. Pallqui; Pardo, Guido; Peña-Claros, Marielos; Pétronelli, Pascal; Pickavance, Georgia C.; Poulsen, Axel Dalberg; Poulsen, John R.; Primack, Richard B.; Priyadi, Hari; Quesada, Carlos A.; Reitsma, Jan; Réjou-Méchain, Maxime; Restrepo, Zorayda; Rutishauser, Ervan; Salim, Kamariah Abu; Salomão, Rafael P.; Samsoedin, Ismayadi; Sheil, Douglas; Sierra, Rodrigo; Silveira, Marcos; Slik, J. W. Ferry; Steel, Lisa; Taedoumg, Hermann; Tan, Sylvester; Terborgh, John W.; Thomas, Sean C.; Toledo, Marisol; Umunay, Peter M.; Gamarra, Luis Valenzuela; Vieira, Ima Célia Guimarães; Vos, Vincent A.; Wang, Ophelia; Willcock, Simon; Zemagho, Lise

2017-01-01

Tropical forests are global centres of biodiversity and carbon storage. Many tropical countries aspire to protect forest to fulfil biodiversity and climate mitigation policy targets, but the conservation strategies needed to achieve these two functions depend critically on the tropical forest tree diversity-carbon storage relationship. Assessing this relationship is challenging due to the scarcity of inventories where carbon stocks in aboveground biomass and species identifications have been simultaneously and robustly quantified. Here, we compile a unique pan-tropical dataset of 360 plots located in structurally intact old-growth closed-canopy forest, surveyed using standardised methods, allowing a multi-scale evaluation of diversity-carbon relationships in tropical forests. Diversity-carbon relationships among all plots at 1 ha scale across the tropics are absent, and within continents are either weak (Asia) or absent (Amazonia, Africa). A weak positive relationship is detectable within 1 ha plots, indicating that diversity effects in tropical forests may be scale dependent. The absence of clear diversity-carbon relationships at scales relevant to conservation planning means that carbon-centred conservation strategies will inevitably miss many high diversity ecosystems. As tropical forests can have any combination of tree diversity and carbon stocks both require explicit consideration when optimising policies to manage tropical carbon and biodiversity.

Diversity and carbon storage across the tropical forest biome.

PubMed

Sullivan, Martin J P; Talbot, Joey; Lewis, Simon L; Phillips, Oliver L; Qie, Lan; Begne, Serge K; Chave, Jerôme; Cuni-Sanchez, Aida; Hubau, Wannes; Lopez-Gonzalez, Gabriela; Miles, Lera; Monteagudo-Mendoza, Abel; Sonké, Bonaventure; Sunderland, Terry; Ter Steege, Hans; White, Lee J T; Affum-Baffoe, Kofi; Aiba, Shin-Ichiro; de Almeida, Everton Cristo; de Oliveira, Edmar Almeida; Alvarez-Loayza, Patricia; Dávila, Esteban Álvarez; Andrade, Ana; Aragão, Luiz E O C; Ashton, Peter; Aymard C, Gerardo A; Baker, Timothy R; Balinga, Michael; Banin, Lindsay F; Baraloto, Christopher; Bastin, Jean-Francois; Berry, Nicholas; Bogaert, Jan; Bonal, Damien; Bongers, Frans; Brienen, Roel; Camargo, José Luís C; Cerón, Carlos; Moscoso, Victor Chama; Chezeaux, Eric; Clark, Connie J; Pacheco, Álvaro Cogollo; Comiskey, James A; Valverde, Fernando Cornejo; Coronado, Eurídice N Honorio; Dargie, Greta; Davies, Stuart J; De Canniere, Charles; Djuikouo K, Marie Noel; Doucet, Jean-Louis; Erwin, Terry L; Espejo, Javier Silva; Ewango, Corneille E N; Fauset, Sophie; Feldpausch, Ted R; Herrera, Rafael; Gilpin, Martin; Gloor, Emanuel; Hall, Jefferson S; Harris, David J; Hart, Terese B; Kartawinata, Kuswata; Kho, Lip Khoon; Kitayama, Kanehiro; Laurance, Susan G W; Laurance, William F; Leal, Miguel E; Lovejoy, Thomas; Lovett, Jon C; Lukasu, Faustin Mpanya; Makana, Jean-Remy; Malhi, Yadvinder; Maracahipes, Leandro; Marimon, Beatriz S; Junior, Ben Hur Marimon; Marshall, Andrew R; Morandi, Paulo S; Mukendi, John Tshibamba; Mukinzi, Jaques; Nilus, Reuben; Vargas, Percy Núñez; Camacho, Nadir C Pallqui; Pardo, Guido; Peña-Claros, Marielos; Pétronelli, Pascal; Pickavance, Georgia C; Poulsen, Axel Dalberg; Poulsen, John R; Primack, Richard B; Priyadi, Hari; Quesada, Carlos A; Reitsma, Jan; Réjou-Méchain, Maxime; Restrepo, Zorayda; Rutishauser, Ervan; Salim, Kamariah Abu; Salomão, Rafael P; Samsoedin, Ismayadi; Sheil, Douglas; Sierra, Rodrigo; Silveira, Marcos; Slik, J W Ferry; Steel, Lisa; Taedoumg, Hermann; Tan, Sylvester; Terborgh, John W; Thomas, Sean C; Toledo, Marisol; Umunay, Peter M; Gamarra, Luis Valenzuela; Vieira, Ima Célia Guimarães; Vos, Vincent A; Wang, Ophelia; Willcock, Simon; Zemagho, Lise

2017-01-17

Tropical forests are global centres of biodiversity and carbon storage. Many tropical countries aspire to protect forest to fulfil biodiversity and climate mitigation policy targets, but the conservation strategies needed to achieve these two functions depend critically on the tropical forest tree diversity-carbon storage relationship. Assessing this relationship is challenging due to the scarcity of inventories where carbon stocks in aboveground biomass and species identifications have been simultaneously and robustly quantified. Here, we compile a unique pan-tropical dataset of 360 plots located in structurally intact old-growth closed-canopy forest, surveyed using standardised methods, allowing a multi-scale evaluation of diversity-carbon relationships in tropical forests. Diversity-carbon relationships among all plots at 1 ha scale across the tropics are absent, and within continents are either weak (Asia) or absent (Amazonia, Africa). A weak positive relationship is detectable within 1 ha plots, indicating that diversity effects in tropical forests may be scale dependent. The absence of clear diversity-carbon relationships at scales relevant to conservation planning means that carbon-centred conservation strategies will inevitably miss many high diversity ecosystems. As tropical forests can have any combination of tree diversity and carbon stocks both require explicit consideration when optimising policies to manage tropical carbon and biodiversity.

Highly diverse community structure in a remote central Tibetan geothermal spring does not display monotonic variation to thermal stress.

PubMed

Yim, Lau Chui; Hongmei, Jing; Aitchison, Jonathan C; Pointing, Stephen B

2006-07-01

We report an assessment of whole-community diversity for an extremely isolated geothermal location with considerable phylogenetic and phylogeographic novelty. We further demonstrate, using multiple statistical analyses of sequence data, that the response of community diversity is not monotonic to thermal stress along a gradient of 52-83 degrees C. A combination of domain- and division-specific PCR was used to obtain a broad spectrum of community phylotypes, which were resolved by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis. Among 58 sequences obtained from microbial mats and streamers, some 95% suggest novel archaeal and bacterial diversity at the species level or higher. Moreover, new phylogeographic and thermally defined lineages among the Cyanobacteria, Chloroflexi, Eubacterium and Thermus are identified. Shannon-Wiener diversity estimates suggest that mats at 63 degrees C supported highest diversity, but when alternate models were applied [Average Taxonomic Distinctness (AvTD) and Variation in Taxonomic Distinctness (VarTD)] that also take into account the phylogenetic relationships between phylotypes, it is evident that greatest taxonomic diversity (AvTD) occurred in streamers at 65-70 degrees C, whereas greatest phylogenetic distance between taxa (VarTD) occurred in streamers of 83 degrees C. All models demonstrated that diversity is not related to thermal stress in a linear fashion.

Microbial diversity--insights from population genetics.

PubMed

Mes, Ted H M

2008-01-01

Although many environmental microbial populations are large and genetically diverse, both the level of diversity and the extent to which it is ecologically relevant remain enigmatic. Because the effective (or long-term) population size, N(e), is one of the parameters that determines population genetic diversity, tests and simulations that assume selectively neutral mutations may help to identify the processes that have shaped microbial diversity. Using ecologically important genes, tests of selective neutrality suggest that adaptive as well as non-adaptive types of selection act and that departure from neutrality may be widespread or restricted to small groups of genotypes. Population genetic simulations using population sizes between 10(3) and 10(7) suggest extremely high levels of microbial diversity in environments that sustain large populations. However, census and effective population sizes may differ considerably, and because we know nothing of the evolutionary history of environmental microbial populations, we also have no idea what N(e) of environmental populations is. On the one hand, this reflects our ignorance of the microbial world. On the other hand, the tests and simulations illustrate interactions between microbial diversity and microbial population genetics that should inform our thinking in microbial ecology. Because of the different views on microbial diversity across these disciplines, such interactions are crucial if we are to understand the role of genes in microbial communities.

Diversity and carbon storage across the tropical forest biome

PubMed Central

Sullivan, Martin J. P.; Talbot, Joey; Lewis, Simon L.; Phillips, Oliver L.; Qie, Lan; Begne, Serge K.; Chave, Jerôme; Cuni-Sanchez, Aida; Hubau, Wannes; Lopez-Gonzalez, Gabriela; Miles, Lera; Monteagudo-Mendoza, Abel; Sonké, Bonaventure; Sunderland, Terry; ter Steege, Hans; White, Lee J. T.; Affum-Baffoe, Kofi; Aiba, Shin-ichiro; de Almeida, Everton Cristo; de Oliveira, Edmar Almeida; Alvarez-Loayza, Patricia; Dávila, Esteban Álvarez; Andrade, Ana; Aragão, Luiz E. O. C.; Ashton, Peter; Aymard C., Gerardo A.; Baker, Timothy R.; Balinga, Michael; Banin, Lindsay F.; Baraloto, Christopher; Bastin, Jean-Francois; Berry, Nicholas; Bogaert, Jan; Bonal, Damien; Bongers, Frans; Brienen, Roel; Camargo, José Luís C.; Cerón, Carlos; Moscoso, Victor Chama; Chezeaux, Eric; Clark, Connie J.; Pacheco, Álvaro Cogollo; Comiskey, James A.; Valverde, Fernando Cornejo; Coronado, Eurídice N. Honorio; Dargie, Greta; Davies, Stuart J.; De Canniere, Charles; Djuikouo K., Marie Noel; Doucet, Jean-Louis; Erwin, Terry L.; Espejo, Javier Silva; Ewango, Corneille E. N.; Fauset, Sophie; Feldpausch, Ted R.; Herrera, Rafael; Gilpin, Martin; Gloor, Emanuel; Hall, Jefferson S.; Harris, David J.; Hart, Terese B.; Kartawinata, Kuswata; Kho, Lip Khoon; Kitayama, Kanehiro; Laurance, Susan G. W.; Laurance, William F.; Leal, Miguel E.; Lovejoy, Thomas; Lovett, Jon C.; Lukasu, Faustin Mpanya; Makana, Jean-Remy; Malhi, Yadvinder; Maracahipes, Leandro; Marimon, Beatriz S.; Junior, Ben Hur Marimon; Marshall, Andrew R.; Morandi, Paulo S.; Mukendi, John Tshibamba; Mukinzi, Jaques; Nilus, Reuben; Vargas, Percy Núñez; Camacho, Nadir C. Pallqui; Pardo, Guido; Peña-Claros, Marielos; Pétronelli, Pascal; Pickavance, Georgia C.; Poulsen, Axel Dalberg; Poulsen, John R.; Primack, Richard B.; Priyadi, Hari; Quesada, Carlos A.; Reitsma, Jan; Réjou-Méchain, Maxime; Restrepo, Zorayda; Rutishauser, Ervan; Salim, Kamariah Abu; Salomão, Rafael P.; Samsoedin, Ismayadi; Sheil, Douglas; Sierra, Rodrigo; Silveira, Marcos; Slik, J. W. Ferry; Steel, Lisa; Taedoumg, Hermann; Tan, Sylvester; Terborgh, John W.; Thomas, Sean C.; Toledo, Marisol; Umunay, Peter M.; Gamarra, Luis Valenzuela; Vieira, Ima Célia Guimarães; Vos, Vincent A.; Wang, Ophelia; Willcock, Simon; Zemagho, Lise

2017-01-01

Tropical forests are global centres of biodiversity and carbon storage. Many tropical countries aspire to protect forest to fulfil biodiversity and climate mitigation policy targets, but the conservation strategies needed to achieve these two functions depend critically on the tropical forest tree diversity-carbon storage relationship. Assessing this relationship is challenging due to the scarcity of inventories where carbon stocks in aboveground biomass and species identifications have been simultaneously and robustly quantified. Here, we compile a unique pan-tropical dataset of 360 plots located in structurally intact old-growth closed-canopy forest, surveyed using standardised methods, allowing a multi-scale evaluation of diversity-carbon relationships in tropical forests. Diversity-carbon relationships among all plots at 1 ha scale across the tropics are absent, and within continents are either weak (Asia) or absent (Amazonia, Africa). A weak positive relationship is detectable within 1 ha plots, indicating that diversity effects in tropical forests may be scale dependent. The absence of clear diversity-carbon relationships at scales relevant to conservation planning means that carbon-centred conservation strategies will inevitably miss many high diversity ecosystems. As tropical forests can have any combination of tree diversity and carbon stocks both require explicit consideration when optimising policies to manage tropical carbon and biodiversity. PMID:28094794

Consumer preference for seeds and seedlings of rare species impacts tree diversity at multiple scales.

PubMed

Young, Hillary S; McCauley, Douglas J; Guevara, Roger; Dirzo, Rodolfo

2013-07-01

Positive density-dependent seed and seedling predation, where herbivores selectively eat seeds or seedlings of common species, is thought to play a major role in creating and maintaining plant community diversity. However, many herbivores and seed predators are known to exhibit preferences for rare foods, which could lead to negative density-dependent predation. In this study, we first demonstrate the occurrence of increased predation of locally rare tree species by a widespread group of insular seed and seedling predators, land crabs. We then build computer simulations based on these empirical data to examine the effects of such predation on diversity patterns. Simulations show that herbivore preferences for locally rare species are likely to drive scale-dependent effects on plant community diversity: at small scales these foraging patterns decrease plant community diversity via the selective consumption of rare plant species, while at the landscape level they should increase diversity, at least for short periods, by promoting clustered local dominance of a variety of species. Finally, we compared observed patterns of plant diversity at the site to those obtained via computer simulations, and found that diversity patterns generated under simulations were highly consistent with observed diversity patterns. We posit that preference for rare species by herbivores may be prevalent in low- or moderate-diversity systems, and that these effects may help explain diversity patterns across different spatial scales in such ecosystems.

Enhancing rigor and practice of scoping reviews in social policy research: considerations from a worked example on the Americans with disabilities act.

PubMed

Harris, Sarah Parker; Gould, Robert; Fujiura, Glenn

2015-01-01

There is increasing theoretical consideration about the use of systematic and scoping reviews of evidence in informing disability and rehabilitation research and practice. Indicative of this trend, this journal published a piece by Rumrill, Fitzgerald and Merchant in 2010 explaining the utility and process for conducting reviews of intervention-based research. There is still need to consider how to apply such rigor when conducting more exploratory reviews of heterogeneous research. This article explores the challenges, benefits, and procedures for conducting rigorous exploratory scoping reviews of diverse evidence. The article expands upon Rumrill, Fitzgerald and Merchant's framework and considers its application to more heterogeneous evidence on the impact of social policy. A worked example of a scoping review of the Americans with Disabilities Act is provided with a procedural framework for conducting scoping reviews on the effects of a social policy. The need for more nuanced techniques for enhancing rigor became apparent during the review process. There are multiple methodological steps that can enhance the utility of exploratory scoping reviews. The potential of systematic consideration during the exploratory review process is shown as a viable method to enhance the rigor in reviewing diverse bodies of evidence.

Environmental enrichment for a mixed-species nocturnal mammal exhibit.

PubMed

Clark, Fay E; Melfi, Vicky A

2012-01-01

Environmental enrichment (EE) is an integral aspect of modern zoo animal management but, empirical evaluation of it is biased toward species housed in single-species groups. Nocturnal houses, where several nocturnal species are housed together, are particularly overlooked. This study investigated whether three species (nine-banded armadillos, Dasypus novemcinctus; Senegal bush babies, Galago senegalensis; two-toed sloths, Choloepus didactylus) in the nocturnal house at Paignton Zoo Environmental Park, UK could be enriched using food-based and sensory EE. Subjects were an adult male and female of each species. EE was deemed effective if it promoted target species-typical behaviors, behavioral diversity, and increased use of enriched exhibit zones. Results from generalized linear mixed models demonstrated that food-based EE elicited the most positive behavioral effects across species. One set of food-based EEs (Kong®, termite mound and hanging food) presented together was associated with a significant increase in species-typical behaviors, increased behavioral diversity, and increased use of enriched exhibit zones in armadillos and bush babies. Although one type of sensory EE (scented pine cones) increased overall exhibit use in all species, the other (rainforest sounds) was linked to a significant decrease in species-typical behavior in bush babies and sloths. There were no intra or interspecies conflicts over EE, and commensalism occurred between armadillos and bush babies. Our data demonstrate that simple food-based and sensory EE can promote positive behavioral changes in a mixed-species nocturnal mammal exhibit. We suggest that both food and sensory EE presented concurrently will maximize opportunities for naturalistic activity in all species. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Nickel-silver composition shows promise as catalyst for hydrogen-oxygen fuel cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Magerl, J. A.; Murray, J. N.

1970-01-01

Carburized 3-1 nickel-silver preparation exhibits considerable catalytic activity, although not as high as platinum black. Cost and availability factors warrant further evaluation of nickel-silver materials.

Molecular surveillance of canine distemper virus in diarrhoetic puppies in northeast China from May 2014 to April 2015.

PubMed

Li, Chunqiu; Guo, Donghua; Wu, Rui; Kong, Fanzhi; Zhai, Junjun; Yuan, Dongwei; Sun, Dongbo

2018-04-24

To trace the prevalence of canine distemper virus (CDV) in diarrhoetic dogs, a total of 201 stool samples were collected in the Heilongjiang province of northeastern China from May 2014 to April 2015. The 201 fecal samples were subjected to the detection of CDV by using RT-PCR targeting the partial N gene, phylogenetic analysis based on the complete H gene, and co-infection analysis. Results indicated that 24.88% (50/201) of the samples were positive for CDV. The fifty CDV samples exhibited an overall co-infection rate of 94% (47/50) with four enteric viruses (82%, 41/50) and five bacteria (72%, 36/50). The positivity rate of CDV exhibited differences among regions, seasons, ages, and immunization status. Phylogenetic analysis of the complete H genes (n=6) revealed that the CDV strains identified in our study belonged to the Asia-1 group, and showed genetic diversities. These data provide evidence that there are a number of genetically diverse CDV Asia-1 strains circulating in diarrhoetic dogs in northeastern China; the CDV-affected animals exhibit the high co-infection with other enteric viruses and bacteria.

Remote compositional analysis of lunar olivine-rich lithologies with Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) spectra

USGS Publications Warehouse

Isaacson, P.J.; Pieters, C.M.; Besse, S.; Clark, R.N.; Head, J.W.; Klima, R.L.; Mustard, J.F.; Petro, N.E.; Staid, M.I.; Sunshine, J.M.; Taylor, L.A.; Thaisen, K.G.; Tompkins, S.

2011-01-01

A systematic approach for deconvolving remotely sensed lunar olivine-rich visible to near-infrared (VNIR) reflectance spectra with the Modified Gaussian Model (MGM) is evaluated with Chandrayaan-1 Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M 3) spectra. Whereas earlier studies of laboratory reflectance spectra focused only on complications due to chromite inclusions in lunar olivines, we develop a systematic approach for addressing (through continuum removal) the prominent continuum slopes common to remotely sensed reflectance spectra of planetary surfaces. We have validated our continuum removal on a suite of laboratory reflectance spectra. Suites of olivine-dominated reflectance spectra from a small crater near Mare Moscoviense, the Copernicus central peak, Aristarchus, and the crater Marius in the Marius Hills were analyzed. Spectral diversity was detected in visual evaluation of the spectra and was quantified using the MGM. The MGM-derived band positions are used to estimate the olivine's composition in a relative sense. Spectra of olivines from Moscoviense exhibit diversity in their absorption features, and this diversity suggests some variation in olivine Fe/Mg content. Olivines from Copernicus are observed to be spectrally homogeneous and thus are predicted to be more compositionally homogeneous than those at Moscoviense but are of broadly similar composition to the Moscoviense olivines. Olivines from Aristarchus and Marius exhibit clear spectral differences from those at Moscoviense and Copernicus but also exhibit features that suggest contributions from other phases. If the various precautions discussed here are weighed carefully, the methods presented here can be used to make general predictions of absolute olivine composition (Fe/Mg content). Copyright ?? 2011 by the American Geophysical Union.

Community assessment techniques and the implications for rarefaction and extrapolation with Hill numbers.

PubMed

Cox, Kieran D; Black, Morgan J; Filip, Natalia; Miller, Matthew R; Mohns, Kayla; Mortimor, James; Freitas, Thaise R; Greiter Loerzer, Raquel; Gerwing, Travis G; Juanes, Francis; Dudas, Sarah E

2017-12-01

Diversity estimates play a key role in ecological assessments. Species richness and abundance are commonly used to generate complex diversity indices that are dependent on the quality of these estimates. As such, there is a long-standing interest in the development of monitoring techniques, their ability to adequately assess species diversity, and the implications for generated indices. To determine the ability of substratum community assessment methods to capture species diversity, we evaluated four methods: photo quadrat, point intercept, random subsampling, and full quadrat assessments. Species density, abundance, richness, Shannon diversity, and Simpson diversity were then calculated for each method. We then conducted a method validation at a subset of locations to serve as an indication for how well each method captured the totality of the diversity present. Density, richness, Shannon diversity, and Simpson diversity estimates varied between methods, despite assessments occurring at the same locations, with photo quadrats detecting the lowest estimates and full quadrat assessments the highest. Abundance estimates were consistent among methods. Sample-based rarefaction and extrapolation curves indicated that differences between Hill numbers (richness, Shannon diversity, and Simpson diversity) were significant in the majority of cases, and coverage-based rarefaction and extrapolation curves confirmed that these dissimilarities were due to differences between the methods, not the sample completeness. Method validation highlighted the inability of the tested methods to capture the totality of the diversity present, while further supporting the notion of extrapolating abundances. Our results highlight the need for consistency across research methods, the advantages of utilizing multiple diversity indices, and potential concerns and considerations when comparing data from multiple sources.

Return to the Moon: NASA's LCROSS AND LRO Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morales, Lester

2012-01-01

NASA s goals include objectives for robotic and human spaceflight: a) Implement a sustained and affordable human and robotic program to explore the solar system and beyond; b) Extend human presence across the solar system, starting with a human return to the Moon by the year 2020, in preparation for human exploration of Mars and other destinations; c) A lunar outpost is envisioned. Site Considerations: 1) General accessibility of landing site (orbital mechanics) 2) Landing site safety 3) Mobility 4) Mars analog 5) Power 6) Communications 7) Geologic diversity 8) ISRU considerations

Accounting for Independent Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sonenstein, Burton

The diversity of independent schools in size, function, and mode of operation has resulted in a considerable variety of accounting principles and practices. This lack of uniformity has tended to make understanding, evaluation, and comparison of independent schools' financial statements a difficult and sometimes impossible task. This manual has…

Technology Issues for Mobile Ka-band Communications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Satorius, E.; Jedrey, T.; Davarian, F.; Divsalar, D.

1993-01-01

The key to success of any future telecommunications System is its ability to provide many users with a diversity of services in a cost-effective manner. An important consideration is system capacity which is requred to suport a large pool of users and their varied demands.

Managing fatigue in operational settings I : physiological considerations and countermeasures

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1996-01-01

Modern society has evolved to rely increasingly on 24-hour operations in many diverse settings. Furthermore, the requirement for 24-hour operations will grow as the United States competes in the 24-hour global economy. Humans are hard-wired with a ge...

Teaching Controversial Issues in the JLL Classroom for Chinese Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shimojimai, Yasuko

2017-01-01

This paper discusses how teachers explore teaching controversial issues in the Japanese language classroom to Japanese language learner (JLL) or culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students who have different cultural and political backgrounds. Assuring educational opportunities with consideration of JLLs' background is important…

Unidimensional games, propitious environments, and maximum diversity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sales, Tasso R. M.

1993-10-01

Cellular automata have been extensively used in the modeling of complexity. In biological phenomena complexity is directly related to the intuitive concept of diversity, which manifests itself in several forms. Particularly, the game Life [E. R. Berlekamp, J. H. Conway, and R. K. Guy, Winning Ways for Your Mathematical Plays (Academic, New York, 1982), Vol. 2] may be viewed as a picture of nonlinear open biological systems acting cooperatively. However, it has been shown that, in Life, diversity (defined in terms of different clusters) decreases with time. We derive an alternative game introducing the concept of a propitious environment which confers longevity to live sites in time evolution. It is shown that the game self-organizes in a configuration of maximum diversity exhibiting a high geometrical complexity. This game is considered in one dimension and has some connections with the unidimensional Life.

Neuroethics, confidentiality, and a cultural imperative in early onset Alzheimer disease: a case study with a First Nation population

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

The meaningful consideration of cultural practices, values and beliefs is a necessary component in the effective translation of advancements in neuroscience to clinical practice and public discourse. Society’s immense investment in biomedical science and technology, in conjunction with an increasingly diverse socio-cultural landscape, necessitates the study of how potential discoveries in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer disease are perceived and utilized across cultures. Building on the work of neuroscientists, ethicists and philosophers, we argue that the growing field of neuroethics provides a pragmatic and constructive pathway to guide advancements in neuroscience in a manner that is culturally nuanced and relevant. Here we review a case study of one issue in culturally oriented neuroscience research where it is evident that traditional research ethics must be broadened and the values and needs of diverse populations considered for meaningful and relevant research practices. A global approach to neuroethics has the potential to furnish critical engagement with cultural considerations of advancements in neuroscience. PMID:24131854

Time and the rivers flowing: Fluvial geomorphology since 1960

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wohl, Ellen

2014-07-01

Fluvial geomorphology has been the largest single subdiscipline within geomorphology for many decades. Fluvial geomorphic expertise is integral to understanding and managing rivers and to developing strategies for sustainable development. This paper provides an overview of some of the significant advances in fluvial geomorphology between 1960 and 2010 with respect to: conceptual models; fluvial features and environments being studied; tools used by fluvial geomorphologists; geomorphic specialty groups within professional societies; journals in which fluvial geomorphic research is published; and textbooks of fluvial geomorphology. During this half century, fluvial geomorphology broadened considerably in scope, from a focus primarily on physical principles underlying process and form in lower gradient channels with limited grain size range, to a more integrative view of rivers as ecosystems with nonlinear behavior and great diversity of gradient, substrate composition, and grain size. The array of tools for making basic observations, analyzing data, and disseminating research results also expanded considerably during this period, as did the diversity of the fluvial geomorphic community.

Species composition, richness and nestedness of lizard assemblages from Restinga habitats along the brazilian coast.

PubMed

Rocha, C F D; Vrcibradic, D; Kiefer, M C; Menezes, V A; Fontes, A F; Hatano, F H; Galdino, C A B; Bergallo, H G; Van Sluys, M

2014-05-01

Habitat fragmentation is well known to adversely affect species living in the remaining, relatively isolated, habitat patches, especially for those having small range size and low density. This negative effect has been critical in coastal resting habitats. We analysed the lizard composition and richness of restinga habitats in 16 restinga habitats encompassing three Brazilian states (Rio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo and Bahia) and more than 1500km of the Brazilian coast in order to evaluate if the loss of lizard species following habitat reduction occur in a nested pattern or at random, using the "Nestedness Temperature Calculator" to analyse the distribution pattern of lizard species among the restingas studied. We also estimated the potential capacity that each restinga has to maintain lizard species. Eleven lizard species were recorded in the restingas, although not all species occurred in all areas. The restinga with the richest lizard fauna was Guriri (eight species) whereas the restinga with the lowest richness was Praia do Sul (located at Ilha Grande, a large coastal island). Among the restingas analysed, Jurubatiba, Guriri, Maricá and Praia das Neves, were the most hospitable for lizards. The matrix community temperature of the lizard assemblages was 20.49° (= P <0.00001; 5000 randomisations; randomisation temperature = 51.45° ± 7.18° SD), indicating that lizard assemblages in the coastal restingas exhibited a considerable nested structure. The degree in which an area is hospitable for different assemblages could be used to suggest those with greater value of conservation. We concluded that lizard assemblages in coastal restingas occur at a considerable level of ordination in restinga habitats and that some restinga areas such as Jurubatiba, Guriri, Maricá and Praia das Neves are quite important to preserve lizard diversity of restinga environments.

Effects of agricultural fungicides on microorganisms associated with floral nectar: susceptibility assays and field experiments.

PubMed

Bartlewicz, Jacek; Pozo, María I; Honnay, Olivier; Lievens, Bart; Jacquemyn, Hans

2016-10-01

Pesticides have become an inseparable element of agricultural intensification. While the direct impact of pesticides on non-target organisms, such as pollinators, has recently received much attention, less consideration has been given to the microorganisms that are associated with them. Specialist yeasts and bacteria are known to commonly inhabit floral nectar and change its chemical characteristics in numerous ways, possibly influencing pollinator attraction. In this study, we investigated the in vitro susceptibility of nectar yeasts Metschnikowia gruessi, Metschnikowia reukaufii, and Candida bombi to six widely used agricultural fungicides (prothioconazole, tebuconazole, azoxystrobin, fenamidone, boscalid, and fluopyram). Next, a commercial antifungal mixture containing tebuconazole and trifloxystrobin was applied to natural populations of the plant Linaria vulgaris and the occurrence, abundance, and diversity of nectar-inhabiting yeasts and bacteria was compared between treated and untreated plants. The results showed that prothioconazole and tebuconazole were highly toxic to nectar yeasts, inhibiting their growth at concentrations varying between 0.06 and 0.5 mg/L. Azoxystrobin, fenamidone, boscalid, and fluopyram on the other hand exhibited considerably lower toxicity, inhibiting yeast growth at concentrations between 1 and 32 mg/L or in many cases not inhibiting microbial growth at all. The application of the antifungal mixture in natural plant populations resulted in a significant decrease in the occurrence and abundance of yeasts in individual flowers, but this did not translate into noticeable changes in bacterial incidence and abundance. Yeast and bacterial species richness and distribution did not also differ between treated and untreated plants. We conclude that the application of fungicides may have negative effects on the abundance of nectar yeasts in floral nectar. The consequences of these effects on plant pollination processes in agricultural systems warrant further investigation.

East Europe Report. Economic and Industrial Affairs No. 2437.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-08-17

considerable attention at exhibitions in Hungary, including also the Budapest International Fair. The showroom that opened this year on Ors Vezer Square...quickly became popular. One reason for this is the display of Soviet cars. What role do you intend to assign the showroom in the future, and what...exhibitions will be held there? [Answer] The showroom for displaying Soviet commodities features 450 square meters of floorspace and 600 square meters of

Reducing health inequalities for older LGBTQ+ people.

PubMed

Thomas, Ben

2016-10-26

The recent LGBTQ+ history exhibition Speak Out London, Diversity City presented a fantastic collection of stories, documents and photographs from LGBTQ+ Londoners. It also provided a reminder of how far we have come in reducing stigma, prejudice and discrimination.

The Urban Stream Food Web: Synthesis of Recent Investigations and a Look Ahead

EPA Science Inventory

Research has repeatedly demonstrated declines in assemblage richness, diversity, and biotic integrity with increasing urbanization. Benthic macroinvertebrates are among the most widely studied organisms and have exhibited consistent responses to urbanization. Some recent macroinv...

Insect Resistance

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Insect pests exhibit a diverse array of genetic-based responses when interacting with crop systems; these changes can be in response to pathogens, symbiotic microbes, host plants, chemicals, and the environment. Agricultural research has for decades focused on gathering crucial information on the bi...

Urbanization-induced habitat fragmentation erodes multiple components of temporal diversity in a Southern California native bee assemblage

PubMed Central

Ascher, John S.; Holway, David A.

2017-01-01

Despite a large number of ecological studies that document diversity loss resulting from anthropogenic disturbance, surprisingly few consider how disturbance affects temporal patterns of diversity that result from seasonal turnover of species. Temporal dynamics can play an important role in the structure and function of biological assemblages. Here, we investigate the temporal diversity patterns of bee faunas in Southern California coastal sage scrub ecosystems that have been extensively fragmented by urbanization. Using a two-year dataset of 235 bee species (n = 12,036 specimens), we compared 1-ha plots in scrub fragments and scrub reserves with respect to three components of temporal diversity: overall plot-level diversity pooled over time (temporal gamma diversity), diversity at discrete points in time (temporal alpha diversity), and seasonal turnover in assemblage composition (temporal beta diversity). Compared to reserves, fragments harbored bee assemblages with lower species richness and assemblage evenness both when summed across temporal samples (i.e., lower temporal gamma diversity) and at single points in time (i.e., lower temporal alpha diversity). Bee assemblages in fragments also exhibited reduced seasonal turnover (i.e., lower temporal beta diversity). While fragments and reserves did not differ in overall bee abundance, bee abundance in fragments peaked later in the season compared to that in reserves. Our results argue for an increased awareness of temporal diversity patterns, as information about the distinct components of temporal diversity is essential both for characterizing the assemblage dynamics of seasonal organisms and for identifying potential impacts of anthropogenic disturbance on ecosystem function through its effects on assemblage dynamics. PMID:28854229

High-Resolution Metatranscriptomics Reveals the Ecological Dynamics of Mosquito-Associated RNA Viruses in Western Australia

PubMed Central

Shi, Mang; Neville, Peter; Nicholson, Jay; Eden, John-Sebastian

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Mosquitoes harbor a high diversity of RNA viruses, including many that impact human health. Despite a growing effort to describe the extent and nature of the mosquito virome, little is known about how these viruses persist, spread, and interact with both their hosts and other microbes. To address this issue we performed a metatranscriptomics analysis of 12 Western Australian mosquito populations structured by species and geographic location. Our results identified the complete genomes of 24 species of RNA viruses from a diverse range of viral families and orders, among which 19 are newly described. Comparisons of viromes revealed a striking difference between the two mosquito genera, with viromes of mosquitoes of the Aedes genus exhibiting substantially less diversity and lower abundances than those of mosquitoes of the Culex genus, within which the viral abundance reached 16.87% of the total non-rRNA. In addition, there was little overlap in viral diversity between the two genera, although the viromes were very similar among the three Culex species studied, suggesting that the host taxon plays a major role in structuring virus diversity. In contrast, we found no evidence that geographic location played a major role in shaping RNA virus diversity, and several viruses discovered here exhibited high similarity (95 to 98% nucleotide identity) to those from Indonesia and China. Finally, using abundance-level and phylogenetic relationships, we were able to distinguish potential mosquito viruses from those present in coinfecting bacteria, fungi, and protists. In sum, our metatranscriptomics approach provides important insights into the ecology of mosquito RNA viruses. IMPORTANCE Studies of virus ecology have generally focused on individual viral species. However, recent advances in bulk RNA sequencing make it possible to utilize metatranscriptomic approaches to reveal both complete virus diversity and the relative abundance of these viruses. We used such a metatranscriptomic approach to determine key aspects of the ecology of mosquito viruses in Western Australia. Our results show that RNA viruses are some of the most important components of the mosquito transcriptome, and we identified 19 new virus species from a diverse set of virus families. A key result was that host genetic background plays a more important role in shaping virus diversity than sampling location, with Culex species harboring more viruses at higher abundance than those from Aedes mosquitoes. PMID:28637756

Characterization of casein gene complex and genetic diversity analysis in Indian goats.

PubMed

Rout, P K; Kumar, A; Mandal, A; Laloe, D; Singh, S K; Roy, R

2010-04-01

Milk protein polymorphism plays an important role in genetic diversity analysis, phylogenetic studies, establishing geographical diversity, conservation decision, and improving breeding goals. Milk protein polymorphism in Indian goat breeds has not been well studied; therefore, an investigation was carried out to analyze the genetic structure of the casein gene and milk protein diversity at six milk protein loci in nine Indian goat breeds/genetic groups from varied agro-climatic zones. Milk protein genotyping was carried out in 1098 individual milk samples by SDS-PAGE at alphaS1-CN (CSN1S1), beta-CN (CSN2), alphaS2-CN (CSN1S2), kappa-CN (CSN3), beta-LG, and alpha-LA loci. Indian goats exhibited alphaS1-casein A allele in higher frequency in the majority of breeds except Ganjam and local goats. The alphaS1-casein A allele frequencies varied from 0.45 to 0.77. A total of 16 casein haplotypes were observed in seven breeds and breed specific haplotypes were observed with respect to geographic region. The average number of alleles was lowest in Ganjam (1.66 +/- 0.81) and highest in Sirohi goats (2.50 +/- 1.05). Expected heterozygosity at six different loci demonstrated genetic diversity and breed fragmentation. Neighbor-Joining tree was built basing on Nei's distance. There was about 16.95% variability due to differences between breeds, indicating a strong subdivision. Principal component analysis was carried out to highlight the relationship among breeds. The variability among goat breeds was contributed by alphaS2-CN, beta-LG and alphaS1-CN. The Indian goats exhibited alphaS1-CN (CSN1S1) A allele in higher frequency in all the breeds indicating the higher casein yield in their milk.

Methane seepage effects on biodiversity and biological traits of macrofauna inhabiting authigenic carbonates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Levin, Lisa A.; Mendoza, Guillermo F.; Grupe, Benjamin M.

2017-03-01

Authigenic carbonate rocks at methane seeps are recognized as hosting diverse and abundant invertebrate assemblages, with potential forcing from fluid seepage and hydrography. Mensurative studies of carbonate macrofauna (>0.3 mm) at Hydrate Ridge, OR revealed little effect of water depth and overlying oxygenation (at 600 m and 800 m) but a large influence of seepage activity on density, taxonomic composition, diversity, and biological traits (feeding, lifestyle, motility, size and calcification). Rocks exposed to active seepage had 3-4× higher total macrofaunal densities than under inactive conditions. Assemblages exhibited higher species richness and reduced evenness (greater dominance) under active seepage than inactive conditions, but no difference in H‧ or rarefaction diversity. Actively seeping sites were characterized by errant (motile), bacterial grazing, small- and medium-sized, heavily calcified species, whereas inactive sites exhibited a greater diversity of feeding modes and more burrowers, sessile, large and lightly calcified species. Active rocks supported more exogonid (Syllidae), ampharetid, and cirratulid polychaetes, provannid snails, pyropeltid limpets, nemerteans, and sponges; whereas inactive rocks supported higher densities of ophiuroids, isopods, gammarid amphipods, hydroids, Typosyllis (Syllidae) and tanaids. Transplant experiments, in which rocks were transferred between active and inactive sites at Hydrate Ridge North (600 m), revealed that assemblages respond within 13 months to increase or cessation of seepage, taking on the feeding, size and calcification characteristics of the background fauna at the new site. Lifestyles and motility patterns shifted more slowly as the sessile, attached species did not track seepage as quickly. Provannid snails and pyropeltid limpets rapidly colonized rocks transplanted to active sites and disappeared when transplanted to inactive sites. Given the known variability of fluid fluxes and rapid community response, a mosaic of communities changing in space and time is hypothesized to generate the relatively high species diversity at methane seeps.