Creating a human head finite element model using a multi-block approach for predicting skull response and brain pressure

To better understand head injuries, human head finite element (FE) models have been reported in the literature. In scenarios where the head is directly impacted and measurements of head accelerations are not available, a high-quality skull model, as well as a high-quality brain model, is needed to predict the effect of impact on the brain through the skull. Furthermore, predicting cranial bone fractures requires comprehensively validated skull models. Lastly, high-quality meshes for both the skull and brain are needed for accurate strain/stress predictions across the entire head. Hence, we adopted a multi-block approach to develop hexahedral meshes for the brain, skull, and scalp simultaneously, a first approach in its kind. We then validated our model against experimental data of brain pressures (Nahum et al., 1977 Nahum AM, Smith R, Ward CC. 1977. Intracranial pressure dynamics during head impact. Proceedings of the 21st Stapp Car Crash Conference, SAE Paper No. 770922; Warrendale, PA: Society of Automotive Engineers.[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]) and comprehensive skull responses (Yoganandan et al., 1995 Yoganandan N, Pintar FA, Sances A, Jr., Walsh PR, Ewing CL, Thomas DJ, Snyder RG. 1995. Biomechanics of skull fracture. J Neurotrauma. 12(4):659–668.[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar], Yoganandan et al., 2004 Yoganandan N, Zhang J, Pintar FA. 2004. Force and acceleration corridors from lateral head impact. Traffic Injury Prevention. 5(4):368–373.[Taylor &; Francis Online] , [Google Scholar], and Raymond et al., 2009 Raymond D, Van Ee C, Crawford G, Bir C. 2009. Tolerance of the skull to blunt ballistic temporo-parietal impact. J Biomech. 42(15):2479–2485.[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). We concluded that a human head FE model was developed with capabilities to predict blunt- and ballistic-impact-induced skull fractures and pressure-related brain injuries.     

Salmonella Typhimurium methionine sulfoxide reductase A (MsrA) prefers TrxA in repairing methionine sulfoxide

Intraphagocytic survival of Salmonella Typhimurium (ST) depends (at least in part) upon its ability to repair oxidant-damaged macromolecules. Met residues either free or in protein bound form are highly susceptible to phagocyte-generated oxidants. Oxidation of Mets leads to Met-SO formation, consequently loss of protein functions that results in cell death. Methionine sulfoxide reductase (Msr) reductively repairs Met-SO to Met in the presence of thioredoxin (trx) and thioredoxin reductase (trxR). Earlier we reported that methionine sulfoxide reductase A (msrA) gene deletion strain of ST suffered oxidative stress.^[1 Trivedi, R.N.; Agarwal, P.; Kumawat, M.; Pesingi, P.K.; Gupta, V.K.; Goswami, T.K.; Mahawar, M. Methionine Sulfoxide Reductase A (MsrA) Contributes to Salmonella Typhimurium Survival Against Oxidative Attack of Neutrophils. Immunobiology 2015, 220(12), 1322–1327.[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]^] Thioredoxin system of ST comprises of two thioredoxins (trxA and trxC) and one thioredoxin reductase (trxB). Preferred trx utilized in MsrA-mediated repair of Met-SO is not known. In current study, we cloned, expressed, and purified ST TrxA, TrxB, TrxC, and MsrA in recombinant forms. The migration of TrxA, TrxB, TrxC, and MsrA proteins was approximately 10, 36, 16, and 26?kDa on SDS-gels. The nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate hydrogen (NADPH)-linked reductase assays interpreted that MsrA utilized two times more NADPH for the reduction of S-methyl p-tolyl sulfoxide when TrxA was included in the assays as compared to TrxC.     

Calibration of a Linear Free Energy Estimation Approach for Estimating Stability Constants for Metal-Bacterial Surface Complexes

In this study, we use the measured extent of metal adsorption onto bacterial cells to constrain a linear free energy relationship that allows estimation of unknown stability constants for metal-bacterial surface complexes based on the value of corresponding aqueous metal-acetate stability constants. A previous study (Fein et al., 2001 Fein, J B, Martin, A M and Wightman, P G. 2001. Metal adsorption onto bacterial surface: Development of a predictive approach. Geochim Cosmochim Acta, 65: 4267–4273. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) used metal adsorption experiments to constrain a similar relationship, but the experiments were conducted using acid-washed bacteria, and subsequent evidence (Borrok et al., 2004a Borrok, D, Fein, J B, Tischler, M, O'Loughlin, E, Meyer, H, Liss, M and Kemner, K M. 2004a. The effect of acidic solutions and growth conditions on the adsorptive properties of bacterial surfaces. Chem Geol, 209: 107–119. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) shows that the acid-washing step affects the extent of adsorption of a number of metals onto bacterial surfaces. We measured the adsorption of Zn, Ni, Co, Sr, and Nd onto Bacillus subtilis in 0.1 M NaClO₄ as a function of pH and metal:bacterial site ratio, using a non-electrostatic discrete four-site model of the bacterial protonation reactions as a basis for the metal adsorption modeling. The adsorption of the divalent cations (Zn, Ni, Co, and Sr) could best be modeled by considering adsorption reactions involving three sites on the bacterial surface; we used a one-site model to account for the Nd data that covered a more restricted pH range. The calculated stability constants for metal-Site 2 bacterial surface complexes are used to re-calibrate the linear free energy relationship previously defined by Fein et al. (2001) Fein, J B, Martin, A M and Wightman, P G. 2001. Metal adsorption onto bacterial surface: Development of a predictive approach. Geochim Cosmochim Acta, 65: 4267–4273. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]. There is a significant difference between the original and the re-calibrated lines for weakly binding cations such as Sr^{2 +}, but the difference becomes negligible for the stronger-binding cations. Because the linear free energy relationship defined in this study was calibrated from experiments that involved bacteria that were not exposed to acidic conditions, the estimated stability constant values that result from using this relationship are likely to reasonably reflect bacterial adsorption behaviors that occur in realistic geologic settings.     

Teaching Bernoulli's Principle through Demonstrations

ABSTRACT

One proven strategy to help students make sense of abstract concepts is to sequence instruction so students have exploratory opportunities to investigate science before being introduced to new science explanations (Abraham and Renner 1986 Abraham, M. R. and Renner, J. W. 1986. The sequence of learning cycle activities in high school chemistry. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 23: 121–143. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; Renner, Abraham, and Birnie 1988 Renner, J. W., Abraham, M. R. and Birnie, H. H. 1988. The necessity of each phase of the learning cycle in teaching high school physics. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 25: 39–58. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). To help physical science teachers make sense of how to effectively sequence lessons, this article summarizes our experiences using an exploration–explanation sequence of instruction to teach Bernoulli's principle to prospective middle and secondary science teachers in a science methods course. We use demonstrations during our Bernoulli unit to help students go back and forth between their observations of phenomenon and what occurs on the microscopic level with what we have termed molecular talk. Students engage in guiding questions, consider their old and new understandings of science, and use evidence to construct new ideas during all stages of the lesson.     

Two new harvestmen species (Arachnida: Opiliones) from the Caucasus

Two new harvestmen species of the family Phalangiidae, Rilaena caucasica sp. n. and Rilaena silhavyi sp. n. are diagnosed, illustrated, and described from the Caucasus region. Comparative illustration of the related Rilaena anatolica (Roewer, 1956), R. atrolutea (Roewer, 1915) and R. kelbajarica Snegovaya &; Pkhakadze, 2014 Snegovaya, N. Y., &; Pkhakadze, V. D. (2014): New species of the genus Rilaena (Opiliones, Phalangiidae) from the mount Gyamish, Azerbaijan. Vestnik zoologii, 48, 313–318. doi: 10.2478/vzoo-2014-0037[Crossref] , [Google Scholar] are given.

http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:7B29FD94-45A2-4E32-A41E-3276E016410B     

Rotifers from a humic coastal lagoon of Rio de Janeiro State,Brazil

Abstract

A four-year study of species composition of the zooplankton community was conducted at Lagoa Comprida, a Brazilian coastal lagoon. Forty-two species of rotifers were recorded and illustrated. All rotifer species, except Lecane boettgeri Koste, 1986 and Macrochaetus kostei, José de Paggi, Branco &; Kozlowsky-Suzuki, 2000 José de Paggi, S, Branco, C WC and Kozlowsky-Suzuki, B. 2000. A new species of Macrochaetus (Rotifera, Trichotriidae) in a coastal lagoon of Rio de Janeiro State (Brazil). Stud Neotrop Fauna &; Environm, 35: 157–160. [Taylor &; Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar], have already been found in other areas of Brazil. Some factors, which probably favored the dominant richness and density of rotifers in the zooplankton community, are discussed.     

Revisiting Lepidonella Yosii (Collembola: Paronellidae): character overview,checklist of world species and reassessment of Pseudoparonella doveri Carpenter

Characters used in the taxonomy of the genus Lepidonella Yosii, 1960 (Collembola: Paronellidae) are listed and discussed. Several new ones are introduced. An overview of pseudopore patterns across Collembola is presented, with several new locations of these structures across Entomobryomorpha. Their interest at different taxonomic level is underlined. The genus Lepidonella is redefined. The American species L. marimuti Soto Adames &; Bellini, 2015 Soto-Adames FN, Bellini BC. 2015. Dorsal chaetotaxy of neotropical species supports a basal position for the genus Lepidonella among scaled Paronellidae (Collembola, Entomobryoidea). Florida Entomologist. 98(1):330–341.[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar] is placed in incertae sedis among Lepidonella. Lepidonella species of the world are listed with synonymies and combinations. The Malaysian troglobitic species Pseudoparonella doveri Carpenter, 1933 Carpenter GH. 1933. XIX. Fauna of the Batu caves, Selangor. Journal of the Federated Malay States Museum. 17:217–221. [Google Scholar] is redescribed in detail, with emphasis on its pattern of antennal chaetae, and transferred to the genus Lepidonella. Its close similarity with L. lecongkieti Deharveng &; Bedos, 1995 Deharveng L, Bedos A. 1995. Lepidonella lecongkieti n.sp., premier Collembole cavernicole du Vietnam (Collembola, Paronellidae). Bulletin de la Société entomologique de France. 100(1):21–24. [Google Scholar] from southwestern Vietnam caves is underlined. This disjunct distribution is briefly discussed.     

A metabolic energy expenditure model with a continuous first derivative and its application to predictive simulations of gait

Whether humans minimize metabolic energy in gait is unknown. Gradient-based optimization could be used to predict gait without using walking data but requires a twice differentiable metabolic energy model. Therefore, the metabolic energy model of Umberger et al. (2003 Umberger BR, Gerritsen KG, Martin PE. 2003. A model of human muscle energy expenditure. Comput Methods Biomech Biomed Eng. 6(2):99–111.[Taylor &; Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]) was adapted to be twice differentiable. Predictive simulations of a reaching task and gait were solved using this continuous model and by minimizing effort. The reaching task simulation showed that energy minimization predicts unrealistic movements when compared to effort minimization. The predictive gait simulations showed that objectives other than metabolic energy are also important in gait.     

VEGF-A121a binding to Neuropilins – A concept revisited

All known splice isoforms of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) can bind to the receptor tyrosine kinases VEGFR-1 and VEGFR-2. We focus here on VEGF-A121a and VEGF-A165a, two of the most abundant VEGF-A splice isoforms in human tissue^{1 Kut C, Mac Gabhann F, Popel AS. Where is VEGF in the body? A meta-analysis of VEGF distribution in cancer. Br J Cancer. 2007;97:978-85. doi:10.1038/sj.bjc.6603923. PMID:17912242.[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]}, and their ability to bind the Neuropilin co-receptors NRP1 and NRP2. The Neuropilins are key vascular, immune, and nervous system receptors on endothelial cells, neuronal axons, and regulatory T cells respectively. They serve as co-receptors for the Plexins in Semaphorin binding on neuronal and vascular endothelial cells, and for the VEGFRs in VEGF binding on vascular and lymphatic endothelial cells, and thus regulate the initiation and coordination of cell signaling by Semaphorins and VEGFs.^{2 Guo HF, Vander Kooi CW. Neuropilin Functions as an Essential Cell Surface Receptor. J Biol Chem. 2015;290:29120-6. doi:10.1074/jbc.R115.687327. PMID:26451046.[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]} There is conflicting evidence in the literature as to whether only heparin-binding VEGF-A isoforms – that is, isoforms with domains encoded by exons 6 and/or 7 plus 8a – bind to Neuropilins on endothelial cells. While it is clear that VEGF-A165a binds to both NRP1 and NRP2, published studies do not all agree on the ability of VEGF-A121a to bind NRPs. Here, we review and attempt to reconcile evidence for and against VEGF-A121a binding to Neuropilins. This evidence suggests that, in vitro, VEGF-A121a can bind to both NRP1 and NRP2 via domains encoded by exons 5 and 8a; in the case of NRP1, VEGF-A121a binds with lower affinity than VEGF-A165a. In in vitro cell culture experiments, both NRP1 and NRP2 can enhance VEGF-A121a-induced phosphorylation of VEGFR2 and downstream signaling including proliferation. However, unlike VEGFA-165a, experiments have shown that VEGF-A121a does not ‘bridge’ VEGFR2 and NRP1, i.e. it does not bind both receptors simultaneously at their extracellular domain. Thus, the mechanism by which Neuropilins potentiate VEGF-A121a-mediated VEGFR2 signaling may be different from that for VEGF-A165a. We suggest such an alternate mechanism: interactions between NRP1 and VEGFR2 transmembrane (TM) and intracellular (IC) domains.     

Integrative taxonomy of the cave-dwelling mysids of the genus Hemimysis

The genus Hemimysis (Malacostraca: Mysida: Mysidae) encompasses near-bottom, demersal and cave-dwelling mysids living in the marine, brackish and freshwater habitats around the European coast, from the Caspian Sea to the Scandinavian Peninsula. We conducted cladistic analysis of 52 morphological characters of all nine species and three subspecies of the genus Hemimysis. We also completed a molecular analysis based on three molecular markers of Hemimysis lamornae (Couch, 1856) found in the English Channel, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Black Sea. Both analyses did not support monophyly of Hemimysis lamornae. We thus consider the former subspecies H. lamornae pontica (Czerniavsky, 1882 Chevaldonné, P., &; Lejeusne, C. (2003). Regional warming‐induced species shift in north‐west Mediterranean marine caves. Ecology Letters, 6, 371–379. doi:10.1046/j.1461-0248.2003.00439.x.[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) and H. lamornae mediterranea Bacescu, 1936 Bacescu, M. (1936). Hemimysis lamornae sbsp. reducta, nov. sbsp. et Hemimysis anomala dans les eaux roumaines de la Mer Noire (avec une etude comparative des forms de Hem. lamornae des autres mers: H. l. typica et H.l. mediterranea, nov. sbsp.). Annales Scientifiques de L’Universite de Jassy, 23, 331–338. [Google Scholar] as valid species. Analysis of mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) sequences of H. pontica shows no significant divergence between mysids living in the marine caves of Crimea and Bulgaria. Morphological trends in Hemimysis are discussed, H. pontica Czerniavsky, 1882 Chevaldonné, P., &; Lejeusne, C. (2003). Regional warming‐induced species shift in north‐west Mediterranean marine caves. Ecology Letters, 6, 371–379. doi:10.1046/j.1461-0248.2003.00439.x.[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar] is redescribed, and a new key to all 11 species of the genus is given.     

New records of Hydrochus Leach, 1817 (Coleoptera: Hydrochidae) from Iran

Abstract

Hydrochus ignicollis Motschulsky, 1860 Motschulsky, V. de (1860), ‘Coléoptères rapportés de la Sibérie orientale et notamment des pays situés sur les bords du fleuve Amour par MM. Schrenck, Maack, Ditmar, Voznessenski etc.’, in Reisen und Forschungen im Amur - Lande in den Jahren 1854–1856 im Auftrage der Kaiserl. Akademie der Wissenschaften zu St. Petersburg ausgeführt und in Verbindung mit mehreren Gelehrten herausgegeben. Band II. ed. L. Schrenck , Zweite Lieferung . Coleopteren, St. Petersburg: Eggers und Comp., pp. 80–257, pls. VI–XI. [Google Scholar] is recorded from Iran (Gilan Province) for the first time. In addition, new Iranian provincial records are provided for two species: H. nodulifer Reitter, 1897 Reitter, E . (1897), ‘Dreißig neue Coleopteren aus russisch Asien und der Mongolei’, Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift , 1897(2), 209–228. [Google Scholar] (Zanjan Province) and H. farsicus Hidalgo-Galiana, Jäch, and Ribera, 2010 Hidalgo-Galiana, A. , Jäch, M.A. , and Ribera, I . (2010), ‘ Hydrochus farsicus sp. n. from Iran and Notes on other Palearctic Species of the Genus (Coleoptera: Hydrophiloidea: Hydrochidae)’, Zootaxa , 2344, 61–64.[Crossref] , [Google Scholar] (Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province). Photographs of the habitus, the male genitalia and the habitat of H. ignicollis are provided.     

DNA binding,photocleavage, antimicrobial and cytotoxic properties of Ru(II) polypyridyl complexes containing BOPIP ligand, (BOPIP = {2-(4-(benzyloxy) phenyl)-1H-imidazo [4,5-f] [1,2]phenanthroline})

A novel ligand BOPIP (BOPIP?=?{2-(4-(benzyloxy)phenyl)-1H-imidazo[4,5-f][1,10]phenanthroline}) and its mononuclear Ru(II) polypyridyl complexes [Ru(phen)₂ BOPIP]²⁺(1) (phen?=?1,10-Phenanthrolene), [Ru(bpy)₂ BOPIP]²⁺(2) (bpy?=?2,2′ bipyridyl), [Ru(dmb)₂ BOPIP]²⁺(3) (dmb?=?4, 4′ -dimethyl 2, 2′ -bipyridine), [Ru(Hdpa)₂ BOPIP]²⁺(4) (Hdpa?=?2,2′dipyridylamine) have been synthesized successfully and characterized by elemental analysis, UV-vis, IR, ¹H, ¹³ Gill, M. R.; Garcia-Lara, J.; Foster, S. J.; Smythe, C.; Battaglia, G.; Thomas, J. A. A Ruthenium(II) polypyridyl Complex for Direct Imaging of DNA Structure in Living Cells. Nat. Chem. 2009, 1, 662–667.[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]C-NMR, and ESI-MS Spectroscopy. The interaction of these complexes with CT-DNA was studied using absorption, emission techniques, viscosity measurements and molecular docking studies. The docking study also supports the binding ability of complexes obtained through the absorption and emission techniques. These studies reveal that the Four Ru(II) polypyridyl complexes bind to DNA predominantly by intercalation. The Antimicrobial activity and cytotoxicity of these complexes are also reported.     

On several conjectures from evolution of dispersal

We address several conjectures raised in Cantrell et al. [Evolution of dispersal and ideal free distribution, Math. Biosci. Eng. 7 (2010), pp. 17–36 [9 Cantrell, R. S., Cosner, C. and Lou, Y. 2010. Evolution of dispersal and ideal free distribution. Math. Biosci. Eng., 7: 17–36. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]]] concerning the dynamics of a diffusion–advection–competition model for two competing species. A conditional dispersal strategy, which results in the ideal free distribution of a single population at equilibrium, was found in Cantrell et al. [9 Cantrell, R. S., Cosner, C. and Lou, Y. 2010. Evolution of dispersal and ideal free distribution. Math. Biosci. Eng., 7: 17–36. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]]. It was shown in [9 Cantrell, R. S., Cosner, C. and Lou, Y. 2010. Evolution of dispersal and ideal free distribution. Math. Biosci. Eng., 7: 17–36. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]] that this special dispersal strategy is a local evolutionarily stable strategy (ESS) when the random diffusion rates of the two species are equal, and here we show that it is a global ESS for arbitrary random diffusion rates. The conditions in [9 Cantrell, R. S., Cosner, C. and Lou, Y. 2010. Evolution of dispersal and ideal free distribution. Math. Biosci. Eng., 7: 17–36. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]] for the coexistence of two species are substantially improved. Finally, we show that this special dispersal strategy is not globally convergent stable for certain resource functions, in contrast with the result from [9 Cantrell, R. S., Cosner, C. and Lou, Y. 2010. Evolution of dispersal and ideal free distribution. Math. Biosci. Eng., 7: 17–36. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]], which roughly says that this dispersal strategy is globally convergent stable for any monotone resource function.     

EFFICIENT SYNTHESIS OF FUSED ISOTHIAZOLO C-NUCLEOSIDES. III. SYNTHESIS OF 7-SUBSTITUTED ISOTHIAZOLO[4,5-d]PYRIMIDINE C-NUCLEOSIDES*

The Divakar-Reese procedure has been successfully applied for transforming 7-oxo-isothiazolo[4,5-d]pyrimidine C-nucleosides (4a,b, 5a,b, 6a) via 1,2,4-triazol-1-yl intermediates (7a,b, 8a,b) into various 7-substituted C-nucle- osides 15a,b, 16a,b, 17a, 18a, 19a,b, 20a,b; their subsequent deprotection provides novel types of unusual C-glycosides 22b, 23a, 24a,b, 25b, 26b.

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A Life-History Model of Human Fitness Indicators

Recent adaptationist accounts of human mental and physical health have reinvigorated the debate over the evolution of human intelligence. In the tradition of strong inference the current study was developed to determine whether either Miller's (1998 Miller, G. F. 1998. “How mate choice shaped human nature: A review of sexual selection and human evolution”. In Handbook of evolutionary psychology: Ideas, issues, and applications, Edited by: Crawford, C. and Krebs, D. 87–129. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.  [Google Scholar], 2000a Miller, G. F. 2000a. Mental traits as fitness indicators: Expanding evolutionary psychology's adaptationism. Evolutionary approaches to human reproductive behavior. Ann N Y Acad Sci, 907: 62–74. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) Fitness Indicator Theory or Rushton's (1985 Rushton, J. P. 1985. Differential K theory: The sociobiology of individual and group differences. Pers Indiv Diff, 6(4): 441–452. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar], 2000 Rushton, J. P. 2000. Race, evolution, and behavior: A life-history perspective, 3rd, Port Huron, MI: Charles Darwin Research Institute.  [Google Scholar]) Differential-K Theory better accounts for general intelligence (“g”) in an undergraduate university population (N = 192). Owing to the lengthy administration time of the test materials, a newly developed 18-item short form of the Ravens Advanced Progressive Matrices (APM-18; Sefcek, Miller, and Figueredo 2007 Sefcek, J. A., Miller, G. F. and Figueredo, A. J. 2007. “Development and of an 18-item short form of the Ravens Advanced Progressive Matrices (RAPM-18). (Submitted)”.  [Google Scholar]) was used. A significant, positive relationship between K and F (r = .31, p < .001) emerged. Contrary to predictions, no significant relationships were found between “g” and either K or F (r = –.09, p ≥ .05 and r = .11, p ≥ .05, respectively). Though generally contrary to both hypotheses, these results may be explained in relation to antagonistic pleiotropy and a potential failure to derive correct predictions for within-species comparisons directly from the results of between-species comparisons.     

The expression of aggression in the dobsonflies Corydalus magnus Contreras-Ramos, 1998 and Platyneuromus soror (Hagen, 1861) (Megaloptera: Corydalidae)

The expression of aggression in Megaloptera has received little attention, specifically for the adults of the subfamily Corydalinae. Among the New World species of Corydalinae, it is not known if aggression is triggered and expressed in the same way. Since two genera, Corydalus Latreille, 1802 Latreille, P.A. (1802), Histoire naturelle, générale et particulière des Crustacés et des Insectes. Ouvrage faisant suite aux ouvres de Leclerc Buffon et partie du cours complete d’Histoire naturelle rédigé par C.S. Sonnini, membre de plusieurs sociétés savantes. Vol. 3, Paris: F. Dufart. [Google Scholar] and Platyneuromus Weele, 1909 Weele, H.W. van der. (1909), ‘New Genera and Species of Megaloptera Latr.’, Notes from the Leyden Museum, 30, 249–253. [Google Scholar] have different courtship strategies, the effect of the social environment in the expression of aggression in two species of those genera, Corydalus magnus Contreras-Ramos, 1998 Contreras-Ramos, A. (1998), Systematics of the Dobsonfly genus Corydalus Latreille (Megaloptera: Corydalidae), Lanham, MD: Thomas Say Monographs, Entomological Society of America. [Google Scholar] and Platyneuromus soror (Hagen, 1861 Hagen, H.A. (1861), Synopsis of the Neuroptera of North America, with a List of the South American Species. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution.[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]), is examined here and compared with the known data in Corydalus bidenticulatus Contreras-Ramos, 1998 Contreras-Ramos, A. (1998), Systematics of the Dobsonfly genus Corydalus Latreille (Megaloptera: Corydalidae), Lanham, MD: Thomas Say Monographs, Entomological Society of America. [Google Scholar]. Our results suggest that the triggering of aggressive behaviours in the three species is similar. The decision of whether or not to fight is affected by their social environment: a male is aggressive against other males only when a female is present. Furthermore, the intensity of aggression does not differ among the three species. The behavioural observations support the idea that the mandibles of Corydalus males are used as weapons in male-male competition and during the courtship, but the post-ocular flanges of P. soror males are not involved in male-male competition (they use their short mandibles to bite). Conversely, data show that such a feature might act as a signal trait for female choice.     

Attitudes to biotechnology: Estimating the opinions of a better-informed public

Public familiarity with basic scientific concepts and principles has been proposed as essential for effective democratic decision-making (Miller, 1998 Miller, J. D. 1998. The measurement of civic scientific literacy. Public Understanding of Science, 7: 203–23. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). Empirical research, however, finds that public ‘scientific literacy’ is generally low, falling well short of what normative criteria would consider ‘acceptable’. This has prompted calls to better engage, educate and inform the public on scientific matters, with the additional, usually implicit assumption that a knowledgeable citizenry should express more supportive and favourable attitudes toward science. Research investigating the notion that ‘to know science is to love it’ has provided only weak empirical support and has itself been criticised for representing science and technology as a unified and homogenous entity. In practice, it is argued, how knowledge impacts on the favourability of attitudes will depend on a multiplicity of factors, not least of which is the particular area of science in question and the technologies to which it gives rise (Evans & Durant, 1992 Evans, G. and Durant, J. 1992. The relationship between knowledge and attitudes in the public understanding of science in Britain. Public Understanding of Science, 4: 57–74.  [Google Scholar]). This article uses a new method for examining the knowledge-attitude nexus on a prominent area of 21st century science—biotechnology. The idea that greater scientific knowledge can engender change in the favourability of attitudes toward specific areas of science is investigated using data from the 2000 British Social Attitudes Survey and the 1999 Wellcome Consultative Panel on Gene Therapy. Together the surveys measure public opinion on particular applications of genetic technologies, including gene therapy and the use of genetic data, as well as more general attitudes towards genetic research. We focus our analysis on how two different measures of knowledge impact on these attitudes; one a general measure of scientific knowledge, the other relating specifically to knowledge of modern genetic science. We investigate what impact these knowledge domains have on attitudes towards biotechnology using a regression-based modelling technique (Bartels, 1996 Bartels, L. M. 1996. Uninformed votes: information effects in presidential elections. American Journal of Political Science, 40(1): 194–230. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; Althaus, 1998 Althaus, S. L. 1998. Information effects in collective preferences. The American Political Science Review, 92(3): 545–58. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; Sturgis, 2003 Sturgis, P. 2003. Knowledge and collective preferences: a comparison of two approaches to estimating the opinions of a better-informed public. Sociological Methods and Research, 31(4): 453–85. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar]). Controlling for a range of socio-demographic characteristics, we provide estimates of what collective and individual opinion would look like if everyone were as knowledgeable as the currently best-informed members of the general public on the knowledge domains in question. Our findings demonstrate that scientific knowledge does appear to have an important role in determining individual and group attitudes to genetic science. However, we find no support for a simple ‘deficit model’ of public understanding, as the nature of the relationship itself depends on the application of biotechnology in question and the social location of the individual.