花对称性与植物花大小的变异性:在高寒草甸植物群落检验Berg的假说

植物花对称性与传粉系统密切相关,花特征的变异性受到传粉者的选择作用。由于特化的传粉者对两侧对称的花的稳定选择,Berg假说认为两侧对称植物花大小的变异性比辐射对称植物的更低;而且,在传粉者的选择作用下花特征比植物营养特征明显有更低的变异性,因为后者更易受环境影响。该文对青藏高原东部高山草甸植物群落的50种开花植物(包括19种两侧对称植物和31种辐射对称植物)的花和叶特征进行了测定和分析。结果表明不论是两侧对称植物还是辐射对称植物,花大小的变异性都显著低于叶片大小的变异性,表明传粉者对花施加的稳定选择有利于花的稳定性。但是,辐射对称物种花大小的变异程度和两侧对称物种的相似,即使在控制物种系统发育的影响后,也没有发现显著的差异,这与Berg假说不一致。高山生态系统中传粉者种类相对较少,以熊蜂和蝇类为主,传粉者的活动受局域气候环境影响较大,因此传粉昆虫对植物花的选择作用强度可能有较大的变异性。     

Experimental warming changed plants’ phenological sequences of two dominant species in an alpine meadow,western of Sichuan

以西南横断山区高山草甸优势植物种珠芽拳参(Polygonum viviparum)和银叶委陵菜(Potentilla leuconota)为研究对象, 将其物候分为花芽期、开花期、凋谢期和种子成熟期4个阶段, 每个阶段又分为开始、峰值和结束3个状态。采用开顶式增温箱进行模拟增温, 连续增温4年后, 于增温第5年的2016年生长季跟踪调查了模拟增温对珠芽拳参和银叶委陵菜的繁殖物候序列的影响, 以探讨高山植物群落对气候变化的响应过程。结果显示, 模拟增温后: 1)珠芽拳参各物候阶段的持续时间缩短; 除凋谢阶段起始、结束期延迟外, 其他状态均有不同程度的提前; 各阶段的过渡期有不同程度的缩短, 繁殖周期缩短; 2)银叶委陵菜各物候阶段的持续时间延长; 凋谢期结束前各状态(除开花峰值外)表现为不同程度的提前; 各阶段过渡期对增温的响应不一致, 繁殖周期延长。结果表明: 完整的繁殖物候序列能更准确地反映植物物候对气候变暖的响应; 植物对环境变化的响应和应对策略存在种间差异, 这种差异可能会进一步改变植物群落组成和结构。     

Assessment of variability in biomass yield and quality: what is an adequate size of sampling area for miscanthus?

To diversify energy crop production and improve its biodiversity and sustainability, there is currently a search for alternative energy crops. Many of the newly arising alternatives are perennial species such as the C₄ grass miscanthus. The assessment of reliable data is a prerequisite for understanding the performance of these crops and developing corresponding management systems. However there is great uncertainty concerning research methodology for these crops. When data are collected from small plots of perennial crops, such as miscanthus or short rotation coppice plantations, a larger variability is expected than for cereals. A square meter cut, corresponding to harvest practice in cereals, is not sufficient for perennial C₄ grasses and is not recommended for these species. The aim of this research was to identify an adequate size of sampling area for miscanthus to estimate the true biomass yield or quality. For this purpose, whole plots of 10‐ and 14‐year old miscanthus stands were divided into smaller subplots. These were used to calculate variances for various sizes of simulated plots. The variances for all traits in the experiments were rather high when the sampling area was smaller than 2 m². A cutting regime of more than 5.6 m² would be advisable, but an area of 3 m² is sufficient to eliminate approximately 90% of the variances and is therefore an adequate size of sampling area.     

Scaling of species diversity and body mass in mammals: Cope’s rule and the evolutionary cost of large size

Abstract

Equations are constructed describing the inverse correlation of species diversity and body mass in extant and Cenozoic mammals. Cope’s rule, the tendency for many mammal clades to increase in body size through time, through phyletic change in single lineages or turnover within species groups, is interpreted as a probability function reducing diversity potential as a tradeoff for ecological/evolutionary gains. The inverse rule predicts that large species in clades will be less diverse than smaller species and, unless origination rates remain high among smaller clade members, clades conforming to Cope’s rule will decline in diversity, moving towards extinction. This proposition is evaluated in the Cenozoic histories of five North American mammal clades; cotton rats, felids, canids, hyaenodontids, and equids. Diversity potential of different size classes within the 3.75 million year phyletic history of the muskrat, Ondatra zibethicus, is also examined. A corollary prediction of the inverse rule, that large species should have longer durations (species lifespans) than small species, is unresolved. Successful clades maintain small size or a significant number of smaller species relative to clade average size. The potential loss of unique extant large mammal species justifies the conservation effort to protect them. The similarity of scaling exponents of species diversity to mass around a slope of -1.0 suggests that species diversity is correlated with home range size, the latter related to the probability of population fragmentation.     

Density-dependent regulation of population size in colonial breeders: Allee and buffer effects in the migratory Montagu’s harrier

Expanding populations offer an opportunity to uncover the processes driving spatial variation in distribution and abundance. Individual settlement decisions will be influenced by the availability and relative quality of patches, and by how these respond to changes in conspecific density. For example, conspecific presence can alter patch suitability through reductions in resource availability or territorial exclusion, leading to buffer effect patterns of disproportionate population expansion into poorer quality areas. However, conspecific presence can also enhance patch suitability through Allee effect processes, such as transmission of information about resources or improved predator detection and deterrence. Here, we explore the factors underlying the settlement pattern of a growing population of Montagu’s harriers (Circus pygargus) in Spain. The population increased exponentially between 1981 and 2001, but stabilised between 2001 and 2004. This population increase occurred alongside a remarkable spatial expansion, with novel site use occurring prior to maximum densities in occupied sites being reached. However, no temporal trends in fecundity were observed and, within sites, average fecundity did not decline with increasing density. Across the population, variance in productivity did increase with population size, suggesting a complex pattern of density-dependent costs and benefits. We suggest that both Allee and buffer effects are operating in this system, with the benefits of conspecific presence counteracting density-dependent declines in resource availability or quality.     

Seasonal variation of vegetation productivity over an alpine meadow in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau in China: modeling the interactions of vegetation productivity, phenology, and the soil freeze–thaw process

Phenology controls the seasonal activities of vegetation on land surfaces and thus plays a fundamental role in regulating photosynthesis and other ecosystem processes. Therefore, accurately simulating phenology and soil processes is critical to ecosystem and climate modeling. In this study, we present an integrated ecosystem model of plant productivity, plant phenology, and the soil freeze–thaw process to (1) improve the quality of simulations of soil thermal regimes and (2) estimate the seasonal variability of plant phenology and its effects on plant productivity in high-altitude seasonal frozen regions. We tested different model configurations and parameterizations, including a refined soil stratification scheme that included unfrozen water in frozen soil, a remotely sensed diagnostic phenology scheme, and a modified prognostic phenology scheme, to describe the seasonal variation in vegetation. After refined soil layering resolution and the inclusion of unfrozen water in frozen soil, the results show that the model adequately reproduced the soil thermal regimes and their interactions observed at the site. The inclusion of unfrozen water in frozen soil was found to have a significant effect on soil moisture simulation during the spring but only a small effect on soil temperature simulation at this site. Moreover, the performance of improved phenology schemes was good. The phenology model accurately predicted the start and end of phenology, and its precise prediction of phenology variation allows an improved simulation of vegetation production.     

Delay-induced oscillations in Wilson and Cowan’s model: an analysis of the subthalamo-pallidal feedback loop in healthy and parkinsonian subjects

The model proposed by Wilson and Cowan (1972) describes the dynamics of two interacting subpopulations of excitatory and inhibitory neurons. It has been used to model neural structures like the olfactory bulb, whisker barrels, and the subthalamo-pallidal system. It is well-known that this system can exhibit an oscillatory behavior that is amplified by the presence of delays. In the absence of delays, the conditions for stability are well-known. The aim of our paper is to clarify these conditions when delays are included in the model. The first ingredient of our methods is a new necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of multiple equilibria. This condition is related to those for local asymptotic stability. In addition, a sufficient condition for global stability is also proposed. The second and main ingredient is a stability analysis of the system in the frequency-domain, based on the Nyquist criterion, that takes the four independent delays into account. The methods proposed in this paper can be applied to analyse the stability of the subthalamo-pallidal feedback loop, a deep brain structure involved in Parkinson’s disease. Our stability conditions are easy to compute and characterize sharply the system’s parameters for which spontaneous oscillations appear.     

Manual Ventilation and Sustained Lung Inflation in an Experimental Model: Influence of Equipment Type and Operator’s Training

Aim

To compare the influence of devices for manual ventilation and individual experience on the applied respiratory mechanics and sustained lung inflation.

Methods

A total of 114 instructors and non-instructors from the Neonatal Resuscitation Program of the Brazilian Society of Pediatrics participated in this study. Participants ventilated an intubated manikin. To evaluate respiratory mechanics and sustained lung inflation parameters, a direct comparison was made between the self-inflating bag and the T-shaped resuscitator (T-piece), followed by an analysis of the effectiveness of the equipment according to the participants’ education and training.

Results

A difference between equipment types was observed for the tidal volume, with a median (interquartile range) of 28.5 mL (12.6) for the self-inflating bag and 20.1 mL (8.4) for the T-piece in the instructor group and 31.6 mL (14) for the self-inflating bag and 22.3 mL (8.8) for the T-piece in the non-instructor group. Higher inspiratory time values were observed with the T-piece in both groups of professionals, with no significant difference between them. The operator’s ability to maintain the target pressure over the 10 seconds of sustained lung inflation was evaluated using the area under the pressure-time curve and was 1.7-fold higher with the use of the T-piece. Inspiratory pressure and mean airway pressure applied during sustained lung inflation were greater with the self-inflating bag, as evaluated between the beginning and the end of the procedure.

Conclusion

The T-piece resulted in lower tidal volume and higher inspiratory time values, irrespective of the operator’s experience, and increased the ease of performing the sustained lung inflation maneuver, as demonstrated by the maintenance of target pressure for the desired period and a higher mean airway pressure than that obtained using the self-inflating bag.     

The rhetoric of Islamophobia: an analysis of the means of persuasion in Hege Storhaug’s writings on Islam and Muslims

Few actors have had a greater impact on the “framing of Muslims” as a social and political “problem” in Norway since 2001 than Hege Storhaug of the government- and corporate billionaire funded civil society organization Human Rights Service (HRS). Using the methodological tools of the “rhetorical branch” of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), and applying the Aristotelian concepts of ethos, logos and pathos, we analyze the bestselling popular title on Islam and Muslims ever published in Norway, namely Storhaug’s self-published 2015 title “Islam – The Eleventh Plague”. We argue that Storhaug’s popular success must be understood in light of her rhetorical appeals to femonationalism, the critique of religion and “Enlightenment” values. We show how she in her writings incites fear of the Muslim “Other” through specific rhetorical devices and a positioning of herself as a defender of the “nation” and the “people” – against national and international “elites”.     

Auditory brainstem responses in Cope’s gray treefrog (Hyla chrysoscelis): effects of frequency,level, sex and size

Our knowledge of the hearing abilities of frogs and toads is largely defined by work with a few well-studied species. One way to further advance comparative work on anuran hearing would be greater use of minimally invasive electrophysiological measures, such as the auditory brainstem response (ABR). This study used the ABR evoked by tones and clicks to investigate hearing in Cope’s gray treefrog (Hyla chrysoscelis). The objectives were to characterize the effects of sound frequency, sound pressure level, and subject sex and body size on ABRs. The ABR in gray treefrogs bore striking resemblance to ABRs measured in other animals. As stimulus level increased, ABR amplitude increased and latency decreased, and for responses to tones, these effects depended on stimulus frequency. Frequency-dependent differences in ABRs were correlated with expected differences in the tuning of two sensory end organs in the anuran inner ear (the amphibian and basilar papillae). The ABR audiogram indicated two frequency regions of increased sensitivity corresponding to the expected tuning of the two papillae. Overall, there was no effect of subject size and only small effects related to subject sex. Together, these results indicate the ABR is an effective method to study audition in anurans.     

Bourdieu’s Cultural Capital in Relation to Food Choices: A Systematic Review of Cultural Capital Indicators and an Empirical Proof of Concept

Objective

Unhealthy food choices follow a socioeconomic gradient that may partly be explained by one’s ‘cultural capital’, as defined by Bourdieu. We aim 1) to carry out a systematic review to identify existing quantitative measures of cultural capital, 2) to develop a questionnaire to measure cultural capital for food choices, and 3) to empirically test associations of socioeconomic position with cultural capital and food choices, and of cultural capital with food choices.

Design

We systematically searched large databases for the key-word ‘cultural capital’ in title or abstract. Indicators of objectivised cultural capital and family institutionalised cultural capital, as identified by the review, were translated to food choice relevant indicators. For incorporated cultural capital, we used existing questionnaires that measured the concepts underlying the variety of indicators as identified by the review, i.e. participation, skills, knowledge, values. The questionnaire was empirically tested in a postal survey completed by 2,953 adults participating in the GLOBE cohort study, The Netherlands, in 2011.

Results

The review yielded 113 studies that fulfilled our inclusion criteria. Several indicators of family institutionalised (e.g. parents’ education completed) and objectivised cultural capital (e.g. possession of books, art) were consistently used. Incorporated cultural capital was measured with a large variety of indicators (e.g. cultural participation, skills). Based on this, we developed a questionnaire to measure cultural capital in relation to food choices. An empirical test of the questionnaire showed acceptable overall internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha of .654; 56 items), and positive associations between socioeconomic position and cultural capital, and between cultural capital and healthy food choices.

Conclusions

Cultural capital may be a promising determinant for (socioeconomic inequalities in) food choices.     

Multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli in Raw Milk: Molecular Characterization and the potential impact of camel’s Urine as an Antibacterial Agent

Raw milk is one of the most important vehicles for transmitting various pathogens, especially Escherichia coli (E. coli). Multidrug-resistant pathogens are highly prevalent among mastitic cows in various dairy farms worldwide. Therefore, our current study is based on the identification of E. coli from mastitic cow’s milk and their resistance to various antibacterial agents. As well, the impact of camel’s urine on multi-drug resistant E. coli were also evaluated. Thirty-three E. coli isolates were recovered from 254 milk samples. All strains were initially identified phenotypically by culturing on specific media and Vitek 2 Compact System. The protein fingerprinting technique was used as a confirmatory method. The Stx1, Stx2 and eae genes were also verified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The antimicrobial resistance of E. coli strains was tested by the Vitek 2 AST-GN69 cards. Thirty multi-drug resistant E. coli strains (20 from mastitic milk and 10 from clinical samples) were laboratory tested with different concentrations (100%, 75%, 50% and 25%) of virgin and breeding camel’s urine, using the paper disc diffusion method. Our findings showed that 93.94% of E. coli strains were recognized by the Vitek™ 2 system. The results of proteomic investigation illustrated that 100% of E. coli strains were identified at log values ≥2.00. The genotypic identification of the three virulence genes illustrated that 90.1%, 63.64%, and 30.55% of E. coli strains were able to carry the Stx1, eae, and Stx2 genes, respectively. Most strains of E. coli showed strong resistance against cefazolin (78.79%), ceftazidime (66.67%), cefotaxime (60.61%), ceftriaxone (54.55%), and cefepime (39.40%). The results of the antibacterial effect of camel’s urine revealed that the mean inhibitory zones of virgin camel’s urine were 28 mm, 17 mm, and 14 mm, for the concentrations of 100%, 75%, and 50%, respectively. Whereas; the inhibitory zones for the breeding camel’s urine were 18 mm, 0 mm, and 0 mm, for the concentrations of 100%, 75%, and 50%, respectively. We concluded that the majority of E. coli strains were able to harbor some virulence genes and resist many antibiotics. Our study also provided a robust evidence that the camel’s urine, particularly from the virgin camels has robust antimicrobial activity against multidrug-resistant E. coli strains.     

People versus machines: The impact of being in an automatable job on Australian worker’s mental health and life satisfaction

This study explores the effect on mental health and life satisfaction of working in an automatable job. We utilise an Australian panel dataset (HILDA), and take a fixed effects linear regression approach, to relate a person being in automatable work to proxies of their wellbeing. Overall, we find evidence that automatable work has a small, detrimental impact on the mental health and life satisfaction of workers within some industries, particularly those with higher levels of job automation risk, such as manufacturing. Furthermore, we find no strong trends to suggest that any particular demographic group is disproportionately impacted across industries. These findings are robust to a variety of specifications. We also find evidence of adaptation to these effects after one-year tenure on the job, indicating a limited role for firm policy.     

Phytosociological,structural and conservation analysis of the habitats of Dupont’s lark in Europe: a phytosociological survey applied to the conservation of an endangered species

Based on an updated census for the endangered Dupont’s lark (Chersophilus duponti), we conducted a phytosociological survey of 167 sites representative of the distribution area of the species in Europe. Results were used as a starting point for conservation assessment. According to our observations, the bird selects flat deforested areas colonized by small shrubs corresponding to successional, subclimax stages that are either naturally or artificially exploited. Four groups of scrubs were occupied by the bird: (1) supramediterranean dwarf cushion scrubs dominated by Genista pumila ssp. rigidissima or Erinacea anthyllis; (2) gypicolous shrublands and grasslands associated with Lygeum spartum; (3) shrubs dominated by chamaephytes producing allelopathic substances (Thymus, Lavandula, Salvia) and showing different facies according to the level of disturbance; and (4) supramediterranean acidophilous scrubs dominated by Cistus, Erica or Cytisus species. As management measures, we propose reducing tree density in flat areas, promoting the growth of chamaephytes by clearing phanerophytes, and encouraging traditional low-level transhumance grazing. These measures will provide high-quality habitats and help preserve, or even expand, habitable patches to ensure the viability of the European metapopulation of this rare and sensitive songbird.     

Preserving Preuss’s Red Colobus (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Piliocolobus preussi</Emphasis>): an Ethnographic Analysis of Hunting,Conservation, and Changing Perceptions of Primates in Ikenge-Bakoko,Cameroon

The futures of nonhuman primate species and human communities in shared landscapes rely on our ability to engage with and understand the complex histories and multiscalar aspects of human–animal relationships. We use the Critically Endangered Preuss’s red colobus (Piliocolobus preussi) as a case study to examine the important ways in which histories of multiscalar human–primate interactions play out in the village of Ikenge-Bakoko, Korup National Park, Cameroon. We contextualize ethnographic and catchment data from adult men (N?=?32) and women (N?=?31) within long-term diurnal primate monitoring datasets to better understand the relationships among hunting practices, local perceptions of diurnal primates, populations of P. preussi, and conservation management. Our data indicate a disconnect between local cultural definitions of “hunter” and Western assumptions as to the makeup and nature of this and other categories. We show that such contradictions can have negative outcomes for conservationists seeking to turn the science of establishing accurate off-take rates of prey species into practical management solutions. Using a single village as a focal point, we highlight the importance of an ethnoprimatological approach to understanding the intricate entanglements among conservation histories, subsistence strategies, and human and nonhuman primate lives. The application of ethnoprimatology is critical for twenty-first century primatologists who must navigate conservation concerns while also acknowledging and valuing the experiences of the human communities living alongside the primates we study.