Delineating Europe's cultural regions: population structure and surname clustering

Surnames (family names) show distinctive geographical patterning and in many disciplines remain an underutilized source of information about population origins, migration and identity. This paper investigates the geographical structure of surnames, using a unique individual level database assembled from registers and telephone directories from 16 European countries. We develop a novel combination of methods for exhaustively analyzing this multinational data set, based upon the Lasker Distance, consensus clustering and multidimensional scaling. Our analysis is both data rich and computationally intensive, entailing as it does the aggregation, clustering and mapping of 8 million surnames collected from 152 million individuals. The resulting regionalization has applications in developing our understanding of the social and cultural complexion of Europe, and offers potential insights into the long and short-term dynamics of migration and residential mobility. The research also contributes a range of methodological insights for future studies concerning spatial clustering of surnames and population data more widely. In short, this paper further demonstrates the value of surnames in multinational population studies and also the increasing sophistication of techniques available to analyze them.     

Population structure of rural settlements of Sakha Republic (Yakutia): surname structure

The distributions of surnames have been studied in 12 rural ethnic territorial groups of Sakha Republic (Yakutia). The populations studied are characterized by considerable accumulation of individual surnames, the surname spectra of representative of different ethnic groups living in the same area substantially overlapping. The random isonymy, migration index, surname diversity, and the surname distribution redundancy index display geographic and ethnic differences. The isonymy relationship coefficients calculated for representatives of individual ethnic groups (Yakuts, Evens, and Russians) and for total populations of the settlements studied are determined by the geographic distances between the compared populations and the intensity of migrations.     

Brief communication: coexistence of two distinct patterns in the surname structure of Sicily

The extent of variation in the migratory movements that occurred in Sicily was evaluated using surname data taken from the telephone directories of the 390 communes of the island. The surname distribution of each commune was linearized by a log-log transformation, and a significant fit to a linear regression model was found in almost all cases. Interestingly, the slope of the regression line appeared to be a sensitive indicator of the different level of isolation associated with each Sicilian commune. By this approach, two distinct groups of communes, showing a higher or lower degree of isolation, were obtained, and two independent analyses of the surname structure of Sicily were carried out. A first multidimensional scaling analysis, based on the more isolated communes, yielded evidence for a more ancient pattern, characterized by a geographical gradient along the east-west axis. The same analysis, addressed to the less isolated communes, instead highlighted a wide network of interactions between geographically distant zones of the island. The fitting of the surname distribution to the log-log model allowed for the detection of a narrow subset of 35 Sicilian communes, whose significantly higher degree of isolation was statistically proved by the parallelism test. We believe that a genetic analysis focused on such specific zones of the island could reveal ancient patterns of differentiation, thus helping to answer the controversial question of the genetic history of Sicily.     

Frequency criterion of choice of surname for the study of the genetic structure of the population

On the example of 7 populations of the regional level allowability of using surnames with frequencies exceeding 0.001 in adequate estimation of the population structure indices is shown. The correlation coefficient between genetical distances calculated with the help of all surnames in the list, and those estimated using only frequent surnames was more than 0.9 in all populations studied, values of the correlation coefficient analogous to the FST statistics of Wright being 0.76 to 0.97.     

Examining population structure through the use of surname matrices: methodology for visualizing nonrandom mating

The analysis of nonrandom mating using the frequency of marital isonymy indirectly measures the degree of population structure. However, population structure is the result of all matings in a population. Difficulties with large surname matrices have resulted in data being summarized into a single statistic or collapsed into brief tables, with considerable loss of information. By using sophisticated computer graphing procedures and displays, it is possible to directly analyze the mating structure of a community. If P is a vector of proportions for each male surname i (i = 1, 2, 3, ..., n), Q a similar vector of female surnames j(j = 1, 2, 3, ...,m), then the expected frequency matrix E of each possible mating is P x Q. The difference D between the observed frequency matrix O and the expected matrix is O-E. The D matrix is graphed with the x axis containing the male surnames, the y axis the female surnames, and the z axis the difference values dij. Negative values represent negative nonrandom mating and positive values positive nonrandom mating. From 5417 marriages (1840-1963) in the Midlands of Tasmania, those between spouses having 1 of 194 core names were extracted. We analyze these marriages utilizing the new technique and examine the surface of the graph and statistical analysis of its finer structure. Among the results was the demonstration of frequency-dependent selection of surnames. This finding has significant implications for microevolution of human populations, as surnames have existed for possibly 700 years.     

The antimycobacterial effect of honey: an in vitro study.

Avicenna recommended honey in the treatment of tuberculosis. Honey has potent bactericidal activity against many pathogenic organisms, but its antimycobacterial effect has never been studied. In this study the antimycobacterial effect of honey was evaluated in vitro. Standard Lowenstein-Jenson media and L-J media containing various concentrations of honey were prepared. Two bacilli from positive cultures and two from positive smears of the affected patients were inoculated on each of the prepared plates. It was demonstrated that the growth of mycobacteria was inhibited by adding 10% honey to the media. Mycobacteria did not grow in culture media containing 10% and 20% honey while it grew in culture media containing 5%, 2.5% and 1% honey. The good antimycobacterial effect, sterility, low cost, and easy availability of honey makes it an ideal antimycobacterial agent.     

The neural basis of hyperlexic reading: an FMRI case study

Children with autism spectrum disorders in very rare cases display surprisingly advanced "hyperlexic" reading skills. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we studied the neural basis of this precocious reading ability in a 9-year-old hyperlexic boy who reads 6 years in advance of his age. During covert reading, he demonstrated greater activity in the left inferior frontal and superior temporal cortices than both chronological age- and reading age-matched controls. Activity in the right inferior temporal sulcus was greater when compared to reading age-matched controls. These findings suggest that precocious reading is brought about by simultaneously drawing on both left hemisphere phonological and right hemisphere visual systems, reconciling the two prevailing, but seemingly contradictory, single hemisphere theories of hyperlexia. Hyperlexic reading is therefore associated with hyperactivation of the left superior temporal cortex, much in the same way as developmental dyslexia is associated with hypoactivation of this area.     

Medical genetic study of the Rostov oblast population: Analysis of surname distribution in seven districts

Data on the surname frequency distribution in seven raions (districts) of the Rostov oblast (region) have been used to calculate random inbreeding varying from 0.000064 to 0.000186 in the Volgodonsk and Millerovo districts, respectively. Schematic surname landscapes have been constructed for six districts. The observed spectrum of frequent surnames is compared with that of the complete register of surnames in Russia.     

The effect of chronic deafferentation on mental imagery: a case study

Visual- and motor imagery rely primarily on perceptual and motor processes, respectively. In healthy controls, the type of imagery used to solve a task depends on personal preference, task instruction, and task properties. But how does the chronic loss of proprioceptive and tactile sensory inputs from the body periphery influence mental imagery? In a unique case study, we investigated the imagery capabilities of the chronically deafferented patient IW when he was performing a mental rotation task. We found that IW''s motor imagery processes were impaired and that visual imagery processes were enhanced compared to controls. These results suggest that kinaesthetic afferent signals from the body periphery play a crucial role in enabling and maintaining central sensorimotor representations and hence the ability to incorporate kinaesthetic information into the imagery processes.     

Medical genetic study of the Rostov oblast population: analysis of surname distribution in seven districts

Data on the surname frequency distribution in seven districts (districts) of the Rostov oblast (region) have been used to calculate random inbreeding varying from 0.000064 to 0.000186 in the Volgodonsk and Millerovo districts, respectively. Schematic surname landscapes have been constructed for six districts. The observed spectrum of frequent surnames is compared with that of the complete register of surnames in Russia.     

The effect of family structure on the likelihood for kin-biased distribution: an empirical study of brown trout populations

This study is aimed at evaluating the likelihood that kin-biased distribution will be expressed or detected in a range of brown trout ( Salmo trutta ) populations as a function of family size. Microsatellite analysis indicated that fewer full- and half-siblings were found in populations with larger effective population sizes, while more full- and half-siblings were found in populations with lower effective population size. It is suggested that kin-biased distribution and hence kin-biased behaviours are not likely to be expressed equally frequently in all populations since the number of close relatives will vary among populations and, hence, the opportunity for relatives to interact differs among populations. These findings can, at least partly, explain the discrepancy among previous studies of kin-biased distribution in wild salmonids under natural conditions. Effective population size could, hence, be used to predict the salmonid populations in which kin-biased distribution are more likely to occur and be detected.     

Thermal image scanning for influenza border screening: results of an airport screening study

Background

Infrared thermal image scanners (ITIS) appear an attractive option for the mass screening of travellers for influenza, but there are no published data on their performance in airports.

Methods

ITIS was used to measure cutaneous temperature in 1275 airline travellers who had agreed to tympanic temperature measurement and respiratory sampling. The prediction by ITIS of tympanic temperature (37.8°C and 37.5°C) and of influenza infection was assessed using Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves and estimated sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive value (PPV).

Findings

Using front of face ITIS for prediction of tympanic temperature ≥37.8°C, the area under the ROC curve was 0.86 (95%CI 0.75–0.97) and setting sensitivity at 86% gave specificity of 71%. The PPV in this population of travellers, of whom 0.5% were febrile using this definition, was 1.5%. We identified influenza virus infection in 30 travellers (3 Type A and 27 Type B). For ITIS prediction of influenza infection the area under the ROC curve was 0.66 (0.56–0.75), a sensitivity of 87% gave specificity of 39%, and PPV of 2.8%. None of the 30 influenza-positive travellers had tympanic temperature ≥37.8°C at screening (95%CI 0% to 12%); three had no influenza symptoms.

Conclusion

ITIS performed moderately well in detecting fever but in this study, during a seasonal epidemic of predominantly influenza type B, the proportion of influenza-infected travellers who were febrile was low and ITIS were not much better than chance at identifying travellers likely to be influenza-infected. Although febrile illness is more common in influenza A infections than influenza B infections, many influenza A infections are afebrile. Our findings therefore suggest that ITIS is unlikely to be effective for entry screening of travellers to detect influenza infection with the intention of preventing entry of the virus into a country.     

Directional biases in phylogenetic structure quantification: a Mediterranean case study

Recent years have seen an increasing effort to incorporate phylogenetic hypotheses to the study of community assembly processes. The incorporation of such evolutionary information has been eased by the emergence of specialized software for the automatic estimation of partially resolved supertrees based on published phylogenies. Despite this growing interest in the use of phylogenies in ecological research, very few studies have attempted to quantify the potential biases related to the use of partially resolved phylogenies and to branch length accuracy, and no work has examined how tree shape may affect inference of community phylogenetic metrics. In this study, we tested the influence of phylogenetic resolution and branch length information on the quantification of phylogenetic structure, and also explored the impact of tree shape (stemminess) on the loss of accuracy in phylogenetic structure quantification due to phylogenetic resolution. For this purpose, we used 9 sets of phylogenetic hypotheses of varying resolution and branch lengths to calculate three indices of phylogenetic structure: the mean phylogenetic distance (NRI), the mean nearest taxon distance (NTI) and phylogenetic diversity (stdPD) metrics. The NRI metric was the less sensitive to phylogenetic resolution, stdPD showed an intermediate sensitivity, and NTI was the most sensitive one; NRI was also less sensitive to branch length accuracy than NTI and stdPD, the degree of sensitivity being strongly dependent on the dating method and the sample size. Directional biases were generally towards type II errors. Interestingly, we detected that tree shape influenced the accuracy loss derived from the lack of phylogenetic resolution, particularly for NRI and stdPD. We conclude that well‐resolved molecular phylogenies with accurate branch length information are needed to identify the underlying phylogenetic structure of communities, and also that sensitivity of phylogenetic structure measures to low phylogenetic resolution can strongly vary depending on phylogenetic tree shape.     

农业景观中非农景观要素结构特征对植物物种多样性的影响——以封丘县为例

农业景观中的非农生境对维持与提高农业景观的生物多样性具有非常关键的作用。为了探究非农生境的相关结构属性对农业景观中植物物种多样性的影响,选择黄河下游平原区的封丘县为研究区域,对研究区内42个样点的非农生境进行植物多样性调查,并对各个样点周围1 km范围内的非农景观要素进行了提取,分析不同非农生境中植物物种组成及其景观要素的构成、结构及空间配置对植物物种多样性的影响。研究结果表明:不同类型的非农生境中,物种组成共有种相对较多,特有种或指示种较少;林地与树篱具有相对较高的物种多样性,以沟渠为生境的植物物种组成与其它两种生境类型相比存在明显差异;林地与树篱/沟渠的组成比例相当时,植物物种丰富度最高;景观指数对不同非农生境中的植物物种具有明显影响,景观破碎化及人为干扰指数的影响较为显著。未来在对本区域内农业景观进行结构优化的过程中,应从非农景观要素的改造入手。通过调整和设置非农景观要素的不同类型及比例、合理改造其结构与空间配置,为最终实现农业景观的有效管理与可持续健康发展奠定重要的研究基础。     

The transferability of distribution models across regions: an amphibian case study

Aim Predicting species distribution is of fundamental importance for ecology and conservation. However, distribution models are usually established for only one region and it is unknown whether they can be transferred to other geographical regions. We studied the distribution of six amphibian species in five regions to address the question of whether the effect of landscape variables varied among regions. We analysed the effect of 10 variables extracted in six concentric buffers (from 100 m to 3 km) describing landscape composition around breeding ponds at different spatial scales. We used data on the occurrence of amphibian species in a total of 655 breeding ponds. We accounted for proximity to neighbouring populations by including a connectivity index to our models. We used logistic regression and information‐theoretic model selection to evaluate candidate models for each species. Location Switzerland. Results The explained deviance of each species’ best models varied between 5% and 32%. Models that included interactions between a region and a landscape variable were always included in the most parsimonious models. For all species, models including region‐by‐landscape interactions had similar support (Akaike weights) as models that did not include interaction terms. The spatial scale at which landscape variables affected species distribution varied from 100 m to 1000 m, which was in agreement with several recent studies suggesting that land use far away from the ponds can affect pond occupancy. Main conclusions Different species are affected by different landscape variables at different spatial scales and these effects may vary geographically, resulting in a generally low transferability of distribution models across regions. We also found that connectivity seems generally more important than landscape variables. This suggests that metapopulation processes may play a more important role in species distribution than habitat characteristics.