Phylogeny of cockroaches (Insecta,Dictyoptera, Blattodea), with placement of aberrant taxa and exploration of out‐group sampling

We addressed the phylogeny of cockroaches using DNA sequence data from a broad taxon sample of Dictyoptera and other non‐endopterygotan insect orders. We paid special attention to several taxa in which relationships are controversial, or where no molecular evidence has been used previously: Nocticolidae, a family of small, often cave‐dwelling cockroaches, has been suggested to be the sister group of the predaceous Mantodea or of the cockroach family Polyphagidae; Lamproblatta, traditionally placed in Blattidae, has recently been given family status and placed as sister to Polyphagidae; and Saltoblattella montistabularis Bohn, Picker, Klass & Colville, a jumping cockroach, which has not yet been included in any phylogenetic studies. We used mitochondrial (COI + COII and 16S) and nuclear (18S and 28S) genes, and analysed the data using Bayesian inference (BI) and maximum likelihood (ML). Nocticolidae was recovered as sister to Polyphagidae. Lamproblatta was recovered as sister to Blattidae, consistent with the traditional placement (not based on phylogenetic analysis). However, because of the limited support for this relationship and conflict with earlier morphology‐based phylogenetic hypotheses, we retain Lamproblattidae. S. montistabularis was consistently placed as sister to Ectobius sylvestris Poda (Blaberoidea: Ectobinae), indicating that the saltatorial hindlegs of this genus are a relatively recent adaptation. Isoptera was placed within Blattodea as sister to Cryptocercidae. Nocticolidae + Polyphagidae was sister to Isoptera + Cryptocercidae, and Blaberoidea was sister to the remaining Blattodea.     

Population fluctuations of chironomid and simuliid Diptera at Myvatn in 1977–1996

Aquatic dipterans dominate the macrozoobenthos of Lake Myvatn and the River Laxá and are important in the food web. As benthic sampling is time-consuming and expensive, a window trap was developed in order to facilitate the monitoring of the zoobenthos resource. Four window traps were operated at Myvatn and Laxá during 1977–1996. The results yielded population indices for about 20 species of chironomids and one simuliid. Numbers of the most abundant midge species showed close correlations between 2 trap sites on the lake shore, 5 km apart; Cricotopus tibialis did not show such synchrony. At the River Laxá, the dominant blackfly (Simulium vittatum) showed correlation between 2 trap sites, at the outlet and 3 km downstream; while the chironomids, apart from Micropsectra atrofasciata, did not. The dominant midge of Lake Myvatn, Tanytarsus gracilentus showed 3 cyclic oscillations during the 20-year period. The fluctuations were tracked by Micropsectra lindrothi, Procladius islandicus, Orthocladius consobrinus, Psectrocladius barbimanus and Chironomus islandicus. A group of non-cyclic species included Cricotopus sylvestris and Orthocladius oblidens.     

Disentangling stocking introgression and natural migration in brown trout: survival success and recruitment failure in populations with semi‐supportive breeding

1. Introgression into natural salmonid populations from stocked conspecifics has been widely studied. Outcomes vary from no effect even after decades of stocking, to population replacement after only a couple of generations. Potential introgression caused by semi‐supportive breeding (i.e. using a mixture of local strains as brood stock) is, however, less well studied. 2. We investigated population structure of brown trout (Salmo trutta) in a regulated alpine lake with three natural, environmentally contrasting tributaries used as spawning and rearing habitat. Massive semi‐supportive breeding of admixed local strains has been implemented for decades. Stocked trout represented c. 17% of the total lake population, and a substantial post‐release survival reflects a considerable potential for introgression. However, the mark‐recapture studies indicate no spawning runs of stocked fish. 3. Using 13 polymorphic microsatellite loci, we found natural straying and non‐native reproduction, especially among wild populations inhabiting environmentally unstable habitat. Retained genetic structure across tributaries indicated low reproductive success of wild‐born non‐natives. Moreover, the genetic structure among tributaries has probably not been influenced by semi‐supportive breeding, because of recruitment failure of stocked trout.     

Assessing the diagnostic validity of a structured psychiatric interview in a first-admission hospital sample

The use of structured psychiatric interviews performed by non-cliniciansis frequent for research purposes and is becoming increasingly common in clini-calpractice. The validity of such interviews has rarely been evaluated empirically.In this study of a sample of 100 diagnostically heterogeneous, first-admittedinpatients, the results of an assessment with the Structured Clinical Interviewfor DSM-IV (SCID), yielding a DSM-IV diagnosis and performed by a trainednon-clinician, were compared with a consensus lifetime best diagnostic estimate(DSM-IV) by two experienced research clinicians, based on multiple sourcesof information, which included videotaped comprehensive semi-structured narrativeinterviews. The overall kappa agreement was 0.18. The sensitivity and specificityfor the diagnosis of schizophrenia by SCID were 19% and 100%, respectively.It is concluded that structured interviews performed by non-clinicians arenot recommendable for clinical work and should only be used in research withcertain precautions. It is suggested that a revival of systematic theoreticaland practical training in psychopathology is an obvious way forward in orderto improve the validity and therapeutic utility of psychiatric diagnosis.     

Growth behavior and protease production by an icelandicthermus sp. isolate in batch and continuous culture

AThermus strain, producing an extracellular protease, was isolated in a hot spring in Iceland. The main growth characteristics of this isolate were studied with different cultivation vessels and different cultivation techniques. A clear and striking dependence of the growth behavior on the cultivation technique was apparent. Higher maximum yield of biomass, higher productivity of biomass, and higher maximum growth rate were found in continuous cultivations compared with batch cultivations. The substrate utilization and the yield of biomass of this strain were much higher than reported for several otherThermus strains. Reproducibility of kinetic data seemed not to depend on the type of cultivation vessel, on the basis of the types of vessels tested, and instability of the population was not observed during cultivations. Production of extracellular protease in our cultivations was apparently growth associated in batch culture, and the specific rate of production in continuous culture was dependent of the dilution rate, implying that certain kinds of regulatory mechanism(s) might be involved.