bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The effects of the invasive Argentine ant (Linepithema humile) and the native ant Prenolepis imparis on the structure of insect herbivore communities on willow trees (Salix lasiolepis)
Authors: NYGARD JULIE P. , SANDERS NATHAN J. , CONNOR EDWARD F.
Published: October 2008

Abstract 1. We examined the relative effects of the invasive Argentine ant, Linepithema humile, and a common native ant, Prenolepis imparis, on the community of herbivorous insects occurring on willow trees, Salix lasiolepis in Northern California, U.S.A.

2. Using paired control and treatment branches from which we excluded ants and other non‐volant predators, we found that effects of Argentine ants on the herbivore community were generally similar to those of P. imparis. Argentine ants and P. imparis suppressed the damage by skeletonising insects by 50%, but had little effect on most other external‐feeding or internal‐feeding guilds.

3. The abundance of aphids was 100% greater in the presence of Argentine ants, but there was no effect on aphid numbers in the presence of P. imparis. Late season aphid numbers were substantially higher in the presence of Argentine ants, but not P. imparis.

4. The effects of Argentine ants on skeletonising insects and aphids combined with the overwhelming abundance of Argentine ant workers, suggests that they may have substantial, but often overlooked, effects on the herbivore communities on other plant species in or near riparian habitats in which they invade.
Effects of competition, cannibalism and intra‐guild predation on larval development of the European coccinellid Adalia bipunctata and the invasive species Harmonia axyridis
Authors: WARE REMY , YGUEL BENJAMIN , MAJERUS MICHAEL
Published: October 2008

Abstract 1. Resource competition and intra‐guild predation (IGP) are important determinants of the structure of aphidophagous guilds. The likelihood and outcome of IGP is influenced by the density of extra‐guild prey and the characteristics of the species involved.

2. The nature of intra‐guild interactions between alien and indigenous coccinellids often determines the success of coccinellid invasions, as exemplified by Adalia bipunctata in Japan and Harmonia axyridis in North America and Europe.

3. Harmonia axyridis has negatively impinged on indigenous species in its introduced range, and its recent arrival in Britain poses a threat for members of native aphidophagous guilds. IGP and inter‐specific competition between H. axyridis and British coccinellids are predicted to occur. However, the results of such interactions have been little studied.

4. Here we investigate the effects of different diets, designed to mimic possible conditions in the wild, on the survival, development, and adult size of H. axyridis and A. bipunctata. Results demonstrate a skew in the consequences of IGP between the two species: the supplementation of a limited aphid diet with non‐conspecific eggs leads to a significant advantage for H. axyridis in respect of all parameters assessed, but gives no benefit to A. bipunctata.

5. We conclude that IGP of A. bipunctata by H. axyridis will contribute to the spread and increase of H. axyridis in Britain.

6. We further conclude that the skewed nature of IGP between A. bipunctata and H. axyridis at least in part explains the limited spread of A. bipunctata in Japan.
Intention to leave the profession: antecedents and role in nurse turnover
Authors: Parry Julianne
Published: October 2008

Title.  Intention to leave the profession: antecedents and role in nurse turnover

Aim.  This paper is a report of a study to examine the relationship between intention to change profession and intention to change employer among newly graduated nurses.

Background.  Few studies of the worldwide nursing workforce shortage consider the contribution of changing professions to the shortage. Organizational behaviour research has identified that professional commitment and organizational commitment have an important role in organizational turnover and that professional commitment and intention to change professions may have a greater role in organizational turnover than is presently understood.

Method.  A model of the relationships between affective professional commitment job satisfaction, organizational commitment, intention to change professions and organizational turnover intention was developed through review of the organizational behaviour literature and tested using path analysis. The sample was drawn from all nurses in Queensland, Australia, entering the workforce for the first time in 2005.

Results.  The model was tested with a final sample size of 131 nurses in the initial period of exposure to the workplace. Affective professional commitment and organizational commitment were statistically significantly related to intention to change professions. Job satisfaction, organizational commitment and intention to change professions were statistically significantly related to intention to change employer.

Conclusion.  Turnover research in nursing should include intention to change professions as well as intention to change employer. Policies and practices that enhance the development of affective professional commitment prior to exposure to the workplace and support affective professional commitment, job satisfaction and organizational commitment in the workplace are needed to help reduce nurse turnover.
Predictors of mammography uptake in Korean women aged 40 years and over
Authors: Ryu Eunjung , Ahn Okhee , Baek Sun‐Sook , Jeon Mi‐Soon , Han Seung‐Eui , Park Young‐Rye , Ham Mi‐Young
Published: October 2008

Title.  Predictors of mammography uptake in Korean women aged 40 years and over

Aim.  This paper is a report of a study performed to identify the predictors of mammography uptake for Korean women according to the stage of change, as determined by the transtheoretical model.

Background.  Although breast cancer is the most common female cancer in South Korea, its early detection rate here is low when compared with other developed countries. The transtheoretical model can be used to facilitate health promotion based on individual health behaviour and to devise stage‐tailored interventions.

Method.  The participants were a convenience sample of 920 women aged ≥40 years between December 2005 and February 2006. A cross‐sectional design was used in which participants completed a questionnaire that consisted of measures of the transtheoretical model. To provide a standard of measure, the variables were converted from raw scores to standard scores and then to T scores (mean = 50, sd = 10). Logistic regression analysis was then used to estimate predictors of the stage of maintenance of mammography uptake.

Findings.  The most frequent stage of mammography uptake was ‘contemplation’. Predictors of mammography uptake included decisional balance, commitment to regular screening and avoiding contact with the healthcare system. Commitment to regular screening and breast self‐examination were strongly related to mammography maintenance.

Conclusion.  The results of this study can be used for the development of theory‐based and empirically supported mammography uptake intervention strategies and programmes directed towards women aged ≥40 years.
A grounded theory study of information preference and coping styles following antenatal diagnosis of foetal abnormality
Authors: Lalor Joan G. , Begley Cecily M. , Galavan Eoin
Published: October 2008

Title.  A grounded theory study of information preference and coping styles following antenatal diagnosis of foetal abnormality

Aim. This paper is a report of a study to explore the information‐seeking behaviour of women following an antenatal diagnosis of foetal abnormality.

Background. The identification of a foetal abnormality on routine ultrasound in pregnancy is both shocking and distressing for women, and seeking information in this stressful situation is a common response. There is evidence that women’s information needs are not always adequately met, and in some cases they recall little from the initial consultation.

Method. A longitudinal study involving 42 women was conducted using a classical grounded theory design. Data were collected in 2004–2006 through in‐depth interviews at three time intervals: within 4–6 weeks of diagnosis, 4–6 weeks before the birth and 6–12 weeks postnatally.

Findings. Women described their main concern from diagnosis until the time to give birth in terms of regulating the information received in order to cope with the situation. Two main categories were identified: ‘Getting my head around it’ and ‘I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it’. These two differing information‐seeking preferences are described as monitoring and blunting.

Conclusion. Matching of information preferences with coping styles may support individuals to cope with this stressful event. Women with high information needs (monitors) respond well to detail. However, those with information avoidance behaviours (blunters) should be facilitated to ‘opt‐in’ to information when they are ready, in order to reduce the stress caused by perceived information overload.
Nursing staff attitudes and behaviours regarding family presence in the hospital setting
Authors: Fisher Cheryl , Lindhorst Heidi , Matthews Tammy , Munroe Donna J. , Paulin Deb , Scott Deb
Published: October 2008

Title.  Nursing staff attitudes and behaviours regarding family presence in the hospital setting.

Aim.  This paper is a report of a study conducted to assess the attitudes and values of nursing staff towards family presence during routine nursing care.

Background.  Nursing staff attitudes are an important factor in the adoption of family‐centred care for children, and for all ages in the emergency room, special care units, and anaesthesia induction and recovery. Little is documented about nurse attitudes and behaviours related to family presence during day‐to‐day routine nursing care.

Method.  In 2006, primary data were collected with a convenience sample of 89 nursing staff using an 18‐item questionnaire developed by the authors and based on several family‐centred care instruments in the literature. Items assessed attitude and nurse behaviours related to family presence during routine nursing care.

Findings.  Nurses’ attitudes and behaviours towards family presence during routine nursing care were generally favourable. There was low agreement about family members being allowed to visit whenever the patient wished. Nursing staff attitudes were consistent with their self‐reported behaviours supporting family presence.

Conclusion.  Nursing staff who believe family presence is important are more likely to include families in daily care. The organization plays a key role in encouraging family‐centred care by providing appropriate education and support to nursing staff.
Informed consent to healthcare interventions in people with learning disabilities – an integrative review
Authors: Goldsmith Lesley , Skirton Heather , Webb Christine
Published: October 2008

Title.  Informed consent to healthcare interventions in people with learning disabilities – an integrative review.

Aim.  This paper is a report of an integrative review of informed consent to healthcare interventions in people with learning disabilities.

Background.  Consent to treatment lies at the heart of the relationship between patient and healthcare professional. In order for people with learning disabilities to have equity of access to health care, they need to be able to give informed consent to health interventions – or be assessed as incompetent to give consent.

Data sources.  The British Nursing Index (BNI), CINAHL, MEDLINE, Social Care Online, ERIC and ASSIA and PsycINFO databases were searched using the search terms: Consent or informed choice or capacity or consent to treat* or consent to examin* AND Learning disab* or intellectual* disab* or mental* retard* or learning difficult* or mental* handicap*. The search was limited to papers published in English from January 1990 to March 2007.

Review methods.  An integrative review was conducted and the data analysed thematically.

Results.  Twenty‐two studies were reviewed. The main themes identified were: life experience, interaction between healthcare professionals and participants, ability to consent, and psychometric variables. A consensus seemed to emerge that capacity to consent is greater in people with higher cognitive ability and verbal skills, but that the attitudes and behaviour of healthcare professionals was also a crucial factor.

Conclusion.  The findings support use of the functional approach to assessing mental capacity for the purpose of obtaining informed consent. Future research into informed consent in people with learning disabilities is needed using real life situations rather than hypothetical vignettes.
Measurement of empathy in nursing research: systematic review
Authors: Yu Juping , Kirk Maggie
Published: October 2008

Title. Measurement of empathy in nursing research: systematic review.

Aim. This paper is a report of a systematic review to identify, critique and synthesize nursing studies of the measurement of empathy in nursing research.

Background. The profound impact of empathy on quality nursing care has been recognized. Reported empathy levels among nurses range from low to well‐developed and there is clearly debate about what constitutes empathy and how it can be measured and improved.

Data sources. Searches were made of the CINAHL, MEDLINE and PsycINFO databases, using the terms ‘empathy’, ‘tool’, ‘scale’, ‘measure’, ‘nurse’, and ‘nursing’, singly or in combination to identify literature published in the English language between 1987 and 2007.

Methods. A systematic review was carried out. The included papers were critically reviewed, relevant data were extracted, and a narrative synthesis was conducted.

Results. Thirty papers representing 29 studies met the inclusion criteria. Three types of studies were identified: descriptive studies (n = 12), studies of empathy and patient outcomes (n = 6), and evaluational studies (n = 11). Twenty scales were used, with more than one tool being applied in some studies, suggesting the need for a systematic review of empathy measures in nursing research. A range of settings were studied but some, such as genetic healthcare, have been neglected.

Conclusion. Despite numerous tools being used in nursing research to assess empathy, there appears to be no consistency, suggesting the need to evaluate the rigour of empathy tools appropriately, either to inform education or for application in clinical settings.
Coerced medication in psychiatric inpatient care: literature review
Authors: Jarrett Manuela , Bowers Len , Simpson Alan
Published: October 2008

Title.  Coerced medication in psychiatric inpatient care: literature review.

Aim.  This paper is a report of a narrative review of the coercive use of medication in inpatient psychiatric care to identify a demographic and clinical profile of patients who are forcibly medicated, and to examine patient and staff views of this practice.

Background.  Lack of compliance with medication is associated with quicker relapse and increased risk to self and others in mental disorder. It is this increased risk which provides the ethical and legal grounds for detaining and treating psychiatric patients without their consent. Legislation for involuntary psychiatric treatment exists in all European Union member states and in other western countries.

Data sources.  Online bibliographic databases from 1980 to 2008 were searched, including British Nursing Index, CINAHL, PsycINFO, EMBASE and MEDLINE. Search terms relating to coercion, force, chemical restraint, rapid tranquilization, inpatients and psychiatry were used.

Review methods.  Titles and abstracts were reviewed. All peer reviewed papers concerning coercion in the administration of medication in inpatient psychiatric care were included and a narrative review was conducted.

Results.  Fourteen papers from seven countries were included. Patients who have experience coerced medication tend to be aged in their 30s, with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, bipolar or other psychotic disorders, and are often involuntarily admitted. Assault or threat of assault is the main reason for giving forced medication.

Conclusion.  There is a dearth of literature in the area of coercion in administration of medication and much more research is needed examining all aspects of this contentious practice.
Minimal effects of wind turbines on the distribution of wintering farmland birds
Authors: Devereux Claire L. , Denny Matthew J. H. , Whittingham Mark J.
Published: October 2008

Energy production from wind power is increasing rapidly in Europe to help combat the threats from global warming. For example, the European Commission have set a target for 20% of EU energy to come from renewable sources by 2020. In recent decades, biodiversity on European farmland has fallen dramatically due to agricultural intensification. Agri‐environment schemes (AES) have been implemented across the EU, in part at least, to combat these declines. Significant numbers of turbines are, and will be, built on farmland. There is, therefore, a potential conflict between wind turbines and AES on farmland.

Various mechanisms potentially cause wind turbines to alter bird distribution including noise and physical structure.

We show that turbine location (controlling for other effects such as boundary location and crop type) did not affect the distribution of four functional groups of wintering farmland birds (seed‐eaters, corvids, gamebirds and Eurasian skylarks) at differing distances from wind turbines ranging from 0–150 m to 600–750 m. The only species for which distribution was related to the presence of wind turbines was the largest and least manoeuvrable (common pheasant Phasianus colchicus L.).

In a further analysis of data collected at 0–75 m and 75–150 m from turbines, we found no evidence to suggest that farmland birds in our study avoided areas close to wind turbines.

Synthesis and applications. This is the first evidence suggesting that the present and future location of large numbers of wind turbines on European farmland is unlikely to have detrimental effects on farmland birds (at least for those species included in our study). This should be welcome news for nature conservationists, wind energy companies and policy‐makers. However, our work is only a first step, as there may be potential influences of wind turbines on bird distribution during the breeding season.
Cyclamen: time, sea and speciation biogeography using a temporally calibrated phylogeny
Authors: Yesson C. , Toomey N. H. , Culham A.
Published: October 2008

Aim  The Mediterranean region is a species‐rich area with a complex geographical history. Geographical barriers have been removed and restored due to sea level changes and local climatic change. Such barriers have been proposed as a plausible mechanism driving the high levels of speciation and endemism in the Mediterranean basin. This raises the fundamental question: is allopatric isolation the mechanism by which speciation occurs? This study explores the potential driving influence of palaeo‐geographical events on the speciation of Cyclamen (Myrsinaceae), a group with most species endemic to the Mediterranean region. Cyclamen species have been shown experimentally to have few genetic barriers to hybridization.

Location  The Mediterranean region, including northern Africa, extending eastwards to the Black Sea coast.

Methods  A generic level molecular phylogeny of Myrsinaceae and Primulaceae is constructed, using Bayesian approximation, to produce a secondary age estimate for the stem lineage of Cyclamen. This estimate is used to calibrate temporally an infrageneric phylogeny of Cyclamen, built with nrDNA ITS, cpDNA trnL‐F and cpDNA rps16 sequences. A biogeographical analysis of Cyclamen is performed using dispersal–vicariance analysis.

Results  The emergence of the Cyclamen stem lineage is estimated at 30.1–29.2 Ma, and the crown divergence at 12.9–12.2 Ma. The average age of Cyclamen species is 3.7 Myr. Every pair of sister species have mutually exclusive, allopatric distributions relative to each other. This pattern appears typical of divergence events throughout the evolutionary history of the genus.

Main conclusions  Geographical barriers, such as the varying levels of the Mediterranean Sea, are the most plausible explanation for speciation events throughout the phylogenetic history of Cyclamen. The genus demonstrates distributional patterns congruent with the temporally reticulate palaeogeography of the Mediterranean region.
Comparative phylogeography of pitvipers suggests a consensus of ancient Middle American highland biogeography
Authors: Castoe Todd A. , Daza Juan M. , Smith Eric N. , Sasa Mahmood M. , Kuch Ulrich , Campbell Jonathan A. , Chippindale Paul T. , Parkinson Christopher L.
Published: October 2008

Aim  We used inferences of phylogenetic relationships and divergence times for three lineages of highland pitvipers to identify broad‐scale historical events that have shaped the evolutionary history of Middle American highland taxa, and to test previous hypotheses of Neotropical speciation.

Location  Middle America (Central America and Mexico).

Methods  We used 2306 base pairs of mitochondrial gene sequences from 178 individuals to estimate the phylogeny and divergence times of New World pitviper lineages, focusing on three genera (Atropoides, Bothriechis and Cerrophidion) that are broadly co‐distributed across Middle American highlands.

Results  We found strong correspondence across three highland lineages for temporally and geographically coincident divergences in the Miocene and Pliocene, and further identified widespread within‐species divergences across multiple lineages that occurred in the early–middle Pleistocene.

Main conclusions  Available data suggest that there were at least three major historical events in Middle America that had broad impacts on species divergence and lineage diversification among highland taxa. In addition, we find widespread within‐species genetic structure that may be attributable to the climatic changes that affected gene flow among highland taxa during the middle–late Pleistocene.
The limits of mtDNA phylogeography: complex patterns of population history in a highly structured Iberian lizard are only revealed by the use of nuclear markers
Authors: GODINHO R. , CRESPO E.G. , FERRAND N.
Published: October 2008

Phylogeographic analyses based on the sole use of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) molecule reveal only a small part of the evolutionary history of a species or a set of related species. In this study, we have combined the application of slow‐ and fast‐evolving nuclear markers (proteins and microsatellites, respectively) together with the analysis of two‐gene genealogies to further understand the history of the Iberian endemic Schreiber's green lizard,Lacerta schreiberi, a species for which a well established phylogeographical scenario is available. In sharp contrast with the observation of four divergent and almost allopatric mtDNA clades, our nuclear data revealed how two groups of populations diverged, persisted and began to admix along the mountains of the Iberian Central System. In addition, the combination of mtDNA and nuclear data showed how the core area of the species distribution responded to ice ages, first by relatively old processes of population expansion to the south followed by episodes of contraction that are at the origin of present‐day isolates, and more recently by a postglacial expansion to the Iberian Northwest where new habitats were made available after climatic amelioration. Taken together with recently published results for a variety of other organisms, our results suggest that complex processes of fragmentation, expansion and admixture can only be properly addressed through the use of several and complementary types of molecular markers. Finally, we also suggest that southern European refugia are both hotspots and melting pots of genetic diversity.
Environmental history of southern Patagonia unravelled by the seismic stratigraphy of Laguna Potrok Aike
Authors: ANSELMETTI FLAVIO S. , ARIZTEGUI DANIEL , DE BATIST MARC , CATALINA GEBHARDT A. , HABERZETTL TORSTEN , NIESSEN FRANK , OHLENDORF CHRISTIAN , ZOLITSCHKA BERND
Published: October 2008

Laguna Potrok Aike, located in southernmost Patagonia (Argentina, 52°S) is a 100 m deep hydrologically closed lake that probably provides the only continental southern Patagonian archive covering a long and continuous interval of several glacial to interglacial cycles. In the context of the planned ‘International Continental Scientific Drilling Program’ initiative ‘Potrok Aike Maar Lake Sediment Archive Drilling Project’, several seismic site surveys that characterize in detail the sedimentary subsurface of the lake have been undertaken. Long sediment cores recovered the material to date and calibrate these seismic data. Laguna Potrok Aike is rimmed steeply, circular in shape with a diameter of ∼3·5 km and is surrounded by a series of subaerial palaeoshorelines, reflecting varying lake‐level highstands and lowstands. Seismic data indicate a basinwide erosional unconformity that occurs consistently on the shoulder of the lake down to a depth of −33 m (below 2003 ad lake level), marking the lowest lake level during Late Glacial to Holocene times. Cores that penetrate this unconformity comprise Marine Isotope Stage 3‐dated sediments (45 kyr bp) ∼3·5 m below, and post‐6800 cal yr bp transgressional sediments above the unconformity. This Middle Holocene transgression following an unprecedented lake‐level lowstand marks the onset of a stepwise change in moisture, as shown by a series of up to 11 buried palaeoshorelines that were formed during lake‐level stillstands at depths between −30 and −12 m. Two series of regressive shorelines between ∼5800 to 5400 and ∼4700 to 4000 cal yr bpinterrupt the overall transgressional trend. In the basin, mound‐like drift sediments occur after ∼6000 cal yr bp, documenting the onset of lake currents triggered by a latitudinal shift or an increase in wind intensity of the Southern Hemispheric Westerlies over Laguna Potrok Aike at that time. Furthermore, several well‐defined lateral slides can be recognized. The majority of these slides occurred during the mid‐Holocene lake‐level lowering when the slopes became rapidly sediment‐charged because of erosion from the exposed shoulder sediments. Around 7800 and 4900 cal yr bp, several slides went down simultaneously, probably triggered by seismic shaking.
Phylogeny of Berosini (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae, Hydrophilinae) based on larval and adult characters, and evolutionary scenarios related to habitat shift in larvae
Authors: ARCHANGELSKY MIGUEL
Published: October 2008

AbstractA phylogenetic analysis of Berosini including 15 taxa, 11 of them belonging to Berosini (ingroup), was performed. Of the 58 characters used, 32 derive from the larval stages, and 26 from the adult stage. Two well‐supported clades are recognized, one comprisingHemiosusandBerosus, and the other comprisingDerallus,RegimbartiaandAllocotocerus. Several larval evolutionary trends are discussed: shifts to benthic and cryptic habits, morphological modifications and adaptations related to these habits, and morphological changes of the clypeolabrum and head appendages. A comparative table for the larval stages of the five genera is included.
Hasinamelissa: a new genus of allodapine bee from Madagascar revealed by larval morphology and DNA sequence data
Authors: CHENOWETH LUKE B. , FULLER SUSAN , TIERNEY SIMON M. , PARK YUNG C. , SCHWARZ MICHAEL P.
Published: October 2008

Abstract Allodapine bees have received attention because of their utility for studies of insect social evolution. The African genus Halterapis has been especially important because until very recently it was thought to contain non‐social species. Owing to the extreme diversity in allodapine larval morphology, which is much greater than the variation in adult morphology, larvae have provided some of the most informative characters for allodapine taxonomy. The taxonomic position of Malagasy allodapine bees placed previously in the genus Halterapis has always been doubtful because the larval stages were unknown. We provide the first description of larval morphology for three Malagasy allodapine species currently placed in the genus Halterapis that span the range in adult morphology for this island fauna. Larvae of all three species exhibit a variety of traits that are strikingly different from those of other allodapine genera. Phylogenetic analyses based on DNA sequence data from one nuclear and two mitochondrial gene fragments indicate that the Malagasy species form a strongly supported monophyletic group that is the sister group to the combined African allodapine clades excluding Macrogalea. This endemic Malagasy bee clade further highlights the distinctiveness of the Malagasy bee fauna and raises biogeographical questions about how, when, and why the Malagasy biota became so distinctive. We erect Hasinamelissagen.n., to contain the Malagasy species placed previously in Halterapis, and transfer 18 species [H. seyrigi (Benoist) (type‐species) comb.n., H. keiseri (Benoist) comb.n., H. minuta (Brooks & Pauly) comb.n., H. isaloensis (Brooks & Pauly) comb.n., H. tulearensis (Michener) comb.n., H. albigena (Brooks & Pauly) comb.n., H. kraussi (Michener) comb.n., H. didyensis (Brooks & Pauly) comb.n., H. acaciae (Brooks & Pauly) comb.n., H. ankaratrensis (Brooks & Pauly) comb.n., H. platyprosoton (Michener) comb.n., H. rufa (Michener) comb.n., H. pentagonalis (Brooks & Pauly) comb.n., H. benoisti (Michener) comb.n., H. curtipilosa (Brooks & Pauly) comb.n., H. personata (Brooks & Pauly) comb.n., H. spatulata (Brooks & Pauly) comb.n. and H. spinipennis (Brooks & Pauly) comb.n.].
Widespread decoupling of mtDNA variation and species integrity in Grammia tiger moths (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)
Authors: SCHMIDT B. CHRISTIAN , SPERLING FELIX A. H.
Published: October 2008

Abstract.
  We investigate the diversity of the North American tiger moth genus Grammia Rambur (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) by comparing mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) ‘barcode’ fragments of cytochrome oxidase I with non‐molecular characters such as morphology, ecology, behaviour and distribution. Mitochondrial DNA genealogy is strikingly at odds with morpho‐species taxonomy for most of the 28 sampled species, as haplotypic polyphyly not only is taxonomically widespread, but involves multiple shared haplotypes among two to four species. Morpho‐ecological traits show that those species sharing haplotypes are often not closely related. Furthermore, high mtDNA divergences occur within species. Haplotypic variation is highly discordant with species taxonomy, but variation at a continental scale reveals significant geographic structuring of haplogroups, transcending morpho‐species boundaries. A nested clade analysis and comparison of non‐molecular with mtDNA data indicate that most discordance between mtDNA and taxonomy in Grammia is explained best by taxonomically and geographically widespread ongoing hybridization events resulting in mtDNA introgression. We hypothesize that broad areas of sympatry, interspecifically compatible genitalic structure, and species overlap in pheromone components facilitate hybridization, with disparate interspecies abundances promoting mitochondrial introgression. The molecular evolution of Grammia challenges the view that interspecific gene exchange occurs rarely and is restricted to recently diverged species. These results show the value of mtDNA in detecting cryptic hybridization, while highlighting the inherent dangers of drawing taxonomic conclusions based solely on mtDNA.
Phylogenetic relationships of leptophlebiid mayflies as inferred by histone H3 and 28S ribosomal DNA
Authors: O’DONNELL BRIGID C. , JOCKUSCH ELIZABETH L.
Published: October 2008

Abstract Leptophlebiidae is among the largest and most diverse groups of extant mayflies (Ephemeroptera), but little is known of family‐level phylogenetic relationships. Using two nuclear genes (the D2 + D3 region of 28S ribosomal DNA and histone H3) and maximum parsimony (MP), maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian inference (BI), we inferred the evolutionary relationships of 69 leptophlebiids sampled from six continents and representing 30 genera plus 11 taxa of uncertain taxonomic rank from Madagascar and Papua New Guinea. Although we did not recover monophyly of the Leptophlebiidae, monophyly of two of the three leptophlebiid subfamilies, Habrophlebiinae and Leptophlebiinae, was recovered with moderate to strong support in most analyses. The Atalophlebiinae was rendered paraphyletic as a result of the inclusion of members of Ephemerellidae or the Leptophlebiinae clade. For the species‐rich Atalophlebiinae, four groups of taxa were recovered with moderate to strong branch support: (i) an endemic Malagasy clade, (ii) a Paleoaustral group, a pan‐continental cluster with members drawn from across the southern hemisphere, (iii) a group, uniting fauna from North America, southeast Asia and Madagascar, which we call the Choroterpes group and (iv) a group uniting three New World genera, Thraulodes, Farrodes and Traverella. Knowledge of the phylogenetic relationships of the leptophlebiids will aid in future studies of morphological evolution and biogeographical patterns in this highly diverse and speciose family of mayflies.
Phylogenetics and temporal diversification of the earliest true flies (Insecta: Diptera) based on multiple nuclear genes
Authors: BERTONE MATTHEW A. , COURTNEY GREGORY W. , WIEGMANN BRIAN M.
Published: October 2008

Abstract Relationships among families of the lower Diptera (formerly suborder ‘Nematocera’) have been exceptionally difficult to resolve. Multiple hypotheses based on morphology have been proposed to identify the earliest lineages of flies and place the phylogenetic origin of the higher flies (Brachycera), but convincing support is limited. Here we resolve relationships among the major groups of lower Diptera using sequence data from four nuclear markers, including both ribosomal (28S rDNA) and protein‐coding (CAD, TPI and PGD) genes. Our results support both novel and traditional arrangements. Most unexpectedly, the small, highly‐specialized family Deuterophlebiidae appears to be sister to all remaining Diptera. Other results include the resolution of the traditional infra‐orders Culicomorpha (including a novel superfamily Simulioidea = Thaumaleidae + Simuliidae), Tipulomorpha (Tipulidae sensu lato + Trichoceridae) and Bibionomorpha sensu lato. We find support for a limited Psychodomorpha (Blephariceridae, Tanyderidae and Psychodidae) and Ptychopteromorpha (Ptychopteridae), whereas the placement of several enigmatic families (Nymphomyiidae, Axymyiidae and Perissommatidae) remains ambiguous. According to genetic data, the infra‐order Bibionomorpha is sister to the Brachycera. Much of the phylogenetic signal for major lineages was found in the 28S rDNA gene, whereas protein‐coding genes performed variably at different levels. In addition to elucidating relationships, we also estimate the age of major lower dipteran clades, based on molecular divergence time estimates using relaxed‐clock Bayesian methods and fossil calibration points.
Mandibulate chironomids: primitive or derived? (Diptera: Chironomidae)
Authors: AZAR DANY , VELTZ ISABELLE , NEL ANDRE
Published: October 2008

Abstract Mandibulate functional mouthparts are reported in males and females of the two Early Cretaceous Chironomidae (Diptera): Wadelius libanicusVeltz et al., 2007 (in Tanypodinae) and Libanochlites Brundin, 1976 (transferred from the Podonominae to the Tanypodinae). Females of Haematotanypus libanicusgen.n. et sp.n. (subfamily Tanypodinae) have mandibulate mouthparts. Although currently considered as plesiomorphic structures, the presence of such mandibulate mouthparts in these Tanypodinae and in the recent Podonominae genera Archaeochlus and Austrochlus could correspond to reversals, based on a parsimony argument after the current chironomid phylogeny. On the contrary, similar mandibulate mouthparts probably are plesiomorphic in the Early Cretaceous Cretaenne kobeyssiigen.n. et sp.n. and Cretaenne inexpectatasp.n. (Aenneinae or stem group of recent Chironomidae).
A molecular phylogeny of the tribe Aphidini (Insecta: Hemiptera: Aphididae) based on the mitochondrial tRNA/COII, 12S/16S and the nuclear EF1α genes
Authors: KIM HYOJOONG , LEE SEUNGHWAN
Published: October 2008

Abstract A phylogeny of the tribe Aphidini (Hemiptera: Aphididae) was reconstructed from three gene fragments: two mitochondrial regions, partial tRNA‐leucine + cytochrome oxidase II (tRNA/COII), partial 12S rRNA + tRNA‐valine + 16S rRNA (12S/16S) and one nuclear gene, the elongation factor‐1 alpha (EF1α). Bayesian phylogenetic (BP) analyses were performed on each individual dataset of tRNA/COII, 12S/16S and EF1α, and maximum parsimony (MP), Bremer support test, maximum likelihood (ML) and BP analysis were performed on the combined dataset. After comparing our molecular phylogenetic results with the classic classification based on morphological and ecological data, we analysed three main issues: the monophyletic relationships among tribes and subtribes, the validities of the latest taxonomic positions of genera and species and the status of certain Aphis species groups. Our results indicate that 36 of the species analysed, with the exception of Cryptosiphum artemisiae, are clustered within the clade of Aphidini. Also, the 28 species representative of the subtribe Aphidina were separated from the eight species representative of Rhopalosiphina; each monophyletic subtribe was supported by significant P‐values in the combined analysis. According to our results, Cryptosiphum should be moved to Macrosiphini because it is more closely related to the genera Lipaphis and Brevicoryne. The genus Toxoptera was recovered as non‐monophyletic. In Rhopalosiphina, three genera, Hyalopterus, Rhopalosiphum and Schizaphis, were relatively closer to each other than to the genus Melanaphis. In the relationships between species‐groups among Aphis, most species were separated into two main lineages; the fabae group seemed to be more closely related to the spiraecola and craccivora group rather than to the gossypii group.
The oxidative stress caused by salinity in two barley cultivars is mitigated by elevated CO2
Authors: Pérez‐López Usue , Robredo Anabel , Lacuesta Maite , Sgherri Cristina , Muñoz‐Rueda Alberto , Navari‐Izzo Flavia , Mena‐Petite Amaia
Published: October 2008

Changes in antioxidant metabolism because of the effect of salinity stress (0, 80, 160 or 240 mM NaCl) on protective enzyme activities under ambient (350 μmol mol−1) and elevated (700 μmol mol−1) CO2 concentrations were investigated in two barley cultivars (Hordeum vulgare L., cvs Alpha and Iranis). Electrolyte leakage, peroxidation, antioxidant enzyme activities [superoxide dismutase (SOD), EC 1.15.1.1; ascorbate peroxidase (APX), EC 1.11.1.11; catalase (CAT), EC 1.11.1.6; dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR), EC 1.8.5.1; monodehydroascorbate reductase (MDHAR), EC 1.6.5.4; glutathione reductase (GR), EC 1.6.4.2] and their isoenzymatic profiles were determined. Under salinity and ambient CO2, upregulation of antioxidant enzymes such as SOD, APX, CAT, DHAR and GR occurred. However, this upregulation was not enough to counteract all ROS formation as both ion leakage and lipid peroxidation came into play. The higher constitutive SOD and CAT activities together with a higher contribution of Cu,Zn‐SOD 1 detected in Iranis might possibly contribute and make this cultivar more salt‐tolerant than Alpha. Elevated CO2 alone had no effect on the constitutive levels of antioxidant enzymes in Iranis, whereas in Alpha it induced an increase in SOD, CAT and MDHAR together with a decrease of DHAR and GR. Under combined conditions of elevated CO2 and salinity the oxidative damage recorded was lower, above all in Alpha, together with a lower upregulation of the antioxidant system. So it can be concluded that elevated CO2 mitigates the oxidative stress caused by salinity, involving lower ROS generation and a better maintenance of redox homeostasis as a consequence of higher assimilation rates and lower photorespiration, being the response dependent on the cultivar analysed.
Increased rates of white matter hyperintensities in late‐onset bipolar disorder
Authors: Tamashiro Jaqueline Hatsuko , Zung Stevin , Zanetti Marcus Vinicius , De Castro Cláudio Campi , Vallada Homero , Busatto Geraldo F , De Toledo Ferraz Alves Tânia Correa
Published: October 2008

Objectives:  Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies have reported an increased frequency of white matter hyperintensities (WMH) in association with late‐onset (LO) depression, and this has supported the notion that vascular‐related mechanisms may be implicated in the pathophysiology of LO mood disorders. Recent clinical studies have also suggested a link between LO bipolar disorder (LO‐BD) and cerebrovascular risk factors, but this has been little investigated with neuroimaging techniques. In order to ascertain whether there could be a specific association between WMH and LO‐BD, we directly compared WMH rates between LO‐BD subjects (illness onset ≥ 60 years), early‐onset BD subjects (EO‐BD, illness onset <60 years), and elderly healthy volunteers.

Methods:  T2‐weighted MRI data were acquired in LO‐BD subjects (n = 10, age = 73.60 ± 4.09), EO‐BD patients (n = 49, age = 67.78 ± 4.44), and healthy subjects (n = 24, age = 69.00 ± 7.22). WMH rates were assessed using the Scheltens scale.

Results:  There was a greater prevalence of WMH in LO‐BD patients relative to the two other groups in the deep parietal region (p = 0.018) and basal ganglia (p < 0.045). When between‐group comparisons of mean WMH scores were conducted taking account of age differences (ANCOVA), there were more severe scores in LO‐BD patients relative to the two other groups in deep frontal and parietal regions, as well as in the putamen (p < 0.05).

Conclusions:  Our results provide empirical support to the proposed link between vascular risk factors and LO‐BD. If extended in future studies with larger samples, these findings may help to clarify the pathophysiological distinctions between bipolar disorder emerging at early and late stages of life.
Preventing recurrence of bipolar I mood episodes and hospitalizations: family psychotherapy plus pharmacotherapy versus pharmacotherapy alone
Authors: Solomon David A , Keitner Gabor I , Ryan Christine E , Kelley Joan , Miller Ivan W
Published: October 2008

Objectives:  This study compared the efficacy of three treatment conditions in preventing recurrence of bipolar I mood episodes and hospitalization for such episodes: individual family therapy plus pharmacotherapy, multifamily group therapy plus pharmacotherapy, and pharmacotherapy alone.

Methods:  Patients with bipolar I disorder were enrolled if they met criteria for an active mood episode and were living with or in regular contact with relatives or significant others. Subjects were randomly assigned to individual family therapy plus pharmacotherapy, multifamily group therapy plus pharmacotherapy, or pharmacotherapy alone, which were provided on an outpatient basis. Individual family therapy involved one therapist meeting with a single patient and the patient’s family members, with the content of each session and number of sessions determined by the therapist and family. Multifamily group psychotherapy involved two therapists meeting together for six sessions with multiple patients and their respective family members, with the content of each session preset. All subjects were prescribed a mood stabilizer, and other medications were used as needed. Subjects were assessed monthly for up to 28 months. Following recovery from the index mood episode, subjects were assessed for recurrence of a mood episode and for hospitalization for such episodes.

Results:  Of a total of 92 subjects that were enrolled in the study, 53 (58%) recovered from their intake mood episode. The analyses in this report focus upon these 53 subjects, 42 (79%) of whom entered the study during an episode of mania. Of the 53 subjects who recovered from their intake mood episode, the proportion of subjects within each treatment group who suffered a recurrence by month 28 did not differ significantly between the three treatment conditions. However, only 5% of the subjects receiving adjunctive multifamily group therapy required hospitalization, compared to 31% of the subjects receiving adjunctive individual family therapy and 38% of those receiving pharmacotherapy alone, a significant difference. Time to recurrence and time to hospitalization did not differ significantly between the three treatment groups.

Conclusion:  For patients with bipolar I disorder, adjunctive multifamily group therapy may confer significant advantages in preventing hospitalization for a mood episode.
Equally increased risk for metabolic syndrome in patients with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia treated with second‐generation antipsychotics
Authors: Correll Christoph U , Frederickson Anne M , Kane John M , Manu Peter
Published: October 2008

Objective:  Although second‐generation antipsychotics (SGAs) are widely used in treating schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, their effects on dyslipidemia, glucose intolerance, metabolic syndrome (MetS), and coronary heart disease (CHD) risk are less well documented for bipolar disorder. We compared bipolar disorder and schizophrenia patients receiving SGAs to determine whether MetS prevalence is influenced by the primary psychiatric diagnosis or concomitant mood stabilizer treatment.

Methods:  Admission assessment of MetS criteria (abdominal obesity, fasting hypertriglyceridemia, low high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, hyperglycemia, arterial hypertension) and the calculated 10‐year CHD risk in bipolar disorder and schizophrenia patients treated with SGAs and closely matched for age, sex, and race.

Results:  Compared to schizophrenia patients (n = 111), those with bipolar disorder (n = 74) had lower body mass index (27.1 ± 5.3 versus 29.9 ± 8.1, p = 0.0053), were more likely treated with mood stabilizers (60.8 versus 36.0, p = 0.0009), and less likely treated with clozapine (1.3% versus 15.3%, p = 0.0017) or two antipsychotics (10.8% versus 34.2%, p = 0.0003). Despite these differences, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia patients had comparable rates of MetS (43.2% versus 45.9%, p = 0.71) and predicted CHD events (10‐year risk >10%: 18.9% versus 23.4%, p = 0.47). Using ≥100 mg/dL as the adapted glucose criterion, MetS rates were 54.0% in both diagnostic groups (p = 1.0). Mood stabilizer co‐treatment was not associated with MetS or its individual criteria.

Conclusions:  Patients with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia who are treated with SGAs have similarly high rates of MetS. These findings suggest a shared susceptibility to antipsychotic‐related metabolic dysregulations that is not primarily related to psychiatric diagnosis or concomitant mood stabilizer treatment.