bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Temephos‐resistant larvae of Simulium sanctipauli associated with a distinctive new chromosome inversion in untreated rivers of south‐western Ghana
Authors: Osei‐Atweneboana M. Y. , Wilson M. D. , Post R. J. , Boakye D. A. 
Published: March 2003

SummaryLarvae of the Simulium damnosum Theobald complex (Diptera: Simuliidae) were sampled in June 1996 from two sites in south‐west Ghana where larviciding has not been applied: Sutri Rapids on the Tano river (05°23′ N 02°38′ W) and Sekyere‐Heman on the Pra river (05°11′ N 01°35′ W). All specimens were identified as Simulium sanctipauli Vajime & Dunbar sensu stricto (Diptera: Simuliidae). Bioassays with temephos (organophosphorus larvicide employed by the Onchocerciasis Programme for systematic treatment of most rivers across West Africa since the 1970s) showed about five‐fold resistance in the Tano population (LC95 2.37–3.14 mg/L) and slight tolerance to temephos in the Pra population (LC95 0.67–0.76 mg/L), vs. the diagnostic concentration of 0.625 mg/L. Larval salivary polytene chromosomes of S. sanctipauli showed fixed inversions 1S‐24/24, standard IIL‐6 and a new inversion IL/36 polymorphism at Sutri on the Tano. These karyotype characteristics differ from those of temephos‐resistant S. sanctipauli in rivers of Côte d'Ivoire and other sites on the Tano in Ghana. Thus, temephos resistance in S. sanctipauli at Sutri is associated with distinct chromosomal configurations, showing that immigration was unlikely. This resistance could have been locally selected by exposure of S. sanctipauli larval populations to agrochemicals run‐off from cocoa, coffee and oil plantations flanking the rivers.
Characterization of the screwworm flies Cochliomyia hominivorax and Cochliomyia macellaria by PCR‐RFLP of mitochondrial DNA
Authors: Litjens P. , Lessinger A. C. , De Azeredo–espin A. M. Lima 
Published: March 2003

SummaryThe primary screwworm fly Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) is one of the most important insect pests of livestock in neotropical regions, whereas Cochliomyia macellaria (Fabricius) (Diptera: Calliphoridae), the secondary screwworm, is of medical and sanitary importance because of its role in the dissemination of pathogens. These two species share morphological similarities and both may occur in the same myiasis, but in different developmental stages. In this work, the usefulness of PCR‐RFLP (polymerase chain reaction – restriction fragment length polymorphism) of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) for the unambiguous identification of C. hominivorax and C. macellaria was investigated. Two specific regions of mtDNA were amplified: 870 bp from Cytochrome oxidase subunit I and 2100 bp from the A + T rich/12S region from C. hominivorax and C. macellaria specimens from different areas of Brazil. Reliable species‐specific PCR‐RFLP results were obtained for the CO I region and the A + T rich/12S region using the restriction enzymes Dra I and Ssp I. These results confirm the conservation of CO I diagnostic restriction sites previously reported and demonstrate the usefulness of the control region sequences as an efficient marker for PCR‐RFLP identification of Brazilian screwworm flies. The occurrences of intraspecific polymorphic patterns are discussed based on frequencies and potential conflicts for species identification. PCR‐RFLP provides a potentially useful method for identifying samples from the areas where these species are monitored.
Psychiatric training for family doctors: what do GP registrars want and can a brief course provide this?
Authors: Ratcliffe  , Gask  , Creed  , Lewis  
Published: March 2003

ContextAbout 40% of British General Practitioners (GPs) train formally in a psychiatric post as part of their general practice training, but such training may not fully meet the needs of future GPs. A specific course in psychiatry for family doctors has run in Manchester for more than a decade.MethodSemi‐structured interviews conducted with GP registrars before attending the Manchester course in psychiatry with questionnaire follow‐up afterwards to ascertain (a) the training ‘wants’ of GP registrars and (b) whether the course was providing them.ResultsGP registrars most frequently wanted training in communication skills, how to access the resources that are available to GPs, the detection of psychiatric illness, drug treatment and the management of aggression. The course was successful in satisfying the first three but failed in the last two. There was trend for those who attended Manchester Medical School, which scored significantly higher on number of topics covered at undergraduate level, to perceive a greater need for training than those who attended other medical schools. However, there was no evidence to link self‐perception of greater need with having already worked in general practice during postgraduate training.ConclusionsMore attention needs to be paid to how to address the specific mental health skills training requirements of GP registrars both within the attachment in psychiatry and during the practice year. Preliminary research is required to devise teaching packages before they are entirely satisfactory for GP education.
Portfolios in continuing medical education – effective and efficient?
Authors: Mathers N J , Challis M C , Howe A C , Field N J 
Published: March 2003

IntroductionA cross over comparison between ‘traditional’ continuing medical education (CME) activities and portfolio‐based learning in general practice is described.MethodThirty‐two volunteer general practitioners (GPs) were divided into two cohorts; each cohort spent six months following a ‘traditional’ route to postgraduate educational accreditation (PGEA) and six months following a portfolio‐based learning route supported by three CME tutors.Outcome MeasuresThese were the submission of a completed portfolio with evidence of the completion of learning cycles and participants reflections on the educational process. Qualitative and quantitative evaluation data were collected by questionnaire, semi‐structured interview, participant observation and review of completed portfolios.ResultsThe themes identified by GPs as hopes for the portfolios were largely fulfilled and the anxieties generally confounded. The flexibility of the portfolio learning process was particularly important to the participants. The breadth of topics covered by the portfolios was extremely wide and comparison with the submissions for ‘traditional’ PGEA showed a much smaller spread of learning activities and fewer subjects of study.EffectivenessThe use of the portfolios of critical incidents and the completion of learning cycles with application to practice provided evidence of the effectiveness of such learning.EfficiencyThe mean number of hours spent by GPs preparing the portfolios was 24.5 ± 12 (SD) which was significantly more than the 15 hours of PGEA awarded.ConclusionsThis study demonstrates that a portfolio‐based learning scheme can meet the needs of GPs relevant to their professional practice; it can give learners control over how, what and when they learn and encourage active and peer‐supported learning; it can build personal and professional confidence and be thought both valid and reliable by participants. Learning outcomes can also be reliably assessed by PGEA within the context of an individually created learning plan.
Educational portfolios in the assessment of general practice trainers: reliability of assessors
Authors: Pitts John , Coles Colin , Thomas Peter 
Published: March 2003

ObjectivesThis paper reports a project that assessed a series of portfolios assembled by a cohort of participants attending a course for prospective general practice trainers.DesignThe reliability of judgements about individual ‘components’, together with an overall global judgement about performance were studied.SettingNHSE South & West, King Alfred’s College, Winchester and Institute of Community Studies, Bournemouth University.SubjectsEight experienced general practice trainers recruited from around Wessex, which incorporates Hampshire, Dorset, Wiltshire and the Isle of Wight.ResultsThe reliability of individual assessor’s judgements (i.e. their consistency) was moderate, but inter‐rater reliability did not reach a level which could support making a safe summative judgement. The levels of reliability reached were similar to other subjective assessments and perhaps reflected individuality of personal agendas of both the assessed and the assessors, and variations in portfolio structure and content.ConclusionsSuggestions for approaches in future are made.
Mitochondrial DNA variation in bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) from northwestern North America: implications for zoogeography and conservation
Authors: Taylor Eric B. , Pollard Susan , Louie Derek 
Published: March 2003

AbstractBull trout, Salvelinus confluentus (Salmonidae), are distributed in northwestern North America from Nevada to Yukon Territory, largely in interior drainages. The species is of conservation concern owing to declines in abundance, particularly in southern portions of its range. To investigate phylogenetic structure within bull trout that might form the basis for the delineation of major conservation units, we conducted a mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) survey in bull trout from throughout its range. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of four segments of the mtDNA genome with 11 restriction enzymes resolved 21 composite haplotypes that differed by an average of 0.5% in sequence. One group of haplotypes predominated in ‘coastal’ areas (west of the coastal mountain ranges) while another predominated in ‘interior’ regions (east of the coastal mountains). The two putative lineages differed by 0.8% in sequence and were also resolved by sequencing a portion of the ND1 gene in a representative of each RFLP haplotype. Significant variation existed within individual sample sites (12% of total variation) and among sites within major geographical regions (33%), but most variation (55%) was associated with differences between coastal and interior regions. We concluded that: (i) bull trout are subdivided into coastal and interior lineages; (ii) this subdivision reflects recent historical isolation in two refugia south of the Cordilleran ice sheet during the Pleistocene: the Chehalis and Columbia refugia; and (iii) most of the molecular variation resides at the interpopulation and inter‐region levels. Conservation efforts, therefore, should focus on maintaining as many populations as possible across as many geographical regions as possible within both coastal and interior lineages.
Molecular anatomy of an onychophoran: compartmentalized sperm storage and heterogeneous paternity
Authors: Curach N. , Sunnucks P. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractOnychophorans (peripatus or velvet worms) show extraordinarily high local endemism, and cryptic species are common. As part of a programme addressing issues of endemicity at hierarchical spatial scales, we investigated reproduction in Euperipatoides rowelli (Onychophora: Peripatopsidae) using microsatellite analysis. This species is ovoviviparous, and females have up to 70 embryos in their uteri simultaneously. Batches of undeveloped and well‐developed embryos may be present in the uteri of a female. Paired ovaries lead via a common oviduct into paired uteri, each of which has a spermatheca (sperm storage organ). Insemination in E. rowelli is dermal‐haemocoelic: spermatophores are placed on the skin of the female, the body wall is breeched, and sperm are released into the haemocoel through which they migrate to the spermathecae. There is no obvious mechanism to prevent sperm mixing, yet microsatellite analysis indicated that offspring in a female’s paired reproductive tracts can be sired by different males, and that the paired spermathecae can contain sperm from different males. More than 70% of females had broods with multiple paternity. The data are consistent with the potential for female postcopulatory influence over fertilizations: in particular, compartmentalization of sperm from different males into different spermathecae. Female control of fertilizations could lead to benefits including increased diversity of offspring, minimization of maternal–paternal genetic incompatibility, and influence on offspring genotypes. Multiple mating alone may increase the genetic diversity of offspring: this could be of importance in E. rowelli, which has very small genetic neighbourhoods and low genetic marker diversity.
Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers reveal extra‐pair parentage in a bird species: the bluethroat (Luscinia svecica)
Authors: Questiau S , Eybert M.‐C , Taberlet P 
Published: March 2003

AbstractWe tested the use of amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) to assess the frequency of extra‐pair parentage in a bluethroat (Luscinia svecica namnetum) population. Thirty‐six families totalling 162 nestlings were analysed. Using a combination of three primer pairs, we reached an exclusion probability of 93% for the population. This probability can reach 99% considering families independently. We revealed that extra‐pair fertilizations are very common: 63.8% of all broods contain at least one extra‐pair young, totalling 41.9% of all young analysed. However, with the technique and the three primer pairs used it was not possible to attribute the parentage exclusions to extra‐pair paternity, maternity or both. As brood parasitism has never been reported in this species, it seems likely that the exclusions are due to extra‐pair males. This study shows that dominant AFLP markers can be useful for studying the mating system of taxa for which no microsatellite primers are available. This technique allows the approximate estimation of parentage exclusions despite the fact that it is not possible to know which parent has to be excluded.
Development of sequence amplified characterized region (SCAR) markers of Helicoverpa armigera: a new polymerase chain reaction‐based technique for predator gut analysis
Authors: Agustí N. , De Vicente M. C. , Gabarra R. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractA method is described for the development of DNA markers for detection of Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in predator gut analysis, based on sequence characterized amplified regions (SCARs) derived from a randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) band. A 1200‐bp DNA fragment of H. armigera, absent in the predator band pattern and in other closely related prey species, was identified by RAPD analysis. This fragment was cloned and its extremes sequenced to design extended strand‐specific 20‐mer oligonucleotide primers. Three pairs of SCAR primers, which amplified three different DNA fragments, were used to study the effect of fragment length on detection of prey in the predator gut. Using the pair of primers that amplified the longest fragment of H. armigera DNA, a single band of 1100 bp was obtained, but its detection was not possible in the predator gut. Detection of the ingested prey was possible with the other two pairs of SCAR primers, obtaining bands of 600 and 254 bp, respectively. Detection of H. armigera DNA in the gut of the predator Dicyphus tamaninii was evaluated immediately after ingestion (t = 0) and after 4 h. Detection of H. armigera DNA after 4 h was only possible using the pair of primers that amplified the shortest fragment (254 bp). The test for specificity, using these last pair of primers, showed that H. armigera was the only species detected. The detection threshold was defined at a 1:8192 dilution of a H. armigera whole egg in all samples.
Identification of random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers highly linked to sex determination in the red alga Gracilaria gracilis
Authors: Martinez E. A. , Destombe C. , Quillet M. C. , Valero M. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractThe random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique was employed in the haplo‐diploid dioecious species Gracilaria gracilis to identify sex‐linked PCR markers. Sixty‐nine decamer oligonucleotide primers were tested on two bulks of DNA, one from five haploid males and the other from five haploid females. One of these primers (OPD13) generated a 430‐bp fragment specific to males and a 620‐bp fragment specific to females. The diploid individuals (tetrasporophytes) showed the co‐occurrence of these two fragments. In order to verify the linkage between the sexual phenotypes and these markers, a progeny array of 59 haploid individuals (male and female) born on a diploid individual was analysed, in all of which the two markers produced by the OPD13 primer segregated perfectly with sex.
Comparisons of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences (16S rRNA gene) between oviparous and viviparous strains of Lacerta vivipara: a preliminary study
Authors: Heulin B. , Surget‐groba Y. , Guiller A. , Guillaume C. P. , Deunff J. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractThe lizard Lacerta vivipara has allopatric oviparous and viviparous populations. The mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) gene coding for the 16S rRNA was sequenced for several viviparous lizard populations from France, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, The Netherlands, Sweden, and for oviparous lizard populations from the Pyrenean and Cantabric Mountains. Seven distinct groups (three oviparous and four viviparous) were identified. The net nucleotide divergence between oviparous and viviparous haplotypes was 1.3% ± 0.5 (mean ± standard deviation). These results on mtDNA, together with other data obtained previously, led us to formulate a biogeographical scenario that could be tested by further research.
Species distinction and evolutionary relationships of the Italian hare (Lepus corsicanus) as described by mitochondrial DNA sequencing
Authors: Pierpaoli M. , Riga F. , Trocchi V. , Randi E. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractThe taxonomic status of the Italian hare Lepus corsicanus has been uncertain since its first description by W. E. de Winton in 1898 (de Winton WE. Annual Magazine of Natural History, London, 1898, 1, 149–158). The distribution range of this species has shrunk severely over the last few decades owing to overhunting and restocking with nonindigenous brown hares (L. europaeus) in central and southern Italy and Sicily. Recently, scanty populations of Italian hares were rediscovered, and samples for morphological and molecular analyses were collected. Nucleotide sequences of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region and cytochrome b indicate that L. corsicanus is a phylogenetically distinct species, which can be identified by concordant morphological and mtDNA traits. It seems to be reproductively isolated and apparently does not hybridize with sympatric brown hares. Phylogenetic analyses suggest that Italian and brown hares are not closely related sister taxa, but belong to distinct evolutionary lineages that dispersed in western Europe in different periods during the early Pleistocene. The Italian hare probably differentiated in isolated refuges in southern Italy during the last glaciation. Comparative analyses of mismatch distributions suggest that hares have had different demographic histories during the Pleistocene, which resulted in phylogeographical structuring in Italian hares, but not in brown and mountain (L. timidus) hares. The Italian hare is an endangered endemism and needs urgent conservation efforts.
Acetone preservation: a practical technique for molecular analysis
Authors: Fukatsu Takema 
Published: March 2003

AbstractIn attempts to establish a convenient and reliable method for field collection and archival preservation of insects and their endosymbiotic microorganisms for molecular analysis, acetone, ethanol, and other organic solvents were tested for DNA preservability of the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum and its intracellular symbiotic bacterium Buchnera sp. After 6 months’ storage, not only the band of high‐molecular‐size DNA but also the bands of rRNA were well preserved in acetone, ethanol, 2‐propanol, diethyl ether and ethyl acetate. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays confirmed that the DNA of both the insects and their symbionts was well preserved in these solvents. In contrast, methanol and chloroform showed poor DNA preservability. When water‐containing series of acetone and ethanol were examined for DNA preservability, acetone was apparently more robust against water contamination than ethanol. Considering that most biological materials contain high amounts of water, acetone may be a more recommendable preservative for DNA analysis than ethanol which has been widely used for this purpose. The DNA of various insects could be preserved in acetone at room temperature in good condition for several years. In addition to the DNA of the host insects, the DNA of their endosymbionts, including Buchnera and other mycetocyte symbionts, Wolbachia, and gut bacteria, was amplified by PCR after several years of acetone storage. The RNA and protein of the pea aphid and its endosymbiont were also preserved for several years in acetone. After 2 years’ storage in acetone, proteins of A. pisum could be analysed by sodium dodecyl sulphate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS–PAGE) and immunoblotting, and the endosymbiotic bacteria were successfully detected by immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization on the tissue sections.
A microsatellite survey of cattle from a centre of origin: the Near East
Authors: Loftus R. T. , Ertugrul O. , Harba A. H. , El‐Barody M. A. A. , MacHugh D. E. , Park S. D. E. , Bradley D. G. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractEight humpless cattle breeds from the Near East, three from Europe, one from West Africa and two zebu breeds from India were screened with 20 microsatellite loci. Breeds from the Near East revealed considerable levels of introgression from zebu cattle, which was apparent most in populations from the East and which declined in populations further West. This nonrandom pattern is suggestive of the introduction of zebu cattle from the East. Notwithstanding the overlay of zebu alleles, it was possible to demonstrate that Near Eastern cattle exhibited significantly higher levels of allelic diversity than breeds from other regions, which is consistent with the view that this region represents a primary domestication centre for Bos taurus cattle. The hypothesis that B. taurus and B. indicus cattle have separate domestic origins is also supported by the survey, a large genetic divergence being apparent between the nonhybrid taurine and zebu groups.