bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Conservation status and causes of decline of the threatened New Zealand Long‐tailed Bat Chalinolobus tuberculatus (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae)
Authors: O’Donnell Colin F. J. 
Published: March 2003

ABSTRACTHistorical anecdotes and preliminary monitoring since 1990 indicate that New Zealand Long‐tailed Bats (Chalinolobus tuberculatus, Vespertilionidae) are now rare or absent at many sites where formerly they were common. Chalinolobus tuberculatus appeared to be common throughout New Zealand in the 1800s but by 1900–30 it was becoming scarce in many districts. Formal surveys in the South Island since 1990 either failed to find C. tuberculatus, or recorded bats in low numbers. Of eight sites where transect counts were undertaken, bats were recorded frequently at two sites (45–66% of counts; Eglinton and Dart Valleys), rarely at four sites (2.4–10.7% of counts), and were not recorded at the remaining two sites despite considerable survey effort. Of 10 sites where stationary counts using automatic detector units were used, no C. tuberculatus were recorded in three areas (153 nights combined), they were found rarely at six sites (2.1–21.0% of nights; 461 nights combined) and were recorded commonly only in the Eglinton Valley (85% of 120 nights). Assertions that C. tuberculatus are ‘common’ and that the conservation status is ‘secure’ are questionable and this review supports suggestions that the species should be classed as ‘Vulnerable’. Possible causes of decline have been suggested including clearance and logging of lowland forests, predation by introduced mammals and owls, competition for roost sites by introduced mammals, birds and wasps, and human interference and disturbance at roosting sites. However, authors’ claims have all been speculative and unsubstantiated. There has been no research undertaken to quantify these claims, and this is required urgently. The results of these preliminary surveys provide a new baseline against which future population trends might be compared. Increased effort using standardized monitoring techniques, applied at a national level, is required to confirm the possible trends and to help identify the best sites where conservation managers may attempt to restore the population level.
A review of the historical evidence of the habitat of the Pine Marten in Cumbria
Authors: Webster J. A. 
Published: March 2003

ABSTRACTPlace names and evidence from the literature show the Pine Marten (Martes martes) to have been well distributed in Cumbria until late in the nineteenth century, with a core area in the central fells. The habitat available to these martens is assessed and the species' status and the reasons for its decline reviewed. Despite the modern emphasis on the absolute importance of woodland to the Pine Marten, it is argued that historical Cumbrian populations survived successfully for many generations in highly fragmented habitats.
Serum and skin surface antibodies and their associations with sheep biting lice, Bovicola ovis, on experimentally infested sheep
Authors: JAMES  , MOON  , RAGSDALE  
Published: March 2003

The sheep biting louse (Bovicola ovis) feeds superficially on the skin of sheep but appears to stimulate an immune response. In this study we examined the association between louse infestation and serum and skin surface antibodies. Louse numbers were monitored on experimentally infested Polypay and Columbia ewes for two years and on their lambs in the second year. Serum and skin wash samples were tested for antibodies to soluble extracts of B. ovis, Stomoxys calcitrans and Musca autumnalis by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In addition, the effects of skin wash extracts on B. ovis were examined in vitro.The titre of anti‐B. ovis antibodies in the serum did not differ significantly between infested and naive ewes. However, there was an increase in serum antibody titre which coincided with periods of high louse density in ewes with high louse counts. Infested lambs had higher serum antibody levels than naive lambs. Substantial cross reactivity was evident among extracts of the different insects.Densities of lice on the ewes during population decline were negatively related to the titre of skin surface antibodies. Skin washings collected from sheep during B. ovis population decline reduced the number of louse progeny when incorporated into louse diet. These results indicate that B. ovis stimulates an immune response in sheep and suggest that compounds on the skin surface may play a role in the regulation of louse populations.
Colonization and bionomics of the sandfly Phlebotomus kazeruni from Sinai, Egypt
Authors: Hanafi H. A. , Jr W. W. Kanour , Beavers G. M. , Tetreault G. E. 
Published: March 2003

Summary Phlebotomus kazeruni (Diptera: Psychodidae) females were collected by light‐trap in southern Sinai, Egypt, and this sandfly species was colonized for the first time as a laboratory strain, maintained by the procedures of
Modi & Tesh (1983). Laboratory‐reared females did not lay eggs autogenously; they blood‐fed more readily (P = 0.02) on a hamster (37%) than a human (22%) during 1 h exposure. Fecundity of hamster‐fed females was significantly greater than for those fed on human blood: 69.4 ± 5.8 vs. 45.2 ± 8.1 eggs/female from the first gonotrophic cycle. Pre‐oviposition and egg incubation periods were significantly less for females fed on hamster compared with human blood, but the larval development and pupation periods were not affected by this difference in bloodmeal source. Egg to adult survival was equivalent (38%) for progeny of females blood‐fed on hamster or human. The mean generation time of progeny from females fed on hamster (51.9 ± 1.0 days) or human (53.3 ± 1.7 days) was not significantly different. The sex ratio of adult male:female progeny was similar (P = 0.2) for both hosts: 42 : 58% from hamster, 46 : 54% from human blood‐fed female parents. Evidently P. kazeruni from Sinai is sufficiently anthropophagic to be a potential vector of Leishmania from rodents to humans.
Genetic differentiation of someGlossina morsitans morsitanspopulations
Authors: Wohlford D. L. , Krafsur E. S. , Griffiths N. T. , Marquez J. G. , Baker M. D. 
Published: March 2003

SummaryTo study the population structure ofGlossina morsitans morsitansWestwood (Diptera: Glossinidae), polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and single‐strand conformational polymorphism (SSCP) methods were used to estimate mitochondrial DNA diversity at four loci in six natural populations from Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique, and in two laboratory cultures. The Zambian and Zimbabwean samples were from a single fly belt. Four alleles were recorded at12S and 16S1, and five alleles at16S2andCOI. Nucleotide sequencing confirmed their singularities. Chi‐square contingency tests showed that allele frequencies differed significantly among populations. Mean allele diversities in populations averaged over loci varied from 0.14 to 0.61. Little loss in haplotype diversity was detected in the laboratory cultures thereby indicating little inbreeding. Wright’s fixation indexFSTin the natural populations was 0.088 ± 0.016, the correlation of haplotypes within populations relative to correlations in the total. A function of its inverse allows an estimate of the mean equivalent number of females exchanged per population per generation, 5.2. No correlation was detected between pairwise genetic distance measures and geographical distances. Drift explains the high degree of differentiation.
Verifying the curriculum of a family medicine clerkship
Authors: Snell Laura M , Battles James B , Bedford Joe A , Washington Evelyn T 
Published: March 2003

The learning experience during a medical school clinical rotation is largely shaped by students' patient encounters. This paper reports on how a log system for recording these encounters can be used for course planning and evaluation.Over the past 5 years, 960 third‐year students completed log forms based on their clinical encounters during a required 4‐week family medicine clerkship at UT Southwestern. These forms were then optically scanned and the information entered into a computerized database.Log form data revealed that the most common medical problems encountered by students in their ambulatory settings were similar to those reported in the general family practice literature. There was a great deal of consistency in the types of encounters from year to year. The data also showed some differences among clerkship sites in terms of patient demographics and the most frequently reported diagnoses.Information generated from student log forms has been used by the clerkship faculty to determine required readings, prioritize didactic topics and other teaching, adjust curriculum content, prepare support materials and develop examinations. Given the utility of the information obtained and the ease of use of optical mark encounter sheets, we recommend this system for other clerkships.
The development and evaluation of a personal learning log for Senior House Officers
Authors: Kelly Diane R , Murray  
Published: March 2003

ObjectTo develop and evaluate the effect of having a personal learning log on Senior House Officers knowledge and confidence.MethodsA multiple choice paper and a confidence checklist for two hospital specialties were developed to assess knowledge and confidence. These were administered to a control group and to an intervention group who had the learning log. Both groups completed an evaluation at the end of the post.SettingThe study took place in Accident & Emergency and Obstetric & Gynaecology posts in Greater Glasgow and Lanarkshire.Subjects79 Senior House Officers in Accident & Emergency and 78 Senior House Officers in Obstetrics & Gynaecology.ResultsThe mean scores in the MCQ and the mode in the confidence checklist increased significantly in both specialties during the post, but there was no significant difference between the control and intervention groups. Forty two learning logs were returned at the end of the study and analysis of these revealed that there was great scope for learning but few documented the specific learning achieved. Evaluation of the posts revealed that some improvements had taken place in teaching and assessment frequency, however, there was scope for further improvement.ConclusionWhile the problems of hospital training are well documented, an attempt to improve the situation using a learning log did not have a statistically significant impact on SHO knowledge or confidence. A six‐month hospital post appears to present many opportunities for learning but these are not exploited. It is suggested that three things are needed. Firstly, active participation by and personalized feedback from a senior member of staff, with training where needed. Secondly, protected time for tutorials with a planned system of formative assessment, and thirdly, a more positive approach to learning by both SHOs and consultants. Once this occurs, a learning log may have a more significant impact on training.
Counting apples with oranges: a limitation of the discrimination index
Authors: Hobsley  
Published: March 2003

ObjectivesThree consecutive diets of the Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board's multiple choice question examination in Medicine were analysed in two different ways, taking into account the responses of the candidates to the three separate specialities within medicine.DesignFirst, discrimination indices were obtained from calculations involving all 60 questions, each with five completions. Then, the 60 questions were analysed separately in the three constituent disciplines of Surgery (15 questions), Obstetrics and Gynaecology (12 questions) and Medicine (33 questions).SettingProfessional and Linguistic Assessment Board.ResultsBy the first analysis, performed by considering the whole paper to be a single entity, discrimination indices for medicine were greater than for the other two disciplines; one candidate obtained a random score, i.e. one that was no better than could have arisen, with 95% confidence, by chance as predicted by the hypergeometric distribution, and reliability coefficients were high (0·87). In the second analysis, the paper was considered as three separate components and discrimination indices calculated for each discipline separately. Discrimination indices were similar in all three disciplines, there were 26 random scores, and reliability coefficients were reduced – moderately in Medicine, considerably in the other two disciplines.ConclusionsThese findings emphasize the importance of defining the territory of the subject and ensuring that all the items are drawn from that territory, as well as of using a sufficiently large number of items.
Gender comparisons of medical students' psychosocial profiles
Authors: Hojat Mohammadreza , Glaser Karen , Xu Gang , Veloski J Jon , Christian Edward B 
Published: March 2003

ObjectivesThis study was designed to compare male and female medical students on selected personality attributes that could influence their academic attainment and personal success.DesignParticipants were 1157 medical students (743 men, 414 women) who completed a set of psychosocial questionnaires measuring intensity and chronicity of loneliness, general anxiety, test anxiety, neuroticism, depression, extraversion, self‐esteem, locus of control, perceptions of parents, general health and appraisals of stressful life events. Data were analysed by employing multivariate and univariate analysis of variance and chi‐square analysis.SettingJefferson Medical College.SubjectsMedical students.ResultsMen scored significantly higher on the intensity of loneliness, and women scored higher on general anxiety, test anxiety and neuroticism scales, but the magnitudes of the effect size estimates were not large. No significant gender difference was observed on measures of chronicity of loneliness, depression, extraversion, self‐esteem, external locus of control, perception of general health and perceptions of the mother and the father. Women who experienced stressful life events, such as death in the family or personal illness, appraised these events more negatively than did their male counterparts.ConclusionsImplications of the findings for medical education and practice are discussed.
Direct conjugal transfers of Ti plasmid to soil microflora
Authors: Teyssier‐Cuvelle S. , Mougel C. , Nesme X. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractThe bacterial species in soil that can receive a Ti plasmid by conjugation from Agrobacterium spp. were investigated. In order to have direct access to the potential reservoir of Ti plasmid amongst soil microflora, the conjugal system consisting of a multiply auxotrophic derivative of C58 (ST‐96‐4) and a derivative of pTiC58ΔaccR (pSTiEGK) containing a triple antibiotic‐resistance cassette in traM was used to transfer the Ti plasmid in a complex soil microflora used as the recipient. Numerous transconjugants were obtained by this method but none was identified as Agrobacterium. This could be explained by the low density of Agrobacterium in the tested soil. As indicated by analysis of the ribosomal gene rrs, transconjugants recovered directly from soil were found to be new bacterial species which appeared to be closely related to Sinorhizobium spp.
Random amplified polymorphic DNA variation among remnant big bluestem (Andropogon gerardiiVitman) populations from Arkansas’ Grand Prairie
Authors: Gustafson D. J. , Gibson D. J. , Nickrent D. L. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractRandom amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis was used to characterize genetic diversity and genetic distinctiveness ofAndropogon gerardiifrom remnant Arkansas prairies. Six oligonucleotide primers, which generated 37 RAPD bands, were used to analyse 30–32 plants from six Grand Prairie populations, Baker Prairie (Arkansas Ozarks), two Illinois prairies and two cultivars. Genetic diversity of the Arkansas remnants ranged from 82.7 to 99.3%, with 89% of the total genetic variation within and 11% among populations. The partitioning of genetic variation was consistent with that reported for other outcrossing perennial grasses, using the more conservative allozyme markers. Principal component analysis indicated a northern and southern association within Arkansas’ Grand Prairie. Although there was no genetic structuring at the landscape level, the Illinois prairies and cultivars were different from all Arkansas prairies tested. There was significant within‐population structuring in four of the seven Arkansas remnants, with a negative relationship between genetic similarity and geographical distance. The three nonstructured populations were from a linear railroad remnant, suggesting different population‐level dynamics from nonlinear prairies. The results of this study indicated that small isolated remnant big bluestem populations were not genetically depauperate and that genetic relationships among populations could not be predicted solely on geographical proximity.
Genetic structure of fragmented populations of red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) in the UK
Authors: Barratt E. M. , Gurnell J. , Malarky G. , Deaville R. , Bruford M. W. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractThe relationships among 207 squirrels from 12 locations in the UK and three in mainland Europe were examined using mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region sequence. Twenty‐six haplotypes were detected, many of which were population specific. Eighty per cent of the populations analysed contained two or more haplotypes. Hierarchical analysis of molecular variance showed the majority of genetic variation to be partitioned among populations. Genetic diversity varied considerably within the UK, and conformed to no obvious geographical trend. The populations in Argyll and Spadeadam Forest showed the highest levels of variation in the UK. However, the greatest genetic diversity was seen in Bavaria, southern Germany where six unique alleles were detected in a sample of 10 individuals. Phylogenetic analysis revealed no evolutionary divergence between UK and mainland European haplotypes. We conclude that, within the UK, the genetic patterns observed are most likely to be explained by the effects of genetic drift which has occurred since the isolation of populations during the past few hundred years, hence we cannot detect any underlying phylogeographic pattern. Therefore, the use of larger, geographically distinct populations within the UK for augmentation of small isolated populations is unlikely to pose problems of genetic incompatibility. Further, the role that demographic factors may have in complicating the application of current genetically based management unit criteria is likely to need further attention.
Community structure of ectomycorrhizal fungi in a Pinus muricata forest: minimal overlap between the mature forest and resistant propagule communities
Authors: Taylor D. L. , Bruns T. D. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractWe have investigated colonization strategies by comparing the abundance and frequency of ectomycorrhizal fungal species on roots in a mature Pinus muricata forest with those present as resistant propagules colonizing potted seedlings grown in the same soil samples. Thirty‐seven fungal species were distinguished by internal transcribed spacer (ITS) restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs); most were identified to species level by sporocarp RFLP matches or to genus/family level by using sequence databases for the mitochondrial and nuclear large‐subunit rRNA genes. The below‐ground fungal community found in the mature forest contrasted markedly with the resistant propagule community, as only four species were found in both communities. The dominant species in the mature forest were members of the Russulaceae, Thelephorales and Amanitaceae. In contrast, the resistant propagule community was dominated by Rhizopogon species and by species of the Ascomycota. Only one species, Tomentella sublilacina (Thelephorales), was common in both communities. The spatial distribution of mycorrhizae on mature roots and propagules in the soil differed among the dominant species. For example, T. sublilacina mycorrhizae exhibited a unique bias toward the organic horizons, Russula brevipes mycorrhizae were denser and more clumped than those of other species and Cenococcum propagules were localized, whereas R. subcaerulescens propagules were evenly distributed. We suggest that species differences in resource preferences and colonization strategies, such as those documented here, contribute to the maintenance of species richness in the ectomycorrhizal community.
Spatial and temporal aspects of the genetic structure ofJuniperus communispopulations
Authors: Merwe M. Van Der , Winfield M. O. , Arnold G. M. , Parker J. S. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractJuniperus communisis a dioecious, wind pollinated shrub or small tree that produces ‘berries’ (female cones) containing a small number of seeds that are thought to be dispersed by birds. The expectation, therefore, would be that populations of Juniper are genetically diverse with little structuring between them. In Britain, the species has two main centres of distribution: a highland zone in the north and west, in which populations are still large and sexually reproducing, and a southern zone on chalk downlands in which populations are small and fragmented and individuals suffer from a decline in fertility. Thus, one would expect the large sexually viable populations in the north to exhibit high levels of within‐population genetic variation, while the declining southern populations would be genetically depauperate. The analysis of amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs) was used to test this hypothesis. Surprisingly, all populations studied showed high levels of genetic variation although there was clear structuring between populations. On the basis of the geographical structuring of the populations it was hypothesized thatJ. communiscolonized Britain via three separate routes.
Mitochondrial DNA variation in the hybridizing fire‐bellied toads,Bombina bombinaandB. variegata
Authors: Szymura J. M. , Uzzell T. , Spolsky C. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractUsing five restriction enzymes, geographical variation of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) inBombina bombinaandB. variegatawas studied in samples from 20 locations. Each restriction enzyme produced a species‐specific fragment pattern.B. bombinahaplotypes A and B were closely related to each other. In contrast, haplotypes A and B ofB. variegataformed two distinct lineages. A very distinctive haplotype (C) was found in the Carpathian Mountains, whereas two other haplotypes, D and E (differing by a singleAvaI site), were present in western Europe and the Balkans, respectively. Populations polymorphic for haplotypes D and E occurred in the central Balkans where the haplotypes could replace each other clinally. mtDNA sequence divergence betweenB. bombinaandB. variegatawas estimated as 6.0–8.1% and 4.7–5.2% between type C and types D/E ofB. variegata. The latter divergence is contrary to allozyme and morphological data that place the western and CarpathianB. v. variegatatogether (Nei'sD = 0.07) and separate them from the Balkan subspeciesB. v. scabra(Nei'sD = 0.18). Broad interspecific correlation among morphology, allozymes and mtDNA types in European fire‐bellied toads argues that, despite continuous hybridization (interrupted perhaps during Pleistocene glacial maxima), little or no mtDNA introgression between the species has occurred outside the narrow hybrid zones that separate these parapatric species.