Chloroplast DNA sequences are a primary source of data for plant molecular systematic studies. A few key papers have provided the molecular systematics community with universal primer pairs for ...noncoding regions that have dominated the field, namely trnL-trnF and trnK/matK. These two regions have provided adequate information to resolve species relationships in some taxa, but often provide little resolution at low taxonomic levels. To obtain better phylogenetic resolution, sequence data from these regions are often coupled with other sequence data. Choosing an appropriate cpDNA region for phylogenetic investigation is difficult because of the scarcity of information about the tempo of evolutionary rates among different noncoding cpDNA regions. The focus of this investigation was to determine whether there is any predictable rate heterogeneity among 21 noncoding cpDNA regions identified as phylogenetically useful at low levels. To test for rate heterogeneity among the different cpDNA regions, we used three species from each of 10 groups representing eight major phylogenetic lineages of phanerogams. The results of this study clearly show that a survey using as few as three representative taxa can be predictive of the amount of phylogenetic information offered by a cpDNA region and that rate heterogeneity exists among noncoding cpDNA regions.
Describes how a biochemical viability assay solution containing an individual of an undiagnosed species can be used, first to measure specimen viability, and then DNA can be extracted from the assay ...solution to identify the species using any PCR-based diagnostic protocol. Uses an existing DNA melt curve protocol developed to identify three weevil species (Listronotus bonariensis, Sitona lepidus and S. discoideus). Source: National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Matauranga o Aotearoa, licensed by the Department of Internal Affairs for re-use under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 New Zealand Licence.
Abstract Objective: To assess whether people from ethnic minority groups are less likely to be accepted at British medical schools, and to explore the mechanisms of disadvantage. Design: Prospective ...study of a national cohort of medical school applicants. Setting: All 28 medical schools in the United Kingdom. Subjects: 6901 subjects who had applied through the Universities' Central Council on Admissions in 1990 to study medicine. Main outcome measures: Offers and acceptance at medical school by ethnic group. Results: Applicants from ethnic minority groups constituted 26.3% of those applying to medical school. They were less likely to be accepted, partly because they were less well qualified and applied later. Nevertheless, taking educational and some other predictors into account, applicants from ethnic minority groups were 1.46 times (95% confidence interval 1.19 to 1.74) less likely to be accepted. Having a European surname predicted acceptance better than ethnic origin itself, implying direct discrimination rather than disadvantage secondary to other possible differences between white and non-white applicants. Applicants from ethnic minority groups fared significantly less well in 12 of the 28 British medical schools. Analysis of the selection process suggests that medical schools make fewer offers to such applicants than to others with equivalent estimated A level grades. Conclusions: People from ethnic minority groups applying to medical school are disadvantaged, principally because ethnic origin is assessed from a candidate's surname; the disadvantage has diminished since 1986. For subjects applying before A level the mechanism is that less credit is given to referees' estimates of A level grades. Selection would be fairer if (a) application forms were anonymous; (b) forms did not include estimates of A level grades; and (c) selection took place after A level results are known. Key messages Key messages Applicants from ethnic minority groups continue to fare less well in being selected for medical school, although the extent of disadvantage is reduced in comparison with previous studies Since surname is a better predictor of disadvantage than ethnic origin as such, discrimination could be reduced by making application forms anonymous The locus of disadvantage in applicants is principally that estimated A level grades on application forms are given less weight in ethnic minority applicants—the problem could be circumvented by selecting medical students after they have their A level results No disadvantage was experienced by female applicants, mature applicants, or those from public sector schools, and no advantage was shown for those from medical families
The cryosphere in mountain regions is rapidly declining, a trend that is expected to accelerate over the next several decades due to anthropogenic climate change. A cascade of effects will result, ...extending from mountains to lowlands with associated impacts on human livelihood, economy, and ecosystems. With rising air temperatures and increased radiative forcing, glaciers will become smaller and, in some cases, disappear, the area of frozen ground will diminish, the ratio of snow to rainfall will decrease, and the timing and magnitude of both maximum and minimum streamflow will change. These changes will affect erosion rates, sediment, and nutrient flux, and the biogeochemistry of rivers and proglacial lakes, all of which influence water quality, aquatic habitat, and biotic communities. Changes in the length of the growing season will allow low‐elevation plants and animals to expand their ranges upward. Slope failures due to thawing alpine permafrost, and outburst floods from glacier‐ and moraine‐dammed lakes will threaten downstream populations. Societies even well beyond the mountains depend on meltwater from glaciers and snow for drinking water supplies, irrigation, mining, hydropower, agriculture, and recreation. Here, we review and, where possible, quantify the impacts of anticipated climate change on the alpine cryosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere, and consider the implications for adaptation to a future of mountains without permanent snow and ice.
Key Points
Deglaciation of low‐ to mid‐latitude mountain ranges is likely to occur within this century
Strong impacts on hydrology, erosion rates, sediment and nutrient flux, as well as water quality, aquatic habitat and biotic communities will result
Far‐reaching implications for human adaptation to a world of mountains without permanent snow and ice
The Palaearctic parasitoid
Microctonus aethiopoides Loan (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) has been introduced to North America for biological control of weevils in the genera
Sitona and
Hypera (Coleoptera: ...Curculionidae) and to Australia and New Zealand for control of
Sitona discoideus Gyllenhal. Various geographic and host-associated populations of
M. aethiopoides have exhibited differences in host preference, host range, and adult morphology. These differences have generally been interpreted as indicative of genetically differentiated biotypes of
M. aethiopoides, but direct genetic evidence of biotypic variation has been lacking. Nucleotide sequence data were generated from the gene regions COI, 16S, 28S, and β-tubulin to assess genetic variation among
M. aethiopoides reared from various host species collected in Australia, Iran, New Zealand, the United States, and 10 European countries. Ten adult morphological characters were also measured to validate the identity of the specimens and to assess morphological variation among the geographic and host-associated populations. Parsimony and maximum likelihood analyses of the COI, 16S, and β-tubulin sequences provided strong support for the presence of at least two
M. aethiopoides biotypes, one associated with
Hypera species and the other with
Sitona species. There was also evidence for genetic divergence among parasitoids associated with different
Sitona species. Morphological variation was also closely correlated with host species, but the occurrence of morphological variation in the absence of genetic variation suggested morphological characters should be used cautiously with
M. aethiopoides biotypes.
The chemical identification of mass spectrometric signals in metabolomic applications is important to provide conversion of analytical data to biological knowledge about metabolic pathways. The ...complexity of electrospray mass spectrometric data acquired from a range of samples (serum, urine, yeast intracellular extracts, yeast metabolic footprints, placental tissue metabolic footprints) has been investigated and has defined the frequency of different ion types routinely detected. Although some ion types were expected (protonated and deprotonated peaks, isotope peaks, multiply charged peaks) others were not expected (sodium formate adduct ions). In parallel, the Manchester Metabolomics Database (MMD) has been constructed with data from genome scale metabolic reconstructions, HMDB, KEGG, Lipid Maps, BioCyc and DrugBank to provide knowledge on 42,687 endogenous and exogenous metabolite species. The combination of accurate mass data for a large collection of metabolites, theoretical isotope abundance data and knowledge of the different ion types detected provided a greater number of electrospray mass spectrometric signals which were putatively identified and with greater confidence in the samples studied. To provide definitive identification metabolite-specific mass spectral libraries for UPLC-MS and GC-MS have been constructed for 1,065 commercially available authentic standards. The MMD data are available at http://dbkgroup.org/MMD/.
Objectives
The UK General Medical Council’s Performance Procedures were introduced in 1997. This study aimed to assess the changing knowledge and attitudes about the procedures in British doctors at ...the time of their introduction and in the following 2 years.
Methods
Three questionnaire surveys, of separate representative samples of 800 UK doctors, were carried out in November of 1997, 1998 and 1999. The surveys assessed awareness of Good Medical Practice, attitudes to the Performance Procedures, agreement with Duties of a Doctor as a basis for disciplinary procedures, and attitudes to the Performance Procedures.
Results
Although awareness of the procedures increased over the period 1997–99, there was no concurrent increase in agreement with the core principles of the procedures, the Duties of a Doctor, which are spelled out in Good Medical Practice. Of 12 separate attitudes to the procedures, changes were found in eight over the time period, all but two of which were negative, and not in support of the procedures. Nevertheless many doctors were changing their practice as a result of the procedures, and that proportion increased during the period 1997–99.
Conclusions
Although doctors became more aware of the procedures, that increasing awareness was not accompanied by an increasing agreement with the procedures’ underlying principles or their wider implications.
The UK National Health Service is undergoing fundamental reforms, which might have a detrimental effect on the training of doctors, not least with respect to the amount of clinical experience that ...medical students get.
We compared the practical experience gained by two cohorts of students at medical schools throughout the UK, who had started their training in 1981 or 1986. The assessment was made by questionnaire at the end of their final clinical year. Experience of acute medical conditions, surgical operations, and practical procedures differed significantly between groups of medical schools, and showed a significant decline in the past five years. This decline in the clinical experience of medical students has coincided with the introduction of the health service reforms. We suspect that the university-based clinical education designed for a lifetime of change is in danger of being replaced by a dispersed clinical apprenticeship for current practice.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBJE, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VSZLJ
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