948 research outputs found
Systematic Review Approach to identifying key trends in adaptation governance at the supranational level
In this paper authors have analyzed peer-reviewed literature on adaptation governance focused
on food security at the supranational level. A total of 281 papers were collected, of
which 52 met our focus. We used 10 criteria (and 74 sub-criteria) to categorize the
included papers. With research presented in these papers as our focus, we looked at
key aspects of food security explored, identified types of governance measures and
major challenges, and finally developed an understanding of the location of the
research teams and involved countries. Overall, we found that the supranational focus
in the context of adaptation governance on food security is not prevalent in current
peer-reviewed literatureâonly approximately 16 per cent of the papers focus on this
topic. In terms of the identified trends, there was a strong focus on developed
countries and research led by teams from these countries; the governance systems
aimed to prepare for a range of climate change impacts; and finally, there was limited
interest in exploring the role of regional agencies in adaptation governance. In terms
of future research needs, there is a strong need to develop processes for the integration
of diverse sectors and issues when designing policies on food security in the context
of climate change. It is also important to improve the skills and opportunities of
research teams in the Global South to engage effectively in research on food security
and governance
The ecology of 3-d space use in a sexually dimorphic mammal
The distribution of animals is the result of habitat selection according to sex, reproductive status and resource availability. Little is known about how marine predators investigate their 3-dimensional space along both the horizontal and vertical axes and how temporal variation affects space use. In this study, we assessed the spatio-temporal movement of a sexually dimorphic marine mammal, the grey seal Halichoerus grypus by 1) determining seasonal home range size, 2) testing whether space use of seals was affected by water depth, and 3) investigating the vertical movement of seals according to the maximum depth of each dive. Between 1993 and 2005, we fitted 49 grey seals in the Gulf of St. Lawrence with satellite transmitters. We estimated seasonal 95% fixed-kernel home ranges for each individual. For each seal, we tested for selectivity and preference for 4 water depth classes at the home range scale and within the home range. We also evaluated the proportional number of dives made in each water depth classes according to the maximum depth of each dive. Home ranges were 10 times larger in winter than in summer. Seals generally selected habitats <50 m deep. They also mainly dove to depths of 40 m or less. At both scales of selection, preference for shallow areas decreased in winter. We also observed that adults used shallow habitats more than juveniles to establish their home range. A spatial segregation based on sex also occurred at the finer scale of selection where females were more concentrated in the shallowest parts of their home range than males. Segregation in space use according to age and sex classes occurred at both the horizontal and vertical scales. Our results emphasise the importance of studying habitat selection of marine predators in 3-dimensional space, in addition to the temporal scale
Movement and Aggregation of Eastern Hudson Bay Beluga Whales (Delphinapterus leucas): A Comparison of Patterns Found through Satellite Telemetry and Nunavik Traditional Ecological Knowledge
Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) consists of the collective knowledge, experience, and values of subsistence communities, while Western science relies on hypothesis testing to obtain information on natural processes. Both approaches provide important ecological information, but few studies have directly compared the two. We compared information on movements and aggregation of beluga whales obtained from TEK interview records (n = 3253) and satellite telemetry records of 30 whales tagged in eastern Hudson Bay, Canada, using geographic information system (GIS) approaches that allowed common formatting of the data sets. Estuarine centres of aggregation in the summer were evident in both data sets. The intensive use of offshore areas seen in the telemetry data, where 76% of the locations were more than 15 km from mainland Quebec, was not evident in the TEK data, where only 17% of the records indicated offshore locations. Morisitaâs index of similarity indicated that TEK and telemetry data distributions varied with season, with the highest similarity in winter (0.74). Location and movement data from the telemetry study were limited by small sample size and short tag deployment times, while TEK data were biased by spatial coverage and coastal travel habits. Although the two data sets can provide complementary information, both suffer from weaknesses that need to be acknowledged when these data are adapted for use in resource management.Les connaissances Ă©cologiques traditionnelles (CĂT) consistent en lâensemble des connaissances, de lâexpĂ©rience et des valeurs des communautĂ©s de subsistance, tandis que la science occidentale sâappuie sur la mise Ă lâĂ©preuve dâhypothĂšses dans le but dâobtenir de lâinformation sur les processus naturels. Bien que ces deux dĂ©marches permettent dâobtenir dâimportants renseignements sur lâĂ©cologie, peu dâĂ©tudes ont Ă©tabli une comparaison directe entre ces deux dĂ©marches. Nous avons comparĂ© des donnĂ©es sur les mouvements et le rassemblement des bĂ©lugas, donnĂ©es obtenues Ă partir de CĂT prĂ©levĂ©es au moyen dâentrevues (n = 3253) ainsi quâĂ partir de rĂ©sultats de tĂ©lĂ©mĂ©trie par satellite sur 30 baleines marquĂ©es dans lâest de la baie dâHudson, au Canada, Ă lâaide de systĂšmes dâinformation gĂ©ographique (SIG) qui ont permis le formatage commun des ensembles de donnĂ©es. Pendant lâĂ©tĂ©, les centres de rassemblement en estuaire Ă©taient Ă©vidents dans les deux ensembles de donnĂ©es. Lâutilisation intensive des zones au large en ce qui a trait aux donnĂ©es de tĂ©lĂ©mĂ©trie, oĂč 76 % des localisations se situaient Ă plus de 15 km du continent quĂ©bĂ©cois, nâĂ©tait pas Ă©vidente dans le cas des donnĂ©es des CĂT, oĂč seulement 17 % des rĂ©sultats indiquaient des localisations au large. Lâindice de similaritĂ© de Morisita indiquait que la rĂ©partition des donnĂ©es obtenues par CĂT et par tĂ©lĂ©mĂ©trie variait dâune saison Ă lâautre, la similaritĂ© la plus grande ayant Ă©tĂ© atteinte lâhiver (0,74). Les donnĂ©es de localisation et de mouvement dĂ©coulant de lâĂ©tude de tĂ©lĂ©mĂ©trie Ă©taient limitĂ©es par la petite taille de lâĂ©chantillon et les courtes durĂ©es de dĂ©ploiement des Ă©tiquettes, tandis que les donnĂ©es provenant des CĂT Ă©taient biaisĂ©es par lâespace Ă couvrir et les habitudes de dĂ©placement sur la cĂŽte. Bien que les deux ensembles de donnĂ©es puissent fournir de lâinformation complĂ©mentaire, tous deux possĂšdent des faiblesses quâil y a lieu de reconnaĂźtre lorsque ces donnĂ©es sont adaptĂ©es Ă des fins de gestion des ressources
The reliability of two visual motor integration tests used with children
Occupational therapists often assess the visual motor integration (VMI) skills of children and young people. It is important that therapists use tools with strong psychometric properties. This study aims to examine the reliability of 2 VMI tests. Ninety-two children between the ages of 5 and 17 years (response rate of 31%) completed 2 VMI tests: the Developmental Test of Visual Motor Integration (DTVMI) and the Full Range Test of Visual Motor Integration (FRTVMI). Cronbach\u27s alpha coefficient was used to examine the internal consistency of the 2 VMI tests whereas Spearman\u27s rho correlation was used to evaluate the test–retest reliability, intrarater reliability, and interrater reliability of the 2 VMI tests. The Cronbach\u27s alpha coefficient for the DTVMI was .82 and .72 for the FRTVMI. The test–retest reliability coefficient was .73 (p = .000) for the DTVMI and .49 (p = .05) for the FRTVMI. The interrater correlation was significant for both the DTVMI at .94 (p = .000) and FRTVMI at .68 (p = .001). The DTVMI intrarater reliability correlation result was .90 (p = .000) and the FRTVMI at .85 (p = .000). Overall, the DTVMI exhibited a higher level of reliability than the FRTVMI. Both VMI tests appear to exhibit reasonable levels of reliability and are recommended for use with children and young people.<br /
Genome-wide association study of receptive language ability of 12 year olds
Purpose: We have previously shown that individual differences in measures of receptive language ability at age 12 are highly heritable. The current study attempted to identify some of the genes responsible for the heritability of receptive language ability using a genome-wide association (GWA) approach.
Method: We administered four internet-based measures of receptive language (vocabulary, semantics, syntax, and pragmatics) to a sample of 2329 12-year-olds for whom DNA and genome-wide genotyping were available. Nearly 700,000 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and one million imputed SNPs were included in a GWA analysis of receptive language composite scores.
Results: No SNP associations met the demanding criterion of genome-wide significance that corrects for multiple testing across the genome (p < 5 Ă10-8). The strongest SNP association did not replicate in an additional sample of 2639 12-year-olds.
Conclusion: These results indicate that individual differences in receptive language ability in the general population do not reflect common genetic variants that account for >3% of the phenotypic variance. The search for genetic variants associated with language skill will require larger samples and additional methods to identify and functionally characterize the full spectrum of risk variants
Structural neuroimaging correlates of social deficits are similar in autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: analysis from the POND Network
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) have been associated with difficulties recognizing and responding to social cues. Neuroimaging studies have begun to map the social brain; however, the specific neural substrates contributing to social deficits in neurodevelopmental disorders remain unclear. Three hundred and twelve children underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging of the brain (controls = 32, OCD = 44, ADHD = 77, ASD = 159; mean age = 11). Their social deficits were quantified on the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) and the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET). Multivariable regression models were used to examine the structural neuroimaging correlates of social deficits, with both a region of interest and a whole-brain vertex-wise approach. For the region of interest analysis, social brain regions were grouped into three networks: (1) lateral mentalization (e.g., temporalâparietal junction), (2) frontal cognitive (e.g., orbitofrontal cortex), and (3) subcortical affective (e.g., limbic system) regions. Overall, social communication deficits on the SCQ were associated with thinner cortices in the left lateral regions and the right insula, and decreased volume in the ventral striatum, across diagnostic groups (p = 0.006 to \u3c0.0001). Smaller subcortical volumes were associated with more severe social deficits on the SCQ in ASD and ADHD, and less severe deficits in OCD. On the RMET, larger amygdala/hippocampal volumes were associated with fewer deficits across groups. Overall, patterns of associations were similar in ASD and ADHD, supporting a common underlying biology and the blurring of the diagnostic boundaries between these disorders
Herbivores at the Highest Risk of Extinction Among Mammals, Birds, and Reptiles
As a result of their extensive home ranges and slow population growth rates, predators have often been perceived to suffer higher risks of extinction than other trophic groups. Our study challenges this extinction-risk paradigm by quantitatively comparing patterns of extinction risk across different trophic groups of mammals, birds, and reptiles. We found that trophic level and body size were significant factors that influenced extinction risk in all taxa. At multiple spatial and temporal scales, herbivores, especially herbivorous reptiles and large-bodied herbivores, consistently have the highest proportions of threatened species. This observed elevated extinction risk for herbivores is ecologically consequential, given the important roles that herbivores are known to play in controlling ecosystem function
Language and traits of autism spectrum conditions: evidence of limited phenotypic and etiological overlap
Language difficulties have historically been viewed as integral to autism spectrum conditions (ASC), leading molecular genetic studies to consider whether ASC and language difficulties have overlapping genetic bases. The extent of genetic, and also environmental, overlap between ASC and language is, however, unclear. We hence conducted a twin study of the concurrent association between autistic traits and receptive language abilities. Internet-based language tests were completed by âŒ3,000 pairs of twins, while autistic traits were assessed via parent ratings. Twin model fitting explored the association between these measures in the full sample, while DeFries-Fulker analysis tested these associations at the extremes of the sample. Phenotypic associations between language ability and autistic traits were modest and negative. The degree of genetic overlap was also negative, indicating that genetic influences on autistic traits lowered language scores in the full sample (mean genetic correlationâ=ââ0.13). Genetic overlap was also low at the extremes of the sample (mean genetic correlationâ=â0.14), indicating that genetic influences on quantitatively defined language difficulties were largely distinct from those on extreme autistic traits. Variation in language ability and autistic traits were also associated with largely different nonshared environmental influences. Language and autistic traits are influenced by largely distinct etiological factors. This has implications for molecular genetic studies of ASC and understanding the etiology of ASC. Additionally, these findings lend support to forthcoming DSM-5 changes to ASC diagnostic criteria that will see language difficulties separated from the core ASC communication symptoms, and instead listed as a clinical specifier. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc
A Comparison of Components of Written Expression Abilities in Learning Disabled and Non-Learning Disabled Students at Three Grade Levels
Although written language plays a critical role in academic success, little empirical evidence exists on the normal development of processes involved in producing written products. Even less is known about the writing performance of LD children. This study empirically compared the written products of LD and normal students at three grade levels on The Test of Written Language. Results showed that LD subjects scored significantly lower than normal subjects on most written expression abilities, especially in the mechanical tasks of spelling, punctuation, and word usage.Yeshttps://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/manuscript-submission-guideline
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