Systematics and conservation of the hook-billed kite including the island taxa from Cuba and Grenada

Taxonomic uncertainties within the genus Chondrohierax stem from the high degree of variation in bill size and plumage coloration throughout the geographic range of the single recognized species, hook-billed kite Chondrohierax uncinatus . These uncertainties impede conservation efforts as local populations have declined throughout much of its geographic range from the Neotropics in Central America to northern Argentina and Paraguay, including two island populations on Cuba and Grenada, and it is not known whether barriers to dispersal exist between any of these areas. Here, we present mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA; cytochrome B and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2) phylogenetic analyses of Chondrohierax , with particular emphasis on the two island taxa (from Cuba, Chondrohierax uncinatus wilsonii and from Grenada, Chondrohierax uncinatus mirus ). The mtDNA phylogenetic results suggest that hook-billed kites on both islands are unique; however, the Cuban kite has much greater divergence estimates (1.8–2.0% corrected sequence divergence) when compared with the mainland populations than does the Grenada hook-billed kite (0.1–0.3%). Our findings support species status for the Cuban form, as Chondrohierax wilsonii , and subspecific status for the Grenada form. For mainland taxa, we do not find support for the currently recognized subspecies Chondrohierax uncinatus aquilonis in western Mexico, but we do find evidence for a genetic subdivision between populations in Central and South America, a difference previously unsuspected. The results of this study help identify conservation priorities associated with these unique Neotropical raptors. This information is of immediate interest because the Cuban kite has not been reliably seen since 1992, and <50 hook-billed kites currently inhabit Grenada.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/72922/1/j.1469-1795.2007.00118.x.pd

Control in the technical societies: a brief history

By the time control engineering emerged as a coherent body of knowledge and practice (during and just after WW2) professional engineering societies had existed for many decades. Since control engineering is an interdisciplinary branch of the profession, new sections devoted to control were quickly established within the various existing technical societies. In addition, some new bodies devoted specifically or primarily to control were established. This article, a revised version of a paper presented at the IEEE 2009 Conference on the History of Technical Societies, describes how control engineering as a distinct branch of engineering became represented in technical societies in a number of countries

It\u27s not too Late for the Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja): High Levels Of Genetic Diversity and Differentiation Can Fuel Conservation Programs

Background: The harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja) is the largest Neotropical bird of prey and is threatened by human persecution and habitat loss and fragmentation. Current conservation strategies include local education, captive rearing and reintroduction, and protection or creation of trans-national habitat blocks and corridors. Baseline genetic data prior to reintroduction of captive-bred stock is essential for guiding such efforts but has not been gathered previously. Methodology/Findings: We assessed levels of genetic diversity, population structure and demographic history for harpy eagles using samples collected throughout a large portion of their geographic distribution in Central America (n = 32) and South America (n = 31). Based on 417 bp of mitochondrial control region sequence data, relatively high levels of haplotype and nucleotide diversity were estimated for both Central and South America, although haplotype diversity was significantly higher for South America. Historical restriction of gene flow across the Andes (i.e. between our Central and South American subgroups) is supported by coalescent analyses, the haplotype network and significant FST values, however reciprocally monophyletic lineages do not correspond to geographical locations in maximum likelihood analyses. A sudden population expansion for South America is indicated by a mismatch distribution analysis, and further supported by significant (p,0.05) negative values of Fu and Li’s DF and F, and Fu’s FS. This expansion, estimated at approximately 60 000 years BP (99 000–36 000 years BP 95% CI), encompasses a transition from a warm and dry time period prior to 50 000 years BP to an interval of maximum precipitation (50 000–36 000 years BP). Notably, this time period precedes the climatic and habitat changes associated with the last glacial maximum. In contrast, a multimodal distribution of haplotypes was observed for Central America suggesting either population equilibrium or a recent decline. Significance: High levels of mitochondrial genetic diversity in combination with genetic differentiation among subgroups within regions and between regions highlight the importance of local population conservation in order to preserve maximal levels of genetic diversity in this species. Evidence of historically restricted female-mediated gene flow is an important consideration for captive-breeding programs

Parenting and toddler self‐regulation in low‐income families: What does sleep have to do with it?

Toddlerhood is a sensitive period in the development of self‐regulation, a set of adaptive skills that are fundamental to mental health and partly shaped by parenting. Healthy sleep is known to be critical for self‐regulation; yet, the degree to which child sleep alters interactive child–parent processes remains understudied. This study examines associations between observed parenting and toddler self‐regulation, with toddler sleep as a moderator of this association. Toddlers in low‐income families (N = 171) and their mothers were videotaped during free play and a self‐regulation challenge task; videos were coded for mothers’ behavior and affect (free play) and toddlers’ self‐regulation (challenge task). Mothers reported their child’s nighttime sleep duration via questionnaire. Results revealed significant Sleep × Maternal Negative Affect and Sleep × Maternal Negative Control interactions. Children who did not experience negative parenting had good self‐regulation regardless of their nighttime sleep duration. For children who did experience negative parenting, self‐regulation was intact among those who obtained more nighttime sleep, but significantly poorer among children who were getting less nighttime sleep. Thus, among children who were reported to obtain less nighttime sleep, there were more robust associations between negative parenting and poorer self‐regulation than among toddlers who were reported to obtain more sleep.RESUMENLos primeros años de la niñez son un período sensible en el desarrollo de la auto‐regulación, un grupo de habilidades adaptables que son fundamentales para la salud mental y a las que en parte les da forma la crianza. Es sabido que el dormir bien es esencial para la auto‐regulación y, aun así, el nivel al que el sueño del niño altera los procesos interactivos entre progenitor y niño permanece poco estudiado. Este estudio examina las asociaciones entre la crianza observada y la auto‐regulación del niño pequeño, tomando como moderador de tal asociación el proceso de dormir del niño pequeño. Se grabó en video a niños pequeños de familias de bajos ingresos (N=171) y sus madres durante una sesión de juego libre y una tarea de auto‐regulación que suponía un reto; los videos fueron codificados en cuanto al comportamiento y afecto de las madres (juego libre) y la auto‐regulación de los niños pequeños (tarea que suponía reto). Las madres reportaron acerca del sueño nocturno de sus niños por medio de un cuestionario. Los resultados revelaron interacciones significativas en cuanto al dormir y el negativo afecto materno, así como el dormir y el negativo control materno. Los niños que no experimentaron una crianza negativa tenían una buena auto‐regulación independientemente de la duración de su sueño nocturno. En el caso de los niños que experimentaron una crianza negativa, la auto‐regulación quedó intacta en aquellos que lograban más tiempo nocturno de dormir, pero fue significativamente más pobre en los niños que tenían menos tiempo de sueño nocturno. Por tanto, en el caso de los niños indicados en el reporte con menos tiempo de dormir nocturno, se dieron asociaciones más robustas entre la crianza negativa y una más pobre auto‐regulación que entre los niños pequeños indicados en el reporte con más tiempo de dormir.RÉSUMÉLa petite enfance est une période sensible dans le développement de l’auto‐régulation, un ensemble de compétences qui sont fondamentales pour la santé mentale et en partie formées par le parentage. L’on sait qu’un sommeil sain est critique pour l’auto‐régulation et pourtant la mesure dans laquelle le sommeil de l’enfant altère les processus interactifs enfant‐parent demeure peu étudiée. Cette étude examine les liens entre le parentage observé et l’auto‐régulation du petit enfant, le sommeil de l’enfant ayant un effet modérateur dans ce lien. Des jeunes enfants de familles issues de milieux défavorisés (N=171) et leurs mères ont été filmés durant un jeu libre et un exercice de défi d’auto‐régulation. Les vidéos ont été codées pour le comportement des mères et l’affect (jeu libre) et l’auto‐régulation des jeunes enfants (exercice de défi). Les mères ont fait état de la durée de sommeil nocturne de leur enfant au moyen d’un questionnaire. Les résultats ont révélé que : sommeil significatif x l’affect négatif maternel et le sommeil x négatif maternel contrôle les interactions. Les enfants qui n’avaient pas fait l’expérience d’un parentage négatif avaient une bonne auto‐régulation quelle qu’ait été la durée du sommeil nocturne. Pour les enfants ayant fait l’expérience d’une parentage négatif, l’auto‐régulation était intacte chez ceux ayant plus dormi, mais bien moindre chez les enfants qui avaient moins dormi. Donc, chez les enfants ayant moins de sommeil nocturne les liens bien plus robustes ont été découverts entre le parentage négatif et une moindre auto‐régulation que chez les petits enfants dormant plus durant la nuit.ZUSAMMENFASSUNGDas Kleinkindalter ist ein sensibler Zeitraum für die Entwicklung der Selbstregulation – einer Reihe von Anpassungsfähigkeiten, die für die psychische Gesundheit grundlegend sind und teilweise durch Erziehung geprägt werden. Gesunder Schlaf ist bekanntlich entscheidend für die Selbstregulation, aber das Ausmaß, in dem der Kinderschlaf interaktive Prozesse zwischen Kind und Eltern verändert, ist bisher nur unzureichend erforscht wurden. Diese Studie untersucht Zusammenhänge zwischen beobachtetem Erziehungsverhalten und der Selbstregulation von Kleinkindern, wobei der Schlaf der Kleinkinder als Moderator dieser Assoziation fungiert. Kleinkinder aus einkommensschwachen Familien (N=171) und ihre Mütter wurden während des freien Spiels und einer herausfordernden Aufgabe zur Selbstregulation gefilmt; die Videos wurden für das Verhalten und die Affekte der Mütter (freies Spiel) und die Selbstregulation der Kleinkinder (herausfordernde Aufgabe) kodiert. Die Mütter berichteten per Fragebogen über die nächtliche Schlafdauer ihres Kindes. Die Ergebnisse zeigten signifikante Interaktionen für Schlaf und mütterlichen negativen Affekt sowie für Schlaf und mütterliche negative Kontrollinteraktionen. Kinder, die keine negative Erziehung erlebten, hatten eine gute Selbstregulation, unabhängig von ihrer nächtlichen Schlafdauer. Bei Kindern, die eine negative Erziehung erfuhren, war die Selbstregulation bei denen, die mehr Nachtschlaf erhielten, intakt und bei Kindern, die weniger Nachtschlaf erhielten, jedoch deutlich schlechter. So gab es bei Kindern, von denen berichtet wurde, dass sie weniger Nachtschlaf erhielten, robustere Assoziationen zwischen negativer Erziehung und schlechterer Selbstregulation als bei Kleinkindern, von denen berichtet wurde, dass sie mehr Schlaf erhielten.抄録低収入家庭における子育てと幼児の自己調整力:睡眠が関与するものとは何か？幼児期は、自己調整力、つまりメンタルヘルスの基礎であり、ある程度までは子育てによって形成される、一連の適応スキルの発達が影響を受けやすい時期である。健康的な睡眠は自己調整力には不可欠のものとして知られているが、子どもの睡眠が子どもと親の相互作用の過程をどの程度まで改めるかについては、いまもなお研究課題のままである。本研究は、観察によって得られた子育てと幼児の自己調整力の関連性について幼児の睡眠を仲介として検討することである。低所得家庭 (N=171) で生活している幼児と母親が自由遊びと自己調整のチャレンジタスクに取り組む間中ビデオ録画した。ビデオデータは母親の行動と感情(自由遊び)と幼児の自己調整力(チャレンジタスク)としてコード化された。子どもの夜間の睡眠時間は母親からの質問紙を通して報告された。その結果、睡眠と母親の否定的感情の間、そして睡眠と母親の否定的コントロールの間には著しい相互関連性が認められた。否定的育児を経験していない子どもは、夜間の睡眠時間に関わらず、よい自己調整力を持っていた。否定的育児を経験した子どもでは、自己調整力はより長い夜間睡眠をとっている子どもにおいては保たれていたが、より短い睡眠時間しかとっていない子どもにおいては著しく低かった。このようにより短い睡眠時間しかとっていないと報告された子どもにおいては、より長い睡眠をとっている幼児より、否定的育児とより低い自己調整力の間により確かな関連性が示された。摘要低收入家庭的育兒和幼兒自我調節:與睡眠有什麼關係？幼兒期是自我調節發展的一個敏感時期， 這是一套適應性技能， 是心理健康的基礎， 部分由養育方式塑造。眾所周知， 健康睡眠對於自我調節至關重要， 然而， 兒童睡眠如何改變兒童 ‐ 父母互動仍未得到充分研究。本研究探討觀察到的養育方式與幼兒自我調節的關聯， 及幼兒睡眠作為這種關聯的調節變數。低收入家庭的幼兒 （N = 171） 和母親在自由遊戲和自我調節挑戰任務中被錄像; 視頻被編碼為母親的行為和情感 （自由遊戲） 和幼兒的自我調節 （挑戰任務）。母親通過問卷報告孩子的夜間睡眠時間。結果顯示顯著的睡眠x母體負面情感和睡眠 x 母體負面控制相互作用。沒有經歷負面養育的孩子， 無論夜間睡眠時間長短， 都有良好的自我調節能力。對於那些經歷過負面養育的孩子， 在夜間睡眠較多的人中， 自我調節是完整的， 但在夜間睡眠較少的孩子中， 自我調節顯著較差。因此， 在夜間睡眠較少的兒童中， 負面育兒和較差的自我調節的關聯性強於較多睡眠的幼兒。ملخصالرعاية الوالدية والتنظيم الذاتي للطفل في الأسر ذات الدخل المنخفض: ما علاقة النوم بذلك ؟الطفولة هي فتره حساسة في تطوير التنظيم الذاتي ، والذي يمثل مجموعه من المهارات التكيفيه التي هي أساسيه للصحة النفسية وتتشكل جزئيا عن طريق الأبوه والأمومه. ومن المعروف ان النوم الصحي أمر بالغ الاهميه للتنظيم الذاتي ، ومع ذلك ، فان الدرجة التي يغير بها نوم الطفل في العمليات التفاعلية التي يقوم بها الطفل مع الوالدين لا تزال غير خاضعة للدراسة الكافية. تتناول هذه الدراسة العلاقات بين الرعاية الوالدية الملحوظة والتنظيم الذاتي للطفل الصغير ، حيث نوم الطفل يمثل المتغير الوسيط في هذه العلاقة. اشترك في الدراسة مجموعة من الأطفال الصغار في الأسر ذات الدخل المنخفض (العدد = 171) وأمهاتهم وتم تصويرهم بالفيديو اثناء اللعب الحر مع تكليفهم بمهمة تحدي التنظيم الذاتي ؛ تم ترميز تسجيلات الفيديو لسلوك الأمهات وعاطفتهم في (اللعب الحر) والتنظيم الذاتي للأطفال الصغار في (مهمة التحدي). وأبلغت الأمهات عن مده النوم الليلي لأطفالهن عن طريق الاستبيان. أظهرت النتائج تفاعلات ذات دلالة إحصائية بين النوم والعاطفة السلبية عند الأمهات وبين النوم والسيطرة السلبية للأمهات . الأطفال الذين لا يعانون من الابوه والامومه السلبية كان لديهم قدرات جيدة على التنظيم الذاتي بغض النظر عن مده النوم ليلا. بالنسبة للأطفال الذين يعانون من الابوه والامومه السلبية ، كان التنظيم الذاتي سليما بين أولئك الذين حصلوا علي المزيد من النوم ليلا ، ولكن أضعف بكثير بين الأطفال الذين كانوا يحصلون علي اقل النوم ليلا. وبالتالي ، فانه من بين الأطفال الذين ابلغ عن حصولهم علي قسط اقل من النوم الليلي ، كانت هناك رابطات اقوي بين الرعاية الوالدية السلبية والتنظيم الذاتي الأقل منها بين الصغار الذين أفيد بأنهم يحصلون علي المزيد من النوم.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/150525/1/imhj21783.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/150525/2/imhj21783_am.pd

Evolutionary biology for the 21st century

New theoretical and conceptual frameworks are required for evolutionary biology to capitalize on the wealth of data now becoming available from the study of genomes, phenotypes, and organisms - including humans - in their natural environments.Molecular and Cellular BiologyOrganismic and Evolutionary Biolog

Louse (Insecta : Phthiraptera) mitochondrial 12S rRNA secondary structure is highly variable

Lice are ectoparasitic insects hosted by birds and mammals. Mitochondrial 12S rRNA sequences obtained from lice show considerable length variation and are very difficult to align. We show that the louse 12S rRNA domain III secondary structure displays considerable variation compared to other insects, in both the shape and number of stems and loops. Phylogenetic trees constructed from tree edit distances between louse 12S rRNA structures do not closely resemble trees constructed from sequence data, suggesting that at least some of this structural variation has arisen independently in different louse lineages. Taken together with previous work on mitochondrial gene order and elevated rates of substitution in louse mitochondrial sequences, the structural variation in louse 12S rRNA confirms the highly distinctive nature of molecular evolution in these insects

Engaging with issues of emotionality in mathematics teacher education for social justice

This article focuses on the relationship between social justice, emotionality and mathematics teaching in the context of the education of prospective teachers of mathematics. A relational approach to social justice calls for giving attention to enacting socially-just relationships in mathematics classrooms. Emotionality and social justice in teaching mathematics variously intersect, interrelate or interweave. An intervention, usng creative action methods, with a cohort of prospective teachers addressing these issues is described to illustrate the connection between emotionality and social justice in the context of mathematics teacher education. Creative action methods involve a variety of dramatic, interactive and experiential tools that can promote personal and group engagement and embodied reflection. The intervention aimed to engage the prospective teachers with some key issues for social justice in mathematics education through dialogue about the emotionality of teaching and learning mathematics. Some of the possibilities and limits of using such methods are considered

HCV IRES manipulates the ribosome to promote the switch from translation initiation to elongation.

The internal ribosome entry site (IRES) of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) drives noncanonical initiation of protein synthesis necessary for viral replication. Functional studies of the HCV IRES have focused on 80S ribosome formation but have not explored its role after the 80S ribosome is poised at the start codon. Here, we report that mutations of an IRES domain that docks in the 40S subunit's decoding groove cause only a local perturbation in IRES structure and result in conformational changes in the IRES-rabbit 40S subunit complex. Functionally, the mutations decrease IRES activity by inhibiting the first ribosomal translocation event, and modeling results suggest that this effect occurs through an interaction with a single ribosomal protein. The ability of the HCV IRES to manipulate the ribosome provides insight into how the ribosome's structure and function can be altered by bound RNAs, including those derived from cellular invaders

Big data and data repurposing – using existing data to answer new questions in vascular dementia research

Introduction: Traditional approaches to clinical research have, as yet, failed to provide effective treatments for vascular dementia (VaD). Novel approaches to collation and synthesis of data may allow for time and cost efficient hypothesis generating and testing. These approaches may have particular utility in helping us understand and treat a complex condition such as VaD. Methods: We present an overview of new uses for existing data to progress VaD research. The overview is the result of consultation with various stakeholders, focused literature review and learning from the group’s experience of successful approaches to data repurposing. In particular, we benefitted from the expert discussion and input of delegates at the 9th International Congress on Vascular Dementia (Ljubljana, 16-18th October 2015). Results: We agreed on key areas that could be of relevance to VaD research: systematic review of existing studies; individual patient level analyses of existing trials and cohorts and linking electronic health record data to other datasets. We illustrated each theme with a case-study of an existing project that has utilised this approach. Conclusions: There are many opportunities for the VaD research community to make better use of existing data. The volume of potentially available data is increasing and the opportunities for using these resources to progress the VaD research agenda are exciting. Of course, these approaches come with inherent limitations and biases, as bigger datasets are not necessarily better datasets and maintaining rigour and critical analysis will be key to optimising data use