Habitat Preferences of Butterflies in the Bumbuna Forest, Northern Sierra Leone

The habitat preferences of the butterfly fauna were studied in the Bumbuna Forest Reserve in northern Sierra Leone. The intact forest reserve and a secondary forest regrowth, disturbed as a result of slash-and-burn agriculture, were compared to savanna habitats. Of the 290 specimens collected, 195 butterfly species were included, of which significant proportion were Nymphalidae. Of the 147 forest species, 111 (75.5%) showed preferences for the forest habitats, while 70 (47.6%) and 34 (23.1%) preferred disturbed and savannah habitats, respectively. Numerically, a comparable proportion of savannah species were recorded in the 18 disturbed (73.9%) and 16 savannah habitats (63.2%). Accumulated species richness and diversity indices were lower in the disturbed habitats compared to the forest reserve, but lowest in the savanna habitats. However, a large proportion of forest species, especially those with either a more restricted geographic range or species for which no information on geographic distribution was available, were exclusively captured in the forest patches. The survey indicated the presence of a rich butterfly fauna, which should be systematically collected for further research and study in order to build a good taxonomic database for Sierra Leone

Composition of woody species in a dynamic forest-woodland-savannah mosaic in Uganda: implications for conservation and management

Forest¿woodland¿savannah mosaics are a common feature in the East African landscape. For the conservation of the woody species that occur in such landscapes, the species patterns and the factors that maintain it need to be understood. We studied the woody species distribution in a forest¿woodland¿savannah mosaic in Budongo Forest Reserve, Uganda. The existing vegetation gradients were analyzed using data from a total of 591 plots of 400 or 500 m2 each. Remotely sensed data was used to explore current vegetation cover and the gradients there in for the whole area. A clear species gradient exists in the study area ranging from forest, where there is least disturbance, to wooded grassland, where frequent fire disturbance occurs. Most species are not limited to a specific part of the gradient although many show a maximum abundance at some point along the gradient. Fire and accessibility to the protected area were closely related to variation in species composition along the ordination axis with species like Cynometra alexandri and Uvariopsis congensis occurring at one end of the gradient and Combretum guenzi and Lonchocarpus laxiflorus at the other. The vegetation cover classes identified in the area differed in diversity, density and, especially, basal area. All vegetation cover classes, except open woodland, had indicator species. Diospyros abyssinica, Uvariopsis congensis, Holoptelea grandis and all Celtis species were the indicator species for the forest class, Terminalia velutina and Albizia grandbracteata for closed woodland, Grewia mollis and Combretum mole for very open woodland and Lonchocarpus laxiflorus, Grewia bicolor and Combretum guenzi for the wooded grassland class. Eleven of the species occurred in all cover classes and most of the species that occurred in more than one vegetation cover class showed peak abundance in a specific cover class. Species composition in the study area changes gradually from forest to savannah. Along the gradient, the cover classes are distinguishable in terms of species composition and vegetation structure. These classes are, however, interrelated in species composition. For conservation of the full range of the species within this East African landscape, the mosaic has to be managed as an integrated whole. Burning should be varied over the area with the forest not being burnt at all and the wooded grassland burnt regularly. The different vegetation types that occur between these two extremes should be maintained using a varied fire regim

Effects of Anacetrapib in Patients with Atherosclerotic Vascular Disease

BACKGROUND: Patients with atherosclerotic vascular disease remain at high risk for cardiovascular events despite effective statin-based treatment of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels. The inhibition of cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) by anacetrapib reduces LDL cholesterol levels and increases high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels. However, trials of other CETP inhibitors have shown neutral or adverse effects on cardiovascular outcomes. METHODS: We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving 30,449 adults with atherosclerotic vascular disease who were receiving intensive atorvastatin therapy and who had a mean LDL cholesterol level of 61 mg per deciliter (1.58 mmol per liter), a mean non-HDL cholesterol level of 92 mg per deciliter (2.38 mmol per liter), and a mean HDL cholesterol level of 40 mg per deciliter (1.03 mmol per liter). The patients were assigned to receive either 100 mg of anacetrapib once daily (15,225 patients) or matching placebo (15,224 patients). The primary outcome was the first major coronary event, a composite of coronary death, myocardial infarction, or coronary revascularization. RESULTS: During the median follow-up period of 4.1 years, the primary outcome occurred in significantly fewer patients in the anacetrapib group than in the placebo group (1640 of 15,225 patients [10.8%] vs. 1803 of 15,224 patients [11.8%]; rate ratio, 0.91; 95% confidence interval, 0.85 to 0.97; P=0.004). The relative difference in risk was similar across multiple prespecified subgroups. At the trial midpoint, the mean level of HDL cholesterol was higher by 43 mg per deciliter (1.12 mmol per liter) in the anacetrapib group than in the placebo group (a relative difference of 104%), and the mean level of non-HDL cholesterol was lower by 17 mg per deciliter (0.44 mmol per liter), a relative difference of -18%. There were no significant between-group differences in the risk of death, cancer, or other serious adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with atherosclerotic vascular disease who were receiving intensive statin therapy, the use of anacetrapib resulted in a lower incidence of major coronary events than the use of placebo. (Funded by Merck and others; Current Controlled Trials number, ISRCTN48678192 ; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01252953 ; and EudraCT number, 2010-023467-18 .)

Alexander Cather Interview - Part 1 (Muhlenberg County)

An interview with Alexander Cather of Beechmont, Kentucky by Robert M. Rennick on the origin and history of community names in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky

Alexander Cather Interview - Part 2 (Muhlenberg County)

An interview with Alexander Cather of Beechmont, Kentucky by Robert M. Rennick on the origin and history of community names in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky

On the best arrangement of city streets.: [By]Lewis M. Haupt, C. E.

6 p. : ill. ; 23 cm.Caption title."Reprint from Franklin institute journal, April, 1877."Electronic text and image data. Ann Arbor, Mich. : University of Michigan, Digital Library Initiatives, 1996. Includes both TIFF files and keyword searchable text. [Making of America] This volume is made possible by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

On the best arrangement of city streets. [electronic resource]/

"Reprint from Franklin institute journal, April, 1877."Caption title.Electronic text and image data.Mode of access: Internet

Mapa de Republica de Nicaragua : levantado por orden de su Ex. el presidente, Cap't general Martinez /

Relief shown by hachures.Pen-and-ink (black) over pencil grid on tracing linen."Copied from map of Sonnenstern in office of Dr. Flint, at Rivas (1863)."Includes two insets.In lower right bottom: L.M. Haupt, Rivas, Nic., Jan. 21, 1898.Geographic coordinates and place names annotated in pencil by later hand.Imperfect: Some minor wrinkles, creases, and staining along top edge

Leopard prey choice in the Congo Basin rainforest suggests exploitative competition with human bushmeat hunters

Analyses of leopard Panthera pardus prey choice reveal a strong preference for species weighing 10-40 kg. In the Congo Basin rainforests, species within this weight range are also targeted by bushmeat hunters, potentially leading to exploitative competition between leopards and hunters. We investigated leopard prey choice along a gradient of human disturbance, hypothesizing that leopards will exploit smaller prey where competition is strong, possibly resulting in reduced leopard densities at highly hunted sites. We determined leopard diet by means of scat analysis at four rainforest sites in central Gabon, which varied according to their distance from human settlements. Camera trap data collected at each of the four study sites revealed that human hunting intensity increased with proximity to settlements, while the abundance of potential leopard prey species decreased. We found no evidence of leopards at the site nearest to settlements. At the remaining sites, the number of scats collected, mean leopard prey weight and the proportion of large prey (>20 kg) in leopard diet increased with distance from settlements. Camera trap data demonstrated that leopard population density increased with distance from settlements, from 2.7 ± 0.94 leopards/100 km2 to 12.1 ± 5.11 leopards/100 km2. Our results document an increasing use of smaller prey species and a decrease in leopard density in proximity to settlements, supporting our hypothesis. Comparison of leopard diet with hunter return data revealed a high dietary niche overlap between leopards and hunters at sites situated at similar distances from settlements. Our results suggest that bushmeat hunting may precipitate the decline in leopard numbers through exploitative competition and that intensively hunted areas are unlikely to support resident leopard populations. Conserving the leopard in the Congo Basin will rely on effective protected areas and alternative land management strategies that promote regulated human hunting of leopard prey

A move for better roads. Essays on roadmaking and maintenance and road laws, for which prizes or honorable mention were awarded through the University of Pennsylvania,

Contains papers by H. Irwin, D. H. Bergey, J. B. Olcott, E. Slatterthwait, C. Punckard, G. B. Fleece, F. Cawley and F. F. McKenzie.Mode of access: Internet