Marine biogeographic boundaries and human introduction along the European coast revealed by phylogeography of the prawn Palaemon elegans

11 páginas, 5 figuras, 6 tablas.A phylogeographic analysis is carried out for the widely distributed European littoral prawn Palaemon elegans in order to test for potential genetic differentiation and geographic structure. Mitochondrial sequences were obtained from 283 specimens from the northeastern Atlantic, the Baltic, Mediterranean, Black and Caspian Seas. Our study revealed a surprisingly complex population structure. Three main haplogroups can be separated: one from the Atlantic (Type I) and two from the Mediterranean (Types II and III). While the Mediterranean types occur in sympatry, a clear phylogeographic break was observed along the Almería-Oran Front separating Type I and giving evidence for a genetic isolation of Atlantic and Mediterranean populations. Type III represents the most distinct haplogroup with high levels of nucleotide divergence, indicating the occurrence of a cryptic species with a Messinian origin. The colonization of the southeastern Baltic Sea is most likely due to human introduction.For financial support we like to thank the European Union funding (FEDER), the Spanish “Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia, Plan Nacional I+D” (Project CGL2004-01083), the DAAD (D/03/40344) and the Spanish “Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología—Acciones Integradas (HA2003-078).Peer reviewe

Local Support Assembly of the ATLAS Pixel Detector

The barrel part of the ATLAS pixel detector will consist of 112 carbon-carbon structures called "staves" with 13 hybrid detector modules being glued on each stave. The demands on the glue joints are high, both in terms of mechanical precision and thermal contact. To achieve this precision a custom-made semi-automated mounting machine has been constructed in Wuppertal, which provides a precision in the order of tens of microns. As this is the last stage of the detector assembly providing an opportunity for stringent tests, a detailed procedure has been defined for assessing both mechanical and electrical properties. This note gives an overview of the procedure for affixation and tests, and summarizes the first results of the production.Comment: 6 pages, 8 figure

Evidence for West Nile Virus and Usutu Virus Infections in Wild and Resident Birds in Germany, 2017 and 2018

Wild birds play an important role as reservoir hosts and vectors for zoonotic arboviruses and foster their spread. Usutu virus (USUV) has been circulating endemically in Germany since 2011, while West Nile virus (WNV) was first diagnosed in several bird species and horses in 2018. In 2017 and 2018, we screened 1709 live wild and zoo birds with real-time polymerase chain reaction and serological assays. Moreover, organ samples from bird carcasses submitted in 2017 were investigated. Overall, 57 blood samples of the live birds (2017 and 2018), and 100 organ samples of dead birds (2017) were positive for USUV-RNA, while no WNV-RNA-positive sample was found. Phylogenetic analysis revealed the first detection of USUV lineage Europe 2 in Germany and the spread of USUV lineages Europe 3 and Africa 3 towards Northern Germany. USUV antibody prevalence rates were high in Eastern Germany in both years. On the contrary, in Northern Germany, high seroprevalence rates were first detected in 2018, with the first emergence of USUV in this region. Interestingly, high WNV-specific neutralizing antibody titers were observed in resident and short-distance migratory birds in Eastern Germany in 2018, indicating the first signs of a local WNV circulation

Psychophysiological Markers of Cognitive Reactions to Depictions of Corporal Punishment

The following study assessed cognitive mechanisms, via physiological measures, in reaction to photos depicting conditions of corporal punishment, nonphysical punishment, and a neutral control. Detections in skin conductance (SCR) were used to examine autonomic stress response. The current study examined executive working memory (WM) processes as influenced by cognitive and psychophysiological response to viewing depictions of various punishments being implemented. Results of this study found that while participants reacted differently, autonomically and cognitively, to photo conditions, these differences were unrelated to other anticipated moderators such as tendency to internalize shame or greater personal exposure to corporal punishment. Subsequent analyses, however, discovered some unexpected significant trends and relationships

A Comparative Study of High School Academic Paths, Grade Point Averages, and ACT Composite Scores as Predictors of Success at Walters State Community College.

With an overwhelming number of students attempting to enter college after high school, the competitive nature of college admissions continues to grow. Colleges and universities are attempting to find the appropriate means to adequately predict collegiate success. Common methods of this prediction have come from a variety of sources most of which are the use of high school performance and standardized college admissions testing. Walters State Community College was chosen for this study because of its open door admission policy that allows for variability in high school academic paths as well as grade point averages and ACT scores students earned in high school. The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between high school grade point averages, high school academic paths, ACT scores, and 1st-year college success as measured by the number of college credit hours completed and college grade point averages at the end of the 1st semester and at the end of the 1st academic year. The study included 797 high school students entering the college in fall semester 2007 and completing their 1st academic year in spring semester 2008. The major findings of this study included: university Path students were (a) more likely to have a higher high school grade point average, (b) more likely to have a higher college grade point average and have earned more college credit hours at the end of the 1st semester and year, and (c) were less likely to enroll in remedial and developmental courses. Additionally, a moderate positive relationship was found between high school grade point averages and college grade point averages at the end of the college academic year. High school grade point averages and ACT scores were found to be statistically significant in predicting the number of college credit hours earned at the end of the college academic year

Naming the World: Writing, Reading, and Culture in a Refugee ESL Class

Techniques for teaching reading and writing to ESL learners include ones derived from both L1 literacy methods and L2 oral methods. In both categories, some methods, and consequently some techniques, utilize cultural materials from outside the classroom and the learners\u27 culture. Others use materials with no overt cultural content. Still other methods use learner-created materials. These differing methods are explored for their potential in teaching both literacy and culture. The culture- and literacy- learning experience of one Asian-refugee ESL class: multi-level, multi-age, multi-ethnic, and rural, is described. Learners wrote their own reading materials; largely based on pictures from Asian and U.S. cultures. The process and results are described, as well as other methods used to facilitate reading, writing, and cultural interaction in this class. Culture and literacy techniques are suggested for refugee and immigrant ESL classes of varying composition

Here\u27s Your Burrito and Watch Your Back: Does Missouri Really Want to Hold Businesses Liable for Attacks on Patrons

In the late 1980s, Missouri altered a longstanding common law rule and found that businesses sometimes owe a duty to their patrons to protect against or warn about criminal attacks by third parties.\u27 This new rule generally applies when a business has experienced prior incidents that are reasonably recent and similar to the attack in question.3 In Stroot v. Taco Bell Corp., the Missouri Court of Appeals for the Eastern District of Missouri upheld a summary judgment entered in favor of a business for an attack that occurred in the business\u27s parking lot even though the victim alleged that prior violent incidents had occurred in the parking lot and filed supporting affidavits.4 Perhaps Stroot represents a shift away from the modem trend of premises liability law and a return to a take care of yourself\u27 approach. Even more surprising is the court\u27s apparent willingness to ignore the rescue doctrine in favor of protecting businesses from potential liability

Caveat Vendor: Sellers of Real Estate Now Need to Beware of Misrepresentations about the Condition of Property

The common law approach to disclosure of latent defects in real property was caveat emptor, which meant sellers had no duty to disclose latent defects to purchasers.2 Most modem courts have mitigated the harshness of the doctrine by adopting a system that mandates disclosure by a seller of any latent defect3 material to the purchaser\u27s decision to buy the property and whose existence is known by the seller. Droz v. Trump highlights a growing trend among a number of Missouri courts willing to further narrow the seller protections of caveat emptor in favor of protecting innocent purchasers of real property. Most significant in this case is the use of the affirmative representation doctrine to completely cancel the purchaser\u27s duty to investigate latent defects

Congested Traffic States in Empirical Observations and Microscopic Simulations

We present data from several German freeways showing different kinds of congested traffic forming near road inhomogeneities, specifically lane closings, intersections, or uphill gradients. The states are localized or extended, homogeneous or oscillating. Combined states are observed as well, like the coexistence of moving localized clusters and clusters pinned at road inhomogeneities, or regions of oscillating congested traffic upstream of nearly homogeneous congested traffic. The experimental findings are consistent with a recently proposed theoretical phase diagram for traffic near on-ramps [D. Helbing, A. Hennecke, and M. Treiber, Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 82}, 4360 (1999)]. We simulate these situations with a novel continuous microscopic single-lane model, the ``intelligent driver model'' (IDM), using the empirical boundary conditions. All observations, including the coexistence of states, are qualitatively reproduced by describing inhomogeneities with local variations of one model parameter. We show that the results of the microscopic model can be understood by formulating the theoretical phase diagram for bottlenecks in a more general way. In particular, a local drop of the road capacity induced by parameter variations has practically the same effect as an on-ramp.Comment: Now published in Phys. Rev. E. Minor changes suggested by a referee are incorporated; full bibliographic info added. For related work see http://www.mtreiber.de/ and http://www.helbing.org

One Third of Patients before Endoprosthesis Implantation Show an Oral Focus as Potential Source of Infectious Complication—The Value of Pre-Operative Dental Risk Stratification in a German Cohort

Zusammenfassung Zielsetzung: Ziel dieser Querschnittskohortenstudie war es, ein umfassendes zahnärztliches Untersuchungs- und Überweisungskonzept für Patienten vor einer Endoprothesenimplantation (EP) in einem interdisziplinären Setting zu evaluieren. Methoden: Patienten, die in der Klinik für Orthopädie auf eine EP-Operation vorbereitet wurden, wurden zur zahnärztlichen Untersuchung in die Zahnklinik überwiesen. Dabei wurden der zahnärztliche und parodontale Behandlungsbedarf sowie Röntgen- und Kiefergelenkbefunde erhoben. Auf der Grundlage der oralen und röntgenologischen Untersuchung wurde eine Risikoklassifizierung für eine potenzielle Infektionsquelle für Prothesen vorgenommen. Wenn potenzielle orale Herde einer EP-Infektion vorhanden waren (z. B. apikal röntgenstrahlendurchlässige Zähne, schwere Parodontitis oder zusätzliche entzündliche Befunde), wurden die Patienten als Patienten mit hohem Risiko für eine EP-Infektion mit oralem Ursprung eingestuft. Diese Personen wurden ihrem Hauszahnarzt oder einer Spezialklinik zur zahnärztlichen Behandlung vor der EP-Operation zugewiesen. Ergebnisse: Insgesamt wurden 311 Patienten eingeschlossen (Mittelalter: 67,84 ± 10,96 Jahre, 51% männlich). Ein zahnärztlicher Behandlungsbedarf von 33% wurde festgestellt, während der parodontale Behandlungsbedarf 83% betrug. Einunddreißig Prozent der Patienten zeigten mindestens eine apikale Radioluzenz (ein Zeichen einer chronischen Infektion/Entzündung). Darüber hinaus wurden bei 24% der Patienten zusätzliche Befunde wie radiologische Anzeichen einer Sinusitis maxillaris gefunden. Die Kiefergelenkserkrankung war bei 17% der Personen wahrscheinlich. Ein Drittel (34%) wurde der Hochrisikogruppe für eine EP-Infektion oralen Ursprungs zugeordnet. Fazit: Deutsche Patienten vor EP haben einen hohen parodontalen Behandlungsbedarf und zeigen häufig (34%) einen potenziellen oralen Infektionsschwerpunkt, was die Notwendigkeit unterstreicht, eine zahnärztliche Untersuchung und Risikoschichtung als Teil der präoperativen Beurteilung vor der EP-Implantation einzubeziehen. Daher scheint ein in dieser Studie angewandter Ansatz für diese Personen angemessen zu sein