Search

A new phylogenetic analysis of the Nyssorhynchus subgenus (Danoff-Burg and Conn, unpub. data) using six data sets {morphological (all life stages); scanning electron micrographs of eggs; nuclear ITS2 sequences; mitochondrial COII, ND2 and ND6 sequences} revealed different topologies when each data set was analyzed separately but no heterogeneity between the data sets using the arn test. Consequently, the most accurate estimate of the phylogeny was obtained when all the data were combined. This new phylogeny supports a monophyletic Nyssorhynchus subgenus but both previously recognized sections in the subgenus (Albimanus and Argyritarsis) were demonstrated to be paraphyletic relative to each other and four of the seven clades included species previously placed in both sections. One of these clades includes both Anopheles darlingi and An. albimanus, suggesting that the ability to vector malaria effectively may have originated once in this subgenus. Both a conserved (315 bp) and a variable (425 bp) region of the mitochondrial COI gene from 15 populations of An. darlingi from Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, French Guiana, Peru and Venezuela were used to examine the evolutionary history of this species and to test several analytical assumptions. Results demonstrated (1) parsimony analysis is equally informative compared to distance analysis using NJ; (2) clades or clusters are more strongly supported when these two regions are combined compared to either region separately; (3) evidence (in the form of remnants of older haplotype lineages) for two colonization events; and (4) significant genetic divergence within the population from Peixoto de Azevedo (State of Mato Grosso, Brazil). The oldest lineage includes populations from Peixoto, Boa Vista (State of Roraima) and Dourado (State of São Paulo).

Textured alumina ceramics were obtained by Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) of undoped commercial a-Al2O3 powders. Various parameters (density, grain growth, grain size distribution) of the alumina ceramics, sintered at two typical temperatures 1400{\deg}C and 1700{\deg}C, are investigated. Quantitative textural and structural analysis, carried out using a combination of Electron Back Scattering Diffraction (EBSD) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), are represented in the form of mapping, and pole figures. The mechanical properties of these textured alumina ceramics include high elastic modulus and hardness value with high anisotropic nature, opening the door for a large range of applications, Comment: 16 pages, 6 figures, submitted to J. Appl. Phys

This is the post-print version of the final paper published in Engineering Structures. The published article is available from the link below. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. Copyright @ 2011 Elsevier B.V. In this paper a robust static-dynamic procedure has been developed. The development extends the capability of the Vulcan software to model the dynamic and static behaviour of steel buildings during both local and global progressive collapse of the structures under fire conditions. The explicit integration method was adopted in the dynamic procedure. This model can be utilized to allow a structural analysis to continue beyond the temporary instabilities which would cause singularities in the full static analyses. The automatic switch between static and dynamic analysis makes the Vulcan a powerful tool to investigate the mechanism of the progressive collapse of the structures generated by the local failure of components. The procedure was validated against several practical cases. Some preliminary studies of the collapse mechanism of steel frame due to columns’ failure under fire conditions are also presented. It is concluded that for un-braced frame the lower loading ratio and bigger beam section can give higher failure temperature in which the global structural collapse happens. However, the localised collapse of the frame with the higher loading ratio and smaller beam section can more easily be generated. The bracing system is helpful to prevent the frame from progressive collapse. The higher lateral stiffness of the frame can generate the smaller vertical deformation of the failed column at the re-stable position. However, the global failure temperature of the frame is not sensitive to the lateral stiffness of the frame.

The intercropping practice is a viable technological option for the production of vegetables and the success of the association between crops will be greater the greater the complementarity between them. The present work was conducted from June to November 2006, at Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido, Rio Grande do Norte State, Brazil, to evaluate the productive performance of two lettuce and two rocket cultivars in two cultures in strip-intercropping systems. The experimental design was randomized complete blocks, with five replications and treatments arranged in a 2 x 2 + 2 factorial. The treatments consisted of the combination of two lettuce cultivars (Babá de Verão and Tainá) and two of rocket (Cultivada and Folha Larga) intercropped with carrot 'Brasília' plus two additional treatments (two lettuce cultivars or two rocket cultivars grown in sole crop). In each block a plot with carrot in sole crop was grown. The evaluated traits in lettuce were plant height and diameter, number of leaves per plant, productivity and shoot dry matter mass. In rocket were evaluated plant height, number of leaves per plant, green mass yield and shoot dry matter mass; and in carrot: plant height, total and marketable productivity, besides root classes, in long and medium roots, short roots and scrap roots. The Tainá lettuce cultivar had the best yield performance both in sole crop and intercropping system. The Cultivada and Folha Larga rocket cultivars had similar yield performance in both cropping systems. Both lettuce and rocket crops had better productive performance in the second culture. The mean production of carrot marketable roots in intercropping systems was 68.3%, being 48.6% for long and medium roots and 19.7% for short roots, while in the sole crop the mean production of marketable carrot roots was of 75.0%, being 51.7% for long and medium roots and 23.3% for short roots. A prática de consórcio é uma opção tecnológica viável para a produção de hortaliças e o sucesso da associação entre as culturas será tanto maior quanto maior a complementaridade entre elas. O presente trabalho foi realizado de junho a novembro de 2006, na Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido, Mossoró, Brasil, para avaliar o desempenho produtivo de duas cultivares de alface e duas de rúcula consorciadas em faixas com cenoura em dois cultivos. O delineamento experimental foi em blocos completos casualizados com cinco repetições, com os tratamentos arranjados em esquema fatorial 2 x 2 + 2. Os tratamentos consistiram da combinação de duas cultivares de alface (Babá de Verão e Tainá) e duas de rúcula (Cultivada e Folha Larga) consorciadas com cenoura 'Brasília', mais dois tratamentos adicionais (duas cultivares de alface ou duas cultivares de rúcula cultivadas em cultivo solteiro). Em cada bloco foi inserida uma parcela com a cenoura em cultivo solteiro. As características avaliadas na alface foram altura e diâmetro de plantas, número de folhas por planta, produtividade e massa da matéria seca da parte aérea; na rúcula: altura de plantas, número de folhas por planta, rendimento de massa verde e massa da matéria seca da parte aérea, e na cenoura: altura de plantas, produtividade total e comercial, percentual de raízes longas e médias, de raízes curtas e de refugo. A cultivar de alface Tainá teve melhor desempenho, tanto em cultivo solteiro como consorciado. As rúculas 'Cultivada' e 'Folha Larga' tiveram desempenho produtivo semelhante em ambos os sistemas de cultivo. As culturas de alface e rúcula tiveram melhor desempenho produtivo no segundo cultivo. A produção de raízes comerciais de cenoura nos sistemas consorciados foi de 68,3%, dos quais 48,6% foram de raízes longas e médias e 19,7% de raízes curtas. A produção de raízes comerciais de cenoura no sistema solteiro foi de 75,0%, dos quais 51,7% foram de raízes longas e médias e 23,3% de raízes curtas.

In this study 18 new corn varieties consist of 15 foreign early and mid-mature single cross hybrids and 3 Iranian commercial hybrids (KSC704, KSC647and DC370) were evaluated at two sowing date (5 and 20 June) based on RCBD with 3 replications at Khorasan Razavi Agricultural Research Centre, Mashhad, Iran on 2009. This study showed that among all hybrids, EXP1 (16.03 ton/ha) and OSSK617 (15.51 ton/ha) had the highest yields in early planting (5 June) and EXP1 (16.52 ton/ha) and KDC370 (16.22 ton/ha) produced the highest, yields in late planting (20 June). Results of this experiment also indicated that yield component such as 300 kernel weight, kernel no. per row, kernel depth and ear length were adversely affected in delay planting condition. Delay planting reduced 300- kernel weight, kernel no. per row, kernel depth and ear length. Results of cluster analysis using Wards’ method divided the corn hybrids into 4 different clusters (low intra-group and high extra-group similarities). From the results of cluster analysis it is recommended to make crosses among genotypes in Clus1 (ZP434, BC582 and EXP2 hybrids) and Clus4 (ZP684, SIMON and KSC647) in breeding programmes. Classifying genotypes according to their agronomic traits with sophisticated multivariate techniques could reduce the time period and expenditure for crop improvement.

Studies of the relationships between low socio-economic status and impaired lung function were conducted mainly in Western European countries and North America. East–West differences remain unexplored. Associations between parental education and lung function were explored using data on 24,010 school-children from eight cross-sectional studies conducted in North America, Western and Eastern Europe. Parental education was defined as low and high using country-specific classifications. Country-specific estimates of effects of low parental education on volume and flow parameters were obtained using linear and logistic regression, controlling for early life and other individual risk factors. Meta-regressions were used for assessment of heterogeneity between country-specific estimates. The association between low parental education and lung function was not consistent across the countries, but showed a more pronounced inverse gradient in the Western countries. The most consistent decrease associated with low parental education was found for peak expiratory flow (PEF), ranging from −2.80 to −1.14%, with statistically significant associations in five out of eight countries. The mean odds ratio for low PEF (

Single-nucleotide polymorphisms in different DNA-repair genes are reported to modulate risk of various cancers including melanoma. We genotyped DNA from 1186 melanoma patients and 1280 healthy controls for 13 different polymorphisms in eight DNA-repair genes. Data analyses showed that none of the polymorphisms except T241M XRCC3 was associated with an increased risk for cutaneous melanoma. Carriers of the variant alleles were associated with a decreased risk (OR 0.83; 95% CI, 0.79-0.98). Three additional polymorphisms together with T241M XRCC3 that tagged the entire gene region and the neighbouring genes KLC1, ZFYVE21 and PPP1R13B were not associated with the disease risk; neither were the inferred haplotypes. Imputation showed association of comparable magnitude with 11 non-genotyped neighbouring polymorphisms. Finally, the combination of results for all polymorphisms genotyped in the present study with published data suggests that none of the investigated polymorphisms was associated with melanoma susceptibility. We conclude that 13 non-synonymous polymorphisms in eight DNA-repair genes that are frequently investigated with respect to modulation of cancer risk in populations are not associated with susceptibility to cutaneous melanoma. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The sister group to the isopod crustaceans remains a controversial proposition. Previous studies have used idealised composite taxa or few exemplars, resulting in confl icting assertions about the placement of the Isopoda among the Malacostraca. A recent morphological study argued for an Amphipoda-Isopoda clade, whereas a molecular study using SSU rDNA (18S) data found other relationships. Within isopods, the morphologically-specialised Phreatoicidea are generally regarded as the earliest-derived taxon, based on their fossil record and several published cladograms. These hypotheses were tested using 18S sequences and 202 morphological characters from 75 exemplars (52 isopods and 23 other malacostracans). The partitions were analysed separately and combined, and the sequence data were analysed using dynamic homology. To find the best sequence substitution, insertion-deletion and gap insertion costs, scores based on finding accepted monophyletic taxa were used to select the optimal parameters. Separately and combined, both partitions rejected the Amphipoda-Isopoda clade hypothesis. The 18S analysis placed the phreatoicideans high in the tree, rather in a basal position. The morphological analysis found a basally branching Phreatoicidea-Asellota group. The combined analysis found an Apseudomorpha (Tanaidacea) + Isopoda clade, with Phreatoicidea still well separated from the isopod ancestral root. The parasitic subgroups of the Cymothoida (families Cymothoidae and Gnathiidae, and superfamily Bopyroidea) comprised the basal branch of the isopods, which is a novel hypothesis that argues against the monophyly of the suborder Cymothoida. The 18S data alone are inadequate at this phylogenetic level and the combined data provided novel hypotheses that require additional evidence from detailed morphological studies and DNA markers for confi rmation.

We studied the phylogeny and systematics of the tribe Paragini (Diptera: Syrphidae) using morphological and molecular data. The paper presents separate parsimony analyses of both adult morphological characters and partial DNA sequence data from mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I and nuclear ribosomal 28S rRNA gene, as well as a combined analysis of all the data. The data set of morphological characters included some features of the male terminalia (i.e. shape of the ejaculatory apodeme; relative position of elements of the aedeagal complex; shape of surstylar apodeme; shape of the aedeagal apodeme) not previously used in the systematics of the Paragini. The trees obtained from separate parsimony analyses of molecular and morphological data produced almost identical topologies. Four lineages are supported by the combined data set, and we establish two new subgenera, i.e. Serratoparagus Vujic et Radenkovic subgen. nov., and Afroparagus Vujic et Radenkovic subgen. nov., and redefine Pandasyopthalmus Stuckenberg, 1954 stat. rev. and Paragus Latreille, 1804, stat. rev. The monophyly of the Pandasyopthalmus clade, including the species fitting neither of the current species groups (jozanus-group) of Paragini, is established. Diagnoses of all known species groups are presented, including a new arrangement of almost all valid species of Paragini. Carl Cedercreutz Foundation, Helsinki (Finland); Ministry of Science and Environmental Protection (project number 143037) and Provincial Ministry of Science and Technological Development, Autonomous Province of Vojvodina – project: Maintenance of Biodiversity – Hotspots on the Balkan and Iberian Peninsula (Insecta, Diptera, Syrphidae) (Republic of Serbia); and Ministry of Environment (project number 040/2002) and University of Alicante (project number GRE04-25) (Spain).

La détermination des corrélations existant entre la structure et la microstructure d'un matériau et ses propriétés physiques est primordiale pour son optimisation et dans ce contexte, les techniques de diffraction de rayons X, neutrons ou électrons sont des outils de choix. De plus, dans un souci de miniaturisation constant, l'élaboration de matériaux sous forme de films minces et leur éventuelle nanostructuration leur confèrent des propriétés physiques particulières souvent améliorées par rapport au matériau massif, ce qui constitue ces dernières années un enjeu stratégique et économique majeur en raison de leur potentiel d'applications énorme. Dans cet objectif, de nombreuses techniques de dépôt sous vide existent pour l'élaboration de films minces nanostructurés ou non, et elles sont en général séparées en deux grandes catégories avec les techniques de dépôt en phase vapeur chimique (CVD, PECVD, MOCVD...) ou de dépôt physique (évaporation, pulvérisation, ablation laser...). Parmi ces dernières, la technique de pulvérisation magnétron est une des méthodes de dépôt la moins onéreuse, facilement transposable à un niveau industriel et permettant aussi bien de déposer des couches que des multicouches conductrices ou isolantes de bonne qualité cristalline. De plus, la possibilité de l'utilisation d'un gaz réactif tel que l'oxygène ou l'hydrogène est un atout supplémentaire comme nous le verrons dans cette synthèse. L'élaboration de matériaux polyphasés, massifs ou sous forme de films minces, aux propriétés physiques spécifiques très anisotropes a relancé également ces dernières années un intérêt croissant pour l'analyse texturale, puisque l'anisotropie des propriétés physiques macroscopiques d'un échantillon polycristallin ne peut être observée que si ses cristallites sont préférentiellement orientés. C'est le cas notamment des matériaux magnétiques, conducteurs ioniques, ferro- et piézo-électriques et des matériaux à transparence optique. L'analyse quantitative des orientations préférentielles (QTA) par diffraction des rayons X, méthode d'investigation non destructive, joue donc un rôle essentiel dans l'optimisation de ces propriétés anisotropes pour comprendre les corrélations existant entre les tenseurs microscopiques et les propriétés macroscopiques, ainsi que pour déterminer les modes de croissance (épitaxie) et optimiser les conditions d'élaboration. De plus, l'ajout des informations de QTA devient indispensable afin de repousser certaines limites dans des techniques de caractérisation structurale basées sur le rayonnement X, par exemple en EXAFS polarisé, et en couplant les analyses de Rietveld et de texture avec l'analyse dite "combinée" structure/texture/contraintes. En effet, dans un échantillon texturé, si on ne connaît pas exactement sa structure, on ne peut pas en extraire sa texture et vice-versa. De même, la détermination des contraintes dans un échantillon texturé est délicate et une approche par une analyse globale du profil (dite analyse combinée) est souvent nécessaire, encore plus si les échantillons sont polyphasés et de basse symétrie cristalline.Mes activités de recherche jusqu'à aujourd'hui et présentées ci-après visent à établir lorsque cela est possible les corrélations existant entre la structure et la microstructure, déterminées essentiellement par les techniques de diffraction, et les propriétés physiques de matériaux massifs magnétiques ou sous forme de films minces (conducteurs ioniques, ferroélectriques, à transparence optique) en vue de leur optimisation. Ces activités se sont orientées suivant deux axes :• d'une part (Chapitre 1) avec l'analyse quantitative de texture classique et en utilisant principalement la technique de diffraction de rayons X, pour l'optimisation de matériaux massifs intermétalliques ferromagnétiques texturés sous champ magnétique (et étudiés dans le cadre de ma thèse 1996-1999), et de films minces texturés conducteurs ioniques (La,Li)TiO3 ou semi-conducteurs d'InN.• d'autre part (Chapitre 2), avec l'optimisation de films minces texturés en utilisant une approche via l'analyse combinée des spectres de diffraction X. Le recours à une analyse globale du profil pour l'étude des films minces ferroélectriques texturés (Pb,Ca)TiO3 et de TiCx et TiNy, a été nécessaire du fait de recouvrements importants de pics inter-phases. Cette approche dans le cadre de l'optimisation de films minces nanostructurés semi-conducteurs de Si, SiC, Cr2+:ZnSe étudiés au Laboratoire SIFCOM, a été motivée par la présence d'orientations préférentielles et de nanocristallites de tailles anisotropes, ainsi que par la nécessité de lever l'ambiguïté sur la structure du SiC (présence de plusieurs polytypes).Depuis que j'ai rejoint le Laboratoire SIFCOM (septembre 2002), outre des activités ponctuelles de caractérisations structurales par diffraction de rayons X sur des films minces semi-conducteurs texturés de Si et d'InN, mon activité de recherche repose essentiellement sur l'élaboration par pulvérisation magnétron et l'optimisation des propriétés optiques de films texturés de SiC et, depuis février 2005 de films de Cr2+:ZnSe, nouveau sujet de recherche que je développe au laboratoire.

In this paper we describe our TRECVID 2006 experiments. The MediaMill team participated in two tasks: concept detection and search. For concept detection we use the MediaMill Challenge as experimental platform. The MediaMill Challenge divides the generic video indexing problem into a visual-only, textual-only, early fusion, late fusion, and combined analysis experiment. We provide a baseline implementation for each experiment together with baseline results, which we made available for the TRECVID community. The Challenge package was downloaded more than 80 times and we anticipate that it has been used by several teams for their 2006 submission. Our Challenge experiments focus specifically on visual-only analysis of video (run id: B\_MM). We extract image features, on global, regional, and keypoint level, which we combine with various supervised learners. A late fusion approach of visual-only analysis methods using geometric mean was our most successful run. With this run we conquer the Challenge baseline by more than 50\%. Our concept detection experiments have resulted in the best score for three concepts: i.e. \emph{desert}, \emph{flag us}, and \emph{charts}. What is more, using LSCOM annotations, our visual-only approach generalizes well to a set of 491 concept detectors. To handle such a large thesaurus in retrieval, an engine is developed which automatically selects a set of relevant concept detectors based on text matching and ontology querying. The suggestion engine is evaluated as part of the automatic search task (run id: A-MM) and forms the entry point for our interactive search experiments (run id: A-MM). Here we experiment with query by object matching and two browsers for interactive exploration: the CrossBrowser and the novel NovaBrowser. It was found that the NovaBrowser is able to produce the same results as the CrossBrowser, but with less user interaction. Similar to previous years our best interactive search runs yield top performance, ranking 2nd and 6th overall. Again a lot has been learned during this year's TRECVID campaign, we highlight the most important lessons at the end of this paper.

In this paper we describe our TRECVID 2006 experiments. The MediaMill team participated in two tasks: concept detection and search. For concept detection we use the MediaMill Challenge as experimental platform. The MediaMill Challenge divides the generic video indexing problem into a visual-only, textual-only, early fusion, late fusion, and combined analysis experiment. We provide a baseline implementation for each experiment together with baseline results, which we made available to the TRECVID community. The Challenge package was downloaded more than 80 times and we anticipate that it has been used by several teams for their 2006 submission. Our Challenge experiments focus specifically on visual-only analysis of video (run id: B MM). We extract image features, on global, regional, and keypoint level, which we combine with various supervised learners. A late fusion approach of visual-only analysis methods using geometric mean was our most successful run. With this run we conquer the Challenge baseline by more than 50%. Our concept detection experiments have resulted in the best score for three concepts: i.e. desert, flag us, and charts. What is more, using LSCOM annotations, our visual-only approach generalizes well to a set of 491 concept detectors. To handle such a large thesaurus in retrieval, an engine is developed which automatically selects a set of relevant concept detectors based on text matching and ontology querying. The suggestion engine is evaluated as part of the automatic search task (run id: A-MM) and forms the entry point for our interactive search experiments (run id: A-MM). Here we experiment with query by object matching and two browsers for interactive exploration: the CrossBrowser and the novel RotorBrowser. It was found that the RotorBrowser is able to produce the same results as the CrossBrowser, but with less user interaction. Similar to previous years our best interactive search runs yield top performance, ranking 2nd and 6th overall. Again a lot has been learned during this year's TRECVID campaign, we highlight the most important lessons at the end of this paper.

A joint analysis of five paternal half-sib Holstein families that were part of two different granddaughter designs (ADR- or Inra-design) was carried out for five milk production traits and somatic cell score in order to conduct a QTL confirmation study and to increase the experimental power. Data were exchanged in a coded and standardised form. The combined data set (JOINT-design) consisted of on average 231 sires per grandsire. Genetic maps were calculated for 133 markers distributed over nine chromosomes. QTL analyses were performed separately for each design and each trait. The results revealed QTL for milk production on chromosome 14, for milk yield on chromosome 5, and for fat content on chromosome 19 in both the ADR- and the Inra-design (confirmed within this study). Some QTL could only be mapped in either the ADR- or in the Inra-design (not confirmed within this study). Additional QTL previously undetected in the single designs were mapped in the JOINT-design for fat yield (chromosome 19 and 26), protein yield (chromosome 26), protein content (chromosome 5), and somatic cell score (chromosome 2 and 19) with genomewide significance. This study demonstrated the potential benefits of a combined analysis of data from different granddaughter designs.

International audience; A joint analysis of five paternal half-sib Holstein families that were part of two different granddaughter designs (ADR- or Inra-design) was carried out for five milk production traits and somatic cell score in order to conduct a QTL confirmation study and to increase the experimental power. Data were exchanged in a coded and standardised form. The combined data set (JOINT-design) consisted of on average 231 sires per grandsire. Genetic maps were calculated for 133 markers distributed over nine chromosomes. QTL analyses were performed separately for each design and each trait. The results revealed QTL for milk production on chromosome 14, for milk yield on chromosome 5, and for fat content on chromosome 19 in both the ADR- and the Inra-design (confirmed within this study). Some QTL could only be mapped in either the ADR- or in the Inra-design (not confirmed within this study). Additional QTL previously undetected in the single designs were mapped in the JOINT-design for fat yield (chromosome 19 and 26), protein yield (chromosome 26), protein content (chromosome 5), and somatic cell score (chromosome 2 and 19) with genomewide significance. This study demonstrated the potential benefits of a combined analysis of data from different granddaughter designs.

In recent years, some epidemiologic studies have attributed adverse effects of air pollutants on health not only to particles and sulfur dioxide but also to photochemical air pollutants (nitrogen dioxide and ozone). The effects are usually small, leading to some inconsistencies in the results of the studies. Furthermore, the different methodologic approaches of the studies used has made it difficult to derive generic conclusions. We provide here a quantitative summary of the short-term effects of photochemical air pollutants on mortality in seven Spanish cities involved in the EMECAM project, using generalized additive models from analyses of single and multiple pollutants. Nitrogen dioxide and ozone data were provided by seven EMECAM cities (Barcelona, Gijon, Huelva, Madrid, Oviedo, Seville, and Valencia). Mortality indicators included daily total mortality from all causes excluding external causes, daily cardiovascular mortality, and daily respiratory mortality. Individual estimates, obtained from city-specific generalized additive Poisson autoregressive models, were combined by means of fixed effects models and, if significant heterogeneity among local estimates was found, also by random effects models. Significant positive associations were found between daily mortality (all causes and cardiovascular) and NO2, once the rest of air pollutants were taken into account. A 10 mug/m(3) increase in the 24-hr average 1-day NO2 level was associated with an increase in the daily number of deaths of 0.43% [95% confidence interval (CI), -0.003-0.86%] for all causes excluding external. In the case of significant relationships, relative risks for cause-specific mortality were nearly twice as much as that for total mortality for all the photochemical pollutants. Ozone was independently related only to cardiovascular daily mortality. No independent statistically significant relationship between photochemical air pollutants and respiratory mortality was found. The results in this study suggest that, given the present levels of photochemical pollutants, people living in Spanish cities are exposed to health risks derived from air pollution.

We report the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) measurements during plasma treatment of thin films by an indigenously designed setup. From the measurements on Al (6.3 nm)/Ag (38 nm) bi-layer at a pressure of 0.02 mbar, the SPR position was found to be shifted by ?20 after a plasma treatment of ?7 h. The formation of oxide layers during plasma oxidation was confirmed by glancing angle x-ray diffraction (GXRD) measurements. Combined analysis of GXRD and SPR data confirmed that while top Al layer enables controlling plasma oxidation of Ag, the setup enables monitoring the same. The setup designed is a first of its kind for in situ SPR studies where creation of low pressure is a prerequisite. � 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.

Chapter One: Raven's 1985 phylogenetic analysis of the Mygalomorphae placed a number of previously unrelated genera into the rastelloid family Cyrtaucheniidae. Although Goloboff's 1993 reanalysis of mygalomorph relationships retained the familial composition of the Rastelloidina it di not support cyrtaucheniid monophyly. This study resolves the issue of cyrtaucheniid monophyly within the context of the Rastelloidina. Using 71 morphological characters scored for 29 mygalomorph taxa we find that the Cyrtaucheniidae is polyphyletic and propose the following families in its place: Cyrtaucheniidae, Kiamidae (new family), Aporoptychidae (new rank), Ancylotrypidae (new family) and Euctenizidae (new rank). We also propose two new euctenizid genera, Apachella and Sinepedica, revise the taxonomy of the euctenizids of the Southwestern United States, and present a key for these six genera. In addition to the morphologically based phylogeny we test and refine the euctenizid intergeneric phylogeny using molecular data (mitochondrial 16S rRNA and COI genes and 28S rRNA nuclear genes). The results of the combined morphological and molecular analysis are used to construct a composite rastelloid phylogeny that is used to investigate biogeographical relationships, burrow entrance evolution, and homoplasy. Chapter Two: This systematic study of the predominately Californian trapdoor spider genus Aptostichus Simon, 1890 describes 28 species, 25 of which are newly described: A. atomus, A. improbulus, A. insulanus, A. icenoglei, A. ebriosus, A. muiri, A. cahuillus, A. luiseni, A. serranos, A. calientus, A. chemehuevi, A. shoshonei, A. pauitei, A. tipai, A. cochesensis, A. indegina, A. gertschi, A. kristenae, A. fornax, A. spinaserratus, A. brevifolius, A. brevispinus, A. agracilapandus, A. tenuis, and A. gracilapandus. Aptostichus stanfordianus Smith, 1908 is considered to be a junior synonym of A. atomarius Simon 1890. Using 72 quantitative and qualitative morphological characters we propose a preliminary phylogeny for this group. Based on the results of this phylogenetic analysis, we recognize the Atomarius, Simus, Hesperus and Pandus species groups. Additionally, our phylogenetic analysis indicates that adaptations favoring the invasion of the very arid desert habitats of southern California have evolved multiple times in the Aptostichus clade. The existence of both desert and non - desert species in three of the four species groups makes this genus an ideal candidate for the study of the evolutionary ecology of desert arthropods. Chapter Three: Aptostichus simus is a trapdoor spider that is endemic to the coastal dunes of southern California and is recognized as a single species on morphological grounds. Mitochondrial DNA 16S rRNA sequences demonstrate that populations from San Diego County, Los Angeles County, Santa Rosa Island, and Monterey County are extremely divergent (6 - 12%). These results are comparable to, or higher than recent reports of species - level differences in other invertebrate taxa. A molecular clock hypothesis shows that these four populations have been separated for 2 - 6 million years. A statistical cluster analysis of morphological features demonstrates that this genetic divergence is not reflected in anatomical features that might signify ecological differentiation among these lineages. The species status of these divergent populations of A. simus depends upon the species concept utilized. The time - limited genealogical perspective that is employed separates A. simus into two genetically distinct species. This study suggests that a species concept based on morphological distinctiveness in spider groups with limited dispersal capabilities probably underestimate taxonomic diversity. Ph. D.

A previous linkage study provided evidence for a prostate cancer-susceptibility locus at 1q24-25. Subsequent reports in additional collections of families have yielded conflicting results. In addition, evidence for locus heterogeneity has been provided by the identification of other putative hereditary prostate cancer loci on Xq27-28, 1q42-43, and 1p36. The present study describes a combined analysis for six markers in the 1q24-25 region in 772 families affected by hereditary prostate cancer and ascertained by the members of the International Consortium for Prostate Cancer Genetics (ICPCG) from North America, Australia, Finland, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Overall, there was some evidence for linkage, with a peak parametric multipoint LOD score assuming heterogeneity (HLOD) of 1.40 (P=.01) at D1S212. The estimated proportion of families (alpha) linked to the locus was.06 (1-LOD support interval.01-.12). This evidence was not observed by a nonparametric approach, presumably because of the extensive heterogeneity. Further parametric analysis revealed a significant effect of the presence of male-to-male disease transmission within the families. In the subset of 491 such families, the peak HLOD was 2.56 (P=.0006) and alpha =.11 (1-LOD support interval.04-.19), compared with HLODs of 0 in the remaining 281 families. Within the families with male-to-male disease transmission, alpha increased with the early mean age at diagnosis (65 years, alpha =.19, with 1-LOD support interval.06-.34) and the number of affected family members (five or more family members, alpha =.15, with 1-LOD support interval.04-.28). The highest value of alpha was observed for the 48 families that met all three criteria (peak HLOD = 2.25, P=.001, alpha=.29, with 1-LOD support interval.08-.53). These results support the finding of a prostate cancer-susceptibility gene linked to 1q24-25, albeit in a defined subset of prostate cancer families. Although HPC1 accounts for only a small proportion of all families affected by hereditary prostate cancer, it appears to play a more prominent role in the subset of families with several members affected at an early age and with male-to-male disease transmission.

WOS: 000285566000008, Parmelioid lichens are a diverse and ubiquitous group of foliose lichens. Generic delimitation in parmelioid lichens has been in a state of flux since the late 1960s with the segregation of the large, heterogeneous genus Parmelia into numerous smaller genera. Recent molecular phylogenetic studies have demonstrated that some of these new genera were monophyletic, some were not, and others, previously believed to be unrelated, fell within single monophyletic groups, indicating the need for a revision of the generic delimitations. This study aims to give an overview of current knowledge of the major clades of all parmelioid lichens. For this, we assembled a dataset of 762 specimens, including 31 of 33 currently accepted parmelioid genera (and 63 of 84 accepted genera of Parmeliaceae). We performed maximum likelihood and Bayesian analyses of combined datasets including two, three and four loci. Based on these phylogenies and the correlation of morphological and chemical characters that characterize monophyletic groups, we accept 27 genera within nine main clades. We re-circumscribe several genera and reduce Parmelaria to synonymy with Parmotrema. Emodomelanelia Divakar & A. Crespo is described as a new genus (type: E. masonii). Nipponoparmelia (Kurok.) K.H. Moon, Y. Ohmura & Kashiw. ex A. Crespo & al. is elevated to generic rank and 15 new combinations are proposed (in the genera Flavoparmelia, Parmotrema, Myelochroa, Melanelixia and Nipponoparmelia). A short discussion of the accepted genera is provided and remaining challenges and areas requiring additional taxon sampling are identified., Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion [CGL2008-01125-E/BOS, CGL2007-64652/BOS]; Ramon y Cajal [RYC02007-01576]; Field Museum; Swedish Research Council [VR 629-2001-5756, VR 621-2003-303, VR 621-2006-3760], We wish to thank Allison Knight, Gary Perlmutter, Ken Sweat, James Lendemer and Gennadii Urbanavichius for providing us with fresh material for our studies. We thank John Pormann and Sean Dilda from the Duke Shared Cluster Resource and Michael Nuhn from the Nano+Bio Center for their support with installing and running the necessary software. This study has been supported financially by the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion (CGL2008-01125-E/BOS, CGL2007-64652/BOS), and Ramon y Cajal grant (RYC02007-01576) to PKD, a start up fund of The Field Museum to Thorsten Lumbsch, the Swedish Research Council grants VR 629-2001-5756, VR 621-2003-303 and VR 621-2006-3760 to Mats Wedin. We thank the Galapagos National Park for permission to analyze their material. This is publication no. 2001 of the Charles Darwin Research Station.