The Population Consequences of Sex and Conflict

Natural selection generally operates at the level of the individual, or more specifically at the level of the gene. As a result, individual selection does not always favour traits which benefit the population or species as a whole. The spread of an individual gene may even act to the detriment of the organism in which it finds. Thus selection at the level of the individual can affect processes at the level of the organism, group or even at the level of the species. As most behaviours ultimately affect births, deaths and the distribution of individuals, it seems inevitable that behavioural decisions will have an impact on population dynamics and population densities. Behavioural decisions can often involve costs through allocation of energy into behavioural strategies, such as the investment into armaments involved in fighting over resources or increased mortality due to injury or increased predation risk. Similarly, behaviour may act o to benefit the population, in terms of higher survival and increased fecundity. Examples include increased investment through parental care, choosing a mate based on the nuptial gifts they may supply and choosing territories in the face of competition. Investigating the impact of behaviour on population ecology may seem like a trivial task, but it is likely to have important consequences at different levels. For example, antagonistic behaviour may occasionally become so extreme that it increases the risk of extinction, and such extinction risk may have important implications for conservation. As a corollary, any such behaviour may also act as a macroevolutionary force, weeding out populations with traits which, whilst beneficial to the individuals in the short term, ultimately result in population extinction. In this thesis, I examine how behaviours, specifically conflict and competition over a resource and aspects of behaviour involved in sexual selection, can affect population densities, and what the implications are for the evolution and ecology of the populations in question. It is found that both behaviours related to individual conflict and mating strategies can have an effect at the level of the population, but that various factors, such as a feedback between selection and population densities or macroevolution caused by species extinctions, may act to limit the intensity of conflicts that we observe in nature.

Dynamics of Finnish starlings in 1951-2005 : from monitoring to population modelling

Farmland bird species have been declining in Europe. Many declines have coincided with general intensification of farming practices. In Finland, replacement of mixed farming, including rotational pastures, with specialized cultivation has been one of the most drastic changes from the 1960s to the 1990s. This kind of habitat deterioration limits the persistence of populations, as has been previously indicated from local populations. Integrated population monitoring, which gathers species-specific information of population size and demography, can be used to assess the response of a population to environment changes also at a large spatial scale. I targeted my analysis at the Finnish starling (Sturnus vulgaris). Starlings are common breeders in farmland habitats, but severe declines of local populations have been reported from Finland in the 1970s and 1980s and later from other parts of Europe. Habitat deterioration (replacement of pasture and grassland habitats with specialized cultivation areas) limits reproductive success of the species. I analysed regional population data in order to exemplify the importance of agricultural change to bird population dynamics. I used nestling ringing and nest-card data from 1951 to 2005 in order to quantify population trends and per capita reproductive success within several geographical regions (south/north and west/east aspects). I used matrix modelling, acknowledging age-specific survival and fecundity parameters and density-dependence, to model population dynamics. Finnish starlings declined by 80% from the end of the 1960s up to the end of the 1980s. The observed patterns and the model indicated that the population decline was due to the decline of the carrying capacity of farmland habitats. The decline was most severe in north Finland where populations largely become extinct. However, habitat deterioration was most severe in the southern breeding areas. The deteriorations in habitat quality decreased reproduction, which finally caused the decline. I suggest that poorly-productive northern populations have been partly maintained by immigration from the highly-productive southern populations. As the southern populations declined, ceasing emigration caused the population extinction in north. This phenomenon was explained with source sink population dynamics, which I structured and verified on the basis of a spatially explicit simulation model. I found that southern Finnish starling population exhibits ten-year cyclic regularity, a phenomenon that can be explained with delayed density-dependence in reproduction.

Yhteinen kaupunki, eriytyvät kaupunginosat? : Kantaväestön ja maahanmuuttajataustaisten asukkaiden alueellinen eriytyminen ja muuttoliike pääkaupunkiseudulla

This thesis critically examines the patterns and processes of ethnic residential segregation in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area (HMA). These phenomena are examined in two main ways: a) between the native and immigrant populations and b) the extent to which different immigrant groups are sharing the same neighbourhoods. The main aim of the study is to test the extent to which the theoretical claims of the selective migration processes can explain the development of ethnic residential segregation in HMA. The data is mixed: it consists of neighbourhood-level statistics related to the migration, demography and housing stock. The selective migration flows are analysed within and between neighbourhood-types, defined on the basis of the percentages of foreign-language-speakers. For contextual purposes, the study also includes fifteen expert interviews who work within the housing sector. Firstly, the results show that, from the early 2000s the patterns of ethnic residential segregation have strengthened while the differences between neighbourhoods have grown. On a more general level the HMA can be divided into two main areas: some eastern and north-eastern neighbourhoods that have experienced the rise of immigrant concentrations and; the northern, north-western and southern parts of the HMA, where the number and percentages of immigrants have remained relatively low. However, within the eastern and north-eastern neighbourhoods there are also discernable internal differences that reflect the income levels of the inhabitants and the type of housing stock. The results also show that, the existing immigrant concentrations are ethnically and culturally mixed and thus qualitatively different from China town and Little-Italy enclaves of single groups of immigrants. Secondly, the results show that there are clear signs of the selective migration processes of the native and immigrant populations which have resulted in the discernable development of ethnic residential segregation. Migration flows of the native population have gravitated towards neighbourhoods, where the percentage of immigrants is below the HMA average. This has resulted in significant migration losses for neighbourhoods with established and developing concentrations of immigrants. Meanwhile, migration of immigrants has been drawn to neighbourhoods where their percentages are above the HMA average. However, the results also point to clear differences in the migration and spatial patterns of different immigrant groups. The spatial selectivity of migration is, thus, more prominent amongst the native population than when compared with immigrants. Overall, the results indicate that the reproduction of the selective migration flows of the native and immigrant populations will largely determine HMA s future development of ethnic residential segregation.

Valikoiva muuttoliike Uudellamaalla

This thesis explores selective migration in Greater Helsinki region from the perspective of counterurbanisation. The aim of the study is to research whether the migration is selective by migrants age, education, income level or the rate of employment and to study any regional patterns formed by the selectivity. In the Helsinki region recent migratory developments have been shifting the areas of net migration gain away from the city of Helsinki to municipalities farther off on the former countryside. There has been discussion about Helsinki s decaying tax revenue base and whether the city s housing policy has contributed to the exodus of wealthier households. The central question of the discussion is one of selective migration: which municipalities succeed in capturing the most favourable migrants and which will lose in the competition. Selective migration means that region s in-migrants and out-migrants significantly differ from each other demographically, socially and economically. Sometimes selectivity is also understood as some individuals greater propensity to migrate than others but the proper notion for this would be differential migration. In Finnish parlance these two concepts have tended to get mixed up. The data of the study covers the total migration of the 34 municipalities of Uusimaa provinces during the years 2001 to 2003. The data was produced by Statistics Finland. Two new methods of representing the selectivity of migration as a whole were constructed during the study. Both methods look at the proportions of favourably selected migrants in regions inward and outward migrant flow. A large share in the inward flow and a small share in the outward flow is good for region s economy and demography. The first method calculates the differences of the proportions of favourably selected four migrant groups and sums the differences up. The other ranks the same proportions between regions giving value 1 to the largest proportion in inward flow and 34 to the smallest, and respectively in outward flow the smallest proportion gets value 1 and the largest 34. The total sum of the ranks or differences in proportions represents region s selectivity of migration. The results show that migration is indeed selective in the Greater Helsinki region. There also seems to be a spatial pattern centred around the Helsinki metropolitan region. The municipalities surrounding the four central communes are generally better of than those farther away. Not only these eight municipalities of the so called capital region benefit from the selective migration, but the favourable structure of migration extends to some of the small municipalities farther away. Some municipalities situated along the main northbound railway line are not coming through as well as other municipalities of the capital region. The selectivity of migration in Greater Helsinki region shows signs of counter-urbanisation. People look for suburban or small-town lifestyle no longer from Espoo or Vantaa, the neighbouring municipalities to Helsinki, but from the municipalities surrounding these two or even farther off. This kind of pattern in selective migration leads to unbalanced development in population structure and tax revenue base in the region. Migration to outskirts of the urban area also leads to urban sprawl and fragmentation of the urban structure: these issues have ecological implications. Selective migration should be studied more. Also the concept itself needs clearer definition and so do the methods to study the selectivity of migration.

La opinión pública en tiempos de medios complejos

Resumen: El artículo analiza cuál es el rol de los medios de comunicación social a la hora de definir la agenda pública. El escenario de conformación de la opinión pública se caracteriza por la complejidad, producto de la fragmentación social y la transición de los medios desde lo analógico hacia lo digital. El trabajo toma como ejemplos dos variables: por un lado, el territorio, que apunta a diferenciar entre los medios del centro del cuerpo social y los periféricos y, por el otro, la variable generacional entre nativos e inmigrantes digitales. Las conclusiones del trabajo pretenden marcar algunos lineamientos que guiarán la conformación de la opinión pública de aquí a futuro y cómo poder influir en la agenda de temas.

Panama City Fisheries Resources Office: FY 2008 Annual Report

HIGHLIGHTS FOR FY 2008 1. Completed the first of a two-year Gulf sturgeon population study on the Choctawhatchee River, Florida. The sub adult and adult Gulf sturgeon population was estimated at 2,800 fish. 2. Gulf sturgeon eggs were collected at three hard bottom sites in the Apalachicola River, Florida; two sites were previously confirmed spawning areas and one was a newly confirmed spawning area. 3. Documented 55 potential environmental threats to Gulf sturgeon spawning habitat in the Pea River, Florida and Alabama. 4. Assigned the Eglin AFB Road-Stream Crossing Working Group to guide the closure, repair and maintenance of roads and road stream crossings that impact threatened and endangered species. 5. Conducted 81 assessments of fish and stream invertebrates on and in watersheds surrounding Eglin AFB. 6. Provided technical support for the 5-year status review and reclassification proposed rule for the Okaloosa darter. 7. Initiated an intensive population genetic analysis of the Okaloosa darter throughout its range. Tissues from over 200 Okaloosa darters were collected and analyzed. 8. Established a GIS database to serve as a host for data from any sites sampled for mussels in Northeast Gulf of Mexico drainages. 9. Conducted habitat surveys at 115 locations in the Apalachicola River to assess the effects of drought-related mussel mortality and strandings, evaluate habitat conditions, and assess population demography. 10. A land use/aerial imagery threats assessment data analysis was completed for the Chipola River. A total of 266 impoundments/borrow pits and 471 unpaved road crossings were identified among the threats. 11. Okaloosa darters marked with elastomeric dyes were monitored in Mill Creek, Eglin AFB, to determine movement and habitat use following completion of a fish passage project. 3 12. Partners for Fish and Wildlife funded a streambank and riparian restoration project on Econfina Creek consisting of 3,900 feet of streambank fencing to exclude cattle access. One acre of riparian floodplain was planted with native trees. 13. We provided design and on-the-ground assistance for restoring surface hydrology at St. Vincent NWR. The project restored approximately 1.5 miles of tidal stream and 100 acres of wetlands. 14. A study was completed on 11 coastal streams to document large wood debris relationships with fluvial geomorphic characteristics. 15. We developed a Population Viability Analysis model for the fat threeridge mussel to determine current and future risk of extinction. 17. A Gulf Sturgeon Friends Group, “Gulf Sturgeon Preservation Society” was organized in FY 08. 18. Multiple outreach projects were completed to detail aquatic resource conservation needs and opportunities, including National Fishing Week, Earth Day, several festivals and school outreach.

Comunidades de lagartos dos remanescentes de restinga do Estado do Rio de Janeiro: Riqueza, diversidade e onde estão as espécies endêmicas e ameaçadas de extinção

Atualmente existe uma contínua perda de biodiversidade, que decorre principalmente devido a intensa modificação das paisagens naturais pelas atividades humanas. O litoral do estado do Rio de Janeiro é ocupado há centenas de anos, e uma das principais ameaças é a crescente taxa demográfica. De forma geral, o conhecimento acerca dos diferentes grupos de vertebrados terrestres e a sua relação com o ambiente de restinga ainda é incipiente. Realizamos o presente estudo em dez áreas de remanescentes de vegetação de restinga no estado do Rio de Janeiro, para compreender a variação das comunidades de lagartos entre os diferentes ambientes e suas estruturas locais, bem como os principais fatores que as afetam negativamente. Realizamos um conjunto de transecções lineares delimitadas por tempo, ao longo de três anos. As espécies de lagartos foram identificadas e quantificadas, e mensuramos a estrutura e os fatores de ameaça antrópica dos ambientes. Registramos no total nove espécies de lagartos compondo as comunidades de restingas amostradas no estado do Rio de Janeiro, incluindo uma espécie exótica e invasora (Hemidactylus mabouia), e duas endêmicas (Liolaemus lutzae e Cnemidophorus littoralis). A maioria das espécies foram registradas em diferentes meso-habitats, e no geral podem ser consideradas oportunistas e generalistas. As restingas diferiram entre si principalmente em termos de abundância e densidade de espécies de lagartos, enquanto a riqueza foi comparativamente menor nos ambientes insulares. Provavelmente essas diferenças são resultados da interação entre processos históricos e ecológicos atuando em sinergia. Na restinga de Grussaí, os dados mostram que, considerando o nicho em suas três dimensões avaliadas (tempo, espaço e dieta), é provável que a comunidade esteja estruturada em seu eixo temporal. A análise dos fatores de ameaça antrópica sobre as restingas mostra que a situação dos fragmentos se manteve a mesma nos últimos anos. Provavelmente, as políticas públicas atuais não parecem ser suficientes para o aumento do grau de preservação e conservação das áreas de restinga do litoral do estado do Rio de Janeiro devido à contínua especulação imobiliária. É necessário o emprego de monitoramentos periódicos para acompanhar a situação das populações das espécies endêmicas e ameaçadas, e promover mudanças físicas (e.g. remoção de lixo depositado e de espécies exóticas), sócio-educativas (e.g. diminuição do acesso de animais domésticos, descarte de material), e de poder público (e.g. aumento das áreas de proteção). Em relação à espécie endêmica e ameaçada L. lutzae, identificamos uma sobreposição de nicho espacial em relação a Tropidurus torquatus, variável entre as localidades amostradas. Provavelmente essa variação resulta da estrutura ambiental que difere entre as restingas e, consequentemente, provoca diferentes respostas em termos de interação entre as espécies que compõem as comunidades de lagartos. Os novos registros de H. mabouia em habitat natural nas restingas foram incluídos aos registros de ocorrência da espécie em ambientes naturais em território brasileiro, no intuito de identificar áreas potenciais de invasão da espécie. Os resultados mostram uma alta probabilidade principalmente na região litorânea. O presente estudo possibilita uma melhor compreensão sobre a ecologia de comunidades de lagartos no estado do Rio de Janeiro.

Reutilización de escoria negra de acería como soporte en biofiltros para la eliminación de H2S del biogás.

[EN]Due to the limitations associated with fossil fuels it is necessary to promote energy sources that are renewable as well as eco-friendly, such as biogas generated in anaerobic digesters. The biogas, composed principally of methane and CO2, is the result of the biodegradation of organic matter under anaerobic conditions. Its use as fuel is limited by the presence of minority compounds such as hydrogen sulphide (H2S); therefore, its pre-treatment is necessary. Currently there are various technologies for the removal of H2S from a gas stream, but most of them are based on physic-chemical treatments which have a number of drawbacks as reactive consumption, generation of secondary flows, etc. Biofiltration has been used as an efficient and low cost alternative to conventional purification processes, and excellent results for the degradation of H2S have been obtained. However process can be limited due to the progressive ageing of the support material, along with the loss of nutrients and other specific characteristics necessary for the good development of biomass. The purpose of this project is to develop a mixed support consisting of a mixture of an organic material and an inorganic support for its application in the removal of the H2S from biogas. This support material helps to optimize the characteristics of the bed and extend its lifespan. The development of such material will contribute to the implementation of biofiltration for treating biogas from anaerobic digesters for its use as biofuel. The inorganic material used is electric arc furnace (EAF) black slag, a by-product generated in large quantities in the production of steel in the Basque Country. Although traditionally the slag has been used in civil engineering, its physicochemical characteristics make it suitable for reuse as a filter medium in biofiltration. The main conclusion drawn from the experimental results is that EAF black slag is a suitable co-packing material in organic biofilters treating H2S-polluted gaseous streams. High pollutant removal rates have been achieved during the whole experimental period. The removal capacity recorded in biofilters with less inorganic material was higher than in those with higher slag portion. Nevertheless, all the biofilters have shown a satisfactory response even at high inlet loads (48 g·m-3·h-1), where the RE has not decreased over 82%.

A origem do português brasileiro: o caminho percorrido

Este trabalho busca compreender, através do exame de alguns pontos da sócio-história do Brasil, posicionamentos diferenciados quanto à origem da variedade brasileira do português. Para tanto, considera as interpretações construídas pelos teóricos a partir dos escassos dados referentes ao processo de colonização brasileiro, à catequização, à demografia, à língua geral, à miscigenação e à consolidação da língua portuguesa no Brasil nos três primeiros séculos da história do país; discute a evolução dos sucessivos posicionamentos adotados por estudiosos ao longo do período de formação e consolidação do português brasileiro, particularmente quanto à sua receptividade ao aporte africano; revê a motivação para o debate sobre a questão da língua brasileira e para a eleição do índio, em detrimento do negro, como herói literário. A pesquisa dá relevância à compreensão do conceito de discurso simplificado, particularmente pidgins e crioulos, pela proeminência desses conceitos nas principais hipóteses que explicam a origem do português brasileiro, crioulização e deriva. Contrapondo a leitura de expressivos autores da área, ressaltamos a importância dos processos sócio-históricos na formação da variedade brasileira do português

Patterns of genetic variation in the endangered European mink (Mustela lutreola L., 1761)

Background: The European mink (Mustela lutreola, L. 1761) is a critically endangered mustelid, which inhabits several main river drainages in Europe. Here, we assess the genetic variation of existing populations of this species, including new sampling sites and additional molecular markers (newly developed microsatellite loci specific to European mink) as compared to previous studies. Probabilistic analyses were used to examine genetic structure within and between existing populations, and to infer phylogeographic processes and past demography. Results: According to both mitochondrial and nuclear microsatellite markers, Northeastern (Russia, Estonia and Belarus) and Southeastern (Romania) European populations showed the highest intraspecific diversity. In contrast, Western European (France and Spain) populations were the least polymorphic, featuring a unique mitochondrial DNA haplotype. The high differentiation values detected between Eastern and Western European populations could be the result of genetic drift in the latter due to population isolation and reduction. Genetic differences among populations were further supported by Bayesian clustering and two main groups were confirmed (Eastern vs. Western Europe) along with two contained subgroups at a more local scale (Northeastern vs. Southeastern Europe; France vs. Spain). Conclusions: Genetic data and performed analyses support a historical scenario of stable European mink populations, not affected by Quaternary climate oscillations in the Late Pleistocene, and posterior expansion events following river connections in both North-and Southeastern European populations. This suggests an eastern refuge during glacial maxima (as already proposed for boreal and continental species). In contrast, Western Europe was colonised more recently following either natural expansions or putative human introductions. Low levels of genetic diversity observed within each studied population suggest recent bottleneck events and stress the urgent need for conservation measures to counteract the demographic decline experienced by the European mink.

Como viabilizar reformas politicamente improváveis? mudanças da previdência nos governos FHC e Lula.

Reformas da previdência são empreendimentos de difícil realização em regimes democráticos. Afinal, costumam gerar benefícios difusos e percebidos no longo prazo em troca de custos mais imediatos e concentrados em grupos populacionais mais atentos à iniciativa, reconhecida assim como impopular. Contudo, a dinâmica de fatores econômicos e demográficos pode aumentar a necessidade de uma reforma a ponto de, em certos momentos, superar o constrangimento político de sua impopularidade, como se observou no Brasil em diferentes governos. Esta tese apresenta novas evidências da dificuldade encontrada por diferentes chefes do Executivo brasileiro ao submeter projetos reformadores da previdência ao Congresso Nacional, pois os parlamentares, de modo geral, revelaram-se sistematicamente menos propensos a apoiar o governo nessas iniciativas do que em outras com características semelhantes. Em particular, demonstra-se que a resistência do Legislativo foi notavelmente maior na reforma do governo FHC do que na realizada pelo governo Lula e conclui-se que o comportamento mais dócil da oposição ao segundo foi o principal determinante para reduzir a dificuldade na tramitação de seu projeto. Sobre as razões da dificuldade de reformar a previdência nos regimes democráticos em geral, a tese obtém sua conclusão de um exame sobre o contexto mais amplo da reforma do Estado no Brasil à luz de achados basilares da ciência política e, sobretudo, da área de estudos legislativos, a cuja literatura busca adicionar sua contribuição.

Sex-specific growth and mortality, spawning season, and female maturation of the stripey bass (Lutjanus carponotatus) on the Great Barrrier Reef

Sex-specific demography and reproductive biology of stripey bass (Lutjanus carponotatus) (also known as Spanish flag snapper, FAO) were examined at the Palm and Lizard island groups, Great Barrier Reef (GBR).Total mortality rates were similar between the sexes. Males had larger L∞ at both island groups and Lizard Island group fish had larger overall L∞. Female:male sex ratios were 1.3 and 1.1 at the Palm and Lizard island groups, respectively. The former is statistically different from 1, but is unlikely significantly different in a biological sense. Females matured on average at 2 years of age and 190 mm fork length at both locations. Female gonadal lipid body indices peaked from August through October, preceding peak gonadosomatic indices in October, November, and December that were twice as great as in any other month. However, ovarian staging revealed 50% or more ovaries were ripe from September through February, suggesting a more protracted spawning season and highlighting the different interpretations that can arise between gonad weight and gonad staging methods. Gonadosomatic index increases slightly with body size and larger fish have a longer average spawning season, which suggests that larger fish produce greater relative reproductive output. Lizard Island group females had ovaries nearly twice as large as Palm Island group females at a given body size. However, it is unclear whether this reflects spatial differences akin to those observed in growth or effects of sampling Lizard Island group fish closer to their date of spawning. These results support an existing 250 mm minimum size limit for L. carponotatus on the GBR, as well as the timing of a proposed October through December spawning closure for the fishery. The results also caution against assessing reef-fish stocks without reference to sex-, size-, and location-specific biological traits.

Tomorrow's cities - a framework for building resilience

Urbanisation is the great driving force of the twenty-first century. Cities are associated with both productivity and creativity, and the benefits offered by closely connected and high density living and working contribute to sustainability. At the same time, cities need extensive infrastructure – like water, power, sanitation and transportation systems – to operate effectively. Cities therefore comprise multiple components, forming both static and dynamic systems that are interconnected directly and indirectly on a number of levels, all forming the backdrop for the interaction of people and processes. Bringing together large numbers of people and complex products in rich interactions can lead to vulnerability from hazards, threats and even trends, whether natural hazards, epidemics, political upheaval, demographic changes, economic instability and/or mechanical failures; The key to countering vulnerability is the identification of critical systems and clear understanding of their interactions and dependencies. Critical systems can be assessed methodically to determine the implications of their failure and their interconnectivities with other systems to identify options. The overriding need is to support resilience – defined here as the degree to which a system or systems can continue to function effectively in a changing environment. Cities need to recognise the significance of devising adaptation strategies and processes to address a multitude of uncertainties relating to climate, economy, growth and demography. In this paper we put forward a framework to support cities in understanding the hazards, threats and trends that can make them vulnerable to unexpected changes and unpredictable shocks. The framework draws on an asset model of the city, in which components that contribute to resilience include social capital, economic assets, manufactured assets, and governance. The paper reviews the field, and draws together an overarching framework intended to help cities plan a robust trajectory towards increased resilience through flexibility, resourcefulness and responsiveness. It presents some brief case studies demonstrating the applicability of the proposed framework to a wide variety of circumstances.

Zebrafish eaf1 and eaf2/u19 Mediate Effective Convergence and Extension Movements through the Maintenance of wnt11 and wnt5 Expression

Studies have attributed several functions to the Eaf family, including tumor suppression and eye development. Given the potential association between cancer and development, we set forth to explore Eaf1 and Eaf2/U19 activity in vertebrate embryogenesis, using zebrafish. In situ hybridization revealed similar eaf1 and eaf2/u19 expression patterns. Morpholino-mediated knockdown of either eaf1 or eaf2/u19 expression produced similar morphological changes that could be reversed by ectopic expression of target or reciprocal-target mRNA. However, combination of Eaf1 and Eaf2/U19 (Eafs)-morpholinos increased the severity of defects, suggesting that Eaf1 and Eaf2/U19 only share some functional redundancy. The Eafs knockdown phenotype resembled that of embryos with defects in convergence and extension movements. Indeed, knockdown caused expression pattern changes for convergence and extension movement markers, whereas cell tracing experiments using kaeda mRNA showed a correlation between Eafs knockdown and cell migration defects. Cardiac and pancreatic differentiation markers revealed that Eafs knockdown also disrupted midline convergence of heart and pancreatic organ precursors. Noncanonical Wnt signaling plays a key role in both convergence and extension movements and midline convergence of organ precursors. We found that Eaf1 and Eaf2/U19 maintained expression levels of wnt11 and wnt5. Moreover, wnt11 or wnt5 mRNA partially rescued the convergence and extension movement defects occurring in eafs morphants. Wnt11 and Wnt5 converge on rhoA, so not surprisingly, rhoA mRNA more effectively rescued defects than either wnt11 or wnt5 mRNA alone. However, the ectopic expression of wnt11 and wnt5 did not affect eaf1 and eaf2/u19 expression. These data indicate that eaf1 and eaf2/u19 act upstream of noncanonical Wnt signaling to mediate convergence and extension movements.

Antioxidative principals of Jussiaea repens: an edible medicinal plant

Jussiaea repens L. (JRL) is an edible medicinal plant and is also used as a vegetable by the local people in southwestern China. The crude extract and its four fractions derived from JRL were evaluated for the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical-scavenging ability, hydroxyl radical-scavenging capacity and the potassium ferricyanide reduction property. The ethyl acetate-soluble fraction (EAF) and EAF6 (a subfraction derived from EAF) were the most valuable fraction and subfraction, respectively. Furthermore, bioactivity-guided chromatographic fractionation revealed that three pure compounds greatly contributed to the antioxidant activities. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of the major antioxidant constituents in the extract were systematically conducted by NMR, mass spectral analyses and RP-HPLC. The result demonstrated that rosmarinic acid (2.00 mg g(-1) JRL dry weight) quercetin 3-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (9.88 mg g(-1) JRL dry weight), and kaempferol 3-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (1.85 mg g(-1) JRL dry weight) were the major antioxidative constituents in JRL. These compounds are reported for the first time from this plant.