Diversity in a honey bee pathogen: first report of a third master variant of the Deformed Wing Virus quasispecies

Treatment of emerging RNA viruses is hampered by the high mutation and replication rates that enable these viruses to operate as a quasispecies. Declining honey bee populations have been attributed to the ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor and its affiliation with Deformed Wing Virus (DWV). In the current study we use next-generation sequencing to investigate the DWV quasispecies in an apiary known to suffer from overwintering colony losses. We show that the DWV species complex is made up of three master variants. Our results indicate that a new DWV Type C variant is distinct from the previously described types A and B, but together they form a distinct clade compared with other members of the Iflaviridae. The molecular clock estimation predicts that Type C diverged from the other variants ~319 years ago. The discovery of a new master variant of DWV has important implications for the positive identification of the true pathogen within global honey bee populations.

A Phylogenetic Lineage of Closely Related Trypanosomes (Trypanosomatidae, Kinetoplastida) of Anurans and Sand Flies (Psychodidae, Diptera) Sharing the Same Ecotopes in Brazilian Amazonia

Analysis of the phylogenetic relationships among trypanosomes from vertebrates and invertebrates disclosed a new lineage of trypanosomes circulating among anurans and sand flies that share the same ecotopes in Brazilian Amazonia. This assemblage of closely related trypanosomes was determined by comparing whole SSU rDNA sequences of anuran trypanosomes from the Brazilian biomes of Amazonia, the Pantanal, and the Atlantic Forest and from Europe, North America, and Africa, and from trypanosomes of sand flies from Amazonia. Phylogenetic trees based on maximum likelihood and parsimony corroborated the positioning of all new anuran trypanosomes in the aquatic clade but did not support the monophyly of anuran trypanosomes. However, all analyses always supported four major clades (An01-04) of anuran trypanosomes. Clade An04 is composed of trypanosomes from exotic anurans. Isolates in clades An01 and An02 were from Brazilian frogs and toads captured in the three biomes studied, Amazonia, the Pantanal and the Atlantic Forest. Clade An01 contains mostly isolates from Hylidae whereas clade An02 comprises mostly isolates from Bufonidae; and clade An03 contains trypanosomes from sand flies and anurans of Bufonidae, Leptodactylidae, and Leiuperidae exclusively from Amazonia. To our knowledge, this is the first study describing morphological and growth features, and molecular phylogenetic affiliation of trypanosomes from anurans and phlebotomines, incriminating these flies as invertebrate hosts and probably also as important vectors of Amazonian terrestrial anuran trypanosomes.

Alkaline magmatism in the Amambay area, NE Paraguay: The Cerro Sarambi complex

The Early Cretaceous alkaline magmatism in the northeastern region of Paraguay (Amambay Province) is represented by stocks, plugs, dikes, and dike swarms emplaced into Carboniferous to Triassic-Jurassic sediments and Precambrian rocks. This magmatism is tectonically related to the Ponta Pora Arch, a NE-trending structural feature, and has the Cerro Sarambi and Cerro Chiriguelo carbonatite complexes as its most significant expressions. Other alkaline occurrences found in the area are the Cerro Guazu and the small bodies of Cerro Apua, Arroyo Gasory, Cerro Jhu, Cerro Tayay, and Cerro Teyu. The alkaline rocks comprise ultramafic-mafic, syenitic, and carbonatitic petrographic associations in addition to lithologies of variable composition and texture occurring as dikes; fenites are described in both carbonatite complexes. Alkali feldspar and clinopyroxene, ranging from diopside to aegirine, are the most abundant minerals, with feldspathoids (nepheline, analcime), biotite, and subordinate Ti-rich garnet; minor constituents are Fe-Ti oxides and cancrinite as the main alteration product from nepheline. Chemically, the Amambay silicate rocks are potassic to highly potassic and have miaskitic affinity, with the non-cumulate intrusive types concentrated mainly in the saturated to undersaturated areas in silica syenitic fields. Fine-grained rocks are also of syenitic affiliation or represent more mafic varieties. The carbonatitic rocks consist dominantly of calciocarbonatites. Variation diagrams plotting major and trace elements vs. SiO(2) concentration for the Cerro Sarambi rocks show positive correlations for Al(2)O(3), K(2)O, and Rb, and negative ones for TiO(2), MgO, Fe(2)O(3), CaO, P(2)O(5), and Sr, indicating that fractional crystallization played an important role in the formation of the complex. Incompatible elements normalized to primitive mantle display positive spikes for Rb, La, Pb, Sr, and Sm, and negative for Nb-Ta, P, and Ti, as these negative anomalies are considerably more pronounced in the carbonatites. Chondrite-normalized REE patterns point to the high concentration of these elements and to the strong LRE/HRE fractionation. The Amambay rocks are highly enriched in radiogenic Sr and have T(DM) model ages that vary from 1.6 to 1.1 Ga. suggesting a mantle source enriched in incompatible elements by metasomatic events in Paleo-Mesoproterozoic times. Data are consistent with the derivation of the Cerro Sarambi rocks from a parental magma of lamprophyric (minette) composition and suggest an origin by liquid immiscibility processes for the carbonatites. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

”Jag tror på något” : Konstruktioner av tro och tilltro

”I believe in something”: Constructions of Beliefs in Sweden Research results are dependent on how social phenomena are conceptualized. In the present article, consequences are discussed of the standardized conceptualization of religiosity as ”church-oriented”. In its place, a multifaceted approach to the phenomenon of religious belief is suggested. This approach was used for an analysis on how eleven Swedish women and men with different religious and spiritual as well as non-religious and atheist affiliation talk about beliefs. The results suggest that beliefs were meaningful because they related to specific perceptions of a Zeitgeist. It was hereafter underlined that belief in ”something” or other brief descriptions of the sacred placed the sacred outside of the individual. Finally, while subjective authority is valued for choosing to believe, this subjectivity seems in part to be dependent on collective dimensions of recognition. The value of choosing beliefs can be conceptualized as a meaningful yet analytically distinct aspect of belief co-existing with descriptions of the sacred. Thus, it is concluded that a multifaceted approach to religious belief may develop our understanding of religion and religiosity in contemporary society

"Jag slåss med rosa handskar, men de är fan inte fluffiga" : En kvalitativ studie om verksamheten Pink Gloves Boxing

Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka vilken betydelse verksamheten Pink Gloves Boxing haft för enskilda deltagares psykosociala livssituation, som öppenvårdsinsats i Borlänge kommun. Dessutom har syftet varit att undersöka vilka komponenter i verksamheten som bidragit till en eventuell förändring avseende psykosocial livssituation. Då studien ämnat fånga deltagares subjektiva upplevelser av Pink Gloves Boxing har det empiriska materialet insamlats genom semistrukturerade intervjuer med sex deltagare. Genom en tematisk analys av det insamlade materialet framkom centrala teman och subteman, vilka utgjort grunden i studiens resultatdel. För att analysera resultatet har en teoretisk tolkningsram tillämpats, vilken innefattat teorier om empowerment och genus. Samtliga informanter pekar på bättre fysik och ökad psykisk hälsa, av sitt deltagande i verksamheten. Stresshantering, aggressionskontroll och grupptillhörighet är exempel på förtjänster av ett deltagande, som informanterna framhållit. Gynnande komponenter som framträder i verksamheten är tränarnas roll, gruppen, träningsformen och verksamhetens upplägg, som exempelvis endast kvinnliga deltagare och gruppsamtal.

`I like football when it doesn`t hurt`: factors influencing participation in Auskick

Auskick is the Australian Football League's (AFL) introductory program specifically designed to recruit and harness the interest of primary or elementary school-aged children between the ages of 5-12 years. As an induction program, Auskick is underpinned by a philosophy that foregrounds involvement and enjoyment as foundational to a pathway to an ongoing affiliation with Australian Rules football. Getting young people to identify with Australian Rules football from early on is a strategic aspect of growing or sustaining the game. Within its charter of mass recruitment, Auskick is more about promoting an interest in football than it is about talent identification. Indeed, only a tiny minority of the more than 110,000 children that partake in the Auskick program in 2004 will go on to compete at the highest level. Drawing on over 200 interviews conducted with parents and children attending Auskick sessions, this paper presents an overview of some of the factors that influence initial participation in Australian Rules football. Among other things the authors ask participants how they intend to negotiate the behaviours and practices required to play a body contact sport like Australian Rules football.

Arts marketing challenges in multicultural societies

With an increasingly diverse, multicultural society in many countries, it is timely to look more closely at the current literature on arts marketing, ethnic identity and segmentation issues. The growth of diverse, multicultural societies in many countries warrants a closer examination of arts marketing and the use of ethnicity as a basis for segmentation, as these issues have implications for attracting and retaining arts audiences and other consumers of arts related activities. Researchers in the arts industry have stressed the importance of understanding the fundamentals of audience development and the ability to focus on satisfying the needs and wants of their audiences. The focus on marketing activities comes at a time when there is greater pressure on arts organisations to move beyond their traditional role as subsidized non-profit organisations in order to become more self-supporting. Internationally, audience development in the arts industry has focused on segmentation dimensions such as youth, mature aged individuals, geographic location (rural), individuals with disabilities, low income earners, and individuals with culturally diverse backgrounds. Most of these potential segments are under represented in the population of arts consumers in Australia, the United Kingdom, Singapore, and North America. Of those dimensions, segmentation of arts markets by cultural differences such as ethnic identity appears to be a somewhat under researched area. Hofstede's (1980) model of national cultural differences continues to be widely used as a basis for strategic and marketing decisions in international business. However, the cultural characteristics attributed to individuals in their country of birth are likely to change through immigration to another country. In this situation, the ability to predict the consumption behaviour of various ethnic groups is complicated by acculturation processes in which arrivals attempt to adapt to their new environment. Over time, this process has resulted in the emergence of bicultural individuals who are able to switch, at will, between their ethnic identity and an identity aligned with their host country, or a combination of both at any time. Ethnic identity and affiliation with ethnic groups can also change over time, suggesting challenges for arts marketing approaches, and the application of market segmentation theory in particular.

Exploring the relationship between customer loyalty to the service worker and customer citizenship behaviors to the service organization

This paper conceptualizes the positive relationship between customer loyalty to the service worker (personal loyalty) and customer citizenship behaviors to the service organization including: positive word of mouth; suggestions for improvements; customer participation in activities; benevolent acts of service facilitation; customer policing; customer flexibility; customer voice and displays of relationship affiliation.

Research methods, evidence and public health

In theory, our research questions should drive our choice of method. In practice, we know this is not always the case. At various stages of the research process different factors may apply to restrict the choice of research method. These filters might include a series of inter-related factors such as the political context of the research, the disciplinary affiliation of the researchers, the research setting and peer-review. We suggest that as researchers conduct research and encounter the various filters they come to know the methods that are more likely to survive the filtering process. In future projects they may favour these methods. Public health problems and research questions may increasingly be framed in the terms that can be addressed by a restricted array of methods. Innovative proposals - where new methods are applied to old problems, old methods to new areas of inquiry and high-quality interdisciplinary research - may be unlikely to survive the processes of filtering. This may skew the public health knowledge base, limiting public health action. We argue that we must begin to investigate the process of research. We need to document how and why particular methods are chosen to investigate particular sets of public health problems. This will help us understand how we know what we know in public health and help us plan how we may more appropriately draw upon a range of research methods.

The stereotyping of mathematics: gender and cultural factors

The Who and mathematics instrument is used to measure the extent to which mathematics is considered a male, female or gender-neutral domain. Data from students in grades 7-10 in Australia and Greece were compared to explore the impact of the cultural environment. The data were also examined for within country gender differences and possible differences among males and among females across the two countries. An additional perspective on the influence of prevailing cultural norms - Greek ethnic home background and the broader Australian milieu - was provided by the findings from a small sample of Australian students who attended a school with a strong Greek affiliation and who completed a trial version of the Who and mathematics instrument.

The Pareto plus syndrome in top marketing journals: research and journal criteria

Purpose – Pareto’s Law often refers to the theory that a small percentage of a total is responsible for a large proportion of the total outcome. It is commonly known as the 80/20 law or principle. The objective is to review and debate whether there is a “Pareto syndrome” in the distribution of crucial research and journal criteria in top marketing journals.

Design/methodology/approach – The authors provide a review and a debate based upon previous research on top marketing journals. For this purpose, the Pareto syndrome concept is introduced, based upon a set of research and journal criteria. Their distribution is examined.

Findings – The review of research and journal criteria in top marketing journals generated an extremely skewed outcome. When it comes to the criteria, the top journals in marketing tend to be governed by narrow concerns of research rather than broad ones.

Research limitations/implications – The research and journal criteria that have a skewed outcome may reinforce the rigidity and the lack of innovativeness of the marketing discipline. The evolutionary speed of the discipline may at best be reduced or it may at worst grind to a halt. The authors argue that there are a number of serious concerns to be addressed in the future review and debate of top journals in marketing.

Practical implications – Editors and editorial boards need seriously to address the concerns reviewed and debated, namely the skewed distribution of criteria, such as affiliation, data and methodology.

Originality/value – The authors debate that there is evidence that confirms the existence of a Pareto plus syndrome in key research and journal criteria of top marketing journals.

Customer citizenship behaviours : towards the development of a typology

Eight types of customer citizenship behaviours were extracted from the existing marketing literature, and the more developed organisational citizenship behaviour literature. These included: positive word of mouth behaviour; suggestions for service improvements; participation in organisation events/activities; benevolent acts of service facilitation; policing of other customers; flexibility; voice and displays of relationship affiliation. Although citizenship behaviours such as positive word-ofmouth and voice have established empirical measures, the other types of customer citizenship behaviours do not. The objective of this study, therefore, was to source, adapt and derive measures for each of the eight identified citizenship behaviours. Using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, these measures were validated across three service contexts.

Aid effectiveness on growth : a meta study

The aid effectiveness literature contains about 100 papers that see aid as a treatment given to poor countries to generate development. 68 of these papers provide a total of 543 comparable estimates of the effect of aid on growth, which are the data of our meta-analysis. We consider two questions: (Q1) Are the estimates converging to a clear result over time as aid agencies gain experience, models become better and data accumulates? We find that the results do have a positive average, but it is small, insignificant and falling. (Q2) Can we identify the main factors that explain the large differences in the results? We find that much of the variation between studies can be attributed to publication outlet, institutional affiliation, data and specification differences. However, some of the difference between studies is real. In particular, the aid-growth effect is stronger for Asian countries. The meta-analysis indicates also the existence of indirect channels, which need to be further explored.

Maintenance of traditional cultural orientation is associated with lower rates of obesity and sedentary behaviours among African migrant children to Australia

Background: Migrants from developing to developed countries rapidly develop more obesity than the host population. While the effects of socio-economic status on obesity are well established, the influence of cultural factors, including acculturation, is not known.

Objective: To examine the association between acculturation and obesity and its risk factors among African migrant children in Australia.

Design and participants: A cross-sectional study using a non-probability sample of 3- to 12-year-old sub-Saharan African migrant children. A bidimensional model of strength of affiliation with African and Australian cultures was used to divide the sample into four cultural orientations: traditional (African), assimilated (Australian), integrated (both) and marginalized (neither).

Main outcome measures: Body mass index (BMI), leisure-time physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviours (SBs) and energy density of food.

Results: In all, 18.4% (95% confidence interval (CI): 14–23%) were overweight and 8.6% (95% CI: 6–12%) were obese. After adjustment for confounders, integrated (ß=1.1; P<0.05) and marginalized ß(=1.4; P<0.01) children had higher BMI than traditional children. However, integrated children had significantly higher time engaged in both PA (ß=46.9, P<0.01) and SBs (ß=43.0, P<0.05) than their traditional counterparts. In comparison with traditional children, assimilated children were more sedentary (ß=57.5, P<0.01) while marginalization was associated with increased consumption of energy-dense foods (ß=42.0, P<0.05).

Conclusions: Maintenance of traditional orientation was associated with lower rates of obesity and SBs. Health promotion programs and frameworks need to be rooted in traditional values and habits to maintain and reinforce traditional dietary and PA habits, as well as identify the marginalized clusters and address their needs.