Technical and industrial aspects of regional integration and specialization in the Latin American automotive industry

Information Paper, No 13

Niche Specialization and Conservation Biology of Cicindela nevadica lincolniana

As with many organisms across the globe, Cicindela nevadica lincolniana is threatened with extinction. Understanding ecological factors that contribute to extinction vulnerability and what methods aid in the recovery of those species is essential in developing successful conservation programs. Here we examine behavioral mechanisms for niche partitioning along with improving techniques for captive rearing protocol and increasing public awareness about the conservation of this local insect. Ovipositional selectivity was examined for Cicindela nevadica lincolniana, Cicindela circumpicta, Cicindela togata, Cicindela punctulata, and Cicindela fulgida. Models reflect that these species of co-occurring tiger beetles select different ranges of salinity in which to oviposit thereby reducing the potential for interspecific competition. In a second study, thermoregulatory niche partitioning was examined for the same complex of tiger beetle species. Time spent in the sun, on different substrates, and engaging in various behaviors associated with thermoregulation were significantly different during different parts of the day and between species. I continued along a previous line of study to develop a viable captive rearing program. So far fourteen adult Cicindela nevadica lincolniana have been successfully reared in captivity. Overwintering mortality has been determined as a key factor in the mortality of this species in captivity. Finally, I examined the potential for using the visual arts to promote the conservation of Cicindela nevadica lincolniana and associated saline wetlands. The results from surveys conducted at the exhibit suggest that art exhibits can have a strong positive impact on members of the community.

Measure of Global Specialization and Spatial Clustering for the Identification of "Specialized" Agglomeration

The intensity of regional specialization in specific activities, and conversely, the level of industrial concentration in specific locations, has been used as a complementary evidence for the existence and significance of externalities. Additionally, economists have mainly focused the debate on disentangling the sources of specialization and concentration processes according to three vectors: natural advantages, internal, and external scale economies. The arbitrariness of partitions plays a key role in capturing these effects, while the selection of the partition would have to reflect the actual characteristics of the economy. Thus, the identification of spatial boundaries to measure specialization becomes critical, since most likely the model will be adapted to different scales of distance, and be influenced by different types of externalities or economies of agglomeration, which are based on the mechanisms of interaction with particular requirements of spatial proximity. This work is based on the analysis of the spatial aspect of economic specialization supported by the manufacturing industry case. The main objective is to propose, for discrete and continuous space: i) a measure of global specialization; ii) a local disaggregation of the global measure; and iii) a spatial clustering method for the identification of specialized agglomerations.

Determination of hemispheric dominance with mental rotation using functional transcranial Doppler sonography and FMRI

the aim of this study was to investigate specific activation patterns and potential gender differences during mental rotation and to investigate whether functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and functional transcranial Doppler sonography (fTCD) lateralize hemispheric dominance concordantly.

Typical 3-D localization of tumor remnants of WHO grade II hemispheric gliomas--lessons learned from the use of intraoperative high-field MRI control

Complete resection of grade II gliomas might prolong survival but is not always possible. The goal of the study was to evaluate the location of unexpected grade II gliomas remnants after assumed complete removal with intraoperative (iop) MRI and to assess the reason for their non-detection.

Further Evidence for Hemisity Sorting During Career Specialization

Hemisity refers to binary thinking and behavioral style differences between right and left brain-oriented individuals. The inevitability of hemisity became clear when it was discovered by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that an anatomical element of the executive system was unilaterally embedded in either the right or the left side of the ventral gyrus of the anterior cingulate cortex in an idiosyncratic manner that was congruent with an individual's inherent hemisity subtype. Based upon the MRI-calibrated hemisity of many individuals, a set of earlier biophysical and questionnaire hemisity assays was calibrated for accuracy and found appropriate for use in the investigation of the hemisity of individuals and groups. It had been reported that a partial sorting of individuals into hemisity right and left brain-oriented subgroups occurred during the process of higher education and professional development. Here, these results were extended by comparison of the hemisity of a putative unsorted population of 1,049 high school upper classmen, with that of 228 university freshmen. These hemisity outcomes were further compared with that of 15 university librarians, here found to be predominantly left brain-oriented, and 91 academically trained musicians, including 47 professional pianists, here found to be mostly right brainers. The results further supported the existence of substantial hemisity selection occurring during the process of higher education and in professional development.

Adaptive behavioural syndromes due to strategic niche specialization

BACKGROUND: Behavioural syndromes, i.e. consistent individual differences in behaviours that are correlated across different functional contexts, are a challenge to evolutionary reasoning because individuals should adapt their behaviour to the requirements of each situation. Behavioural syndromes are often interpreted as a result of constraints resulting in limited plasticity and inflexible behaviour. Alternatively, they may be adaptive if correlated ecological or social challenges functionally integrate apparently independent behaviours. To test the latter hypothesis we repeatedly tested helpers in the cooperative breeder Neolamprologus pulcher for exploration and two types of helping behaviour. In case of adaptive behavioural syndromes we predicted a positive relationship between exploration and aggressive helping (territory defence) and a negative relationship between these behaviours and non-aggressive helping (territory maintenance). RESULTS: As expected, helpers engaging more in territory defence were consistently more explorative and engaged less in territory maintenance, the latter only when dominant breeders were present. Contrary to our prediction, there was no negative relationship between exploration and territory maintenance. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that the three behaviours we measured are part of behavioural syndromes. These may be adaptive, in that they reflect strategic specialization of helpers into one of two different life history strategies, namely (a) to stay and help in the home territory in order to inherit the breeding position or (b) to disperse early in order to breed independently.

Evolution of sleep and sleep EEG after hemispheric stroke

The evolution of subjective sleep and sleep electroencephalogram (EEG) after hemispheric stroke have been rarely studied and the relationship of sleep variables to stroke outcome is essentially unknown. We studied 27 patients with first hemispheric ischaemic stroke and no sleep apnoea in the acute (1-8 days), subacute (9-35 days), and chronic phase (5-24 months) after stroke. Clinical assessment included estimated sleep time per 24 h (EST) and Epworth sleepiness score (ESS) before stroke, as well as EST, ESS and clinical outcome after stroke. Sleep EEG data from stroke patients were compared with data from 11 hospitalized controls and published norms. Changes in EST (>2 h, 38% of patients) and ESS (>3 points, 26%) were frequent but correlated poorly with sleep EEG changes. In the chronic phase no significant differences in sleep EEG between controls and patients were found. High sleep efficiency and low wakefulness after sleep onset in the acute phase were associated with a good long-term outcome. These two sleep EEG variables improved significantly from the acute to the subacute and chronic phase. In conclusion, hemispheric strokes can cause insomnia, hypersomnia or changes in sleep needs but only rarely persisting sleep EEG abnormalities. High sleep EEG continuity in the acute phase of stroke heralds a good clinical outcome.

Visual and spectral analysis of sleep EEG in acute hemispheric stroke

BACKGROUND: Reports on the effects of focal hemispheric damage on sleep EEG are rare and contradictory. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty patients (mean age +/- SD 53 +/- 14 years) with a first acute hemispheric stroke and no sleep apnea were studied. Stroke severity [National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS)], volume (diffusion-weighted brain MRI), and short-term outcome (Rankin score) were assessed. Within the first 8 days after stroke onset, 1-3 sleep EEG recordings per patient were performed. Sleep scoring and spectral analysis were based on the central derivation of the healthy hemisphere. Data were compared with those of 10 age-matched and gender-matched hospitalized controls with no brain damage and no sleep apnea. RESULTS: Stroke patients had higher amounts of wakefulness after sleep onset (112 +/- 53 min vs. 60 +/- 38 min, p < 0.05) and a lower sleep efficiency (76 +/- 10% vs. 86 +/- 8%, p < 0.05) than controls. Time spent in slow-wave sleep (SWS) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and total sleep time were lower in stroke patients, but differences were not significant. A positive correlation was found between the amount of SWS and stroke volume (r = 0.79). The slow-wave activity (SWA) ratio NREM sleep/wakefulness was lower in patients than in controls (p < 0.05), and correlated with NIHSS (r = -0.47). CONCLUSION: Acute hemispheric stroke is accompanied by alterations of sleep EEG over the healthy hemisphere that correlate with stroke volume and outcome. The increased SWA during wakefulness and SWS over the healthy hemisphere contralaterally to large strokes may reflect neuronal hypometabolism induced transhemispherically (diaschisis).