Multiple Paternity in Polyandrous Barn Owls (Tyto alba).

In polyandrous species females produce successive clutches with several males. Female barn owls (Tyto alba) often desert their offspring and mate to produce a 2(nd) annual brood with a second male. We tested whether copulating during chick rearing at the 1(st) annual brood increases the male's likelihood to obtain paternity at the 2(nd) annual breeding attempt of his female mate in case she deserts their brood to produce a second brood with a different male. Using molecular paternity analyses we found that 2 out of 26 (8%) second annual broods of deserting females contained in total 6 extra-pair young out of 15 nestlings. These young were all sired by the male with whom the female had produced the 1(st) annual brood. In contrast, none of the 49 1(st) annual breeding attempts (219 offspring) and of the 20 2(nd) annual breeding attempts (93 offspring) of non-deserting females contained extra-pair young. We suggest that female desertion can select male counter-strategies to increase paternity and hence individual fitness. Alternatively, females may copulate with the 1(st) male to derive genetic benefits, since he is usually of higher quality than the 2(nd) male which is commonly a yearling individual.

Long-range transport of Saharan dust to northern Europe: The 11-16 October 2001 outbreak observed with EARLINET

The spread of mineral particles over southwestern, western, and central Europeresulting from a strong Saharan dust outbreak in October 2001 was observed at10 stations of the European Aerosol Research Lidar Network (EARLINET). For the firsttime, an optically dense desert dust plume over Europe was characterized coherentlywith high vertical resolution on a continental scale. The main layer was located abovethe boundary layer (above 1-km height above sea level (asl)) up to 3–5-km height, andtraces of dust particles reached heights of 7–8 km. The particle optical depth typicallyranged from 0.1 to 0.5 above 1-km height asl at the wavelength of 532 nm, andmaximum values close to 0.8 were found over northern Germany. The lidar observationsare in qualitative agreement with values of optical depth derived from Total OzoneMapping Spectrometer (TOMS) data. Ten-day backward trajectories clearly indicated theSahara as the source region of the particles and revealed that the dust layer observed,e.g., over Belsk, Poland, crossed the EARLINET site Aberystwyth, UK, and southernScandinavia 24–48 hours before. Lidar-derived particle depolarization ratios,backscatter- and extinction-related A ° ngstro¨m exponents, and extinction-to-backscatterratios mainly ranged from 15 to 25%, 0.5 to 0.5, and 40–80 sr, respectively, within thelofted dust plumes. A few atmospheric model calculations are presented showing the dustconcentration over Europe. The simulations were found to be consistent with thenetwork observations.

Egg-Laying "Intermorphs" in the Ant Crematogaster smithi neither Affect Sexual Production nor Male Parentage.

We study male parentage and between-colony variation in sex allocation and sexual production in the desert ant Crematogaster smithi, which usually has only one singly-mated queen per nest. Colonies of this species are known to temporarily store nutrients in the large fat body of intermorphs, a specialized female caste intermediate in morphology between queens and workers. Intermorphs repackage at least part of this fat into consumable but viable male-destined eggs. If these eggs sometimes develop instead of being eaten, intermorphs will be reproductive competitors of the queen but-due to relatedness asymmetries-allies of their sister worker. Using genetic markers we found a considerable proportion of non-queen sons in some, but not all, colonies. Even though intermorphs produce ∼1.7× more eggs than workers, their share in the parentage of adult males is estimated to be negligible due to their small number compared to workers. Furthermore, neither colony-level sex allocation nor overall sexual production was correlated with intermorph occurrence or number. We conclude that intermorph-laid eggs typically do not survive and that the storage of nutrients and their redistribution as eggs by intermorphs is effectively altruistic.

Computer-assisted cartography using topographic properties: precision and accuracy of local soil maps in central Mexico

Map units directly related to properties of soil-landscape are generated by local soil classes. Therefore to take into consideration the knowledge of farmers is essential to automate the procedure. The aim of this study was to map local soil classes by computer-assisted cartography (CAC), using several combinations of topographic properties produced by GIS (digital elevation model, aspect, slope, and profile curvature). A decision tree was used to find the number of topographic properties required for digital cartography of the local soil classes. The maps produced were evaluated based on the attributes of map quality defined as precision and accuracy of the CAC-based maps. The evaluation was carried out in Central Mexico using three maps of local soil classes with contrasting landscape and climatic conditions (desert, temperate, and tropical). In the three areas the precision (56 %) of the CAC maps based on elevation as topographical feature was higher than when based on slope, aspect and profile curvature. The accuracy of the maps (boundary locations) was however low (33 %), in other words, further research is required to improve this indicator.

Social evolution: the smell of cheating.

Coercion is a powerful means to enforce altruism and promote social cohesion in animal groups, but it requires the reliable identification of selfish individuals. Experiments in a desert ant provide the first direct proof that a single cuticular hydrocarbon elicits the policing of reproductive workers by other colony members.

Effects of alternative sets of climatic predictors on species distribution models and associated estimates of extinction risk: a test with plants in an arid environment

Aim To evaluate the effects of using distinct alternative sets of climatic predictor variables on the performance, spatial predictions and future projections of species distribution models (SDMs) for rare plants in an arid environment. . Location Atacama and Peruvian Deserts, South America (18º30'S - 31º30'S, 0 - 3 000 m) Methods We modelled the present and future potential distributions of 13 species of Heliotropium sect. Cochranea, a plant group with a centre of diversity in the Atacama Desert. We developed and applied a sequential procedure, starting from climate monthly variables, to derive six alternative sets of climatic predictor variables. We used them to fit models with eight modelling techniques within an ensemble forecasting framework, and derived climate change projections for each of them. We evaluated the effects of using these alternative sets of predictor variables on performance, spatial predictions and projections of SDMs using Generalised Linear Mixed Models (GLMM). Results The use of distinct sets of climatic predictor variables did not have a significant effect on overall metrics of model performance, but had significant effects on present and future spatial predictions. Main conclusion Using different sets of climatic predictors can yield the same model fits but different spatial predictions of current and future species distributions. This represents a new form of uncertainty in model-based estimates of extinction risk that may need to be better acknowledged and quantified in future SDM studies.

The Great Museum of Egypt

Nou museu devant de les piràmides de Giza (El Cairo).Lloc extraordinari i extraordinàriament difícil.Incorpora protecció/ aprofitament del vent del desert, tempestes de sorra i aigua de pluja

Mística i espiritisme: la fascinació per l’altra riba. Amàlia Domingo Soler i Eulàlia Anzizu i Vila

Les escriptores Amàlia Domingo Soler (1835-1909) i Eulàlia Anzizu i Vila (1868-1916) no es van conèixer mai, i probablement des de les pròpies posicions ideològiques —lliurepensadora, una; monja clarissa, l’altra— ni tan sols haurien pogut coincidir enlloc. Compartien, però, la mateixa ciutat, Barcelona, i una mateixa època convulsa —la segona meitat del segle XIX i els inicis del XX—, així com alguns trets de la personalitat: eren dones autodidactes, intel·lectuals geloses de la seva independència i de les seves conviccions i, sobretot, mostraven idèntica passió per l’escriptura. Ultra les asimetries ideològiques que es donaren entre Amàlia Domingo i Eulàlia Anzizu, un conjunt d’empaties vitals en canvi, les acostava: Amàlia, l’espiritista, sentia tanta estranyesa davant la realitat com Eulàlia, la poeta mística; de la mateixa manera, hi havia en elles el mateix sentiment d’exclusió, homònima sensació de pertànyer fora del centre de la quotidianitat. Tant l’una com l’altra entengueren la terra com un desert i es forjaren un llenguatge de proximitat amb l’inconegut, tan religiós com còsmic. I l’estremiment que els produïa l’immaterial, el més enllà, impregnà de ple, i en tots dos casos, l’obra literària des de la joventut.

Double brooding and offspring desertion in the barn owl (Tyto alba)

Many bird species produce two annual broods during a single breeding season. However, not all individuals reproduce twice in the same year suggesting that double brooding is condition-dependent. In contrast to most raptors and owls, the barn owl Tyto alba produces two annual clutches in most worldwide distributed populations. Nevertheless, the determinants of double brooding are still poorly studied. We performed such a study in a Swiss barn owl population monitored between 1990 and 2014. The annual frequency of double brooding varied from 0 to 14% for males and 0 to 59% for females. The likelihood of double brooding was higher when individuals initiated their first clutch early rather than late in the season and when males had few rather than many offspring at the first nest. Despite the reproductive benefits of double brooding (single- and double-brooded individuals produced 3.97 +/- 0.11 and 7.07 +/- 0.24 fledglings, respectively), double brooding appears to be traded off against offspring quality because at the first nest double-brooded males produced poorer quality offspring than single-brooded males. This might explain why females desert their first mate to produce a second brood with another male without jeopardizing reproductive success at the first nest. Furthermore, the reproductive cycle being very long in the barn owl (120 d from start of laying to offspring independence), selection may have favoured behaviours that accelerate the initiation of a second annual brood. Accordingly, half of the double-brooded females abandoned their young offspring to look for a new partner in order to initiate the second breeding attempt, 9.48 d earlier than when producing the second brood with the same partner. We conclude that male and female barn owls adopt different reproductive strategies. Females have more opportunities to reproduce twice in a single season than males because mothers are not strictly required during the entire rearing period in contrast to fathers. A high proportion of male floaters may also encourage females to desert their first brood to re-nest with a new male who is free of parental care duties.

The Effects of Endocrine Disrupters on Fetal Male Rat Testicular and Adrenal Development

Many of the reproductive disorders that emerge in adulthood have their origin during fetal development. Numerous studies have demonstrated that exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals can permanently affect the reproductive health of experimental animals. In mammals, male sexual differentiation and development are androgen-dependent processes. In rat, the critical programming window for masculinization occurs between embryonic days (EDs) 15.5 and 19.5. Disorders in sex steroid balance during fetal life can disturb the development of the male reproductive tract. In addition to the fetal testis, the adrenal cortex starts to produce steroid hormones before birth. Glucocorticoids produced by the adrenal cortex are essential for preparing the fetus for birth. In the present study, the effects of exposure to endocrine disrupters on fetal male rat testicular and adrenal development were investigated. To differentiate the systemic and direct testicular effects of endocrine disrupters, both in vivo and in vitro experiments were performed. The present study also clarified the role of desert hedgehog signalling (Dhh) in the development of the testis. The results indicate that endocrine disrupters, diethylstilbestrol (DES) and flutamide, are able to induce rapid steroidogenic changes in fetal rat testis under in vitro conditions. Although in utero exposure to these chemicals did not show overt effects in fetal testis, they can induce permanent changes in the developing testis and accessory sex organs later in life. We also reported that exposure to antiandrogens can interfere with testicular Dhh signalling and result in impaired differentiation of the fetal Leydig cells and subsequently lead to abnormal testicular development and sexual differentiation. In utero exposure to tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) caused direct testicular and pituitary effects on the fetal male rat but with different dose responses. In a study in which the effects of developmental exposure to environmental antiandrogens, di-isononylphthalate and 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethylene (p,p^’-DDE), on fetal male rat steroidogenesis were investigated, chemicals did not down-regulate testicular or adrenal steroid hormone synthesis or production in 19.5-day-old fetal rats. However, p,p^’-DDE-treatment caused clear histological and ultrastructural changes in the prenatal testis and adrenal gland. These structural alterations can disturb the development and function of fetal testis and adrenal gland that may become evident later in life. Exposure to endocrine disrupters during fetal life can cause morphological abnormalities and alter steroid hormone production by fetal rat Leydig cells and adrenocortical cells. These changes may contribute to the maldevelopment of the testis and the adrenal gland. The present study highlights the importance of the fetal period as a sensitive window for endocrine disruption.

CARDINAL TEMPERATURES FOR GERMINATION OF THE MEDICINAL ANDDESERT PLANT, Calotropis procera

ABSTRACT Calotropis procera, Apocynaceae, is a wild perennial shrub that originated in the Persian deserts. It is known to provide key resources in degraded ecosystems to about 80 animal species. C. procera is regenerated by seed and produces lots of small seeds that are dispersed by wind; nonetheless, its density is very low. The purpose of this study is to estimate the cardinal temperatures including the base, optimum, and maximum temperatures of Calotropis procera looking at two different ecotypes in the Iranian desert. The germination behavior of C. procera seeds was tested at temperature regimens of 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40oC and was analyzed using linear regression models. The rate of germination increased between base and optimum thermal conditions, and decreased between optimum and maximum thermal conditions. The base, optimum and maximum temperatures for germination of C. procera seeds were estimated at 19.10, 30.75 and 47.80 oC for the Fars and 20.00, 31.82 and 49.69oC for the Zahedan desert, respectively. Temperature and germination were rated to determine the seeding dates of the C. procera. Overall, cardinal temperatures for germination were dependent on local climate characteristics for the range of adaptations in plant growth of the given species.

"Bullets, bread & bandaids" : Yhdysvaltain V armeijakunnan täydennystoiminta operaatio Iraqi freedomin hyökkäysvaiheessa 2003

Yhdysvaltain maavoimien ja samalla huollon doktriinia kehitettiin 1990-luvulla vastaamaan kylmän sodan päättymisen jälkeisiä uhkakuvia. Uutta doktriinia kehitettäessä pyrittiin huo-mioimaan operaatio Desert Stormin (1991) kokemukset. Doktriiniin otettiin runsaasti vai-kutteita siviiliyritysten logistiikasta kustannustehokkuuden ja ajankäytön parantamiseksi. Uusi doktriini oli käytössä vuonna 2003 operaatio Iraqi Freedomissa. Tämän tutkielman tarkoitus on selvittää V Armeijakunnan huollon ja täydennystoimialan näkökulmasta, miten uudistettu huollon doktriini toimi operaatiossa, mitkä olivat sen vahvuudet ja heikkoudet sekä mitä vaikutuksia huollon toiminnalla ja taistelutoiminnalla oli toisiinsa. Lähdeaineisto on enimmäkseen kirjallisuutta, pääosin operaatioon osallistuneiden sotilaiden kirjoittamia teoksia. Lisäksi on käytetty sotilasammatillisissa lehdissä julkaistuja artikkelei-ta, asevoimien ohjesääntöjä ja Yhdysvaltain Puolustusministeriön teettämiä raportteja. Opinnäytteiden osuus on vähäinen. Haastatteluja ei ole käytetty. Tutkimusmenetelmä on aineistoanalyysiin perustuva kirjallisuustutkimus. Työssä korostuu lähdekritiikki ja lähtei-den vertailu, koska ajoittain niissä esitetyt tiedot ovat ristiriitaisia. Monet vastoinkäymiset vaikuttivat operaation huoltoon. Sotanäyttämöllä oli hyökkäyksen alkaessa vain puolet sinne alun perin suunnitellusta henkilöstöstä ja kalustosta. Tämä johtui Puolustusministeriön päätöksestä vähentää koko operaatioon käytettäviä resursseja. Henki-löstö- ja kalustopuutteet aiheuttivat muun muassa viivytyksiä kuljetuksiin ja huoltojoukko-jen ylirasittumista. Pääosa huollon henkilöstöstä oli reserviläisiä, jotka olivat tottuneet toi-mimaan vanhan huoltojärjestelmän parissa. Puutteellinen koulutus esimerkiksi uusimman teknologian käytössä aiheutti materiaalikeskuksissa virheitä ja laiminlyöntejä kirjanpidossa. Myös olosuhteet Irakissa olivat ajoittain vaikeat: esimerkiksi ilmasto ja huono tiestö hidas-tivat huollon toimintaa. Haasteista huolimatta liittouman ja V Armeijakunnan huoltojärjes-telmä kykeni kriittisimmiltä osin täyttämään tuettaviensa tarpeet. Tärkeimpänä havaintona operaatiosta voidaan pitää, että huollon doktriiniin tehdyt muutok-set olivat oikeansuuntaisia, mutta ne olivat liian radikaaleja valmistautumisaikaan nähden. Uudistetun doktriinin toimintaperiaate oli alun perin tarkoitettu siviiliyritysten logistiikkaan rauhanomaisissa olosuhteissa, mutta sotatoimialueen epävakautta ne eivät kestäneet. Poliit-tisista päätöksistä johtuen resurssit olivat muutoinkin liian vähäiset doktriinin perusajatuk-sen toteuttamiseen puhtaasti. Sitä vastoin huoltojoukkojen motivaatio sekä mukautumis- ja improvisointikyky olivat tärkeässä roolissa operaation huollon onnistumisen suhteen. Mikä-li käytössä olisi ollut täydet voimavarat, toiminta olisi kokonaisuutena luultavasti ollut huomattavasti lähempänä doktriinin perusajatusta.

OEuvres de « VINCENT COSSARD », savoir.

Contient : 1 « Livre des causes ou principes et origines des deux Natures » ; 2 « Discours et resolution de la divination, ou Divine et souveraine verité touchant ce qui est à advenir de la guerre des chrestiens et Ismaëlites ou Turchz. De la victoire, en quel lieu sera, et pourquoy. 1575 » ; 3 « La dixieme partie ou section des OEuvres de JAMBLICUS, des Misteres des Egyptiens. 1576 » ; 4 « Consideration du christianisme » ; 5 « La Rome babylonique, ou Petit traicté de la confusion et ruine babylonique en la cité de Rome » ; 6 « Premiere partie de la Demonstration du vespre du monde. 1577 ». Précédée d'une lettre « à Richard Crosnier, presbtre » ; 7 « La Dispute du pape Sylvestre avec les Juifz, celebrée à Rome l'an trois cens apres l'Incarnation, en la presence de l'empereur Constantin et Helene, sa mere, Augustes, touchant la verité de Jesus Christ, Dieu incarné, juxte les antiennes promesses et propheties dont est tres doctement par le meme texte de l'Escripture saincte refutée l'erreur non seulement des Juifz et Mahometains touchant la Trinité, mais aussi de plusieurs heretiques antiens et modernes » ; 8 « De la Naissance, progres et fin de l'empire romain, oeuvre composé, depuis trois cens ans, par ENGELBERT, abbé d'Aumont, faict françois. 1575 » ; 9 « Les quatre Livres de PHILIPPE THEOPH. PARACELSE. De la longue Vie, ou Conservation et prorogation de la vie, faict françoys du latin, l'an. commençant 1576 » ; 10 « Oratio in Assumptione B. Virginis, habita Rothomagi, anno 1576 » ; 11 « Ad senatum urbis novae et fortissimae Portus Gratiae, totius Galliae propugnaculi » ; 12 « In S. Elizabethae, virg. Sconaugiensis, sermonem sextum, sive cap. 4, lib. 2 Viarum Dei sive visionum, inscriptum de Via praelatorum, praefatio ad... Jo. Ruffum, ecclesiae quae est in sylvula Anneburgii antistitem » ; 13 « OΥINKENTIOΣ KOΣΣΑΡΔΟΣ. Ιωάννη τω̃ αυτου̃ πατρι ευ πράττειν », lettre, en grec, de Cossard à son père, 15 décembre 1570 ; 14 Lettres latines, de « GUILLAUME POSTEL à Cossard » ; 3 janvier 1576 (fol. 192); — de « V. COSSARD à G. Postel », 27 septembre 1576 (ibid.), — de « LOUIS MARTEL à V. Cossard », 11 septembre 1576 (fol. 193) ; — de « V. COSSARD à G. Postel », 1er juillet 1577 (ibid.) ; — de « G. POSTEL à V. Cossard », 10 juillet 1577 (fol. 194) ; — de « G. POSTEL à V. Cossard », 2 mai (ibid) ; 15 « Epistre presentée par COSSARD à Mgr le reverendissime archevesque de Raims et abbé de Fescamp, 1576 » ; 16 « Preface à tres affectionné zelateur de la vraye pieté et syncerité du christianisme, Me Robert Joly, prestre, sur la generale et terrible vision faicte à noble et religieuse personne F. Robert, premierement prestre seculier, et depuis, de l'ordre Saint Dominique ; mise en françoys, pour la conversion du monde babylonique, apres avoir été cachée l'espace de 288 ans » ; 17 « Nemo, sive Sermo de vita et rebus gestis viri ad hunc diem incogniti Neminis, videlicet contemporanei Deo Patri, Filio coessentialis, et origine conformis Spiritui Sancto » ; 18 « La Voix du desert » ; 19 « Specilegium exercitationum poeticarum », en vers français ; 20 « Chant royal sur la pure et tres saincte Conception de la Vierge » ; 21 « Ballade sur la mesme Immaculée Conception » ; 22 « Consideration ou elegie sur la mort de Me Romain Cossard, premier aux esleus pour le roy à Rouen » ; 23 « Dixain sur la mort du mesme » ; 24 « Ode sur la mort du dict sieur Esleu, mise à l'entour du cierge bruslant sur le tombeau » ; 25 « Elegie sur la mort de damoyselle Marie Le Bouteiller » ; 26 Lettre à « damoysele Marie Le Bouteiller, mere de la deffuncte, sur la mort de son filz, qui mourust un an apres » ; 27 « Au Roy de la febve », vers ; 28 « Chant royal sur l'Immaculée et saincte Conception » ; 29 « Priere à la Vierge pour le roy » ; 30 « Ballade sur la mesme Conception » ; 31 « Autre ballade » ; 32 Epigrammes traduites d'« ARCHIAS », de « MELEAGRE », de « PALLADE », etc ; 33 « Sonnet sur la tres saincte Conception » ; 34 « Sur le tombeau d'un paovre », traduit « du latin de PONTAN » ; 35 « Quatrain de FRANÇOIS DUFRESNE » ; 36 « Ex Th. Moro », quatrain ; 37 « Horatiana rapsodia pro tumulo », centon de vers d'Horace ; 38 « Tombeau », vers

Français 991

Contient : 1° Le Lucidaire [par HONORE D'AUTUN] ; 2° « L'Orloge de sapience, que fist Frere JEHAN DE SOUHANDE, de la nacion d'Alemagne, de l'ordre des Freres Precheurs » ; 3° Extraits du Plaidoyer de JEAN PETIT pour le duc de Bourgogne ; 4° « Remission de monseigneur de Bourgoingne pour le mort de monseigneur d'Orleans » ; 5° « Extrais des Vies des Peres du desert : Sainte Tays,... de l'abbé Effrem,... d'une femme qui avoit à nom Pelagie,... » ; 6° « Aulcuns bons Exemples extrais du dialogue saint Gregoire »