Considerations of acquisition of energy for reproduction by waterfowl have disproportionately focused on females, although males also require energy for reproduction. We quantified variation in body mass of male Harlequin Ducks (Histrionicus histrionicus (L., 1758)) on coastal wintering areas prior to spring migration, as well as on breeding grounds, to ...

The Southern Giant Petrel (Macronectes giganteus (Gmelin, 1789); Aves, Procellariiformes), ranging from New Zealand to the Graham Peninsula and Patagonia and also from coastal Antarctica to Gough Island, displays significant geographic variation throughout its range. Six breeding provinces were identified, which show significant interpopulational variation. The formerly proposed subspecies Macronectes ...

Many animals undergo annual migrations. These movements are well studied at proximate levels, but their fundamental causes are poorly understood. Among tropical frugivorous birds, annual migration is thought to have evolved in the context of exploiting reciprocal peaks in fruit abundance among locations and seasons, yet previous tests of this ...

Dietary overlap between waterbirds and fish in many freshwater systems can lead to competition for food resources and changes in the trophic position of top predators. We used stable isotope analysis of carbon and nitrogen from egg tissues to document differences in the trophic position of breeding Red-necked Grebes (Podiceps ...

Nest-site characteristics influence reproductive success in birds. Most studies of nest-site selection evaluate nest characteristics following the commencement of egg-laying, possibly overlooking the importance of pre-existing nest-site features that may be altered during the nesting process. Because Common Eiders (Somateria mollissima (L.,1758)) often lay their eggs in nest bowls created ...

Increased frequency of ground-icing events is likely to influence population dynamics in arctic ungulates, but their behavioural responses remain unexplored. During a record-mild winter with heavy rainfall, we analysed snow and ice characteristics and foraging trade-offs by Svalbard reindeer (Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus Vrolik, 1829) on a semiisolated, recently occupied range. ...

The taxonomic identity of the historical and current wolf (Canis lupus L., 1758 or Canis lycaon Schreber, 1775 or their hybrids) population in Minnesota (MN) and the Great Lakes region has been, and continues to be, controversial. So too does its legal status under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. This ...

Within freshwater fishes, closely related species produce alarm cues that are chemically similar, leading to conserved antipredator responses. Similar conservation trends are predicted for species with geographically isolated populations. Here, we tested this hypothesis with the guppy (Poecilia reticulata Peters, 1859) from two populations within the Aripo River, Trinidad. Free-ranging ...

Territorial clustering within larger, continuous patches of seemingly appropriate habitat could indicate that a species has additional, finer scale habitat requirements. Studying fine-scale (e.g., territory-level) habitat selection using methods that elucidate individual preferences may allow us to identify resources that influence species distributions. We examined breeding territory selection in the ...

It has been five years since Ernst Mayr, one of the most influential evolutionary biologists of the last century, passed away. Mayr's seminal work as a naturalist and, in particular, as a bird systematist allowed him to approach the species problem in a revolutionary way. As a leading architect of ...

With the dye and medicinal plant Isatis indigotica (2n = 14) as pollen parent, intertribal sexual hybrids with Brassica napus (2n = 38, AACC) were obtained and characterized. Among a lot of F1 plants produced, only five hybrids (H1-H5) were distinguished morphologically from female B. napus parents by showing low ...

Thermosensitive genic male-sterile (TGMS) rice is widely used in hybrid rice production. Because of its specific temperature requirement, it can be used only in a narrow rice-growing zone in Asia. A newly discovered TGMS line, G20S, has an opposite phenotype compared with normal TGMS lines. G20S is completely sterile when ...

Fusarium head blight (FHB), caused by Fusarium graminearum Schwabe (teleomorph Gibberella zeae (Schwein.) Petch), is one of the major diseases of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) in eastern China, the Upper Midwest of the USA, and the eastern Prairie Provinces of Canada. To identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) controlling FHB resistance, ...

The formation of a fully developed gamete from an undifferentiated germ cell requires progression through numerous developmental stages and cell fate decisions. The precise timing and level of gene expression guides cells through these stages. Translational regulation is highly utilized in the germ line of many species, including Caenorhabditis elegans, ...

The chromosome set of Avena macrostachya Balansa ex Coss. et Durieu was analyzed using C-banding and fluorescence in situ hybridization with 5S and 18S-5.8S-26S rRNA gene probes, and the results were compared with the C-genome diploid Avena L. species. The location of major nucleolar organizer regions and 5S rDNA sites ...

Polymorphisms in four regions of the bovine prion protein gene (PRNP) confer susceptibility to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). These polymorphisms include a 23-bp insertion/deletion (indel) in the promoter region, a 12bp indel in intron 1, an octapeptide repeat or 24-bp indel in the open reading frame, and a single nucleotide ...

Potato chromosome 5 harbours numerous genes for important qualitative and quantitative traits, such as resistance to the root cyst nematode Globodera pallida and the late blight fungus, Phytophthora infestans. The genes make up part of a "hot spot" for resistances to various pathogens covering a genetic map length of 3 ...

Water-pipe smoking is growing in popularity, especially among young people, because of the social nature of the smoking session and the assumption that the effects are less harmful than those of cigarette smoking. It has however been shown that a single water-pipe smoking session produces a 24-hour urinary cotinine level ...

Objective. We investigated the relationship between plasma levels of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and liver function in malaria control personnel 6 months after one round of DDT indoor residual spraying (IRS).

Background. Women who carry germline mutations in the breast-ovarian cancer susceptibility genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2, are at very high risk of developing breast and/or ovarian cancer. Both genes are tumour suppressor genes that protect all cells from deregulation, and there are reports of their involvement in other cancers that vary ...

Background. In 2001, North West Province took the decision to increase bed capacity at Brits Hospital from 66 beds to 267 beds. After careful consideration of costs and an assessment of available land, it was decided to demolish the existing hospital and rebuild the new hospital on the same site. ...

Objectives. To assess the utility of an existing ultrasound machine for the purposes of focused assessment sonography in trauma (FAST) scanning in a developing world emergency department (ED).

Zithulele Hospital is a deeply rural district hospital in the Eastern Cape province. Beset by staffing, procurement and infrastructure problems, the maternity service in 2005 was poorly organised and offered an inadequate standard of care. By our estimates, nearly 50% of women were still delivering at home. Three years of ...

Livestock production in Vietnam is, as in most Asian countries, increasing rapidly and changing into specialized highly intensified operations. The volume of animal excreta generated exceeds the capacity of the operation land base and cannot be utilized efficiently. As a consequence, there is a loss of plant nutrients from livestock ...

In this study, we cloned, sequenced and characterized porcine y+L Amino Acid Transporter-1 (y+LAT1). By screening a translated EST database with the protein sequence of the human [y.sup.+]LAT1 and by using rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE), the full-length cDNA encoding porcine [y.sup.+]LAT1 was isolated from porcine intestine RNA. It ...

This trial was conducted to determine the effects of feeding a diet containing solid-state fermented rapeseed meal on performance, nutrient digestibility, intestinal ecology and intestinal morphology of broiler chickens. A mixed liquid culture, containing approximately 5 log cfu/ml Lactobacillus fermentum, Enterococcus faecium, Saccharomyces cerevisae and Bacillus subtilis was prepared in ...

This study aimed to evaluate the nutritional situation of pigs kept in three ecological zones of central Vietnam: Upland, Lowland and Coastal Area. An interview-based questionnaire was made and surveys were conducted in 27 villages and data were collected from 1,200 participating households. The current study showed that amounts of ...

In order to improve the availability of phytase and probiotics together, a phytase gene from Aspergillus ficuum has been expressed in Lactobacillus. In this study, the transformed Lactobacillus with phytase gene was fed to pigs to determine its effect on pig production, feed conversion and gut microbes. Forty eight, 60-day-old, ...

The effects of controlled energy restriction and duration of pre-incubation egg holding on fertility, hatchability and hatch losses were evaluated in aged broiler breeders (64 wk). The energy (ME) required for maintenance, activity, growth and anticipated egg production was calculated and offered to a control group (283-471 kcal/kg) from 21-64 ...

Effects of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) and vitamin E (VE) supplementation in the diet of breeder hens on the egg quality and hatchability, lipid peroxides of the egg yolk, and development of the newly-hatched offspring chicks were investigated. A total of 800 Avian 48, 28 wk-old broiler breeders were assigned ...