169,879 research outputs found
Characterization of the complete mitochondrial genome of Corvus corone orientalis
No full textIn this study, the complete mitochondrial genome of Corvus corone orientalis was assembled through next-generation sequencing data. This circular mitochondrial genome of C. corone orientalis is 16,947 bp in length and has a base composition of A (30.8%), T (24.7%), C (29.9%), and G (14.5%), demonstrating a bias of higher AT content (55.5%) than GC content (44.5%). The mitochondrial genome contains a typically conserved structure among bird mitogenomes, encoding 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA genes (tRNA), two ribosomal RNA genes (12S rRNA and 16S rRNA), and a control region (D-loop region). Except ND6, all other PCGs were located on the H-strand. ATP8 gene and ATP6 gene were overlapped by 8 bp. The whole mt genome of C. corone orientalis and other Corvoidea mitogenomes (24 species, in total) were used for phylogenetic analysis. The result indicated C. corone orientalis has the closest relationship with Corvus cornix cornix (NC_024698) and clustered within clade of genus Corvus
Individuality and foraging strategies in free ranging crows (Corvus corone corone; C.c. cornix)
No full textRabenkraehen (Corvus corone corone, C. c. cornix) sind Nahrungsgeneralisten und dadurch in grossen Gruppen im Areal des Schlossparkes und des Tiergartens Schoenbrunn zu finden. Anekdoten berichten davon, dass Kraehen regelmaessig mit den Besuchern, sowie den Tieren des Tiergartens waehrend ihrer Nahrungssuche interagieren. Das Ziel dieser Studie war zu erforschen, welche Strategien und individuelle Praeferenzen/ Techniken die Kraehen zum Nahrungserwerb anwenden und welche Gebiete sie dafuer aufsuchen. Die Tiere wurden in Reusenfallen gefangen, vermessen, gesext und individuell am Fuss markiert. Zusaetzlich durchlief jedes Tier einen tonischen Immobilitaets Test, um sein Verhalten in einer unangenehmen Situation zu messen und eine Einteilung in langsam und schnell reagierende Individuen zu treffen. Markierte Voegel wurden dann ueber einen Zeitraum von fuenf Monaten taeglich beobachtet. Die Resultate zeigen deutlich, dass die Kraehen Praeferenzen fuer bestimmte Gebiete und auch Gehege haben. Interessanterweise haengen diese Praeferenzen mit dem sozialen Status des Tieres, sowie seiner individuellen Reaktionsgeschwindigkeit in der tonischen Immobilitaet zusammen.As feeding generalists, both subspecies of carrion crows (Corvus corone corone, C. c. cornix) are common in the area of Vienna Zoo. Anecdotal reports suggest that foraging crows frequently interact with both the visitors and the Zoo animals. The aim of this study was to investigate the foraging strategies of crows, focusing on individual preferences for given feeding techniques and specific sites within the Zoo. Crows were captured with drop-in traps, measured, sexed and individually marked with leg bands. In addition, each bird was subjected to a tonic immobility test, measuring its propensity for actively dealing with an unpleasant situation and allowing us to characterize whether individuals are fast or slow at coping with an experimental challenging situation. Tagged birds were observed on a daily basis for five months using a combination of focal, scan and ad-lib sampling. Results show that crows have individual preferences for using particular areas of the Zoo and, within these areas, for using specific enclosures. Interestingly, these preferences are dependent on the birds’ social class (breeder/ non-breeder) and copying style. These findings suggest that the crows prefer certain locations
Identification of 20 polymorphic microsatellite loci in European crow (Corvus corone) from existing passerine loci
No full textThe European crow (Corvus corone) occurs in two subspecies (or species) with distinct plumage coloration: the black carrion crow (C. c. corone) and the grey and black hooded crow (C. c. cornix). We tested 42 passerine microsatellite loci for amplification in the European crow and identified 20 loci that were both polymorphic and easy to score. In 50 individuals sampled in the Danish part of the species' pan-European hybrid zone, the number of alleles ranged between two and 21. One locus deviated from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and had a high estimated null allele frequency. These 20 loci were highly successful in amplifying polymorphic products also in other crow populations and in another Corvidae species, the rook (Corvus frugilegus)
Reperti devozionali: medagliette e corone da rosario
No full textLo scavo nell’area della cattedrale di Comacchio ha restituito
6 medagliette di devozione e 13 corone da rosario, oltre a un
buon numero di elementi sporadici relativi ad altre corone non
ricostruibili. Sono reperti databili tra XVI e inizi XVIII secolo,
con il periodo di massimo utilizzo nel Seicento. Le inumazioni che
presentavano questo tipo di materiali erano in numero minoritario
sul totale e riconducibili a due nuclei topografici. Uno è situato
tra l’ingresso laterale e la cappella, dal quale provengono medaglie
di Loreto e rosari piuttosto semplici in osso o legno, databili alla
seconda metà del XVII secolo. Dalle inumazioni più antiche del
sagrato dopo la riconsacrazione in Età Moderna sono state recu-
perate invece medagliette con soggetti francescani e compostellani
associate a rosari di vari materiali, compresi ambra e giaietto. So-
prattutto questi ultimi parrebbero provenire da centri iberici, come
Montserrat e Compostela, e potrebbero essere giunti a Comacchio
per via del pellegrinaggio internazionale o per mezzo di contatti
della Chiesa locale con questi santuari. Tali reperti contribuiscono
a far comprendere meglio gli aspetti culturali e sociali legati al
rituale funerario nella prima Età Moderna, solo in minima parte
riflessi nella documentazione scritta e iconografica del periodo.During the excavation in the Comacchio Cathedral area 6
religious medals and 13 rosaries were recovered, as well as a good
number of stray elements related to other rosaries that cannot be
reconstructed. The chronology of these finds goes from the 16th
to the beginning of the 18th century, with the period of maximum
use in the 17 th century. The burialsthat contained this type of finds
were a minority and related to two topographical areas. One of
these was located between the side entrance and the chapel, where
medals from the Loreto sanctuary and rather simple rosaries,
either in bone or wood, dating from the second half of the 17th
century were found. In the oldest burials in the churchyard after
its re-consecration in Post-medieval times we found medals with
Franciscan and Santiagan subjects, associated with rosaries of vari-
ous materials, including amber and jet. Especially the latter seem to
come from the Iberian towns, such as Montserrat and Compostela,
and may have reached Comacchio via the international pilgrim-
age routes or through the contacts of the local Church with these
sanctuaries. These finds contribute to a better understanding of
the cultural and social aspects related to funerary rituals in the
Early Modern Age, which is only partially reflected in the written
and iconographic sources of the period
Identification of 20 polymorphic microsatellite loci in European crow (Corvus corone) from existing passerine loci
No full textThe European crow (Corvus corone) occurs in two subspecies (or species) with distinct plumage coloration: the black carrion crow (C. c. corone) and the grey and black hooded crow (C. c. cornix). We tested 42 passerine microsatellite loci for amplification in the European crow and identified 20 loci that were both polymorphic and easy to score. In 50 individuals sampled in the Danish part of the species' pan-European hybrid zone, the number of alleles ranged between two and 21. One locus deviated from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and had a high estimated null allele frequency. These 20 loci were highly successful in amplifying polymorphic products also in other crow populations and in another Corvidae species, the rook (Corvus frugilegus)
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
No full textThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Mitomycin C in highly myopic eyes - Author reply
No full textOphthalmology. 2005 Feb;112(2):208-18; discussion 219.
Mitomycin C modulation of corneal wound healing after photorefractive keratectomy in highly myopic eyes.
Gambato C, Ghirlando A, Moretto E, Busato F, Midena E.
SourceRefractive Surgery Service and Antimetabolite Therapy Research Unit, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
Abstract
PURPOSE: To evaluate the role of topical mitomycin C in corneal wound healing (CWH) after photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) in highly myopic eyes.
DESIGN: Prospective, double-masked, randomized clinical trial.
PARTICIPANTS: Seventy-two eyes of 36 patients affected by high (>7 diopters) myopia.
METHODS: In each patient, one eye was randomly assigned to PRK with intraoperative topical 0.02% mitomycin C application, and the fellow eye was treated with a placebo. Postoperatively, mitomycin C-treated eyes received artificial tears (3 times daily, tapered in 3 months), whereas the fellow eye was treated with fluorometholone sodium 2% and artificial tears (3 times daily, tapered in 3 months).
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), contrast sensitivity, manifest refraction, and biomicroscopy. Contrast sensitivity was determined using the Pelli-Robson chart. Corneal confocal microscopy documented CWH.
RESULTS: Mean follow-up was 18 months (range, 12-36). No side effects or toxic effects were documented. At 12-month follow-up examination, UCVAs (logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution) were 0.4+/-0.48 and 0.5+/-0.53 (P = .03) in mitomycin C-treated eyes and corticosteroid-treated eyes, respectively. At 1 year, corneal haze developed in 20% of corticosteroid-treated eyes, versus 0% of mitomycin C-treated eyes. At 12, 24, and 36 months, corneal confocal microscopy showed activated keratocytes and extracellular matrix significantly more evident in untreated eyes (Ps = 0.004, 0.024, and 0.046, respectively).
CONCLUSION: Topical intraoperative application of 0.02% mitomycin C can reduce haze formation in highly myopic eyes undergoing PRK.
Comment in
Ophthalmology. 2006 Feb;113(2):357; author reply 357-8
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
No full textWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
The crow Corvus corone hybrid zone in southern Denmark and northern Germany
No full textIn hybrid zones genetically differentiated populations meet and interbreed. As they result from ongoing divergence and potential speciation, such zones provide opportunities to study how different factors affect this process. One well-known avian hybrid zone is that between the Hooded Crow Corvus corone cornix and Carrion Crow C. c. corone, which extends throughout much of Europe. We compare the current position and width of the zone in southern Denmark and northern Germany with that described in detail by Meise in 1928. A GPS technique was used to determine the geographical position of more than 1000 Crows in established pairs in which all individuals were classified as either Carrion, Hooded or hybrid phenotype. The data show that the Carrion Crow has expanded northwards and that this is most pronounced at the eastern side of the study area. Here the hybrid zone has moved around 19 km. However, the width of the zone seems to have remained stable over time. Possible reasons for why the zone may have moved are discussed
A Multi-Language Comparison of Influences on Author Verification using Character N-Grams
No full textWe create a new multi-language corpus for author verification based on Wikipedia talkpages, and evaluate the influence that differences in topic and time have on character n-gram author profiles. Topic alignment between two texts is found to increase author verification precision, and an authors writing style is found to change over time, but not more significantly after 3 years than after 1 year.Information ArchitectureWISElectrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Scienc
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