1. |
- Elsik, Christine G., et al.
(author)
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The Genome Sequence of Taurine Cattle : A Window to Ruminant Biology and Evolution
- 2009
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In: Science. - : American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). - 0036-8075 .- 1095-9203. ; 324:5926, s. 522-528
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- To understand the biology and evolution of ruminants, the cattle genome was sequenced to about sevenfold coverage. The cattle genome contains a minimum of 22,000 genes, with a core set of 14,345 orthologs shared among seven mammalian species of which 1217 are absent or undetected in noneutherian (marsupial or monotreme) genomes. Cattle-specific evolutionary breakpoint regions in chromosomes have a higher density of segmental duplications, enrichment of repetitive elements, and species-specific variations in genes associated with lactation and immune responsiveness. Genes involved in metabolism are generally highly conserved, although five metabolic genes are deleted or extensively diverged from their human orthologs. The cattle genome sequence thus provides a resource for understanding mammalian evolution and accelerating livestock genetic improvement for milk and meat production.
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2. |
- Benjamin, Daniel J., et al.
(author)
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Redefine statistical significance
- 2018
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In: Nature Human Behaviour. - : Nature Research (part of Springer Nature). - 2397-3374. ; 2:1, s. 6-10
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Journal article (other academic/artistic)
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3. |
- Patterson, Nick, et al.
(author)
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Large-scale migration into Britain during the Middle to Late Bronze Age
- 2022
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In: Nature. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; , s. 588-594
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Present-day people from England and Wales harbour more ancestry derived from Early European Farmers (EEF) than people of the Early Bronze Age1. To understand this, we generated genome-wide data from 793 individuals, increasing data from the Middle to Late Bronze and Iron Age in Britain by 12-fold, and Western and Central Europe by 3.5-fold. Between 1000 and 875 BC, EEF ancestry increased in southern Britain (England and Wales) but not northern Britain (Scotland) due to incorporation of migrants who arrived at this time and over previous centuries, and who were genetically most similar to ancient individuals from France. These migrants contributed about half the ancestry of Iron Age people of England and Wales, thereby creating a plausible vector for the spread of early Celtic languages into Britain. These patterns are part of a broader trend of EEF ancestry becoming more similar across central and western Europe in the Middle to Late Bronze Age, coincident with archaeological evidence of intensified cultural exchange2-6. There was comparatively less gene flow from continental Europe during the Iron Age, and Britain's independent genetic trajectory is also reflected in the rise of the allele conferring lactase persistence to ~50% by this time compared to ~7% in central Europe where it rose rapidly in frequency only a millennium later. This suggests that dairy products were used in qualitatively different ways in Britain and in central Europe over this period.
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4. |
- Svanberg, Fredrik, et al.
(author)
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Lead isotopes and lead shot ingestion in the globally threatened marbled teal (Marmaronetta angustirostris) and white-headed duck (Oxyura leucocephala)
- 2006
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In: Science of the Total Environment. - : Elsevier BV. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 370:2-3, s. 416-424
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Lead isotope ratios ((206)Pb/(207)Pb and (208)Pb/(207)Pb) and concentrations in the livers and bones of marbled teal and white-headed duck found dead or moribund were determined in order to establish the main lead source in these waterfowl species. Lead concentrations in bone (dry weight) and liver (wet weight) were found to be very high in many of the white-headed ducks (bone: geometric mean=88.9 ppm, maximum=419 ppm; liver: geometric mean=16.8 ppm, maximum=57.0 ppm). Some of the marbled teal had high lead levels in the bones but liver lead levels were all low (bone: geometric mean=6.13 ppm, maximum=112 ppm; liver: geometric mean=0.581 ppm, maximum=4.77 ppm). Ingested lead shot were found in 71% of the white-headed duck and 20% of the marbled teal. The (206)Pb/(207)Pb ratio in livers and bones of white-headed ducks and marbled teals showed no significant differences compared to the ratios obtained from lead shot. The (206)Pb/(207)Pb ratio in bones of marbled teal ducklings with the highest lead concentrations tended to resemble the ratios of lead shot, which supports our hypothesis that the lead was derived from the hens. We also found that the lead ratios of lead shot and lead ratios described for soils in the area overlapped, but also that the isotopic ratio (206)Pb/(207)Pb in lead shot used in Spain has a narrow range compared with those used in North America. The principal source of lead in many of these birds was, however, most likely lead shot, as supported by the similar isotopic ratios, high lead concentrations in tissues and evidence of ingested shot.
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5. |
- Taggart, Mark A., et al.
(author)
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Metal levels in the bones and livers of globally threatened marbled teal and white-headed duck from El Hondo, Spain
- 2009
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In: Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety. - Amsterdam : Elsevier BV. - 0147-6513 .- 1090-2414. ; 72:1, s. 1-9
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- El Hondo is a key area for marbled teal and white-headed duck. We present Pb, Cu, Zn, Se, and As data for bone and liver in birds found dead between 1996 and 2001. Several metals were higher in adult white-headed ducks than in marbled teal. They were higher in female than in male white-headed ducks, and did not differ with sex in marbled teal, but did by age. Lead in liver of adults was influenced by Pb shot ingestion, which was detected in 21% of marbled teal and in 71% of white-headed duck. No marbled teal had liver levels indicative of Pb poisoning, while 86% of white-headed ducks did. Selenium, Zn, and Cu were elevated in 13%, 7%, and 39% of birds, respectively. Whilst Pb shot poses the greatest threat to these species, further work should assess exposure via plants, invertebrates, water, and sediments for other metals, and investigate possible sub-lethal effects.
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6. |
- Bell, Tim, et al.
(author)
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Podcasts as a supplement in tertiary education: : an experiment with two computer science courses
- 2007
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In: Mobil Learning Technologies and Applications (MoLTA) 2007. - : Institute of Information and Mathematical Sciences, Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand. - 9780473119478 ; , s. 70-77
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The current generation of undergraduate students are enthusiastic adopters of mobile technologies, and some of these technologies offers significant opportunities for broadening the times, places and manner that students study and learn. One of these is podcasting, which greatly eases distribution of content to portable devices, giving the students opportunity for anytime, anywhere learning. However, most educational podcasts do not take advantage of the potential of podcasting. In this paper we discuss the issues surrounding the use of podcasting for higher education. We report our experiences using podcasts to supplement two undergraduate Computer Science courses, and we provide tips for others considering the use of podcasts in education.
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7. |
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8. |
- Cheng, Helen, et al.
(author)
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Biomedical, psychological, environmental and behavioural factors associated with adult obesity in a nationally representative sample
- 2020
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In: Journal of Public Health. - : Springer. - 1741-3842 .- 1741-3850. ; 42:3, s. 570-578
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: To identify personality, biomedical and behavioural factors associated with adult obesity in a large longitudinal sample.METHOD: In total, 5360 participants with data on personality, neurological functioning, maternal smoking during pregnancy, education and occupation, physical exercise, adult self-reported BMI and obesity were included in the study. Obesity at 55 years was the outcome variable.RESULTS: The rates of obesity increased from 9.5 to 22.8% from age 33 to 55 years. Logistic regression analyses (adjusted estimates) showed that childhood neurological functioning (OR = 1.32: 1.07-1.63, P < 0.01), maternal smoking during pregnancy (OR = 1.42: 1.22-1.65, P < 0.001), educational qualifications (OR = 0.54: 0.37-0.79, P < 0.01), trait conscientiousness (OR = 0.80:0.74-0.86, P < 0.001) and physical exercise (OR = 0.87: 0.82-0.92, P < 0.001) were significant predictors of obesity at age 55 years for both men and women. Trait extraversion for men (OR = 1.16: 1.07-1.26, P < 0.001) and trait emotional stability for women (OR = 0.90: 0.82-0.99, P < 0.05) were also significant predictors of the outcome variable.CONCLUSION: Biomedical, psychological, environmental and behavioural factors were all associated with adult obesity.
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9. |
- Cheng, Helen, et al.
(author)
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Childhood heart problems, adulthood emotional stability, and sex associated with self-report heart conditions in adulthood
- 2021
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In: Journal of Health Psychology. - : Sage Publications. - 1359-1053 .- 1461-7277. ; 26:4, s. 489-499
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The present study investigated biomedical, social, and psychological factors associated with self-reported heart conditions in adulthood in a British cohort. In total, 5697 (50.7% males) participants with data on parental socioeconomic status, childhood cognitive ability, childhood heart problems, educational qualifications, current occupational levels, adulthood personality traits, and the prevalence of self-reported heart conditions in adulthood were included in the study. The prevalence of self-reported heart conditions measured at age 54 years was the outcome variable. Hierarchical logistic regression analysis showed that childhood heart problems identified by physicians (OR = 3.47:1.74-6.92, p < 0.001) and trait emotional stability (OR = 0.83:0.75-0.93, p < 0.001) were the significant and independent predictors of self-reported heart conditions in adulthood. There were also significant sex effects on the prevalence of the outcome variable (OR = 0.53:0.42-0.63, p < 0.001). Both a biomedical and a psychological factor were significantly associated with self-reported heart conditions in adulthood.
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10. |
- Green, Andy J., et al.
(author)
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Beyond scatter-hoarding and frugivory : European corvids as overlooked vectors for a broad range of plants
- 2019
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In: Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. - 2296-701X. ; 7
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- It is well-known that some members of the crow family (Corvidae) are important for seed dispersal either via frugivory (e.g., when feeding on berries) or by scatter hoarding (e.g., of nuts). Dispersal via gut passage of seeds within a fleshy fruit can be considered "classical endozoochory." However, corvids are rarely recognized as vectors of plants lacking a fleshy fruit, or a large nut (such as plants with a dry achene, capsule or caryopsis). Dispersal of such seeds via gut passage can be considered "non-classical endozoochory." A century ago, Heintze (1917a,b); Heintze (1918) reported on extensive field studies of seed dispersal by 11 species of European Corvidae. His work is overlooked in contemporary reviews of corvid biology. We resurrect his work, which suggests that contemporary views about seed dispersal by corvids are too narrow. Heintze identified 157 plant taxa from 42 families which were dispersed by corvids by endozoochory, as well as another nine taxa only dispersed by synzoochory (which includes scatter-hoarding). Most (54%) of the plant species dispersed by endozoochory lack a fleshy fruit and have previously been assigned to other dispersal syndromes, mainly associated with wind (10%), self-dispersal (22%) or epizoochory (18%). Plants lacking a fleshy fruit were particularly well-represented from the Caryophyllaceae (12 species), Poaceae (14 species), and Polygonaceae (8 species). Of 27 taxa germinated by Heintze from seeds extracted from corvid pellets or feces (71% of those tested), 20 lack a fleshy fruit. Similarly, of 32 taxa he recorded as seedlings having germinated from pellets in the field, 11 lacked a fleshy fruit. However, Heintze's quantitative data show that classical endozoochory is dominant in Magpies Pica pica and Hooded Crows Corvus cornix, for which 97% of seeds dispersed were fleshy-fruited. Corvids overlap with waterfowl as vectors of terrestrial plants dispersed by non-classical endozoochory, and 56 species are dispersed by both corvids and dabbling ducks according to the lists of Heintze and Soons et al. (2016). Finally, Heintze's data show that corvids were already dispersing alien plants in Europe a century ago, such as the North American Dwarf Serviceberry Amelanchier spicata.
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