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The purpose of the present study was to examine Norwegian kindergarten children’s knowledge about the origins of commonly consumed food items. Data were collected by conducting semi-structured interviews of 56 children (aged five to six years old) from nine different kindergartens based on open-ended questions and with the use of pictures showing eight different food items. Parents and kindergarten staff completed a questionnaire about how often they discuss the origins of food with the children. Most of the children could tell us exactly where milk, caviar, bread, meat, and wheat flour come from, but they were less aware of the origins of cheese, pasta, and sausages. The children’s level of knowledge was not associated with kindergarten profile or gender or with respect to how often parents and staff members reported discussing the origins of food with the children. This study highlights the importance of various educational activities in increasing children’s knowledge.

Augmenting the genetic diversity of small, inbred populations by the introduction of new individuals is often termed “genetic rescue”. An example is the Norwegian Lundehund, a small spitz dog with inbreeding-related health problems that is being crossed with three Nordic breeds, including the Norwegian Buhund. Conservation breeding decisions for the (typically) small number of outcrossed individuals are vital for managing the rescue process, and we genotyped the Lundehund (n = 12), the Buhund (n = 12), their crosses (F1, n = 7) and first-generation backcrosses to the Lundehund (F2, n = 12) with >170,000 single nucleotide polymorphism loci to compare their levels of genetic diversity. We predicted that genome-wide diversity in F2 dogs would be higher than in the Lundehund but lower than in the F1 and the Buhund, and the heterozygosity values showed the expected patterns. We also found that runs of homozygosity, extended chromosomal regions of homozygous genotypes inherited from a common ancestor, were reduced in F2 individuals compared with Lundehund individuals. Our analyses demonstrate the benefits of outcrossing but indicate that some of the acquired genetic diversity is lost following immediate backcrossing. Additional breeding among F2 crosses could therefore merit from further consideration in genetic rescue management.

Destinations continually seek creative ways to market their destination by celebrating popular histories or individuals. For Liverpool, there is one band with such international recognition that the city seeks to capitalize on. Popular Beatles fanscapes are woven into the fabric and narrative of Liverpool and they are part of the city’s unique music identity. Geographers (Kruse), destination marketers (Whang, Yong, and Ko), popular culture experts (Julien), and cultural historians (Stark) have conducted previous academic research acknowledging the Beatles. However, no study has positioned the Beatles alongside literatures that unite tourism with authenticity and fanscapes using co-constructed autoethnography. This paper utilizes a method of autoethnography to critically position meanings that align with place identity and authenticity, along with tangible and intangible heritage—thereby creating sentiment of popular memory. The four members of the Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, are from Liverpool and in many ways are synonymous with the city as they are embedded in the story of Liverpool since they became famous in the 1960s (Cohen). To attract Beatles fans from around the globe, destination managers, planners, and private stakeholders have found creative ways to display and disseminate sites and places of and for the Beatles. Notable spaces and places around Liverpool include: The Cavern Quarter, Hard Days Night Hotel, The Beatles Story (in the Albert Dock), John, Paul, Ringo, and George Statues in Pier Head, Magical Mystery Tour, Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields, John Lennon Airport, as well as numerous features hidden in the city, each memorialize the Beatles as part of the city’s urban imaginary and popular music culture. This study critically explores these spaces and places of popular fandom, developed as an autoethnography (of the authors who are Beatles fans and new Liverpool residents). I (first-author) critically reflect on experiences as they relate to tourism and Liverpool’s urban imaginary. The co-authors (second-author and third-author) help reinforce, confirm, and challenge place meanings, popular imaginaries, and the consumption of the Beatles. Conceptually this paper contributes to the popular culture studies literature by focusing on a band, fanscapes and the urban imaginary, using a critical self-reflective approach and personal experiences while referring to academic literature on placemaking and authenticity.

Global warming and a decline in pollinating insects are among the most crucial challenges today and a sufficient degree of scientific literacy is required for citizens in order to understand these issues and take action for sustainable development in general. Several studies have investigated knowledge associated with the greenhouse effect and the effect of the ozone layer. These have deduced that despite improvement in teaching tools, a high proportion of pupils and students still confuse these two phenomena. Previous research has also shown that plant biology is a neglected subject and students struggle to differentiate between pollination and seed dispersal. This study investigates the understanding regarding the mechanisms underlying global climate change and pollination by conducting a survey with four classes of Norwegian kindergarten teacher students, at the beginning of the academic year (n = 103), and by asking follow-up questions after completed teaching (n = 111). It was observed that approximately 40 percent of the students confused the greenhouse effect with the effect of the hole in the ozone layer. One fifth of the students mentioned photosynthesis while describing the importance of the Sun for life on Earth. About one third of them connected pollen to plant reproduction and two thirds believed that pollen is seeds. A survey at the end of the academic year showed that a substantial proportion of the students displayed teaching resilience. These results can be interpreted in the light of constructivist learning theory and might partly be explained by the role mass media play in influencing scientific literacy. For future citizens to make informed decisions, ecological issues should be prioritised in education.

A library of 4-[(3-methyl-4-aryl-2,3-dihydro-1,3-thiazol-2-ylidene)amino]benzene-1-sulphonamides (EMAC8002a–m) was designed and synthesised to evaluate the effect of substituents in the positions 3 and 4 of the dihydrothiazole ring on the inhibitory potency and selectivity toward human carbonic anhydrase isoforms I, II, IX, and XII. Most of the new compounds preferentially inhibit the isoforms II and XII. Both electronic and steric features on the aryl substituent in the position 4 of the dihydrothiazole ring concur to determine the overall biological activity of these new derivatives.

Knowledge about local species and a positive attitude towards all living organisms are important to motivate the next generations to protect biodiversity. We compared local species identification skills and declared attitude towards invertebrates across genders in Italian and Norwegian students in teacher education. We focused on Norway and Italy for this comparative study, because of their different teaching traditions and relationships with outdoor education. We found a significant difference in local species identification skills between Italian and Norwegian students, who could identify 21% and 57% of the species, respectively. Overall, females had a more negative attitude towards invertebrates than males. However, Norwegian women had a more positive attitude towards invertebrates than Italian women did. Our result could reflect both differences in time spent in nature and teaching programs between countries. We also found a positive correlation between species identification skills and declared interest towards invertebrates. We discuss several approaches that could help to address this issue, in order for future teachers to become more aware of the risk that their biophobic attitude is transferred to the next generation with negative effects on biodiversity conservation.

This study critically discusses the entanglements between World Heritage and geo-politics. It deconstructs the geo-political gaze which, it is argued, characterises the articulation of the UNESCO World Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) programme in the Republic of Croatia. The study of ICH specific to the case of Croatia is significant in political geography because it entails how cultural heritage is instrumentally used to promote nationbuilding while seeking to overcome past suppression of its culture. The article takes the Foucauldian concept of governmentality and Todorova’s notion of Balkanism as epistemological frameworks. The aim is to understand what discourses are in play for Croatia as an independent nation to self-reflexively represent itself in the UNESCO international community and establish its geo-political positioning among other European nations through the transactional device of ICH. We argue that UNESCO acts as a supranational body which interacts with Croatia in the matter of ICH safeguarding. It therefore contributes to an emphasis on a governmentality discourse ; at the same time, Balkanism can be regarded as a backdrop against which Croatia has constructed its own identity and legitimised its European aspirations.

Young children will inherit the biosphere, therefore, it is crucial that they recognize the importance of all living organisms based on their intrinsic value and ecosystem function, not only on their &ldquo, cuteness&rdquo, However, children&rsquo, s knowledge about the interdependence among organisms has been little investigated. We interviewed 56 kindergarten children (5&ndash, 6 years old) in Norway. The aim of the study was to investigate their perception of the importance for nature of six organisms, representing different trophic levels of food webs (producers, consumers, decomposers) and providing different ecosystem services (production, decomposition, and pollination). There was no difference in ranking between sexes or between ordinary and farm-based kindergartens. Bumblebees and earthworms were perceived as the most important organisms, followed by squirrel, trees, and wolf. None of the children recognized the ecological role of mushrooms. Our results show that, although upon completing kindergarten many children had gained an early understanding of the role of different organisms in nature, they missed the importance of plants and fungi. Kindergarten children&rsquo, s &ldquo, fungi blindness&rdquo, might reflect a neglect of the public for this extremely important, diverse, and dominating taxon. We should therefore put more emphasis in raising awareness about the interdependence among trophic levels in food webs.

Although kindergarten children are the group of citizens who will face the consequences of today&rsquo, s environmental challenges, research on their knowledge about environmental sustainability is limited. In June 2019, we interviewed 56 children (five to six years old) from eight kindergartens in Norway and asked kindergarten staff and the children&rsquo, s parents to fill out a short questionnaire. The aim of the study was to investigate children&rsquo, s knowledge of how our actions affect the natural environment and children&rsquo, s self-declared sense of belonging to nature. Our results show that upon completing kindergarten, many children had gained an early understanding of environmental sustainability. Garbage disposal, deforestation, and air pollution from vehicles were the environmental issues children were most aware. We detected a positive association between time spent in nature with parents and children&rsquo, s knowledge, this emphasizes the importance of children spending time in nature with their parents.

This study examines the extent to which above-ground trophic processes such as large carnivore predation on wild ungulates can cause cascading effects through the provision of carrion resources to below-ground ecosystem processes in the boreal forest of southeastern Norway. We measured the levels of 10 parameters in soil samples and 7 parameters in vegetation (wavy hair-grass, Avenella flexuosa, and bilberry, Vaccinium myrtillus) at 0, 0.5 and 2 m distance from 18 roe deer (Capreolus caprelous) carcasses killed by Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx). We then compared these values to two control sites 20 m away from each carcass. Sampling was conducted 20&ndash, 29 months after death. Neither soil nor vegetation samples showed a clear gradient in parameters (CN, NH4+, NO3&minus, P, PO4&minus, Ca, K, Mg and Na) from the center of a carcass towards the periphery. Similarly, there was no difference in the effect on soil and vegetation between winter- and summer-killed carcasses. Our results contrast with that of other studies that simulate the effect of predation with whole carcasses and which often exclude scavengers through fencing. The lack of detectable effects after about two years is likely due to the small size of roe deer carcasses and the fact that most tissues are consumed by the predator and scavengers before decomposition.

The focus of this chapter is to highlight the potential of festivals to deterritorialise and reterritorialise urban spaces. Deterritorialisation is able to expose urban spaces, albeit temporally and provisionally, to new re-organisation; it is conceptually understood by the theorists Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari as a movement producing change, which is immanent to space itself. The study context of this chapter is the Beltane Fire Festival in Edinburgh. It has been associated to the category of neo-pagan festivals, celebrated as revival of ancient Celtic rituals. Beltane is celebrated in Calton Hill, a contested place that is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Old and New Towns of Edinburgh site, situated at the fringe of Edinburgh city centre. Although Edinburgh’s Beltane Fire Festival has been criticised for its ‘playful deviance’, these and other festivals that draw on Scotland’s cultural heritage are increasingly appraised as powerful visitor attraction assets and therefore included within the destination’s event portfolio strategies.

[Image: see text] A novel series of of 4-[(3-phenyl-4-aryl-2,3-dihydro-1,3-thiazol-2-ylidene)amino]benzene-1-sulfonamides (EMAC10111a–g) was synthesized and assayed toward both human carbonic anhydrase isozymes I, II, IX, and XII and cyclooxygenase isoforms. The majority of these derivatives preferentially inhibit hCA isoforms II and XII and hCOX-2 isozyme, indicating that 2,3,4-trisubstituted 2,3-dihydrothiazoles are a promising scaffold for the inhibition of hCA isozymes and of hCOX-2 enzyme. The nature of the substituent at the dihydrothiazole ring position 4 influenced the activity and selectivity toward both enzyme families. EMAC10111g resulted as the best performing compound toward both enzyme families and exhibited preferential activity toward hCA XII and hCOX-2 isozymes.

[Image: see text] In the present study we investigated the structure–activity relationships of a new series of 4-[(3-ethyl-4-aryl-2,3-dihydro-1,3-thiazol-2-ylidene)amino]benzene-1-sulfonamides (EMAC10101a–m). All synthesized compounds, with the exception of compound EMAC10101k, preferentially inhibit off-target hCA II isoform. Within the series, compound EMAC10101d, bearing a 2,4-dichorophenyl substituent in position 4 of the dihydrothiazole ring, was the most potent and selective toward hCA II with an inhibitory activity in the low nanomolar range.

Within tourism studies, there has been limited attention to the concept of World Intangible Cultural Heritage, its discursive normalisation and its effects at the level of the nation or public sphere. Through a discourse analysis of a public institutional document on intangible cultural heritage in Scotland, we demonstrate how Foucault's power/knowledge dyad unfolds at one of its points of application. Our key findings include that discursive strategies of conviction (such as inventorying) are deployed to frame intangible cultural heritage within an existing discursive field of relationship that articulates with Scotland's contested political position within the United Kingdom; and that notions concerning the importance of safeguarding intangible cultural heritage have been constructed through discourses of its fragility and immateriality.

A series of N-acylbenzenesulfonamide dihydro-1,3,4-oxadiazole hybrids (EMAC8000a–m) was designed and synthesized with the aim to target tumor associated carbonic anhydrase (hCA) isoforms IX and XII. Most of the compounds were selective inhibitors of the tumor associated hCA XII. Moreover, resolution of EMAC8000d racemic mixture led to the isolation of the levorotatory eutomer exhibiting an increase of hCA XII inhibition potency and selectivity with respect to hCA II. Computational studies corroborated these data. Overall our data indicate that both substitution pattern and stereochemistry of dihydro-1,3,4-oxadiazole could be considered as key factors to determine activity and selectivity toward hCA isozymes. These results can provide further indication for the design and optimization of selective hCA inhibitors.

A series of 3-3-{2-[2-3-methyl-4-phenyl-2,3-dihydro-1,3-thiazol-2-ylidene]hydrazin-1-ylidene-2,3-dihydro-1H-indol-2-one derivatives has been designed and synthesized to study their activity on both HIV-1 (Human Immunodeficiency Virus type 1) RT (Reverse Transcriptase) associated functions. These derivatives are analogs of previously reported series whose biological activity and mode of action have been investigated. In this work we investigated the influence of the introduction of a methyl group in the position 3 of the dihydrothiazole ring and of a chlorine atom in the position 5 of the isatin nucleus. The new synthesized compounds are active towards both DNA polymerase and ribonuclease H in the µM range. The nature of the aromatic group in the position 4 of the thiazole was relevant in determining the biological activity.

Efficient targeting of actions to reduce the spread of invasive alien species relies on understanding the spatial, temporal, and individual variation of movement, in particular related to dispersal. Such patterns may differ between individuals at the invasion front compared to individuals in established and dense populations due to differences in environmental and ecological conditions such as abundance of conspecifics or sex-specific dispersal affecting the encounter rate of potential mates. We assessed seasonal and diurnal variation in movement pattern (step length and turning angle) of adult male and female raccoon dog at their invasion front in northern Sweden using data from Global Positioning System (GPS)-marked adult individuals and assessed whether male and female raccoon dog differed in their movement behavior. There were few consistent sex differences in movement. The rate of dispersal was rather similar over the months, suggesting that both male and female raccoon dog disperse during most of the year, but with higher speed during spring and summer. There were diurnal movement patterns in both sexes with more directional and faster movement during the dark hours. However, the short summer nights may limit such movement patterns, and long-distance displacement was best explained by fine-scale movement patterns from 18:00 to 05:00, rather than by movement patterns only from twilight and night. Simulation of dispersing raccoon dogs suggested a higher frequency of male–female encounters that were further away from the source population for the empirical data compared to a scenario with sex differences in movement pattern. The lack of sex differences in movement pattern at the invasion front results in an increased likelihood for reproductive events far from the source population. Animals outside the source population should be considered potential reproducing individuals, and a high effort to capture such individuals is needed throughout the year to prevent further spread. Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Cyclohexyliden- and 2-methylcyclohexyliden-hydrazo-4-arylthiazoles were synthesized and tested as antifungal agents. All compounds exhibited minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values comparable with those of fluconazole (FLC). Moreover, some compounds showed fungicidal activity at low concentration. Worth noting five out of nine compounds were active towards Candida albicans 25 FLC resistant isolated from clinical specimens. The cellular toxicity was evaluated and none of the compounds is toxic at the MIC. On the basis of our data we can conclude that these derivatives are promising agents for the treatment of resistant C. albicans.

Prey rely on making correct risk assessments when approached by potential predators in order to stay alive. We conducted experimental human approaches with different simulated threat levels toward solitary adult male Thomson’s gazelles, that were located in open grassland. We measured individuals flight initiation distance (FID), distance fled, escape speed, and the distance between the location where the focal individual had stopped to flee and where the human stopped the approach (termed safety distance). Multivariate analyses revealed an overall significant effect of starting distance, alertness, and time of day, but no statistical effect was found for approach speed on the multivariate response. The individual responses showed a significant positive effect of starting distance on both FID and safety distance. We also found a novel unimodal effect of time on FID. Finally, alertness and approach speed only had a significant effect on safety distance, where faster approaches and individuals that displayed alert behavior had shorter safety distances. Together, these findings indicate support for the "flush early and avoid the rush" hypothesis, shows the necessity of using starting distance, alertness, and time as covariates when testing the effects of threat level, and demonstrate the usefulness of the new metric safety distance.

[Image: see text] A small library of psoralen carboxylic acids and their corresponding benzenesulfonamide derivatives were designed and synthesized to evaluate their activity and selectivity toward tumor associated human carbonic anhydrase (hCA) isoforms IX and XII. Both psoralen acids and sulfonamides exhibited potent inhibition of IX and XII isozymes in the nanomolar concentration range. However, psoralen acids resulted as the most selective in comparison with the corresponding benzenesulfonamide derivatives. Our data indicate that the psoralen scaffold is a promising starting point for the design of highly selective tumor associated hCA inhibitors.

A small library of psoralen carboxylic acids and their corresponding benzenesulfonamide derivatives were designed and synthesized to evaluate their activity and selectivity toward tumor associated human carbonic anhydrase (hCA) isoforms IX and XII. Both psoralen acids and sulfonamides exhibited potent inhibition of IX and XII isozymes in the nanomolar concentration range. However, psoralen acids resulted as the most selective in comparison with the corresponding benzenesulfonamide derivatives. Our data indicate that the psoralen scaffold is a promising starting point for the design of highly selective tumor associated hCA inhibitors.

The dichloromethane extract of the leaves of Bupleurum fruticosum was found to inhibit the replication of human rhinovirus (HRV) serotypes 14 and 39. Bioassay-guided fractionation led to the isolation of seven phenylpropenol derivatives (3–9), two polyacetylenes (1 and 2), and one monoterpene (10). Compounds 1 and 10 were identified as previously undescribed secondary metabolites after extensive 1D and 2D NMR experiments as well as high-resolution mass spectrometry. Compounds 2, 4, and 5 showed a selective inhibition of viral replication against HRV39 serotype, with 2 and 4 being the most active, with EC50 values of 1.8 ± 0.02 and 2.4 ± 0.04 μM. Mechanism of action studies indicated that 4 behaves not only as a capsid binder, interfering with the early phases of virus replication, but also as a late-phase replication inhibitor. Docking experiments were performed to confirm the ability of the antiviral phenylpropenoids to selectively fit into the hydrophobic pocket of VP1-HRV39.

Genetic rescue, outcrossing with individuals from a related population, is used to augment genetic diversity in populations threatened by severe inbreeding and extinction. The endangered Norwegian Lundehund dog underwent at least two severe bottlenecks in the 1940s and 1960s that each left only five inbred dogs, and the approximately 1500 dogs remaining world-wide today appear to descend from only two individuals. The Lundehund has a high prevalence of a gastrointestinal disease, to which all remaining dogs may be predisposed. Outcrossing is currently performed with three Nordic Spitz breeds: Norwegian Buhund, Icelandic Sheepdog, and Norrbottenspets. Examination of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotypes based on 165K loci in 48 dogs from the four breeds revealed substantially lower genetic diversity for the Lundehund (HE 0.035) than for other breeds (HE 0.209–0.284). Analyses of genetic structure with > 15K linkage disequilibrium-pruned SNPs showed four distinct genetic clusters. Pairwise FST values between Lundehund and the candidate breeds were highest for Icelandic Sheepdog, followed by Buhund and Norrbottenspets. We assessed the presence of outlier loci among candidate breeds and examined flanking genome regions (1 megabase) for genes under possible selection to identify potential adaptive differences among breeds; outliers were observed in flanking regions of genes associated with key functions including the immune system, metabolism, cognition and physical development. We suggest crossbreeding with multiple breeds as the best strategy to increase genetic diversity for the Lundehund and to reduce the incidence of health problems. For this project, the three candidate breeds were first selected based on phenotypes and then subjected to genetic investigation. Because phenotypes are often paramount for domestic breed owners, such a strategy could provide a helpful approach for genetic rescue and restoration of other domestic populations at risk, by ensuring the involvement of owners, breeders and managers at the start of the project. © 2017 Stronen et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

The isatin scaffold is the constitutive fragment of several natural and synthetic bioactive molecules. Albeit several benzene sulphonamide-based carbonic anhydrase inhibitors (CAIs) have been reported, only recently isatin benzene sulphonamides have been studied and proposed as CAIs. In this study we have designed, synthesised, and evaluated the biological activity of a series of differently substituted isatin-based benzene sulphonamides which have been designed for the inhibition of carbonic anhydrase isoforms. The activity of all the synthesised compounds was evaluated towards human carbonic anhydrase I, II, IX, and XII isozymes. Our results indicate that the nature and position of substituents on the isatin ring can modulate both activity and isozyme selectivity.

PurposeThis paper aims to focus on evaluating the rich cultural intangible heritage of Sardinia Island, and how such a heritage can contribute to the implementation of tourism during the low season. The purpose is also to verify whether the enhancement of intangible heritage attractors, could be a driver for the sustainability of the island's tourism.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative approach is used in order to explore a multiple case study: the multifaceted expressions of the Holy Week. This is a cultural event that constitutes a part of the Christian festivity of Easter, which is characterized by traditional processions and ancient rituals widespread in various towns and cities around the island.FindingsIntangible cultural heritage provides an additional opportunity to increase the level of tourism in Sardinia Island.Research limitations/implicationsThis study has its limitations: it focuses only on a specific typology of event. Further studies should be taken into consideration in order to explore whether even other kinds of events are able to increase tourism in the low season, and to promote it on a sustainable perspective.Originality/valueThis study about heritage tourism in islands provides information about which little has been written. Moreover, it could offer a framework for other island destinations in the Mediterranean and elsewhere.

Using field methods that provide unbiased estimates of predation risk is challenging for medium and small sized prey. We conducted this study in a simple predator-prey system (Sleneset archipelago, northern Norway) where eagle owls Bubo bubo depend on water vole Arvicola amphibius and other predators are absent, and we tested the prediction that substandard individuals (i.e. with lower body condition) would be exposed to higher predation risk. In summer 2007–2009 we capture-mark-recaptured water voles with passive integrated transponder tags inserted by injection under the skin of the neck. We then searched and scanned the study area for passive transponders in eagle owl pellets and compared the body condition of predated and unknown fate individuals by means of logistic regression models. Substandard water voles had a higher probability of being predated by eagle owl, suggesting that voles in compromised condition were more vulnerable to predation. Therefore natural selection may be at work also through avian ambush predators.

The extent to which large carnivores compete with hunters for harvestable populations of wild ungulates is a topic of widespread controversy in many areas of the world where carnivore populations are recovering or are reintroduced. Theory predicts that predation impacts should vary with prey density and environmental conditions. To test this prediction, we analyzed trends in an index of population abundance of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) over 9 y in 144 Norwegian municipalities. The municipalities span a wide range of landscapes and climatic conditions and were associated with a varying degree of Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) presence. There was a wide variation in trends of roe deer abundance (estimated long-term average λ ranging from 0.69 to 1.23) among municipalities. Roe deer population growth rates were lower in the municipalities with lynx and harsh climatic conditions than in municipalities with mild climatic conditions and/or without lynx. Thus, lynx presence appears to be having a negat...

Aim We aimed to describe the large-scale patterns in population density of roe deer Caprelous capreolus in Europe and to determine the factors shaping variation in their abundance.

Ground beetle assemblages were studied by pitfall trapping during summer 2006 in the municipality of Leksand (Sweden) along a gradient in traffic intensity (10 replicates in high and low traffic and five in no traffic) and at progressive distances from the roadside (5, 15, 40 and 80 m). The ground beetles’ activity density was larger in high- with respect to low-traffic areas. Rarefaction analysis showed that richness did not differ between high and low traffic, whereas it was higher in high and low compared to no-traffic areas. Rarefaction analysis performed in high- and low-traffic areas separately showed that species richness was higher at shorter distance from the road in both treatments. Gradient analysis showed that traffic intensity influenced carabid species composition, although the proportion of explained variation was rather low. Mean body length differed between the three treatments, where ground beetles were larger in no-traffic areas. The proportion of macropterous and diet-generalist beetles did not differ amongst the three treatments. However, there was a difference in the proportion of macropterous beetles in low-traffic areas amongst sampling distances, and in the proportion of diet-generalist beetles amongst sampling distances at both high- and low-traffic areas. The proportion of diet-generalist beetles decreased with increasing distance from the road in both treatments. Our study suggests that major roads have a significant effect on ground beetles assemblages. However, many changes in assemblages and morpho-ecological adaptations followed the gradient in traffic intensity, suggesting that also minor roads affect ground beetle composition. Therefore, efforts to improve habitat connectivity should also consider low-traffic roads.

The Norwegian Lundehund breed of dog has undergone a severe loss of genetic diversity as a result of inbreeding and epizootics of canine distemper. As a consequence, the breed is extremely homogeneous and accurate sex identification is not always possible by standard screening of X-chromosomal loci. To improve our genetic understanding of the breed we genotyped 17 individuals using a genome-wide array of 170 000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Standard analyses based on expected homozygosity of X-chromosomal loci failed in assigning individuals to the correct sex, as determined initially by physical examination and confirmed with the Y-chromosomal marker, amelogenin. This demonstrates that identification of sex using standard SNP assays can be erroneous in highly inbred individuals. © The Author 2015; all rights reserved. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of American Genetic Association. This is the authors' manuscript to the article.

A series of 4-[(3-cyclohexyl-4-aryl-2,3-dihydro-1,3-thiazol-2-ylidene)amino]benzene-1-sulfonamides was synthesised and the activity of the new compounds as inhibitors of hCA I, II, IX, and XII was evaluated. These new derivatives exhibited some peculiarities with respect to previously reported sulfonamide based inhibitors of CA. We observed that the nature of the substituents in the position 3 and 4 of the dihydro-thiazole ring was relevant in determining both activity and selectivity profiles.

The indirect effect of moose Alces alces browsing on ground beetle's abundance and diversity was investigated by pitfall trapping in a mixed coniferous forest in Vestfold County (59°19′ N, 9°50′ E, Norway), during the summer of 2002. Three areas with different browsing pressures, ranging from non- to medium- and heavily browsed were chosen and dry weight of bilberry Vaccinium myrtillus and humidity at ground level were measured in the three locations. As predicted, the gradient analyses showed that browsing by moose influenced the composition of carabid fauna, and that browsing intensity and humidity covaried with the most important gradient in carabid species composition found across the three locations. Species that live in light stands with rather dry soil, were more often captured in the browsed areas, whereas shade tolerant and hygrophilous species were more abundant in the non-browsed area. The carabid abundance increased significantly with increasing browsing pressure. According to our predictions, the diversity at trap level (α-diversity) was higher in the highly browsed area. Conversely, species turnover (β-diversity) decreased with browsing intensity. On the other hand, the rarefaction analysis showed that the regional species richness (γ-diversity) was considerably higher in the medium browsed area than in the heavily browsed one, which is consistent with the intermediate disturbance hypothesis. This study indicates that moose, by reducing the bilberry that constitutes the field layer in summer, affect carabid species composition and might be capable to reshape the whole ecosystem in our study area by a cascade effect.

In all areas where they have been studied, male roe deer are believed to have a territorial mating system, although few quantitative studies have been conducted and there remains considerable debate about the function of male roe deer territories. We observed 139 aggressive interactions between male roe deer in Storfosna Island (Norway) during one territorial season (March–August). We recognised seven rank levels of escalation according to the potential danger of the behaviour. On the basis of the number of escalation levels included in the interactions, the complexity of the fights was also scored. We recorded the presence of other individuals during the interaction, the age, the antler size, the territorial status and the residency status of the two contestants and tested how these variables affected escalation, complexity and outcome of the fights. Most of the interactions ended with low levels of escalation, and physical contact occurred only in fights between two territorial bucks. The escalation was also affected by the difference in antler size index (the bucks escalated more when the difference in antler size was smaller) and increased with an increasing number of female deer present during the interaction. The resident buck won in 81% of the fights. When it drew or lost, it was generally both inferior in age and antler size, and the duration and escalation of the interactions were higher. However, even when a fight was lost, no territory loss occurred. These results are consistent with the evolutionary game theory and the proposed low risk–low gain strategy of roe deer bucks.

Aim We reviewed 54 studies reporting population densities of wild boar (Sus scrofa) in western Eurasia in order to investigate the roles of vegetation productivity [fraction of photosynthetically active radiation (FPAR) index], winter harshness (mean January temperature) and presence/absence of wolves (Canis lupus) in shaping the biogeographical variation in population density of wild boar. Location We collected published data on the autumn–winter population density of wild boar (number of individuals km )2 ) in 54 locations in western Eurasia, from 1966 to 2003. Methods The mean January temperature, obtained from the World Climate data base (http://www.worldclimate.com), was taken as a measure of winter severity. We used monthly 4 · 4 km MODIS FPAR data sets covering January 2000 to June 2004 to calculate the vegetation productivity index. In addition, we collected literature data about the presence or absence of wolves from the study areas. Results In the geographical span of 37–60� N, the population densities of wild boar declined by three orders of magnitude, from 10 to 0.01 individuals km )2 . The best multiple regression model (selected with the Akaike information criterion corrected for small samples) showed that mean January temperature and the vegetation productivity index were the most important factors explaining the biogeographical variation in population densities of wild boar. The impact of temperature was stronger than that of productivity. The presence of wolves had a weak limiting effect on population densities of wild boar at the biogeographical scale. Main conclusion We propose that winter harshness imposes densityindependent mortality on wild boar populations at higher latitudes. Competition for food in less productive regions may cause stronger density dependence in birth and death rates of wild boar populations. We expect that wild boar will respond to global warming by both an increase in local population densities and an expansion of their geographical range north and north

The behaviour of active male roe deerCapreolus capreolus Linnaeus, 1758 was studied in a wild population on Storfosna island (Norway), during the pre-territorial and territorial seasons (February–August) of 1994. Observed behaviours were grouped in seven categories (mating, aggression, display, marking, vigilance, moving and maintenance), and the proportion of time spent in each behaviour by three age classes (yearlings, subadults and adults) was compared. Time spent in each behaviour varied significantly between months for all male age classes. From February to August, time spent in maintenance decreased, while time spent in vigilance increased. The time spent in mating increased both in adult and subadults but did not vary significantly for yearlings throughout the months. When comparing age classes within a month, there were no significant differences in time spent in each behaviour. Surprisingly, adult territorial males did not invest significantly more time in mating, with respect to yearlings and subadults. This may be consistent with the oligogynous mating system of roe deer, in which the reproductive success is divided amongst several years and their territoriality, which could be a tactic to reduce the competition for mating.