A new approach to the temporal significance of house orientations in European Early Neolithic settlements.

This paper shows that local differences in house orientation in settlements from the Early Neolithic in Central Europe reflect a regular chronological trajectory based on Bayesian calibration of 14C-series. This can be used to extrapolate the dating of large-scale settlement plans derived from, among other methods, geophysical surveys. In the southwest Slovakian settlement of Vráble, we observed a progressive counter-clockwise rotation in house orientation from roughly 32° to 4° over a 300 year period.

Population genetics of Galápagos land iguana (genus Conolophus) remnant populations.

The Galápagos land iguanas (genus Conolophus) have faced significant anthropogenic disturbances since the 17th century, leading to severe reduction of some populations and the extinction of others. Conservation activities, including the repatriation of captive-bred animals to depleted areas, have been ongoing since the late 1970s, but genetic information has not been extensively incorporated. Here we use nine species-specific microsatellite loci of 703 land iguanas from the six islands where the species occur today to characterize the genetic diversity within, and the levels of genetic differentiation among, current populations as well as test previous hypotheses about accidental translocations associated with early conservation efforts.

Genetic impact of a severe El Niño event on Galápagos marine iguanas (Amblyrhynchus cristatus).

The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a major source of climatic disturbance, impacting the dynamics of ecosystems worldwide. Recent models predict that human-generated rises in green-house gas levels will cause an increase in the strength and frequency of El Niño warming events in the next several decades, highlighting the need to understand the potential biological consequences of increased ENSO activity. Studies have focused on the ecological and demographic implications of El Niño in a range of organisms, but there have been few systematic attempts to measure the impact of these processes on genetic diversity in populations.

Efficacy and safety of contact transscleral diode laser cyclophotocoagulation for advanced glaucoma.

Background: This prospective study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of transscleral diode laser cyclophotocoagulation in refractory, advanced glaucoma.

Patients And Methods: One hundred eyes of 100 patients with advanced glaucoma refractory to medical treatment were consecutively treated by transscleral diode laser cyclophotocoagulation. Success was defined as a final intraocular pressure between 5 and 21 mm Hg in eyes with a visual acuity of more than hard movements, relief of pain in eyes with a visual acuity of hand movements or less including blind eyes, and reduction of carbonic anhydrase inhibitor use in all eyes.

Genetic and ecological divergence of a monophyletic cichlid species pair under fully sympatric conditions in Lake Ejagham, Cameroon.

Although there is mounting evidence that speciation can occur under sympatric conditions, unambiguous examples from nature are rare and it is almost always possible to propose alternative allopatric or parapatric scenarios. To identify an unequivocal case of sympatric speciation it is, therefore, necessary to analyse natural settings where recent monophyletic species flocks have evolved within a small and confined spatial range. We have studied such a case with a cichlid species flock that comprises five Tilapia forms endemic to a tiny lake (Lake Ejagham with a surface area of approximately 0.