Limited function of road verges as habitat for species connecting plant-bee networks in remnant semi-natural grasslands.

Species-rich natural and semi-natural ecosystems are under threat owing to land use change. To conserve the biodiversity associated with these ecosystems, we must identify and target conservation efforts towards functionally important species and supporting habitats that create connections between remnant patches in the landscape. Here, we use a multi-layer network approach to identify species that connect a metanetwork of plant-bee interactions in remnant semi-natural grasslands which are biodiversity hotspots in European landscapes.

Collimation and Exposure Parameter Influence Image Quality and Potential Radiation Dose to the Eye Lens of Personnel in Computed Radiography of the Canine Pelvis.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of collimation on image quality and radiation dose to the eye lenses of the personnel involved in computed radiography of the canine pelvis. A retrospective study of canine pelvic radiographs ( = 54) was undertaken to evaluate the relationship between image quality and the degree of field the collimation used. This was followed by a prospective cadaver study ( = 18) that assessed the effects on image quality and on scattered radiation dose of different collimation field areas and exposure parameters.

Data on flower resources for pollinators in Romanian semi-natural grasslands mown at different times.

Semi-natural grasslands are hotspots of biodiversity in Europe and provide amounts of flower resources for pollinators. We present data on composition and spatial turnover of herb species and flower resources in and between semi-natural grasslands in Romania mown at different times during the growth season (early, intermediate, late). The data include herb species occurrences, their phenological stage, flower resources, and measures of spatial turnover of the species occurrences and flower resources based on Detrended Correspondence Analyses (DCA), in the start of August.

Clonal growth buffers the effect of grazing management on the population growth rate of a perennial grassland herb.

Grazing is an important management action to conserve biodiversity in semi-natural grasslands but it is important to understand how grazing influences the life-history components and population dynamics of plant species. In this study, we analysed effects of grazing intensity and abandonment on population dynamics of the semi-natural grassland species which is an important nectar source for pollinating species and an indicator of biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. We recorded life-history stage, survival, establishment of seedlings and ramets, number of inflorescences and grazing marks on permanently marked individuals in eight populations in mid-Norway for three consecutive years.

Leptin levels decline steadily during prolonged fasting in lean children.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of fasting on serum leptin levels in lean children.

Study Design: Seventeen children, age 7.7 +/- 4.