MicroRNAs are differentially abundant during Aedes albopictus diapause maintenance but not diapause induction.

Diapause is a programmed dormancy that allows organisms to tolerate predictable periods of unfavourable conditions by temporarily halting development and reducing metabolism. Diapause is widespread amongst insects and is crucial for allowing organisms to coordinate their growth and reproduction with favourable environmental conditions. Although the adaptive significance of diapause is well understood, the molecular mechanisms underpinning diapause remain unresolved. We performed high-throughput sequencing to investigate the role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the diapause of the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus. We first investigated miRNAs in diapause induction by characterizing maternally provisioned miRNAs in mature oocytes of Ae. albopictus under diapause-inducing and diapause-averting conditions. Second, we investigated miRNAs in diapause maintenance by characterizing miRNAs in diapause and nondiapause pharate larvae. We identified 162 miRNAs, 152 previously known and 10 putatively novel. We identified no differentially abundant miRNAs in mature oocytes and seven differentially abundant miRNAs in pharate larvae. The predicted targets of differentially abundant miRNAs include genes affecting several processes related to diapause maintenance including ecdysone regulation, immune response, lipid metabolism and regulation of development. Our results suggest that Ae. albopictus does not maternally provision a unique set of miRNAs during diapause induction but miRNAs are a component of diapause maintenance in this species.

Comparison of larval foraging behavior of Aedes albopictus and Aedes japonicus (Diptera: Culicidae).

Aedes albopictus (Skuse) (Diptera: Culicidae) invaded the United States in 1985 and spread rapidly across eastern North America, whereas Aedes japonicus (Theobald) invaded and became established in the United States more recently (1998). The two species may co-occur in container habitats, and they are of potential public health concern as arbovirus vectors. To evaluate ecological differences between Ae. albopictus and Ae.japonicus, we compared larval foraging behavior of these two species. Based on results from a previous competition experiment, we predicted that Ae. albopictus would be a more active forager than Ae. japonicus. However, Ae. japonicus exhibited greater foraging activity than Ae. albopictus in four of six food environments, including a "no food" control treatment. Our results, therefore, suggest that more active foraging does not connote superior competitive ability, and competitive interactions between these species may be mediated by factors other than feeding behavior.

The Climate Range Expansion of Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) in Asia Inferred From the Distribution of Albopictus Subgroup Species of Aedes (Stegomyia).

We compared climatic distribution ranges between Aedes albopictus (Skuse) (Diptera: Culicidae) and the five wild (nondomesticated) species of Albopictus Subgroup of Scutellaris Group of Aedes (Stegomyia) in southern Asia. Distribution sites of the wild species concentrate in seasonal forest and savannah climate zones in India, Indochina, and southern China. The distribution of Ae. albopictus is broader than the wild species under 1) tropical rain-forest climate, 2) steppe and temperate savannah climate, and 3) continental climate with large seasonal temperature variation (hot summer and cold winter) at temperate lowlands (northernmost sites 40°N in Ae. albopictus vs 32°N in the wild species). However, the distribution of Ae. albopictus is more limited at tropical and subtropical highlands where the climate is cool but less continental (small seasonal variation, mild summer, and winter). We discuss a possibility that the broader climate ranges of Ae. albopictus are ecological or eco-evolutionary consequences of adaptation to human habitats. We also propose a general scenario for the origin, dispersal, and adaptation of Ae. albopictus in Asia as a hypothesis for future research.

Geographic variation and the evolution of reproductive allocation in the pitcher-plant mosquito, Wyeomyia smithii.

We measured the egg size of six geographic populations of the pitcher-plant mosquito, Wyeomyia smithii, from Florida (30 degrees N) to Ontario (49 degrees N). Populations from northern latitudes produced larger eggs than populations from southern latitudes. Egg size increased with increasing latitude more rapidly when larvae were reared under low rather than high density. One southern (30 degrees N) and one northern (49 degrees N) population of W. smithii that persisted through 10 generations of selection for increased persistence under conditions of chronic thermal- and nutrient-limiting stress (conditions similar to southern rather than northern habitats) produced smaller eggs more rapidly than unselected control lines. However, there were no differences in lifetime fecundity or fertility between control and selected lines. Thus, laboratory evolution in an environment representative of extreme southern latitudes caused evolutionary changes consistent with geographic patterns of egg size. These results implicate temperature as a selective factor influencing the geographic variation of egg size in W. smithii, and demonstrate a novel trade-off in reproductive allocation between egg size and egg maturation time.

Components of variance underlying fitness in a natural population of the great tit Parus major.

Traits that are closely associated with fitness tend to have lower heritabilities (h2) than those that are not. This has been interpreted as evidence that natural selection tends to deplete genetic variation more rapidly for traits more closely associated with fitness (a corollary of Fisher's fundamental theorem), but Price and Schluter (1991) suggested the pattern might be due to higher residual variance in traits more closely related to fitness. The relationship between 10 different traits for females, seven traits for males, and overall fitness (lifetime recruitment) was quantified for great tits (Parus major) studied in their natural environment of Wytham Wood, England, using data collected over 39 years. Heritabilities and the coefficients of additive genetic and residual variance (CVA and CVR, respectively) were estimated using an "animal model." For both males and females, a trait's correlation (r) with fitness was negatively related to its h2 but positively related to its CVR. The CVA was not related to the trait's correlation with fitness in either sex. This is the third study using directly measured fitness in a wild population to show the important role of residual variation in determining the pattern of lower heritabilities for traits more closely related to fitness.

Equivalent inbreeding depression under laboratory and field conditions in a tree-hole-breeding mosquito.

Understanding the consequences of inbreeding has important implications for a wide variety of topics in population biology. However, most studies quantifying the effects of inbreeding are performed under artificial farm, greenhouse, laboratory or zoo conditions. Although several authors have argued that the deleterious effects of inbreeding (inbreeding depression) are likely to be more severe under natural field conditions than in artificial experimental environments, these arguments are usually speculative or based on indirect comparisons. We quantified the effects of inbreeding on fitness traits in a tree-hole-breeding mosquito Aedes geniculatus) under near-optimal laboratory conditions and in three natural tree holes. Our index of fitness (Ro) was lower in the field than in the laboratory and declined due to inbreeding in both However, environments, we found no significant interactions between inbreeding depression and environmental conditions. In both the field and laboratory a 10% increase in the inbreeding coefflicient (F) led to a 12-15) decline in fitness (Ro) These results suggest that inbreeding depression will not necessarily be more extreme under natural field conditions than in the laboratory.

Evolutionary responses to environmental stress by the pitcher-plant mosquito, wyeomyia smithii

We performed truncation selection for increased fitness (rc) under conditions of chronic stress from the combined effects of low nutrients and high temperature, representative of extremes likely to be encountered in nature by the pitcher-plant mosquito, Wyeomyia smithii. We performed selection on geographical parental populations and their hybrids to determine whether hybridization would facilitate or constrain adaptation under our selection protocol. The stressful environment decreased fitness (rc) by 54% averaged across all populations relative to near-optimal conditions. After approximately 10 generations of selection under chronically stressful conditions, exactly one-half of the parental and one-half of the hybrid populations had gone extinct. Thus hybridization had no effect on the likelihood of population persistence. Fitness (rc) of the surviving populations did not show any response to selection. Despite initial hybrid vigour under stressful conditions, the fitness (rc) of surviving hybrid populations was either equal to, or worse than, the fitness (rc) of surviving parental populations after approximately 10 generations of selection. These results suggest that outcrossing populations to augment genetic variation and facilitate adaptation to a rapidly changing environment may not be useful over longer time scales, even in cases where hybridization does initially increase fitness. Although we detected no direct response to selection for increased fitness (rc) under lifetime chronic stress, selected populations showed a strong correlated response for survivorship through transient, acute heat and desiccation shock. In evaluating how organisms might respond to future climate change, biologists must maintain a clear distinction between lifelong performance in chronically stressful environments and short-term survivorship through transient, acute stress.

Collision or collaboration? School-based health services meet managed care.

Describes interactions of for-profit managed-care organizations (MCOs) with not-for-profit school mental health programs that are affiliated with school-based health centers (SB-HCs). Discussion focuses on the developments and challenges that emerged between SBHCs and MCOs. While relations between MCOs and more traditional forms of mental health services (e.g., community mental health centers) are becoming established, such relations with SBHCs remain far from established. The example of the pathway Connecticut has taken in the continuing dialogue between SBHCs and MCOs is described in detail. Attention is given to the advocacy groups for child and adolescent mental health that were instrumental in convincing legislatures to enact safeguards to maintain SBHCs as providers of health and mental health care in the era of managed care. Challenges and recommendations are outlined to insure that the mental health needs of underserved, disadvantaged children are met through the provision of school-based mental health services.

Clinical, sociodemographic, and systems risk factors for attrition in a children's mental health clinic.

Clinical, sociodemographic, and systems risk factors for attrition at a child guidance clinic were identified. All patients who completed the intake process were followed through various clinic phases. Lower socioeconomic status and low family cohesion predicted dropout. Dropouts and continuers were equally psychiatrically impaired. The Family Environment Scale was the only standardized measure that distinguished between dropouts and continuers.

Onplant-supported orthodontic anchorage.

The use of onplant-supported orthodontic anchorage is still in its early stages. The concepts presented in this article have tried to stress the importance of anchorage control in orthodontic cases, some problems associated with traditional means to augment orthodontic anchorage, the rationale for developing a skeletal anchorage unit based on endosseous implant technology, and the effectiveness of the onplant as an anchorage unit. Cephalometric superimpositions are most likely the best method to determine the effectiveness of the onplant's contribution to anchorage control and have been included here to that end. Further research into its effectiveness may broaden the use of onplants in future orthodontic cases.

Inbreeding depression in benign and stressful environments.

Understanding the consequences of inbreeding has important implications for a wide variety of topics in population biology. Although it is often stated in the literature that the deleterious effects of inbreeding (inbreeding depression) are expected to be more pronounced under stressful than benign conditions, this issue remains unresolved and controversial. We review the current literature on the relationship between the magnitude of inbreeding depression and environmental stress and calculate haploid lethal equivalents expressed under relatively benign and stressful conditions based on data from 34 studies. Inbreeding depression increases under stress in 76% of cases, although this increase is only significant in 48% of the studies considered. Estimates of lethal equivalents are significantly greater under stressful (mean = 1.45, median = 1.02) than relatively benign (mean = 0.85, median = 0.61) conditions. This amounts to an approximately 69% increase in inbreeding depression in a stressful vs a benign environment. However, we find strong lineage effects to be ubiquitous among studies that examine inbreeding depression in multiple environments, and a prevalence of conditionally expressed deleterious effects within lineages that are uncorrelated across environments. These results have important implications for both evolutionary and conservation biology.

Are school based mental health services effective? Evidence from 36 inner city schools.

In an effort to bridge the gap between service need and service utilization, an urban based, university-affiliated children's psychiatric outpatient clinic implemented a program which provides mental health services in inner city schools. Since impressions of school and mental health personnel affirmed the effectiveness of such services, an evaluation of this program was conducted, despite the difficulties inherent in implementing research in "naturalistic settings." A clinic sample of children (N = 220) was compared with a sample served in the urban schools (N = 256). The findings revealed that both sets of children showed improvement as indicated by the Children's Global Assessment Scale (C-GAS) and Global Assessment of Functioning Scale (GAF). The improvement was comparable, even though the school children were seen for a slightly shorter period of time (an average of 5 versus 8 months) but had an equally frequent level of service (3 sessions per month in each setting). This finding may have important implications for the managed care environment. These results indicate that school based mental health services show improvement comparable to the clinic-based services, and have the potential for bridging the gap between need and utilization by reaching disadvantaged children who would otherwise not have access to these services.

Sociodemographic characteristics of dropouts from a child guidance clinic.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the characteristics of families who dropped out and families who maintained contact with a children's psychiatric outpatient clinic through various phases of intake and treatment. METHODS: One year after intake, the authors examined the status of all patients (N = 555) who had sought treatment at an urban, university-affiliated children's psychiatric outpatient clinic over a two-year period and had completed the intake process. Factors associated with dropout were identified at four points in the clinic process: during intake, during evaluation, at completion of evaluation, and during treatment. RESULTS: Urban residence, minority status, single-parent status, and Medicaid status were related to dropout at intake and during evaluation but not at subsequent clinic phases. Nonminority, two-parent, suburban families of higher socioeconomic status were more likely to drop out at the completion of the evaluation. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that factors associated with attrition vary with the clinic phase. Further investigations of the clinical course of minority children and families involved with children's mental health services are necessary to understand the needs of this population and to design interventions such as increasing minority staff and providing training in multi-cultural competence.

Bridging the gap between service need and service utilization: a school-based mental health program.

In an effort to bridge the gap between service need and service utilization, an urban based, university affiliated children's psychiatric outpatient clinic has implemented a program which provides mental health services in inner city schools. When compared with the central clinic populations (N = 304), the school sample (N = 44) was markedly socioeconomically disadvantaged, minority, and as psychiatrically impaired as the central clinic population. School based mental health services have the potential for bridging the gap between need and utilization by reaching disadvantaged children who would otherwise not have access to these services. Implications for such services are discussed.

Evaluation of expanded school mental health programs.

Expanded school mental health programs provide a full range of mental health services (assessment, treatment, case management, prevention) to youth in regular and special education, and typically involve close collaboration between schools and community agencies. A major challenge for these programs is documenting that provided services are of high quality and leading to enhanced outcomes for the youth and schools served by them. Dimensions of school mental health evaluations and a step-by-step process for conducting them are presented, using the example of a well established program in Baltimore. Challenges to such evaluation and strategies for overcoming challenges are also presented.