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We present results of an eight-gene molecular study of the subfamily Acronictinae and related Noctuidae. Amphipyrinae are recovered as sister to Acronictinae, but with weak support - not surprisingly, the content of the two subfamilies has often been mixed in classifications. Balsinae, previously placed near Acronictinae or within Noctuinae, is recovered within an unresolved polytomy of Cuculliina

During epididymal maturation, sperm acquire the ability to swim progressively by interacting with proteins secreted by the epididymal epithelium. Beta-defensin proteins, expressed in the epididymis, continue to regulate sperm motility during capacitation and hyperactivation in the female reproductive tract. We characterized the mouse beta-defensin 41 (DEFB41), by generating a mouse model with iCre

Müllerian mimicry among Neotropical Heliconiini butterflies is an excellent example of natural selection, associated with the diversification of a large continental-scale radiation. Some of the processes driving the evolution of mimicry rings are likely to generate incongruent phylogenetic signals across the assemblage, and thus pose a challenge for systematics. We use a data set of 22 mitochondri

We examined morphological and genetic differences among Fennoscandian deer ked (Lipoptena cervi L, Hippoboscidae) populations with varying expansion history: the eastern population (Finland) has expanded rapidly, whereas the western population is divided into an old and relatively stationary sub-population in Sweden and a newly established and more expansive sub-population in Norway. The genetic a

We report the first discovery since the 1970s of a new extant family (Aenigmatineidae fam.n.) of homoneurous moths, based on the small Aenigmatinea glatzella sp.n. from Kangaroo Island off southern Australia. It exhibits a combination of extraordinary anatomical characters, and, unlike most homoneurous moths, its larva is a conifer-feeder (stem mining in Callitris, Cupressaceae). While the adult's

We studied the speciose butterfly genus Erebia by reconstructing its phylogenetic relationships using parsimony and Bayesian approaches. We estimated times and rates of diversification for its lineages and employed a biogeographical analysis in order to reconstruct its evolutionary history. DNA sequence data from one mitochondrial gene and three nuclear genes were analyzed for a total of 74 specie

Since its discovery and description, the oriental moth Pseudobiston pinratanai Inoue, 1994, could not be placed in any of the recognized families of Macroheterocera (Lepidoptera). Here, we used molecular and morphological data to infer the phylogenetic position of the species. These analyses indicate that Pseudobiston pinratanai is closely related to Epicopeiidae. Our analyses of morphological cha

Coevolutionary interactions are thought to have spurred the evolution of key innovations and driven the diversification of much of life on Earth. However, the genetic and evolutionary basis of the innovations that facilitate such interactions remains poorly understood. We examined the coevolutionary interactions between plants (Brassicales) and butterflies (Pieridae), and uncovered evidence for an

A new subspecies of Anthanassa drusilla, ssp rioverde, is described from Minas Gerais, Southeastern Brazil. This new subspecies is isolated from all odier known subspecies of A. drusilla by at least 2000 km, and its closest taxon based on wing pattern is Anthanassa drusilla higginsi, from Cerro Neblina, Venezuela. To our knowledge, the species is endemic to the region of Pogos de Caldas Plateau (M

The butterfly family Pieridae comprises approximately 1000 described species placed in 85 genera, but the higher classification has not yet been settled. We used molecular data from eight gene regions (one mitochondrial and seven nuclear protein-coding genes) comprising a total of ~6700 bp from 96 taxa to infer a well-supported phylogenetic hypothesis for the family. Based on this hypothesis, we r

This dissertation investigates the use of religious terms and symbols in politics. More specifically, it investigates Muslim politics. Its aim is to analyze the role of religious terms and symbols within a non-fundamentalist political party, namely the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), a Muslim political party that has been part of the democratic process in Sri Lanka since the 1980s. I thereby hop

Organisation är en grundläggande lärobok i organisationsteori. Boken behandlar centrala områden inom organisationsteorin, bland annat arbete, personal, design, teknologi, makt, kultur, identitet och ledarskap. Ämnet ramas in och presenteras i tre delar – Människan, Struktur och Styrning – med begreppet effektivitet som genomgående tema. Boken har tre övergripande syften:1. Att presentera organisat

Capacity development for disaster risk reduction (DRR) has been identified as one of the main ways of substantially reducing disaster losses. In previous research, several elements have been identified that are important in capacity development for DRR. For this study, documentation from nine international capacity development projects for DRR has been analysed. The projects were undertaken by a S

Water vapor diffusion coefficients have been determined with a new set-up of the cup method for mortars with three binders (OPC, OPC + 70% slag, OPC + 10% silica fume) and two water/binder-ratios (0.4, 0.5). The measurements were made as a function of relative humidity with samples on both the absorption and desorption limbs of the sorption isotherm. For OPC samples the results show a clear differ