Research
The Ovarian Kaleidoscope Database (OKDB) was developed by the Hsueh Lab in the Department of Gynecology & Obstetrics at Stanford University Medical Center. The OKDB "provides information regarding the biological function, expression pattern and regulation of genes expressed in the ovary. It also contains information on gene sequences, chromosomal localization, human and murine mutation phenotypes and biomedical publication links." Database users can conduct a Gene Search, or browse an extensive Alphabetical List of Ovarian Genes. After registering with OKDB, site users can access Submit and Update options as well. The site also contains an interactive diagram of Ovarian Gene Mutations Associated with Infertility or Sub-Fertility, information about Ovarian Gene Maps, and a selection of Useful Links. [NL]
http://www.utexas.edu/tmm/tnhc/herps/index.html
The Herpetology Collection of reptiles and amphibians is part of the Texas Natural History Collections (TNHC) in the University of Texas at Austin's Texas Memorial Museum. The Collection "holdings consist of about 63,000 catalogued specimens, which are used for research by faculty, staff and students at the University, as well as by qualified researchers throughout the world." Frogs make up more than half of the catalogued specimens, and the United States is the primary source of specimens. Collection materials are also from Central and South America, Mexico, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Loans are available to "established researchers at recognized institutions with the facilities to properly house and care for the specimens." The website offers information about the Loan Policy to interested researchers. The site also links to the searchable and browseable TNHC Herp Database. Please note that the Database is under construction, and may be unavailable on occasion. [NL]
This Association for Tree-Ring Research (ATR) website serves as an information resource for scientists and others working in the field of dendrochronology. The scope of ATR is aimed particularly "at research groups and individual scientists of Europe working without a detailed knowledge of what is going on in the many different corners of Europe, but also of course, for everybody interested in this field." The ATR site contains a number of helpful information-sharing services including Discussion Groups, listings for Lectures and Conferences, and a Job Market board. In addition, the site presently links to three related databases, and ATR invites visitors to notify them about pertinent new databases. The website also contains several downloadable articles, as well as copies of the ATR newsletter. The ATR site is available in German and English. [NL]
http://www.sinapu.org/Pages/Wolves/Ripple04.pdf
In this 21-page article, Oregon State University researchers William J. Ripple and Robert L. Beschta summarize "the status of wolves (Canis lupus), elk (Cervis elaphus), and woody browse conditions during the 20th century for the upper Gallatin elk winter range in southwestern Montana, USA." The article appeared in Forest Ecology and Management in 2004, and this pdf version is electronically archived by Sinapu, an organization "dedicated to the restoration and protection of native carnivores and their wild habitat in the Southern Rockies, and connected high plains and deserts." The article includes sections regarding the Study Area, Methods, Results, and Conclusions. The Results section addresses Long-term Conditions and Trends for Wolves, Elk, Vegetation, and Climate. The article also includes a Discussion segment with subsections for three distinct periods: Pre-1925, Wolves Present; 1925-1995, Wolves Extirpated; and Post-1995, Wolves Reintroduced. [NL]
http://lethargy.swmed.edu/argh/
In an age of mounting data, acronyms have become a necessary form of shorthand. Yet, how does one keep track of all of these acronyms? From the University of Texas Southwestern Computational Biology Group, this "database was constructed in a purely automated manner, using a set of heuristics to identify acronyms/abbreviations and their definitions within MEDLINE records. Currently, it is the world's largest and most comprehensive catalog of biomedical acronyms and abbreviations, containing 221,000 out of an estimated 240,000 unique acronyms within MEDLINE." The database allows users to search for definitions by entering an acronym or abbreviation, as well as to search for acronyms and abbreviations by entering a word or phrase. This site links to several other search tools from the Computational Biology Group as well. [NL]
http://www.msb.unm.edu/birds/pubs-index.html
From the Division of Birds at the University of New Mexico's Museum of Southwestern Biology, this website contains a collection of downloadable publications regarding a number of bird species. The publications are all authored (or co-authored) by Robert W. Dickerman, a Research Associate Professor and Acting Curator for the Division of Birds. Professor Dickerman's articles have appeared in such publications as Journal of Raptor Research, Western Birds, Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington, The Southwestern Naturalist, and The AUK between the years 1991 and 2004. Titles found at this site include "A review of the North American subspecies of the Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)," "Talon-Locking in the Red-Tailed Hawk," "An Extinct Subspecies of Sharp-Tailed Grouse," and "On the Validity of Bubo virginianus occidentalis Stone," to name a few. [NL]
http://userwww.sfsu.edu/%7Ehalmark/seals.htm
The Richmond Bridge Harbor Seal Survey (RBHSS) is a collaborative research project between San Francisco State University, and the California Department of Transportation examining possible effects of seismic-related bridge construction on resident harbor seals (Phoca vitulina richardsi) in the San Francisco Bay. The RBHSS website provides an overview of the project; brief information about the observation sites, and tracking and tagging activities; and a simple Map of Bay Area Harbor Seal Haul-out and Breeding Sites. The website contains a page with basic information about harbor seals as well. The site also provides a Kids' Page where budding field biologists can attempt to match photos of some of the known resident seals with identification information such as shark-bite scars, and coat patterns. [NL]
The International Symbiosis Society (ISS) "is primarily involved with the promotion of research and education in the growing field of symbiosis. The Society seeks also to build ongoing and useful communication between the many researchers working in the various sub-fields of symbiosis, as well as connect symbiologists to those in other areas of ecology and biological sciences generally." Hosted by Boston University, the ISS website contains information about membership, and the international journal Symbiosis. For authors interested in submitting a manuscript to the journal, the site provides brief, downloadable instructions. In addition, the site links to the websites of Society members working in a variety of areas including Bark Beetles/Fungi, Cyanobacterial Symbioses, Lichens, Marine Symbioses, Mycorhizae, and more. Also, be sure to check out the fascinating images in the Symbiosis Gallery! [NL]
