In this study, non-invasive molecular methods were used to investigate the abundance and spatial organisation of otters (Lutra lutra) in Kinmen. DNA samples were extracted from fresh spraints collected seasonally along two streams from February to November 2001 and genotyped using a panel of 7 microsatellites and the SRY gene. Out of 343 spraints, 222 were successfully genotyped and 38 different genotypes (19 females and 19 males) were identified. Thirteen of these were residents that were identified in more than one season and 25 were floaters that were only identified in a single season. The average number of otters per km found along the two streams (1.5-1.8 for all otters, or 0.8-1.1 for residents only) was higher than that estimated in other studies. Female residents lived in exclusive group ranges and the ranges of male residents overlapped with no more than one group range of female residents. Otters appearing in the same range tended to be more closely related to each other. This study demonstrates that non-invasive molecular methods can be used to reveal a more comprehensive estimation of size and structure in an otter population.

Eight new tetramicrosatellite loci for Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) were designed. Polymorphism of these eight loci in 29 otter individuals was tested. The results indicated that the allele numbers of each of loci ranged from three to five and the observed heterozygosity from 0.483 to 0.828. These new loci can be useful for population genetic research on otters and help improve the resolution of individual identification using noninvasive method.

wang s.‐c., lee l.l., wang w.‐h., sung h.‐c., chang h.‐k., hsu m.‐y., chang s.‐c. & tai c.‐h. (2012) Psychometric testing of the Chinese evidence‐based practice scales. Journal of Advanced Nursing68(11), 2570–2577. Abstract Aim.  This article is a report of the psychometric testing of the Chinese version of Evidence‐Based Practice Implementation and Beliefs, and Barriers to, and Facilitators of Research Utilization scales. Background.  Investigations into the effect of evidence‐based practice on clinical care could be facilitated by instruments for measuring the levels of evidence‐based practice implementation; the strength of beliefs in evidence‐based practice; the barriers to, and the facilitators of research utilization. An English version of the scales measuring the above constructs has been tested whereas the Chinese one has not. Design.  Instrument development. Methods.  Psychometric analyses of the four evidence‐based scales were conducted on a sample of 361 nurses from a medical centre in Taiwan. Both the internal consistency and squared multiple correlation coefficients were used to examine reliability. The validity testing for the four scales was estimated by examining their construct and concurrent validity. Data were collected between December 2008–January 2009. Findings.  Internal consistencies exist for the Chinese Evidence‐Based Practice Implementation, Beliefs, and Barriers to, and Facilitator of Research Utilization scales (≥0·85); some were greater than 0·9, which may indicate redundancy in items. Construct validity of the four scales was supported by hypotheses testing. Concurrent validity of the four scales was supported by known‐group analysis, in which experienced nursing researchers had higher scores compared with clinical nurses. Conclusion.  These scales may have value in discrimination between implementation of EBP and perception of barriers to, and facilitators of research utilization among nurses with different education levels, research experiences or working years in clinical setting.

Asian adolescents living in Australia and England were found to be less active than their Western peers. We aimed to systematically examine evidence of the associations between attributes of the built environment and physical activity in adolescents dwelling in East Asian countries. A total of 10 electronic databases for relevant observational studies without time limit were searched. Five studies met the eligibility criteria, which involved a total of 43 817 schoolchildren aged 11 to 17 years. The majority of the built environment attributes measured was significantly associated with reported physical activity. Difficult access to public facilities was associated with physical inactivity. Inconsistent finding of the association between residential density and physical activity was found. Further studies comparing participants from different Asian countries using a longitudinal design with an appropriate period of follow-up and both objective and reported measures of built environment attributes and physical activity are needed.

Ten polymorphic microsatellite markers were developed for the endangered Formosan black bear (Ursus thibetanus formosanus) from a partial genomic library enriched for GAAA repeat. Polymorphism of these loci was evaluated in 27 Formosan black bear specimens of unknown relationship. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 5 to 15 and the observed heterozygosity of each locus ranged from 0.556 to 0.889. These loci should provide useful molecular tools to study conservation genetics of the Formosan black bear and other Asiatic black bears.Keywords Tetranucleotide microsatellite Á Tailed primers Á Ursus thibetanus Á Formosan black bear The Formosan black bear (Ursus thibetanus formosanus) is an endemic subspecies of Asiatic black bear inhabiting Taiwan (Wozencraft 2005). Similar to all other Asiatic black bears, degradation and fragmentation of habitat as well as poaching have caused a decrease in population and distribution of the Formosan black bear (Wang 1999;Hwang and Wang 2006). To formulate proper conservation strategies, it is important to understand the genetic diversity and genetic structure within and among populations of this subspecies.In this study, we reported ten novel easy-scored polymorphic tetranucleotide repeat (GAAA) microsatellite loci from the Formosan black bear. We followed the protocol developed by Hsu et al. (2003) to enrich microsatellitecontained fragment in a partial genomic library. The library was constructed from genomic DNA which extracted from tissue sample of a Formosan black bear individual using the proteinase K-chloroform method (Sambrook et al. 1989). Microsatellite-enriched PCR (polymerase chain reaction) library was ligated into pGEM-T Easy vector (Promega) and transformed into Escherichia coli DH5a. A total of 880 clones were lifted to Hybond-N ? membranes (Amersham Pharmacia Biotech) and hybridized with [c 32 P] ATP end-labelled (GAAA) 10 oligonucleotides, then 56 hybridized clones were sequenced using DYEnamic ET Dye Terminator Cycle Sequencing Kit for MegaBACE (Amersham Bioscience) on a MegaBACE 1000 autosequencer (Amersham Bioscience). Sequences were proofread using software SEQUENCER 4.2 (Gene Codes). We found 47 clones with microsatellite motif, of which 33 loci containing more than 10 units of GAAA motif were chosen to design the PCR primers.All forward primers were 5 0 -tailed with an M13-tail (5 0 -GGAAACAGCTATGACCAT-3 0 ) or a CAG-tag (5 0 -CAG TCGGGCGTCATCA-3 0 ) (Schuelke 2000; Boutin-Ganache et al. 2001). DNA extracted from tissue samples of 17 Formosan black bears and from faecal samples of ten Formosan black bears with unknown relationship were used to characterize these 33 loci. PCRs were set up in