No butterfly, no beer — not yet — in Art Shapiro’s annual contest in which he and others go in search of the first cabbage white of the new year.

As a professor of evolution and ecology, Shapiro uses the information in his research into biological responses to climate change.

The cabbage white, scientific name Pieris rapae, is typically one of the first butterflies to emerge in late winter, Shapiro said. Data from his 42-year-old beer-for-a-butterfly contest, covering Yolo, Solano and Sacramento counties, show emergence dates ranging from Jan. 1 to Feb. 22, averaging about Jan. 20 — a week or so earlier than the butterfly’s average emergence date 30 years ago.

Shapiro, who averages more than 200 days a year in the field, usually wins his own contest, losing only three times since it began in 1972. He offers a pitcher of beer to the winner — and, if that person is him, he shares the beer, usually with his graduate students, who are his fiercest competitors.

Read more.

MIND Institute study a 'Top 10 Advance in Autism Research'

A MIND Institute study is among the “Top 10 Advances in Autism Research” for 2013, as selected by the advocacy organization Autism Speaks.

The MIND Institute study, “Gastrointestinal Problems in Children with Autism, Developmental Delays or Typical Development,” was published online Nov. 6 in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

It found that children with autism experience gastrointestinal upsets such as constipation, diarrhea and sensitivity to foods six to eight times more often than do children who are developing typically, and that those symptoms are related to behavioral problems, including the social withdrawal, irritability and repetitive behaviors that are hallmarks of the condition.

Virginia Chaidez led the research as a postdoctoral trainee in the Department of Public Health Sciences; she has since moved on to a position as an analyst for the UC CalFresh Nutrition Education Program state office.

Read the UC Davis Health System news release.

Workshop set for Jan. 16 on Dixon housing plan

For UC Davis employees who live in Dixon, or who may be considering it, this meeting may be of interest:

It’s a city workshop to discuss the upcoming update to the Dixon general plan’s housing element, which establishes specific goals and policies to guide housing development.

Community input will be used to frame the process for the 2015-23 housing element update, city officials said.

The workshop is scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 16, in the City Council chamber at City Hall,  600 E. A St.

For more information, contact the Community Development Department’s David Dowswell, (707) 678-7000 or ddowswell@ci.dixon.ca.us.

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