The intermediate dispersal hypothesis: seed dispersal is maximized in areas with intermediate usage by hoarders

Seed dispersal and predation are paramount for tropical plant diversity. When encountered by scatter-hoarding frugivores, seeds can be either eaten, dispersed or ignored. But even after dispersal, seed caches are still subjected to predation. Many factors are known to influence these dynamics; however, how frequently hoarders use certain patches has seldom been related to cache predation rates. We used the interaction between agoutis (Dasyprocta leporina), a scatter-hoarding rodent, and Joannesia princeps, a tropical tree, as a model to investigate how the number of visits by hoarders in certain areas influences cache predation and seed fate. Camera-traps were used for 30 days in twenty different locations in Tijuca National Park to assess number of visits by agoutis. Thereafter, we placed seed piles on the same areas and determined their fate using the spool-and-line method to track seeds for over one hundred days. We found a non-linear relationship between how often an area is used by hoarders and the final proportion of dispersed seeds. At areas with a low number of visits, proportion of dispersed seeds was low due to low removal. As frequency of visits by hoarders increased, seed removal and the number of dispersal events increased but so did cache predation. Thus, in areas intensively used by hoarders, high cache predation resulted in a low number of dispersed seeds that remained alive in caches. As a result, dispersal was maximized in areas with intermediate use by scatter-hoarders, where there was a balance between primary seed dispersal and cache predation.

     

Food hoarding and use of stored food by Rooks Corvus frugilegus

Capsule In autumn, Rooks cached large quantities of acorns, which were retrieved during winter.

Aims To describe the autumn storing of acorns by Rooks in a natural situation and to quantify the retrieval of acorns during winter.

Methods The collection, transportation and caching of acorns were studied during four autumns, and cache retrieval during two winters, in an extensive grassland area of southern Sweden.

Results Rooks transported acorns from a few tens of metres up to 4 km from the source oaks and carried a mean number of 3.56 acorns (range 2–7) during outward flights. Permanent grass appeared to be the preferred caching habitat. In winter, 1 to 1.5 acorns per Rook per hour were retrieved during active foraging. Some were re-cached, with a much lower proportion being re-cached in late than in early winter. In snowy conditions Rooks foraged in the grasslands only when the snow cover was broken or very thin, suggesting that they were unable to use their stores in deep snow.

Conclusion Observations strongly indicate that Rooks knew the exact location of their caches and probably possess the long-term memory capacity necessary to relocate caches made several months earlier. It is concluded that Rooks are the most specialized food hoarders of the Corvus species.     

Global Morbidity and Mortality of Leptospirosis: A Systematic Review

BackgroundLeptospirosis, a spirochaetal zoonosis, occurs in diverse epidemiological settings and affects vulnerable populations, such as rural subsistence farmers and urban slum dwellers. Although leptospirosis is a life-threatening disease and recognized as an important cause of pulmonary haemorrhage syndrome, the lack of global estimates for morbidity and mortality has contributed to its neglected disease status.Conclusions/SignificanceLeptospirosis is among the leading zoonotic causes of morbidity worldwide and accounts for numbers of deaths, which approach or exceed those for other causes of haemorrhagic fever. Highest morbidity and mortality were estimated to occur in resource-poor countries, which include regions where the burden of leptospirosis has been underappreciated.     

Genes,agents and the institution of responsible action

The concern of this paper is with how the accounts of human beings and their behaviour now emerging from genetics, genomics and the new human biotechnology should be related to traditional accounts in which we identify ourselves as responsible agents, capable of choice, who normally act freely and voluntarily. The paper addresses these apparently competing accounts in terms of their functions and modes of use, and thereby arrives at a general solution to this current version of the ancient problem of free will and determinism. The causal scientific discourse of genetics and the everyday discourse of responsibility and choice do different things for us, it suggests, and should not be regarded as articulating conflicting theories. Whilst the former is oriented to the task of naturalistic explanation, the latter is predominantly, if not entirely, a medium of communication through which we affect each other and thereby mutually regulate our conduct. If this is indeed the case, then interesting implications follow concerning the proper relationship of the two kinds of account, which need no longer be regarded as incompatible with each other. And insights emerge into both the limitations and the profound importance of the contribution that genetics and genomics seem destined to make to the understanding of human behaviour.     

The integration of long-term marginal electricity supply mixes in the ecoinvent consequential database version 3.4 and examination of modeling choices

Purpose

The long-term marginal electricity supply mixes of 40 countries were generated and integrated into version 3.4 of the ecoinvent consequential database. The total electricity production originating from these countries accounts for 77% of the current global electricity generation. The goal of this article is to provide an overview of the methodology used to calculate the marginal mixes and to evaluate the influence of key parameters and methodological choices on the results.

Methods

The marginal mixes are based on public energy projections from national and international authorities and reflect the accumulated effect of changes in demand for electricity on the installation and operation of new-generation capacities. These newly generated marginal mixes are first examined in terms of their compositions and environmental impacts. They are then compared to several sets of alternative electricity supply mixes calculated using different methodological choices or data sources.

Results and discussion

Renewable energy sources (RES) as well as natural gas power plants show the highest growth rates and usually dominate the marginal mixes. Nevertheless, important variations may exist between the marginal mixes of the different countries in terms of their technological compositions and environmental impacts. The examination of the modeling choices reveals substantial variations between the marginal mixes integrated into the ecoinvent consequential database version 3.4 and marginal mixes generated using alternative modeling options. These different modeling possibilities include changes in the methodology, temporal parameters, and the underlying energy scenarios. Furthermore, in most of the impact categories, average (i.e., attributional) mixes cause higher impact scores than marginal mixes due to higher shares of RES in marginal mixes.

Conclusions

Accurate and consistent data for electricity supply is integrated into a consequential database providing a strong basis for the development of consequential Life Cycle Assessments. The methodology adopted in this version of the database eliminates several shortcomings from the previous approach which led to unrealistic marginal mixes in several countries. The use of energy scenarios allows the evolution of the electricity system to be considered within the definition of the marginal mixes. The modeling choices behind the electricity marginal mix should be adjusted to the goal and scope of individual studies and their influence on the results evaluated.

     

Afterword: In Search of Melanesian Order

ABSTRACT

These essays explore three contemporary forms of order in Papua New Guinea: improvised village courts, a nursing school curriculum including village practicums, and student boycotts and strikes. My comments assess these new sorts of order as reflected against earlier ethnographic accounts of Papua New Guinean societies as well as those elsewhere in Melanesia. This often has taken the region’s social groups and lineages, religions and belief systems, and most recently the Melanesian state itself to be weak, messy, and inconstant. I ask how culturally ‘Melanesian’ are these contemporary examples of order and disorder, and find significant continuities in their underlying nostalgia for an imagined, more orderly past, in beliefs about causes of disorder, and in strategies and remedies to order and reorder everyday life.     

British Bryological Society Expedition to Mulanje Mountain,Malawi 2. Checklist of Malawi bryophytes

Abstract

A checklist of all bryophytes identified from Malawi at May 1991 is presented, with synonyms and references. The list is derived from literature and unpublished collections, and contains 197 mosses and 106 hepatics. The checklist was produced to provide a basis for describing plants new to Malawi, particularly for the British Bryological Society Expedition to Mulanje Mountain, Malawi in 1991. Distribution information is included, and the species accounts include published references and collection numbers where known. All information is held on a computer database.     

“I Have No Clue What I Drunk Last Night” Using Smartphone Technology to Compare In-Vivo and Retrospective Self-Reports of Alcohol Consumption

AimThis research compared real-time measurements of alcohol consumption with retrospective accounts of alcohol consumption to examine possible discrepancies between, and contextual influences on, the different accounts.MethodBuilding on previous investigations, a specifically designed Smartphone technology was utilized to measure alcohol consumption and contextual influences in de facto real-time. Real-time data (a total of 10,560 data points relating to type and number of drinks and current social / environmental context) were compared with daily and weekly retrospective accounts of alcohol consumption.ResultsParticipants reported consuming more alcoholic drinks during real-time assessment than retrospectively. For daily accounts a higher number of drinks consumed in real-time was related to a higher discrepancy between real-time and retrospective accounts. This effect was found across all drink types but was not shaped by social and environmental contexts. Higher in-vivo alcohol consumption appeared to be related to a higher discrepancy in retrospectively reported weekly consumption for alcohol beverage types other than wine. When including contextual factors into the statistical models, being with two or more friends (as opposed to being alone) decreased the discrepancy between real-time and retrospective reports, whilst being in the pub (relative to being at home) was associated with greater discrepancies.ConclusionsOverall, retrospective accounts may underestimate the amount of actual, real-time alcohol consumed. Increased consumption may also exacerbate differences between real-time and retrospective accounts. Nonetheless, this is not a global effect as environmental and social contexts interact with the type of alcohol consumed and the time frame given for reporting (weekly vs. daily retrospective). A degree of caution therefore appears warranted with regards to the use of retrospective self-report methods of recording alcohol consumption. Whilst real-time sampling is unlikely to be completely error free, it may be better able to account for social and environmental influences on self-reported consumption.     

Balliella,a new genus of ceramiaceae (Rhodophyta)

Detailed studies of various aspects of the morphology and reproduction ofAntithamnion subcorticatum Itono andAntithamnion crouanioides Itono show that these species are incorrectly referred to as the genusAntithamnion. To include these species, a new genus,Balliella, is proposed. In addition, some other algae possibly referable to this genus are briefly discussed. The genusBalliella is here recognized as a member of the new tribeDelesseriopsieae which is most nearly related to the tribe Antithamnieae in the Ceramiaceae. The tribe Delesseriopsieae is now recognized to include the two genera, i.e.,Delesseriopsis andBalliella.     

Psoralea Esculent A as a Prairie Resource: An Ethnographic Appraisal

Abstract

The role of the prairie turnip, Psoralea esculenta Pursh, in the economy of Prairie and Plains cultures is examined through ethnographic and early eyewitness accounts. Results suggest that these economies were more reliant on vegetal resources than is often conceded, a conclusion in keeping with recent studies of hunter-gatherers. The concept of the upland prairies as an insignificant vegetal resource zone for prehistoric groups is questioned.     

Discoidals and Problematical Stones from Mississippian Sites in Minnesota

Abstract

There is no conclusive evidence that discoidals, chunkey stones or similar problematical stones were used exclusively or intermittently for games, ceremonials, food preparation or other village purposes, but the weight of evidence from eyewitness accounts suggests the dominance of game use. There are several eyewitness records of the game as olaved by the tribes of the Southeast and by some Siouan tribes of the plains and the Missouri Valley. Discoidals are found most frequently at late prehistoric Mississippian sites.

Recent Minnesota finds include: a single artifact with unusual features (Fig. 1), identified tentatively as a chunkey game piece, recovered by the author in 1976 from the Bryan site; a broken, more conventional game stone discovered at the neighboring site of Silvernale in 1975 (Harrison, 1978); a surface find at the Bartron site in 1978 by John Barnett; and an artifact, either a chunkey stone or a grinding stone, also found by John Barnett near the entrance of Belle Creek into the Cannon River. All of these sites are in the Red Wing area and these recent finds, together with other known discoidals from Goodhue County, link the Mississippian villages of the Red Wing area to the chunkey playing region further south.     

A Fortified Earthlodge Village Near Fort Thompson,South Dakota as it Appeared in 1866

Abstract

The accounts of an observant army surgeon of a hundred years ago.

During the summer of 1863, several thousand Santee Sioux and Winnebago Indians were exiled from their traditional homes in Minnesota to the vicinity of Crow Creek on the Missouri River in the present state of South Dakota. An agency for these Indians was established, buildings erected and enclosed by a stockade, and troops stationed there to protect the agency employees and maintain order. The agency and military establishment was named Fort Thompson after Clark W. Thompson, Minnesota Superintendent of Indian Affairs, who had general supervision of the Santee removal.     

Becoming American by becoming Muslim: strategic assimilation among second-generation Muslim American parents

ABSTRACT

Strategic assimilation describes how individuals use boundary work to construct identities which allow them to selectively maintain ties to a minority community while assimilating into the mainstream. However, scholarship that accounts for the role that minority religious identity plays in these processes is warranted. The current study fills a theoretical and empirical niche by exploring boundary work among not only racial, but religious minorities in their processes of identity construction and assimilation. Based on two years of ethnographic fieldwork as well as 72 in-depth interviews with Muslim Americans in Metro-Detroit, I demonstrate how upper-middle-class suburban second-generation parents actively deconstructed class, racial, and ethnic boundaries to construct boundaries around religious identity and generational identity. In so doing, they consciously crafted a de-ethnicized interpretation of Islam and hence a Muslim American identity that they saw as integral in promoting upward assimilation for themselves and their third-generation children.     

Disentangling water sources in a gypsum plant community. Gypsum crystallization water is a key source of water for shallow-rooted plants

Background and AimsGypsum drylands are widespread worldwide. In these arid ecosystems, the ability of different species to access different water sources during drought is a key determining factor of the composition of plant communities. Gypsum crystallization water could be a relevant source of water for shallow-rooted plants, but the segregation in the use of this source of water among plants remains unexplored. We analysed the principal water sources used by 20 species living in a gypsum hilltop, the effect of rooting depth and gypsum affinity, and the interaction of the plants with the soil beneath them.MethodsWe characterized the water stable isotope composition, δ ²H and δ ¹⁸O, of plant xylem water and related it to the free and gypsum crystallization water extracted from different depths throughout the soil profile and the groundwater, in both spring and summer. Bayesian isotope mixing models were used to estimate the contribution of water sources to plant xylem sap.Key ResultsIn spring, all species used free water from the top soil as the main source. In summer, there was segregation in water sources used by different species depending on their rooting depth, but not on their gypsum affinity. Gypsum crystallization water was the main source for most shallow-rooted species, whereas free water from 50 to 100 cm depth was the main source for deep-rooted species. We detected plant–soil interactions in spring, and indirect evidence of possible hydraulic lift by deep-rooted species in summer.ConclusionsPlants coexisting in gypsum communities segregate their hydrological niches according to their rooting depth. Crystallization water of gypsum represents an unaccounted for, vital source for most of the shallow-rooted species growing on gypsum drylands. Thus, crystallization water helps shallow-rooted species to endure arid conditions, which eventually accounts for the maintenance of high biodiversity in these specialized ecosystems.     

Stress-Induced Mutagenesis in Bacteria

ABSTRACT

Bacteria spend their lives buffeted by changing environmental conditions. To adapt to and survive these stresses, bacteria have global response systems that result in sweeping changes in gene expression and cellular metabolism. These responses are controlled by master regulators, which include: alternative sigma factors, such as RpoS and RpoH; small molecule effectors, such as ppGpp; gene repressors such as LexA; and, inorganic molecules, such as polyphosphate. The response pathways extensively overlap and are induced to various extents by the same environmental stresses. These stresses include nutritional deprivation, DNA damage, temperature shift, and exposure to antibiotics. All of these global stress responses include functions that can increase genetic variability. In particular, up-regulation and activation of error-prone DNA polymerases, down-regulation of error-correcting enzymes, and movement of mobile genetic elements are common features of several stress responses. The result is that under a variety of stressful conditions, bacteria are induced for genetic change. This transient mutator state may be important for adaptive evolution.     

Common ravens raid arctic fox food caches

Cache recovery is critical for evolution of hoarding behaviour, because the energy invested in caching may be lost if consumers other than the hoarders benefit from the cached food. By raiding food caches, animals may exploit the caching habits of others, that should respond by actively defending their caches. The arctic fox (Alopex lagopus) is the main predator of lemmings and goose eggs in the Canadian High Arctic and stores much of its prey in the ground. Common ravens (Corvus corax) are not as successful as foxes in taking eggs from goose nests. This generalist avian predator regularly uses innovation and opportunism to survive in many environments. Here, we provide the first report that ravens can successfully raid food cached by foxes, and that foxes may defend their caches from ravens.     

An integrated environmental and cost assessment method based on LCA and LCC for automobile interior and exterior trim design scheme optimization

Purpose

This paper provided an integrated method to evaluate environmental impact and life cycle cost (LCC) of various alternative design schemes in the early design and development stages of complex mechanical product; an optimization method of product design schemes based on life cycle assessment (LCA) and LCC is proposed as a supporting design tool to achieve optimal integration of environmental impact and cost of the design.

Methods

The applied research methods include product level deconstruction model, LCA/LCC integrated analysis model, and the product design scheme optimization method. In the life cycle environmental assessment, GaBi software and CML2001 evaluation method are used to evaluate product environmental impact. In terms of product design configuration scheme optimization, the TOPSIS method is used to optimize the design schemes generated. Taking the internal and external trim of automobile as an example, the specific implementation process of the method is illustrated.

Results and discussion

The case study indicates that, when comprehensively considering the environmental impact and cost, the composite indices of the optimal and worst schemes are 0.8667 and 0.3001, respectively; their costs are ¥164.87 and ¥179.68, respectively; and the eco points of environmental impact are 14.74 and 39.78, respectively. The cost of the two schemes are not much different, but the environmental impact of the optimal scheme is only 37.1% of the worst scheme’s; When cost is the only factor to be considered, the lowest cost design scheme is about 36.7% of the maximum scheme’s cost, and the environmental impact of the lowest cost design scheme is about 1.6 times of the maximum cost scheme’s. When environmental impact is the only factor to be considered, the least environmental impact of design scheme accounts about 31.7% of the largest; the cost of design scheme with the least environmental impact accounts for about 58.1% of the largest one’s. Integrating LCA and LCC, scientific suggestions can be provided from several perspectives.

Conclusions

By considering the environmental impact and LCC, this paper proposes a method of product design scheme optimization as a supporting design tool which could evaluate the design options of the product and identify the preferred option in the early stage of product design. It is helpful to realize the sustainability of the product. In order to improve the applicability of this method, the weighting factors of environmental impact and cost could be adjusted according to the requirements of energy saving and emission reduction of different enterprises.

     

New Treatment Modalities in Osteoporosis

ObjectiveTo describe recently discovered agents for the management of osteoporosis.MethodsA literature review (PubMed search) was conducted to identify agents at various stages of development for osteoporosis treatment. Agents under study or review for approval were included.ResultsIn menopause, bone remodeling is increased, and agents that suppress bone resorption can stabilize bone mass. In contrast, agents that target the osteoblast can increase bone formation and bone mass. Novel antiresorptive agents can target the formation or the activity of osteoclasts. They include denosumab, an antibody to receptor activated nuclear factor kB; new selective estrogen receptor modulators, such as bazedoxifene; and cathepsin K inhibitors, such as odanacatib. Src kinase inhibitors are in the early phases of development. Parathyroid hormone is the only approved anabolic agent for the treatment of osteoporosis. Novel anabolic therapies for osteoporosis may include the use of factors with anabolic properties for bone or the neutralization of growth factor antagonists. Recent discoveries have demonstrated that the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway has a central role in osteoblastic cell differentiation. Antibodies to Wnt antagonists, such as sclerostin, are under development as new therapeutic approaches for osteoporosis. Anabolic therapies have the potential to enhance bone mass, but their long-term safety must be proven.ConclusionsNew developments in the treatment of osteoporosis include novel antiresorptive and anabolic agents. Their success will depend on their long-term effectiveness and safety profile. (Endocr Pract. 2010;16:855-863)     

Impacto de la FRAgilidad y otros síndromes Geriátricos en el manejo clínico y pronóstico del paciente anciano ambulatorio con Insuficiencia Cardiaca (FRAGIC). Estudio prospectivo y multicéntrico

Background and objectivesHeart failure (HF) is a chronic disease that is often associated with ageing. There are predictive models based on variables that associate it with a poor prognosis, although those do not include common conditions in the elderly, such as frailty or comorbidity. The aim of this study is to determine the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of a cohort of elderly outpatients with HF followed-up by cardiologists. This will include a study of the prevalence of frailty and other geriatric syndromes, as well as their impact on the prognosis, and to evaluate whether these may improve predictive ability of such predictive models.Material and methodsObservational, prospective, and multicentre study that will include 400 patients ≥ 75 years old with chronic HF followed-up in Spanish tertiary hospitals by cardiology specialists in HF. Patients will undergo a comprehensive geriatric assessment, and prediction of events will be performed based on MAGGIC (Meta-Analysis Global Group in Chronic Heart Failure) and Barcelona-Bio HF calculator scores. The primary endpoint is cardiovascular and overall mortality at 1 and 3 years follow-up.ResultsThis study will assess both the characteristics and prognosis of elderly patients with HF followed-up by cardiologists in Spain and the applicability in the elderly population of scores used in the general population with chronic HF.ConclusionThis is the first prospective study that will systematically assess frailty and other geriatric syndromes in the elderly outpatient with HF in Spain and followed-up by cardiologists, thus contributing to improve knowledge about both its prevalence and impact on our patients.     

NTD Health: An electronic medical record system for neglected tropical diseases

Introduction: The use of technological resources to support processes in health systems has generated robust, interoperable, and dynamic platforms. In the case of institutions working with neglected tropical diseases, there is a need for specific customizations of these diseases.Objectives: To establish a medical record platform specialized in neglected tropical diseases which could facilitate the analysis of treatment evolution in patients, as well as generate more accurate data about various clinical aspects.Materials and methods: A set of requirements to develop state of the art forms, concepts, and functionalities to include neglected tropical diseases were compiled. An OpenMRS distribution (version 2.3) was used as reference to build the platform, following the recommended guidelines and shared-community modules.Results: All the customized information was developed in a platform called NTD Health, which is web-based and can be upgraded and improved by users without technological barriers.Conclusions: The electronic medical record system can become a useful tool for other institutions to improve their health practices as well as the quality of life for neglected tropical disease patients, simplifying the customization of healthcare systems able to interoperate with other platforms.