Evaluating the role of quality assessment of primary studies in systematic reviews of cancer practice guidelines

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of study quality assessment of primary studies in cancer practice guidelines. METHODS: Reliable and valid study quality assessment scales were sought and applied to published reports of trials included in systematic reviews of cancer guidelines. Sensitivity analyses were performed to evaluate the relationship between quality scores and pooled odds ratios (OR) for mortality and need for blood transfusion. RESULTS: Results found that that whether trials were classified as high or low quality depended on the scale used to assess them. Although the results of the sensitivity analyses found some variation in the ORs observed, the confidence intervals (CIs) of the pooled effects from each of the analyses of high quality trials overlapped with the CI of the pooled odds of all trials. Quality score was not predictive of pooled ORs studied here. CONCLUSIONS: Had sensitivity analyses based on study quality been conducted prospectively, it is highly unlikely that different conclusions would have been found or that different clinical recommendations would have emerged in the guidelines

Advancing the link between ocean connectivity, ecological function and management challenges

“Ocean connectivity” is a dynamic and rapidly evolving field of research in marine science, partly because there is an increasing demand for information on connectivity that informs effective assessment and management of marine resources. Achieving this will require a better alignment between ocean connectivity tools and developments and the needs and challenges of assessments and conservation. For these reasons, the ICES Journal of Marine Science solicited contributions to the article theme set (TS), “Beyond ocean connectivity.” We briefly summarize the nine articles that appear herein, grouping them into four general topics: methodological advances, population dynamics and assessment implications of connectivity, spatial and management implications, and connectivity in ecosystem processes. We also discuss the challenges facing ocean connectivity research if it is to effectively support advancing fisheries assessment frameworks and integrated ecosystem approaches. We hope that the contributions included in this TS serve to convince managers and fisheries scientists of the need to incorporate results from research on connectivity

Orientation behavior and swimming speed of Atlantic herring larvae (Clupea harengus) in situ and in laboratory exposures to rotated artificial magnetic fields

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Articulatory Tradeoffs Reduce Acoustic Variability During American English /r/ Production

Acoustic and articulatory recordings reveal that speakers utilize systematic articulatory tradeoffs to maintain acoustic stability when producing the phoneme /r/. Distinct articulator configurations used to produce /r/ in various phonetic contexts show systematic tradeoffs between the cross-sectional areas of different vocal tract sections. Analysis of acoustic and articulatory variabilities reveals that these tradeoffs act to reduce acoustic variability, thus allowing large contextual variations in vocal tract shape; these contextual variations in turn apparently reduce the amount of articulatory movement required. These findings contrast with the widely held view that speaking involves a canonical vocal tract shape target for each phoneme.National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (1R29-DC02852-02, 5R01-DC01925-04, 1R03-C2576-0l); National Science Foundation (IRI-9310518

Glass eels (Anguilla anguilla) imprint the magnetic direction of tidal currents from their juvenile estuaries

The European eel (Anguilla anguilla) hatches in the Sargasso Sea and migrates to European and North African freshwater. As glass eels, they reach estuaries where they become pigmented. Glass eels use a tidal phase-dependent magnetic compass for orientation, but whether their magnetic direction is innate or imprinted during migration is unknown. We tested the hypothesis that glass eels imprint their tidal-dependent magnetic compass direction at the estuaries where they recruit. We collected 222 glass eels from estuaries flowing in different cardinal directions in Austevoll, Norway. We observed the orientation of the glass eels in a magnetic laboratory where the magnetic North was rotated. Glass eels oriented towards the magnetic direction of the prevailing tidal current occurring at their recruitment estuary. Glass eels use their magnetic compass to memorize the magnetic direction of tidal flows. This mechanism could help them to maintain their position in an estuary and to migrate upstream.publishedVersio

Light Primes the Escape Response of the Calanoid Copepod, Calanus finmarchicus

The timing and magnitude of an escape reaction is often the determining factor governing a copepod’s success at avoiding predation. Copepods initiate rapid and directed escapes in response to fluid signals created by predators; however little is known about how copepods modulate their behavior in response to additional sensory input. This study investigates the effect of light level on the escape behavior of Calanus finmarchicus. A siphon flow was used to generate a consistent fluid signal and the behavioral threshold and magnitude of the escape response was quantified in the dark and in the light. The results show that C. finmarchicus initiated their escape reaction further from the siphon and traveled with greater speed in the light than in the dark. However, no difference was found in the escape distance. These results suggest that copepods use information derived from multiple sensory inputs to modulate the sensitivity and strength of the escape in response to an increase risk of predation. Population and IBM models that predict optimal vertical distributions of copepods in response to visual predators need to consider changes in the copepod's behavioral thresholds when predicting predation risk within the water column

Compositional data supports decentralized model of production and circulation of artifacts in the pre-Columbian south-central Andes

ArticleThis is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from National Academy of Sciences via the DOI in this record.The circulation and exchange of goods and resources at various scales have long been considered central to the understanding of complex societies, and the Andes have provided a fertile ground for investigating this process. However, long-standing archaeological emphasis on typological analysis, although helpful to hypothesize the direction of contacts, has left important aspects of ancient exchange open to speculation. To improve understanding of ancient exchange practices and their potential role in structuring alliances, we examine material exchanges in northwest Argentina (part of the south-central Andes) during 400 BC to AD 1000 (part of the regional Formative Period), with a multianalytical approach (petrography, instrumental neutron activation analysis, laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry) to artifacts previously studied separately. We assess the standard centralized model of interaction vs. a decentralized model through the largest provenance database available to date in the region. The results show: (i) intervalley heterogeneity of clays and fabrics for ordinary wares; (ii) intervalley homogeneity of clays and fabrics for a wide range of decorated wares (e.g., painted Ciénaga); (iii) selective circulation of two distinct polychrome wares (Vaquerías and Condorhuasi); (iv) generalized access to obsidian from one major source and various minor sources; and (v) selective circulation of volcanic rock tools from a single source. These trends reflect the multiple and conflicting demands experienced by people in small-scale societies, which may be difficult to capitalize by aspiring elites. The study undermines centralized narratives of exchange for this period, offering a new platform for understanding ancient exchange based on actual material transfers, both in the Andes and beyond.We thank the former directors of Museo Etnográfico (University of Buenos Aires), M. N. Tarragó (2005–2015) and the late J. A. Pérez Gollán (1987–2005), who provided access to key samples and enthusiastic support for this project since its earliest stages. We also thank M. Berón (current Director of Museo Etnográfico, University of Buenos Aires), R. Cattáneo (Director of Museo de Antropología, University of Córdoba, 2011–2013), J. P. Carbonelli, M. E. De Feo, V. Puente, G. Míguez, and R. Spano for providing access to additional samples; A. Brechbuhler and E. Gillispie for assisting with lithic sample preparation and measurements; and C. Roush for preparing the samples for irradiation and for general laboratory management responsibilities. This research was primarily funded by Arts and Humanities Research Council Early Career Grant SX–5317 (2011–2013) and preliminary research was funded by British Academy Small Grant 51798 (2009) (both to M.L.). Fieldwork and petrography analyses have been supported by successive grants from Argentinean National Agency for Science and Technology (ANCyT) Raíces Program PICT 2007-00116 (to M.C.S.) and ANCyT PICT 2010-1048 (to M.A.K.). Funding was also provided by the National Council for Science and Technical Research PIP 112-2008 01-00256 (to M.C.S.) and PIP 11/042 (to M.A.K.). The Archaeometry Laboratory at the University of Missouri Research Reactor is supported in part by the National Science Foundation (BCS-1415403 and BCS-0922374)