Behavioural observations of the common octopus Octopus vulgaris in Baía dos Tigres, southern Angola

The common octopus Octopus vulgaris (Cuvier 1797) is a shallow-water cephalopod species that inhabits coastal rocky areas or reefs. It is the most studied and widely distributed species in its genus. This species has a short lifespan and a rapid growth rate of over 5% of body weight per day (García and Valverde 2006, Ibáñez and Keyl 2010). It is semelparous, with females laying large strings of eggs that they attach to the substrata in their dens (Hernández- García et al. 2002). There is a paucity of information on the preferred habitat and behaviour of O. vulgaris in its natural environment (Anderson 1997, Meisel et al. 2006). The species has been classified as highly mobile, yet resident individuals may exhibit high levels of territoriality. Its mobility allows it to move efficiently between a wide range of suitable habitats (Katsanevakis and Verriopoulos 2004). Octopus make use of both tactile and visual senses to forage, feed and seek suitable shelter (Forsythe and Hanlon 1997, Carvalho and Sousa Reis 2003, Rodríguez-Rúa et al. 2005). They are active feeders that seek out prey such as crustaceans, sessile molluscs and small fish (Forsythe and Hanlon 1997, Boyle and Rodhouse 2005), as well as their smaller conspecifics (Ibáñez and Keyl 2010). The majority of behavioural ecology studies on octopus have been on captive individuals. However, the activity patterns (Mather 1988), foraging strategies and aspects of the movement behaviour (Mather and O’Dor 1991) of juvenile O. vulgaris in the wild were described for an exploited population in Bermuda. Because intertidal octopus stocks are exploited by recreational, subsistence and artisanal fisheries (e.g. Oosthuizen and Smale 2003, Sauer et al. 2011), there are few opportunities to study the behavioural ecology of unexploited populations. An opportunity arose to study various behavioural patterns in an unexploited population in Baía dos Tigres, a large (~200 km2) coastal embayment situated on an isolated stretch of the southern Angolan coast (Figure 1). This study provides information on the population size structure, aspects of the movement behaviour, activity patterns and foraging strategies of O. vulgaris in this largely unstudied coastal embayment

Conceptualizing pathways linking women's empowerment and prematurity in developing countries.

BackgroundGlobally, prematurity is the leading cause of death in children under the age of 5. Many efforts have focused on clinical approaches to improve the survival of premature babies. There is a need, however, to explore psychosocial, sociocultural, economic, and other factors as potential mechanisms to reduce the burden of prematurity. Women's empowerment may be a catalyst for moving the needle in this direction. The goal of this paper is to examine links between women's empowerment and prematurity in developing settings. We propose a conceptual model that shows pathways by which women's empowerment can affect prematurity and review and summarize the literature supporting the relationships we posit. We also suggest future directions for research on women's empowerment and prematurity.MethodsThe key words we used for empowerment in the search were "empowerment," "women's status," "autonomy," and "decision-making," and for prematurity we used "preterm," "premature," and "prematurity." We did not use date, language, and regional restrictions. The search was done in PubMed, Population Information Online (POPLINE), and Web of Science. We selected intervening factors-factors that could potentially mediate the relationship between empowerment and prematurity-based on reviews of the risk factors and interventions to address prematurity and the determinants of those factors.ResultsThere is limited evidence supporting a direct link between women's empowerment and prematurity. However, there is evidence linking several dimensions of empowerment to factors known to be associated with prematurity and outcomes for premature babies. Our review of the literature shows that women's empowerment may reduce prematurity by (1) preventing early marriage and promoting family planning, which will delay age at first pregnancy and increase interpregnancy intervals; (2) improving women's nutritional status; (3) reducing domestic violence and other stressors to improve psychological health; and (4) improving access to and receipt of recommended health services during pregnancy and delivery to help prevent prematurity and improve survival of premature babies.ConclusionsWomen's empowerment is an important distal factor that affects prematurity through several intervening factors. Improving women's empowerment will help prevent prematurity and improve survival of preterm babies. Research to empirically show the links between women's empowerment and prematurity is however needed

Absence of Colony Stimulation Factor-1 Receptor Results in Loss of Microglia, Disrupted Brain Development and Olfactory Deficits

The brain contains numerous mononuclear phagocytes called microglia. These cells express the transmembrane tyrosine kinase receptor for the macrophage growth factor colony stimulating factor-1 (CSF-1R). Using a CSF-1R-GFP reporter mouse strain combined with lineage defining antibody staining we show in the postnatal mouse brain that CSF-1R is expressed only in microglia and not neurons, astrocytes or glial cells. To study CSF-1R function we used mice homozygous for a null mutation in the Csflr gene. In these mice microglia are >99% depleted at embryonic day 16 and day 1 post-partum brain. At three weeks of age this microglial depletion continues in most regions of the brain although some contain clusters of rounded microglia. Despite the loss of microglia, embryonic brain development appears normal but during the post-natal period the brain architecture becomes perturbed with enlarged ventricles and regionally compressed parenchyma, phenotypes most prominent in the olfactory bulb and cortex. In the cortex there is increased neuronal density, elevated numbers of astrocytes but reduced numbers of oligodendrocytes. Csf1r nulls rarely survive to adulthood and therefore to study the role of CSF-1R in olfaction we used the viable null mutants in the Csf1 (Csf1op) gene that encodes one of the two known CSF-1R ligands. Food-finding experiments indicate that olfactory capacity is significantly impaired in the absence of CSF-1. CSF-1R is therefore required for the development of microglia, for a fully functional olfactory system and the maintenance of normal brain structure

European clinical guidelines for Tourette syndrome and other tic disorders. Part II: pharmacological treatment

To develop a European guideline on pharmacologic treatment of Tourette syndrome (TS) the available literature was thoroughly screened and extensively discussed by a working group of the European Society for the Study of Tourette syndrome (ESSTS). Although there are many more studies on pharmacotherapy of TS than on behavioral treatment options, only a limited number of studies meets rigorous quality criteria. Therefore, we have devised a two-stage approach. First, we present the highest level of evidence by reporting the findings of existing Cochrane reviews in this field. Subsequently, we provide the first comprehensive overview of all reports on pharmacological treatment options for TS through a MEDLINE, PubMed, and EMBASE search for all studies that document the effect of pharmacological treatment of TS and other tic disorders between 1970 and November 2010. We present a summary of the current consensus on pharmacological treatment options for TS in Europe to guide the clinician in daily practice. This summary is, however, rather a status quo of a clinically helpful but merely low evidence guideline, mainly driven by expert experience and opinion, since rigorous experimental studies are scarce