Customs Among the Natives of East Africa, from Teita to Kilimegalia, with Special Reference to Their Women and Children

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Goal motives and multiple-goal striving in sport and academia: a person-centered investigation of goal motives and inter-goal relations

Objectives: This investigation extended the goal striving literature by examining motives for two goals being pursued simultaneously. Specifically, it examined how student athletes’ autonomous and controlled motives for their sporting and academic goals were associated with inter-goal facilitation and interference. Design: Cross-sectional survey. Methods: Student athletes (n = 204) from universities in the United Kingdom identified their most important sporting and academic goals. They then rated their autonomous and controlled motives for these goals and completed questionnaires assessing inter-goal facilitation and interference. Results: Using a person-centered approach via latent class analysis, we identified three distinct classes of goal motives. Group difference analyses showed that the classes with higher autonomous motives reported greater facilitation from their academic goal to their sporting goal. Conclusions: Extending the previous literature, the findings demonstrate the benefits of autonomous motives when simultaneously pursing goals in sport and academia

Do mothers prefer helpers or smaller litters? Birth sex-ratio and litter size adjustment in cotton-top tamarins

Boulton, R. A., & Fletcher, A. W. (2015). Do mothers prefer helpers or smaller litters? Birth sex-ratio and litter size adjustment in cotton-top tamarins. Ecology & Evolution, 5(3), 598-606 Copyright (c)2015, the authors, http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.1396/fullSex allocation theory has been a remarkably productive field in behavioural ecology with empirical evidence regularly supporting quantitative theoretical predictions. Across mammals in general and primates in particular however, support for the various hypotheses has been more equivocal. Population level sex ratio biases have often been interpreted as supportive, but evidence for small scale facultative adjustment has rarely been found. The helper repayment (HR) also named the local resource enhancement (LRE) hypothesis predicts that, in cooperatively breeding species, mothers invest more in the sex which assists with rearing future offspring, and that this bias will be more pronounced in mothers who require extra assistance (i.e. due to inexperience or a lack of available alloparents). We tested these hypotheses in captive cotton-top tamarins (Saguinus oedipus) utilising the international studbook and birth records obtained through a questionnaire from ISIS registered institutions. Infant sex, litter size, mother’s age, parity and group composition (presence of non-reproductive subordinate males and females) were determined from these records. The HR hypothesis was supported over the entire population, which was significantly biased towards males (the ‘helpful’ sex). We found little support for helper repayment at the individual level, as primiparous females and those in groups without alloparents did not exhibit more extreme tendencies to produce male infants. Primiparous females were, however, more likely to produce singleton litters. Singleton births were more likely to be male, which suggests that there may be an interaction between litter size adjustment and sex allocation. This may be interpreted as supportive of the HR hypothesis, but alternative explanations at both the proximate and ultimate levels are possible. These possibilities warrant further consideration when attempting to understand the ambiguous results of primate sex ratio studies so far

Apoptosis of Fashigh CD4+ synovial T cells by borrelia-reactive Fas-ligand(high) gamma delta T cells in Lyme arthritis

The function of the minor subset of T lymphocytes bearing the gamma delta T cell antigen receptor is uncertain. Although some gamma delta T cells react to microbial products, responsiveness has only rarely been demonstrated toward a bacterial antigen from a naturally occurring human infection. Synovial fluid lymphocytes from patients with Lyme arthritis contain a large proportion of gamma delta cells that proliferate in response to the causative spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi. Furthermore, synovial gamma delta T cell clones express elevated and sustained levels of the ligand for Fas (APO-1, CD95) compared to alpha beta T cells, and induce apoptosis of Fashigh CD4+ synovial lymphocytes. The findings suggest that gamma delta T cells contribute to defense in human infections, as well as manifest an immunoregulatory function at inflammatory sites by a Fas-dependent process

Social and environmental factors modulate leucocyte profiles in free-living Greylag geese (Anser anser)

Background. Blood parameters such as haematocrit or leucocyte counts are indicators of immune status and health, which can be affected, in a complex way, by exogenous as well as endogenous factors. Additionally, social context is known to be among the most potent stressors in group living individuals, therefore potentially influencing haematological parameters. However, with few exceptions, this potential causal relationship received only moderate scientific attention. Methods. In a free-living and individually marked population of the highly social and long-lived Greylag goose, Anser anser, we relate variation in haematocrit (HCT), heterophils to lymphocytes ratio(H/L) and blood leucocyte counts to the following factors: intrinsic (sex, age, raising condition, i.e. goose- or hand-raised), social (pair-bond status, pair-bond duration and parental experience) and environmental (biologically relevant periods, ambient temperature) factors. Blood samples were collected repeatedly from a total of 105 focal birds during three biologically relevant seasons (winter flock, mating season, summer). Results. We found significant relationships between haematological parameters and social as well as environmental factors. During the mating season, unpaired individuals had higher HCT compared to paired and family individuals and this pattern reversed in fall. Similarly, H/L ratio was positively related to pair-bond status in a seasonally dependent way, with highest values during mating and successful pairs had higher H/L ratio than unsuccessful ones. Also, absolute number of leucocytes tended to vary depending of raising condition in a seasonally dependent way. Discussion. Haematology bears a great potential in ecological and behavioural studies on wild vertebrates. In sum we found that HTC, H/L ratio and absolute number of leucocytes are modulated by social factors and conclude that they may be considered valid indicators of individual stress load

The Fifth Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

This paper describes the Fifth Data Release (DR5) of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). DR5 includes all survey quality data taken through June 2005 and represents the completion of the SDSS-I project (whose successor, SDSS-II will continue through mid-2008). It includes five-band photometric data for 217 million objects selected over 8000 square degrees, and 1,048,960 spectra of galaxies, quasars, and stars selected from 5713 square degrees of that imaging data. These numbers represent a roughly 20% increment over those of the Fourth Data Release; all the data from previous data releases are included in the present release. In addition to "standard" SDSS observations, DR5 includes repeat scans of the southern equatorial stripe, imaging scans across M31 and the core of the Perseus cluster of galaxies, and the first spectroscopic data from SEGUE, a survey to explore the kinematics and chemical evolution of the Galaxy. The catalog database incorporates several new features, including photometric redshifts of galaxies, tables of matched objects in overlap regions of the imaging survey, and tools that allow precise computations of survey geometry for statistical investigations.Comment: ApJ Supp, in press, October 2007. This paper describes DR5. The SDSS Sixth Data Release (DR6) is now public, available from http://www.sdss.or

Attitudes towards the regulation and provision of abortion among healthcare professionals in Britain: cross-sectional survey data from the SACHA Study. [Published Online First: 5 November 2024]

Objectives: To gather views of healthcare professionals on the regulation and provision of abortion in Britain. Methods: Cross-sectional, stratified cluster sample survey of healthcare professionals working in a range of healthcare services including abortion services. Measures included knowledge of and attitudes towards the regulation and provision of abortion. Results: A total of 771 healthcare professionals responded. More than nine in ten supported abortion being a woman's choice and a clear majority favoured abortion being treated as a health rather than a legal issue. Some 6.2% saw abortion at any gestational age as contrary to personal beliefs and a similarly small minority (6.7%) opposed abortion after 12 weeks' gestation. One in five of all healthcare professionals and a third of those aged under 30 years were unaware that the law in Britain requires two doctors to authorise an abortion. Free-text comments revealed opposition to the need for this legal requirement. Support for an extended role for nurses in abortion care was high; 65.3% agreed that nurses should be able to prescribe abortion medication. Little more than a third of all healthcare professionals (37.0%) agreed that abortion should be standard practice in their service; the proportion was highest among those in sexual and reproductive health services (58.4%) and lowest among those in general practice (18.7%). Conclusions: Healthcare professionals in Britain were generally supportive of abortion being treated in the same way as other health issues and would be likely to support any moves to decriminalise abortion

The Seventh Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

This paper describes the Seventh Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), marking the completion of the original goals of the SDSS and the end of the phase known as SDSS-II. It includes 11663 deg^2 of imaging data, with most of the roughly 2000 deg^2 increment over the previous data release lying in regions of low Galactic latitude. The catalog contains five-band photometry for 357 million distinct objects. The survey also includes repeat photometry over 250 deg^2 along the Celestial Equator in the Southern Galactic Cap. A coaddition of these data goes roughly two magnitudes fainter than the main survey. The spectroscopy is now complete over a contiguous area of 7500 deg^2 in the Northern Galactic Cap, closing the gap that was present in previous data releases. There are over 1.6 million spectra in total, including 930,000 galaxies, 120,000 quasars, and 460,000 stars. The data release includes improved stellar photometry at low Galactic latitude. The astrometry has all been recalibrated with the second version of the USNO CCD Astrograph Catalog (UCAC-2), reducing the rms statistical errors at the bright end to 45 milli-arcseconds per coordinate. A systematic error in bright galaxy photometr is less severe than previously reported for the majority of galaxies. Finally, we describe a series of improvements to the spectroscopic reductions, including better flat-fielding and improved wavelength calibration at the blue end, better processing of objects with extremely strong narrow emission lines, and an improved determination of stellar metallicities. (Abridged)Comment: 20 pages, 10 embedded figures. Accepted to ApJS after minor correction

Density, crowding, and satisfaction with the residential environment

The relationships between a set of measures of various components of environmental density and perceived crowding are examined in a data set from a sample of residents of a large metropolitan area. While there are meaningful patterns observed among the correlations, the primary finding is the weakness of the relationships between density and crowding. The implications of the weak relationship between objective and subjective measures intended to measure components of the quality of life, of which the present findings are an example, are discussed; the usefulness of subjective measures may lie primarily in their capacity to define what aspects of society should be monitored and included in a system of social accounting.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/43679/1/11205_2004_Article_BF00287219.pd

No Evidence for a Trade-Off between Reproductive Investment and Immunity in a Rodent

Life history theory assumes there are trade-offs between competing functions such as reproduction and immunity. Although well studied in birds, studies of the trade-offs between reproduction and immunity in small mammals are scarce. Here we examined whether reduced immunity is a consequence of reproductive effort in lactating Brandt's voles (Lasiopodomys brandtii). Specifically, we tested the effects of lactation on immune function (Experiment I). The results showed that food intake and resting metabolic rate (RMR) were higher in lactating voles (6≤ litter size ≤8) than that in non-reproductive voles. Contrary to our expectation, lactating voles also had higher levels of serum total Immunoglobulin G (IgG) and anti-keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) IgG and no change in phytohemagglutinin (PHA) response and anti-KLH Immunoglobulin M (IgM) compared with non-reproductive voles, suggesting improved rather than reduced immune function. To further test the effect of differences in reproductive investment on immunity, we compared the responses between natural large (n≥8) and small litter size (n≤6) (Experiment II) and manipulated large (11–13) and small litter size (2–3) (Experiment III). During peak lactation, acquired immunity (PHA response, anti-KLH IgG and anti-KLH IgM) was not significantly different between voles raising large or small litters in both experiments, despite the measured difference in reproductive investment (greater litter size, litter mass, RMR and food intake in the voles raising larger litters). Total IgG was higher in voles with natural large litter size than those with natural small litter size, but decreased in the enlarged litter size group compared with control and reduced group. Our results showed that immune function is not suppressed to compensate the high energy demands during lactation in Brandt's voles and contrasting the situation in birds, is unlikely to be an important aspect mediating the trade-off between reproduction and survival