Mountain gorillas maintain strong affiliative biases for maternal siblings despite high male reproductive skew and extensive exposure to paternal kin

Evolutionary theories predict that sibling relationships will reflect a complex balance of cooperative and competitive dynamics. In most mammals, dispersal and death patterns mean that sibling relationships occur in a relatively narrow window during development and/or only with same-sex individuals. Besides humans, one notable exception is mountain gorillas, in which non-sex-biased dispersal, relatively stable group composition, and the long reproductive tenures of alpha males mean that animals routinely reside with both maternally and paternally related siblings, of the same and opposite sex, throughout their lives. Using nearly 40,000 hr of behavioral data collected over 14 years on 699 sibling and 1235 non-sibling pairs of wild mountain gorillas, we demonstrate that individuals have strong affiliative preferences for full and maternal siblings over paternal siblings or unrelated animals, consistent with an inability to discriminate paternal kin. Intriguingly, however, aggression data imply the opposite. Aggression rates were statistically indistinguishable among all types of dyads except one: in mixed-sex dyads, non-siblings engaged in substantially more aggression than siblings of any type. This pattern suggests mountain gorillas may be capable of distinguishing paternal kin but nonetheless choose not to affiliate with them over non-kin. We observe a preference for maternal kin in a species with a high reproductive skew (i.e. high relatedness certainty), even though low reproductive skew (i.e. low relatedness certainty) is believed to underlie such biases in other non-human primates. Our results call into question reasons for strong maternal kin biases when paternal kin are identifiable, familiar, and similarly likely to be long-term groupmates, and they may also suggest behavioral mismatches at play during a transitional period in mountain gorilla society

VMÖ – A new strategic transport model for Austria

For the preparation of a new traffic forecast for several time horizons up to the year 2040 and beyond (Verkehrsprognose Österreich, VPÖ 2040+) an up-to-date transport model is necessary. Currently this new national transport model Austria (Verkehrsmodell Österreich, VMÖ) is developed. The passenger model will be disaggregated tour-based model with 5 basic steps and some extensions for special applications, like for instance tourist traffic. The number of zones will be approximately 6000. In the model a special focus is on incorporating recent trends in mode choice like “park and ride” and other multimodal chains. The freight part of the model will be an Aggregated - Disaggregated - Aggregated (ADA) model with three steps: (1) the results of an input-output-model are transformed into firm-to-firm flows, (2) the choice of shipment size and transport chain is modelled and (3) the OD relations are aggregated for the individual modes and assignment to the networks. For individual transport with passenger cars and road freight, a quasi-dynamic road transport assignment will be developed. Public transport assignment is based on timetables. For the forecasts of travel demand for future years a pivot-point approach (with the changes) on the base matrices will be applied

A Model Analysis of Mechanisms for Radial Microtubular Patterns at Root Hair Initiation Sites

Plant cells have two main modes of growth generating anisotropic structures. Diffuse growth where whole cell walls extend in specific directions, guided by anisotropically positioned cellulose fibers, and tip growth, with inhomogeneous addition of new cell wall material at the tip of the structure. Cells are known to regulate these processes via molecular signals and the cytoskeleton. Mechanical stress has been proposed to provide an input to the positioning of the cellulose fibers via cortical microtubules in diffuse growth. In particular, a stress feedback model predicts a circumferential pattern of fibers surrounding apical tissues and growing primordia, guided by the anisotropic curvature in such tissues. In contrast, during the initiation of tip growing root hairs, a star-like radial pattern has recently been observed. Here, we use detailed finite element models to analyze how a change in mechanical properties at the root hair initiation site can lead to star-like stress patterns in order to understand whether a stress-based feedback model can also explain the microtubule patterns seen during root hair initiation. We show that two independent mechanisms, individually or combined, can be sufficient to generate radial patterns. In the first, new material is added locally at the position of the root hair. In the second, increased tension in the initiation area provides a mechanism. Finally, we describe how a molecular model of Rho-of-plant (ROP) GTPases activation driven by auxin can position a patch of activated ROP protein basally along a 2D root epidermal cell plasma membrane, paving the way for models where mechanical and molecular mechanisms cooperate in the initial placement and outgrowth of root hairs.This work was funded by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation via grant ShapeSystems (KAW 2012.0050) to MG and HJ, the Swedish Research Council (VR2013-4632) to HJ, and the Gatsby Charitable Foundation (GAT3395/PR4) to HJ

Testosterone, cortisol, and status-striving personality features: A review and empirical evaluation of the dual hormone hypothesis

Decades of research in behavioral endocrinology has implicated the gonadal hormone testosterone in the reg- ulation of mating effort, often expressed in primates in the form of aggressive and/or status-striving behavior. Based on the idea that neuroendocrine axes influence each other, recent work among humans has proposed that links between testosterone and indices of status-striving are rendered conditional by the effects of glucocorti- coids. The Dual Hormone hypothesis is one particular instance of this argument, predicting that cortisol blocks the effects of testosterone on dominance, aggression, and risk-taking in humans. Support for the Dual Hormone hypothesis is wide-ranging, but considerations of theoretical ambiguity, null findings, and low statistical power pose problems for interpreting the published literature. Here, we contribute to the development of the Dual Hormone hypothesis by (1) critically reviewing the extant literature—including p-curve analyses of published findings; and, (2) “opening the file drawer” and examining relationships between testosterone, cortisol, and status-striving personality features in seven previously published studies from our laboratories (total N = 718; median N per feature = 318) that examined unrelated predictions. Results from p-curve suggest that published studies have only 16% power to detect effects, while our own data show no robust interactions between tes- tosterone and cortisol in predicting status-striving personality features. We discuss the implications of these results for the Dual Hormone hypothesis, limitations of our analyses, and the development of future research

Arabidopsis SABRE and CLASP interact to stabilize cell division plane orientation and planar polarity

The orientation of cell division and the coordination of cell polarity within the plane of the tissue layer (planar polarity) contribute to shape diverse multicellular organisms. The root of Arabidopsis thaliana displays regularly oriented cell divisions, cell elongation and planar polarity providing a plant model system to study these processes. Here we report that the SABRE protein, which shares similarity with proteins of unknown function throughout eukaryotes, has important roles in orienting cell division and planar polarity. SABRE localizes at the plasma membrane, endomembranes, mitotic spindle and cell plate. SABRE stabilizes the orientation of CLASP-labelled preprophase band microtubules predicting the cell division plane, and of cortical microtubules driving cell elongation. During planar polarity establishment, sabre is epistatic to clasp at directing polar membrane domains of Rho-of-plant GTPases. Our findings mechanistically link SABRE to CLASP-dependent microtubule organization, shedding new light on the function of SABRE-related proteins in eukaryotes

A new method for detection of induced mutations in wheat

Contains fulltext : 141188.pdf (preprint version ) (Open Access

a prospective ‘before/after’ cohort study

Objectives Antibiotic resistance has risen dramatically over the past years. For individual patients, adequate initial antibiotic therapy is essential for clinical outcome. Computer-assisted decision support systems (CDSSs) are advocated to support implementation of rational anti-infective treatment strategies based on guidelines. The aim of this study was to evaluate long- term effects after implementation of a CDSS. Design This prospective ‘before/after’ cohort study was conducted over four observation periods within 5 years. One preinterventional period (pre) was compared with three postinterventional periods: directly after intensive implementation efforts (post1), 2 years (post2) and 3 years (post3) after implementation. Setting Five anaesthesiological-managed intensive care units (ICU) (one cardiosurgical, one neurosurgical, two interdisciplinary and one intermediate care) at a university hospital. Participants Adult patients with an ICU stay of >48 h were included in the analysis. 1316 patients were included in the analysis for a total of 12 965 ICU days. Intervention Implementation of a CDSS. Outcome measures The primary end point was percentage of days with guideline adherence during ICU treatment. Secondary end points were antibiotic-free days and all-cause mortality compared for patients with low versus high guideline adherence. Main results Adherence to guidelines increased from 61% prior to implementation to 92% in post1, decreased in post2 to 76% and remained significantly higher compared with baseline in post3, with 71% (p=0.178). Additionally, antibiotic-free days increased over study periods. At all time periods, mortality for patients with low guideline adherence was higher with 12.3% versus 8% (p=0.014) and an adjusted OR of 1.56 (95% CI 1.05 to 2.31). Conclusions Implementation of computerised regional adapted guidelines for antibiotic therapy is paralleled with improved adherence. Even without further measures, adherence stayed high for a longer period and was paralleled by reduced antibiotic exposure. Improved guideline adherence was associated with reduced ICU mortality

The Grizzly, August 29, 2000

UC Class of \u2704: Welcome to a Journey of a Lifetime • Campus Security puts Safety First • Students React to Parking Fee Increase • Chemistry Course Canceled • UC Gets Wired: New Laptop Program Debuts • Opinion: What This Campus Really Needs; Tuition Rises, Why Not Scholarships?; Campaign 2000: Bush, Gore and so Much More • Making the Most of Your Ursinus Experience • Commuters are Students Too!! • Upperclassman Reflects on First Days of a New Life at UC • Finding a New Home at UC • Food for Thought: Eating Right at Wismer • Getting Involved in UC Clubs, Organizations • CIE: One Student\u27s Perspective • UC Student to Appear on Jeopardy! • Field Hockey Team set for Breakout Season • Football Program Looks to Build on Success • Men\u27s Soccer Program On the Rise • Women\u27s Program Looking to Score Big • Volleyball Team Set to Kill Competition • XC Squad, After False Start, Ready to Run • No Routine Season for Cheerleading Squad • Field House Construction Behind Schedule • UC Grad Brackin Earns Post-Grad Scholarshiphttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1469/thumbnail.jp

Primary cerebral alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma in adult

Primary cerebral rhabdomyosarcomas are very rare and malignant tumors that occur predominantly in the posterior fossa of pediatric patients. We report a rare case of primary cerebral rhabdomyosarcoma located in the supratentorial compartment of a 51 year-old woman together with a review of the pertinent Literature especially regarding the histological diagnosis and pitfalls