147 research outputs found
Vagrant Antarctic fur seals at the Tristan da Cunha Islands
Antarctic fur seals Arctocephalus gazella
mainly breed at islands south of the Antarctic Polar Front,
but stragglers occasionally occur farther north, with records
from Gough Island (40 S, 10 W) in the central South
Atlantic Ocean in October/November 2005 and September/
October 2009. We report the first record from Tristan da
Cunha (37 S, 12 W) in September 2013, and another
individual that was observed at Gough Island. Both individuals
were lean, lethargic subadult males that were
present before the onset of the breeding (pupping) season
of the resident populations of subantarctic fur seals Arctocephalus
tropicalis.http://link.springer.com/journal/3002015-11-30hb201
Regional differences in plastic ingestion among Southern Ocean fur seals and albatrosses
Weprovide data on regional differences in plastic ingestion for two Southern Ocean top predators: Arctocephalus
fur seals and albatrosses (Diomedeidae). Fur seals breeding on Macquarie Island in the 1990s excreted small
(mainly 2–5 mm) plastic fragments, probably derived secondarily from myctophid fish. No plastic was found
in the scats of these seals breeding on three islands in the southwest Indian and central South Atlantic Oceans,
despite myctophids dominating their diets at these locations. Compared to recent reports of plastic ingestion
by albatrosses off the east coast of South America, we confirm that plastic is seldom found in the stomachs of
Thalassarche albatrosses off South Africa, but found no Diomedea albatrosses to contain plastic, compared to
26% off South America. The reasons for such regional differences are unclear, but emphasize the importance of
reporting negative as well as positive records of plastic ingestion by marine biota.National Research Foundation and the Universities of Cape Town and Pretoria.http://www.elsevier.com/locate/marpolbul2017-03-30hb2016Mammal Research InstituteZoology and Entomolog
Accuracy of using visual identification of white sharks to estimate residency patterns
Determining the residency of an aquatic species is important but challenging and it remains unclear what is the best
sampling methodology. Photo-identification has been used extensively to estimate patterns of animals’ residency and is
arguably the most common approach, but it may not be the most effective approach in marine environments. To examine
this, in 2005, we deployed acoustic transmitters on 22 white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) in Mossel Bay, South Africa to
quantify the probability of detecting these tagged sharks by photo-identification and different deployment strategies of
acoustic telemetry equipment. Using the data collected by the different sampling approaches (detections from an acoustic
listening station deployed under a chumming vessel versus those from visual sightings and photo-identification), we
quantified the methodologies’ probability of detection and determined if the sampling approaches, also including an
acoustic telemetry array, produce comparable results for patterns of residency. Photo-identification had the lowest
probability of detection and underestimated residency. The underestimation is driven by various factors primarily that
acoustic telemetry monitors a large area and this reduces the occurrence of false negatives. Therefore, we propose that
researchers need to use acoustic telemetry and also continue to develop new sampling approaches as photo-identification
techniques are inadequate to determine residency. Using the methods presented in this paper will allow researchers to
further refine sampling approaches that enable them to collect more accurate data that will result in better research and
more informed management efforts and policy decisions.Conceived and designed the experiments: RLJ DGD EG MNB. Performed
the experiments: RLJ. Analyzed the data: EG RLJ DGD. Wrote the paper:
DGD EG RLJ MNB.World Wildlife Fund – South Africa, the South African Department of Environmental Affairs (and Tourism), and the
International Fund for Animal Welfare.http://www.plosone.or
Commentary on muscle dysmorphia as an addiction: A response to Grant (2015) and Nieuwoudt (2015)
Background: Following the publication of our paper ‘Muscle Dysmorphia: Could it be classified as an addiction to body image?’ in the Journal of Behavioral Addictions, two commentaries by Jon Grant and Johanna Nieuwoudt were published in response to our paper. Method: Using the ‘addiction components model’, our main contention is that muscle dysmorphia (MD) actually comprises a number of different actions and behaviors and that the actual addictive activity is the maintaining of body image via a number of different activities such as bodybuilding, exercise, eating certain foods, taking specific drugs (e.g., anabolic steroids), shopping for certain foods, food supplements, and purchase or use of physical exercise accessories. This paper briefly responds to these two commentaries. Results: While our hypothesized specifics relating to each addiction component sometimes lack empirical support (as noted explicitly by both Nieuwoudt and Grant), we still believe that our main thesis (that almost all the thoughts and behaviors of those with MD revolve around the maintenance of body image) is something that could be empirically tested in future research by those who already work in the area. Conclusions: We hope that the ‘Addiction to Body Image’ model we proposed provides a new framework for carrying out work in both empirical and clinical settings. The idea that MD could potentially be classed as an addiction cannot be negated on theoretical grounds as many people in the addiction field are turning their attention to research in new areas of behavioral addiction
Probing structural relaxation in complex fluids by critical fluctuations
Complex fluids, such as polymer solutions and blends, colloids and gels, are
of growing interest in fundamental and applied soft-condensed-matter science. A
common feature of all such systems is the presence of a mesoscopic structural
length scale intermediate between atomic and macroscopic scales. This
mesoscopic structure of complex fluids is often fragile and sensitive to
external perturbations. Complex fluids are frequently viscoelastic (showing a
combination of viscous and elastic behaviour) with their dynamic response
depending on the time and length scales. Recently, non-invasive methods to
infer the rheological response of complex fluids have gained popularity through
the technique of microrheology, where the diffusion of probe spheres in a
viscoelastic fluid is monitored with the aid of light scattering or microscopy.
Here we propose an alternative to traditional microrheology that does not
require doping of probe particles in the fluid (which can sometimes drastically
alter the molecular environment). Instead, our proposed method makes use of the
phenomenon of "avoided crossing" between modes associated with the structural
relaxation and critical fluctuations that are spontaneously generated in the
system.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Muscle dysmorphia: Could it be classified as an addiction to body image?
BACKGROUND: Muscle dysmorphia (MD) describes a condition characterised by a misconstrued body image in which individuals who interpret their body size as both small or weak even though they may look normal or highly muscular. MD has been conceptualized as a type of body dysmorphic disorder, an eating disorder, and obsessive–compulsive disorder symptomatology. METHOD AND AIM: Through a review of the most salient literature on MD, this paper proposes an alternative classification of MD – the ‘Addiction to Body Image’ (ABI) model – using Griffiths (2005) addiction components model as the framework in which to define MD as an addiction. RESULTS: It is argued the addictive activity in MD is the maintaining of body image via a number of different activities such as bodybuilding, exercise, eating certain foods, taking specific drugs (e.g., anabolic steroids), shopping for certain foods, food supplements, and the use or purchase of physical exercise accessories). In the ABI model, the perception of the positive effects on the self-body image is accounted for as a critical aspect of the MD condition (rather than addiction to exercise or certain types of eating disorder). CONCLUSIONS: Based on empirical evidence to date, it is proposed that MD could be re-classified as an addiction due to the individual continuing to engage in maintenance behaviours that may cause long-term harm
Effect of the displacement rate and inclination angle in steel fiber pullout tests
This paper summarizes the results obtained in an experimental campaign on the effect of the displacement pullout rate and the inclination angle of the steel fiber pullout tests. For that purpose, specimens were obtained from a self-compacting concrete with a compressive strength of 86 MPa. In the experimental program, hooked-end steel fibers of 0.75 mm diameter and 60 mm length were used. Tests were executed with both hooked-end fibers, and smooth fibers obtained from the former by cutting the hooked end. For both type of fibers, their embedment length into concrete was 20 mm, and the influence of fiber inclination angle toward the load direction was investigated by adopting values of 0∘, 30∘ and 60∘. The tests were performed at displacement rates of 0.01, 0.1 and 1 mm/s. The results have shown that the peak pullout load increased with the inclination angle, in particular for the smooth series. Furthermore, higher displacement rates led to a higher energy absorption capacity for the pullout of the smooth fibers, while the energy absorption remained almost stable for hooked-end fibers.project BIA2015-68678-C2-1-R.
M. Tarifa appreciates the financial support from the Department of Applied Mechanics and Project Engineering, UCLM
(2018), and from the Programa propio de I+D+i de la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid para realizar estancias de investigación internacional igual o superior a un mes (2019), to do
two stays at the University of Minho, Guimarães, Portugal. E.
Poveda acknowledges the funding from the International Campus of Excellence CYTEMA and the University of Castilla-La
Mancha, throughout Ayudas para estancias en universidades y
centros de investigación en el extranjero en 2019 en el ámbito del
plan propio de investigación susceptibles de cofinanciación por
el Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER), Programa
010100021 to fund her stays in the University of Minho during
2018 and 2019, respectively. The authors thank the support of
the Department of Civil Engineering and the Laboratory of the
Structural Division (LEST), University of Minh
Correction: Pulsed moxifloxacin for the prevention of exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a randomized controlled trial
BACKGROUND: Acute exacerbations contribute to the morbidity and mortality associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This proof-of-concept study evaluates whether intermittent pulsed moxifloxacin treatment could reduce the frequency of these exacerbations. METHODS: Stable patients with COPD were randomized in a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to receive moxifloxacin 400 mg PO once daily (N = 573) or placebo (N = 584) once a day for 5 days. Treatment was repeated every 8 weeks for a total of six courses. Patients were repeatedly assessed clinically and microbiologically during the 48-week treatment period, and for a further 24 weeks' follow-up. RESULTS: At 48 weeks the odds ratio (OR) for suffering an exacerbation favoured moxifloxacin: per-protocol (PP) population (N = 738, OR 0.75, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.565-0.994, p = 0.046), intent-to-treat (ITT) population (N = 1149, OR 0.81, 95% CI 0.645-1.008, p = 0.059), and a post-hoc analysis of per-protocol (PP) patients with purulent/mucopurulent sputum production at baseline (N = 323, OR 0.55, 95% CI 0.36-0.84, p = 0.006).There were no significant differences between moxifloxacin and placebo in any pre-specified efficacy subgroup analyses or in hospitalization rates, mortality rates, lung function or changes in St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) total scores. There was, however, a significant difference in favour of moxifloxacin in the SGRQ symptom domain (ITT: -8.2 vs -3.8, p = 0.009; PP: -8.8 vs -4.4, p = 0.006). Moxifloxacin treatment was not associated with consistent changes in moxifloxacin susceptibility. There were more treatment-emergent, drug related adverse events with moxifloxacin vs placebo (p < 0.001) largely due to gastrointestinal events (4.7% vs 0.7%). CONCLUSIONS: Intermittent pulsed therapy with moxifloxacin reduced the odds of exacerbation by 20% in the ITT population, by 25% among the PP population and by 45% in PP patients with purulent/mucopurulent sputum at baseline. There were no unexpected adverse events and there was no evidence of resistance development. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00473460 (ClincalTrials.gov)
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