What does a Pacman eat? Macrophagy and necrophagy in a generalist predator (Ceratophrys stolzmanni)

We describe for the first time the feeding ecology of the Pacific horned frog (Ceratophrys stolzmanni), as inferred through gastrointestinal tract content analysis and behavioural observations in its natural habitat. Ingested prey in adults ranged from mites and various insects to frogs and snakes. Prey items predominantly consisted of gastropods, non-formicid hymenopterans, and centipedes. We found no relationship between the size of the predator and the prey ingested, in terms of prey size, volume or number of items ingested. Additional direct observations indicate that all post-metamorphic stages are voracious, preying on vertebrates and engaging in anurophagy, cannibalism, and even necrophagy. Our study sheds light on the feeding habits of one of the least known species of horned frog

Amphibia, Anura, Bufonidae, Rhaebo ecuadorensis Mueses-Cisneros, Cisneros-Heredia & McDiarmid, 2012, and Anura, Hylidae, Phyllomedusa tarsius (Cope, 1868): range extensions and first records for Zamora-Chinchipe province, Ecuador

We report the first provincial records for Rhaebo ecuadorensis Mueses-Cisneros, Cisneros-Heredia & McDiarmid, 2012,and Phyllomedusa tarsius (Cope, 1868) in Zamora-Chinchipe, southern Ecuador. The new locations are significant because they represent the southernmost records in Ecuador as well as the westernmost limits of the ranges of these two species

The advertisement call of Pristimantis subsigillatus (Anura, Craugastoridae)

We describe for the first time the advertisement call of Pristimantis subsigillatus from southern Ecuador. Our study provides a detailed quantitative characterization of the advertisement call of P. subsigillatus, filling a gap in our knowledge of this genus, the most speciose among vertebrates. Males called perched on vegetation 0.5-2.5 m above ground, always during mild rain. The advertisement call is composed of a single note with a duration of 63-80 ms, with an initial short pulse (3-10 ms) followed by a longer tonal component. Call rates ranged between 4-12 calls/min. The dominant frequency varied between 2.02-2.82 kHz

Magas vérnyomás vagy depresszió? Rossz házasságban másképp betegek a férfiak és másképp a nők = Hypertension or depression? In bad marriages, men may react differently than women

E tanulmány célja a házastársi stressz kapcsolatának vizsgálata a magasvérnyomás-betegséggel és a depresszióval – 65 évnél fiatalabb, házasságban/élettársi kapcsolatban élő, gazdaságilag aktív személyek körében; országos reprezentatív mintán (Hungarostudy 2002). A házastársi stresszt a Rövidített Stockholmi Házastársi Stressz Skálával, a depressziós tüneteket a Rövidített Beck Depresszió Kérdőívvel mértük. Azok a férfiak és nők alkották a „magasvérnyomás-beteg”, illetve „depressziós” csoportokat, akiket az elmúlt évben kezeltek is betegségük miatt. Hierarchikus logisztikus regresszió-elemzéssel vizsgáltuk a házastársi stressz hatását a magasvérnyomás-beteg, illetve a depressziós páciensek körében, valamint egészséges férfiak és nők körében. Adatainkat kontrolláltuk életkorra, iskolai végzettségre, szocioökonómiai státuszra, testtömeg-indexre, valamint az életmódra (dohányzás, alkoholfogyasztás és fizikai aktivitás). Míg a férfiaknál a házastársi stressz a magasvérnyomás-betegség hagyományos rizikótényezőktől független kockázati tényezőjének bizonyult, addig a nőkre ez nem állt fenn. Egy rossz házasságban élő férfinak majdnem kétszer nagyobb az esélye arra, hogy magasvérnyomás-betegség miatt kezeljék, mint a jó házasságban élő férfitársának. Ugyanakkor nőknél a házastársi stressz a depresszió miatti kezelés valószínűségét növelte szignifikáns mértékben, ez pedig a férfiakra nem volt jellemző. Egy rossz házasságban élő nőnek több mint kétszer nagyobb az esélye arra, hogy depresszió miatt kezelésben részesüljön, mint a jó házasságban élő nőtársának. Elemezéseink tehát azt mutatták, hogy férfiaknál a házastársi stressz a magasvérnyomás-betegség független kockázati tényezője, viszont nőknél a házastársi stressz a klinikai depresszió kockázati tényezője. | The aim of this study was to clarify the association of marital distress with hypertension and depression, based on a representative health survey, the Hungarostudy 2002. We analyzed data on all men and women younger than age 65, who were married or cohabitating and economically active at the time of examination. Marital distress (shortened Stockholm Marital Stress Scale) and depressive symptoms (shortened Beck Depression Inventory) were included in the survey. All subjects who during the past year had been diagnosed by a physician as suffering from hypertension or depression, and had been treated accordingly (self-report), were classified as “hypertensive” or ”depressed”. Hierarchical logistic regression analyses evaluated the effects of marital distress on hypertensive or depressed subjects, compared to controls who did not report health complaints. Analyses were adjusted for age, education, SES, BMI, and lifestyle (smoking, alcohol use and physical activity). Odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals were calculated. In men, but not in women, marital distress was independently associated with current treatment for hypertension. A man having a bad marriage runs a double risk of being treated for hypertension, compared to having a good marriage. In women, but not in men, marital distress was associated with elevated risk of treatment for depression. A woman having a bad marriage runs more than a double risk of being treated for depression, compared to living a good marriage. Based on these data, in men, marital distress was independently associated with elevated risk for hypertension treatment, whereas in women, marital distress was independently associated with risk for depression treatment

Effect of reader experience on variability, evaluation time and accuracy of coronary plaque detection with computed tomography coronary angiography

Objective: To assess the effect of reader experience on variability, evaluation time and accuracy in the detection of coronary artery plaques with computed tomography coronary angiography (CTCA). Methods: Three independent, blinded readers with three different experience levels twice labelled 50 retrospectively electrocardiography (ECG)-gated contrast-enhanced dual-source CTCA data sets (15 female, age 67.3 ± 10.4years, range 46-86years) indicating the presence or absence of coronary plaques. The evaluation times for the readings were recorded. Intra- and interobserver variability expressed as κ statistics and sensitivity, specificity, and negative and positive predictive values were calculated for plaque detection, with a consensus reading of the three readers taken as the standard of reference. A bootstrap method was applied in the statistical analysis to account for clustering. Results: Significant correlations were found between reader experience and, respectively, evaluation times (r = −0.59, p < 0.05) and intraobserver variability (r = 0.73, p < 0.05). The evaluation time significantly differed among the readers (p < 0.05). The observer variability for plaque detection, compared with the consensus, varied between κ = 0.582 and κ = 0.802. Variability of plaque detection was significantly smaller (p < 0.05) and more accurate (p < 0.05) for the most experienced reader. Conclusion: Reader experience significantly correlated with observer variability, evaluation time and accuracy of coronary plaque detection at CTC

Thylakoid membrane reorganizations revealed by small-angle neutron scattering of Monstera deliciosa leaves associated with non-photochemical quenching

Non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) is an important photoprotective mechanism in plants and algae. Although the process is extensively studied, little is known about its relationship with ultrastructural changes of the thylakoid membranes. In order to better understand this relationship, we studied the effects of illumination on the organization of thylakoid membranes in Monstera deliciosa leaves. This evergreen species is known to exhibit very large NPQ and to possess giant grana with dozens of stacked thylakoids. It is thus ideally suited for small-angle neutron scattering measurements (SANS) - a non-invasive technique, which is capable of providing spatially and statistically averaged information on the periodicity of the thylakoid membranes and their rapid reorganizations in vivo. We show that NPQ-inducing illumination causes a strong decrease in the periodic order of granum thylakoid membranes. Development of NPQ and light-induced ultrastructural changes, as well as the relaxation processes, follow similar kinetic patterns. Surprisingly, whereas NPQ is suppressed by diuron, it impedes only the relaxation of the structural changes and not its formation, suggesting that structural changes do not cause but enable NPQ. We also demonstrate that the diminishment of SANS peak does not originate from light-induced redistribution and reorientation of chloroplasts inside the cells. © 2020 The Authors

Protracted growth impedes the detection of sexual dimorphism in non-avian dinosaurs

Evidence for sexual dimorphism is extremely limited in the non-avian dinosaurs despite their high diversity and disparity, and despite the fact that dimorphism is very common in vertebrate lineages of all kinds. Using body-size data from both Alligator mississippiensis and Rhea americana, which phylogenetically bracket the dinosaurs, we demonstrate that even when there is strong dimorphism in a species, random sampling of populations of individuals characterized by sustained periods of growth (as in the alligator and most dinosaurs) can result in the loss of this signal. Dimorphism may be common in fossil taxa but very hard to detect without ontogenetic age control and large sample sizes, both of which are hampered by the limitations of the fossil record. Signal detection may be further hindered by Type III survivorship, whereby increased mortality among the young favours the likelihood that they will be sampled (unless predation or taphonomic bias against small size acts against this). These, and other considerations relating to behaviour and ecology, provide powerful reasons to suggest that sexual dimorphism in dinosaurs may be very difficult to detect in almost all currently available samples. Similar issues are likely also to be applicable to many fossil reptiles, or animals more generally