Forest maturity has a stronger influence on the prevalence of spider monkeys than howler monkeys in an anthropogenically impacted rainforest landscape

[EN] The transformation and depletion of primary forest over the past few decades have placed almost half of the world's primate species under the threat of extinction. Developing any successful conservation program for primates requires distribution and demography data, as well as an understanding of the relationships between these factors and their habitat. Between March and June 2010 and 2011 we collected data on the presence and demographic parameters of howler and spider monkeys by carrying out surveys, and validated our findings using local knowledge. We then examined the relationship between forest type and the presence of these primates at 54 sites in the northern area of the Selva Zoque Corridor, Mexico. We detected 86 spider monkey groups across 31 plots and censused 391 individuals (mean +/- SD = 5.9 +/- 3.0 individuals per sub-group, n = 67 sub-groups). We also detected 69 howler monkey groups across 30 plots and censused 117 individuals (mean +/- SD = 5.3 +/- 2.4 individuals per group, n = 22 groups). Howler monkey presence was not related to any specific vegetation type, while spider monkeys were present in areas with a higher percentage of tall forest (trees > 25 m high). Overall, spider monkeys were more prevalent than howler monkeys in our sampling sites and showed demographic characteristics similar to those in better protected areas, suggesting that the landscape features in the Uxpanapa Valley are suitable for their needs. Conversely, howler monkey presence was found to be more limited than in other regions, possibly due to the extended presence of spider monkeys.We thank the National Council of Science of Technology (CONACyT) and the Veracruz State Government for providing financial support to the project (grant no. 108990). ASG received support from Bournemouth University, the Centro de Investigaciones Tropicales and CONACyT (registration 195409) to conduct all the data analysis as part of her PhD. JCD received funding from the Isaac Newton Trust. We thank C. A. Munoz-Robles for providing the base map of the study site. We are very grateful to the communities of the Uxpanapa Valley for helping us throughout the development of this project. We are grateful to Dr Bicca-Marques and to two anonymous reviewers for their comments, which greatly helped in improving this manuscript. This study complied with the legal requirements of Mexico (SEMARNAT-DGVS/03660/11) and was approved by Universidad Veracruzana

Longitudinal studies of visual attention in infants:The early development of disengagement and inhibition of return.

Oogbewegingen vervullen een belangrijke functie in het dagelijkse gedrag. Om die functie efficiënt te vervullen moeten ze goed aansluiten bij de stimuli die aanwezig zijn en ook goed geintegreerd zijn in de lopende informatieverwerking. Hierin spelen visuele aandachtsprocessen een centrale rol. Aandachtsprocessen beinvloeden o.a. de selectie van de bestemming van oogbewegingen, houden ogen en aandacht gevestigd op de geselecteerde locatie opdat informatie opgenomen kan worden, en koppelen aandacht en ogen los in voorbereiding op een volgende oogbeweging. Na de geboorte zijn veel aandachtsprocessen niet of slechts gedeeltelijk functioneel. Ze ontwikkelen zich echter in snel tempo tijdens de eerste 6 levensmaanden. Inzicht in de ontwikkeling van visuele aandachtsmechanismen is van belang voor ons begrip van visuele aandacht op zich. Gezien de belangrijke functie van oogbewegingen in het dagelijkse leven, is dit inzicht tevens van belang voor ons begrip van de bredere cognitieve en sociale ontwikkeling. ... Zie: Samenvatting

Comparison of methods for a landscape-scale assessment of the cultural ecosystem services associated with different habitats

<p>Cultural ecosystem services (CES) are widely acknowledged as important but are often neglected by ecosystem service assessments, leading to a representational bias. This reflects the methodological challenges associated with producing robust and repeatable CES valuations. Here we provide a comparative analysis of three approaches for non-monetary valuation of CES, namely a structured survey, participatory GIS (PGIS) and GPS tracking methods. These were used to assess both recreation and aesthetic value of habitats within the New Forest National Park, UK. The association of CES with habitats enabled results of all three methods to be visualised at the landscape scale using maps, strengthening their value to conservation management. Broadleaved woodland and heathland habitats were consistently valued highly for both CES, whereas agricultural land tended to be associated with low values. Results obtained by the different methods were positively correlated in 6 out of 10 comparisons, indicating a degree of consistency between them. The spatial distribution of CES values at the landscape scale was also generally consistent between the three methods. These results highlight the value of comparative analyses of CES for identifying robust results, providing a way forward for their inclusion in land management decision-making.</p><p><b>EDITED BY</b> Matthias Schröter</p><p></p> <p><b>EDITED BY</b> Matthias Schröter</p

Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of eating disorders

Objectives: This clinical practice guideline for treatment of DSM-5 feeding and eating disorders was conducted as part of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) Project 2013–2014. Methods: The CPG was developed in accordance with best practice according to the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia. Literature of evidence for treatments of anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), binge eating disorder (BED), other specified and unspecified eating disorders and avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) was sourced from the previous RANZCP CPG reviews (dated to 2009) and updated with a systematic review (dated 2008–2013). A multidisciplinary working group wrote the draft CPG, which then underwent expert, community and stakeholder consultation, during which process additional evidence was identified. Results: In AN the CPG recommends treatment as an outpatient or day patient in most instances (i.e. in the least restrictive environment), with hospital admission for those at risk of medical and/or psychological compromise. A multi-axial and collaborative approach is recommended, including consideration of nutritional, medical and psychological aspects, the use of family based therapies in younger people and specialist therapist-led manualised based psychological therapies in all age groups and that include longer-term follow-up. A harm minimisation approach is recommended in chronic AN. In BN and BED the CPG recommends an individual psychological therapy for which the best evidence is for therapist-led cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). There is also a role for CBT adapted for internet delivery, or CBT in a non-specialist guided self-help form. Medications that may be helpful either as an adjunctive or alternative treatment option include an antidepressant, topiramate, or orlistat (the last for people with comorbid obesity). No specific treatment is recommended for ARFID as there are no trials to guide practice. Conclusions: Specific evidence based psychological and pharmacological treatments are recommended for most eating disorders but more trials are needed for specific therapies in AN, and research is urgently needed for all aspects of ARFID assessment and management

An outline of the planned work of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists' Board of Education

Objective: The aim of this paper is to inform College Fellows, trainees and other stakeholders about the structure, principles and functioning of the new Board of Education. Conclusion: The educational activities of the College are likely to evolve and to be developed over the next 5 years by a process taking account of the views of key stakeholders. In the short term, there will be no changes to training or examination processes which would disadvantage trainees

Shared Alterations in NK Cell Frequency, Phenotype, and Function in Chronic Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Hepatitis C Virus Infections

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) cause clinically important persistent infections. The effects of virus persistence on innate immunity, including NK cell responses, and the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. We examined the frequency, phenotype, and function of peripheral blood CD3(−) CD56(+) NK subsets in HIV(+) and HCV(+) patients and identified significantly reduced numbers of total NK cells and a striking shift in NK subsets, with a marked decrease in the CD56(dim) cell fraction compared to CD56(bright) cells, in both infections. This shift influenced the phenotype and functional capacity (gamma interferon production, killing) of the total NK pool. In addition, abnormalities in the functional capacity of the CD56(dim) NK subset were observed in HIV(+) patients. The shared NK alterations were found to be associated with a significant reduction in serum levels of the innate cytokine interleukin 15 (IL-15). In vitro stimulation with IL-15 rescued NK cells of HIV(+) and HCV(+) patients from apoptosis and enhanced proliferation and functional activity. We hypothesize that the reduced levels of IL-15 present in the serum during HIV and HCV infections might impact NK cell homeostasis, contributing to the common alterations of the NK pool observed in these unrelated infections