Sexual Size Dimorphism and Body Condition in the Australasian Gannet

Funding: The research was financially supported by the Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment. Acknowledgments We thank the Victorian Marine Science Consortium, Sea All Dolphin Swim, Parks Victoria, and the Point Danger Management Committee for logistical support. We are grateful for the assistance of the many field volunteers involved in the study.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Feasibility studies for the measurement of time-like proton electromagnetic form factors from p¯ p→ μ+μ- at P ¯ ANDA at FAIR

This paper reports on Monte Carlo simulation results for future measurements of the moduli of time-like proton electromagnetic form factors, | GE| and | GM| , using the p¯ p→ μ+μ- reaction at P ¯ ANDA (FAIR). The electromagnetic form factors are fundamental quantities parameterizing the electric and magnetic structure of hadrons. This work estimates the statistical and total accuracy with which the form factors can be measured at P ¯ ANDA , using an analysis of simulated data within the PandaRoot software framework. The most crucial background channel is p¯ p→ π+π-, due to the very similar behavior of muons and pions in the detector. The suppression factors are evaluated for this and all other relevant background channels at different values of antiproton beam momentum. The signal/background separation is based on a multivariate analysis, using the Boosted Decision Trees method. An expected background subtraction is included in this study, based on realistic angular distributions of the background contribution. Systematic uncertainties are considered and the relative total uncertainties of the form factor measurements are presented

Synthèse de mica à base de germanium

Reproduction artificielle par voie sèche à 1 000° C d'un mica à base de silicum. Synthèse, dans des conditions identiques, d'un mica à base de germanium. Radiogrammes de Debye-Scherrer des produits obtenus et déchiffrement des clichés. Le mica germaneux obtenu possède une structure analogue à celle du mica siliceux de même composition moléculaire.Mullers S., Brasseur Henri. Synthèse de mica à base de germanium. In: Bulletin de la Société française de Minéralogie et de Cristallographie, volume 79, 10-12, 1956. pp. 582-590

Irish maternity: a changing ethnic landscape

Aim  We have experienced an increase in non-Irish women booking at the Rotunda Hospital. The aim of this study was to identify changing trends in ethnicity in women booking for prenatal care at the Rotunda Hospital.  Methods  A retrospective review of hospital data on ethnicity of 90,715 mothers booking over an 11-year period (2001-2012) was undertaken. Trends in numbers of Irish vs. non-Irish women were compared. A Linear regression model was used to analyse if these trends reached statistical significance.  Results  A total of 62,259 Irish and 28,456 non-Irish women booked over the study period. The number of Non-Irish women booking each year significantly increased over the study timeframe, from 1453 women in 2001 to 3136 women in 2012 (p Conclusion  In a single large tertiary referral maternity hospital, we witnessed a significant increase in the number of women booking of non-Irish ethnicity over the past decade. Barriers to language, as well as cultural differences, will be encountered, and will require attention to improve clinical outcomes, and maternal well-being.  </p

Fine-scale recognition and use of mesoscale fronts by foraging Cape gannets in the Benguela upwelling region

International audienceOceanic structures such as mesoscale fronts may become hotspots of biological activity through concentration and enrichment processes. These fronts generally attract fish and may therefore be targeted by marine top-predators. In the southern Benguela upwelling system, such fronts might be used as environmental cues by foraging seabirds. In this study we analyzed high-frequency foraging tracks (GPS, 1 s sampling) of Cape gannets Morus capensis from two colonies located on the west and east coast of South Africa in relation to mesoscale fronts detected on daily high-resolution chlorophyll-a maps (MODIS, 1 km). We tested the association of (i) searching behavior and (ii) diving activity of foraging birds with mesoscale fronts. We found that Cape gannets shift from transiting to area-restricted search mode (ARS) at a distance from fronts ranging between 2 and 11 km (median is 6.7 km). This suggests that Cape gannets may be able to sense fronts (smell or vision) or other predators, and that such detection triggers an intensified investigation of their surroundings (i.e. ARS). Also we found that diving probability increases near fronts in 11 out of 20 tracks investigated (55%), suggesting that Cape gannets substantially use fronts for feeding; in the remaining cases (45%), birds may have used other cues for feeding including fishing vessels, particularly for gannets breeding on the west coast. We demonstrated in this study that oceanographic structures such as mesoscale fronts are important environmental cues used by a foraging seabird within the rich waters of an upwelling system. There is now need for further investigations on how Cape gannets actually detect these fronts

Effects of In Utero Antiepileptic Drug Exposure

Recent studies demonstrate an increased teratogenic risk for valproate and a probable increased risk for phenobarbital. Carbamazepine and lamotrigine appear relatively safe; however, results are inconclusive concerning a specific risk for cleft lip/palate for both drugs as well as a dose-dependent effect for malformations associated with lamotrigine. Data regarding teratogenic risks for other antiepileptic drugs are inadequate. Additional studies are needed to delineate further the risks for all antiepileptic drugs and determine the underlying mechanisms

Seabirds, fisheries, and cameras

International audienc

Functional and phenotypical analysis of IL-6-secreting CD4(+) Tcells in human adipose tissue

Pathophysiology and treatment of rheumatic disease