Do red deer stags (Cervus elaphus) use roar fundamental frequency (F0) to assess rivals?

It is well established that in humans, male voices are disproportionately lower pitched than female voices, and recent studies suggest that this dimorphism in fundamental frequency (F0) results from both intrasexual (male competition) and intersexual (female mate choice) selection for lower pitched voices in men. However, comparative investigations indicate that sexual dimorphism in F0 is not universal in terrestrial mammals. In the highly polygynous and sexually dimorphic Scottish red deer Cervus elaphus scoticus, more successful males give sexually-selected calls (roars) with higher minimum F0s, suggesting that high, rather than low F0s advertise quality in this subspecies. While playback experiments demonstrated that oestrous females prefer higher pitched roars, the potential role of roar F0 in male competition remains untested. Here we examined the response of rutting red deer stags to playbacks of re-synthesized male roars with different median F0s. Our results show that stags’ responses (latencies and durations of attention, vocal and approach responses) were not affected by the F0 of the roar. This suggests that intrasexual selection is unlikely to strongly influence the evolution of roar F0 in Scottish red deer stags, and illustrates how the F0 of terrestrial mammal vocal sexual signals may be subject to different selection pressures across species. Further investigations on species characterized by different F0 profiles are needed to provide a comparative background for evolutionary interpretations of sex differences in mammalian vocalizations

Indirect calibration between clinical observers - application to the New York Heart Association functional classification system

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Previous studies showed an inter-observer agreement for the NYHA classification of approximately 55%. The aim of this study was to calibrate the New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification system between observers, increasing its reliability.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Among 1136 community-dwellers in Porto, Portugal, aged ≥ 45 years, 265 reporting breathlessness answered a 4-item questionnaire to characterize symptom severity. The questionnaire was administered by 7 physicians who also classified the subject's functional capacity according to NYHA. Each subject was assessed by one physician. We calibrated NYHA classifications by the concurrent method, using 1-parameter logistic graded response model. Discrepancies between observers were assessed by differences in ability thresholds between NYHA classes I-II and II-III. The ability estimated by the model was used to predict the NYHA classification for each observer.</p> <p>Estimates of the first and second thresholds for each observer ranged from -1.92 to 0.46 and from 1.42 to 2.30, respectively. The agreement between estimated ability and the observers' NYHA classification was 88% (kappa = 0.61).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The study objectively indicates the main reason why several studies have reported low inter-observer is the existence of discrepant thresholds between observers in the definition of NYHA classes. The concurrent method can be used to minimize the reliability problem of NYHA classification.</p

Exposure to Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs during Pregnancy and the Risk of Selected Birth Defects: A Prospective Cohort Study

Contains fulltext : 97906.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)BACKGROUND: Since use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) during pregnancy is common, small increases in the risk of birth defects may have significant implications for public health. Results of human studies on the teratogenic risks of NSAIDs are inconsistent. Therefore, we evaluated the risk of selected birth defects after prenatal exposure to prescribed and over-the-counter NSAIDs. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We used data on 69,929 women enrolled in the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study between 1999 and 2006. Data on NSAID exposure were available from a self-administered questionnaire completed around gestational week 17. Information on pregnancy outcome was obtained from the Medical Birth Registry of Norway. Only birth defects suspected to be associated with NSAID exposure based upon proposed teratogenic mechanisms and previous studies were included in the multivariable logistic regression analyses. A total of 3,023 women used NSAIDs in gestational weeks 0-12 and 64,074 women did not report NSAID use in early pregnancy. No associations were observed between overall exposure to NSAIDs during pregnancy and the selected birth defects separately or as a group (adjusted odds ratio 0.7, 95% confidence interval 0.4-1.1). Associations between maternal use of specific types of NSAIDs and the selected birth defects were not found either, although an increased risk was seen for septal defects and exposure to multiple NSAIDs based on small numbers (2 exposed cases; crude odds ratio 3.9, 95% confidence interval 0.9-15.7). CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to NSAIDs during the first 12 weeks of gestation does not seem to be associated with an increased risk of the selected birth defects. However, due to the small numbers of NSAID-exposed infants for the individual birth defect categories, increases in the risks of specific birth defects could not be excluded

Smoking in preeclamptic women is associated with higher birthweight for gestational age and lower soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 levels: a nested case control study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Smoking paradoxically increases the risk of small-for-gestational-age (SGA) birth but protects against preeclampsia. Some studies have reported a "U-shaped" distribution of fetal growth in preeclamptic pregnancies, but reasons for this are unknown. We investigated whether cigarette smoking interacts with preeclampsia to affect fetal growth, and compared levels of soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1), a circulating anti-angiogenic protein, in preeclamptic smokers and non-smokers.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>From a multicenter cohort of 5337 pregnant women, we prospectively identified 113 women who developed preeclampsia (cases) and 443 controls. Smoking exposure was assessed by self-report and maternal hair nicotine levels. Fetal growth was assessed as z-score of birthweight for gestational age (BWGA). sFlt-1 was measured in plasma samples collected at the 24-26-week visit.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In linear regression, smoking and preeclampsia were each associated with lower BWGA z-scores (β = -0.29; p = 0.008, and β = -0.67; p < 0.0001), but positive interaction was observed between smoking and preeclampsia (β = +0.86; p = 0.0008) such that smoking decreased z-score by -0.29 in controls but increased it by +0.57 in preeclampsia cases. Results were robust to substituting log hair nicotine for self-reported smoking and after adjustment for confounding variables. Mean sFlt-1 levels were lower in cases with hair nicotine levels above vs. below the median (660.4 pg/ml vs. 903.5 pg/ml; p = 0.0054).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Maternal smoking seems to protect against preeclampsia-associated fetal growth restriction and may account, at least partly, for the U-shaped pattern of fetal growth described in preeclamptic pregnancies. Smoking may exert this effect by reducing levels of the anti-angiogenic protein sFlt-1.</p

Search for new phenomena in final states with an energetic jet and large missing transverse momentum in pp collisions at √ s = 8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

Results of a search for new phenomena in final states with an energetic jet and large missing transverse momentum are reported. The search uses 20.3 fb−1 of √ s = 8 TeV data collected in 2012 with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Events are required to have at least one jet with pT > 120 GeV and no leptons. Nine signal regions are considered with increasing missing transverse momentum requirements between Emiss T > 150 GeV and Emiss T > 700 GeV. Good agreement is observed between the number of events in data and Standard Model expectations. The results are translated into exclusion limits on models with either large extra spatial dimensions, pair production of weakly interacting dark matter candidates, or production of very light gravitinos in a gauge-mediated supersymmetric model. In addition, limits on the production of an invisibly decaying Higgs-like boson leading to similar topologies in the final state are presente

ATM haplotypes and breast cancer risk in Jewish high-risk women

While genetic factors clearly play a role in conferring breast cancer risk, the contribution of ATM gene mutations to breast cancer is still unsettled. To shed light on this issue, ATM haplotypes were constructed using eight SNPs spanning the ATM gene region (142 kb) in ethnically diverse non-Ashkenazi Jewish controls (n=118) and high-risk (n=142) women. Of the 28 haplotypes noted, four were encountered in frequencies of 5% or more and accounted for 85% of all haplotypes. Subsequently, ATM haplotyping of high-risk, non-Ashkenazi Jews was performed on 66 women with breast cancer and 76 asymptomatic. One SNP (rs228589) was significantly more prevalent among breast cancer cases compared with controls (P=4 × 10−9), and one discriminative ATM haplotype was significantly more prevalent among breast cancer cases (33.3%) compared with controls (3.8%), (P⩽10−10). There was no significant difference in the SNP and haplotype distribution between asymptomatic high-risk and symptomatic women as a function of disease status. We conclude that a specific ATM SNP and a specific haplotype are associated with increased breast cancer risk in high-risk non-Ashkenazi Jews

Characterizing Community-Based Mental Health Services for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Disruptive Behavior Problems

This study describes the characteristics of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) with disruptive behavior problems served in community-based mental health clinics, characterizes psychotherapy process and outcome, and examines differences between children with ASD and a non-ASD comparison group. Results indicate that children with ASD served in this setting are high functioning and diagnostically complex. Certain research-based behavioral and cognitive behavioral psychotherapeutic strategies were observed frequently, while parent training strategies and active teaching strategies were observed less frequently. The intensity or thoroughness with which strategies were pursued was relatively low. Outcome analyses indicate improvement in child symptoms and family functioning. Treatment delivery and outcome were similar for children with and without ASD. These findings represent the first detailed observational data characterizing community-based mental health services for children with ASD

Propylthiouracil Is Teratogenic in Murine Embryos

Background: Hyperthyroidism during pregnancy is treated with the antithyroid drugs (ATD) propylthiouracil (PTU) and methimazole (MMI). PTU currently is recommended as the drug of choice during early pregnancy. Yet, despite widespread ATD use in pregnancy, formal studies of ATD teratogenic effects have not been performed. Methods: We examined the teratogenic effects of PTU and MMI during embryogenesis in mice. To span different periods of embryogenesis, dams were treated with compounds or vehicle daily from embryonic day (E) 7.5 to 9.5 or from E3.5 to E7.5. Embryos were examined for gross malformations at E10.5 or E18.5 followed by histological and micro-CT analysis. Influences of PTU on gene expression levels were examined by RNA microarray analysis. Results: When dams were treated from E7.5 to E9.5 with PTU, neural tube and cardiac abnormalities were observed at E10.5. Cranial neural tube defects were significantly more common among the PTU-exposed embryos than those exposed to MMI or vehicle. Blood in the pericardial sac, which is a feature indicative of abnormal cardiac function and/or abnormal vasculature, was observed more frequently in PTU-treated than MMI-treated or vehicle-treated embryos. Following PTU treatment, a total of 134 differentially expressed genes were identified. Disrupted genetic pathways were those associated with cytoskeleton remodeling and keratin filaments. At E 18.5, no gross malformations were evident in either ATD group, but the number of viable PTU embryos per dam at E18.5 was significantly lower from those at E10.5, indicating loss o