USING CALLING ACTIVITY TO PREDICT CALLING ACTIVITY: A CASE STUDY WITH THE ENDANGERED HOUSTON TOAD (BUFO [ANAXYRUS] HOUSTONENSIS)

Understanding anuran calling activity patterns is important for maximizing efficiency and value of call survey data collection and analyses. Previous studies have primarily focused on identifying and quantifying abiotic variables that influence anuran calling activity, and investigating relationships between calling activity and population estimates. In this study we investigated the use of a predictor pond approach to guide call survey effort. In this approach, calling activity at a subset of breeding sites (e.g., ponds) is used as a predictor of calling activity at additional breeding sites, with the goal being to minimize sampling effort while simultaneously maximizing sampling efficiency. We explored the efficiency of this approach using call survey data collected on the endangered Houston Toad (Bufo [Anaxyrus] houstonensis) at 15 known breeding ponds over 9 survey years. We found that if calling activity at 3 predictor ponds was used to decide if additional call surveys would occur at the remaining 12 ponds, we would have hypothetically correctly assumed calling activity was not occurring at non-predictor ponds on 92.1% of survey nights, and we would have hypothetically detected 93.9% of the total number of detected individuals over the 9 survey years. We found the predictor pond approach performed well in our case study, and believe it could be a valuable tool for many anuran monitoring programs

Assessing infant carriage systems: ground reaction force implications for gait of the caregiver

Objective: To assess the acute alterations of anterior infant carriage systems on the ground reaction force experienced during over ground walking. Background: Previous research has identified the alterations in posture and gait associated with an increased anterior load (external or internal); however the forces applied to the system due to the altered posture during over ground walking have not been established. Method: Thirteen mixed gender participants completed forty-five over ground walking trials at a self-selected pace under three loaded conditions (unloaded, semi-structured carrier 9.9kg and structured carrier 9.9kg). Each trial consisted of a fifteen metre walkway, centred around a piezoelectric force platform sampling at 1200 Hz. Differences were assessed between loaded and unloaded conditions and across carriers using paired samples t-tests and repeated measures ANOVA. Results: Additional load increased all ground reaction force parameters; however, the magnitude of force changes was influenced by carrier structure. The structured carrier displayed increased force magnitudes, a reduction in the time to vertical maximum heel contact and an increased duration of the flat foot phase in walking gait. Conclusion: Evidence suggest that the acute application of anterior infant carriers alters both kinetic and temporal measures of walking gait. Importantly these changes appear to be governed not solely by the additional mass but also by the structure of the carrier. Application: These findings indicate carrier structure should be considered by the wearer and may be used to inform policy in the recommendation of anterior infant carriage systems use by caregivers

Partial swing golf shots: scaled from full swing or independent technique?

During practice and competition, golfers are required to use submaximal effort to hit the ball a given distance, i.e. perform a partial shot. While the full golf swing has undergone extensive research, little has addressed partial shots and the biomechanical modifications golfers employ. This study investigates the biomechanical changes between full and partial swings, and determines if the partial swing is a scaled version of the full swing. Using a repeated measures design, thirteen male golfers completed a minimum of 10 swings in the full and partial swing conditions, whilst club, ball, kinematic and kinetic parameters were recorded. Large and statistically significant reductions in body motion (centre of pressure ellipse: 33%, p = 0.004 , d = 2.26), combined with moderate reductions in lateral shift (25.5%, p = 0.004, d = 0.332) and smaller reductions in trunk rotation (arm to vertical at top of backswing: 14.1%, p = 0.002, d = 2.58) indicate golfers favour larger reductions in proximal measures, combined with diminished reductions as variables moved distally. Furthermore, the partial swing was not found to be a scaled version of the full swing implying a new approach to coaching practices might be considered

Multiple duplications of yeast hexose transport genes in response to selection in a glucose-limited environment

When microbes evolve in a nutrient-limited environment, natural selection can be predicted to favor genetic changes that give cells greater access to limiting substrate. We analyzed a population of baker\u27s yeast that underwent 450 generations of glucose-limited growth. Relative to the strain used as the inoculum, the predominant cell type at the end of this experiment sustains growth at significantly lower steady-state glucose concentrations and demonstrates markedly enhanced cell yield per mole glucose, significantly enhanced high-affinity glucose transport, and greater relative fitness in pairwise competition. These changes are correlated with increased levels of mRNA hybridizing to probe generated from the hexose transport locus HXT6. Further analysis of the evolved strain reveals the existence of multiple tandem duplications involving two highly similar, high-affinity hexose transport loci, HXT6 and HXT7. Selection appears to have favored changes that result in the formation of more than three chimeric genes derived from the upstream promoter of the HXT gene and the coding sequence of HXT6. We propose a genetic mechanism to account for these changes and speculate as to their adaptive significance in the context of gene duplication as a common response of microorganisms to nutrient limitation

Race/Ethnicity, Educational Attainment, and Pregnancy Complications in New York City Women with Pre-existing Diabetes

Background: More women are entering pregnancy with pre-existing diabetes. Disease severity, glycaemic control, and predictors of pregnancy complications may differ by race/ethnicity or educational attainment, leading to differences in adverse pregnancy outcomes. Methods: We used linked New York City hospital record and birth certificate data for 6291 singleton births among women with pre-existing diabetes between 1995 and 2003. We defined maternal race/ethnicity as non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, Hispanic, South Asian, and East Asian, and education level as 12 years. Our outcomes were pre-eclampsia, preterm birth (PTB) (<37 weeks gestation and categorised as spontaneous or medically indicated), as well as small-for-gestational age (SGA) and large-for-gestational age (LGA). Using multivariable binomial regression, we estimated the risk ratios for pre-eclampsia, SGA, and LGA. We used multivariable multinomial regression to estimate odds ratios (OR) for PTB. Results: Compared with non-Hispanic white women with pre-existing diabetes, non-Hispanic black and Hispanic women with pre-existing diabetes had a 1.50-fold increased risk of pre-eclampsia compared with non-Hispanic whites with pre-existing diabetes, after full adjustment. Non-Hispanic black and Hispanic women with pre-existing diabetes had adjusted ORs of 1.72 [adj. 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.38, 2.15] and 1.65 [adj.95% CI 1.32, 2.05], respectively, for medically indicated PTB. South Asian women with pre-existing diabetes had the highest risk for having an SGA infant [adj. OR: 2.29; adj. 95% CI 1.73, 3.03]. East Asian ethnicity was not associated with these pregnancy complications. Conclusions: Non-Hispanic black, Hispanic, and South Asian women with pre-existing diabetes may benefit from targeted interventions to improve pregnancy outcomes

Short-Term Insulin Requirements Following Gastric Bypass Surgery in Severely Obese Women with Type 1 Diabetes

Background: In severely obese type 2 diabetes patients, gastric bypass surgery (GB) reduces body mass index (BMI) and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and allows reduced doses of insulin and other medications. Data regarding the effects of GB on severely obese patients with type 1 diabetes are limited. Methods: Severely obese women with type 1 diabetes (n = 9) were studied immediately before and after GB (7.7 ± 5.8 weeks, mean ± SD). Results: On average, GB reduced mean BMI by 11 % and mean HbA1c by 0.9 % (from 8.0 to 7.1 %), with a parallel 38 % decrease in basal insulin requirements (expressed per kilogram of body weight). Conclusion: GB rapidly decreased BMI, HbA1c, and insulin requirements in severely obese women with type 1 diabetes. However, physiologic insulin replacement remains necessary in patients with type 1 diabetes

Koinonia

Spotlight FeatureThe Cult of Cool: Rejecting Relevance and Pursuing Faithfulness, Kate Bowman Johnston ReflectionFaith and the Problem of Suffering, James Spiegel ACSD Summer 2006Photos from ACSE Author InterviewOur Place at the Table: The Role of White People in Racial Reconciliation: An Interview with Doug Schaupp, Glen Kinoshita Thinking TheologicallyThinking Theologically: The Seasons of Hope\u27s Redemption Part I, Todd Ream Book ReviewSkin Games, reviewed by Jessie M. Brown FeaturesThe President\u27s Corner Editor\u27s Deskhttps://pillars.taylor.edu/acsd_koinonia/1006/thumbnail.jp

Clinical Implications in Vaginal Orgasm Response

Previous research has shown that counselors feel uncomfortable addressing clients’ sexual concerns due to a lack of education on topics related to human sexuality. Various studies have attempted to identify the characteristics of vaginal orgasm, including whether women and other people with vaginas (PWV) can achieve different kinds of orgasms. The current study examines responses to participants surveyed across the United States on their orgasm response and compares responses of participants who achieved orgasm through masturbation and those who achieved orgasm through sex with a partner to determine whether PWV experience one kind of orgasm during masturbation and experience a different kind of orgasm during sex with a partner. Results from the current study suggest that there are two distinct orgasm experiences achieved by PWV which differ in physiological and psychological response. Counselors and counselor educators can use results from this study to help expand their knowledge on sexual response to feel more confident in their practice

Transit times and mean ages for nonautonomous and autonomous compartmental systems

We develop a theory for transit times and mean ages for nonautonomous compartmental systems. Using the McKendrick-von F\"orster equation, we show that the mean ages of mass in a compartmental system satisfy a linear nonautonomous ordinary differential equation that is exponentially stable. We then define a nonautonomous version of transit time as the mean age of mass leaving the compartmental system at a particular time and show that our nonautonomous theory generalises the autonomous case. We apply these results to study a nine-dimensional nonautonomous compartmental system modeling the terrestrial carbon cycle, which is a modification of the Carnegie-Ames-Stanford approach (CASA) model, and we demonstrate that the nonautonomous versions of transit time and mean age differ significantly from the autonomous quantities when calculated for that model