937 research outputs found

    The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Agonistic Behaviour in Juvenile Crocodilians

    Get PDF
    We examined agonistic behaviour in seven species of hatchling and juvenile crocodilians held in small groups (N = 4) under similar laboratory conditions. Agonistic interactions occurred in all seven species, typically involved two individuals, were short in duration (5–15 seconds), and occurred between 1600–2200 h in open water. The nature and extent of agonistic interactions, the behaviours displayed, and the level of conspecific tolerance varied among species. Discrete postures, non-contact and contact movements are described. Three of these were species-specific: push downs by C. johnstoni; inflated tail sweeping by C. novaeguineae; and, side head striking combined with tail wagging by C. porosus. The two long-snouted species (C. johnstoni and G. gangeticus) avoided contact involving the head and often raised the head up out of the way during agonistic interactions. Several behaviours not associated with aggression are also described, including snout rubbing, raising the head up high while at rest, and the use of vocalizations. The two most aggressive species (C. porosus, C. novaeguineae) appeared to form dominance hierarchies, whereas the less aggressive species did not. Interspecific differences in agonistic behaviour may reflect evolutionary divergence associated with morphology, ecology, general life history and responses to interspecific conflict in areas where multiple species have co-existed. Understanding species-specific traits in agonistic behaviour and social tolerance has implications for the controlled raising of different species of hatchlings for conservation, management or production purposes

    Protective effect of small molecule analogues of the Acanthocheilonema viteae secreted product ES-62 on oxazolone-induced ear inflammation

    Get PDF
    ES-62 is the major secreted protein of the rodent filarial nematode Acanthocheilonema viteae. The molecule contains covalently attached phosphorylcholine (PC) residues, which confer anti-inflammatory properties on ES-62, underpinning the idea that drugs based on this active moiety may have therapeutic potential in human diseases associated with aberrant inflammation. Here we demonstrate that two synthetic small molecule analogues (SMAs) of ES-62 termed SMA 11a and SMA 12b are protective in the oxazolone-induced acute allergic contact dermatitis mouse model of skin inflammation, as measured by a significant reduction in ear inflammation following their administration before oxazolone sensitisation and before oxazolone challenge. Furthermore, it was found that when tested, 12b was effective at reducing ear swelling even when first administered before challenge. Histological analysis of the ears showed elevated cellular infiltration and collagen deposition in oxazolone-treated mice both of which were reduced by treatment with the two SMAs. Likewise, the oxazolone-induced increase in IFNγ mRNA in the ears was reduced but no effect on other cytokines investigated was observed. Finally, no influence on the mast cell populations in the ear was observed

    Attitudes toward children : distinguishing affection and stress

    Get PDF
    This project was supported by funding from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) under grant agreement ES/P002463/1.Background Adults' views and behaviors toward children can vary from being supportive to shockingly abusive, and there are significant unanswered questions about the psychological factors underpinning this variability. Objective The present research examined the content of adults' attitudes toward children to address these questions. Method Ten studies (N?=?4702) identified the factor structure of adults' descriptions of babies, toddlers, and school-age children and examined how the resulting factors related to a range of external variables. Results Two factors emerged?affection toward children and stress elicited by them?and this factor structure was invariant across the United Kingdom, the United States, and South Africa. Affection uniquely captures emotional approach tendencies, concern for others, and broad positivity in evaluations, experiences, motivations, and donation behavior. Stress relates to emotional instability, emotional avoidance, and concern about disruptions to a self-oriented, structured life. The factors also predict distinct experiences in a challenging situation?home-parenting during COVID-19 lockdown?with affection explaining greater enjoyment and stress explaining greater perceived difficulty. Affection further predicts mentally visualizing children as pleasant and confident, whereas stress predicts mentally visualizing children as less innocent. Conclusions These findings offer fundamental new insights about social cognitive processes in adults that impact adult?child relationships and children's well-being.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

    Rheumatoid nodule of the thyrohyoid membrane: a case report

    Get PDF
    BACKGROUND: Rheumatoid nodules are common extra-articular findings occurring in 20% of rheumatoid arthritis patients. They develop most commonly subcutaneously in pressure areas (elbows and finger joints) and may occasionally affect internal organs including pleura, lungs, meninges, larynx, and in other connective tissues elsewhere in the body CASE PRESENTATION: We present the case of a 62-year-old male who presented with a midline neck mass. Clinically it moved on swallowing and tongue protrusion-suggesting attachment to the thyrohyoid membrane. Ultrasound examination revealed a cystic lesion in the absence of cervical lymphadenopathy in a non-smoker. The neck was explored and histological examination of the excised lesion which was attached to the thyrohyoid membrane revealed a rheumatoid nodule. CONCLUSION: A rheumatoid nodule of the thyrohyoid membrane is very rare. The triple diagnostic scheme of clinical examination supplemented with ultrasound and guided fine needle aspiration for neck lumps remains valid in most cases. If excision is indicated we feel it should be performed in such a manner that the scar tract could easily be encompassed in a neck dissection excision should definitive histological examination be adverse. We suggest that when dealing with patients with established rheumatoid arthritis one should consider a rheumatoid nodule as a differential diagnosis for any swelling on the patient whether it be subcutaneous or deep

    A New Population of High Redshift, Dusty Lyman-Alpha Emitters and Blobs Discovered by WISE

    Get PDF
    We report a new technique to select 1.6<z<4.6 dusty Lyman-alpha emitters (LAEs), over a third of which are `blobs' (LABs) with emission extended on scales of 30-100kpc. Combining data from the NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mission with optical spectroscopy from the W.M. Keck telescope, we present a color criteria that yields a 78% success rate in identifying rare, dusty LAEs of which at least 37% are LABs. The objects have a surface density of only ~0.1 per square degree, making them rare enough that they have been largely missed in narrow surveys. We measured spectroscopic redshifts for 92 of these WISE-selected, typically radio-quiet galaxies and find that the LAEs (LABs) have a median redshift of 2.3 (2.5). The WISE photometry coupled with data from Herschel reveals that these galaxies have extreme far-infrared luminosities (L_IR>10^{13-14}L_sun) and warm colors, typically larger than submillimeter-selected galaxies (SMGs) and dust-obscured galaxies (DOGs). These traits are commonly associated with the dust being energized by intense AGN activity. We hypothesize that the combination of spatially extended Lyman-alpha, large amounts of warm IR-luminous dust, and rarity (implying a short-lived phase) can be explained if the galaxies are undergoing strong `feedback' transforming them from an extreme dusty starburst to a QSO.Comment: Submitted to ApJ Letters, 6 pages, 4 figures. Comments welcom

    Understanding and Challenging Populist Negativity towards Politics: The Perspectives of British Citizens

    Get PDF
    This article adapts and develops the idea of a cynical or ‘stealth’ understanding of politics to explore how citizens’ estrangement from formal politics is processed cognitively through a populist lens. Earlier work has shown the widespread presence of stealth attitudes in the United States and Finland. We show that stealth attitudes are also well established in Britain, demonstrate their populist character and reveal that age, newspaper readership and concerns about governing practices help predict their adoption by individuals. Yet our survey findings also reveal a larger body of positive attitudes towards the practice of democracy suggesting that there is scope for challenging populist cynicism. We explore these so-called ‘sunshine’ attitudes and connect them to the reform options favoured by British citizens. If we are to challenge populist negativity towards politics, we conclude that improving the operation of representative politics is more important than offering citizens new forms of more deliberative participation

    Vitamin D and SARS-Co V-2 virus/COVID-19 disease

    Get PDF
    Summary for social mediaVitamin D is essential for good health, especially bone and muscle health. Many people have low blood levels of vitamin D, especially in winter or if confined indoors, because summer sunshine is the main source of vitamin D for most people. Government vitamin D intake recommendations for the general population are 400 IU (10 µg) per day for the UK7 and 600 IU (15 µg) per day for the USA (800 IU (20 µg) per day for >70 years) and the EU.9 Taking a daily supplement (400 IU /day (10 µg/day) in the UK) and eating foods that provide vitamin D is particularly important for those self-isolating with limited exposure to sunlight. Vitamin D intakes greater than the upper limit of 4000 IU (100 µg) per day may be harmful and should be avoided unless under personal medical/clinical advice by a qualified health professional
    corecore