The Pheromone of the Cave Cricket, Hadenoecus cumberlandicus, Causes Cricket Aggregation but Does Not Attract the Co-Distributed Predatory Spider, Meta ovalis

Food input by the cave cricket, Hadenoecus cumberlandicus Hubble & Norton (Orthoptera: Rhaphidophoridae), is vital to the cave community, making this cricket a true keystone species. Bioassays conducted on cave walls and in the laboratory show that clustering in H. cumberlandicus is guided by a pheromone, presumably excreta. This aggregation pheromone was demonstrated by using filter paper discs that had previous adult H. cumberlandicus exposure, resulting in > 70% response by either nymphs or adults, prompting attraction (thus, active component is a volatile), followed by reduced mobility (arrestment) on treated surfaces. Adults were similarly responsive to pheromone from nymphs, agreeing with mixed stage composition of clusters in the cave. Effects of [0.001M – 0.1M] uric acid (insect excreta's principle component) on H. cumberlandicus behavior were inconsistent. This pheromone is not a host cue (kairomone) and is not used as a repellent (allomone) as noted through lack of responses to natural H. cumberlandicus pheromone and uric acid concentrations by a co-occurring predatory cave orb weaver spider, Meta ovalis Gertsch (Araneae: Tetragnathidae). This pheromone is not serving as a sex pheromone because nymphs were affected by it and because this population of H. cumberlandicus is parthenogenic. The conclusion of this study is that the biological value of the aggregation pheromone is to concentrate H. cumberlandicus in sheltered sites in the cave conducive for minimizing water stress. Rather than signaling H. cumberlandicus presence and quality, the reduced mobility expressed as a result of contacting this pheromone conceivably may act as a defense tactic (antipredator behavior) against M. ovalis, which shares this favored habitat site

A perspective on color vision in platyrrhine monkeys

AbstractStudies carried out over the past two decades show that many platyrrhine (New World) monkeys have polymorphic color vision. This condition results from the sorting of allelic versions of X-chromosome cone opsin genes at a single gene site, yielding a mixture of dichromatic and trichromatic phenotypes in the population. Two genera of platyrrhine monkey are known to deviate significantly from this pattern. Examination of color vision, photopigments, and photopigment genes of all of these monkeys have stimulated a renewed interest in understanding the evolution of primate color vision

Trends in Right Ventricular Dysfunction, Tricuspid Valve Regurgitation and their Differential Impact on Survival for Children with Single Right Ventricle Physiology: The Utility of Multiphase Mixed Model Regression

Objective: Single-ventricle palliation of hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) depends on right-ventricle (RV) and tricuspid-valve performance. We describe time-related trends in RV dysfunction, TR and their association with survival. Methods: RV dysfunction and TR were evaluated from postoperative echocardiograms (5450), for 515 children with HLHS. Nonlinear mixed-models characterized time-related prevalence of ≥moderate RV dysfunction and TR. Their impact on survival was determined via parametric-hazard models. Results: The peak-prevalence ≥moderate RV dysfunction was 11% 4-months post–stage-1. By 6-years,M.Sc

FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS AND TREATMENT OF THE DELUSIONAL STATEMENTS OF A MAN WITH MULTIPLE DISABILITIES: A FOUR-YEAR FOLLOW-UP

Although delusional statements in people with intellectual disabilities and traumatic brain injury can be treated using behavioral interventions, none have demonstrated long-term treatment effects. In the current study, a functional analysis demonstrated that delusional statements were maintained by attention. Differential reinforcement of alternative behavior and extinction of delusional statements resulted in near elimination of delusional statements and an increase in nondelusional statements. Follow-up at 6 months, 1, 2, and 4 years indicated that treatment gains were maintained with continued staff training

Recurrent symptomatic aortic aneurysm in a young girl with tuberous sclerosis complex and review of the literature

An abdominal aortic aneurysm is a rare occurrence in pediatric populations. When present, it is usually associated with an underlying etiology such as a connective tissue disorder, inflammatory process, or noninflammatory medial degeneration. In the present report, we describe the case of a girl with tuberous sclerosis complex who underwent successful emergency open repair of a symptomatic infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm and recurrent type IV thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm