5,690 research outputs found
Sources And Consequences of Ecological Intraspecific Variation In The Florida Scrub Lizard (Sceloporus Woodi)
Sceloporus woodi is a small, sexually dimorphic Iguanid lizard endemic to dry xeric habitats in Florida. This species is most often found in sand-pine scrub habitats, but also inhabits relic long-leaf pine islands within the scrub of the Ocala National Forest in north central Florida. In the current study I investigated seasonal and sexual variation in foraging behavior of S. woodi and compared microhabitat use, behavior, diet, morphology, and ectoparasite load at a pine island site to S. woodi in scrub habitats. No variation in movement patterns existed between seasons and sexes. However significant seasonal and sexual differences did exist in the way S. woodi attacked prey. Using the proportion of attacks on prey made while stationary and lag sequential analysis, I found that females are more willing to move greater than one body length to attack prey items than males and both sexes are more apt to move to attack prey during the post-breeding season. These behavioral differences translated into a more diverse and higher volume diet in females during the breeding season. Even though both sexes showed the same seasonal patterns in foraging behavior, their diets changed in the opposite manner. Female diets decreased in volume and the number of prey types in the post-breeding season while male diets increased in both characteristics. Lizards at the pine island site used trees most often while lizards in the scrub used terrestrial habitats most often. Behavior was similar between habitats, but individuals did move their heads more often at the pine island site. At the pine island site lizards had significantly lower body temperatures, consumed less diverse prey, and had lower ectoparasite loads. Lizards in the long leaf pine had longer limbs than their counterparts in scrub habitats. However, only females differed in body shape between habitat types. This study has identified sources and consequences of variation in the foraging behavior of S. woodi. Additionally this study has shown that S. woodi in pine island habitats may differ ecologically from S. woodi in scrub habitats
Online open neuroimaging mass meta-analysis
We describe a system for meta-analysis where a wiki stores numerical data in
a simple format and a web service performs the numerical computation.
We initially apply the system on multiple meta-analyses of structural
neuroimaging data results. The described system allows for mass meta-analysis,
e.g., meta-analysis across multiple brain regions and multiple mental
disorders.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures SePublica 2012, ESWC 2012 Workshop, 28 May 2012,
Heraklion, Greec
Individuals with low back pain: how do they view physical activity?
Background. Recent guidelines for those with acute low back pain have advocated early resumption of normal activity and increased physical activity. Little is known about the relationship between low back pain and physical activity, and on the impact of that relationship on the promotion of increased levels of physical activity within a general practice population.
Objectives. We aimed to explore associations between factors that influence changes in physical activity and the way individuals perceive and behave with their low back pain, and the impact of those perceptions and behaviour on physical activity.
Methods. Twenty-seven informants were chosen using a purposive sample from a larger group of individuals who, because of their low back trouble, had been referred by their GPs to a community-based, single-blind, randomized controlled trial (RCT) at the University of York, which is evaluating the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a progressive exercise programme. Fifty-four interviews were conducted with this subgroup of the RCT; four informants were interviewed once, 19 twice and four of them three times. Interviews were transcribed and analysed using manual and computer-aided approaches.
Results. Physical activity was perceived as (i) activities of daily living, (ii) activities causing breathlessness that they went out of the way to do and (iii) more competitive-type activity. The avoidance of physical activity and fear of pain returning were the two main factors directly associated with informants' backs and changes in physical activity. These two factors hindered increases in physical activity, even though the majority of informants believed strongly that being physically active helped ease their low back pain.
Conclusions. When advocating that individuals with acute low back pain return to or increase physical activity, it is important that clinicians identify avoidance of physical activity and/or fear of pain at the earliest stage in order to tailor advice and reassurance appropriately. If avoidance of activity and fear of pain is identified and clinicians want to encourage patients to take up and sustain increased physical activity, they should explore issues of fear of pain, and avoidance of and confidence to do physical activities, in addition to other factors influencing physical activity
Relationship Between Symptoms and HealthâRelated Quality of Life in Patients Treated for Hypertension
Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/90331/1/phco.24.4.344.33177.pd
The Ages of the Thin Disk, Thick Disk, and the Halo from Nearby White Dwarfs
We present a detailed analysis of the white dwarf luminosity functions
derived from the local 40 pc sample and the deep proper motion catalog of Munn
et al (2014, 2017). Many of the previous studies ignored the contribution of
thick disk white dwarfs to the Galactic disk luminosity function, which results
in an erronous age measurement. We demonstrate that the ratio of thick/thin
disk white dwarfs is roughly 20\% in the local sample. Simultaneously fitting
for both disk components, we derive ages of 6.8-7.0 Gyr for the thin disk and
8.7 0.1 Gyr for the thick disk from the local 40 pc sample. Similarly, we
derive ages of 7.4-8.2 Gyr for the thin disk and 9.5-9.9 Gyr for the thick disk
from the deep proper motion catalog, which shows no evidence of a deviation
from a constant star formation rate in the past 2.5 Gyr. We constrain the time
difference between the onset of star formation in the thin disk and the thick
disk to be Gyr. The faint end of the luminosity function
for the halo white dwarfs is less constrained, resulting in an age estimate of
Gyr for the Galactic inner halo. This is the first time
ages for all three major components of the Galaxy are obtained from a sample of
field white dwarfs that is large enough to contain significant numbers of disk
and halo objects. The resultant ages agree reasonably well with the age
estimates for the oldest open and globular clusters.Comment: ApJ, in pres
Ariel - Volume 2 Number 7
Editors
Richard J. Bonanno
Robin A. Edwards
Associate Editors
Steven Ager
Stephen Flynn
Shep Dickman
Tom Williams
Lay-out Editor
Eugenia Miller
Contributing Editors
Michael J. Blecker
W. Cherry Light
James J. Nocon
Lynne Porter
Editors Emeritus
Delvyn C. Case, Jr.
Paul M. Fernhof
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