Woody and arboreal habitats of the Green Salamander (Aneides aeneus) in the Blue Ridge Mountains

The green salamander (Aneides aeneus) is primarily considered a rock crevice dwelling species. However, many early observations from Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia report A. aeneus taken from woody and arboreal habitats. There have been only four published records of A. aeneus using such habitats within the Blue Ridge Disjunct population of southwest North Carolina, northeast Georgia, and northwest South Carolina, and no records since 1952. Here I report two personal observations of A. aeneus using arboreal habitats in North Carolina. Additionally, I report nine observations, made by others, of A. aeneus using woody, arboreal, or otherwise non-rock-crevice habitats in North and South Carolina, including the first non-rock-crevice A. aeneus nesting record for the Blue Ridge. I also speculate that woody and arboreal habitats play a much larger role in the life-history of A. aeneus than generally thought, and that the rarity of A. aeneus is linked to the loss of American Chestnut and old-growth forests

Efficient data representation for XML in peer-based systems

Purpose - New directions in the provision of end-user computing experiences mean that the best way to share data between small mobile computing devices needs to be determined. Partitioning large structures so that they can be shared efficiently provides a basis for data-intensive applications on such platforms. The partitioned structure can be compressed using dictionary-based approaches and then directly queried without firstly decompressing the whole structure. Design/methodology/approach - The paper describes an architecture for partitioning XML into structural and dictionary elements and the subsequent manipulation of the dictionary elements to make the best use of available space. Findings - The results indicate that considerable savings are available by removing duplicate dictionaries. The paper also identifies the most effective strategy for defining dictionary scope. Research limitations/implications - This evaluation is based on a range of benchmark XML structures and the approach to minimising dictionary size shows benefit in the majority of these. Where structures are small and regular, the benefits of efficient dictionary representation are lost. The authors' future research now focuses on heuristics for further partitioning of structural elements. Practical implications - Mobile applications that need access to large data collections will benefit from the findings of this research. Traditional client/server architectures are not suited to dealing with high volume demands from a multitude of small mobile devices. Peer data sharing provides a more scalable solution and the experiments that the paper describes demonstrate the most effective way of sharing data in this context. Social implications - Many services are available via smartphone devices but users are wary of exploiting the full potential because of the need to conserve battery power. The approach mitigates this challenge and consequently expands the potential for users to benefit from mobile information systems. This will have impact in areas such as advertising, entertainment and education but will depend on the acceptability of file sharing being extended from the desktop to the mobile environment. Originality/value - The original work characterises the most effective way of sharing large data sets between small mobile devices. This will save battery power on devices such as smartphones, thus providing benefits to users of such devices

Fowl communicate the size, speed and proximity of avian stimuli through graded structure in referential alarm calls

Many animals produce alarm calls that warn conspecifics about predators. In some species, alarm calls communicate continuous traits associated with a predator encounter, such as its level of threat. In other species, alarm calls communicate categorical traits, such as predator class (e.g. avian versus terrestrial), and are consequently considered functionally referential. In theory, functionally referential alarm calls can simultaneously communicate continuously distributed traits, though examples of such calls are rare. Such dual-function calls could be adaptive because they would enable receivers to tailor their responses to a specific predator class, as well as to more subtle characteristics of individual attacks. Here, we tested whether male fowl (Gallus gallus) communicate continuous variation in avian stimuli through graded structure in their functionally referential aerial alarm calls. In the first experiment, we held male fowl in an indoor test cage and allowed them to view wild birds flying past a window. We recorded their alarm calls and compared the structure to the size, speed, and proximity of the eliciting stimuli. Stimuli that appeared closer, larger, and faster elicited alarm calls that were shorter, louder, clearer, and lower in frequency. In the second experiment, we broadcast alarm calls to foraging females and compared their responses to the graded structural changes documented earlier. Females exhibited greater initial responses and finished feeding later in response to louder alarm calls. Together, these results show that fowl communicate the size, speed and proximity of avian stimuli through graded variation in their functionally referential aerial alarm calls

Early Surgery for Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury: Where Are We Now?

Study Design: Narrative review. Objective: There is a strong biological rationale to perform early decompression after traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). With an enlarging clinical evidence base, most spine surgeons internationally now favor early decompression for the majority of SCI patients; however, a number of pertinent questions remain surrounding this therapy. Methods: A narrative review evaluating the status of early surgery for SCI. In particular, we addressed the following questions: (1) Which patients stand to benefit most from early surgery? 2) What is the most appropriate time threshold defining early surgery? Results: Although heterogeneity exists, the evidence generally seems to support early surgery. While the best evidence exists for cervical SCI, there is insufficient data to support a differential effect for early surgery depending on neurological level or injury severity. When comparing thresholds to define early versus late surgery-including a later threshold (48-72 hours), an earlier threshold (24 hours), and an ultra-early threshold (8-12 hours)-the 2 earlier time points seem to be associated with the greatest potential for improved outcomes. However, existing prehospital and hospital logistics pose barriers to early surgery in a significant proportion of patients. An overview of recommendations from the recent AOSpine guidelines is provided. Conclusion: In spite of increasing acceptance of early surgery post SCI, further research is needed to (1) identify subgroups of patients who stand to derive particular benefit-in particular to develop more evidence-based approaches for central cord syndrome and (2) investigate the efficacy and feasibility of ultra-early surgery targeting more aggressive timelines

The modular synthesis of rare earth-transition metal heterobimetallic complexes utilizing a redox-active ligand

We report a robust and modular synthetic route to heterometallic rare earth-transition metal complexes. We have used the redox-active bridging ligand 1,10-phenathroline-5,6-dione (pd), which has selective N,N′ or O,O′ binding sites as the template for this synthetic route. The coordination complexes [Ln(hfac)3(N,N’-pd)] (Ln = Y [1], Gd [2]; hfac = hexafluoroacetylacetonate) were synthesised in high yield. These complexes have been fully characterised using a range of spectroscopic techniques. Solid state molecular structures of 1 and 2 have been determined by X-ray crystallography and display different pd binding modes in coordinating and non-coordinating solvents. Complexes 1 and 2 are unusually highly coloured in coordinating solvents, for example the vis-NIR spectrum of 1 in acetonitrile displays an electronic transition centred at 587 nm with an extinction coefficient consistent with significant charge transfer. The reaction between 1 and 2 and VCp2 or VCpt2 (Cpt = tetramethylcyclopentadienyl) resulted in the isolation of the heterobimetallic complexes, [Ln(hfac)3(N,N′-O,O′-pd)VCp2] (Ln = Y [3], Gd [4]) or [Ln(hfac)3(N,N′-O,O′-pd)VCpt2] (Ln = Y [5], Gd [6]). The solid state molecular structures of 3, 5 and 6 have been determined by X-ray crystallography. The spectroscopic data on 3–6 are consistent with oxidation of V(II) to V(IV) and reduction of pd to pd2− in the heterobimetallic complexes. The spin-Hamiltonian parameters from low temperature X-band EPR spectroscopy of 3 and 5 describe a 2A1 ground state, with a V(IV) centre. DFT calculations on 3 are in good agreement with experimental data and confirm the SOMO as the dx2−y2 orbital localised on vanadium

On the Benefits of Valuing Being Friends for Non-Marital Romantic Partners

Romantic relationships are, at their core, friendships. As such, it may be the case that valuing that aspect of the relationship fortifies the romantic relationship against negative outcomes and serves as a buffer against dissolution. We explored the role of valuing friendship within romantic relationships in two two-wave studies examining whether investing in the friendship aspect of the relationship (Study 1; N = 190) and placing importance on affiliative need fulfillment (Study 2; N = 184) were associated with positive concurrent outcomes and positive outcomes over time. Results revealed that valuing the friendship aspect of a romance is a strong positive predictor of concurrent romantic relationship qualities (i.e., love, sexual gratification, and romantic commitment), is associated with increases in these qualities over time and is negatively associated with romantic dissolution. Furthermore, evidence suggests that these benefits come from valuing friendship specifically, rather than any other aspect of the relationship (e.g., the sexual aspect)

Committed to Oprah, Homer, or House: Using the Investment Model to Understand Parasocial Relationships

People can develop close relationships with media figures viewed on TV. Across two studies we examined the extent to which satisfaction with, alternatives to, and investments in such parasocial relationships (PSR) account for feelings of commitment toward favored TV characters. In Study 1, satisfaction and investments positively predicted commitment to fictional TV characters, whereas the alternative of not following any TV character negatively predicted commitment to the PSR. In Study 2, we tested the bases of the investment model as predictors of commitment to fictional (e.g., Homer Simpson) versus nonfictional (e.g., Oprah Winfrey) TV characters. As in Study 1, for both fictional and nonfictional characters, commitment level was significantly predicted by levels of satisfaction and investments. However, the alternative of not following any character was significantly associated with commitment only for fictional characters. Results support the use of the investment model to understand processes underlying PSRs