Régime alimentaire de Rupicola rupicola (Cotingidae) en Guyane française : relations avec la frugivorie et la zoochorie

The diet of the Guianan Cock-of-the-Rock (Rupicola rupicola) was studied in a pristine lowland rainforest, near an inselberg in French Guiana. Droppings were collected under a nest and observations were conducted on a radio-tagged female. Nestlings were mostly fed fruit, but not exclusively so, as insects, small snakes, and lizards were also delivered to the chicks. The characteristics of the fruits consumed, and of the fruiting plants, were given special attention. The fruit diet is highly diversified : 65 species belonging to 31 families were recorded as ingested in a little more than one month. Remains of fifty-two species belonging to 26 families were identified under the nest itself. A quantification by feeding units (representing what the bird actually takes on the plant) shows that three quarters of the diet were contributed by only a quarter of the fruit species. Two thirds of the feeding units were contributed by only four plant families. Half the number of fruit species and two thirds of the feeding units were drupes, generally 10 to 20 mm in breadth, with seeds 5-1 5 mm wide. 83 % of the fruits were uniformly coloured. Taken together, black and red fruits were three times more abundant than all the others. The pulp of more than two thirds of the fruits amounted to at least three fifths of the fruit itself. A large proportion of the fruits consumed were those of canopy trees and lianas. More than three quarters of the fruits were from plants with large simultaneous crop production. These fruits were plucked out on the wing by the adult female which patroled a home range of 9.7 ha when feeding her brood, going from one fruiting tree to another. These results are compared with the scanty littérature data on the diet of the two Rupicola species. Cocks-of-the-rocks cannot be considered as specialized frugivores, sensu Snow (1981). The assumed coevolution between cocks-of-the-rocks and plants is briefly discussed.Erard Christian, Théry Marc, Sabatier Daniel. Régime alimentaire de Rupicola rupicola(Cotingidae) en Guyane française. Relations avec la frugivorie et la zoochorie. In: Revue d'Écologie (La Terre et La Vie), tome 44, n°1, 1989. pp. 47-74

Measurement of interleukin 1 alpha and 1 beta (IL-1 alpha and IL-1 beta) in human cystic lésions of the jaw. Implications for the pathogenesis of radicular cysts

Human radicular cystic tissue of jaws was found to contain between 0.823 pg/mg to 18.026 pg/mg interleukin 1 beta and from 0.34 pg/mg to 0.708 pg/mg interleukin 1 alpha.No IL-1 beta and alpha could be found in specimens from healthy patients. A finding which may be extremely relevant in cystic growth and episodes of alveolar bone resorption around the cystic lesion.Human radicular cystic tissue of jaws was found to contain between 0.823 pg/mg to 18.026 pg/mg interleukin 1 beta and from 0.34 pg/mg to 0.708 pg/mg interleukin 1 alpha.No IL-1 beta and alpha could be found in specimens from healthy patients. A finding which may be extremely relevant in cystic growth and episodes of alveolar bone resorption around the cystic lesion.Les tissus des kystes radiculaires chez l’homme contiennent 0,823 à 18,026 pg/mg d’interleukines 1 beta et 0,34 à 0,708 pg/mg d’interleukines alpha. Il n’a pas été trouvé d’IL-1 beta et alpha dans des prélèvements effectués chez des individus sains. Cette constatation peut avoir des conséquences importantes en relation avec la croissance du kyste et la résorption de l’os alvéolaire avoisinant

Planetary Science Virtual Observatory architecture

In the framework of the Europlanet-RI program, a prototype of Virtual Observatory dedicated to Planetary Science was defined. Most of the activity was dedicated to the elaboration of standards to retrieve and visualize data in this field, and to provide light procedures to teams who wish to contribute with on-line data services. The architecture of this VO system and selected solutions are presented here, together with existing demonstrators

The EPN-TAP protocol for the Planetary Science Virtual Observatory

A Data Access Protocol has been set up to search and retrieve Planetary Science data in general. This protocol will allow the user to select a subset of data from an archive in a standard way, based on the IVOA Table Access Protocol (TAP). The TAP mechanism is completed by an underlying Data Model and reference dictionaries. This paper describes the principle of the EPN- TAP protocol and interfaces, underlines the choices that have been made, and discusses possible evolutions.Comment: 21 pages. Submitted to Astronomy & Computing, S.I. Virtual Observator

AUDIT STATE DEPENDENT TAXPAYER COMPLIANCE: THEORY AND EVIDENCE FROM COLOMBIA

We develop and analyze a dynamic model of individual taxpayer compliance choice that predicts “audit state dependent taxpayer compliance”, by distinguishing between naïve and myopic behavior versus sophisticated and forward-looking behavior. We then test experimentally the audit state dependent model by reporting the results from the first tax compliance experiment run in Colombia. Consistent with previous studies as well as theoretical predictions, we find that subjects’ compliance rates increase in the audit probability and in the fine rate. We also find more novel results, both theoretically and empirically: fine rates should be increased after an audit to discourage otherwise-increased underreporting, and “nudging” myopic individuals toward reporting a constant rather than a fluctuating proportion of income would benefit both the taxpayer and the tax authority

Association between High Levels of Blood Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor, Inappropriate Adrenal Response, and Early Death in Patients with Severe Sepsis

Background.Identification of new therapeutic targets remains an imperative goal to improve the morbidity and mortality associated with severe sepsis and septic shock. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), a proinflammatory cytokine and counterregulator of glucocorticoids, has recently emerged as a critical mediator of innate immunity and experimental sepsis, and it is an attractive new target for the treatment of sepsis. Methods.Circulating concentrations of MIF were measured in 2 clinical trial cohorts of 145 pediatric and adult patients who had severe sepsis or septic shock caused predominantly by infection with Neisseria meningitidis or other gram-negative bacteria, to study the kinetics of MIF during sepsis, to analyze the interplay between MIF and other mediators of sepsis or stress hormones (adrenocorticotropic hormone and cortisol), and to determine whether MIF is associated with patient outcome. Results.Circulating concentrations of MIF were markedly elevated in 96% of children and adults who had severe sepsis or septic shock, and they remained elevated for several days. MIF levels were correlated with sepsis severity scores, presence of shock, disseminated intravascular coagulation, urine output, blood pH, and lactate and cytokine levels. High levels of MIF were associated with a rapidly fatal outcome. Moreover, in meningococcal sepsis, concentrations of MIF were positively correlated with adrenocorticotropic hormone levels and negatively correlated with cortisol levels and the cortisol : adrenocorticotropic hormone ratio, suggesting an inappropriate adrenal response to sepsis. Conclusions.MIF is markedly and persistently up-regulated in children and adults with gram-negative sepsis and is associated with parameters of disease severity, with dysregulated pituitary-adrenal function in meningococcal sepsis, and with early deat