Community Characteristics and Demographic Development: Three Wurttemberg Communities, 1558-1914

Demographic behaviour is influenced not just by attributes of individuals but also by characteristics of the communities in which those individuals live. A project on ‘Economy, Gender, and Social Capital in the German Demographic Transition’ is analyzing the longterm determinants of fertility by carrying out family reconstitutions of three Württemberg communities (Auingen, Ebhausen, and Wildberg) between c. 1558 and 1914. A related project on ‘Human Well-Being and the “Industrious Revolution”: Consumption, Gender and Social Capital in a German Developing Economy, 1600-1900’ is using marriage and death inventories to investigate how consumption interacted with production and demographic behaviour in two of these communities. This paper examines the historical, political, institutional, geographical, and economic attributes of the communities analyzed in these projects and discusses their potential effects. The aim is to generate testable hypotheses and relevant independent variables for subsequent econometric analyses of demographic behaviour

Effects of brodifacoum and diphacinone exposure on four species of reptiles: tissue residue levels and survivorship

BACKGROUND: Anticoagulant rodenticides are used worldwide to control pest rodent species. However, the risks posed to nontarget reptiles have not been well characterized. In this study, 46 giant ameivas (Ameiva ameiva), 39 boa constrictors (Boa constrictor), 33 wood turtles (Rhinoclemmys pulcherrima), and 47 green iguanas (Iguana iguana) were orally dosed with one of two levels of either diphacinone or brodifacoum anticoagulant in propylene glycol solutions. Dosages were derived using daily food intake (DFI) equations, converting DFI to an equivalent anticoagulant bait amount and gavaging the solution volume needed to deliver the quantity of anticoagulant in that amount of bait. Animals were dosed on days 0 and 7 and monitored for a further 7 days for signs of anticoagulant intoxication and differences in behaviors and postures. At necropsy on day 14, animals were examined for thoracic and abdominal bleeding, and both tissue and organ samples were taken for histology. Liver and wholebody anticoagulant residues were assessed. RESULTS: No turtles or boas died due to anticoagulant exposure. However, anticoagulant intoxication was suspected in one iguana dosed with brodifacoum. A few treated ameivas died but exhibited no hemorrhaging. Liver residue levels were higher than whole-body remainder residue levels for all species. Unlike the other species, turtles had higher diphacinone residue levels than brodifacoum. CONCLUSION: Turtles and boas exhibited a relative insensitivity to diphacinone and brodifacoum, while the lizards appeared to be somewhat more sensitive to these compounds. This study provides data for future assessments of the risks to these species associated with anticoagulant use

Binge-Pattern Alcohol Exposure during Puberty Induces Long-Term Changes in HPA Axis Reactivity

Adolescence is a dynamic and important period of brain development however, little is known about the long-term neurobiological consequences of alcohol consumption during puberty. Our previous studies showed that binge-pattern ethanol (EtOH) treatment during pubertal development negatively dysregulated the responsiveness of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, as manifested by alterations in corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH), arginine vasopressin (AVP), and corticosterone (CORT) during this time period. Thus, the primary goal of this study was to determine whether these observed changes in important central regulators of the stress response were permanent or transient. In this study, juvenile male Wistar rats were treated with a binge-pattern EtOH treatment paradigm or saline alone for 8 days. The animals were left undisturbed until adulthood when they received a second round of treatments consisting of saline alone, a single dose of EtOH, or a second binge-pattern treatment paradigm. The results showed that pubertal binge-pattern EtOH exposure induced striking long-lasting alterations of many HPA axis parameters. Overall, our data provide strong evidence that binge-pattern EtOH exposure during pubertal maturation has long-term detrimental effects for the healthy development of the HPA axis

Piroxicam and intracavitary platinum-based chemotherapy for the treatment of advanced mesothelioma in pets: preliminary observations

Malignant Mesothelioma is an uncommon and very aggressive tumor that accounts for 1% of all the deaths secondary to malignancy in humans. Interestingly, this neoplasm has been occasionally described in companion animals as well. Aim of this study was the preclinical evaluation of the combination of piroxicam with platinum-based intracavitary chemotherapy in pets. Three companion animals have been treated in a three years period with this combination. Diagnosis was obtained by ultrasonographic exam of the body cavities that evidenced thickening of the mesothelium. A surgical biopsy further substantiated the diagnosis. After drainage of the malignant effusion from the affected cavity, the patients received four cycles of intracavitary CDDP at the dose of 50 mg/m2 every three weeks if dogs or four cycles of intracavitary carboplatin at the dose of 180 mg/m2 (every 3 weeks) if cats, coupled with daily administration of piroxicam at the dose of 0.3 mg/kg. The therapy was able to arrest the effusion in all patients for variable remission times: one dog is still in remission after 3 years, one dog died of progressive disease after 8 months and one cat died due to progressive neoplastic growth after six months, when the patient developed a mesothelial cuirass. The combination showed remarkable efficacy at controlling the malignant effusion secondary to MM in our patients and warrants further investigations

Impacts of organic and conventional crop management on diversity and activity of free-living nitrogen fixing bacteria and total bacteria are subsidiary to temporal effects

A three year field study (2007-2009) of the diversity and numbers of the total and metabolically active free-living diazotophic bacteria and total bacterial communities in organic and conventionally managed agricultural soil was conducted at the Nafferton Factorial Systems Comparison (NFSC) study, in northeast England. The result demonstrated that there was no consistent effect of either organic or conventional soil management across the three years on the diversity or quantity of either diazotrophic or total bacterial communities. However, ordination analyses carried out on data from each individual year showed that factors associated with the different fertility management measures including availability of nitrogen species, organic carbon and pH, did exert significant effects on the structure of both diazotrophic and total bacterial communities. It appeared that the dominant drivers of qualitative and quantitative changes in both communities were annual and seasonal effects. Moreover, regression analyses showed activity of both communities was significantly affected by soil temperature and climatic conditions. The diazotrophic community showed no significant change in diversity across the three years, however, the total bacterial community significantly increased in diversity year on year. Diversity was always greatest during March for both diazotrophic and total bacterial communities. Quantitative analyses using qPCR of each community indicated that metabolically active diazotrophs were highest in year 1 but the population significantly declined in year 2 before recovering somewhat in the final year. The total bacterial population in contrast increased significantly each year. Seasonal effects were less consistent in this quantitative study

A Population-Based Evaluation of a Publicly Funded, School-Based HPV Vaccine Program in British Columbia, Canada: Parental Factors Associated with HPV Vaccine Receipt

Analysis of a telephone survey by Gina Ogilvie and colleagues identifies the parental factors associated with HPV vaccine uptake in a school-based program in Canada

Investigation of tutin, a naturally-occurring plant toxin, as a novel, culturally-acceptable rodenticide in New Zealand

He nui nga mātauranga a te Māori (Ngai Tūhoe) e pā ana ki nga momo hua tāokeoke (Toxins) etaea ana te whakarite hei rauemi tāwai i ngā riha kīrearea, pērā anō ki nga whiu takarangi o te tāoke 1080. I whakamātauhia e matou i nga ira tāoke o roto o te hua Tutu, ki rō taiwhanga pūtaiao. Mā te wero atu ki tētahi kiore (Norway Rat) i hua mai ngā mohiotanga o te nui me te momo o ngā tāokeoke kei roto i tēnei miro Māori, me te āhua o tēnei tāoke kia mau-rohā tonu tōna tuku whakahemo (Humaneness). Kei tua o te 55 mg kg⁻¹neke atu, te ine i tūtuki pai ai nga tāhawahawatanga o te miro Tutu, ā, e mau-roha tonu ana te kōhurutanga o te r iha. Ko te whakatau kia kawea atu tēnei kaupapa ki nga ahurewa rangahau e taea ai te waihanga i tētahi mōunu tāokeoke, kia whakamātauria ki rō ngāhere. Hei tāpiritanga ki tēnei, he roa rawa te wā e pakari ai te whanaketanga mai o tētahi tākoe e rerekē ana ki te 1080, anō nei, mā ngā kawenga o te mātauranga Māori ki tēnei take e whanake tika ai te kaupapa nei. New Zealand has many introduced mammalian species that are managed as pests of conservation and/or economic importance, including four rodent species. Vertebrate pesticides are the most important rodent management tool, largely dominated by anticoagulants such as brodifacoum, and by the metabolic disruptor, Compound 1080. There has been considerable opposition to these pesticides, primarily based on concerns about environmental persistence and non-target effects; Maori have been particularly vocal in opposition. Maori have place-based knowledge about naturally-occurring plant toxins that could be used as culturally-acceptable alternatives to existing rodenticides. In the context of the research presented here, the term ‘culturally-acceptable’ refers to new pest control options that have been co-designed with Matauranga Maori experts that inherently include Maori ways of thinking, being, and acting. Tuhoe researchers in our study wanted to pursue the most promising natural toxic compound found in native plants as a suitable alternative to current vertebrate pesticides. Therefore, we undertook an oral gavage trial to assess the toxicity of tutin, the toxin active in tutu (Coriaria arborea), to the Norway rat, (Rattus norvegicus). Tutin was toxic to this species at a dose of 55 mg kg⁻¹, with a quick, humane death compared to other existing rodenticides. At a dose rate of 55 mg kg⁻¹, all animals of both sexes died within an hour, and once neurological poisoning symptoms commenced these animals were unconscious within 5-10 minutes. We conclude it is warranted to take the next logical research step, which is to prove whether this dose rate would be technically attainable in the field. Although for now New Zealand remains reliant on 1080 and anti-coagulants for mammalian pest control, efforts should continue to develop more targeted toxins and delivery systems. We recommend incorporating Matauranga Maori to identify alternative control tools that could lead to more culturally acceptable pest control

Alcoholism and Strongyloides stercoralis: Daily Ethanol Ingestion Has a Positive Correlation with the Frequency of Strongyloides Larvae in the Stools

It has been reported that Strongyloides stercoralis infection is more prevalent in chronic alcoholic patients than in non alcoholics living in the same country. In a retrospective study on the prevalence of S. stercoralis infection in a large sample of alcoholic patients, we demonstrate that this prevalence is significantly higher than in non-alcoholic patients admitted at the same hospital. Moreover, the frequency of the parasite was in close relationship with the daily amount of ingested ethanol, even in the absence of liver cirrhosis, reinforcing the idea that chronic alcoholism is associated with increased susceptibility to Strongyloides infection. Beside the bad hygiene profile of alcoholic patients, which explains high risk for acquisition of the parasite, the high prevalence of S. stercoralis in alcoholics may be in relationship with other effects of ethanol on the intestinal motility, steroid metabolism and immune system, which could enhance the chance of autoinfection and the survival and fecundity of females in duodenum. In this way, the number of larvae in the stools is higher in alcoholic patients, increasing the chance of a positive result in a stool examination by sedimentation method

Foundations of Black Hole Accretion Disk Theory

This review covers the main aspects of black hole accretion disk theory. We begin with the view that one of the main goals of the theory is to better understand the nature of black holes themselves. In this light we discuss how accretion disks might reveal some of the unique signatures of strong gravity: the event horizon, the innermost stable circular orbit, and the ergosphere. We then review, from a first-principles perspective, the physical processes at play in accretion disks. This leads us to the four primary accretion disk models that we review: Polish doughnuts (thick disks), Shakura-Sunyaev (thin) disks, slim disks, and advection-dominated accretion flows (ADAFs). After presenting the models we discuss issues of stability, oscillations, and jets. Following our review of the analytic work, we take a parallel approach in reviewing numerical studies of black hole accretion disks. We finish with a few select applications that highlight particular astrophysical applications: measurements of black hole mass and spin, black hole vs. neutron star accretion disks, black hole accretion disk spectral states, and quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs).Comment: 91 pages, 23 figures, final published version available at http://www.livingreviews.org/lrr-2013-