1981 (Fifty-Sixth) Spring Migration and Occurrence Report

Two hundred ninety-eight species are listed in this report, from 12 locations. The comparable figures from 1980 are 298 species from 14 locations; 1979292 from 12; and 1978300 from 13. The symbols used in the tabulation are: Ja, Fe, Mr, Ap, My, and Je for the months P to indicate a species which is present all the year, although the same individuals may not be present during the whole year, and the numbers may vary greatly between periods. p to indicate a species which is permanent in Garden Co. but not at the Refuge. -S to indicate a species which remained after 30 June

Excessive crying: behavioral and emotional regulation disorder in infancy

In the pediatric literature, excessive crying has been reported solely in association with 3-month colic and is described, if at all, as unexplained crying and fussing during the first 3 months of life. The bouts of crying are generally thought to be triggered by abdominal colic (over-inflation of the still immature gastrointestinal tract), and treatment is prescribed accordingly. According to this line of reasoning, excessive crying is harmless and resolves by the end of the third month without long-term consequences. However, there is evidence that it may cause tremendous distress in the mother-infant relationship, and can lead to disorders of behavioral and emotional regulation at the toddler stage (such as sleep and feeding disorders, chronic fussiness, excessive clinginess, and temper tantrums). Early treatment of excessive crying focuses on parent-infant communication, and parent-infant interaction in the context of soothing and settling the infant to sleep is a promising approach that may prevent later behavioral and emotional disorders in infancy

Cortisol levels in pregnancy as a psychobiological predictor for birth weight

Antenatal maternal stress is thought to negatively affect fetal development, birth outcomes, and infant's development. Glucocorticoids are suggested to be a common link between prenatal stressors and infant's health. However, data on these mechanisms are rare and sometimes conflicting. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of maternal distress during pregnancy on fetal development and birth weight in humans prospectively. This study focuses on cortisol as one mediating the mechanism of the association between maternal distress and birth outcomes. Pregnancy-related and general distress was measured in 81 women with uncomplicated, singleton pregnancies. The rise of salivary cortisol on awakening (CAR) was assessed in weeks13-18 and 35-37 postmenstrual age of pregnancy. Mothers completed a structured interview, the perceived stress scale, a widely used psychological instrument that provided a global measure of perceived stress, as well as the Prenatal Distress Questionnaire, a self-report questionnaire designed to assess worries and anxiety in pregnancy. Pre-, peri-, and postnatal medical risk factors as well as birth characteristics were extracted from medical records routinely kept by the attending obstetricians. Hierarchical multiple regressions indicate that maternal cortisol levels explained 19.8% of the variance in birth weight and 9% of the variance in body length at birth, even after controlling for gestational age, parity, pre-pregnancy BMI, smoking, and infant's sex. Newborns of mothers with higher cortisol levels in pregnancy had lower birth weights and were shorter at birth. An ANCOVA for repeated measures indicated that, after controlling for covariates, pregnancy-related as well as general distress in pregnancy did not influence cortisol levels after awakening (area under the curve). No significant associations between perceived stress and anthrometric measures at birth were found. In conclusion, maternal cortisol levels in pregnancy influence intrauterine growth and may be a better predictor for birth outcome than perceived stres

Combining evidence of selection with association analysis increases power to detect regions influencing complex traits in dairy cattle

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Hitchhiking mapping and association studies are two popular approaches to map genotypes to phenotypes. In this study we combine both approaches to complement their specific strengths and weaknesses, resulting in a method with higher statistical power and fewer false positive signals. We applied our approach to dairy cattle as they underwent extremely successful selection for milk production traits and since an excellent phenotypic record is available. We performed whole genome association tests with a new mixed model approach to account for stratification, which we validated via Monte Carlo simulations. Selection signatures were inferred with the integrated haplotype score and a locus specific permutation based integrated haplotype score that works with a folded frequency spectrum and provides a formal test of signifance to identify selection signatures.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>About 1,600 out of 34,851 SNPs showed signatures of selection and the locus specific permutation based integrated haplotype score showed overall good accordance with the whole genome association study. Each approach provides distinct information about the genomic regions that influence complex traits. Combining whole genome association with hitchhiking mapping yielded two significant loci for the trait protein yield. These regions agree well with previous results from other selection signature scans and whole genome association studies in cattle.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We show that the combination of whole genome association and selection signature mapping based on the same SNPs increases the power to detect loci influencing complex traits. The locus specific permutation based integrated haplotype score provides a formal test of significance in selection signature mapping. Importantly it does not rely on knowledge of ancestral and derived allele states.</p

Crying and feeding problems in infancy and cognitive outcome in preschool children born at risk : a prospective population study

Objective: To investigate whether regulatory problems, i.e., crying and feeding problems in infants > 3 months of age, predict cognitive outcome in preschool children born at risk even when controlled for confounding factors. Methods: A prospective longitudinal study of children born in a geographically defined area in Germany. N = 4427 children of 6705 eligible survivors (66%) participated at all four assessment points (neonatal, 5, 20, and 56 months of age). Excessive crying and feeding problems were measured at 5 months. Mental development was assessed with the Griffiths Scale at 20 months, and cognitive assessments were conducted at 56 months. Neonatal complications, neurological, and psychosocial factors were controlled as confounders in structural equation modeling and analyses of variance. Results: One in five infants suffered from single crying or feeding problems, and 2% had multiple regulatory problems, i.e., combined crying and feeding problems at 5 months. In girls, regulatory problems were directly predictive of lower cognition at 56 months, even when controlled for confounders, whereas in boys, the influence on cognition at 56 months was mediated by low mental development at 20 months. Both in boys and girls, shortened gestational age, neonatal neurological complications, and poor parent-infant relationship were predictive of regulatory problems at 5 months and lower cognition at 56 months. Conclusion: Regulatory problems in infancy have a small but significant adverse effect on cognitive development

Six1 homeoprotein drives myofiber type IIA specialization in soleus muscle

International audienceAbstractBackgroundAdult skeletal muscles are composed of slow and fast myofiber subtypes which each express selective genes required for their specific contractile and metabolic activity. Six homeoproteins are transcription factors regulating muscle cell fate through activation of myogenic regulatory factors and driving fast-type gene expression during embryogenesis.ResultsWe show here that Six1 protein accumulates more robustly in the nuclei of adult fast-type muscles than in adult slow-type muscles, this specific enrichment takes place during perinatal growth. Deletion of Six1 in soleus impaired fast-type myofiber specialization during perinatal development, resulting in a slow phenotype and a complete lack of Myosin heavy chain 2A (MyHCIIA) expression. Global transcriptomic analysis of wild-type and Six1 mutant myofibers identified the gene networks controlled by Six1 in adult soleus muscle. This analysis showed that Six1 is required for the expression of numerous genes encoding fast-type sarcomeric proteins, glycolytic enzymes and controlling intracellular calcium homeostasis. Parvalbumin, a key player of calcium buffering, in particular, is a direct target of Six1 in the adult myofiber.ConclusionsThis analysis revealed that Six1 controls distinct aspects of adult muscle physiology in vivo, and acts as a main determinant of fast-fiber type acquisition and maintenance

Être chez soi. Débat

Toute modeste soit-elle, la maison est toujours plus qu’un gîte. Si celui-ci renvoie à une question purement animale – se protéger dans des conditions de vulnérabilité, face aux intempéries ou pendant le sommeil, la maison matérialise les barrières entre soi et l’autre. Mais comment distinguer ce type de construction des autres ? © Romain Etienne/Item Laurent Schneider L’origine même du terme de maison est assez paradoxale, du point de vue du médiéviste. Elle est liée aux deux mots latins do..