The daily activity patterns of animals are modulated by external factors such as habitat selection, temporal niche selection, prey availability and predation risk. Furthermore, different species show a variety of responses to human disturbance; therefore, to understand the effects of human activities on wildlife, it is crucial to consider the disturbance characteristics (e.g. type, frequency, timing and location of human activity). Our objective was to evaluate whether vehicles on forest roads altered the daily temporal activity patterns of three apex predators; Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx), the grey wolf (Canis lupus) and brown bear (Ursus arctos), using an extensive camera trap data set collected across a gradient of forest roads and wildlife trails in the Croatian part of the Dinaric mountains. We expected a low temporal overlap between humans and apex predators but predicted this even lower at sites where vehicles are present. Consistent with our expectations, the general overlap in temporal activity of all three apex predators and humans was low, the former being primarily active at night/dawn/dusk hours and the latter during daylight hours. In contrast, our results showed similarity in the temporal activity of all three predators on wildlife trails and forest roads where human activity was more frequent and diverse.
Current data on reproductive biology and population dynamics of the acanthocephalans are scarce mainly in regions from the tropical Pacific. An analysis was done to identify possible factors that influence variation in infection levels of the acanthocephalan Pseudoleptorhynchoides lamothei Salgado-Maldonado, 1976 in its final host, the blue sea catfish Ariopsis guatemalensis (Günther, 1864), and describe its main reproductive traits. A total of 1,094 A. guatemalensis were collected from Tres Palos Lagoon from August 2014 to December 2015. Prevalence of P. lamothei varied from 1.47% to 38.33%, and mean abundance from 0.03 to 4.44 helminths per examined host. In female P. lamothei relative fecundity increased with total length. Temporal variations in P. lamothei infection levels were attributed mainly to changes in host feeding and reproductive behaviour in response to local environmental factors as climatic season, and variations in water temperature., Dolores I. Carpio-Hernández, Juan Violante-González, Scott Monks, Agustín A. Rojas-Herrera, Sergio García-Ibáñez, Jeiri Toribio-Jiménez and Himmer Castro-Mondragón., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Extracorporeal life support is a treatment modality that provides prolonged blood circulation, gas exchange and can substitute functions of heart and lungs to provide urgent cardio-respiratory stabilization in patients with severe but potentially reversible cardiopulmonary failure refractory to conventional therapy. Generally, the therapy targets blood pressure, volume status, and end-organs perfusion. As there are significant differences in hemodynamic efficacy among different percutaneous circulatory support systems, it should be carefully considered when selecting the most appropriate circulatory support for specific medical conditions in individual patients. Despite severe metabolic and hemodynamic deterioration during prolonged cardiac arrest, venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA ECMO) can rapidly revert otherwise fatal prognosis, thus carrying a potential for improvement in survival rate, which can be even improved by introduction of mild therapeutic hypothermia. In order to allow a rapid transfer of knowledge to clinical medicine two porcine models were developed for studying efficiency of the VA ECMO in treatments of acute cardiogenic shock and progressive chronic heart failure. These models allowed also an intensive research of adverse events accompanying a clinical use of VA ECMO and their possible compensations. The results indicated that in order to weaken the negative effects of increased afterload on the left ventricular function the optimal VA ECMO flow in cardiogenic shock should be as low as possible to allow adequate tissue perfusion. The left ventricle can be also unloaded by an ECG-synchronized pulsatile flow if using a novel pulsatile ECMO system. Thus, pulsatility of VA ECMO flow may improve coronary perfusion even under conditions of high ECMO blood flows. And last but not least, also the percutaneous balloon atrial septostomy is a very perspective method how to passively decompress overloaded left heart.
The tendency for self-superparasitism and it's effects on the quality of the parasitoid Ooencyrtus pityocampae (Mercet) (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) in parasitizing a new laboratory host, Philosamia ricini (Danovan) (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae), were investigated. In this study, female parasitoids of various ages (1-, 3- and 5-day-old) were tested individually. Parasitoids were provided with 1-day-old P. ricini eggs at ratios of 5, 10, 20, 30 and 40 host eggs per wasp. The tendency to superparasitize was dependent on the female's age and host density. Five-day-old females showed a strong tendency to superparasitize at low host densities. The development time of wasps in superparasitized eggs was longer than that of wasps in singly parasitized eggs. The size and longevity of adult parasitoids decreased significantly with superparasitism. This work contributes to the development of an efficient mass rearing and laboratory rearing of the parasitoid O. pityocampae using a new host., Hilal Tunca, Maurane Buradino, Etty-Ambre Colombel, Elisabeth Tabone., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Cíl. Metodologie systematického přehledu studií ověřujících účinnost intervence při léčbě psychických poruch napomáhá redukci předpojatostí či zkreslení používáním explicitních a rigorózních metod pro vyhledávání literatury a kritickým hodnocením dosavadních studií. Doposud nebyla realizována systematická přehledová studie, která by se věnovala účinnosti individuální formy terapie zaměřené na emoce (EFT), a to navzdory rostoucímu počtu výzkumných zjištění zkoumajících účinnost EFT. Cílem tohoto systematického přehledu je proto zhodnotit účinnost individuální formy EFT při léčbě psychických poruch a potíží. Metoda. V této studii autoři postupovali dle metodologického manuálu PRISMA, včetně vyhledávání v databázích EBSCO, PubMed a Web of Science. Po odstranění duplicitních záznamů, posouzení abstraktů dvěma posuzovateli a poté i obsahu výzkumných studií dle kritérií pro začlenění/vyřazení studií analyzovali identifikované studie. Analýza byla zaměřena na posouzení velikosti efektu pre-post terapeutické změny, udržitelnost změny v rámci follow-up, případně porovnání efektu změny s jiným psychoterapeutickým přístupem zhodnocením statistické a praktické významnosti změn (effect size). Výsledky. Autoři identifikovali sedm studií, které využily (kvazi)experimentální metodu výzkumu účinnosti EFT. Výsledky podporu-jí účinnost EFT i udržitelnost změny při léčbě depresivity. Při léčbě sociální úzkosti, traumatu a poruch příjmu potravy existuje předběžná podpora účinnosti EFT. Zatím je tedy v případě těchto poruch a potíží možné považovat EFT za pravděpodobně účinnou. Limity. Do tohoto systematického přehledu byly vybrány pouze studie psané v anglickém jazyce, a naopak nebyly zařazeny případové studie., Objective. The methodology of a systematic review of studies verifying the efficacy of the intervention in the treatment of mental disorders helps to reduce bias by using explicit and rigorous methods for literature search and critical evaluation of previous studies. Up to now, no systematic review has been conducted on the efficacy of individual emotion focused therapy (EFT), despite the growing number of research findings examining the efficacy of EFT. The aim of this systematic review is therefore to evaluate the efficacy of an individual form of EFT in the treatment of mental problems and disorders. Method. In this study, the authors followed the PRISMA methodological manual. A systematic literature search was performed in the EBSCO, PubMed, and Web of Science databases. The analysis was focused on assessing the magnitude of the effect of pre-post therapeutic changes, the sustainability of change within follow-up, or comparing the effect of change with another psychotherapeutic approach by evaluating the statistical and material significance of changes (effect size). Results. The authors identified seven studies that used a (quasi) experimental method to investigate the efficacy of EFT. The results support the efficacy of EFT as well as the sustainability of change in the treatment of depression. There is preliminary support for the efficacy of EFT in the treatment of social anxiety, trauma, and eating disorders. So far, in the case of the above-mentioned disorders and difficulties, it is possible to consider EFT as probably effective. Limitations. Only studies written in English were selected in this systematic review. Case studies were not included., Martin Fülep, Ľubor Pilárik, Lukáš Novák, Petr Mikoška., and Obsahuje bibliografické odkazy
Sex and gender matter in all aspects of life. Humans exhibit sexual dimorphism in anatomy, physiology, but also pathology. Many of the differences are due to sex chromosomes and, thus, genetics, other due to endocrine factors such as sex hormones, some are of social origin. Over the past decades, huge number of scientific studies have revealed striking sex differences of the human brain with remarkable behavioral and cognitive consequences. Prenatal and postnatal testosterone influence brain structures and functions, respectively. Cognitive sex differences include especially certain spatial and language tasks, but they also affect many other aspects of the neurotypical brain. Sex differences of the brain are also relevant for the pathogenesis of neuropsychiatric disorders such as autism spectrum disorders, which are much more prevalent in the male population. Structural dimorphism in the human brain was welldescribed, but recent controversies now question its importance. On the other hand, solid evidence exists regarding gender differences in several brain functions. This review tries to summarize the current understanding of the complexity of the effects of testosterone on brain with special focus on their role in the known sex differences in healthy individuals and people in the autism spectrum.
This paper presents biological notes on two species of Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae that emerged from old spongy-woody galls of Dryocosmus kuriphilus Yasumatsu, 1951 collected in Sicily (Italy) in April 2015: Leptophyes sicula Kleukers, Odé et Fontana, 2010 (Phaneropterinae) and Cyrtaspis scutata (Charpentier, 1825) (Meconematinae). Between the end of April and the first few days of May a total of 30 neanids emerged from the galls, were reared and their life-cycle recorded. While L. sicula laid eggs in groups, C. scutata laid single eggs inside the galls; both species in a few years have adapted to exploiting this new shelter for egg laying. No interaction with the gall inducing insect was noted., Giuliano Cerasa, Bruno Massa., and Obsahuje bibliografii
The 13th African Small Mammal Symposium (ASMS) was organized on September 16-21, 2019, at Mekelle University in Mekelle, Tigray, Ethiopia. Starting in 1977, these symposia are organized every four years and since 2003 have been held in tropical Africa. The aim of the meetings is to promote communication among researchers and students interested in various aspects of the biology of African small mammals (mainly rodents, insectivores, bats, afrotherians, small carnivores and primates), which are significantly understudied in comparison with their larger relatives. In this editorial contribution, which introduces a special issue of Journal of Vertebrate Biology on African small mammals, we would like to briefly summarize the history of these meetings and to pinpoint the major trends in research on African small mammals, based on an analysis of the presentations at these meetings.