Effects of experimental tail shortening on the phenotypic condition of barn swallows Hirundo rustica: Implications for tail-length evolution

Some studies have suggested that tail streamers in the barn swallow Hirundo rustica may have been elongated 10-12 mm by sexual selection, but according to other studies, the length of these feathers is at the aerodynamic optimum or very close to it. To shed light on this issue, outermost tail feathers were experimentally shortened in male and female barn swallows by 1, 11 or 21 mm. Changes in four physiological parameters commonly used to estimate phenotypic condition in birds (weight, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, blood leukocyte concentration and heterophil/lymphocyte ratio) were checked one month later. Health improved (blood leukocyte concentration decreased) in the group of birds with tails shortened by 11 mm (both males and females), but body condition deteriorated (weight decreased) compared to the other two experimental groups. There was no significant effect of tail-length manipulation on the other two physiological parameters. These contradictory results suggest trade-offs between components of phenotypic condition. Possible negative relationships between condition-related traits imply that using one or very few physiological parameters to estimate phenotypic condition might not be appropriate. The most plausible explanation for the turning point in phenotypic condition when streamers were shortened by 11 mm is that these feathers are 7-15 mm longer than the aerodynamic optimum in both sexes. Therefore, our results are consistent with the hypothesis that tail streamers have been elongated 10-12 mm by sexual selection. This conclusion disagrees with a previous study on the effect of experimental tail shortening on haematocrit, but the complexity of interpreting changes in haematocrit might account for this discrepancy. © 2014 The Authors.The study was funded by the Andalusian Regional Government (Acc. Coord. 2001) and by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology and the European Regional Development Fund (projects BOS2001-1717 and CGL2008-00137/BOS).Peer Reviewe

A Catalog of Architectural Tactics for Cyber-Foraging

Mobile devices have become for many the preferred way of interacting with the Internet, social media and the enterprise. However, mobile devices still do not have the computing power or battery life that will allow them to perform effectively over long periods of time or for executing applications that require extensive communication or computation, or low latency. Cyber-foraging is a technique enabling mobile devices to extend their computing power and storage by offloading computation or data to more powerful servers located in the cloud or in single-hop proximity. This paper presents a catalog of architectural tactics for cyber-foraging that was derived from the results of a systematic literature review on architectures for cyber-foraging systems. Elements of the architectures identified in the primary studies were codified in the form of Architectural Tactics for Cyber-Foraging. These tactics will help architects extend their design reasoning towards cyber-foraging as a way to support the mobile applications of the present and the future

IKK phosphorylates Huntingtin and targets it for degradation by the proteasome and lysosome

Expansion of the polyglutamine repeat within the protein Huntingtin (Htt) causes Huntington's disease, a neurodegenerative disease associated with aging and the accumulation of mutant Htt in diseased neurons. Understanding the mechanisms that influence Htt cellular degradation may target treatments designed to activate mutant Htt clearance pathways. We find that Htt is phosphorylated by the inflammatory kinase IKK, enhancing its normal clearance by the proteasome and lysosome. Phosphorylation of Htt regulates additional post-translational modifications, including Htt ubiquitination, SUMOylation, and acetylation, and increases Htt nuclear localization, cleavage, and clearance mediated by lysosomal-associated membrane protein 2A and Hsc70. We propose that IKK activates mutant Htt clearance until an age-related loss of proteasome/lysosome function promotes accumulation of toxic post-translationally modified mutant Htt. Thus, IKK activation may modulate mutant Htt neurotoxicity depending on the cell's ability to degrade the modified species

Determinación del eje de la carretera y la distancia de visibilidad utilizando datos GPS y herramientas SIG

Hoy en día, tanto en el proceso de diseño de las carreteras como en el análisis del funcionamiento de las ya construidas, se está dando cada vez más importancia a la seguridad vial. Entre los distintos aspectos que se consideran se encuentra la distancia de visibilidad. Por otra parte, uno de los problemas que aparecen en la práctica al tratar de analizar carreteras en servicio es la falta de datos de la geometría del eje que estén actualizados y tengan la precisión requerida. En esta comunicación se presenta un procedimiento para determinar el eje de la carretera mediante información GPS y calcular la distancia de visibilidad aplicando herramientas SIG. El procedimiento se ha aplicado a un tramo de carretera convencional de doble sentido de circulación. El método propuesto puede ser especialmente útil en aquellas carreteras en servicio y de las que, por no contar con la información sobre su trazado (original o posteriores modificaciones), no es posible utilizar los programas de diseño de carreteras para el cálculo de la distancia de visibilidad.Nowadays road safety aspects are very important, both for the designing process and for the analysis of already built roads. Sight distance is one of the most important road safety aspects to consider. On the other hand, the geometric definition of already built roads is one of the most difficult issues that arise in practice. This road geometry must be accurate and up to date. In this paper, a procedure to determine the alignment of a road using a GPS and to calculate sight distances using GIS tools is presented. Also, the use of this procedure in a two-lane rural road is described. The proposed method can be especially useful for those roads whose design data are not available because, on them, road design software could not be used for sight distance calculation

Metallic spin-glasses beyond mean-field: An approach to the impurity-concentration dependence of the freezing temperature

A relation between the freezing temperature ($T^{}_{\rm g}$) and the exchange couplings ($J^{}_{ij}$) in metallic spin-glasses is derived, taking the spin-correlations ($G^{}_{ij}$) into account. This approach does not involve a disorder-average. The expansion of the correlations to first order in $J^{}_{ij}/T^{}_{\rm g}$ leads to the molecular-field result from Thouless-Anderson-Palmer. Employing the current theory of the spin-interaction in disordered metals, an equation for $T^{}_{\rm g}$ as a function of the concentration of impurities is obtained, which reproduces the available data from {\sl Au}Fe, {\sl Ag}Mn, and {\sl Cu}Mn alloys well.Comment: 4 figures. This is a strongly revised version, where several aspects have been improved, and the equation for the freezing temperature has been refined. It is equivalent to the published version in J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 25 (2013) 13600

Influencia de la inclinación acetabular en la luxación de la artroplastia parcial de cadera

La luxación de la prótesis parcial de cadera, representa en la actualidad un grave problema de incapacidad para el paciente, debido no solo, a la complicación de la marcha en sí, sino a todas aquellas derivadas de la estancia hospitalaria de estos pacientes en nuestros centros. Respecto a la vía de abordaje, se ha sentado una mayor incidencia de luxaciones en la vía posterolateral, frente a las anteriores o laterales transtrocantéreas en decúbito supino. Objetivo: evaluar la influencia del ángulo de inclinación anatómico del acetábulo, techo y cobertura en la luxación de la artroplastia parcial de cadera. Material y método: el estudio incluyó un total de 718 pacientes intervenidos por fractura cervical de fémur, durante los años de 1992 a 2005. Las prótesis parciales implantadas fueron del modelo Thompson; los tipos de vías de abordaje quirúrgico utilizados fueron; la anterior de Smith Petersen, y la posterior de Gibson Moore. Se realizaron las mediciones radiográficas del ángulo formado entre las línea trazada en el borde externo del acetábulo y la línea biisquiática. Resultados: Del total de pacientes incluidos en el estudio el número de luxaciones fue de 24 prótesis, lo que representa el 3,3 %. La edad media fue de 84 años, y un intervalo de 76 a 92 años. El sexo predominante fue el femenino con un 83%. La vía más utilizada fue la anterior con un 67 %. El mayor porcentaje de luxación fue para aquellas pacientes con un ángulo de inclinación anatómico del acetábulo de > 55º. El tiempo medio seguimiento hasta producirse la luxación fue de 35 días y un intervalo entre 1 a 89 días. El tratamiento más frecuente fue el conservador 88%. Conclusión: El presente estudio demuestra que la luxación temprana de una prótesis parcial de cadera está directamente relacionado con un ángulo de inclinación anatómico del acetábulo mayor de 55º.The dislocation of partial hip replacements represents an important postoperative complication. Apart from the most important problem which is patient mobility, another aspect is the prolonged hospital stay detrimental to patient health and the evonawy of hospital. With respect to the incidence of pos- toperative dislocations and the type of surgical approach, it seated that there is a greater incidence using the lateroposterior hip sur- gical approach, in comparision to the anterior or lateral access. Objective: To evidence the influence of acetabular inclination in postoperative dislocations of partial hip arthroplasty. Methods: A study involuing 718 cases of intervened femoral neck fractures using Thompson endoprosthesis during the period including 1992 to 2005.With respect to type of surgical approaches, these included the Smith-Petersen anterior and the Gibson-Moore posterior access. The acetabular inclination was measurements radiologi- cally, obtaining the angle between the bi-ischial line and the exter- nal border of the acetabulum. Results: A total of twentyfour (24) prosthesis suffered dislocation, with respect to the total of seven hundred and eighteen (718) patients intervened for partial hip arth- roplasty, representing 3,3% of the total. The average age for dislocated arthroplasties was 84 years, with a range between 76-92 years, and the predominant sex was female. Concerning surgical access, the anterior was the most frecuently used (67%). There was found to be a greater percentage of dislo- cated arthroplasties when the angle of acetabular inclination exce- eded fifty five (55º) degrees. The average time elapsed before dis- location was diagnosed included a 35 days time period, with a range between to 89 days. The most frequent management of pos- toperative dislocations was conservative treatment. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that when the acetabular inclination is greater than 55º, there is a greater incidence of early dislocation of partial hip replacements

The Mare as a Model for Luteinized Unruptured Follicle Syndrome: Intrafollicular Endocrine Milieu.

Luteinized unruptured follicle (LUF) syndrome is a recurrent anovulatory dysfunction that affects up to 23% of women with normal menstrual cycles and up to 73% with endometriosis. Mechanisms underlying the development of LUF syndrome in mares were studied to provide a potential model for human anovulation. The effect of extended increase in circulating LH achieved by administration of recombinant equine LH (reLH) or a short surge of LH and decrease in progesterone induced by prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α) on LUF formation (Experiment 1), identification of an optimal dose of COX-2 inhibitor (flunixin meglumine, FM; to block the effect of prostaglandins) for inducing LUFs (Experiment 2), and evaluation of intrafollicular endocrine milieu in LUFs (Experiment 3) were investigated. In Experiment 1, mares were treated with reLH from Day 7 to Day 15 (Day 0=ovulation), PGF2α on Day 7, or in combination. In Experiment 2, FM at doses of 2.0 or 3.0 mg/kg every 12 h and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) (1500 IU) were administered after a follicle ≥32 mm was detected. In Experiment 3, FM at a dose of 2.0 mg/kg every 12 h plus hCG was used to induce LUFs and investigate the intrafollicular endocrine milieu. No LUFs were induced by reLH or PGF2α treatment; however, LUFs were induced in 100% of mares using FM. Intrafollicular PGF2α metabolite, PGF2α, and PGE2 were lower and the ratio of PGE2:PGF2α was higher in the induced LUF group. Higher levels of intrafollicular E2 and total primary sex steroids were observed in the induced LUF group along with a tendency for higher levels of GH, cortisol, and T; however, LH, PRL, VEGF-A, and NO did not differ between groups. In conclusion, this study reveals part of the intrafollicular endocrine milieu and the association of prostaglandins in LUF formation, and indicates that the mare might be an appropriate model for studying the poorly understood LUF syndrome

Solidification of small para-H2 clusters at zero temperature

We have determined the ground-state energies of para-H$_2$ clusters at zero temperature using the diffusion Monte Carlo method. The liquid or solid character of each cluster is investigated by restricting the phase through the use of proper importance sampling. Our results show inhomogeneous crystallization of clusters, with alternating behavior between liquid and solid phases up to N=55. From there on, all clusters are solid. The ground-state energies in the range N=13--75 are established and the stable phase of each cluster is determined. In spite of the small differences observed between the energy of liquid and solid clusters, the corresponding density profiles are significantly different, feature that can help to solve ambiguities in the determination of the specific phase of H$_2$ clusters.Comment: 17 pages, accepted for publication in J. Phys. Chem.

A False Start in the Race Against Doping in Sport: Concerns With Cycling’s Biological Passport

Professional cycling has suffered from a number of doping scandals. The sport’s governing bodies have responded by implementing an aggressive new antidoping program known as the biological passport. Cycling’s biological passport marks a departure from traditional antidoping efforts, which have focused on directly detecting prohibited substances in a cyclist’s system. Instead, the biological passport tracks biological variables in a cyclist’s blood and urine over time, monitoring for fluctuations that are thought to indirectly reveal the effects of doping. Although this method of indirect detection is promising, it also raises serious legal and scientific concerns. Since its introduction, the cycling community has debated the reliability of indirect biological-passport evidence and the clarity, consistency, and transparency of its use in proving doping violations. Such uncertainty undermines the legitimacy of finding cyclists guilty of doping based on this indirect evidence alone. Antidoping authorities should address these important concerns before continuing to pursue doping sanctions against cyclists solely on the basis of their biological passports

The Mare as a Model for Luteinized Unruptured Follicle Syndrome: Intrafollicular Endocrine Milieu.

Luteinized unruptured follicle (LUF) syndrome is a recurrent anovulatory dysfunction that affects up to 23% of women with normal menstrual cycles and up to 73% with endometriosis. Mechanisms underlying the development of LUF syndrome in mares were studied to provide a potential model for human anovulation. The effect of extended increase in circulating LH achieved by administration of recombinant equine LH (reLH) or a short surge of LH and decrease in progesterone induced by prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α) on LUF formation (Experiment 1), identification of an optimal dose of COX-2 inhibitor (flunixin meglumine, FM; to block the effect of prostaglandins) for inducing LUFs (Experiment 2), and evaluation of intrafollicular endocrine milieu in LUFs (Experiment 3) were investigated. In Experiment 1, mares were treated with reLH from Day 7 to Day 15 (Day 0=ovulation), PGF2α on Day 7, or in combination. In Experiment 2, FM at doses of 2.0 or 3.0 mg/kg every 12 h and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) (1500 IU) were administered after a follicle ≥32 mm was detected. In Experiment 3, FM at a dose of 2.0 mg/kg every 12 h plus hCG was used to induce LUFs and investigate the intrafollicular endocrine milieu. No LUFs were induced by reLH or PGF2α treatment; however, LUFs were induced in 100% of mares using FM. Intrafollicular PGF2α metabolite, PGF2α, and PGE2 were lower and the ratio of PGE2:PGF2α was higher in the induced LUF group. Higher levels of intrafollicular E2 and total primary sex steroids were observed in the induced LUF group along with a tendency for higher levels of GH, cortisol, and T; however, LH, PRL, VEGF-A, and NO did not differ between groups. In conclusion, this study reveals part of the intrafollicular endocrine milieu and the association of prostaglandins in LUF formation, and indicates that the mare might be an appropriate model for studying the poorly understood LUF syndrome