The importance of investigating for uniparental disomy in prenatally identified balanced acrocentric rearrangements

We report the finding of paternal isodisomy for chromosome 14 in a fetus found to have a der(14;14)(q10;q10) by amniocentesis. The pregnancy was complicated by severe polyhydramnios and elevated amniotic fluid alpha-fetoprotein (AFP). The infant showed features consistent with paternal uniparental disomy (UPD) including postnatal growth retardation, poor respiratory function, feeding difficulties, and evidence of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The present case, in addition to other reported cases of UPD involving balanced acrocentric rearrangements, supports testing for UPD in prenatally detected Robertsonian translocations and isochromosomes. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Should 'Cyrus the Centipede' take a hike? Effects of exposure to a pedestrian safety program on children's safety knowledge and self-reported behaviors

INTRODUCTION: We report the first evaluation of the popular "Cyrus the Centipede" child pedestrian safety program. METHOD: A pre-test/post-test control versus experimental condition design was used to assess Cyrus' impact on third graders' pedestrian safety knowledge, and self-reported pedestrian behaviors. RESULTS: Although some beneficial effects were observed, the program was not reliably effective. In particular, the impact of exposure to Cyrus was strongly influenced by the individual teacher who delivered it, likely due to the highly unstructured nature of the curriculum. SUMMARY: We suggest that: (a) the effectiveness and reliability of such programs be demonstrated before they are widely adopted; and (b) programs that focus on training children in actual or simulated traffic environments may be more effective than those that primarily focus on teaching safety facts and rules.     

Comparison of Canadian firefighters and healthy controls based on submaximal fitness testing and strength considering age and gender

Introduction. Few studies have addressed whether firefighters are fitter than the general population and possess sufficient levels of aerobic capacity and muscle strength to perform on-duty tasks in a safe and efficient manner, considering age and gender. We aimed to evaluate the fitness levels of Hamilton firefighters, and to determine the effects of age and gender. Methods. In total, 89 participants were recruited. The modified Canadian aerobic fitness test was used to determine participants’ estimated maximal oxygen consumption (V_O2max) levels. For upper and lower body strength levels, a calibrated J-Tech hand-held dynamometer and a National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) lifting device was used respectively. Results. Firefighters’ mean (SD) V_O2max level was 40.30?±?6.25?ml·kg^?1·min^?1. Age proved to have a statistically significant impact on V_O2max (p?<?0.001). Gender displayed statistically significant effects on strength levels. Firefighters’ age was the only statistically significant independent variable, and accounted for 61.00% of the variance in firefighters’ aerobic capacity levels. Conclusions. Firefighters possessed somewhat similar aerobic capacities but much higher levels of body strength when compared with the general population. With age, firefighters’ aerobic capacities decreased; however, their upper and lower body strength levels remained the same.     

Prevalence and Intensity of Intestinal Parasites in Mantled Howling Monkeys (Alouatta palliata) in Northeastern Costa Rica: Implications for Conservation Biology

I examined the prevalence and intensity of intestinal parasitic infections in a population of mantled howling monkeys ( Alouatta palliata ) at La Selva Biological Reserve, a rainforest in northeastern Costa Rica. I collected fresh fecal samples from individual bowler monkeys from two focal troops from October 1991 through October 1992. The presence of parasite ova and larvae in samples was determined by using a formalin-ethyl acetate sedimentation technique. Three types of endoparasites were found: (1) a roundworm, Parabronema sp., (2) a physalopterid roundworm, species undetermined, and (3) a fluke, species undetermined. No differences were found in the prevalence of parasitic infections between sexes or troops. No statistical differences were found between the sexes for the intensity of infection. The troop that lived along the river showed a statistically significant higher intensity of nematode infection than the troop that lived mostly in primary forest. Parabronema sp. was found only from individuals in the river group. The prevalence of parasitic infection observed in howlers at La Selva (100%) is higher than has been reported for bowlers in a dry deciduous forest at La Pacifica, Costa Rica (47%). Microclimatic factors, ranging patterns, and home-range size are identified as important variables that may affect parasitic infections of howler populations. Data from this study suggest that narrow corridor designs may be inappropriate for conservation of primates and possibly other species of arboreal animals.     

Assessing Risks to Biodiversity from Future Landscape Change

We examined the impacts of possible future land development patterns on the biodiversity of a landscape. Our landscape data included a remote sensing derived map of the current habitat of the study area and six maps of future habitat distributions resulting from different land development scenarios. Our species data included lists of all bird, mammal, reptile, and amphibian species in the study area, their habitat associations, and area requirements for each. We estimated the area requirements using home ranges, sampled population densities, or genetic area requirements that incorporate dispersal distances. Our measures of biodiversity were species richness and habitat abundance. We calculated habitat abundance in two ways. First, we computed the total habitat area for each species in each landscape. Second, we calculated the number of habitat units for each species in each landscape by dividing the size of each habitat patch in the landscape by the area requirement and summing over all patches. Species richness was based on presence of habitat. Species became extinct in the landscape if they had no habitat area or no habitat units, respectively. We then computed ratios of habitat abundance in each future landscape to habitat abundance in the present for each species. We also computed the ratio of future to present species richness. We then calculated summary statistics across all species. Species richness changed little from present to future. There were distinctly greater risks to habitat abundance in landscapes that extrapolated from present trends or zoning patterns, however, as opposed to landscapes in which land development activities followed more constrained patterns. These results were stable when tested using Monte Carlo simulations and sensitivity tests on the area requirements. We conclude that this methodology can begin to discriminate the effects of potential changes in land development on vertebrate biodiversity.     

Light levels used during feeding by primate species with different color vision phenotypes

The intensity of available light is important in determining how well a diurnal animal can distinguish color. Primates with different types of color vision may exhibit behaviors that maximize visual contrast during critical activities such as feeding. We hypothesized that (1) trichromatic taxa will feed in a wide range of light conditions because color constancy permits stabilized color appearance across changes in illumination, and (2) that taxa with a high proportion of dichromatic individuals will tend to feed at higher light levels to increase color contrast. We recorded light levels during feeding bouts of seven primate taxa with varying degrees of color vision: the dichromatic Lemur catta, two polymorphic species, Propithecus v. verreauxi and Ateles geoffroyi, and the routine trichromats, Alouatta palliata, Colobus guereza, Piliocolobus badius, and Cercopithecus ascanius. Results were equivocal for our hypotheses. While routinely trichromatic taxa used varying light levels, the pattern of results did not differ from the dichromatic Lemur catta. However, polymorphic taxa not only sought the highest light, but females, which are the only individuals in polymorphic taxa that can be trichromatic, fed in higher light levels than males when eating non-green foods. This result is consistent with selection operating to maintain a balanced polymorphism in these taxa, though the connection between light levels and color vision type for the females is unclear. Our results further suggest that trichromatic vision may afford a selective advantage because it permits foraging under a greater range of light levels.     

Stable lead isotope profiles in smelter and general urban communities: a comparison of environmental and blood measures

High-precision lead isotope ratios and lead concentrations have been compared statistically and graphically in women of child-bearing age (n = 77) from two smelter communities and one general urban community to evaluate the relative contributions to blood lead of tissue lead stores and lead from the contemporaneous environment (soil, floor dust, indoor airborne dust, water, food). Blood lead (PbB) contents were generally low (e.g. <10 g dL^–1). Statistically significant isotopic differences in blood and environmental samples were observed between the three cities although isotopic differences in blood for individual subjects living in close proximity (200 m radius) was as large as the differences within a city. No single environmental measure dominated the biological isotope profile and in many cases the low levels of blood lead meant that their isotopic profiles could be easily perturbed by relatively small changes of environmental exposure. Apportioning of sources using lead isotopes is possibly not feasible, nor cost effective, when blood lead levels are <5 g dL^–1. Interpretations based on statistical analyses of city-wide data do not give the same conclusions as when the houses are considered individually. Aggregating data from multiple subjects in a study such as this obscures potentially useful information. Most of the measures employed in this study, and many other similar studies, are markers of only short-to-medium integration of lead exposure. Serial sampling of blood and longer sampling times, especially for household variables, should provide more meaningful information.     

Individual differences in the mechanisms underlying the onset and maintenance of paternal behavior and the inhibition of infanticide in the monogamous biparental California mouse,Peromyscus californicus

Virgin male Peromyscus californicus tend to behave infanticidally or nonparentally towards pups, whereas virtually all males exhibit parental behavior following birth of their own young. Most males (65–75%) living with their pregnant partner attacked or ignored unfamiliar pups and did not become parental (behave parentally) prior to birth of their young. However, a significant minority of males (34%) living with their partner became parental after just 24 h of postcopulatory cohabitation with the female and remained parental throughout their mate's pregnancy. Males that were infanticidal before the birth of their young became parental only after their young were born. The presence of the mother was necessary for the postpartum maintenance of paternal behavior and the inhibition of infanticide in males that were infanticidal prepartum. In contrast, males that were paternal prior to birth of their young continued to be paternal after birth, even in the absence of postpartum contact with the mother. Thus, different mechanisms are involved in the inhibition of infanticide and the onset and maintenance of paternal behavior. Correspondence to: D.J. Gubernick     

No cost of male mating experience on female reproductive success in the almond moth, <Emphasis Type="BoldItalic">Cadra cautella</Emphasis> (Lepidoptera; Pyralidae)

Male copulation experience may have a profound impact on female reproductive success if male reproductive investment declines over consecutive copulations and if females are unlikely to re-mate. Male reproductive investment is particularly interesting in lepidopterans because males produce dimorphic sperm: a fertilizing (eupyrene) and a non-fertilising (apyrene) sperm. In two experiments, we explored the lifetime reproductive investment of male almond moths, Cadra cautella (also known as Ephestia cautella) and examined its influence on female reproductive success. In the almond moth, females re-mate infrequently and males transfer sperm in a spermatophore. Attached to the spermatophore is a large chitinous process, the function of which is unknown. One group of males were permitted consecutive copulations with virgin females and the amount of sperm and size of the spermatophore transferred were compared for all females. We found that the number of both eupyrene and apyrene sperm per ejaculate decreased with his increased mating frequency, while the size of the spermatophore process decreased dramatically after the male’s first copulation. In a second experiment, we allowed males to mate with females throughout their lives and then compared female fecundity and fertilisation success. We found no obvious decrease in female fecundity and fertilisation success with increased male copulation experience, despite the likely reduction in male gametic investment. We discuss potential explanations for the development of this enlarged and elaborate first spermatophore of male almond moths given that it confers no clear fitness advantage to females.