Predation risk and the number of adult males in a primate group: a comparative test

AbstractFemale social dispersal in primates differs from the general mammalian pattern of locational dispersal. Both nulliparous and parous females may disperse to another group. Several hypotheses can explain female social dispersal: reduction of predation risk, inbreeding avoidance, and offspring protection through mate choice. We tested these hypotheses with an extended data set of Thomas langurs (Presbytis thomasi) and investigated parameters of male behaviour that females may use in their dispersal decisions. Data were collected over a 12.5-year period from a wild population in Sumatra, Indonesia, allowing for some critical tests of the hypotheses. Females dispersed to a group smaller than their original one, thereby refuting the predation risk hypothesis. Maturing nulliparous females only dispersed when their father was resident. Therefore, dispersal by nulliparous females was best explained through inbreeding avoidance. Parous females transferred to young, adult males. These males provided better protection to offspring against predation and infanticide than the old, late tenure males. Therefore, females transfer to better protector males. The male behavioural cues that females use to assess male quality were unclear. Females, however, may use proxies of male age, such as group composition and acoustical characteristics of loud calls, as indicators of male quality. The results suggest that female mate choice is an important function of social dispersal by parous females. Its importance in locational dispersal remains to be investigated.

Download Full-text

Effect of Smoking on FEF 25, FEF 50 & FEF 75 in Adult Male Smokers

Medicine Today ◽

10.3329/medtoday.v32i2.48818 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 32 (2) ◽

pp. 81-84

Author(s):

Shamima Akhter ◽

Md Ruhul Amin ◽

Md Noor Nabi ◽

Nahid Yeasmin ◽

Mahmudul Hasan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Adult Male ◽

Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease ◽

Control Group ◽

Chronic Obstructive ◽

Adult Males ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Group A ◽

Student’S T ◽

Medicine Today ◽

Group B

Introduction:Smoking is most common in East Asia, where two thirds of all adult males smoke tobacco; cigarette smoking is by far the most common. Smoking is the primary cause of chronic obstructive lung disease, chronic bronchitis and other respiratory symptoms. Many studies have shown significant changes of Forced Expiratory Flow (FEF) as FEF 25, FEF 50 and FEF 75 (L/sec) in adult male smokers. Its objective is to assess the change of FEF 25, FEF 50 and FEF 75 (L/sec) in adult male smokers. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional comparative study was carried out in the Department of Physiology, Dhaka Medical College, Dhaka during the period of July, 2007 to June, 2008. In the present study 30 adult male smokers consuming cigarettes for more than 5 years selected as study group (Group-B) and were matched with 30 adult males who were non-smokers considered as control group (Group-A) for comparison. FEF 25, FEF 50 and FEF 75 (L/sec) were estimated in both Groups. Analysis of data was done with the help of computer by SPSS 12.0 programmer and significant tests were done by unpaired Student’s “t” test. Results: There were statistically significant differences of FEF25, FEF50 and FEF75 (L/sec) in group A vs. group B. Conclusion: From the statistical analysis of the results obtained in the present study and their comparison with those of published reports, it may be concluded that smoking causes significant change of FEF 25, FEF 50 and FEF 75 (L/sec) among the smokers that could be useful in early diagnosis of peripheral airway obstruction. Medicine Today 2020 Vol.32(2): 81-84

Download Full-text

Cleaning the palate and tongue without nausea: a mixed methods study exploring the appropriate depth and direction of oral care

BMC Oral Health ◽

10.1186/s12903-021-01414-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Yang Cheng ◽

Yu-feng Zhou ◽

Ya-ping Ding ◽

Ying Xing ◽

Enfang Shan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mixed Methods ◽

Oral Care ◽

Mixed Methods Study ◽

Adult Males ◽

Insertion Depth ◽

Group A ◽

Gag Reflex ◽

Group B ◽

Cleaning Methods ◽

Medical University

Abstract Background It is advisable to clean the palate and tongue thoroughly during oral care to protect against nosocomial infections. However, improper cleaning may cause nausea. To date, no robust data are available regarding how to implement this procedure properly. Furthermore, traditional cotton balls, forceps and normal saline are still used in clinical in China. This mixed methods study aimed to explore the appropriate depth and direction of cleaning methods for palates and tongues without causing nausea and the factors influencing cleaning depth and discomfort in traditional oral care. Methods Our study recruited students (n = 276) from a medical university. The first phase was a quantitative study, in which forceps were slowly inserted into their throats until the gag reflex was triggered, and then, the insertion depth was measured. After that, participants were randomly divided into two groups. In group A, palates and tongues were cleaned coronally and then sagittally, with the converse order used for group B. The extent of nausea was measured. Additionally, the qualitative data were types of discomfort other than nausea reported by the participants. Results The tolerable depths (without causing nausea) for cleaning the palate and tongue were 6.75 ± 1.07 cm and 6.92 ± 1.11 cm, respectively. Participants of male sex and with high BMI (overweight/obese) were associated with greater tolerable cleaning depth. The extent of nausea caused by cleaning both the palate and the tongue sagittally was higher than that elicited by coronal cleaning (p = 0.025 and p = 0.003, respectively). Other discomforts included itching, saltiness and coldness. Conclusion It is appropriate to increase the cleaning depth of the palate and tongue for adult males and overweight/obese individuals. Moreover, coronal cleaning causes lower levels of nausea, and traditional oral care appliances should be improved.

Download Full-text

Sexual Segregation, Cliques, and Social Power in Squirrel Monkey (Saimiri) Groups

Behaviour ◽

10.1163/156853981x00068 ◽

1981 ◽

Vol 76 (3-4) ◽

pp. 163-181 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Daniel W. Leger ◽

William A. Mason ◽

D. Munkenbeck Fragaszy

Keyword(s):

Social Power ◽

Competitive Interactions ◽

Plain Water ◽

Interaction Patterns ◽

Adult Males ◽

Normative Study ◽

Proximity Data ◽

Group A ◽

Fruit Drink ◽

Proximity Measures

AbstractThis report presents two studies of captive squirrel monkeys living in mixed-sex social groups: In the first study, we quantified social interaction patterns and spacing in two groups during their regular daily feeding period. Dispersal of food was rapid, owing to the animals' tendencies to drop items on the cage floor, and competitive interactions were infrequent. Adult males and females were spatially segregated, and between-sex interactions were relatively infrequent. Dyadic proximity data indicated that each group contained several cliques of from two to three individuals, usually of the same sex. Members of a clique not only spent more time near each other, but favored the same areas in the cage, even when they were not in proximity. Measures of proximity and agonism were positively correlated. In the second study, the same groups were presented with either one or two bottles of fruit drink, a highly desired, non-dispersible resource, or with one or two bottles of plain water. During water-bottle sessions, between-sex interactions were no more frequent or agonistic than they were in the normative study; in the highly competitive fruit-drink sessions, however, males frequently directed agonistic behavior against females and against each other, and they successfully dominated access to the fruit-drink bottles. In contrast, female agonism was directed mainly toward other females. Our observations suggest that membership in a clique may provide a competitive advantage. In one group, a clique consisting of a mother and her daughter successfully excluded other females from the fruit-drink bottles; in another group, the only females to compete vigorously against males were members of the same clique; after one of the two males in this group was removed, females for the first time made occasional joint attacks on the remaining adult male, and he appeared to become less assertive and successful in competitive tests. We suggest that the social and spatial peripherality of males is not simply the result of coercive exclusion by females, but also reflects a "choice" by males to avoid interacting with females under most circumstances. When male motivation is strong, however, they readily approach females, aggress against them, and assert themselves successfully in competitive interactions, even against a substantial female majority.

Download Full-text

Stool examination and rectal biopsy in the diagnosis and evaluation of therapy of schistosomiasis mansoni

Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo ◽

10.1590/s0036-46651992000600016 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 34 (6) ◽

pp. 601-608 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Ana Lúcia Teles Rabello ◽

Roberto Sena Rocha ◽

João Paulo Mendes de Oliveira ◽

Naftale Katz ◽

José Roberto Lambertucci

Keyword(s):

Rectal Mucosa ◽

Test Group ◽

Rectal Biopsy ◽

Post Treatment ◽

Stool Examination ◽

Adult Males ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Group A ◽

Group B ◽

The Individual

From each of a group of 217 adult males selected through enzyme-immunoassay or skin-test (Group A), six stool samples were examined by both the Lutz/Hoffman, Pons & Janer (Lutz/HPJ) and Kato/Katz methods. In addition, one oogram of the rectal mucosa was performed. By these methods, schistosomiasis was detected in 44.7%, 47.5% and 40.1% of the individuals respectively. To evaluate the methods in the assessment of cure, the last 40 patients from group A, treated with a single oral dose of oxamniquine at 15 mg/kg were followed up for six months (Group B). The criteria for parasitological cure included three stool examinations by Kato/Katz and Lutz/HPJ methods, one, three and six months post-treatment and a rectal biopsy between the fourth and sixth months post-treatment. The examinations were negative in 87.5%, 90% and 95% of the patients, respectively. The efficacy of oxamniquine was 82.5% when the three methods were considered together and there was no statistically significant difference between the sensitivity of the individual methods.

Download Full-text

Predation risk induces age- and sex-specific morphological plastic responses in the fathead minnow Pimephales promelas

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-019-51591-1 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Denis Meuthen ◽

Maud C. O. Ferrari ◽

Taylor Lane ◽

Douglas P. Chivers

Keyword(s):

Predation Risk ◽

Developmental Stages ◽

Pimephales Promelas ◽

Adaptive Plasticity ◽

Adult Males ◽

Alarm Cue ◽

Eye Size ◽

Major Interest ◽

Morphological Defences ◽

Plastic Responses

Abstract Although comprehending the significance of phenotypic plasticity for evolution is of major interest in biology, the pre-requirement for that, the understanding of variance in plasticity, is still in its infancy. Most researchers assess plastic traits at single developmental stages and pool results between sexes. Here, we study variation among sexes and developmental stages in inducible morphological defences, a well-known instance of plasticity. We raised fathead minnows, Pimephales promelas, under different levels of background predation risk (conspecific alarm cues or distilled water) in a split-clutch design and studied morphology in both juveniles and adults. In accordance with the theory that plasticity varies across ontogeny and sexes, geometric morphometry analyses revealed significant shape differences between treatments that varied across developmental stages and sexes. Alarm cue-exposed juveniles and adult males developed deeper heads, deeper bodies, longer dorsal fin bases, shorter caudal peduncles and shorter caudal fins. Adult alarm cue-exposed males additionally developed a larger relative eye size. These responses represent putative adaptive plasticity as they are linked to reduced predation risk. Perhaps most surprisingly, we found no evidence for inducible morphological defences in females. Understanding whether similar variation occurs in other taxa and their environments is crucial for modelling evolution.

Download Full-text

An anti-narcolepsy drug reveals behavioral and fitness costs of extreme activity cycles in arctic-breeding songbirds

Journal of Experimental Biology ◽

10.1242/jeb.237198 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 224 (7) ◽

Author(s):

Wesley I. Payette ◽

Brett L. Hodinka ◽

Keelee B. Pullum ◽

Melanie M. Richter ◽

Noah T. Ashley

Keyword(s):

Predation Risk ◽

Growth Rates ◽

Well Being ◽

Adult Males ◽

Nestling Growth ◽

Immunological Responses ◽

Cavity Nesters ◽

Snow Bunting ◽

Activity Cycles ◽

Calcarius Lapponicus

ABSTRACT Sleep loss impairs cognitive function, immunological responses and general well-being in humans. However, sleep requirements in mammals and birds vary dramatically. In circumpolar regions with continuous summer light, daily sleep duration is reduced, particularly in breeding birds. The effect of an anti-narcolepsy drug (modafinil) to putatively extend wakefulness was examined in two species of closely related arctic-breeding passerine birds: Lapland longspurs (Calcarius lapponicus) and snow buntings (Plectrophenax nivalis). Free-living adult males were implanted during the nestling phase on day 4 (D4; 4 days post-hatching) with osmotic pumps containing either vehicle or modafinil to extend the active period for 72 h. Nestlings were weighed on D2 and D7 to measure growth rates. Additionally, focal observations were conducted on D6. Male longspurs receiving modafinil made fewer feeding visits and spent less time at the nest but tended to spend more time near the nest than controls. We observed no change in longspur nestling growth rates, but fledging occurred significantly later when males received modafinil, suggesting a fitness cost. In contrast, modafinil had no measurable impact on male or female snow bunting behavior, nestling growth rates or time to fledging. We suggest male longspurs compromise and maintain vigilance at their nests in lieu of sleeping because of the increased predation risk that is characteristic of their tundra nesting habitat. Snow buntings are cavity nesters, and their nests do not require the same vigilance, allowing males to presumably rest following provisioning. These life-history differences between species highlight the role of predation risk in mediating behavioral modifications to prolonged wakefulness in arctic-breeding songbirds.

Download Full-text

Management of cryptorchidism in adolescent and adult males

African Journal of Urology ◽

10.1186/s12301-020-00051-8 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 26 (1) ◽

Author(s):

J. T. Viljoen ◽

A. Zarrabi ◽

A. Van der Merwe

Keyword(s):

General Tendency ◽

Adult Males ◽

Undescended Testes ◽

Recommended Treatment ◽

Surgical History ◽

Group A ◽

The Mean ◽

Operative Findings ◽

First World ◽

Late Detection

Abstract Background In developing countries, it is not unusual for patients with undescended testes (UDT) to present in adulthood and the late detection of UDT can be problematic. The limited contribution to fertility and increased potential of malignancy seen in UDT have swayed many authors towards recommending orchidectomy, rather than orchidopexy, for the adult patient presenting with cryptorchidism. With conflicting data, and most guidelines aimed at first world countries with pre-pubertal patients as their focus group, a lot of uncertainty exists regarding the management of adults who present with cryptorchidism. This may result in variation in the approach to management of this patient population. Methods A retrospective review was conducted of patients with cryptorchidism, aged 12 years or older at the time of surgery. The following data were retrieved: patient’s age, medical and previous surgical history, clinical features of UDT (laterality, position and size), date of surgery, intra-operative findings and procedure performed. Management decisions were compared to the most recent guidelines. Results The mean age of the 106 subjects was 25.4 years. An orchidectomy was performed in a total of 30 (24.2%) of the 124 testicular units. The majority of testes, 91 (73.4%), in this group were preserved. Of these, 43 (47.3%) were older than 18 years of age, 33 (36.2%) were reported as having unilateral UDT with a normal contralateral testis and in 9 (9.8%) of these cases, the preserved testes were described as being atrophic. The majority (59.7%) of UDT in the post-pubertal group (> 18 years) were managed by orchidopexy. Conclusion Contrary to the recommended treatment for this group of patients, there was a general tendency towards testicular preservation. The decision on surgical management was made by the attending surgical team. This not only demonstrates variation in the management of UDT, but could also be a reflection of the lack of sufficient guidelines as to the management of the post-pubertal patient presenting with UDT. Further studies, following cryptorchidism through adulthood, are needed to refine guidelines for the optimal management of this group of patients.

Download Full-text

Characterization of Tamm-Horsfall Urinary Glycoprotein

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s042482010007254x ◽

1973 ◽

Vol 31 ◽

pp. 420-421

Author(s):

John P. Robinson ◽

J. David Puett

Keyword(s):

Electron Microscopy ◽

Circular Dichroism ◽

Secondary Structure ◽

Quaternary Structure ◽

Normal Adult ◽

Morphological Properties ◽

Adult Males ◽

Circular Dichroïsm ◽

Urinary Glycoprotein

Much work has been reported on the chemical, physical and morphological properties of urinary Tamm-Horsfall glycoprotein (THG). Although it was once reported that cystic fibrotic (CF) individuals had a defective THG, more recent data indicate that THG and CF-THG are similar if not identical.No studies on the conformational aspects have been reported on this glycoprotein using circular dichroism (CD). We examined the secondary structure of THG and derivatives under various conditions and have correlated these results with quaternary structure using electron microscopy.THG was prepared from normal adult males and CF-THG from a 16-year old CF female by the method of Tamm and Horsfall. CF female by the method of Tamm and Horsfall.

Download Full-text