The Relationship Between Body Mass and Survival of Wintering Canvasbacks

The Auk ◽  
1986 ◽  
Vol 103 (3) ◽  
pp. 506-514 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. M. Haramis ◽  
J. D. Nichols ◽  
K. H. Pollock ◽  
J. E. Hines
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass ◽  
Survival Probability ◽  
Alternative Explanation ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Cold Weather ◽  
Early Winter ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Annual Survival ◽  
Survival Probabilities

Abstract Mass and recapture histories of 6,000 Canvasbacks (Aythya valisineria) banded in upper Chesapeake Bay were used to test two hypotheses: (1) early-winter body mass is associated with the probability of surviving the winter, and (2) early-winter body mass is associated with annual survival probability. Data were analyzed by a binary regression method that treated mass as a continuous variable and estimated parameters to describe a general relationship between body mass and survival probability. Results for adult males, which provided our largest data sets, presented strong evidence that birds with high relative early-winter masses had both greater overwinter and annual survival probabilities. Results of overwinter analyses necessarily are qualified by the alternative explanation of mass-dependent emigration, i.e. the possibility that lighter birds move south in response to cold weather and leave only heavy birds for recapture. Such a phenomenon remains to be documented. Results concerning annual survival probabilities are not vulnerable to this alternative explanation because of the strong fidelity of Canvasbacks at the banding site. Because of small sample size, data were inadequate to permit mass/survival inferences for adult females. Sample sizes were adequate for young Canvasbacks, but the results were less consistent than for adult males. Although early-winter body mass was associated positively with overwinter as well as annual survival for young Canvasbacks in some years, we suspect that the lack of established wintering patterns among these birds may underlie the less consistent result.

scholarly journals Subjective Social Status Is Associated with Dysregulated Eating Behaviors and Greater Body Mass Index in an Urban Predominantly Black and Low-Income Sample

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 3893
Author(s):  
Monika M. Stojek ◽  
Paulina Wardawy ◽  
Charles F. Gillespie ◽  
Jennifer S. Stevens ◽  
Abigail Powers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass Index ◽  
Social Status ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Emotional Eating ◽  
Eating Behaviors ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Food Addiction ◽  
Subjective Social Status ◽  
Small Sample

Background: Higher subjective social status (SSS) or a person’s perception of their social standing is related to better health outcomes, but few studies examined SSS in relation to obesity. Emotional eating and food addiction have been linked to obesity. Some studies indicated that manipulating SSS may lead to altered food intake, but the relationship between SSS and dysregulated eating, such as emotional eating and food addiction (FA), has not been examined. The goal of this study was to examine the associations between SSS in the community and the larger society, dysregulated eating (emotional eating and FA), and body mass index (BMI) in a majority racial minority sample. Methods: The participants (N = 89; 93% Black, 86% women, and 56% with obesity; 72% income lower than USD 2000), recruited from a publicly funded hospital in Atlanta, GA, completed the MacArthur Scale, Dutch Eating Behaviors Questionnaire, Yale Food Addiction Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, PTSD Symptom Checklist, and demographics questionnaire. Results: Twenty-two percent of the sample met the criteria for FA; those with FA had significantly higher BMI than those without (p = 0.018). In the hierarchical linear regression, the SSS community (but not in society) predicted higher severity of emotional eating (β = 0.26, p = 0.029) and FA (β = 0.30, p = 0.029), and higher BMI (β = 0.28, p = 0.046), independent from depression and PTSD symptoms. Conclusions: The findings indicate that, among Black individuals with predominantly low income in the U.S., perceived role in their community is associated with eating patterns and body mass. Given the small sample size, the results should be interpreted with caution.

ID: 76: AVOIDING TRANSTHORACIC ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY (TTE) AND TRANSESOPHAGEAL ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY (TEE) FOR PATIENTS WITH VARIABLE BODY MASS INDEXES (BMI) IN INFECTIVE ENDOCARDITIS

2016 ◽  
Vol 64 (4) ◽  
pp. 916.3-917
Author(s):  
R Sogomonian ◽  
H Alkhawam ◽  
N Vyas ◽  
J Jolly ◽  
A Ashraf ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Infective Endocarditis ◽  
Transesophageal Echocardiography ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Sensitivity And Specificity ◽  
Transthoracic Echocardiography ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
The United States ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Blood Cultures ◽  
True Negative

BackgroundEchocardiography has been a popular modality used to aid in the diagnosis of infective endocarditis (IE) with the modified Dukes' criteria. We evaluated the necessity between the uses of either a transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) or transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) in patients with a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 25 kg/m2 and less than 25.MethodsA single-centered, retrospective study of 198 patients between the years of 2005 and 2012 diagnosed with IE based on modified Dukes' criteria. Patients were required to be above the age of 18, undergone an echocardiogram study and had blood cultures to be included in the study.This study was conducted at a major hospital in one of the most diverse communities in the United States, providing a cultural and epidemiologically significant advantage. An approved chart analysis using QuadraMed Computerized Patient Record (QCPR) was retrospectively accessed with data-input and calculations formulated in computerized software.ResultsAmong 198 patients, two echocardiographic groups were evaluated as 158 patients obtained a TTE, 143 obtained a TEE, and 103 overlapped with TEE and TTE. 167 patients were included in the study as 109 (65%) were discovered to have native valve vegetations on TEE and 58 (35%) with TTE. TTE findings were compared to TEE results for true negative and positives to isolate valvular vegetations Overall sensitivity of TTE was calculated to be 67% with a specificity of 93%. Patients were further divided into two groups with the first group having a BMI less than or equal to 25 kg/m2 and the subsequent group with a BMI<25. Patients with a BMI less than or equal to 25 that underwent a TTE study had a sensitivity and specificity of 54% and 92, respectively. On the contrary, patients with a BMI<25 had a TTE sensitivity and specificity of 78% and 95, respectively. Furthermore, we obtained the sensitivities of specific valves diseased from vegetations, visualized by TTE (figure 1). Lastly, we were able to demonstrate a correlation between the different modalities of echocardiography used to the specific organism identified on blood cultures (figure 2).ConclusionCalculating a BMI in patients with suspicion for IE may provide benefit in reducing further diagnostic imaging. Our study demonstrated that patients having a BMI <25 kg/m2 with a negative TTE should refrain from further diagnostic studies with TEE, given the findings of increased sensitivities (figure 3). Patients with a BMI less than or equal to 25 may proceed directly to a TEE, possibly avoiding an additional study with a TTE given the low sensitivities identified in this population. Clinicians should be aware that this study has several limitations, one of which a small sample size that may be increased with a multi-centered study. Further investigations with a larger population may improve and possibly provide similar findings, reinforcing the study.

scholarly journals Do avian cooperative breeders live longer?

2014 ◽  
Vol 281 (1787) ◽  
pp. 20140844 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guy Beauchamp
Keyword(s):  
Clutch Size ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Cooperative Breeding ◽  
Local Population ◽  
Breeding Strategy ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Sampling Effort ◽  
Ecological Constraints ◽  
Annual Survival ◽  
Species Pairs

Cooperative breeding is not common in birds but intriguingly over-represented in several families, suggesting that predisposing factors, similar ecological constraints or a combination of the two facilitate the evolution of this breeding strategy. The life-history hypothesis proposes that cooperative breeding is facilitated by high annual survival, which increases the local population and leads to a shortage of breeding opportunities. Clutch size in cooperative breeders is also expected to be smaller. An earlier comparative analysis in a small sample of birds supported the hypothesis but this conclusion has been controversial. Here, I extend the analysis to a larger, worldwide sample and take into account potential confounding factors that may affect estimates of a slow pace of life and clutch size. In a sample of 81 species pairs consisting of closely related cooperative and non-cooperative breeders, I did not find an association between maximum longevity and cooperative breeding, controlling for diet, body mass and sampling effort. However, in a smaller sample of 37 pairs, adult annual survival was indeed higher in the cooperative breeders, controlling for body mass. There was no association between clutch size and cooperative breeding in a sample of 93 pairs. The results support the facilitating effect of high annual survival on the evolution of cooperative breeding in birds but the effect on clutch size remains elusive.

scholarly journals Recovery of Male Hypogonadism Following Successful Treatment of Prolactinoma: The Experience of an Integrated Health Network

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. A632-A633
Author(s):  
Mihail Voica ◽  
Maryam Tetlay ◽  
Diane V Thompson ◽  
Farhad Hasan
Keyword(s):  
Tumor Size ◽  
Reference Range ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Serum Prolactin ◽  
Male Hypogonadism ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Baseline Serum ◽  
Health Network ◽  
Male Patients

Abstract Background: Hypogonadism is the most prevalent deficiency in male patients with prolactinomas (PrL). The recovery rates of hypogonadism (HGo) following treatment of PrL is variable and can be as high as 62%. In this study we aimed to identify predictors of HGo recovery in mean with PrL. We hypothesized that younger and leaner men and smaller tumor size predict HGo recovery after successful PrL treatment. We also hypothesized that higher baseline serum T predicts HGo recovery. Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of the electronic medical records of adult males with a diagnosis of hyperprolactinemia or PrL who were treated at Allegheny Health Network (Pittsburgh, PA) between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2019. Serum prolactin and testosterone (T) levels, and pituitary tumor size (microadenoma &lt;10mm, macroadenoma 10-39mm, or giant adenoma ≥ 40 mm) on MRI scan at diagnosis and up to 2 years follow up were analyzed. HGo was defined as serum T below reference range at diagnosis. HGo recovery was defined as total T in the reference range within 2 years from PrL treatment onset in the absence of T replacement. Results: We screened 215 male patients who met initial search criteria. Of the 37 subjects who met eligibility criteria, 26 had HGo while 11 had normal serum T (Fig 1). Mean age of men with HGo was 44.6 ± 13.7 years (range 21 – 64). Median serum prolactin at diagnosis was 283.5 ng/mL (range 31-14,830), and mean serum T was 167.07 ± 61.12 ng/dL. Median tumor (max) diameter was 17.5 mm (range 4-81mm). Of the included 26 patients 20 (77%) achieved normal prolactin with therapy after a median of 5 months. Only 10 of the 26 men with HGo (38.5%) attained recovery of HGo following treatment of PrL, and the mean time to recovery was 8.8 ± 6.9 months. HGo recovery was predictably more common in persons with microadenoma (n=6) while none of patients with giant Prl achieved HGo recovery. Baseline serum prolactin and T levels and baseline tumor size predicted subsequent HGo recovery, while age did not. Baseline serum prolactin was lower in men whose HGo recovered (median = 105 ng/mL, IQR = 202) than in men who did not (median = 931 ng/mL, IQR = 3714); p = 0.014. Baseline serum T was higher in men who attained HGo recovery (173.2 ± 59.6) than in men who failed to do so (103.1 ± 85.9); p = 0.03. Mean tumor size was significantly smaller in men who attained HGo recovery (max diam: 9.8 ± 5.5 mm) than in men who did not (31.8 ± 20.3 mm); p = .003. There were no statistically significant differences between men categorized by remission status with respect to age (p = .367) nor weight at the time of diagnosis (p = .591). Conclusion: In this retrospective study of 26 males with PrL and low T at presentation, 38.5% achieved HGo recovery. Lower baseline serum prolactin, smaller tumor size and higher baseline T predicted recovery of HGo, while presenting age and weight did not. This study was limited by its retrospective nature and small sample size.

Industrial and Agricultural Chemicals

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1974 ◽  
Vol 53 (5) ◽  
pp. 843-844
Author(s):  
S. Hope Sandifer
Keyword(s):  
South Carolina ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
The United States ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Community Studies ◽  
Water Supplies ◽  
Intermittent Exposure ◽  
High Concentrations

The alert practitioner should know the types of pollution created by agriculture and industry in his area. In agriculture, two important pollutants are nitrates and pesticides (which include insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, rodenticides, and defoliants). Pediatricians are well aware of methemoglobmnemia due to excessive nitrates in water. Nitrates in water supplies are of increasing concern because of runoff from feed lots and incremental use of fertilizers. Tolerance levels of nitrate in municipal water supplies are established, and pediatricians should insist that these standards be enforced in their community. With regard to pesticides, the Environmental Protection Agency has funded 13 community studies throughout the United States. The purpose is to monitor the health of pesticide workers compared with suitable controls. To date no significant health effects have been demonstrated. Most studies have been made on adult males because of their occupational exposure to pesticides. The groups under surveillance include workers who manufacture pesticides, pest-control operators who spray daily, and farmers who have intermittent exposure to high concentrations of pesticides. We are seeking the effects, if any, in the most heavily exposed persons before trying to determine the effects of smaller doses. This approach suffers the problem of small sample size (several thousand instead of hundreds of thousands of exposed persons). Our studies and those of others have shown that DDT in the sera of blacks is about two to three times that of whites.1-3 We had assumed that this difference was due to environmental exposure, but recent studies in Charleston, South Carolina, have suggested a genetic factor.

Soaring and non-soaring bats of the family pteropodidae (flying foxes, Pteropus spp.): wing morphology and flight performance

2000 ◽  
Vol 203 (3) ◽  
pp. 651-664 ◽  
Author(s):  
U.M. Lindhe-Norberg ◽  
A.P. Brooke ◽  
W.J. Trewhella
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
American Samoa ◽  
Oceanic Islands ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Limiting Factor ◽  
Wing Morphology ◽  
Flying Foxes ◽  
Save Energy ◽  
Comoro Islands

On oceanic islands, some large diurnal megachiropteran bat species (flying foxes; Pteropus spp.) frequently use thermal or slope soaring during foraging flights to save energy. We compared the flight morphology and gliding/soaring performance of soaring versus non-soaring Pteropus species, one pair on American Samoa and one pair on the Comoro Islands, and two other soaring/flap-gliding species and one non-soaring species. We predicted that the soaring species should have a lower body mass, longer wings and, hence, lower wing loadings than those species that use mainly flapping flight. This would give a lower sinking speed during gliding, a higher glide ratio, and enable the bats to make tighter turns with lower sinking speeds than in the non-soaring species. We theoretically calculated the gliding and circling performances of both the soaring and non-soaring species. Our results show that there are tendencies towards longer wings and lower wing loadings in relation to body size in the gliding/soaring flying foxes than in the non-soaring ones. In the species-pair comparison of the soaring and non-soaring species on American Samoa and the Comoro Islands, the soarers on both islands turn out to have lower wing loadings than their non-soaring partners in spite of opposite size differences among the pairs. These characteristics are in accordance with our hypothesis on morphological adaptations. Most differences are, however, only significant at a level of P&lt;0.1, which may be due to the small sample size, but overlap also occurs. Therefore, we must conclude that wing morphology does not seem to be a limiting factor preventing the non-soarers from soaring. Instead, diurnality in the soaring species seems to be the ultimate determinant of soaring behaviour. The morphological differences cause visible differences in soaring and gliding performance. The glider/soarers turn out to have lower minimum sinking speeds, lower best glide speeds and smaller turning radii than the non-soarers. When the wing measurements and soaring performance are normalized to a body mass of 0.5 kg for all species, the minimum sinking speed becomes significantly lower (P&lt;0.05) in the three soaring and the one flap-gliding species (0.63 m s(−)(1)) than in the three non-soaring species (0.69 m s(−)(1)). Interestingly, the zones in the diagrams for the glide polars and circling envelopes of these similar-sized bats become displaced for the glider/soarers versus the non-soarers. The glide polars overlap slightly only at the gliding speeds appropriate for these bats, whereas the circling envelopes do not overlap at the appropriate bank angles and turning radii. This points towards adaptations for better gliding/soaring performance in the soaring and gliding species.

scholarly journals Annual survival probabilities of anadromous Arctic Char remain high and stable despite inter-annual differences in sea ice melt date

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabeau Caza-Allard ◽  
Marc J. Mazerolle ◽  
Les N Harris ◽  
Brendan Malley ◽  
Ross F. Tallman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Survival Probability ◽  
Interannual Variation ◽  
Salvelinus Alpinus ◽  
Ice Cover ◽  
Arctic Char ◽  
Annual Survival ◽  
Survival Probabilities ◽  
Ice Melt ◽  
The Impact

Throughout their range, anadromous Arctic Char (Salvelinus alpinus) support commercial, recreational, and subsistence fisheries that are important economically, socially, and culturally yet drivers of interannual variation in survival in this species, however, remain poorly understood. Here, we aimed to quantify the impact of environmental and biological parameters on the survival probability of anadromous Arctic Char near the community of Cambridge Bay, Nunavut. To do so, we tracked 183 Arctic Char tagged with acoustic transmitters and used capture-mark-recapture methods to estimate survival probabilities over six years. Annual survival probabilities for individuals was high, varying between 0.79 and 0.88, whereas recapture probabilities varied between 0.64 and 0.90. Interannual variation in survival probability was low and neither the environmental (air temperature, sea ice cover) nor biological (sex) variables influenced survival probability. These estimates suggest that annual survival probability is high for anadromous adult Arctic Char in the Cambridge Bay area, despite clear differences in the ice cover melt date among years. These results further our understanding of the demographic parameters of Arctic Char in the region, which will be important for future assessments of the sustainability of commercial fisheries as well as for predicting population responses to a rapidly changing Arctic.

scholarly journals Lek-associated movement of a putative Ebolavirus reservoir, the Hammer-headed fruit bat (Hypsignathus monstrosus), in northern Republic of Congo

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah H. Olson ◽  
Gerard Bounga ◽  
Alain Ondzie ◽  
Trent Bushmaker ◽  
Stephanie N. Seifert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Congo Basin ◽  
Gps Tracking ◽  
Molecular Testing ◽  
Radio Tracking ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Fruit Bats ◽  
Republic Of Congo ◽  
Fruit Bat

AbstractThe biology and ecology of Africa’s largest fruit bat remains largely understudied and enigmatic despite at least two highly unusual attributes. The acoustic lek mating behavior of the hammer-headed bat (Hypsignathus monstrosus) in the Congo basin was first described in the 1970s. Then in the 2000s, molecular testing implicated this species and other fruit bats as potential reservoir hosts for Ebola virus and it was one of only two fruit bat species epidemiologically linked to the 2008 Luebo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ebola outbreak. Here we share findings from the first pilot study of hammer-headed bat movement using GPS tracking and accelerometry units and a small preceding radio-tracking trial at an apparent lekking site. The radio-tracking revealed adult males had high rates of nightly visitation to the site compared to females (only one visit) and that two of six females day-roosted ∼100 m west of Libonga, the nearest village that is ∼1.6 km southwest. Four months later, in mid-April 2018, five individual bats, comprised of four males and one female, were tracked from two to 306 days, collecting from 67 to 1022 GPS locations. As measured by mean distance to the site and proportion of nightly GPS locations within 1 km of the site (percent visitation), the males were much more closely associated with the site (mean distance 1.4 km; 51% visitation), than the female (mean 5.5 km; 2.2% visitation). Despite the small sample size, our tracking evidence supports our original characterization of the site as a lek, and the lek itself is much more central to male than female movement. Moreover, our pilot demonstrates the technical feasibility of executing future studies on hammer-headed bats that will help fill problematic knowledge gaps about zoonotic spillover risks and the conservation needs of fruit bats across the continent.

scholarly journals Examination of the Selected Physical and Motoric Characteristics of Students with Special Needs in Turkish Schools Aged 7–14

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 217
Author(s):  
Rustem Orhan ◽  
Murat Ergin ◽  
Sinan Ayan ◽  
Ekrem Boyali
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass Index ◽  
Special Needs ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Body Fat ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Handgrip Strength ◽  
Vertical Jump ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Normal Body Mass Index ◽  
Fat Percentage

The aim of this paper was to examine the selected physical and motoric characteristics of students with mild intellectual disabilities. The total number of the participants was 119 (54 females and 65 males) and the mean age was 10.78 &plusmn; 1.88 years. Height, weight, body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage, and body fat mass scores were collected to determine the physical characteristics. Handgrip strength, vertical jump, standing long jump, flexibility, and 20 m speed running tests were performed to determine the motoric characteristics. The data were analyzed using IBM SPSS 22 package program. Descriptive statistical methods were used in the evaluation of the data. The male students performed better than the female students in all motor performance tests except the flexibility test. The older students performed better, as in the previous studies. Most of the students in the study were found to have a low or normal body mass index. However, according to the literature, children with special needs tend to be overweight and obese due to sedentary lifestyle. One reason for this difference might be a small sample size. Other reasons could be different socio-economic backgrounds and different extracurricular physical activity habits.

The Effects of Restricted Energy and Fluid Intake on Simulated Amateur Boxing Performance

2001 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 238-247 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcus Smith ◽  
Rosemary Dyson ◽  
Tudor Hale ◽  
Matthew Hamilton ◽  
John Kelly ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Sample Size ◽  
Blood Lactate ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Fluid Intake ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Dietary Behavior ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Amateur Boxing

This study examined the effects of serial reductions in energy and fluid intake on two simulated boxing performances separated by 2 days recovery. Eight amateur boxers (age: 23.6 ± 3.2 years; height 175 ± 5 cm; body mass [BM] 73.3 ± 8.3 kg [Mean ± SD]) performed two simulated boxing bouts (BB) under normal (N-trial) and restricted (R-trial) diets in a counterbalanced design over 5 days. The trials were separated by a 9-day period of normal dietary behavior (X-trial). BM was recorded on days 1, 3, and 5 of each trial. Simulated bouts of three, 3-min rounds with 1-min recovery were completed on days 3 (BB1) and 5 (BB2) of each 5-day trial. Punching force (N) was recorded from 8 sets of 7 punches by a purpose-built boxing ergometer. Heart rate (fC) was monitored continuously (PE3000 Polar Sports Tester, Kempele, Finland), and blood lactate (BLa) and glucose (BG) were determined 4-min post-performance (2300 StaPlus, YSI, Ohio). Energy and fluid intakes were significantly lower in the R-trial (p < .05). Body mass was maintained during the N-trial but fell 3% (p < .05) during the R-trial. There were no significant differences in end-of-bout fC or post-bout BG, but BLa was higher in the N- than the R-trial (p < .05). R-trial punching forces were 3.2% and 4.6% lower, respectively, compared to the corresponding N-trial bouts, but the differences did not reach statistical significance. These results suggest that energy and fluid restrictions in weight-governed sports do not always lead to a significant decrease in performance, but because of the small sample size and big variations in individual performances, these findings should be interpreted with care.

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