Diet supplementation with fish broth in early life improves bone development and growth of scarlet ibis (Eudocimus ruber)

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of different dietary supplementations (fish or shrimp) on the growth, bone development and beak pigment disappearance in scarlet ibis kept in captivity. One-day-old scarlet ibis ( n = 20) were assigned to one of two diets, where 10 birds were fed a diluted commercial diet supplemented with shrimp broth, and 10 were fed a diluted commercial diet supplemented with fish broth. The feeding trial started at day one until day 35. The diluted commercial diet consisted of a flamingo diet diluted in water (puree). Chicks growth, bone development (radius, tarsus and tibia), and disappearance of beak pigmentation were recorded. No mortality was observed in the groups of the chicks fed supplemented commercial diets. Chicks fed diets supplemented with shrimp or fish broth gained weight from the first to the 35th day of life. However, from day 14 to the end of the trial growth was significantly higher in birds fed fish broth than shrimp broth. Again, the fish broth diet increased ( p < 0.001) the length of radius and tibia in comparison with shrimp one from day 14 and thereafter, while this similar difference in the tarsus was observed starting from day 28. The disappearance of the pigmented portion of the beak was not specifically affected by the diet, and it decreased over time. In conclusion, young scarlet ibis grow better in captivity when fed diets supplemented with fish broth than with shrimp broth.

Dental displacement in complete dentures influenced by different flask types and polymerization cycles

This study evaluated the dental displacement in dentures included in different flasks and processed by the Australian cycle modified or by microwave. Metal pins were placed on the teeth as reference for measurements: a) Incisal edge of maxillary and mandibular central incisors, buccal cusp of maxillary and mandibular vestibular first premolars, and mesiobuccal maxillary and mandibular cusps of second molars; b) Incisor to incisor, premolar to premolar and molar to molar; c) Left incisor to left molar and right incisor to right molar, and d) Vertical. Dentures were divided according to flasks (n=10): G1- Metal; G2- HH bimaxillary metal; G3-Microwaves; G4- HH bimaxillary microwaves. For G1 and G2, polymerization at 65ºC/30 min, flame quenched for 30 min, heating at 65ºC/30 min, boiling water for 1 h. For G3 and G4, microwave (20 min/140 W and 5 min/560 W). Comparator microscope with digital camera and analytical unit assessed the measurements before and after denture polymerization. The final distance was made subtracting the distance before the denture processing from the distance of the dental displacement after processing. The value of the difference was submitted to 2-way ANOVA, considering the flask type and denture type. Maxillary denture showed greater displacement when compared to mandibular denture. Flask types and interaction with denture types showed similar difference between before and after polymerization. In conclusion, displacement promoted by flask types in dentures cured by polymerization cycles promoted similar effect on the distance between teeth. Greater value for distance between teeth occurred for maxillary denture.

The influence of eye movements and their retinal consequences on bistable motion perception

Eye related movements such as blinks and microsaccades are modulated during bistable perceptual tasks, however, the role of such movements in these purely internal perceptual switches is not known. We conducted two experiments involving an ambiguous plaid stimulus, wherein participants had to continuously report their motion percept. To dissociate the effect of blinks and microsaccades from the visual consequences of such eye movements, we added external blanks and microshifts.Our results showed that while blanks facilitated a switch to the coherent motion percept, this was not the case for a switch to component percept. A similar difference was found with respect to blinks. While both types of perceptual switches were preceded by a decrease in blinks, only the switch to coherent percept was followed by an increase in blinks. These blink related findings, which we largely replicated and refined in a second study, indicate distinct internal processes underlying the two perceptual switches. Microsaccade rates, on the other hand, only showed a weak relation with perceptual switches but their direction was modulated by the perceived motion direction. Additionally, our data showed that microsaccades are differently modulated around internal (blinks) and external events (blanks, microshifts), indicating an interaction between different eye related movements.This study shows that eye movements such as blinks and microsaccades are modulated by purely internal perceptual events independent of task related motor or attentional demands. Eye movements therefore can uncover distinct internal perceptual processes that might otherwise be hard to dissociate.

Problems with Activity-Based Costing Implementation in Polish and Lithuanian Companies

The research purpose was to examine the problems of companies in implementing Activity-Based Costing and, in particular, to analyze the differences in assessing the level of these problems perceived by organizations using the system, considering its implementation, those which had not considered it, and those which had rejected it. The research showed that the problems with ABC implementation seen by adopters were considerably smaller compared to the other groups. A similar difference was noted between enterprises that were considering the implementation of the ABC system (and not considering it at all) and those that rejected it. The last group perceived implementation problems to be bigger than was the case in the groups which were still considering implementation or had not considered it at all. The findings seem to support the view that companies are making ABC implementation decisions rationally. On the one hand, when the problems perceived during implementation are relatively small, the company adopts ABC. On the other hand, when a company perceives the implementation problems as being quite significant, it rejects the implementation. In the middle of the scale are companies considering the implementation of ABC and others that are not thinking about it at all. They assess the perceived problems as moderate and are not in a position yet to decide for or against ABC implementation. There could also be an alternative explanation for the research results. It may be the case that companies, which have not implemented ABC overestimate the implementation problems.

PO 18126 - Comparison of first ray mobility in normal individuals and patients with hallux valgus

Introduction: The role of first ray sagittal mobility (FRSM) in the etiology and treatment of hallux valgus (HV) remains controversial. The manual clinical test of FRSM performed during the physical examination of HV is completely subjective. Our objective was to compare individuals with and without HV using a previously described manual device validated to evaluate FRSM and to assess the correlation between FRSM and HV severity and between FRSM and the degree of foot flatness. Methods: Thirty-seven feet with HV and 35 control feet were compared using a Eulji Medical Center (EMC)-like manual device. The HV grade was measured using the HV angle (HVA), and the degree of foot flatness was measured using Meary’s angle. Results: FRSM in controls: 6.31 mm; in cases: 8.97 mm, p<0.001, with a difference between controls and cases of 2.66 mm. HVA in controls: 8.75°; in cases: 23.74°, p<0.001. Correlation between FRSM and HVA in controls: r=-0.09, p=0.63; in cases: r=-0.08, p=0.63. Correlation between FRSM and Meary’s angle in controls: r=-0.04, p=0.83; in cases: r=-0.02, p=0.89. The 90th percentile in controls was 8 mm. Conclusion: The individuals with HV had greater FRSM than the controls, and the mean difference was 2.66 mm; a previous study using a Klaue device showed a similar difference of 3.62 mm. There was no correlation between HV severity and FRSM; that is, the more severe cases of HV did not show greater mobility. Therefore, more severe cases will not have a greater likelihood of tarsometatarsal arthrodesis based on the FRSM. There was no correlation between FRSM and foot flatness (Meary’s angle); that is, the FRSM did not increase with foot flatness. The 90th percentile in controls was 8 mm; in other words, 10% of individuals without HV have mobility equal to or greater than 8 mm.

Häckningsframgång hos svarthakedopping Podiceps auritus i Västergötland, sydvästra Sverige

Breeding success of the Horned Grebe Podiceps auritus was controlled during 2005–2011 at 41 breeding sites with a median size of 1.07 ha in Västergötland, southwest Sweden. The number of pairs varied between 39 and 51. The production of young was 0.99 per pair and year. In natural water bodies there were 1.23 chicks per pair and year and 68% of the breeding pairs got one or more chicks per pair and year. In artificial water bodies the corresponding values were 0.92 and 50%. Breeding sites with one pair produced 1.29 young per pair and year, compared to 0.85 young where two or more pairs were breeding at the same site, a difference of 0.44 young. There was a similar difference (0.48 young) for artificial water bodies holding one pair or more than one pair, respectively, in contrast to natural water bodies for which the difference was small. There were no indications that the number of young was higher at breeding sites with Mew Gulls or Black-Headed Gulls.

Prevention of Idiopathic Pneumonia Syndrome by Intra-Bone Marrow Injection of Donor Cells

Abstract 1902 Several clinical and experimental studies have reported that a recently developed intra-bone marrow (IBM) stem cell transplantation (SCT) technique gives high rates of engraftment and is associated with a low incidence of acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Idiopathic pneumonia syndrome (IPS) is a significant cause of mortality and remains a major obstacle after allogeneic SCT. In the present study, the extent of IPS after IBM-SCT was compared with that after conventional intravenous SCT (IV-SCT) using a lethally irradiated B6(H-2b) into F1 (H-2b/d) mouse IPS model. Compared with IV-SCT, IBM-SCT significantly improved the clinical GVHD score and reduced total and CD3+ T cell numbers in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (9.6± 3.5 vs. 21.3 ± 0.5 x104/ml; p < 0.05). Histopathological examination of lung tissue at 6 weeks post-SCT showed significantly reduced IPS pathology in mice that underwent IBM-SCT. To explore the mechanisms of the reduction in IPS pathology in mice that underwent IBM-SCT, we monitored the in vivo distributions of infused donor cells and compared them between mice that underwent IBM-SCT versus IV-SCT. Recipient mice were imaged at different time points (1, 2, 3, and 6 h, and 1, 2, 3, and 5 days), using a lethally irradiated luciferase-expressing transgenic FVB/N (FVB/N luc+)(H-2q) into BALB/c (H-2d) mouse model. In vivo bioluminescence imaging (BLI) analysis revealed that the majority of injected donor cells were trapped in the lung 1 h after IV-SCT. In contrast, almost all donor cells were localized in the injected limbs 1 h after IBM-SCT, and significantly fewer cells had reached the lung (3.1± 0.7 vs. 16.7± 1.1 x105 photons/sec/animal, IBM-SCT vs. IV-SCT, p < 0.01; Figure). After syngeneic (FVB/N luc+ into FVB/N) SCT, the majority of the injected cells were also trapped in the lung 1 h after IV-SCT, and a similar difference was observed in donor cell distribution in the lung after IV-SCT versus IBM-SCT (2.4± 0.6 vs. 11.6± 1.3 x105 photons/sec/animal; p < 0.01). These results suggest that initial cell localization to the lung is dependent on the SCT method. At 2 days post-SCT, we examined the profiles of chemokines produced locally in the lung (CCL2, CCL3, CXCL1, CCL5, and CCL8). The mRNA expression of CC chemokines, especially CCL2, was more strongly induced in the lung after allogeneic IV-SCT than after allogeneic IBM-SCT (0.098 ± 0.020 vs. 0.020 ± 0.003 units/GAPDH mRNA; p < 0.05). A similar difference was observed between mice that underwent syngeneic IV-SCT and syngeneic IBM-SCT, suggesting that increases in chemokine levels in the lung early post-SCT are also dependent on the SCT method. At 5 days post-syngeneic SCT, BLI analysis revealed that no difference was observed in donor cell distribution in the lung after IV-SCT versus IBM-SCT (4.8± 1.1 vs. 4.6± 2.5 x107 photons/sec/animal; p =0.94). On the other hand, the BLI signals dramatically increased in the lungs of mice that had undergone allogeneic IV-SCT after day 2 post-SCT and there was a significant difference in the BLI signals between IV-SCT and IBM-SCT mice at 5 days post-SCT (50.9± 6.6 vs. 16.0± 6.2×107 photons/sec/animal; p < 0.05). These results suggest that increases in chemokine levels in the lung at day 2 post-SCT lead to increases in the allogeneic response in the lung. In summary, we have shown that the initial localization of donor cells to the lung and increases in lung chemokine levels are dependent on the SCT method. The targeting of donor cell trafficking to the lung may be a promising strategy for preventing IPS, and IBM-SCT may reduce IPS after allogeneic SCT. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Impairment Ratings: Observations Based on Review of More Than 6,000 Cases

The goal of the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment (AMA Guides) is “to provide a standardized, objective approach to evaluating medical impairment,” resulting in reliable, reproducible impairment ratings with high levels of interrater consistency. The authors reviewed 6233 impairment ratings that took place between July 2006 and January 2010 that reflected 11991 ratable diagnoses and found poor interrater reliability (78% disagreement rate). A previous study conducted in 2005 was published in The Guides Newsletter (May/June and July/August 2006 issues) and evaluated 2100 cases for impairment rating review and found that 80% of ratings resulted in different outcomes when reviewed by an expert reviewer. The current study found an average difference of 10.0% whole person permanent impairment (WPI) between the original WPI ratings calculated with the fifth edition and the revised ratings after expert review; the 2005 study found a similar difference, 9.9% WPI. The reasons for poor interrater reliability with fifth edition ratings are many and include inaccurate clinical and causation analysis, failure to use the AMA Guides appropriately, and bias. The error rate in this study was lowest for patients in Hawaii, where the AMA Guides, Fifth Edition, has been used since 2001, only a relatively small number of authors who have been trained in the use of the AMA Guides perform the evaluations, there is no systematic coaching by attorneys about how to use the AMA Guides, and impairment ratings are routinely reviewed to determine their accuracy.

Early familiarity has fitness consequences for Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) juveniles

Familiarity is an important factor reducing aggressiveness among individuals. Because of the reduced energy and time expenditure due to lowered aggression, individuals would be expected to perform better in groups of familiar conspecifics as compared with individuals in groups of strangers. However, few studies have examined potential fitness consequences of familiarity. We created familiar (from tanks where several thousands of unrelated fish had been kept since fertilization) and unfamiliar (by combining fish from several tanks) groups of underyearling Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) and followed their performance for a 21-day period. Familiarity within groups enhanced survival and body condition of the fish. The fish in familiar groups also grew better in weight and in length. Furthermore, familiar fish differed less in length variation after the experimental period compared with fish reared in unfamiliar groups. There was also a tendency towards similar difference in the variation of weight. These results provide direct evidence for beneficial fitness consequences of early familiarity in Arctic char.

Chemistry in the LMC and SMC

Molecular abundances derived in a sample of CO complexes in the Magellanic Clouds are discussed. With a possible exception of HCO+, the chemical compositions observed in this sample show a striking uniformity. The data indicate that the molecular concentrations are down by a factor of 5 in the SMC, relative those observed in a cloud associated with the H II region N159 in the LMC. A similar difference seems to exist within the LMC, between the 30 Doradus region and the N159 area. An estimate of the electron abundance in the N159 cloud is presented, based on a recent detection of DCO+.