Test-retest reliability of computer-based video analysis of general movements in healthy term-born infants.

Background: A computer-based video analysis has recently been presented for quantitative assessment of general movements (GMs). This method's test-retest reliability, however, has not yet been evaluated.

Aims: The aim of the current study was to evaluate the test-retest reliability of computer-based video analysis of GMs, and to explore the association between computer-based video analysis and the temporal organization of fidgety movements (FMs).

Evolutionary analysis of the female-specific avian W chromosome.

The typically repetitive nature of the sex-limited chromosome means that it is often excluded from or poorly covered in genome assemblies, hindering studies of evolutionary and population genomic processes in non-recombining chromosomes. Here, we present a draft assembly of the non-recombining region of the collared flycatcher W chromosome, containing 46 genes without evidence of female-specific functional differentiation. Survival of genes during W chromosome degeneration has been highly non-random and expression data suggest that this can be attributed to selection for maintaining gene dose and ancestral expression levels of essential genes.

Endoparasite infection has both short- and long-term negative effects on reproductive success of female house sparrows, as revealed by faecal parasitic egg counts.

Parasites have the potential to severely reduce host reproductive success. However, the effects of endoparasites on reproductive success have not received the same amount of attention as the effects of parasites on host survival. We investigated the relationship between an avian endoparasite (gapeworm, Syngamus trachea) and both current and future reproductive success of female house sparrows (Passer domesticus) in a population on the coast of Helgeland, northern Norway.

The concept of fitness in fluctuating environments.

Fitness is a central concept in evolutionary biology, but there is no unified definition. We review recent theoretical developments showing that including fluctuating environments and density dependence has important implications for how differences among phenotypes in their contributions to future generations should be quantified. The rate of phenotypic evolution will vary through time because of environmental stochasticity.

Reduced MCMV Δm157 viral clearance in the absence of TSAd.

The T cell specific adapter protein (TSAd) is expressed in activated T cells and NK cells. While TSAd is beginning to emerge as a critical regulator of Lck and Itk activity in T cells, its role in NK cells has not yet been explored. Here we have examined susceptibility to virus infections in a murine model using various viral infection models.

Population properties affect inbreeding avoidance in moose.

Mechanisms reducing inbreeding are thought to have evolved owing to fitness costs of breeding with close relatives. In small and isolated populations, or populations with skewed age- or sex distributions, mate choice becomes limited, and inbreeding avoidance mechanisms ineffective. We used a unique individual-based dataset on moose from a small island in Norway to assess whether inbreeding avoidance was related to population structure and size, expecting inbreeding avoidance to be greater in years with larger populations and even adult sex ratios.

Evolutionary consequences of nonselective harvesting in density-dependent populations.

There is now considerable empirical evidence that evolutionary changes in many phenotypic characters, such as body mass, age at maturation, and timing of breeding, often occur in populations subject to intense harvesting over longer periods. Here, we analyze the evolutionary component of the selection due to nonselective harvesting, which will operate even under selective harvesting and may generate a large evolutionary response. If phenotype affects susceptibility to density dependence-for example, through resource limitation-then nonselective harvesting can induce evolutionary change through its effect on population density.

Seasonal Variation in Objectively Assessed Physical Activity among Young Norwegian Talented Soccer Players: A Description of Daily Physical Activity Level.

'Practise makes perfect' is a well-known expression in most sports, including top-level soccer. However, a high training and match load increases the risk for injury, overtraining and burnout. With the use of accelerometers and a self-report questionnaire, the aim of this study was to describe talented players' physical activity (PA) level.

The relationship between trunk control in sitting and during gait in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy.

Aim: To assess the relationship between trunk control in sitting and trunk control during gait in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP).

Method: Twenty-six children (17 males, nine females) with spastic CP (Gross Motor Function Classification System I-III [15 unilateral, 11 bilateral], mean age 13.5y), were included.

Climatic conditions cause complex patterns of covariation between demographic traits in a long-lived raptor.

Environmental variation can induce life-history changes that can last over a large part of the lifetime of an organism. If multiple demographic traits are affected, expected changes in climate may influence environmental covariances among traits in a complex manner. Thus, examining the consequences of environmental fluctuations requires that individual information at multiple life stages is available, which is particularly challenging in long-lived species.

The effect of exercise and metformin treatment on circulating free DNA in pregnancy.

Introduction: Some pregnancy complications are characterized by increased levels of cell-free fetal (cffDNA) and maternal DNA (cfmDNA), the latter may also be elevated during physical strain. This study aims at assessing the impact of exercise and metformin intervention in pregnancy, and to compare the levels of cell free DNA in pregnant women with or without PCOS diagnosis.

Methods: Consecutive women from two previous randomized controlled trials in pregnancy were included.

Inhibition of group IVA cytosolic phospholipase A2 by thiazolyl ketones in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo.

Group IVA cytosolic phospholipase A2 (GIVA cPLA2) is the rate-limiting provider of pro-inflammatory mediators in many tissues and is thus an attractive target for the development of novel anti-inflammatory agents. In this work, we present the synthesis of new thiazolyl ketones and the study of their activities in vitro, in cells, and in vivo. Within this series of compounds, methyl 2-(2-(4-octylphenoxy)acetyl)thiazole-4-carboxylate (GK470) was found to be the most potent inhibitor of GIVA cPLA2, exhibiting an XI(50) value of 0.

Estimating phenotypic selection in age-structured populations by removing transient fluctuations.

An extension of the selection differential in the Robertson-Price equation for the mean phenotype in an age-structured population is provided. Temporal changes in the mean phenotype caused by transient fluctuations in the age-distribution and variation in mean phenotype among age classes, which can mistakenly be interpreted as selection, will disappear if reproductive value weighting is applied. Changes in any weighted mean phenotype in an age-structured population may be decomposed into between- and within-age class components.

Effects of population characteristics and structure on estimates of effective population size in a house sparrow metapopulation.

Effective population size (N(e)) is a key parameter to understand evolutionary processes and the viability of endangered populations as it determines the rate of genetic drift and inbreeding. Low Ne can lead to inbreeding depression and reduced population adaptability. In this study, we estimated contemporary N(e) using genetic estimators (LDNE, ONeSAMP, MLNE and CoNe) as well as a demographic estimator in a natural insular house sparrow metapopulation.

Gait characteristics in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy assessed with a trunk-worn accelerometer.

This study aimed to investigate gait characteristics reflecting balance and progression in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP) compared with typically developing (TD) children. Gait characteristics variables representing aspects of balance were trunk acceleration, interstride regularity and asymmetry of accelerations while gait characteristics representing progression were gait speed, cadence, step time and step length. Children in the age range 5-18 years (mean age 11.

'Brightness in dark places': theatre as an arena for communicating life with dementia.

The aim of this study was to use artistic expressions on a theatrical stage for communicating life with dementia, as portrayed in literary texts and to explore whether such communication would help relatives of people suffering from dementia gain knowledge of their situation. Life with dementia was portrayed through four theatre performances with actors reading excerpts from literary texts combined with music. Relatives were invited to the performances and to participate in focus groups following the events.

Effects of inbreeding on fitness-related traits in a small isolated moose population.

Inbreeding can affect fitness-related traits at different life history stages and may interact with environmental variation to induce even larger effects. We used genetic parentage assignment based on 22 microsatellite loci to determine a 25 year long pedigree for a newly established island population of moose with 20-40 reproducing individuals annually. We used the pedigree to calculate individual inbreeding coefficients and examined for effects of individual inbreeding (f) and heterozygosity on fitness-related traits.

Evolution in fluctuating environments: decomposing selection into additive components of the Robertson-Price equation.

We analyze the stochastic components of the Robertson-Price equation for the evolution of quantitative characters that enables decomposition of the selection differential into components due to demographic and environmental stochasticity. We show how these two types of stochasticity affect the evolution of multivariate quantitative characters by defining demographic and environmental variances as components of individual fitness. The exact covariance formula for selection is decomposed into three components, the deterministic mean value, as well as stochastic demographic and environmental components.

How life history influences population dynamics in fluctuating environments.

A major question in ecology is how age-specific variation in demographic parameters influences population dynamics. Based on long-term studies of growing populations of birds and mammals, we analyze population dynamics by using fluctuations in the total reproductive value of the population. This enables us to account for random fluctuations in age distribution.

Enhanced medial collateral ligament healing using mesenchymal stem cells: dosage effects on cellular response and cytokine profile.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have potential therapeutic applications for musculoskeletal injuries due to their ability to differentiate into several tissue cell types and modulate immune and inflammatory responses. These immune-modulatory properties were examined in vivo during early stage rat medial collateral ligament healing. Two different cell doses (low dose 1 × 10(6) or high dose 4 × 10(6) MSCs) were administered at the time of injury and compared with normal ligament healing at days 5 and 14 post-injury.

Use of antibiotics in nursing homes--surveillance with different methods.

Background: Residents in nursing homes have a heightened risk of developing infections that should be treated with antibiotics. Inappropriate use of antibiotics may generate drug-related problems and increase resistance. In this study, we describe the use of antibiotics in nursing homes on the basis of prevalence surveys and drug sales statistics.

Moose body mass variation revisited: disentangling effects of environmental conditions and genetics.

Large-scale geographical variation in phenotypic traits within species is often correlated to local environmental conditions and population density. Such phenotypic variation has recently been shown to also be influenced by genetic structuring of populations. In ungulates, large-scale geographical variation in phenotypic traits, such as body mass, has been related to environmental conditions and population density, but little is known about the genetic influences.

Mincle, the receptor for mycobacterial cord factor, forms a functional receptor complex with MCL and FcεRI-γ.

Upon receptor activation, the myeloid C-type lectin receptor Mincle signals via the Syk-CARD9-Bcl10-MALT1 pathway. It does so by recruiting the ITAM-bearing FcεRI-γ. The related receptor macrophage C-type Lectin (MCL) has also been shown to be associated with Syk and to be dependent upon this signaling axis.

Temporal and spatial variation in prevalence of the parasite Syngamus trachea in a metapopulation of house sparrows (Passer domesticus).

When investigating parasite-host dynamics in wild populations, a fundamental parameter to investigate is prevalence. This quantifies the percentage of individuals infected in the population. Investigating how prevalence changes over time and space can reveal interesting aspects in the parasite-host relationship in natural populations.

Invisible emotional expressions influence social judgments and pupillary responses of both depressed and non-depressed individuals.

We used filtered low spatial frequency images of facial emotional expressions (angry, fearful, happy, sad, or neutral faces) that were blended with a high-frequency image of the same face but with a neutral facial expression, so as to obtain a "hybrid" face image that "masked" the subjective perception of its emotional expression. Participants were categorized in three groups of participants: healthy control participants (N = 49), recovered previously depressed (N = 79), and currently depressed individuals (N = 36), All participants were asked to rate how friendly the person in the picture looked. Simultaneously we recorded, by use of an infrared eye-tracker, their pupillary responses.