Predator exposure early in life shapes behavioral development and individual variation in a clonal fish.

Predation risk is one of the most important factors generating behavioral differences among populations. In addition, recent attention focusses on predation as a potential driver of patterns of individual behavioral variation within prey populations. Previous studies provide mixed results, reporting either increased or decreased among-individual variation in response to risk.

Reproductive individuality of clonal fish raised in near-identical environments and its link to early-life behavioral individuality.

Recent studies have documented among-individual phenotypic variation that emerges in the absence of apparent genetic and environmental differences, but it remains an open question whether such seemingly stochastic variation has fitness consequences. We perform a life-history experiment with naturally clonal fish, separated directly after birth into near-identical (i.e.

Impact of genetic relatedness on reproductive behavior in Pelvicachromis pulcher, a biparental cichlid fish with mutual mate choice and ornamentation.

Inbreeding can result in inbreeding depression. Therefore, many species seek to avoid inbreeding. However, theory predicts that inbreeding can be beneficial.

Leveraging big data to uncover the eco-evolutionary factors shaping behavioural development.

Mapping the eco-evolutionary factors shaping the development of animals' behavioural phenotypes remains a great challenge. Recent advances in 'big behavioural data' research-the high-resolution tracking of individuals and the harnessing of that data with powerful analytical tools-have vastly improved our ability to measure and model developing behavioural phenotypes. Applied to the study of behavioural ontogeny, the unfolding of whole behavioural repertoires can be mapped in unprecedented detail with relative ease.

Developmental feedbacks and the emergence of individuality.

Behavioural individuality is a hallmark of animal life, with major consequences for fitness, ecology, and evolution. One of the most widely invoked explanations for this variation is that feedback loops between an animal's behaviour and its state (e.g.

Study of Toxic Elements in River Water and Wetland Using Water Hyacinth ( as Pollution Monitor.

The concentration of toxic elements present in surface water of Sutlej River and Harike wetland besides , commonly known as water hyacinth, is estimated employing inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Toxic elements such as cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), uranium (U), and zinc (Zn) are identified in the river as well as in Harike wetland catchment. Accumulation of elements in different parts of the water hyacinth plant is observed with the roots exhibiting maximum affinity followed by stem and then leaves.

Intrinsically Distinct Role of Neutrophil Extracellular Trap Formation in Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody-Associated Vasculitis Compared to Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

Objective: Different studies have demonstrated that neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) may be involved in the pathophysiology of both antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). AAV and SLE are clinically and pathologically divergent autoimmune diseases with different autoantibodies. However, the respective autoantigens recognized in AAV and SLE have been shown to be an intricate part of NETs.

Modified Polymer Matrix in Pharmaceutical Hot Melt Extrusion by Molecular Interactions with a Carboxylic Coformer.

Hot melt extrusion (HME) has become an essential technology to cope with an increasing number of poorly soluble drug candidates. However, there is only a limited choice of pharmaceutical polymers for obtaining suitable amorphous solid dispersions (ASD). Considerations of miscibility, stability, and biopharmaceutical performance narrow the selection of excipients, and further technical constraints arise from needed pharmaceutical processing.

No male mate choice for female boldness in a bi-parental West African cichlid, the rainbow krib ().

Background: In many species, males have a lower reproductive investment than females and are therefore assumed to increase their fitness with a high number of matings rather than by being choosy. However, in bi-parental species, also males heavily invest into reproduction. Here, reproductive success largely depends on costly parental care; with style and amount of parental effort in several cases being associated with personality differences (i.

Male size, not female preferences influence female reproductive success in a poeciliid fish (Poecilia latipinna): a combined behavioural/genetic approach.

Objective: We investigated the potential role of indirect benefits for female mate preferences in a highly promiscuous species of live-bearing fishes, the sailfin molly Poecilia latipinna using an integrative approach that combines methods from animal behavior, life-history evolution, and genetics. Males of this species solely contribute sperm for reproduction, and consequently females do not receive any direct benefits. Despite this, females typically show clear mate preferences.

Predictability is attractive: Female preference for behaviourally consistent males but no preference for the level of male aggression in a bi-parental cichlid.

Although personality traits can largely affect individual fitness we know little about the evolutionary forces generating and maintaining personality variation. Here, we investigated the hypothesis that personality variation in aggression is sexually selected in the monogamous, bi-parental cichlid Pelvicachromis pulcher. In this species, breeding pairs form territories and they aggressively defend their territory and offspring against con- and heterospecific intruders.

Evaluation of accuracy in implant site preparation performed in single- or multi-step drilling procedures.

Objectives: Dental implant failure and insufficient osseointegration are proven results of mechanical and thermal damage during the surgery process. We herein performed a comparative study of a less invasive single-step drilling preparation protocol and a conventional multiple drilling sequence. Accuracy of drilling holes was precisely analyzed and the influence of different levels of expertise of the handlers and additional use of drill template guidance was evaluated.

A parsimonious approach to estimate PAH concentrations in river sediments of anthropogenically impacted watersheds.

The contamination of riverine sediments and suspended matter with hydrophobic pollutants is typically associated with urban land use. However, it is rarely related to the sediment supply of the watershed, because sediment yield data are often missing. We show for a suite of watersheds in two regions of Germany with contrasting land use and geology that the contamination of suspended particles with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) can be explained by the ratio of inhabitants residing within the watershed and the watershed's sediment yield.

Cellulose Synthesis and Cell Expansion Are Regulated by Different Mechanisms in Growing Arabidopsis Hypocotyls.

Plant growth is sustained by two complementary processes: biomass biosynthesis and cell expansion. The cell wall is crucial to both as it forms the majority of biomass, while its extensibility limits cell expansion. Cellulose is a major component of the cell wall and cellulose synthesis is pivotal to plant cell growth, and its regulation is poorly understood.

An Acute Ocfentanil Fatality: A Case Report with Postmortem Concentrations.

A 24-year-old man known to consume illegal drugs was found dead in his apartment. A reclosable plastic zipper bag containing several hundred milligrams of a brown powder was found close to the dead body and the first assumption of the investigators was death due to heroin intoxication. Therefore, a legal autopsy was ordered.

Lateralisation in agonistic encounters: do mirror tests reflect aggressive behaviour? A study on a West African cichlid.

In this study, population level lateralisation and the suitability of mirror tests as a test of natural aggressive behaviour in male rainbow kribs Pelvicachromis pulcher was investigated. Aggressive behaviour in live agonistic trials correlated positively with behaviours towards a mirror image and no visual lateralisation was detected.

Template-guided vs. non-guided drilling in site preparation of dental implants.

Objectives: Clinical success of oral implants is related to primary stability and osseointegration. These parameters are associated with delicate surgical techniques. We herein studied whether template-guided drilling has a significant influence on drillholes diameter and accuracy in an in vitro model.

Combination of bioautography with HPTLC-MS/NMR: a fast identification of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors from galbanum(†).

Introduction: In the search for new natural compounds with acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory activity this study focused on galbanum, the oleo gum-resin from Ferula gummosa Boiss., which had shown AChE inhibitory activity in a screening.

Objective: The isolation of bioactive compounds from plant extracts usually is laborious and time consuming.

Thin-layer chromatography-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy - a versatile tool for pharmaceutical and natural products analysisa.

Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) is a mature and very established technique, frequently used in many fields of applications ranging from natural product analysis to chemical or pharmaceutical applications. The introduction of a commercially available TLC-MS interface was a major step complementing the ease of use of TLC with structural elucidation power of mass spectrometry (MS). The TLC-MS interface simplifies the workflow dramatically to gain structural information directly from TLC separations.

Emissions of heavy metals into river basins of Germany.

The input of seven heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb and Zn) into the large river basins of Germany via various point and diffuse pathways were estimated for the period of 1985 through 2000. To quantify the emissions via point sources a nationwide survey on heavy metal data of municipal wastewater treatment plants and industrial direct discharges was carried out. The input via diffuse pathways was calculated using an adapted version of the model MONERIS.

Gated metabolic positron emission tomography (GAPET) of the myocardium: 18F-FDG-PET to optimize recognition of myocardial hibernation.

The aim of this study was to test the feasibility of the direct measurement of global and regional metabolic wall thickening with 18F-FDG-gated positron emission tomography (PET) in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Based on non-invasive (ECG, echocardiography) and invasive [cineventriculography (CVG), coronary angiography] investigations, 12 patients with CAD underwent gated metabolic PET studies with 18F-FDG. Myocardial wall thickening and wall motion analysis from short-axis horizontal and vertical long-axis slices were studied.

Coping strategies, personality, and voice quality in patients with vocal fold nodules and polyps.

Emotional state affects the physiological mechanism involved in phonation. Differences in acoustical parameters of the voice under stress have been attributed to the coping mechanism used, which is based on the individual's perception of the situation. This study examines the relationship between coping strategies, personality, and voice in female subjects, ranging in age from 19.

A new implant site in iliac crest bone graft for retention of orbital epistheses: a preliminary report.

Osseointegrated percutaneous implants were placed at different sites of the facial skeleton to improve the retention of facial prostheses. Based on four cases a new implant position in autogenous bone grafts for retention of orbital restorations is described. As a first step an autogenous iliac bone graft was transplanted into the orbit.

[Bone transplantation in the orbits as a prerequisite for prosthetic management].

We report on a method of fixing orbital prostheses and artificial eyes: First the orbit is filled by cortico-spongious bone graft. Afterwards two implants are centrally located in the graft, so that the prosthesis can be kept in place by magnetic retention. The advantage of this procedure is that the implants are more stable than those located in the orbital rim.