Terrestrial salamander abundance on reclaimed mountaintop removal mines

Science.gov (United States)

Wood, Petra Bohall; Williams, Jennifer M.

2013-01-01

Mountaintop removal mining, a large-scale disturbance affecting vegetation, soil structure, and topography, converts landscapes from mature forests to extensive grassland and shrubland habitats. We sampled salamanders using drift-fence arrays and coverboard transects on and near mountaintop removal mines in southern West Virginia, USA, during 2000–2002. We compared terrestrial salamander relative abundance and species richness of un-mined, intact forest with habitats on reclaimed mountaintop removal mines (reclaimed grassland, reclaimed shrubland, and fragmented forest). Salamanders within forests increased in relative abundance with increasing distance from reclaimed mine edge. Reclaimed grassland and shrubland habitats had lower relative abundance and species richness than forests. Characteristics of reclaimed habitats that likely contributed to lower salamander abundance included poor soils (dry, compacted, little organic matter, high rock content), reduced vertical structure of vegetation and little tree cover, and low litter and woody debris cover. Past research has shown that salamander populations reduced by clearcutting may rebound in 15–24 years. Time since disturbance was 7–28 years in reclaimed habitats on our study areas and salamander populations had not reached levels found in adjacent mature forests.

Symmetries, Information and Monster Groups before and after the Big Bang

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arturo Tozzi

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The Monster group, the biggest of the sporadic groups, is equipped with the highest known number of dimensions and symmetries. Taking into account variants of the Borsuk–Ulam theorem and a novel topological approach cast in a physical fashion that has the potential to be operationalized, the universe can be conceived as a lower-dimensional manifold encompassed in the Monster group. Our universe might arise from spontaneous dimension decrease and symmetry breaking that occur inside the very structure of the Monster Module. We elucidate how the energetic loss caused by projection from higher to lower dimensions and by the Monster group’s non-abelian features is correlated with the present-day asymmetry in the thermodynamic arrow. By linking the Monster Module to its theoretical physical counterparts, it is then possible to calculate its enthalpy and Lie group trajectories. Our approach also reveals how a symmetry break might lead to a universe based on multi-dimensional string theories and CFT/AdS (anti-de Sitter/conformal field theory correspondence.

Monsters Evolve

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Clasen, Mathias

2012-01-01

Horror fiction is a thriving industry. Many consumers pay hard-earned money to be scared witless by films, books, and computer games. The well-told horror story can affect even the most obstinate skeptic. How and why does horror fiction work? Why are people so fascinated with monsters? Why do hor....... An exhaustive, vertically integrated theory of horror fiction incorporates the cultural dimension. I make the case for a biocultural approach, one that recognizes evolutionary underpinnings and cultural variation....

Salamander occupancy in headwater stream networks

Science.gov (United States)

Grant, E.H.C.; Green, L.E.; Lowe, W.H.

2009-01-01

1. Stream ecosystems exhibit a highly consistent dendritic geometry in which linear habitat units intersect to create a hierarchical network of connected branches. 2. Ecological and life history traits of species living in streams, such as the potential for overland movement, may interact with this architecture to shape patterns of occupancy and response to disturbance. Specifically, large-scale habitat alteration that fragments stream networks and reduces connectivity may reduce the probability a stream is occupied by sensitive species, such as stream salamanders. 3. We collected habitat occupancy data on four species of stream salamanders in first-order (i.e. headwater) streams in undeveloped and urbanised regions of the eastern U.S.A. We then used an information-theoretic approach to test alternative models of salamander occupancy based on a priori predictions of the effects of network configuration, region and salamander life history. 4. Across all four species, we found that streams connected to other first-order streams had higher occupancy than those flowing directly into larger streams and rivers. For three of the four species, occupancy was lower in the urbanised region than in the undeveloped region. 5. These results demonstrate that the spatial configuration of stream networks within protected areas affects the occurrences of stream salamander species. We strongly encourage preservation of network connections between first-order streams in conservation planning and management decisions that may affect stream species.

Effects of red-backed salamanders on ecosystem functions.

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Daniel J Hocking

Full Text Available Ecosystems provide a vast array of services for human societies, but understanding how various organisms contribute to the functions that maintain these services remains an important ecological challenge. Predators can affect ecosystem functions through a combination of top-down trophic cascades and bottom-up effects on nutrient dynamics. As the most abundant vertebrate predator in many eastern US forests, woodland salamanders (Plethodon spp. likely affect ecosystems functions. We examined the effects of red-backed salamanders (Plethodon cinereus on a variety of forest ecosystem functions using a combined approach of large-scale salamander removals (314-m(2 plots and small-scale enclosures (2 m(2 where we explicitly manipulated salamander density (0, 0.5, 1, 2, 4 m(-2. In these experiments, we measured the rates of litter and wood decomposition, potential nitrogen mineralization and nitrification rates, acorn germination, and foliar insect damage on red oak seedlings. Across both experimental venues, we found no significant effect of red-backed salamanders on any of the ecosystem functions. We also found no effect of salamanders on intraguild predator abundance (carabid beetles, centipedes, spiders. Our study adds to the already conflicting evidence on effects of red-backed salamander and other amphibians on terrestrial ecosystem functions. It appears likely that the impact of terrestrial amphibians on ecosystem functions is context dependent. Future research would benefit from explicitly examining terrestrial amphibian effects on ecosystem functions under a variety of environmental conditions and in different forest types.

Effects of red-backed salamanders on ecosystem functions.

Science.gov (United States)

Hocking, Daniel J; Babbitt, Kimberly J

2014-01-01

Ecosystems provide a vast array of services for human societies, but understanding how various organisms contribute to the functions that maintain these services remains an important ecological challenge. Predators can affect ecosystem functions through a combination of top-down trophic cascades and bottom-up effects on nutrient dynamics. As the most abundant vertebrate predator in many eastern US forests, woodland salamanders (Plethodon spp.) likely affect ecosystems functions. We examined the effects of red-backed salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) on a variety of forest ecosystem functions using a combined approach of large-scale salamander removals (314-m(2) plots) and small-scale enclosures (2 m(2)) where we explicitly manipulated salamander density (0, 0.5, 1, 2, 4 m(-2)). In these experiments, we measured the rates of litter and wood decomposition, potential nitrogen mineralization and nitrification rates, acorn germination, and foliar insect damage on red oak seedlings. Across both experimental venues, we found no significant effect of red-backed salamanders on any of the ecosystem functions. We also found no effect of salamanders on intraguild predator abundance (carabid beetles, centipedes, spiders). Our study adds to the already conflicting evidence on effects of red-backed salamander and other amphibians on terrestrial ecosystem functions. It appears likely that the impact of terrestrial amphibians on ecosystem functions is context dependent. Future research would benefit from explicitly examining terrestrial amphibian effects on ecosystem functions under a variety of environmental conditions and in different forest types.

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein: what made the Monster monstrous?

Science.gov (United States)

Britton, Ronald

2015-02-01

This paper discusses the genesis of the famous story of Frankenstein which arose from a dream experienced by Mary Shelley whilst on a holiday shared with her husband Percy Shelley, Lord Byron, Dr Polidori and her step sister Claire Clairmont. The novel relates how the creature created by Victor Frankenstein horrifies him, is rejected by him and called a monster. The monster's ensuing despair and subsequent murderousness is eloquently described. The whole book is clearly connected to Mary Shelley's experience as an infant whose mother died after giving birth to her and her subsequent loss, as a mother, of her own new born infant. It is suggested that the novel imaginatively describes what it is to have been primarily rejected as an infant and to feel regarded as a monster. © 2015, The Society of Analytical Psychology.

[The monster and the city].

Science.gov (United States)

Calvo Albizu, A

1996-01-01

"Negative aesthetic categories" and, specifically, the idea of monsters and monstrosity, are used in this discussion of urban phenomena and their relation to modern art. The reflection on monstrosity as a metaphor for the city draws upon such disparate sources as Greek philosophers, Freudian theory, and recent art criticism. It compares dictionary definitions of monster to a general concept of cities, judging the modern metropolis to be "excessively large or extraordinary," "disfigured and ugly," and even "cruel" and "perverse" as demonstrated in social pathologies such as terrorism that breed in cities. The relationship between monstrosity and the city is evident in a variety of artistic manifestations and can be seen in the work of planners, architects, and artists. The examination opens up promising areas for future research in greater depth.

Classical monsters in new Doctor Who fan fiction

OpenAIRE

Amanda Potter

2016-01-01

Although a number of classic Doctor Who episodes featured story lines and characters drawn from Greek myth, no new Who episodes based on Greek myth appeared until seasons 5 and 6, in 2010 and 2011. These episodes featured Pandora's box, the Minotaur, and a Siren. They all use the mythical monster or artifact outside of its ancient Greek context, and I argue that the mythical monsters were additions to earlier story ideas. I compare this with the treatment of the myths of the Minotaur and the ...

Bromeliad Selection by Two Salamander Species in a Harsh Environment

Science.gov (United States)

Ruano-Fajardo, Gustavo; Rovito, Sean M.; Ladle, Richard J.

2014-01-01

Bromeliad phytotelmata are frequently used by several Neotropical amphibian taxa, possibly due to their high humidity, microclimatic stability, and role as a refuge from predators. Indeed, the ability of phytotelmata to buffer against adverse environmental conditions may be instrumental in allowing some amphibian species to survive during periods of environmental change or to colonize sub-optimal habitats. Association between bromeliad traits and salamanders has not been studied at a fine scale, despite the intimate association of many salamander species with bromeliads. Here, we identify microhabitat characteristics of epiphytic bromeliads used by two species of the Bolitoglossa morio group (B. morio and B. pacaya) in forest disturbed by volcanic activity in Guatemala. Specifically, we measured multiple variables for bromeliads (height and position in tree, phytotelma water temperature and pH, canopy cover, phytotelma size, leaf size, and tree diameter at breast height), as well as salamander size. We employed a DNA barcoding approach to identify salamanders. We found that B. morio and B. pacaya occurred in microsympatry in bromeliads and that phytotelmata size and temperature of bromeliad microhabitat were the most important factors associated with the presence of salamanders. Moreover, phytotelmata with higher pH contained larger salamanders, suggesting that larger salamanders or aggregated individuals might modify pH. These results show that bromeliad selection is nonrandom with respect to microhabitat characteristics, and provide insight into the relationship between salamanders and this unique arboreal environment. PMID:24892414

Bromeliad selection by two salamander species in a harsh environment.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gustavo Ruano-Fajardo

Full Text Available Bromeliad phytotelmata are frequently used by several Neotropical amphibian taxa, possibly due to their high humidity, microclimatic stability, and role as a refuge from predators. Indeed, the ability of phytotelmata to buffer against adverse environmental conditions may be instrumental in allowing some amphibian species to survive during periods of environmental change or to colonize sub-optimal habitats. Association between bromeliad traits and salamanders has not been studied at a fine scale, despite the intimate association of many salamander species with bromeliads. Here, we identify microhabitat characteristics of epiphytic bromeliads used by two species of the Bolitoglossa morio group (B. morio and B. pacaya in forest disturbed by volcanic activity in Guatemala. Specifically, we measured multiple variables for bromeliads (height and position in tree, phytotelma water temperature and pH, canopy cover, phytotelma size, leaf size, and tree diameter at breast height, as well as salamander size. We employed a DNA barcoding approach to identify salamanders. We found that B. morio and B. pacaya occurred in microsympatry in bromeliads and that phytotelmata size and temperature of bromeliad microhabitat were the most important factors associated with the presence of salamanders. Moreover, phytotelmata with higher pH contained larger salamanders, suggesting that larger salamanders or aggregated individuals might modify pH. These results show that bromeliad selection is nonrandom with respect to microhabitat characteristics, and provide insight into the relationship between salamanders and this unique arboreal environment.

Impact of valley fills on streamside salamanders in southern West Virginia

Science.gov (United States)

Wood, Petra Bohall; Williams, Jennifer M.

2013-01-01

Valley fills associated with mountaintop-removal mining bury stream headwaters and affect water quality and ecological function of reaches below fills. We quantified relative abundance of streamside salamanders in southern West Virginia during 2002 in three streams below valley fills (VFS) and in three reference streams (RS). We surveyed 36 10- × 2-m stream transects, once in summer and fall, paired by order and structure. Of 2,343 salamanders captured, 66.7% were from RS. Total salamanders (adults plus larvae) were more abundant in RS than VFS for first-order and second-order reaches. Adult salamanders had greater abundance in first-order reaches of RS than VFS. Larval salamanders were more abundant in second-order reaches of RS than VFS. No stream width or mesohabitat variables differed between VFS and RS. Only two cover variables differed. Silt cover, greater in VFS than RS first-order reaches, is a likely contributor to reduced abundance of salamanders in VFS. Second-order RS had more boulder cover than second-order VFS, which may have contributed to the higher total and larval salamander abundance in RS. Water chemistry assessments of our VFS and RS reported elevated levels of metal and ion concentrations in VFS, which can depress macroinvertebrate populations and likely affect salamander abundance. Valley fills appear to have significant negative effects on stream salamander abundance due to alterations in habitat structure, water quality and chemistry, and macroinvertebrate communities in streams below fills.

Environmental and Anthropogenic Factors Influencing Salamanders in Riparian Forests: A Review

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Hannah L. Clipp

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Salamanders and riparian forests are intimately interconnected. Salamanders are integral to ecosystem functions, contributing to vertebrate biomass and complex food webs in riparian forests. In turn, these forests are critical ecosystems that perform many environmental services, facilitate high biodiversity and species richness, and provide habitat to salamander populations. Due to the global decline of amphibians, it is important to understand, as thoroughly and holistically as possible, the roles of environmental parameters and the impact of human activities on salamander abundance and diversity in riparian forests. To determine the population responses of salamanders to a variety of environmental factors and anthropogenic activities, we conducted a review of published literature that compared salamander abundance and diversity, and then summarized and synthesized the data into general patterns. We identify stream quality, leaf litter and woody debris, riparian buffer width, and soil characteristics as major environmental factors influencing salamander populations in riparian forests, describe and explain salamander responses to those factors, and discuss the effects of anthropogenic activities such as timber harvest, prescribed fires, urbanization, road construction, and habitat fragmentation. This review can assist land and natural resource managers in anticipating the consequences of human activities and preparing strategic conservation plans.

Ontogenetic evidence for the Paleozoic ancestry of salamanders.

Science.gov (United States)

Schoch, Rainer R; Carroll, Robert L

2003-01-01

The phylogenetic positions of frogs, salamanders, and caecilians have been difficult to establish. Data matrices based primarily on Paleozoic taxa support a monophyletic origin of all Lissamphibia but have resulted in widely divergent hypotheses of the nature of their common ancestor. Analysis that concentrates on the character states of the stem taxa of the extant orders, in contrast, suggests a polyphyletic origin from divergent Paleozoic clades. Comparison of patterns of larval development in Paleozoic and modern amphibians provides a means to test previous phylogenies based primarily on adult characteristics. This proves to be highly informative in the case of the origin of salamanders. Putative ancestors of salamanders are recognized from the Permo-Carboniferous boundary of Germany on the basis of ontogenetic changes observed in fossil remains of larval growth series. The entire developmental sequence from hatching to metamorphosis is revealed in an assemblage of over 600 specimens from a single locality, all belonging to the genus Apateon. Apateon forms the most speciose genus of the neotenic temnospondyl family Branchiosauridae. The sequence of ossification of individual bones and the changing configuration of the skull closely parallel those observed in the development of primitive living salamanders. These fossils provide a model of how derived features of the salamander skull may have evolved in the context of feeding specializations that appeared in early larval stages of members of the Branchiosauridae. Larvae of Apateon share many unique derived characters with salamanders of the families Hynobiidae, Salamandridae, and Ambystomatidae, which have not been recognized in any other group of Paleozoic amphibians.

Tiger salamanders' (Ambystoma tigrinum) response learning and usage of visual cues.

Science.gov (United States)

Kundey, Shannon M A; Millar, Roberto; McPherson, Justin; Gonzalez, Maya; Fitz, Aleyna; Allen, Chadbourne

2016-05-01

We explored tiger salamanders' (Ambystoma tigrinum) learning to execute a response within a maze as proximal visual cue conditions varied. In Experiment 1, salamanders learned to turn consistently in a T-maze for reinforcement before the maze was rotated. All learned the initial task and executed the trained turn during test, suggesting that they learned to demonstrate the reinforced response during training and continued to perform it during test. In a second experiment utilizing a similar procedure, two visual cues were placed consistently at the maze junction. Salamanders were reinforced for turning towards one cue. Cue placement was reversed during test. All learned the initial task, but executed the trained turn rather than turning towards the visual cue during test, evidencing response learning. In Experiment 3, we investigated whether a compound visual cue could control salamanders' behaviour when it was the only cue predictive of reinforcement in a cross-maze by varying start position and cue placement. All learned to turn in the direction indicated by the compound visual cue, indicating that visual cues can come to control their behaviour. Following training, testing revealed that salamanders attended to stimuli foreground over background features. Overall, these results suggest that salamanders learn to execute responses over learning to use visual cues but can use visual cues if required. Our success with this paradigm offers the potential in future studies to explore salamanders' cognition further, as well as to shed light on how features of the tiger salamanders' life history (e.g. hibernation and metamorphosis) impact cognition.

Crisis in the habitat of the economic growth monster

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Urhammer, Emil

2014-01-01

This article is inspired by empirical philosophy and provides an analysis of economic growth as a monster that circulates within collectives. Using this approach, I illustrate how economic growth has participated in shaping institutions and language, thus having necessitated its own circulation...... to such an extent that it has become the most prioritised economic policy objective, whereas urgent issues regarding living conditions on Earth are either ignored or treated as secondary priorities. Further, I argue that noble attempts to contest economic growth contribute to the circulation of the monster...

Of Monsters, Myths and Marketing: The Case of the Loch Ness Monster

OpenAIRE

Moir, James

2015-01-01

This paper examines the status of the Loch Ness Monster within a diverse body of literature relating to Scotland. Within cryptozoology this creature is considered as a source of investigation, something to be taken seriously as a scientific or quasi-scientific object to be studied and known, particularly in light of its elusive nature. In terms of mythology the creature is bound up with Scottish cultural identifications through references to a rugged wilderness landscape and to...

Leonardo Da Vinci, the genius and the monsters. Casual encounters?

Science.gov (United States)

Ciseri, Lorenzo Montemagno

2014-01-01

This article analyses Leonardo's interest in monsters and deformed reality, one of the lesser known aspects of his vast and multifaceted output. With the possible exception of his studies of physiognomy, relevant drawings, sketches and short stories represent a marginal aspect of his work, but they are nevertheless significant for historians of teratology. The purpose of this study is to provide a broad overview of the relationship between Leonardo and both the literature on mythological monsters and the reports on monstrous births that he either read about or witnessed personally. While aspects of his appreciation and attention to beauty and the pursuit of perfection and good proportions are the elements most emphasised in Leonardo's work, other no less interesting aspects related to deformity have been considered of marginal importance. My analysis will demonstrate that Leonardo approached the realm of monstrosity as if he considered abnormality a mirror of normality, deformity a mirror of harmony, and disease a mirror of health, as if to emphasise that, ultimately, it is the monster that gives the world the gift of normality. Two special cases of monstrosity are analysed: the famous monster of Ravenna, whose image was found among his papers, and a very rare case of parasitic conjoined twins (thoracopagus parasiticus) portrayed for the first time alive, probably in Florence, by Leonardo himself.

Effects of mercury on behavior and performance of northern two-lined salamanders (Eurycea bislineata)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Burke, John N; Bergeron, Christine M; Todd, Brian D [Wildlife Ecotoxicology and Physiological Ecology Program, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 100 Cheatham Hall, Blacksburg, VA 24061 (United States); Hopkins, William A., E-mail: hopkinsw@vt.ed [Wildlife Ecotoxicology and Physiological Ecology Program, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 100 Cheatham Hall, Blacksburg, VA 24061 (United States)

2010-12-15

Mercury (Hg) causes a range of deleterious effects in wildlife, but little is known about its effects on amphibians. Our objective was to determine whether Hg affects performance and behavior in two-lined salamanders (Eurycea bislineata). We collected salamanders from Hg-contaminated and reference sites and assessed speed, responsiveness, and prey capture ability. Mercury concentrations were >17x higher in salamanders from the contaminated sites and were among the highest documented in amphibians. In the first, but not in the second, locomotion trial, we found a significant effect of Hg on speed and responsiveness. In the prey capture experiment, reference salamanders ate approximately twice as many prey items as the contaminated salamanders. Together, our results suggest that sublethal Hg concentrations may negatively affect salamanders by reducing their ability to successfully execute tasks critical to survival. Future work is warranted to determine whether Hg has other sublethal effects on salamanders and whether other amphibians are similarly affected. - Mercury contamination may alter behavior and performance in the northern two-lined salamander (Eurycea bislineata).

Effects of mercury on behavior and performance of northern two-lined salamanders (Eurycea bislineata)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burke, John N.; Bergeron, Christine M.; Todd, Brian D.; Hopkins, William A.

2010-01-01

Mercury (Hg) causes a range of deleterious effects in wildlife, but little is known about its effects on amphibians. Our objective was to determine whether Hg affects performance and behavior in two-lined salamanders (Eurycea bislineata). We collected salamanders from Hg-contaminated and reference sites and assessed speed, responsiveness, and prey capture ability. Mercury concentrations were >17x higher in salamanders from the contaminated sites and were among the highest documented in amphibians. In the first, but not in the second, locomotion trial, we found a significant effect of Hg on speed and responsiveness. In the prey capture experiment, reference salamanders ate approximately twice as many prey items as the contaminated salamanders. Together, our results suggest that sublethal Hg concentrations may negatively affect salamanders by reducing their ability to successfully execute tasks critical to survival. Future work is warranted to determine whether Hg has other sublethal effects on salamanders and whether other amphibians are similarly affected. - Mercury contamination may alter behavior and performance in the northern two-lined salamander (Eurycea bislineata).

The monstering of tamarisk: how scientists made a plant into a problem.

Science.gov (United States)

Chew, Matthew K

2009-01-01

Dispersal of biota by humans is a hallmark of civilization, but the results are often unforeseen and sometimes costly. Like kudzu vine in the American South, some examples become the stuff of regional folklore. In recent decades, "invasion biology," conservation-motivated scientists and their allies have focused largely on the most negative outcomes and often promoted the perception that introduced species are monsters. However, cases of monstering by scientists preceded the rise of popular environmentalism. The story of tamarisk (Tamarix spp.), flowering trees and shrubs imported to New England sometime before 1818, provides an example of scientific "monstering" and shows how slaying the monster, rather than allaying its impacts, became a goal in itself. Tamarisks' drought and salt tolerance suggested usefulness for both coastal and inland erosion control, and politicians as well as academic and agency scientists promoted planting them in the southern Great Plains and Southwest. But when erosion control efforts in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas became entangled with water shortages, economic development during the Depression and copper mining for national defense during World War Two, federal hydrologists moved quickly to recast tamarisks as water-wasting foreign monsters. Demonstrating significant water salvage was difficult and became subsidiary to focusing on ways to eradicate the plants, and a federal interagency effort devoted specifically to the latter purpose was organized and continued until it, in turn, conflicted with regional environmental concerns in the late 1960s.

Diagnostic and molecular evaluation of three iridovirus-associated salamander mortality events

Science.gov (United States)

Docherty, D.E.; Meteyer, C.U.; Wang, Jingyuan; Mao, J.; Case, S.T.; Chinchar, V.G.

2003-01-01

In 1998 viruses were isolated from tiger salamander larvae (Ambystoma tigrinum diaboli and A. tigrinum melanostictum) involved in North Dakota and Utah (USA) mortality events and spotted salamander (A. maculatum) larvae in a third event in Maine (USA). Although sympatric caudates and anurans were present at all three sites only ambystomid larvae appeared to be affected. Mortality at the North Dakota site was in the thousands while at the Utah and Maine sites mortality was in the hundreds. Sick larvae were lethargic and slow moving. They swam in circles with obvious buoyancy problems and were unable to remain upright. On the ventral surface, near the gills and hind limbs, red spots or swollen areas were noted. Necropsy findings included: hemorrhages and ulceration of the skin, subcutaneous and intramuscular edema, swollen and pale livers with multifocal hemorrhage, and distended fluid-filled intestines with areas of hemorrhage. Light microscopy revealed intracytoplasmic inclusions, suggestive of a viral infection, in a variety of organs. Electron microscopy of ultra thin sections of the same tissues revealed iridovirus-like particles within the inclusions. These viruses were isolated from a variety of organs, indicating a systemic infection. Representative viral isolates from the three mortality events were characterized using molecular assays. Characterization confirmed that the viral isolates were iridoviruses and that the two tiger salamander isolates were similar and could be distinguished from the spotted salamander isolate. The spotted salamander isolate was similar to frog virus 3, the type species of the genus Ranavirus, while the tiger salamander isolates were not. These data indicate that different species of salamanders can become infected and die in association with different iridoviruses. Challenge assays are required to determine the fish and amphibian host range of these isolates and to assess the susceptibility of tiger and spotted salamanders to

Better than fish on land? Hearing across metamorphosis in salamanders

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Christian Bech; Lauridsen, Henrik; Christensen-Dalsgaard, Jakob

2015-01-01

hearing in early tetrapods. Here, we combine imaging techniques with neurophysiological measurements to resolve how the change from aquatic larvae to terrestrial adult affects the ear morphology and sensory capabilities of salamanders. We show that air-induced pressure detection enhances underwater...... hearing sensitivity of salamanders at frequencies above 120 Hz, and that both terrestrial adults and fully aquatic juvenile salamanders can detect airborne sound. Collectively, these findings suggest that early atympanic tetrapods may have been pre-equipped to aerial hearing and are able to hear airborne...

Evolution of coprophagy and nutrient absorption in a Cave Salamander

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daphne Soares

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The transition from carnivory to omnivory is poorly understood. The ability to feed at more than one trophic level theoretically increases an animal’s fitness in a novel environment. Because of the absence of light and photosynthesis, most subterranean ecosystems are characterized by very few trophic levels, such that food scarcity is a challenge in many subterranean habitats. One strategy against starvation is to expand diet breadth. Grotto Salamanders (Eurycea spelaea (Stejneger, 1892 are known to ingest bat guano deliberately, challenging the general understanding that salamanders are strictly carnivorous. Here we tested the hypothesis that grotto salamanders have broadened their diet related to cave adaptation and found that, although coprophagous behavior is present, salamanders are unable to acquire sufficient nutrition from bat guano alone. Our results suggest that the coprophagic behavior has emerged prior to physiological or gut biome adaptations.

Beowulf’s Monsters

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rix, Robert

2012-01-01

Monstertypologier. Forankringen er i mediefagsforskergruppen. Med udgangspunkt i monsterets ikonografi inden for primært film og tv, men også klassisk litteratur fra 1760’erne og fremad, foretages en registrering og analyse af monstertyper for at præcisere deres ikonologi. Målet med denne...... kommer at græsk at tale. Således er forskningsprojektet netop en udsigelse og påvisning af, hvad monstre har betydet gennem tider, og især i nutiden. IN ENGLISH: The starting point of the research project is the iconography of the monster primarily within TV and film, but also within classical literature...

Stream water temperature limits occupancy of salamanders in mid-Atlantic protected areas

Science.gov (United States)

Grant, Evan H. Campbell; Wiewel, Amber N. M.; Rice, Karen C.

2014-01-01

Stream ecosystems are particularly sensitive to urbanization, and tolerance of water-quality parameters is likely important to population persistence of stream salamanders. Forecasted climate and landscape changes may lead to significant changes in stream flow, chemical composition, and temperatures in coming decades. Protected areas where landscape alterations are minimized will therefore become increasingly important for salamander populations. We surveyed 29 streams at three national parks in the highly urbanized greater metropolitan area of Washington, DC. We investigated relationships among water-quality variables and occupancy of three species of stream salamanders (Desmognathus fuscus, Eurycea bislineata, and Pseudotriton ruber). With the use of a set of site-occupancy models, and accounting for imperfect detection, we found that stream-water temperature limits salamander occupancy. There was substantial uncertainty about the effects of the other water-quality variables, although both specific conductance (SC) and pH were included in competitive models. Our estimates of occupancy suggest that temperature, SC, and pH have some importance in structuring stream salamander distribution.

On the Infinite Loch Ness monster

OpenAIRE

Arredondo, John A.; Maluendas, Camilo Ramírez

2017-01-01

In this paper we present in a topological way the construction of the orientable surface with only one end and infinite genus, called \\emph{The Infinite Loch Ness Monster}. In fact, we introduce a flat and hyperbolic construction of this surface. We discuss how the name of this surface has evolved and how it has been historically understood.

Galileo, Gauss, and the Green Monster

Science.gov (United States)

Kalman, Dan; Teague, Daniel J.

2013-01-01

Galileo dropped cannonballs from the leaning tower of Pisa to demonstrate something about falling bodies. Gauss was a giant of mathematics and physics who made unparalleled contributions to both fields. More contemporary (and not a person), the Green Monster is the left-field wall at the home of the Boston Red Sox, Fenway Park. Measuring 37 feet…

Monster Moms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Adrian, Stine Willum; Kroløkke, Charlotte; Herrmann, Janne Rothmar

illustrate what comes to be seen as outside of the ”normal,” making the figure of the monster a particularly promising analytical concept. In line with this set of feminist scholarship, we privilege the workings of monstrous configurations (e.g. Haraway 1992, Shildrick 1997). This paper inquires...... into the normativities of reproductive technologies by analyzing how reproductive practices and perceptions of women seen as reproductively old unfold. We use an assemblage of ethnographic fieldwork carried out in a Danish private fertility clinic, interviews with Danish fertility travelers, Danish mediated accounts...... entangles with normative understandings of reproductive temporality, the “natural” (good) mother, and the ”best interests of the child,” and becomes a smokescreen for particular worldviews on reproduction and the making of families.‬‬‬‬‬...

Woodland salamander responses to a shelterwood harvest-prescribed burn silvicultural treatment within Appalachian mixed-oak forests

Science.gov (United States)

Ford, W. Mark; Mahoney, Kathleen R.; Russell, Kevin R.; Rodrigue, Jane L.; Riddle, Jason D.; Schuler, Thomas M.; Adams, Mary Beth

2015-01-01

Forest management practices that mimic natural canopy disturbances, including prescribed fire and timber harvests, may reduce competition and facilitate establishment of favorable vegetative species within various ecosystems. Fire suppression in the central Appalachian region for almost a century has contributed to a transition from oak-dominated to more mesophytic, fire-intolerant forest communities. Prescribed fire coupled with timber removal is currently implemented to aid in oak regeneration and establishment but responses of woodland salamanders to this complex silvicultural system is poorly documented. The purpose of our research was to determine how woodland salamanders respond to shelterwood harvests following successive burns in a central Appalachian mixed-oak forest. Woodland salamanders were surveyed using coverboard arrays in May, July, and August–September 2011 and 2012. Surveys were conducted within fenced shelterwood-burn (prescribed fires, shelterwood harvest, and fencing to prevent white-tailed deer [Odocoileus virginianus] herbivory), shelterwood-burn (prescribed fires and shelterwood harvest), and control plots. Relative abundance was modeled in relation to habitat variables measured within treatments for mountain dusky salamanders (Desmognathus ochrophaeus), slimy salamanders (Plethodon glutinosus), and eastern red-backed salamanders (Plethodon cinereus). Mountain dusky salamander relative abundance was positively associated with canopy cover and there were significantly more individuals within controls than either shelterwood-burn or fenced shelterwood-burn treatments. Conversely, habitat variables associated with slimy salamanders and eastern red-backed salamanders did not differ among treatments. Salamander age-class structure within controls did not differ from shelterwood-burn or fenced shelterwood-burn treatments for any species. Overall, the woodland salamander assemblage remained relatively intact throughout the shelterwoodburn

Effects of host species and environment on the skin microbiome of Plethodontid salamanders

Science.gov (United States)

Muletz-Wolz, Carly R.; Yarwood, Stephanie A.; Grant, Evan H. Campbell; Fleischer, Robert C.; Lips, Karen R.

2018-01-01

The amphibian skin microbiome is recognized for its role in defence against pathogens, including the deadly fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). Yet, we have little understanding of evolutionary and ecological processes that structure these communities, especially for salamanders and closely related species. We investigated patterns in the distribution of bacterial communities on Plethodon salamander skin across host species and environments.Quantifying salamander skin microbiome structure contributes to our understanding of how host-associated bacteria are distributed across the landscape, among host species, and their putative relationship with disease.We characterized skin microbiome structure (alpha-diversity, beta-diversity and bacterial operational taxonomic unit [OTU] abundances) using 16S rRNA gene sequencing for co-occurring Plethodon salamander species (35 Plethodon cinereus, 17 Plethodon glutinosus, 10 Plethodon cylindraceus) at three localities to differentiate the effects of host species from environmental factors on the microbiome. We sampled the microbiome of P. cinereus along an elevational gradient (n = 50, 700–1,000 m a.s.l.) at one locality to determine whether elevation predicts microbiome structure. Finally, we quantified prevalence and abundance of putatively anti-Bd bacteria to determine if Bd-inhibitory bacteria are dominant microbiome members.Co-occurring salamanders had similar microbiome structure, but among sites salamanders had dissimilar microbiome structure for beta-diversity and abundance of 28 bacterial OTUs. We found that alpha-diversity increased with elevation, beta-diversity and the abundance of 17 bacterial OTUs changed with elevation (16 OTUs decreasing, 1 OTU increasing). We detected 11 putatively anti-Bd bacterial OTUs that were present on 90% of salamanders and made up an average relative abundance of 83% (SD ± 8.5) per salamander. All salamanders tested negative for Bd.We conclude that

Environmental influences on egg and clutch sizes in lentic- and lotic-breeding salamanders

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jon M. Davenport

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Recent research indicates that social and environmental factors influence egg and clutch sizes in amphibians. However, most of this work is based on the reproductively diverse order Anura (frogs and toads, whereas less research has been conducted on Caudata (salamanders and Gymnophiona (caecilians. Researchers have suggested that a relationship exists between social and environmental factors and egg and clutch sizes in salamanders, but studies controlling for phylogenetic context are lacking. We could not identify a sufficient number of comparisons for social influences on egg and clutch sizes; therefore, we focused on environmental influences for this study. Data on egg size, clutch size, environmental factors, and phylogenies for salamanders were assembled from the scientific literature. We used independent, pair-wise comparisons to investigate the association of larval salamander habitat and egg size and the association of larval salamander habitat with clutch sizes within a phylogenetic framework. There is a significant association between larval habitat and egg size; specifically, stream-breeding species produce larger eggs. There is no significant association between larval habitat and clutchsize. Our study confirms earlier reports that salamander egg size is associated with larval environments, but is the first to use phylogenetically independent contrasts to account for the lack of phylogenetic independence of the traits measured (egg size and clutch size associated with many of the diverse lineages. Our study shows that environmental selection pressure can be quite strong on one aspect of salamander reproduction—egg size.

Seasonality and microhabitat selection in a forest-dwelling salamander

Science.gov (United States)

Basile, Marco; Romano, Antonio; Costa, Andrea; Posillico, Mario; Scinti Roger, Daniele; Crisci, Aldo; Raimondi, Ranieri; Altea, Tiziana; Garfì, Vittorio; Santopuoli, Giovanni; Marchetti, Marco; Salvidio, Sebastiano; De Cinti, Bruno; Matteucci, Giorgio

2017-10-01

Many small terrestrial vertebrates exhibit limited spatial movement and are considerably exposed to changes in local environmental variables. Among such vertebrates, amphibians at present experience a dramatic decline due to their limited resilience to environmental change. Since the local survival and abundance of amphibians is intrinsically related to the availability of shelters, conservation plans need to take microhabitat requirements into account. In order to gain insight into the terrestrial ecology of the spectacled salamander Salamandrina perspicillata and to identify appropriate forest management strategies, we investigated the salamander's seasonal variability in habitat use of trees as shelters in relation to tree features (size, buttresses, basal holes) and environmental variables in a beech forest in Italy. We used the occupancy approach to assess tree suitability on a non-conventional spatial scale. Our approach provides fine-grained parameters of microhabitat suitability and elucidates many aspects of the salamander's terrestrial ecology . Occupancy changed with the annual life cycle and was higher in autumn than in spring, when females were found closer to the stream in the study area. Salamanders showed a seasonal pattern regarding the trees they occupied and a clear preference for trees with a larger diameter and more burrows. With respect to forest management, we suggest maintaining a suitable number of trees with a trunk diameter exceeding 30 cm. A practice of selective logging along the banks of streams could help maintain an adequate quantity of the appropriate microhabitat. Furthermore, in areas with a presence of salamanders, a good forest management plan requires leaving an adequate buffer zone around streams, which should be wider in autumn than in spring.

77 FR 36287 - Proposed Low-Effect Habitat Conservation Plan for the California Tiger Salamander, Calaveras...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-06-18

...-FXES11120800000F2-123-F2] Proposed Low-Effect Habitat Conservation Plan for the California Tiger Salamander... animal, the threatened Central California Distinct Population Segment of the California tiger salamander (tiger salamander). The applicant would implement a conservation program to minimize and mitigate the...

Managing the Monster: Urban Waste and Governance in Africa ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Managing the Monster critically examines urban governance in Africa, with ... in African studies and urban planning; donor organizations worldwide working on ... IDRC congratulates first cohort of Women in Climate Change Science Fellows.

Veech groups of Loch Ness monsters

OpenAIRE

Przytycki, Piotr; Schmithuesen, Gabriela; Valdez, Ferran

2009-01-01

We classify Veech groups of tame non-compact flat surfaces. In particular we prove that all countable subgroups of $\\mathbf{GL}_+(2,\\R)$ avoiding the set of mappings of norm less than 1 appear as Veech groups of tame non-compact flat surfaces which are Loch Ness monsters. Conversely, a Veech group of any tame flat surface is either countable, or one of three specific types.

A nondestructive technique to monitor the relative abundance of terrestrial salamanders

Science.gov (United States)

Richard M. DeGraaf; Mariko. Yamasaki

1992-01-01

Salamanders are abundant vertebrates in many forest ecosystems, and their annual biomass production can be important in forest food webs (Pough et al. 1987). Population densities of eastern redback salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) can exceed 2 individuals/m2 in deciduous forests of the United States (Heatwole 1962, Jaeger 1980...

Differential bilingual laterality: mythical monster found in Wales.

Science.gov (United States)

Evans, Judith; Workman, Lance; Mayer, Peter; Crowley, Kevin

2002-11-01

Paradis (1992) likens studies of bilingual laterality to reported sightings of the Loch Ness Monster, in that although some studies claim differential laterality much conflicting research evidence does not-and like the mythical Scottish monster, what reason have we to suspect that any such phenomenon might exist? This study reexamines differential bilingual laterality using four groups of English-Welsh bilinguals which differ in their age of acquisition and in their environment of acquisition. Using a split visual field paradigm we present evidence which, supports the notion of greater right hemisphere processing in a later learned language. Our findings also suggest the pattern of lateralization in bilinguals is strongly affected by the specific language environment during development such that the shift toward greater right hemisphere involvement for the later learned language will be more pronounced in individuals which are brought up in areas where that language is not regularly heard.

Effects of microhabitat and land use on stream salamander abundance in the southwest Virginia coalfields

Science.gov (United States)

Sweeten, Sara E.; Ford, W. Mark

2015-01-01

Large-scale land uses such as residential wastewater discharge and coal mining practices, particularly surface coal extraction and associated valley fills, are of particular ecological concern in central Appalachia. Identification and quantification of both alterations across scales are a necessary first-step to mitigate negative consequences to biota. In central Appalachian headwater streams absent of fish, salamanders are the dominant, most abundant vertebrate predator providing a significant intermediate trophic role. Stream salamander species are considered to be sensitive to aquatic stressors and environmental alterations, and past research has shown linkages among microhabitat parameters, large-scale land use such as urbanization and logging with salamander abundances. However, little is known about these linkages in the coalfields of central Appalachia. In the summer of 2013, we visited 70 sites (sampled three times each) in the southwest Virginia coalfields to survey salamanders and quantify stream and riparian microhabitat parameters. Using an information-theoretic framework we compared the effects of microhabitat and large-scale land use on salamander abundances. Our findings indicate that dusky salamander (Desmognathus spp.) abundances are more correlated to microhabitat parameters such as canopy cover than to subwatershed land uses. Brook salamander (Eurycea spp.) abundances show strong negative associations to the suspended sediments and stream substrate embeddedness. Neither Desmognathus spp. nor Eurycea spp. abundances were influenced by water conductivity. These suggest protection or restoration of riparian habitats and erosion control is an important conservation component for maintaining stream salamanders in the mined landscapes of central Appalachia.

Turtles as hopeful monsters.

Science.gov (United States)

Rieppel, O

2001-11-01

A recently published study on the development of the turtle shell highlights the important role that development plays in the origin of evolutionary novelties. The evolution of the highly derived adult anatomy of turtles is a prime example of a macroevolutionary event triggered by changes in early embryonic development. Early ontogenetic deviation may cause patterns of morphological change that are not compatible with scenarios of gradualistic, stepwise transformation. Copyright 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Cannibalistic-morph Tiger Salamanders in unexpected ecological contexts

Science.gov (United States)

McLean, Kyle I.; Stockwell, Craig A.; Mushet, David M.

2016-01-01

Barred tiger salamanders [Ambystoma mavortium (Baird, 1850)] exhibit two trophic morphologies; a typical and a cannibalistic morph. Cannibalistic morphs, distinguished by enlarged vomerine teeth, wide heads, slender bodies, and cannibalistic tendencies, are often found where conspecifics occur at high density. During 2012 and 2013, 162 North Dakota wetlands and lakes were sampled for salamanders. Fifty-one contained A. mavortium populations; four of these contained cannibalistic morph individuals. Two populations with cannibalistic morphs occurred at sites with high abundances of conspecifics. However, the other two populations occurred at sites with unexpectedly low conspecific but high fathead minnow [Pimephales promelas (Rafinesque, 1820)] abundances. Further, no typical morphs were observed in either of these later two populations, contrasting with earlier research suggesting cannibalistic morphs only occur at low frequencies in salamander populations. Another anomaly of all four populations was the occurrence of cannibalistic morphs in permanent water sites, suggesting their presence was due to factors other than faster growth allowing them to occupy ephemeral habitats. Therefore, our findings suggest environmental factors inducing the cannibalistic morphism may be more complex than previously thought.

Mechanics of lung ventilation in a post-metamorphic salamander, Ambystoma Tigrinum.

Science.gov (United States)

Simons, R S; Bennett, W O; Brainerd, E L

2000-03-01

The mechanics of lung ventilation in frogs and aquatic salamanders has been well characterized, whereas lung ventilation in terrestrial-phase (post-metamorphic) salamanders has received little attention. We used electromyography (EMG), X-ray videography, standard videography and buccal and body cavity pressure measurements to characterize the ventilation mechanics of adult (post-metamorphic) tiger salamanders (Ambystoma tigrinum). Three results emerged: (i) under terrestrial conditions or when floating at the surface of the water, adult A. tigrinum breathed through their nares using a two-stroke buccal pump; (ii) in addition to this narial two-stroke pump, adult tiger salamanders also gulped air in through their mouths using a modified two-stroke buccal pump when in an aquatic environment; and (iii) exhalation in adult tiger salamanders is active during aquatic gulping breaths, whereas exhalation appears to be passive during terrestrial breathing at rest. Active exhalation in aquatic breaths is indicated by an increase in body cavity pressure during exhalation and associated EMG activity in the lateral hypaxial musculature, particularly the M. transversus abdominis. In terrestrial breathing, no EMG activity in the lateral hypaxial muscles is generally present, and body cavity pressure decreases during exhalation. In aquatic breaths, tidal volume is larger than in terrestrial breaths, and breathing frequency is much lower (approximately 1 breath 10 min(-)(1 )versus 4-6 breaths min(-)(1)). The use of hypaxial muscles to power active exhalation in the aquatic environment may result from the need for more complete exhalation and larger tidal volumes when breathing infrequently. This hypothesis is supported by previous findings that terrestrial frogs ventilate their lungs with small tidal volumes and exhale passively, whereas aquatic frogs and salamanders use large tidal volumes and and exhale actively.

Classical monsters in new Doctor Who fan fiction

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Amanda Potter

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Although a number of classic Doctor Who episodes featured story lines and characters drawn from Greek myth, no new Who episodes based on Greek myth appeared until seasons 5 and 6, in 2010 and 2011. These episodes featured Pandora's box, the Minotaur, and a Siren. They all use the mythical monster or artifact outside of its ancient Greek context, and I argue that the mythical monsters were additions to earlier story ideas. I compare this with the treatment of the myths of the Minotaur and the Sirens in five stories posted to FanFiction.net between 2008 and 2013. These stories all engage with classical myths, and the longest, "Lure of the Sirens," even engages with different versions of the myth of the Sirens. In this article I discuss how the writers use the classical myths within their stories, and how the myths fit in with the primary aims of the writers, for example in developing romantic relationships between characters.

Detection of an enigmatic plethodontid Salamander using Environmental DNA

Science.gov (United States)

Pierson, Todd W.; Mckee, Anna; Spear, Stephen F.; Maerz, John C.; Camp, Carlos D.; Glenn, Travis C.

2016-01-01

The isolation and identification of environmental DNA (eDNA) offers a non-invasive and efficient method for the detection of rare and secretive aquatic wildlife, and it is being widely integrated into inventory and monitoring efforts. The Patch-Nosed Salamander (Urspelerpes brucei) is a tiny, recently discovered species of plethodontid salamander known only from headwater streams in a small region of Georgia and South Carolina. Here, we present results of a quantitative PCR-based eDNA assay capable of detecting Urspelerpes in more than 75% of 33 samples from five confirmed streams. We deployed the method at 31 additional streams and located three previously undocumented populations of Urspelerpes. We compare the results of our eDNA assay with our attempt to use aquatic leaf litterbags for the rapid detection of Urspelerpes and demonstrate the relative efficacy of the eDNA assay. We suggest that eDNA offers great potential for use in detecting other aquatic and semi-aquatic plethodontid salamanders.

Slow Lives in the Fast Landscape: Conservation and Management of Plethodontid Salamanders in Production Forests of the United States

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Jessica A. Homyack

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Intensively-managed forest (IMF ecosystems support environmental processes, retain biodiversity and reduce pressure to extract wood products from other forests, but may affect species, such as plethodontid salamanders, that are associated with closed canopies and possess limited vagility. We describe: (1 critical aspects of IMF ecosystems; (2 effectiveness of plethodontid salamanders as barometers of forest change; (3 two case studies of relationships between salamanders and coarse woody debris (CWD; and (4 research needs for effective management of salamanders in IMF ecosystems. Although plethodontid salamanders are sensitive to microclimate changes, their role as ecological indicators rarely have been evaluated quantitatively. Our case studies of CWD and salamanders in western and eastern forests demonstrated effects of species, region and spatial scale on the existence and strength of relationships between plethodontid species and a “critical” microhabitat variable. Oregon slender salamanders (Batrachoseps wrighti were more strongly associated with abundance of CWD in managed second growth forests than ensatina salamanders (Ensatina eschscholtzii. Similarly, CWD was not an important predictor of abundance of Appalachian salamanders in managed hardwood forest. Gaining knowledge of salamanders in IMF ecosystems is critical to reconciling ecological and economic objectives of intensive forest management, but faces challenges in design and implementation.

Monster Figures and Unhappy Endings in Inuit Literature.

Science.gov (United States)

McGrath, Robin

1988-01-01

Examines the incidence of frightening figures and unhappy endings in traditional and modern Inuit stories and identifies purpose for these elements. Monsters and unhappy endings apparently are tools to help children come to terms with Eskimo environment and values. Studies the conclusions and implications for Indian education. (TES)

Antifungal Bacteria on Woodland Salamander Skin Exhibit High Taxonomic Diversity and Geographic Variability.

Science.gov (United States)

Muletz-Wolz, Carly R; DiRenzo, Graziella V; Yarwood, Stephanie A; Campbell Grant, Evan H; Fleischer, Robert C; Lips, Karen R

2017-05-01

Diverse bacteria inhabit amphibian skin; some of those bacteria inhibit growth of the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis Yet there has been no systematic survey of anti- B. dendrobatidis bacteria across localities, species, and elevations. This is important given geographic and taxonomic variations in amphibian susceptibility to B. dendrobatidis Our collection sites were at locations within the Appalachian Mountains where previous sampling had indicated low B. dendrobatidis prevalence. We determined the numbers and identities of anti- B. dendrobatidis bacteria on 61 Plethodon salamanders (37 P. cinereus , 15 P. glutinosus , 9 P. cylindraceus ) via culturing methods and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. We sampled co-occurring species at three localities and sampled P. cinereus along an elevational gradient (700 to 1,000 meters above sea level [masl]) at one locality. We identified 50 anti- B. dendrobatidis bacterial operational taxonomic units (OTUs) and found that the degree of B. dendrobatidis inhibition was not correlated with relatedness. Five anti- B. dendrobatidis bacterial strains occurred on multiple amphibian species at multiple localities, but none were shared among all species and localities. The prevalence of anti- B. dendrobatidis bacteria was higher at Shenandoah National Park (NP), VA, with 96% (25/26) of salamanders hosting at least one anti- B. dendrobatidis bacterial species compared to 50% (7/14) at Catoctin Mountain Park (MP), MD, and 38% (8/21) at Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area (NRA), VA. At the individual level, salamanders at Shenandoah NP had more anti- B. dendrobatidis bacteria per individual (μ = 3.3) than those at Catoctin MP (μ = 0.8) and at Mt. Rogers NRA (μ = 0.4). All salamanders tested negative for B. dendrobatidis Anti- B. dendrobatidis bacterial species are diverse in central Appalachian Plethodon salamanders, and their distribution varied geographically. The antifungal bacterial species that we identified may play a

Design tradeoffs in long-term research for stream salamanders

Science.gov (United States)

Brand, Adrianne B,; Grant, Evan H. Campbell

2017-01-01

Long-term research programs can benefit from early and periodic evaluation of their ability to meet stated objectives. In particular, consideration of the spatial allocation of effort is key. We sampled 4 species of stream salamanders intensively for 2 years (2010–2011) in the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park, Maryland, USA to evaluate alternative distributions of sampling locations within stream networks, and then evaluated via simulation the ability of multiple survey designs to detect declines in occupancy and to estimate dynamic parameters (colonization, extinction) over 5 years for 2 species. We expected that fine-scale microhabitat variables (e.g., cobble, detritus) would be the strongest determinants of occupancy for each of the 4 species; however, we found greater support for all species for models including variables describing position within the stream network, stream size, or stream microhabitat. A monitoring design focused on headwater sections had greater power to detect changes in occupancy and the dynamic parameters in each of 3 scenarios for the dusky salamander (Desmognathus fuscus) and red salamander (Pseudotriton ruber). Results for transect length were more variable, but across all species and scenarios, 25-m transects are most suitable as a balance between maximizing detection probability and describing colonization and extinction. These results inform sampling design and provide a general framework for setting appropriate goals, effort, and duration in the initial planning stages of research programs on stream salamanders in the eastern United States.

Methodological considerations for detection of terrestrial small-body salamander eDNA and implications for biodiversity conservation

Science.gov (United States)

Walker, Donald M.; Leys, Jacob E.; Dunham, Kelly E.; Oliver, Joshua C.; Schiller, Emily E.; Stephenson, Kelsey S.; Kimrey, John T.; Wooten, Jessica; Rogers, Mark W.

2017-01-01

Environmental DNA (eDNA) can be used as an assessment tool to detect populations of threatened species and provide fine-scale data required to make management decisions. The objectives of this project were to use quantitative PCR (qPCR) to: (i) detect spiked salamander DNA in soil, (ii) quantify eDNA degradation over time, (iii) determine detectability of salamander eDNA in a terrestrial environment using soil, faeces, and skin swabs, (iv) detect salamander eDNA in a mesocosm experiment. Salamander eDNA was positively detected in 100% of skin swabs and 66% of faecal samples and concentrations did not differ between the two sources. However, eDNA was not detected in soil samples collected from directly underneath wild-caught living salamanders. Salamander genomic DNA (gDNA) was detected in all qPCR reactions when spiked into soil at 10.0, 5.0, and 1.0 ng/g soil and spike concentration had a significant effect on detected concentrations. Only 33% of samples showed recoverable eDNA when spiked with 0.25 ng/g soil, which was the low end of eDNA detection. To determine the rate of eDNA degradation, gDNA (1 ng/g soil) was spiked into soil and quantified over seven days. Salamander eDNA concentrations decreased across days, but eDNA was still amplifiable at day 7. Salamander eDNA was detected in two of 182 mesocosm soil samples over 12 weeks (n = 52 control samples; n = 65 presence samples; n = 65 eviction samples). The discrepancy in detection success between experiments indicates the potential challenges for this method to be used as a monitoring technique for small-bodied wild terrestrial salamander populations.

Protective Immunity Induced by DNA Vaccination against Ranavirus Infection in Chinese Giant Salamander Andrias davidianus

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Zhong-Yuan Chen

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Andrias davidianus ranavirus (ADRV is an emerging viral pathogen that causes severe systemic hemorrhagic disease in Chinese giant salamanders. There is an urgent need for developing an effective vaccine against this fatal disease. In this study, DNA vaccines containing the ADRV 2L gene (pcDNA-2L and the 58L gene (pcDNA-58L were respectively constructed, and their immune protective effects were evaluated in Chinese giant salamanders. In vitro and in vivo expression of the vaccine plasmids were confirmed in transfected cells and muscle tissues of vaccinated Chinese giant salamanders by using immunoblot analysis or RT-PCR. Following ADRV challenge, the Chinese giant salamanders vaccinated with pcDNA-2L showed a relative percent survival (RPS of 66.7%, which was significant higher than that in Chinese giant salamanders immunized with pcDNA-58L (RPS of 3.3%. Moreover, the specific antibody against ADRV was detected in Chinese giant salamanders vaccinated with pcDNA-2L at 14 and 21 days post-vaccination by indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA. Transcriptional analysis revealed that the expression levels of immune-related genes including type I interferon (IFN, myxovirus resistance (Mx, major histocompatibility complex class IA (MHC IA, and immunoglobulin M (IgM were strongly up-regulated after vaccination with pcDNA-2L. Furthermore, vaccination with pcDNA-2L significantly suppressed the virus replication, which was seen by a low viral load in the spleen of Chinese giant salamander survivals after ADRV challenge. These results indicated that pcDNA-2L could induce a significant innate immune response and an adaptive immune response involving both humoral and cell-mediated immunity that conferred effective protection against ADRV infection, and might be a potential vaccine candidate for controlling ADRV disease in Chinese giant salamanders.

Predicted Changes in Climatic Niche and Climate Refugia of Conservation Priority Salamander Species in the Northeastern United States

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William B. Sutton

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Global climate change represents one of the most extensive and pervasive threats to wildlife populations. Amphibians, specifically salamanders, are particularly susceptible to the effects of changing climates due to their restrictive physiological requirements and low vagility; however, little is known about which landscapes and species are vulnerable to climate change. Our study objectives included, (1 evaluating species-specific predictions (based on 2050 climate projections and vulnerabilities to climate change and (2 using collective species responses to identify areas of climate refugia for conservation priority salamanders in the northeastern United States. All evaluated salamander species were projected to lose a portion of their climatic niche. Averaged projected losses ranged from 3%–100% for individual species, with the Cow Knob Salamander (Plethodon punctatus, Cheat Mountain Salamander (Plethodon nettingi, Shenandoah Mountain Salamander (Plethodon virginia, Mabee’s Salamander (Ambystoma mabeei, and Streamside Salamander (Ambystoma barbouri predicted to lose at least 97% of their landscape-scale climatic niche. The Western Allegheny Plateau was predicted to lose the greatest salamander climate refugia richness (i.e., number of species with a climatically-suitable niche in a landscape patch, whereas the Central Appalachians provided refugia for the greatest number of species during current and projected climate scenarios. Our results can be used to identify species and landscapes that are likely to be further affected by climate change and potentially resilient habitats that will provide consistent climatic conditions in the face of environmental change.

A new approach for surveying the Alpine Salamander (Salamandra atra in Austria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ursula Reinthaler-Lottermoser

2010-12-01

Full Text Available The Alpine Salamander is a small pitch black amphibian which is endemic to the European Alps and the Dinarides. It is strictly protected according to the European FFH guidelines. Despite its central role in the alpine ecosystem our actual published record in Austria is small. In order to resolve this shortcoming our project explores its distribution in Austria. It uses a participatory and community based approach to gather data. Everybody can enter and look at Alpine Salamander observations on our website www.alpensalamander.eu. This approach also allows us to establish an “oral history” of Salamander observations in the past 50 years by conducting interviews in the local community. Since July 2009 the website and salamander report database are online. From the actual data (more than 5600 records we already obtained an overview about the present distribution and data quality. The data are an excellent basis for detailed scientific studies on these remarkable amphibians. With this new and highly interactive approach science and education are combined to initiate protection measures with the public.

Data from proteomic analysis of the skin of Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus

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Xiaofang Geng

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus, renowned as a living fossil, is the largest and longest-lived amphibian species in the world. Its skin is rich in collagens, and has developed mucous gland which could secrete a large amount of mucus under the scraping and electric stimulation. The molting is the degraded skin stratum corneum. To establish the functional skin proteome of Chinese giant salamander, two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2DE and mass spectrometry (MS were applied to detect the composition and relative abundance of the proteins in the skin, mucus and molting. The determination of the general proteome in the skin can potentially serve as a foundation for future studies characterizing the skin proteomes from diseased salamander to provide molecular and mechanistic insights into various disease states and potential therapeutic interventions. Data presented here are also related to the research article “Proteomic analysis of the skin of Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus” in the Journal of Proteomics [1].

Co-firing: panacea or potential monster?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Grundy, M.; Lilley, P. [Mott MacDonald Ltd., Brighton (United Kingdom). Energy Division

2004-01-01

Co-firing with fossil fuels could well be the only practical and economic way to introduce a significant biomass contribution to UK renewables. But, in the hands of the large generators, co-firing is a potential monster, capable of destroying the carefully-constructed incentive structure for 'real' renewables such as wind power and dedicated biomass plants. Both views contain an element of truth, but the conflict between them could endanger the infant energy crop industry. 1 fig., 2 photos.

Effects of edge contrast on redback salamander distribution in even-aged northern hardwoods

Science.gov (United States)

Richard M. DeGraaf; Mariko. Yamasaki

2002-01-01

Terrestrial salamanders are sensitive to forest disturbance associated with even-aged management. We studied the distribution of redback salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) for 4 yr at edges between even-aged northern hardwood stands along three replicate transects in each of three edge contrast types: regeneration/mature, sapling/mature, and...

Acid precipitation and reproductive success of Ambystoma salamanders

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pough, R H; Wilson, R E

1976-01-01

The two species of mole salamander that occur in the Ithaca, New York, region (Ambystoma maculatum and A. jeffersonianum) breed in temporary ponds that are formed by accumulation of melted snow and spring rains. Water in many of these pools during the breeding season is acid; pH values as low as 3.5 have been measured. In laboratory experiments A. maculatum tolerated pHs from 6 to 10 and had greatest hatching success at pH 7 to 9. Ambystoma Jeffersonianum tolerated pH 4 to 8 and was most successful at pH 5 to 6. Mortality rose abruptly beyond the tolerance limits. The pH optimum shifted upward with increasing temperature for A. jeffersonianum and downward for A. maculatum. Judging from our laboratory studies, the acidity measured in breeding ponds should cause mortality in A. maculatum and permit normal development in A. jeffersonianum. In a four-year study of a large acidic vernal pond, 938 adult A. maculatum produced 486 metamorphosed juveniles (0.52 juvenile/adult), while 686 adult A. jeffersonianum produced 2157 juveniles (3.14 juveniles/adult). Because the effects of acid precipitation on the salamanders' breeding ponds are cumulative from year to year, profound changes in the salamander populations can be anticipated.

Acid precipitation and reproductive success of Ambystoma salamanders

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Pough, F H; Wilson, R E

1977-03-01

The two species of mole salamander that occur in the Ithaca, New York, region (Ambystoma maculatum and A. jeffersonianum) breed in temporary ponds that are formed by accumulation of melted snow and spring rains. Water in many of these pools during the breeding season is acid; pH values as low as 3.5 have been measured. In laboratory experiments A. maculatum tolerated pHs from 6 to 10 and had greatest hatching success at pH 7 to 9. Ambystoma jeffersonianum tolerated pH 4 to 8 and was most successful at pH 5 to 6. Mortality rose abruptly beyond the tolerance limits. The pH optimum shifted upward with increasing temperature for A. jeffersonianum and downward for A. maculatum. Judging from our laboratory studies, the acidity measured in breeding ponds should cause mortality in A. maculatum and permit normal development in A. jeffersonianum. In a 4 yr study of a large, acidic vernal pond, 938 adult A. maculatum produced 486 metamorphosed juveniles (0.52 juvenile/adult), while 686 adult A. jeffersonianum produced 2157 juveniles (3.14 juveniles/adult). Because the effects of acid precipitation on the salamanders' breeding ponds are cumulative from year to year, profound changes in the salamander populations can be anticipated.

Cytogenetics of the Brazilian Bolitoglossa paraensis (Unterstein, 1930 salamanders (Caudata, Plethodontidae

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Jéssica Barata da Silva

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Plethodontid salamanders of genus Bolitoglossa constitute the largest and most diverse group of salamanders, including around 20% of living caudate species. Recent studies have indicated the occurrence of five recognized species in the Brazilian Amazon Rainforest. We present here the first cytogenetic data of a Brazilian salamander, which may prove to be a useful by contribution to the cytotaxonomy of the genus. Specimens were collected near the "type" locality (Utinga, Belém, PA, Brazil. Chromosomal preparations from duodenal epithelial cells and testes were subjected to Giemsa staining, C-banding and DAPI/CMA3 fluorochrome staining. All specimens showed a karyotype with 13 bi-armed chromosome pairs (2n = 26. Nucleolar Organizer Regions, evidenced by CMA3, were located distally on the long arm of pair 7 (7q. DAPI+ heterochromatin was predominantly centromeric, with some small pericentromeric bands. Although the C-banding patterns of other Bolitoglossa species are so far unknown, cytogenetic studies conducted in other Plethodontid salamanders have demonstrated that pericentromeric heterochromatin is a useful cytological marker for identifying interspecific homeologies. Species diversification is usually accompanied by chromosomal changes. Therefore, the cytogenetic characterization of Bolitoglossa populations from the middle and western Brazilian Amazon Basin could identify differences which may lead to the identification of new species.

Anatomy, function, and evolution of jaw and hyobranchial muscles in cryptobranchoid salamander larvae.

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Kleinteich, Thomas; Herzen, Julia; Beckmann, Felix; Matsui, Masafumi; Haas, Alexander

2014-02-01

Larval salamanders (Lissamphibia: Caudata) are known to be effective suction feeders in their aquatic environments, although they will eventually transform into terrestrial tongue feeding adults during metamorphosis. Early tetrapods may have had a similar biphasic life cycle and this makes larval salamanders a particularly interesting model to study the anatomy, function, development, and evolution of the feeding apparatus in terrestrial vertebrates. Here, we provide a description of the muscles that are involved in the feeding strike in salamander larvae of the Hynobiidae and compare them to larvae of the paedomorphic Cryptobranchidae. We provide a functional and evolutionary interpretation for the observed muscle characters. The cranial muscles in larvae from species of the Hynobiidae and Cryptobranchidae are generally very similar. Most notable are the differences in the presence of the m. hyomandibularis, a muscle that connects the hyobranchial apparatus with the lower jaw. We found this muscle only in Onychodactylus japonicus (Hynobiidae) but not in other hynobiid or cryptobranchid salamanders. Interestingly, the m. hyomandibularis in O. japonicus originates from the ceratobranchial I and not the ceratohyal, and thus exhibits what was previously assumed to be the derived condition. Finally, we applied a biomechanical model to simulate suction feeding in larval salamanders. We provide evidence that a flattened shape of the hyobranchial apparatus in its resting position is beneficial for a fast and successful suction feeding strike. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Decadal changes in phenology of peak abundance patterns of woodland pond salamanders in northern Wisconsin

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Donner, Deahn M.; Ribic, Christine; Beck, Albert J.; Higgins, Dale; Eklund, Dan; Reinecke, Susan

2015-01-01

Woodland ponds are important landscape features that help sustain populations of amphibians that require this aquatic habitat for successful reproduction. Species abundance patterns often reflect site-specific differences in hydrology, physical characteristics, and surrounding vegetation. Large-scale processes such as changing land cover and environmental conditions are other potential drivers influencing amphibian populations in the Upper Midwest, but little information exists on the combined effects of these factors. We used Blue-spotted (Ambystoma laterale Hallowell) and Spotted Salamander (A. maculatum Shaw) monitoring data collected at the same woodland ponds thirteen years apart to determine if changing environmental conditions and vegetation cover in surrounding landscapes influenced salamander movement phenology and abundance. Four woodland ponds in northern Wisconsin were sampled for salamanders in April 1992-1994 and 2005-2007. While Blue-spotted Salamanders were more abundant than Spotted Salamanders in all ponds, there was no change in the numbers of either species over the years. However, peak numbers of Blue-spotted Salamanders occurred 11.7 days earlier (range: 9-14 days) in the 2000s compared to the 1990s; Spotted Salamanders occurred 9.5 days earlier (range: 3 - 13 days). Air and water temperatures (April 13- 24) increased, on average, 4.8°C and 3.7°C, respectively, between the decades regardless of pond. There were no discernible changes in canopy openness in surrounding forests between decades that would have warmed the water sooner (i.e., more light penetration). Our finding that salamander breeding phenology can vary by roughly 10 days in Wisconsin contributes to growing evidence that amphibian populations have responded to changing climate conditions by shifting life-cycle events. Managers can use this information to adjust monitoring programs and forest management activities in the surrounding landscape to avoid vulnerable amphibian

[A case of double monster--duplicitas anterior with diprosopia].

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Meyer, R

1983-01-01

Report on a delivery of a double monster, duplicitas anterior with diprosopia. The course of delivery is compared with literature. The exclusion of malformations in early pregnancy is possible and necessary. Perinatal mortality can be reduced by abortion in time. The psychic burden of women concerned needs a special regard.

Survey of Pathogenic Chytrid Fungi (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis and B. salamandrivorans) in Salamanders from Three Mountain Ranges in Europe and the Americas.

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Parrott, Joshua Curtis; Shepack, Alexander; Burkart, David; LaBumbard, Brandon; Scimè, Patrick; Baruch, Ethan; Catenazzi, Alessandro

2017-06-01

Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal) is a virulent fungal pathogen that infects salamanders. It is implicated in the recent collapse of several populations of fire salamanders in Europe. This pathogen seems much like that of its sister species, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), the agent responsible for anuran extinctions and extirpations worldwide, and is considered to be an emerging global threat to salamander communities. Bsal thrives at temperatures found in many mountainous regions rich in salamander species; because of this, we have screened specimens of salamanders representing 17 species inhabiting mountain ranges in three continents: The Smoky Mountains, the Swiss Alps, and the Peruvian Andes. We screened 509 salamanders, with 192 representing New World salamanders that were never tested for Bsal previously. Bsal was not detected, and Bd was mostly present at low prevalence except for one site in the Andes.

Multiple drivers, scales, and interactions influence southern Appalachian stream salamander occupancy

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Cecala, Kristen K.; Maerz, John C.; Halstead, Brian J.; Frisch, John R.; Gragson, Ted L.; Hepinstall-Cymerman, Jeffrey; Leigh, David S.; Jackson, C. Rhett; Peterson, James T.; Pringle, Catherine M.

2018-01-01

Understanding how factors that vary in spatial scale relate to population abundance is vital to forecasting species responses to environmental change. Stream and river ecosystems are inherently hierarchical, potentially resulting in organismal responses to fine‐scale changes in patch characteristics that are conditional on the watershed context. Here, we address how populations of two salamander species are affected by interactions among hierarchical processes operating at different scales within a rapidly changing landscape of the southern Appalachian Mountains. We modeled reach‐level occupancy of larval and adult black‐bellied salamanders (Desmognathus quadramaculatus) and larval Blue Ridge two‐lined salamanders (Eurycea wilderae) as a function of 17 different terrestrial and aquatic predictor variables that varied in spatial extent. We found that salamander occurrence varied widely among streams within fully forested catchments, but also exhibited species‐specific responses to changes in local conditions. While D. quadramaculatus declined predictably in relation to losses in forest cover, larval occupancy exhibited the strongest negative response to forest loss as well as decreases in elevation. Conversely, occupancy of E. wilderae was unassociated with watershed conditions, only responding negatively to higher proportions of fast‐flowing stream habitat types. Evaluation of hierarchical relationships demonstrated that most fine‐scale variables were closely correlated with broad watershed‐scale variables, suggesting that local reach‐scale factors have relatively smaller effects within the context of the larger landscape. Our results imply that effective management of southern Appalachian stream salamanders must first focus on the larger scale condition of watersheds before management of local‐scale conditions should proceed. Our findings confirm the results of some studies while refuting the results of others, which may indicate that

Taming the monsters of tomorrow

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Kupferschmidt, Kai

2018-01-01

In Mary Shelley's novel, the scientist Victor Frankenstein fears that creating a female companion to his unhappy monster could lead to a "race of devils" that could drive humanity extinct. Today, some scientists worry about scientific advances in the real world that could kill all of humanity, or at least end civilization as we know it. Some two dozen researchers at three academic centers are studying these "existential risks"—including labmade viruses, armies of nanobots, and artificial intelligence—and what can be done about them. But critics say their scenarios are far-fetched and distract from real existential dangers, including climate change and nuclear war.

Exceptional soft tissues preservation in a mummified frog-eating Eocene salamander

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Jérémy Tissier

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Fossils are almost always represented by hard tissues but we present here the exceptional case of a three-dimensionally preserved specimen that was ‘mummified’ (likely between 40 and 34 million years ago in a terrestrial karstic environment. This fossil is the incomplete body of a salamander, Phosphotriton sigei, whose skeleton and external morphology are well preserved, as revealed by phase-contrast synchrotron X-ray microtomography. In addition, internal structures composed of soft tissues preserved in three dimensions are now identified: a lung, the spinal cord, a lumbosacral plexus, the digestive tract, muscles and urogenital organs that may be cloacal glands. These are among the oldest known cases of three-dimensional preservation of these organs in vertebrates and shed light on the ecology of this salamander. Indeed, the digestive tract contains remains of a frog, which represents the only known case of an extinct salamander that fed on a frog, an extremely rare type of predation in extant salamanders. These new data improve our scarce knowledge on soft tissue anatomy of early urodeles and should prove useful for future biologists and palaeontologists working on urodele evolutionary biology. We also suggest that the presence of bat guano and carcasses represented a close source of phosphorus, favouring preservation of soft tissues. Bone microanatomy indicates that P. sigei was likely amphibious or terrestrial, and was probably not neotenic.

Exceptional soft tissues preservation in a mummified frog-eating Eocene salamander.

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Tissier, Jérémy; Rage, Jean-Claude; Laurin, Michel

2017-01-01

Fossils are almost always represented by hard tissues but we present here the exceptional case of a three-dimensionally preserved specimen that was 'mummified' (likely between 40 and 34 million years ago) in a terrestrial karstic environment. This fossil is the incomplete body of a salamander, Phosphotriton sigei , whose skeleton and external morphology are well preserved, as revealed by phase-contrast synchrotron X-ray microtomography. In addition, internal structures composed of soft tissues preserved in three dimensions are now identified: a lung, the spinal cord, a lumbosacral plexus, the digestive tract, muscles and urogenital organs that may be cloacal glands. These are among the oldest known cases of three-dimensional preservation of these organs in vertebrates and shed light on the ecology of this salamander. Indeed, the digestive tract contains remains of a frog, which represents the only known case of an extinct salamander that fed on a frog, an extremely rare type of predation in extant salamanders. These new data improve our scarce knowledge on soft tissue anatomy of early urodeles and should prove useful for future biologists and palaeontologists working on urodele evolutionary biology. We also suggest that the presence of bat guano and carcasses represented a close source of phosphorus, favouring preservation of soft tissues. Bone microanatomy indicates that P. sigei was likely amphibious or terrestrial, and was probably not neotenic.

The monster within: Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and a patient's fears of childbirth and mothering.

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Almond, B R

1998-08-01

This paper explores the fantasy, widespread among women, of giving birth to a monster, particularly a psychological monster. The author hypothesises two central intrapsychic issues underlying these fears: monsters are viewed as 'incest babies' or as reflections of maternal aggression--evil, destructive parts of the mother passed on to the infant. Shame about femaleness is postulated as a third factor in the fear of producing something monstrous. Mary Shelley's novel, 'Frankenstein', is an iconic literary representation of these themes. The author presents and discusses some psychobiographical material about Mary Shelley, speculating on her motives for writing this novel and tracing the intrapsychic concerns about incest and aggression as reflected in the novel itself. Some recent feminist and psychoanalytic critical readings of 'Frankenstein' are referenced as they reflect on the novel's concern with themes of female sexuality and procreation. Clinical material from the author's own practice is presented to illustrate these fears, so similar to those with which Mary Shelley was dealing. A discussion, citing some relevant literature, follows.

Digits lost or gained? Evidence for pedal evolution in the dwarf salamander complex (Eurycea, Plethodontidae.

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Trip Lamb

Full Text Available Change in digit number, particularly digit loss, has occurred repeatedly over the evolutionary history of tetrapods. Although digit loss has been documented among distantly related species of salamanders, it is relatively uncommon in this amphibian order. For example, reduction from five to four toes appears to have evolved just three times in the morphologically and ecologically diverse family Plethodontidae. Here we report a molecular phylogenetic analysis for one of these four-toed lineages--the Eurycea quadridigitata complex (dwarf salamanders--emphasizing relationships to other species in the genus. A multilocus phylogeny reveals that dwarf salamanders are paraphyletic with respect to a complex of five-toed, paedomorphic Eurycea from the Edwards Plateau in Texas. We use this phylogeny to examine evolution of digit number within the dwarf-Edwards Plateau clade, testing contrasting hypotheses of digit loss (parallelism among dwarf salamanders versus digit gain (re-evolution in the Edwards Plateau complex. Bayes factors analysis provides statistical support for a five-toed common ancestor at the dwarf-Edwards node, favoring, slightly, the parallelism hypothesis for digit loss. More importantly, our phylogenetic results pinpoint a rare event in the pedal evolution of plethodontid salamanders.

Effects of Buffering Key Habitat for Terrestrial Salamanders: Implications for the Management of the Federally Threatened Red Hills Salamander (Phaeognathus hubrichti and Other Imperiled Plethodontids

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Joseph J. Apodaca

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Forestry practices are placing ever increasing emphasis on sustainability and the maintenance of ecological processes, biodiversity, and endangered species or populations. Balancing timber harvest and the management of imperiled species presents a particularly difficult challenge during this shift, as we often know very little about these species’ natural history and how and why silviculture practices affect their populations. Accordingly, investigation of and improvement on current management practices for threatened species is imperative. We investigated the effectiveness of habitat buffers as a management technique for the imperiled Red Hills salamander (Phaeognathus hubrichti by combining genetic, transect, and body-condition data. We found that populations where habitat buffers have been employed have higher genetic diversity and higher population densities, and individuals have better overall body condition. These results indicate that buffering the habitat of imperiled species can be an effective management tool for terrestrial salamanders. Additionally, they provide further evidence that leaving the habitat of imperiled salamanders unbuffered can have both immediate and long-term negative impacts on populations.

Toxicological responses of red-backed salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) to subchronic soil exposures of 2,4-dinitrotoluene

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Johnson, Mark S.; Suski, Jamie; Bazar, Matthew A.

2007-01-01

Dinitrotoluenes are used as propellants and in explosives by the military and as such have been found at relatively high concentrations in the soil. To determine whether concentrations of 2,4-dinitrotoluene (2,4-DNT) in soil are toxic to amphibians, 100 red-backed salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) were exposed to either 1500, 800, 200, 75 or 0 mg 2,4-DNT/kg soil for 28 days and evaluated for indicators of toxicity. Concentrations of 2,4-DNT were less than targets and varied with time. Most salamanders exposed to concentrations exceeding 1050 mg/kg died or were moribund within the first week. Salamanders exposed to soil concentrations exceeding 345 mg/kg lost >6% of their body mass though no mortality occurred. Overt effects included a reduction in feed consumption and an increase in bucco-pharyngeal oscillations in salamanders. These results suggest that only high soil concentrations of 2,4-DNT have the potential to cause overtly toxic effects in terrestrial salamanders. - Exposures of 2,4-dinitrotoluene in soil exceeding 345 mg/kg causes toxicity to P. cinereus

Molecular characterization and expression analysis of cathepsin C in Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus after Aeromonas hydrophila infection

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Zisheng Wang

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Background: Cathepsin C (CTSC (dipeptidyl peptidase I, DPPI, is a member of the papain superfamily of cysteine proteases and involves in a variety of host reactions. However, the information of CTST in Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus, an amphibian species with important evolutionary position and economic values, remained unclear. Results: The full-length salamander CTSC cDNA contained a 96 bp of 5′-UTR, a 1392 bp of ORF encoding 463 amino acids, and a 95 bp of 3′-UTR. The salamander CTSC possessed several sequence features similar to other reported CTSCs such as a signal peptide, a propeptide and a mature peptide. The active site triad of Cys, His and Asn were also found existing in salamander CTSC. Salamander CTSC mRNA was constitutively expressed in all the examined tissues with significantly variant expression level. The highest expression of CTSC was in intestine, followed with stomach, spleen, lung and brain. Following Aeromonas hydrophila infection for 12 h, salamander CTSC was significantly up-regulated in several tissues including lung, spleen, brain, kidney, heart, stomach and skin. Conclusion: CTSC plays roles in the immune response to bacterial infection, which provided valuable information for further studying the functions of CTSC in salamander. Keywords: cDNA, CTSC, Dipeptidyl peptidase I, Gene expression, Hydrophila, Immune, Peptide, Sequence, Tissue

Climate-mediated competition in a high-elevation salamander community

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Dallalio, Eric A.; Brand, Adrianne B,; Grant, Evan H. Campbell

2017-01-01

The distribution of the federally endangered Shenandoah Salamander (Plethodon shenandoah) is presumed to be limited by competition with the Red-backed Salamander (Plethodon cinereus). In particular, the current distribution of P. shenandoah is understood to be restricted to warmer and drier habitats because of interspecific interactions. These habitats may be particularly sensitive to climate change, though the influence of competition may also be affected by temperature and relative humidity. We investigated the response of P. shenandoah to competition with P. cinereus under four climate scenarios in 3-dimensional mesocosms. The results suggest that, although climate change may alleviate competitive pressure from P. cinereus, warmer temperatures may also significantly influence the persistence of the species across its known range.

Role of habitat complexity in predator-prey dynamics between an introduced fish and larval Long-toed Salamanders (Ambystoma macrodactylum)

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Kenison, Erin K; Litt, Andrea R.; Pilliod, David S.; McMahon, Tom E

2016-01-01

Predation by nonnative fishes has reduced abundance and increased extinction risk for amphibian populations worldwide. Although rare, fish and palatable amphibians have been observed to coexist where aquatic vegetation and structural complexity provide suitable refugia. We examined whether larval long-toed salamanders (Ambystoma macrodactylum Baird, 1849) increased use of vegetation cover in lakes with trout and whether adding vegetation structure could reduce predation risk and nonconsumptive effects (NCEs), such as reductions in body size and delayed metamorphosis. We compared use of vegetation cover by larval salamanders in lakes with and without trout and conducted a field experiment to investigate the influence of added vegetation structure on salamander body morphology and life history. The probability of catching salamanders in traps in lakes with trout was positively correlated with the proportion of submerged vegetation and surface cover. Growth rates of salamanders in enclosures with trout cues decreased as much as 85% and the probability of metamorphosis decreased by 56%. We did not find evidence that adding vegetation reduced NCEs in experimental enclosures, but salamanders in lakes with trout utilized more highly-vegetated areas which suggests that adding vegetation structure at the scale of the whole lake may facilitate coexistence between salamanders and introduced trout.

Habitat relationships of eastern red-backed salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) in Appalachian agroforestry and grazing systems

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Breanna L. Riedel; Kevin R. Russell; W. Mark Ford; Katherine P. O' Neill; Harry W. Godwin

2008-01-01

Woodland salamander responses to either traditional grazing or silvopasture systems are virtually unknown. An information-theoretic modelling approach was used to evaluate responses of red-backed salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) to silvopasture and meadow conversions in southern West Virginia. Searches of area-constrained plots and artificial...

Vaccination with Recombinant Baculovirus Expressing Ranavirus Major Capsid Protein Induces Protective Immunity in Chinese Giant Salamander, Andrias davidianus

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Xiaoyuan Zhou

2017-07-01

Full Text Available The Chinese giant salamander iridovirus (CGSIV, belonging to the genus Ranavirus in the family Iridoviridae, is the causative agent of an emerging infectious disease causing high mortality of more than 90% and economic losses in Chinese giant salamanders in China. In this study, a recombinant baculovirus-based vaccine expressing the CGSIV major capsid protein (MCP was developed and its protective immunity in Chinese giant salamanders was evaluated. The recombinant Autographa californica nucleopolyhedrosis virus (AcNPV, expressing CGSIV MCP, designated as AcNPV-MCP, was generated with the highest titers of 1 × 108 plaque forming units/mL (PFU/mL and confirmed by Western blot and indirect immunofluorescence (IIF assays. Western blot analysis revealed that the expressed MCP reacted with mouse anti-MCP monoclonal antibodies at the band of about 53 kDa. The results of IIF indicated that the MCP was expressed in the infected Spodoptera frugiperda 9 (Sf9 cells with the recombinant baculovirus, and the Chinese giant salamander muscle cells also transduced with the AcNPV-MCP. Immunization with the recombinant baculovirus of AcNPV-MCP elicited robust specific humoral immune responses detected by ELISA and neutralization assays and potent cellular immune responses in Chinese giant salamanders. Importantly, the effective immunization conferred highly protective immunity for Chinese giant salamanders against CGSIV challenge and produced a relative percent of survival rate of 84%. Thus, the recombinant baculovirus expressing CGSIV MCP can induce significant immune responses involving both humoral and cell-mediated immunity in Chinese giant salamanders and might represent a potential baculovirus based vaccine candidate for Chinese giant salamanders against CGSIV.

Long bone histology of the stem salamander Kokartus honorarius (Amphibia: Caudata) from the Middle Jurassic of Kyrgyzstan.

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Skutschas, Pavel; Stein, Koen

2015-04-01

Kokartus honorarius from the Middle Jurassic (Bathonian) of Kyrgyzstan is one of the oldest salamanders in the fossil record, characterized by a mixture of plesiomorphic morphological features and characters shared with crown-group salamanders. Here we present a detailed histological analysis of its long bones. The analysis of a growth series demonstrates a significant histological maturation during ontogeny, expressed by the progressive appearance of longitudinally oriented primary vascular canals, primary osteons, growth marks, remodelling features in primary bone tissues, as well as progressive resorption of the calcified cartilage, formation of endochondral bone and development of cartilaginous to bony trabeculae in the epiphyses. Apart from the presence of secondary osteons, the long bone histology of Kokartus is very similar to that of miniaturized temnospondyls, other Jurassic stem salamanders, miniaturized seymouriamorphs and modern crown-group salamanders. We propose that the presence of secondary osteons in Kokartus honorarius is a plesiomorphic feature, and the loss of secondary osteons in the long bones of crown-group salamanders as well as in those of miniaturized temnospondyls is the result of miniaturization processes. Hitherto, all stem salamander long bong histology (Kokartus, Marmorerpeton and 'salamander A') has been generally described as having paedomorphic features (i.e. the presence of Katschenko's Line and a layer of calcified cartilage), these taxa were thus most likely neotenic forms. The absence of clear lines of arrested growth and annuli in long bones of Kokartus honorarius suggests that the animals lived in an environment with stable local conditions. © 2015 Anatomical Society.

Tarasca: ritual monster of Spain.

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Gilmore, David D

2008-09-01

Let us now revisit our original assumptions. First, we note that for the participants in Hacinas Carnival the Tarasca is a figure of fun and joy, but it also exudes a strain of aggressive misogyny that many female residents, not to mention tourists, find somewhat unsettling. In the spirit of feminist currents in Spain, a group of young women protested in 1992 to town officials and, when rebuffed, sought to build their own female monster, which they intended to use to attack boys and men. While their plan was never carried out, and indeed met with stiff opposition from officialdom and, especially, from older women, some of the younger, more modern girls find the Tarasca appalling, and they told me so without compunction. Accordingly, today the festival tends to polarize the sexes as well as the generations. Also, many children are frightened by the gigantic mock-up with its snapping teeth and foul breath, and many of them burst into tears at the roaring of the demons. But despite these negatives--or perhaps because of them--the Tarasca breaks down boundaries between things normally kept separate in the mind: humor and terror, man and beast, order and disorder, old and young, life and death, and so on. In so collapsing opposites, the Tarasca causes people to pause and to think about and question everyday reality in the non-Carnival universe. All these observations of course support the structural arguments of our four theorists above and in particular seem to corroborate Bloch's concept (1992) of the regenerative power of "rebounding violence." However, there are three specific features here that need psychological amplification beyond simply confirming the work of previous theorists. We must first note that like most grotesque fantasies, the Hacinas monster combines disparate organic "realities" into a bizarre and monstrous image that by its very oddness and the resulting "cognitive mismatch" captures people's attention and sparks the imagination, especially that of

Evaluating multi-level models to test occupancy state responses of Plethodontid salamanders

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Kroll, Andrew J.; Garcia, Tiffany S.; Jones, Jay E.; Dugger, Catherine; Murden, Blake; Johnson, Josh; Peerman, Summer; Brintz, Ben; Rochelle, Michael

2015-01-01

Plethodontid salamanders are diverse and widely distributed taxa and play critical roles in ecosystem processes. Due to salamander use of structurally complex habitats, and because only a portion of a population is available for sampling, evaluation of sampling designs and estimators is critical to provide strong inference about Plethodontid ecology and responses to conservation and management activities. We conducted a simulation study to evaluate the effectiveness of multi-scale and hierarchical single-scale occupancy models in the context of a Before-After Control-Impact (BACI) experimental design with multiple levels of sampling. Also, we fit the hierarchical single-scale model to empirical data collected for Oregon slender and Ensatina salamanders across two years on 66 forest stands in the Cascade Range, Oregon, USA. All models were fit within a Bayesian framework. Estimator precision in both models improved with increasing numbers of primary and secondary sampling units, underscoring the potential gains accrued when adding secondary sampling units. Both models showed evidence of estimator bias at low detection probabilities and low sample sizes; this problem was particularly acute for the multi-scale model. Our results suggested that sufficient sample sizes at both the primary and secondary sampling levels could ameliorate this issue. Empirical data indicated Oregon slender salamander occupancy was associated strongly with the amount of coarse woody debris (posterior mean = 0.74; SD = 0.24); Ensatina occupancy was not associated with amount of coarse woody debris (posterior mean = -0.01; SD = 0.29). Our simulation results indicate that either model is suitable for use in an experimental study of Plethodontid salamanders provided that sample sizes are sufficiently large. However, hierarchical single-scale and multi-scale models describe different processes and estimate different parameters. As a result, we recommend careful consideration of study questions

Evaluating Multi-Level Models to Test Occupancy State Responses of Plethodontid Salamanders.

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Andrew J Kroll

Full Text Available Plethodontid salamanders are diverse and widely distributed taxa and play critical roles in ecosystem processes. Due to salamander use of structurally complex habitats, and because only a portion of a population is available for sampling, evaluation of sampling designs and estimators is critical to provide strong inference about Plethodontid ecology and responses to conservation and management activities. We conducted a simulation study to evaluate the effectiveness of multi-scale and hierarchical single-scale occupancy models in the context of a Before-After Control-Impact (BACI experimental design with multiple levels of sampling. Also, we fit the hierarchical single-scale model to empirical data collected for Oregon slender and Ensatina salamanders across two years on 66 forest stands in the Cascade Range, Oregon, USA. All models were fit within a Bayesian framework. Estimator precision in both models improved with increasing numbers of primary and secondary sampling units, underscoring the potential gains accrued when adding secondary sampling units. Both models showed evidence of estimator bias at low detection probabilities and low sample sizes; this problem was particularly acute for the multi-scale model. Our results suggested that sufficient sample sizes at both the primary and secondary sampling levels could ameliorate this issue. Empirical data indicated Oregon slender salamander occupancy was associated strongly with the amount of coarse woody debris (posterior mean = 0.74; SD = 0.24; Ensatina occupancy was not associated with amount of coarse woody debris (posterior mean = -0.01; SD = 0.29. Our simulation results indicate that either model is suitable for use in an experimental study of Plethodontid salamanders provided that sample sizes are sufficiently large. However, hierarchical single-scale and multi-scale models describe different processes and estimate different parameters. As a result, we recommend careful consideration of

Using a GIS model to assess terrestrial salamander response to alternative forest management plans

Science.gov (United States)

Eric J. Gustafson; Nathan L. Murphy; Thomas R. Crow

2001-01-01

A GIS model predicting the spatial distribution of terrestrial salamander abundance based on topography and forest age was developed using parameters derived from the literature. The model was tested by sampling salamander abundance across the full range of site conditions used in the model. A regression of the predictions of our GIS model against these sample data...

Society and Scientific Anomalies: Common Knowledge about the Loch Ness Monster.

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Bauer, Henry H.

1987-01-01

Surveys newspaper, magazine, and book literature about the Loch Ness monster from 1933 to 1983. Characterizes the literature by attitude, length, belief, and jocularity. Illuminates the problem of identifying demarcation criteria for what may be classed as science and as pseudoscience. (CW)

Apparent survival of the salamander Salamandra salamandra is low because of high migratory activity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Schaub Michael

2007-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Understanding the demographic processes underlying population dynamics is a central theme in ecology. Populations decline if losses from the population (i.e., mortality and emigration exceed gains (i.e., recruitment and immigration. Amphibians are thought to exhibit little movement even though local populations often fluctuate dramatically and are likely to go exinct if there is no rescue effect through immigration from nearby populations. Terrestrial salamanders are generally portrayed as amphibians with low migratory activity. Our study uses demographic analysis as a key to unravel whether emigration or mortality is the main cause of "losses" from the population. In particular, we use the analysis to challenge the common belief that terrestrial salamanders show low migratory activity. Results The mark-recapture analysis of adult salamanders showed that monthly survival was high (> 90% without a seasonal pattern. These estimates, however, translate into rather low rates of local annual survival of only ~40% and suggest that emigration was important. The estimated probability of emigration was 49%. Conclusion Our analysis shows that terrestrial salamanders exhibit more migratory activity than commonly thought. This may be due either because the spatial extent of salamander populations is underestimated or because there is a substantial exchange of individuals between populations. Our current results are in line with several other studies that suggest high migratory activity in amphibians. In particular, many amphibian populations may be characterized by high proportions of transients and/or floaters.

Morphological variation in two genetically distinct groups of the golden-striped salamander, Chioglossa lusitanica (Amphibia: Urodela)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Alexandrino, J.; Ferrand, N.; Arntzen, J.W.

2005-01-01

Morphometric and colour pattern variation in the endemic Iberian salamander Chioglossa lusitanica is concordant with the genetic differentiation of two groups of populations separated by the Mondego river in Portugal. Salamanders from the south have shorter digits than those from the north. Clinal

Informing recovery in a human-transformed landscape: Drought-mediated coexistence alters population trends of an imperiled salamander and invasive predators

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Hossack, Blake R.; Honeycutt, Richard; Sigafus, Brent H.; Muths, Erin L.; Crawford, Catherine L.; Jones, Thomas R.; Sorensen, Jeff A.; Rorabaugh, James C.; Chambert, Thierry

2017-01-01

Understanding the additive or interactive threats of habitat transformation and invasive species is critical for conservation, especially where climate change is expected to increase the severity or frequency of drought. In the arid southwestern USA, this combination of stressors has caused widespread declines of native aquatic and semi-aquatic species. Achieving resilience to drought and other effects of climate change may depend upon continued management, so understanding the combined effects of stressors is important. We used Bayesian hierarchical models fitted with 10-years of pond-based monitoring surveys for the federally-endangered Sonoran Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma mavortium stebbinsi) and invasive predators (fishes and American Bullfrogs, Lithobates catesbeianus) that threaten native species. We estimated trends in occupancy of salamanders and invasive predators while accounting for hydrological dynamics of ponds, then used a two-species interaction model to directly estimate how invasive predators affected salamander occupancy. We also tested a conceptual model that predicted that drought, by limiting the distribution of invasive predators, could ultimately benefit native species. Even though occupancy of invasive predators was stationary and their presence in a pond reduced the probability of salamander presence by 23%, occupancy of Sonoran Tiger Salamanders increased, annually, by 2.2%. Occupancy of salamanders and invasive predators both declined dramatically following the 5th consecutive year of drought. Salamander occupancy recovered quickly after return to non-drought conditions, while occupancy of invasive predators remained suppressed. Models that incorporated three time-lagged periods (1 to 4 years) of local moisture conditions confirmed that salamanders and invasive predators responded differently to drought, reflecting how life-history strategies shape responses to disturbances. The positive 10-year trend in salamander occupancy and their

Salamander blue-sensitive cones lost during metamorphosis.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Chen, Y.; Znoiko, S.; Grip, W.J. de; Crouch, R.K.; Ma, J.X.

2008-01-01

The tiger salamander lives in shallow water with bright light in the aquatic phase, and in dim tunnels or caves in the terrestrial phase. In the aquatic phase, there are five types of photoreceptors--two types of rods and three types of cones. Our previous studies showed that the green rods and

76 FR 55413 - Proposed Safe Harbor Agreement for California Red-legged Frog, California Tiger Salamander, Smith...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-09-07

...] Proposed Safe Harbor Agreement for California Red-legged Frog, California Tiger Salamander, Smith's Blue... endangered Smith's blue butterfly (Euphilotes enoptes smithi) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as..., California tiger salamander, Smith's blue butterfly, and Yadon's piperia on the property subject to the...

Skin Microbiomes of California Terrestrial Salamanders Are Influenced by Habitat More Than Host Phylogeny

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Alicia K. Bird

2018-03-01

Full Text Available A multitude of microorganisms live on and within plant and animal hosts, yet the ecology and evolution of these microbial communities remains poorly understood in many taxa. This study examined the extent to which environmental factors and host taxonomic identity explain microbiome variation within two salamander genera, Ensatina and Batrachoseps, in the family Plethodontidae. In particular, we assessed whether microbiome differentiation paralleled host genetic distance at three levels of taxonomy: genus and high and low clade levels within Ensatina eschscholtzii. We predicted that more genetically related host populations would have more similar microbiomes than more distantly related host populations. We found that salamander microbiomes possess bacterial species that are most likely acquired from their surrounding soil environment, but the relative representation of those bacterial species is significantly different on the skin of salamanders compared to soil. We found differences in skin microbiome alpha diversity among Ensatina higher and lower clade groups, as well as differences between Ensatina and Batrachoseps. We also found that relative microbiome composition (beta diversity did vary between Ensatina lower clades, but differences were driven by only a few clades and not correlated to clade genetic distances. We conclude this difference was likely a result of Ensatina lower clades being associated with geographic location and habitat type, as salamander identity at higher taxonomic levels (genus and Ensatina higher clades was a weak predictor of microbiome composition. These results lead us to conclude that environmental factors are likely playing a more significant role in salamander cutaneous microbiome assemblages than host-specific traits.

Behavioral and Physiological Responses of Ozark Zigzag Salamanders to Stimuli from an Invasive Predator: The Armadillo

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Adam L. Crane

2012-01-01

Full Text Available When new predators invade a habitat, either through range extensions or introductions, prey may be at a high risk because they do not recognize the predators as dangerous. The nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus has recently expanded its range in North America. Armadillos forage by searching soil and leaf litter, consuming invertebrates and small vertebrates, including salamanders. We tested whether Ozark zigzag salamanders (Plethodon angusticlavius from a population coexisting with armadillos for about 30 years exhibit antipredator behavior in the presence of armadillo chemical cues and whether they can discriminate between stimuli from armadillos and a nonpredatory sympatric mammal (white-tailed deer, Odocoileus virginianus. Salamanders appeared to recognize substrate cues from armadillos as a threat because they increased escape behaviors and oxygen consumption. When exposed to airborne cues from armadillos, salamanders also exhibited an antipredator response by spending more time in an inconspicuous posture. Additionally, individually consistent behaviors across treatments for some response variables suggest the potential for a behavioral syndrome in this species.

Comparative and developmental patterns of amphibious auditory function in salamanders.

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Zeyl, Jeffrey N; Johnston, Carol E

2016-12-01

Early amphibious tetrapods may have detected aquatic sound pressure using sound-induced lung vibrations, but their lack of tympanic middle ears would have restricted aerial sensitivity. Sharing these characteristics, salamanders could be models for the carryover of auditory function across an aquatic-terrestrial boundary without tympanic middle ears. We measured amphibious auditory evoked potential audiograms in five phylogenetically and ecologically distinct salamanders (Amphiuma means, Notophthalmus viridescens, Ambystoma talpoideum, Eurycea spp., and Plethodon glutinosus) and tested whether metamorphosis and terrestrial niche were linked to aerial sensitivity. Threshold differences between media varied between species. A. means' relative aerial sensitivity was greatest at 100 Hz and decreased with increasing frequency. In contrast, all other salamanders retained greater sensitivity up to 500 Hz, and in A. talpoideum and Eurycea, relative sensitivity at 500 Hz was higher than at 100 Hz. Aerial thresholds of terrestrial P. glutinosus above 200 Hz were similar to A. talpoideum and Eurycea, but lower than N. viridescens and A. means. Metamorphosis did not affect aerial sensitivity in N. viridescens or A. talpoideum. These results fail to support a hypothesis of terrestrial hearing specialization across ontogeny or phylogeny. We discuss methodological limitations to our amphibious comparisons and factors affecting variation in amphibious performance.

Transcriptional and phylogenetic analysis of five complete ambystomatid salamander mitochondrial genomes.

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Samuels, Amy K; Weisrock, David W; Smith, Jeramiah J; France, Katherine J; Walker, John A; Putta, Srikrishna; Voss, S Randal

2005-04-11

We report on a study that extended mitochondrial transcript information from a recent EST project to obtain complete mitochondrial genome sequence for 5 tiger salamander complex species (Ambystoma mexicanum, A. t. tigrinum, A. andersoni, A. californiense, and A. dumerilii). We describe, for the first time, aspects of mitochondrial transcription in a representative amphibian, and then use complete mitochondrial sequence data to examine salamander phylogeny at both deep and shallow levels of evolutionary divergence. The available mitochondrial ESTs for A. mexicanum (N=2481) and A. t. tigrinum (N=1205) provided 92% and 87% coverage of the mitochondrial genome, respectively. Complete mitochondrial sequences for all species were rapidly obtained by using long distance PCR and DNA sequencing. A number of genome structural characteristics (base pair length, base composition, gene number, gene boundaries, codon usage) were highly similar among all species and to other distantly related salamanders. Overall, mitochondrial transcription in Ambystoma approximated the pattern observed in other vertebrates. We inferred from the mapping of ESTs onto mtDNA that transcription occurs from both heavy and light strand promoters and continues around the entire length of the mtDNA, followed by post-transcriptional processing. However, the observation of many short transcripts corresponding to rRNA genes indicates that transcription may often terminate prematurely to bias transcription of rRNA genes; indeed an rRNA transcription termination signal sequence was observed immediately following the 16S rRNA gene. Phylogenetic analyses of salamander family relationships consistently grouped Ambystomatidae in a clade containing Cryptobranchidae and Hynobiidae, to the exclusion of Salamandridae. This robust result suggests a novel alternative hypothesis because previous studies have consistently identified Ambystomatidae and Salamandridae as closely related taxa. Phylogenetic analyses of tiger

in Chinese giant salamander ( Andrias davidianus , Blanchard, 1871)

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A disease in farmed Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus) was a common event, being an economically important threat for Chinese farms. Based on the clinical signs, epizootiology and pathogens belonging to the genus, Ranavirus was suspected as the possible etiology. Although in a cultured Chinese giant ...

Pacemaker lead erosion simulating "Loch Ness Monster": conservative management.

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Garg, Naveen; Moorthy, Nagaraja

2012-12-01

The majority of pacemaker pocket or lead erosions are due to either mechanical erosion by the bulky pulse generator or secondary to pacemaker pocket infection. We describe an unusual case of delayed pacemaker lead erosion causing extrusion of a portion of the pacing lead, with separate entry and exit points, with the gap filled with new skin formation, simulating the "Loch Ness Monster", which was successfully managed conservatively by surgical reinsertion.

Variable infection of stream salamanders in the southern Appalachians by the trematode Metagonimoides oregonensis (family: Heterophyidae)

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Jennie A. Wyderko; Ernest F. Benfield; John C. Maerz; Kristen C. Cecala; Lisa K. Belden

2015-01-01

Many factors contribute to parasites varying in host specificity and distribution among potential hosts. Metagonimoides oregonensis is a digenetic trematode that uses stream-dwelling plethodontid salamanders as second intermediate hosts in the Eastern US. We completed a field survey to identify which stream salamander species, at a regional level, are most...

Effects of microhabitat and large-scale land use on stream salamander occupancy in the coalfields of Central Appalachia

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Sweeten, Sara E.; Ford, W. Mark

2016-01-01

Large-scale coal mining practices, particularly surface coal extraction and associated valley fills as well as residential wastewater discharge, are of ecological concern for aquatic systems in central Appalachia. Identifying and quantifying alterations to ecosystems along a gradient of spatial scales is a necessary first-step to aid in mitigation of negative consequences to aquatic biota. In central Appalachian headwater streams, apart from fish, salamanders are the most abundant vertebrate predator that provide a significant intermediate trophic role linking aquatic and terrestrial food webs. Stream salamander species are considered to be sensitive to aquatic stressors and environmental alterations, as past research has shown linkages among microhabitat parameters, large-scale land use such as urbanization and logging, and salamander abundances. However, there is little information examining these relationships between environmental conditions and salamander occupancy in the coalfields of central Appalachia. In the summer of 2013, 70 sites (sampled two to three times each) in the southwest Virginia coalfields were visited to collect salamanders and quantify stream and riparian microhabitat parameters. Using an information-theoretic framework, effects of microhabitat and large-scale land use on stream salamander occupancy were compared. The findings indicate that Desmognathus spp. occupancy rates are more correlated to microhabitat parameters such as canopy cover than to large-scale land uses. However, Eurycea spp. occupancy rates had a strong association with large-scale land uses, particularly recent mining and forest cover within the watershed. These findings suggest that protection of riparian habitats is an important consideration for maintaining aquatic systems in central Appalachia. If this is not possible, restoration riparian areas should follow guidelines using quick-growing tree species that are native to Appalachian riparian areas. These types of trees

A Salamander Tale: Effective Exhibits and Attitude Change

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Rollins, Jeffrey; Watson, Sunnie Lee

2017-01-01

Little information exists regarding intention behind the design and development of Extension outreach and educational exhibits. An evaluation of response to the exhibit "A Salamander Tale" indicates that the methods used to develop the exhibit resulted in an effective way to present information to an adult audience. Survey questions were…

Low levels of LTR retrotransposon deletion by ectopic recombination in the gigantic genomes of salamanders.

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Frahry, Matthew Blake; Sun, Cheng; Chong, Rebecca A; Mueller, Rachel Lockridge

2015-02-01

Across the tree of life, species vary dramatically in nuclear genome size. Mutations that add or remove sequences from genomes-insertions or deletions, or indels-are the ultimate source of this variation. Differences in the tempo and mode of insertion and deletion across taxa have been proposed to contribute to evolutionary diversity in genome size. Among vertebrates, most of the largest genomes are found within the salamanders, an amphibian clade with genome sizes ranging from ~14 to ~120 Gb. Salamander genomes have been shown to experience slower rates of DNA loss through small (i.e., genomes. However, no studies have addressed DNA loss from salamander genomes resulting from larger deletions. Here, we focus on one type of large deletion-ectopic-recombination-mediated removal of LTR retrotransposon sequences. In ectopic recombination, double-strand breaks are repaired using a "wrong" (i.e., ectopic, or non-allelic) template sequence-typically another locus of similar sequence. When breaks occur within the LTR portions of LTR retrotransposons, ectopic-recombination-mediated repair can produce deletions that remove the internal transposon sequence and the equivalent of one of the two LTR sequences. These deletions leave a signature in the genome-a solo LTR sequence. We compared levels of solo LTRs in the genomes of four salamander species with levels present in five vertebrates with smaller genomes. Our results demonstrate that salamanders have low levels of solo LTRs, suggesting that ectopic-recombination-mediated deletion of LTR retrotransposons occurs more slowly than in other vertebrates with smaller genomes.

Reproductive biology of the Del Norte salamander (Plethodon elongatus).

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Clara A. Wheeler; Hartwell H. Welsh Jr.; Lisa M. Ollivier

2013-01-01

We examined seasonal reproductive patterns of the Del Norte Salamander, Plethodon elongatus, in mixed conifer and hardwood forests of northwestern California and southwestern Oregon. Seasonal size differences in reproductive structures suggested that maximum spermatogenic activity occurred during the late summer, with spermatozoa transfer to the...

Overview of the status of the Cheat Mountain salamander

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas K. Pauley

2010-01-01

Plethodon nettingi, the Cheat Mountain salamander, is endemic to the high elevations of the Allegheny Mountains in eastern West Virginia. In 1938, N.B. Green named the species from specimens collected at Barton Knob, Randolph County, in honor of his friend and colleague Graham Netting.

Phylogeography of Sardinian cave salamanders (genus Hydromantes) is mainly determined by geomorphology.

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Chiari, Ylenia; van der Meijden, Arie; Mucedda, Mauro; Lourenço, João M; Hochkirch, Axel; Veith, Michael

2012-01-01

Detecting the factors that determine the interruption of gene flow between populations is key to understanding how speciation occurs. In this context, caves are an excellent system for studying processes of colonization, differentiation and speciation, since they represent discrete geographical units often with known geological histories. Here, we asked whether discontinuous calcareous areas and cave systems represent major barriers to gene flow within and among the five species of Sardinian cave salamanders (genus Hydromantes) and whether intraspecific genetic structure parallels geographic distance within and among caves. We generated mitochondrial cytochrome b gene sequences from 184 individuals representing 48 populations, and used a Bayesian phylogeographic approach to infer possible areas of cladogenesis for these species and reconstruct historical and current dispersal routes among distinct populations. Our results show deep genetic divergence within and among all Sardinian cave salamander species, which can mostly be attributed to the effects of mountains and discontinuities in major calcareous areas and cave systems acting as barriers to gene flow. While these salamander species can also occur outside caves, our results indicate that there is a very poor dispersal of these species between separate cave systems.

Data set for transcriptome analysis of the Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus

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Xuemei Jiang

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus occupies a seat at the phylogenetic and species evolution process, which makes it an invaluable model for genetics; however, the genetic information and gene sequences about the Chinese giant salamander in public databases are scanty. Hence, we aimed to perform transcriptome analysis with the help of high-throughput sequencing. In this data, 61,317,940 raw reads were acquired from Chinese giant salamander mRNA using Illumina paired-end sequencing platform. After de novo assembly, a total of 72,072 unigenes were gained, in which 33,834 (46.95% and 29,479 (40.91% transcripts exhibited homology to sequences in the Nr database and Swiss-Prot database, (E-value <10−5, respectively. In the obtained unigenes, 18,019 (25% transcripts were assigned with at least one Gene Ontology term, of which 1218 (6.8% transcripts were assigned to immune system processes. In addition, a total of 17,572 assembled sequences were assigned into 241 predicted KEGG metabolic pathways. Among these, 2552 (14.5% transcripts were assigned to the immune system relevant pathway and 5 transcripts were identified as potential antimicrobial peptides (AMPs. Keywords: Andrias davidianus, Transcriptome

Infection of spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) with Ichthyophonus-like organisms in Virginia.

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Ware, Joy L; Viverette, Cathy; Kleopfer, John D; Pletcher, Leeanna; Massey, Davis; Wright, Anne

2008-01-01

Ichthyophonus-like organisms were found in two free-ranging adult spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) captured within two different vernal ponds in the Virginia Commonwealth University Rice Center for Environmental Life Sciences in Charles City County, Virginia. Histopathologic examination of necropsied specimens revealed large spores, often enclosed by granulomas. These enclosed spores resembled those caused by the fish pathogen Ichthyophonus hoeferi. One salamander displayed an externally visible large swelling beneath the jaws. The other lacked macroscopic abnormalities, but histologic sections of ventral muscle revealed early-stage Ichthyophonus-like organisms and minimal granulomatous reactions. This is the first report of Ichthyophonus-like infection of Ambystoma maculatum in Virginia.

Monsters that Eat People--Oh My! Selecting Literature to Ease Children's Fears

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Mercurio, Mia Lynn; McNamee, Abigail

2008-01-01

What should families and teachers look for when they choose picture books to help young children overcome their fears of imaginary monsters, dark places, thunderstorms, and dogs? This article provides criteria for assessing picture books and suggests ways to read them in ways that support children's development. (Contains 4 tables.)

Introduction to vertex algebras, Borcherds algebras and the Monster Lie algebras

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gebert, R.W.

1993-09-01

The theory of vertex algebras constitutes a mathematically rigorous axiomatic formulation of the algebraic origins of conformal field theory. In this context Borcherds algebras arise as certain ''physical'' subspaces of vertex algebras. The aim of this review is to give a pedagogical introduction into this rapidly-developing area of mathematics. Based on the machinery of formal calculus we present the axiomatic definition of vertex algebras. We discuss the connection with conformal field theory by deriving important implications of these axioms. In particular, many explicit calculations are presented to stress the eminent role of the Jacobi identity axiom for vertex algebras. As a class of concrete examples the vertex algebras associated with even lattices are constructed and it is shown in detail how affine Lie algebras and the fake Monster Lie algebra naturally appear. This leads us to the abstract definition of Borcherds algebras as generalized Kac-Moody algebras and their basic properties. Finally, the results about the simplest generic Borcherds algebras are analysed from the point of view of symmetry in quantum theory and the construction of the Monster Lie algebra is sketched. (orig.)

The phenology of a rare salamander (Salamandra infraimmaculata in a population breeding under unpredictable ambient conditions: a 25 year study

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Michael R. Warburg

2007-11-01

Full Text Available This is a long-term study (1974-1999 on the phenology of the rare, xeric- inhabiting salamander Salamandra infraimmaculata in a small isolated population during the breeding season near the breeding ponds on Mt. Carmel. This is a fringe area of the genus’ south-easternmost Palaearctic distribution. Salamanders were captured during the 25 year long study. The first years up to the 1980s the total number of salamanders increased but during the last years there seems to have been a decline. Although this could be a phase in normal population cyclic oscillations nevertheless when compared with long-term data on a European Salamandra it does not seem so. The interpretation of the species’ status is dependent on numbers of salamanders captured as well as on the duration of the study. These subjects are reviewed and discussed in this paper.

Abundance of western red-backed salamanders (Plethodon vehiculum) in the Washington Coast Range after headwater stream-buffer manipulation

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Randall J. Wilk; Jeffrey D. Ricklefs; Martin G. Raphael

2014-01-01

We evaluated the effect of forest riparian alternative tree buffer designs on Western Red-backed Salamanders (Plethodon vehiculum) along headwater stream banks in managed forests of the Washington Coast Range. We used pit trap live removals in early autumn to estimate relative abundances of surface-active salamanders before and after 3 levels of riparian buffer...

Heterogeneous vesicles in mucous epithelial cells of posterior esophagus of Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus

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H. Zhang

2015-08-01

Full Text Available The Chinese giant salamander belongs to an old lineage of salamanders and endangered species. Many studies of breeding and disease regarding this amphibian had been implemented. However, the studies on the ultrastructure of this amphibian are rare. In this work, we provide a histological and ultrastructural investigation on posterior esophagus of Chinese giant salamander. The sections of amphibian esophagus were stained by hematoxylin & eosin (H&E. Moreover, the esophageal epithelium was observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM. The results showed that esophageal epithelium was a single layer epithelium, which consisted of mucous cells and columnar cells. The esophageal glands were present in submucosa. The columnar cells were ciliated. According to the diverging ultrastructure of mucous vesicles, three types of mucous cells could be identified in the esophageal mucosa: i electron-lucent vesicles mucous cell (ELV-MC; ii electron-dense vesicles mucous cell (EDV-MC; and iii mixed vesicles mucous cell (MV-MC.

Cave exploitation by an usual epigean species: a review on the current knowledge on fire salamander breeding in cave

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Raoul Manenti

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The fire salamander (Salamandra salamandra is a relatively common epigean amphibian, widely distributed throughout Europe, which usually gives birth to aquatic larvae. Even if epigean streams represent the most common places in which the species breeds, in some countries caves with underground waters are also used. To improve our understanding of the habitat features allowing successful breeding of salamanders in underground sites, we combined an exhaustive review of the available literature, especially the grey one, with direct observations performed from 2008 to 2017 in several natural and artificial caves of Lombardy, Liguria and Tuscany (Italy, Ariège and Provence (France. We provide a synthesis of published and unpublished caves in which the fire salamander breeding has been observed, along with a synthesis of the investigated ecological, behavioural and morphological traits. The use of underground sites is reported in several published papers and appears to be a common phenomenon not limited to single karst areas. The absence of predators, the relative stability of the aquatic habitats and the possibility to exploit new ecological resources are environmental factors that favour the breeding of the fire salamander. Our synthesis suggests that breeding of fire salamanders in caves is not a random event, but a widespread phenomenon that may be linked to specific biogeographical factors. Further insights may be obtained by performing genetic analyses on both cave and epigean populations, and considering larger landscape scales for ecological studies as well. Gene flow between salamanders that breed in caves and in streams probably occurs, but on the other hand, assortative mating might limit it, thus allowing the conservation of local adaptations driving successful cave colonisation.

Stoichiometry of excreta and excretion rates of a stream-dwelling plethodontid salamander

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — Stoichiometry of excreta and excretion rates of a stream-dwelling plethodontid salamander in Cincinnati, OH, USA. This dataset is associated with the following...

Propulsive forces of mudskipper fins and salamander limbs during terrestrial locomotion: implications for the invasion of land.

Science.gov (United States)

Kawano, Sandy M; Blob, Richard W

2013-08-01

The invasion of land was a pivotal event in vertebrate evolution that was associated with major appendicular modifications. Although fossils indicate that the evolution of fundamentally limb-like appendages likely occurred in aquatic environments, the functional consequences of using early digited limbs, rather than fins, for terrestrial propulsion have had little empirical investigation. Paleontological and experimental analyses both have led to the proposal of an early origin of "hind limb-driven" locomotion among tetrapods or their ancestors. However, the retention of a pectoral appendage that had already developed terrestrial adaptations has been proposed for some taxa, and few data are available from extant functional models that can provide a foundation for evaluating the relative contributions of pectoral and pelvic appendages to terrestrial support among early stem tetrapods. To examine these aspects of vertebrate locomotor evolution during the invasion of land, we measured three-dimensional ground reaction forces (GRFs) produced by isolated pectoral fins of mudskipper fishes (Periophthalmus barbarus) during terrestrial crutching, and compared these to isolated walking footfalls by the forelimbs and hind limbs of tiger salamanders (Ambystoma tigrinum), a species with subequally-sized limbs that facilitate comparisons to early tetrapods. Pectoral appendages of salamanders and mudskippers exhibited numerous differences in GRFs. Compared with salamander forelimbs, isolated fins of mudskippers bear lower vertical magnitudes of GRFs (as a proportion of body weight), and had GRFs that were oriented more medially. Comparing the salamanders' forelimbs and hind limbs, although the peak net GRF occurs later in stance for the forelimb, both limbs experience nearly identical mediolateral and vertical components of GRF, suggesting comparable contributions to support. Thus, forelimbs could also have played a significant locomotor role among basal tetrapods that had limbs

Efficacy of riparian buffers in mitigating local populations declines and the effects of even-aged timber harvest on larval salamanders

Science.gov (United States)

William E Peterman; Raymond D. Semlitch

2009-01-01

Headwater streams are an important and prevalent feature of the eastern North American landscape.These streams provide a wealth of ecosystem services and support tremendous biological diversity, which is predominated by salamanders in the Appalachian region. Salamanders are ubiquitous throughout the region, contributing a significant...

Baba Yaga, Monsters of the Week, and Pop Culture’s Formation of Wonder and Families through Monstrosity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jill Terry Rudy

2016-06-01

Full Text Available This paper considers transforming forms and their purposes in the popular culture trope of the televised Monster of the Week (MOTW. In the rare televised appearances outside of Slavic nations, Baba Yaga tends to show up in MOTW episodes. While some MOTW are contemporary inventions, many, like Baba Yaga, are mythological and fantastic creatures from folk narratives. Employing the concept of the folkloresque, we explore how contemporary audiovisual tropes gain integrity and traction by indexing traditional knowledge and belief systems. In the process, we examine key affordances of these forms involving the possibilities of wonder and the portability of tradition. Using digital humanities methods, we built a “monster typology” by scraping lists of folk creatures, mythological beasts, and other supernatural beings from online information sources, and we used topic modeling to investigate central concerns of MOTW series. Our findings indicate connections in these shows between crime, violence, family, and loss. The trope formulates wonder and families through folk narrative and monster forms and functions. We recognize Baba Yaga’s role as villain in these episodes and acknowledge that these series also shift between episodic and serial narrative arcs involving close relationships between characters and among viewers and fans.

Effects of acid precipitation on embryonic mortality of Ambystoma salamanders in the Connecticut Valley of Massachusetts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cook, R P

1983-01-01

An investigation of increased embryonic mortality of the spotted salamander Ambystoma maculatum concomitant with breeding pond acidification from acid rainfall in the Connecticut Valley of Massachusetts analyzes the pH and chemistry of rain and pond water and monitored embryonic mortality in 1976 and 1977. Although acid rain continues to occur in the area and Ambystoma breeding ponds are acidic, the average pH of six ponds dropped from 5.62 to 5.10 during the study. Pond pH decreased up to 0.75 pH units following heavy rainfall. Despite this, embryonic mortality of spotted and Jefferson salamanders was low, and no significant correlation between pond pH and percent embryonic mortality was found. The size of present populations and the embryonic acid tolerance exhibited by the salamander indicate that acid rain has not had an effect in this location. 22 references, 2 figures, 4 tables.

Road deicing salt irreversibly disrupts osmoregulation of salamander egg clutches

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karraker, Nancy E.; Gibbs, James P.

2011-01-01

It has been postulated that road deicing salts are sufficiently diluted by spring rains to ameliorate any physiological impacts to amphibians breeding in wetlands near roads. We tested this conjecture by exposing clutches of the spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) to three chloride concentrations (1 mg/L, 145 mg/L, 945 mg/L) for nine days, then transferred clutches to control water for nine days, and measured change in mass at three-day intervals. We measured mass change because water uptake by clutches reduces risks to embryos associated with freezing, predation, and disease. Clutches in controls sequestered water asymptotically. Those in the moderate concentrations lost 18% mass initially and regained 14% after transfer to control water. Clutches in high concentration lost 33% mass and then lost an additional 8% after transfer. Our results suggest that spring rains do not ameliorate the effects of deicing salts in wetlands with extremely high chloride concentrations. - Road deicing salts irreversibly disrupts osmoregulation of salamander egg clutches.

Road deicing salt irreversibly disrupts osmoregulation of salamander egg clutches

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Karraker, Nancy E., E-mail: karraker@hku.hk [Department of Environmental and Forest Biology, State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY 13210 (United States); Gibbs, James P [Department of Environmental and Forest Biology, State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY 13210 (United States)

2011-03-15

It has been postulated that road deicing salts are sufficiently diluted by spring rains to ameliorate any physiological impacts to amphibians breeding in wetlands near roads. We tested this conjecture by exposing clutches of the spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) to three chloride concentrations (1 mg/L, 145 mg/L, 945 mg/L) for nine days, then transferred clutches to control water for nine days, and measured change in mass at three-day intervals. We measured mass change because water uptake by clutches reduces risks to embryos associated with freezing, predation, and disease. Clutches in controls sequestered water asymptotically. Those in the moderate concentrations lost 18% mass initially and regained 14% after transfer to control water. Clutches in high concentration lost 33% mass and then lost an additional 8% after transfer. Our results suggest that spring rains do not ameliorate the effects of deicing salts in wetlands with extremely high chloride concentrations. - Road deicing salts irreversibly disrupts osmoregulation of salamander egg clutches.

Distribution of the Sonora Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma mavortium stebbinsi) in Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

Hossack, Blake R.; Muths, Erin L.; Rorabaugh, James C.; Lemos Espinal, Julio A.; Sigafus, Brent H.; Chambert, Thierry A.; Carreon Arroyo, Gerardo; Hurtado Felix, David; Toyos Martinez, Daniel; Jones, Thomas R.

2016-01-01

The Sonoran Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma mavortium stebbinsi Lowe, 1954) was listed as federally endangered in the USA in 1997 (USFWS 1997). In the USA, the distribution of A. mavortium stebbinsi is limited to the San Rafael Valley (approximately 567 km2), between the Sierra San Antonio (called the Patagonia Mountains in Arizona) and Huachuca Mountains, and south of the Canelo Hills, Arizona (Fig. 1). The USA listing was triggered by loss of natural wetland habitats, threats from invasive predators, frequent die-offs from disease, introgression with the introduced Barred Tiger Salamander (A. mavortium mavortium), and small range and number of breeding sites that increases susceptibility to stochastic events (USFWS 1997). Small population sizes and limited gene flow have caused inbreeding, which may further reduce population viability and the potential for recovery (Jones et al. 1988; Storfer et al. 2014). 

Egg predators of an endemic Italian salamander, Salamandrina perspicillata (Savi, 1821

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antonio Romano

2008-05-01

Full Text Available We report new aquatic predators feeding on Northern spectacled salamander eggs, Salamandrina perspicillata, an endemic Italian species. Eggs were preyed upon by the leech, Trocheta bykowskii, and the trichopteran larvae of Potamophylax cingulatus and Halesus appenninus.

In search of critically endangered species: the current situation of two tiny salamander species in the Neotropical mountains of Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Sandoval-Comte, Adriana; Pineda, Eduardo; Aguilar-López, José L

2012-01-01

Worldwide, one in every three species of amphibian is endangered, 39 species have gone extinct in the last 500 years and another 130 species are suspected to have gone extinct in recent decades. Of the amphibians, salamanders have the highest portion of their species in one of the risk categories, even higher than the frogs. To date there have been few studies that have used recent field data to examine the status of populations of endangered salamanders. In this study we evaluate the current situation of two tiny salamanders, Parvimolge townsendi and Thorius pennatulus, both of which are distributed at intermediate elevations in the mountains of the northern Neotropics and are considered to be critically endangered; the first has been proposed as possibly extinct. By carrying out exhaustive surveys in both historical and potentially suitable sites for these two species, we evaluated their abundance and the characteristics of their habitats, and we estimated their potential geographic distribution. We visited 22 sites, investing 672 person-hours of sampling effort in the surveys, and found 201 P. townsendi salamanders in 11 sites and only 13 T. pennatulus salamanders in 5 sites. Both species were preferentially found in cloud forest fragments that were well conserved or only moderately transformed, and some of the salamanders were found in shade coffee plantations. The potential distribution area of both species is markedly fragmented and we estimate that it has decreased by more than 48%. The results of this study highlight the importance of carrying out exhaustive, systematic field surveys to obtain accurate information about the current situation of critically endangered species, and help us better understand the crisis that amphibians are facing worldwide.

Dose rate estimation of the Tohoku hynobiid salamander, Hynobius lichenatus, in Fukushima.

Science.gov (United States)

Fuma, Shoichi; Ihara, Sadao; Kawaguchi, Isao; Ishikawa, Takahiro; Watanabe, Yoshito; Kubota, Yoshihisa; Sato, Youji; Takahashi, Hiroyuki; Aono, Tatsuo; Ishii, Nobuyoshi; Soeda, Haruhi; Matsui, Kumi; Une, Yumi; Minamiya, Yukio; Yoshida, Satoshi

2015-05-01

The radiological risks to the Tohoku hynobiid salamanders (class Amphibia), Hynobius lichenatus due to the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident were assessed in Fukushima Prefecture, including evacuation areas. Aquatic egg clutches (n = 1 for each sampling date and site; n = 4 in total), overwintering larvae (n = 1-5 for each sampling date and site; n = 17 in total), and terrestrial juveniles or adults (n = 1 or 3 for each sampling date and site; n = 12 in total) of H. lichenatus were collected from the end of April 2011 to April 2013. Environmental media such as litter (n = 1-5 for each sampling date and site; n = 30 in total), soil (n = 1-8 for each sampling date and site; n = 31 in total), water (n = 1 for each sampling date and site; n = 17 in total), and sediment (n = 1 for each sampling date and site; n = 17 in total) were also collected. Activity concentrations of (134)Cs + (137)Cs were 1.9-2800, 0.13-320, and 0.51-220 kBq (dry kg) (-1) in the litter, soil, and sediment samples, respectively, and were 0.31-220 and <0.29-40 kBq (wet kg)(-1) in the adult and larval salamanders, respectively. External and internal absorbed dose rates to H. lichenatus were calculated from these activity concentration data, using the ERICA Assessment Tool methodology. External dose rates were also measured in situ with glass dosimeters. There was agreement within a factor of 2 between the calculated and measured external dose rates. In the most severely contaminated habitat of this salamander, a northern part of Abukuma Mountains, the highest total dose rates were estimated to be 50 and 15 μGy h(-1) for the adults and overwintering larvae, respectively. Growth and survival of H. lichenatus was not affected at a dose rate of up to 490 μGy h(-1) in the previous laboratory chronic gamma-irradiation experiment, and thus growth and survival of this salamander would not be affected, even in the most severely contaminated habitat in Fukushima Prefecture. However, further

The effect of waist twisting on walking speed of an amphibious salamander like robot

Science.gov (United States)

Yin, Xin-Yan; Jia, Li-Chao; Wang, Chen; Xie, Guang-Ming

2016-06-01

Amphibious salamanders often swing their waist to coordinate quadruped walking in order to improve their crawling speed. A robot with a swing waist joint, like an amphibious salamander, is used to mimic this locomotion. A control method is designed to allow the robot to maintain the rotational speed of its legs continuous and avoid impact between its legs and the ground. An analytical expression is established between the amplitude of the waist joint and the step length. Further, an optimization amplitude is obtained corresponding to the maximum stride. The simulation results based on automatic dynamic analysis of mechanical systems (ADAMS) and physical experiments verify the rationality and validity of this expression.

Symmetry and the Monster: One of the Greatest Quests of Mathematics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Szabo, R J

2007-01-01

The book Symmetry and the Monster: One of the Greatest Quests of Mathematics describes historical events leading up to the discovery of the Monster sporadic group, the largest simple sporadic group. It also expounds the significance and deep relationships between this group and other areas of mathematics and theoretical physics. It begins, in the prologue, with a nice overview of some of the mathematical drama surrounding the discovery of the Monster and its subsequent relationship to number theory (the so-called Moonshine conjectures). From a historical perspective, the book traces back to the roots of group theory, Galois theory, and steadily runs through time through the many famous mathematicians who contributed to group theory, including Lie, Killing and Cartan. Throughout, the author has provided a very nice and deep insight into the sociological and scientific problems at the time, and gives the reader a very prominent inside view of the real people behind the mathematics. The book should be an enjoyable read to anyone with an interest in the history of mathematics. For the non-mathematician the book makes a good, and mostly successful, attempt at being non-technical. Technical mathematical jargon is replaced with more heuristic, intuitive terminology, making the mathematical descriptions in the book fairly easy going. A glossary/hspace{0.25pc} of/hspace{0.25pc} terminology for noindent the more scientifically inclined is included in various footnotes throughout the book and in a comprehensive listing at the end of the book. Some more technical material is also included in the form of appendices at the end of the book. Some aspects of physics are also explained in a simple, intuitive way. The author further attempts at various places to give the non-specialist a glimpse into what mathematical proof is all about, and explains the difficulties and technicalities involved in this very nicely (for instance, he mentions the various 100+ page articles that

Symmetry and the Monster: One of the Greatest Quests of Mathematics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Szabo, R J [Colin Maclaurin Building, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh EH14 4AS (United Kingdom)

2007-04-13

The book Symmetry and the Monster: One of the Greatest Quests of Mathematics describes historical events leading up to the discovery of the Monster sporadic group, the largest simple sporadic group. It also expounds the significance and deep relationships between this group and other areas of mathematics and theoretical physics. It begins, in the prologue, with a nice overview of some of the mathematical drama surrounding the discovery of the Monster and its subsequent relationship to number theory (the so-called Moonshine conjectures). From a historical perspective, the book traces back to the roots of group theory, Galois theory, and steadily runs through time through the many famous mathematicians who contributed to group theory, including Lie, Killing and Cartan. Throughout, the author has provided a very nice and deep insight into the sociological and scientific problems at the time, and gives the reader a very prominent inside view of the real people behind the mathematics. The book should be an enjoyable read to anyone with an interest in the history of mathematics. For the non-mathematician the book makes a good, and mostly successful, attempt at being non-technical. Technical mathematical jargon is replaced with more heuristic, intuitive terminology, making the mathematical descriptions in the book fairly easy going. A glossary/hspace{l_brace}0.25pc{r_brace} of/hspace{l_brace}0.25pc{r_brace} terminology for noindent the more scientifically inclined is included in various footnotes throughout the book and in a comprehensive listing at the end of the book. Some more technical material is also included in the form of appendices at the end of the book. Some aspects of physics are also explained in a simple, intuitive way. The author further attempts at various places to give the non-specialist a glimpse into what mathematical proof is all about, and explains the difficulties and technicalities involved in this very nicely (for instance, he mentions the various

Mechanics of lung ventilation in a large aquatic salamander, siren lacertina

Science.gov (United States)

Brainerd; j

1998-06-01

Lung ventilation in Siren lacertina was studied using X-ray video, measurements of body cavity pressure and electromyography of hypaxial muscles. S. lacertina utilizes a two-stroke buccal pump in which mixing of expired and inspired gas is minimized by partial expansion of the buccal cavity during exhalation and then full expansion after exhalation is complete. Mixing is further reduced by the use of one or two accessory inspirations after the first, mixed-gas cycle. Exhalation occurs in two phases: a passive phase in which hydrostatic pressure and possibly lung elasticity force air out of the lungs, and an active phase in which contraction of the transverse abdominis (TA) muscle increases body cavity pressure and forces most of the remaining air out. In electromyograms of the lateral hypaxial musculature, the TA became active 200-400 ms before the rise in body cavity pressure, and activity ceased at peak pressure. The TA was not active during inspiration, and no consistent activity during breathing was noted in the external oblique, internal oblique and rectus abdominis muscles. The finding that the TA is the primary expiratory muscle in S. lacertina agrees with findings in a previous study of another salamander, Necturus maculosus. Together, these results indicate that the use of the TA for exhalation is a primitive character for salamanders and support the hypothesis that the breathing mechanism of salamanders represents an intermediate step in evolution between a buccal pump, in which only head muscles are used for ventilation, and an aspiration pump, in which axial muscles are used for both exhalation and inhalation.

In search of critically endangered species: the current situation of two tiny salamander species in the Neotropical mountains of Mexico.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adriana Sandoval-Comte

Full Text Available Worldwide, one in every three species of amphibian is endangered, 39 species have gone extinct in the last 500 years and another 130 species are suspected to have gone extinct in recent decades. Of the amphibians, salamanders have the highest portion of their species in one of the risk categories, even higher than the frogs. To date there have been few studies that have used recent field data to examine the status of populations of endangered salamanders. In this study we evaluate the current situation of two tiny salamanders, Parvimolge townsendi and Thorius pennatulus, both of which are distributed at intermediate elevations in the mountains of the northern Neotropics and are considered to be critically endangered; the first has been proposed as possibly extinct. By carrying out exhaustive surveys in both historical and potentially suitable sites for these two species, we evaluated their abundance and the characteristics of their habitats, and we estimated their potential geographic distribution. We visited 22 sites, investing 672 person-hours of sampling effort in the surveys, and found 201 P. townsendi salamanders in 11 sites and only 13 T. pennatulus salamanders in 5 sites. Both species were preferentially found in cloud forest fragments that were well conserved or only moderately transformed, and some of the salamanders were found in shade coffee plantations. The potential distribution area of both species is markedly fragmented and we estimate that it has decreased by more than 48%. The results of this study highlight the importance of carrying out exhaustive, systematic field surveys to obtain accurate information about the current situation of critically endangered species, and help us better understand the crisis that amphibians are facing worldwide.

Ballistic tongue projection in a miniaturized salamander.

Science.gov (United States)

Deban, Stephen M; Bloom, Segall V

2018-05-20

Miniaturization of body size is often accompanied by peculiarities in morphology that can have functional consequences. We examined the feeding behavior and morphology of the miniaturized plethodontid salamander Thorius, one of the smallest vertebrates, to determine if its performance and biomechanics differ from those of its larger relatives. High-speed imaging and dynamics analysis of feeding at a range of temperatures show that tongue projection in Thorius macdougalli is ballistic and achieves accelerations of up to 600 G with low thermal sensitivity, indicating that tongue projection is powered by an elastic-recoil mechanism. Preceding ballistic projection is an unusual preparatory phase of tongue protrusion, which, like tongue retraction, shows lower performance and higher thermal sensitivity that are indicative of movement being powered directly by muscle shortening. The variability of tongue-projection kinematics and dynamics is comparable to larger ballistic-tongued plethodontids and reveals that Thorius is capable of modulating its tongue movements in response to prey distance. Morphological examination revealed that T. macdougalli possesses a reduced number of myofibers in the tongue muscles, a large projector muscle mass relative to tongue mass, and an unusual folding of the tongue skeleton, compared with larger relatives. Nonetheless, T. macdougalli retains the elaborated collagen aponeuroses in the projector muscle that store elastic energy and a tongue skeleton that is free of direct myofiber insertion, two features that appear to be essential for ballistic tongue projection in salamanders. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Conservation genetics of the endangered Shenandoah salamander (Plethodon shenandoah, Plethodontidae)

Science.gov (United States)

Carpenter, D.W.; Jung, R.E.; Sites, J.W.

2001-01-01

The Shenandoah salamander (Plethodon shenandoah) is restricted to three isolated talus outcrops in Shenandoah National Park, VA, USA and has one of the smallest ranges of any tetrapod vertebrate. This species was listed as endangered under the US Endangered Species Act in 1989 over concern that direct competition with the red-backed salamander (Plethodon cinereus), successional habitat changes, and human impacts may cause its decline and possible extinction. We address two issues herein: (1) whether extensive introgression (through long-term hybridization) is present between the two species and threatens the survival of P. shenandoah, and (2) the level of population structure within P. shenandoah. We provide evidence from mtDNA haplotypes that shows no genetic differentiation among the three isolates of P. shenandoah, suggesting that their fragmentation is a geologically recent event, and/or that the isolates are still connected by occasional gene flow. There is also no evidence for extensive introgression of alleles in either direction between P. cinereus and P. shenandoah, which suggests that P. shenandoah may not be in danger of being genetically swamped out through hybridization with P. cinereus.

Hope

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Blöser, Claudia; Stahl, Titus; Zalta, Edward

2017-01-01

Discussions of hope can be found throughout the history of philosophy and across all Western philosophical traditions, even though philosophy has traditionally not paid the same attention to hope as it has to attitudes like belief and desire. However, even though hope has historically only rarely

Taxonomy Icon Data: Japanese giant salamander [Taxonomy Icon

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

Full Text Available Japanese giant salamander Andrias japonicus Chordata/Vertebrata/Amphibia Andrias_japonicus_L.png Andrias_jap...onicus_NL.png Andrias_japonicus_S.png Andrias_japonicus_NS.png http://biosciencedbc....jp/taxonomy_icon/icon.cgi?i=Andrias+japonicus&t=L http://biosciencedbc.jp/taxonomy_icon/icon.cgi?i=Andrias+jap...onicus&t=NL http://biosciencedbc.jp/taxonomy_icon/icon.cgi?i=Andrias+japonicus...&t=S http://biosciencedbc.jp/taxonomy_icon/icon.cgi?i=Andrias+japonicus&t=NS ...

An annotated review of the Salamander types described in the Fauna Japonica

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hoogmoed, M.S.

1978-01-01

The whereabouts of the salamander types described by Temminck & Schlegel in the Fauna Japonica (1838) are discussed and lectotypes are selected from the syntypes for the following nominal species : Salamandra naevia Temminck & Schlegel, S. unguiculata Temminck & Schlegel, S. subcristata Temminck &

Physical condition, sex, and age-class of eastern red-backed salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) in forested and open habitats of West Virginia, USA

Science.gov (United States)

Breanna L. Riedel; Kevin R. Russell; W. Mark Ford

2012-01-01

Nonforested habitats such as open fields and pastures have been considered unsuitable for desiccation-prone woodland salamanders such as the Eastern Red-backed Salamander (Plethodon cinereus). Recent research has suggested that Plethodon cinereus may not only disperse across but also reside within open habitats including fields,...

Hope in the midst of Death: Charismatic Spirituality, Healing Evangelists and the Ebola Crises in Sierra Leone

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bangura, Joseph Bosco

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The Ebola crises that crippled West Africa from December 2013 onwards is a watershed moment in the history of those nations. The crises profoundly impacted the regions inadequate healthcare, obstructed the potential for socioeconomic development, and challenged long held traditional and religious beliefs. As Ebola began to take its toll by depleting human life, the world could not stand idly by and observe as poor post-war nations were overwhelmed by a colossal health catastrophe. By the time Ebola was contained, this obnoxious monster had taken an estimated 11,300 lives in the three worst affected countries in the region. But while medical practitioners were at the forefront of the battle, healing evangelists drawing inspiration from their understanding of Scripture, African culture and Charismatic spirituality, also provided responses that proved essential in the fight against Ebola. This article reviews the responses proffered by healing evangelists and discuss how the overall Charismatic spirituality inspired hope in the midst of the Ebola crises in Sierra Leone.

Valuing hope.

Science.gov (United States)

McMillan, John; Walker, Simon; Hope, Tony

2014-01-01

This article argues that hope is of value in clinical ethics and that it can be important for clinicians to be sensitive to both the risks of false hope and the importance of retaining hope. However, this sensitivity requires an understanding of the complexity of hope and how it bears on different aspects of a well-functioning doctor-patient relationship. We discuss hopefulness and distinguish it, from three different kinds of hope, or 'hopes for', and then relate these distinctions back to differing accounts of autonomy. This analysis matters because it shows how an overly narrow view of the ethical obligations of a clinician to their patient, and autonomy, might lead to scenarios where patients regret the choices they make.

Data congruence, paedomorphosis and salamanders

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Struck Torsten H

2007-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The retention of ancestral juvenile characters by adult stages of descendants is called paedomorphosis. However, this process can mislead phylogenetic analyses based on morphological data, even in combination with molecular data, because the assessment if a character is primary absent or secondary lost is difficult. Thus, the detection of incongruence between morphological and molecular data is necessary to investigate the reliability of simultaneous analyses. Different methods have been proposed to detect data congruence or incongruence. Five of them (PABA, PBS, NDI, LILD, DRI are used herein to assess incongruence between morphological and molecular data in a case study addressing salamander phylogeny, which comprises several supposedly paedomorphic taxa. Therefore, previously published data sets were compiled herein. Furthermore, two strategies ameliorating effects of paedomorphosis on phylogenetic studies were tested herein using a statistical rigor. Additionally, efficiency of the different methods to assess incongruence was analyzed using this empirical data set. Finally, a test statistic is presented for all these methods except DRI. Results The addition of morphological data to molecular data results in both different positions of three of the four paedomorphic taxa and strong incongruence, but treating the morphological data using different strategies ameliorating the negative impact of paedomorphosis revokes these changes and minimizes the conflict. Of these strategies the strategy to just exclude paedomorphic character traits seem to be most beneficial. Of the three molecular partitions analyzed herein the RAG1 partition seems to be the most suitable to resolve deep salamander phylogeny. The rRNA and mtDNA partition are either too conserved or too variable, respectively. Of the different methods to detect incongruence, the NDI and PABA approaches are more conservative in the indication of incongruence than LILD and

Conservation genetics of extremely isolated urban populations of the northern dusky salamander (Desmognathus fuscus in New York City

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jason Munshi-South

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Urbanization is a major cause of amphibian decline. Stream-dwelling plethodontid salamanders are particularly susceptible to urbanization due to declining water quality and hydrological changes, but few studies have examined these taxa in cities. The northern dusky salamander (Desmognathus fuscus was once common in the New York City metropolitan area, but has substantially declined throughout the region in recent decades. We used five tetranucleotide microsatellite loci to examine population differentiation, genetic variation, and bottlenecks among five remnant urban populations of dusky salamanders in NYC. These genetic measures provide information on isolation, prevalence of inbreeding, long-term prospects for population persistence, and potential for evolutionary responses to future environmental change. All populations were genetically differentiated from each other, and the most isolated populations in Manhattan have maintained very little genetic variation (i.e. <20% heterozygosity. A majority of the populations also exhibited evidence of genetic bottlenecks. These findings contrast with published estimates of high genetic variation within and lack of structure between populations of other desmognathine salamanders sampled over similar or larger spatial scales. Declines in genetic variation likely resulted from population extirpations and the degradation of stream and terrestrial paths for dispersal in NYC. Loss of genetic variability in populations isolated by human development may be an underappreciated cause and/or consequence of the decline of this species in urbanized areas of the northeast USA.

SPATIALLY AUTOCORRELATED DEMOGRAPHY AND INTERPOND MIGRATION IN THE CALIFORNIA TIGER SALAMANDER (AMBYSTOME CALIFORNIENSE)

Science.gov (United States)

We investigated the metapopulation structure of the California tiger salamander (Ambystoma californiense) using a combination of indirect and direct methods to evaluate two key requirements of modern metapopulation models: 1) that patches support somewhat independent populations ...

Hope against hope: exploring the hopes and challenges of rural female caregivers of persons with advanced cancer

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

Background This paper focuses on the qualitative component of a study evaluating a hope intervention, entitled Living with Hope Program (LWHP), designed to foster hope in female caregivers of family members living with advanced cancer. The purpose of this research is to share, in the form of a story, the experiences of rural female caregivers caring for family members with advanced cancer, focusing on what fosters their hope. Hope is a psychosocial and spiritual resource that has been found to help family caregivers live through difficult transitions and challenges. Methods Twenty-three participants from rural Western Canada completed daily journal entries documenting their hopes and challenges. Cortazzi’s (2001) method of narrative analysis was used to analyze the data, which was then transcribed into a narrative entitled ‘hope against hope.’ Results The journal entries highlighted: the caregivers’ hopes and what fostered their hope; the various challenges of caregiving; self-care strategies, and; their emotional journey. Hope was integrated throughout their entire experience, and ‘hope against hope’ describes how hope persists even when there is no hope for a cure. Conclusions This research contributes to the assessment of caregiver interventions that impact hope and quality of life, while illustrating the value of a narrative approach to both research and practice. Journaling may be particularly valuable for rural caregivers who are isolated, and may lack direct professional and peer support. There is an opportunity for health professionals and other providers to foster a relationship of trust with family caregivers, in which their story can be told openly and where practitioners pay closer attention to the psychosocial needs of caregivers. PMID:24341372

Smithsonian Education - Families - Activity Sheets

Science.gov (United States)

). The True Story of the Hope Diamond The True Story of the Hope Diamond This rare blue diamond has the story! Download and print The True Story of the Hope Diamond (PDF). What Is a Fossil? What Is a all about the giant squid, a real-life sea monster. You can figure out the size of the creature by

The monster sporadic group and a theory underlying superstring models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chapline, G.

1996-09-01

The pattern of duality symmetries acting on the states of compactified superstring models reinforces an earlier suggestion that the Monster sporadic group is a hidden symmetry for superstring models. This in turn points to a supersymmetric theory of self-dual and anti-self-dual K3 manifolds joined by Dirac strings and evolving in a 13 dimensional spacetime as the fundamental theory. In addition to the usual graviton and dilaton this theory contains matter-like degrees of freedom resembling the massless states of the heterotic string, thus providing a completely geometric interpretation for ordinary matter. 25 refs

Comparing population patterns to processes: abundance and survival of a forest salamander following habitat degradation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Clint R V Otto

Full Text Available Habitat degradation resulting from anthropogenic activities poses immediate and prolonged threats to biodiversity, particularly among declining amphibians. Many studies infer amphibian response to habitat degradation by correlating patterns in species occupancy or abundance with environmental effects, often without regard to the demographic processes underlying these patterns. We evaluated how retention of vertical green trees (CANOPY and coarse woody debris (CWD influenced terrestrial salamander abundance and apparent survival in recently clearcut forests. Estimated abundance of unmarked salamanders was positively related to CANOPY (β Canopy  = 0.21 (0.02-1.19; 95% CI, but not CWD (β CWD  = 0.11 (-0.13-0.35 within 3,600 m2 sites, whereas estimated abundance of unmarked salamanders was not related to CANOPY (β Canopy  = -0.01 (-0.21-0.18 or CWD (β CWD  = -0.02 (-0.23-0.19 for 9 m2 enclosures. In contrast, apparent survival of marked salamanders within our enclosures over 1 month was positively influenced by both CANOPY and CWD retention (β Canopy  = 0.73 (0.27-1.19; 95% CI and β CWD  = 1.01 (0.53-1.50. Our results indicate that environmental correlates to abundance are scale dependent reflecting habitat selection processes and organism movements after a habitat disturbance event. Our study also provides a cautionary example of how scientific inference is conditional on the response variable(s, and scale(s of measure chosen by the investigator, which can have important implications for species conservation and management. Our research highlights the need for joint evaluation of population state variables, such as abundance, and population-level process, such as survival, when assessing anthropogenic impacts on forest biodiversity.

Genic regions of a large salamander genome contain long introns and novel genes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bryant Susan V

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The basis of genome size variation remains an outstanding question because DNA sequence data are lacking for organisms with large genomes. Sixteen BAC clones from the Mexican axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum: c-value = 32 × 109 bp were isolated and sequenced to characterize the structure of genic regions. Results Annotation of genes within BACs showed that axolotl introns are on average 10× longer than orthologous vertebrate introns and they are predicted to contain more functional elements, including miRNAs and snoRNAs. Loci were discovered within BACs for two novel EST transcripts that are differentially expressed during spinal cord regeneration and skin metamorphosis. Unexpectedly, a third novel gene was also discovered while manually annotating BACs. Analysis of human-axolotl protein-coding sequences suggests there are 2% more lineage specific genes in the axolotl genome than the human genome, but the great majority (86% of genes between axolotl and human are predicted to be 1:1 orthologs. Considering that axolotl genes are on average 5× larger than human genes, the genic component of the salamander genome is estimated to be incredibly large, approximately 2.8 gigabases! Conclusion This study shows that a large salamander genome has a correspondingly large genic component, primarily because genes have incredibly long introns. These intronic sequences may harbor novel coding and non-coding sequences that regulate biological processes that are unique to salamanders.

Unexpected rarity of the pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Appalachian Plethodon Salamanders: 1957-2011.

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Carly Muletz

Full Text Available Widespread population declines in terrestrial Plethodon salamanders occurred by the 1980s throughout the Appalachian Mountains, the center of global salamander diversity, with no evident recovery. We tested the hypothesis that the historic introduction and spread of the pathogenic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd into the eastern US was followed by Plethodon population declines. We expected to detect elevated prevalence of Bd prior to population declines as observed for Central American plethodontids. We tested 1,498 Plethodon salamanders of 12 species (892 museum specimens, 606 wild individuals for the presence of Bd, and tested 94 of those for Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bs and for ranavirus. Field samples were collected in 2011 from 48 field sites across a 767 km transect. Historic samples from museum specimens were collected at five sites with the greatest number and longest duration of collection (1957-987, four of which were sampled in the field in 2011. None of the museum specimens were positive for Bd, but four P. cinereus from field surveys were positive. The overall Bd prevalence from 1957-2011 for 12 Plethodon species sampled across a 757 km transect was 0.2% (95% CI 0.1-0.7%. All 94 samples were negative for Bs and ranavirus. We conclude that known amphibian pathogens are unlikely causes for declines in these Plethodon populations. Furthermore, these exceptionally low levels of Bd, in a region known to harbor Bd, may indicate that Plethodon specific traits limit Bd infection.

Characterization of the gila monster (Heloderma suspectum suspectum) venom proteome.

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Sanggaard, Kristian W; Dyrlund, Thomas F; Thomsen, Line R; Nielsen, Tania A; Brøndum, Lars; Wang, Tobias; Thøgersen, Ida B; Enghild, Jan J

2015-03-18

The archetypical venomous lizard species are the helodermatids, the gila monsters (Heloderma suspectum) and the beaded lizards (Heloderma horridum). In the present study, the gila monster venom proteome was characterized using 2D-gel electrophoresis and tandem mass spectrometry-based de novo peptide sequencing followed by protein identification based on sequence homology. A total of 39 different proteins were identified out of the 58 selected spots that represent the major constituents of venom. Of these proteins, 19 have not previously been identified in helodermatid venom. The data showed that helodermatid venom is complex and that this complexity is caused by genetic isoforms and post-translational modifications including proteolytic processing. In addition, the venom proteome analysis revealed that the major constituents of the gila monster venom are kallikrein-like serine proteinases (EC 3.4.21) and phospholipase A2 (type III) enzymes (EC 3.1.1.4). A neuroendocrine convertase 1 homolog that most likely converts the proforms of the previously identified bioactive exendins into the mature and active forms was identified suggesting that these peptide toxins are secreted as proforms that are activated by proteolytic cleavage following secretion as opposed to being activated intracellularly. The presented global protein identification-analysis provides the first overview of the helodermatid venom composition. The helodermatid lizards are the classical venomous lizards, and the pharmacological potential of the venom from these species has been known for years; best illustrated by the identification of exendin-4, which is now used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Despite the potential, no global analyses of the protein components in the venom exist. A hindrance is the lack of a genome sequence because it prevents protein identification using a conventional approach where MS data are searched against predicted protein sequences based on the genome sequence

Identification of conservation units of the hynobiid salamander Pachyhynobius shangchengensis.

Science.gov (United States)

Su, L-N; Zhao, Y-Y; Wu, X-M; Zhang, H-F; Li, X-C

2015-08-19

The evolutionary significant units (ESUs) of the salamander Pachyhynobius shangchengensis (Hynobiidae) in the Dabieshan mountains, southeastern China, were identified based on mitochondrial DNA data. We used methods for detecting cryptic species, such as the minimum spanning tree, the automatic barcode gap discovery, and the generalized mixed Yule-coalescent model; geographical partitioning was also used to identify the ESUs. A total of four ESUs were identified.

Frankenstein’s Monster Comes Home : The ‘Two Cultures’ in Remix

OpenAIRE

Barrett, James

2013-01-01

Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley (1818) is the starting point for this reading of remix in relation to authorship and its implications for creative work. The monster in Frankenstein has no single author, or father, and is damned by his mixed parentage as much as by his inability to recreate himself. Alone, he falls into the waste as a product of the divide between poetry and science. The ‘two cultures’ coined by C. P. Snow (1956) address this same divide and lament its do...

Prevalence of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in a Nicaraguan, micro-endemic Neotropical salamander, Bolitoglossa mombachoensis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Stark, Tariq; Laurijssens, Carlijn; Weterings, Martijn; Martel, An; Köhler, Gunther; Pasmans, Frank

2017-01-01

Amphibians are the most threatened terrestrial vertebrates on the planet and are iconic in the global biodiversity crisis. Their global decline caused by the fungal agent Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) is well known. Declines of Mesoamerican salamanders of the family Plethodontidae, mainly

Transcriptomic analysis of endangered Chinese salamander: identification of immune, sex and reproduction-related genes and genetic markers.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rongbo Che

Full Text Available The Chinese salamander (Hynobius chinensis, an endangered amphibian species of salamander endemic to China, has attracted much attention because of its value of studying paleontology evolutionary history and decreasing population size. Despite increasing interest in the Hynobius chinensis genome, genomic resources for the species are still very limited. A comprehensive transcriptome of Hynobius chinensis, which will provide a resource for genome annotation, candidate genes identification and molecular marker development should be generated to supplement it.We performed a de novo assembly of Hynobius chinensis transcriptome by Illumina sequencing. A total of 148,510 nonredundant unigenes with an average length of approximately 580 bp were obtained. In all, 60,388 (40.66% unigenes showed homologous matches in at least one database and 33,537 (22.58% unigenes were annotated by all four databases. In total, 41,553 unigenes were categorized into 62 sub-categories by BLAST2GO search, and 19,468 transcripts were assigned to 140 KEGG pathways. A large number of unigenes involved in immune system, local adaptation, reproduction and sex determination were identified, as well as 31,982 simple sequence repeats (SSRs and 460,923 putative single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs.This dataset represents the first transcriptome analysis of the Chinese salamander (Hynobius chinensis, an endangered species, to be also the first time of hynobiidae. The transcriptome will provide valuable resource for further research in discovery of new genes, protection of population, adaptive evolution and survey of various pathways, as well as development of molecule markers in Chinese salamander; and reference information for closely related species.

Does urbanization influence the spatial ecology of Gila monsters in the Sonoran Desert?

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Kwiatkowski, M.A.; Schuett, G.W.; Repp, R.A.; Nowak, E.M.; Sullivan, B.K.

2008-01-01

To assess whether urbanization influences the spatial ecology of a rare and protected venomous reptilian predator, the Gila monster Heloderma suspectum, we compared home range (HR) size and movement parameters at three sites varying in degree of urbanization in the Sonoran Desert. We predicted that the urban population of H. suspectum would exhibit smaller HRs, avoid human structures and show less movement. Multivariate analysis indicated that males generally exhibited larger HRs and had higher movement rates and activity levels than females at all three sites. Contrary to our predictions, however, HR size and movement parameters did not vary across the sites in relation to the level of urbanization. At the urban site, individuals often crossed narrow roads and regularly used artificial structures as refuges for extended periods. Furthermore, the population sex ratio at the urban site was female-biased, consistent with the expectation that occupation of larger HRs and higher movement rates results in higher mortality for males in urbanized areas. Gila monsters did not appear to alter certain aspects of their spatial ecology in response to low levels of human activity but additional work will be required to assess population viability and possible effects in the long term and with higher levels of urbanization.

Beyond breaking bad news: the roles of hope and hopefulness.

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Whitney, Simon N; McCullough, Laurence B; Frugé, Ernest; McGuire, Amy L; Volk, Robert J

2008-07-15

Hope is important to patients, yet physicians are sometimes unsure how to promote hope in the face of life-threatening illness. Hope in medicine is of two kinds: specific (hope for specific outcomes) and generalized (a nonspecific sense of hopefulness). At the time of diagnosis of a life-ending condition, the specific goal of a long life is dashed, and there may be no medically plausible specific outcome that the patient feels is worth wishing for. Yet the physician may nonetheless maintain an open-ended hopefulness that is compatible with the physician's obligation to be truthful; this hopefulness can help sustain patient and family through the turbulent period of adaptation to the unwelcome reality of major illness. As this adaptation evolves, the physician can help patients and families adapt to suffering and loss of control by selecting and achieving specific goals such as improvement of the patient's environment in hospital or hospice, pain control, and relief of sleeplessness. Thus hope for specific (but far more modest) future events can again become a positive part of the patient s emotional landscape. The authors do not propose that physicians remain upbeat no matter the circumstance, for they must respect the constraints of reality and the patients' mortality. However, physicians can provide both cognitive and affective support as patients learn how to adapt. Hope and hopefulness are both important in this process. Hope is always important to patients. Physicians can and should promote hopefulness without endorsing unrealistic hope. (c) 2008 American Cancer Society.

3D bite modeling and feeding mechanics of the largest living amphibian, the Chinese giant salamander Andrias davidianus (Amphibia:Urodela.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Josep Fortuny

Full Text Available Biting is an integral feature of the feeding mechanism for aquatic and terrestrial salamanders to capture, fix or immobilize elusive or struggling prey. However, little information is available on how it works and the functional implications of this biting system in amphibians although such approaches might be essential to understand feeding systems performed by early tetrapods. Herein, the skull biomechanics of the Chinese giant salamander, Andrias davidianus is investigated using 3D finite element analysis. The results reveal that the prey contact position is crucial for the structural performance of the skull, which is probably related to the lack of a bony bridge between the posterior end of the maxilla and the anterior quadrato-squamosal region. Giant salamanders perform asymmetrical strikes. These strikes are unusual and specialized behavior but might indeed be beneficial in such sit-and-wait or ambush-predators to capture laterally approaching prey. However, once captured by an asymmetrical strike, large, elusive and struggling prey have to be brought to the anterior jaw region to be subdued by a strong bite. Given their basal position within extant salamanders and their "conservative" morphology, cryptobranchids may be useful models to reconstruct the feeding ecology and biomechanics of different members of early tetrapods and amphibians, with similar osteological and myological constraints.

Radio identifications of UGC galaxies - starbursts and monsters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Condon, J.J.; Broderick, J.J.

1988-01-01

New and previously published observational data on galaxies with declination less than +82 deg from the Uppsala General Catalog (Nilson, 1973) are compiled in extensive tables and characterized in detail. Optical positions are confirmed by measurement of Palomar Sky Survey O prints, and radio identifications for 176 galaxies are made on the basis of 1.4-GHz Green Bank sky maps or 1.49-GHz observations obtained with the C configuration of the VLA in November-December 1986; contour maps based on the latter observations are provided. Radio-selected and IR-selected galaxy populations are found to be similar (and distinct from optically selected populations), and three radio/IR criteria are developed to distinguish galaxies powered by starbursts from those with supermassive black holes or other monster energy sources. 197 references

Larval salamanders and channel geomorphology are indicators of hydrologic permanence in forested headwater streams

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Regulatory agencies need rapid indicators of hydrologic permanence for jurisdictional determinations of headwater streams. Our study objective was to assess the utility of larval salamander presence and assemblage structure and habitat variables for determining stream permanence ...

BOOK REVIEW: Symmetry and the Monster: One of the Greatest Quests of Mathematics

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Szabo, R. J.

2007-04-01

The book Symmetry and the Monster: One of the Greatest Quests of Mathematics describes historical events leading up to the discovery of the Monster sporadic group, the largest simple sporadic group. It also expounds the significance and deep relationships between this group and other areas of mathematics and theoretical physics. It begins, in the prologue, with a nice overview of some of the mathematical drama surrounding the discovery of the Monster and its subsequent relationship to number theory (the so-called Moonshine conjectures). From a historical perspective, the book traces back to the roots of group theory, Galois theory, and steadily runs through time through the many famous mathematicians who contributed to group theory, including Lie, Killing and Cartan. Throughout, the author has provided a very nice and deep insight into the sociological and scientific problems at the time, and gives the reader a very prominent inside view of the real people behind the mathematics. The book should be an enjoyable read to anyone with an interest in the history of mathematics. For the non-mathematician the book makes a good, and mostly successful, attempt at being non-technical. Technical mathematical jargon is replaced with more heuristic, intuitive terminology, making the mathematical descriptions in the book fairly easy going. A glossary\\hspace{0.25pc} of\\hspace{0.25pc} terminology for noindent the more scientifically inclined is included in various footnotes throughout the book and in a comprehensive listing at the end of the book. Some more technical material is also included in the form of appendices at the end of the book. Some aspects of physics are also explained in a simple, intuitive way. The author further attempts at various places to give the non-specialist a glimpse into what mathematical proof is all about, and explains the difficulties and technicalities involved in this very nicely (for instance, he mentions the various 100+ page articles that

Differentiated egg size of the cannibalistic salamander Hynobius retardatus

OpenAIRE

Michimae, Hirofumi

2007-01-01

Larvae of the salamander, Hynobius retardatus, are carnivorous, and even though there are two morphs, a typical morph and a broad-headed or “cannibal” morph, both are cannibalistic. They also sometimes eat other large prey, for example larvae of the frog, Rana pirica. In natural habitats, use of both conspecific and R. pirica larvae as food may contribute more strongly to high survival and substantially to fitness when larval densities are higher, because early-stage H. retardatus larvae some...

Macrohabitat models of occurrence for the threatened Cheat Mountain salamander, Plethodon nettingi

Science.gov (United States)

Lester O. Dillard; Kevin R. Russell; W. Mark Ford

2008-01-01

The federally threatened Cheat Mountain salamander (Plethodon nettingi; hereafter CMS) is known to occur at approximately 70 small, scattered sites in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia. We used a comparative modeling approach to explain the landscape-level distribution and habitat relationships of CMS in relation to a suite of biotic...

Telocytes in pancreas of the Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus).

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Hui; Yu, Pengcheng; Zhong, Shengwei; Ge, Tingting; Peng, Shasha; Guo, Xiaoquan; Zhou, Zuohong

2016-11-01

Telocytes (TCs), novel interstitial cells, have been identified in various organs of many mammals. However, information about TCs of lower animals remains rare. Herein, pancreatic TCs of the Chinese giant salamanders (Andrias davidianus) were identified by CD34 immunohistochemistry (IHC) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The IHC micrographs revealed CD34 + TCs with long telopodes (Tps) that were located in the interstitium of the pancreas. CD34 + TCs/Tps were frequently observed between exocrine acinar cells and were close to blood vessels. The TEM micrographs also showed the existence of TCs in the interstitium of the pancreas. TCs had distinctive ultrastructural features, such as one to three very long and thin Tps with podoms and podomers, caveolae, dichotomous branching, neighbouring exosomes and vesicles. The Tps and exosomes were found in close proximity to exocrine acinar cells and α cells. It is suggested that TCs may play a role in the regeneration of acinar cells and α cells. In conclusion, our results demonstrated the presence of TCs in the pancreas of the Chinese giant salamander. This finding will assist us in a better understanding of TCs functions in the amphibian pancreas. © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd and Foundation for Cellular and Molecular Medicine.

Effects of chronic γ-irradiation on growth and survival of the Tohoku hynobiid salamander, Hynobius lichenatus

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fuma, Shoichi [Project for Environmental Dynamics and Radiation Effects, Fukushima Project Headquarters, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8555 Japan (Japan); Une, Yumi [Laboratory of Veterinary Pathology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Azabu University, 1-17-71 Fuchinobe, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-5201 (Japan); Ihara, Sadao [Hokkaido University of Education Kushiro Campus, 1-15-55 Shiroyama, Kushiro, Hokkaido 085-8580 Japan (Japan); Matsui, Kumi [Laboratory of Veterinary Physiology 1, School of Veterinary Medicine, Azabu University, 1-17-71 Fuchinobe, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-5201 (Japan); Kudo, Tomoo; Tokiwa, Toshihiro [Laboratory of Veterinary Pathology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Azabu University, 1-17-71 Fuchinobe, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-5201 (Japan); Kubota, Yoshihisa; Soeda, Haruhi [Project for Environmental Dynamics and Radiation Effects, Fukushima Project Headquarters, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8555 Japan (Japan); Ishikawa, Takahiro [Department of Technical Support and Development, Research, Development and Support Centre, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8555 Japan (Japan); Doi, Kazutaka [Project for Human Health, Fukushima Project Headquarters, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8555 Japan (Japan); Watanabe, Yoshito; Yoshida, Satoshi [Project for Environmental Dynamics and Radiation Effects, Fukushima Project Headquarters, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8555 Japan (Japan)

2014-09-15

The Tohoku hynobiid salamanders, Hynobius lichenatus, were chronically irradiated with γ-rays from embryonic to juvenile stages for 450 days. At 490 μGy h{sup −1} or lower dose rates, growth and survival were not significantly affected by irradiation, and any morphological aberrations and histological damages were not observed. At 4600 μGy h{sup −1}, growth was severely inhibited, and all the individuals died mostly at the juvenile stage. Chronic LD{sub 50} was 42 Gy as a total dose. In the liver, the number of hematopoietic cells was significantly reduced in the living juveniles, and these cells disappeared in the dead juveniles. In the spleen, mature lymphocytes were depleted in the living larvae, and almost all the heamtopoietic cells disappeared in the dead juveniles. These results suggest that this salamander died due to acute radiation syndrome, i.e., hematopoietic damage and subsequent sepsis caused by immune depression. The death would be also attributed to skin damage inducing infection. At 18,000 μGy h{sup −1}, morphological aberrations and severe growth inhibition were observed. All the individuals died at the larval stage due to a multiple organ failure. Chronic LD{sub 50} was 28 Gy as a total dose. Assuming that chronic LD{sub 50} was 42 Gy at lower dose rates than 4600 μGy h{sup −1}, a chronic median lethal dose rate could be estimated to be <340 μGy h{sup −1} for the whole life (>14 years). These results suggest that, among guidance dose rates, i.e., 4–400 μGy h{sup −1}, proposed by various organisations and research programmes for protection of amphibians and taxonomic groups or ecosystems including amphibians, most of them would protect this salamander but the highest value may not on the whole life scale. - Highlights: • The salamanders, Hynobius lichenatus, were chronically γ-irradiated for 450 days. • At 490 μGy h{sup −1} or lower, irradiation did not significantly affect growth and survival. • All the individuals

Connectivity maps for biosimilar drug discovery in venoms: the case of Gila monster venom and the anti-diabetes drug Byetta®.

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Aramadhaka, Lavakumar Reddy; Prorock, Alyson; Dragulev, Bojan; Bao, Yongde; Fox, Jay W

2013-07-01

Like most natural product libraries animal venoms have long been recognized as potentially rich source of biologically active molecules with the potential to be mined for the discovery of drugs, drug leads and/or biosimilars. In this work we demonstrate as a proof of concept a novel approach to explore venoms for potential biosimilarity to other drugs based on their ability to alter the transcriptomes of test cell lines followed by informatic searches and Connectivity Mapping to match the action of the venom on the cell gene expression to that of other drugs in the Connectivity Map (C-Map) database. As our test animal venom we chose Heloderma suspectum venom (Gila monster) since exendin-4, a glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist, isolated from the venom is currently on the market to treat type 2 diabetes. The action of Byetta(®) (exentide, synthetic exendin-4), was also used in transcriptome studies. Analysis of transcriptomes from cells treated with the venom or the drug showed similarities as well as differences. The former case was primarily attributed to the fact that Gila monster venom likely contains a variety of biologically active molecules that could alter the MCF7 cell transcriptome compared to that of the single perturbant Byetta(®). Using Ingenuity Pathway Analysis software, insulin-like growth factor 1 signaling was identified in the category of "Top Canonical Pathways" for both the venom and Byetta(®). In the category of "Top Molecules" up-regulated, both venom and Byetta(®) shared IL-8, cyclic AMP-dependent transcription factor 3 (ATF-3), neuron-derived orphan receptor 1 (NR4A3), dexamethasone-induced Ras-related protein 1 (RASD1) and early growth response protein 1, (EGR-1) all with potential relevance in diabetes. Using Connectivity Mapping, Gila monster venom showed positive correlation with 1732 instances and negative correlation with 793 instances in the Connectivity database whereas Byetta(®) showed positive correlation with 1692

Salamander chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans) in the United States—Developing research, monitoring, and management strategies

Science.gov (United States)

Grant, Evan H. Campbell; Muths, Erin L.; Katz, Rachel A.; Canessa, Stefano; Adams, Michael J.; Ballard, Jennifer R.; Berger, Lee; Briggs, Cheryl J.; Coleman, Jeremy; Gray, Matthew J.; Harris, M. Camille; Harris, Reid N.; Hossack, Blake R.; Huyvaert, Kathryn P.; Kolby, Jonathan E.; Lips, Karen R.; Lovich, Robert E.; McCallum, Hamish I.; Mendelson, Joseph R.; Nanjappa, Priya; Olson, Deanna H.; Powers, Jenny G.; Richgels, Katherine L. D.; Russell, Robin E.; Schmidt, Benedikt R.; Spitzen-van der Sluijs, Annemarieke; Watry, Mary Kay; Woodhams, Douglas C.; White, C. LeAnn

2016-01-20

The recently (2013) identified pathogenic chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal), poses a severe threat to the distribution and abundance of salamanders within the United States and Europe. Development of a response strategy for the potential, and likely, invasion of Bsal into the United States is crucial to protect global salamander biodiversity. A formal working group, led by Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative (ARMI) scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Fort Collins Science Center, and Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, was held at the USGS Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis in Fort Collins, Colorado, United States from June 23 to June 25, 2015, to identify crucial Bsal research and monitoring needs that could inform conservation and management strategies for salamanders in the United States. Key findings of the workshop included the following: (1) the introduction of Bsal into the United States is highly probable, if not inevitable, thus requiring development of immediate short-term and long-term intervention strategies to prevent Bsal establishment and biodiversity decline; (2) management actions targeted towards pathogen containment may be ineffective in reducing the long-term spread of Bsal throughout the United States; and (3) early detection of Bsal through surveillance at key amphibian import locations, among high-risk wild populations, and through analysis of archived samples is necessary for developing management responses. Top research priorities during the preinvasion stage included the following: (1) deployment of qualified diagnostic methods for Bsal and establishment of standardized laboratory practices, (2) assessment of susceptibility for amphibian hosts (including anurans), and (3) development and evaluation of short- and long-term pathogen intervention and management strategies. Several outcomes were achieved during the workshop, including development

Toward a theory of persuasive hope: effects of cognitive appraisals, hope appeals, and hope in the context of climate change.

Science.gov (United States)

Chadwick, Amy E

2015-01-01

Hope has the potential to be a powerful motivator for influencing behavior. However, hope and messages that evoke hope (hope appeals) have rarely been the focus of theoretical development or empirical research. As a step toward the effective development and use of hope appeals in persuasive communication, this study conceptualized and operationalized hope appeals in the context of climate change prevention. Then, the study manipulated components of the hope evocation part of a hope appeal. Specifically, the components were designed to address appraisals of the importance, goal congruence, future expectation, and possibility of climate protection, resulting in a 2 (strong/weak importance) × 2 (strong/weak goal congruence) × 2 (strong/weak future expectation) × 2 (strong/weak possibility) between-subjects pretest-posttest factorial design. Two hundred forty-five undergraduate students were randomly assigned to one of the 16 message conditions and completed the study online. The study tested whether the four appraisals predict feelings of hope. It determined whether message components that address importance, goal congruence, future expectation, and possibility affect appraisals, feelings of hope, and persuasion outcomes. Finally, this study tested the effects of feelings of hope on persuasion outcomes. This study takes an important step toward enabling the effective use of hope appeals in persuasive communication.

The Dynamics of Two Hybrid Zones in Appalachian Salamanders of the Genus Plethodon

Science.gov (United States)

Nelson G. Hairston; R. Haven Wiley; Charles K. Smith; Kenneth A. Kneidel

1992-01-01

Two zones of intergradation between populations of Plethodon have been studied for 18 and 20 years, respectively. The data consist of systematic scores of colors, made at least twice annually. Near Heintooga Overlook in the Balsam Mountains (Great Smoky Mountains National Park), the salamanders' cheeks are gray. Proceeding north toward the...

Hope as fantasy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Winther-Lindqvist, Ditte Alexandra

2017-01-01

, for a miracle to occur, for more time, or in some cases hoping for death to come sooner than later. I recognize hope as a form of imaginative activity and practice, because hope is formed in light of an uncertain future, and rests upon imagined scenarios of what could be. Hope, like imagination, remembering...

Cloacal evaporative cooling: a previously undescribed means of increasing evaporative water loss at higher temperatures in a desert ectotherm, the Gila monster Heloderma suspectum.

Science.gov (United States)

DeNardo, Dale F; Zubal, Tricia E; Hoffman, Ty C M

2004-02-01

The Gila monster Heloderma suspectum is an active forager in an environment that, at times, can be extremely hot and arid. Thus, Gila monsters face extreme thermostatic and hydrostatic demands. For a desert ectotherm routinely risking dehydration, evaporative water loss (EWL) is typically viewed as detrimental. Yet evaporation simultaneously dehydrates and cools an animal. We explored EWL in Gila monsters by measuring cutaneous, ventilatory and cloacal EWL at five ambient temperatures between 20.5 degrees C and 40 degrees C. Our results show that Gila monsters have high EWL rates relative to body mass. Cutaneous EWL underwent a consistent, temperature-dependent increase over the entire range of test temperatures (Q(10)=1.61, with EWL ranging from 0.378 to 0.954 mg g(-1) h(-1)). Ventilatory EWL did not show a significant temperature-dependent response, but ranged from 0.304 to 0.663 mg g(-1) h(-1). Cloacal EWL was extremely low and relatively constant between 20.5 degrees C and 35 degrees C, but rose dramatically above 35 degrees C (Q(10) >8.3 x 10(7), from 0.0008 at 35 degrees C to 7.30 mg g(-1) h(-1) at 40 degrees C). This steep rise in cloacal EWL coincided with an increasing suppression of body temperature relative to ambient temperature. Dehydration to 80% of initial body mass led to a delay in the onset and an attenuation of the dramatic increase in cloacal EWL. These results emphasize the potential value of EWL for thermoregulation in ectotherms and demonstrate for the first time the role of the cloaca in this process.

Microarray analysis identifies keratin loci as sensitive biomarkers for thyroid hormone disruption in the salamander Ambystoma mexicanum.

Science.gov (United States)

Page, Robert B; Monaghan, James R; Samuels, Amy K; Smith, Jeramiah J; Beachy, Christopher K; Voss, S Randal

2007-02-01

Ambystomatid salamanders offer several advantages for endocrine disruption research, including genomic and bioinformatics resources, an accessible laboratory model (Ambystoma mexicanum), and natural lineages that are broadly distributed among North American habitats. We used microarray analysis to measure the relative abundance of transcripts isolated from A. mexicanum epidermis (skin) after exogenous application of thyroid hormone (TH). Only one gene had a >2-fold change in transcript abundance after 2 days of TH treatment. However, hundreds of genes showed significantly different transcript levels at days 12 and 28 in comparison to day 0. A list of 123 TH-responsive genes was identified using statistical, BLAST, and fold level criteria. Cluster analysis identified two groups of genes with similar transcription patterns: up-regulated versus down-regulated. Most notably, several keratins exhibited dramatic (1000 fold) increases or decreases in transcript abundance. Keratin gene expression changes coincided with morphological remodeling of epithelial tissues. This suggests that keratin loci can be developed as sensitive biomarkers to assay temporal disruptions of larval-to-adult gene expression programs. Our study has identified the first collection of loci that are regulated during TH-induced metamorphosis in a salamander, thus setting the stage for future investigations of TH disruption in the Mexican axolotl and other salamanders of the genus Ambystoma.

Water supplementation affects the behavioral and physiological ecology of Gila monsters (Heloderma suspectum) in the Sonoran Desert.

Science.gov (United States)

Davis, Jon R; DeNardo, Dale F

2009-01-01

In desert species, seasonal peaks in animal activity often correspond with times of higher rainfall. However, the underlying reason for such seasonality can be hard to discern because the rainy season is often associated with shifts in temperature as well as water and food availability. We used a combination of the natural climate pattern of the Sonoran Desert and periodic water supplementation to determine the extent to which water intake influenced both the behavioral ecology and the physiological ecology of a long-lived desert lizard, the Gila monster (Heloderma suspectum) (Cope 1869). Water-supplemented lizards had lower plasma osmolality (i.e., were more hydrated) and maintained urinary bladder water reserves better during seasonal drought than did control lizards. During seasonal drought, water-supplemented lizards were surface active a significantly greater proportion of time than were controls. This increased surface activity can lead to greater food acquisition for supplemental Gila monsters because tail volume (an index of caudal lipid stores) was significantly greater in supplemented lizards compared with controls in one of the two study years.

Hope dies last: two aspects of hope in contemporary Moscow

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zigon, J.

2009-01-01

The concept of hope has, for the most part, been neglected by anthropologists. Recently, however, hope has been analyzed by two prominent anthropologists who view it either as a passive attitude or a future-oriented stance toward a good. My research in Moscow, Russia, suggests that hope is not so

Modelling cross-scale relationships between climate, hydrology, and individual animals: Generating scenarios for stream salamanders

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Philippe eGirard

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Hybrid modelling provides a unique opportunity to study cross-scale relationships in environmental systems by linking together models of global, regional, landscape, and local-scale processes, yet the approach is rarely applied to address conservation and management questions. Here, we demonstrate how a hybrid modelling approach can be used to assess the effect of cross-scale interactions on the survival of the Allegheny Mountain Dusky Salamander (Desmognathus ochrophaeus in response to changes in temperature and water availability induced by climate change at the northern limits of its distribution. To do so, we combine regional climate modelling with a landscape-scale integrated surface-groundwater flow model and an individual-based model of stream salamanders. On average, climate scenarios depict a warmer and wetter environment for the 2050 horizon. The increase in average annual temperature and extended hydrological activity time series in the future, combined with a better synchronization with the salamanders’ reproduction period, result in a significant increase in the long-term population viability of the salamanders. This indicates that climate change may not necessarily limit the survivability of small, stream-dwelling animals in headwater basins located in cold and humid regions. This new knowledge suggests that habitat conservation initiatives for amphibians with large latitudinal distributions in Eastern North America should be prioritized at the northern limits of their ranges to facilitate species migration and persistence in the face of climate change. This example demonstrates how hybrid models can serve as powerful tools for informing management and conservation decisions.

Plaadid

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

2004-01-01

Uutest heliplaatidest Jam&Spoon "Tripomatic Fairytales 3003", Metallica "Some Kind of Monster", "Para:Disco",Florence Joy "Hope", "Live in Hyde Park", Celine Dione "A New Day ئ Live in Las Vegas", Akon "Trouble"

Effect of thermal acclimation on locomotor energetics and locomotor performance in a lungless salamander, Desmognathus ochrophaeus.

Science.gov (United States)

Feder, M E

1986-03-01

To determine the effects of thermal acclimation upon locomotor performance and the rate of oxygen consumption (MO2) during activity, small (less than 3 g), lungless salamanders, Desmognathus ochrophaeus Cope, were acclimated to three temperatures (5, 13 and 21 degrees C) and exercised at various controlled speeds within an exercise wheel while their MO2 was measured. MO2 increased with speed at low speeds (less than 14 cm min-1). Although animals could sustain greater speeds, MO2 did not increase further. These small, exclusively skin-breathing salamanders could increase their MO2 9-11 times during exercise and could sustain nearly half of the oxygen flux expected across a similar surface area of the mammalian lung. However, their maximum aerobic speed was remarkably slow (14 cm min-1) and their net cost of transport remarkably large (15-17 ml O2 g-1 km-1). Thermal acclimation affected MO2 during activity, the maximum sustainable speed and locomotor stamina in different ways. During exercise at 13 degrees C, cold-acclimated animals had a significantly greater MO2 than warm-acclimated animals, but did not differ in stamina or the maximum sustainable speed. During exercise at 21 degrees C, cold acclimation did not affect the MO2 significantly, but it decreased the stamina and increased the rate of lactate accumulation. Thus, these results suggest that thermal acclimation of the MO2 is not tightly coupled to thermal acclimation of locomotor performance in salamanders.

Ambient ultraviolet radiation causes mortality in salamander eggs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blaustein, A.R.; Edmond, B.; Kiesecker, J.M.

1995-01-01

Previous research has shown that amphibian species have differential sensitivity to ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation. In some anuran species, ambient levels of UV-B cause mortality in embryonic stages and hatching success is significantly reduced. Projected increases in UV-B may affect an increasing number of species. The adverse effects of UV-B may eventually be manifested at the population level and may ultimately contribute to population declines. Using field experiments, we investigated the effects of ambient UV-B on salamander (Ambystoma gracile) embryos developing at natural oviposition sites. We show that the hatching success of eggs of A. gracile shielded from UV-B is significantly higher than those not shielded from UV-B. 27 refs., 1 fig

76 FR 44036 - Proposed Low-Effect Habitat Conservation Plan for the California Tiger Salamander, AT&T Portable...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-07-22

... developed portion of the AT&T facility on October 25 and 29, 2010. In addition, several salamander larvae... were rejected due to the presence of other Federally listed species, including vernal pool fairy shrimp...

Fire salamander (Salamandra salamandra in Larzac plateau: low occurrence, pond-breeding and cohabitation of larvae with paedomorphic palmate newts (Lissotriton helveticus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mathieu Denoël

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Alternative reproductive strategies are widespread in caudate amphibians. Among them, fire salamanders (Salamandra salamandra usually rely on streams to give birth to aquatic larvae but also use ponds, whereas palmate newt larvae (Lissotriton helveticus typically metamorphose into terrestrial juveniles, but can also reproduce in retaining their gills, a process known as paedomorphosis. Here we report repeated observations of an unusual case of coexistence of these two alternative traits in the same pond (Larzac, France. The prevalence of fire salamanders in Southern Larzac was very low (pond occupancy: 0.36%. The observed abundance of fire salamander larvae and paedomorphic newts was also low in the studied pond. On one hand, the rarity of this coexistence pattern may suggest that habitat characteristics may not be optimal or that competition or predation processes might be operating. However, these hypotheses remain to be tested. On the other hand, as this is the only known case of breeding in Southern Larzac, it could be considered to be at a high risk of extirpation.

Geographic variation, genetic structure, and conservation unit designation in the Larch Mountain salamander (Plethodon larselli).

Science.gov (United States)

R. Steven Wagner; Mark P. Miller; Charles M. Crisafulli; Susan M. Haig

2005-01-01

The Larch Mountain salamander (Plethodon larselli Burns, 1954) is an endemic species in the Pacific northwestern United States facing threats related to habitat destruction. To facilitate development of conservation strategies, we used DNA sequences and RAPDs (random amplified polymorphic DNA) to examine differences among populations of this...

Projected loss of a salamander diversity hotspot as a consequence of projected global climate change

Science.gov (United States)

Joseph R. Milanovich; William E. Peterman; Nathan P. Nibbelink; John C. Maerz

2010-01-01

Background: Significant shifts in climate are considered a threat to plants and animals with significant physiological limitations and limited dispersal abilities. The southern Appalachian Mountains are a global hotspot for plethodontid salamander diversity. Plethodontids are lungless ectotherms, so their ecology is strongly governed by temperature and precipitation....

Fleeing from Frankenstein's Monster and Meeting Kafka on the Way: Algorithmic Decision-Making in Higher Education

Science.gov (United States)

Prinsloo, Paul

2017-01-01

In the socio-technical imaginary of higher education, algorithmic decision-making offers huge potential, but we also cannot deny the risks and ethical concerns. In fleeing from Frankenstein's monster, there is a real possibility that we will meet Kafka on our path, and not find our way out of the maze of ethical considerations in the nexus between…

Characterization of the gila monster (Heloderma suspectum suspectum) venom proteome

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sanggaard, Kristian Wejse; Dyrlund, Thomas Franck; Thomsen, Line Rold

2015-01-01

of venom. Of these proteins, 19 have not previously been identified in helodermatid venom. The data showed that helodermatid venom is complex and that this complexity is caused by genetic isoforms and post-translational modifications including proteolytic processing. In addition, the venom proteome...... analysis revealed that the major constituents of the gila monster venom are kallikrein-like serine proteinases (EC 3.4.21) and phospholipase A2 (type III) enzymes (EC 3.1.1.4). A neuroendocrine convertase 1 homolog that most likely converts the proforms of the previously identified bioactive exendins...... into the mature and active forms was identified suggesting that these peptide toxins are secreted as proforms that are activated by proteolytic cleavage following secretion as opposed to being activated intracellularly. The presented global protein identification-analysis provides the first overview...

Hope in Motion

Science.gov (United States)

Yeasting, Kevin; Jung, Sandy

2010-01-01

Hope has been described by many as a basic, fundamental, and essential part of life. This article introduces a new approach to incorporate hope with clients experiencing a range of difficulties in the general counseling setting. In this framework, three stages are proposed to enable clients to strengthen and solidify their hope. In the first…

Pedagogies of Hope

Science.gov (United States)

Webb, Darren

2013-01-01

Hoping is an integral part of what it is to be human, and its significance for education has been widely noted. Hope is, however, a contested category of human experience and getting to grips with its characteristics and dynamics is a difficult task. The paper argues that hope is not a singular undifferentiated experience and is best understood as…

Ways of Hoping: Navigating the Paradox of Hope and Despair in Chronic Pain.

Science.gov (United States)

Eaves, Emery R; Nichter, Mark; Ritenbaugh, Cheryl

2016-03-01

In this paper, we explore hope in the context of living with chronic pain. Individuals with chronic pain from temporomandibular disorder(s) were interviewed four to five times over the course of their 18-month participation in a clinical trial investigating the effectiveness of Traditional Chinese Medicine. We sought to understand shifts in participants' descriptions of expectations and hopefulness, particularly with regard to the work involved in counterbalancing positive thinking with buffers against disappointment. We found hope to be a dynamic and multifaceted mindset as distinct from being a single entity to be measured. Drawing upon Polanyi's concept of tacit knowing, we explore how different ways of hoping emerge and index one another in participant narratives. We offer a working typology of hope and raise as an issue the manner in which the paradox of hope--hoping enough to carry on while keeping hopes in check to avoid the ever-present possibility of despair--complicates simplistic notions of the relationship between positive thinking and the placebo response.

Phylogenetic analysis of Common Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis) stomach contents detects cryptic range of a secretive salamander (Ensatina eschscholtzii oregonensis) Herpetological Conservation and Biology 5(3):395–402

Science.gov (United States)

Sean B. Reilly; Andrew D Gottsho; Justin M. Garwood; Bryan. Jennings

2010-01-01

Given the current global amphibian decline, it is crucial to obtain accurate and current information regarding species distributions. Secretive amphibians such as plethodontid salamanders can be difficult to detect in many cases, especially in remote, high elevation areas. We used molecular phylogenetic analyses to identify three partially digested salamanders palped...

The connection between the electromagnetic fine structure constant α-bar0 and the monster Lie algebra

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marek-Crnjac, L.

2008-01-01

The essay gives arguments for deriving the electromagnetic fine structure constant from maximally symmetric spaces. A connection between the order of some subgroups of the monster simple group, the ratio of the proton mass to the electron mass and the fine structure constant is found. A derivation of the fine structure constant from the number of elements in the Cristoffel symbol and the order of the reflection group F 4 is given

Can the eastern red-backed salamander (Plethodon cinereus) persist in an acidified landscape?

Science.gov (United States)

Bondi, Cheryl A; Beier, Colin M.; Ducey, Peter K; Lawrence, Gregory B.; Bailey, Scott W.

2016-01-01

Hardwood forests of eastern North America have experienced decades of acidic deposition, leading to soil acidification where base cation supply was insufficient to neutralize acid inputs. Negative impacts of soil acidity on amphibians include disrupted embryonic development, lower growth rates, and habitat loss. However, some amphibians exhibit intraspecific variation in acid tolerance, suggesting the potential for local adaptation in areas where soils are naturally acidic. The eastern red-backed salamander (Plethodon cinereus) is a highly abundant top predator of the northern hardwood forest floor. Early research found that P. cinereus was sensitive to acidic soils, avoiding substrates with pH habitats. However, recent studies have documented P. cinereus populations in lower pH conditions than previously observed, suggesting some populations may persist in acidic conditions. Here, we evaluated relationships between organic horizon soil pH and P. cinereus abundance, adult health (body size and condition), and microhabitat selection, based on surveys of 34 hardwood forests in northeastern United States that encompass a regional soil pH gradient. We found no associations between soil pH and P. cinereus abundance or health, and observed that this salamander used substrates with pH similar to that available, suggesting that pH does not mediate their fine-scale distributions. The strongest negative predictor of P. cinereus abundance was the presence of dusky salamanders (Desmognathus spp.), which were most abundant in the western Adirondacks. Our results indicate that P. cinereus occupies a wider range of soil pH than has been previously thought, which has implications for their functional role in forest food webs and nutrient cycles in acid-impaired ecosystems. Tolerance of P. cinereus for more acidic habitats, including anthropogenically acidified forests, may be due to local adaptation in reproductively isolated populations and/or generalist

Monsters, dreams and madness: Commentary on 'The arms of the chimeras'.

Science.gov (United States)

Reis, Bruce

2016-04-01

Considering Freudian and Post-Freudian approaches to the intersubjective Beatrice Ithier puts the work of Michel de M'Uzan and Thomas Ogden in comparison. To this comparison I add a consideration of the work of Christopher Bollas. The highly creative clinical approaches these three theorists take is shown to be informed by their elaborations of the Freudian notion of unconscious communication and by new approaches to the issue of identity. Attention is paid to differentiating traumatic from fanciful chimeras; and to the experience of the analyst undergoing the sorts of transformations requisite to entering this psychic space marked by fluid exchanges of being and becoming, wherein analyst becomes patient, new subjects are created through shared dreams, and through which monsters appear. Copyright © 2016 Institute of Psychoanalysis.

Effects of pH on embryo tolerance and adult behavior in the tiger salamander, Ambystoma tigrinum tigrinum

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Whiteman, H H; Howard, R D; Whitten, K A [Purdue Univ., Lafayette, IN (United States). Dept. of Biological Sciences

1995-08-01

Adult discrimination ability and embryo performance was examined under different pH conditions in the eastern tiger salamander. Individuals from three populations were collected in habitats that differed naturally in pH. Two pH treatments were used to determine adult pH discrimination ability, and eight pH treatments to evaluate embryo performance. Results suggested that the pH of the source-population habitat could influence breeding-habitat discrimination by adults. Decreasing pH produced similar patterns of lethal and sublethal effects on embryos from the three populations, with reduced performance at low pH. The pH at which 50% mortality occurs was estimated at 4.2, suggesting that tiger salamanders were relatively acid tolerant. The study suggested that adult behavior patterns could influence the success of population reintroductions to previously acidified areas. 78 refs., 2 tabs., 4 figs.

Making Ripples of Hope

Science.gov (United States)

Lopez, Shane J.

2011-01-01

Hope, the ideas and energy for the future, is one of the most potent predictors of the success of the youth. Based on the Gallup Student Poll, an online school-based measure of student hope (and engagement and well-being), half of American students are hopeful. Hopeful students are energetic, full of life. They're able to develop many strategies…

Sisters Hope

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lawaetz, Anna; Worre Hallberg, Gry

2011-01-01

Sisters Hope invites young scholars to visit our elite-school for run-away youngsters. Maybe you will be the next one to be collected and accepted?......Sisters Hope invites young scholars to visit our elite-school for run-away youngsters. Maybe you will be the next one to be collected and accepted?...

Monsters or Good Guys: The Mediating Role of Emotions in Transforming a Young Child's Encounter with Nature

Science.gov (United States)

Green, Carrie

2016-01-01

Nature-play inspires a sense of awe and wonder in young children, however, the uncertainty of elements in nature can also bring about fear and anxiety. Using sensory tours as a data collection method, this qualitative study explores the emotions of a four-year-old during his exploration of an imaginary "monster castle" in the forest, and…

MHD activity triggered by monster sawtooth crashes on Tore Supra

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maget, P; Artaud, J-F; Eriksson, L-G; Huysmans, G; Lazaros, A; Moreau, P; Ottaviani, M; Segui, J-L; Zwingmann, W

2005-01-01

The crash of monster sawteeth in Tore Supra ion cyclotron resonance heated plasmas is observed to trigger long-lived magneto hydrodynamic (MHD) activity, dominated by a (m = 3, n = 2) magnetic perturbation at the edge. This phenomenon is reminiscent of the triggering of neoclassical tearing modes, although in Tore Supra the MHD activity decays and eventually vanishes. It can be explained by the linear destabilization of the (3, 2) mode as the current sheet developed in the non-linear stage of the internal kink relaxation gets closer to q = 3/2. However, the lifetime of the (3, 2) island is longer than the period of linear instability. We find that the neoclassical drive is essential for explaining the observed lifetime and width of the island, although the overall dynamics is controlled by the relaxation of the current profile on a resistive time scale

A new species of salamander (Bolitoglossa: Plethodontidae from the Cordillera Oriental of the Colombian Andes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrés R. Acosta-Galvis

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Eight species of salamanders are recognized to Cordillera Oriental of Colombia. Here we describe a new species of the genus Bolitoglossa, named Bolitoglossa guaneae sp. nov. The highest number of species of this genus is found in the cloud forests located in the western flank of the Cordillera Oriental.

Woodland salamanders as metrics of forest ecosystem recovery: a case study from California’s redwoods

Science.gov (United States)

Hart Welsh; Garth Hodgson

2013-01-01

Woodland (Plethodontid) salamanders occur in huge numbers in healthy forests in North America where the abundances of many species vary along successional gradients. Their high numbers and trophic role as predators on shredder and decomposer arthropods influence nutrient and carbon pathways at the leaf litter/soil interface. Their extreme niche conservatism and low...

Hope and the uncertain future

OpenAIRE

PIETARINEN JUHANI

2014-01-01

Benedict Spinoza defined hope as an inconstant joy inconstant, because hope involves uncertainty and doubt. Hope means optimism mixed with pessimistic feelings. For Spinoza, hope amounts to an increase in our inherent active power, in our vitality or love of life, but because of being associated with fear, hope also involves something which is apt to reduce this power. Our beliefs concerning future outcomes are crucial here. They form the ultimate basis of our hope.

From hope to hope: the experience of older Chinese people with advanced cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Hong; Komaromy, Carol; Valentine, Christine

2015-03-01

In our study that explored the current end-of-life care provision for Chinese older people with advanced/terminal cancer, hope emerged as a significant aspect of coping with their condition. Drawing on data from in-depth interviews with a group of older people, their family carers and health professionals, this article explores participants' constructions of hope in terms of what they were hoping for, how their hopes helped them cope with their illness and what sociocultural resources they drew on to build and sustain these hopes. While acknowledging similarities to Western studies of hope in terminal illness, this article identifies significant divergences in terms of the impact of different sociocultural values and their implications for clinical practice in light of an unfavourable health care environment for patients with advanced cancer and a social support system sustained mainly by Chinese families. It argues that hope represents an important resource for coping with terminal illness among these patients. © The Author(s) 2014.

Cutaneous mastocytomas in the neotenic caudate amphibians Ambystoma mexicanum (axolotl) and Ambystoma tigrinun (tiger salamander)

Science.gov (United States)

Harshbarger, J.C.; Chang, S.C.; DeLanney, L.E.; Rose, F.L.; Green, D.E.

1999-01-01

Spontaneous mastocytomas studied in 18 axolotls (Ambystoma mexicanum) and six tiger salamanders (Ambystoma tigrinum) were gray-white, uni- to multilobular cutaneous protrusions from 2mm to 2cm in diameter. Tumors were moderately cellular unencapsulated masses that usually infiltrated the dermis and hypodermis with the destruction of intervening tissues. Some tumors were invading superficial bundles of the underlying skeletal muscle. Tumors consisted of mitotically active cells derived from a single lineage but showing a range of differentiation. Immature cells had nearly smooth to lightly cleft or folded basophilic nuclei bordered by a band of cytoplasm with few cytoplasmic processes and containing a few small uniform eccentric granules. Mature cells had basophilic nuclei with deep clefts or folds and abundant eosinophilic cytoplasm with multiple long intertwining cytoplasmic extensions packed with metachromatic granules. The axolotls were old individuals from an inbred laboratory colony. The tiger salamanders were wild animals from a single polluted pond. They could have been old and inbred. Both groups were neotenic. These are the first mastocytomas discovered in cold-blooded animals.

Fulltext PDF

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Unknown

models had more difficulty with the “equilibrium” aspect. Why is ... fundamentalists” (Gould 1997) but that style of thought is losing force as extensive discordances between genetic ... Gould S J 1977b The return of hopeful monsters; Nat. Hist.

Fostering Children’s Connection to Nature Through Authentic Situations: The Case of Saving Salamanders at School

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stephan Barthel

2018-06-01

Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to explore how children learn to form new relationships with nature. It draws on a longitudinal case study of children participating in a stewardship project involving the conservation of salamanders during the school day in Stockholm, Sweden. The qualitative method includes two waves of data collection: when a group of 10-year-old children participated in the project (2015 and 2 years after they participated (2017. We conducted 49 interviews with children as well as using participant observations and questionnaires. We found indications that children developed sympathy for salamanders and increased concern and care for nature, and that such relationships persisted 2 years after participation. Our rich qualitative data suggest that whole situations of sufficient unpredictability triggering free exploration of the area, direct sensory contact and significant experiences of interacting with a species were important for children’s development of affective relationships with the salamander species and with nature in an open-ended sense. Saving the lives of trapped animals enabled direct sensory interaction, feedback, increased understanding, and development of new skills for dynamically exploring further ways of saving species in an interactive process experienced as deeply meaningful, enjoyable and connecting. The behavioral setting instilled a sense of pride and commitment, and the high degree of responsibility given to the children while exploring the habitat during authentic situations enriched children’s enjoyment. The study has implications for the design of education programs that aim to connect children with nature and for a child-sensitive urban policy that supports authentic nature situations in close spatial proximity to preschools and schools.

Hope and Hopelessness: The Role of Hope in Buffering the Impact of Hopelessness on Suicidal Ideation.

Science.gov (United States)

Huen, Jenny M Y; Ip, Brian Y T; Ho, Samuel M Y; Yip, Paul S F

2015-01-01

The present study investigated whether hope and hopelessness are better conceptualized as a single construct of bipolar spectrum or two distinct constructs and whether hope can moderate the relationship between hopelessness and suicidal ideation. Hope, hopelessness, and suicidal ideation were measured in a community sample of 2106 participants through a population-based household survey. Confirmatory factor analyses showed that a measurement model with separate, correlated second-order factors of hope and hopelessness provided a good fit to the data and was significantly better than that of the model collapsing hope and hopelessness into a single second-order factor. Negative binomial regression showed that hope and hopelessness interacted such that the effect of hopelessness on suicidal ideation was lower in individuals with higher hope than individuals with lower hope. Hope and hopelessness are two distinct but correlated constructs. Hope can act as a resilience factor that buffers the impact of hopelessness on suicidal ideation. Inducing hope in people may be a promising avenue for suicide prevention.

Belief, hope and faith.

Science.gov (United States)

Figueiredo, Luis Claudio

2004-12-01

A case of hysteria is presented in order to create a frame of reference for the author's approach to the concepts of hope, belief and faith. A difference between hope as a 'sad passion' (which is here called regressive hope) and hope as a principle of mental functioning is established. The concept of hope will at first always be based on beliefs--either beliefs organised in the paranoid-schizoid position (called here fragmented and delusional beliefs)--or those organised from the depressive position (complex systems of beliefs, which end up being dogmatic); the latter typically occur in neurotics. It is suggested here that there is another possibility for hope, which is based on faith. The meaning of faith is considered here externally to the religious sense. The solid establishment of hope as a principle--based on faith--can be viewed as responsible for the opening up of creative potentials and as one of the main aims of analysis. Such an aim, however requires the establishment of a deep relationship, both in theory and in clinical practice, between the Kleinian question of the depressive position and the Freudian question of the Oedipus complex.

Survivability and Hope

Science.gov (United States)

... Current Issue Past Issues Special Section Survivability and Hope Past Issues / Spring 2007 Table of Contents For ... cure or long-term survivorship." This message of hope is a hallmark of the latest advances in ...

Efficacy of chemical disinfectants for the containment of the salamander chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans

OpenAIRE

Van Rooij, Pascale; Pasmans, Frank; Coen, Yanaïka; Martel, An

2017-01-01

The recently emerged chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal) causes European salamander declines. Proper hygiene protocols including disinfection procedures are crucial to prevent disease transmission. Here, the efficacy of chemical disinfectants in killing Bsal was evaluated. At all tested conditions, Biocidal (R), Chloramine-T (R), Dettol medical (R), Disolol (R), ethanol, F10 (R), Hibiscrub (R), potassium permanganate, Safe4 (R), sodium hypochlorite, and Virkon S (R), were ...

Hope and Hopelessness: The Role of Hope in Buffering the Impact of Hopelessness on Suicidal Ideation

Science.gov (United States)

Huen, Jenny M. Y.; Ip, Brian Y. T.; Ho, Samuel M. Y.; Yip, Paul S. F.

2015-01-01

Objectives The present study investigated whether hope and hopelessness are better conceptualized as a single construct of bipolar spectrum or two distinct constructs and whether hope can moderate the relationship between hopelessness and suicidal ideation. Methods Hope, hopelessness, and suicidal ideation were measured in a community sample of 2106 participants through a population-based household survey. Results Confirmatory factor analyses showed that a measurement model with separate, correlated second-order factors of hope and hopelessness provided a good fit to the data and was significantly better than that of the model collapsing hope and hopelessness into a single second-order factor. Negative binomial regression showed that hope and hopelessness interacted such that the effect of hopelessness on suicidal ideation was lower in individuals with higher hope than individuals with lower hope. Conclusions Hope and hopelessness are two distinct but correlated constructs. Hope can act as a resilience factor that buffers the impact of hopelessness on suicidal ideation. Inducing hope in people may be a promising avenue for suicide prevention. PMID:26107687

Fundamental Hope and Practical Identity

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bloeser, Claudia; Stahl, Titus

2017-01-01

This article considers the question 'What makes hope rational?' We take Adrienne Martin's recent incorporation analysis of hope as representative of a tradition that views the rationality of hope as a matter of instrumental reasons. Against this tradition, we argue that an important subset of hope,

Monster in My Closet: An Exploratory Study of the Relationship between Parent-Child Co-Sleeping and Nighttime Fears of Preschool Children

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, I. Joyce; Pettit, Rebecca W.; Kennedy, Gregory

2004-01-01

Children's nighttime fears, such as monsters in the closet, have been a common issue for the American. In children's cognitive development, vivid imagination has been recognized as a cause of fear, but not all children around the globe share this common experience. This qualitative, exploratory study examined the relationship between parent-child…

The trophic role of a forest salamander: impacts on invertebrates, leaf litter retention, and the humification process

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M. L. Best; H. H. Welsh

2014-01-01

Woodland (Plethodontid) salamanders are the most abundant vertebrates in North American forests, functioning as predators on invertebrates and prey for higher trophic levels. We investigated the role of Ensatina (Ensatina eschscholtzii) in regulating invertebrate numbers and leaf litter retention in a northern California forest. Our objective was...

Hope for health and health care.

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Stempsey, William E

2015-02-01

Virtually all activities of health care are motivated at some level by hope. Patients hope for a cure; for relief from pain; for a return home. Physicians hope to prevent illness in their patients; to make the correct diagnosis when illness presents itself; that their prescribed treatments will be effective. Researchers hope to learn more about the causes of illness; to discover new and more effective treatments; to understand how treatments work. Ultimately, all who work in health care hope to offer their patients hope. In this paper, I offer a brief analysis of hope, considering the definitions of Hobbes, Locke, Hume and Thomas Aquinas. I then differentiate shallow and deep hope and show how hope in health care can remain shallow. Next, I explore what a philosophy of deep hope in health care might look like, drawing important points from Ernst Bloch and Gabriel Marcel. Finally, I suggest some implications of this philosophy of hope for patients, physicians, and researchers.

Conformal field theory, triality and the Monster group

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dolan, L.; Goddard, P.; Montague, P.

1990-01-01

From an even self-dual N-dimensional lattice, Λ, it is always possible to construct two (chiral) conformal field theories, an untwisted theory H (Λ), and a Z 2 -twisted theory H (Λ), constructed using the reflection twist. (N must be a multiple of 8 and the theories are modular invariant if it is a multiple of 24.) Similarly, from a doubly-even self-dual binary code C, it is possible to construct two even self-dual lattices, an untwisted one Λ C and a twisted one anti Λ C . It is shown that H(Λ C ) always has a triality structure, and that this triality induces first an isomorphism H(anti Λ C )≅H(Λ C ) and, through this, a triality of H(anti Λ C ). In the case where C is the Golay code, anti Λ C is the Leech lattice and the induced triality is the extra symmetry necessary to generate the Monster group from (an extension of) Conway's group. Thus it is demonstrated that triality is a generic symmetry. The induced isomorphism accounts for all 9 of the coincidences between the 48 conformal field theories H(Λ) and H(Λ) with N=24. (orig.)

Hope, Symptoms, and Palliative Care.

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Davis, Mellar P; Lagman, Ruth; Parala, Armida; Patel, Chirag; Sanford, Tanya; Fielding, Flannery; Brumbaugh, Anita; Gross, James; Rao, Archana; Majeed, Sumreen; Shinde, Shivani; Rybicki, Lisa A

2017-04-01

Hope is important to patients with cancer. Identifying factors that influence hope is important. Anxiety, depression, fatigue, and pain are reported to impair hope. The objective of this study was to determine whether age, gender, marital status, duration of cancer, symptoms, or symptom burden measured by the sum of severity scores on the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS) correlated with hope measured by the Herth Hope Index (HHI). Patients with advanced cancer in a palliative care unit participated. Demographics including age, gender, marital status, cancer site, and duration of cancer were collected. Individuals completed the ESAS and HHI. Spearman correlation and linear regression were used to assess associations adjusting for gender (male vs female), age ( 12 months). One hundred and ninety-seven were participated in the study, of which 55% were female with a mean age of 61 years (standard deviation 11). Hope was not associated with gender, age, marital status, or duration of cancer. In univariable analysis, hope inversely correlated with ESAS score (-0.28), lack of appetite (-0.22), shortness of breath (-0.17), depression (-0.39), anxiety (-0.32), and lack of well-being (-0.33); only depression was clinically relevant. In multivariable analysis, total symptom burden weakly correlated with hope; only depression remained clinically significant. This study found correlation between symptom burden and hope was not clinically relevant but was so for depression. Among 9 ESAS symptoms, only depression had a clinically relevant correlation with hope.

Sensory feedback plays a significant role in generating walking gait and in gait transition in salamanders: A simulation study

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Nalin eHarischandra

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Here, we use a three-dimensional, neuro-musculo-mechanical model of a salamander with realistic physical parameters in order to investigate the role of sensory feedback in gait generation and transition. Activation of limb and axial muscles were driven by neural output patterns obtained from a central pattern generator (CPG which is composed of simulated spiking neurons with adaptation. The CPG consists of a body CPG and four limb CPGs that are interconnected via synapses both ipsilateraly and contralaterally. We use the model both with and without sensory modulation and for different combinations of ipsilateral and contralateral coupling between the limb CPGs. We found that the proprioceptive sensory inputs are essential in obtaining a coordinated walking gait. The sensory feedback includes the signals coming from the stretch receptor like intraspinal neurons located in the girdle regions and the limb stretch receptors residing in the hip and scapula regions of the salamander. On the other hand, coordinated motor output patterns for the trotting gait were obtainable without the sensory inputs. We found that the gait transition from walking to trotting can be induced by increased activity of the descending drive coming from the mesencephalic locomotor region (MLR and is helped by the sensory inputs at the hip and scapula regions detecting the late stance phase. More neurophysiological experiments are required to identify the precise type of mechanoreceptors in the salamander and the neural mechanisms mediating the sensory modulation.

Understanding hope and factors that enhance hope in women with breast cancer.

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Ebright, Patricia R; Lyon, Brenda

2002-04-01

To examine the extent to which antecedent variables and appraisals differentiate levels of hope in women during treatment for breast cancer. Descriptive, correlational. Two large midwestern urban areas. 73 Caucasian women between the ages of 20-73 with first-time diagnosis of breast cancer; recruited through five physician offices; within three months after surgical intervention with planned chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or tamoxifen; and able to read English. Identical surveys mailed to participants 3 and 12 months after surgery. Instruments included Lazarus' Appraisal Components and Themes Scales, Herth Hope Index, Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale, Personal Resource Questionnaire 85-Part 2, Helpfulness of Religious Beliefs Scale, and demographics questionnaire. Appraisal, hope, self-esteem, social support, and helpfulness of religious beliefs. Variables influencing appraisals during breast cancer treatment on both surveys were self-esteem and helpfulness of religious beliefs. Potential for coping appraisals and self-esteem contributed to variation in hope at both time points. Social support was a significant contributor to hope in the 12-month survey. Appraisal themes reflected challenge but not fear. Self-esteem and helpfulness of religious beliefs influence women's appraisals regarding the potential for coping; appraisals and antecedent variables relevant for differentiating hope are beliefs about the potential for coping, self-esteem, and social support. Care of women with breast cancer during the first year of treatment should include assessment of beliefs regarding the potential for coping. Results suggest that support for interventions related to self-esteem, social support, and helpfulness of religious beliefs increase confidence in coping abilities and hope.

Osteological Variation among Extreme Morphological Forms in the Mexican Salamander Genus Chiropterotriton (Amphibia: Plethodontidae: Morphological Evolution And Homoplasy.

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David M Darda

Full Text Available Osteological variation is recorded among and within four of the most distinctive species of the Mexican salamander genus Chiropterotriton. Analysis of the data is consistent with the monophyletic status of the genus and documents previously unrecorded intraspecific and interspecific variation. Most of the recorded variation involves qualitative and quantitative proportional differences, but four fixed differences constitute autapomorphic states that affirm and diagnose some species (C. dimidiatus, C. magnipes. Osteological variation in 15 characters is analyzed with respect to predictions generated from four hypotheses: 1 phylogeny, 2 adaptation to specific habitats (the four species include cave-dwelling, terrestrial, and arboreal forms, 3 size-free shape, and 4 size. High levels of intraspecific variation suggest that the characters studied are not subject to rigid functional constraints in salamanders, regardless of size. The pattern predicted by the hypothesis based on size differences seen among these four Chiropterotriton species matches most closely the observed pattern of relative skull robustness. Since size change and heterochrony are often associated in plethodontid evolution, it is likely that changes in developmental timing play a role in the morphological transitions among these morphologically diverse taxa. Webbed feet, miniaturization, body shape, and an unusual tarsal arrangement are morphologies exhibited in species of Chiropterotrition that are shown to be homoplastic with other clades of tropical plethodontids. Although extensive homoplasy in salamanders might be seen as a roadblock to unraveling phylogenetic hypotheses, the homologous developmental systems that appear to underlie such homoplasy may reveal common and consistent evolutionary processes at work.

From Mathematical Monsters to Generalized Scale Invariance in Geophysics: Highlights of the Multifractal Saga

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Schertzer, D. J.; Tchiguirinskaia, I.; Lovejoy, S.

2013-12-01

Fractals and multifractals are very illustrative of the profound synergies between mathematics and geophysics. The book ';Fractal Geometry of Nature' (Mandelbrot, 1982) brilliantly demonstrated the genericity in geophysics of geometric forms like Cantor set, Peano curve and Koch snowflake, which were once considered as mathematical monsters. However, to tame the geophysical monsters (e.g. extreme weather, floods, earthquakes), it was required to go beyond geometry and a unique fractal dimension. The concept of multifractal was coined in the course of rather theoretical debates on intermittency in hydrodynamic turbulence, sometimes with direct links to atmospheric dynamics. The latter required a generalized notion of scale in order to deal both with scale symmetries and strong anisotropies (e.g. time vs. space, vertical vs. horizontal). It was thus possible to show that the consequences of intermittency are of first order, not just 'corrections' with respect to the classical non-intermittent modeling. This was in fact a radical paradigm shift for geophysics: the extreme variability of geophysical fields over wide ranges of scale, which had long been so often acknowledged and deplored, suddenly became handy. Recent illustrations are the possibility to track down in large date sets the Higgs boson of intermittence, i.e. a first order multifractal phase transition leading to self-organized criticality, and to simulate intermittent vector fields with the help of Lie cascades, based for instance on random Clifford algebra. It is rather significant that this revolution is no longer limited to fundamental and theoretical problems of geophysics, but now touches many applications including environmental management, in particular for urban management and resilience. These applications are particularly stimulating when taken in their full complexity.

Solution structure and phylogenetics of Prod1, a member of the three-finger protein superfamily implicated in salamander limb regeneration.

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Acely Garza-Garcia

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Following the amputation of a limb, newts and salamanders have the capability to regenerate the lost tissues via a complex process that takes place at the site of injury. Initially these cells undergo dedifferentiation to a state competent to regenerate the missing limb structures. Crucially, dedifferentiated cells have memory of their level of origin along the proximodistal (PD axis of the limb, a property known as positional identity. Notophthalmus viridescens Prod1 is a cell-surface molecule of the three-finger protein (TFP superfamily involved in the specification of newt limb PD identity. The TFP superfamily is a highly diverse group of metazoan proteins that includes snake venom toxins, mammalian transmembrane receptors and miscellaneous signaling molecules. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: With the aim of identifying potential orthologs of Prod1, we have solved its 3D structure and compared it to other known TFPs using phylogenetic techniques. The analysis shows that TFP 3D structures group in different categories according to function. Prod1 clusters with other cell surface protein TFP domains including the complement regulator CD59 and the C-terminal domain of urokinase-type plasminogen activator. To infer orthology, a structure-based multiple sequence alignment of representative TFP family members was built and analyzed by phylogenetic methods. Prod1 has been proposed to be the salamander CD59 but our analysis fails to support this association. Prod1 is not a good match for any of the TFP families present in mammals and this result was further supported by the identification of the putative orthologs of both CD59 and N. viridescens Prod1 in sequence data for the salamander Ambystoma tigrinum. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The available data suggest that Prod1, and thereby its role in encoding PD identity, is restricted to salamanders. The lack of comparable limb-regenerative capability in other adult vertebrates could be

Identification of Mutant Genes and Introgressed Tiger Salamander DNA in the Laboratory Axolotl, Ambystoma mexicanum.

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Woodcock, M Ryan; Vaughn-Wolfe, Jennifer; Elias, Alexandra; Kump, D Kevin; Kendall, Katharina Denise; Timoshevskaya, Nataliya; Timoshevskiy, Vladimir; Perry, Dustin W; Smith, Jeramiah J; Spiewak, Jessica E; Parichy, David M; Voss, S Randal

2017-01-31

The molecular genetic toolkit of the Mexican axolotl, a classic model organism, has matured to the point where it is now possible to identify genes for mutant phenotypes. We used a positional cloning-candidate gene approach to identify molecular bases for two historic axolotl pigment phenotypes: white and albino. White (d/d) mutants have defects in pigment cell morphogenesis and differentiation, whereas albino (a/a) mutants lack melanin. We identified in white mutants a transcriptional defect in endothelin 3 (edn3), encoding a peptide factor that promotes pigment cell migration and differentiation in other vertebrates. Transgenic restoration of Edn3 expression rescued the homozygous white mutant phenotype. We mapped the albino locus to tyrosinase (tyr) and identified polymorphisms shared between the albino allele (tyr a ) and tyr alleles in a Minnesota population of tiger salamanders from which the albino trait was introgressed. tyr a has a 142 bp deletion and similar engineered alleles recapitulated the albino phenotype. Finally, we show that historical introgression of tyr a significantly altered genomic composition of the laboratory axolotl, yielding a distinct, hybrid strain of ambystomatid salamander. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of identifying genes for traits in the laboratory Mexican axolotl.

A little bit is better than nothing: the incomplete parthenogenesis of salamanders, frogs and fish

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Schartl Manfred

2010-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract A re-examination of the mitochondrial genomes of unisexual salamander lineages, published in BMC Evolutionary Biology, shows them to be the oldest unisexual vertebrates known, having been around for 5 million years. This presents a challenge to the prediction that lack of genetic recombination is a fast track to extinction. See research article http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/10/238

Hope grounded in belief: Influences of reward for application and social cynicism on dispositional hope.

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Bernardo, Allan B I

2013-12-01

Two studies explore whether general beliefs about the social world or social axioms may be antecedents of dispositional hope. Social axioms are generalized cognitive representations that provide frames for constructing individuals' hope-related cognitions. Considering social axioms' instrumental and ego-defensive functions, two social axioms, social cynicism and reward for application are hypothesized to be negative and positive predictors of hope, respectively. Study 1 used multiple regression analysis to test the hypothesis. Study 2 used structural equation modeling to test the model with a pathway linking reward for application with hope, and another pathway linking social cynicism and hope that is mediated by self-esteem. The results are discussed in terms of extending the range of psychological constructs and processes that foster the development of hope. © 2013 The Scandinavian Psychological Associations.

How Much Hope Is Enough? Levels of Hope and Students' Psychological and School Functioning

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Marques, Susana C.; Lopez, Shane J.; Fontaine, Anne Marie; Coimbra, Susana; Mitchell, Joanna

2015-01-01

This study investigated the characteristics of students who report extremely high levels of hope. A sample of 682 students (ages 11-17) completed measures of hope, school engagement, life satisfaction, self-worth, and mental health. Academic achievement was obtained from students' school records. Based on their hope scores, students were divided…

The meaning of hope in nursing research

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hammer, Kristianna; Mogensen, Ole; Hall, Elisabeth O C

2009-01-01

regardless of whether the human being was healthy, chronically or terminally ill. They comprise the complexity of hope and were: living in hope, hoping for something, hope as a light on the horizon, hope as a human-to-human relationship, hope vs. hopelessness and fear: two sides of the same coin, and hope......Scand J Caring Sci; 2009 The meaning of hope in nursing research: a meta-synthesisThe aim of this study was to develop a meta-synthesis of nursing research about hope as perceived by people during sickness and by healthy people. A meta-synthesis does not intend to cover all studies about hope....... Data were 15 qualitative studies published in nursing or allied health journals and conducted in USA, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, Norway, Sweden and Finland. The meta-synthesis resulted in six metaphors that illustrate dimensions of hope. These metaphors permeated the experiences of hope...

From biomedicine to natural history research: EST resources for ambystomatid salamanders

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Bryant Susan V

2004-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Establishing genomic resources for closely related species will provide comparative insights that are crucial for understanding diversity and variability at multiple levels of biological organization. We developed ESTs for Mexican axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum and Eastern tiger salamander (A. tigrinum tigrinum, species with deep and diverse research histories. Results Approximately 40,000 quality cDNA sequences were isolated for these species from various tissues, including regenerating limb and tail. These sequences and an existing set of 16,030 cDNA sequences for A. mexicanum were processed to yield 35,413 and 20,599 high quality ESTs for A. mexicanum and A. t. tigrinum, respectively. Because the A. t. tigrinum ESTs were obtained primarily from a normalized library, an approximately equal number of contigs were obtained for each species, with 21,091 unique contigs identified overall. The 10,592 contigs that showed significant similarity to sequences from the human RefSeq database reflected a diverse array of molecular functions and biological processes, with many corresponding to genes expressed during spinal cord injury in rat and fin regeneration in zebrafish. To demonstrate the utility of these EST resources, we searched databases to identify probes for regeneration research, characterized intra- and interspecific nucleotide polymorphism, saturated a human – Ambystoma synteny group with marker loci, and extended PCR primer sets designed for A. mexicanum / A. t. tigrinum orthologues to a related tiger salamander species. Conclusions Our study highlights the value of developing resources in traditional model systems where the likelihood of information transfer to multiple, closely related taxa is high, thus simultaneously enabling both laboratory and natural history research.

From biomedicine to natural history research: EST resources for ambystomatid salamanders

Science.gov (United States)

Putta, Srikrishna; Smith, Jeramiah J; Walker, John A; Rondet, Mathieu; Weisrock, David W; Monaghan, James; Samuels, Amy K; Kump, Kevin; King, David C; Maness, Nicholas J; Habermann, Bianca; Tanaka, Elly; Bryant, Susan V; Gardiner, David M; Parichy, David M; Voss, S Randal

2004-01-01

Background Establishing genomic resources for closely related species will provide comparative insights that are crucial for understanding diversity and variability at multiple levels of biological organization. We developed ESTs for Mexican axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) and Eastern tiger salamander (A. tigrinum tigrinum), species with deep and diverse research histories. Results Approximately 40,000 quality cDNA sequences were isolated for these species from various tissues, including regenerating limb and tail. These sequences and an existing set of 16,030 cDNA sequences for A. mexicanum were processed to yield 35,413 and 20,599 high quality ESTs for A. mexicanum and A. t. tigrinum, respectively. Because the A. t. tigrinum ESTs were obtained primarily from a normalized library, an approximately equal number of contigs were obtained for each species, with 21,091 unique contigs identified overall. The 10,592 contigs that showed significant similarity to sequences from the human RefSeq database reflected a diverse array of molecular functions and biological processes, with many corresponding to genes expressed during spinal cord injury in rat and fin regeneration in zebrafish. To demonstrate the utility of these EST resources, we searched databases to identify probes for regeneration research, characterized intra- and interspecific nucleotide polymorphism, saturated a human – Ambystoma synteny group with marker loci, and extended PCR primer sets designed for A. mexicanum / A. t. tigrinum orthologues to a related tiger salamander species. Conclusions Our study highlights the value of developing resources in traditional model systems where the likelihood of information transfer to multiple, closely related taxa is high, thus simultaneously enabling both laboratory and natural history research. PMID:15310388

Hope as fantasy in action

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Winther-Lindqvist, Ditte Alexandra

’s attempts for upholding a conduct of everyday life. I argue that hoping serves as a meaning horizon, a gegenstand for adjusting to the ongoing challenges that living with illness impose on the families. Hoping is an imaginary backdrop, against which events and tasks, moods and impressions are experienced......Drawing on Vygotsky’s theory of imagination (Vygotsky 2004) I am proposing a phenomenology of hoping as fantasy in action. Based on analysis of 35 interviews with teenagers who are living in households with a somatically ill parent, I suggest that hoping plays a central role in the teenager...... and evaluated, and thus the fantasies involved in hoping becomes constitutive for experiencing. I apply Vygotsky’s experiential view of imaginary activities and explore the experiential status of the “imagined” and the relation between imagining and the real, through the empirical material on hope. This work...

Effects of atrazine on egg masses of the yellow-spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) and its endosymbiotic alga (Oophila amblystomatis)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baxter, Leilan; Brain, Richard A.; Hosmer, Alan J.; Nema, Mohini; Müller, Kirsten M.; Solomon, Keith R.; Hanson, Mark L.

2015-01-01

Embryonic growth of the yellow-spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) is enhanced by the presence of the green alga Oophila amblystomatis, in the egg capsule. To further assess potential impacts of herbicides on this relationship, A. maculatum egg masses were exposed to atrazine (0–338 μg/L) until hatching (up to 66 days). Exposure to atrazine reduced PSII yield of the symbiotic algae in a concentration-dependent manner, but did not significantly affect visible algal growth or any metrics associated with salamander development. Algal cells were also cultured in the laboratory for toxicity testing. In the 96-h growth inhibition test (0–680 μg/L), ECx values were generally greater than those reported for standard algal test species. Complete recovery of growth rates occurred within 96-h of transferring cells to untreated media. Overall, development of A. maculatum embryos was not affected by exposure to atrazine at concentrations and durations exceeding those found in the environment. - Highlights: • The yellow-spotted salamander produces eggs that are colonized by a symbiotic green alga. • We tested the sensitivity of this system to the herbicide atrazine. • Embryo development was not significantly affected by exposure at up to 300 μg/L. • The alga was isolated and 96-h growth tests were performed in the laboratory. • EC50s for Oophila sp. were >100 μg/L. - Development of Ambystoma maculatum embryos in egg masses was not impacted by exposure to atrazine at concentrations and durations exceeding those commonly found in the environment.

Mast cell chymase reduces the toxicity of Gila monster venom, scorpion venom, and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide in mice

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Akahoshi, Mitsuteru; Song, Chang Ho; Piliponsky, Adrian M.; Metz, Martin; Guzzetta, Andrew; Åbrink, Magnus; Schlenner, Susan M.; Feyerabend, Thorsten B.; Rodewald, Hans-Reimer; Pejler, Gunnar; Tsai, Mindy; Galli, Stephen J.

2011-01-01

Mast cell degranulation is important in the pathogenesis of anaphylaxis and allergic disorders. Many animal venoms contain components that can induce mast cell degranulation, and this has been thought to contribute to the pathology and mortality caused by envenomation. However, we recently reported evidence that mast cells can enhance the resistance of mice to the venoms of certain snakes and that mouse mast cell–derived carboxypeptidase A3 (CPA3) can contribute to this effect. Here, we investigated whether mast cells can enhance resistance to the venom of the Gila monster, a toxic component of that venom (helodermin), and the structurally similar mammalian peptide, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP). Using 2 types of mast cell–deficient mice, as well as mice selectively lacking CPA3 activity or the chymase mouse mast cell protease-4 (MCPT4), we found that mast cells and MCPT4, which can degrade helodermin, can enhance host resistance to the toxicity of Gila monster venom. Mast cells and MCPT4 also can limit the toxicity associated with high concentrations of VIP and can reduce the morbidity and mortality induced by venoms from 2 species of scorpions. Our findings support the notion that mast cells can enhance innate defense by degradation of diverse animal toxins and that release of MCPT4, in addition to CPA3, can contribute to this mast cell function. PMID:21926462

Assessment of a Mobile Game ("MobileKids Monster Manor") to Promote Physical Activity Among Children.

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Garde, Ainara; Umedaly, Aryannah; Abulnaga, S Mazdak; Robertson, Leah; Junker, Anne; Chanoine, Jean Pierre; Ansermino, J Mark; Dumont, Guy A

2015-04-01

The majority of children in North America are not meeting current physical activity guidelines. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of a mobile phone game ("MobileKids Monster Manor") as a tool to promote voluntary physical activity among children. The game integrates data from an accelerometer-based activity monitor (Tractivity(®); Kineteks Corp., Vancouver, BC, Canada) wirelessly connected to a phone and was developed with the involvement of a team of young advisors (KidsCan Initiative: Involving Youth as Ambassadors for Research). Fifty-four children 8-13 years old completed a week of baseline data collection by wearing an accelerometer but receiving no feedback about their activity levels. The 54 children were then sequentially assigned to two groups: One group played "MobileKids Monster Manor," and the other received daily activity feedback (steps and active minutes) via an online program. The physical activity (baseline and intervention weeks) was measured using the activity monitor and compared using two-way repeated-measures analysis of variance (intervention×time). Forty-seven children with a body mass index (BMI) z-score of 0.35±1.18 successfully completed the study. Significant (P=0.01) increases in physical activity were observed during the intervention week in both the game and feedback groups (1191 and 796 steps/day, respectively). In the game group, greater physical activity was demonstrated in children with higher BMI z-score, showing 964 steps/day more per BMI z-score unit (P=0.03; 95 percent confidence interval of 98 to 1829). Further investigation is required to confirm that our game design promotes physical activity.

Response of stream-breeding salamander larvae to sediment deposition in southern Appalachian (U.S.A.) headwater streams

Science.gov (United States)

S. Conner Keitzer; Reuben. Goforth

2012-01-01

Summary 1. Increased fine sediment deposition is a prevalent threat to stream biodiversity and has been shown to impact stream-breeding salamanders negatively. However, their complex life histories make it difficult to determine which stage is affected. 2. We conducted field experiments from 26 August to 11 September 2010 and 11 October to 11...

"Hope is that fiery feeling": Using Poetry as Data to Explore the Meanings of Hope for Young People

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Emily Bishop

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Poetic inquiry is a contentious area of qualitative research. In this article, we discuss some of the issues plaguing this field of inquiry. We then analyse a collection of poems about hope written by a sample of young people from Tasmania, Australia. The poems were written as part of the 2011 Tree of Hope project, which utilised multiple, arts-based methods to provide insights into what young people hope for in the future and the role of hope in their lives. Participants utilised one of three poetic structures. While each structure produced distinct themes, a connection between "hope and happiness" overlapped the two structured types of poetry—the acrostic and sense poetry. However, when writing free verse poetry, the expression of additional dimensions of hope, including the flipside of both having hope and losing hope was evident. We conclude that hope is particularly important to young people and that inviting participant-voiced poetry is an effective technique for investigating conceptual topics such as young people and hope. URN: http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs140194

Estimating occurrence and detection probabilities for stream-breeding salamanders in the Gulf Coastal Plain

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Lamb, Jennifer Y.; Waddle, J. Hardin; Qualls, Carl P.

2017-01-01

Large gaps exist in our knowledge of the ecology of stream-breeding plethodontid salamanders in the Gulf Coastal Plain. Data describing where these salamanders are likely to occur along environmental gradients, as well as their likelihood of detection, are important for the prevention and management of amphibian declines. We used presence/absence data from leaf litter bag surveys and a hierarchical Bayesian multispecies single-season occupancy model to estimate the occurrence of five species of plethodontids across reaches in headwater streams in the Gulf Coastal Plain. Average detection probabilities were high (range = 0.432–0.942) and unaffected by sampling covariates specific to the use of litter bags (i.e., bag submergence, sampling season, in-stream cover). Estimates of occurrence probabilities differed substantially between species (range = 0.092–0.703) and were influenced by the size of the upstream drainage area and by the maximum proportion of the reach that dried. The effects of these two factors were not equivalent across species. Our results demonstrate that hierarchical multispecies models successfully estimate occurrence parameters for both rare and common stream-breeding plethodontids. The resulting models clarify how species are distributed within stream networks, and they provide baseline values that will be useful in evaluating the conservation statuses of plethodontid species within lotic systems in the Gulf Coastal Plain.

Parental hope for children with advanced cancer.

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Kamihara, Junne; Nyborn, Justin A; Olcese, Maura E; Nickerson, Taylor; Mack, Jennifer W

2015-05-01

Previous work suggests that parents of children with cancer can remain hopeful despite receiving prognostic information, but we know little about what hope means to such parents, or the extent to which parents can feel hopeful even while facing the child's impending death. We audiotaped conversations between clinicians and parents of 32 children with relapsed or refractory cancer, and then interviewed parents about their hopes and expectations for their child. Parent statements about prognosis in interviews mirrored those made by clinicians during discussions about the child's diagnosis with refractory or relapsed cancer. Clinicians used language referring to hope during these conversations but did not ask parents directly about their hopes. Parents expressed a range of hopes for their children, from hopes related to cure or treatment response, to quality of life, normalcy, and love and relationships for the child. For most parents, expectations about prognosis were not aligned with their hopes for the child; for example, many parents hoped for a cure and also reported that they did not believe cure was possible. Many parents were able to acknowledge this incongruence. Parents accurately conveyed the reality of their child's serious condition in the setting of advanced cancer, and yet maintained hope. Hopes were not limited to hope for cure/treatment response. Clinicians should be encouraged to engage in direct conversations about hope with parents as a means to elicit realistic hopes that can help to focus the most meaningful plans for the child and family. Copyright © 2015 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Growth, survival, longevity, and population size of the Big Mouth Cave salamander (Gyrinophilus palleucus necturoides) from the type locality in Grundy County, Tennessee, USA

Science.gov (United States)

Niemiller, Matthew L.; Glorioso, Brad M.; Fenolio, Dante B.; Reynolds, R. Graham; Taylor, Steven J.; Miller, Brian T.

2016-01-01

Salamander species that live entirely in subterranean habitats have evolved adaptations that allow them to cope with perpetual darkness and limited energy resources. We conducted a 26-month mark–recapture study to better understand the individual growth and demography of a population of the Big Mouth Cave Salamander (Gyrinophilus palleucus necturoides). We employed a growth model to estimate growth rates, age at sexual maturity, and longevity, and an open population model to estimate population size, density, detectability, and survival rates. Furthermore, we examined cover use and evidence of potential predation. Individuals probably reach sexual maturity in 3–5 years and live at least nine years. Survival rates were generally high (>75%) but declined during the study. More than 30% of captured salamanders had regenerating tails or tail damage, which presumably represent predation attempts by conspecifics or crayfishes. Most salamanders (>90%) were found under cover (e.g., rocks, trash, decaying plant material). Based on 11 surveys during the study, population size estimates ranged from 21 to 104 individuals in the ca. 710 m2 study area. Previous surveys indicated that this population experienced a significant decline from the early 1970s through the 1990s, perhaps related to silvicultural and agricultural practices. However, our data suggest that this population has either recovered or stabilized during the past 20 years. Differences in relative abundance between early surveys and our survey could be associated with differences in survey methods or sampling conditions rather than an increase in population size. Regardless, our study demonstrates that this population is larger than previously thought and is in no immediate risk of extirpation, though it does appear to exhibit higher rates of predation than expected for a species believed to be an apex predator of subterranean food webs.

Hope in newly diagnosed cancer patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Duggleby, Wendy; Ghosh, Sunita; Cooper, Dan; Dwernychuk, Lynne

2013-11-01

Hope is important to cancer patients as it helps them deal with their diagnosis. Little is known about hope in newly diagnosed cancer patients. Based on the Transcending Possibilities conceptual model of hope, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of hope with pain, energy, and psychological and demographic characteristics in newly diagnosed adult oncology outpatients. Data from 310 New Patient Assessment Forms from cancer outpatients' health records were collected. Health records from the first six months of 2009 were reviewed and data were collected on hope, energy, pain, depression, anxiety, feeling overwhelmed, and demographic variables. A generalized linear modeling approach was used to study the relationship of hope scores with these variables. Hypothesized variables and variables that were significant at the P = 0.01 level from the univariate analysis were entered into the multivariate model, with hope scores as the dependent variable. Hope scores were significantly negatively related to age (P = 0.02). More specifically, oncology patients who were 65 years of age or older had significantly less hope than those under the age of 65 years (P = 0.01). Gender (P = 0.009) also was a significant factor, with men having higher hope scores than women. No other variables were significant. Older adults comprise the majority of persons in Canada with cancer. The lower hope scores found in this age group compared with their younger counterparts underscore the importance of further research. This study provides a foundation for future research in this important area for oncology patients. Copyright © 2013 U.S. Cancer Pain Relief Committee. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

24 CFR 971.11 - HOPE VI developments.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 4 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false HOPE VI developments. 971.11... § 971.11 HOPE VI developments. Developments with HOPE VI implementation grants that have approved HOPE... with reasonable revitalization plans. Future HUD actions to approve or deny proposed HOPE VI...

The 'Tully monster' is a vertebrate.

Science.gov (United States)

McCoy, Victoria E; Saupe, Erin E; Lamsdell, James C; Tarhan, Lidya G; McMahon, Sean; Lidgard, Scott; Mayer, Paul; Whalen, Christopher D; Soriano, Carmen; Finney, Lydia; Vogt, Stefan; Clark, Elizabeth G; Anderson, Ross P; Petermann, Holger; Locatelli, Emma R; Briggs, Derek E G

2016-04-28

Problematic fossils, extinct taxa of enigmatic morphology that cannot be assigned to a known major group, were once a major issue in palaeontology. A long-favoured solution to the 'problem of the problematica', particularly the 'weird wonders' of the Cambrian Burgess Shale, was to consider them representatives of extinct phyla. A combination of new evidence and modern approaches to phylogenetic analysis has now resolved the affinities of most of these forms. Perhaps the most notable exception is Tullimonstrum gregarium, popularly known as the Tully monster, a large soft-bodied organism from the late Carboniferous Mazon Creek biota (approximately 309-307 million years ago) of Illinois, USA, which was designated the official state fossil of Illinois in 1989. Its phylogenetic position has remained uncertain and it has been compared with nemerteans, polychaetes, gastropods, conodonts, and the stem arthropod Opabinia. Here we review the morphology of Tullimonstrum based on an analysis of more than 1,200 specimens. We find that the anterior proboscis ends in a buccal apparatus containing teeth, the eyes project laterally on a long rigid bar, and the elongate segmented body bears a caudal fin with dorsal and ventral lobes. We describe new evidence for a notochord, cartilaginous arcualia, gill pouches, articulations within the proboscis, and multiple tooth rows adjacent to the mouth. This combination of characters, supported by phylogenetic analysis, identifies Tullimonstrum as a vertebrate, and places it on the stem lineage to lampreys (Petromyzontida). In addition to increasing the known morphological disparity of extinct lampreys, a chordate affinity for T. gregarium resolves the nature of a soft-bodied fossil which has been debated for more than 50 years.

Hope dies last … A qualitative study into the meaning of hope for people with cancer in the palliative phase.

Science.gov (United States)

Nierop-van Baalen, C; Grypdonck, M; van Hecke, A; Verhaeghe, S

2016-07-01

Palliative patients may have strong hope, even hope for a cure, despite knowing their prognosis. Health professionals do not always understand patients who have this kind of hope. The aim of this article was to explore the meaning of hope among patients with cancer in the palliative phase. A secondary analysis was conducted including a constant comparative analysis to uncover the processes underlying the maintenance of hope, of previously collected interview data (n = 76). The meaning of hope is related to the importance of the object it is attached to, rather than to a real chance of achieving this object. Hope has a dual function: patients hope because they cannot forsake it and because they benefit so much from it. Hope can spring from many sources and is influenced by various factors. If there are fewer potent sources to tap into, people create hope themselves and this type of self-created hope takes more effort to maintain. Patients use different strategies to increase their hope, described as the 'the work of hope'. A better understanding of the work of hope can lead to better psychosocial support by health professionals. Health professionals convey many messages that affect the work of hope. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

"What is the Use of a Book without Pictures?" An Exploration of the Impact of Illustrations on Reading Experience in "A Monster Calls"

Science.gov (United States)

Aggleton, Jen

2017-01-01

This article examines the effect of Jim Kay's illustrations on the experience of reading "A Monster Calls" by Patrick Ness. The author compares the responses of six Key Stage Three children (11-14 years old), three of whom were given an illustrated version of the text, and three a non-illustrated version. The children with an illustrated…

Dance of Two Monster Black Holes

Science.gov (United States)

Kohler, Susanna

2016-03-01

This past December, researchers all over the world watched an outburst from the enormous black hole in OJ 287 an outburst that had been predicted years ago using the general theory of relativity.Outbursts from Black-Hole OrbitsOJ 287 is one of the largest supermassive black holes known, weighing in at 18 billion solar masses. Located about 3.5 billion light-years away, this monster quasar is bright enough that it was first observed as early as the 1890s. What makes OJ 287 especially interesting, however, is that its light curve exhibits prominent outbursts roughly every 12 years.Diagram illustrating the orbit of the secondary black hole (shown in blue) in OJ 287 from 2000 to 2023. We see outbursts (the yellow bubbles) every time the secondary black hole crosses the accretion disk (shown in red, ina side view) surrounding the primary (the black circle). [Valtonen et al. 2016]What causes the outbursts? Astronomers think that there is a second supermassive black hole, ~100 times smaller, inspiraling as it orbits the central monster and set to merge within the next 10,000 years. In this model, the primary black hole of OJ 287 is surrounded by a hot accretion disk. As the secondary black hole orbits the primary, it regularly punches through this accretion disk, heating the material and causing the release of expanding bubbles of hot gas pulled from the disk. This gas then radiates thermally, causing the outbursts we see.Attempts to model this scenario using Newtonian orbits all fail; the timing of the secondary black holes crossings through the accretion disk (as measured by when we see the outbursts) can only be explained by a model incorporating general-relativistic effects on the orbit. Careful observations and precise timing of these outbursts therefore provide an excellent test of general relativity.Watching a Predicted CrossingThe model of OJ 287 predicted another disk crossing in December 2015, so professional and amateur astronomers around the world readied more

Tongue and taste organ development in the ontogeny of direct-developing salamander Plethodon cinereus (Lissamphibia: Plethodontidae).

Science.gov (United States)

Budzik, Karolina A; Żuwała, Krystyna; Kerney, Ryan

2016-07-01

The latest research on direct developing caecilian and anuran species indicate presence of only one generation of taste organs during their ontogeny. This is distinct from indirect developing batrachians studied thus far, which possess taste buds in larvae and anatomically distinct taste discs in metamorphs. This study is a description of the tongue and taste organ morphology and development in direct developing salamander Plethodon cinereus (Plethodontidae) using histology and electron microscopy techniques. The results reveal two distinct stages tongue morphology (primary and secondary), similar to metamorphic urodeles, although only one stage of taste organ morphology. Taste disc sensory zones emerge on the surface of the oropharyngeal epithelium by the end of embryonic development, which coincides with maturation of the soft tongue. Taste organs occur in the epithelium of the tongue pad (where they are situated on the dermal papillae), the palate and the inner surface of the mandible and the maxilla. Plethodon cinereus embryos only possess taste disc type taste organs. Similar to the direct developing anuran Eleutherodactylus coqui (Eleutherodactylidae), these salamanders do not recapitulate larval taste bud morphology as an embryo. The lack of taste bud formation is probably a broadly distributed feature characteristic to direct developing batrachians. J. Morphol. 277:906-915, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Computer-assisted photo identification outperforms visible implant elastomers in an endangered salamander, Eurycea tonkawae.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nathan F Bendik

Full Text Available Despite recognition that nearly one-third of the 6300 amphibian species are threatened with extinction, our understanding of the general ecology and population status of many amphibians is relatively poor. A widely-used method for monitoring amphibians involves injecting captured individuals with unique combinations of colored visible implant elastomer (VIE. We compared VIE identification to a less-invasive method - computer-assisted photographic identification (photoID - in endangered Jollyville Plateau salamanders (Eurycea tonkawae, a species with a known range limited to eight stream drainages in central Texas. We based photoID on the unique pigmentation patterns on the dorsal head region of 1215 individual salamanders using identification software Wild-ID. We compared the performance of photoID methods to VIEs using both 'high-quality' and 'low-quality' images, which were taken using two different camera types and technologies. For high-quality images, the photoID method had a false rejection rate of 0.76% compared to 1.90% for VIEs. Using a comparable dataset of lower-quality images, the false rejection rate was much higher (15.9%. Photo matching scores were negatively correlated with time between captures, suggesting that evolving natural marks could increase misidentification rates in longer term capture-recapture studies. Our study demonstrates the utility of large-scale capture-recapture using photo identification methods for Eurycea and other species with stable natural marks that can be reliably photographed.

24 CFR 572.1 - Overview of HOPE 3.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 3 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Overview of HOPE 3. 572.1 Section... DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY FACILITIES HOPE FOR HOMEOWNERSHIP OF SINGLE FAMILY HOMES PROGRAM (HOPE 3) General § 572.1 Overview of HOPE 3. The purpose of the HOPE for Homeownership of Single Family Homes program (HOPE...

Role of hope in academic and sport achievement.

Science.gov (United States)

Curry, L A; Snyder, C R; Cook, D L; Ruby, B C; Rehm, M

1997-12-01

Hope is the sum of goal thoughts as tapped by pathways and agency. Pathways reflect the perceived capability to produce goal routes; agency reflects the perception that one can initiate action along these pathways. Using trait and state hope scales, studies explored hope in college student athletes. In Study 1, male and female athletes were higher in trait hope than nonathletes; moreover, hope significantly predicted semester grade averages beyond cumulative grade point average and overall self-worth. In Study 2, with female cross-country athletes, trait hope predicted athletic outcomes; further, weekly state hope tended to predict athletic outcomes beyond dispositional hope, training, and self-esteem, confidence, and mood. In Study 3, with female track athletes, dispositional hope significantly predicted athletic outcomes beyond variance related to athletic abilities and affectivity; moreover, athletes had higher hope than nonathletes.

Holding on to hope: A review of the literature exploring missing persons, hope and ambiguous loss.

Science.gov (United States)

Wayland, Sarah; Maple, Myfanwy; McKay, Kathy; Glassock, Geoffrey

2016-01-01

When a person goes missing, those left behind mourn an ambiguous loss where grief can be disenfranchised. Different to bereavement following death, hope figures into this experience as a missing person has the potential to return. This review explores hope for families of missing people. Lived experience of ambiguous loss was deconstructed to reveal responses punctuated by hope, which had practical and psychological implications for those learning to live with an unresolved absence. Future lines of enquiry must address the dearth of research exploring the role of hope, unresolved grief, and its clinical implications when a person is missing.

A 3D musculo-mechanical model of the salamander for the study of different gaits and modes of locomotion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nalin eHarischandra

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Computer simulation has been used to investigate several aspectsof locomotion in salamanders. Here we introduce a three-dimensionalforward dynamics mechanical model of a salamander, with physicallyrealistic weight and size parameters. Movements of the four limbs and ofthe trunk and tail are generated by sets of linearly modeled skeletalmuscles. In this study, activation of these muscles were driven byprescribed neural output patterns. The model was successfully used tomimic locomotion on level ground and in water. We compare thewalking gait where a wave of activity in the axial muscles travelsbetween the girdles, with the trotting gait in simulations usingthe musculo-mechanical model. In a separate experiment, the model is usedto compare different strategies for turning while stepping; either bybending the trunk or by using side-stepping in the front legs. We foundthat for turning, the use of side-stepping alone or in combination withtrunk bending, was more effective than the use of trunk bending alone. Weconclude that the musculo-mechanical model described here together with aproper neural controller is useful for neuro-physiological experiments insilico.

The nature of hope among Iranian cancer patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Afrooz, Rashed; Rahmani, Azad; Zamanzadeh, Vahid; Abdullahzadeh, Farahnaz; Azadi, Arman; Faghany, Safieh; Pirzadeh, Asgar

2014-01-01

Hope is an important coping resource for cancer patients. Types and sources of hope and hope- inspiring strategies are not well investigated among Iranian cancer patients. The aims of present study were therefore to investigate the nature of hope and some demographic predictors of hope among Iranian cancer patients. This descriptive-correlational study was undertaken among 200 cancer patients admitted to an educational center affiliated to Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Iran. Participants were selected using a convenience sampling method. The Herth Hope Index and other validated questionnaires were used to investigate level of hope and types and sources of hope, as well as hope-inspiring strategies. Data were analyzed using SPSS statistical software. The overall score for hope was 31 from total scores ranging between 12 and 48. Some 94% of patients mentioned 'return to normal life' and 'complete healing of disease by drugs and physicians' as their main hopes. The most important sources of hope reported by patients include spiritual resources, family members, healthcare workers, and medicines and treatments available for the disease. Relationship with God, praying/blessing, controlling the signs and symptoms of the disease, and family/health care workers' support were the main hope-inspiring strategies. Patients who had a history of metastasis, or who were older, illiterate, divorced/widowed and lived with their children reported lower levels of hope. On the other hand, employed patients and those with good support from their families had higher levels of hope. The study findings showed moderate to high levels of hope among Iranian cancer patients. Accordingly, the role of spiritual/religion, family members and health care workers should be considered in developing care plans for these patients.

The tenacity and tenuousness of hope: parental experiences of hope when their child has a poor cancer prognosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Barrera, Maru; Granek, Leeat; Shaheed, Jenny; Nicholas, David; Beaune, Laura; D'Agostino, Norma M; Bouffet, Eric; Antle, Beverly

2013-01-01

The meaning and role of hope in parents of children with life-threatening illnesses remain relatively unstudied. The objectives of this study were to explore parental hope when a child is being treated for a malignancy resistant to treatment and to identify facilitators and barriers to maintaining hope in this context. Thirty-five parents of children with difficult-to-treat cancer were interviewed 3 months after diagnosis. Line-by-line coding of transcripts was used to establish categories and themes. Constant comparison was used to examine relationships within and across codes and categories. Parental hope was related to the child's cure and future. The concept, however, oscillated between being tenacious and robust, and tenuous and elusive, depending on how the child was responding to treatment and the psychosocial context. Focusing on positive outcomes and experiences, spirituality, and social support facilitated being hopeful. Awareness of negative outcomes, information overload, physical and emotional depletion, and fear and uncertainty challenged parental hope. Developing a model that identifies the nature of parental hope as well as barriers and facilitators to maintaining hope shortly after childhood cancer diagnosis may assist healthcare professionals in supporting parents. Understanding parental hope may assist healthcare professionals to avoid overloading parents with too much information at once. Healthcare professionals can also ensure that social support from family, community, and the medical center is available for parents and that their physical and emotional needs are being met to ensure that they maintain hope to best care for their child with cancer.

Fostering hope in the patient with cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Lichwala, Rebecca

2014-06-01

When a patient is diagnosed with cancer, feelings such as fear, anxiety, and hopelessness can negatively affect a person's frame of mind. Hope can help a patient decrease anxiety and increase quality of life. Nurses should assess hope, provide interventions, be empathetic, listen, and treat patients with dignity to help improve hope and quality of life. This article features how hope can have a positive impact and provides specific information about how nurses can promote and foster hope in patients with cancer.

You can count on monsters the first 100 numbers and their characters

CERN Document Server

Schwartz, Richard Evan

2010-01-01

Using a unique teaching tool designed to motivate kids to learn, this volume visually explores the concepts of factoring and the role of prime and composite numbers. The playful and colorful monsters are designed to give children (and even older audiences) an intuitive understanding of the building blocks of numbers and the basics of multiplication. The introduction and appendices can also help adult readers answer questions about factoring from their young audience. The artwork is crisp and creative and the colors are bright and engaging, making this volume a welcome deviation from standard math texts. CRC Press Author and NPR's Math Guy Keith Devlin spoke with Scott Simon about how the book makes finding prime numbers fun. "This is one of the most amazing math books for kids I have ever seen...," Devlin says. "Great colors, it's wonderful, and yet because [Schwartz] knows the mathematics, he very skillfully and subtly embeds mathematical ideas into the drawings."

Frankenstein’s Monster Comes Home: The ‘Two Cultures’ in Remix

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

James Barrett

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley (1818 is the starting point for this reading of remix in relation to authorship and its implications for creative work. The monster in Frankenstein has no single author, or father, and is damned by his mixed parentage as much as by his inability to recreate himself. Alone, he falls into the waste as a product of the divide between poetry and science. The ‘two cultures’ coined by C. P. Snow (1956 address this same divide and lament its dominance in mid twentieth-century intellectual life. But contemporary remix culture that relies on digital media closes this gap as poets now write code and artists are technicians. In my close reading of five remixes I show that origin is no longer relevant in the mixed material realization of processes that are performed or ‘re-authored’ in reception. In these remixes the creator reinterprets by changing the context of remixed elements in the works. The result is textual hybrids that are remixed further in reception.

Between hope and hopelessness

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Ingrid Charlotte; Thomsen, Thora Grothe; Bruun, Poul

2018-01-01

and seven family members during follow-up visits at hospital and at the participants' homes between 2014 and 2016. A phenomenological-hermeneutical approach was used to interpret the data. RESULTS: 'Between hope and hopelessness' involved frustrations, concerns and doubts, all of which could relate...... to the interaction with healthcare providers. 'Seeking support from healthcare services', 'navigating between healthcare providers' and 'collaborating with healthcare providers at home' could entail opportunities to strengthen self-management and hope; however, it could also entail reduced faith in getting the right...... help and hopelessness. CONCLUSION: During a period of transition after hospitalisation, available and well-coordinated healthcare services, and alliances with healthcare professionals are crucial to COPD patients and their family members in terms of their self-management, hope and well-being....

The influence of a water current on the larval deposition pattern of females of a diverging fire salamander population (Salamandra salamandra)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Krause, E.T.; Caspers, B.A.

2015-01-01

Fire salamanders are amphibians that exhibit a highly specific reproductive mode termed ovo-viviparity. The eggs develop inside their mothers, and the females give birth to fully developed larvae. The larvae in our study area cluster in two distinct genetic groups that can be linked directly to the

Sisters Hope - the exposed self

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lawaetz, Anna; Hallberg, Gry Worre

Sisters Hope is an art-educational method and a practice-led research tool, rooted in the construction of a fictional parallel universe revolving around the twin sisters Coco and Coca Pebber. Our work is rooted in the ambition to democratize the aesthetic dimension through ‘affective engineering......’ and the establishment of fictional spaces outside the institutional art context. In the Unfolding Academia-context Sisters Hope investigates new forms of research and (re)presentation through the creation of interactive and affective learning-spaces. At Collective Futures Sisters Hope explored questions such as: How...

Retrotransposon long interspersed nucleotide element-1 (LINE-1) is activated during salamander limb regeneration

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Wei; Kuo, Dwight; Nathanson, Jason; Satoh, Akira; Pao, Gerald M.; Yeo, Gene W.; Bryant, Susan V.; Voss, S. Randal; Gardiner, David M.; Hunter, Tony

2012-01-01

Salamanders possess an extraordinary capacity for tissue and organ regeneration when compared to mammals. In our effort to characterize the unique transcriptional fingerprint emerging during the early phase of salamander limb regeneration, we identified transcriptional activation of some germline-specific genes within the Mexican axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) that is indicative of cellular reprogramming of differentiated cells into a germline-like state. In this work, we focus on one of these genes, the long interspersed nucleotide element-1 (LINE-1) retrotransposon, which is usually active in germ cells and silent in most of the somatic tissues in other organisms. LINE-1 was found to be dramatically upregulated during regeneration. In addition, higher genomic LINE-1 content was also detected in the limb regenerate when compared to that before amputation indicating that LINE-1 retrotransposition is indeed active during regeneration. Active LINE-1 retrotransposition has been suggested to have a potentially deleterious impact on genomic integrity. Silencing of activated LINE-1 by small RNAs has been reported to be part of the machinery aiming to maintain genomic integrity. Indeed, we were able to identify putative LINE-1-related piRNAs in the limb blastema. Transposable element-related piRNAs have been identified frequently in the germline in other organisms. Thus, we present here a scenario in which a unique germline-like state is established during axolotl limb regeneration, and the re-activation of LINE-1 may serve as a marker for cellular dedifferentiation in the early-stage of limb regeneration. PMID:22913491

Development and preliminary testing of the Schizophrenia Hope Scale, a brief scale to measure hope in people with schizophrenia.

Science.gov (United States)

Choe, Kwisoon

2014-06-01

Hope has received attention as a central component of recovery from mental illness; however, most instruments measuring hope were developed outside the mental health field. To measure the effects of mental health programs on hope in people with schizophrenia, a specialized scale is needed. This study examined the psychometric properties of the newly developed 9-item Schizophrenia Hope Scale (SHS-9) designed to measure hope in individuals with schizophrenia. A descriptive survey design. Participants were recruited from three psychiatric hospitals and two community mental health centers in South Korea. A total of 347 individuals over age 18 with a DSM-IV diagnosis of schizophrenia, schizoaffective, or schizophrenia spectrum disorders (competent to provide written informed consent) participated in this study; 149 (94 men, 55 women) completed a preliminary scale consisting of 40 revised items, and 198 (110 men, 88 women) completed the second scale of 17 items. Scale items were first selected from extensive literature reviews and a qualitative study on hope in people with schizophrenia; the validity and reliability of a preliminary scale was then evaluated by an expert panel and exploratory factor analysis. The remaining 9 items forming the Schizophrenia Hope Scale (SHS-9) were evaluated through confirmatory factor analysis. The SHS-9 demonstrates promising psychometric integrity. The internal consistency alpha coefficient was 0.92 with a score range of 0-18 and a mean total score of 12.06 (SD=4.96), with higher scores indicating higher levels of hope. Convergent validity was established by correlating the SHS-9 to the State-Trait Hope Inventory, r=0.61 (phope accounting for 61.77% of the total item variance. As hope has been shown to facilitate recovery from mental illness, the accurate assessment of hope provided by the short, easy-to-use Schizophrenia Hope Scale (SHS-9) may aid clinicians in improving the quality of life of individuals with schizophrenia. Copyright �

Improving communication on hope in palliative care. A qualitative study of palliative care professionals' metaphors of hope: grip, source, tune, and vision

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Olsman, Erik; Duggleby, Wendy; Nekolaichuk, Cheryl; Willems, Dick; Gagnon, Judith; Kruizinga, Renske; Leget, Carlo

2014-01-01

Hope is important in palliative care. However, palliative care professionals' perspectives on hope are not well understood. Metaphors of hope are a way of better understanding these perspectives. To describe palliative care professionals' perspectives on hope by examining the hope metaphors they

HOPEFULNESS IN HOPELESSNESS: A HERMENEUTICAL ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Dean SPGS NAU

time at Auschwitz that people who lost all hope were the first to die. He writes: ... The future was to be one of happiness to which all men are ... The OT's hope falls short with death. .... Going back in our memory lane, one remembers when.

Modes of hoping: understanding hope and expectation in the context of a clinical trial of complementary and alternative medicine for chronic pain.

Science.gov (United States)

Eaves, Emery R; Ritenbaugh, Cheryl; Nichter, Mark; Hopkins, Allison L; Sherman, Karen J

2014-01-01

This article explores the role of hope in participants' assessments of their expectations, experiences and treatment outcomes. Data analysis focused on semi-structured, open-ended interviews with 44 participants, interviewed 3-5 times each over the course of a study evaluating Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for temporomandibular disorders (TMD), a form of chronic orofacial pain. Transcripts were coded and analyzed using qualitative and ethnographic methods. A "Modes of Hoping" (Webb, 2007)(1) framework informed our analysis. Five modes of hoping emerged from participant narratives: Realistic Hope, Wishful Hope, Utopian Hope, Technoscience Hope, and Transcendent Hope. Using this framework, hope is demonstrated as exerting a profound influence over how participants assess and report their expectations. This suggests that researchers interested in measuring expectations and understanding their role in treatment outcomes should consider hope as exercising a multi-faceted and dynamic influence on participants' reporting of expectations and their experience and evaluation of treatment. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cura animarum as hope care: Towards a theology of the resurrection within the human quest for meaning and hope

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel J. Louw

2014-04-01

Full Text Available The following critical questions are posed: is hope the antidote of dread and despair or a kind of escapism from the harsh realities of anguish and suffering? What is meant by hope in Christian spirituality and how is hope connected to a theology of the resurrection? Is resurrection hope merely a kind of cheap triumphantalism and variant of a theologia gloriae? The basic assumption is that the notion of the resurrection can contribute to ‘the thickening of alternative stories of faith’. A theologia resurrectionis is about the reframing of life by means of a radical paradox: ‘Where, O death is your victory? Where, O death is your sting?’ If pastoral caregiving is indeed about change and hope, the resurrection describes an ontology of hope by which human beings are transformed into a total new being. Beyond the discriminating and stigmatising categories of many social and cultural discourses on our being human, resurrection theology defines hope as a new state of mind and being. The identity of human beings is therefore not determined by descent, gender, race or social status, but by eschatology (new creation. Hope care is primarily about a new courage to be. It opens up different frameworks for meaningful living within the realm of human suffering.

Hope, Life, and Death: A Qualitative Analysis of Dying Cancer Patients' Talk about Hope

Science.gov (United States)

Eliott, Jaklin A.; Olver, Ian N.

2009-01-01

Although deemed vital to patient well-being, hope in persons who are terminally ill is often thought to be problematic, particularly when centered on cure. As part of a study on end-of-life decision-making, we asked 28 patients with cancer, believed to be within weeks of their death, to talk about hope. Responses were transcribed and discursively…

Measuring hope among families impacted by cognitive impairment.

Science.gov (United States)

Hunsaker, Amanda E; Terhorst, Lauren; Gentry, Amanda; Lingler, Jennifer H

2016-07-01

The current exploratory investigation aims to establish the reliability and validity of a hope measure, the Herth Hope Index, among families impacted by early cognitive impairment (N = 96). Exploratory factor analysis was used to examine the dimensionality of the measure. Bivariate analyses were used to examine construct validity. The sample had moderately high hope scores. A two-factor structure emerged from the factor analysis, explaining 51.44% of the variance. Both factors exhibited strong internal consistency (Cronbach's alphas ranged from .83 to .86). Satisfaction with social support was positively associated with hope, supporting convergent validity. Neurocognitive status, illness insight, and depression were not associated with hope, indicating discriminant validity. Families impacted by cognitive impairment may maintain hope in the face of a potentially progressive illness, regardless of cognitive status. The Herth Hope Index can be utilized as a reliable and valid measure of hope by practitioners providing support to families impacted by cognitive impairment. © The Author(s) 2014.

Chloride equilibrium potential in salamander cones

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bryson Eric J

2004-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background GABAergic inhibition and effects of intracellular chloride ions on calcium channel activity have been proposed to regulate neurotransmission from photoreceptors. To assess the impact of these and other chloride-dependent mechanisms on release from cones, the chloride equilibrium potential (ECl was determined in red-sensitive, large single cones from the tiger salamander retinal slice. Results Whole cell recordings were done using gramicidin perforated patch techniques to maintain endogenous Cl- levels. Membrane potentials were corrected for liquid junction potentials. Cone resting potentials were found to average -46 mV. To measure ECl, we applied long depolarizing steps to activate the calcium-activated chloride current (ICl(Ca and then determined the reversal potential for the current component that was inhibited by the Cl- channel blocker, niflumic acid. With this method, ECl was found to average -46 mV. In a complementary approach, we used a Cl-sensitive dye, MEQ, to measure the Cl- flux produced by depolarization with elevated concentrations of K+. The membrane potentials produced by the various high K+ solutions were measured in separate current clamp experiments. Consistent with electrophysiological experiments, MEQ fluorescence measurements indicated that ECl was below -36 mV. Conclusions The results of this study indicate that ECl is close to the dark resting potential. This will minimize the impact of chloride-dependent presynaptic mechanisms in cone terminals involving GABAa receptors, glutamate transporters and ICl(Ca.

Developing landscape habitat models for rare amphibians with small geographic ranges: a case study of Siskiyou Mountains salamanders in the western USA

Science.gov (United States)

Nobuya Suzuki; Deanna H. Olson; Edward C. Reilly

2007-01-01

To advance the development of conservation planning for rare species with small geographic ranges, we determined habitat associations of Siskiyou Mountains salamanders (Plethodon stormi) and developed habitat suitability models at fine (10 ha), medium (40 ha), and broad (202 ha) spatial scales using available geographic information systems data and...

The Armour of Hope and other works

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kate Just

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The series of work entitled 'The Skin of Hope' was produced during a 2012 Australia Council for the Arts studio residency in Barcelona, where I was accompanied by my partner Paula and our adopted daughter, Hope. Blurring the usual divide between familial life and art practice, the residency inspired a series of hand knitted sculptures and photographs weaving an account of the ways that Hope and I acknowledge, bond and imprint each other at skin level. Materialising our past wounds and present, tactile connections, the works include a hanging, child-sized, knitted suit of armour for Hope and a reversible pair of knitted arm-length gloves for me, scar-embroidered with surgical stitches and the words HOPE and MOTHER. Through the slow crafting of the works, and the photographs of us wearing the garments, I reflected on Hope's and my own resilience, repair and capacity to love. In a photographic work featuring Hope's text and drawing of herself on my naked back, I further framed skin as both a receptive and transmissive space, bearing witness to our most intimate moments.

Feeling hopeful inspires support for social change

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Greenaway, Katharine H.; Cichocka, Aleksandra; van Veelen, Ruth; Likki, Tiina; Branscombe, Nyla R.

2014-01-01

Hope is an emotion that has been implicated in social change efforts, yet little research has examined whether feeling hopeful actually motivates support for social change. Study 1 (N = 274) confirmed that hope is associated with greater support for social change in two countries with different

HOPE udveksling i Europa

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Ulla

1996-01-01

En artikel om deltagelse i HOPE (Hospital Professional Exchange) - 6 ugers studiebesøg på et hospital i udlandet. Ulla Pedersen fortæller om 6 uger med fokus på rehabilitering i det hollandske sundhedsvæsen.......En artikel om deltagelse i HOPE (Hospital Professional Exchange) - 6 ugers studiebesøg på et hospital i udlandet. Ulla Pedersen fortæller om 6 uger med fokus på rehabilitering i det hollandske sundhedsvæsen....

ICRF power-deposition profiles, heating and confinement of monster sawtooth and peaked-density profile discharges in JET

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhatnagar, V.P.; Taroni, A.; Ellis, J.J.; Jacquinot, J.; Start, D.F.H.

1989-01-01

The ion cyclotron resonance heating of monster sawtooth (period greater than the energy confinement time) and pellet-fueled peaked-density profiles in limiter discharges of JET Tokamak are studied. The monster sawtooth is a characteristic JET regime which is related to fast ions generated during the minority ion heating. In the ICRF heating of peaked-density profile discharges, we find typically the T i0 is higher roughly by a factor of 2 and T e0 roughly by 35% at a fixed P TOT /n e0 when compared to non-peaked profile cases. Here, T e0 and T i0 are central electron and ion temperatures, respectively, n e0 is the central electron density and P TOT is the total input power. The ion heating is improved in the pellet case, in part, due to a higher collisionality between the background ions and the energetic minority, but more significantly by a reduction of local ion energy transport in the central region. The transport-code simulation of these discharges reveals that there is a reduction of both χ e and χ i in the central region of the plasma in the ICRF heated peaked-profile discharges where χ e and χ i are the electron and ion heat conductivities, respectively. The improvement of confinement is not explained quantitatively by any of the existing η i -driven turbulence theories as the n i parameter (η i = d ln T i /d ln n i where T i is the ion temperature and n i is the ion density), instead of dropping below the critical value, remains above it for most of the duration of the improved confinement phase. The physical mechanism(s) that plays a role in this improvement is not yet clear. (author)

Plethodontid salamander mitochondrial genomics: A parsimonyevaluation of character conflict and implications for historicalbiogeography

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Macey, J. Robert

2005-01-19

A new parsimony analysis of 27 complete mitochondrial genomic sequences is conducted to investigate the phylogenetic relationships of plethodontid salamanders. This analysis focuses on the amount of character conflict between phylogenetic trees recovered from newly conducted parsimony searches and the Bayesian and maximum likelihood topology reported by Mueller et al. (2004, PNAS, 101, 13820-13825). Strong support for Hemidactylium as the sister taxon to all other plethodontids is recovered from parsimony analyses. Plotting area relationships on the most parsimonious phylogenetic tree suggests that eastern North America is the origin of the family Plethodontidae supporting the ''Out of Appalachia'' hypothesis. A new taxonomy that recognizes clades recovered from phylogenetic analyses is proposed.

Road deicing salt irreversibly disrupts osmoregulation of salamander egg clutches.

Science.gov (United States)

Karraker, Nancy E; Gibbs, James P

2011-03-01

It has been postulated that road deicing salts are sufficiently diluted by spring rains to ameliorate any physiological impacts to amphibians breeding in wetlands near roads. We tested this conjecture by exposing clutches of the spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) to three chloride concentrations (1 mg/L, 145 mg/L, 945 mg/L) for nine days, then transferred clutches to control water for nine days, and measured change in mass at three-day intervals. We measured mass change because water uptake by clutches reduces risks to embryos associated with freezing, predation, and disease. Clutches in controls sequestered water asymptotically. Those in the moderate concentrations lost 18% mass initially and regained 14% after transfer to control water. Clutches in high concentration lost 33% mass and then lost an additional 8% after transfer. Our results suggest that spring rains do not ameliorate the effects of deicing salts in wetlands with extremely high chloride concentrations. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sexos, sexualidades e gêneros: monstruosidades no currículo da Educação Sexual Sexes, sexualities and genders: monsters in Sexual Education curriculum

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jimena Furlani

2007-12-01

Full Text Available Apresento um exercício de análise cultural, a partir da frase "Que bicho é esse?" - do livro paradidático infantil (Lopes, 2000 para se referir a "sexo" e "sexualidade". Problematizo as potencialidades reflexivas da Educação Sexual tendo como referência a "Pedagogia dos Monstros" (Cohen, 2000 e a "desconstrução" como método analítico, articulando-as com teorizações nos campos dos Estudos Culturais e Feministas, sob a perspectiva pós-estruturalista de análise. Na Escola "os sexos", "as sexualidades" e "os gêneros" podem ser pensados como "monstros curriculares", assim como todo assunto marcado pela polêmica, pela provisoriedade, pela normalização. Como fenômeno metafórico cultural "os monstros" subordinam-se aos padrões hegemônicos da cultura normativa ao mesmo tempo em que resistem a eles. Essa resistência permite que, na Educação Sexual, os processos constituintes da normalidade e da desigualdade possam ser permanentemente postos em questão.I present an exercise of cultural analysis using the sentence "What is this thing?", from the children's textbook (Lopes, 2000 to refer to "sex" and "sexuality". I discuss the reflexive potential in Sexual Education, having as a reference Pedagogy of the Monsters (Cohen, 2000 and the "deconstruction" as an analytical method, associating them with theories in the fields of Cultural Studies and Feminist Studies, under the post-structuralist perspective of analysis. At school, "the sexes", "the sexualities" and "the genres" can be thought as "curricular monsters", as well as all the subjects marked by controversy, fleetness, normalization. As a cultural metaphoric phenomenon, "the monsters" subordinate themselves to the hegemonic standards of the normative culture at the same time they resist to them. This resistance allows the constituent processes of normality and the inequality in Sexual Education can be permanently questioned.

Improving communication on hope in palliative care. A qualitative study of palliative care professionals' metaphors of hope: grip, source, tune, and vision.

Science.gov (United States)

Olsman, Erik; Duggleby, Wendy; Nekolaichuk, Cheryl; Willems, Dick; Gagnon, Judith; Kruizinga, Renske; Leget, Carlo

2014-11-01

Hope is important in palliative care. However, palliative care professionals' perspectives on hope are not well understood. Metaphors of hope are a way of better understanding these perspectives. To describe palliative care professionals' perspectives on hope by examining the hope metaphors they spontaneously used to describe their own hope and their perspectives on the hope of patients and their families. Semistructured interviews with palliative care professionals were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using a narrative approach. Results were discussed until the researchers reached consensus and reinforced by other health-care professionals and by observing several palliative care settings. The 64 participants (mean (SD) age, 48.42 (9.27) years and 72% female) were physicians (41%), nurses (34%), chaplains (20%), or other professionals (5%), working in Canada (19%) or The Netherlands (81%). Participants described the hope of patients, their families, or themselves as a 1) grip, which implied safety; 2) source, which implied strength; 3) tune, which implied harmony; and 4) vision, which implied a positive perspective. Compared with Dutch participants, Canadian participants generally put more emphasis on spirituality and letting go of their own hope as a grip (safety). Compared with other included professionals, physicians used hope as a grip (safety) most often, whereas chaplains used hope as a tune (harmony) most often. Our findings help to increase the understanding of hope and contribute to improving communication skills in palliative care professionals. Copyright © 2014 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Meta-Analyses of Predictors of Hope in Adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Yarcheski, Adela; Mahon, Noreen E

2016-03-01

The purposes of this study were to identify predictors of hope in the literature reviewed, to use meta-analysis to determine the mean effect size (ES) across studies between each predictor and hope, and to examine four moderators on each predictor-hope relationship. Using preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines for the literature reviewed, 77 published studies or doctoral dissertations completed between 1990 and 2012 met the inclusion criteria. Eleven predictors of hope were identified and each predictor in relation to hope was subjected to meta-analysis. Five predictors (positive affect, life satisfaction, optimism, self-esteem, and social support) of hope had large mean ESs, 1 predictor (depression) had a medium ES, 4 predictors (negative affect, stress, academic achievement, and violence) had small ESs, and 1 predictor (gender) had a trivial ES. Findings are interpreted for the 11 predictors in relation to hope. Limitations and conclusions are addressed; future studies are recommended. © The Author(s) 2014.

Pseudo-immunolabelling with the avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex (ABC) due to the presence of endogenous biotin in retinal Müller cells of goldfish and salamander

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bhattacharjee, J.; Nunes Cardozo, B.; Kamphuis, W.; Kamermans, M.; Vrensen, G. F.

1997-01-01

Immunodetection techniques are dependent on enzyme-protein conjugates for the visualisation of antigen-antibody complexes. One of the most widely used is the avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex (ABC) method. The present study demonstrates that direct treatment of goldfish and salamander retinal

Site-level habitat models for the endemic, threatened Cheat Mountain salamander (Plethodon nettingi): the importance of geophysical and biotic attributes for predicting occurrence

Science.gov (United States)

Lester O. Dillard; Kevin R. Russell; W. Mark Ford

2008-01-01

The federally threatened Cheat Mountain salamander (Plethodon nettingi; hereafter CMS) is known to occur in approximately 70 small, scattered populations in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia, USA. Current conservation and management efforts on federal, state, and private lands involving CMS largely rely on small scale, largely...

Hope, self-efficacy, spiritual well-being and job satisfaction.

Science.gov (United States)

Duggleby, Wendy; Cooper, Dan; Penz, Kelly

2009-11-01

Hope, self-efficacy, spiritual well-being and job satisfaction. This paper is a report of a study of the relations of spiritual well-being, global job satisfaction, and general self-efficacy to hope in Continuing Care Assistants. Healthcare providers have described their hope as an important part of their work and a form of work motivation. Hope may be an important factor in preventing burnout and improving job satisfaction. A concurrent triangulation mixed method design was used. Sixty-four Continuing Care Assistants (personal care aides) who registered for a 'Living with Hope' Conference completed a demographic form, Herth Hope Index, Global Job Satisfaction Questionnaire, Spiritual Well-Being Scale, General Self-Efficacy Scale, and a hope questionnaire. Data were collected in 2007. The response rate was 58%. Using linear regression, 29.9% of the variance in Herth Hope Index score was accounted for by scores from the General Self-Efficacy Scale and Spiritual Well-Being Scale. General Self-efficacy scores (positive relationship) and Spiritual Well-Being scores (negative relationship) accounted for a significant part of the variance. Qualitative data supported all findings, with the exception of the negative relationship between hope and spiritual well-being; participants wrote that faith, relationships, helping others and positive thinking helped them to have hope. They also wrote that hope had a positive influence on their job satisfaction and performance. Hope is an important concept in the work life of Continuing Care Assistants. Supportive relationships, adequate resources, encouragement by others, and improving perceptions of self-efficacy (ability to achieve goals in their workplace) may foster their hope.

The content of hope in ambulatory patients with colon cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Beckman, Emily S; Helft, Paul R; Torke, Alexia M

2013-01-01

Although hope is a pervasive concept in cancer treatment, we know little about how ambulatory patients with cancer define or experience hope. We explored hope through semistructured interviews with ten patients with advanced (some curable, some incurable) colon cancer at one Midwestern, university-based cancer center. We conducted a thematic analysis to identify key concepts related to patient perceptions of hope. Although we did ask specifically about hope, patients also often revealed their hopes in response to indirect questions or by telling stories about their cancer experience. We identified four major themes related to hope: 1) hope is essential, 2) a change in perspective, 3) the content of hope, and 4) communicating about hope. The third theme, the content of hope, included three subthemes: a) the desire for normalcy, b) future plans, and c) hope for a cure. We conclude that hope is an essential concept for patients undergoing treatment for cancer as it pertains to their psychological well-being and quality of life, and hope for a cure is not and should not be the only consideration. In a clinical context, the exploration of patients' hopes and aspirations in light of their cancer diagnosis is important because it provides a frame for understanding their goals for treatment. Exploration of the content of patients' hope can not only help to illuminate misunderstandings but also clarify how potential treatments may or may not contribute to achieving patients' goals.

Keeping hope possible: a grounded theory study of the hope experience of parental caregivers who have children in treatment for cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Bally, Jill M G; Duggleby, Wendy; Holtslander, Lorraine; Mpofu, Christopher; Spurr, Shelley; Thomas, Roanne; Wright, Karen

2014-01-01

Hope has been found to support parents as they care for their child with a life-limiting or life-threatening illness. However, very little research focuses on the nursing care of parents of pediatric oncology patients, and therefore, nurses may have difficulty in understanding and supporting parental well-being. The purpose of this qualitative study was to gain an understanding of the experience of hope for parents who care for their child in treatment for cancer. Using purposive theoretical sampling, 16 parents participated in this study. Thirty-three open-ended, face-to-face interviews were conducted, and 14 parent journals were collected. Analysis of the data was conducted using Charmaz's constructivist grounded theory approach. A developing, substantive grounded theory was constructed. Parental hope was described as an essential, powerful, deliberate, life-sustaining, dynamic, cyclical process that was anchored in time; was calming and strengthening; and provided inner guidance through the challenging experience of preparing for the worst and hoping for the best. Parents' main concern was "fearing the loss of hope," which was ameliorated by the basic social process of "keeping hope possible" through accepting reality, establishing control, restructuring hope, and purposive positive thinking. Parents journeyed through numerous transitions related to the treatment of cancer that caused feelings of uncertainty, anxiety, stress, and loss of control. Hope was identified as vital to parents. To minimize these adverse experiences, nurses can support parents' ability to keep hope possible and thus to optimize their well-being by understanding, assessing, and supporting parental hope.

Types of hope and action styles of adolescents

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Aleksandra Myślińska

2016-04-01

Full Text Available The problem discussed in this article concerns the relationship between hope and action styles in adolescents. An action style is a way in which man perceives and responds to the outside world, and it may be aimed at securing oneself or interacting with the surroundings. The main aim of this analysis was to find out if, and to what degree, the level of hope is connected with action styles. The following hypotheses are proposed: H – 1. There is a relationship between hope and an action style. H- 2. Persons with different types of hope are characterised by different styles of action. H – 3. Persons with a high level of hope have a cooperation -oriented style. H – 4. Persons with a low level of hope are often characterised by a style aimed at protecting themselves. 149 persons aged 17 – 18 participated in the study. The following methods were used: the Basic Hope Inventory (BHI-12 – compiled by Trzebiński and M. Zięba, the Hope for Success Questionnaire (KNS – adaptation of C. R. Snyder’s questionnaire made by M. Łaguna, J. Trzebiński and M. Zięba, as well as the Action Styles Questionnaire by Z. Uchnast . The results obtained have allowed the researchers to form the opinion that hope helps individuals function better in the world. The way in which a person perceives the world and their own capabilities translates into the style of action which they choose. A person who is full of hope seeks self -actualisation as well as cooperation with others.

Diet of larval Ambystoma rivulare (Caudata: Ambystomatidae, a threatened salamander from the Volcán Nevado de Toluca, Mexico

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Julio A. Lemos-Espinal

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Several species of salamander in the genus Ambystoma occur in the mountains surrounding Mexico City and are considered at risk of extinction. However, little is known about their ecology and natural history. The Toluca Stream Siredon (Ambystoma rivulare is classified as “Data Deficient” by the IUCN, and considered “Threatened” under Mexican law. From October 2013 to September 2014, we examined the diet of larval A. rivulare from a stream on the Volcán Nevado de Toluca in Mexico to provide insight into the suitability of the habitat to support this population of salamanders. Ostracods accounted for approximately 90% of all prey items consumed by larval A. rivulare. The number of ostracods found in stomachs increased with individual body size, but the proportion of ostracods in stomachs did not vary with body size. Nematodes were observed in approximately one third of the stomachs we examined. The diversity of prey in the diet of A. rivulare in the stream we studied is low and dominated by a single prey taxon, ostracods. Our results suggest that if environmental conditions in the stream change such that ostracods are negatively affected then the long-term persistence of this population of A. rivulare might be in jeopardy.

The Importance of Maintaining Upland Forest Habitat Surrounding Salamander Breeding Ponds: Case Study of the Eastern Tiger Salamander in New York, USA

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Valorie Titus

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Most amphibians use both wetland and upland habitats, but the extent of their movement in forested habitats is poorly known. We used radiotelemetry to observe the movements of adult and juvenile eastern tiger salamanders over a 4-year period. Females tended to move farther from the breeding ponds into upland forested habitat than males, while the distance a juvenile moved appeared to be related to body size, with the largest individuals moving as far as the adult females. Individuals chose refugia in native pitch pine—oak forested habitat and avoided open fields, roads, and developed areas. We also observed a difference in potential predation pressures in relation to the distance an individual moved from the edge of the pond. Our results support delineating forested wetland buffer zones on a case-by-case basis to reduce the impacts of concentrated predation, to increase and protect the availability of pitch pine—oak forests near the breeding pond, and to focus primarily on the habitat needs of the adult females and larger juveniles, which in turn will encompass habitat needs of adult males and smaller juveniles.

Faith, hope and love in sport

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Jernej Pisk

2017-11-01

Full Text Available In the Christian religious tradition, theological virtues of faith, hope and love have a central role. Along with the cardinal virtues of prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance they present the whole of the good human life. While cardinal virtues can be cultivated by human will, faith, hope and love are given by God and therefore open ‘natural’ human life on Earth toward transcendent spiritual realities. Human beings as bio-psycho-social and spiritual beings incorporate theological virtues in all the activities of their life. In sport, faith, hope and love have an important, though often neglected, role. On a practical level faith can be recognized in any relation between athlete and coach. To trust one’s coach, without any guarantee that the outcome of prescribed workouts will lead to the desired results, needs strong faith, trust and confidence. Moreover, faith is the virtue that makes sport so attractive also for spectators even to the point of being a ‘secular’ religion for the masses. Hope is the virtue of ‘not yet’ or of something ‘being on its way’. For most athletes, daily workouts are not a goal, but just the means to that end. Any reason for doing sports needs a hope behind it in order to move or will oneself to action. Along with hope, understood as a golden mean, we find despair on the one hand and ‘false hope’ on the other. Both are corruptions of hope seen daily in the world of sport. To manage hope in sport practices correctly offers a path to success in sport at all levels. Love is at the apex of the theological virtues. There are many formulations of love both in ancient Greek and Roman times: eros, agape, caritas, amor. Each has its special characteristic meaning also in sport. In sport we can see laughter and tears because any love is connected with highest human joy and deepest depression. Yet, in summation, it is argued that love in sport must be understood as the binding force and source of

ICRF power-deposition profiles and heating in monster sawtooth and peaked-density profile discharges in JET

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhatnagar, V.P.; Taroni, A.; Ellis, J.J.; Jacquinot, J.; Stuart, D.F.

1989-01-01

In this paper, we compare experimental results of electron and ion-heating in discharges that feature monster sawtooth with those in pellet-produced peaked-density profile discharges which were heated with ICRF. Also we carry out a comprehensive analysis of ICRF-heated peaked-density profile discharges by a transport code to simulate the evolution of JET discharges and to provide an insight into the improved heating and confinement found in these discharges. In this analysis, the ICRF power-deposition profile in the minority-heating scenario is computed by the ray-tracing code BRAYCO that self-consistently takes the finite antenna geometry, its radiation spectrum and the hot-plasma damping into account. The power delivered to ions and electrons is calculated based on Stix model. (author) 10 refs., 5 figs

Maintaining hope at the 11th hour: authenticity buffers the effect of limited time perspective on hope.

Science.gov (United States)

Davis, William E; Hicks, Joshua A

2013-12-01

Four studies tested the hypothesis that limited time perceptions are associated with lower levels of hope, and that this effect is buffered by high levels of authenticity. Study 1 (n = 256) utilized a cross-sectional design in which participants completed dispositional measures of time perspective, hope, and authenticity. Three subsequent studies tested our hypothesis experimentally. In a pilot study (n = 124), participants reported their perceived authenticity, future time perspective (FTP) was manipulated (limited vs. open-ended), and state hope was assessed. Study 2 (n = 156) introduced a new manipulation of FTP, and Study 3 (n = 242) replicated Study 2 with the addition of a neutral control condition. Across all studies, individuals who perceived time as limited reported lower levels of hope relative to those who perceived time as open-ended (or those in a neutral control condition), but, importantly, this effect was attenuated for highly authentic individuals.

Hope as a Predictor of Interpersonal Suicide Risk

Science.gov (United States)

Davidson, Collin L.; Wingate, LaRicka R.; Rasmussen, Kathy A.; Slish, Meredith L.

2009-01-01

The current study hypothesized that (1) hope would negatively predict burdensomeness, thwarted belongingness, and acquired capability to enact lethal injury; (2) hope would negatively predict suicidal ideation; and (3) the interpersonal suicide risk factors would predict suicidal ideation. Results indicated that hope negatively predicted…

Habitat adaptation rather than genetic distance correlates with female preference in fire salamanders (Salamandra salamandra

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Weitere Markus

2009-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Although some mechanisms of habitat adaptation of conspecific populations have been recently elucidated, the evolution of female preference has rarely been addressed as a force driving habitat adaptation in natural settings. Habitat adaptation of fire salamanders (Salamandra salamandra, as found in Middle Europe (Germany, can be framed in an explicit phylogeographic framework that allows for the evolution of habitat adaptation between distinct populations to be traced. Typically, females of S. salamandra only deposit their larvae in small permanent streams. However, some populations of the western post-glacial recolonization lineage use small temporary ponds as larval habitats. Pond larvae display several habitat-specific adaptations that are absent in stream-adapted larvae. We conducted mate preference tests with females from three distinct German populations in order to determine the influence of habitat adaptation versus neutral genetic distance on female mate choice. Two populations that we tested belong to the western post-glacial recolonization group, but are adapted to either stream or pond habitats. The third population is adapted to streams but represents the eastern recolonization lineage. Results Despite large genetic distances with FST values around 0.5, the stream-adapted females preferred males from the same habitat type regardless of genetic distance. Conversely, pond-adapted females did not prefer males from their own population when compared to stream-adapted individuals of either lineage. Conclusion A comparative analysis of our data showed that habitat adaptation rather than neutral genetic distance correlates with female preference in these salamanders, and that habitat-dependent female preference of a specific pond-reproducing population may have been lost during adaptation to the novel environmental conditions of ponds.

Effects of metamorphosis on the aquatic escape response of the two-lined salamander (Eurycea bislineata).

Science.gov (United States)

Azizi, Emanuel; Landberg, Tobias

2002-03-01

Although numerous studies have described the escape kinematics of fishes, little is known about the aquatic escape responses of salamanders. We compare the escape kinematics of larval and adult Eurycea bislineata, the two-lined salamander, to examine the effects of metamorphosis on aquatic escape performance. We hypothesize that shape changes associated with resorption of the larval tail fin at metamorphosis will affect aquatic locomotor performance. Escape responses were recorded using high-speed video, and the effects of life stage and total length on escape kinematics were analyzed statistically using analysis of covariance. Our results show that both larval and adult E. bislineata use a two-stage escape response (similar to the C-starts of fishes) that consists of a preparatory (stage 1) and a propulsive (stage 2) stroke. The duration of both kinematic stages and the distance traveled during stage 2 increased with total length. Both larval and adult E. bislineata had final escape trajectories that were directed away from the stimulus. The main kinematic difference between larvae and adults is that adults exhibit significantly greater maximum curvature during stage 1. Total escape duration and the distance traveled during stage 2 did not differ significantly between larvae and adults. Despite the significantly lower tail aspect ratio of adults, we found no significant decrease in the overall escape performance of adult E. bislineata. Our results suggest that adults may compensate for the decrease in tail aspect ratio by increasing their maximum curvature. These findings do not support the hypothesis that larvae exhibit better locomotor performance than adults as a result of stronger selective pressures on early life stages.

Cyborgs and monsters on non-places: aspects of education at a supermodern society

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Henrique Marins de Carvalho

2013-07-01

Full Text Available The post-modern society, especially in westernized cultures, has the peculiarity of the presence of some components: capitalism, power systems, technologies for their exercise, schizophrenic behavior, fortification of segregation and repression actions. This is the political, social and cultural background of the School: an institution that seeks the adjustment of individuals to civic life and labor. Based on some ideas of Michel Foucault and the duo consisting of Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari the analysis of the instruments of power and the actions contained therein is made. Besides these, we present the definitions of concepts supported Marc Auge, on the characteristics of non-place in supermodernity, a place devoid of experience; Donna Haraway, with its ciborgologia, offering the chance to replace the dichotomy of man versus machine by an ontology human-machine and Jeffrey Jerome Cohen, who in seven theses on the monsters, look back to the monstrosity that surrounds us. It is so identified the element that the School intend to reach: an infant and monstrous cyborg who is required to remain in a non-place.

Hope as experienced in women newly diagnosed with gynaecological cancer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hammer, Kristianna; Mogensen, Ole; Hall, Elisabeth O C

2009-01-01

cancer diagnosis made the women oscillate between hope and hopelessness, between positive expectations of getting cured and frightening feelings of the disease taking over. Five major interrelated themes of hope were identified: hope of being cured, cared for and getting back to normal, hope as being...... at a gynaecological department of a Danish university hospital. The women, aged 24-87 (median 52yrs), were diagnosed with ovarian, endometrial, cervical and vulvar cancer. RESULTS: Hope was found to be connected to both diagnosis, cure, family life and life itself and closely tied to hopelessness. The newly received...... active and feeling well, hope as an internal power to maintain integration, hope as significant relationships and hope as fighting against hopelessness. Thus, hope was woven together with hopelessness in a mysterious way; it took command through inner strength and courage based on a trust in being cured...

The color and texture of hope: some preliminary findings and implications for hope theory and counseling among diverse racial/ethnic groups.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Edward C; Banks, Kira Hudson

2007-04-01

To clarify and extend Snyder's (1994, 2002) hope theory to a more diverse population, this study examined variations in agentic and pathways thinking, and their relations with social problem solving, affect, and with life satisfaction across a college student sample of 46 European Americans, 30 African Americans, 33 Latinos, and 46 Asian Americans. Although comparative results indicated variations in levels of hope components across the 4 racial/ethnic groups, correlational results indicated that the manner in which hope components related to measures of behavior and adjustment were similar across groups. Regression results indicated similarities and differences in predictors of hope components across the different racial/ethnic groups. Potential implications for promoting hope in working with diverse college students are discussed. (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved.

Hope, Perceived Financial Risk and Propensity for Indebtedness

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Lucia Barros

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Hope is an important construct in marketing, since it is an antecedent of important marketing variables, such as trust, expectation and satisfaction (MacInnis & Mello, 2005. Specifically, literature suggests that hope plays an important influence in risk perception (MacInnis & Mello, 2005 and propensity for indebtedness (Fleming, 2008. Thus, we aim to investigate the relationships among hope, risk perception related to purchasing and consumption and propensity for indebtedness by conducting two empirical studies. The first is a laboratory experiment, which accessed hope and risk perception of getting a mortgage loan. The second is a survey, investigating university students’ propensity to get indebted to pay for their university tuition, analyzed through the Structural Equations Modeling method. These studies found that higher levels of hope predicted an increase in the propensity to accept the mortgage loan, independent of actual risks, and an increase in the propensity of college students to get indebted to pay for their studies. In addition, the first study suggests that hope may lead to a decrease in risk perception, which, however, wasn’t confirmed by the second study. Finally, this research offers some methodological contributions, using an experimental approach to understand hope and its relationship with perceived financial risk and propensity for indebtedness.

[Extraordinary news of a curious apothecary. Monsters and wonders in the Florentine diary of Luca Landucci].

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Ciseri, Lorenzo Montemagno

This article offers a new reading of the well-known diary kept by the Florentine apothecary Luca Landucci between 1450 and 1516, examining its accounts of prodigies and other "monstrous" occurrences from a modern scientific point of view. Particular consideration is given to descriptions of a variety of birth defects observed in various Italian cities at the time, providing explanations for each case based on the latest medical theories. A detailed analysis is provided for a case of cranioschisis recorded in Volterra in 1474, a case of Opitz syndrome occurring in Venice in 1489, the birth of conjoined twins in Padua in the same year, conjoined triplets born to a 60-year-old woman in Venice, the well-publicized account of the 1512 Ravenna monster and, finally, the thoraco-acephalus tetramelus adolescent that Landucci personally observed in Florence in 1513.

Education for Peace and a Pedagogy of Hope

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Carl, A. E.

2011-01-01

There are many approaches and arguments on how hope could be given to children in a society characterised by violence and conflict, hope that may contribute towards optimising their potential. This article focuses on the notion and meaning of Peace Education, what the possible link between Peace Education and a Pedagogy of Hope might be and…

The Laughter as Hope Principle

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Mateus Domingues da Silva

2015-04-01

Full Text Available The work aims to establish a parallel between the concept of laughter and the Hope Principle of Ernst Bloch, differentiating their relationship between the pursuit of individual happiness, said to be ideological, deceptive and precarious, and the pursuit of collective happiness, altruistic, that despite utopian it is also true and real, just for being selfless and real because, as a collective expression, indicating concretely and politically, is a real possibility.Keywords: Laughter, Hope Principle, Ernest Bloch, altruism.

The Armour of Hope and other works

OpenAIRE

Just, Kate

2013-01-01

The series of work entitled 'The Skin of Hope' was produced during a 2012 Australia Council for the Arts studio residency in Barcelona, where I was accompanied by my partner Paula and our adopted daughter, Hope. Blurring the usual divide between familial life and art practice, the residency inspired a series of hand knitted sculptures and photographs weaving an account of the ways that Hope and I acknowledge, bond and imprint each other at skin level. Materialising our past wounds and present...

Hope in severe disease: a review of the literature on the construct and the tools for assessing hope in the psycho-oncologic setting.

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Piccinelli, Claudia; Clerici, Carlo Alfredo; Veneroni, Laura; Ferrari, Andrea; Proserpio, Tullio

2015-01-01

Research on the topic of hope began a long time ago but, more recently, interest in this construct has focused mainly on the development of psychometric tools for its assessment. The 2 steps of the present article are defining the construct of hope by completing a preliminary review of the literature and analyzing the tools used to assess hope in the setting of oncologic medicine, conducting a systematic review of the existing scientific literature. Our study was conducted in 2 stages. The first stage involved a nonsystematic preliminary review of the literature, the second a systematic search in all the medical journals contained in the Medline database as of 2012. The literature identified at the first stage was divided according to several topical categories, i.e., theoretical, empirical, and clinical works on the construct of hope. In the second systematic search, we identified the main psychometric tools used to measure hope in the field of clinical oncology and assessed their validity. A total of 22 articles were identified. What emerged when we pooled the findings of our 2 lines of research was that, despite its broad theoretical definitions, the construct of hope can be broken down to a few constituent elements when hope is studied using currently available psychometric tools. In particular, these identified constituent elements were coping, spiritual well-being, quality of life, distress, and depression. The factors contained in the construct of hope include temporality, future, expectancy, motivation, and interconnectedness. The review of the scientific literature does not reveal a clear definition of hope. Multidisciplinary studies are needed to communicate different perspectives (medical, psychological, spiritual, theological) among each other for better definition of the constituent elements of hope in order to support the hope with specific interventions.

Renegotiating hope while living with lymphoedema after cancer: a qualitative study.

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Hamilton, R; Thomas, R

2016-09-01

Hope is defined as a multi-dimensional life force, a coping resource and a necessity for coping with illness. Concepts of normalcy, hope and loss are explored in this qualitative study and positioned within recent scholarship on hope in cancer survivors. The experiences of 13 participants (11 women, 2 men) in two Canadian provinces who were living with lymphoedema secondary to cancer were analysed. For these participants, hope assumed various meanings. For some, hope was seen as passive inaction, whereas hope for others was positive and action-oriented, even when faced with the uncertainty of chronic illness. Hope for the individual with lymphoedema is also juxtaposed with hope associated with cancer treatment where a desired return to normal is the object of hope and paramount to coping. However, when met with the chronic nature of lymphoedema, the hope of a return to normalcy is lost and the meaning, direction and actions of hope must be renegotiated. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Management Through Hope

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Papazu, Irina

2016-01-01

fieldwork conducted on Samsø in 2013 and 2014, the paper takes as its starting point a citizens’ meeting in which a new renewable energy project is proposed by a municipal coordinator. This meeting, in which the municipal coordinator exhibits a “change management” attitude, fails to win the citizens......’ support and becomes an entry point into an investigation of how the REI project developers managed to get the island community to actively support the project. A gateway to the past, the meeting allows the author to ethnographically describe the unobserved events of 1997-2007. Findings – The argument...... is that the REI project developers practised management through hope or “hope management”, in contrast to “change management”, creating a project that succeeded in accomplishing its goals of changing the island due to its openness, its rootedness in the island community’s past, and the project developers’ ability...

Exploring the relationship between hope and burnout in competitive sport.

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Gustafsson, Henrik; Hassmén, Peter; Podlog, Leslie

2010-12-01

Researchers have postulated that hope may be an important factor associated with burnout. Consistent with hope theory contentions, low-hope individuals may be susceptible to burnout because they are prone to experience goal blockage, frustration, and negative affect, all of which likely increase the risk of burnout. We examined the relationship between hope and athlete burnout among 178 competitive athletes (63 females and 115 males) aged 15-20 years. Hope was significantly and negatively correlated with all three burnout subscales: emotional/physical exhaustion, a reduced sense of accomplishment, and sport devaluation. Moreover, results of a multivariate analysis of variance showed that low-hope athletes scored significantly higher than medium- and high-hope athletes on all three burnout dimensions. Finally, results revealed that agency thinking was a significant predictor of all burnout dimensions. Frustration over unmet goals and a perceived lack of agency, a characteristic of low-hope athletes, might pose a risk factor in athlete burnout, whereas being able to maintain hope appears to be associated with health and well-being.

The ethics of providing hope in psychotherapy.

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Dembo, Justine Sarah; Clemens, Norman A

2013-07-01

The instillation of hope is a common factor in most psychotherapies. A considerable literature exists on the ethics of providing false or positively biased hope in non-psychiatric medical settings, and ethicists have generally concluded that this practice is unethical. However, the literature on the ethics of encouraging hope in psychotherapy, especially in the case of treatment-resistant mental illness, is sparse. The author explores two clinical cases with the intention of examining the nature of hope, false hope, positive illusions, and denial, as they relate to our definitions of mental health and psychotherapy. The cases highlight the ethics of balancing an acknowledgment of likely treatment futility with a desire to hope. Clinical psychological studies on depressive realism and optimistic bias indicate that some degree of positive bias, referred to by some authors as "the optimal margin of illusion," is in fact necessary to promote what we define as "good mental health;" conversely, stark realism is correlated with mild to moderate depression. An examination of the existential literature, including Ernest Becker's work, The Denial of Death, indicates that without the defense mechanism of denial, human beings tend to experience paralytic despair as a result of being fallible, mortal creatures in a frightening world. The combination of these diverse bodies of literature, along with the surprising outcomes of our case examples, leads to an unexpected conclusion: it may occasionally be ethical to encourage some degree of optimistic bias, and perhaps even positive illusion, when treating patients in psychotherapy.

Metrics of hope: disciplining affect in oncology.

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Brown, Nik

2015-03-01

This article explores the emergence of a 'regime of hope' in the context of oncology care, practice and research. More specifically, my focus is the emergence, since the 1970s or so, of hope scales and indexes used to metricise the emotional states of cancer patients. These usually take the form of psychometric tests designed and deployed in order to subject affective life to calculative and rational scrutiny. This article locates this within the tensions of a 'turn' towards the emotions in critical social science literature. Scholarship has, for instance, been anxious not to deny the embodied reality of affectivity and the emotions. But it has been equally important to recognise the extent to which emotions are discursively ordered and structured as objects and effects of power. This article charts the emergence of hope scales historically alongside wider historical forces in the metrification of life and health and more specifically the emotions. It locates hope scales in a post-war climate of individual resilience and perseverant enterprise and the significance of hope as a naturalised vitalistic attribute of biopolitical life. © The Author(s) 2014.

Spirituality, hope, and self-sufficiency among low-income job seekers.

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2015-04-01

Self-sufficiency (SS) is an important social welfare policy goal in the United States, yet little is known about the process that leads to SS. To address this gap in the literature, this study examined the relationship between spirituality, hope, and SS among a sample of low-income job seekers (N = 116). It was hypothesized that spirituality would be related to hope, and that hope, in turn, would be related to SS. Using survey data from two workforce development agencies, this hypothesis was confirmed-hope fully mediated the relationship between spirituality and SS. Of the two factors through which hope is commonly operationalized-agency and pathways-supplemental analysis suggested that spirituality only affects SS through the agency channel. To help foster hope in direct practice settings, it is suggested that social workers might employ spiritually modified cognitive-behavioral therapy protocols. Macrostructural interventions that block the pathway component of hope are also suggested to help reverse exclusion from labor market entry. As such, hope needs to be addressed comprehensively-intrapsychically and macrostructurally-to effect bottom-up change for SS. Engendering hope may assist clients overcome some of the many challenges they encounter on the journey to SS.

Posttraumatic growth and hope in parents of children with cancer.

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Hullmann, Stephanie E; Fedele, David A; Molzon, Elizabeth S; Mayes, Sunnye; Mullins, Larry L

2014-01-01

Posttraumatic growth (PTG), a positive change in values and major life goals experienced as a result of the struggle with a highly challenging life circumstance, has been shown to be related to the construct of hope, the belief that goals can be met. To date, no studies have examined the relationship between PTG and hope in parents of children with cancer. Participants were parents (N = 85) of children and adolescents (ages 2-18 years, M = 7.72 years) receiving treatment for cancer. Parents completed a demographic questionnaire, the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI), and Hope Scale (HS). Hope was found to be related to PTG in parents of children with cancer, with higher levels of hope associated with greater PTG. Exploratory analyses on the subscales of the PTGI revealed that hope was also related to higher scores on the Relating to Others, New Possibilities, Personal Strength, and Appreciation of Life subscales. Spiritual change was not related to hope in parents. Findings suggest that experiencing hope during the pediatric cancer experience may facilitate posttraumatic growth in parents. The construct of hope may be an important target of intervention for promoting positive adjustment in this population.

Self-esteem and hopefulness in adolescents with cancer.

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Ritchie, M A

2001-02-01

Increased survivorship in childhood cancer has raised questions about adolescents' psychosocial functioning during the treatment experience and long-term adaptation as cancer survivors. This descriptive correlation study examines the relationships among the stages of adolescence, gender, self-esteem, and hopefulness in a sample of 45 adolescents with cancer. The perceived level of self-esteem was measured by using the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory; the amount of hopefulness was measured by using the Hopefulness Scale for Adolescents. Mean scores for self-esteem and hopefulness were comparable to normative data reported for healthy adolescents on each scale. Perceived level of self-esteem and hopefulness did not significantly differ between boys and girls overall; early, middle, and late adolescents; or between boys and girls within each stage of adolescence. A stepwise multiple regression analysis showed self-esteem and the early stage of adolescence accounted for 27.3% (R2 = .306) of the variance in hopefulness scores. Self-esteem was the most significant predictor (F = 12.456, p = .001), explaining 20.7% of the variance (R2 = .225, p = .001). This study contributes to nursing the knowledge of the psychosocial response and the treatment experience in adolescents with cancer. These results can be used in future research to develop and test nursing actions that can influence a perceived sense of self-esteem and hopefulness and potentially allow for continued psychosocial development and effective coping among these adolescents during treatment and into survivorship.

Hope for recovery - how clinicians may facilitate this in their work.

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Hobbs, Mia; Baker, Martyn

2012-04-01

The importance of having hope for recovery has been highlighted in numerous qualitative studies of recovery. It is identified as a vital part of this process, and guidelines suggest that service providers should therefore facilitate hope in their clinical work; however, they do not indicate how this guidance can be operationalised. To identify the sources of hope for recovery based on the accounts of people with experience of recovery; to ascertain how these accounts show service providers can facilitate such hope in their therapeutic work. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight people with experience of recovering from mental health problems. A grounded theory analysis was undertaken. A model conceptualising the role of hope in recovery was developed with three categories: "influence of others on hope", "personal hope" and "doing recovery". The model indicates a complex interaction between hope and recovery with an important role for social context and interpersonal relationships, including those with clinicians. Mental health service providers occupy a powerful position in relation to service users' hope, and must carefully consider how they communicate their own hopefulness about clients' recovery. Suggestions are made about facilitating hope for recovery.

Nutritional and medicinal characteristics of Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus for applications in healthcare industry by artificial cultivation: A review

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Dong He

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Andrias davidianus, i. e. Chinese giant salamander (CGS, is one of the largest and oldest amphibians existing in the world and is also one of the valuable biological resources of China. Wild CGS has been threatened with extinction in the past decades due to over capturing, deterioration of natural environment, the slow breeding and growth of the wild species in nature. However, in the past twenty years, with the breakthrough and progress of artificial breeding technology by artificial insemination, the number of artificially cultivated CGS has increased rapidly. Artificially cultivated CGS can either be released to the CGS living environment to increase the population in nature or legally applied in food and medicinal industry as a feedstock due to the unique nutritional and medicinal values of CGS as recorded historically. In this review, the nutritional components, bioactive components and medicinal activities of the artificially cultivated CGS will be summarized. The mucus, skin, meat and bone of CGS contain many different bioactive substances thereby having various medicinal activities including anti-aging, anti-fatigue, anti-tumor, therapy of burn and anti-infection and other physiological functions. This paper will further discuss the potential applications of the artificially cultivated CGS in healthcare industry and prospects of future technological development. Keywords: Andrias davidianus, Artificial breeding, Chinese giant salamander, Functional foods, Medicinal activity, Natural resource protection, Nutrition

Precise control of miR-125b levels is required to create a regeneration-permissive environment after spinal cord injury: a cross-species comparison between salamander and rat

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Juan Felipe Diaz Quiroz

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Most spinal cord injuries lead to permanent paralysis in mammals. By contrast, the remarkable regenerative abilities of salamanders enable full functional recovery even from complete spinal cord transections. The molecular differences underlying this evolutionary divergence between mammals and amphibians are poorly understood. We focused on upstream regulators of gene expression as primary entry points into this question. We identified a group of microRNAs (miRNAs that are conserved between the Mexican axolotl salamander (Ambystoma mexicanum and mammals but show marked cross-species differences in regulation patterns following spinal cord injury. We found that precise post-injury levels of one of these miRNAs (miR-125b is essential for functional recovery, and guides correct regeneration of axons through the lesion site in a process involving the direct downstream target Sema4D in axolotls. Translating these results to a mammalian model, we increased miR-125b levels in the rat through mimic treatments following spinal cord transection. These treatments downregulated Sema4D and other glial-scar-related genes, and enhanced the animal’s functional recovery. Our study identifies a key regulatory molecule conserved between salamander and mammal, and shows that the expression of miR-125b and Sema4D must be carefully controlled in the right cells at the correct level to promote regeneration. We also show that these molecular components of the salamander’s regeneration-permissive environment can be experimentally harnessed to improve treatment outcomes for mammalian spinal cord injuries.

A pragmatist approach to the hope discourse in health care research.

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Herrestad, Henning; Biong, Stian; McCormack, Brendan; Borg, Marit; Karlsson, Bengt

2014-07-01

Hope is a central concept in nursing and other fields of health care. However, there is no consensus about the concept of hope. We argue that seeking consensus is futile given the multifaceted and multidimensional nature of the concept, but instead we encourage in-depth studies of the assumptions behind talk about hope in specific contexts. Our approach to the 'science of hope' is inspired by philosophical pragmatism. We argue that hope is a concept that opens different rooms for action in different contexts and that accordingly, all hope interventions are contextually sensitive. Careful attention to how the relative positions and power of nurses and patients influence what can be inferred from their different ways of talking about hope may make hopeful conversations more meaningful in health care relationships. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Population Structure and Evolution after Speciation of the Hokkaido Salamander (Hynobius retardatus.

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Masatoshi Matsunami

Full Text Available The Hokkaido salamander (Hynobius retardatus is endemic to Hokkaido Island, Japan, and shows intriguing flexible phenotypic plasticity and regional morphological diversity. However, to date, allozymes and partial mitochondria DNA sequences have provided only an outline of its demographic histories and the pattern of its genetic diversification. To understand the finer details of the population structure of this species and its evolution since speciation, we genotyped five regional populations by using 12 recently developed microsatellite polymorphic markers. We found a clear population structure with low gene flow among the five populations, but a close genetic relationship between the Teshio and Kitami populations. Our demographic analysis suggested that Teshio and Erimo had the largest effective population sizes among the five populations. These findings regarding the population structure and demography of H. retardatus improve our understanding of the faunal phylogeography on Hokkaido Island and also provide fundamental genetic information that will be useful for future studies.

The feeling of hope in cancer patients: an existential analysis

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Catarina Aparecida Sales

2014-10-01

Full Text Available This study aimed at unveiling the feeling of hope in people who experience cancer in their existence. Qualitative study based on Heidegger’s phenomenology, performed with eight cancer patients assisted in a philanthropic organization, between December 2013 and February 2014, in a northwestern city in Paraná, Brazil, using the following guiding question: “How do you perceive the feeling of hope at this time in your life?” The analysis resulted in the ontological themes: searching for hope in dealing with cancer, and experiencing feelings of hope and despair in being with others. Patients revealed mixed feelings, going from the lack of hope at the time of diagnosis to a rekindling of hope, as well as those who never lost the will to live. We conclude that living with cancer causes extreme feelings; and hope emerges as a feeling capable of influencing and causes an expressive impact in coping with that.

Beauty and Hope: A Moral Beauty Intervention

Science.gov (United States)

Diessner, Rhett; Rust, Teri; Solom, Rebecca C.; Frost, Nellie; Parsons, Lucas

2006-01-01

Pedagogical intervention regarding engagement with natural, artistic and moral beauty can lead to an increase in trait hope. In a quasi-experimental design with college students the intervention group showed significantly higher gain scores on trait hope than did the comparison group; the effect size was moderate. The experimental group also…

Hope for Animals

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Home; Journals; Resonance – Journal of Science Education; Volume 20; Issue 8. Hope for Animals. Prasanna Venkhatesh V. Book Review Volume 20 Issue 8 August 2015 pp 753-754. Fulltext. Click here to view fulltext PDF. Permanent link: https://www.ias.ac.in/article/fulltext/reso/020/08/0753-0754. Author Affiliations.

Effect of storytelling on hopefulness in girl students.

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Shafieyan, Shima; Soleymani, Mohammad Reza; Samouei, Raheleh; Afshar, Mina

2017-01-01

One of the methods that help students in learning critical thinking and decision-making skills is storytelling. Story helps the students to place themselves in the same situation as the main protagonist and try different ways and finally select and implement the best possible method. The goal of this study is to investigate the effect of storytelling on hopefulness of students, age 8-11 in Isfahan's 2 nd educational district. This is an applied, quasi-experimental study. The study population comprised of 34 randomly selected students attending one of the schools in Isfahan's 2 nd educational district. The data gathering tool was the standard Kazdin hopefulness scale (α = 0.72) and data were gathered before and after 8 storytelling sessions for the intervention group. The gathered data were analyzed using descriptive and analytical (paired and independent t -test) with the help of SPSS Version 18 software. The study's findings showed a significant difference in the average hopefulness score of students in study group in pre- and posttest ( P = 0.04). Furthermore, independent t -test results showed a significant difference in hopefulness score of intervention and control ( P = 0.001). The average hopefulness score of the control group after storytelling sessions was higher than that of the intervention and control. The results show the effectiveness of storytelling as a method for improving hopefulness in students.

The Port Hope area initiative from municipal perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Austin, R.

2006-01-01

'Full text:' This paper explores the Municipal perspective of the Port Hope Area Initiative (PHAI). The PHAI is unique in that it emerged from proposals to the Federal Government and subsequently a tri-partite agreement between the Federal Government and the Municipalities of Port Hope and Clarington for the cleanup and management of historic low-level radioactive wastes in long-term waste management facilities in their Municipalities. A key feature of the Port Hope Project is the remediation of many major and small scale sites in the urban area. As part of this Legal Agreement, each Municipality is required to give consent at key milestones for the project to proceed to the next stage. In addition, the Municipality also has veto authority if the preferred option is changed by the federal government during its final review. The Agreement also ensures that the Municipalities have the resources to conduct an independent assessment of the work completed by the federal proponent and to advise the Municipality on related matters. While this Legal Agreement provides the Municipalities with influence over the outcome of the EA and the project description, especially when compared with the typical role of municipalities in other Federal EAs, there are many challenges that Port Hope faces as partner in this process. These include: Balancing Port Hope's interests with those of the Federal Government; Reaching agreement on how clean the remediation sites should be; Considering the interests of future generations while meeting the needs of existing residents; Ensuring that the Project will have a positive legacy for Port Hope; Ensuring that institutional controls are in place and that Port Hope has a partnership role in monitoring the Project performance during the Construction Phase and the long term Maintenance and Monitoring Phase. In this context, this paper presents the unique aspects of the Municipal involvement in the process to finally achieve a safe, environmentally

Deep divergences and extensive phylogeographic structure in a clade of lowland tropical salamanders

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Rovito Sean M

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The complex geological history of Mesoamerica provides the opportunity to study the impact of multiple biogeographic barriers on population differentiation. We examine phylogeographic patterns in a clade of lowland salamanders (Bolitoglossa subgenus Nanotriton using two mitochondrial genes and one nuclear gene. We use several phylogeographic analyses to infer the history of this clade and test hypotheses regarding the geographic origin of species and location of genetic breaks within species. We compare our results to those for other taxa to determine if historical events impacted different species in a similar manner. Results Deep genetic divergence between species indicates that they are relatively old, and two of the three widespread species show strong phylogeographic structure. Comparison of mtDNA and nuclear gene trees shows no evidence of hybridization or introgression between species. Isolated populations of Bolitoglossa rufescens from Los Tuxtlas region constitute a separate lineage based on molecular data and morphology, and divergence between Los Tuxtlas and other areas appears to predate the arrival of B. rufescens in other areas west of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. The Isthmus appears responsible for Pliocene vicariance within B. rufescens, as has been shown for other taxa. The Motagua-Polochic fault system does not appear to have caused population vicariance, unlike in other systems. Conclusions Species of Nanotriton have responded to some major geological events in the same manner as other taxa, particularly in the case of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. The deep divergence of the Los Tuxtlas populations of B. rufescens from other populations highlights the contribution of this volcanic system to patterns of regional endemism, and morphological differences observed in the Los Tuxtlas populations suggests that they may represent an undescribed species of Bolitoglossa. The absence of phylogeographic structure in B

CDC Vital Signs: New Hope for Stopping HIV

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... 27 MB] Read the MMWR Science Clips New Hope for Stopping HIV Testing and Medical Care Save ... acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) and early death. There's new hope today for stopping HIV in the US. Medicines ( ...

Ultimate journey of the terminally ill: Ways and pathways of hope.

Science.gov (United States)

Daneault, Serge; Lussier, Véronique; Mongeau, Suzanne; Yelle, Louise; Côté, Andréanne; Sicotte, Claude; Paillé, Pierre; Dion, Dominique; Coulombe, Manon

2016-08-01

To better understand the role of hope among terminally ill cancer patients. Qualitative analysis. A tertiary specialized cancer centre in Canada. Cancer patients in palliative care with an estimated remaining life expectancy of 12 months or less (N = 12) and their loved ones (N = 12) and treating physicians (N = 12). Each patient underwent up to 3 interviews and identified a loved one who participated in 1 interview. Treating physicians were also interviewed. All interviews were fully transcribed and analyzed by at least 2 investigators. Interviews were collected until saturation occurred. Seven attributes describe the experiences of palliative cancer patients and their caregivers: hope as an irrational phenomenon that is a deeply rooted, affect-based response to adversity; initial hope for miraculous healing; hope as a phenomenon that changes over time, evolving in different ways depending on circumstances; hope for prolonged life when there is no further hope for cure; hope for a good quality of life when the possibility of prolonging life becomes limited; a lack of hope for some when treatments are no longer effective in curbing illness progression; and for others hope as enjoying the present moment and preparing for the end of life. Approaches aimed at sustaining hope need to reflect that patients' reactions might fluctuate between despair and a form of acceptance that leads to a certain serenity. Clinicians need to maintain some degree of hope while remaining as realistic as possible. The findings also raise questions about how hope influences patients' perceptions and acceptance of their treatments. Copyright© the College of Family Physicians of Canada.

The Call to Teach and Teacher Hopefulness

Science.gov (United States)

Bullough, Robert V., Jr.; Hall-Kenyon, Kendra M.

2011-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to explore teacher motivation and well-being. Our analysis focuses on two central concepts, the notion of a "calling to teach" and of teacher "hopefulness." Data from 205 preservice and inservice teachers were collected to determine teachers' sense of calling and level of hope. Results indicate that overwhelmingly,…

Predictors of hope among women with breast cancer during chemotherapy

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Alessandra Cristina Sartore Balsanelli

Full Text Available Abstract OBJECTIVE Identifying the predictors of hope in patients with breast cancer during chemotherapy treatment. METHOD A prospective longitudinal study. The sample was composed of 122 women who responded to the instruments of hope, anxiety and depression, coping, fatigue, religiosity and self-esteem in the first and last cycle of chemotherapy. These variables were used in adjusting the logistic regression model that characterized multivariate statistics, allowing identification of predictor variables. RESULT The increase of hope at the end of chemotherapy treatment was statistically significant (p = 0.012. The delay in undergoing treatment from the onset of breast cancer symptoms, Karnofsky Performance Status, depression, self-esteem and pain were characterized as factors being associated to hope by univariate analysis. Among the variables analyzed, pain was the only predicting factor of hope. CONCLUSION Pain was the predicting factor in this sample. Hope increased during treatment and revealed the following associated factors: Karnofsky Performance Status, delay in starting the treatment, depression, self-esteem and pain. This study brought forth a multidisciplinary contribution, allowing for understanding the factors that can influence hope and presenting support to nursing care. The data evidenced conditions of improvement or worsening of hope, which requires interdisciplinary attention in Oncology.

A new moss salamander, genus Nototriton (Caudata: Plethodontidae), from the Cordillera de Talamanca, in the Costa Rica-Panama border region.

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Arias, Erick; Kubicki, Brian

2018-01-07

A new salamander belonging to the genus Nototriton, subgenus Nototriton, is described from the Caribbean slopes of the southeastern Cordillera de Talamanca in Costa Rica, within Parque Internacional La Amistad, at an elevation ca. 1500 m a.s.l. This new taxon is distinguished from its congeners by its morphological characteristics and by its differentiation in DNA sequences of the 16S rRNA, cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI), and cytochrome b mitochondrial genes. This new species represents the southernmost extension known for the genus Nototriton.

Response of Red-Backed Salamanders (Plethodon Cinereus to Changes in Hemlock Forest Soil Driven by Invasive Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (Adelges Tsugae

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Alison Ochs

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Hemlock forests of the northeastern United States are declining due to the invasive hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA (Adelges tsugae. Hardwood species replace these forests, which affects soil properties that may influence other communities, such as red-backed salamanders (red-backs (Plethodon cinereus. This study examined the effects of HWA invasion on soil properties and how this affects red-backs at the Hemlock Removal Experiment at Harvard Forest, which consists of eight 0.8 ha plots treated with girdling to simulate HWA invasion, logging to simulate common management practices, or hemlock- or hardwood-dominated controls. Coverboard surveys were used to determine the relative abundance of red-backs between plots during June and July 2014 and soil cores were collected from which the bulk density, moisture, pH, temperature, leaf litter, and carbon-nitrogen ratio were measured. Ordination provided a soil quality index based on temperature, pH, and carbon-to-nitrogen ratio, which was significantly different between plot treatments (p < 0.05 and showed a significant negative correlation with the red-back relative abundance (p < 0.05. The findings support the hypothesis that red-backs are affected by soil quality, which is affected by plot treatment and thus HWA invasion. Further studies should explore how salamanders react in the long term towards changing environments and consider the use of red-backs as indicator species.

Comfort and hope in the preanesthesia stage in patients undergoing surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Seyedfatemi, Naima; Rafii, Forough; Rezaei, Mahboubeh; Kolcaba, Katharine

2014-06-01

Comfort and hope have been identified as important components in the care of perianesthesia patients. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between comfort and hope in the preanesthesia stage in patients undergoing surgery. A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted with 191 surgical patients. Data were collected using the Perianesthesia Comfort Questionnaire and Herth Hope Index. Direct and significant relationships were observed between comfort and hope (P≤.001, r=0.65). Also, significant relationships were observed between educational level and marital status with comfort (P≤.01). The relationship between educational level and hope was significant (P≤.001). Significant relationships were also observed between gender and marital status with hope (P≤.01). Overall, this study showed that a significant relationship exists between comfort and hope. Additionally, some demographic characteristics influenced comfort and hope in these patients. Health care providers should arrange the environment in a way that allows the surgical patients to experience comfort and hope and recognize the impact of personal characteristics when caring for surgical patients, particularly in the preanesthesia stage. Copyright © 2014 American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Inspiring hope-A physician's responsibility, translating the science into clinical practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Temple, Walley J

2018-03-01

Giving hope to patients is our responsibility. It is the essence of a meaningful practice in medicine. Science now allows us to understand this complex and multidimensional human dynamic, and translate it into clinical practice. Quantitative research has shown hope is strong even in terminal illness. Through qualitative methodology hope fostering strategies and hope hindering behaviors have been identified. This exciting new knowledge facilitates the challenging task of disclosure of bad news while enabling hope. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Hope pictured in drawings by women newly diagnosed with gynecological cancer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hammer, Kristianna; Hall, Elisabeth; Mogensen, Ole

2013-01-01

BACKGROUND:: In mysterious ways, hope makes life meaningful even in chaotic and uncontrolled situations. When a woman is newly diagnosed with gynecologic cancer, hope is ineffable and needs exploring. Drawings help express ineffable phenomena. OBJECTIVE:: The aim of the study was to explore how...... women newly diagnosed with gynecologic cancer express the meaning of hope in drawings. METHOD:: Participants were 15 women who on the same day had received the diagnosis of gynecologic cancer. They were between 24 and 87 years (median, 52 years) with a variety of gynecologic cancer diagnoses. Data from...... 15 drawings and postdrawing interviews with the women were analyzed using visual and hermeneutic phenomenology. RESULTS:: Three themes emerged: hope as a spirit to move on, hope as energy through nature, and hope as a communion with families. CONCLUSION:: Hope as pictured in drawings often appears...

Status of some populations of Mexican salamanders (Amphibia: Plethodontidae

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Gabriela Parra-Olea

1999-06-01

Full Text Available Populations of Mexican plethodontid salamanders have been surveyed non-systematically over the last 25 years. In light of many reports of disappearance of amphibians around the world, we checked for persistence of reported species at ten of these sites. All of the commoner species persist (we observed individuals representing a total of 30 species. While observed densities of many species of Mexican plethodontids are lower to much lower than was the case 20 to 25 years ago, evidence for recent extinctions, such as has been reported for amphibian taxa elsewhere, is equivocal or lacking. Habitat modification has contributed to difficulties in finding certain species.Poblaciones de varias especies de salamandras pletodóntidas en México han sido monitoreadas de manera no sistemática durante los últimos 25 años. Diez de éstas poblaciones fueran visitadas recientemente con el propósito de verificar la persistencia de las especies reportadas para dichas localidades. Nuestras observaciones confirman la persistencia local de más de 30 especies cuyo estatus era desconocido, aunque la frecuencia de observación de estas especies es en general menor que en fechas anteriores. Estas observaciones son particularmente relevantes dada la situación actual de preocupación por la disminución mundial de anfibios.

Fossilized venom: the unusually conserved venom profiles of Heloderma species (beaded lizards and gila monsters).

Science.gov (United States)

Koludarov, Ivan; Jackson, Timothy N W; Sunagar, Kartik; Nouwens, Amanda; Hendrikx, Iwan; Fry, Bryan G

2014-12-22

Research into snake venoms has revealed extensive variation at all taxonomic levels. Lizard venoms, however, have received scant research attention in general, and no studies of intraclade variation in lizard venom composition have been attempted to date. Despite their iconic status and proven usefulness in drug design and discovery, highly venomous helodermatid lizards (gila monsters and beaded lizards) have remained neglected by toxinological research. Proteomic comparisons of venoms of three helodermatid lizards in this study has unravelled an unusual similarity in venom-composition, despite the long evolutionary time (~30 million years) separating H. suspectum from the other two species included in this study (H. exasperatum and H. horridum). Moreover, several genes encoding the major helodermatid toxins appeared to be extremely well-conserved under the influence of negative selection (but with these results regarded as preliminary due to the scarcity of available sequences). While the feeding ecologies of all species of helodermatid lizard are broadly similar, there are significant morphological differences between species, which impact upon relative niche occupation.

Fossilized Venom: The Unusually Conserved Venom Profiles of Heloderma Species (Beaded Lizards and Gila Monsters)

Science.gov (United States)

Koludarov, Ivan; Jackson, Timothy N. W.; Sunagar, Kartik; Nouwens, Amanda; Hendrikx, Iwan; Fry, Bryan G.

2014-01-01

Research into snake venoms has revealed extensive variation at all taxonomic levels. Lizard venoms, however, have received scant research attention in general, and no studies of intraclade variation in lizard venom composition have been attempted to date. Despite their iconic status and proven usefulness in drug design and discovery, highly venomous helodermatid lizards (gila monsters and beaded lizards) have remained neglected by toxinological research. Proteomic comparisons of venoms of three helodermatid lizards in this study has unravelled an unusual similarity in venom-composition, despite the long evolutionary time (~30 million years) separating H. suspectum from the other two species included in this study (H. exasperatum and H. horridum). Moreover, several genes encoding the major helodermatid toxins appeared to be extremely well-conserved under the influence of negative selection (but with these results regarded as preliminary due to the scarcity of available sequences). While the feeding ecologies of all species of helodermatid lizard are broadly similar, there are significant morphological differences between species, which impact upon relative niche occupation. PMID:25533521

Adaptation and validation of The Hope Index for Brazilian adolescents Adaptação e validação da The Hope Index para adolescentes Brasileiros

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Juliana Cerentini Pacico

2011-01-01

Full Text Available This study aimed at adapting and validating the Staats Hope Index for Brazilian adolescents. Participants were 450 high school students aged from 14 to 18 years old being 56% females. They responded to the Staats Hope Index, Adult Dispositional Hope Scale, Revised Life Orientation Test (LOT-R and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. A factor analysis extracted two factors, replicating the structure of the original scale. Coefficients alphas were .83 and .81, for each factor, respectively. The correlations of the Hope Index factors with dispositional hope, optimism and self-esteem were similar to the findings reported in the literature and indicated convergent validity. The results indicate that the Hope Index is valid to be used in Brazil and that hope is perceived similarly by Brazilians and Americans despite of some cultural differences.O objetivo deste estudo foi adaptar e validar a escala The Hope Index para adolescentes brasileiros. Participaram 450 estudantes do ensino médio, sendo 56% do sexo feminino. As idades variaram entre 14 e 18 anos. Os instrumentos utilizados foram the Hope Index, Adult Dispositional Hope Scale, Revised Life Orientation Test (LOT-R e Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale. A análise fatorial revelou duas dimensões, conforme a estrutura original da escala com valores do coeficiente alfa de 0,83 e 0,81. As correlações dos fatores da escala The Hope Index com esperança disposicional, otimismo e autoestima foram similares aos achados da literatura e indicam validade convergente. Esses resultados indicam que a escala é válida para uso no Brasil e que Brasileiros e Americanos percebem a esperança de modo similar, apesar de algumas diferenças culturais.

The stress-buffering effects of hope on adjustment to multiple sclerosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Madan, Sindia; Pakenham, Kenneth I

2014-12-01

Hope is an important resource for coping with chronic illness; however, the role of hope in adjusting to multiple sclerosis (MS) has been neglected, and the mechanisms by which hope exerts beneficial impacts are not well understood. This study aims to examine the direct and stress-moderating effects of dispositional hope and its components (agency and pathways) on adjustment to MS. A total of 296 people with MS completed questionnaires at time 1 at 12 months later and time 2. Focal predictors were stress, hope, agency and pathways, and the adjustment outcomes were anxiety, depression, positive affect, positive states of mind and life satisfaction. Results of regression analyses showed that as predicted, greater hope was associated with better adjustment after controlling for the effects of time 1 adjustment and relevant demographics and illness variables. However, these direct effects of hope were subsumed by stress-buffering effects. Regarding the hope components, the beneficial impacts of agency emerged via a direct effects mechanism, whereas the effects of pathways were evidenced via a moderating mechanism. Findings highlight hope as an important protective coping resource for coping with MS and accentuate the roles of both agency and pathways thinking and their different modes of influence in this process.

In psoriasis, levels of hope and quality of life are linked.

Science.gov (United States)

Hawro, Tomasz; Maurer, Marcus; Hawro, Marlena; Kaszuba, Andrzej; Cierpiałkowska, Lidia; Królikowska, Monika; Zalewska, Anna

2014-09-01

Psychological resources such as hope have been suggested to positively influence quality of life (QoL) in chronic disorders. Here, we determined hope levels of psoriasis vulgaris in-patients and analyzed their relation to QoL. A total of 60 (29 male) patients were assessed for their QoL with a generic tool (WHOQOL-BREF) and a skin disease-specific instrument, the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). Hope levels were determined by use of the Basic Hope Inventory. We found a positive correlation between hope and all domains of WHOQOL-BREF (physical: r = 0.446, p = 0.000; psychological r = 0.464, p = 0.000; social r = 0.302, p = 0.019; environmental r = 0.480, p = 0000; and global r = 0.501, p = 0.000) and a negative correlation with DLQI (r = -0.281, p = 0.030) indicating higher QoL in patients with high hope. Hope was not correlated with disease severity or duration. Hope may play a substantial role in preventing QoL impairment in psoriasis. Psychotherapeutic interventions aimed at strengthening hope could improve QoL in this condition.

Autism, "recovery (to normalcy)", and the politics of hope.

Science.gov (United States)

Broderick, Alicia A

2009-08-01

This article draws on the traditions of critical discourse analysis (N. Fairclough, 1995, 2001; M. Foucault, 1972, 1980; J. P. Gee, 1999) in critically examining the discursive formation of "recovery" from autism in applied behavioral analysis (ABA) discourse and its relationship to constructs of hope. Constituted principally in the work of O. I. Lovaas (1987) and C. Maurice (1993), and central to ABA discourse on recovery, has been the construction of a particular vision of hope that has at least 2 integral conceptual elements: (a) Hope for recovery within ABA discourse is constructed in binary opposition to hopelessness, and (b) recovery within ABA discourse is discursively constructed as "recovery (to normalcy)." The author analyzes these 2 pivotal ABA texts within the context of an analysis of other uses of the term recovery in broader bodies of literature: (a) within prior autism-related literature, particularly autobiography, and (b) within literature emanating from the psychiatric survivors' movement. If, indeed, visions of hope inform educational policy and decision making, this analysis addresses S. Danforth's (1997) cogent query, "On what basis hope?", and asserts that moral and political commitments should be central sources of visions of hope and, therefore, inform educational policy and decision making for young children with labels of autism.

Herth hope index: psychometric testing of the Chinese version.

Science.gov (United States)

Chan, Keung Sum; Li, Ho Cheung William; Chan, Sally Wai-Chi; Lopez, Violeta

2012-09-01

This article is a report on psychometric testing of the Chinese version of the herth hope index. The availability of a valid and reliable instrument that accurately measures the level of hope in patients with heart failure is crucial before any hope-enhancing interventions can be appropriately planned and evaluated. There is no such instrument for Chinese people. A test-retest, within-subjects design was used. A purposive sample of 120 Hong Kong Chinese patients with heart failure between the ages of 60 and 80 years admitted to two medical wards was recruited during an 8-month period in 2009. Participants were asked to respond to the Chinese version of the herth hope index, Hamilton depression rating scale and Rosenberg's self-esteem scale. The internal consistency, content validity and construct validity and test-retest reliability of the Chinese version of the herth hope index were assessed. The newly translated scale demonstrated adequate internal consistency, good content validity and appropriate convergent and discriminant validity. Confirmatory factor analysis added further evidence of the construct validity of the scale. Results suggest that the newly translated scale can be used as a self-report assessment tool in assessing the level of hope in Hong Kong Chinese patients with heart failure. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Hindcasting Historical Breeding Conditions for an Endangered Salamander in Ephemeral Wetlands of the Southeastern USA: Implications of Climate Change.

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Houston C Chandler

Full Text Available The hydroperiod of ephemeral wetlands is often the most important characteristic determining amphibian breeding success, especially for species with long development times. In mesic and wet pine flatwoods of the southeastern United States, ephemeral wetlands were a common landscape feature. Reticulated flatwoods salamanders (Ambystoma bishopi, a federally endangered species, depend exclusively on ephemeral wetlands and require at least 11 weeks to successfully metamorphose into terrestrial adults. We empirically modeled hydroperiod of 17 A. bishopi breeding wetlands by combining downscaled historical climate-model data with a recent 9-year record (2006-2014 of observed water levels. Empirical models were subsequently used to reconstruct wetland hydrologic conditions from 1896-2014 using the downscaled historical climate datasets. Reconstructed hydroperiods for the 17 wetlands were highly variable through time but were frequently unfavorable for A. bishopi reproduction (e.g., only 61% of years, using a conservative estimate of development time [12 weeks], were conducive to larval development and metamorphosis. Using change-point analysis, we identified significant shifts in average hydroperiod over the last century in all 17 wetlands. Mean hydroperiods were shorter in recent years than at any other point since 1896, and thus less suitable for A. bishopi reproduction. We suggest that climate change will continue to impact the reproductive success of flatwoods salamanders and other ephemeral wetland breeders by reducing the number of years these wetlands have suitable hydroperiods. Consequently, we emphasize the importance of conservation and management for mitigating other forms of habitat degradation, especially maintenance of high quality breeding sites where reproduction can occur during appropriate environmental conditions.

Parallel habitat acclimatization is realized by the expression of different genes in two closely related salamander species (genus Salamandra).

Science.gov (United States)

Goedbloed, D J; Czypionka, T; Altmüller, J; Rodriguez, A; Küpfer, E; Segev, O; Blaustein, L; Templeton, A R; Nolte, A W; Steinfartz, S

2017-12-01

The utilization of similar habitats by different species provides an ideal opportunity to identify genes underlying adaptation and acclimatization. Here, we analysed the gene expression of two closely related salamander species: Salamandra salamandra in Central Europe and Salamandra infraimmaculata in the Near East. These species inhabit similar habitat types: 'temporary ponds' and 'permanent streams' during larval development. We developed two species-specific gene expression microarrays, each targeting over 12 000 transcripts, including an overlapping subset of 8331 orthologues. Gene expression was examined for systematic differences between temporary ponds and permanent streams in larvae from both salamander species to establish gene sets and functions associated with these two habitat types. Only 20 orthologues were associated with a habitat in both species, but these orthologues did not show parallel expression patterns across species more than expected by chance. Functional annotation of a set of 106 genes with the highest effect size for a habitat suggested four putative gene function categories associated with a habitat in both species: cell proliferation, neural development, oxygen responses and muscle capacity. Among these high effect size genes was a single orthologue (14-3-3 protein zeta/YWHAZ) that was downregulated in temporary ponds in both species. The emergence of four gene function categories combined with a lack of parallel expression of orthologues (except 14-3-3 protein zeta) suggests that parallel habitat adaptation or acclimatization by larvae from S. salamandra and S. infraimmaculata to temporary ponds and permanent streams is mainly realized by different genes with a converging functionality.

Preemptive strikes: Fear, hope, and defensive aggression.

Science.gov (United States)

Halevy, Nir

2017-02-01

Preemptive strikes are costly and harmful. Existing models of defensive aggression focus narrowly on the role fear plays in motivating preemptive strikes. Theoretically integrating the literatures on conflict, decision making, and emotion, the current research investigated how specific emotions associated with certainty or uncertainty, including fear, anger, disgust, hope, and happiness, influence preemptive strikes. Study 1 demonstrated that hope negatively predicts defensive exits from relationships in choice dilemmas. Studies 2 and 3 experimentally manipulated risk of being attacked in an incentivized, interactive decision making task-the Preemptive Strike Game. Risk of being attacked fueled preemptive strikes; reduced feelings of hope partially mediated this effect in Study 3. Studies 4 and 5 investigated preemptive strikes under uncertainty (rather than risk). In Study 4, reasoning about the factors that make one trustful of others curbed preemptive strikes; cogitating about the factors that underlie discrete emotions, however, did not influence defensive aggression. Study 5 demonstrated that the valence and uncertainty appraisals of incidental emotions interact in shaping preemptive strikes. Specifically, recalling an autobiographical emotional experience that produced hope significantly decreased attack rates relative to fear, happiness, and a control condition. Fear, anger, disgust, and happiness were either unrelated to preemptive strikes or showed inconsistent relationships with preemptive strikes across the 5 studies. These findings shed light on how emotions shape defensive aggression, advance knowledge on strategic choice under risk and uncertainty, and demonstrate hope's positive effects on social interactions and relationships. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

The Port Hope area initiative municipal involvement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Austin, Rick; Stevenson, Mark

2006-01-01

Port Hope (Canada) contains one of the world's oldest nuclear facility sites. From the 1930's through to the 1970's, processing residues from radium refining facilities located at the Port Hope Harbour were being stored and/or deposited on numerous sites throughout the municipality. For a variety of reasons, including spillage of material during transportation and un-monitored or unauthorized diversion of materials, many private and public properties in the municipality were contaminated with low level radioactive waste. Over the past 30 years, the community has demanded that the nuclear industry and the federal government clean up the mess left in Port Hope. In the 1980's and 1990's, the federal government sought to fulfill its commitment to clean up over one million cubic metres of contaminated material remaining in Port Hope but was unable to find a solution. The Low Level Radioactive Waste Management Siting Task Force worked in trying to find a home for historic LLRW in the 1980's and 1990's. It is only within the past 6 years that Port Hope's community began to see the 'light at the end of the tunnel'. And, the light began to shine when the communities took the issue of long term management of the waste into their own hands and proposed possible solutions to the federal government. So the Port Hope Area Initiative is a community-based initiative. In this paper the author presents some of the reasons for success (so far) and some opportunities and challenges that his municipality, and specifically municipal Council, faces as a partner in this Environmental Assessment and project development process. He addresses some of the key elements of the Project that he believes have led to the success of the Project to this point, including: the Legal Agreement and Agreement Monitoring process; the Property Value Protection Program; the Hosting Fee; the Municipal veto on some decisions; the end Use as an asset to the Community; the Value of Peer Review. He also touches

77 FR 31841 - Hope Gas, Inc.; Notice of Baseline Filing

Science.gov (United States)

2012-05-30

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Docket No. PR12-23-001] Hope Gas, Inc.; Notice of Baseline Filing Take notice that on May 16, 2012, Hope Gas, Inc. (Hope Gas) submitted a revised baseline filing of their Statement of Operating Conditions for services provided under Section 311 of the...

77 FR 26535 - Hope Gas, Inc.; Notice of Baseline Filing

Science.gov (United States)

2012-05-04

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Docket No. PR12-23-000] Hope Gas, Inc.; Notice of Baseline Filing Take notice that on April 26, 2012, Hope Gas, Inc. (Hope Gas) submitted a baseline filing of their Statement of Operating Conditions for services provided under Section 311 of the...

Histological and MS spectrometric analyses of the modified tissue of bulgy form tadpoles induced by salamander predation

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Tsukasa Mori

2012-02-01

The rapid induction of a defensive morphology by a prey species in face of a predation risk is an intriguing in ecological context; however, the physiological mechanisms that underlie this phenotypic plasticity remain uncertain. Here we investigated the phenotypic changes shown by Rana pirica tadpoles in response to a predation threat by larvae of the salamander Hynobius retardatus. One such response is the bulgy morph phenotype, a relatively rapid swelling in size by the tadpoles that begins within 4 days and reaches a maximum at 8 to 10 days. We found that although the total volume of bodily fluid increased significantly (P<0.01 in bulgy morph tadpoles, osmotic pressure was maintained at the same level as control tadpoles by a significant increase (P<0.01 in Na and Cl ion concentrations. In our previous report, we identified a novel frog gene named pirica that affects the waterproofing of the skin membrane in tadpoles. Our results support the hypothesis that predator-induced expression of pirica on the skin membrane causes retention of absorbed water. Midline sections of bulgy morph tadpoles showed the presence of swollen connective tissue beneath the skin that was sparsely composed of cells containing hyaluronic acid. Mass spectrographic (LC-MS/MS analysis identified histone H3 and 14-3-3 zeta as the most abundant constituents in the liquid aspirated from the connective tissue of bulgy tadpoles. Immunohistochemistry using antibodies against these proteins showed the presence of non-chromatin associated histone H3 in the swollen connective tissue. Histones and 14-3-3 proteins are also involved in antimicrobial activity and secretion of antibacterial proteins, respectively. Bulgy tadpoles have a larger surface area than controls, and their skin often has bite wounds inflicted by the larval salamanders. Thus, formation of the bulgy morph may also require and be supported by activation of innate immune systems.

Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans is the predominant chytrid fungus in Vietnamese salamanders

Science.gov (United States)

Laking, Alexandra E.; Ngo, Hai Ngoc; Pasmans, Frank; Martel, An; Nguyen, Tao Thien

2017-01-01

The amphibian chytrid fungi, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) and B. salamandrivorans (Bsal), pose a major threat to amphibian biodiversity. Recent evidence suggests Southeast Asia as a potential cradle for both fungi, which likely resulted in widespread host-pathogen co-existence. We sampled 583 salamanders from 8 species across Vietnam in 55 locations for Bsal and Bd, determined scaled mass index as a proxy for fitness and collected environmental data. Bsal was found within 14 of the 55 habitats (2 of which it was detected in 2013), in 5 salamandrid species, with a prevalence of 2.92%. The globalized pandemic lineage of Bd was found within one pond on one species with a prevalence of 0.69%. Combined with a complete lack of correlation between infection and individual body condition and absence of indication of associated disease, this suggests low level pathogen endemism and Bsal and Bd co-existence with Vietnamese salamandrid populations. Bsal was more widespread than Bd, and occurs at temperatures higher than tolerated by the type strain, suggesting a wider thermal niche than currently known. Therefore, this study provides support for the hypothesis that these chytrid fungi may be endemic to Asia and that species within this region may act as a disease reservoir. PMID:28287614

Transferring hope

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Høyen, Marianne

in yet another educational intitiative. As educated fast-track teachers they enter settings where they face social and cultural challenges, as they are not educated the way the local teachers and the teacher's union prefers. These teachers therefore have to build their hope for the future from three...... their academic and vocational qualifications were viewed adversely. I explore how the informants construct their new working life under these conditions through narratives about past and future. Drawing on Bruner’s Life as Narrative (2004), I study their use of language, comparing the discourse around...

Organizing Hope

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Boris Brorman; Hjemdal, Tor Inge

2012-01-01

Greenland has four municipalities and four Mayors. All four Mayors were invited to Ilulissat in February 2012 to meet with the Possible Greenland team. On the second day of the seminar the Mayor of Qaasuitsup Municipality Jess Svane had to fly up north to Nutaarmiut and assist the small community...... after a young man killed three family members and wounded four others. Tor Inge Hjemdal and Boris Brorman Jensen met with the other three mayors: Simon Simonsen, Asii Chemnitz Narup and Hermann Berthelsen to discuss their hopes and concerns for Greenland....

Wetland and microhabitat use by nesting four-toed salamanders in Maine

Science.gov (United States)

Chalmers, R.J.; Loftin, C.S.

2006-01-01

Little is known of Four-Toed Salamander (Hemidactylium scutatum) habitat use, despite the species' extensive range and elevated conservation status. We investigated species-habitat relationships that predict H. scutatum nesting presence in Maine at wetland and microhabitat scales by comparing microhabitats with and without nests. We created logistic regression models, selected models with AIC, and evaluated models with reserve data. Wetlands with nests were best predicted by shoreline microhabitat of Sphagnum spp., wood substrate, water flow, blue-joint reed grass (Calamagrostis canadensis), meadowsweet (Spiraea alba), steeplebush (Spiraea tomentosa), sensitive fern (Onoclea sensibilis), and absence of sheep laurel (Kalmia angustifolia) or deciduous forest canopy. Within occupied wetlands, shoreline microhabitat where nests occurred was best distinguished from available, unoccupied shoreline microhabitat by steeper shore, greater near-shore and basin water depth, deeper nesting vegetation, presence of moss spp. and winterberry (Ilex verticillata), and a negative association with S. alba, leatherleaf (Chamaedaphne calyculata), and K. angustifolia. These models of wetland and microhabitat use by H. scutatum may assist ecologists and managers in detecting and conserving this species. Copyright 2006 Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles.

Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Modulates Vomeronasal Neuron Response to Male Salamander Pheromone

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Celeste R. Wirsig-Wiechmann

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Electrophysiological studies have shown that gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH modifies chemosensory neurons responses to odors. We have previously demonstrated that male Plethodon shermani pheromone stimulates vomeronasal neurons in the female conspecific. In the present study we used agmatine uptake as a relative measure of the effects of GnRH on this pheromone-induced neural activation of vomeronasal neurons. Whole male pheromone extract containing 3 millimolar agmatine with or without 10 micromolar GnRH was applied to the nasolabial groove of female salamanders for 45 minutes. Immunocytochemical procedures were conducted to visualize and quantify relative agmatine uptake as measured by labeling density of activated vomeronasal neurons. The relative number of labeled neurons did not differ between the two groups: pheromone alone or pheromone-GnRH. However, vomeronasal neurons exposed to pheromone-GnRH collectively demonstrated higher labeling intensity, as a percentage above background (75% as compared with neurons exposed to pheromone alone (63%, P < 0.018. Since the labeling intensity of agmatine within neurons signifies the relative activity levels of the neurons, these results suggest that GnRH increases the response of female vomeronasal neurons to male pheromone.

The motivational properties of hope in goal striving

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nelissen, R.M.A.

2017-01-01

We argue that hope is not an expectancy based on beliefs about pathways to desired goals and personal capacities to act on them, but an experience of the mere possibility of a desired outcome. We propose that in the latter sense, hope has unique motivational consequences for goal striving.

Hope voor het MKB : goede resultaten na toepassing Human Oriented Production Engineering (HOPE)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Verweij, M.J.

1997-01-01

De doorlooptijd werd 40% korter, de kwaliteitsproblemen namen af en de voorraden slonken met een kwart. Het Belgische bedrijf Verhaegen was zeer tevreden over de resultaten van de methode HOPE (Human Oriented Production Engineering). Dit Europeese project richt zich op het midden- en kleinbedrijf.

Rasch Analysis of the Locus-of-Hope Scale. Brief Report

Science.gov (United States)

Gadiana, Leny G.; David, Adonis P.

2015-01-01

The Locus-of-Hope Scale (LHS) was developed as a measure of the locus-of-hope dimensions (Bernardo, 2010). The present study adds to the emerging literature on locus-of-hope by assessing the psychometric properties of the LHS using Rasch analysis. The results from the Rasch analyses of the four subscales of LHS provided evidence on the…

HOPE: Just-in-time Python compiler for astrophysical computations

Science.gov (United States)

Akeret, Joel; Gamper, Lukas; Amara, Adam; Refregier, Alexandre

2014-11-01

HOPE is a specialized Python just-in-time (JIT) compiler designed for numerical astrophysical applications. HOPE focuses on a subset of the language and is able to translate Python code into C++ while performing numerical optimization on mathematical expressions at runtime. To enable the JIT compilation, the user only needs to add a decorator to the function definition. By using HOPE, the user benefits from being able to write common numerical code in Python while getting the performance of compiled implementation.

Translating Music into Hope | NIH MedlinePlus the Magazine

Science.gov (United States)

... contents Translating Music into Hope Follow us Translating Music into Hope Black Eyed Peas’ Taboo talks about ... for years as a member of the hit music group Black Eyed Peas. He shares his recent ...

The Relationship between Hope and Self-Esteem in Patients with Leukemia

Science.gov (United States)

Parvan, Kobra; Jabbarzadeh Tabrizi, Faranak; Rahmani, Azad; Ghojazadeh, Morteza; Azadi, Arman; Golchin, Mehri

2015-01-01

Introduction: Patients with hematologic malignancies often experience many emotional reactions which are different based on patient’s culture. Indeed culture determines the different ways that patients understand cancer. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to determine the relationship of self-esteem and hope among Iranian cancer patients. Methods: This descriptive-correlational study was undertaken among 85 leukemic patients admitted to Shahid Ghazi hospital in East-Azerbaijan province, Iran. They were selected using consecutive sampling method. Persian form of Hearth Hope Index and Coppersmith Self-Esteem Inventory were used to identify patients’ hope and self-esteem. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 13.0. Results: The overall scores of hope and self-esteem were 33.05 (5.24) and 94.61 (11.51), respectively. There was a positive correlation between hope and self-esteem (rs = 0.73, n = 85, P self-esteem and hope relationship could be similar in different cultures. The findings of this study indicate that nurses could be helpful through designing and implementing appropriate educational programs in order to enhance hope and self-esteem of leukemia patients. PMID:26464838

Hope and fatigue in chronic illness: The role of perceived stress.

Science.gov (United States)

Hirsch, Jameson K; Sirois, Fuschia M

2016-04-01

Fatigue is a debilitating symptom of chronic illness that is deleteriously affected by perceived stress, a process particularly relevant to inflammatory disease. Hopefulness, a goal-based motivational construct, may beneficially influence stress and fatigue, yet little research has examined these associations. We assessed the relation between hope and fatigue, and the mediating effect of stress, in individuals with fibromyalgia, arthritis, and inflammatory bowel disease. Covarying age, sex, and pain, stress partially mediated the association between hope and fatigue; those with greater hope reported less stress and consequent fatigue. Therapeutically, bolstering hope may allow proactive management of stressors, resulting in less fatigue. © The Author(s) 2014.

Historical dominance of low-severity fire in dry and wet mixed-conifer forest habitats of the endangered terrestrial Jemez Mountains salamander (Plethodon neomexicanus)

Science.gov (United States)

Margolis, Ellis; Malevich, Steven B.

2016-01-01

Anthropogenic alteration of ecosystem processes confounds forest management and conservation of rare, declining species. Restoration of forest structure and fire hazard reduction are central goals of forest management policy in the western United States, but restoration priorities and treatments have become increasingly contentious. Numerous studies have documented changes in fire regimes, forest stand structure and species composition following a century of fire exclusion in dry, frequent-fire forests of the western U.S. (e.g., ponderosa pine and dry mixed-conifer). In contrast, wet mixed-conifer forests are thought to have historically burned infrequently with mixed- or high-severity fire—resulting in reduced impacts from fire exclusion and low restoration need—but data are limited. In this study we quantified the current forest habitat of the federally endangered, terrestrial Jemez Mountains salamander (Plethodon neomexicanus) and compared it to dendroecological reconstructions of historical habitat (e.g., stand structure and composition), and fire regime parameters along a gradient from upper ponderosa pine to wet mixed-conifer forests. We found that current fire-free intervals in Jemez Mountains salamander habitat (116–165 years) are significantly longer than historical intervals, even in wet mixed-conifer forests. Historical mean fire intervals ranged from 10 to 42 years along the forest gradient. Low-severity fires were historically dominant across all forest types (92 of 102 fires). Although some mixed- or highseverity fire historically occurred at 67% of the plots over the last four centuries, complete mortality within 1.0 ha plots was rare, and asynchronous within and among sites. Climate was an important driver of temporal variability in fire severity, such that mixed- and high-severity fires were associated with more extreme drought than low-severity fires. Tree density in dry conifer forests historically ranged from open (90 trees/ha) to

Reaping a Harvest of Hope - Continuum Magazine | NREL

Science.gov (United States)

Reaping a Harvest of Hope On May 4, 2007, an EF-5 tornado-the highest rating of tornados-tore Reaping a Harvest of Hope Five years after a devastating tornado, Greensburg, Kansas, has new energy and a city also relied on NREL's life-cycle cost analysis and its extensive energy project development and

Zero Temperature Hope Calculations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rozsnyai, B. F.

2002-01-01

The primary purpose of the HOPE code is to calculate opacities over a wide temperature and density range. It can also produce equation of state (EOS) data. Since the experimental data at the high temperature region are scarce, comparisons of predictions with the ample zero temperature data provide a valuable physics check of the code. In this report we show a selected few examples across the periodic table. Below we give a brief general information about the physics of the HOPE code. The HOPE code is an ''average atom'' (AA) Dirac-Slater self-consistent code. The AA label in the case of finite temperature means that the one-electron levels are populated according to the Fermi statistics, at zero temperature it means that the ''aufbau'' principle works, i.e. no a priory electronic configuration is set, although it can be done. As such, it is a one-particle model (any Hartree-Fock model is a one particle model). The code is an ''ion-sphere'' model, meaning that the atom under investigation is neutral within the ion-sphere radius. Furthermore, the boundary conditions for the bound states are also set at the ion-sphere radius, which distinguishes the code from the INFERNO, OPAL and STA codes. Once the self-consistent AA state is obtained, the code proceeds to generate many-electron configurations and proceeds to calculate photoabsorption in the ''detailed configuration accounting'' (DCA) scheme. However, this last feature is meaningless at zero temperature. There is one important feature in the HOPE code which should be noted; any self-consistent model is self-consistent in the space of the occupied orbitals. The unoccupied orbitals, where electrons are lifted via photoexcitation, are unphysical. The rigorous way to deal with that problem is to carry out complete self-consistent calculations both in the initial and final states connecting photoexcitations, an enormous computational task. The Amaldi correction is an attempt to address this problem by distorting the

Hope, Coping, and Quality of Life in Adults with Myasthenia Gravis.

Science.gov (United States)

Koopman, Wilma J; LeBlanc, Nicole; Fowler, Sue; Nicolle, Michael W; Hulley, Denise

2016-01-01

Myasthenia gravis significantly impacts quality of life. However, the relationship between hope, coping, and quality of life (QOL)in myasthenia patients has not been studied (Kulkantrakorn & Jarungkiatkul, 2009; Raggi et al., 2010). The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between hope, coping, and quality of life in adults with myasthenia gravis. Subjects with MG (n = 100) completed six questionnaires, including a demographic profile, the Myasthenia Gravis Activities of Daily Living Scale (MG-ADL), Herth Hope Index (HHI), Jalowiec Coping Scale (JCS), Myasthenia Gravis Quality-of-Life Scale (MG-QOL15), and Short Form Health Survey (SF-36v2). Mean hope scores indicated a high level of hope. An optimistic coping style was the most common and effective coping strategy identified by subjects. Positive thinking and humour were also frequently used strategies. Participants identified quality of life as good tolerability, above general population mental well-being, and below general populationphysical well-being. Participants who identified good quality of life had low scores on the MG-QOL15 scale and high scores on the SF36v2. Hope and independence for activities of daily living were found to correlate with improved quality of life and mental well-being(p life in the relationship between hope and coping. Hope and coping were not important factors for well-being or quality of life. Nurses caring for adults with myasthenia gravis should use interventions that continue to support hope, quality of life, and coping throughout the unpredictable and chronic course of MG.

Restoring Hope: You Can Help Save A Life

Science.gov (United States)

Department of Defense Submit Search Restoring Hope Sep. 1, 2010 You Can Help Save A Life More Focus Needed to of Staff Videos Pentagon Channel Restoring Hope: 90 min. Special - Part 1 | Part 2 More Pentagon Prevention Month: Marine Corps Team Helps Save Lives. I Will Never Quit on Life Sept.8, 2010 - Mrs. Mullen on

Hope as a Political Virtue | Moellendorf | Philosophical Papers

African Journals Online (AJOL)

... understand why it is a political virtue of persons. I also argue that securing the institutional bases of hope is a virtue of state institutions, particularly in states in transition from severe injustice. And, finally, when the bases are secure, a person who fails to hope for the political future is in that regard prima facie blameworthy.

[Hope as psychological resource for nurturant professionals (medicine case study)].

Science.gov (United States)

Водопьянова, Наталия Е; Чикер, Вера А; Потявина, Валерия В

In the article, the issues concerning hope, which is one of the most important resources for specialists of many nurturant professions, are observed. The theoretical analysis of hope and its categorization from the perspective of subjective and resource-based view is given. The special scientific and practical interest to human subjective and personal resources is determined by their unique role not only in human life support, but also in overcoming hard situations and extreme obstacles, including crisis situations in professional activity, with the example of the profession of a doctor. The aim of the empirical research is studying the correlation between hope and such manifestations of subjective regulations medical practice as inner subjective control and failure avoidance motivation. 120 doctors (60 men and 60 women) working in St. Petersburg hospitals took part in the research. Several research methods were used, such as 'Resource map' application form, R. Snyder's hope scale adapted by K. Muzdybayev, 'Subjective control level' method by E. Bazhin, E. Golynkina and L. Etkind, 'Failure avoidance motivation' method by T. Ehlers. Doctors think that Hope and Optimism are among important components of their professional practice, together with willing features helping them to reach their goals (such as persistence, patience, eagerness, insistence and endurance) and such personal qualities as self-assuredness, motion control in different situations, ability to solve hard problems. According the data of correlation and regression analyses, the anticipation that hope is determined by high level of inner control locus and low failure avoidance motivation (responsibility for patients' lives) within medical practice. Most doctors have average or high level of hope, which lets determine this personal disposition quality as one of the important ones for this profession. Being the positive result of professional practice and not depending on the doctors' sex and

"Think positively": Parkinson's disease, biomedicine, and hope in contemporary Germany.

Science.gov (United States)

Metzler, Ingrid; Just, Paul

2017-06-01

Narratives of hope shape contemporary engagements with Parkinson's disease. On the one hand, a "biomedical narrative of hope" promises that biomedical research will help to transform this treatable but incurable disease into a curable one in the future. On the other hand, a more individual "illness narrative of hope" encourages patients to influence the course of Parkinson's disease by practicing self-care and positive thinking. This article asks how these two narratives of hope interact. It bases its argument on an analysis of data from 13 focus groups conducted in Germany in 2012 and 2014 with patients with Parkinson's disease and their relatives. Participants were asked to have their say on clinical trials for advanced therapies for Parkinson's disease and, while doing so, envisioned their biosocial selves in the present and the future. Three "modes of being" for patients were drawn from this body of data: a "users on stand-by" mode, an "unengaged" mode, and an "experimental pioneers" mode. Both narratives of hope were important to all three modes, yet they were mobilized at different frequencies and also had different statuses. While the biomedical narrative of hope was deemed an important "dream of the future" that participants passively supported without having to make it their own, the illness narrative of hope was a truth discourse that took an imperative form: having Parkinson's disease implied the need to maintain a positive attitude.

Molecular detection of vertebrates in stream water: a demonstration using Rocky Mountain tailed frogs and Idaho giant salamanders.

Science.gov (United States)

Goldberg, Caren S; Pilliod, David S; Arkle, Robert S; Waits, Lisette P

2011-01-01

Stream ecosystems harbor many secretive and imperiled species, and studies of vertebrates in these systems face the challenges of relatively low detection rates and high costs. Environmental DNA (eDNA) has recently been confirmed as a sensitive and efficient tool for documenting aquatic vertebrates in wetlands and in a large river and canal system. However, it was unclear whether this tool could be used to detect low-density vertebrates in fast-moving streams where shed cells may travel rapidly away from their source. To evaluate the potential utility of eDNA techniques in stream systems, we designed targeted primers to amplify a short, species-specific DNA fragment for two secretive stream amphibian species in the northwestern region of the United States (Rocky Mountain tailed frogs, Ascaphus montanus, and Idaho giant salamanders, Dicamptodon aterrimus). We tested three DNA extraction and five PCR protocols to determine whether we could detect eDNA of these species in filtered water samples from five streams with varying densities of these species in central Idaho, USA. We successfully amplified and sequenced the targeted DNA regions for both species from stream water filter samples. We detected Idaho giant salamanders in all samples and Rocky Mountain tailed frogs in four of five streams and found some indication that these species are more difficult to detect using eDNA in early spring than in early fall. While the sensitivity of this method across taxa remains to be determined, the use of eDNA could revolutionize surveys for rare and invasive stream species. With this study, the utility of eDNA techniques for detecting aquatic vertebrates has been demonstrated across the majority of freshwater systems, setting the stage for an innovative transformation in approaches for aquatic research.

Molecular detection of vertebrates in stream water: a demonstration using Rocky Mountain tailed frogs and Idaho giant salamanders.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Caren S Goldberg

Full Text Available Stream ecosystems harbor many secretive and imperiled species, and studies of vertebrates in these systems face the challenges of relatively low detection rates and high costs. Environmental DNA (eDNA has recently been confirmed as a sensitive and efficient tool for documenting aquatic vertebrates in wetlands and in a large river and canal system. However, it was unclear whether this tool could be used to detect low-density vertebrates in fast-moving streams where shed cells may travel rapidly away from their source. To evaluate the potential utility of eDNA techniques in stream systems, we designed targeted primers to amplify a short, species-specific DNA fragment for two secretive stream amphibian species in the northwestern region of the United States (Rocky Mountain tailed frogs, Ascaphus montanus, and Idaho giant salamanders, Dicamptodon aterrimus. We tested three DNA extraction and five PCR protocols to determine whether we could detect eDNA of these species in filtered water samples from five streams with varying densities of these species in central Idaho, USA. We successfully amplified and sequenced the targeted DNA regions for both species from stream water filter samples. We detected Idaho giant salamanders in all samples and Rocky Mountain tailed frogs in four of five streams and found some indication that these species are more difficult to detect using eDNA in early spring than in early fall. While the sensitivity of this method across taxa remains to be determined, the use of eDNA could revolutionize surveys for rare and invasive stream species. With this study, the utility of eDNA techniques for detecting aquatic vertebrates has been demonstrated across the majority of freshwater systems, setting the stage for an innovative transformation in approaches for aquatic research.

What hope is there for South Africa? A public theological reflection ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A public theological reflection on the role of the church as a bearer of hope for the future. ... HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies ... Next, a nuanced understanding of hope is presented by adopting a public theological methodology that brings dominant theological perspectives on eschatological hope into dialogue ...

The Effectiveness of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy on Bereaved University Students' Hope

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seyyed Nahid Hosseininezhad

2016-05-01

Full Text Available The present research aims to study the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT on bereaved students' hope. This is an applied research of quasi-experimental type and pretest and posttest design with control group. We selected 30 bereaved university students using stratified sampling method. We used Schneider Hope Questionnaire as the pretest-posttest in the research and analyzed using the statistical method of covariance analysis. The data analysis results indicate that cognitive-behavioral therapy increases bereaved students' hope and there is a significant difference between the two groups. The results of this study show that cognitive-behavioral group therapy influences hope and increases bereaved students' hope by helping them in their emotional discharge and acceptance of death.

Hope and hopelessness as predictors of suicide ideation in Hungarian college students.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Edward C

2017-08-01

This study investigated whether hopelessness and dispositional hope predict suicide ideation in 395 Hungarian college students. Both hopelessness and hope uniquely predicted suicide ideation, a pattern that remained unchanged even after controlling for psychological symptoms. Moreover, a significant Hopelessness × Hope interaction predicted suicide ideation. Present findings highlight how hope buffers the association between hopelessness and suicide risk in college students.

Reshuffle lifts French synchrotron hopes

CERN Multimedia

McCabe, H

2000-01-01

The sacking of Claude Allegre as research minister has raised doubts over the level of France's promised participation in the construction of Diamond but reawakened French hopes that the synchrotron Soleil may now be built (1 page).

Recombinant nAG (a Salamander-Derived Protein Decreases the Formation of Hypertrophic Scarring in the Rabbit Ear Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammad M. Al-Qattan

2014-01-01

Full Text Available nAG (newt-Anterrior Gradient protein is the key mediator of regrowth of amputated limbs in salamanders. In a previous work in our lab, a new nAG gene (suitable for humans was designed and cloned. The cloned vector was transfected into primary human fibroblasts. The expression of nAG in human primary fibroblasts was found to suppress collagen expression. The current study shows that local injection of recombinant nAG reduces scar hypertrophy in the rabbit ear model. This is associated with lower scar elevation index (SEI, lower levels of collagen I & III, higher levels of MMP1, and a higher degree of scar maturation in experimental wounds compared to controls.

Hope and Mental Health in Young Adult College Students: An Integrative Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Griggs, Stephanie

2017-02-01

One in five young adults are diagnosed with a mental illness and many experience psychological distress during their first year of college due to new pressures in academia. The purpose of the current integrative review was to describe and synthesize hope and mental health in young adults in college. PubMed, CINAHL, and PsycINFO were searched for articles published in peer-reviewed journals from 2011-2016. Twenty empirical works were selected for inclusion and five themes emerged: (a) Hope is Associated With Improved Coping, (b) Hope is Associated With Improved Well-Being, (c) Hope is a Moderator Between Depression and Negative Life Events, (d) Hope is a Protective Factor in Suicide, and (e) Hope is a Factor in Healthy Behavior Engagement. Hope may be a protective factor in suicide and negative, self-deprecatory thinking. Further research is needed to determine if increasing hope in young adult college students will decrease the risk of suicide and non-suicidal self-injury, increase healthy behavior engagement, and improve coping and well-being. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 55(2), 28-35.]. Copyright 2017, SLACK Incorporated.

Work Hope: The Role of Personal and Social Factors and Family Support

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

leila vahid dastjerdi

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of the present study was to investigate the related factors on work hope in University of Isfahan's Students. It was a descriptive, correlational study. The statistical samples of the study comprised of all of the students in the University of Isfahan in 2014-15. The sample including 300 students was selected through relatively stratified sampling in the University of Isfahan. The work hope scale, general self-efficacy questionnaire, differential status identity scale, time perspective questionnaires and perceived social support scale were used in collecting the data. The results of path analysis showed that family support indirectly related to work hope through social prestige and social power. Besides, family support indirectly related to self-efficacy through social power. Among the dimensions of perceived social status, social power was found to be indirectly related to work hope through self-efficacy, and social prestige found to be directly related to work hope. Further, self-efficacy was related to work hope both directly and indirectly. Among the aspects of time perspective, the present hedonistic was significantly and positively related to work hope; however, present fatalistic was significantly and negatively related to work hope. In general, the results showed that the self-efficacy, social prestige, social support, present hedonistic, present fatalistic and family support could predict work hope.

The Relationship between Hope and Self-Esteem in Patients with Leukemia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kobra Parvan

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Patients with hematologic malignancies often experience many emotional reactions which are different based on patient’s culture. Indeed culture determines the different ways that patients understand cancer. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to determine the relationship of self-esteem and hope among Iranian cancer patients. Methods: This descriptive-correlational study was undertaken among 85 leukemic patients admitted to Shahid Ghazi hospital in East-Azerbaijan province, Iran. They were selected using consecutive sampling method. Persian form of Hearth Hope Index and Coppersmith Self-Esteem Inventory were used to identify patients’ hope and self-esteem. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 13.0. Results: The overall scores of hope and self-esteem were 33.05 (5.24 and 94.61 (11.51, respectively. There was a positive correlation between hope and self-esteem (rs = 0.73, n = 85, P < 0.001.Conclusion: Although culture determines the different ways that patients understand cancer, but it seems that the self-esteem and hope relationship could be similar in different cultures. The findings of this study indicate that nurses could be helpful through designing and implementing appropriate educational programs in order to enhance hope and self-esteem of leukemia patients.

A mixed method thematic review: the importance of hope to the dying patient.

Science.gov (United States)

Broadhurst, Kathleen; Harrington, Ann

2016-01-01

To review the literature and investigate the meaning of hope to patients receiving palliative care and to examine the themes that foster hope in those patients. Hope is often linked to the future and is a significant factor for patients dealing with adversity, such as a terminal illness. The concept of hope is underreported in the literature. Mixed method thematic review. CINAHL, Scopus, PsychINFO, Informit, PubMed, Science Direct, ProQuest, Web of Science and Google Scholar online databases were searched using keywords and inclusion and exclusion criteria published between 2003-2013. Twelve qualitative articles were thematically analysed using Braun and Clarke's (2006) steps to ascertain major themes and sub-themes. On analysis, the remaining three mixed method studies were found to reflect the themes generated by the qualitative studies. Seven key themes that increased hope were found: disease status; positive personal relationships; positive character traits; quality of life; setting and achieving goals; spirituality/religion; and hope after death. The importance of hope to dying patients was established. Hope is a very complex and personal phenomena requiring hope-enhancing strategies to be individualized. More research is needed with groups whose culture, youth or type of illness may affect their ability to foster and maintain hope. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The Effect of Stress Management Training on Hope in Hemodialysis Patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Poorgholami, Farzad; Abdollahifard, Sareh; Zamani, Marzieh; Kargar Jahromi, Marzieh; Badiyepeyma Jahromi, Zohreh

2015-11-18

Chronic renal failure exposes patients to the risk of several complications, which will affect every aspect of patient's life, and eventually his hope. This study aims to determine the effect of stress management group training on hope in hemodialysis patients. In this quasi-experimental single-blind study, 50 patients with renal failure undergoing hemodialysis at Motahari Hospital in Jahrom were randomly divided into stress management training and control groups. Sampling was purposive, and patients in stress management training group received 60-minute in-person training by the researcher (in groups of 5 to 8 patients) before dialysis, over 5 sessions, lasting 8 weeks, and a researcher-made training booklet was made available to them in the first session. Patients in the control group received routine training given to all patients in hemodialysis department. Patients' hope was recorded before and after intervention. Data collection tools included demographic details form, checklist of problems of hemodialysis patients and Miller hope scale (MHS). Data were analyzed in SPSS-18, using Chi-square, one-way analysis of variance, and paired t-test. Fifty patients were studied in two groups of 25 each. No significant difference was observed between the two groups in terms of age, gender, or hope before intervention. After 8 weeks of training, hope reduced from 95.92±12.63 to 91.16±11.06 (P=0.404) in the control group, and increased from 97.24±11.16 to 170.96±7.99 (P=0.001) in the stress management training group. Significant differences were observed between the two groups in hope scores after the intervention. Stress management training by nurses significantly increased hope in hemodialysis patients. This low cost intervention can be used to improve hope in hemodialysis patients.

Hope and cardiovascular health-promoting behaviour: education alone is not enough.

Science.gov (United States)

Feldman, David B; Sills, Jonathan R

2013-01-01

We investigated hope's ability to predict cardiovascular disease (CVD) knowledge and health-promoting behaviours. Snyder defined hope as the combination of goal-directed planning and motivation, and theorised that high-hope people seek knowledge relevant to goal pursuits. We surveyed 391 Latino and Asian participants undergoing CVD risk screening, nearly all immigrants to the USA. This was a particularly important sample because, in general, these populations are considered underserved and under-researched. Pre-screening hope levels were measured. After screening and education, participants rated perceived importance of behaviour change. Behaviour change (salt/fat intake, exercise, CVD information-seeking and visiting a physician) and CVD knowledge were assessed one month later by telephone. Unexpectedly, hope did not predict knowledge. However, hope predicted self-reported behaviour change, though results differed by ethnicity. Among Asian individuals, hope × knowledge predicted reduced salt/fat, CVD information-seeking and physician visits. Among Latino individuals, hope × perceived importance of diet change predicted reduced salt/fat and hope × perceived importance of exercise change predicted increased exercise.

What Happens at the House of Hope | NIH MedlinePlus the Magazine

Science.gov (United States)

... of Hope Follow us What Happens at the House of Hope? Discovery documentary showcases important research at ... at the Clinical Center also known as the “House of Hope.” Two of the patients have cancer ...

A review of the biology and conservation of the Cope's giant salamander Dicamptodon copei Nussbaum, 1970 (Amphibia: Caudata: Dicamptodontidae) in the Pacific northwestern region of the USA

Science.gov (United States)

Alex D. Foster; Deanna H. Olson; Lawrence L.C. Jones

2015-01-01

The Cope’s Giant Salamander Dicamptodon copei is a stream dwelling amphibian reliant on cool streams, native to forested areas primarily west of the crest of the Cascade Range in the Pacific Northwest region, USA. Unlike other members of the genus, adult D. copei are most often found in a paedomorphic form, and rarely transforms to a terrestrial stage. As a result,...

The Role of Hope for Adolescents with a Chronic Illness: An Integrative Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Griggs, Stephanie; Walker, Rachel K

2016-01-01

Hope is a human strength essential for adolescents' enduring and coping with chronic illness however, the role of hope is not well understood in this population. This integrative review describes what is currently known about the role of hope in adolescents with a chronic illness. A methodological review using an integrative approach by R. Whittemore and K. Knafl (2005) was performed. MEDLINE via Pubmed; CINAHL; PyscINFO and Google scholar were searched for articles published in peer-reviewed journals from 1995 to 2015, using search terms 'hope and chronic illness' with age limiters for all except Google scholar (title search of "hope and adolescents"). Of the 197 studies initially retrieved: a total of 27 quantitative studies, 8 qualitative studies and 19 theoretical works were selected for review. Seven themes emerged including that hope: (i) promotes health (ii) facilitates coping and adjustment, (iii) enhances quality of life, (iv) is essential in purpose in life and illness (v) improves self-esteem, (vi) is an important factor in resilience and (vii) affects maturation. Persons reporting higher levels of hope find multiple routes to goals, view setbacks as challenges, and better manage psychological symptoms. Although theory and a limited body of empirical research to date suggest a link between hopeful thinking and physical health, the specific mechanisms remain unclear. As hope is linked to resilience, further research should explore whether adolescents with higher hope return to baseline faster than their lower hope counterparts. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Hope, emotion regulation, and psychosocial well-being in patients newly diagnosed with cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Peh, Chao Xu; Kua, Ee Heok; Mahendran, Rathi

2016-05-01

Patients newly diagnosed with cancer are often confronted with feelings of uncertainty and life threat. A significant proportion may report impairments in psychosocial well-being. Previous studies examining protective psychological factors such as hope and emotion regulation (ER) have yet to investigate these processes concurrently within a common self-regulation framework and/or focus on newly diagnosed patients. The present study aimed to examine how hope and ER may relate to psychosocial outcomes of patients newly diagnosed with cancer. The present study used a cross-sectional design with self-report questionnaires. Participants were newly diagnosed patients (N = 101) recruited from three cancer therapy clinics in a hospital. Patients completed measures of hope, ER (cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression), and psychosocial well-being (life satisfaction and negative affectivity). Findings showed that (1) hope and reappraisal, but not suppression, were associated with well-being and (2) the interaction between hope and reappraisal was associated with well-being; reappraisal was not associated with well-being in high hope patients, while high reappraisal was associated with better well-being in low hope patients. Individual differences in hope and reappraisal appeared to be associated with psychosocial outcomes in newly diagnosed cancer patients. Hopeful thinking appeared to benefit patients' psychosocial well-being. In addition, an interaction effect between hope and reappraisal suggested that reappraisal as an ER strategy may be particularly adaptive for patients with low hope.

Students’ voice: The hopes and fears of student-teacher candidates

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shirli Shoyer

2016-12-01

Full Text Available It is widely claimed that learners interpret new information and experiences through their existing network of knowledge, experience, and beliefs. Research on professional identities of teachers highlight the impact of biographical factors such as teachers schooling experiences, motivations for entering teacher education programs, their initial teacher education experiences and contexts of professional practice, as influential of “construction, deconstruction and reconstruction” of teachers’ professional identities and the kind of teachers they become. The study investigates teacher education candidates’ hopes and fears concerning their future career as teachers. An open-ended questionnaire was distributed to 90 candidates in a teacher education college. The qualitative analysis identifies the domains of candidates’ hope and fears. The findings reveal that candidates expressed more hopes then fears. Their hopes and fears correspond with qualities of the “good teacher” and effective teaching. The study can support the development of prospective teachers towards expertise in teaching and assist program designers and educators in strengthening education programs by catering for students’ needs, taking into consideration their hopes and concerns.

Biopsychosocial correlates of hope in Asian patients with cancer: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Mahendran, Rathi; Chua, Shi Min; Lim, Haikel A; Yee, Isaac J; Tan, Joyce Y S; Kua, Ee Heok; Griva, Konstadina

2016-10-06

To examine the factors associated with hope and hopelessness in patients with cancer in Asian countries, and the instruments used to measure hope and hopelessness. A comprehensive systematic review was conducted with search terms, including cancer, hope, hopelessness and individual Asian country names, on CINAHL, Embase, PsycINFO, PubMed and Scopus databases. Only quantitative studies on adult cancer populations in Asia examining hope or hopelessness were included. A total of 2062 unique articles were retrieved from the databases, and 32 studies were selected for inclusion in this review. Hope and hopelessness were most frequently measured with the Herth Hope Index and the Mental Adjustment to Cancer Scale, respectively. The biopsychosocial factors that were most consistently associated with hope and hopelessness included sociodemographic variables (education, employment and economic status); clinical factors (cancer stage, physical condition and symptoms); and psychosocial factors (emotional distress, social support and connections, quality of life, control or self-efficacy, as well as adjustment and resilience). There is a need for more studies from South and Southeast Asia as most studies hailed from East Asia. This review highlighted the possibility of cultural differences influencing factors related to hope, suggesting that cross-cultural studies specifically would facilitate understanding behind these variations, although future reviews on hope should also include studies on hopelessness for a comprehensive understanding of the concept. Finally, more longitudinal research could be conducted to assess whether the factors associated with hope and hopelessness change over time and disease progression. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Sustaining hope as a moral competency in the context of aggressive care.

Science.gov (United States)

Peter, Elizabeth; Mohammed, Shan; Simmonds, Anne

2015-11-01

Nurses who provide aggressive care often experience the ethical challenge of needing to preserve the hope of seriously ill patients and their families without providing false hope. The purpose of this inquiry was to explore nurses' moral competence related to fostering hope in patients and their families within the context of aggressive technological care. A secondary purpose was to understand how this competence is shaped by the social-moral space of nurses' work in order to capture how competencies may reflect an adaptation to a less than ideal work environment. A critical qualitative approach was used. Fifteen graduate nursing students from various practice areas participated. After receiving ethics approval from the university, signed informed consent was obtained from participants before they were interviewed. One overarching theme 'Mediating the tension between providing false hope and destroying hope within biomedicine' along with three subthemes, including 'Reimagining hopeful possibilities', 'Exercising caution within the social-moral space of nursing' and 'Maintaining nurses' own hope', was identified, which represents specific aspects of this moral competency. This competency represents a complex, nuanced and multi-layered set of skills in which nurses must be well attuned to the needs and emotions of their patients and families, have the foresight to imagine possible future hopes, be able to acknowledge death, have advanced interpersonal skills, maintain their own hope and ideally have the capacity to challenge those around them when the provision of aggressive care is a form of providing false hope. The articulation of moral competencies may support the development of nursing ethics curricula to prepare future nurses in a way that is sensitive to the characteristics of actual practice settings. © The Author(s) 2014.

Attachment, hope, and participation: Testing an expanded model of Snyder's hope theory for prediction of participation for individuals with spinal cord injury.

Science.gov (United States)

Blake, John; Yaghmaian, Rana; Brooks, Jessica; Fais, Connor; Chan, Fong

2018-05-01

The aim of the study was to test an expanded model of Snyder's hope theory for prediction of participation for individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). Statistical model testing focused on evaluation of hope theory constructs (i.e., agency thoughts and pathways thoughts) as serial mediators of relationships between attachment and community participation. Quantitative, cross-sectional, descriptive design using multiple regression and correlational techniques. The sample comprised 108 persons with SCI recruited from spinal cord injury advocacy organizations in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. Secure attachment, avoidant attachment, anxious attachment, and the hope constructs were significantly related to participation. Significant mediational effects were observed when agency thoughts and pathways thoughts were specified as mediators in series between attachment and community participation for people with SCI (i.e., agency specified as M1 and pathways specified as M2). Results provide support for Snyder's theoretical conceptualization and the use of hope-based interventions by rehabilitation practitioners for improving global participation outcomes for people with SCI who experience attachment-related difficulties. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

HOPE: A Python just-in-time compiler for astrophysical computations

Science.gov (United States)

Akeret, J.; Gamper, L.; Amara, A.; Refregier, A.

2015-04-01

The Python programming language is becoming increasingly popular for scientific applications due to its simplicity, versatility, and the broad range of its libraries. A drawback of this dynamic language, however, is its low runtime performance which limits its applicability for large simulations and for the analysis of large data sets, as is common in astrophysics and cosmology. While various frameworks have been developed to address this limitation, most focus on covering the complete language set, and either force the user to alter the code or are not able to reach the full speed of an optimised native compiled language. In order to combine the ease of Python and the speed of C++, we developed HOPE, a specialised Python just-in-time (JIT) compiler designed for numerical astrophysical applications. HOPE focuses on a subset of the language and is able to translate Python code into C++ while performing numerical optimisation on mathematical expressions at runtime. To enable the JIT compilation, the user only needs to add a decorator to the function definition. We assess the performance of HOPE by performing a series of benchmarks and compare its execution speed with that of plain Python, C++ and the other existing frameworks. We find that HOPE improves the performance compared to plain Python by a factor of 2 to 120, achieves speeds comparable to that of C++, and often exceeds the speed of the existing solutions. We discuss the differences between HOPE and the other frameworks, as well as future extensions of its capabilities. The fully documented HOPE package is available at http://hope.phys.ethz.ch and is published under the GPLv3 license on PyPI and GitHub.

The Power of Hope

Science.gov (United States)

Larson, Scott

2013-01-01

Many youth who have experienced pain and trauma have learned to survive. But surviving is not the same as thriving. Humans are able to flourish only as they find hope. How can adults help youth envision positive futures? One strategy is to help youth to have a concrete vision of a future worth having. One exercise asks young people to write their…

Molecular mechanisms of extensive mitochondrial gene rearrangementin plethodontid salamanders

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mueller, Rachel Lockridge; Boore, Jeffrey L.

2005-06-01

Extensive gene rearrangement is reported in the mitochondrial genomes of lungless salamanders (Plethodontidae). In each genome with a novel gene order, there is evidence that the rearrangement was mediated by duplication of part of the mitochondrial genome, including the presence of both pseudogenes and additional, presumably functional, copies of duplicated genes. All rearrangement-mediating duplications include either the origin of light strand replication and the nearby tRNA genes or the regions flanking the origin of heavy strand replication. The latter regions comprise nad6, trnE, cob, trnT, an intergenic spacer between trnT and trnP and, in some genomes, trnP, the control region, trnF, rrnS, trnV, rrnL, trnL1, and nad1. In some cases, two copies of duplicated genes, presumptive regulatory regions, and/or sequences with no assignable function have been retained in the genome following the initial duplication; in other genomes, only one of the duplicated copies has been retained. Both tandem and non-tandem duplications are present in these genomes, suggesting different duplication mechanisms. In some of these mtDNAs, up to 25 percent of the total length is composed of tandem duplications of non-coding sequence that includes putative regulatory regions and/or pseudogenes of tRNAs and protein-coding genes along with otherwise unassignable sequences. These data indicate that imprecise initiation and termination of replication, slipped-strand mispairing, and intra-molecular recombination may all have played a role in generating repeats during the evolutionary history of plethodontid mitochondrial genomes.

Hope and Life Satisfaction in Black College Students Coping with Race-Related Stress

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Danoff-Burg, Sharon; Prelow, Hazel M.; Swenson, Rebecca R.

2004-01-01

This exploratory study examined the effects of hope and coping with race-related stress on life satisfaction in Black college students. Findings indicated that students with high hope had greater coping efficacy and used more problem-focused coping than students with low hope. Neither coping nor hope had a direct effect on life satisfaction.…

New species of salamander (Caudata: Plethodontidae: Cryptotriton) from Quebrada Cataguana, Francisco Morazán, Honduras, with comments on the taxonomic status of Cryptotriton wakei.

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Mccranie, James R; Rovito, Sean M

2014-05-09

We describe a new species of the plethodontid salamander genus Cryptotriton from Honduras after comparing morphological, molecular, and osteological data from the holotype to that of the other nominal forms of the genus. The new species differs from all of the known species of Cryptotriton in at least one character from all three datasets. We also suggest placing C. wakei in the synonymy of C. nasalis after examining the morphological and osteological characters of the single known specimen of C. wakei.

Hope for the Crowded Planet

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nørgaard, Jørgen

2005-01-01

The basic environmental problem of population growth is discussed on the background of low bith rates in many countries, primarely in affluent countries plus China. This gives hope for. The problems from declining population raised by some economists, such as ageing population, are minor compared...

Should palliative care patients' hope be truthful, helpful or valuable? An interpretative synthesis of literature describing healthcare professionals' perspectives on hope of palliative care patients

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Olsman, Erik; Leget, Carlo; Onwuteaka-Philipsen, Bregje; Willems, Dick

2014-01-01

Healthcare professionals' perspectives on palliative care patients' hope influence communication. However, these perspectives have hardly been examined. To describe healthcare professionals' perspectives on palliative care patients' hope found in the literature. The interpretative synthesis

Hope and General Self-efficacy: Two Measures of the Same Construct?

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Zhou, Mingming; Kam, Chester Chun Seng

2016-07-03

The aim of this study was to test the extent to which hope measure is equivalent to general self-efficacy measure. Questionnaire data on these two constructs and other external variables were collected from 199 Chinese college students. The factor analytic results suggested that hope and self-efficacy items measured the same construct. The unidimensional model combining hope items and GSE items fit the data as well as the bidimensional model, indicating that their corresponding items measured the same underlying construct. Further analyses showed that hope and GSE did not correlate with external variables differently in a systematic manner. Most of these correlational differences were non-significant and negligible. These findings suggested that the literatures studying GSE and hope could be considered to be integrated and that researchers need to recognize and acknowledge the conceptual and operational similarities among these constructs in the literature.

24 CFR 972.115 - Relationship between required conversions and HOPE VI developments.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... conversions and HOPE VI developments. 972.115 Section 972.115 Housing and Urban Development Regulations... Relationship between required conversions and HOPE VI developments. HUD actions to approve or deny proposed HOPE VI revitalization plans must be consistent with the requirements of this subpart. Developments...

Should palliative care patients' hope be truthful, helpful or valuable? An interpretative synthesis of literature describing healthcare professionals' perspectives on hope of palliative care patients

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Olsman, E.; Leget, C.; Onwuteaka-Philipsen, B.D.; Willems, D.

2014-01-01

Background: Healthcare professionals? perspectives on palliative care patients? hope influence communication. However, these perspectives have hardly been examined. Aim: To describe healthcare professionals? perspectives on palliative care patients? hope found in the literature. Design: The

Reclaiming hope: Affect, temporality, politics

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Taş, B.

2016-01-01

The critical task I take up in this research is to reconceptualize hope as an affective orientation in time, which requires remaining open to the risks that the unknowability of the future entails. I consider this opening a political contestation that is necessary to critique the current

Rorty, Addams, and Social Hope

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Erik Schneiderhan

2013-08-01

Full Text Available This paper takes up the practice and ideas of Richard Rorty and Jane Addams, considering their work at the intersection of pragmatism and social action. It argues that both Richard Rorty and Jane Addams, each in their own way, were thinking through the significant challenges that confront individuals in their everyday lives: How do we adjudicate between the competing values of individual accountability and helping others in our community? This is our social test, and the way we each answer the question matters for the future of democracy and our degree of social hope. Rorty was a champion of engagement with the community, and believed that out of this experience comes our capacity to creatively weave the fabric of liberal democracy. The paper argues that Addams’s work at Hull-House in Chicago offers concrete examples of the potential of reciprocal social relations, providing practical substance to Rorty’s ideas and showing how we can create social hope through action.

Hope in Patients with Cancer

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Selma Turan Kavradim

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Cancer, which is one of the major health problems leading to despair, uncertainty, pain and suffering, is perceived as a serious and chronic disease. Cancer negatively affects individuals' quality of life due to the physical, psychological, and socio-economic problems. Today, despite inspiring advances in diagnosis and treatment of cancer and increase in survival rates of patients, appearance of physical and psycho-social disorders during cancer course disrupts the adaptation mechanisms of patients and undermines expectations for the future. Most of the time in clinical practice, clinicians focus on physical assessments and treatment planning of cancer patients primarily, ignoring social, psychological, economic and cultural factors related with the disease. This approach definitely influences patients' hope levels and their effective dealing with the disease. The aim of this article is to guide medical staff and increase awareness about the concept of hope in patients with cancer. [Psikiyatride Guncel Yaklasimlar - Current Approaches in Psychiatry 2014; 6(2.000: 154-164

Exploring hope and healing in patients living with advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

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Eustache, Chloe; Jibb, Emily; Grossman, Mary

2014-09-01

To explore the experience and meaning of hope in relation to the healing process of patients living with stage IIIb or IV non-small cell lung cancer. Interpretative qualitative study design. Peter Brojde Lung Cancer Centre in the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. 12 English- and French-speaking patients, aged 36-78 years. One 60-90-minute semistructured interview per participant was conducted. An inductive approach to data analysis was taken, involving immersion in the data, coding, classifying, and creating linkages. Four main themes emerged: (a) the morass of shattered hope, (b) tentative steps toward a new hope paradigm, (c) reframing hope within the context of a life-threatening illness, and (d) strengthening the link between hope and wellness. Patients described a process where hope was diminished or lost entirely, regained, and reshaped as they learned to live and grow following their diagnosis. This study adds to the literature by describing the dynamic nature of hope as well as factors facilitating or hindering the hope process. It demonstrates how finding meaning, a structural component of healing, can be used to envision a new hopeful future. This study suggests hope and healing cannot exist in isolation, and highlights the importance of understanding the fluctuating nature of hope in patients with advanced lung cancer to foster it, therefore promoting healing.

Experiences that inspire hope: Perspectives of suicidal patients.

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Vatne, May; Nåden, Dagfinn

2018-06-01

Suffering in a suicidal crisis includes feelings such as despair, loneliness, anxiety, fear, shame, guilt and hopelessness. This study highlights the experiences of patients in the aftermath of suicide attempts. The research question was, what do suicidal patients see as meaningful help in care and treatment situations? The methodology is inspired by Gadamer's hermeneutics, where the parts are understood in light of the whole, and the whole is understood in light of the parts. Qualitative interviews were employed. Participants and research context: A total of 10 persons, 4 women and 6 men 21-52 years old, were informed and asked to participate by specialists in psychology at two emergency psychiatric wards and by one crisis resolution team. Nine of the participants had experienced one or more suicide attempts using drugs and alcohol. Forced hospitalization prevented one of the 10 participants from attempting suicide. Ethical considerations: Before the participants signed an informed consent form, the interviewer met all participants to provide the written information, talking about the interview. A meeting to terminate contact was arranged after the participants had read their own interviews. Three themes were generated by the methodology we applied: (1) experiencing hope through encounters, (2) experiencing hope through the atmosphere of wisdom and (3) experiencing a ray of hope from taking back responsibility. The findings are discussed in the light of Eriksson's suffering theory and Lindström's theory about psychiatric care, as well as earlier research and theories about suicidality. The study reinforces possibilities that hope in suicidal patients can be inspired in encounters with healthcare personnel and within caring cultures. Through dialogue and cooperation, patients' safety and ability to cope with suffering is created and thereby the hope and will to struggle for life.

Origins of Early Adolescents' Hope: Personality, Parental Attachment, and Stressful Life Events

Science.gov (United States)

Otis, Kristin L.; Huebner, E. Scott; Hills, Kimberly J.

2016-01-01

Psychology has recently increased attention to identifying psychological qualities in individuals that indicate positive mental health, such as hope. In an effort to understand further the origins of hope, we examined the relations among parental attachment, stressful life events, personality variables, and hope in a sample of 647 middle school…

Hope in palliative care: from narcissism to self-transcendence in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Fanos, Joanna H; Gelinas, Deborah F; Foster, Reed S; Postone, Norman; Miller, Robert G

2008-04-01

The concept of hope in palliative care is an important and neglected area of research. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a progressive degenerative motor neuron disease, offers an excellent opportunity to study this construct as the illness is virtually always fatal. Our research explored the meaning of hope in individuals with ALS. Sixteen patients (13 males and 3 females; mean age, 54) were interviewed during routine clinic visits to the Forbes Norris MDA/ALS Research Center at California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco. The Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) Scale and the ALS Functional Rating Scale-Revised (ALSFRS-R) and a Hope Scale were administered. Themes of hope were identified and categorized. Hope categories included: (1) hope for a cure, (2) social support, (3) search for information, (4) spiritual beliefs, (5) limiting the impact, (6) adapting to changing capacities, (7) living in the moment, and (8) self-transcendence. The relationship between hope and the FVC value and individual as well as overall ALSFRS-R ratings were examined, and none were significant. Individuals varied in their capacity to cope with their illness unrelated to their physical ability. Themes ranged from a primary focus on the self to one of heightened concern for others, on continuum from narcissism to altruism. Respondents cited using a number of categories of hope (mean=5). Patients draw upon a variety of mechanisms to sustain hope when facing chronic disease, including hope for a cure, support from others, seeking information, spiritual beliefs, limiting the impact, adapting to changing capacities, living in the moment, and transcending the self. The palliative care team can play an important role by promoting discussions regarding hopefulness and its many forms in individuals with ALS.

Comparative limb bone loading in the humerus and femur of the tiger salamander: testing the 'mixed-chain' hypothesis for skeletal safety factors.

Science.gov (United States)

Kawano, Sandy M; Economy, D Ross; Kennedy, Marian S; Dean, Delphine; Blob, Richard W

2016-02-01

Locomotion imposes some of the highest loads upon the skeleton, and diverse bone designs have evolved to withstand these demands. Excessive loads can fatally injure organisms; however, bones have a margin of extra protection, called a 'safety factor' (SF), to accommodate loads that are higher than normal. The extent to which SFs might vary amongst an animal's limb bones is unclear. If the limbs are likened to a chain composed of bones as 'links', then similar SFs might be expected for all limb bones because failure of the system would be determined by the weakest link, and extra protection in other links could waste energetic resources. However, Alexander proposed that a 'mixed-chain' of SFs might be found amongst bones if: (1) their energetic costs differ, (2) some elements face variable demands, or (3) SFs are generally high. To test whether such conditions contribute to diversity in limb bone SFs, we compared the biomechanical properties and locomotor loading of the humerus and femur in the tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum). Despite high SFs in salamanders and similar sizes of the humerus and femur that would suggest similar energetic costs, the humerus had lower bone stresses, higher mechanical hardness and larger SFs. SFs were greatest in the anatomical regions where yield stresses were highest in the humerus and lowest in the femur. Such intraspecific variation between and within bones may relate to their different biomechanical functions, providing insight into the emergence of novel locomotor capabilities during the invasion of land by tetrapods. © 2016. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

Hope: A further dimension for engaging family members of people with ABI.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuipers, Pim; Doig, Emmah; Kendall, Melissa; Turner, Ben; Mitchell, Marion; Fleming, Jennifer

2014-01-01

Family member engagement is increasingly recognised as an influential factor in the rehabilitation continuum following Acquired Brain Injury, including the inpatient setting and longer-term community integration phases. To explore the experiences of patients and family members about their involvement in brain injury rehabilitation. This study comprised individual and group interviews with 14 ex-patients and family members. Interviews explored effects of inpatient rehabilitation on family relationships. Interview audio recordings were analysed using an interpretive approach by two independent researchers. Findings clearly confirmed the significance of engaging family members in inpatient rehabilitation, and specifically reinforced the importance of informational, emotional, practical and peer support. However, the key finding of the study was the importance of hope, and the need for rehabilitation professionals to foster hope. Despite not having included any questions on this topic, all interviewees noted the importance of hope, some saw it as fundamental to positive outcomes, and many were unconvinced of rehabilitation professionals' concern to avoid false hope. Various dimensions of hope are explored. The study notes that hope has been identified as highly important in many areas beyond brain injury rehabilitation. Based on this small preliminary study, the issue of hope is seen as a key focus for future research.

Adolescent Hopefulness in Tanzania: Street Youth, Former Street Youth, and School Youth

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Nalkur, Priya G.

2009-01-01

This study compares hope in street youth, former street youth, and school youth (aged 12-18) in Tanzania. Responding to Snyder's hope theory, the author argues that not only personal agency but also the stability of living context (street, shelter, home) shapes hopefulness. Employing qualitative and quantitative analyses, the author presents a…

Dubai: a City of Hope?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lina Abirafeh

2007-07-01

Full Text Available The City of Hope is an organisation offering refuge for abused women in Dubai, the largest city of the United Arab Emirates. Dubai has started to acknowledge the social problems accompanying its phenomenal economic growth but is it doing enough to tackle the scourge of human trafficking?

On Sinking and Swimming: The Dialectic of Hope, Hopelessness, and Acceptance in Terminal Cancer

Science.gov (United States)

Sachs, Emily; Kolva, Elissa; Pessin, Hayley; Rosenfeld, Barry; Breitbart, William

2016-01-01

For terminally ill cancer patients, hope and hopelessness are constructs that significantly impact the quality of life. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between hope and hopelessness in advanced cancer and to identify factors that maintain hope and increase vulnerability to hopelessness. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 22 terminally ill cancer patients. Interview transcripts were analyzed using thematic content analysis to identify patient definitions of these terms and associated cognitions and emotions. Hope and hopelessness were identified as distinct, often co-occurring, and dialectically interacting constructs. The relationship between hope and hopelessness often balanced on acceptance, perceived as diametrically opposed to hopelessness, and conducive to redirecting hope toward new goals. Positive interpersonal relationships enhanced hope, and uncontrolled physical pain increased vulnerability to hopelessness. PMID:22556280

Influence of hope, social support, and self-esteem in early stage dementia.

Science.gov (United States)

Cotter, Valerie T; Gonzalez, Elizabeth W; Fisher, Kathleen; Richards, Kathy C

2018-02-01

Background People in the early stages of dementia adjust to the illness through stages of awareness, coping, and evaluation. Studies have found that hope, social support, and self-esteem facilitate coping, adjustment, and adaptation in chronic illness. Objective The purpose of this descriptive study was to examine the relationships between hope, social support, and self-esteem in individuals with early stage dementia. Methods Data were obtained from 53 individuals with early stage dementia. The scores on the Herth Hope Index, Social Support Questionnaire Short-Form, and the State Self-Esteem Scale were analyzed using linear regression. Results Hope was moderately associated with self-esteem ( r = .49, p self-esteem and was a key component in predicting self-esteem. No significant relationship was found between social support and self-esteem. Conclusion Findings suggest that hope may be an important factor to help individuals manage potential threats to self-esteem in the experience of early stage dementia. Strategies to inspire hope and then enhance self-esteem are promising for individuals living with early stage dementia.

Parent and Friend Social Support and Adolescent Hope.

Science.gov (United States)

Mahon, Noreen E; Yarcheski, Adela

2017-04-01

The purpose of this study was to conduct two meta-analyses. The first examined social support from parents in relation to adolescent hope, and the second examined social support from friends in relation to adolescent hope. Using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines for the literature reviewed, nine published studies or doctoral dissertations completed between 1990 and 2014 met the inclusion criteria. Using meta-analytic techniques and the mean weighted r statistic, the results indicated that social support from friends had a stronger mean effect size (ES = .31) than social support from parents (ES = .21); there was a statistically significant difference between the two ESs. Two of the four moderators for the parent social support-adolescent hope relationship were statistically significant. They were quality score and health status. Implications for school nurses and nurses in all settings are addressed, and conclusions are drawn based on the findings.

Joy, Distress, Hope, and Fear in Reinforcement Learning (Extended Abstract)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jacobs, E.J.; Broekens, J.; Jonker, C.M.

2014-01-01

In this paper we present a mapping between joy, distress, hope and fear, and Reinforcement Learning primitives. Joy / distress is a signal that is derived from the RL update signal, while hope/fear is derived from the utility of the current state. Agent-based simulation experiments replicate

A metagenomics-based approach to the top-down effect on the detritivore food web: a salamanders influence on fungal communities within a deciduous forest.

Science.gov (United States)

Walker, Donald M; Lawrence, Brandy R; Esterline, Dakota; Graham, Sean P; Edelbrock, Michael A; Wooten, Jessica A

2014-11-01

The flow of energy within an ecosystem can be considered either top-down, where predators influence consumers, or bottom-up, where producers influence consumers. Plethodon cinereus (Red-backed Salamander) is a terrestrial keystone predator who feeds on invertebrates within the ecosystem. We investigated the impact of the removal of P. cinereus on the detritivore food web in an upland deciduous forest in northwest Ohio, U.S.A. A total of eight aluminum enclosures, each containing a single P. cinereus under a small log, were constructed in the deciduous forest. On Day 1 of the experiment, four salamanders were evicted from four of the eight enclosures. Organic matter and soil were collected from the center of each enclosure at Day 1 and Day 21. From each sample, DNA was extracted, fungal-specific amplification performed, and 454 pyrosequencing was used to sequence the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS2) region and partial ribosomal large subunit (LSU). Changes in overall fungal community composition or species diversity were not statistically significant between treatments. Statistically significant shifts in the most abundant taxonomic groups of fungi were documented in presence but not absence enclosures. We concluded that P. cinereus does not affect the overall composition or diversity of fungal communities, but does have an impact on specific groups of fungi. This study used a metagenomics-based approach to investigate a missing link among a keystone predator, P. cinereus, invertebrates, and fungal communities, all of which are critical in the detritivore food web.

The alternative means process for the Port Hope Area Initiative

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

O'Neill, J.E.; Campbell, D.; Rossi, R.

2006-01-01

In March of 2001, the Government of Canada, the Town of Port Hope, Hope Township and the Municipality of Clarington agreed to the cleanup and long-term management of historic, low-level radioactive waste materials in these communities. The agreement identified conceptual designs for long-term management facilities for the wastes. Two environmental assessments (EAs) of the proposed long-term management facilities have been initiated as part of the Port Hope Area Initiative (PHAI); namely the Port Hope Long-Term Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management Project and the Port Granby Long-Term Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management Project. A requirement set out in the Scope for the EAs is the consideration of technically and economically feasible Alternative Means of carrying out the PHAI projects. Alternative Means are the various ways that the projects could be implemented, such as alternative technologies, sites, transportation routes, etc. Early in the overall EA processes the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management Office (LLRWMO), which is responsible for undertaking the EAs, recognized that it was facing a significant challenge; namely, the successful completion of a clear, technically sound and defendable Alternative Means analysis, including consultation with and acceptance by the community. This would be a fundamental requirement for the success of the PHAI EAs. A further challenge was to develop consistent assessment methodologies for the Port Hope and Port Granby projects, which were both initiated under the PHAI at the same time. Although similar in many respects, the two projects have major differences. For example, the Port Hope Project, with more sources of contamination within a built- up urban area is more complex and has a broader range of potential solutions to be considered than the rural Port Granby Project. This paper describes how the LLRWMO met that challenge, developed and implemented a successful Alternative Means process and presents the

Dinosaurs, Chameleons, Humans, and Evo-Devo Path: Linking Étienne Geoffroy's Teratology, Waddington's Homeorhesis, Alberch's Logic of "Monsters," and Goldschmidt Hopeful "Monsters".

Science.gov (United States)

Diogo, Rui; Guinard, Geoffrey; Diaz, Raul E

2017-05-01

Since the rise of evo-devo (evolutionary developmental biology) in the 1980s, few authors have attempted to combine the increasing knowledge obtained from the study of model organisms and human medicine with data from comparative anatomy and evolutionary biology in order to investigate the links between development, pathology, and macroevolution. Fortunately, this situation is slowly changing, with a renewed interest in evolutionary developmental pathology (evo-devo-path) in the past decades, as evidenced by the idea to publish this special, and very timely, issue on "Developmental Evolution in Biomedical Research." As all of us have recently been involved, independently, in works related in some way or another with evolution and developmental anomalies, we decided to join our different perspectives and backgrounds in the present contribution for this special issue. Specifically, we provide a brief historical account on the study of the links between evolution, development, and pathologies, followed by a review of the recent work done by each of us, and then by a general discussion on the broader developmental and macroevolutionary implications of our studies and works recently done by other authors. Our primary aims are to highlight the strength of studying developmental anomalies within an evolutionary framework to understand morphological diversity and disease by connecting the recent work done by us and others with the research done and broader ideas proposed by authors such as Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, Waddington, Goldschmidt, Gould, and Per Alberch, among many others to pave the way for further and much needed work regarding abnormal development and macroevolution. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Transcriptome analysis of the Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus using RNA-sequencing

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Yong Huang

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus is an economically important animal on academic value. However, the genomic information of this species has been less studied. In our study, the transcripts of A. davidianus were obtained by RNA-seq to conduct a transcriptomic analysis. In total 132,912 unigenes were generated with an average length of 690 bp and N50 of 1263 bp by de novo assembly using Trinity software. Using a sequence similarity search against the nine public databases (CDD, KOG, NR, NT, PFAM, Swiss-prot, TrEMBL, GO and KEGG databases, a total of 24,049, 18,406, 36,711, 15,858, 20,500, 27,515, 36,705, 28,879 and 10,958 unigenes were annotated in databases, respectively. Of these, 6323 unigenes were annotated in all database and 39,672 unigenes were annotated in at least one database. Blasted with KEGG pathway, 10,958 unigenes were annotated, and it was divided into 343 categories according to different pathways. In addition, we also identified 29,790 SSRs. This study provided a valuable resource for understanding transcriptomic information of A. davidianus and laid a foundation for further research on functional gene cloning, genomics, genetic diversity analysis and molecular marker exploitation in A. davidianus.

Sequencing and de novo transcriptome assembly of the Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yong Huang

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Next-generation technologies for determination of genomics and transcriptomics composition have a wide range of applications. Andrias davidianus, has become an endangered amphibian species of salamander endemic in China. However, there is a lack of the molecular information. In this study, we obtained the RNA-Seq data from a pool of A. davidianus tissue including spleen, liver, muscle, kidney, skin, testis, gut and heart using Illumina HiSeq 2500 platform. A total of 15,398,997,600 bp were obtained, corresponding to 102,659,984 raw reads. A total of 102,659,984 reads were filtered after removing low-quality reads and trimming the adapter sequences. The Trinity program was used to de novo assemble 132,912 unigenes with an average length of 690 bp and N50 of 1263 bp. Unigenes were annotated through number of databases. These transcriptomic data of A. davidianus should open the door to molecular evolution studies based on the entire transcriptome or targeted genes of interest to sequence. The raw data in this study can be available in NCBI SRA database with accession number of SRP099564.

Climate change considerations for the Port Hope area initiative

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kirklady, J.; Morassutti, M.; Tamm, J.; Coutts, P.; Chambers, D.

2006-01-01

The Port Hope Area Initiative (PHAI) is a community-based program intended to develop a safe and long-term (approximately 500 years) solution for the management of historic low-level radioactive waste (LLRW) that has been present in the Port Hope area for many years. The PHAI undertakings involve the construction and management of two Long-Term Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management Facilities (referred to as the LTWMFs) in Port Hope and in Port Granby. These undertakings are currently undergoing detailed examination through the Environmental Screening process under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act. The purpose of the study described in this paper was to provide information necessary to satisfy the requirements of the Scope of Environmental Assessment for the Port Hope and Port Granby Projects. In particular, the purpose of the study was to satisfy the requirements to evaluate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the proposed PHAI initiatives and to evaluate the potential effect of climate change parameters on the two Projects. The Port Hope and Port Granby Projects will contribute to Ontario's GHG emission inventory due to vehicle exhaust from excavation equipment and haul trucks during the construction phase of the LTWMFs. The construction phase of the Projects is of relatively short duration, and the contribution of GHGs from each Project was determined to be insignificant compared to Ontario's GHG emissions from the Construction and Transportations sectors. The proposed project elements associated with the Port Hope and Port Granby Projects were each evaluated with respect to potential sensitivities to future change in climate parameters. Considering the potential changes to climate, a screening analysis of each element of the LTWMFs was undertaken. Because it is considered likely that the current design level storms will be exceeded within the next 500 years, it was determined that the storm water management system was potentially sensitive to changes

Hope matters to the glycemic control of adolescents and young adults with type 1 diabetes.

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Santos, Fábio R M; Sigulem, Daniel; Areco, Kelsy C N; Gabbay, Monica A L; Dib, Sergio A; Bernardo, Viviane

2015-05-01

This study investigated the association of hope and its factors with depression and glycemic control in adolescents and young adults with type 1 diabetes. A total of 113 patients were invited to participate. Significant negative correlations were found between hope and HbA1c and also between hope and depression. Hope showed a significant association with HbA1c and depression in the stepwise regression model. Among the hope factors, "inner positive expectancy" was significantly associated with HbA1c and depression. This study supports that hope matters to glycemic control and depression. Intervention strategies focusing on hope should be further explored. © The Author(s) 2015.

Outcome Evaluation of the Hands-On Parent Empowerment (HOPE) Program

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Leung, Cynthia; Tsang, Sandra; Dean, Suzanne

2011-01-01

This study evaluated the effectiveness of the HOPE program. Participants included 120 Chinese new immigrant parents with preschool children in Hong Kong from 13 preschools which were randomized into intervention group (HOPE) and comparison group (6-session parent education program). Parent participants completed measures on child behavior,…

Hope in Civic Action: To Be Optimistic and Non-Prejudicial

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Ferrari, Joseph R.; Haq, Arsalan; Williams, Shannon M.

2014-01-01

The present study explored perceptions of hope for social change through civic engagement. Psychology majors, active in campus clubs and organizations (n = 52; M age = 19 years old) completed survey measures predicting hopeful (agency and pathways) tendencies by positive personality qualities, such as positive perceptions of life, being…

Hope and persuasion by physicians during informed consent.

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Miller, Victoria A; Cousino, Melissa; Leek, Angela C; Kodish, Eric D

2014-10-10

To describe hopeful and persuasive messages communicated by physicians during informed consent for phase I trials and examine whether such communication is associated with physician and parent ratings of the likelihood of benefit, physician and parent ratings of the strength of the physician's recommendation to enroll, parent ratings of control, and parent ratings of perceived pressure. Participants were children with cancer (n = 85) who were offered a phase I trial along with their parents and physicians. Informed consent conferences (ICCs) were audiotaped and coded for physician communication of hope and persuasion. Parents completed an interview (n = 60), and physicians completed a case-specific questionnaire. The most frequent hopeful statements related to expectations of positive outcomes and provision of options. Physicians failed to mention no treatment and/or palliative care as options in 68% of ICCs and that the disease was incurable in 85% of ICCs. When physicians mentioned no treatment and/or palliative care as options, both physicians and parents rated the physician's strength of recommendation to enroll in the trial lower. Hopes and goals other than cure or longer life were infrequently mentioned, and a minority of physicians communicated that the disease was incurable and that no treatment and/or palliative care were options. These findings are of concern, given the low likelihood of medical benefit from phase I trials. Physicians have an important role to play in helping families develop alternative goals when no curative options remain. © 2014 by American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Validation of a Portuguese Version of the Children's Hope Scale

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Marques, Susana C.; Pais-Ribeiro, J. L.; Lopez, Shane J.

2009-01-01

The article describes the development of the Portuguese version of the Children's Hope Scale and the examination of its psychometric properties. A sample of 367 Portuguese students completed the Portuguese-language versions of the Children's Hope Scale (CHS; Snyder et al., 1997), Students' Life Satisfaction Scale (SLSS; Huebner, 1991), Global…

33 CFR 110.179 - Skidaway River, Isle of Hope, Ga.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Skidaway River, Isle of Hope, Ga. 110.179 Section 110.179 Navigation and Navigable Waters COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY ANCHORAGES ANCHORAGE REGULATIONS Anchorage Grounds § 110.179 Skidaway River, Isle of Hope, Ga. (a) The...

Resilience and hope during advanced disease: a pilot study with metastatic colorectal cancer patients.

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Solano, Joao Paulo Consentino; da Silva, Amanda Gomes; Soares, Ivan Agurtov; Ashmawi, Hazem Adel; Vieira, Joaquim Edson

2016-08-02

The balance between hope-hopelessness plays an important role in the way terminally ill patients report quality of life, and personal resilience may be related to hope at the end of life. The objective of this study was to explore associations between personal resilience, hope, and other possible predictors of hope in advanced cancer patients. A cross-sectional pilot study was carried out with metastatic colorectal cancer patients in a tertiary hospital. The patients answered the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, Herth Hope Index, Barthel Index, an instrument addressing family and social support, visual-numeric scales for pain and suffering, a two-item screening for depression, socio-demographic and socio-economic information about the family. Forty-four patients were interviewed (mean age 56 years; range 29-86). A strong correlation was noted between resilience and hope (0.63; p hope and independence for activities of daily living, support from family and community, and pain and suffering levels. Of the 44 patients, 20 presented with depressive symptoms. These depressive patients had lower resilience (p = 0.005) and hope (p = 0.003), and higher scores of suffering (p hope kept stable after adjusting for age, gender, and presence of depression (p hope, resilience-fostering interventions should be most valued in palliative care settings and should be commenced as soon as possible with cancer patients. Patients with advanced stages of non-malignant conditions would also probably benefit from such interventions.

Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Dr. John Hope Franklin

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Harris, Robert L., Jr.; Levering-Lewis, David; French, John D.; Wharton, Clifton R., Jr.

2009-01-01

Dr. John Hope Franklin chronicled the experiences of African-Americans like no one before him, forcing America to recognize Black history as American history. His contributions were innumerable and his impact was abiding. In celebration of his life and legacy, the authors profile the celebrated scholar and activist, Dr. John Hope Franklin.

Relations among School Connectedness, Hope, Life Satisfaction, and Bully Victimization

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You, Sukkyung; Furlong, Michael J.; Felix, Erika; Sharkey, Jill D.; Tanigawa, Diane; Green, Jennifer Greif

2008-01-01

This study investigates the role of school connectedness in mediating the relation between students' sense of hope and life satisfaction for three groups: Bullied Victims, Peer Victims, and Nonvictims. Students in grades 5 to 12 (N = 866) completed the California Bully/Victim Scale, School Connectedness Scale, Children's Hope Scale, and Students'…

HOPE information system review

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Suzuki, Yoshiaki; Nishiyama, Kenji; Ono, Shuuji; Fukuda, Kouin

1992-08-01

An overview of the review conducted on H-2 Orbiting Plane (HOPE) is presented. A prototype model was constructed by inputting various technical information proposed by related laboratories. Especially operation flow which enables understanding of correlation between various analysis items, judgement criteria, technical data, and interfaces with others was constructed. Technical information data base and retrieval systems were studied. A Macintosh personal computer was selected for information shaping because of its excellent function, performance, operability, and software completeness.

Hope and mood changes throughout the primary brain tumor illness trajectory.

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Acquaye, Alvina A; Lin, Lin; Vera-Bolanos, Elizabeth; Gilbert, Mark R; Armstrong, Terri S

2016-01-01

The ambiguity of defining hope impacts the level of readiness faced by health care professionals treating patients with glioma, a disease with unpredictable outcomes. This study describes the report of hope and the relationship between hope and mood in adult brain tumor patients at various points in the illness trajectory. This was a cross-sectional study with data collection including use of the Herth Hope Index (HHI), the Profile of Mood States-Short Form (POMS-SF), and clinical information. Descriptive statistics were used to report sample characteristics. Spearman's rho and Mann-Whitney tests were used to compare and differentiate scores. Eighty-two patients ranging in age from 22 to 78 years (median, 44.5 y) participated in the study. Patients were primarily male (57.3%), married (76.8%), and had a high-grade glioma (35.4%). Nearly half had recurrence, and more than 20% were on active treatment. The overall HHI total score for the sample was 41.32 (range: 13-48). Patients with recurrence had a lower HHI interconnectedness (median = 14.00) score and higher total mood disturbance (median = 14.00) compared with patients without recurrence (median = 15.00 and median = 0.00, respectively; P hope also reported less overall mood disturbance As expected, patients with tumor recurrence reported lower hope and higher mood disturbance than those who were newly diagnosed or without recurrence. Targeting interventions specifically tailored to an individual's needs for improvement in quality of life throughout the disease course may include measures to address hope in order to facilitate positive coping strategies. © The Author(s) 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Neuro-Oncology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

78 FR 64048 - Noise Exposure Map Notice for Bob Hope Airport, Burbank, California

Science.gov (United States)

2013-10-25

... Hope Airport, Burbank, California AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration, (FAA), DOT. ACTION: Notice...-Pasadena Airport Authority, for Bob Hope Airport under the provisions of 49 U.S.C. 47501 et. seq (Aviation... announces that the FAA finds that the noise exposure maps submitted for Bob Hope Airport are in compliance...

Hope and perceptions of parental role among parents assessed as maltreating their children.

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Aram-Fichman, Reut; Davidson-Arad, Bilha

2017-01-01

The present study is anchored in the view that hope is a resource that fosters better coping and parenting. It examines the self-perceived hope and parental role of parents whom the welfare services in Israel have assessed as maltreating their children. The parents were recruited in 2010 through facilities for maltreated children. The study sample consisted of 262 parents (68.4% response rate), divided into those who had at least one child removed from home and those whose children were all at home. Both groups of parents reported moderately high basic and family hope and sense of pathways and agency, and moderate perceived parental role, with no significant group differences. Differences were found, however, in the role of hope in mediating between parents' sociodemographic features and their perceived parental role. The mediation was more substantial among the parents whose children were at home and differed in content. Only among parents whose children were at home did religiosity (β = 0.20, P hope, which increased the perceived parental role. Moreover, the findings underscore the lack of role of family hope and sense of agency among parents whose children were not at home. In both the groups, higher income led to greater hope (β = 0.18, P hope as a resource to help them improve their parenting, especially where the child was removed from home. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Hope, anger, and depression as mediators for forgiveness and social behavior in Turkish children.

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Taysi, Ebru; Curun, Ferzan; Orcan, Fatih

2015-01-01

This study examined the mediating effects of hope, anger, and depression in the associations between forgiveness and social behavior, in fourth grade students in Turkey. The 352 fourth grade primary school students were involved in the study. The average age was 9.98 and 56.3% were boys. The Enright Forgiveness Inventory for Children (EFI-C), the Beck Anger Inventory for Youth (BANI-Y), the Children Hope Scale (CHS), the Social Behavior Questionnaire (SBQ), and the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) were used. Results showed that depression mediates the relationship between anger and antisocial behavior and between hope and antisocial behavior. Anger mediates the relationship between hope and depression and between hope and antisocial behavior. Forgiveness was related to anger and hope directly. Implications of this study for child counseling were discussed.

Negotiating the Reality of Care Giving: Hope, Burnout and Nursing.

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Sherwin, Elisabeth D.; And Others

This study examined the effects of reality negotiation strategies on burnout among nurses (N=45) in chronic-care rehabilitation units. It was predicted that hope would be inversely related to three components of burnout. The factors of hope were described as: (1) "agency," defined as a sense of meaning and goal-directed energy; and (2)…

Assessment of intra and interregional genetic variation in the Eastern Red-backed Salamander, Plethodon cinereus, via analysis of novel microsatellite markers.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexander C Cameron

Full Text Available The red-backed salamander (Plethodon cinereus has long-served as a model system in ecology, evolution, and behavior, and studies surveying molecular variation in this species have become increasingly common over the past decade. However, difficulties are commonly encountered when extending microsatellite markers to populations that are unstudied from a genetic perspective due to high levels of genetic differentiation across this species' range. To ameliorate this issue, we used 454 pyrosequencing to identify hundreds of microsatellite loci. We then screened 40 of our top candidate loci in populations in Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Ohio-including an isolated island population ~ 4.5 km off the shore of Lake Erie (South Bass Island. We identified 25 loci that are polymorphic in a well-studied region of Virginia and 11 of these loci were polymorphic in populations located in the genetically unstudied regions of Ohio and Pennsylvania. Use of these loci to examine patterns of variation within populations revealed that South Bass Island has low diversity in comparison to other sites. However, neither South Bass Island nor isolated populations around Cleveland are inbred. Assessment of variation between populations revealed three well defined genetic clusters corresponding to Virginia, mainland Ohio/Pennsylvania, and South Bass Island. Comparisons of our results to those of others working in various parts of the range are consistent with the idea that differentiation is lower in regions that were once glaciated. However, these comparisons also suggest that well differentiated isolated populations in the formerly glaciated portion of the range are not uncommon. This work provides novel genetic resources that will facilitate population genetic studies in a part of the red-backed salamander's range that has not previously been studied in this manner. Moreover, this work refines our understanding of how neutral variation is distributed in this ecologically

Hope as a Psychological Factor Affecting Quality of Life in Patients With Psoriasis.

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Szramka-Pawlak, Beata; Hornowska, Elżbieta; Walkowiak, Hanna; Zaba, Ryszard

2014-01-01

Clinical observations and medical reports indicate that psoriasis has a tremendous impact on patients' lives, lowering their quality in many important areas. However, the vast majority of research deals only with health-related issues. This study aimed to compare the general quality of life of psoriasis patients and healthy volunteers by examining psychological variables thought to modify the quality of life. 42 patients with psoriasis and 42 healthy volunteers matched for gender, age and education level were tested. Flanagan Quality of Life Scale was used to evaluate general quality of life. Basic hope level was assessed with Basic Hope Inventory. Trait hope was estimated using Trait Hope Scale. Psoriasis Area Severity Index was used to assess the severity of the disease. Psoriasis patients have a significantly lower overall quality of life ( p  = 0.05), modified by Physical and Material Well-being ( p  = 0.01), Personal Development and Fulfillment ( p  = 0.03), and Recreation ( p  = 0.04). They also have lower levels of trait hope ( p  = 0.04) and its agency component ( p  = 0.01). There were moderate, negative significant correlations with basic hope and such components of quality of life as Physical and Material Well-being ( p  = 0.03, r  = - 0.34) and Relations with other People ( p  = 0.02, r  = - 0.35). These results support the hypothesis of a reduced general quality of life and trait hope in psoriatics. Thus, psychological help for people suffering from dermatological disorders might be as important as medical intervention. Basic hope can be treated as a resource in coping with these disorders and trait hope as a resource conducive to well-being.

The Correlation Between Schizophrenic Patients' Level of Internalized Stigma and Their Level of Hope.

Science.gov (United States)

Olçun, Zeynep; Şahin Altun, Özlem

2017-08-01

The aim of this study is to determine the correlation between schizophrenic patients' level of internalized stigma and their level of hope. The population of the study consisted of patients who had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and also met the study inclusion criteria. The study sample selection from the population was not further divided; the study was conducted with 76 patients. The data of the study were collected using a personal information form, the Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness (ISMI) Scale, and Herth Hope Scale. The patients' mean score on the Internalized Stigma Scale was 72.78±16.05. Their score on the Hope Scale is 50.36±11.91. A significant negative correlation was found between the total mean scores of ISMI and the Herth Hope Scale (r=-0.360, pHope Scale (r=0.510, phope levels were found to be moderate. A significant negative correlation was found between internalized stigma and hope. This study also found a significant positive correlation between the stigma resistance of patients and their hope levels. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Resilience or hope? Incremental and convergent validity of the resilience scale for adults (RSA and the Herth hope scale (HHS in the prediction of anxiety and depression

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Roxanna Morote

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Hope and resilience protect against inner vulnerabilities or harsh life circumstances; they explain individual differences in physical or mental health outcomes under high stress. They have been studied in complementary or competing theoretical frameworks; therefore, the study of measures of hope and resilience should be undertaken prior to explore if they are truly value-added for research. This study investigates the convergent and incremental validity of the Resilience Scale for Adults (RSA and the Herth Hope Scale (HHS, in the prediction of anxiety and depression (HSCL-25. Methods Participants in this community-based sample are 762 adults from 18 to 74 years old. They answered the RSA, HHS, Spanish Language Stressful Life-Events Checklist (SL-SLE, and the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 (HSCL-25. Incremental validity analyses combined hierarchical regression and structural equation models (SEM. First, hierarchical regression models were compared based on three criteria (R 2 Diff., ΔF, and semi-partial r, then the direct effect of resilience on affective symptoms was compared with the mediated effect of resilience on affective symptoms through hope. Results The hierarchical models showed that (1 hope and resilience account significantly for the variance of affective symptoms above age, sex, and life-stress; (2 Resilience Total score has greater incremental validity than positive scales of HHS Hope; and (3 RSA Total score, HHS Optimism/Spiritual support, Stressful life-events and sex are unique predictors of affective symptoms. The SEM analyses verified a stronger direct effect of resilience in the prediction of affective symptoms above the significant partial mediated effect of resilience through hope. Additionally, results show that age and better educational opportunities were associated with protection (i.e. resilience and hope and emotional well-being (i.e. affective symptoms and hopelessness. Women showed higher scores

Resilience or hope? Incremental and convergent validity of the resilience scale for adults (RSA) and the Herth hope scale (HHS) in the prediction of anxiety and depression.

Science.gov (United States)

Morote, Roxanna; Hjemdal, Odin; Krysinska, Karolina; Martinez Uribe, Patricia; Corveleyn, Jozef

2017-10-27

Hope and resilience protect against inner vulnerabilities or harsh life circumstances; they explain individual differences in physical or mental health outcomes under high stress. They have been studied in complementary or competing theoretical frameworks; therefore, the study of measures of hope and resilience should be undertaken prior to explore if they are truly value-added for research. This study investigates the convergent and incremental validity of the Resilience Scale for Adults (RSA) and the Herth Hope Scale (HHS), in the prediction of anxiety and depression (HSCL-25). Participants in this community-based sample are 762 adults from 18 to 74 years old. They answered the RSA, HHS, Spanish Language Stressful Life-Events Checklist (SL-SLE), and the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 (HSCL-25). Incremental validity analyses combined hierarchical regression and structural equation models (SEM). First, hierarchical regression models were compared based on three criteria (R 2 Diff., ΔF, and semi-partial r), then the direct effect of resilience on affective symptoms was compared with the mediated effect of resilience on affective symptoms through hope. The hierarchical models showed that (1) hope and resilience account significantly for the variance of affective symptoms above age, sex, and life-stress; (2) Resilience Total score has greater incremental validity than positive scales of HHS Hope; and (3) RSA Total score, HHS Optimism/Spiritual support, Stressful life-events and sex are unique predictors of affective symptoms. The SEM analyses verified a stronger direct effect of resilience in the prediction of affective symptoms above the significant partial mediated effect of resilience through hope. Additionally, results show that age and better educational opportunities were associated with protection (i.e. resilience and hope) and emotional well-being (i.e. affective symptoms and hopelessness). Women showed higher scores in social competences and resources (RSA

Recovery of bimodal locomotion in the spinal-transected salamander, Pleurodeles waltlii.

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Chevallier, Stéphanie; Landry, Marc; Nagy, Frédéric; Cabelguen, Jean-Marie

2004-10-01

Electromyographic (EMG) analysis was used to provide an assessment of the recovery of locomotion in spinal-transected adult salamanders (Pleurodeles waltlii). EMG recordings were performed during swimming and overground stepping in the same animal before and at various times (up to 500 days) after a mid-trunk spinalization. Two-three weeks after spinalization, locomotor EMG activity was limited to the forelimbs and the body rostral to the transection. Thereafter, there was a return of the locomotor EMG activity at progressively more caudal levels below the transection. The animals reached stable locomotor patterns 3-4 months post-transection. Several locomotor parameters (cycle duration, burst duration, burst proportion, intersegmental phase lag, interlimb coupling) measured at various recovery times after spinalization were compared with those in intact animals. These comparisons revealed transient and long-term alterations in the locomotor parameters both above and below the transection site. These alterations were much more pronounced for swimming than for stepping and revealed differences in adaptive plasticity between the two locomotor networks. Recovered locomotor activity was immediately abolished by retransection at the site of the original spinalization, suggesting that the spinal cord caudal to the transection was reinnervated by descending brain and/or propriospinal axons, and that this regeneration contributed to the restoration of locomotor activity. Anatomical studies conducted in parallel further demonstrated that some of the regenerated axons came from glutamatergic and serotoninergic immunoreactive cells within the reticular formation.

Home | Trails of Hope: Overland Diaries and Letters, 1846-1869 | Digital

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Collections | HBLL BYU Harold B. Lee Library Collections Trails of Hope: Overland Diaries and Mormons--Religious Life Religious Life Women Browse Search Browse all Maps Interactive Maps These maps illustrations. Search Browse all Photographs and Illustrations Search Browse all Trail Guides Trails of Hope

Grip strength and quality of life in the second half of life: hope as a moderator.

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Gum, Amber M; Segal-Karpas, Dikla; Avidor, Sharon; Ayalon, Liat; Bodner, Ehud; Palgi, Yuval

2017-09-28

The purpose of the current study was to investigate grip strength, hope, and their interaction as predictors of quality of life four years later in a nationally representative sample of older adults. Data were derived from the first (2005-2006) and second wave (2009) of the Israeli component of the Survey of Health Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE; N = 344). Hope was measured by three items from the Hope   Scale, and quality of life was measured by the CASP-12 (Control, Autonomy, Self-Realization, and Pleasure). Multiple regression analyses were conducted. Grip strength at T1 predicted QoL in T2, but hope was not a significant predictor. Furthermore, hope moderated the effect of handgrip on QoL, such that the effect was weaker for higher levels of hope. As hypothesized, hope acted as a moderator, such that poor grip strength was associated with worse QoL for less hopeful older adults, but grip strength was not associated with QoL for more hopeful older adults. Findings are consistent with a theoretical conceptualization of hope as a buffer between physical challenges and negative outcomes like QoL. Encouraging a hopeful perspective could enhance QoL for older adults with decreased muscle strength.

Novel, non-invasive method for distinguishing the individuals of the fire salamander (Salamandra salamandra in capture-mark-recapture studies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Goran Šukalo

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Recently we started implementing a highly efficient, non-invasive method of direct individual marking (i.e., typifying in a population study of the fire salamander, Salamandra salamandra. Our technique is based on the unique alphanumeric code for every individual, generated upon the numbers of openings of repellent/toxic skin glands in the yellow areas of the selected regions of the body. This code was proved reliable in the sample of 159 individuals from two separate populations and enabled easy and quick recognition of recaptured animals. The proposed method is inexpensive, easily applicable in the field, involves minimum stress for the animals and does not affect their behaviour and the possibility of repeated captures of “marked” (i.e., coded individuals. It is particularly suitable for dense populations.

Relationship Between Spiritual Well-Being and Hope in Patients with Cardiovascular Disease.

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Yaghoobzadeh, Ameneh; Soleimani, Mohammad Ali; Allen, Kelly A; Chan, Yiong Huak; Herth, Kaye A

2018-06-01

Spirituality and hope have been identified as important constructs in health research, since both are thought to enhance a person's ability to cope with the consequences of serious illness. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between spiritual well-being and hope in patients with cardiovascular disease. Using descriptive, correlational methodology, the investigator gathered data on a convenience sample of 500 patients with cardiovascular disease who were hospitalized in a medical institution in Iran. The study was conducted over a four-month period. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire, the Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWBS) and the Herth Hope Index (HHI). The mean score on the SWBS and HHI was 86.21 (SD 12.46) and 34.80 (SD 5.05), respectively. Multivariate predictors for spiritual well-being were female gender (p = 0.047), religiosity (p = 0.018), and hope (p spiritual well-being (p spiritual well-being and hope. Therefore, this study has implications for those providing care to patients with cardiovascular disease.

33 CFR 100.T05-0443 - Safety Zone; Fireworks Display, Delaware River, New Hope, PA.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

..., Delaware River, New Hope, PA. 100.T05-0443 Section 100.T05-0443 Navigation and Navigable Waters COAST GUARD... Safety Zone; Fireworks Display, Delaware River, New Hope, PA. (a) Location. The safety zone will restrict.... Bridge located in New Hope, PA, and 400 ft east of the shoreline of New Hope, PA. (b) Regulations. (1) No...

Feeding the Monster

Science.gov (United States)

2005-10-01

central network of filamentary structures spiralling down to the centre. "Our analysis of the VLT/NACO images of NGC 1097 shows that these filaments end up at the very centre of the galaxy", says co-author Juha Reunanen from ESO. "This network closely resembles those seen in computer models", adds co-worker Witold Maciejewski from the University of Oxford, UK. "The nuclear filaments revealed in the NACO images are the tracers of cold dust and gas being channelled towards the centre to eventually ignite the AGN." The astronomers also note that the curling of the spiral pattern in the innermost 300 light-years seem indeed to confirm the presence of a super-massive black hole in the centre of NGC 1097. Such a black hole in the centre of a galaxy causes the nuclear spiral to wind up as it approaches the centre, while in its absence the spiral would be unwinding as it moves closer to the centre. An image of NGC 1097 and its small companion, NGC 1097A, was taken in December 2004, in the presence of Chilean President Lagos with the VIMOS instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT). It is available as ESO PR Photo 35d/04. More information This ESO Press Photo is based on research published in the October issue of Astronomical Journal, vol. 130, p. 1472 ("Feeding the Monster: The Nucleus of NGC 1097 at Subarcsecond Scales in the Infrared with the Very Large Telescope", by M. Almudena Prieto, Witold Maciejewski, and Juha Reunanen).

Scientists forging hope for peace

CERN Multimedia

Chui, G

2004-01-01

"As hopes for peace flare and fade in the Middle East, traditional enemies are working to build the region's first major center for cutting-edge research.....The project, called SESAME, is under construction in Jordan, which has donated a site and about $8 million in construction funding. The Palestinian Authority and nine countries, including Egypt, Iran, Israel and Pakistan, have signed on as members" (1 page).

Languished Hopes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brimnes, Niels

twenty years. Through his analysis of tuberculosis control measures in India, the author proffers a simple message: where there is massive poverty, there will be severe tuberculosis. Vaccines and drugs cannot do the job alone. The book will be of interest to students and scholars of history, medical......Tuberculosis in India is one of the most frightening challenges to public health today. Recent WHO figures state that in 2013, India had 2.6 million cases of tuberculosis, of which 80 per cent were new, and the disease claimed nearly 300,000 lives. This means that almost a fifth of the world......’s tuberculosis related deaths occurs in India. Languished Hopes: Tuberculosis, the State and International Assistance in Twentieth-century India narrates and analyses the history of tuberculosis in India in the twentieth century: how the disease was ‘discovered’, how it has been understood, and how national...

Sisters Hope - Protected by the Fiction

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lawaetz, Anna; Hallberg, Gry Worre

2011-01-01

In this article we will introduce the fictional and art-pedagogical universe of Sisters Hope and describe how it in different ways transcends into contexts beyond the art world and thus functions as a tool to democratize the aesthetic dimension and mode of being within high schools, academia...

The German Version of the Herth Hope Index (HHI-D): Development and Psychometric Properties.

Science.gov (United States)

Geiser, Franziska; Zajackowski, Katharina; Conrad, Rupert; Imbierowicz, Katrin; Wegener, Ingo; Herth, Kaye A; Urbach, Anne Sarah

2015-01-01

The importance of hope is evident in clinical oncological care. Hope is associated with psychological and also physical functioning. However, there is still a dearth of empirical research on hope as a multidimensional concept. The Herth Hope Index is a reliable and valid instrument for the measurement of hope and is available in many languages. Until now no authorized German translation has been published and validated. After translation, the questionnaire was completed by 192 patients with different tumor entities in radiation therapy. Reliability, concurrent validity, and factor structure of the questionnaire were determined. Correlations were high with depression and anxiety as well as optimism and pessimism. As expected, correlations with coping styles were moderate. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability were satisfactory. We could not replicate the original 3-factor model. Application of the scree plot criterion in an exploratory factor analysis resulted in a single-factor structure. The Herth Hope Index - German Version (HHI-D) is a short, reliable, and valid instrument for the assessment of hope in patient populations. We recommend using only the HHI-D total score until further research gives more insights into possible factorial solutions and subscales. © 2015 S. Karger GmbH, Freiburg.

Measuring Hope Among Children Affected by Armed Conflict: Cross-Cultural Construct Validity of the Children's Hope Scale.

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Haroz, Emily E; Jordans, Mark; de Jong, Joop; Gross, Alden; Bass, Judith; Tol, Wietse

2017-06-01

We investigated the cross-cultural construct validity of hope, a factor associated with mental health protection and promotion, using the Children's Hope Scale (CHS). The sample ( n = 1,057; 48% girls) included baseline data from three cluster-randomized controlled trials with children affected by armed conflict ( n = 329 Burundi; n = 403 Indonesia; n = 325 Nepal). The confirmatory factor analysis in each country indicated good fit for the hypothesized two-factor model. Analysis by gender indicated that configural invariance was supported and that scalar invariance was demonstrated in Indonesia. However, metric and scalar invariance were not supported in Burundi and Nepal. In country comparisons, configural and metric invariance were met, but scalar invariance was not supported. Evidence from this study supports the use of the CHS within various sociocultural settings and across genders, but direct comparisons of CHS scores across groups should be done with caution. Rigorous evaluations of the measurement properties of mental health protective and promotive factors are necessary to inform both research and practice.

Adaptation and validation of the dispositional hope scale for adolescents

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Juliana Cerentini Pacico

2013-01-01

Full Text Available This paper describes the psychometric features and the validation process of the Adult Dispositional Hope Scale (ADHS for adolescents in the south of Brazil. This scale measures the Hope construct in terms of pathways and agency. The ADHS was translated to Portuguese and underwent a reverse translation. A sample of 450 students, from 14 to 18 years old (M=16.8 years, SD=3.4, 56% female, answered the ADHS, the Hope Index, the LOT-R and the Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale. A factorial analysis with varimax rotation showed that the scale is unidimensional and that its internal consistency was adequate (Cronbach's alpha = .80. No significant gender differences were found. Correlations of ADHS with the other constructs presented evidence of convergent validity in the present study.

Predictors of hope among women with breast cancer during chemotherapy.

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Balsanelli, Alessandra Cristina Sartore; Grossi, Sonia Aurora Alves

2016-01-01

Identifying the predictors of hope in patients with breast cancer during chemotherapy treatment. A prospective longitudinal study. The sample was composed of 122 women who responded to the instruments of hope, anxiety and depression, coping, fatigue, religiosity and self-esteem in the first and last cycle of chemotherapy. These variables were used in adjusting the logistic regression model that characterized multivariate statistics, allowing identification of predictor variables. The increase of hope at the end of chemotherapy treatment was statistically significant (p = 0.012). The delay in undergoing treatment from the onset of breast cancer symptoms, Karnofsky Performance Status, depression, self-esteem and pain were characterized as factors being associated to hope by univariate analysis. Among the variables analyzed, pain was the only predicting factor of hope. Pain was the predicting factor in this sample. Hope increased during treatment and revealed the following associated factors: Karnofsky Performance Status, delay in starting the treatment, depression, self-esteem and pain. This study brought forth a multidisciplinary contribution, allowing for understanding the factors that can influence hope and presenting support to nursing care. The data evidenced conditions of improvement or worsening of hope, which requires interdisciplinary attention in Oncology. Identificar os fatores preditores da esperança nas pacientes com câncer de mama em tratamento quimioterápico. Estudo prospectivo longitudinal. A amostra foi de 122 mulheres que responderam aos instrumentos de esperança, ansiedade e depressão, coping, fadiga, religiosidade e autoestima no primeiro e no último ciclo de quimioterapia. Essas variáveis foram utilizadas no ajuste do modelo de regressão logística que caracterizou a estatística multivariada permitindo a identificação das variáveis preditoras. O aumento da esperança ao final do tratamento quimioterápico foi estatisticamente

Hope and self-regulatory goals applied to an advertising context : promoting prevention stimulates goal-directed behavior.

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Poels, K.; Dewitte, S.

2008-01-01

This article proposes the existence of two types of hope which differ in terms of self-regulatory goals: prevention hope and promotion hope. Consistent with the functional emotion approach and regulatory focus theory, we show that prevention hope generates more goal-directed behavior compared to

Hope and self regulatory goals applied to an advertising context : promoting prevention stimulates goal-directed behavior

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Poels, K.; Dewitte, S.; Astregaard, S.; Dwight, M.

2007-01-01

This article proposes the existence of two types of hope which differ in terms of self-regulatory goals: prevention hope and promotion hope. Consistent with the functional emotion approach and regulatory focus theory, we show that prevention hope generates more goal-directed behavior compared to

Necessary but Insufficient: How Educators Enact Hope for Formerly Disconnected Youth

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Flennaugh, Terry K.; Cooper Stein, Kristy S.; Carter Andrews, Dorinda J.

2018-01-01

This qualitative study investigated how educators in urban second-chance high school settings made sense of their work with formerly disconnected youth. Using Duncan-Andrade's framework of critical hope, we examined how adults' orientations toward hope shaped the educational context in ways that were necessary and sufficient for student success.…

Solicitude: balancing compassion and empowerment in a relational ethics of hope-an empirical-ethical study in palliative care.

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Olsman, Erik; Willems, Dick; Leget, Carlo

2016-03-01

The ethics of hope has often been understood as a conflict between duties: do not lie versus do not destroy hope. However, such a way of framing the ethics of hope may easily place healthcare professionals at the side of realism and patients at the side of (false) hope. That leaves unexamined relational dimensions of hope. The objective of this study was to describe a relational ethics of hope based on the perspectives of palliative care patients, their family members and their healthcare professionals. A qualitative longitudinal method based on narrative theories was used. Semi-structured interviews on hope were conducted with twenty-nine palliative care patients, nineteen friends or family members, and fifty-two healthcare professionals, which were recorded and transcribed. Data on hope were thematically analyzed. The researchers wrote memos and did member checking with participants. When participants spoke about hope, they referred to power and empowerment, like the powerful bonding of hope between patients and physicians. They also associated hope with the loss of hope and suffering. Several participating healthcare professionals tried to balance both sides, which involved acknowledgment of hope and suffering. Hope and power were reflected in the ethical concept of empowerment, whereas suffering and the loss of hope were reflected in the ethical concept of compassion. Empowerment and compassion can be balanced in solicitude. In conclusion, a relational ethics of hope requires solicitude, in which healthcare professionals are able to weigh empowerment and compassion within particular relationships.

Future Time Perspective, Hope, and Ethnic Identity among African American Adolescents

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Adelabu, Detris Honora

2008-01-01

This study examines the relationship of academic achievement to future time perspective (FTP), hope, and ethnic identity among low-income, rural and urban African American adolescents ( N = 661). Findings indicate that adolescents who are oriented toward the future, determined to reach their goals (hope), and interested in and have a strong sense…

Academic Expectations and Actual Achievements: The Roles of Hope and Effort

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Levi, Uzi; Einav, Michal; Ziv, Orit; Raskind, Ilana; Margalit, Malka

2014-01-01

This study sought to extend the research on adolescents' hope, academic expectations, and average grades. The hope theory (Snyder, "Psychological Inquiry" 13(4):249-275, 2002), the salutogenic paradigm (with a focus on sense of coherence (SOC) (Antonovsky 1987)), and Bandura's ("Journal of Management" 38(1):9-44,…

Predictive, Construct, and Convergent Validity of General and Domain-Specific Measures of Hope for College Student Academic Achievement

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Robinson, Cecil; Rose, Sage

2010-01-01

One leading version of hope theory posits hope to be a general disposition for goal-directed agency and pathways thinking. Domain-specific hope theory suggests that hope operates within context and measures of hope should reflect that context. This study examined three measures of hope to test the predictive, construct, and convergent validity…

Validation of the Adult Domain-Specific Hope Scale in Iranian Postgraduate Students

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Mohsen Ahmadi Tahour Soltani

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Background: The aim of the present study was to investigate psychometric properties and the Standardization of Simpson’s Hope Scale (1999 in Iranian university students. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive-survey research, 1000 students with age range of 18 to 34 and with the mean age of 23.9±5.13 were selected via the categorical cluster sampling method from different universities. Then they answered the Snyder’s Hope Scale, Oxford Happiness Scale, the Ahwaz Hardiness Scale, the Beck Hopelessness Inventory, Riff’s Psychological Well-being Scale, as well as Sympson’s (1999 Hope Scale (with little change.Results: Coefficients of Cronbach’s alpha (0.94, split-half (0.85, convergent validity with Hardiness (0.40, Happiness (0.64, Psychological Well-being scales (0.47, divergent validity (Beck Hopelessness, -0.25 criterion validity (Snyder’s Hope 0.55 were calculated, which were significant at p<0.01 level. The exploratory factor analysis showed that the 40-item Hope Scale for adults is saturated with five factors (social, academic, family, occupational, and leisure hope that explain 56% of the scale’s variance. Second-order confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the five mentioned factors are well loaded on a principal factor, and therefore, the six-factor model was well fitted with the data (AGFI=0.93, RMSEA= 0.037, NFI=0.98.Conclusion: The results showed that this test has high reliability and validity and can be used in other studies.

Perceptions of a Changing World Induce Hope and Promote Peace in Intractable Conflicts

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Cohen-Chen, Smadar; Crisp, Richard J.; Halperin, Eran

2015-01-01

The importance of hope in promoting conciliatory attitudes has been asserted in the field of conflict resolution. However, little is known about conditions inducing hope, especially in intractable conflicts, where reference to the outgroup may backfire. In the current research, five studies yielded convergent support for the hypothesis that hope for peace stems from a general perception of the world as changing. In Study 1, coders observed associations between belief in a changing world, hope regarding peace, and support for concessions. Study 2 revealed the hypothesized relations using self-reported measures. Studies 3 and 4 established causality by instilling a perception of the world as changing (vs. unchanging) using narrative and drawing manipulations. Study 5 compared the changing world message with a control condition during conflict escalation. Across studies, although the specific context was not referred to, the belief in a changing world increased support for concessions through hope for peace. PMID:25713171

Perceptions of a changing world induce hope and promote peace in intractable conflicts.

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Cohen-Chen, Smadar; Crisp, Richard J; Halperin, Eran

2015-04-01

The importance of hope in promoting conciliatory attitudes has been asserted in the field of conflict resolution. However, little is known about conditions inducing hope, especially in intractable conflicts, where reference to the outgroup may backfire. In the current research, five studies yielded convergent support for the hypothesis that hope for peace stems from a general perception of the world as changing. In Study 1, coders observed associations between belief in a changing world, hope regarding peace, and support for concessions. Study 2 revealed the hypothesized relations using self-reported measures. Studies 3 and 4 established causality by instilling a perception of the world as changing (vs. unchanging) using narrative and drawing manipulations. Study 5 compared the changing world message with a control condition during conflict escalation. Across studies, although the specific context was not referred to, the belief in a changing world increased support for concessions through hope for peace. © 2015 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc.

Uplifting Fear Appeals: Considering the Role of Hope in Fear-Based Persuasive Messages.

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Nabi, Robin L; Myrick, Jessica Gall

2018-01-09

Fear appeal research has focused, understandably, on fear as the primary emotion motivating attitude and behavior change. However, while the threat component of fear appeals associates with fear responses, a fear appeals' efficacy component likely associates with a different emotional experience: hope. Drawing from appraisal theories of emotion in particular, this article theorizes about the role of hope in fear appeals, testing hypotheses with two existing data sets collected within the context of sun safety messages. In both studies, significant interactions between hope and self-efficacy emerged to predict behavioral intentions. Notable main effects for hope also emerged, though with less consistency. Further, these effects persisted despite controlling for the four cognitions typically considered central to fear appeal effectiveness. These results, consistent across two samples, support the claim that feelings of hope in response to fear appeals contribute to their persuasive success. Implications for developing a recursive model of fear appeal processing are discussed.

Communicatively Constructing the Bright and Dark Sides of Hope: Family Caregivers’ Experiences during End of Life Cancer Care

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Jody Koenig Kellas

2017-05-01

Full Text Available (1 Background: The communication of hope is complicated, particularly for family caregivers in the context of cancer who struggle to maintain hope for themselves and their loved ones in the face of terminality. In order to understand these complexities, the current study examines the bright and dark sides of how hope is communicated across the cancer journey from the vantage point of bereaved family caregivers; (2 Methods: We analyzed interviews with bereaved family caregivers using qualitative thematic and case oriented strategies to identify patterns in the positive and negative lived experiences when communicating about hope at the end of life; (3 Results: Two overarching patterns of hope emerged. Those who experienced hope as particularized (focused on cure cited communication about false hope, performing (faking it, and avoidance. Those who transitioned from particularized to generalized hope (hope for a good death reported acceptance, the communication of hope as social support, prioritizing family, and balancing hope and honesty; (4 Conclusion: Family caregivers face myriad complexities in managing the bright and dark sides of hope. Interventions should encourage concurrent oncological and palliative care, increased perspective-taking among family members, and encourage the transition from particularized to generalized hope.

Communicatively Constructing the Bright and Dark Sides of Hope: Family Caregivers’ Experiences during End of Life Cancer Care

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Koenig Kellas, Jody; Castle, Katherine M.; Johnson, Alexis; Cohen, Marlene Z.

2017-01-01

(1) Background: The communication of hope is complicated, particularly for family caregivers in the context of cancer who struggle to maintain hope for themselves and their loved ones in the face of terminality. In order to understand these complexities, the current study examines the bright and dark sides of how hope is communicated across the cancer journey from the vantage point of bereaved family caregivers; (2) Methods: We analyzed interviews with bereaved family caregivers using qualitative thematic and case oriented strategies to identify patterns in the positive and negative lived experiences when communicating about hope at the end of life; (3) Results: Two overarching patterns of hope emerged. Those who experienced hope as particularized (focused on cure) cited communication about false hope, performing (faking it), and avoidance. Those who transitioned from particularized to generalized hope (hope for a good death) reported acceptance, the communication of hope as social support, prioritizing family, and balancing hope and honesty; (4) Conclusion: Family caregivers face myriad complexities in managing the bright and dark sides of hope. Interventions should encourage concurrent oncological and palliative care, increased perspective-taking among family members, and encourage the transition from particularized to generalized hope. PMID:28505118

Towards a Kantian Phenomenology of Hope

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Beyleveld, D.; Ziche, Paul

2015-01-01

The aim of this paper is to examine the extent to which Kant’s Critique of the Power of Judgment (CPoJ) can be, or otherwise ought to be, regarded as a transcendental phenomenology of hope. Kant states repeatedly that CPoJ mediates between the first two Critiques, or between the theoretical

Comparison of Hope and Life Satisfaction Levels of Turkish and American Middle School Students

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Sahin Baltaci, Hulya

2018-01-01

Purpose: In the literature, it has been stated that hope and life satisfaction in childhood and adolescence are associated with cultural and social factors. This study aimed to discover whether Turkish and American adolescents differ in their life satisfaction and hope levels, by examining hope and life satisfaction in Turkish and American…

"Does Hope Change? Testing a Project-Based Health Intervention among Urban Students of Color"

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Zusevics, Kaija L.; Johnson, Sheri

2014-01-01

Hope is positively correlated with educational attainment and health. Interventions based on project-based learning (PBL) may increase youth hope. This study examined how a PBL intervention affected hope among urban students of color. Students in health classes were invited to participate. A PBL health class was implemented in four classrooms. The…

Transformative education: Pathways to identity, independence and hope

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Peter Howard

2010-11-01

Full Text Available In 2008–2010, the Australian Government’s social inclusion agenda and the Bradley Review of Higher Education profiled the importance of education for people from disadvantaged backgrounds. This education needs to be transformative in both its nature and its outcomes. The Clemente Australia program is presented here as a means of providing such transformative education for people who are disadvantaged or socially isolated. This case study of Clemente Australia shows how the program is built upon a psychology of hope and provides pathways not only to new hope but also to a new sense of identity and independence. Clemente Australia (CA is an example of community embedded, socially supported university education (CESS. Essential elements of CA are respecting people for who they are and for where they are within their individual life journeys; building student capacity to be more proactive in reflecting upon and engaging with the world; learning with and relating to others; and promoting educative justice through the recognition of the students’ human rights to participate in tertiary education in a way that meets their personal and academic learning needs. For the students, the university (Australian Catholic University and other partners in CA, it is evident that there has been an ongoing shift from dependence upon the provision of materials and services to empowerment and enhanced capabilities in identifying the supports and processes required to meet the personal and professional needs of students, staff and community agencies. This shift has occurred through the scaffolding processes provided, the establishment of innovative partnerships and purposeful reflection. It has involved listening to one another, welcoming people into new worlds and challenging one another in the provision of transformative education to realise the fulfilment of hope for many Australians experiencing disadvantage. key words: transformation; education; community

Parents' experiences of their adolescent's mental health treatment: Helplessness or agency-based hope.

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Brown, Jenny

2018-06-01

This article explores some core findings from a qualitative investigation of parents' experiences of their child's treatment in an adolescent mental health service in Sydney, Australia. In particular, the research question was, "How does parents' involvement in the child/adolescent's treatment influence their perception of how they can be helpful in their child's recovery?" The theme of parent hope emerged from the broad qualitative exploration of parent's experience of their involvement in their adolescent's intensive treatment program. A purposive sample of 14 sets of parents participated, being interviewed at admission, discharge, and 6 months following their adolescent's discharge. A continuum of high, moderate, and low levels of hope were evident in this parent sample 6 months after their treatment involvement. The strongly emergent theme was the relationship between parents' hope and agency/self-efficacy. Parents who remained more passive in expecting expert helpers to fix their child experienced reduced hope months after finishing the program. When parents positively changed their interaction with their child, they felt a more sustained hopefulness. These findings generate the hypothesis that if parents are actively involved in changing themselves as part of their child's treatment, they experience increased hope and effectiveness in contributing to their child's recovery.

The relationship between hope and patient activation in consumers with schizophrenia: Results from longitudinal analyses.

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Oles, Sylwia K; Fukui, Sadaaki; Rand, Kevin L; Salyers, Michelle P

2015-08-30

Hope (goal-directed thinking) and patient activation (knowledge and skills to manage one's illness) are both important in managing chronic conditions like schizophrenia. The relationship between hope and patient activation has not been clearly defined. However, hope may be viewed as a foundational, motivating factor that can lead to greater involvement in care and feelings of efficacy. The purpose of the present study was to understand the prospective relationship between hope and patient activation in a sample of adults with schizophrenia (N=118). This study was a secondary data analysis from a study on Illness Management and Recovery (IMR) - a curriculum-based approach to schizophrenia self-management. Data were collected at baseline (prior to any intervention), and at 9 and 18-month follow-up. As predicted, hope and patient activation were significantly related with each other, showing large positive concurrent correlations. Demographics and background characteristics were not significantly related to patient activation or hope. Longitudinal analyses found no specific directional effect, yet suggested that hope and patient activation mutually influence each other over time. Our findings add flexibility in designing recovery-based interventions - fostering hope may not be a pre-requisite for activating consumers to be more involved in their own care. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hopelessly mortal: The role of mortality salience, immortality and trait self-esteem in personal hope.

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Wisman, Arnaud; Heflick, Nathan A

2016-08-01

Do people lose hope when thinking about death? Based on Terror Management Theory, we predicted that thoughts of death (i.e., mortality salience) would reduce personal hope for people low, but not high, in self-esteem, and that this reduction in hope would be ameliorated by promises of immortality. In Studies 1 and 2, mortality salience reduced personal hope for people low in self-esteem, but not for people high in self-esteem. In Study 3, mortality salience reduced hope for people low in self-esteem when they read an argument that there is no afterlife, but not when they read "evidence" supporting life after death. In Study 4, this effect was replicated with an essay affirming scientific medical advances that promise immortality. Together, these findings uniquely demonstrate that thoughts of mortality interact with trait self-esteem to cause changes in personal hope, and that literal immortality beliefs can aid psychological adjustment when thinking about death. Implications for understanding personal hope, trait self-esteem, afterlife beliefs and terror management are discussed.

The Concepts of Hope and Fear in the Islamic Thought: Implications for Spiritual Health.

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Bahmani, Fatemeh; Amini, Mitra; Tabei, Seyed Ziaeddin; Abbasi, Mohamad Bagher

2018-02-01

The Holy Qur'ān and medieval Islamic writings have many references to "hope" (rajā) and "fear" (khawf) as both single and paired concepts. However, a comprehensive analytical study on these two notions from an Islamic point of view still seems lacking. Both paper and electronic documents related to Islamic and Qur'ānic literature are being used in this study. Also Web resources are searched for keywords of fear, hope and Islam in three languages of Arabic, English and Persian, including Tanzil.net, Almaany.com, Tebyan.net, Holyquran.net, Noorlib.ir, Hawzah.net and Google Scholar. Findings indicate that hope and fear are comprised of three conceptual elements: emotional, cognitive and behavioral, and are identified as "praiseworthy" hope or fear, when associated with God as the ultimate object. Nonetheless, this praiseworthy hope or fear is only distinguishable as "true," when both are in equilibrium, a necessary condition for spiritual health, which results to perfection. Islam rejects excessive hope or excessive fear, describing both as a "pseudo"-type, which would respectively contribute to self-deceit and despair, and end in spiritual decline.

Onderzoek naar het voorkomen van vijf sulfonamiden en Dapson in nieren van Nederlandse slachtvarkens

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Vaessen HAMG; Kamp CG van de

1987-01-01

Onderzocht zijn 208 monsters varkensnier op voorkomen (HPTLC) en gehalte (HPLC) van sulfanilamide, sulfadimidine, sulfadoxine, sulfadiazine, sulfaquinoxaline en Dapson. De monsters waren afkomstig van slachthuizen gelegen in de zes veterinaire Inspectiegebieden. Uit het HPTLC onderzoek op voorkomen kwamen 8 monsters die kwantitatief werden onderzocht m.b.v. HPLC. Drie monsters bleken < 0,02 mg/kg sulfadimidine te bevatten, het sulfadimidinegehalte van de vijf andere monsters varieerde van ...

A partnership in like-minded thinking-generating hopefulness in persons with cancer.

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Ayers, Tressie A Dutchyn

2007-03-01

A conceptual model of a partnership in 'like-minded thinking' consists of the following components: a relationship, a shared goal with mutual agreement to work toward that goal, and reciprocal encouragement between two people. A like-minded alliance is a relationship that offers support while at the same time encourages hope and establishes a reciprocating emotional attitude of hopefulness. The discussion focuses on the principles of such a model that is designed primarily as a lay intervention for anyone who has a close friend with cancer and who wants to assist the friend in maintaining a hopeful attitude in the face of illness. While this model is not directed at healthcare professionals it may be transferable into psychosocial interventions to assist persons toward sustaining hopefulness in the context of the cancer trajectory. Much has been written in the literature about how hopelessness spawns despair for individuals who have cancer and in those near the end of life; it may even create a desire for hastened death (Breitbart W., Heller K.S.: 2003, 'Reframing Hope: Meaning-Centered Care for Patients Near the End of Life'. Journal of Palliative Medicine 6, 979-988; Jones J.M., Huggins M.A., Rydall A.C., Rodin G.M.: 2003, 'Symptomatic distress, hopelessness, and the desire for hastened death in hospitalized cancer patients', Journal of Psychosomatic Research 55, 411-418). Therefore, the aim of this paper is to explore how like-minded thinking for a person with cancer and his or her support person provides a framework for a personal shared worldview that is hope-based, meaningful and coherent.

The stress-buffering effects of hope on changes in adjustment to caregiving in multiple sclerosis.

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Madan, Sindia; Pakenham, Kenneth I

2015-09-01

This study examined the direct and stress-buffering effects of global hope and its components (agency and pathways) on changes in adjustment to multiple sclerosis caregiving over 12 months. A total of 140 carers and their care-recipients completed questionnaires at Time 1 and 12 months later, Time 2. Focal predictors were stress, hope, agency and pathways, and the adjustment outcomes were anxiety, depression, positive affect, positive states of mind and life satisfaction. Results showed that as predicted, greater hope was associated with better adjustment after controlling for the effects of initial adjustment and caregiving and care-recipient illness variables. No stress-buffering effects of hope emerged. Regarding hope components, only the agency dimension emerged as a significant predictor of adjustment. Findings highlight hope as an important protective resource for coping with multiple sclerosis caregiving and underscore the role of agency thinking in this process. © The Author(s) 2013.

Physicist pins hopes on particle collider

CERN Multimedia

2007-01-01

Physicist pins hopes on particle collider By Deseret Morning News Published: Monday, Dec. 31, 27 12:4 a.m. MST FONT Scott Thomas, a 187 State University graduate, is working at the frontiers of science. The theoretical physicist is crafting ways to extract fundamental secrets that seem certain to be uncovered by the Large Hadron Collider.

The Relationship Between Trust-in-God, Positive and Negative Affect, and Hope.

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Fadardi, Javad S; Azadi, Zeinab

2017-06-01

We aimed to test the relationships between Trust-in-God, positive and negative affect, and feelings of hope. A sample of university students (N = 282, 50 % female) completed the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, the Adult Dispositional Hope Scale, and a Persian measure of Trust-in-God for Muslims. The results of a series of hierarchical regression analyses indicated that Trust-in-God was positively associated with participants' scores for hope and positive affect but was negatively associated with their scores for negative affect. The results support the relationship between Trust-in-God and indices of mental health.

77 FR 16251 - Announcement of Funding Awards, HOPE VI Revitalization Grant Program, Fiscal Year 2010

Science.gov (United States)

2012-03-20

... Awards, HOPE VI Revitalization Grant Program, Fiscal Year 2010 AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary... the Fiscal Year 2010 (FY2010) Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for the HOPE VI Revitalization... recipients under the HOPE VI Revitalization grant program. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions...

Hope as a Mediator and Moderator of Multidimensional Perfectionism and Depression in Middle School Students

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Ashby, Jeffrey S.; Dickinson, Wendy L.; Gnilka, Philip B.; Noble, Christina L.

2011-01-01

The authors examined the relationship of perfectionism, hope, and depression in a sample of 153 middle school students. Adaptive perfectionists differed significantly from both maladaptive perfectionists and nonperfectionists on their levels of hope and depression. Hope mediated the relationship between maladaptive perfectionism and depression and…

Removal of Historic Low-Level Radioactive Sediment from the Port Hope Harbour - 13314

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Kolberg, Mark [Baird and Associates, 1267 Cornwall Rd., Suite 100, Oakville ON, L6J7T5 (Canada); Case, Glenn [Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, Port Hope, ON (Canada); Ferguson Jones, Andrea [MMM Group Limited, Thornhill, ON (Canada)

2013-07-01

At the Port Hope Harbour, located on the north shore of Lake Ontario, the presence of low-level radioactive sediment, resulting from a former radium and uranium refinery that operated alongside the Harbour, currently limits redevelopment and revitalization opportunities. These waste materials contain radium-226, uranium, arsenic and other contaminants. Several other on-land locations within the community of Port Hope are also affected by the low-level radioactive waste management practices of the past. The Port Hope Project is a community initiated undertaking that will result in the consolidation of an estimated 1.2 million cubic metres of the low-level radioactive waste from the various sites in Port Hope into a new engineered above ground long-term waste management facility. The remediation of the estimated 120,000 m{sup 3} of contaminated sediments from the Port Hope Harbour is one of the more challenging components of the Port Hope Project. Following a thorough review of various options, the proposed method of contaminated sediment removal is by dredging. The sediment from the dredge will then be pumped as a sediment-water slurry mixture into geo-synthetic containment tubes for dewatering. Due to the hard substrate below the contaminated sediment, the challenge has been to set performance standards in terms of low residual surface concentrations that are attainable in an operationally efficient manner. (authors)

Determinants of a hopeful attitude among family caregivers in a palliative care setting.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Seon-Young; Kim, Jae-Min; Kim, Sung-Wan; Kang, Hee-Ju; Shin, Il-Seon; Shim, Hyun-Jeong; Cho, Sang-Hee; Chung, Ik-Joo; Yoon, Jin-Sang

2014-01-01

This study investigated the determinants of a hopeful attitude among family caregivers involved with palliative care. We investigated a broad range of factors for the patient-family dyad in a palliative care setting using a cross-sectional design. The patients' sociodemographic, clinical and psychological factors were evaluated, as well as caregiver-related sociodemographic and psychological factors, including depressive symptoms, burden, coping style and religiosity. Caregivers were divided into two groups based on a hopeful or nonhopeful attitude and assessed using the abbreviated version of the seven-item Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS-7). Of 304 analyzed dyads, 210 (69.1%) caregivers showed a hopeful attitude, with a BHS-7 score of 0. The adjusted logistic regression analyses showed that caregivers' hopeful attitude was determined by only their psychological status: less depressive symptoms [odds ratio (OR), 0.86; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.83-0.90], active coping strategy (OR, 1.12; 95% CI, 1.07-1.18) and lower burden (OR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.88-0.99). In a subpopulation analysis (n=200), higher religiosity was a significantly associated factor. Healthcare providers need to pay attention to the psychological vulnerability of caregivers to encourage a hopeful attitude. Additional studies of longitudinal design for hopeful attitude throughout the trajectory of palliative care are necessary. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Removal of Historic Low-Level Radioactive Sediment from the Port Hope Harbour - 13314

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kolberg, Mark; Case, Glenn; Ferguson Jones, Andrea

2013-01-01

At the Port Hope Harbour, located on the north shore of Lake Ontario, the presence of low-level radioactive sediment, resulting from a former radium and uranium refinery that operated alongside the Harbour, currently limits redevelopment and revitalization opportunities. These waste materials contain radium-226, uranium, arsenic and other contaminants. Several other on-land locations within the community of Port Hope are also affected by the low-level radioactive waste management practices of the past. The Port Hope Project is a community initiated undertaking that will result in the consolidation of an estimated 1.2 million cubic metres of the low-level radioactive waste from the various sites in Port Hope into a new engineered above ground long-term waste management facility. The remediation of the estimated 120,000 m 3 of contaminated sediments from the Port Hope Harbour is one of the more challenging components of the Port Hope Project. Following a thorough review of various options, the proposed method of contaminated sediment removal is by dredging. The sediment from the dredge will then be pumped as a sediment-water slurry mixture into geo-synthetic containment tubes for dewatering. Due to the hard substrate below the contaminated sediment, the challenge has been to set performance standards in terms of low residual surface concentrations that are attainable in an operationally efficient manner. (authors)

Hope and social support in elderly patients with cancer and their partners: an actor-partner interdependence model.

Science.gov (United States)

Goldzweig, Gil; Baider, Lea; Andritsch, Elisabeth; Rottenberg, Yakir

2016-12-01

Assess relationships between oldest-old (minimum 86 years) patients' perceived social support to their own and their spousal caregivers' hope through application of the actor-partner interdependence model (APIM). 58 dyads of patients and their spousal caregivers completed standardized self-report measures of depression, distress, hope and social support. Patients presented high distress levels. Among patients and spouses, perceived social support was positively correlated to their own level of hope (β = 0.44, p hope (β = -0.25, p hope among dyads of oldest-old patients and their spousal caregivers. Patients and caregiver seem to utilize social support to enhance hope.

76 FR 36564 - Notice of Submission of Proposed Information Collection to OMB; HOPE VI Application

Science.gov (United States)

2011-06-22

... Proposed Information Collection to OMB; HOPE VI Application AGENCY: Office of the Chief Information Officer... to allow HUD to obligate grant funds in accordance with the HOPE VI program authorizing statute, and... electronic submission of responses. This notice also lists the following information: Title of Proposal: HOPE...

A Study of Hope in the Future among Students and its Affecting Factors

OpenAIRE

Mohammad Bagher Alizadeh Aghdam

2013-01-01

Introduction   Hopefulness and hopelessness towards future is one of the important and considerable issues in social science which has been studied scientifically since 1960s. This issue was studied in different forms in relation with negative feelings, compatibility. Being hopeful is considered as the most important motivation in one’s life, because hope is root of creativity and development in human life. It prepares bed for goal achievement and also helps people to get it. Snyder and his c...

BESKRYWING VAI'l TEGNIEKE EN CHEMIESE ANALISES VAN ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

afwykings en koefftsiente van variasie tussen monsters en tussen analises binne monsters verstrek. Tussen monsters verteenwoordig die verskille tussen diere en tussen ana- lises binne monsters verteenwoordig die verskille tussen herhalings binne dieselfde monstefS en dui dus die akku- raatheid van die analises aan.