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Individual Quality (individual + quality)
Selected AbstractsIndividual quality of life of people with severe mental disordersJOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC & MENTAL HEALTH NURSING, Issue 1 2009A. PITKÄNEN mnsc People with mental disorders have been found to suffer from impaired quality of life (QoL). Therefore, the assessment of QoL has become important in psychiatric research. This explorative study was carried out in acute psychiatric wards. Thirty-five patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and related psychosis were interviewed. QoL was rated by the Schedule for Evaluation of Individual Quality of Life which is a respondent-generated QoL measure using semi-structured interview technique. Patients named five areas of life important to them and then rated their current status and placed relative weight on each QoL area. The data were analysed with qualitative content analysis and descriptive statistics. The most frequently named areas for QoL were health, family, leisure activities, work/study and social relationships, which represented 72% of all QoL areas named. Patients' average satisfaction with these QoL areas ranged 49.0,69.1 (scale 0,100). The mean global QoL score was 61.5 (standard deviation 17.4; range 24.6,89.6; scale 0,100). Awareness of patients' perceptions of their QoL areas can enhance our understanding of an individual patient's QoL and reveal unsatisfactory areas where QoL could be improved with individually tailored needs-based interventions. [source] Individual quality of life in schizophrenic patients , description and applicability of GRIDQoL in a computer-based versionINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF METHODS IN PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH, Issue 3 2001Vibeke Noerholm Abstract The measurement of individual quality of life in patients with schizophrenia has been limited to clinician-rated instruments. The repertory grid is a clinician-assisted method to measure individual quality of life that has been found to be more sensitive than questionnaires in a clinical trial with patients with anxiety. In this pilot study the applicability of the GRIDQoL repertory grid method was evaluated in patients with schizophrenia. Free personal constructs were elicited at the first visit using the GRIDQoL technique, a semi-structured interview technique whereby the clinician helps the patient to develop his or her personal quality of life scale. The fixed psychological constructs were based on the PCASEE index. The results showed that the PCASEE index was adequate with respect to the fixed GRIDQoL constructs. The free constructs were illustrated for a selected patient, including the factor scores as outcome measures. In total 73% of the patients, who fulfilled the inclusion criteria, were willing and able to test their quality of life. The results of this pilot study support further development of the GRIDQoL module for schizophrenic patients. Copyright © 2001 Whurr Publishers Ltd. [source] Individual quality mediates trade-offs between reproductive effort and immune function in tree swallowsJOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY, Issue 3 2005DANIEL R. ARDIA Summary 1Individual variation in the trade-off between self-maintenance and offspring quality was assessed in tree swallows, Tachycineta bicolor, by manipulating reproductive effort while simultaneously immunochallenging breeding females. 2An experimental manipulation of parental effort was conducted by creating broods of, on average, three, five and eight nestlings. Breeding females were immunochallenged to mount a humoral immune response to sheep red blood cells (SRBC) and a cell-mediated response to phytohaemagglutinin (PHA). The consequences of adult decisions on offspring quality were assessed through immune responses to PHA, growth rates and residual body mass of nestlings. 3Clutch initiation date, a strong measure of individual quality in tree swallows, was linked with immune responses, with earlier-nesting, presumably higher quality, females mounting stronger immune responses than did later-nesting birds. Increased reproductive effort led to decreased parental immune responses. There was a significant interaction between individual quality and reproductive effort treatment, with lower-quality individuals showing greater depression of humoral immune response to SRBC while raising enlarged broods, suggesting individual-level variation in trade-offs. 4Breeding females raising enlarged broods tended to raise offspring of similar quality to control females, with only growth rate decreasing with increasing brood size, but not residual nestling body mass or nestling immunocompetence. This suggests that females are maintaining offspring quality at the cost of their own immune system maintenance. [source] Individual quality of life of people with severe mental disordersJOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC & MENTAL HEALTH NURSING, Issue 1 2009A. PITKÄNEN mnsc People with mental disorders have been found to suffer from impaired quality of life (QoL). Therefore, the assessment of QoL has become important in psychiatric research. This explorative study was carried out in acute psychiatric wards. Thirty-five patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and related psychosis were interviewed. QoL was rated by the Schedule for Evaluation of Individual Quality of Life which is a respondent-generated QoL measure using semi-structured interview technique. Patients named five areas of life important to them and then rated their current status and placed relative weight on each QoL area. The data were analysed with qualitative content analysis and descriptive statistics. The most frequently named areas for QoL were health, family, leisure activities, work/study and social relationships, which represented 72% of all QoL areas named. Patients' average satisfaction with these QoL areas ranged 49.0,69.1 (scale 0,100). The mean global QoL score was 61.5 (standard deviation 17.4; range 24.6,89.6; scale 0,100). Awareness of patients' perceptions of their QoL areas can enhance our understanding of an individual patient's QoL and reveal unsatisfactory areas where QoL could be improved with individually tailored needs-based interventions. [source] Environmental variation and experience-related differences in the demography of the long-lived black-browed albatrossJOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY, Issue 1 2007MARIE NEVOUX Summary 1It has been largely demonstrated that demographic performances of animals increase with age or experience as a result of an improvement of foraging skills, an increasing reproductive effort or a selection process. However, little is known about the age or experience-related response of populations to environmental variations. Theoretical studies consider that age-related variations of the performances are greater under more restricting conditions, but this has rarely been tested. 2We tested this hypothesis on a long-lived species, black browed albatross Thalassarche melanophrys Temminck, using a long-term capture,mark,recapture data set. We investigated the responses of a population to climate, by studying the effects of climatic factors and breeding experience on survival and breeding success. 3First-time breeders appear to be poorer performers compared with experienced adults, with lower reproductive success and lower survival. In addition, interannual variations of demographic traits were partly explained by climatic indices, reflecting environmental variations. The survival probability of black-browed albatrosses varied with experience and climate, and differences being greater under harsh conditions. By contrast, the reproductive success of inexperienced individuals was affected by climatic fluctuations in the same way as the experienced ones. 4First breeding event acts as a strong selective process on the highly heterogeneous class of inexperienced individuals, suggesting the increase in survival and breeding success with experience may mainly reflect a reduction in the heterogeneity among individual qualities. [source] Egg Colour Covaries with Female Expression of a Male Ornament in the Spotless Starling (Sturnus unicolor)ETHOLOGY, Issue 10 2007Isabel López-Rull The sexually selected egg colour hypothesis (SSECH) proposes that egg colouration is as a post-mating sexually selected signal of female phenotypic quality, maintained by a higher allocation of paternal care. Similarly, some female traits can reflect genetic quality or condition and males could use this information in mate choice or in modulating parental investment. In our study, we examined the correlation of individual variation in egg colouration with female expression of a male ornament and how male feeding covaried with these two female traits in the spotless starling, in which egg colour varies widely between clutches and where both sexes possess showy throat feathers that are age dependent and that may signal individual quality. According to the SSECH, high-quality females (females with longer throat feathers) are expected to lay more colourful eggs than low-quality females and males should modify their feeding behaviour accordingly. By means of a principal component analysis, we found that most of the variation in egg colouration was due to brightness differences, and in a lower proportion to chromatic variation. Chromatic variation reflected a ultraviolet (UV) vs. greenness trade-off and was positively associated with throat feather length: females with larger throat feathers laid eggs with higher UV and lower green reflectance. However, egg brightness was not related to female feather length, as the SSECH would predict. Male feedings were positively related to female throat feather length and negatively related to chromatic variation, meaning that males contributed more to nests of females with long throat feathers who laid eggs with higher UV and lower green reflectance. In conclusion, our data provide mixed support for the SSECH: although egg chromatic variation was related to female expression of a male ornament and male parental care, we found no evidence that egg brightness was involved in these processes. [source] Does Lateral Presentation of the Palmate Antlers During Fights by Fallow Deer (Dama dama L.) Signify Dominance or Submission?ETHOLOGY, Issue 5 2002Dómhnall J. Jennings A central aim of the study of animal communication is to identify the mode and content of information transferred between individuals. The lateral presentation of the antler palm between male fallow deer has been described as either a signal of individual quality or an attempt to avoid fighting. In the first case two phenotypic features have been proposed by which transmission of individual quality may be facilitated. These are antler size and antler symmetry. The alternative hypothesis proposes that the lateral presentation of antlers occurs as a consequence of averting a threatening posture and may signify a reluctance to fight. We examined whether mature fallow deer use lateral palm presentation as a display during fights to indicate antler size and symmetry. We found no relationship between presentation rate of the antler and antler size and symmetry. Furthermore, males did not preferentially present their larger antler to their opponent. We also investigated whether the rate at which males presented antlers laterally during a fight was related to their ability to win the fight. Our results show that the male who performed more presentations during a fight was more likely to lose it. There were behavioural differences in the way in which a bout of presentation ended; subsequent losers tended to turn their body away from their opponent and subsequent winners tended to lower their antlers to an opponent which we interpret as an invitation to continue fighting. We conclude that the lateral palm presentation serves to de-escalate fighting between mature fallow deer. It is not a mechanism by which to communicate individual quality but rather an indication that a male is less committed to continuing investment in the current contest. [source] Metamorphosis offsets the link between larval stress, adult asymmetry and individual qualityFUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY, Issue 2 2008M. Campero Summary 1It is poorly understood which traits translate larval stressors into adult fitness in animals where larval and adult stages are separated by metamorphosis. Although fluctuating asymmetry (FA) is often assumed to do so, especially in insects the relationship between larval stress, adult FA and individual quality is often absent. One suggested hypothesis for this is the higher mortality of low quality (hence more asymmetric) animals during metamorphosis (i.e. developmental selection hypothesis). 2Here we test this hypothesis and also propose and test an alternative hypothesis where metamorphosis is stressful but not lethal and increases FA of all animals up to a certain level (i.e. stressful metamorphosis hypothesis). 3We manipulated larval stress (food stress and pesticide stress) and measured FA before and after metamorphosis in the damselfly Coenagrion puella. Additionally, we assessed the relationship between FA and individual quality variables measured at metamorphosis (age, mass and two immune variables: phenoloxidase (PO) and haemocyte number). 4Before metamorphosis, FA reflected the combination of food and pesticide stress and was negatively related with mass and both immune variables after metamorphosis. These patterns were, however, offset after metamorphosis. Low mortality, not linked to FA during metamorphosis, indicates that developmental selection cannot explain this. Instead, the strong increase in FA up to equal levels across treatments during metamorphosis supports the stressful metamorphosis hypothesis. 5Taken together, the developmental stage in which FA is measured may critically determine the reliability of FA as an indicator of stress and of individual quality in insects. [source] Parasites, testosterone and honest carotenoid-based signalling of healthFUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY, Issue 5 2007F. MOUGEOT Summary 1Among the commonest sexual signals of birds are the red-yellow traits pigmented by carotenoids, but how they reliably advertise individual quality remain poorly understood. Here we tested the hypothesis that carotenoid-based signalling is enhanced by testosterone but reduced by parasites, and that the dual action of testosterone on ornament expression and parasite resistance ensures reliable signalling. 2Tetraonid birds such as the red grouse Lagopus lagopus scoticus have bright red combs pigmented by carotenoids, which function in intra- and inter-sexual selection. In separate experiments, we manipulated a main nematode parasite, Trichostrongylus tenuis (using deparasitation and re-infection) and testosterone (using testosterone or combined Flutamide/ATD treatments) in free-living males and investigated effects on plasma carotenoids and comb colour. 3In untreated males, comb redness positively correlated with plasma carotenoids, testosterone concentration and condition. Plasma carotenoids and comb redness both negatively correlated with T. tenuis abundance. 4Plasma carotenoids decreased in response to a challenge from T. tenuis, but increased when parasites were reduced. Testosterone enhanced comb redness, but tended to deplete plasma carotenoids. Combined Flutamide and ATD treatment had no significant effects on comb colour or plasma carotenoids, indicating that testosterone effects might be direct. 5Our experiments show contrasted effects of testosterone and nematode parasites on carotenoid-based ornamentation. Testosterone and parasites have well documented interactions in the study model. These, together with the opposite effects that testosterone and parasites have on carotenoid availability and use, would shape optimal levels of signalling, depending on individual quality, and might ensure reliable signalling. 6Carotenoid-based and testosterone-dependent traits have rarely been linked. Our study provides such a connection and shows that investigating how parasites, testosterone and carotenoids interact helps in the understanding of the evolution and maintenance of honest carotenoid-based signals of health. [source] The carotenoid-based plumage coloration of adult Blue Tits Cyanistes caeruleus correlates with the health status of their broodIBIS, Issue 4 2006SERGIO HIDALGO-GARCIA The Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus is a passerine bird in which both sexes provide substantial care to the offspring and display conspicuous carotenoid-based plumage coloration. It has been shown that carotenoid-based coloration in birds reflects both individual quality and foraging ability. Because the body condition of nestlings usually depends on the capacity of their parents to feed them, I predicted that, independent of sex, those individuals with the most exaggerated carotenoid-based plumage coloration should raise offspring in better health. I found that although, in my study population, the smallest females were paired with the largest males, the brightest females were paired with the brightest and most intensely coloured males. I used body condition and T-cell-mediated immune response of nestlings as measures of their health status. Generalized mixed models showed that brighter and more-yellow adults reared offspring in better than average condition and immune response. Older males and smaller females were also able to raise offspring with better immune response. All these results suggest that the carotenoid-based plumage coloration of parents is somehow linked with individual quality, as it presents a significant and positive correlation with the health status of their growing chicks. Thus, the brightest and more intensely coloured individuals raised the healthiest offspring. [source] Individual quality of life in schizophrenic patients , description and applicability of GRIDQoL in a computer-based versionINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF METHODS IN PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH, Issue 3 2001Vibeke Noerholm Abstract The measurement of individual quality of life in patients with schizophrenia has been limited to clinician-rated instruments. The repertory grid is a clinician-assisted method to measure individual quality of life that has been found to be more sensitive than questionnaires in a clinical trial with patients with anxiety. In this pilot study the applicability of the GRIDQoL repertory grid method was evaluated in patients with schizophrenia. Free personal constructs were elicited at the first visit using the GRIDQoL technique, a semi-structured interview technique whereby the clinician helps the patient to develop his or her personal quality of life scale. The fixed psychological constructs were based on the PCASEE index. The results showed that the PCASEE index was adequate with respect to the fixed GRIDQoL constructs. The free constructs were illustrated for a selected patient, including the factor scores as outcome measures. In total 73% of the patients, who fulfilled the inclusion criteria, were willing and able to test their quality of life. The results of this pilot study support further development of the GRIDQoL module for schizophrenic patients. Copyright © 2001 Whurr Publishers Ltd. [source] Individual variation in reproductive costs of reproduction: high-quality females always do betterJOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY, Issue 1 2009Sandra Hamel Summary 1Although life-history theory predicts substantial costs of reproduction, individuals often show positive correlations among life-history traits, rather than trade-offs. The apparent absence of reproductive costs may result from heterogeneity in individual quality. 2Using detailed longitudinal data from three contrasted ungulate populations (mountain goats, Oreamnos americanus; bighorn sheep, Ovis canadensis; and roe deer, Capreolus capreolus), we assessed how individual quality affects the probability of detecting a cost of current reproduction on future reproduction for females. We used a composite measure of individual quality based on variations in longevity (all species), success in the last breeding opportunity before death (goats and sheep), adult mass (all species), and social rank (goats only). 3In all species, high-quality females consistently had a higher probability of reproduction, irrespective of previous reproductive status. In mountain goats, we detected a cost of reproduction only after accounting for differences in individual quality. Only low-quality female goats were less likely to reproduce following years of breeding than of nonbreeding. Offspring survival was lower in bighorn ewes following years of successful breeding than after years when no lamb was produced, but only for low-quality females, suggesting that a cost of reproduction only occurred for low-quality females. 4Because costs of reproduction differ among females, studies of life-history evolution must account for heterogeneity in individual quality. [source] Individual quality mediates trade-offs between reproductive effort and immune function in tree swallowsJOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY, Issue 3 2005DANIEL R. ARDIA Summary 1Individual variation in the trade-off between self-maintenance and offspring quality was assessed in tree swallows, Tachycineta bicolor, by manipulating reproductive effort while simultaneously immunochallenging breeding females. 2An experimental manipulation of parental effort was conducted by creating broods of, on average, three, five and eight nestlings. Breeding females were immunochallenged to mount a humoral immune response to sheep red blood cells (SRBC) and a cell-mediated response to phytohaemagglutinin (PHA). The consequences of adult decisions on offspring quality were assessed through immune responses to PHA, growth rates and residual body mass of nestlings. 3Clutch initiation date, a strong measure of individual quality in tree swallows, was linked with immune responses, with earlier-nesting, presumably higher quality, females mounting stronger immune responses than did later-nesting birds. Increased reproductive effort led to decreased parental immune responses. There was a significant interaction between individual quality and reproductive effort treatment, with lower-quality individuals showing greater depression of humoral immune response to SRBC while raising enlarged broods, suggesting individual-level variation in trade-offs. 4Breeding females raising enlarged broods tended to raise offspring of similar quality to control females, with only growth rate decreasing with increasing brood size, but not residual nestling body mass or nestling immunocompetence. This suggests that females are maintaining offspring quality at the cost of their own immune system maintenance. [source] Apparent inferiority of first-time breeders in the kittiwake: the role of heterogeneity among age classesJOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY, Issue 3 2000Emmanuelle Cam Summary 1.,Many studies have provided evidence that first-time breeders have a lower survival, a lower probability of success, or of breeding, in the following year. Hypotheses based on reproductive costs have often been proposed to explain this. However, because of the intrinsic relationship between age and experience, the apparent inferiority of first-time breeders at the population level may result from selection, and experience may not influence performance within each individual. In this paper we address the question of phenotypic correlations between fitness components. This addresses differences in individual quality, a prerequisite for a selection process to occur. We also test the hypothesis of an influence of experience on these components while taking age and reproductive success into account: two factors likely to play a key role in a selection process. 2.,Using data from a long-term study on the kittiwake, we found that first-time breeders have a lower probability of success, a lower survival and a lower probability of breeding in the next year than experienced breeders. However, neither experienced nor inexperienced breeders have a lower survival or a lower probability of breeding in the following year than birds that skipped a breeding opportunity. This suggests heterogeneity in quality among individuals. 3.,Failed birds have a lower survival and a lower probability of breeding in the following year regardless of experience. This can be interpreted in the light of the selection hypothesis. The inferiority of inexperienced breeders may be linked to a higher proportion of lower-quality individuals in younger age classes. When age and breeding success are controlled for, there is no evidence of an influence of experience on survival or future breeding probability. 4.,Using data from individuals whose reproductive life lasted the same number of years, we investigated the influence of experience on reproductive performance within individuals. There is no strong evidence that a process operating within individuals explains the improvement in performance observed at the population level. [source] On silver wings: a fragile structural mechanism increases plumage conspicuousnessJOURNAL OF AVIAN BIOLOGY, Issue 5 2009Ismael Galván We report for the first time the existence of a structural mechanism of feathers different from iridescence that makes plumage conspicuous. By using electron and light microscopy, we show that the mechanism consists of special lengthened and twisted distal barbules that are very susceptible to damage. The dorsal side of these barbules is translucent, which creates a distinctive sheen colouration to feathers that otherwise would be dark. When distal sheen barbules are broken, the black proximal barbules are exposed, thus generating a conspicuous difference between abraded and non-abraded areas. Total and ultraviolet reflectance of sheen (non-abraded) areas are strikingly higher than in abraded areas. We propose that this mechanism represents a case of convergent evolution in species that are limited in developing colourful plumage patches. Future studies should explore the potential of this colour mechanism to act as a signal of individual quality or identity. [source] Female and male plumage brightness correlate with nesting failure in azure-winged magpies Cyanopica cyanusJOURNAL OF AVIAN BIOLOGY, Issue 2 2008Jesús M. Avilés Animals may assess the quality of other individuals by using information that is contained in elaborate traits. We investigated the degree of sexual dimorphism in structural blue plumage coloration and the potential signal value of these traits in the azure-winged magpie Cyanopica cyanus. We predicted that in this species blue coloration should signal individual quality in both sexes since both females and males invest significantly in caring for offspring. Males have more saturated UV/blue coloration than females and blueness decreased from moulting to reproduction. Males and females did not mate assortatively for blue coloration although they did in relation to body size and condition. Blue colour did not correlate with adult body size or condition. However, nest predation decreased with female and male brightness. Our results suggest that blue coloration may potentially be used to assess parental qualities by potential mates in both sexes of the azure-winged magpie. [source] Carotenoid coloration in great black-backed gull Larus marinus reflects individual qualityJOURNAL OF AVIAN BIOLOGY, Issue 1 2006Kai O. Kristiansen Carotenoids are a large group of biochemicals, with similar properties, synthesised by bacteria, fungi, algae and plants. Vertebrates obtain these biologically active pigments through the diet, and they are a disproportionately common component of animal colour signals and play important roles in immune functions and as antioxidants. Carotenoids are believed to be a limited resource and because of the trade-off between allocation of carotenoids to signals and to other functions, carotenoid based signals are often thought to be handicap signals. The purpose of this study was to investigate the signalling potential of carotenoid-based tissue coloration in the great black-backed gull Larus marinus. The intensity of carotenoid-based coloration in bill, gape and eye-ring coloration was investigated in relation to body condition, reproductive parameters, levels of immune activity, and sexual dimorphism. In males there was a positive relationship between colour intensity and body condition, but in females no such relationship was found. However, females with high colour intensity had larger eggs and clutches. Additionally, females with high red scores tended to have high density of circulating lymphocytes. There was no sexual dimorphism in coloration and there was a negative relationship between colour intensity and sampling time, which indicates that this coloration is most intensely expressed early in the breeding season. The results in this study suggest that carotenoid-based coloration in great black-backed gull are partly condition dependent and reveal information about individual quality in both males an females. Hence, it might have evolved as an important signal for assessing the quality of potential mates. [source] Moult speed affects structural feather ornaments in the blue titJOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY, Issue 4 2009M. GRIGGIO Abstract Growing evidence suggests that structural feather colours honestly reflect individual quality or body condition but, contrary to pigment-based colours, it is not clear what mechanism links condition to reflectance in structural feather colours. We experimentally accelerated the moult speed of a group of blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) by exposing them to a rapidly decreasing photoperiod and compared the spectral characteristics of their structural feather colours with those of control birds. Blue tits were sexually dimorphic on the UV/blue crown and on the white cheek feathers. Moult speed, however, dramatically reduced brightness and the saturation only on the UV/blue crown feathers, whereas structural white on the cheek feathers was basically unaffected by moult speed. Given that the time available for moulting is usually confined to the period between the end of the breeding season and migration or wintering, UV/blue colours, but not structural white, may convey long-term information about an individual's performance during the previous breeding season. The trade-off between fast moulting and structural colour expression may represent a previously unrecognized selective advantage for early-breeding birds. [source] Proximate mechanisms of variation in the carotenoid-based plumage coloration of nestling great tits (Parus major L.)JOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY, Issue 1 2003B. Tschirren Abstract Many vertebrates use carotenoid-based signals in social or sexual interactions. Honest signalling via carotenoids implies some limitation of carotenoid-based colour expression among phenotypes in the wild, and at least five limiting proximate mechanisms have been hypothesized. Limitation may arise by carotenoid-availability, genetic constraints, body condition, parasites, or detrimental effects of carotenoids. An understanding of the relative importance of the five mechanisms is relevant in the context of natural and sexual selection acting on signal evolution. In an experimental field study with carotenoid supplementation, simultaneous cross-fostering, manipulation of brood size and ectoparasite load, we investigated the relative importance of these mechanisms for the variation in carotenoid-based coloration of nestling great tits (Parus major). Carotenoid-based plumage coloration was significantly related to genetic origin of nestlings, and was enhanced both in carotenoid-supplemented nestlings, and nestlings raised in reduced broods. We found a tendency for ectoparasite-induced limitation of colour expression and no evidence for detrimental effects of carotenoids on growth pattern, mortality and recruitment of nestlings to the local breeding population. Thus, three of the five proposed mechanisms can generate individual variation in the expression of carotenoid-based plumage coloration in the wild and thus could maintain honesty in a trait potentially used for signalling of individual quality. [source] Fluctuating asymmetry in a secondary sexual trait: no associations with individual fitness, environmental stress or inbreeding, and no heritabilityJOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY, Issue 1 2003L. E. B. Kruuk Abstract It has been suggested that fluctuating asymmetry (FA) in secondary sexual traits may be a useful indicator of either individual quality or environmental stress. We tested this concept using a series of analyses of FA in male antler size in a wild red deer (Cervus elaphus) population, using four measures of size repeated across successive years on the same individuals. We found no consistent evidence of correlations between traits in levels of FA, nor of any associations between known environmental or developmental conditions. None of the four measures of FA showed a significant heritability (average h2=0.041), nor was there any evidence of inbreeding depression. For three of the four traits, fluctuating asymmetry did not predict either annual or lifetime breeding success. However there were significant associations between breeding success and FA in antler length. Given the series of null results in our other tests, it seems likely that this was a direct mechanistic effect rather than because measures of FA were indicative of individual quality or condition. [source] Lateral plate asymmetry, diet and parasitism in threespine sticklebackJOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY, Issue 4 2001T. E. Reimchen Individuals with random left,right departures from bilateral symmetry are predicted to exhibit fitness reduction including increased parasitism. In an insular lake population of stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) from the Queen Charlotte Islands, Western Canada, phenotypes with high or low number of lateral bony plates exhibited increased plate asymmetry relative to modal phenotypes. Asymmetric lateral plate phenotypes had increased prevalence and to a lesser extent intensity of parasitism relative to symmetric individuals, suggesting that differences in genetic resistance to pathogens contributed to unequal parasitism. The effect occurred mainly in the larger adults and during the warmest season, which may be due to the high metabolic costs incurred during the summer breeding season. Dietary differences between symmetric and asymmetric phenotypes were also detected and could contribute to unequal infection rates by mediating exposure to infected prey items. Our study, which is one of the first long-term field assessments of asymmetry and parasitism, yields results that are consistent with studies linking asymmetry to reduced fitness and indicate that lateral plate asymmetry can be an indicator of poor individual quality, despite its apparent directionality. [source] Ultraviolet reflectance and cryptic sexual dichromatism in the ocellated lizard, Lacerta (Timon) lepida (Squamata: Lacertidae)BIOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY, Issue 4 2009ENRIQUE FONT Ultraviolet (UV) colorations have garnered extensive theoretical and empirical treatment in recent years, although the majority of studies have concerned themselves with avian taxa. However, many lizards have acute visual systems with retinal photoreceptors that are sensitive to UV wavelengths, and also display UV-reflecting colour patches. In the present study, we used UV photography and full-spectrum reflectance spectrophotometry to describe intra- and intersexual colour variation in adult ocellated lizards Lacerta (Timon) lepida and to obtain evidence of UV-based ornamentation. We also investigated whether any colour traits correlate with morphological traits potentially related to individual quality. The results obtained show that the prominent eyespots and blue outer ventral scales (OVS) that ocellated lizards have on their flanks reflect strongly in the UV range and are best described as UV/blue in coloration. The eyespots of males are larger and cover a larger surface area than those of females. However, these differences can be entirely accounted for by sex differences in body size, with males being generally larger than females. We also found differences in the shape of reflectance curves from males and females, with the eyespots and blue OVS of males being more UV-shifted than those of females. Other body regions have extremely low UV reflectance and are not sexually dichromatic. Eyespot size and the total surface area covered by eyespots increases with body size in males but not in females, suggesting that they may be signalling an intrinsic individual characteristic such as body size or male fighting ability. We also discuss the alternative and non-exclusive hypothesis that eyespots may function in lizards of both sexes as protective markings against predators. © 2009 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2009, 97, 766,780. [source] Inter-annual variation and information content of melanin-based coloration in female Eurasian kestrelsBIOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY, Issue 4 2009PABLO VERGARA Competition for resources (e.g. mates or food) is the main evolutionary explanation for conspicuous ornaments in males, although this idea is not generalized in females. Whether or not the expression of melanic coloration is dependent on environmental conditions remains controversial. We studied three different melanin-based female traits in the Eurasian kestrel Falco tinnunculus, a sexually dichromatic species, for a period of 10 years: grey coloration in rump and tail and the width of the black subterminal tail band. We analysed these traits for within-individual variation among years, as well as their possible link with indices of quality, such as age, body size, and breeding performance. The results obtained demonstrate that female melanin-based coloration increased from yearlings to adults. In addition, the expression of female rump coloration covaried positively with the environmental conditions in the previous year (i.e. measured as clutch size at population level). Finally, we found a positive correlation between grey rump coloration and clutch size. These results suggest that the expression of rump coloration, a melanin-based trait, is environmentally constrained, and we propose that this character could function as an indicator of individual quality in female Eurasian kestrels. © 2009 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2009, 97, 781,790. [source] Migratory behaviour affects the trade-off between feather growth rate and feather quality in a passerine birdBIOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY, Issue 1 2009IVÁN DE LA HERA Migratory birds have less time for moulting than sedentary birds, which may force them to produce their feathers faster at the expense of reducing feather quality. However, the effects of migration on the trade-off between moult speed and plumage quality remain to be studied in natural populations. We analysed the relationship between growth rate and quality of individual feathers, taking advantage of natural variation between migratory and sedentary populations of blackcaps Sylvia atricapilla. As predicted by life-history theory, individual blackcaps showed variable individual quality, which was revealed by positive correlations between feather growth rate and feather mass within populations. However, migrants grew up their feathers faster, producing lighter feathers than sedentary blackcaps. These results support the idea that feather growth rate and feather quality are traded against each other in blackcaps. Such a trade-off is apparently caused by different selection associated to migratory and sedentary life styles, which opens new insights into the diversification of moult patterns in birds. © 2009 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2009, 97, 98,105. [source] Sex-specific transgenerational effects of early developmental conditions in a passerineBIOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY, Issue 3 2007CARLOS ALONSO-ALVAREZ Most studies dealing with the trade-off between offspring number and quality have overlooked the long-term consequences for the progeny. High investment in offspring number usually results in an increased competition among nest mates. The deterioration of the early developmental conditions, due to this increased competition, can impair individual quality over the long term, and subsequently affect survival and lifetime fecundity. Moreover, the consequences of the allocation rule to offspring number vs. quality can extend across generations and give raise to grandparental effects. These transgenerational trade-offs have been explored rarely. In the present study, we manipulated the breeding effort of captive zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) by offering them enlarged or reduced broods. Offspring reared under these conditions were allowed to breed freely in an outdoor aviary, during their entire lifespan. Second-generation fledglings whose mother was raised in enlarged broods were in lower body condition than offspring whose mother was raised in reduced broods. However, second-generation fledglings were not affected by the brood size experienced by the father. These results show that the solution of parental dilemma, whether producing a small number of high quality offspring or a large number of poor quality descendants, must take into account the long-term transgenerational effects acting on grandchildren. © 2007 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2007, 91, 469,474. [source] Quality of Care for Acute Myocardial Infarction in 58 U.S. Emergency DepartmentsACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 9 2010Chu-Lin Tsai MD ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE 2010; 17:940,950 © 2010 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine Abstract Objectives:, The objectives of this study were to determine concordance of emergency department (ED) management of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) with guideline recommendations and to identify ED and patient characteristics predictive of higher guideline concordance. Methods:, The authors conducted a chart review study of ED AMI care as part of the National Emergency Department Safety Study (NEDSS). Using a primary hospital discharge diagnosis of AMI (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification [ICD-9-CM], codes 410.XX), a random sample of ED visits for AMI in 58 urban EDs across 20 U.S. states between 2003 and 2006 were identified. Concordance with American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) guideline recommendations was evaluated using five individual quality measures and a composite concordance score. Concordance scores were calculated as the percentage of eligible patients who received guidelines-recommended care. These percentage scores were rescaled from 0 to 100, with 100 indicating perfect concordance. Results:, The cohort consisted of 3,819 subjects; their median age was 65 years, and 62% were men. The mean (± standard deviation [SD]) ED composite concordance score was 61 ± 8), with a broad range of values (42 to 84). Except for aspirin use (mean concordance, 82), ED concordance scores were low (beta-blocker use, 56; timely electrocardiogram [ECG], 41; timely fibrinolytic therapy, 26; timely ED disposition for primary percutaneous coronary intervention [PCI] candidates, 43). In multivariable analyses, older age (beta-coefficient per 10-year increase, ,1.5; 95% confidence interval [CI] = ,2.4 to ,0.5) and southern EDs (beta-coefficient, ,5.2; 95% CI = ,9.6 to ,0.9) were associated with lower guideline concordance, whereas ST-segment elevation on initial ED ECG was associated with higher guideline concordance (beta-coefficient, 3.6; 95% CI = 1.5 to 5.7). Conclusions:, Overall ED concordance with guideline-recommended processes of care was low to moderate. Emergency physicians should continue to work with other stakeholders in AMI care, such as emergency medical services (EMS) and cardiologists, to develop strategies to improve care processes. [source] Parental Effort in Relation to Structural Plumage Coloration in the Mountain Bluebird (Sialia currucoides)ETHOLOGY, Issue 9 2007Susan L. Balenger Indicator models of sexual selection suggest that costly ornaments signal reliable information regarding an individual's quality to potential mates. In species that produce altricial offspring, the amount of parental care provided by both males and females can impact reproductive success. The Good Parent Hypothesis proposes that ornamentation in biparental species can act as an honest signal of parental ability to potential mates. We tested this hypothesis using the mountain bluebird (Sialia currucoides), a sexually dichromatic, socially monogamous species in which both sexes have structurally based ornamental plumage coloration. A male's plumage color predicted neither the rate at which it provisioned nestlings nor brood growth rate. The same was true for females. We also found no indication of assortative mating by color or body condition. Feeding rates within pairs were positively correlated, which we suggest may be due to pairs responding similarly to the perceived needs of nestlings or to local area prey availability. In sum, our results do not support the Good Parent Hypothesis as an explanation for the evolution of ornamental plumage color in mountain bluebirds. We suggest alternative hypotheses for the evolution of ornamental plumage color in this species. [source] Heat shock in the developmentally sensitive period of butterfly eyespots fails to increase fluctuating asymmetryEVOLUTION AND DEVELOPMENT, Issue 3 2003Casper J. Breuker SUMMARY Fluctuating asymmetry (FA) is considered to provide a means of evaluating developmental stability and to reflect an individual's quality or the stress experienced during development. Stress is predicted to increase the phenotypic variation of both FA and trait size. In this study we examined the effect of a particular heat shock on both FA and size of eyespots in the butterfly, Bicyclus anynana. We also examined whether those eyespots thought to be involved in partner choice and sexual selection were particularly sensitive to stress. We applied a heat shock of 39.5°C for 3 h before, during, and after a sensitive period in eyespot development. We examined the FA, variation in FA, size, and variation in size of five eyespots, two on the dorsal forewing (sexually selected traits), two on the ventral forewing, and one on the ventral hindwing (nonsexually selected traits). For each sex and treatment, the heat shock did not result in significant changes in mean trait size and FA nor in the variation of size and FA. There were no differences in the response to the heat shock between sexually and nonsexually selected traits. We discuss how the increased production of heat shock proteins, including HSP60, may have stabilized development and how this might explain the results. [source] A vicious cycle in the oral health status of schoolchildren in a primary school in rural CambodiaINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DENTAL HYGIENE, Issue 3 2007Emiko Koito Shidara Abstract, Objective:, To investigate the oral health status and the risk factors contributing to dental caries and gum disease of schoolchildren in Cambodia. Methods:, A cross-sectional survey was conducted in a primary school in the Puok District, Siem Reap Province of Cambodia. An oral examination and self-reported questionnaire were used to evaluate oral health status of schoolchildren, ranging in age from 6,16. Of the 512 children that were enrolled in first through sixth grade at the primary school, 332 children (62.8%) participated. Results:, Of the schoolchildren that were involved in this study, the prevalence of dental caries in permanent dentition was 53.5% and gum disease was present in 46.2%. Among the participants 80% had plaque, 68.6% suffered from tooth pain and only 44.2% of the schoolchildren owned their own toothbrush. There was an association between the schoolchildren that suffered from tooth pain and those that had dental caries (P < 0.03). Plaque was related to dental caries in permanent dentition (P < 0.003), calculus (P < 0.0001) and gum disease (P < 0.0001) and was linked to the schoolchildren who did not own a toothbrush (P < 0.03) and who suffered from tooth pain (P < 0.03). Conclusion:, The following sequence of events may result in a vicious cycle in the oral healthcare of schoolchildren in rural Cambodia: the lack of a personal toothbrush leads to plaque buildup, which may increase the incidence of dental caries, which has been linked to tooth pain and gum disease. Ultimately, this poor oral healthcare impacts an individual's quality of life and can lead to more serious health issues later in life. [source] Does contact dermatitis to fragrances influence the quality of life?FLAVOUR AND FRAGRANCE JOURNAL, Issue 4 2009A descriptive study measuring, comparing the quality of life, skin involvement in patients with contact dermatitis to fragrances Abstract The study of the impact of diseases on individuals' quality of life is an important and useful tool for clinicians, particularly for an efficient follow-up and for the good management of patients suffering from chronic diseases. Contact dermatitis is a common condition in dermatological patients. However, despite efficient screening, the understanding and acceptance of contact allergy remain difficult and avoidance of these allergens is not always possible. The aim of this study was to determine whether contact dermatitis to fragrances affects quality of life and to define whether there is a relationship between the severity of skin involvement and quality of life. To measure the quality of life, we chose the VQ-Dermato (VQ-d) questionnaire, the only valid and reliable questionnaire in French, to which we added 10 non-validated specific questions regarding fragrances. We included patients with pertinent positive patch test reactions to fragrances attending the contact clinic between 1 January 1998 and 30 September 2004. During this time, 2814 patients were patch tested and 310 had positive reactions to the fragrance mix 8% (FM) of the standard series. We recruited non-atopic individuals, exclusively allergic to fragrance mix, with patch test reactions scored ++ and +++; the only additional positive reactions accepted were to balsam of Peru and the patient's own perfumes; 52 patients met these criteria, but only 33 participated. To evaluate the severity of skin involvement, we used the severity scoring of atopic dermatitis (SCORAD index). The quality of life of individuals allergic to fragrances was mostly moderately affected. Patients were more affected psychologically during the first year after the diagnosis of fragrance allergy. Skin reaction during the acute stage of contact allergy to fragrances can be severe. No correlation between VQ-d and SCORAD could be established. It was concluded that there was no severe impact on quality of life because of fragrance contact allergy, but that psychological issues and depression may play an important role in determining the way skin disease affects people. Patch testing improves the quality of life. Lack of correlation between VQ-d and SCORAD demonstrates that an objective measure such as SCORAD may not fully capture the impact of the disease. These results cannot be generalized because of the low response rate and limited sample size. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||