Predicting Individual Body Length, Volume, and Mass From Dominant Stroke Cycle Frequency in Sperm Whales: Empirical Cross‐Validation and Prediction Functions

Our aim in this study was to verify the usefulness of the standardized uptake value (SUV) normalized by individual CT-based lean body mass (LBMCT) in application of PET response criteria in solid tumors (PERCIST).We retrospectively investigated 14 patients (4 male and 10 female) with malignant lymphoma who were undergoing chemotherapy. (18)F-FDG PET/CT examinations were performed before and after chemotherapy. The LBMCT was calculated by estimation of fat weight from CT data (from skull base to pelvis). The mean±standard deviation (SD) and the Bland-Altman plot were used for comparison among body weight, LBMCT, and LBM derived from a predictive equation (LBMPE). Indices for FDG uptake in the liver were: SUV, SUV based on LBMPE (SULPE), and SUV based on LBMCT (SULCT). Overall differences between the uptake values were analyzed by one-way ANOVA. If the ANOVA showed significance, differences between uptake values were investigated further by use of the Tukey-Kramer test. The mean values of body weight, LBMPE, and LBMCT were: 55.4±14.9 (39.0-112.0), 43.0±10.5 (31.3-75.2), and 35.3±9.8 (23.4-75.8) kg, respectively. There was a wide dispersion between LBMPE and LBMCT (differences, 7.6±3.6kg; 95% CI, 6.42-8.85). LBMPE was higher than LBMCT in all the cases except in Case 11. The mean uptake values significantly differed among SUV, SULPE, and SULCT (F=68.3, p<0.05). Whereas SULPE deviated from PERCIST criteria in seven patients, SULCT satisfied the criteria except in one case. These results suggest that liver SULCT is useful for application of PERCIST.

The estimation of living body mass from skeletal material can be a useful component of a forensic profile. Previously, forensic anthropologists have generally used body mass estimation equations derived either from the femoral head or from a combination of bi‐iliac breadth and stature. However, these equations were originally generated for use in archaeological or paleontological contexts, and therefore may not perform as well in modern sedentary populations. In particular, these equations may significantly underestimate body mass in overweight and obese individuals, which increasingly account for a greater percentage of living populations.Here, we present new body mass estimation equations derived from measurements of the knee in a modern sample of known body mass. This reference sample consisted of 110 living subjects who participated in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. Mediolateral breadth measurements of the distal femur and proximal tibia were taken from anteroposterior radiographs of the knee, and used with recorded body weight to develop prediction equations. We compare the results from equations derived from the entire reference sample with equations derived from a sample that excludes obese individuals (BMI&gt;30). We also compare equations derived from youngest recorded body mass with equations derived from older body mass recorded at the time of x‐ray.R square, % standard error of the estimate, and % prediction errors are minimized in equations that use youngest recorded body mass and exclude obese individuals. Although body mass for obese individuals is underestimated by all equations, it is best approximated by equations derived from the older recorded body mass that include obese individuals. This type of equation also provides very good estimates of body mass for overweight individuals (25&lt;BMI&lt;30). All equations overestimate body mass to some extent in normal weight individuals, but equations derived from young adult body mass excluding obese individuals perform best in this group. Comparison with other studies suggests that certain of these equations may better approximate body mass in obese and overweight individuals than previously used equations.Our results indicate that, due to increasing rates of obesity in modern societies, body mass estimation equations designed for paleontological use should be applied with caution in the forensic context. Equations derived from modern samples with a greater proportion of overweight and obese individuals will perform better in such cases.

'Giant sperm', in terms of exceptionally long spermatozoa, occur in a variety of taxa in the animal kingdom, predominantly in arthropod groups, but also in flatworms, mollusks, and others. In some freshwater ostracods (Cypridoidea), filamentous sperm cells reach up to ten times the animal's body length; nonetheless, during a single copulation several dozen sperm cells can be transferred to the female's seminal receptacle. This highly effective ejaculation has traditionally been credited to a chitinous-muscular structure within the seminal duct, which has been interpreted as a sperm pump. We investigated this organ, also known as the Zenker organ, of a cypridoid ostracod, Pseudocandona marchica, utilizing light and electron microscope techniques and produced a three-dimensional reconstruction based on serial semi-thin histological sections. This paper shows that numerous muscle fibers surround the central tube of the Zenker organ, running in parallel with the central tube and that a thin cellular layer underlies the muscular layer. A cellular inner tube exists inside the central tube. A chitinous-cellular structure at the entrance of the organ has been recognized as an ejaculatory valve. In male specimens during copulation, we confirmed a small hole derived from the passage of a single spermatozoon through the valve. The new data allowed for proposing a detailed course of operation of the Zenker organ during giant sperm ejaculation.

Geographic and bathymetric trends in abundance, biomass and body size of four grenadier fishes along the Iberian coast in the western Mediterranean

This study examined the occurrence, relative abundance and condition of platypuses in the upper catchment of the South Esk River, in north-east Tasmania, Australia, and the impact of past forestry activities on the occurrence of platypuses in first order headwater streams. The main trapping sites were in twenty first order streams, eight second-fourth order headwater streams and one fifth order stream reach. Additional trapping was also undertaken in the South Esk River and farm dams. Sites were trapped during late spring/mid summer and early autumn. A total of 78 individuals were caught in the study area. Platypuses were caught at all sites trapped in the second-fourth order and fifth order stream reaches and in nine of the twenty first order streams. Catch success was greatest in the fifth order stream reach and lowest in the first order streams. There was a trend toward a higher proportion of juvenile/subadult males in the lower order stream sites. For the higher stream orders, a higher proportion of individuals was caught during the summer, however for the first order streams, a higher proportion was caught during the autumn trapping period. Information collected on the body mass, body length and condition of individuals indicated smaller individuals with a higher tail fat index in the lower order streams. There was a trend toward a lower occurrence of platypuses in the first order streams, which had been disturbed 15 years previously by forestry operations compared to first order streams with relatively undisturbed catchments. Differences in occurrence of platypuses were related to differences in the 'in-stream' and riparian characteristics of disturbed streams compared to undisturbed streams. Headwater streams form a large proportion of a river system. Although they provide more marginal habitat for the platypus than larger river reaches, their disturbance may be an important land management issue in the conservation of this species, particularly in river catchments where the species is impacted by other environmental changes or disease.

On average, small-bodied organisms are more abundant than large ones (Elton 1927). This relationship between individual body mass and population density (hereafter referred to as the mass-density relationship) has been extensively studied, and the literature presents two strikingly different sets of observations on it. The purpose of the present study is to re-examine these apparently conflicting observed patterns and to suggest hypotheses to reconcile them. One set of authors has quantified the mass-density relationship by assembling estimates of population densities from the published literature (Damuth 1981, Peters and Wassenberg 1983, Peters and Raelson 1984, Currie and Fritz 1993). Such studies typically draw data from detailed studies of individual species. These species generally derive from many phyla, drawn from a wide geographic area. This process yields relationships such as the one shown in Fig. 1, which are usually described by the statistical model:

Special Issue Introduction: Place, Migration and Health

High frequency body mass measurement, feedback, and health behaviors

The theory is formulated that ubiquitous scarcity of energy is one of the main motors of evolution. It is concluded that our primate ancestors never came down from the trees, but rather they have always been (semi-)terrestrial. This habit is probably an old symplesiomorph trait, older than primates themselves. Terrestrial habits in primates correlate to body weight in small systematic groups (e.g., large genera, families) but are, overall, completely independent from individual body mass. An omnivorous, semiterrestrial quadrupedal locomotor generalist seems to be the most probable morpho- and eco-type for our ancestor at the threshold of a hominoid stage of our evolution. The theory presented here suggests that our hominoid ancestor lived in gallery forests and changed strata in order also to inhabit the savannah habitat as well as the shallow water of the rivers or coasts. Foraging in a wading manner was extremely favourable for an effective and, especially, seasonally independent, animal protein supply. Anatomical adaptations to orthogradism and proportions of the extremities are discussed in relation to the necessary and frequent change of habitat strata. Ultimately, human bipedalism is seen here to be derived as a consequence of the centre of body mass, which is, in primates, near the hind extremities. By contrast to other mammals entering the water, wading primates sink back on their hind limbs. Selective forces for habitat use, limb proportions and wading habits are discussed, as well as the phylogenetic origin of human affinity to water and shores in all peoples through all times, from australopithecine times through the Paleolithic until today.

Frugivorous animals play crucial roles dispersing seeds away from parental plants and influencing plant recruitment. Most studies focus on comparisons of seed dispersal services provided by distinct species of animals, but neglect how within‐species variation may affect dispersal. Individual traits, such as body mass and sex, are related to metabolic rates, gut load capacity, and transit times that potentially influence dispersal quantity and quality. Here, we aim at answering if individual traits (body mass and sex) of Pale‐breasted Thrushes (Turdus leucomelas) affect seed dispersal quality by testing the following hypotheses (a) individual traits influence seed retention time and germination, (b) seed retention time affects seed germination, and (c) seed passage through the gut enhances germination. We found that females retained seeds in the gut for longer periods than males. Gut passed and manually depulped seeds had similar germination success. However, heavier birds, irrespective of sex, had longer seed retention times and promoted higher germination. Our results indicate that intraspecific differences in morphological traits of frugivores are a source of variation in dispersal outputs and may help to explain complex patterns of seed dispersal. We highlight the importance of considering the quality of seed dispersal at an individual‐level, as well as at a species‐level, and reinforce that some individuals may contribute more to seed germination, and potentially recruitment, than others. Finally, a decrease in body masses of tropical birds in response to global warming may cascade to a decrease in seed dispersal quality.Abstract in Portuguese is available with online material.

MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 149:155-162 (1997) - doi:10.3354/meps149155 Reproductive output of Macoma balthica populations in relation to winter-temperature and intertidal-height mediated changes of body mass Honkoop PJC, van der Meer J To study relationships between environmental conditions and reproductive output, numbers and sizes of eggs produced by the intertidal bivalve Macoma balthica were determined after the winters of 1995 and 1996 at 3 stations at different intertidal levels in the Dutch Wadden Sea. At all field stations significantly more (1.5 to 7 times) eggs were produced after the cold winter of 1996 than after the mild winter of 1995 when individual body masses were lower than in early 1996. At 2 stations the eggs were also significantly larger in 1996. In both years, eggs were larger at low than at high mud flats. Egg size was significantly positively correlated with adult body mass in the preceding summer (when gametogenesis takes place). Egg numbers, on the other hand, were only significantly positively correlated with the body mass just prior to spawning. Below a body mass of 5.6 mg ash-free dry mass per cm3 (cubic shell length), M. balthica did not produce any eggs. Above this body mass, egg numbers increased by about 7700 per mg ash-free dry mass at a shell length of 15 mm. Macoma balthica · Bivalve · Body mass · Egg number · Egg size · Reproductive output Full text in pdf format PreviousNextExport citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 149. Publication date: April 10, 1997 Print ISSN:0171-8630; Online ISSN:1616-1599 Copyright © 1997 Inter-Research.

Tentacle club length and body condition in the cuttlefishes Sepia elegans Blainville, 1827 and Sepia orbignyana Férussac, 1826 (Cephalopoda: Sepiidae)

Cheap Donuts and Expensive Broccoli: The Effect of Relative Prices on Obesity

Corticosterone regulation in house sparrows invading Senegal

Inherited mutations of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are known to confer an elevated risk of both breast and ovarian cancers. The effect of carrying such a mutation on survival after developing breast or ovarian cancer is less well understood. We investigate the relationship between BRCA1 and BRCA2 carrier status and survival after breast cancer. We obtained data from the Cancer and Steroid Hormone Study, a large population-based study including more than 4,000 breast cancer cases. Patient data include extensive information about breast and ovarian cancer in relatives. We obtained follow-up information about patients via record linkage with the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registry, with maximum follow-up of 15 years. In the absence of genetic testing for each individual, presence or absence of mutation at a breast cancer susceptibility gene is captured by a pair of binary latent variables whose marginal probability depends on the patient's family history of breast and ovarian cancer. We estimate the effect of genotype on survival using a Cox proportional hazards model, treating genetic status as a latent variable and controlling for stage at diagnosis, histology, whether radiation treatment was administered, the individual's smoking history, body mass, race, and age at diagnosis. Inference is accomplished using a Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm to draw a sample from the posterior distribution of model parameters accounting for sampling error, uncertainty in the genotype of study participants, and uncertainty in estimates of genetic parameters. An analysis that does not discriminate between BRCA1 and BRCA2 estimates the genetic effect on survival after breast cancer for women carrying a mutation at either site. We find evidence that survival of nonirradiated mutation carriers is better than that of noncarriers; we estimate the probability of improved survival to be .990. As a byproduct of this analysis, we estimate that a study based on 901 women with known mutation status would yield estimates of genetic effect on survival with comparable uncertainty to that obtained in the combined-gene analysis. An analysis assessing the separate effects of the two genes indicates that carriers of either mutation may have an improved prognosis. We estimate the probability of improved survival among nonirradiated BRCA1 carriers to be .844, and that among nonirradiated BRCA2 carriers to be .924. However, substantial uncertainty remains about the magnitude of the BRCA2 effect.