POPULATION DENSITY OF THE HELMETED CURASSOW (PAUXI PAUXI) IN TAMA NATIONAL PARK, COLOMBIA

We estimated the population density of the Helmeted Curassow (Pauxi pauxi) in Tama National Park (TNP) Colombia, using visual counts between December 2006 and December 2008. We used six line transects (1 km each) equitably distributed in a natural forest between 800 and 1,200 m asl in the southern part of the park. The sampling effort was 588 hrs with a total distance of 490 km, a detection rate of 0.06 records/hr, and an encounter rate of 0.08 individuals/km. Only solitary individuals were recorded (n = 40); the estimated density was 4.8 individuals/km(2). Most detections occurred in the lower strata of the forest (floor and sub-canopy) where hunters take advantage of curassows in the lower strata for successful harvest. The southern sector of TNP becomes important in the dry season. Our study suggests a large population is in TNP, but harvesting activities including removal of eggs, chicks, and juveniles, and hunting adults are affecting the reproductive rate and population of the species. Received 6 June 2011. Accepted 2 February 2012.

Visual impairment in children with spastic cerebral palsy measured by psychophysical and electrophysiological grating acuity tests

Background: This study measured grating visual acuity in 173 children between 6-48 months of age who had different types of spastic cerebral palsy (CP). Method: Behavioural acuity was measured with the Teller Acuity Cards (TAC) using a staircase psychophysical procedure. Electrophysiological visual acuity was estimated using the sweep VEP (sVEP). Results: The percentage of children outside the superior tolerance limits was 44 of 63 (69%) and 50 of 55 (91%) of tetraplegic, 36 of 56 (64%) and 42 of 53 (79%) of diplegic, 10 of 48 (21%) and 12 of 40 (30%) of hemiplegic for sVEP and TAC, respectively. For the sVEP, the greater visual acuity deficit found in the tetraplegic group was significantly different from that of the hemiplegic group (p < 0.001). In the TAC procedure the mean visual acuity deficits of the tetraplegic and diplegic groups were significantly different from that of hemiplegic group (p < 0.001). The differences between sVEP and TAC means of visual acuity difference were statistically significant for the tetraplegic (p < 0.001), diplegic (p < 0.001), and hemiplegic group (p = 0.004). Discussion: Better visual acuities were obtained in both procedures for hemiplegic children compared to diplegic or tetraplegic. Tetraplegic and diplegic children showed greater discrepancies between the TAC and sVEP results. Inter-ocular acuity difference was more frequent in sVEP measurements. Conclusions: Electrophysiologically measured visual acuity is better than behavioural visual acuity in children with CP.

Rates of Change in the Visual Field and Optic Disc in Patients with Distinct Patterns of Glaucomatous Optic Disc Damage

Purpose: To investigate the rate of visual field and optic disc change in patients with distinct patterns of glaucomatous optic disc damage. Design: Prospective longitudinal study. Participants: A total of 131 patients with open-angle glaucoma with focal (n = 45), diffuse (n = 42), and sclerotic (n = 44) optic disc damage. Methods: Patients were examined every 4 months with standard automated perimetry (SAP, SITA Standard, 24-2 test, Humphrey Field Analyzer, Carl Zeiss Meditec, Dublin, CA) and confocal scanning laser tomography (CSLT, Heidelberg Retina Tomograph, Heidelberg Engineering GmbH, Heidelberg, Germany) for a period of 4 years. During this time, patients were treated according to a predefined protocol to achieve a target intraocular pressure (IOP). Rates of change were estimated by robust linear regression of visual field mean deviation (MD) and global optic disc neuroretinal rim area with follow-up time. Main Outcome Measures: Rates of change in MD and rim area. Results: Rates of visual field change in patients with focal optic disc damage (mean -0.34, standard deviation [SD] 0.69 dB/year) were faster than in patients with sclerotic (mean - 0.14, SD 0.77 dB/year) and diffuse (mean + 0.01, SD 0.37 dB/year) optic disc damage (P = 0.003, Kruskal-Wallis). Rates of optic disc change in patients with focal optic disc damage (mean - 11.70, SD 25.5 x 10(-3) mm(2)/year) were faster than in patients with diffuse (mean -9.16, SD 14.9 x 10(-3) mm(2)/year) and sclerotic (mean -0.45, SD 20.6 x 10(-3) mm(2)/year) optic disc damage, although the differences were not statistically significant (P = 0.11). Absolute IOP reduction from untreated levels was similar among the groups (P = 0.59). Conclusions: Patients with focal optic disc damage had faster rates of visual field change and a tendency toward faster rates of optic disc deterioration when compared with patients with diffuse and sclerotic optic disc damage, despite similar IOP reductions during follow-up. Financial Disclosure(s): Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found after the references. Ophthalmology 2012; 119: 294-303 (C) 2012 by the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

On the use of 10-minute point counts and 10-species lists for surveying birds in lowland Atlantic Forests in southeastern Brazil

Due to rapid and continuous deforestation, recent bird surveys in the Atlantic Forest are following rapid assessment programs to accumulate significant amounts of data during short periods of time. During this study, two surveying methods were used to evaluate which technique rapidly accumulated most species (> 90% of the estimated empirical value) at lowland Atlantic Forests in the state of São Paulo, southeastern Brazil. Birds were counted during the 2008-2010 breeding seasons using 10-minute point counts and 10-species lists. Overall, point counting detected as many species as lists (79 vs. 83, respectively), and 88 points (14.7 h) detected 90% of the estimated species richness. Forty-one lists were insufficient to detect 90% of all species. However, lists accumulated species faster in a shorter time period, probably due to the nature of the point count method in which species detected while moving between points are not considered. Rapid assessment programs in these forests will rapidly detect more species using 10-species lists. Both methods shared 63% of all forest species, but this may be due to spatial and temporal mismatch between samplings of each method.