Sexual dimorphism in resource acquisition and deployment: both size and timing matter.

Background and Aims The males and females of many dioecious plant species differ from one another in important life-history traits, such as their size. If male and female reproductive functions draw on different resources, for example, one should expect males and females to display different allocation strategies as they grow. Importantly, these strategies may differ not only between the two sexes, but also between plants of different age and therefore size. Results are presented from an experiment that asks whether males and females of Mercurialis annua, an annual plant with indeterminate growth, differ over time in their allocation of two potentially limiting resources (carbon and nitrogen) to vegetative (below-and above-ground) and reproductive tissues.Methods Comparisons were made of the temporal patterns of biomass allocation to shoots, roots and reproduction and the nitrogen content in the leaves between the sexes of M. annua by harvesting plants of each sex after growth over different periods of time.Key Results and Conclusions Males and females differed in their temporal patterns of allocation. Males allocated more to reproduction than females at early stages, but this trend was reversed at later stages. Importantly, males allocated proportionally more of their biomass towards roots at later stages, but the roots of females were larger in absolute terms. The study points to the important role played by both the timing of resource deployment and the relative versus absolute sizes of the sinks and sources in sexual dimorphism of an annual plant.

Western Préalpes Médianes Romandes: Timing and structure. A review.

Between the original position and their present day location as klippen, the Prealpes Medianes underwent a complex history of paleotectonics and alpine tectonics. Due to the opening of the Piemont ocean the Brianconnais sedimentation realm of the Prealpes Medianes evolved as a rim basin of the northern passive margin during Jurassic to Eocene times. Different paleotectonic features (normal faults, synsedimentary growth structures, inversion structures) developed and were active above a basal detachment in evaporitic layers. The tectonic movements were a consequence of thermal events in the crust. Isolated from the Iberic continent at the end of the Late Cretaceous, the Brianconnais exotic terrain was incorporated into the accretionary prism of the closing Piemont ocean and the incipient alpine orogeny during the Lutetian-Bartonian. The Prealpes Medianes were detached from their homeland during the Bartonian-Priabonian and were transported onto the foreland. The tectonic style is one of a thin-skinned foreland fold and thrust belt. Fault associated fold development above a main decollement, together with internal deformation, represent the Prealpes Medianes main structural features. The very low-grade metamorphic conditions have their origin in the heat flux induced by tectonic burial by overriding nappes in the accretionary prism. After having been transported on top of the developing Helvetic nappes the Prealpes were emplaced in their present day position in front of the Alpine mountain belt during Oligocene times. Post-emplacement and out of sequence thrusting, possibly younger than Oligocene, is observed and can be related to thrusting in the sedimentary substratum and the basement.

Timing of Palaeozoic magmatism in the Maggia and Sambuco nappes and paleogeographic implications (Central Lepontine Alps)

Magmatic rocks from the pre-Mesozoic basements of the Sambuco and Maggia nappes have been dated by U-Pb zircon ages with the LA-ICPMS technique. Several magmatic events have been identified in the Sambuco nappe. The mafic banded calc-alkaline suite of Scheggia is dated at 540 Ma, an age comparable to that of mafic rocks in the Austroalpine Silvretta nappe. The Sasso Nero peraluminous augengneiss has an age of 480-470 Ma, like many other ``older orthogneisses'' in Alpine basement units. It hosts a large proportion of inherited zircons, which were dated around 630 Ma, a Panafrican age indicating the Gondwanan affiliation of the Sambuco basement. The calc-alkaline Matorello pluton yielded ages around 300 Ma, similar to numerous Late Carboniferous intrusions in other basement units of the Lower Penninic (Monte Leone, Antigorio, Verampio) and Helvetic domains (Gotthard and other External Crystalline Massifs). Associated lamprophyric dykes are slightly younger (300-290 Ma), like similar dykes sampled in gneiss blocks included in the sedimentary cover of the underlying Antigorio nappe (290-285 Ma). The Cocco granodiorite and Ruscada leucogranite, both intruding the basement of the neighbouring Maggia nappe, yielded ages of ca. 300-310 Ma, identical within errors to the age of the Matorello pluton. They are significantly older than former age determinations. This age coincidence, coupled with remarkable petrologic similarities between the Cocco and Matorello granodiorites, strongly suggests paleogeographic proximity of the Sambuco and Maggia nappes in Late Carboniferous times. In recent publications these two nappes have been interpreted as belonging to distinct Mesozoic paleogeographic domains: ``European'' for Sambuco and ``Brian double dagger onnais'' for Maggia, separated by the ``Valais'' oceanic basin. In this case, the similarity of the Matorello and Cocco intrusions would demonstrate the absence of any significant transcurrent movement between these two continental domains. Alternatively, according to a more traditional view, Sambuco and Maggia might belong to a single large Alpine tectonic unit.

How critical is timing for the diagnosis of influenza in general practice?

Résumé La performance diagnostic des signes et symptômes de la grippe a principalement été étudiée dans le cadre d'études contrôlées avec des critères d'inclusion stricts. Il apparaît nécessaire d'évaluer ces prédicteurs dans le cadre d'une consultation ambulatoire habituelle en tenant compte du délai écoulé entre le début des symptômes et la première consultation ainsi que la situation épidémiologique. Cette étude prospective a été menée à la Policlinique Médicale Universitaire durant l'hiver 1999-2000. Les patients étaient inclus s'ils présentaient un syndrome grippal et si le praticien suspectait une infection à Influenza. Le médecin administrait un questionnaire puis une culture d'un frottis de gorge était réalisée afin de documenter l'infection. 201 patients ont été inclus dans l'étude. 52% avaient une culture positive pour Influenza. En analyse univariée, une température > 37.8° (OR 4.2; 95% CI 2.3-7.7), une durée des symptômes < 48h (OR 3.2; 1.8-5.7), une toux (OR 3.2; 1-10.4) et des myalgies (OR 2.8; 1.0-7.5) étaient associés au diagnostic de grippe. En analyse de régression logistique, le modèle le plus performant qui prédisait la grippe était l'association d'une durée des symptômes <48h, une consultation en début d'épidémie, une température > 37.8° et une toux (sensibilité 79%, spécificité 69%, valeur prédictive positive 67%, une valeur prédictive négative de 73% et aire sous la courbe (ROC) de 0.74). En plus des signes et symptômes prédicteurs de la grippe, le médecin de premier recours devrait prendre en compte dans son jugement la durée des symptômes avant la première consultation et le contexte épidémiologique (début, pic, fin de l'épidémie), car ces deux paramètres modifient considérablement la valeurs des prédicteurs lors de l'évaluation de la probabilité clinique d'un patient d'avoir une infection à Influenza.

Food availability dictates the timing of parturition in insectivorous mouse-eared bats

Which of these two confounding factors, weather or food availability - that largely correlate and interact - controls the timing of parturition in insectivorous bats? To answer this question. we took advantage of a predator-prey system that offers a unique opportunity to perform natural experiments. The phenology of reproduction of two sibling bat species that inhabit the same colonial roosts, but exploit different feeding niches. was investigated. Myotis myotis feeds mainly on carabid beetles, a food source available from the end of hibernation onwards, whereas bush crickets, the main prey of M. blythii, are not available early in the season due to their successive instars; cockchafers are actually the sole possible alternative prey for M. blythii at that time of the year, but they occur every third year only, independently of local weather conditions. By comparing the species responses to the presence/absence of cockchafers, we could test the hypothesis that food availability, rather than climate. influences the timing of bat parturition. Our data show that Nt. blythii gave birth, on average. 10 d later than M. myotis in years without cockchafers, whilst parturition (1) was synchronous during cockchafer years, and (2) did not show much among-year time variation in M. myotis. This suggests that food availability is the chief factor regulating the timing of parturition in mouse-eared bats.

Disparity in the timing of vertebrate diversification events between the northern and southern hemispheres.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Climatic oscillations throughout the Quaternary had profound effects on temperate biodiversity, but the extent of Quaternary climate change was more severe in temperate regions of the northern hemisphere than in the southern hemisphere. We sought to determine whether this geographic disparity differentially influenced the timing of intraspecific diversification events within ectothermic and endothermic vertebrate species. Using published phylogenetic hypotheses, we gathered data on the oldest intraspecific diversification event within mammal, bird, freshwater fish, amphibian, and reptile species from temperate-zone areas. We then tested whether the timing of diversification events differed between hemispheres. RESULTS: Our analyses provide strong evidence that vertebrates from temperate regions of the northern hemisphere are younger than those from the southern hemisphere. However, we find little evidence to suggest that this relationship differs between endotherms versus ectotherms, or that it varies widely across the five classes of vertebrates that we considered. In addition, we find that on average, endothermic species are much younger than ectothermic species. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that geographic variation in the magnitude of climatic oscillations during the Quaternary led to substantial disparity in the timing of intraspecific diversification events between northern and southern hemisphere vertebrates, and that the magnitude of this divergence is largely congruent across vertebrate taxa.

Association of adiposity genetic variants with menarche timing in 92,105 women of European descent.

Obesity is of global health concern. There are well-described inverse relationships between female pubertal timing and obesity. Recent genome-wide association studies of age at menarche identified several obesity-related variants. Using data from the ReproGen Consortium, we employed meta-analytical techniques to estimate the associations of 95 a priori and recently identified obesity-related (body mass index (weight (kg)/height (m)(2)), waist circumference, and waist:hip ratio) single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with age at menarche in 92,116 women of European descent from 38 studies (1970-2010), in order to estimate associations between genetic variants associated with central or overall adiposity and pubertal timing in girls. Investigators in each study performed a separate analysis of associations between the selected SNPs and age at menarche (ages 9-17 years) using linear regression models and adjusting for birth year, site (as appropriate), and population stratification. Heterogeneity of effect-measure estimates was investigated using meta-regression. Six novel associations of body mass index loci with age at menarche were identified, and 11 adiposity loci previously reported to be associated with age at menarche were confirmed, but none of the central adiposity variants individually showed significant associations. These findings suggest complex genetic relationships between menarche and overall obesity, and to a lesser extent central obesity, in normal processes of growth and development.

Job Insecurity and the Timing of Parenthood: A Comparison between Eastern and Western Germany

This article contributes to the ongoing debate on the economic deter- minants of fertility behavior by addressing the role of job insecurity in couples' intentions concerning parenthood and its timing. It starts from the hypothesis that cultural values moderate individuals' reactions to job insecurity and the way it is related to family formation. With a systematic thematic content analysis of a set of semi-structured interviews with childless men and women around the age of 30 in eastern and western Germany, we are able to show that there are substantial dif- ferences in the consequences of job insecurity on intentions to have a first child. In western Germany, a relatively secure job career is expected to precede family formation, and this sequence of transitions is rather rigid, whereas in eastern Germany job security and family formation are thought of and practiced as parallel investments. We suggest that the lack of convergence in family formation patterns between eastern and western Germany after the unification of the country in 1990 is partially related to different attitudes toward job insecurity in the two contexts.

The role of circadian timing system on drug metabolism and detoxification.

INTRODUCTION: It has been known for a long time that the efficiency and toxicity of drugs change during a 24-h period. However, the molecular mechanisms involved in these processes have started to emerge only recently. AREAS COVERED: This review aims to highlight recent discoveries showing the direct role of the molecular circadian clock in xenobiotic metabolism at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels in the liver and intestine, and the different ways of elimination of these metabolized drugs via biliary and urine excretions. Most of the related literature focuses on transcriptional regulation by the circadian clock of xenobiotic metabolism in the liver; however, the role of this timing system in the excretion of metabolized drugs and the importance of the kidney in this phenomenon are generally neglected. The goal of this review is to describe the molecular mechanisms involved in rhythmic drug metabolism and excretion. EXPERT OPINION: Chronopharmacology is used to analyze the metabolism of drugs in mammals according to the time of day. The circadian timing system plays a key role in the changes of toxicity of drugs by influencing their metabolisms in the liver and intestine in addition to their excretion via bile flow and urine.

Impact of Prophylactic Cranial Irradiation Timing on Brain Relapse Rates in Patients With Stage IIIB Non-Small-Cell Lung Carcinoma Treated With Two Different Chemoradiotherapy Regimens.

PURPOSE: To retrospectively assess the influence of prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) timing on brain relapse rates in patients treated with two different chemoradiotherapy (CRT) regimens for Stage IIIB non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS AND MATERIALS: A cohort of 134 patients, with Stage IIIB NSCLC in recursive partitioning analysis Group 1, was treated with PCI (30 Gy at 2 Gy/fr) following one of two CRT regimens. Regimen 1 (n = 58) consisted of three cycles of induction chemotherapy (ICT) followed by concurrent CRT (C-CRT). Regimen 2 (n = 76) consisted of immediate C-CRT during thoracic radiotherapy. RESULTS: At a median follow-up of 27.6 months (range, 7.2-40.4), 65 patients were alive. Median, progression-free, and brain metastasis-free survival (BMFS) times for the whole study cohort were 23.4, 15.4, and 23.0 months, respectively. Median survival time and the 3-year survival rate for regimens 1 and 2 were 19.3 vs. 26.1 months (p = 0.001) and 14.4% vs. 34.4% (p < .001), respectively. Median time from the initiation of primary treatment to PCI was 123.2 (range, 97-161) and 63.4 (range, 55-74) days for regimens 1 and 2, respectively (p < 0.001). Overall, 11 (8.2%) patients developed brain metastasis (BM) during the follow-up period: 8 (13.8%) in regimen 1 and 3 (3.9%) in regimen 2 (p = 0.03). Only 3 (2.2%) patients developed BM at the site of first failure, and for 2 of them, it was also the sole site of recurrence. Median BMFS for regimens 1 and 2 were 17.4 (13.5-21.3) vs. 26.0 (22.9-29.1 months), respectively (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that in Stage IIIB NSCLC patients treated with PCI, lower BM incidence and longer survival rates result from immediate C-CRT rather than ITC-first regimens. This indicates the benefit of earlier PCI use without delay because of induction protocols.

Advance directives and the impact of timing. A qualitative study with Swiss general practitioners.

PRINCIPLES: Advance directives are seen as an important tool for documenting the wishes of patients who are no longer competent to make decisions in regards to their medical care. Due to their nature, approaching the subject of advance directives with a patient can be difficult for both the medical care provider and the patient. This paper focuses on general practitioners' perspectives regarding the timing at which this discussion should take place, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of the different moments. METHODS: In 2013, 23 semi-structured face-to-face interviews were performed with Swiss general practitioners. Interviews were analysed using qualitative content analysis. RESULTS: In our sample, 23 general practitioners provided different options that they felt were appropriate moments: either (a) when the patient is still healthy, (b) when illness becomes predominant, or (c) when a patient has been transferred to a long-term care facility. Furthermore, general practitioners reported uncertainty and discomfort regarding initiating the discussion. CONCLUSION: The distinct approaches, perspectives and rationales show that there is no well-defined or "right" moment. However, participants often associated advance directives with death. This link caused discomfort and uncertainty, which led to hesitation and delay on the part of general practitioners. Therefore we recommend further training on how to professionally initiate a conversation about advance directives. Furthermore, based on our results and experience, we recommend an early approach with healthy patients paired with later regular updates as it seems to be the most effective way to inform patients about their end-of-life care options.