Maternal modulation of natal dispersal in a passerine bird: An adaptive strategy to cope with parasitism?

The decision of how far to disperse from the natal territory has profound and long-lasting consequences for young animals, yet the optimal dispersal behavior often depends on environmental factors that are difficult or impossible to assess by inexperienced juveniles. Natural selection thus favors mechanisms that allow the adaptive and flexible adjustment of the offspring's dispersal behavior by their parents via either paternal or maternal effects. Here we show that different dispersal strategies maximize the reproductive success of young great tits (Parus major) originating from a parasite-infested or a parasite-free nest and demonstrate that differential transfer of maternal yolk androgens in response to parasitism can result in a modification of the offspring's dispersal behavior that appears adaptive. It demonstrates that prenatal maternal effects are an important yet so far neglected determinant of natal dispersal and highlights the potential importance of maternal effects in mediating coevolutionary processes in host-parasite systems.

The rise of the house of Rothschild

Egon Caesar Corti. Transl. from the German by Brian and Beatrix Lunn [[Elektronische Ressource]]

Splitsville: A Study of Income Inequality and Political Polarization in the United States House of Representatives

The study compares a measure of income inequality with polarization scores of U.S. Representatives from the 104th to the 109th Congresses. It attempts to explain the link, on the abstract level, between high inequality and high polarization. The end findings indicate that inequality increases a Representative's likelihood to act liberally.

The medical malpractice insurance "crises" and federal medical malpractice tort reform: Collection and analysis of bills passed by the United States House of Representatives from 1995--2005

There have been three medical malpractice insurance "crises" in the United States over a time spanning roughly the past three decades (Poisson, 2004, p. 759-760). Each crisis is characterized by a number of common features, including rapidly increasing medical malpractice insurance premiums, cancellation of existing insurance policies, and a decreased willingness of insurers to offer or renew medical malpractice insurance policies (Poisson, 2004, p. 759-760). Given the recurrent "crises," many sources argue that medical malpractice insurance coverage has become too expensive a commodity—one that many physicians simply cannot afford (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [HHS], 2002, p. 1-2; Physician Insurers Association of America [PIAA], 2003, p. 1; Jackiw, 2004, p. 506; Glassman, 2004, p. 417; Padget, 2003, p. 216). ^ The prohibitively high cost of medical liability insurance is said to limit the geographical areas and medical specializations in which physicians are willing to practice. As a result, the high costs of medical liability insurance are ultimately said to affect whether or not people have access to health care services. ^ In an effort to control the medical liability insurance crises—and to preserve or restore peoples' access to health care—every state in the United States has passed "at least some laws designed to reduce medical malpractice premium rates" (GAO, 2003, p.5-6). More recently, however, the United States has witnessed a push to implement federal reform of the medical malpractice tort system. Accordingly, this project focuses on federal medical malpractice tort reform. This project was designed to investigate the following specific question: Do the federal medical malpractice tort reform bills which passed in the House of Representatives between 1995 and 2005 differ in respect to their principle features? To answer this question, the text of the bills, law review articles, and reports from government and private agencies were analyzed. Further, a matrix was compiled to concisely summarize the principle features of the proposed federal medical malpractice tort reform bills. Insight gleaned from this investigation and matrix compilation informs discussion about the potential ramifications of enacting federal medical malpractice tort reform legislation. ^

Troya historiada en The Book of the Duchess y The House of Fame

En este trabajo propongo analizar The Book of the Duchess y The House of Fame a partir de los problemas que introduce la presencia de la historia troyana. El famoso relato está invocado a través de escenas pintadas en paredes o en ventanales, presentados como escenografía. No están incluidos para añadirles nuevas interpretaciones, ni para completar faltantes de información o conciliar versiones divergentes, sino que son utilizados para capitalizar sus resonancias como objeto cultural, incorporado a la memoria social, frente al cual Chaucer construye un universo de sentido para su propia poesía e indaga en los principios que autorizan su texto.

Troya historiada en The Book of the Duchess y The House of Fame

En este trabajo propongo analizar The Book of the Duchess y The House of Fame a partir de los problemas que introduce la presencia de la historia troyana. El famoso relato está invocado a través de escenas pintadas en paredes o en ventanales, presentados como escenografía. No están incluidos para añadirles nuevas interpretaciones, ni para completar faltantes de información o conciliar versiones divergentes, sino que son utilizados para capitalizar sus resonancias como objeto cultural, incorporado a la memoria social, frente al cual Chaucer construye un universo de sentido para su propia poesía e indaga en los principios que autorizan su texto.

Troya historiada en The Book of the Duchess y The House of Fame

En este trabajo propongo analizar The Book of the Duchess y The House of Fame a partir de los problemas que introduce la presencia de la historia troyana. El famoso relato está invocado a través de escenas pintadas en paredes o en ventanales, presentados como escenografía. No están incluidos para añadirles nuevas interpretaciones, ni para completar faltantes de información o conciliar versiones divergentes, sino que son utilizados para capitalizar sus resonancias como objeto cultural, incorporado a la memoria social, frente al cual Chaucer construye un universo de sentido para su propia poesía e indaga en los principios que autorizan su texto.