Repeated sprinting on natural grass impairs vertical stiffness but does not alter plantar loading in soccer players.

This study aimed to determine changes in spring-mass model (SMM) characteristics, plantar pressures, and muscle activity induced by the repetition of sprints in soccer-specific conditions; i.e., on natural grass with soccer shoes. Thirteen soccer players performed 6 × 20 m sprints interspersed with 20 s of passive recovery. Plantar pressure distribution was recorded via an insole pressure recorder device divided into nine areas for analysis. Stride temporal parameters allowed to estimate SMM characteristics. Surface electromyographic activity was monitored for vastus lateralis, rectus femoris, and biceps femoris muscles. Sprint time, contact time, and total stride duration lengthened from the first to the last repetition (+6.7, +12.9, and +9.3%; all P < 0.05), while flight time, swing time, and stride length remained constant. Stride frequency decrease across repetitions approached significance (-6.8%; P = 0.07). No main effect of the sprint number or any significant interaction between sprint number and foot region was found for maximal force, mean force, peak pressure and mean pressure (all P > 0.05). Center of mass vertical displacement increased (P < 0.01) with time, together with unchanged (both P > 0.05) peak vertical force and leg compression. Vertical stiffness decreased (-15.9%; P < 0.05) across trials, whereas leg stiffness changes were not significant (-5.9%; P > 0.05). Changes in root mean square activity of the three tested muscles over sprint repetitions were not significant. Although repeated sprinting on natural grass with players wearing soccer boots impairs their leg-spring behavior (vertical stiffness), there is no substantial concomitant alterations in muscle activation levels or plantar pressure patterns.

Deriving the hard thermal loops of QCD from classical transport theory

Classical transport theory is employed to analyze the hot quark-gluon plasma at the leading order in the coupling constant. A condition on the (covariantly conserved) color current is obtained. From this condition, the generating functional of hard thermal loops with an arbitrary number of soft external bosonic legs can be derived. Our approach, besides being more direct than alternative ones, shows that hard thermal loops are essentially classical.

Caracterização de neossolos regolíticos da região semiárida do Estado de Pernambuco

Estudos de caracterização de solos em regiões ainda pouco exploradas, além de disponibilizarem e ampliarem a base de informações sobre as mais distintas ordens de solos do território nacional, também permitem sistematizar informações sobre suas propriedades, que poderão servir de subsídio para o desenvolvimento de práticas de manejo e uso sustentável das terras. Entre os principais solos recorrentes na região semiárida pernambucana, destacam-se os Neossolos Regolíticos, os quais perfazem aproximadamente 27 % da superfície do Estado e recobrem importantes áreas voltadas à produção agrícola, especialmente à agricultura familiar. Considerando a possibilidade de ocorrência de Neossolos Regolíticos com distintas propriedades físicas, químicas ou mineralógicas, em razão da existência de distintos contextos geológicos e climáticos ao longo do Estado de Pernambuco, o presente trabalho teve como objetivo caracterizar física, química e mineralogicamente Neossolos Regolíticos ao longo da região semiárida do Estado de Pernambuco, bem como relacionar os solos com sua litologia. Para isso, foram selecionados cinco perfis de Neossolos Regolíticos em diversos municípios do Estado de Pernambuco (P1=São Caetano, P2=Lagoa do Ouro, P3=Caetés, P4=São João e P5=Parnamirim). Os perfis foram descritos morfologicamente, coletando-se amostras de todos os horizontes do solo e da rocha do embasamento. Foram realizadas análises físicas e químicas para fins de classificação de solos, análises mineralógicas das frações grossas (cascalho e areia) por microscopia óptica e das frações silte e argila por difração de raios X, além de análises petrográficas das amostras de rochas. De acordo com os resultados, observou-se a ocorrência de solos semelhantes e com pequeno grau de desenvolvimento pedogenético, variando de medianamente a muito profundos, com sequência de horizontes A-AC-C e Cr e textura arenosa a média. Dois perfis apresentaram caráter solódico em profundidade. Todos os solos apresentaram baixos teores de matéria orgânica e P disponível. Apesar dos baixos teores de cátions trocáveis, todos os perfis são eutróficos. A assembleia mineralógica das frações cascalho, areia e silte é constituída essencialmente por quartzo, seguido de feldspatos e mica, corroborando a constituição petrográfica analisada. A caulinita é o principal argilomineral da fração argila em todos os perfis e horizontes estudados, indicando um importante processo de monossialitização em solos autóctones, em clima caracteristicamente semiárido. No perfil P2, devido à posição mais baixa do solo na paisagem, ocorreram minerais esmectíticos com misturas de fases entre montmorilonita, beidelita ou nontronita, identificados pela análise de DRX, empregando o teste de Greene-Kelly.

Proposal for an index to classify irrigation water quality: a case study in northeastern Brazil

One way of classifying water quality is by means of indices, in which a series of parameters analyzed are joined a single value, facilitating the interpretation of extensive lists of variables or indicators, underlying the classification of water quality. The objective of this study was to develop a statistically based index to classify water according to the Irrigation Water Quality Index (IWQI), to evaluate the ionic composition of water for use in irrigation and classify it by its source. For this purpose, the database generated during the Technology Generation and Adaptation (GAT) program was used, in which, as of 1988, water samples were collected monthly from water sources in the states of Paraíba, Rio Grande do Norte and Ceará. To evaluate water quality, the electrical conductivity (EC) of irrigation water was taken as a reference, with values corresponding to 0.7 dS m-1. The chemical variables used in this study were: pH, EC, Ca, Mg, Na, K, Cl, HCO3, CO3, and SO4. The data of all characteristics evaluated were standardized and data normality was confirmed by Lilliefors test. Then the irrigation water quality index was determined by an equation that relates the standardized value of the variable with the number of characteristics evaluated. Thus, the IWQI was classified based on indices, considering normal distribution. Finally, these indices were subjected to regression analysis. The method proposed for the IWQI allowed a satisfactory classification of the irrigation water quality, being able to estimate it as a function of EC for the three water sources. Variation in the ionic composition was observed among the three sources and within a single source. Although the water quality differed, it was good in most cases, with the classification IWQI II.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma activation is required for maintenance of innate antimicrobial immunity in the colon.

Crohn's disease (CD), a major form of human inflammatory bowel disease, is characterized by primary immunodeficiencies. The nuclear receptor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) is essential for intestinal homeostasis in response to both dietary- and microbiota-derived signals. Its role in host defense remains unknown, however. We show that PPARgamma functions as an antimicrobial factor by maintaining constitutive epithelial expression of a subset of beta-defensin in the colon, which includes mDefB10 in mice and DEFB1 in humans. Colonic mucosa of Ppargamma mutant animals shows defective killing of several major components of the intestinal microbiota, including Candida albicans, Bacteroides fragilis, Enterococcus faecalis, and Escherichia coli. Neutralization of the colicidal activity using an anti-mDefB10 blocking antibody was effective in a PPARgamma-dependent manner. A functional promoter variant that is required for DEFB1 expression confers strong protection against Crohn's colitis and ileocolitis (odds ratio, 0.559; P = 0.018). Consistently, colonic involvement in CD is specifically linked to reduced expression of DEFB1 independent of inflammation. These findings support the development of PPARgamma-targeting therapeutic and/or nutritional approaches to prevent colonic inflammation by restoring antimicrobial immunity in CD.

Randomized controlled trial of interventions for young people at ultra-high risk of psychosis: study design and baseline characteristics.

OBJECTIVE: Intervention during the pre-psychotic period of illness holds the potential of delaying or even preventing the onset of a full-threshold disorder, or at least of reducing the impact of such a disorder if it does develop. The first step in realizing this aim was achieved more than 10 years ago with the development and validation of criteria for the identification of young people at ultra-high risk (UHR) of psychosis. Results of three clinical trials have been published that provide mixed support for the effectiveness of psychological and pharmacological interventions in preventing the onset of psychotic disorder. METHOD: The present paper describes a fourth study that has now been undertaken in which young people who met UHR criteria were randomized to one of three treatment groups: cognitive therapy plus risperidone (CogTher + Risp: n = 43); cognitive therapy plus placebo (CogTher + Placebo: n = 44); and supportive counselling + placebo (Supp + Placebo; n = 28). A fourth group of young people who did not agree to randomization were also followed up (monitoring: n = 78). Baseline characteristics of participants are provided. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The present study improves on the previous studies because treatment was provided for 12 months and the independent contributions of psychological and pharmacological treatments in preventing transition to psychosis in the UHR cohort and on levels of psychopathology and functioning can be directly compared. Issues associated with recruitment and randomization are discussed.

Changes in leg spring behaviour, plantar loading and foot mobility magnitude induced by an exhaustive treadmill run in adolescent middle-distance runners.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine adjustments in spring-mass model characteristics, plantar loading and foot mobility induced by an exhaustive run. DESIGN: Within-participants repeated measures. METHODS: Eleven highly-trained adolescent middle-distance runners ran to exhaustion on a treadmill at a constant velocity corresponding to 95% of velocity associated with VO₂max (17.8 ± 1.4 kmh(-1), time to exhaustion=8.8 ± 3.4 min). Contact time obtained from plantar pressure sensors was used to estimate spring-mass model characteristics, which were recorded (during 30 s) 1 min after the start and prior to exhaustion using pressure insoles. Foot mobility magnitude (a composite measure of vertical and medial-lateral mobility of the midfoot) was measured before and after the run. RESULTS: Mean contact area (foot to ground), contact time, peak vertical ground reaction force, centre of mass vertical displacement and leg compression increased significantly with fatigue, while flight time, leg stiffness and mean pressure decreased. Leg stiffness decreased because leg compression increased to a larger extent than peak vertical ground reaction forces. Step length, step frequency and foot mobility magnitude did not change at exhaustion. CONCLUSIONS: The stride pattern of adolescents when running on a treadmill at high constant velocity deteriorates near exhaustion, as evidenced by impaired leg-spring behaviour (leg stiffness) and altered plantar loading.

Humic Haplustox under different land uses in a high altitude environment in the Agreste region of Pernambuco, Brazil

The Garanhuns Plateau in the Agreste region of the State of Pernambuco, Brazil is characterized by humid climatic conditions due to orographic rains, unlike the surrounding semiarid region. These soils are subjected to intense agricultural use and are extremely important for the regional economy. This study was carried out in the municipality of Brejão in the Agreste region with the aim of assessing changes in humic Haplustox soils subjected to different land uses. Four plots with different vegetation covers (native forest, secondary shrubby vegetation (capoeira), traditional cropping system, and planted pasture) were selected, and samples were taken from a soil profile and four small pits surrounding it at each site. Physical and chemical properties were assessed, including aggregate stability, humic organic fractions, and a microbiological evaluation through determination of basal respiration, microbial biomass carbon, and metabolic quotient. The soils under study showed physical and chemical properties typical of a Haplustox, such as low nutrient content, low cation exchange capacity, and high levels of acidity and Al saturation. The total organic carbon (TOC) contents were high regardless of the type of land use. Aggregates < 2 mm were dominant in all the conditions under study. The TOC content was higher in the soil under capoeira, 43.91 g kg-1 on the surface, while 34.36 and 33.43 g kg-1 of TOC were observed in the first layer of forest and pasture soils, respectively. While the microbial biomass C (MBC) was greater than 700 mg kg-1 in the forest and pasture areas (in the 0-5 cm layer), and 588 mg kg-1 in the soil under capoeira, these numbers were not statistically different. In the cultivated soil area, there was a reduction of around 28 % in TOC and MBC contents. Agricultural activity contributed to degradation of the humic horizon, as can be seen from a significant decrease in the TOC and changes in the relative distribution of the humic fractions. In contrast, aggregate stability was not altered as a function of the different land uses; the soil under planted pasture and capoeira were similar to the soil under native forest. Humin was the most important humified fraction for C reserves, contributing over 40 % of the TOC in these soils.

Alkylpurine-DNA-N-glycosylase confers resistance to temozolomide in xenograft models of glioblastoma multiforme and is associated with poor survival in patients.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common and lethal of all gliomas. The current standard of care includes surgery followed by concomitant radiation and chemotherapy with the DNA alkylating agent temozolomide (TMZ). O⁶-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) repairs the most cytotoxic of lesions generated by TMZ, O⁶-methylguanine. Methylation of the MGMT promoter in GBM correlates with increased therapeutic sensitivity to alkylating agent therapy. However, several aspects of TMZ sensitivity are not explained by MGMT promoter methylation. Here, we investigated our hypothesis that the base excision repair enzyme alkylpurine-DNA-N-glycosylase (APNG), which repairs the cytotoxic lesions N³-methyladenine and N⁷-methylguanine, may contribute to TMZ resistance. Silencing of APNG in established and primary TMZ-resistant GBM cell lines endogenously expressing MGMT and APNG attenuated repair of TMZ-induced DNA damage and enhanced apoptosis. Reintroducing expression of APNG in TMZ-sensitive GBM lines conferred resistance to TMZ in vitro and in orthotopic xenograft mouse models. In addition, resistance was enhanced with coexpression of MGMT. Evaluation of APNG protein levels in several clinical datasets demonstrated that in patients, high nuclear APNG expression correlated with poorer overall survival compared with patients lacking APNG expression. Loss of APNG expression in a subset of patients was also associated with increased APNG promoter methylation. Collectively, our data demonstrate that APNG contributes to TMZ resistance in GBM and may be useful in the diagnosis and treatment of the disease.

Parceria entre ONGs e escolas públicas: alguns dados para reflexão

Nos últimos anos, um conjunto heterogêneo de organizações criou novas dinâmicas no espaço da educação pública. Este artigo discute as relações de parceria entre organizações não governamentais e escolas públicas, a partir de um estudo de caso realizado na rede municipal de educação do Rio de Janeiro. Os resultados da pesquisa sugerem o espaço ambíguo que essas organizações ocupam atualmente no campo educativo: ao mesmo tempo em que substituem o Estado ao aplacarem carências que deveriam ser obrigação do poder público (suporte material, pedagógico e de recursos humanos nas escolas), elas também possibilitam espaços de resistência, para que profissionais de educação possam discutir a realidade social e refletir sobre o seu papel na construção de uma educação mais comprometida com as demandas sociais.

An integrated encyclopedia of DNA elements in the human genome.

The human genome encodes the blueprint of life, but the function of the vast majority of its nearly three billion bases is unknown. The Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) project has systematically mapped regions of transcription, transcription factor association, chromatin structure and histone modification. These data enabled us to assign biochemical functions for 80% of the genome, in particular outside of the well-studied protein-coding regions. Many discovered candidate regulatory elements are physically associated with one another and with expressed genes, providing new insights into the mechanisms of gene regulation. The newly identified elements also show a statistical correspondence to sequence variants linked to human disease, and can thereby guide interpretation of this variation. Overall, the project provides new insights into the organization and regulation of our genes and genome, and is an expansive resource of functional annotations for biomedical research.

Análisis de contenido de constructos personales en la depresión

Desde el marco de la Psicología de los Constructos Personales (PCP) de Kelly, es posible estudiar de forma sistemática la construcción subjetiva que las personas hacen de sí mismas y de sus problemas. Feixas et al. destacan la pertinencia del estudio de los sistemas de construcción en la evaluación del trastorno depresivo puesto que miden aspectos que no son suficientemente valorados por las medidas cognitivas estándar sobre los síntomas y las distorsiones cognitivas. La mayoría de los trabajos sobre la depresión basados en la PCP se han centrado en las características estructurales, en cambio los aspectos del contenido han recibido menor interés. El propósito de este estudio es realizar un análisis de contenido de los constructos personales en la depresión. Actualmente no existe ningún estudio que haya explorado de forma sistemática las dimensiones de contenido más significativas para esta población. En concordancia con la PCP y otros enfoques cognitivos, hipotetizamos que el contenido de los sistemas de construcción de la muestra depresiva es distinto al de la población normal. En concreto, creemos que la población clínica presenta mayor frecuencia de constructos de tipo moral y emocional en comparación con la muestra no clínica. Para poder poner a prueba estas hipótesis se analizaron los constructos de 106 sujetos, con edades comprendidas entre los 19 y los 57 años, divididos en dos grupos, un grupo clínico (n=53) de personas diagnosticadas con alguna modalidad depresiva unipolar y otro grupo no clínico (n=53). Categorizamos el contenido de los constructos elicitados con la técnica de rejilla por medio del Sistema de Categorías de Constructos Personales (SCCP) desarrollado por Feixas et al. El SCCP es un sistema de clasificación compuesto por un total de seis áreas temáticas (moral, emocional, relacional, personal, intelectual y valores e intereses) que se desglosan en 45 categorías para codificar el contenido de los constructos personales. Los principales resultados muestran que existen diferencias significativas entre las distribuciones de frecuencias del contenido de ambas poblaciones. Las personas con depresión (PD) utilizan significativamente más constructos de tipo emocional, y menos de tipo intelectual. Además, en comparación a la muestra normal, los depresivos muestran mayor número de constructos en las categorías «reflexiva-superficial», «tolerante-autoritaria» y, de forma más destacada, en la dimensión «fuerte-débil». Los resultados indican que el patrón prototípico del contenido de los sistemas de constructos de las PD difiere en el énfasis temático predominante. En efecto, de la variedad de acontecimientos de la experiencia, los aspectos conativos resultan especialmente notorios para las personas con depresión. Por otro lado, la carencia de constructos intelectuales y personales refuerza la idea de que las personas con depresión emplean gran parte de su actividad mental en el procesamiento de los aspectos emocionales de la experiencia. Aunque la naturaleza exploratoria de este estudio no permite establecer líneas causales, parece evidente que la focalización de la actividad psicológica de las PD en la dimensión afectiva de la experiencia puede estar desempeñando un papel importante en el mantenimiento de la problemática depresiva. Por último, a partir de las limitaciones de este estudio se proponen algunos diseños para la investigación futura acerca de la relación entre el contenido y la estructura de los sistemas de construcción de las personas con depresión.

Manual de la técnica de rejilla mediante el programa RECORD ver. 2.0: Capítulos I (introducció), II (Etapa de diseño) y III (Fase de administración)

La técnica de rejilla es un instrumento de evaluación de las dimensiones y estructura del significado personal que se deriva de la teoría de los constructos personales. Tanto en la versión original de G. A. Kelly (1955) como en sus continuas actualizaciones, esta técnica pretende captar la forma en que una persona da sentido a su experiencia en sus propios términos. No se trata, por tanto, de un test convencional, sino de una forma de entrevista estructurada orientada a explicitar y analizar los constructos con los que la persona organiza su mundo. De la entrevista se genera una matriz de datos que se somete a varios análisis para revelar su estructura implícita. El programa RECORD ofrece los resultados de una forma clara y proporciona además una serie de gráficos de fácil interpretación. Todo ello permite dibujar la estructura del mapa cognitivo del sujeto desde su propia semántica, culminando así, con rigor metodológico, una vieja aspiración fenomenológica. Se trata de un instrumento muy 'flexible que puede adaptarse a diversas áreas de aplicación: evaluación individual, grupal, familiar y de pareja, intervención psicoeducativa, asesoramiento vocacional, investigación de mercados, asesoramiento empresarial, investigación terapéutica, estudio de la estructura cognitiva de la personalidad, etc.

The evolution of unicoloniality in ant societies : recognition, dispersal and population genetic structure

Introduction Societies of ants, bees, wasps and termites dominate many terrestrial ecosystems (Wilson 1971). Their evolutionary and ecological success is based upon the regulation of internal conflicts (e.g. Ratnieks et al. 2006), control of diseases (e.g. Schmid-Hempel 1998) and individual skills and collective intelligence in resource acquisition, nest building and defence (e.g. Camazine 2001). Individuals in social species can pass on their genes not only directly trough their own offspring, but also indirectly by favouring the reproduction of relatives. The inclusive fitness theory of Hamilton (1963; 1964) provides a powerful explanation for the evolution of reproductive altruism and cooperation in groups with related individuals. The same theory also led to the realization that insect societies are subject to internal conflicts over reproduction. Relatedness of less-than-one is not sufficient to eliminate all incentive for individual selfishness. This would indeed require a relatedness of one, as found among cells of an organism (Hardin 1968; Keller 1999). The challenge for evolutionary biology is to understand how groups can prevent or reduce the selfish exploitation of resources by group members, and how societies with low relatedness are maintained. In social insects the evolutionary shift from single- to multiple queens colonies modified the relatedness structure, the dispersal, and the mode of colony founding (e.g. (Crozier & Pamilo 1996). In ants, the most common, and presumably ancestral mode of reproduction is the emission of winged males and females, which found a new colony independently after mating and dispersal flights (Hölldobler & Wilson 1990). The alternative reproductive tactic for ant queens in multiple-queen colonies (polygyne) is to seek to be re-accepted in their natal colonies, where they may remain as additional reproductives or subsequently disperse on foot with part of the colony (budding) (Bourke & Franks 1995; Crozier & Pamilo 1996; Hölldobler & Wilson 1990). Such ant colonies can contain up to several hundred reproductive queens with an even more numerous workforce (Cherix 1980; Cherix 1983). As a consequence in polygynous ants the relatedness among nestmates is very low, and workers raise brood of queens to which they are only distantly related (Crozier & Pamilo 1996; Queller & Strassmann 1998). Therefore workers could increase their inclusive fitness by preferentially caring for their closest relatives and discriminate against less related or foreign individuals (Keller 1997; Queller & Strassmann 2002; Tarpy et al. 2004). However, the bulk of the evidence suggests that social insects do not behave nepotistically, probably because of the costs entailed by decreased colony efficiency or discrimination errors (Keller 1997). Recently, the consensus that nepotistic behaviour does not occur in insect colonies was challenged by a study in the ant Formica fusca (Hannonen & Sundström 2003b) showing that the reproductive share of queens more closely related to workers increases during brood development. However, this pattern can be explained either by nepotism with workers preferentially rearing the brood of more closely related queens or intrinsic differences in the viability of eggs laid by queens. In the first chapter, we designed an experiment to disentangle nepotism and differences in brood viability. We tested if workers prefer to rear their kin when given the choice between highly related and unrelated brood in the ant F. exsecta. We also looked for differences in egg viability among queens and simulated if such differences in egg viability may mistakenly lead to the conclusion that workers behave nepotistically. The acceptance of queens in polygnous ants raises the question whether the varying degree of relatedness affects their share in reproduction. In such colonies workers should favour nestmate queens over foreign queens. Numerous studies have investigated reproductive skew and partitioning of reproduction among queens (Bourke et al. 1997; Fournier et al. 2004; Fournier & Keller 2001; Hammond et al. 2006; Hannonen & Sundström 2003a; Heinze et al. 2001; Kümmerli & Keller 2007; Langer et al. 2004; Pamilo & Seppä 1994; Ross 1988; Ross 1993; Rüppell et al. 2002), yet almost no information is available on whether differences among queens in their relatedness to other colony members affects their share in reproduction. Such data are necessary to compare the relative reproductive success of dispersing and non-dispersing individuals. Moreover, information on whether there is a difference in reproductive success between resident and dispersing queens is also important for our understanding of the genetic structure of ant colonies and the dynamics of within group conflicts. In chapter two, we created single-queen colonies and then introduced a foreign queens originating from another colony kept under similar conditions in order to estimate the rate of queen acceptance into foreign established colonies, and to quantify the reproductive share of resident and introduced queens. An increasing number of studies have investigated the discrimination ability between ant workers (e.g. Holzer et al. 2006; Pedersen et al. 2006), but few have addressed the recognition and discrimination behaviour of workers towards reproductive individuals entering colonies (Bennett 1988; Brown et al. 2003; Evans 1996; Fortelius et al. 1993; Kikuchi et al. 2007; Rosengren & Pamilo 1986; Stuart et al. 1993; Sundström 1997; Vásquez & Silverman in press). These studies are important, because accepting new queens will generally have a large impact on colony kin structure and inclusive fitness of workers (Heinze & Keller 2000). In chapter three, we examined whether resident workers reject young foreign queens that enter into their nest. We introduced mated queens into their natal nest, a foreign-female producing nest, or a foreign male-producing nest and measured their survival. In addition, we also introduced young virgin and mated queens into their natal nest to examine whether the mating status of the queens influences their survival and acceptance by workers. On top of polgyny, some ant species have evolved an extraordinary social organization called 'unicoloniality' (Hölldobler & Wilson 1977; Pedersen et al. 2006). In unicolonial ants, intercolony borders are absent and workers and queens mix among the physically separated nests, such that nests form one large supercolony. Super-colonies can become very large, so that direct cooperative interactions are impossible between individuals of distant nests. Unicoloniality is an evolutionary paradox and a potential problem for kin selection theory because the mixing of queens and workers between nests leads to extremely low relatedness among nestmates (Bourke & Franks 1995; Crozier & Pamilo 1996; Keller 1995). A better understanding of the evolution and maintenance of unicoloniality requests detailed information on the discrimination behavior, dispersal, population structure, and the scale of competition. Cryptic genetic population structure may provide important information on the relevant scale to be considered when measuring relatedness and the role of kin selection. Theoretical studies have shown that relatedness should be measured at the level of the `economic neighborhood', which is the scale at which intraspecific competition generally takes place (Griffin & West 2002; Kelly 1994; Queller 1994; Taylor 1992). In chapter four, we conducted alarge-scale study to determine whether the unicolonial ant Formica paralugubris forms populations that are organised in discrete supercolonies or whether there is a continuous gradation in the level of aggression that may correlate with genetic isolation by distance and/or spatial distance between nests. In chapter five, we investigated the fine-scale population structure in three populations of F. paralugubris. We have developed mitochondria) markers, which together with the nuclear markers allowed us to detect cryptic genetic clusters of nests, to obtain more precise information on the genetic differentiation within populations, and to separate male and female gene flow. These new data provide important information on the scale to be considered when measuring relatedness in native unicolonial populations.

Ethics and adolescent care: an international perspective.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This update reviews the concepts underlying ethical issues in various contexts and countries, highlighting the evolution in the use of the core values underpinning the field and practice of bioethics as applied to healthcare. RECENT FINDINGS: It stresses the specific position of the adolescent as being a unique individual searching for autonomy and, most of the time, being competent to make decisions regarding the adolescent's own health. It briefly outlines the principles of a 'deliberative' approach in which the practitioner, while keeping in mind the legal context of the country where the practitioner is working, assesses to what extent the adolescent can be considered as competent, and then discusses with the adolescent the medical and psychosocial aspects of the various actions to be taken in a situation, as well as the basic ethical values linked with each of the various options available. The deliberation can involve relevant stakeholders, provided the issues concerning confidentiality have been fully discussed with the adolescent. SUMMARY: This process forces the practitioner, the adolescent patient and those who care for the adolescent patient to look outside their usual frameworks and make a decision that is in the best interest of the young person, and is informed by various ethical values.