The developmental stress hypothesis: A special case of the evolution of condition-dependent sexual traits

The idea that sexually selected traits might be condition dependent is far from novel (Zahavi 1975); however, the developmental stress hypothesis was proposed as a special case because of a highly plausible mechanism: the development of the neural circuits controlling song output coincides with a period of time during which developing birds are likely to be susceptible to stress. The elegant aspect of the hypothesis is that the mechanism is defined and effects can be readily tested (Nowicki et al. 1998; Buchanan et al. 2003). Compared with more general hypotheses about the evolution of condition-dependent sexual traits (Buchanan 2000), the second particularly interesting aspect of the developmental stress hypothesis is that, in some species, individuals may suffer historical markers of stress. This is because in species with a fixed period for neural growth and song learning, there is no possibility for compensation in later life for stress experienced during early development. Females using such a marker of stress may benefit by obtaining a partner whose other cognitive functions have not been impaired by stress.

Special issue: Building secure parallel and distributed networks and systems

Security and privacy have been the major concern when people build parallel and distributed networks and systems. While the attack systems have become more easy-to-use, sophisticated, and powerful, interest has greatly increased in the field of building more effective, intelligent, adaptive, active and high performance defense systems which are distributed and networked. This special issue focuses on the issues of building secure parallel and distributed networks and systems.

Special issue : securing distributed networks and systems

With decades of progress toward ubiquitous networks and systems, distributed computing systems have played an increasingly important role in the industry and society. However, not many distributed networks and systems are secure and reliable in the sense of defending against different attacks and tolerating failures automatically, thus guaranteeing properties such as performance, and offering security against intentional threats. This special issue focuses on securing distributed networks and systems.

Special section : trusted computing

Security and privacy have been the major concern when people build computer networks and systems. Any computer network or system must be trustworthy to avoid the risk of losing control and retain confidence that it will not fail [1] Jun Ho Huh, John Lyle, Cornelius Namiluko and Andrew Martin, Managing application whitelists in trusted distributed systems. Future Generation Computer Systems,  27 2 (2011), pp. 211–226. [1]. Trust is the key factor to enable dynamic interaction and cooperation of various users, systems and services [2]. Trusted Computing aims at making computer networks, systems, and services available, predictable, traceable, controllable, assessable, sustainable, dependable, and security/privacy protectable. This special section focuses on the issues related to trusted computing, such as trusted computing models and specifications, trusted reliable and dependable systems, trustworthy services and applications, and trust standards and protocols.

Special interests and mental health in autism spectrum disorders

Special interests (SIs) in autism spectrum disorders are a prevalent though relatively under-researched phenomenon. There was partial support for the hypotheses and factors influencing the relationship between SIs and mental health were identified. Findings contribute to a better understanding of SIs including their importance for individuals with ASD.

What are the special needs of chronically ill young people?

Although significant advances have been made in the treatment of serious disease, there remains much scope for assisting young people in adjusting to life with a chronic medical condition. Commonly, chronically ill young people experience lower emotional well being than their healthy peers. Conventional approaches to promoting emotional well being have involved referring young people and their families to an appropriate public mental health service or psychologist/psychiatrist in private practice. However, there is increasing interest in the use of peer support programs. Support groups such as the ChIPS program aim to promote positive adjustment to chronic illness by bring together young people facing similar circumstances. It is maintained that by increasing connections between chronically ill young people, emotional well being can be enhanced.