Diving behaviour during the internesting interval for loggerhead turtles Caretta caretta nesting in Cyprus

Time depth recorders were used to assess the patterns of depth utilisation by 2 loggerhead turtles Caretta caretta in Cyprus, eastern Mediterranean. Dives to the seabed accounted for 59 % (171 h) and 75 % (215 h) of the internesting interval, respectively, with most dives being shallow (

Interval timing and trajectory in unequal amplitude movements

The Wing-Kristofferson (WK) model of movement timing emphasises the separation of central timer and motor processes. Several studies of repetitive timing have shown that increase in variability at longer intervals is attributable to timer processes; however, relatively little is known about the way motor aspects of timing are affected by task movement constraints. In the present study, we examined timing variability in finger tapping with differences in interval to assess central timer effects, and with differences in movement amplitude to assess motor implementation effects. Then, we investigated whether effects of motor timing observed at the point of response (flexion offset/tap) are also evident in extension, which would suggest that both phases are subject to timing control. Eleven participants performed bimanual simultaneous tapping, at two target intervals (400, 600 ms) with the index finger of each hand performing movements of equal (3 or 6 cm) or unequal amplitude (left hand 3, right hand 6 cm and vice versa). As expected, timer variability increased with the mean interval but showed only small, non-systematic effects with changes in movement amplitude. Motor implementation variability was greater in unequal amplitude conditions. The same pattern of motor variability was observed both at flexion and extension phases of movement. These results suggest that intervals are generated by a central timer, triggering a series of events at the motor output level including flexion and the following extension, which are explicitly represented in the timing system.

Timing movements to interval durations specified by discrete or continuous sounds

Understanding how the timing of motor output is coupled to sensory temporal information is largely based on synchronisation of movements through small motion gaps (finger taps) to mostly empty sensory intervals (discrete beats). This study investigated synchronisation of movements between target barriers over larger motion gaps when closing time gaps of intervals were presented as either continuous, dynamic sounds, or discrete beats. Results showed that although synchronisation errors were smaller for discrete sounds, the variability of errors was lower for continuous sounds. Furthermore, finger movement between targets was found to be more sinusoidal when continuous sensory information was presented during intervals compared to discrete. When movements were made over larger amplitudes, synchronisation errors tended to be more positive and movements between barriers more sinusoidal, than for movements over shorter amplitudes. These results show that the temporal control of movement is not independent from the form of the sensory information that specifies time gaps or the magnitude of the movement required for synchronisation.

Interbirth interval is associated with childhood type 1 diabetes risk

Short interbirth interval has been associated with maternal complications and childhood autism and leukemia, possibly due to deficiencies in maternal micronutrients at conception or increased exposure to sibling infections. A possible association between interbirth interval and subsequent risk of childhood type 1 diabetes has not been investigated. A secondary analysis of 14 published observational studies of perinatal risk factors for type 1 diabetes was conducted. Risk estimates of diabetes by category of interbirth interval were calculated for each study. Random effects models were used to calculate pooled odds ratios (ORs) and investigate heterogeneity between studies. Overall, 2,787 children with type 1 diabetes were included. There was a reduction in the risk of childhood type 1 diabetes in children born to mothers after interbirth intervals <3 years compared with longer interbirth intervals (OR 0.82 [95% CI 0.72-0.93]). Adjustments for various potential confounders little altered this estimate. In conclusion, there was evidence of a 20% reduction in the risk of childhood diabetes in children born to mothers after interbirth intervals <3 years.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and the esophageal inflammation-metaplasia-adenocarcinoma sequence

Observational studies suggest that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) reduce the risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma, but it is not known at what stage they may act in the esophageal inflammation-metaplasia-adenocarcinoma sequence. In an all-Ireland case-control study, we investigated the relationship between the use of NSAIDs and risk of reflux esophagitis, Barrett's esophagus, and esophageal adenocarcinoma. Patients with esophageal adenocarcinoma, long-segment Barrett's esophagus and population controls were recruited from throughout Ireland. Esophagitis patients were recruited from Northern Ireland only. Data were collected on known and potential risk factors for esophageal adenocarcinoma and on the use of NSAIDs, including aspirin, at least 1 year before interview. Associations between use of NSAIDs and the stages of the esophageal inflammation-metaplasia-adenocarcinoma sequence were estimated by multiple logistic regression. In total, 230 reflux esophagitis, 224 Barrett's esophagus, and 227 esophageal adenocarcinoma and 260 population controls were recruited. Use of aspirin and NSAIDs was associated with a reduced risk of Barrett's esophagus [odds ratio [OR; 95% confidence interval (95% CI)], 0.53 (0.31-0.90) and 0.40 (0.19-0.81), respectively] and esophageal adenocarcinoma [OR (95% CI), 0.57 (0.36-0.93) and 0.58 (0.31-1.08), respectively]. Barrett's esophagus and esophageal adenocarcinoma patients were less likely than controls to have used NSAIDs. Selection or recall bias may explain these results and the results of previous observational studies indicating a protective effect of NSAIDs against esophageal adenocarcinoma. If NSAIDs have a true protective effect on the esophageal inflammation-metaplasia-adenocarcinoma sequence, they may act early in the sequence.

Physiological correlates of memory recall in infancy:vagal tone, cortisol, and imitation in preterm and full-term infants at 6 months

We examined the role of physiological regulation (heart rate, vagal tone, and salivary cortisol) in short-term memory in preterm and full-term 6-month-old infants. Using a deferred imitation task to evaluate social learning and memory recall, an experimenter modeled three novel behaviors (removing, shaking, and replacing a glove) on a puppet. Infants were tested immediately after being shown the behaviors as well as following a 10-min delay. We found that greater suppression of vagal tone was related to better memory recall in full-term infants tested immediately after the demonstration as well as in preterm infants tested later after a 10-min delay. We also found that preterm infants showed greater coordination of physiology (i.e., tighter coupling of vagal tone, heart rate, and cortisol) at rest and during retrieval than full-term infants. These findings provide new evidence of the important links between changes in autonomic activity and memory recall in infancy. They also raise the intriguing possibility that social learning, imitation behavior, and the formation of new memories are modulated by autonomic activity that is coordinated differently in preterm and full-term infants.

The role of private care in the interval between diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer in Northern Ireland: an analysis of Registry data

Objective: To examine the differences in the interval between diagnosis and initiation of treatment among women with breast cancer in Northern Ireland.

Design: A cross-sectional observational study.
Setting: All breast cancer care patients in the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry in 2006.
Participants: All women diagnosed and treated for breast cancer in Northern Ireland in 2006.
Main outcome measure: The number of days between diagnosis and initiation of treatment for breast cancer.

Results: The mean (median) interval between diagnosis and initiation of treatment among public patients was 19 (15) compared with 14 (12) among those whose care involved private providers. The differences between individual public providers were as marked as those between the public and private sector - the mean (median) ranging between 14 (12) and 25 (22) days. Multivariate models revealed that the differences were evident when a range of patient characteristics were controlled for including cancer stage.

Conclusions: A relatively small number of women received care privately in Northern Ireland but experienced shorter intervals between diagnosis and initiation of treatment than those who received care wholly in the public system. The variation among public providers was as great as that between the public and private providers. The impact of such differences on survival and in light of waiting time targets introduced in Northern Ireland warrants investigation.

Kuznetsov independence for interval-valued expectations and sets of probability distributions: Properties and algorithms

Kuznetsov independence of variables X and Y means that, for any pair of bounded functions f(X) and g(Y), E[f(X)g(Y)]=E[f(X)] *times* E[g(Y)], where E[.] denotes interval-valued expectation and *times* denotes interval multiplication. We present properties of Kuznetsov independence for several variables, and connect it with other concepts of independence in the literature; in particular we show that strong extensions are always included in sets of probability distributions whose lower and upper expectations satisfy Kuznetsov independence. We introduce an algorithm that computes lower expectations subject to judgments of Kuznetsov independence by mixing column generation techniques with nonlinear programming. Finally, we define a concept of conditional Kuznetsov independence, and study its graphoid properties.

The effect of probe interval estimation on attack detection performance of a WLAN independent intrusion detection system

A new niche of densely populated, unprotected networks is becoming more prevalent in public areas such as Shopping Malls, defined here as independent open-access networks, which have attributes that make attack detection more challenging than in typical enterprise networks. To address these challenges, new detection systems which do not rely on knowledge of internal device state are investigated here. This paper shows that this lack of state information requires an additional metric (The exchange timeout window) for detection of WLAN Denial of Service Probe Flood attacks. Variability in this metric has a significant influence on the ability of a detection system to reliably detect the presence of attacks. A parameter selection method is proposed which is shown to provide reliability and repeatability in attack detection in WLANs. Results obtained from ongoing live trials are presented that demonstrate the importance of accurately estimating probe request and probe response timeouts in future Independent Intrusion Detection Systems.