1. Latitudinal variation in clutch sizes of birds is a well described, but poorly understood pattern. Many hypotheses have been proposed, but few have been experimentally tested, and none have been universally accepted by researchers. 2. The nest size hypothesis posits that higher nest predation in the tropics favours selection for smaller nests and thereby constrains clutch size by shrinking a...

OBJECTIVE To examine the relationship between the body size norms of Black and Hispanic adults and the body sizes of their social network members. METHODS Egocentric network data were examined for 245 adults recruited from 2012-2013 in New York City. A multivariable regression model was used to examine the relationship between participants' perception of normal body size and the body sizes of...

OBJECTIVE To assess beliefs about body size (fatness and thinness) and body image in Black girls aged 10-18 years living in Cape Town. DESIGN Exploratory using qualitative methods. SETTING Cape Town, South Africa. METHOD Participants were Black African girls (n=240), aged 10-18 years, who attended 5 primary and 6 high schools in Black townships in Cape Town. The schools and the girls were...

An illusory sensation of ownership over a surrogate limb or whole body can be induced through specific forms of multisensory stimulation, such as synchronous visuotactile tapping on the hidden real and visible rubber hand in the rubber hand illusion. Such methods have been used to induce ownership over a manikin and a virtual body that substitute the real body, as seen from first-person perspec...

The LC50 of compounds with a similar biological effect, at a given exposure period, is frequently plotted log–log against the octanol–water partition coefficient and a straight line is fitted for interpolation purposes. This is also frequently done for physiological properties, such as the weight-specific respiration rate, as function of the body weight of individuals. This paper focuses on the...

Th e distributions of body masses and degrees (i.e. the number of trophic links) across species are key determinants of food-web structure and dynamics. In particular, allometric degree distributions combining both aspects in the relationship between degrees and body masses are of critical importance for the stability of these complex ecological networks. Th ey describe decreases in vulnerabili...

The development of a complex system depends on the self-coordinated action of a large number of agents, often determining unexpected global behavior. The case of software evolution has great practical importance: knowledge of what is to be considered atypical can guide developers in recognizing and reacting to abnormal behavior. Although the initial framework of a theory of software exists, the...

The evolution and distribution of species body sizes for terrestrial mammals is well-explained by a macroevolutionary tradeoff between short-term selective advantages and long-term extinction risks from increased species body size, unfolding above the 2 g minimum size induced by thermoregulation in air. Here, we consider whether this same tradeoff, formalized as a constrained convection-reactio...

1. The growth of muscle fibres was analysed by light microscopy in biopsies from subjects when malnourished, during nutritional rehabilitation, and after clinical recovery. 2. Muscle fibres from malnourished subjects were extremely atrophic (cross-sectional area, 110 micrometers2). The fibres doubled in size during the early period of rehabilitation. Growth of muscle fibres during later periods...

New fossil footprints excavated at the famous Laetoli site in Tanzania suggest that our bipedal ancestors had a wide range of body sizes.