The cost of conflict in aphid societies.

Most social aphids are found within plant galls, inside of which clonally-derived family groups feed, and specialized larval castes forego reproduction and perform various cooperative tasks, including group defence. When unrelated aphids move between clones, conditions are ripe for conflict because galls and cooperative defence are shared resources that are vulnerable to exploitation. A key unknown is whether conflict is costly in aphid social groups. We show that diversity within groups is negatively correlated with performance in the North American social aphid, Pemphigus obesinymphae. A substantial fraction of productivity is invested into drifting. However, drifting aphids tend to mature and depart non-natal galls prior to the seasonal peak in fecundity. These results suggest that when unrelated individuals move between groups, social aphids may experience conditions consistent with a tragedy of the commons. These results also emphasize the strongly convergent properties associated with conflict across the spectrum of animal and microbial sociality.

Oestrus in the Julia Creek dunnart (Sminthopsis douglasi) is associated with wheel running behaviour but not necessarily changes in body weight, food consumption or pouch morphology.

The Julia Creek dunnart (Sminthopsis douglasi) is an endangered carnivorous marsupial belonging to the family Dasyuridae. This study investigated the oestrous cycle of this species in terms of its reproductive physiology and behaviour to explore more efficient methods of oestrus detection. Ten sexually mature captive female dunnarts were monitored daily at David Fleay Wildlife Park, Burleigh Heads, Australia, from mid September to late December 2006 for changes in urogenital cytology within the urine (0, 1+, 2+ and 3+), running wheel activity, body weight, uneaten food, faecal steroid metabolites (progesterone and oestradiol) and pouch development. Periods of increased running wheel activity were associated (p=0.004) with an increase in the proportion of cornified urogenital epithelial cells found in the urine; periods of decreasing weight (p<0.001) and uneaten food (p<0.001) were also associated with changes in urogenital cytology but not to the point where they would be useful for oestrus detection. Between 60.3% and 92.0% of peak distances (confidence interval 95%) occurred when the epithelial cell index was 2+ or 3+. Only 15.5-37.5% of peak weights (CI: 95%) and 28.1-49.9% of incidences of uneaten food (CI: 95%) occurred when the epithelial cell index was 2+ or 3+. There was no significant difference in the mean length of the oestrous cycle when measured by urogenital cytology (mean+/-SD: 25.0+/-5.7 days; n=20) or peak distance travelled (mean+/-SD: 25.4+/-5.7 days; n=20). Changes in the concentration of oestradiol metabolites in Julia Creek Dunnart faeces were not useful in characterising the oestrous cycle. Wheel running activity declined markedly with increased faecal progestagen concentration. The majority of the pouch variables examined showed maximum development during the inter-oestrus period but as there was considerable variation between animals, the pouch was not considered a useful index of oestrus.

The registration function as a critical dependency in a lifetime clinical record (LCR).

Over the past two years, we have successfully migrated the Regenstrief Clinical Information System into our hospital. Integral to this process was the need to develop interfaces and processes supporting movements of patient identification data between the existing clinical management system (Unity, SMS) and Carebase (RCIS). Critical to the implementation of Carebase was the development of an interface between Carebase and the registration system based upon a unique medical record number. Even more critical was the development of stable processes that supported the accurate patient identification and assignment of medical record numbers. The medical record number at our institution is assigned or verified at the time of registration. Major problems occurred when patients presented during system down-times and existing medical record numbers could not be accessed, resulting in multiple registrations and medical record numbers for the same patient. This resulted in data fragmentation and required merging at a later date. Other more serious problems resulted from the assignment of the same medical record number to separate patients and with the mixing of data from multiple patients into one patient record. This was largely due to the failure of clerical personnel to appropriately identify patients at the time of registration, or multiple patients sharing identification documents, a common problem in our geographic area. Given that clinical data was to be maintained and added to the repository for several decades, errors such as these in registration would prove catastrophic. The interfaces between the various clinical systems that pass data to Carebase are all HL-standard and largely prevent data passage if registration data is inaccurate. During the early stages of implementation, approximately 300 exceptions per day were generated from clinical systems attempting to pass data to the repository. Following re¿engineering of the registration process, education of clerical personnel, and analysis of exception type, the number of exceptions due to faulty registration data fell to less than one per week. To achieve improvement in exception volume, several innovative measures were undertaken. Firstly, down-time procedures were changed to require query of the LCR for existing registration data. The LCR was maintained on a separate platform that experienced essentially no down-time and was available for this purpose. This largely eliminated the need for the use of "down-time numbers" or medical record numbers that could be temporarily assigned to patients registered when the registration system was unavailable (data would subsequently be merged into existing patient records if the patient was found to be currently in the system). If the patient was not in the LCR, then a permanent number was assigned in sequence. A registration dataset was developed and encoded onto a magnetic card (Carecard, Eltrax) and carried by patients. This enabled the rapid verification of registration data on subsequent visits to the parent institution or affiliated clinical sites. The issue of fraudulent use of the card and encoded registration dataset, however, remained problematic. Currently, a new imaging system is being installed that will soon enable the inclusion of a photograph of the patient as a component of the registration dataset. Perhaps the most significant change in the registration process involved the education of central registration and admitting personnel. An educational program was developed that reinforced the need for accuracy in collecting registration data, identifying patients, and assigning medical record numbers; more importantly, it stressed the linkage of the registration function and patient care. Lastly, an aggressive approach to monitoring exceptions resulting from errors in registration was developed. A near real-time process for identifying errors in registrations allowed for rapid intervention and feedback to involved de