Since the 1990s, several studies involving French centenarians have shown a gender paradox in old age. Even if women are more numerous in old age and live longer than men, men are in better physical and cognitive health, are higher functioning, and have superior vision. If better health should lead to a longer life, why are men not living longer than women? This paper proposes a hypothesis base...

A 24-month follow-up of a randomized clinical trial of 2 brief treatments for problem gambling (N = 67) revealed an advantage for participants who received a motivational telephone intervention plus a self-help workbook compared with participants who received only the workbook. Although the 2 groups did not differ in the number of participants reporting 6 months of abstinence, the motivational ...

The aphid genus Parathoracaphis Takahashi, 1958 is reviewed. Parathoracaphis spinapilosasp. n., found on Quercus sp. and on an unidentified species of Fagaceae in China is described and illustrated. A generic diagnosis and a key to Parathoracaphis species are presented.

Smoke from residential wood burning has been identified as a major contributor to air pollution, motivating detailed emission measurements under controlled conditions. A series of experiments were performed to compare the emission levels from two types of wood-stoves to those of fireplaces. Eight types of biomass were burned in the laboratory: wood from seven species of trees grown in the Portu...

In this study we characterize the long-range transport of allergenic pollen to the North East of Spain. To this end, cluster analysis of back-trajectories and a source-receptor model was applied to a dataset of 10 years of airborne monitoring data corresponding to the period 2000-2009. The aim of the study is to examine and interpret the main transport routes and source areas affecting levels i...

The first (1981-1984) and second (1991-1994) statewide inventories of California’s oak woodlands found low levels of regeneration for several common oak species. In 2001, a new statewide inventory of California’s oak woodlands was initiated, with 10 percent of field plots measured each year. The first five years of data (2001-2005) were used to examine regeneration and sapling distributions in ...

Leaf shape, including leaf size, leaf dissection index (LDI), and venation distribution, strongly impacts leaf physiology and the forces of momentum exerted on leaves or the canopy under windy conditions. Yet, little has been known about how leaf shape affects the morphological response of trees to wind load. We studied eight Quercus species, with different leaf shapes, to determine the morphol...

The anti-amoebic effects of crude methanol extracts of Piper longum fruit, Piper sarmentosum root and Quercus infectoria nut gall against Entamoeba histolytica infecting the caecum of mice were studied. Caecal amoebiasis in mice was induced by injection of Entamoeba histolytica trophozoites directly into the caecum. The mice were then treated orally with the extract, a standard drug (metronidaz...

Mechanical site preparation is frequently proposed to alleviate problematic soil conditions when afforesting retired agricultural fields. Without management of soil problems, any seedlings planted in these areas may exhibit poor growth and survival. While mechanical site preparation methods currently employed in hardwood afforestation are proven, there is a substantial void in research comparin...

Quercus agrifolia Nee and Quercus durata Jeps. are sclerophyllous evergreens that co-occur in regions of northern California that have a serpentine-derived soil. The species are of similar stature and density where they grow together, even though late-drought xylem pressure potentials indicate that Q. durata has access to more soil water than Q. agrifolia. To assess how carbon uptake and water-...