The prevalence of hematozoa in two populations of red-billed choughs (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax) was sampled in 1992 and 1994 in Spain. Two blood parasites infected red-billed choughs. A species of Plasmodium, possibly Plasmodium relictum, and the piroplasm Babesia frugilegica, are described for the first time from this host. Low prevalence (1/178, < 1%) of hematozoa in these populations, was evi...

Service-Oriented Design has driven the development of telecommunication infrastructure and applications, in particular the so-called Intelligent Network (IN) Services, since the early 90s: IN services are customized telephone services, like e.g., Free-Phone, where the receiver of the call can be billed if some conditions are met, Virtual Private Network, enabling groups of customers to define t...

We used data collected across 28 years (1975–2002) to compare how timing of laying and egg size respond to environmental variability in two low-arctic and two higharctic Thick-billed Murre (Uria lomvia) populations. Ice conditions strongly affect food availability to marine birds in the Arctic, and the percentage of the sea’s surface covered by ice within 300 km of the breeding colony varied mo...

A striking example of plant/pollinator trait matching is found between Andean species of Passiflora with 6-14-cm-long nectar tubes and the sword-billed hummingbird, Ensifera ensifera, with up to 11-cm-long bills. Because of the position of their anthers and stigmas, and self-incompatibility, these passionflower species depend on E. ensifera for pollination. Field observations show that the bird...

Outpatient wound center facility reimbursement for Medicare beneficiaries can be a challenge to determine and obtain. To compare methods of calculating facility service levels for outpatient wound centers and to demonstrate the advantages of an acuity-based billing system (one that incorporates components of facility work that is non-reimbursable by procedure codes and that represents an activi...

The diet of the brown skua (Catharacta skua loÈnnbergi) was studied at Mayes Island, Kerguelen archipelago, by collection of prey remains on 11 territories during the complete breeding cycle of the species there. In nine territories, collections were daily or every two days for a quantitative investigation of the diet. The blue petrel (Halobaena caerulea) and thin-billed prion (Pachyptila belch...

OBJECTIVE To identify factors affecting bulk-billing by general practitioners in Australia. DESIGN, PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING A community-based survey was administered to Australians aged 16 years or older in July 2013 via an online panel. Survey questions focused on patient characteristics, visit characteristics, practice characteristics. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Factors associated with GP bul...

CONTEXT In June 2009, the World Health Organization officially declared an influenza pandemic. In the United States, the federal government supplied 2009 H1N1 vaccine at no cost and provided funding for states to implement vaccination programs. Vaccine providers including health departments were permitted to bill insurance plans for administering 2009 H1N1 vaccine. OBJECTIVE To determine the ...

Individual wintering strategies and patterns of winter site fidelity in successive years are highly variable among seabird species. Yet, an understanding of consistency in timing of movements and the degree of site fidelity is essential for assessing how seabird populations might be influenced by, and respond to, changing conditions on wintering grounds. To explore annual variation in migratory...