Compared with the bird flowers in the Old World (OW), the New World (NW) ones are less conspicuous to bees and maybe more conspicuous not only to VS-birds (violet-sensitive) but also to UVS-birds (ultraviolet-sensitive). These differences can be explained by the different properties of the secondary reflectance peak (SP). SP intensity is higher in red flowers pollinated by bees than those pollinated by birds (especially the NW bird flowers). A transition from high-SP to low-SP in red flowers can induce chromatic contrast changes, with a greater effect on reducing attraction to bees than enhancing attraction to birds. PLB-1001 nmr Conclusions Shades of red flowers differ between pollination systems. Moreover, red bird flowers are more specialized in the NW than in the OW. The fine evolution towards colour specialization is more likely to result in higher efficiency of bee avoidance than bird attraction.Background Stigma affects access and treatment outcomes in men who have sex with men. We assessed the effect of novel community health worker-led antiretroviral therapy delivery (CLAD). Methods A retrospective cohort study of routinely collected data was conducted. We used the t-test to compare the mean adherence to scheduled drug refill appointments before and after implementing CLAD. Results The mean adherence to drug refill was 1.4 (±0.7 SD) of monthly scheduled refills before CLAD and 4.7 (±1.2 SD) of monthly refills in CLAD (P less then 0.001). Conclusion The CLAD model was more effective for drug refill appointments than a regular HIV clinic.Background While trends in caesarean birth by maternal request in low- and middle-income countries are unclear, age, education, multiple gestation and hypertensive disease appear associated with the indication when compared with caesarean birth performed for medical indications. Methods We performed a secondary analysis of a prospectively collected population-based study of home and facility births using descriptive statistics, bivariate comparisons and multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression. Results Of 28 751 patients who underwent caesarean birth and had a documented primary indication for the surgery, 655 (2%) were attributed to caesarean birth by maternal request. The remaining 98% were attributed to maternal and foetal indications and prior caesarean birth. In a multilevel mixed effects logistic regression adjusted for site and cluster of birth, when compared with caesareans performed for medical indications, caesarean birth performed for maternal request had a higher odds of being performed among women ≥35 y of age, with a university or higher level of education, with multiple gestations and with pregnancies complicated by hypertension (P less then 0.01). Caesarean birth by maternal request was associated with a two-times increased odds of breastfeeding within 1 h of delivery, but no adverse outcomes (when compared with women who underwent caesarean birth for medical indications; P less then 0.01). Conclusion Caesarean performed by maternal request is more common in older and more educated women and those with multifoetal gestation or hypertensive disease. It is also associated with higher rates of breastfeeding within 1 h of delivery.Conifers have evolved different chemical and anatomical defenses against a wide range of antagonists. Resin ducts produce, store and translocate oleoresin, a complex terpenoid mixture that acts as both a physical and a chemical defense. Although resin duct characteristics (e.g., number, density, area) have been positively related to biotic resistance in several conifer species, the literature reporting this association remains inconclusive. Axial resin ducts recorded in annual growth rings are an archive of annual defensive investment in trees. This whole-life record of defense investment can be analyzed using standard dendrochronogical procedures, which allow us to assess interannual variability and the effect of understudied drivers of phenotypic variation on resin-based defenses. Understanding the sources of phenotypic variation in defenses, such as genetic differentiation and environmental plasticity, is essential for assessing the adaptive potential of forest tree populations to resist pests under climate change. Here, we reviewed the evidence supporting the importance of resin ducts in conifer resistance, and summarized current knowledge about the sources of variation in resin duct production. We propose a standardized methodology to measure resin duct production by means of dendrochronogical procedures. This approach will illuminate the roles of resin ducts in tree defense across species, while helping to fill pivotal knowledge gaps in plant defense theory, and leading to a robust understanding of the patterns of variation in resin-based defenses throughout the tree’s lifespan.Effects of climate warming on tree growth and physiology may be driven by direct thermal effects and/or by changes in soil moisture. Dioecious tree species usually show sexual spatial segregation along abiotic gradients, however, few studies have assessed sex-specific responses to warming in dioecious trees. We investigated the sex-specific responses in growth, photosynthesis, nonstructural carbohydrate (NSC), water use efficiency and whole-plant hydraulic conductance (KP) of the dioecious tree species Populus cathayana under +4°C elevated temperature with and without supplemental water. For both sexes, high temperature treatments significantly decreased growth (height and biomass), photosynthetic rate (A), the ratio of A to dark respiration rate, stomatal conductance (gs), transpiration rate, NSC, leaf water potential and KP, but increased water use efficiency (estimated from carbon isotope composition). Under warming with supplemental water, most traits of females did not change relative to ambient conditions, but traits of males decreased, resulting in greater sexual differences. Females showed a lower KP, and their gs and A responded more steeply with water-related traits than males. These results show that the effect of summer warming on growth and photosynthesis was driven mainly by soil moisture in female P. cathayana, while male performance was mainly related to temperature. Females may experience less thermal stress than males due to flexible water balance strategy via stomata regulation and water use.