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Behavioral Patterns (behavioral + pattern)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Life Sciences	34%
Medical Sciences	15%
Psychology	11%
Humanities and Social Sciences	11%
Chemistry	11%
Earth and Environmental Science	7%
2 Other Domains	11%

Selected Abstracts

Academic Procrastination in Two Settings: Motivation Correlates, Behavioral Patterns, and Negative Impact of Procrastination in Canada and Singapore

APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 3 2010
Robert M. Klassen
Two studies are reported examining academic procrastination and motivation in 1,145 university students from Canada and Singapore. In Study 1, relationships between procrastination and motivation variables were found to be similar across contexts, with self-efficacy for self-regulated learning most strongly associated with procrastination in both contexts. In Study 2, patterns of procrastinating behavior and the negative impact of procrastination were examined and compared in Canadian and Singaporean undergraduates. Participants in both contexts reported writing to be the academic task most prone to procrastination. More Singaporeans than Canadians were classified as negative procrastinators (i.e. rated procrastination as a negative influence on academic functioning). In both contexts, negative procrastinators spent more time procrastinating than neutral procrastinators and displayed lower self-efficacy for self-regulated learning. On décrit deux recherches portant sur la motivation et la procrastination universitaire (tendance à remettre au lendemain) de 1145 étudiants du Canada et de Singapour. Dans la première étude, les relations entre la motivation et la procrastination sont apparues être analogues dans les deux pays, la variable la plus fortement associéà la procrastination étant l'auto-efficience pour l'apprentissage autorégulé. Dans la deuxième étude, les schémas comportementaux de procrastination et son impact négatif ont été analysés et comparés chez les étudiants de 1° cycle canadiens et singapouriens. Les sujets des deux pays ont mentionné la rédaction comme étant la tâche universitaire la plus soumise à la procrastination. Davantage de Singapouriens que de Canadiens été classés en procrastinateurs négatifs (c'est-à-dire que la procrastination est considérée comme étant un handicap pour les études). Dans les deux cas, les procrastinateurs négatifs gaspillaient plus de temps que les procrastinateurs neutres et manifestaient une moindre auto-efficience pour l'apprentissage autorégulé. [source]

Sugar Preferences in Nectar- and Fruit-Eating Birds: Behavioral Patterns and Physiological Causes,

BIOTROPICA, Issue 1 2006
Chris N. Lotz
ABSTRACT Sucrose, glucose, and fructose are the three sugars that commonly occur in floral nectar and fruit pulp. The relative proportions of these three sugars in nectar and fruit in relation to the sugar preferences of pollinators and seed dispersers have received considerable attention. Based on the research of Herbert and Irene Baker and their collaborators, a dichotomy between sucrose-dominant hummingbird-pollinated flowers and hexose-dominant passerine flowers and fruits was proposed. Data on sugar preferences of several hummingbird species (which prefer sucrose) vs. a smaller sample of passerines (which prefer hexoses) neatly fitted this apparent dichotomy. This hummingbird,passerine dichotomy was strongly emphasized until the discovery of South African plants with sucrose-dominant nectars, which are pollinated by passerines that are able to digest, and prefer sucrose. Now we know that, with the exception of two clades, most passerines are able to assimilate sucrose. Most sugar preference studies have been conducted using a single, relatively high, sugar concentration in the nectar (ca 20%). Thus, we lack information about the role that sugar concentration might play in sugar selection. Because many digestive traits are strongly affected not only by sugar composition, but also by sugar concentration, we suggest that preferences for different sugar compositions are concentration-dependent. Indeed, recent studies on several unrelated nectar-feeding birds have found a distinct switch from hexose preference at low concentrations to sucrose preference at higher concentrations. Finally, we present some hypotheses about the role that birds could have played in molding the sugar composition of plant rewards. RESUMEN Sacarosa, glucosa y fructosa son los azúcares mas comunes en néctar floral y pulpa de fruta. La proporción relativa de estos azúcares en néctar floral y la pulpa de fruta han sido estudiadas en relación a las preferencias de azúcar de polinizadores y dispersores de semillas. Basandose en estudios de Herbert e Irene Baker y colaboradores se propuso la existencia de una dicotomía entre plantas con néctares ricos en sacarosa que son polinizadas por colibríes, y plantas con néctares y frutos ricos en hexosas que son polinizadas por paserinos. Datos sobre la preferencia de azúcares en varias especies de colibríes (que prefieren sacarosas) comparados con una pequeña muestra de paserinos (que prefieren hexosas) apoyan la existencia de la dicotomía propuesta. La dicotomía colibrí-paserino fue enfatizada por más de una década, hasta el descubrimiento de plantas sudafricanas con néctares ricos en sacarosa que son polinizadas por paserinos que prefieren sacarosa. Hoy sabemos que la mayoría de los paserinos, salvo los miembros de dos clados, pueden asimilar la sacarosa. La mayoría de los estudios sobre preferencias de azúcares han sido conducidos usando una sola concentración de azúcares en el néctar (ca 20%). Por lo tanto, carecemos de información sobre el papel que juega la concentración de azúcares en las preferencias de estos por las aves. Debido a que muchos procesos digestivos son afectados, no solo por la composición de azúcares, sino también por su concentración, sugerimos que las preferencias por diferentes azúcares dependerán de su concentración. Efectivamente, estudios recientes indican que diferentes aves prefieren alimentarse de hexosas a bajas concentraciones, y de sacarosa a altas concentraciones. Finalmente, presentamos algunas hipótesis sobre el papel que las aves pudieron haber tenido en la evolución de la composición de azúcares del néctar y la fruta que consumen. [source]

Behavioral patterns of drop impingement onto rigid substrates with a wide range of wettability and different surface temperatures

AICHE JOURNAL, Issue 8 2009
Xiying Li
Abstract This article concerns behavioral patterns of droplet impingement onto solid substrates covering a wide range of wettability from hydrophilic to superhydrophobic surfaces heated at different temperatures. For droplet impingement onto partial hydrophobic surfaces (mirror-polished Cu substrate), the maximum heights of receding droplet undergoing a consecutive increment with surface temperature can be explained taking account of Marangoni flow. Also, the relation to predict the increment of droplet heights with surface temperature was manifested in the light of lubrication approximation combined with energy conservation. However, this relation is only valid for droplet impacts onto partial hydrophobic surface, because the recoiling droplet height was observed to be independent of surface temperature for both hydrophilic and superhydrophobic targets. This phenomenon was attributed to inherent wettability accompanying larger contact angle hysteresis for the hydrophilic substrate and to the presence of an adiabatic gas layer between the composite surface and impacting droplet, for the superhydrophobic target. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2009 [source]

Ethanol as a Reinforcer in the Newborn's First Suckling Experience

ALCOHOLISM, Issue 3 2001
Sarah J. Cheslock
Background: Recent evidence suggests that human infants prefer alcohol-flavored milk when fed through a bottle. Animal models also indicate a surprising predisposition for neonatal and infant rats to voluntarily and willingly ingest ethanol. These findings suggest high susceptibility to the reinforcing properties of ethanol early in ontogeny. Methods: A surrogate nipple technique,a highly effective tool for investigation of the reinforcing properties of different fluids,was applied in the present study. Tests of ethanol reinforcement were accomplished in terms of two basic paradigms of Pavlovian conditioning. In one paradigm, the conditioned stimulus (CS) was the surrogate nipple, and in the other, the CS was a novel odor. Results: Newborn rats showed sustained attachment to the nipple providing 5% ethanol, and later reproduced this behavioral pattern toward the empty nipple (CS alone). Ingestion of ethanol yielding appetitive reinforcement was accompanied by detectable blood alcohol concentrations, with most in the range of 20,30 mg/dl. The reinforcing efficacy of ethanol was also confirmed in the classical olfactory conditioning paradigm: following pairing with intraoral ethanol infusions, the odor (CS) alone elicited sustained attachment to an empty nipple. Females showed better olfactory conditioning with low concentrations of ethanol, whereas males were effectively more conditioned to high concentrations. Although there were no reinforcing consequences of intraperitoneally injected ethanol [as an unconditioned stimulus (US)] when a neutral odor was the CS, when paired with ingestion of water from a nipple, the injection of ethanol had a reinforcing effect. Conclusions: The present series of experiments revealed ethanol reinforcement in the newborn rat. Two varieties of Pavlovian conditioning established that ethanol can serve as an effective US, and hence reinforcer, in such a way as to increase the approach and responsiveness toward stimuli paired with that US, indicating appetitive reinforcement. [source]

The Environmental Civil Society and the Transformation of State-Society Relations in China: Building a Tri-level Analytical Framework

PACIFIC FOCUS, Issue 2 2007
Teh-chang Lin
State-society relations is a conventional tool used in analyzing the relational behavioral pattern of between the state and the society. In China, market reforms and open policy since 1978 have engendered the growth of environmental civil society organizations and thereby enhanced the changes in the nature of state-society relations. However, the analysis of Chinese state-society relations has in the past largely been two-dimensional, focusing on domestic relations. However, changing patterns of state-society relations in China has called for a more elaborate tri-level analytical framework of the state, its main civil society representative, domestic non-governmental organizations, and international non-governmental organizations. Through the study of environmental protests such as anti-dam construction demonstrations, we have found that domestically, Chinese environmental nongovernmental organizations not only act as a challenger to the state, but at times collaborate with the state. From an external perspective, international non-governmental organizations not only directly challenge the Chinese state, but also network with local Chinese NGOs in their protests. This article thus adds a new level to the conventional analysis of state-society relations in China. [source]

Managing Risks in Multiple Online Auctions: An Options Approach,

DECISION SCIENCES, Issue 3 2005
Ram Gopal
ABSTRACT The scenario of established business sellers utilizing online auction markets to reach consumers and sell new products is becoming increasingly common. We propose a class of risk management tools, loosely based on the concept of financial options that can be employed by such sellers. While conceptually similar to options in financial markets, we empirically demonstrate that option instruments within auction markets cannot be developed employing similar methodologies, because the fundamental tenets of extant option pricing models do not hold within online auction markets. We provide a framework to analyze the value proposition of options to potential sellers, option-holder behavior implications on auction processes, and seller strategies to write and price options that maximize potential revenues. We then develop an approach that enables a seller to assess the demand for options under different option price and volume scenarios. We compare option prices derived from our approach with those derived from the Black-Scholes model (Black & Scholes, 1973) and discuss the implications of the price differences. Experiments based on actual auction data suggest that options can provide significant benefits under a variety of option-holder behavioral patterns. [source]

Comparative study of microcystin-LR-induced behavioral changes of two fish species, Danio rerio and Leucaspius delineatus

ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY, Issue 6 2004
Daniela Baganz
Abstract The spontaneous locomotor behavior separated into day/night activity phases of two fish species Danio rerio and Leucaspius delineatus was recorded and quantified continuously under sublethal long-term exposure to microcystin-LR in tanks. Microcystin-LR was applied in concentrations of 0.5, 5, 15, and 50 ,g L,1. By using an automated video-monitoring and object-tracing system, the average motility (swimming velocity) and the average number of turns were assessed. Clear dose-dependent effects of microcystin-LR on the behavior of both test fish were measured. During the daytime, the motility of Danio rerio as well as Leucaspius delineatus increased significantly by exposure to the lowest concentrations, whereas higher concentrations led to significantly decreased motility. Influenced by microcystin-LR, the swimming time of Leucaspius delineatus reversed, going from a prominently diurnal activity to a nocturnal one; Danio rerio remained active during the daytime. Most of the relative changes in the behavioral patterns of Danio rerio and Leucaspius delineatus suggest these fish have comparable susceptibility to microcystin-LR and may indicate some adverse consequences for fish populations, for example, in connection with reproduction and predator,prey interactions. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 19: 564,570, 2004. [source]

Dissociating the past from the present in the activity of place cells

HIPPOCAMPUS, Issue 9 2006
Livia de Hoz
Abstract It has been proposed that declarative memories can be dependent on both an episodic and a semantic memory system. While the semantic system deals with factual information devoid of reference to its acquisition, the episodic system, characterized by mental time travel, deals with the unique past experience in which an event took place. Episodic memory is characteristically hippocampus-dependent. Place cells are recorded from the hippocampus of rodents and their firing reflects many of the key characteristics of episodic memory. For example, they encode information about "what" happens "where," as well as temporal information. However, when these features are expressed during an animal's behavior, the neuronal activity could merely be categorizing the present situation and could therefore reflect semantic memory rather than episodic memory. We propose that mental time travel is the key feature of episodic memory and that it should take a form, in the awake animal, similar to the replay of behavioral patterns of activity that has been observed in hippocampus during sleep. Using tasks designed to evoke episodic memory, one should be able to see memory reactivation of behaviorally relevant sequences of activity in the awake animal while recording from hippocampus and other cortical structures. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]

Mother,infant behavioral interactions in teenage and adult mothers during the first six months postpartum: Relations with infant development

INFANT MENTAL HEALTH JOURNAL, Issue 5 2003
Andrée Pomerleau
The purpose of this study was to compare adolescent mothers' (high-risk group), at-risk adult mothers' (moderate-risk group), and no-risk adult mothers' (low-risk group) behavioral interactions at one and six months postpartum, and to examine the relationships between maternal behaviors and infant developmental scores on the Bayley scales. Results indicated that high-risk teenage mothers and moderate-risk adult mothers vocalized less and had lower contingency rating scores compared to low-risk adult mothers. Also, infants in the high-risk and moderate-risk groups obtained lower mental scores at six months compared to the low-risk group. Moderate stability across time was found for maternal vocalizations and infant scores on the mental scale. Maternal vocalizations and behavioral contingency rating scores at one month were associated with infants' six-month performance on the Bayley scales. Specific intervention strategies were discussed with the aim of targeting and improving early maternal behavioral patterns in at-risk groups. ©2003 Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health. [source]

Avian influenza A H5N1 infections in Bali province, Indonesia: a behavioral, virological and seroepidemiological study

INFLUENZA AND OTHER RESPIRATORY VIRUSES, Issue 3 2009
Ketut Santhia
Background, Bali Province was affected by avian influenza H5N1 outbreaks in birds in October 2003. Despite ongoing circulation of the virus, no human infection had been identified by December 2005. Objectives, To assess behavioral patterns associated with poultry rearing in Bali, and to identify potential risk factors for H5N1 infection in humans and in household chickens, ducks and pigs. Methods, A behavioral, virological and seroepidemiologic survey in 38 villages and three live bird markets was completed in December 2005. A multi-stage cluster design was used to select 291 households with 841 participants from all nine districts in Bali. Specimens were collected from participants as well as a maximum of three pigs, chickens and ducks from each household. Eighty-seven market vendors participated, where specimens were collected from participants as well as chickens and ducks. Results, Twenty out of the 38 villages sampled had H5N1 outbreaks. Despite exposure to H5N1 outbreaks, none of the participants from villages or markets were seropositive for H5N1. None of the pigs tested were positive for H5N1. Virus isolation rate in ducks and chicken in markets was higher than in households. Transport of poultry in or out of villages was a risk factor for outbreaks in household chickens and ducks. Conclusions, The study highlighted that the market chain and associated behaviors may play a role in maintaining the virus in household flocks. The study adds evidence that transmission of H5N1 to humans remains a rare event despite high level handling of both healthy and sick birds. [source]

Response of small rodents to manipulations of vegetation height in agro-ecosystems

INTEGRATIVE ZOOLOGY (ELECTRONIC), Issue 1 2008
Jens JACOB
Abstract Some small mammal populations require human interference to conserve rare or threatened species or to minimize adverse effects in plant production. Without a thorough understanding about how small rodents behave in their environment and consideration of how they react to management efforts, management will not be optimal. Social behavior, spatial and temporal activity patterns, predator avoidance and other behavioral responses can affect pest rodent management. Some of these behavioral patterns and their causes have been well studied. However, their impact on pest rodent management, especially for novel management approaches, is not always clear. Habitat manipulation occurs necessarily through land use and intentionally to reduce shelter and food availability and to increase predation pressure on rodents. Rodents often respond to decreased vegetation height with reduced movements and increased risk sensitivity in their feeding behavior. This seems to result mainly from an elevated perceived predation risk. Behavioral responses may lessen the efficacy of the management because the desired effects of predators might be mediated. It remains largely unknown to what extent such responses can compensate at the population level for the expected consequences of habitat manipulation and how population size and crop damage are affected. It is advantageous to understand how target and non-target species react to habitat manipulation to maximize the management effects by appropriate techniques, timing and spatial scale without causing unwanted effects at the system level. [source]

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Current Concepts and Underlying Mechanisms

JOURNAL OF CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHIATRIC NURSING, Issue 3 2000
Brenda J. Wagner PhD
TOPIC. Neuropsychological concentration of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). PURPOSE. Survey of current understanding of underlying neural systems and pathways involved in ADHD and the relationship to specific behavioral patterns. SOURCES. Literature review, author's experience in neuropsychological assessment and clinical treatment. CONCLUSIONS. Clinicians will be able to specify treat men t interventions designed to compensate for specific behavioral patterns and functional deficits. [source]

Treating couples recovering from infidelity: An integrative approach

JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 11 2005
Kristina Coop Gordon
Infidelity is one of the most difficult problems to address in couple therapy, most likely because it involves a traumatic relationship event that alters the ways in which couples process information about each other and established behavioral patterns. We present a three-stage treatment designed to address the cognitive, behavioral, and emotional sequelae of affairs that integrates cognitive-behavioral and insight-oriented strategies with the literatures on traumatic response and forgiveness. A case study with pretreatment, posttreatment, and 6-month follow-up data is presented to illustrate the treatment methods. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol/In Session 61: 1393,1405, 2005. [source]

Abused child to nonabusive parent: Resilience and conceptual change

JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 3 2002
Glenda Wilkes
Individuals who were abused as children and have spontaneously, without intervention, been able to change their cognitive and behavioral patterns such that they do not abuse their own children represent a heretofore untapped source of information and understanding about the processes of conceptual change and resilience. This pilot study investigates the nature of this conceptual change as an exemplar of resilience. Birth order, gender, locus of control, and coping behaviors emerged as areas needing further study. Additionally, the belief on the part of the abusing parents that abuse was not wrong needs further investigation as a possible precursor to this particular context for conceptual change. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol 58: 261,276, 2002. [source]

The Nocturnal Ovipositing Behavior of Carrion Flies in Cincinnati, Ohio

JOURNAL OF FORENSIC SCIENCES, Issue 6 2009
Trevor Stamper Ph.D.
Abstract:, The behavioral patterns of nocturnal oviposition represent a window of time that potentially has a large impact on postmortem interval estimations. We investigated the behavioral patterns of carrion flies at night by exposing euthanized rats between sunset and sunrise to see if carrion flies oviposited upon the carrion over two consecutive summers. We investigated urban and rural locations, in both lit and unlit conditions with n = 125. We found that nocturnal ovipositing did not occur in the Cincinnati metropolitan area. We conclude that nocturnal oviposition is an unlikely event in the Cincinnati metropolitan area. [source]

Behavioral patterns of drop impingement onto rigid substrates with a wide range of wettability and different surface temperatures

Paleoecology of a large Early Cambrian bioturbator

LETHAIA, Issue 3 2000
James W. Hagadorn
The Lower Cambrian Poleta Formation in the White-Inyo Mountains of eastern California contains well-preserved and laterally extensive exposures of the large looping and meandering trace fossil Taphrhelminthopsis nelsoni n.isp. Such traces are typical features on upper bed surfaces of Lower Cambrian shallow marine sandstones and occur with Ediacaran fossils at other localities. Morphologic, sedimentologic and goniogram analyses suggest that the inferred tracemaker was a large soft-bodied echinozoan- or mollusc-grade animal with a volume greater than 14 cm 3 that actively grazed or ingested sediment at the sediment-water interface. Although portions of these traces appear to reflect relatively ,complex' behavior, looping patterns are not periodic as expected for a systematic foraging strategy. T. nelsoni traces are patchy in distribution and commonly associated with suspect-microbial features, suggesting that tracemakers may have been targeting microbial-based or related concentrations of food resources. Such behavioral patterns are typical of shallow late Neoproterozoic-early Cambrian settings, and like suspect-microbial structures are later restricted to deep marine or stressed settings. [source]

Exploratory eye movements during the Benton Visual Retention Test: Characteristics of visual behavior in schizophrenia

PSYCHIATRY AND CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES, Issue 4 2003
Shigeru Obayashi
Abstract In order to investigate the relationship between the behavioral patterns and clinical symptomatology in schizophrenia, exploratory eye movements of schizophrenic subjects and healthy controls during the Benton Visual Retention Test were examined using an eye-mark recorder. The results were as follows: (i) with card 1, the number of eye fixations of schizophrenic subjects was fewer, and the total and mean eye scanning lengths of schizophrenic subjects were shorter than those of healthy controls; (ii) with card 3, almost none of the schizophrenic subjects looked at the blank area opposite the peripheral figure on the right; (iii) with cards 3, 5, 6 and 9 there were some schizophrenic subjects who did not look at the peripheral figures; (iv) with card 6, many of the schizophrenic subjects made stereotypical movements; (v) with card 9, schizophrenic subjects used a narrow vertical gaze to look at the large figure on the right. Based on these characteristics among the schizophrenic subjects themselves, factors such as longer eye scanning length, looking at peripheral figures without fail, and not making stereotypical movements were reflected directly in the results of the Benton test, while there was no relationship between the width of the vertical gaze and the Benton results. Correlations between visual behavior and some psychiatric symptoms were observed. The visual behavioral patterns of schizophrenic subjects were various according to the characteristics of the Benton figures, while those of normal subjects were always almost the same. It was suggested that these results were caused by disturbances of the mental attitude of schizophrenic subjects toward objects or environments. [source]

Race and the Recall: Racial and Ethnic Polarization in the California Recall Election

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF POLITICAL SCIENCE, Issue 2 2008
Gary M. Segura
In the 2003 recall election in California, Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante received more than 1.25 million fewer votes in the replacement election than votes cast against the recall of Gray Davis. A much smaller group voted "yes" on the recall but voted for Bustamante. The principal underlying explanation is racial and ethnic polarization. Using L.A. Times exit poll data, we compare the characteristics of voters who displayed the two unusual behavioral patterns with those who voted in more conventional ways. We find that Latinos and African Americans are far less likely than non-Hispanic whites and Asian Americans to have defected from Bustamante given a "no" vote on the recall, and far more likely to have voted for Bustamante given a potentially strategic "yes" vote on the recall. The patterns of defection are consistent with racial polarization on Proposition 54, lending further credence to our claim that race and ethnicity persists as an important factor in vote choice, even in environments with a history of minority electoral success. [source]

The ethnoprimatological approach in primatology,

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PRIMATOLOGY, Issue 10 2010
Agustin Fuentes
Abstract Recent and long-term sympatries between humans and nonhuman primates (hereafter primates) are central to the behavioral ecology, conservation, and evolutionary trajectories of numerous primate species. Ethnoprimatology emphasizes that interconnections between humans and primates should be viewed as more than just disruptions of a "natural" state, and instead anthropogenic contexts must be considered as potential drivers for specific primate behavioral patterns. Rather than focusing solely on the behavior and ecology of the primate species at hand, as in traditional primatology, or on the symbolic meanings and uses of primates, as in socio-cultural anthropology, ethnoprimatology attempts to merge these perspectives into a more integrative approach. As human pressures on environments continue to increase and primate habitats become smaller and more fragmented, the need for a primatology that considers the impact of human attitudes and behavior on all aspects of primate lives and survival is imperative. In this special issue, we present both data-driven examples and more general discussions that describe how ethnoprimatological approaches can be both a contribution to the core theory and practice of primatology and a powerful tool in our goal of conservation action. Am. J. Primatol. 72:841,847, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]

Interactions between zoo-housed great apes and local wildlife

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PRIMATOLOGY, Issue 6 2009
S.R. Ross
Abstract Although there are published reports of wild chimpanzees, bonobos, and orangutans hunting and consuming vertebrate prey, data pertaining to captive apes remain sparse. In this survey-based study, we evaluate the prevalence and nature of interactions between captive great apes and various indigenous wildlife species that range into their enclosures in North America. Our hypotheses were threefold: (a) facilities housing chimpanzees will report the most frequent and most aggressive interactions with local wildlife; (b) facilities housing orangutans and bonobos will report intermediate frequencies of these interactions with low levels of aggression and killing; and (c) facilities housing gorillas will report the lowest frequency of interactions and no reports of killing local wildlife. Chimpanzees and bonobos demonstrated the most aggressive behavior toward wildlife, which matched our predictions for chimpanzees, but not bonobos. This fits well with expectations for chimpanzees based on their natural history of hunting and consuming prey in wild settings, and also supports new field data on bonobos. Captive gorillas and orangutans were reported to be much less likely to chase, catch and kill wildlife than chimpanzees and bonobos. Gorillas were the least likely to engage in aggressive interactions with local wildlife, matching our predictions based on natural history. However unlike wild gorillas, captive gorillas were reported to kill (and in one case, eat) local wildlife. These results suggest that some behavioral patterns seen in captive groups of apes may be useful for modeling corresponding activities in the wild that may not be as easily observed and quantified. Furthermore, the data highlight the potential for disease transmission in some captive settings, and we outline the associated implications for ape health and safety. Am. J. Primatol. 71:458,465, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]

Comparison of stone handling behavior in two macaque species: implications for the role of phylogeny and environment in primate cultural variation

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PRIMATOLOGY, Issue 12 2008
Charmalie AD Nahallage
Abstract This study describes the stone handling (SH) behavior of captive rhesus macaques and compares it with that of a captive troop of Japanese macaques with reference to the relative contributions of phylogeny-driven behavioral propensities, environmental differences and socially facilitated learning to the formation of culture. These systematically collected data demonstrate for the first time that two closely related macaque species might share a common cultural behavior, SH. The rhesus troop displayed SH behavioral patterns that was already described in Japanese macaque troops. The one exception was a new pattern not yet seen in any Japanese macaque troop. Differences in the physical environment of the two study enclosures may be responsible for some of the variation in observed SH behavioral patterns in these two troops. These data support the idea that environmental factors can be important for the formation of cultural variation, when the key materials needed to perform the behavior are present in both habitats (stones). Our results are consistent with the prediction made by Huffman and Hirata [The biology of tradition: Models and evidence. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p 267,296] that an interactive triad of phylogenetic, environmental and social factors can be responsible for the formation of cultural variation in primates. Am. J. Primatol. 70:1124,1132, 2008. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]

Age-specific functions of Stone Handling, a solitary-object play behavior, in Japanese Macaques (Macaca fuscata)

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PRIMATOLOGY, Issue 3 2007
Charmalie A.D. Nahallage
Abstract Stone handling (SH) in Japanese macaques, a form of solitary-object play, is newly acquired only by young individuals, and is the first example of a directly nonadaptive behavior that is maintained as a behavioral tradition within free-ranging provisioned social troops. We report here the first systematic investigation of this behavior in a stable captive social troop, the Takahama troop, which is housed in an outdoor enclosure of the Primate Research Institute (PRI), Kyoto University, Japan. This study was conducted to evaluate relevant competing hypotheses regarding the function of object play (e.g., misdirected foraging behavior and motor training) to explain the proximal causes and ultimate function(s) of SH. The "misdirected foraging behavior" hypothesis can be ruled out because of the lack of a clear temporal relationship between feeding and the occurrence of SH in any age class. Age-related differences in SH performance and behavioral patterns were observed, suggesting possible differences in the immediate cause and ultimate function between young and adults. Young individuals engaged in frequent bouts of short duration, involving locomotion and vigorous body actions throughout the day, which is typical for play by young in general. This pattern of behavior is consistent with the motor training hypothesis, which states that play occurs during the development of motor and perceptual skills and is thus potentially critical for neural and cognitive development. This practice is continued by those who acquire it at an early age, with adults engaging in significantly fewer but longer bouts that involve more stationary, complex manipulative patterns, almost exclusively in the late afternoon. We propose that for adults, at the proximate level SH is psychologically relaxing, but ultimately functions to maintain and regenerate neural pathways, and potentially helps to slow down the deterioration of cognitive function associated with advanced age in long-lived provisioned and captive macaques. Am. J. Primatol. 69:1,15, 2007.© 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]

Changes in social interactions during adolescence in male mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx)

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PRIMATOLOGY, Issue 2 2004
Marie Charpentier
Abstract The adolescent period in male mandrills extends from the time the testicles descend (at the age of 3,4 years) to the time adult characteristics develop (at the age of 10 years), and is thus one of the longest adolescent periods in cercopithecines. In this short cross-sectional study of 11 male mandrills (4.7,9.1 years old), we analyzed social behavioral patterns to investigate partner preference and changes in types of interactions throughout puberty. The mandrills were separated into two clusters on the basis of all of the social interactions scored, as well as the age and sex of the protagonist. During early to mid puberty, immature individuals interacted preferentially with other male adolescents and juveniles. Playing was an important activity, and some affiliative interactions with juveniles were observed. Older adolescents interacted more with adult males and females. These older adolescents were predominantly aggressive toward other adolescents, females, and juveniles, and showed little or no affiliative or playful behaviors. These results indicate a shift in social partners: older males interacted more frequently with adult males, and their behavior involved more aggression and less submission compared to younger adolescents, which showed predominantly submissive and playful behavior. These changes are consistent with preparation for dispersal and future intermale competition. Am. J. Primatol. 63:63,73, 2004. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]

Diurnal and oviposition-related changes in heart rate, body temperature and locomotor activity of laying hens

ANIMAL SCIENCE JOURNAL, Issue 2 2004
Ashraf M. KHALIL
ABSTRACT Diurnal and oviposition patterns of heart rate (HR), deep body temperature (BT) and locomotor activity (LA) in conscious and unrestrained Rhode Island Red hens were studied by a radiotelemetry system. Behavioral observations were also made on diurnal changes and during the pre- and post-laying period. Heart rate, BT and LA showed characteristic diurnal changes synchronized with a photoperiod of 15 h light and 9 h dark. In the light period, HR, BT, and LA levels were significantly higher than in the dark period (P < 0.001). Furthermore, the highest levels of these parameters were recorded just after they were fed (08.30 hours), while the lowest level was measured after lights-off and remained stable throughout the dark period. Behavioral observations indicated that during the light period the hens spent most of their time in very active movement, exhibiting various behavioral patterns. However, in the dark period the hens spent almost all their time resting. The present results suggest that performing various behavioral activities cause heat generated by muscle exertion, which plays a significant role in daily HR, BT, and LA in laying hens. However, during the 60 min before and after oviposition, LA appeared to have increased steadily toward the moment of laying, and then regressed gradually in the post-laying period to a level significantly lower than in the pre-laying period (P < 0.001). Furthermore, the pre-laying behavior of hens indicated extreme restlessness and more activity, whereas the post-laying period is characterized by less activity and increased relaxation. Consequently, laying behavior has a profound but transitory effect on HR and BT, suggesting that oviposition was probably associated with intense LA. [source]

Bayesian Finite Markov Mixture Model for Temporal Multi-Tissue Polygenic Patterns

BIOMETRICAL JOURNAL, Issue 1 2009
Yulan Liang
Abstract Finite mixture models can provide the insights about behavioral patterns as a source of heterogeneity of the various dynamics of time course gene expression data by reducing the high dimensionality and making clear the major components of the underlying structure of the data in terms of the unobservable latent variables. The latent structure of the dynamic transition process of gene expression changes over time can be represented by Markov processes. This paper addresses key problems in the analysis of large gene expression data sets that describe systemic temporal response cascades and dynamic changes to therapeutic doses in multiple tissues, such as liver, skeletal muscle, and kidney from the same animals. Bayesian Finite Markov Mixture Model with a Dirichlet Prior is developed for the identifications of differentially expressed time related genes and dynamic clusters. Deviance information criterion is applied to determine the number of components for model comparisons and selections. The proposed Bayesian models are applied to multiple tissue polygenetic temporal gene expression data and compared to a Bayesian model-based clustering method, named CAGED. Results show that our proposed Bayesian Finite Markov Mixture model can well capture the dynamic changes and patterns for irregular complex temporal data (© 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]