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Behaviour
Kinds of Behaviour Terms modified by Behaviour Selected AbstractsCUES MUST INCREASE SMOKING BEHAVIOUR TO BE CLINICALLY RELEVANTADDICTION, Issue 10 2009KENNETH A. PERKINS No abstract is available for this article. [source] IDENTIFICATION OF CLIMATE CONTROLS ON THE DYNAMIC BEHAVIOUR OF THE SUBARCTIC GLACIER SALAJEKNA, NORTHERN SCANDINAVIAGEOGRAFISKA ANNALER SERIES A: PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY, Issue 1 2005PER KLINGBJER ABSTRACT. In this paper we describe the dynamic behaviour of Salajekna, a valley glacier, over the last 200 years using terrestrial observations, in situ measurements, remote sensing observations and glacier reconstructions. The response time of the glacier was calculated using analytical models and field measurements. We were subsequently able to attribute specific dynamic responses to climate trends in the available climate record. The glacier's historical maximum extension was reached around 1880,1910 and was the result of a more continental climate with multi-modal airflows in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. A transition to more maritime conditions in the mid-19th century resulted in a near-continuous 20th century retreat before the glacier adjusted to a near-steady state. [source] REPRODUCTIVE BEHAVIOUR OF TWO APHIDOPHAGOUS LADYBEETLES, CHEILOMENES SEXMACULATA AND COCCINELLA TRANSVERSALISINSECT SCIENCE, Issue 2 2004OmkarArticle first published online: 28 JUN 200 Abstract, Reproductive behaviour of two aphidophagous ladybeetles, Cheilomenes sexmaculata and Coccinella transversalis was studied. A premating period of 5.0±0.5 and 11.7±0.4 days and a pre-oviposition period of 5.5±0.7 and 12.7±0.5 days was observed for C. sexmaculata and C. transversalis, respectively. Males of both the species exhibited courtship in five steps, viz. approach, watch, examine, mount and attempt. Sexually immature, recently mated and ovipositing females rejected male advances in both the species. Chemical, visual and behavioural cues probably play a role in mate recognition. Quiescent mating occurred in C. sexmaculata, whereas abdominal shakings in the form of bouts and strokes were characteristic in C. transversalis. C. sexmaculata had a relatively prolonged mating duration (133.4±z8.9 min) than C. transversalis (37.9±2.0 min), possibly due to the absence of active processes, i.e., bouts and strokes. The active processes in C. transversalis decreased with multiple matings in a day. Unmated adults of both the species mated more vigorously than the mated ones. Reproductive performance of both the species was best after multiple matings. [source] STRESS RELAXATION BEHAVIOUR OF FROZEN SUCROSE SOLUTIONSJOURNAL OF TEXTURE STUDIES, Issue 1 2004X. XU ABSTRACT The stress relaxation behaviour of two frozen sucrose solutions (7% and 19%) during indentation in the temperature range of -20C to -40C were investigated. The stress relaxation is similar to that of pure polycrystalline ice, which is controlled by steady-state creep. The steady state creep rate exponent, m, of 7% and 19% sucrose solutions lies between 2.3 and 3.6. The steady state creep rate constant, B, of 19% sucrose solution is greater than that of 7% sucrose solution. It is suggested that the steady-state creep rate exponent m depends on contributions from the proportions of favourably oriented grains, unfavourably oriented grains and grain boundaries to creep and that these components depend on the value of internal stress which is related to the hardness of samples at the different testing temperatures. The steady-state creep rate constant B depends on the mobility of dislocations in sucrose solutions which, in turn, depends on the temperature and the concentration of sucrose. [source] RHEOLOGICAL BEHAVIOUR OF CLARIFIED MANGO JUICE CONCENTRATESJOURNAL OF TEXTURE STUDIES, Issue 3 2000NGASEPPAM IBOYAIMA SINGH ABSTRACT The rheological behaviour of clarified mango juice was measured at temperatures 15,85C and concentrations 15,66 °Brix, using a rotoviscometer. Mango juice free of pectin and pulp behaves as a Newtonian fluid. The effect of temperature can be described by an Arrhenius-type equation. The activation energy for viscous flow was in the range of 1.64,8.44 kcal/g-mol, depending on the concentration. The effect of concentration was modelled better by an exponential relationship than a power-law relationship. Simple equations are proposed for describing the combined effect of temperature and soluble solids content on the juice viscosity. [source] A POST-KEYNESIAN STOCK-FLOW CONSISTENT MODEL FOR DYNAMIC ANALYSIS OF MONETARY POLICY SHOCK ON BANKING BEHAVIOURMETROECONOMICA, Issue 3 2008Edwin Le Heron ABSTRACT We try to make Keynes' approach compatible with an endogenous theory of the money supply. For that purpose, the principle of liquidity preference is generalized within a competitive banking framework. Private banks can impose a monetary rationing independently of the central bank. Then, we analyse the consequences of a monetary policy shock on the financial behaviour of banks. We clarify the dynamic process between the monetary policy and net investment within a Minskyan approach. First, we build a Post-Keynesian stock-flow consistent model with a private-bank sector introducing more realistic features. Second, we perform some simulations. [source] THE MINOAN FALLACY: CULTURAL DIVERSITY AND MORTUARY BEHAVIOUR ON CRETE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE BRONZE AGEOXFORD JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGY, Issue 1 2009BORJA LEGARRA HERRERO Summary We are becoming increasingly aware of regional data patterning in the archaeological record of Prepalatial Crete, yet a theoretically informed and methodologically systematic study assessing the significance of such differences is still lacking. This article investigates variation through the rich mortuary record of the period and explores the significance of such diversity for our understanding of Prepalatial Crete. A detailed analysis using mortuary data reveals a complex spatial and temporal variation in the record which raises questions about social, political and ideological differences between communities on the island during the early periods of the Early Bronze Age. Prepalatial Crete emerges from this analysis as a complex context resulting from an intricate combination of local and regional histories and trajectories and far from the unified culture that the term ,Minoan' implies. [source] EXAMINING THE ASYMMETRIC BEHAVIOUR OF MACROECONOMIC AGGREGATES IN ASIAN ECONOMIESPACIFIC ECONOMIC REVIEW, Issue 5 2008Paresh Kumar Narayan Abstract., The goal of this paper is to test for asymmetric behaviour of macroeconomic aggregates for three Asian economies; namely, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Korea. Whether macroeconomic aggregates can be characterised as asymmetric has important implications for policy-making and econometric modelling including forecasting. We examine two forms of asymmetries; specifically deepness, which arises when a detrended time series contains an asymmetric distribution, and steepness, which arises when the first difference of a series contains an asymmetric distribution. Overall, our findings suggest that for all three countries, the bulk of the series display asymmetry behaviour. [source] UNIQUE MANIRAPTORAN EGG CLUTCH FROM THE UPPER CRETACEOUS TWO MEDICINE FORMATION OF MONTANA REVEALS THEROPOD NESTING BEHAVIOURPALAEONTOLOGY, Issue 6 2008DARLA K. ZELENITSKY Abstract:, Egg clutches of non-avian maniraptoran theropods (Dinosauria) are rare, particularly in North America where those of Troodon formosus are the only maniraptoran clutches known. Here we describe a new partial maniraptoran clutch and nesting trace referred to Montanoolithus strongorum oogen. et oosp. nov. (Montanoolithidae oofam. nov.), from the Upper Cretaceous Two Medicine Formation of Montana. Based on a cladistic analysis of reproductive traits, we infer that this clutch belonged either to a caenagnathid or to a dromaeosaurid, which makes it the first clutch known of either taxon. This specimen preserves impressions and eggshell fragments of at least five eggs on a nest structure. The eggs are asymmetrical, paired, and lay radially in a ring configuration on the sloped sides of a bioturbated, flat-topped sandstone mound. Geology of the locality indicates the female nested in a poorly-vegetated area of freshly deposited sand, possibly near an active river channel. This clutch reveals that the egg-layer of Montanoolithus strongorum had a unique suite of reproductive characteristics and nesting behaviours among maniraptorans. [source] AGGREGATION BEHAVIOUR IN JUVENILE MILLIPEDES FROM THE UPPER CARBONIFEROUS OF MAZON CREEK, ILLINOISPALAEONTOLOGY, Issue 4 2006HEATHER M. WILSON Abstract:, Two ironstone nodules are described from the Braidwood Biota of the Upper Carboniferous Mazon Creek Lagerstätte, Illinois, each preserving numerous juvenile millipedes referred to Euphoberia sp. The millipedes belong to different stadia, as evidenced by segment number, but are similar in size so probably nearly the same age. These juvenile euphoberiids differ from adults in having shorter pleurotergal spines, a reduced number of ocelli and a series of reduced, apodous trunk rings posteriorly. These nodules provide the first evidence of aggregation behaviour in Palaeozoic millipedes. Aggregation in juvenile euphoberiids is hypothesized to serve as a defence mechanism, compensating for the reduced length of their pleurotergal spines relative to adults, possibly through a collective chemical defence. [source] AN INVESTIGATION OF HOUSEHOLD REMITTANCE BEHAVIOUR: EVIDENCE FROM THE UNITED KINGDOM,THE MANCHESTER SCHOOL, Issue 6 2007KEN CLARK Overseas remittances are a vital source of income for many developing economies. In this paper we empirically model the remittance behaviour of a diverse set of ethnic minority households in England and Wales using survey data. Our results indicate that the probability of remitting is higher for richer households and for those containing more immigrants. Measures of social distance also appear to influence the sending of remittances. Significant ethnic differences in the incidence of remitting and the timing of payments remain after controlling for these and other factors. [source] COMMERCIAL ACTIVITY AS INSURANCE: THE INVESTMENT BEHAVIOUR OF NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONSANNALS OF PUBLIC AND COOPERATIVE ECONOMICS, Issue 3 2010John Bennett ABSTRACT,:,We provide a new explanation for commercial activities by non-profit organizations whose primary concern is to supply mission output. Starting from the observation that donations to individual non-profits are often highly volatile, we show how investment in commercial activity can constitute a form of insurance for mission activity. Although investment in commercial activity has an opportunity cost in terms of capacity to produce mission output, if donations turn out to be low the commercial revenue will enable cross-subsidization of mission output. The equilibrium commercial investment is (weakly) positively related to the degree of risk aversion. [source] BEHAVIOUR OF THE ANTI-OXIDANT DEFENCE SYSTEM AND HEME OXYGENASE-1 PROTEIN EXPRESSION IN FRUCTOSE-HYPERTENSIVE RATSCLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL PHARMACOLOGY AND PHYSIOLOGY, Issue 8 2006Ariel H Polizio SUMMARY 1Addition of fructose to a rat diet for various periods of time leads to hypertension, hyperinsulinaemia and dyslipidaemia and provides a model for testing oxidative stress parameters in the animals. 2In the present study, oxidative stress generation, the soluble and enzymatic defence system and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) protein expression were investigated in the heart, liver and kidney of rats fed fructose for a period of 1 or 8 months. 3Compared with the control group, fructose-hypertensive rats showed increased in lipid peroxidation only in the heart after both 1 and 8 months of fructose treatment. Changes in the behaviour of the soluble and enzymatic defence system and HO-1 protein expression were different depending on the organ. Increased or unaltered activities of anti-oxidant enzymes were found in the liver and kidney, respectively. Induction of HO-1 prevented the generation of oxidative stress in the liver, where the activity of anti-oxidant defence enzymes was not reduced. Increased expression of HO-1 protein was not able to prevent the generation of oxidative stress in the heart, where fructose treatment diminished the activity of anti-oxidant enzymes. 4The results of the present study demonstrate that upregulation of HO-1 may prevent the generation of oxidative stress only when the anti-oxidant defence system is still operative. [source] TOWARDS A SELF-CHANGE-FRIENDLY TREATMENT AND POLICY FOR ADDICTIVE BEHAVIOURSADDICTION, Issue 9 2010WEI HAO No abstract is available for this article. [source] Behaviour-based multiplayer collaborative interaction managementCOMPUTER ANIMATION AND VIRTUAL WORLDS (PREV: JNL OF VISUALISATION & COMPUTER ANIMATION), Issue 1 2006Qingping Lin Abstract A collaborative virtual environment (CVE) allows geographically dispersed users to interact with each other and objects in a common virtual environment via network connections. One of the successful applications of CVE is multiplayer on-line role-playing game. To support massive interactions among virtual entities in a large-scale CVE and maintain consistent status of the interaction among users with the constraint of limited network bandwidth, an efficient collaborative interaction management method is required. In this paper, we propose a behaviour-based interaction management framework for supporting multiplayer role-playing CVE applications. It incorporates a two-tiered architecture which includes high-level role behaviour-based interaction management and low-level message routing. In the high level, interaction management is achieved by enabling interactions based on collaborative behaviour definitions. In the low level, message routing controls interactions according to the run-time status of the interactive entities. Collaborative Behaviour Description Language is designed as a scripting interface for application developers to define collaborative behaviours of interactive entities and simulation logics/game rules in a CVE. We demonstrate and evaluate the performance of the proposed framework through a prototype system and simulations. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The Association Between Web-Based Corporate Performance Disclosure and Financial Analyst Behaviour Under Different Governance RegimesCORPORATE GOVERNANCE, Issue 6 2007Walter Aerts In this study, we assert and test that the determination of corporate performance communication and financial analysts' earnings forecasting work are closely intertwined processes. The resulting endogeneity in capital markets' information dissemination and use is strongly influenced by a country's governance regime. Results from simultaneous equation regressions show significant interrelationships between financial analysts' activities and corporate disclosure transparency for North American firms. Moreover, analyst following underlies corporate disclosure, which ultimately leads to a reduction in the dispersion of analysts' earnings forecasts. In contrast, capital markets' information dynamics for continental European firms are much weaker. [source] Market Liberalisation, Vertical Integration and Price Behaviour in Tanzania's Coffee AuctionDEVELOPMENT POLICY REVIEW, Issue 2 2001Anna A. Temu Whether market liberalisation can promote agricultural development in Africa depends on how well existing institutions can facilitate trade by private agents. This article assesses the performance of the Tanzania coffee marketing system after liberalisation and the emergence of private, vertically integrated exporters (VIEs). Increasing producer prices, declining marketing margins, and the continued provision of a useful auction for coffee that is delivered by traders who are not VIEs all suggest a degree of success for liberalisation. The presence of VIEs seems to have provided investment to reduce marketing costs, whilst a sufficient number of competing firms has limited non-competitive behaviour in the market for coffee that is traded at the auction by non-VIEs. [source] Parental psychopathology and self-rated quality of life in adolescents with epilepsy in NigeriaDEVELOPMENTAL MEDICINE & CHILD NEUROLOGY, Issue 7 2006Abiodun O Adewuya MBChB This study sought to investigate the relationship between parental psychopathology and health-related quality of life in a group of Nigerian adolescents with epilepsy. The participants were 86 adolescents with epilepsy (50 males, 36 females; mean age 14y 5mo [SD 2y 1mo]; age range 12,18y). There were 54 (62.8%) adolescents with complex partial seizures, six (7.0%) with simple partial seizures, 14 (16.3%) with generalized tonic-clonic seizures, four (4.7%) with absence seizures, and eight (9.2%) with other types of seizure. They completed the Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory for Adolescents (QOLIE-AD-48). Parents also completed the General Health Questionnaire, Zung's Self-Rating Anxiety Scale, and Zung's Self-Rating Depressive Scale as measures of their psychopathology. Factors correlating with poor overall quality of life in the adolescents include longer duration of illness, large number of antiepileptic drugs, more severe medication toxicity, and psychopathology in the parents. General psychopathology in parents is significantly associated with QOLIE-AD-48 subscales of Epilepsy Impact (r= 0.527, p < 0.001), Attitude (r= 0.214, p= 0.047), Physical Function (r= 0.417, p < 0.001), Stigma (r= 0.305, p= 0.004), Social Support (r= 0.365, p= 0.001), and School Behaviour (r= 0.220, p= 0.042). There is a possibility of a cross-cultural difference on the effect of epilepsy on the quality of life of adolescents. Psychopathology in parents is significantly associated with poorer quality of life of these adolescents. Physicians should consider this, therefore, when planning intervention strategies in improving the quality of life in adolescents with epilepsy. [source] Exploratory behavior in mice selectively bred for developmental differences in aggressive behaviorDEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOBIOLOGY, Issue 1 2008Kathryn E. Hood Abstract The development and expression of exploratory behavior was assessed in the Cairns lines of Institute for Cancer Research (ICR) mice that were selectively bred for differences in aggressive behavior, with a high-aggressive 900 line, low-aggressive 100 line, and control 500 line. Four paradigms were employed. Developmental changes were evident in the complex novel arena, with older males faster to contact a novel object, and ambulating more than young males. Within the control 500 line, older males showed longer latency to emerge from the home cage, and shorter latency to contact novel objects. In the 900 line, younger males showed this same pattern. R. B. Cairns proposed that line differences in aggressive behavior arise through alterations in developmental timing [Cairns et al. [1983] Life-span developmental psychology (Vol. 5). New York: Academic Press; Gariépy et al. [2001] Animal Behaviour 61: 933,947]. The early appearance of mature patterns of exploratory behavior in 900 line males supports this interpretation. The 900 line males also appear to be behaviorally inhibited in novel settings such as the light,dark box and the neohypophagia paradigm, compared to the 500 and 100 lines (Experiments 1, 2, and 4). Moreover, in the most complex apparatus, the novel arena, 900 line males were slowest to exit the home cage, and fastest to contact a novel object. The apparent contrast in these parameters of exploratory behavior is discussed in relation to T. C. Schneirla's [1965 Advances in the study of behavior (Vol. 1). New York: PN Academic] approach,withdrawal theory. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 50: 32,47, 2008. [source] A comparison of risk factors for habitual violence in pre-trial subjectsACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 2002S. Z. Kaliski Objective: Pre-trial referrals to the Valkenberg Hospital forensic unit over a 6-month period were studied. Habitually violent offenders were compared with those with no history of violence. Methods:, Risk factors known to be associated with violent behaviour were elicited, i.e. demographics, behaviour during index offence (such as impulsivity, identity of victim, use of weapon, accomplices, intoxication, psychotic symptoms), psychiatric and family histories, history of suicide attempts, past child abuse, head injury, criminal record, psychiatric diagnosis and presence of medical disorders. EEG's, Barratt's Impulsivity, Zuckerman's Sensation Seeking and Mini-Mental Scales were administered. Behaviour in the ward during the 30 days was also appraised. Logistic regression models were used to determine relative risks. Results:, There were 155 subjects; 89.7% were male, 71.6% were single and 58.7% were unemployed. For 44.5% the index offence was violent, and 9.7% had committed sexual offences; 61.9% had histories of habitual violence. A psychotic disorder was diagnosed in 32.3% and a personality disorder in 48.4%. Habitually violent subjects were distin- guished by a history of issuing threats (OR=3.68; CI=3.19,4.16; P= 0.000), delusions of persecution (OR=3.43; CI=2.67,4.17; P=0.001), history of conduct disorder (OR=1.95; CI=1.70,2.19; P=0.006), alcohol/substance abuse (OR=2.08; CI=1.53,2.61; P=0.008) and violent index offence (OR=1.66; CI=1.54,2.61; P=0.035). Conclusion: This seems to confirm the relationship between threats, feeling threatened, psychosis, a history of antisocial behaviour and alcohol abuse. [source] Food abundance affects both morphology and behaviour of juvenile perchECOLOGY OF FRESHWATER FISH, Issue 2 2008J. Borcherding Abstract,,, Behaviour and morphology were both shown to differ between 1+ perch from two lakes that in earlier studies showed differences in size-specific predation risk. As the level of nourishment is known to affect behaviour and morphology, we fed perch of the two lakes in tanks for 40 days with two food levels, to study whether observed differences remain stable with changes in food availability. The perch fed in excess grew significantly, while the perch at the low food conditions lost weight, clearly indicating undernourishment. In aquarium experiments, the starved perch from both lakes were much bolder in the trade-off between foraging and predator avoidance than their well-fed conspecifics. In addition, the shape of perch differed significantly between feeding treatments. At low food levels perch got a more slender body, while at high food levels they developed a deeper body and a relatively smaller head. Independent of feeding level, the comparison between the two lakes revealed a clearly deeper body and a larger head area for one population, a shape difference that remained stable after the feeding period. The results give evidence that the level of nourishment is an important factor that quickly alters risk-taking behaviour. In body morphology, however, more stable shape characteristics must be distinguished from more flexible ones. Consequently, the level of nourishment is a potential factor that may quickly hide other proximate cues and must be considered attentively in studies, in which shape changes and behaviour are related to environmental factors like diet, predation pressure or habitat diversity. [source] Liquidity Constraints and Firms' Investment Return BehaviourECONOMICA, Issue 276 2002Parantap Basu We construct a production-based model, which compares the investment return behaviour of liquidity-constrained firms with that of unconstrained firms. The key testable implication that emerges from the model is that the investment returns of the constrained firms are predictable, while those of the unconstrained firms are not. We test this implication indirectly, verifying whether the capital stock and investment returns of the latter firms lead those of the former, and directly, via the estimation of an Euler equation. Our results are consistent with the model's prediction. [source] Market Shares, Financial Constraints and Pricing Behaviour in the Export MarketECONOMICA, Issue 276 2002Nils Gottfries A structural dynamic model of price and quantity adjustment is estimated on time series data for exports and export prices. Two sources of dynamics are considered: customer markets and preset prices. As predicted by the customer market model, the market share adjusts slowly after a change in the relative price and financial conditions affect prices. Prices are found to be sticky in the sense that they do not reflect the most recent information about costs and exchange rates. A parsimoniously parameterized structural model explains about 90% of the variation in market share and the relative price. [source] Herding Behaviour and the Size of Customer Base as a Commitment to QualityECONOMICA, Issue 267 2000Chong Ju Choi This paper refers to herding behaviour as developed in Bikhchandani et al. (1992), Bannerjee (1992) and Choi and Scarpa (1994). We examine the behaviour of a potential customer who does not know how many of her predecessorsdecided not to purchase the product. We show that, ceteris paribus,a smaller (larger) customer base increases the likelihood of a positive(negative) cascade. Hence, a firm can signal its commitment to high quality(Schelling 1960) by choosing to develop a customer base that relies upon thecustomer's ,private' information rather than one that relies on an informational cascade. [source] Association between tobacco control policies and smoking behaviour among adolescents in 29 European countriesADDICTION, Issue 11 2009Anne Hublet ABSTRACT Aims To investigate the associations between well-known, cost-effective tobacco control policies at country level and smoking prevalence among 15-year-old adolescents. Design Multi-level modelling based on the 2005,06 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children Study, a cross-national study at individual level, and with country-level variables from the Tobacco Control Scale and published country-level databases. Setting Twenty-nine European countries. Participants A total of 25 599 boys and 26 509 girls. Main outcome measures Self-reported regular smoking defined as at least weekly smoking, including daily smoking (dichotomous). Findings Interaction effects between gender and smoking policies were identified, therefore boys and girls were analysed separately. Large cross-national differences in smoking prevalence were documented. Intraclass correlations (ICC) of 0.038 (boys) and 0.035 (girls) were found. In the final multi-level model for boys, besides the significance of the individual variables such as family affluence, country-level affluence and the legality of vending machines were related significantly to regular smoking [b(country affluence) = ,0.010; b(partial restriction vending machines) = ,0.366, P < 0.05]. Price policy was of borderline significance [b(price policy) = ,0.026, P = 0.050]. All relationships were in the expected direction. The model fit is not as good for girls; only the legality of vending machines had a borderline significance in the final model [b(total ban vending machines) = ,0.372, P = 0.06]. Conclusions For boys, some of the currently recommended tobacco control policies may help to reduce smoking prevalence. However, the model is less suitable for girls, indicating gender differences in the potential efficacy of smoking policies. Future research should address this issue. [source] Addiction research centres and the nurturing of creativity: The Swiss Institute for the Prevention of Alcohol and Drug Problems.ADDICTION, Issue 5 2009future, present ABSTRACT The aim of this paper is to offer an account of the history, the current status and the future of substance use research at the Swiss Institute for the Prevention of Alcohol and Drug Problems (SIPA). Although founded originally by the temperance movement in 1901, its policy has shifted over time towards one which accepts an alcohol-consuming culture made up of self-determined but well-informed consumers, while still supporting those who choose to live an abstinent life. In the beginning, SIPA was involved primarily in collecting alcohol-related information and making it available to professionals and the general public. From the late 1960s SIPA began conducting its own research projects; by the mid-1970s it had set up its own in-house research department. In 2001, SIPA was appointed a World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Substance Abuse, Research, Prevention and Documentation. As a private non-governmental organization, most of its funding comes from external research commissions. SIPA participates in a variety of international projects [e.g. Gender Alcohol and Culture: An International Study (GenACIS), European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Drugs (ESPAD) and Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC)] and contributes to numerous national research projects dealing with substance use. It has also forged close links with more than 50 other research institutions in Switzerland and world-wide. Thanks to its work over the last 30 years, SIPA has become a chief port of call for alcohol use research in Switzerland. In the future, SIPA will continue to monitor substance use, while stepping up its prevention research activities and ensuring that it is able to react more promptly to emerging phenomena. [source] Behaviour of male pine sawflies, Neodiprion sertifer, released downwind from pheromone sourcesENTOMOLOGIA EXPERIMENTALIS ET APPLICATA, Issue 2 2000Fredrik Östrand Abstract This study investigated the behaviour of male European pine sawflies, Neodiprion sertifer Geoffroy (Hym., Diprionidae), that were released and observed downwind from pheromone traps baited with 100 ,g of the sex pheromone, (2S,3S,7S)-3,7-dimethyl-2-pentadecyl acetate. Releases were done at three distances; either at 5 m from one trap, or at 50 or 200 m from five traps, placed in a line perpendicular to the current wind direction. As control, males were released identically but without any pheromone source present. The behaviour of the males prior to take-off was studied. A total of 1729 males were released, and 80% of them took flight. Males took off significantly faster in the presence of pheromone. Grooming was significantly more frequent in presence of pheromone compared with control. In all pheromone experiments significantly more males displayed grooming, wing fanning and take-off towards the wind compared with the control. Weather data was simultaneously collected at the study site. Wing fanning was negatively correlated with wind speed. Grooming was not influenced by wind speed. Reduced levels of incoming short-wave radiation lowered the take-off frequency significantly. Pheromone-induced behaviour in diprionids seems to be less distinct than in other insects, e.g., Lepidoptera. [source] Does smoking in adolescence affect body mass index, waist or height?ADDICTION, Issue 9 2007Findings from a longitudinal study ABSTRACT Aim To assess the effect of smoking uptake on body mass index (BMI), waist circumference and height during adolescence. Design Five-year longitudinal study. Setting Thirty-six schools in South London, England, selected by a stratified random sampling procedure designed to ensure ethnic and socio-economic diversity. Participants A total of 5863 students took part in the HABITS (Health and Behaviour in Teenagers) Study between 1999 and 2003. Measurements Self-reported smoking behaviour, saliva cotinine concentrations and measured weight, waist circumference and height were obtained, along with information on gender, ethnicity, socio-economic deprivation, pubertal status, self-reported exercise and dieting. Students were examined annually from school year 7 (ages 11,12) to year 11 (ages 15,16), with response rates ranging from 74 to 84%. A total of 2665 never smokers at year 7 with complete data for years 7 and 11 were included in the analyses. Findings Adjusting for year 7 BMI and other potential confounders, regular smokers (more than six cigarettes a week) at year 11 had significantly lower BMI (P = 0.002) than other students. Smokers defined by a cotinine above 15 ng/ml also had lower BMI (P < 0.0001). Waist circumferences were lower in regular smokers (P = 0.014) and cotinine-defined smokers (P < 0.011). No consistent association was found between smoking and height. The adjusted difference in weight between regular smokers and other students amounted to 1.8 kg (95% CI, 0.52,3.17) for an average-height student. Conclusion Taking up regular smoking during adolescence may result in a lower BMI, but the effect is small and of uncertain significance. [source] The Effect of Male Incubation Feeding, Food and Temperature on the Incubation Behaviour of New Zealand RobinsETHOLOGY, Issue 6 2010Rebecca L. Boulton Because of finite resources, organisms face conflict between their own self-care and reproduction. This conflict is especially apparent in avian species with female-only incubation, where females face a trade-off between time allocated to their own self-maintenance and the thermal requirements of developing embryos. We recorded incubation behaviour of the New Zealand robin (Petroica longipes), a species with female-only incubation, male incubation feeding and high nest predation rates. We examined how male incubation feeding, ambient temperature and food availability (invertebrate biomass) affected the different components of females' incubation behaviour and whether incubation behaviour explained variation in nest survival. Our results suggest that male incubation feeding rates of 2.8 per hour affect the female's incubation rhythm by reducing both on- and off-bout duration, resulting in no effect on female nest attentiveness, thus no support for the female-nutritional hypothesis. The incubation behaviours that we measured did not explain nest survival, despite high nest predation rates. Increased ambient temperature caused an increase in off-bout duration, whereas increased food availability increased on-bout duration. While males play a vital role in influencing incubation behaviour, female robins attempt to resolve the trade-off between their own foraging needs and the thermal requirements of their developing embryos via alternating their incubation rhythm in relation to both food and temperature. [source] Effects of Social Structure on the Behaviour and Performance of Alternative Reproductive Phenotypes in Male Rock Shrimp, Rhynchocinetes typusETHOLOGY, Issue 4 2008Stefan Dennenmoser Males that adopt alternative mating tactics within a conditional strategy often undergo costly morphological changes when switching to the next phenotype during ontogeny. Whether costs of changing to a subsequent reproductive phenotype are outweighed by a higher mating probability may depend on the frequencies of different phenotypes in a group of competitors. Benefits and costs associated with different phenotype frequencies depend on interactions within and between alternative phenotypes, but the underlying behavioural mechanisms have rarely been studied. Herein, we used the rock shrimp Rhynchocinetes typus as a model: ontogenetic male stages of this species differ in morphological and behavioural traits that indicate alternative reproductive phenotypes. The small, subordinate, male stage (typus) develops via several intermediate stages (intermedius) to the dominant male stage (robustus): in competitive interactions the typus males usually employ the sneaking tactic, while the robustus males invariably employ the monopolizing fighter tactic. In laboratory experiments, we manipulated phenotype frequencies to examine whether there are frequency-dependent effects on searching behaviour, aggressiveness and mating probability. With increasing frequency of robustus males, the rate of aggressive interactions among them increased. Furthermore, robustus males increased walking velocity when more than one robustus male was present. In contrast, typus males did not adjust their searching or aggressive behaviour. The increase of aggressive interactions among robustus males provided more opportunities for typus males to seize a temporarily unguarded female. While typus males exploit fights among robustus males that produce mating opportunities for them, robustus males benefit from typus males, which reveal the presence of receptive females. We suggest that each phenotype benefits from the presence of the other phenotype and suffers costly interference among individuals of the same phenotype. Whether frequency-dependent effects on the mating probability of subordinates also affect their ontogenetic switchpoint should be examined in future studies. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||