Continuum Of Behaviour Research Articles

The superluminous Type IIn supernova ASASSN-15ua: part of a continuum in extreme precursor mass-loss

ABSTRACT We present a series of ground-based photometry and spectroscopy of the superluminous Type IIn supernova (SN) ASASSN-15ua, which shows evidence for strong interaction with pre-existing dense circumstellar material (CSM). Our observations constrain the speed, mass-loss rate, and extent of the progenitor wind shortly before explosion. A narrow P Cygni absorption component reveals a progenitor wind speed of ∼100 km s−1. As observed in previous SNe IIn, the intermediate-width H α emission became more asymmetric and blueshifted over time, suggesting either asymmetric CSM, an asymmetric explosion, or increasing selective extinction from dust within the post-shock shell or SN ejecta. Based on the CSM radius and speed, we find that the progenitor suffered extreme eruptive mass-loss with a rate of 0.1–1 M⊙ yr−1 during the ∼12 yr immediately before the death of the star that imparted ∼ 1048 erg of kinetic energy to the CSM. Integrating its V-band light curve over the first 170 d after discovery, we find that ASASSN-15ua radiated at least 3 × 1050 erg in visual light alone, giving a lower limit to the total radiated energy that may have approached 1051 erg. ASASSN-15ua exhibits many similarities to two well-studied superluminous SNe IIn: SN 2006tf and SN 2010jl. Based on a detailed comparison of these three, we find that ASASSN-15ua falls in between these two events in a wide variety of observed properties and derived physical parameters, illustrating a continuum of behaviour across superluminous SNe IIn.

Value-based decision-making network functional connectivity correlates with substance use and delay discounting behaviour among young adults

Substance use disorders are characterized by reduced control over the quantity and frequency of psychoactive substance use and impairments in social and occupational functioning. They are associated with poor treatment compliance and high rates of relapse. Identification of neural susceptibility biomarkers that index risk for developing a substance use disorder can facilitate earlier identification and treatment. Here, we aimed to identify the neurobiological correlates of substance use frequency and severity amongst a sample of 1,200 (652 females) participants aged 22–37 years from the Human Connectome Project. Substance use behaviour across eight classes (alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, sedatives, hallucinogens, cocaine, stimulants, opiates) was measured using the Semi-Structured Assessment for the Genetics of Alcoholism. We explored the latent organization of substance use behaviour using a combination of exploratory structural equation modelling, latent class analysis, and factor mixture modelling to reveal a unidimensional continuum of substance use behaviour. Participants could be rank ordered along a unitary severity spectrum encompassing frequency of use of all eight substance classes, with factor score estimates generated to represent each participant’s substance use severity. Factor score estimates and delay discounting scores were compared with functional connectivity in 650 participants with imaging data using the Network-based Statistic. This neuroimaging cohort excludes participants aged 31 and over. We identified brain regions and connections correlated with impulsive decision-making and poly-substance use, with the medial orbitofrontal, lateral prefrontal and posterior parietal cortices emerging as key hubs. Functional connectivity of these networks could serve as susceptibility biomarkers for substance use disorders, informing earlier identification and treatment.

The continuum of pro-environmental behaviour in the context of the value-belief-norm theory of environmentalism: implications towards sustainable development

The continuum of pro-environmental behaviour in the context of the value-belief-norm theory of environmentalism: implications towards sustainable development

The continuum of pro-environmental behaviour in the context of the value-belief-norm theory of environmentalism: implications towards sustainable development

The continuum of pro-environmental behaviour in the context of the value-belief-norm theory of environmentalism: implications towards sustainable development

Behaviour and muscle activity across the aquatic-terrestrial transition in Polypterus senegalus.

Amphibious fishes moving from water to land experience continuous changes in environmental forces. How these subtle changes impact behavioural transitions cannot be resolved by comparisons of aquatic and terrestrial locomotion. For example, aquatic and terrestrial locomotion appear distinct in the actinopterygian fish Polypterus senegalus; however, it is unclear how gradual water level changes influence the transition between these locomotor behaviours. We tested the hypothesis in P. senegalus that swimming and walking are part of an incremental continuum of behaviour and muscle activity across the environmental transition from water to land rather than two discrete behaviours, as proposed by previous literature. We exposed P. senegalus to discrete environments from fully aquatic to fully terrestrial while recording body and pectoral fin kinematics and muscle activity. Anterior axial red muscle effort increases as water depth decreases; however, a typical swimming-like anterior-to-posterior wave of axial red muscle activity is always present, even during terrestrial locomotion, indicating gradual motor control changes. Thus, walking appears to be based on swimming-like axial muscle activity whereas kinematic differences between swimming and walking appear to be due to mechanical constraints. A discrete change in left-right pectoral fin coordination from in-phase to out-of-phase at 0.7 body depths relies on adductor muscle activity with a similar duty factor and adductor muscle effort that increases gradually as water depth decreases. Thus, despite distinct changes in kinematic timing, neuromuscular patterning is similar across the water depth continuum. As the observed, gradual increases in axial muscle effort reflect muscle activity changes between aquatic and terrestrial environments observed in other elongate fishes, a modified, swimming-like axial muscle activity pattern for terrestrial locomotion may be common among elongate amphibious fishes.

Artificial selection in human-wildlife feeding interactions.

The artificial selection of traits in wildlife populations through hunting and fishing has been well documented. However, despite their rising popularity, the role that artificial selection may play in non‐extractive wildlife activities, for example, recreational feeding activities, remains unknown.If only a subset of a population takes advantage of human‐wildlife feeding interactions, and if this results in different fitness advantages for these individuals, then artificial selection may be at work. We have tested this hypothesis using a wild fallow deer population living at the edge of a capital city as our model population.In contrast to previous assumptions on the randomness of human‐wildlife feeding interactions, we found that a limited non‐random portion of an entire population is continuously engaging with people. We found that the willingness to beg for food from humans exists on a continuum of inter‐individual repeatable behaviour; which ranges from risk‐taking individuals repeatedly seeking and obtaining food, to shyer individuals avoiding human contact and not receiving food at all, despite all individuals having received equal exposure to human presence from birth and coexisting in the same herds together. Bolder individuals obtain significantly more food directly from humans, resulting in early interception of food offerings and preventing other individuals from obtaining supplemental feeding.Those females that beg consistently also produce significantly heavier fawns (300–500 g heavier), which may provide their offspring with a survival advantage. This indicates that these interactions result in disparity in diet and nutrition across the population, impacting associated physiology and reproduction, and may result in artificial selection of the begging behavioural trait.This is the first time that this consistent variation in behaviour and its potential link to artificial selection has been identified in a wildlife population and reveals new potential effects of human‐wildlife feeding interactions in other species across both terrestrial and aquatic habitats.

Family networks and healthy behaviour: evidence from Nepal.

Models of household decision-making commonly focus on nuclear family members as primary decision-makers. If extended families shape the objectives and constraints of households, then neglecting the role of this network may lead to an incomplete understanding of health-seeking behaviour. Understanding the decision-making processes behind care-seeking may improve behaviour change interventions, better intervention targeting and support health-related development goals. This paper uses data from a cluster randomised trial of a participatory learning and action cycle (PLA) through women's groups, to assess the role of extended family networks as a determinant of gains in health knowledge and health practice. We estimate three models along a continuum of health-seeking behaviour: one that explores access to PLA groups as a conduit of knowledge, another measuring whether women's health knowledge improves after exposure to the PLA groups and a third exploring the determinants of their ability to act on knowledge gained. We find that, in this context, a larger network of family is not associated with women's likelihood of attending groups or acquiring new knowledge, but a larger network of husband's family is negatively associated with the ability to act on that knowledge during pregnancy and the postpartum period.

Supernova lightCURVE POPulation Synthesis I: Including interacting binaries is key to understanding the diversity of type II supernova lightcurves

AbstractWe present results of a supernova lightcurve population synthesis, predicting the range of possible supernova lightcurves arising from a population of progenitor stars that include interacting binary systems. We show that the known diversity of supernova lightcurves can be interpreted as arising from binary interactions. Given detailed models of the progenitor stars, we are able to the determine what parameters within these stars determine the shape of their supernova lightcurve. The primary factors are the mass of supernova ejecta and the mass of hydrogen in the final progenitor. We find that there is a continuum of lightcurve behaviour from type IIP, IIL, to IIb supernovae related to the range of hydrogen and ejecta masses. Most type IIb supernovae arise from a relatively narrow range of initial masses from 10 to 15 M⊙. We also find a few distinct lightcurves that are the result of stellar mergers.

Tożsamość czynu jako podstawa różnicowania mechanizmów redukujących odpowiedzialność karną

The Identity of an act as a basis for differentiation of mechanisms reducing criminal responsibilityOur starting point is the view, well grounded in the dogmatics of criminal law, that the separation of a criminal off ence as an entity judged from a legal standpoint is based upon both ontic and normative criteria. On the one hand, the basis for an act, anchored in reality, is the behaviour of a subject, on the other hand, what part of it we consider a single object of legal judgement is decided by the legislator. The situation becomes more complicated whenever the judgement of a particular part of a subject’s behaviour is determined by the realisation of the features of at least two prohibited acts. The criteria of unity of an act — apart from full or partial identity of time, in which at least two sets of features of prohibited acts are realised, are highly vague. One could probably refrain from searching for them, has it not been for the fact that the presence of a single act — or multiple acts — is the basis for the currently binding model of reduction mechanisms. If those mechanisms were to rationalise criminal liability, the basis of their use should consist of entirely normative criteria, based, for example, on those that we use for objective ascription of the result. A model of mechanisms of this kind could be determined by the quantity and quality of the violated rules of conduct, or, to use a diff erent phrase, the multiplicity of sources of risk generated by the subject. A positive consequence of such rearrangement could be the possibility of abandoning the concept of an act as an object of legal judgement, selected from the continuum of behaviour, with a precisely determined timeframe.

Adolescent gambling behaviour, a single latent construct and indicators of risk: findings from a national survey of New Zealand high school students.

This study explores underlying latent construct/s of gambling behaviour, and identifies indicators of “unhealthy gambling”. Data were collected from Youth’07 a nationally representative sample of New Zealand secondary school students (N = 9107). Exploratory factor analyses, item-response theory analyses, multiple indicators-multiple causes, and differential item functioning analyses were used to assess dimensionality of gambling behaviour, underlying factors, and indicators of unhealthy gambling. A single underlying continuum of gambling behaviour was identified. Gambling frequency and ‘gambling because I can’t stop’ were most strongly associated with unhealthy gambling. Gambling to ‘feel better about myself’ and to ‘forget about things’ provided the most precise discriminants of unhealthy gambling. Multivariable analyses found that school connectedness was associated with lower levels of unhealthy gambling.

Theory-based modifications of an advanced notification letter improves screening for bowel cancer in men: A randomised controlled trial

RationaleMale participation in screening for bowel cancer is sub-optimal. Theory-based interventions provide a means of improving screening uptake. ObjectiveTo test the efficacy of modifying consumer invitation material in line with continuum and stage theories of health behaviour on screening participation. MethodsN = 9216 Australian men aged 50–74 years were randomised to one of four trial arms in a 2 × 2 factorial design randomised controlled trial. Participants received either standard invitation material (control group), or combinations of modified advance-notification and invitation letters. A subsample completed baseline and endpoint behavioural surveys. ResultsParticipants who received the modified advance notification letter were 12% more likely to screen than those who received the standard version (RR = 1.12, χ2(1) = 10.38, p = 0.001). The modified invitation letter did not impact screening uptake (RR = 0.97, χ2(1) = 0.63, p = 0.424). No significant changes in psychological variables due to the intervention were observed. ConclusionModifications to advance notification letters in line with health behaviour theories significantly improves screening uptake in men. Trial registrationAustralian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: ACTRN12612001122842 https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=362688.

Negative hyperconjugation and red-, blue- or zero-shift in X-Z∙∙∙Y complexes.

A generalized explanation is provided for the existence of the red- and blue-shifting nature of X-Z bonds (Z=H, halogens, chalcogens, pnicogens, etc.) in X-Z∙∙∙Y complexes based on computational studies on a selected set of weakly bonded complexes and analysis of existing literature data. The additional electrons and orbitals available on Z in comparison to H make for dramatic differences between the H-bond and the rest of the Z-bonds. The nature of the X-group and its influence on the X-Z bond length in the parent X-Z molecule largely controls the change in the X-Z bond length on X-Z∙∙∙Y bond formation; the Y-group usually influences only the magnitude of the effects controlled by X. The major factors which control the X-Z bond length change are: (a) negative hyperconjugative donation of electron density from X-group to X-Z σ* antibonding molecular orbital (ABMO) in the parent X-Z, (b) induced negative hyperconjugation from the lone pair of electrons on Z to the antibonding orbitals of the X-group, and (c) charge transfer (CT) from the Y-group to the X-Z σ* orbital. The exchange repulsion from the Y-group that shifts partial electron density at the X-Z σ* ABMO back to X leads to blue-shifting and the CT from the Y-group to the σ* ABMO of X-Z leads to red-shifting. The balance between these two opposing forces decides red-, zero- or blue-shifting. A continuum of behaviour of X-Z bond length variation is inevitable in X-Z∙∙∙Y complexes.

APSI: a proposed integrative model for suicide prevention.

Deaths by suicide have been increasing in recent years in Ireland, many of whom have co-morbid mental health difficulties and/or have attended primary care services 1 month before death. Aims To profile how 'Access to Psychological Services Ireland' (APSI) provides stepped-care therapies for mild-to-moderate adult mental health presentations and the potential effectiveness of this model based on comparison to a review of evidence-based strategies in suicide prevention. A secondary aim is to highlight how APSI has the potential to target those at risk of suicide and provide an integrative after-care service to complement secondary care mental health services. Findings In a context of inter-agency working, APSI provides an integrated continuum of suicide prevention interventions that map onto or intervene across the continuum of suicide behaviour. Hence, APSI appears to implement what the literature suggests will work in preventing suicide. However, outcome research is needed to establish APSI's impact in preventing suicide. Recommendations It is recommended that Irish-based research is conducted to establish APSI's impact in preventing suicide with a view to rolling out APSI as a national mental health clinical care programme.

Angels and Belief in England, 1480-1700, by Laura Sangha

In 1975 John Bossy, in his magisterial The English Catholic Community, 1570–1850 (rev. ante, xcii [1977], 134–7), considered that ‘to view a religious tradition, as a social historian must, as a continuum of behaviour rather than of belief, is generally to renounce the facility of a ready made corpus of evidence’ (p. 109). Since Bossy’s reflection on the methodologies of the social history of religion, historians have become bolder, or perhaps just more foolhardy. Rather than considering religion as practice or behaviour, they have tried to peer inside the minds of those who lived in the past in an attempt to discern patterns of belief. The reasons for this historiographical shift are not difficult to find: the collapse of the historical canon, the linguistic turn and the rise of cultural history at the expense of an older social history. More than any other work, Stuart Clark’s Thinking with Demons (1997; rev. ante, cxiii [1998], 121–3) demonstrated the possibility of this approach by arguing that, within its own terms, early modern demonology was logical and consistent, built around oppositional ideas and expressions. As a result, the pages of recent historical works have become infested with ethereal beings, including ghosts, demons and angels, because they were ‘good to think with’ and hence provide a way into the minds and beliefs of early modern men and women. Laura Sangha’s book is the latest exploration of how early modern contemporaries thought about how one of this army of spirits moved between heaven, hell and earth as conveyors of supernatural revelation in the natural world—angels.

The voice of troubled youth: Children's and adolescents' ideas on helpful elements of care

Abstract This article presents the findings of a qualitative study in a Flemish centre for children and adolescents with emotional and behavioural disorders. The aim of this study was twofold. First, we wanted to examine how youth reflect on their own behaviour and that of their peers'. Secondly, we wanted to know what, according to the youth, are the most significant helpful elements of treatment. Analysis shows a continuum of negative behaviour, ranging from relatively ‘normal’ disruptive behaviour such as arguing, up to serious disruptive behaviour such as physical aggression. This behaviour has a negative influence on the climate of the organization. ‘Availability of staff’, ‘nearness of staff’, ‘a clear set of rules and boundaries’, and ‘some time on my own/some alone time’ are perceived as helpful elements of treatment. ‘Strictness’, ‘not listening’, and ‘inappropriate staff attitudes and interventions’ are perceived as counterproductive elements of treatment. Results are discussed and recommendations both on the orthopedagogical as well as on the scientific level are formulated.

Patterns of leadership behaviour: Implications for successful executive coaching outcomes

An analysis of 300 business executive coaching cases resulted in the identification of three leadership behaviour patterns. These patterns were conceptualised on a continuum of remarkable, perilous, and toxic behaviour. It is suggested that the ability to recognise where their clients are on this behavioural continuum may aid executive coaches in sustaining coaching traction and achieving successful outcomes. This article presents several factors in a coach/boss partnership approach that helped discern where these executives fell on this continuum, as well as preliminary psychometric data that indicate the empirical validity of these leadership behaviour patterns. Further, based on using this behaviour patterns information in hundreds of positive coaching outcomes, specific coaching guidance is also provided. This guidance is based on an insight-oriented coaching model focused on promoting behaviour change most often in the area of emotional intelligence (EQ). Helping remarkable executives to leverage their reciprocal engagement with others can accelerate coaching success with these leaders. Minimising executives’ deep-seated feelings of ‘unrequited work’ is key for the effective coaching of those with a perilous behaviour pattern. Leaders with predominately toxic behaviours warrant particular scrutiny at the needs assessment stage for they may or may not be viable coaching candidates.

Countering consumption in a culture of intoxication

Prioritising a vision of long-term cultural change towards the creation of a ‘safer, healthier drinking culture’ represents a meteoric shift in Australian alcohol policy. Despite this articulation, sensible-drinking policy initiatives are constrained within an informational framework promoting alcohol unit warnings on alcohol vessels and standard drink guidelines. The aim of this research is to develop an understanding of the consumer culture of ‘sensible drinking’ by analysing young adult's constructions of credible identities and resistant motivations for manoeuvring within, and beyond, a culture where excessive drinking is the accepted norm. Using narrative theory approach, young adults' self-generated stories surrounding responsible consumption of alcohol are explored. Informants engage a resistance narrative to the dominant culture of intoxication and legitimise identity through construction of alternate subject positions. Despite underpinnings of belief homogeneity, informants displayed heterogeneity when manoeuvring within intoxicated social spaces suggesting a continuum of resistance behaviour and existence of micro-subcultures within a culture of sensible drinking. Understanding discourses of young people who create a legitimate culture of ‘sensible’ drinking offers critical, yet often dismissed, insight into the relationship between identity and alcohol resistance for the creation of a safer, healthier drinking culture.

Continuity from suicidal ideations to suicide attempts? An investigation in 18–55 years old adult Iranian Kurds

Suicidal ideation as a critical point for the identification of individuals at risk of committing suicide/attempting suicide. Cross-sectional study; random sample; n=1,000; attitudes towards Suicide questionnaire. Iranian Kurds reported very few suicide attempts, whereas the prevalence of reported suicidal thoughts was found to be very high. The reported frequency of suicidal thoughts and the number of suicide attempts during the last year was significantly higher than that from earlier in life. A continuum of suicidal behaviour is supported; but, this did not include self-reported suicide attempts. The reported frequency of suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts was highly dependent on applied response categories and the considered timeframe, which has to be considered thoroughly when interpreting related results.

Using conversation analysis to explore the recurrence of a topic in the talk of a boy with an autism spectrum disorder

Some higher functioning individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are reported to produce perseverative talk, especially around ‘special interests’. Topic perseveration is a form of pragmatic impairment captured in Prizant and Rydell's (1993) continuum of unconventional verbal behaviour in autism. Although widely reported, there is little systematic empirical research into this phenomenon. This paper considers the utility of Conversation Analysis in developing knowledge in this area, drawing upon data involving a boy with an ASD interacting with a researcher and a mobile robot platform. Although a frequency analysis of the boy's talk on a single topic may suggest that it is perseverative in nature, in a sequential analysis of both talk and non‐spoken activities this study aims to show how these may be interactionally‐embedded. It is suggested that, in considering the interactional salience of apparently perseverative talk, it can be useful to explore the participation framework in which the topic is revisited.

An Activity-Theoretic Approach to Intention Estimation

Traditional powered wheelchair control is especially for severely disabled people cognitively and physically demanding due to the high number of input commands necessary. An intention estimation behaviour, which considers the cognitive processes of the actor, is discussed as one way in order to significantly reduce the number of required input commands. For this purpose, a continuum of, from other researchers discussed modes of human behaviour is introduced as well as cognitive processes underlying this continuum of human behaviour. A study conducted with wheelchair users confirms major assumptions of the theory and allows drawing implications for realizing an intention estimation behavior considering the cognitive processes of the actors.