Different Patterns Of Behavior Research Articles

Differential behavior patterns in cynomolgus monkey Macaca fascicularis in home cage in response to human gaze.

Non-human primates, when encountering human beings, show wariness and alertness. These behaviors differ when there is direct human gaze vs. when human averts his gaze. We observed cynomolgus monkey in their home cage and studied their behaviors in response to human gaze. Four behaviors were analyzed: opening mouth, staring at observer, agitated activity, and approaching observer. Three behaviors appeared to be sensitive to human gaze between when the human observer gazed at the monkey and when the human observer looked away. Individual animals also displayed subpatterns of responses to human gaze. These results indicate that, even in their home cage, monkeys display a heightened level of awareness when gazed upon by a human observer, suggesting that human gaze may elicit emotional reactions. Further, under the human gaze, distinct behavioral subpatterns were apparent within the monkey cohort in our study, indicative of subgroups within the cohort.

Groups and Trust: Experimental Evidence on the Olson and Putnam Hypotheses

Mancur Olson and Robert Putnam provide two conflicting views on the effect of involvement with voluntary associations on their members. Putnam argues that associations instill in their members habits of cooperation, solidarity and public spiritedness. Olson emphasizes the tendency of groups to pursue private interests and lobby for preferential policies. We carry out the first field experiment involving a sample of members of different association types from different age groups and education levels, as well as a demographically comparable sample of non-members. This enables us to examine the differential patterns of behavior followed by members of Putnam-type and Olson-type associations. Coherently with both the Putnam’s and Olson’s view, we find that members of Putnam-type (Olson-type) associations display more (no more) generalized trust than non-members. However, when we examine trustworthy behavior we find the opposite pattern, with members of Olson-type (Putnam-type) associations more (no more) trustworthy than non-members. No relevant effect for the intensity of participation in associations emerges.

Dealing with Multiple Models in System Dynamics

This paper introduces an approach to compare simulation runs from multiple System Dynamics simulation models. Three dynamic hypotheses regarding the uncertain evolutions of long-term copper availability are introduced and used to illustrate the new approach. They correspond to three different perspectives on the copper system (global top-down, global bottom-up, and regional top-down). Although each of these models allows to generate a wealth of behavioural patterns, the focus in this paper is on the differences in trajectories caused by different models for identical values of shared parameters and identical settings of other assumptions, not on differences in behavioural patterns caused by each of the models. Hence, differences in trajectories between the three models are identified, quantified, and classified based on a quantified measure of difference. For these models, small differences between the trajectories are only found in stable runs, while the alternative perspectives are largely responsible for medium to large differences. Hence, it is concluded that multiple dynamic hypotheses may have to be modelled when dealing with uncertain issues.

Culture of Corruption? The Effects of Priming Corruption Images in a High Corruption Context

We examine what situational cues may influence corruption intentions of individuals in a high corruption context. We primed Brazilian participants with images related to corruption, but with different behavioral connotations (either images suggesting political corruption or images of a Malandro, a powerless antihero who blurs moral boundaries by breaking the law to survive). Corruption intentions increased in Studies 1 and 2 when individuals were primed with political corruption images, compared with a control condition. In Study 2, Brazilians who strongly identified with their country were more likely to endorse corruption scenarios, particularly when primed with Malandro images due to the dual activation of positive national symbols and morally ambiguous connotations. These findings highlight that conceptually related symbols within a cultural system can be linked to differential behavioral patterns. We outline some implications for corruption and cultural research, in particular, the need to study intracultural variability of psychological processes.

Do the Spanish regions converge? A unit root analysis for the HDI of the Spanish regions

This article studies the possible stochastic convergence between the Spanish regions in 1980–2010. The application of unit root techniques to the new Human Development Index recently calculated in Herrero et al. (2013) allows us to show that the evolution of the Spanish economy can be better understood as the sum of divergent forces rather than as a group of convergent regions. Similar conclusions can be drawn when the per capita GDP is used, although these two variables exhibit different patterns of behaviour at the end of the sample. Finally, we also observe that the distance between northern and southern regions has increased since 2000.

Gender differences among homeless people in Tehran, Iran

Aim Gender differences among homeless people may affect the frequency of their risky behaviours. This study was conducted to evaluate the behaviour patterns of homeless men and women in Tehran and compare the probable differences. Subject and methods In this study, 593 homeless people were recruited from five centres that house homeless people in Tehran, the capital city of Iran. A researcher-designed questionnaire was used to study behavioural patterns. Results In this study, homeless people (513 males and 80 females, all Iranian nationals) were enrolled in the study from June to August 2012. Mean age and mean duration of homelessness among women (35.46 and 12.68 months) were lower than those among men (42.74 and 56.85 months) (p=0.001). Although lifetime history of incarceration in men was higher than in women (p=0.002), mean duration of imprisonment in the last 10 years in men (21.25 months) and women (17.76 months) was not statistically different (p=0.07). Accommodation locality in the past 6 months varied between men and women. Women were current drug users more often than men were (61.53 % versus 45.26 %) (p=0.02). The type of drug consumption in women (methamphetamine) differed from that of men (opium and heroin). More men had a history of injecting drugs than did women (30.02 % versus 12.30 %) (p=0.003). Condom use at the last sexual encounter was reported to be higher in women compared to men (74.60 % versus 26.62 %) (p=0.001). Conclusion This study showed notable differences in behaviour patterns between homeless men and women and also indicated that homeless people in Tehran exhibit many risky behaviours.

Looking Under the Lamp Post: Neither fruitless nor doublesex Has Evolved to Generate Divergent Male Courtship in Drosophila

How do evolved genetic changes alter the nervous system to produce different patterns of behavior? We address this question using Drosophila male courtship behavior, which is innate, stereotyped, and evolves rapidly between species. D. melanogaster male courtship requires the male-specific isoforms of two transcription factors, fruitless and doublesex. These genes underlie genetic switches between female and male behaviors, making them excellent candidate genes for courtship behavior evolution. We tested their role in courtship evolution by transferring the entire locus for each gene from divergent species to D. melanogaster. We found that despite differences in Fru+ and Dsx+ cell numbers in wild-type species, cross-species transgenes rescued D. melanogaster courtship behavior and no species-specific behaviors were conferred. Therefore, fru and dsx are not a significant source of evolutionary variation in courtship behavior.

Behaviour patterns of the cage-housed breeding flock of pheasants (Phasianus colchicus)

The aim of this work was to investigate the behaviour patterns of a cage-housed breeding flock of pheasants during the day in the early stage of laying period, and evaluate the differences in behaviour patterns between male and female pheasants. Observations were carried out with a flock of common pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) consisting of 1 male and 5 female pheasants aged 2 years that showed a minimum rate of aggression in the previous laying. Behaviour patterns of birds were studied using a 15-minute video recording taken at each hour during the day (from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.). The rates of activities such as feeding, movement, resting, scratching, preening, mating and aggression in female pheasants differed significantly from those in the male, as observed throughout the day. The rate of feeding had 2 peaks in hens (in early morning and late evening). Generally, the feed intake in females was observed throughout the day whereas the male received feed less frequently but at a higher rate, particularly in the afternoon. The highest rate of movement was observed for both male and female pheasants in morning hours followed by a decline in movement activities which was slow in hens and rapid in the cock, with the subsequent second peak before dark. Except for 7 a.m., resting was among behaviour patterns with the highest rate in both genders throughout day, with lower rates in females as compared to the male. The stereotype behaviour was observed in hens more frequently, with a peak in a period from 9 a.m. to 12 a.m. The highest frequency of mating was observed in the evening after 7 p.m.

Strain differences in fatigue and depression after experimental stroke.

Fatigue and depression are common symptoms after stroke. Animal models of poststroke fatigue (PSF) and poststroke depression (PSD) would facilitate the study of these symptoms. Spontaneous locomotor activity is as an objective measure of fatigue and learned helplessness an accepted correlate of depression. We used different rat strains to evaluate stroke-induced changes in behavior in hopes that interstrain differences would provide insights into the biological basis of these symptoms. Male Lewis, Wistar, and Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats underwent experimental stroke. Spontaneous activity was assessed continually after stroke (for up to 50 days). In a subset of animals, the forced swim test was performed prior to and 1 month after stroke to assess learned helplessness; blood was obtained at sacrifice for cytokine assay. Stroke induced strain-related differences in activity; Lewis rats increased spontaneous activity during the dark cycle, while Wistar and SD rats increased activity during the light cycle. The velocity of movement decreased during the dark cycle in Wistar and SD rats and during the light cycle in Lewis rats. Stroke also led to an increase in learned helplessness in Lewis rats. In summary, different patterns of behaviors emerge in different rat strains after stroke. Lewis rats displayed behavior consistent with depression but not fatigue, while Wistar and SD rats displayed behavior consistent with fatigue but not depression. These data argue that PSF and PSD are different biological constructs and suggest that analysis of strain-related differences may provide insight into symptom pathophysiology.

Fecal Concentrations of Cortisol, Testosterone, and Progesterone in Cotton-Top Tamarins Housed in Different Zoological Parks: Relationships Among Physiological Data, Environmental Conditions, and Behavioral Patterns

The aim of this investigation was to study the welfare of 3 captive groups of cotton-top tamarins housed in different zoological parks. Ethological observations were conducted during 1 year. In addition, fecal samples were collected and the concentrations of glucocorticoids, androgens, and progestogens were measured. Within each group, no significant differences in fecal cortisol concentrations were found between subjects. The fecal concentrations of testosterone and progesterone significantly differed depending on the sexes and ages of the tamarins. A significant association was found among hormone concentrations, exhibit dimensions, and group composition. A highly significant correlation was found between all hormones considered and the space available for each subject. Significant differences in behavioral patterns were observed among groups, including social–individual, affiliative–aggressive, and anogenital–suprapubic scent marking. Correlations between hormone measurements and behaviors were detected. In conclusion, this study confirmed the associations between some behaviors exhibited by these nonhuman primates and both cortisol and testosterone; these data also highlight the role played by progesterone in these behaviors.

On personality, energy metabolism and mtDNA introgression in bank voles

Consistent interindividual differences in behaviour, or animal personality, are emerging as an important determinant of a wide range of life history traits and fitness. Individual behaviour, however, may be constrained by between-individual variability in energy metabolism and may become unstable owing to intrinsic and extrinsic stressors. Here we tested the relationship between personality and physiology using wild-caught bank voles, Myodes glareolus, that varied according to mtDNA type (original or introgressed from Myodes rutilus). Personality traits and their within-individual consistency were assessed using an open field test and basal metabolic rate (BMR) was measured in an open-flow respirometer. A significant relationship was found between individuals' consistent (repeatable) personality trait (principal component analysis score reflecting individual differences in proactivity) and their consistent (repeatable) residual BMR (body mass corrected); however, this association depended on mtDNA type and sex. Particularly, the males with original mtDNA showed a positive relationship between proactive behaviour and BMR, which supports the increased-intake model, stating that BMR is positively related to the capacity to engage in costly behaviours. However, this relationship was disrupted in introgressed males, and showed a negative trend in females, suggesting the alternative compensation model. According to our findings, it is likely that consistent differences in behavioural patterns and mtDNA types promote variation between individuals in energy metabolism.

Behaviour of Chilean and Peale's dolphins in southern Chile: interspecific variability of sympatric species

Assessing the behavioural patterns of animals is an increasingly important field in conservation biology, as it may assist in the prediction of how animals respond to rapid changes in the environment. Comparing the behavioural patterns of sympatric species can also give insights into the mechanisms that allow similar species to coexist. We undertook dolphin group follows in order to quantify the behavioural patterns of the sympatric Chilean and Peale's dolphins in southern Chile. Markov chains showed that these species differed significantly in time allocated to each of the five different behavioural states, but travelling was the most frequent behavioural state observed for both species. Six (out of 25) behavioural transitions were found to be different between species. In addition, group size and group dispersion were highly associated with specific behavioural states. Larger groups were more likely to socialize, while small groups were more likely to rest. For both species resting was mostly observed in tight groups, while foraging/feeding and travelling were related to intermediate group dispersion. Socializing differed between species, occurring in tight groups for Peale's dolphins and dispersed groups for Chilean dolphins. Overall, there were significant differences in behavioural patterns between the two species. These dissimilarities may represent evidence of different strategies (i.e. habitat use patterns and foraging) these two species employ which allow them to coexist. The information generated in this study will contribute to the development of better predictive models on how animals may respond to a changing environment and to the potential effects of human induced activities.

Aspectos da História Natural de Tropidurus hispidus (Squamata: Iguania: Tropiduridae) em área de Mata Atlântica, nordeste do Brasil

Seasonality, pattern of activity, habitat composition and temperature are factors that exert strong influence on the lives of lizards. Aspects of the natural history (daily and seasonal activity and habitat and microhabitat use) of Tropidurus hispidus were studied in the Serra de Itabaiana National Park, northeastern Brazil. Lizards were caught by noosing between April 2008 and March 2009. Specimens of Tropidurus hispidus were observed throughout the year with higher records in the warmer months (April 2008 and March 2009). They were principally observed in sunny days and were mainly exposed to direct sunlight. The specimens were usually motionless on rocky surfaces but ran after the observer’s approach, hiding in various substrates such as rocks, soil, and bromeliads, among others. Lizards were active throughout the day, with a peak between 8h e 11h. Our results show that the behavior of T. hispidus is affected by seasonality variations, resulting in different patterns of behavior throughout the year.Keywords: Seasonality, microhabitat, niche, lizards.

An empirical investigation of the impact of redistribution on leisure consumption in OECD countries

This paper provides an empirical investigation of the relationship between welfare expenditures and preferences for leisure consumption. The analysis is based on an unbalanced panel of 21 OECD countries and uses several fixed effects estimators to take into account cultural and social differences across countries. Contrary to previous studies, the data used here include public as well as private expenditure. This allows determining whether there are differences according to the public or private character of the expenditure and examining the interaction between household consumption and government intervention. The impact of economic, socio-demographic and political variables on leisure consumption is investigated. Our results show that redistributive social programmes and leisure consumption are complementary and provide evidence of different patterns of behaviour between government and private leisure expenditure. Furthermore, our findings offer some support to a recent theoretical conjecture suggesting that observed international differences in labour supply and welfare expenditure can be due to cultural and social differences across countries and preferences for leisure consumption.

Retirees: How do they Choose their Grocery Store? How do They Shop?

This paper presents partial results of research based on consumer preferences when shopping for food. It is focused on retirees, their ways of choosing suitable grocery store for them and on their purchases as well. The main objective of this paper is to determine how these consumers are influenced by various factors before, during, and after the purchase and how these facts are reflected in their future decisions about store choice. The next objectives are to compare their behavior to other segments of consumers in Czech Republic, determine which segments are influenced by various factors and compare these influences to the other segments and describe these variations. Define which parameters are crucial for older consumer when choosing his grocery store.The results are based on questionnaire survey conducted within the period from 2011 to 2013 on a sample of 4835 respondents from the Czech Republic, via online questionnaires. For the data collection the questionnaire system ReLa, developed by the Department of Marketing and Trade at Faculty of Business and Economics at Mendel University in Brno, was used. Data was processed with statistical software STATISTICA (ver. 10). Additional data were gained from a survey of the income situation of households and their living conditions – project EU-SILC (European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions) – using a unified EU methodology. The results show that retired consumers have substantially different patterns of behaviour on food market in Czech Republic than segments in younger age groups.

Identifying and Measuring Compliance and Adherence in Antidepressants Taking

The terms “adherence” and “compliance” reflect different perspectives of the same phenomenon: the degree to which costumers’/ patients’ behavior matches the doctor's advice. The term of “adherence” is used to emphasize that it is the patient's right to choose whether or not to follow the doctor's recommendations and that failure to do so should not be a reason for blame. No adherence may not always be bad for the consumer/patient. It may be protective if the drugs are inappropriate and potentially toxic or have a neutral effect if the prescription is sub-optimal. Our study wants to identify and measure adherence in depression therapy when nonadherence becomes clinically significant. We propose a questionnaire for identify some different patterns of behavior. This questionnaire was analyzed for 100 patients with depression. Our study describes patients’ behavior and how it relates to prescribers’ recommendations. We want to emphasize the economic impact of no adherence of patients with depression and to propose some adherence-enhancing policies and initiatives.

Pit-builder vs non-pit-builder: advantage of trap building strategy in antlion larvae does not mean greater behaviour diversity

Predators use different foraging modes, ranging from active to ambush predation. We investigated the predatory behaviour of two antlion species, the pit-builder Euroleon nostras and the non-pit-builder Neuroleon microstenus, both considered as ambush predators but with different predatory strategies. Since the pit-builders evolved from non-pit-builders, we focused on the similarities and differences in behavioural patterns and capture success. We found that most behavioural patterns occur in both species, although the non-pit-builder’s behaviour is less stereotypic and exhibits more behavioural patterns than in the pit-builder when comparing behaviour from prey introduction to jaw set without pit-construction. In N. microstenus, two distinct behavioural sequences were noted, which depend on the method of prey carcass clearing. This is the first report describing two methods of prey-carcass clearing in a non-pit-builder: tossing or dropping the prey. We also noted the presence of camouflage in the non-pit-builder, considered as an important mechanism in anti-predator tactics.

Visual-somatosensory integration and balance: evidence for psychophysical integrative differences in aging.

Research detailing multisensory integration (MSI) processes in aging and their association with clinically relevant outcomes is virtually non-existent. To our knowledge, the relationship between MSI and balance has not been well-established in aging. Given known alterations in unisensory processing with increasing age, the aims of the current study were to determine differential behavioral patterns of MSI in aging and investigate whether MSI was significantly associated with balance and fall-risk. Seventy healthy older adults (M = 75 years; 58% female) participated in the current study. Participants were instructed to make speeded responses to visual, somatosensory, and visual-somatosensory (VS) stimuli. Based on reaction times (RTs) to all stimuli, participants were classified into one of two groups (MSI or NO MSI), depending on their MSI RT benefit. Static balance was assessed using mean unipedal stance time. Overall, results revealed that RTs to VS stimuli were significantly shorter than those elicited to constituent unisensory conditions. Further, the current experimental design afforded differential patterns of multisensory processing, with 75% of the elderly sample demonstrating multisensory enhancements. Interestingly, 25% of older adults did not demonstrate multisensory RT facilitation; a finding that was attributed to extremely fast RTs overall and specifically in response to somatosensory inputs. Individuals in the NO MSI group maintained significantly better unipedal stance times and reported less falls, compared to elders in the MSI group. This study reveals the existence of differential patterns of multisensory processing in aging, while describing the clinical translational value of MSI enhancements in predicting balance and falls risk.

The different effects of LPS and poly I:C prenatal immune challenges on the behavior, development and inflammatory responses in pregnant mice and their offspring

In recent years, in vivo animal models of prenatal infection have been developed in an attempt to recreate behavioral and neuropathological features associated to a number of neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders. However, these models are still in their emerging phase and a better understanding of how these types of infections relate to adult-onset of brain-related disorders is needed. Here, we undertook an extensive behavioral characterization of both pregnant females and their pups following late gestational exposure (from gestational days (GD) 15-17) to either lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 120μg/kg i.p.) or polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (poly I:C; 5mg/kg i.v.). We observed that both LPS and poly I:C treatments produced anxiety-like behaviors in treated pregnant females, although to a lesser extent with LPS. LPS injections, but not poly I:C, led to reduced food intake and consequently decreased weight gain in pregnant dams. In pups, poly I:C treatments triggered a delay in growth and sensorimotor development, as evaluated by righting, geotaxis and grasping reflexes. At the cellular level, both toxins induced an initial inflammatory response while only LPS reduced the expression of brain cell markers in foetuses (GFAP and NeuN), which was no longer observable at postnatal day (PnD) 10. Higher levels of IL-2, IL-5 and IL-6 in plasma and an upregulation of the metabotropic receptor 5 (mGluR5) in foetal brains of 10-day-old offspring prenatally exposed to poly I:C was also observed. Interestingly, the increased mGluR5 expression correlated with impairments of the righting reflex. This study is the first to directly compare reflex development following LPS and poly I:C prenatal immune challenges in mice and sheds light onto the different patterns of behavior and pathology in dams and their offspring.

Neural circuits in movement control

Neural circuits in movement control