Familiar Area Research Articles

Fashioning culture: Transforming perspectives from Oceania

In this introductory article we discuss what might be gained from examining more familiar areas of anthropological research such as cloth, dress or material culture through fashion as an analytical category and, in turn, how insights from Pacific clothing cultures can broaden understandings of fashion. Our aim is to unsettle the ethnographic gaze that is often brought to bear on non-western cultures of fashion, cloth, clothing, style and innovation. Fashion, as we conceive of it, spans from the physical production and design of garments and objects to everyday appearances, the desire to be ‘in vogue’ and the consumption of aesthetic objects that are considered popular. From this starting point we move analyses of fashion from the systemic to the experiential, reflecting ethnographic sensitivity to everyday embodied practice and the constant political and creative negotiation of values and norms that takes place in quotidian social relations. We situate these analyses in a region that is often perceived to be at the very edge of the world economy and invite further discussion about the relationship between fashion and the global flow of people, ideas and commodities.

Origin and Outcome of Social Polygyny in the Blue Tit

Classic explanations for polygyny consider habitat, genetic makeup and paternal care, but little attention has been paid to social inertia. We studied facultative social polygyny in a population of Blue Tits Cyanistes caeruleus with a low rate of polygyny (3% of males across 12 years). Occurrence of polygyny was best predicted by social turnover after the disappearance of one or more individuals; habitat quality and individual phenotypic traits were unimportant. Females settled as secondary females with a male and in an area they had previously associated with, indicating a role of familiarity in the formation of polygyny. Females mated to polygynous males received less help feeding nestlings. Reduced paternal care is potentially costly, because these females survived less well than females mated to monogamous males. Reduction in care occurred at both primary and secondary nests although polygynous males rarely divided their care between nests. On any given day during the nestling period, polygynous males were more likely than monogamous males to not feed nestlings at all and – as a consequence – polygynous males provided less care in total than monogamous males. Polygynous males rarely intermingled visits at both nests, suggesting a cost of switching between feeding locations. Both primary and secondary nests had reduced fledging success, even after controlling for variation in habitat quality and paternal care, due to a higher rate of nest failure. Paternity loss was higher at secondary nests, presumably because the secondary female copulated with a previous mate that disappeared. Due to increased paternity loss and reduced fledging success polygynous males did not sire more fledglings than monogamous males in a given season. Thus, the benefit of social polygyny for males seems limited. Social polygyny in our population probably arises as a by-product of widowed females settling as secondary mates with a familiar male or in a familiar area, thereby making the best of a bad situation.

Navigation by extrapolation of geomagnetic cues in a migratory songbird

Displacement experiments have demonstrated that experienced migratory birds translocated thousands of kilometers away from their migratory corridor can orient toward and ultimately reach their intended destinations.1 This implies that they are capable of "true navigation," commonly defined2-4 as the ability to return to a known destination after displacement to an unknown location without relying on familiar surroundings, cues that emanate from the destination, or information collected during the outward journey.5-13 In birds, true navigation appears to require previous migratory experience5-7,14,15 (but see Kishkinev etal.16 and Piersma etal.17). It is generally assumed that, to correct for displacements outside the familiar area, birds initially gather information within their year-round distribution range, learn predictable spatial gradients of environmental cues within it, and extrapolate from those to unfamiliar magnitudes-the gradient hypothesis.6,9,18-22 However, the nature of the cues and evidence for actual extrapolation remain elusive. Geomagnetic cues (inclination, declination, and total intensity) provide predictable spatial gradients across large parts of the globe and could serve for navigation. We tested the orientation of long-distance migrants, Eurasian reed warblers, exposing them to geomagnetic cues of unfamiliar magnitude encountered beyond their natural distribution range. The birds demonstrated re-orientation toward their migratory corridor as if they were translocated to the corresponding location but only when all naturally occurring magnetic cues were presented, not when declination was changed alone. This result represents direct evidence for migratory birds' ability to navigate using geomagnetic cues extrapolated beyond their previous experience.

Let’ m Loose – The Importance of Off-Leash Walks for Pet Dogs

The approximate figure of pet dogs reported in Europe 2020 is 87.5 million. These dogs live mainly either in enclosed properties or their exercise takes place in form of a daily round of walks with their owner, frequently on a leash. The importance of regular exercise for dogs is well known and benefits to physiological and psychological well-being through off leash explorative behavior has been documented. Off leash walks benefit health and welfare because the dog’s individual natural gait, social transaction ability and exploration behavior are thereby supported. In this study the behavior of free-ranging (off-leash) pet dogs was assessed whilst walking in familiar and unfamiliar areas with their owner and not being signaled or called to. Data were collected to measure distance travelled and duration dogs spent away from their owner during the walks to determine and compare speed and movement patterns of dog and owner respectively. The roaming behavior of the dogs was measured via GPS. All dogs displayed individual speed and exploration patterns and covered significantly longer distances at significantly higher speed compared to their owners. The majority of dogs, however, remained within a radius of 150 m of their owner all the time. Therefore, while it is inevitable for dogs to be on a leash in some situations whilst sharing our urban environment, safe and enriched areas for off leash activities are strongly recommend to ensure pet dogs’ physiological and psychological welfare by being able to explore in their own speed and employing their individual movement patterns.

Redeploying Residents and Fellows in Response to COVID-19: Tensions, Guiding Principles, and Lessons From the University of Washington.

Redeploying Residents and Fellows in Response to COVID-19: Tensions, Guiding Principles, and Lessons From the University of Washington.

Effect of COVID-19 Pandemic on Psychological Attitudes’ for Nurse Workers at Isolation Hospitals in Baghdad City

Objectives: to identify the effect of COVID 19 pandemic psychological attitudes for nurses’ workers atIsolation Hospitals in BaghdadMethodology: descriptive study conducted among 100 nurses selected by purposive sample. The datacollected by using electronic questionnaire related to psychological attitudes composed of 10 items and 3items related to demographic characteristics.Results: the result reflects that most of nurses are males and at age (20-29) years, also they are graduatedfrom high school of nursing and nursing college. Most of nurses’ psychological status effected by COVID,they are feel anxiety stress depression and frustration due to un familiar area, lack of experience, un effectedtreatment, COVID 19 bad news, long working time and isolation from friends. There is significant correlationbetween nurses’ psychological attitude and level of education.Conclusion: COVID 19 effect on the nurses’ psychological status. Therefore, it is important to initiatetraining session to educate nurses about stress management, how to deal with psychological problems andadapt with different situation

Beats Go On

Beats Go On

Productivity estimate using regression and artificial neural networks in small familiar areas with agrosilvopastoral systems

This study aimed to model the height of trees and volumetric production of eucalypts trees on the agrosilvopastoral systems (AGP) of Zona da Mata Mineira region, Brazil, using artificial neural network (ANN) and regression models to determine the best alternative. The data was obtained from five systems with different spatial arrangements (8 × 3 m, 10 × 3 m, 11 × 3 m, 12 × 3 m, 12 × 2 m, and 12 × 4 m), ages (5.5, 6.5 and 8 years) and genotypes, of which 122 sample trees were scaled. Hypsometric and volumetric models were adjusted considering no stratification or stratification by the AGP, spatial arrangement, and genotype. A multilayer perceptron ANN was trained using resilient propagation and skip layer training algorithms. The stratification variables used in the regression were used in the ANN as categorical variables. To estimate height of trees were used as continuous variables: diameter at breast height (dbh), dominant height (Dh), and age. To estimate volume were used as continuous variables: dbh, total height, and age. The AGPs’s mean annual increment at 5.5, 6.5 and 8 years of age ranged from 21 to 62 m3 ha−1 year−1. ANN was proven to be an efficient methodology for hypsometric and volumetric estimates of eucalypt in AGP in the study region.

Transformation Inspired from the Margins

Literature on international study and civic engagement acknowledges multiple conditions through which students may achieve personal and intellectual transformation. Less is written about student and faculty transformation when courses reside at intersecting disciplinary margins. Funded by the Luce Initiative on Asian Studies and the Environment (LIASE), two co-located, month-long, off-campus study courses situated faculty and student development within the thematic context of environmentalism in Japan. During the month available, by teaching at the margins, or in other words, beyond familiar lifestyles and areas of knowledge, we examined powerful common-sense assumptions regarding proper questions and answers about environmental challenges. Paired natural and social-science courses explored grassroots efforts to achieve environmental sustainability at the margins, in terms of socio-cultural structures, geography and place, normal life and crisis, cross-cultural and cross-language communication, and between wealthy and developing economies. This article contributes to our knowledge of transformative experiential learning by (1) documenting our processes in and products from co-designing and co-teaching these courses, and (2) reporting on learning resultant from the courses in the words of participating students and faculty, with their consent.

When Northern Pigtailed Macaques (Macaca leonina) Cannot Select for Ideal Sleeping Sites in a Degraded Habitat

Primates must select sleeping sites carefully to maximize fitness. In habitats with diminished quality and availability of resources, sleeping site selection becomes an even more crucial aspect of primate survival. We investigated sleeping site selection patterns in northern pigtailed macaques (Macaca leonina) living in a degraded habitat by testing the hypotheses of random selection, predation avoidance, and food proximity. We followed a group of northern pigtailed macaques in Sakaerat Biosphere Reserve, northeastern Thailand, over 14 months between February 2017 and October 2018. We identified 107 total sleeping sites and analyzed the forest structure at 50 sleeping sites and 50 randomly selected available sites. While the rate of reuse was low and random (N = 15), with sleeping sites characterized by a low availability of large and tall trees, the selection pattern was not random, with sleeping sites occurring more often in familiar areas (i.e., high site fidelity), and those with a greater number of stems and a higher canopy. These sleeping site characteristics were likely selected to decrease detection by predators and facilitate macaque escape in case of attack, supporting the predator avoidance hypothesis. However, food proximity also played a key role in sleeping site selection in this degraded habitat. Macaques often slept within, or close to, their first/last feeding site and selected their sleeping sites following food distribution, presumably to maximize energy intake. Our results present a new impact of habitat degradation on sleeping site selection in large primate groups: the use of a high number sleeping sites in order to cope with low availability and scattered distribution of fruit resources.

Pigeons remember visual landmarks after one release and rely upon them more if they are anosmic

Anosmic birds' homing ability is impaired when challenged to navigate over unfamiliar areas. Nevertheless, anosmic pigeons, Columba livia, show unimpaired navigation when released within a familiar area, suggesting that they may rely on familiar visual landmarks for navigation. However, direct evidence for the reliance on familiar visual landmarks during homing in anosmic birds has never been provided. In this study we tracked pigeons subjected singly to one training flight from each of three locations. Prior to their second release from each site, half of the birds were made anosmic while the others were not manipulated. The level of route fidelity was analysed separately for three phases of the homing process, in which familiar visual cues may have different relevance and may be used within different cognitive strategies: (1) ‘Initial decision making’; (2) ‘En route navigation’; (3) ‘Local navigation around home’. Compared to control birds, the anosmic birds flew significantly closer to previously overflown locations in the ‘En route navigation’ phase, while no difference in route fidelity emerged during phases (1) and (3). Our results showed that a single experience is sufficient for pigeons to learn release site features, and that familiar visual landmarks constitute a critical source of navigational information in olfactorily deprived birds during the homing process.

Radiotracking invasive spread: Are common mynas more active and exploratory on the invasion front?

Understanding the drivers of invasive species’ range expansion is key to effective management and successful control. Spatial sorting theory advances that invasive species can spread via a selection-neutral process predicated on differential movement. In addition to morphology and physiology, it has been predicted that variation in exploration and activity among individuals can be crucial to this model because these behaviors enhance movement. We aimed to address the question of whether exploration and activity are associated with invasive spread using the free-ranging invasive common myna (Acridotheres tristis) in Australia, one of the most broadly distributed invasive birds globally. We radio-tracked mynas from invasion-front sites versus long-established sites in New South Wales. We quantified activity using frequent movements in familiar areas and exploration using infrequent long-distance excursive movements, while also accounting for environmental variation. We discovered that mean daily distance travelled was larger in invasion-front than in invasion-source mynas, suggesting front mynas were more active. Invasion front mynas had significantly larger exploratory home ranges, moved greater maximum daily distances, and changed roost more frequently, suggesting front mynas were also more exploratory; the results were maintained when climate was included as a covariate. To our knowledge, this is the first study to show enhanced exploration and activity in free-ranging invasion-front birds. Inter-individual variation in movement-relevant behaviors might be facilitating the ongoing Australian myna range expansion, although habitat effects cannot be fully excluded. These findings point to the potential importance of considering changes in behavior when modelling alien animal invasions and applied conservation actions.

Stay home, stay safe-Site familiarity reduces predation risk in a large herbivore in two contrasting study sites.

Restricting movements to familiar areas should increase individual fitness as it provides animals with information about the spatial distribution of resources and predation risk. While the benefits of familiarity for locating resources have been reported previously, the potential value of familiarity for predation avoidance has been accorded less attention. It has been suggested that familiarity should be beneficial for anti-predator behaviour when direct cues of predation risk are unclear and do not allow prey to identify well-defined spatial refuges. However, to our knowledge, this hypothesis has yet to be tested. Here, we assessed how site familiarity, measured as the intensity of use of a given location, is associated with the probability of roe deer Capreolus capreolus being killed by two predators with contrasting hunting tactics, the Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx and human hunters. While risk of human hunting was confined to open habitats, risk of lynx predation was more diffuse, with no clear refuge areas. We estimated cause-specific mortality rates in a competing risk framework for 212 GPS-collared roe deer in two ecologically distinct areas of Central Europe to test the hypothesis that the daily risk of being killed by lynx or hunters should be lower in areas of high familiarity. We found strong evidence that site familiarity reduces the risk of being predated by lynx, whereas the evidence that the risk of being hunted is linked to site familiarity was weak. We suggest that local knowledge about small-scale differences in predation risk and information about efficient escape routes affect an individual's ability to avoid or escape an attack by an ambush predator. Our study emphasizes the role of site familiarity in determining the susceptibility of prey to predation. Further research will be required to understand better how a cognitive map of individual spatial information is beneficial for avoiding predation in the arms race that drives the predator-prey shell game.

Local recruitment in Northern Flickers is related to environmental factors at multiple scales and provides reproductive benefits to yearling breeders settling close to home

Abstract Natal dispersal and local recruitment are affected by factors both intrinsic and extrinsic to juveniles and may affect fitness. Understanding the relationship between dispersal and population density in birds has been hindered by a lack of long-term studies and a focus on resident species has neglected the role of weather operating at large spatial scales. I studied local recruitment and the reproductive consequences of natal dispersal distance within a population of Northern Flickers (Colaptes auratus), a migratory woodpecker. During a field study spanning 16 yr in British Columbia, 8,272 fledglings were banded and 138 males and 105 females recruited locally. The average annual local recruitment rate for males (3.36%) was greater than that for females (2.55%) and the propensity to recruit locally was positively correlated with an early hatch date and high body condition. Annual local recruitment was not associated with population density in the year of hatch but was positively correlated with population density in the year of settlement. Local recruitment was also positively correlated with warmer springs during migration, consistent with the phenology hypothesis that the location of settlement is affected by weather along the route. Among local recruits, natal dispersal distance was independent of the presence of parents and so dispersal was not a behavior to prevent inbreeding. However, settling closer to the natal site led to reproductive benefits in terms of earlier laying dates and better nest success. Therefore, juveniles may gain useful information about the location of nesting substrates, predation risk, and patchy food resources by exploring the landscape around their natal site during the post-fledging period and then settling in the familiar area after returning from migration.

Lessons on lymphangioleiomyomatosis: positivity and possibilities

Lessons on lymphangioleiomyomatosis: positivity and possibilities

Beyond the group: how food, mates, and group size influence intergroup encounters in wild bonobos

AbstractIn social-living animals, interactions between groups are frequently agonistic, but they can also be tolerant and even cooperative. Intergroup tolerance and cooperation are regarded as a crucial step in the formation of highly structured multilevel societies. Behavioral ecological theory suggests that intergroup tolerance and cooperation can emerge either when the costs of hostility outweigh the benefits of exclusive resource access or when both groups gain fitness benefits through their interactions. However, the factors promoting intergroup tolerance are still unclear due to the paucity of data on intergroup interactions in tolerant species. Here, we examine how social and ecological factors affect the onset and termination of intercommunity encounters in two neighboring communities of wild bonobos, a species exhibiting flexible patterns of intergroup interactions, at Kokolopori Bonobo Reserve, Democratic Republic of the Congo. We recorded the timing and location of intercommunity encounters and measured fruit abundance and distribution, groups’ social characteristics, and space-use dynamics over a 19-month period. We found that intercommunity tolerance was facilitated by a decrease in feeding competition, with high fruit abundance increasing the likelihood of communities to encounter, and high clumpiness of fruit patches increasing the probability to terminate encounters likely due to increased contest. In addition, the possibility for extra-community mating, as well as the potential benefits of more efficient foraging in less familiar areas, reduced the probability that the communities terminated encounters. By investigating the factors involved in shaping relationships across groups, this study contributes to our understanding of how animal sociality can extend beyond the group level.

Construction of safety net and home nursing in disparity society: The last time in a familiar area

Construction of safety net and home nursing in disparity society: The last time in a familiar area

Strategies used by people with Alzheimer's disease for outdoor wayfinding: A repeated observational study.

This study aimed to describe the wayfinding strategies used during outdoor walks by people with Alzheimer's disease. Inspired by an ethnographic approach, observations and conversations during repeated outdoor walks with five people with Alzheimer's disease living in their own homes were conducted. Data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The wayfinding strategies the participants described were: (1) landmarks, (2) used their senses, (3) stopped, looked around, and thought, (4) walking the same way or loop and in familiar areas, and (5) only walked in places and on routes where they could see other people and houses. Using wayfinding strategies might help people with Alzheimer's disease to be independent during outdoor walks, and discussing these strategies with relatives and nursing care staff may help finding people with Alzheimer's disease if lost outdoors. Wayfinding during the winter might be facilitated if temporary and changeable objects are avoided in people with Alzheimer's disease's walking route.

The role of disease maps in influenza epidemiological surveillance in Japan

Abstract. Since movement between countries has become easier for people, preventing the spread of various infectious diseases occurring around the world has become an international public health challenge. The use of “disease maps” in infectious disease prevention can encourage a range of studies on patterns of occurrence and modes of transmission to create thematic visual guides charting the geographical spread of diseases, and infectious disease research agencies around the world are conducting epidemiological surveillance for tracking and analyzing the occurrence of infectious diseases. In the case of Japan, influenza is a recurring and widespread infectious disease for which surveillance programs involving mapping are ongoing. With the development of Information-Communication Technology (ICT), surveillance information is easily accessible on the Web to both medical professions and ordinary citizens, as are online Geographical Information Systems (GIS) utilizing these data. Adapting to these transformations in the environment of information delivery requires that disease maps reflect an accurate grasp of local trends and real-time information delivery. Most studies of disease mapping have focused on the technical dimensions of the utilization of disease maps and WebGIS, and very little research has evaluated the use of disease maps and the quality of surveillance information on a regional scale. Accordingly, the aim of this study is to examine the current status of utilization of disease maps in Japan and issues for health crisis management, with a focus on local influenza surveillance. We conducted a survey of the websites of specialized agencies and local governments in Japan and we engaged in semi-structured interviews with officials from nine agencies that deliver epidemiological information using disease maps. The website survey assessed the quality of information provided by 82 public health institutes, 552 public health centers, 1,042 medical associations, and 1,977 local governments based on an index of 15 items measuring spatial scale along with map forms and usage. Interview items encompassed the “history of construction and management of the local surveillance system,” “users and utilization of local surveillance,” “impact of introduction and relationship with other surveillance measures,” “new developments and enhancements.” From the results of website survey, we found that only 332 agencies and local governments delivered original information on infectious disease jurisdictional districts, namely 116 public health centers, 108 medical associations, and 51 local governments. The spatial scale of surveillance generally corresponded to the jurisdictions of agencies and local governments; however, medical associations are provided at various levels, such as the county and city medical association level, municipal district level, public school district level, chome and aza (block) level, school facility level, and hospital and clinic levels. Among a total of 56 agencies and local governments conducting visualization, only few three were found to be using WebGIS. The semi-structured interviews revealed that the construction of local surveillance systems was necessary due to limitation of existing nationwide surveillance in rapid information delivery. Specialized agencies and local governments operating regional surveillance pointed out three problems of current nationwide infectious disease surveillance. First, the number of patients reported is limited because a few sentinel medical institutions report this kind of information. Second, use of the FAX information delivery system results in a time lag of two weeks for data aggregation and delivery. Third, because the minimum spatial unit is the public health center level, detailed information at the level under jurisdiction is not available. Such challenges arose amidst the crisis caused by the influenza A/H1N1pdm09 pandemic in 2009. In the aftermath of the failures of the 2009 epidemiological response, agencies and local governments cooperated with local government departments and the board of education to establish a system to collect information from all medical institutions and school facilities in the jurisdiction. Through visualizing such data as a disease map and sharing progress online, local surveillance has been effective in supporting medical consultations among local doctors, infection prevention at school facilities, and emergency response for night-time medical treatment, among other interventions. Local surveillance is informed by data in the jurisdiction of each specialized agency and local government; however, disease maps utilizing these information are maintained by 56 agencies and local governments. To construct the information delivery system on the local scale, we recommend the promotion of cooperation between agencies and local government departments and the strengthening of interactions between medical professionals, and mapping and GIS experts. In addition, it is evident that disease maps are effective for medical consultation support and infection control measures in familiar areas. From this perspective, local-scale disease maps have potential to be utilized as a communication tool for the sharing of risk management information between medical profession and residents.

Competition and Product Development Innovation: The Case of Newly Launched Trademarks

This paper examines the relationship between competition and product development innovation using the U.S. trademark database. We find that greater import competition spurs corporate product innovation measured by newly launched trademarks. However, such increase in foreign competition is associated with lower survival rate of new product trademarks. Moreover, firms tend to launch new trademarks in old and familiar areas in response to intensified import competition. We further show that the negative impact of competition on firm’s future performance is mitigated by product innovation. Our main results are similar when we use common domestic competition measures. Overall, our results suggest that competitive markets can promote product innovation.