Inexperienced Individuals Research Articles

Adult vultures outperform juveniles in challenging thermal soaring conditions.

Due to the potentially detrimental consequences of low performance in basic functional tasks, individuals are expected to improve performance with age and show the most marked changes during early stages of life. Soaring-gliding birds use rising-air columns (thermals) to reduce energy expenditure allocated to flight. We offer a framework to evaluate thermal soaring performance, and use GPS-tracking to study movements of Eurasian griffon vultures (Gyps fulvus). Because the location and intensity of thermals are variable, we hypothesized that soaring performance would improve with experience and predicted that the performance of inexperienced individuals (<2 months) would be inferior to that of experienced ones (>5 years). No differences were found in body characteristics, climb rates under low wind shear, and thermal selection, presumably due to vultures’ tendency to forage in mixed-age groups. Adults, however, outperformed juveniles in their ability to adjust fine-scale movements under challenging conditions, as juveniles had lower climb rates under intermediate wind shear, particularly on the lee-side of thermal columns. Juveniles were also less efficient along the route both in terms of time and energy. The consequences of these handicaps are probably exacerbated if juveniles lag behind adults in finding and approaching food.

Reported sexual pleasure among heterosexual men and women: An empirical investigation

Although numerous studies have explored factors related to overall sexual enjoyment among heterosexuals, few studies have investigated the pleasure associated with specific sexual activities. This cross-sectional study explored ratings of sexual pleasure among inexperienced and experienced men and women with regard to 15 specific sexual activities. Results indicated that inexperienced individuals consistently attributed less pleasure to sexual behavior in general than experienced individuals. Despite significant gender differences found in this study, when looking at individuals who had engaged in specific sexual activities previously, differences in ratings of sexual pleasure among men and women were not as apparent. Sexual pleasure (overall) was significantly related to age, ethnicity, and relationship status; however, no significant association was found between overall sexual pleasure and relationship satisfaction, or relationship length.

Was it (or will it be) good for you? Expectations and experiences of first coitus among emerging adults

Men and women have different expectations and experiences of first coitus. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to investigate expectations and experiences of first coitus. Using a college sample, we compared first coital affective reactions of sexually experienced individuals (i.e., individuals who have engaged in first coitus) with the anticipated first coital affective reactions of sexually inexperienced individuals (i.e., individuals who have not engaged in first coitus). Results indicated that inexperienced women, in general, anticipated more negative first coital affective reactions than men. Similarly, experienced women generally reported more negative first coital affective reactions than their male counterparts. Moreover, anticipated first coital affective reactions among inexperienced individuals were found to be more positive than the reported first coital affective reactions of experienced individuals. The largest discrepancy was associated with romance such that expectations of romance were greater than experiences of romance among both men and women.

Video Analysis of Mother–Child Interactions: Does the Role of Experience Affect the Accuracy and Reliability of Clinical Observations?

During the pre- and post-implant habilitation process, mothers of children using cochlear implants may be coached by clinicians to use appropriate communicative strategies during play according to the family's choice of communication approach. The present study compared observations made by experienced and inexperienced individuals in the analysis of one year post-implant mother–child play interactions. The study (a) explored intra-rater reliability differences in observations made by experienced clinicians versus inexperienced individuals and (b) investigated whether experienced clinicians and inexperienced individuals were able to identify communication approaches used by mothers in the play interactions. Children with prelingual hearing loss, who were implanted prior to 25 months of age, were recruited from early intervention programmes which used aural–oral (n = 7) or sign and speech (n = 5) habilitation approaches. Demographic information and one year post-operative mother-child play interaction video samples were obtained for the twelve children. Raters (n = 23) with varying levels of clinical experience watched five-minute play interaction video recordings of the mother–child dyads and evaluated key mother and child characteristics using the Maternal And Child Interaction Analysis (MACIA) rating form. Findings revealed that 39.13 per cent of all raters demonstrated a moderate level intra-rater agreement (K > 0.4). A higher proportion of experienced clinicians (60 per cent) was consistent their observations of a repeated mother–child video sample as compared to inexperienced individuals (33.3 per cent). All raters tended to under-identify mothers using a signing approach. Experienced clinicians identified communication approaches used by mothers with greater accuracy than inexperienced individuals. The MACIA rating form allowed for the documentation and comparison of observations made between raters.

One repetition maximum bench press performance: a new approach for its evaluation in inexperienced males and females. A pilot study

The aim of this study was to evaluate a new method to perform the one repetition maximum (1RM) bench press test, by combining previously validated predictive and practical procedures. Eight young male and 7 female participants, with no previous experience of resistance training, performed a first set of repetitions to fatigue (RTF) with a workload corresponding to ⅓ of their body mass (BM) for a maximum of 25 repetitions. Following a 5-min recovery period, a second set of RTF was performed with a workload corresponding to ½ of participants’ BM. The number of repetitions performed in this set was then used to predict the workload to be used for the 1RM bench press test using Mayhew’s equation. Oxygen consumption, heart rate and blood lactate were monitored before, during and after each 1RM attempt. A significant effect of gender was found on the maximum number of repetitions achieved during the RTF set performed with ½ of participants’ BM (males: 25.0 ± 6.3; females: 11.0x± 10.6; t = 6.2; p < 0.001). The 1RM attempt performed with the workload predicted by Mayhew’s equation resulted in females performing 1.2 ± 0.7 repetitions, while males performed 4.8 ± 1.9 repetitions. All participants reached their 1RM performance within 3 attempts, thus resulting in a maximum of 5 sets required to successfully perform the 1RM bench press test. We conclude that, by combining previously validated predictive equations with practical procedures (i.e. using a fraction of participants’ BM to determine the workload for an RTF set), the new method we tested appeared safe, accurate (particularly in females) and time-effective in the practical evaluation of 1RM performance in inexperienced individuals.

Five species of passerine bird differ in their ability to detect Batesian mimics

Multiple predators affect the evolution of aposematic signals in nature and these predators may substantially differ in terms of ecological and cognitive parameters. However, most experimental studies testing the evolution of Batesian mimics use only a single species of predator (usually the great tit or a domestic chick). Therefore, in the present study, we experimentally tested the responses of five passerine predators to an artificially made Batesian mimic (a cockroach equipped with the warning pattern of the red firebug) with respect to their dietary ecology. Half of the individuals of each species were fed on unmodified roaches before the experiment, whereas the other half were fed with mealworms and thus had no previous experience with roaches. We found that Batesian mimics were better protected than inconspicuous prey against inexperienced great tits and robins alone. The other three bird species showed high level of neophobia; therefore, the effect of warning coloration could not be assessed. We also found that experienced birds attacked a greater number of Batesian mimics compared to inexperienced individuals of all tested species, with the exception of blackcaps. In the great tits, robins, and blue tits, a significant number of experienced birds attacked the Batesian mimic, which was possibly the result of a learned search image for a roach. Our results suggest that using a limited array of predators to describe evolutionary processes forming the diversity of antipredatory strategies of the prey may be biased and need not describe the situation occurring in nature.

Human Visual System-Based Fundus Image Quality Assessment of Portable Fundus Camera Photographs.

Telemedicine and the medical "big data" era in ophthalmology highlight the use of non-mydriatic ocular fundus photography, which has given rise to indispensable applications of portable fundus cameras. However, in the case of portable fundus photography, non-mydriatic image quality is more vulnerable to distortions, such as uneven illumination, color distortion, blur, and low contrast. Such distortions are called generic quality distortions. This paper proposes an algorithm capable of selecting images of fair generic quality that would be especially useful to assist inexperienced individuals in collecting meaningful and interpretable data with consistency. The algorithm is based on three characteristics of the human visual system--multi-channel sensation, just noticeable blur, and the contrast sensitivity function to detect illumination and color distortion, blur, and low contrast distortion, respectively. A total of 536 retinal images, 280 from proprietary databases and 256 from public databases, were graded independently by one senior and two junior ophthalmologists, such that three partial measures of quality and generic overall quality were classified into two categories. Binary classification was implemented by the support vector machine and the decision tree, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were obtained and plotted to analyze the performance of the proposed algorithm. The experimental results revealed that the generic overall quality classification achieved a sensitivity of 87.45% at a specificity of 91.66%, with an area under the ROC curve of 0.9452, indicating the value of applying the algorithm, which is based on the human vision system, to assess the image quality of non-mydriatic photography, especially for low-cost ophthalmological telemedicine applications.

Precision and accuracy in quantifying herbivory

1. Tissue removal by herbivores (i.e. herbivory) is a dominant interaction in most communities which has important impacts on natural and managed ecosystems. Despite the importance of herbivory, we lack a quantitative comparison of the efficacy of the most commonly used methods used to quantify herbivore damage.2. We examined the factors that affect the precision and accuracy of visual and digital methods commonly used to quantify damage to leaves.3. We created 224 digital leaves from four plant species. In a fully factorial design we manipulated leaf morphology and species, the location of damage (marginal or internal), estimation method (exact percentage or 25% bins), observer experience and expectancy bias (i.e., bias due to an expected result). Using 583 adult observers, we estimated the precision and accuracy of individuals' ability to visually estimate known levels of damage. In a third smaller experiment, we performed similar analyses using a digital scanner.4. Across the first two experiments, individuals estimated damage with high precision (R2 = 0.75 and 0.80) and accuracy (slopeactual vs estimated = 0.88 and 0.86). However, the precision and accuracy of estimates were influenced by plant species, the location of damage, and estimation method. Inexperienced individuals also overestimated low levels of damage, and this bias decreased with experience. Digital methods were precise (R2 = 0.98) whereas accuracy was statistically indistinguishable from visual methods (slope = 0.91).5. Visual estimates of damage provide the fastest and most cost‐effective method for quantifying herbivory, and our results show they can be precise and accurate. We use our results to provide specific recommendations for future research.

Predatory Behaviour is Plastic According to Prey Difficulty in Naïve Spiderlings

Predatory behaviour is plastic towards different prey. However, prey differ in their defenses and predators should adjust in order to successfully subdue it. The variation in predatory behaviour could be either innate or developed from experiences. A feasible way to tease these factors apart is by studying inexperienced individuals. Here, I tested if the behaviour of inexperienced predators is different towards two prey types and if it correlates with the behaviour of the prey. I fed naive spiderlings of the sheet weaver cellar spider Physocyclus globosus (Pholcidae) with either fruit flies or ants as prey (potential extremes in difficulty). I found that, regardless of prey type, individuals that exhibited active defensive behaviour (longer time twisting, moving legs and body segments) elicited a more intense predatory behaviour by the spiderlings (longer time touching and wrapping the prey, and giving more bites). Ants were often more difficult prey than flies, even damaging the spiderling’s leg in five trials. A successful attack to difficult prey was associated with increased handling time of additional silk needed to immobilize it. The differences in the predatory behaviour showed by P. globosus spiderlings suggest plasticity since their first attack. This plasticity would be adaptive for naive predators of any taxa that encounter a wide diversity of prey.

Survival and local recruitment are driven by environmental carry-over effects from the wintering area in a migratory seabird.

We estimated annual apparent survival rates, as well as local recruitment rates in different age groups and for different breeding status in the common tern Sterna hirundo using mark-recapture analysis on a long-term individual-based dataset from a breeding colony in Germany. Strong inter-annual variability in survival rates became apparent, especially in prospectors. Local recruitment also varied strongly between years and age groups. To explain these fluctuations, we linked survival and recruitment estimates to several environmental covariates expected to be limiting during the wintering period and migration, including the global climate indices of North Atlantic Oscillation and Southern Oscillation, fish abundance indices, and marine primary productivity in the West African wintering area. Contrary to expectations, global indices did not seem to be linked strongly to vital rates. Results showed that primary productivity had the strongest effect on annual survival, especially in young and inexperienced individuals. Primary productivity in the wintering area was also strongly associated with the probability of recruitment in the following breeding season, indicating that conditions during winter can have carry-over effects on the life cycle of individuals.

Operator experience determines performance in a simulated computer-based brain tumor resection task.

Develop measures to differentiate between experienced and inexperienced neurosurgeons in a virtual reality brain surgery simulator environment. Medical students (n = 71) and neurosurgery residents (n = 12) completed four simulated Glioblastoma multiforme resections. Simulated surgeries took place over four days with intermittent spacing in between (average time between surgeries of 4.77 ± 0.73 days). The volume of tumor removed (cc), volume of healthy brain removed (cc), and instrument path length (mm) were recorded. Additionally, surgical effectiveness (% tumor removed divided by % healthy brain removed) and efficiency (% tumor removed divided by instrument movement in mm) were calculated. Performance was compared (1) between groups, and (2) for each participant over time to assess the learning curve. In addition, the effect of real-time instruction ("coaching") was assessed with a randomly selected group of medical students. Neurosurgery residents removed less healthy brain, were more effective in removing tumor and sparing healthy brain tissue, required less instrument movement, and were more efficient in removing tumor tissue than medical students. Medical students approached the resident level of performance over serial sessions. Coached medical students showed more conservative surgical behavior, removing both less tumor and less healthy brain. In sum, neurosurgery residents removed more tumor, removed less healthy brain, and required less instrument movement than medical students. Coaching modified medical student performance. Virtual Reality brain surgery can differentiate operators based on both recent and long-term experience and may be useful in the acquisition and assessment of neurosurgical skills. Coaching alters the learning curve of naïve inexperienced individuals.

Foraging by experienced and inexperienced Cory’s shearwater along a 3-year period of ameliorating foraging conditions

Experience is believed to be an important factor determining the foraging success of animals, but there is limited knowledge on how foraging tactics differ among individuals, and on how individuals develop efficient foraging strategies. Pelagic seabirds are some of the longest living organisms, and in several species, breeding is deferred far beyond their physical maturity. The complex foraging skills needed to successfully rear a young is considered the most likely explanation for this life trait, making seabirds particularly interesting for the investigation of how foraging skills differ and develop through their life span. In our study, the spatial distribution and foraging tactics of experienced and inexperienced males of a Procellariiform seabird species, the Cory’s shearwater (Calonectris borealis) breeding on the Portuguese continental shelf, were compared along three consecutive breeding seasons with ameliorating environmental conditions (from 2010 towards 2012). Kernel overlaps of foraging areas and habitat modelling demonstrated that while experienced males showed high fidelity to shallow feeding grounds, inexperienced birds were more explorative and relied more on less-productive pelagic areas. Our results seem to support the prediction that differences between experienced and inexperienced individuals are enhanced by food scarcity. In fact, there was a higher spatial, trophic and behavioural segregation between both groups when environmental conditions were poor, which progressively diminished with improving environmental conditions. Still, we cannot rule out the fact that inexperienced birds might be gaining experience with each breeding season and thus honing their foraging skills towards those of experienced individuals.

The use of 3D computed tomography reconstruction in medico-legal testimony regarding injuries in living victims – Risks and benefits

Forensic pathologists are often called upon to determine the mechanism and severity of injuries in living individuals. Such expert testimony is often based solely on hand-written clinical notes. The victims' injuries may also be visualized via three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of computed tomography (CT) images. This method has certain benefits but is not free from limitations. This paper presents two case reports. The first case is that of a female who was brought to the hospital with a knife thrust into her body. The prosecutor's questions focused on the wound channel. The information obtained from the patient's medical records was very general with many contradictory statements. A re-evaluation of the available CT scan data and a subsequent 3D reconstruction helped determine the exact course of the wound channel. The other case was that of a young male, hospitalized based on CT evidence of bilateral rib fractions, who claimed to have been assaulted by police officers. Court expert witnesses were already in possession of a 3D reconstruction showing symmetrical fractures of the patient's lower ribs with bone fragment displacement. An expert witness in radiology definitively excluded the presence of any actual fractures, and explained their apparent visibility in the three-dimensionally reconstructed image as a motion artifact. These two cases suggest that a professionally conducted 3D CT reconstruction is a very useful tool in providing expert testimony on injuries in living victims. However, the deceptive simplicity of conducting such a reconstruction may encourage inexperienced individuals to undertake it, and thus lead to erroneous conclusions.

One repetition maximum bench press performance: A new approach for its evaluation in inexperienced males and females: A pilot study

The aim of this study was to evaluate a new method to perform the one repetition maximum (1RM) bench press test, by combining previously validated predictive and practical procedures. Eight young male and 7 females participants, with no previous experience of resistance training, performed a first set of repetitions to fatigue (RTF) with a workload corresponding to ⅓ of their body mass (BM) for a maximum of 25 repetitions. Following a 5-min recovery period, a second set of RTF was performed with a workload corresponding to ½ of participants' BM. The number of repetitions performed in this set was then used to predict the workload to be used for the 1RM bench press test using Mayhew's equation. Oxygen consumption, heart rate and blood lactate were monitored before, during and after each 1RM attempt. A significant effect of gender was found on the maximum number of repetitions achieved during the RTF set performed with ½ of participants' BM (males: 25.0 ± 6.3; females: 11.0x± 10.6; t = 6.2; p < 0.001). The 1RM attempt performed with the workload predicted by Mayhew's equation resulted in females performing 1.2±0.7 repetitions, while males performed 4.8±1.9 repetitions. All participants reached their 1RM performance within 3 attempts, thus resulting in a maximum of 5 sets required to successfully perform the 1RM bench press test. We conclude that, by combining previously validated predictive equations with practical procedures (i.e. using a fraction of participants' BM to determine the workload for an RTF set), the new method we tested appeared safe, accurate (particularly in females) and time-effective in the practical evaluation of 1RM performance in inexperienced individuals.

Breeding experience and foraging behaviour of Imperial Shags (Leucocarbo atriceps) in Argentina

Breeding success depends on efficient foraging behaviour by breeding individuals. However, foraging skills are acquired over time and foraging behaviour is expected to be optimised over the course of successive breeding events. In 2008, 32 Imperial Shags (Leucocarbo atriceps) breeding at the Punta León colony, Argentina, either with prior breeding experience (4 males and 9 females) or without (10 males, 9 females), were fitted with tracking devices to record one foraging trip during the early chick-rearing period. Birds did not differ in the maximum distance from the colony or duration of foraging trips, but males spent more time flying than females. Inexperienced individuals spent more time diving than experienced individuals, and inexperienced males in particular spent more time flying and performed more dives than other birds. Experienced males and females differed in the areas that they searched most intensively, and inexperienced males used different areas from experienced males. This study shows the importance of considering sex-and age-related differences when studying behavioural aspects, such as foraging patterns in seabirds.

Frugivorous bats evaluate the quality of social information when choosing novel foods

The ability to discriminate information quality from multiple social partners may be essential to animals that use social cues in deciding when, where, and what to eat. This may be particularly important in species that rely on ephemeral and widely dispersed resources. We show that tent-making bats, Uroderma bilobatum, socially acquire preferences for novel foods through interactions with roost­ mates both in captivity and in natural roosts and that these food cues can influence roostmates' decisions at least for several days. More importantly, these bats can distinguish between the quality and information content of 2 different cues that are brought back to their roost. Inexperienced individuals prefer food that has been consumed by a roostmate to food whose odor is present only on the fur of a roostmate that has eaten sugar water. The ability of bats to discriminate odors on breath and fur may allow them to select the most infonnative cues about the presence or renewed availability of dispersed resources. This selectivity may help stabilize roosts as information centers for the social acquisition of updated information on unpredictable and widely distributed food items.

Meteorological conditions influence short‐term survival and dispersal in a reinforced bird population

SummaryA high immediate mortality rate of released animals is an important cause of translocation failure (‘release cost’). Post‐release dispersal (i.e. the movements from the release site to the first breeding site) has recently been identified as another source of local translocation failure. In spite of their potential effects on conservation program outcomes, little is known about the quantitative effects of these two sources of translocation failure and their interactions with environmental factors and management designs.Based on long‐term monitoring data of captive‐bred North African houbara bustardsChlamydotis undulata undulata(hereafter, houbara) over large spatial scales, we investigated the relative effects of release (e.g. release group size, period of release), individual (e.g. sex and body condition) and meteorological (e.g. temperature and rainfall) conditions on post‐release survival (n = 957 individuals) and dispersal (n = 436 individuals).We found that (i) rainfall and ambient air temperature had, respectively, a negative and a positive effect on houbara post‐release dispersal distance; (ii) in interaction with the release period, harsh meteorological conditions had negative impact on the survival of houbara; (iii) density‐dependent processes influenced the pattern of departure from the release site; and (iv) post‐release dispersal distance was male‐biased, as natal dispersal of wild birds (although the dispersal patterns and movements may be influenced by different processes in captive‐bred and in wild birds).Synthesis and applications. Our results demonstrate that post‐release dispersal and mortality costs in translocated species may be mediated by meteorological factors, which in turn can be buffered by the release method. As the consequences of translocation programs on population dynamics depend primarily upon release costs and colonization process, we suggest that their potential interactions with meteorological conditions must be carefully addressed in future programs (i) through monitoring of short‐term post‐release mortality to understand its link with environmental conditions, (ii) by carefully choosing the season of release to minimize exposition of inexperienced individuals to harsh conditions and (iii) by generalizing the use of long‐term weather forecast to adapt release effort and staggering releases over several years to buffer meteorological effects.

"Personal Experience, Individual Traits and Attitude Formation: Evidence from China's Health Service"

Personal experience is directly relevant to the development of recognition or attitudes. Unlike most previous studies that have treated people as identical objects, this study extends the current knowledge of the influence of personal experience on attitude formation by incorporating individual traits. Using a large-scale household survey dataset from China, this article empirically tests the hypothesized relationships among personal experience, individual traits and attitude formation, particularly examining the interaction effects between personal experience and individual traits. People with personal experience in healthcare services in the prior year report attitudes toward municipal healthcare sectors that differ significantly from the attitudes of people without such personal experience. Individuals with better health status tend to show more positive attitudes toward municipal service systems than individuals with poor health status. Personal experience moderates the relationship between self-reported health status and citizens' attitudes toward municipal governments. The influence of self-reported health status on citizen attitude is stronger for inexperienced individuals than for experienced individuals. In addition, this article also examines the contribution of satisfaction with healthcare service encounter to citizen attitudes toward municipal healthcare sector, which reaffirm that both personal experience of and satisfaction with public service greatly influences citizens' attitudes toward and trust in government.

Equipping witnesses with transferable skills: the Self-Administered Interview©

The Self-Administered Interview© (SAI) is a novel investigative interview tool with potential practical benefits. Research revealed that the SAI increases the recall of correct information without a decrease in accuracy. In addition, it seems to prevent forgetting. Participants who had completed the SAI after viewing an event remembered more correct details following a delay than participants who did not have this early recall opportunity. The current study examined whether the beneficial effects of the SAI go beyond the well-established testing effect. Does the SAI make a good witness for one event or for a better witness in general? If the SAI provides general skills, its effects may transfer at least partially to a new event. Two groups of participants watched an event followed by SAI or free recall (FR) instructions. After a one-week delay participants were presented with a second event and received FR instructions. In addition to replicating the SAI effect, experienced SAI participants recalled more correct details for the second event than inexperienced individuals. The findings suggest that the SAI equips witnesses with transferable skills they can use during future retrieval of new events.

An Analysis of Herding Behaviour during Market Cycles in South Africa

Herding behaviour can be captured by the relationship between share price movements with the market, typified by beta. We examine herding behaviour for the period 1995 to 2011 and find that it is absent overall, yet present during bear market periods only. When examined alongside the market cycle, herding appears to dramatically fluctuate before a market contraction. Conceptually, herding can be seen as an explanatory factor for the existence of a nonlinear market model. Our findings infer that a negative market reaction (contraction) is preceded by an increase in herding. The evidence of herding in during a South African market contraction can thus impact financial forecasts and volatility estimates of the market. Further, it could possibly indicate the level of confidence of market participants – both experienced and inexperienced individuals tend to follow the group consensus in times of a market downturn, yet deviate from the group consensus in times of a market upturn.