Individual Differences In Number Research Articles

Comparison of spatial dispersion of epigeic fauna between alluvial forests in an agrarian and Dunajské luhy protected landscape area, southern Slovakia

Abstract The spatial distribution of the epigeic fauna of floodplain ecosystems (willow-poplar floodplain forest, regenerated poplar forest), in the conditions of the natural environment of the Dunajské luhy Protected Landscape Area (PLA, hereinafter) and agrarian landscape was studied. The Dunajské luhy PLA, hereinafter (Slovak Republic) is the part of the system of protected areas of the European Union. During the three years 2020–2022, 24,169 individuals belonging to 19 taxa at 6 locations using the pitfall traps method were recorded. Through spatial modeling, the preference of most taxa for floodplain forests located in the Dunajské luhy PLA was found. We also observed a significant difference in number of individuals of epigeic fauna in floodplain forests betvween Dunajské luhy PLA area and agrarian landscape during all three years 2020 (p = 0.0070), 2021 (p = 0.0077) and 2022 (p = 0.04624). Thus, agroecosystems in the neighborhood of alluvial forests had a negative impact on the taxonomic diversity and abundance of epigeic fauna. In order to maintain a balance between the production of food, wood and the preservation of natural forest stands, it is important to optimally allocate areas and set up their management. For example, by creating forest islands in agricultural crops, to increase the epigeic fauna.

87 Surgical Versus Conservative Management of Acute Achilles Tendon Ruptures; A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract Aim To compare the functional outcomes including re-rupture rates, number of participants failing to return to work or sports and scoring scales between surgical and conservative treatment in a systematic review. Method A systematic review was performed using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis statement (PRISMA) protocol. Studies were identified from these databases: PubMed, Cochrane and CINAHL. Risk-ratio analysis to compare rupture rates and failure to return to work/sports, whilst a standard mean difference analysis compared the functional outcome scores from both treatment groups. Results Seven randomised controlled trial studies included with a total of 486 participants involved in the trials, comprising of 245 participants for surgical intervention and 209 participants for conservative management. There is a higher re-rupture rate in the conservative group compared to the surgical group with a risk ratio (RR) of 0.38 (95% CI 0.16–0.92, P = 0.03). Statistically, there was no significant difference in number of individuals failing to return to work/sports in both treatment modalities, RR for all the three studies were 0.85 (95% CI 0.51,1.41, P = 0.52). A standardised mean analysis with an overall effect Z of 0.40 (std MD 0.09; P 0.69; 95%CI -0.35,0.53) indicate no statistically significant difference in the functional outcomes between the three different studies. Conclusions Surgical intervention only shows an advantage over conservative treatment in terms of re-rupture rates but similar results with conservative treatment when other outcomes including number of participants returning to previous activity levels, plantar flexion and functional scoring systems were assessed.

Relationship among Serum Progestagens, Cortisol, and Prolactin in Pregnant and Cycling Asian Elephants in Thailand.

The aim of this study was to examine relationships among serum progestagens, cortisol, and prolactin in pregnant and normal cycling Asian elephants living in tourist camps in northern Thailand. Samples were collected twice a month for 22 months from nine elephants. Of those, four were pregnant (24.3 ± 2.9 years of age; range 21–28 years) and five (20.2 ± 9.6 years; range 8–34 years) exhibited normal ovarian cycles based on serum progestagen analyses. Gestation was divided into three periods: 1st (week 1–31), 2nd (week 32–62), and 3rd (week 63 to parturition), while the estrous cycle was divided into the follicular and luteal phases. Serum progestagens were higher during the luteal phase of the cycle (p < 0.003), whereas cortisol and prolactin were similar. In pregnant elephants, there were no differences in serum progestagens or cortisol concentrations across the three gestational periods, whereas prolactin concentrations increased significantly during the 2nd and 3rd periods (p < 0.0001). By contrast, prolactin concentrations in nonpregnant elephants were consistently low throughout the ovarian cycle. In one cycling female, prolactin concentrations were similar to pregnant elephants, perhaps because she was an allomother to two calves. Another cycling female exhibited consistently elevated cortisol concentrations, 5 to 10 times higher than the other elephants. There were no correlations between serum progestagens, cortisol, and prolactin throughout gestation; however, serum progestagens and cortisol were positively related in cycling elephants (r = 0.386, p < 0.001). From our results, there were a number of individual differences in reproductive hormonal patterns, so it is important to develop personalized monitoring programs for each elephant to enhance breeding success and create sustaining captive populations of elephants in Asia.

Place Value Understanding Explains Individual Differences in Writing Numbers in Second and Third Graders But Goes Beyond

Recent studies have shown that children’s proficiency in writing numbers as part of the so-called transcoding correlates with math skills. Typically, children learn to write numbers up to 10,000 between Grade 1 and 4. Transcoding errors can be categorized in lexical and syntactical errors. Number writing is thus considered a central aspect of place value understanding. Children’s place value understanding can be structured by a hierarchical model that distinguishes five levels. The current study investigates to what extent a profound understanding of the place value system can explain individual differences in number writing. N = 266 s and third graders (126 girls) participated in the study. The children wrote down 28 verbal given numbers up to 10,000 and completed a place value test based on a hierarchical model to assess number writing skills and place value understanding. Second graders made more number writing errors than third graders and transcoding errors were mostly syntactical errors. In both grades, transcoding performance and place value understanding correlated substantially. In particular complex numbers were more often solved correctly by children with a more elaborated place value understanding. The effect of place value understanding on error rate was smaller regarding lexical errors than syntactical errors. This effect was also comparably small regarding inversion-related errors. The results underpin that writing numbers is an integral part of early place value understanding. Writing numbers can be assumed to be mostly based on the identification of the place values. However, variance in transcoding skills cannot totally be explained by place value understanding, because children with an elaborated place value understanding differed in transcoding performance, too. The differences between the grades indicate that children’s development of writing numbers is also driven by instruction in school. Thus, writing numbers and place value understanding overlap but exceed each other. We discuss how an understanding of the place value relations can be integrated in existing frameworks of place value processing. Since writing numbers is a basic skill in place value understanding, it might serve as an efficient screening method for children, who struggle severely with understanding the decimal place value system.

Examining the effects of social anxiety and other individual differences on gaze-directed attentional shifts.

Gaze direction is a powerful social cue, and there is considerable evidence that we preferentially direct our attentional resources to gaze-congruent locations. While a number of individual differences have been claimed to modulate gaze-cueing effects (e.g., trait anxiety), the modulation of gaze cueing for different emotional expressions of the cue has not been investigated in social anxiety, which is characterised by a range of attentional biases for stimuli perceived to be socially threatening. Therefore, in this study, we examined whether social anxiety modulates gaze-cueing effects for angry, fearful, and neutral expressions, while controlling for other individual-differences variables that may modulate gaze cueing: trait anxiety, depression, and autistic-like traits. In a sample of 100 female participants, we obtained large and reliable gaze-cueing effects; however, these effects were not modulated by social anxiety, or by any of the other individual-differences variables. These findings attest to the social importance of gaze cueing, and also call into question the replicability of individual differences in the effect.

Estimating population density of Nicrophorus quadripunctatus (Coleoptera: Silphidae) in Korea

AbstractEstimating the population density of organisms is of great concern to ecologists and much effort has been put into making accurate assessment of population levels in nature. We evaluated the trapping web (TW) method for the determination of the density of species of burying beetles. We found eight and six species of burying beetles at Beopjusa and Ssanggok‐ri areas, respectively. Most of the species population comprised Nicrophorus quadripunctatus, with densities of 65 and 195 per ha for Beopjusa and Ssanggok‐ri areas, respectively. Moreover, the flight intercept trap (FIT) method from 2003 to 2007 also revealed the same trend: Beopjusa temple (2928) to Ssanggok‐ri (5835). However, the differences in number of individuals were probably due to the differences in the methods and the length of the trapping period. The populations of N. quadripunctatus exist as metapopulations, making accurate assessment of the population densities extremely difficult. We hypothesized that the TW method could accurately estimate population densities extrapolated from patch population size per area.

Reader response: Upgoing thumb sign: A sensitive indicator of brain involvement?

In the article by Hachinski et al.,1 the upgoing thumb sign is more frequently found in patients with stroke or TIA. However, after reading the text and studying figure 2 and table 1,1 I was confused by the apparent differences in numbers of individuals. For example, the number of stroke/TIA patients is 116 in the text and 113 in table 1. The numbers in table 1 do not add up: there are 30 + 22 = 52 stroke mimics and not 55 as is stated on the upper line. The percentages and numbers in table 2 suggest a completely different distribution of patients among the 4 categories: supposing that female sex could be ascertained for all patients, the numbers (with percentages in parentheses) lead to 55 patients with mimics (37 without [of which 62% = 23 are women] and 18 with a positive sign [of which 56% = 10 are women]) and 114 stroke/TIA patients (45 without and 69 with a positive sign). In addition, neither these numbers nor the numbers quoted in table 2 are consistent with the percentages in figure 2. These inconsistencies make it impossible to judge the true value of the upgoing thumb sign.

The Psychology of Gay Men's Cuckolding Fantasies.

Cuckolding (also known as troilism) is a sexual interest in which one obtains sexual arousal from the experience of a romantic partner engaging in sexual activity with someone else. The present study investigated fantasies about and experiences with cuckolding in a large and diverse sample of predominately gay-identified men (N=580). Compared to previous research focusing on heterosexual men's cuckolding fantasies, our results indicate that gay men's cuckolding fantasies share many common elements; however, they differ in some important ways. Most notably, interracial and BDSM themes do not appear to be as common in gay men's cuckolding fantasies as they are among heterosexual men. Our findings also indicate that frequent fantasies about cuckolding are linked to several overlapping sexual interests (e.g., voyeurism, group sex) and, further, the content of these fantasies is associated with a number of individual differences (e.g., agreeableness, sensation seeking, sociosexuality). Finally, this study also suggests that gay men who act on their cuckolding fantasies tend to report positive experiences; however, the likelihood of reporting positive outcomes appears to depend upon one's personality and attachment style.

The impact of eating methods on eating rate and glycemic response in healthy adults

Singapore is an island state that is composed of three major ethnic groups, namely Chinese, Malay and Indian. Its inhabitants consume food either using chopsticks (Chinese), fingers (Malay and Indian) or spoon (Chinese, Malay and Indian). Previous work by our group showed that the degree of mastication significantly influenced the glycemic response. The degree of mastication in turn may depend on the eating method as the amount of food taken per mouthful and chewing time differs between eating methods. Eleven healthy volunteers came in on six non-consecutive days to the laboratory and evaluated three methods of eating white rice (spoon, chopsticks and fingers) once and the reference food (glucose solution) three times in a random order. Their glycemic response (GR) was measured for the subsequent 120min. Mastication parameters were determined using surface electrode electromyography. The GR to white rice eating with chopsticks was significantly lower than spoon. The GI of eating rice with chopsticks was 68 which is significantly lower than eating with spoon (GI=81). However there were no differences between fingers and spoon, and between fingers and chopsticks either in GR 120min or GI. The inter-individual number of mouthful, number of chews per mouthful, chewing time per mouthful and the total time taken to consume the whole portion of rice were significantly different between spoon and chopsticks groups. Significant correlations between the number of mouthful to take the entire portion of rice and amount of rice per mouthful during mastication and the GR were observed for eating rice with spoon and chopsticks, but not for fingers. The results suggest that individual differences in number of mouthful and amount of rice per mouthful may be two of the causes for inter-individual differences in the GR between spoon and chopsticks. The present study suggests that eating rice with different feeding tools has different chewing times and amount of food taken per mouthful and then alters the GI of the rice.

Medical, psychological, social, and gender aspects of aging in modern Russia

In this article, the authors considered controversial issues ambiguous attitude to the aging process of the population of the Russian Federation on the basis of a number of individual differences--psychological, social, sexual, and medical. The thesis is that, unfortunately, the fight against aging appears rather to be more a struggle with an already existing old age, and you need to develop preventive measures against aging much earlier than is currently done. Submissions own research confirm this position. The system of training, adjustment to a new level of life, to the new conditions associated with aging process, in the form of a special kind of multidisciplinary centers that carry out the tasks of improving health and young is proposed.

The Balloon Analog Insurance Task (BAIT): A Behavioral Measure of Protective Risk Management

Prior methods used to assess individual differences related to risk have not focused on an important component of risk management: how willing individuals are to pay for or take actions to insure what they already have. It is not clear whether this type of protective risk management taps into the same individual differences as does risk taking propensity measured by existing risk taking tasks. We developed a novel task to assess protective risk management, the Balloon Analog Insurance Task (BAIT), which is modeled after the Balloon Analog Risk Task (BART). In the BAIT, individuals are forced to decide how much money they are willing to pay in order to insure a specific fraction of their prior winnings given changing but imprecise levels of risk of monetary loss. Participants completed the BART and BAIT for real monetary rewards, and completed six self report questionnaires. The amount of insurance purchased on the BAIT was positively correlated with scores on the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale and on the Checking scale of the revised Obsessive Compulsive Inventory. Conversely, the amount of insurance purchased was negatively correlated with scores on the Domain Specific Risk Taking Questionnaire, and on the Psychopathic Personality Inventory (PPI). Furthermore, relationships between insurance purchased and these scales remained significant after controlling for the BART in linear regression analyses, and the BART was only a significant predictor for measures on one scale - the PPI. Our results reveal that behavior on the BAIT taps into a number of individual differences that are not related to behavior on another measure of risk taking. We propose that the BAIT may provide a useful complement to the BART in the assessment of risk management style.

Effects of reduced impact logging on bat biodiversity in terra firme forest of lowland Amazonia

Timber harvest is one of the main causes of degradation of Amazonian tropical forests, where bats represent important components of biodiversity. In addition, bats may represent keystone taxa in the Neotropics, as they are primary agents of pollination and seed dispersal for many pioneer plants. We assessed the impact of low harvest (18 m 3/ha), reduced impact logging (RIL) on population and community characteristics of phyllostomid bats in Amazonian terra firme forest of Brazil at 20–42 months post-harvest. Based on 103,680 net-meter-hours of netting in Tapajós National Forest, 2341 phyllostomids were captured, representing 42 species, 25 genera, and 4 broad feeding guilds. Population-level responses of common phyllostomids to RIL were minor, with 10 of 15 species evincing no change in mean abundance. Of those taxa responding to RIL (mean difference in number of individuals per site), three increased ( Artibeus concolor [0.46 individuals], Artibeus lituratus [3.88], and Glossophaga soricina [0.71]) and two decreased ( Carollia brevicauda [0.96] and Carollia perspicillata [14.04]) in abundance. Compositional (species distributions) and structural (rank distributions) aspects of bat assemblages differed between cut and control forests. More specifically, bat assemblages in cut forest had increased diversity and decreased dominance compared to control forest. Nonetheless, the proportional abundance of the five most common species, as a group, was similar in cut (86%) and control forest (88%), and frugivores dominated assemblages in both management types. Mean abundance of frugivores decreased (10.59 individuals per site) in response to RIL; however, this response was driven by decreases in C. perspicillata, the most abundant species in terra firme forest. Although RIL had only minor effects on biodiversity in the short-term, extrapolation to a long-term prospectus should be exercised with caution when applied to conservation or policy issues.

Similar soft-bottom polychaete diversity in Arctic and Antarctic marine inlets

The diversity of soft-bottom polychaete assemblages in one Antarctic (Admiralty Bay) and two Arctic (Kongsfjord and van Mijenfjord) localities was compared. The data sets included 79 (Admiralty Bay), 80 (Kongsfjord) and 44 (van Mijenfjord) samples collected with use of 0.1 m2 van Veen grab. The number of species per sample in Kongsfjord (mean 19.9 ± 8.0 SD) was higher than that in Van Mijenfjord (13.7 ± 8.3) or Admiralty Bay (15.7 ± 9.4). The differences in species numbers reflected differences in numbers of individuals in samples: 310.4 ind/0.1 m2 ± 178.0 in Kongsfjord, 132.7 ind/0.1 m2 ± 88.7 in Van Mijenfjord and 138.9 ind/0.1 m2 ± 91.5 in Admiralty Bay. The Hurlbert diversity for 50 individuals (ES[50]) was similar at all sites: 10.7 ± 3.4 in Kongsfjord, 9.7 ± 4.2 in van Mijenfjord, 10.5 ± 4.9 in Admiralty Bay. The shape of species accumulation curves was also similar for all localities. There was no significant difference (at P < 0.05) either in the total number of species or in species richness as estimated by Chao1 and Chao2 estimators. The generic and family richness at three sites was also similar. We found no substantial differences in the distribution of species among families. At both poles Terebellidae, Ampharetidae, Maldanidae, Spionidae and Polynoidae were dominant in terms of species numbers. The similarity of infaunal polychaete diversity at the polar sites studied contrasts with the substantial differences reported for epi-megafauna. Our study suggests that the patterns of diversity of polar benthic communities are shaped by patterns of habitat heterogeneity which appears to mask any historical processes.

Exploring the “learning organization model” in multinational companies

PurposeThe principal aim of this research has been to discover what perception Spanish managers have of the organizational contexts in which they work and, in particular, in what way they consider that these conform with the characteristics of a continuously learning organization.Design/methodology/approachData were collected in accordance with the questionnaire of Pedler. The questionnaire was completed anonymously.FindingsOrganizational environments in what used to be state monopolies do not yet conform with the conditions that define a continuously learning organization. The greatest number of individual differences with respect to the perception of whether the organization is a learning organization are concentrated in individual variables such as age and professional level.Research limitations/implicationsThe main intention has been to learn more about a specific real situation, in order to gain the capacity to understand what is occurring. It has been considered that in the future this line of research could be continued by repeating the analysis in organizational contexts that are different from the one analyzed here.Practical implicationsAlthough the organizational environment does not have the characteristics of a “continuously learning organization”, the managers consider that they wish to end their working life in it.Originality/valueIn the future, it will be possible to evaluate the impact that certain strategic plans may have on workers and vice versa, since issues related to human factors may have an influence on the strategic actions of companies.

Language sampling for kindergarten children with and without SLI: mean length of utterance, IPSYN, and NDW

Language sample analysis measures have long been promoted as exhibiting greater ecological validity than formal testing in the assessment of language disorder in children. In practice, their use is often restricted to preschool children, owing to lack of normative information, as well as criticisms of the validity of commonly used measures for the language of older children. This study compared scores of kindergarten children (mean age 6 years) with and without specific language impairment (SLI) on three commonly used language sample analysis measures: mean length of utterance in morphemes (MLU-m), the index of productive syntax (IPSyn), and number of different words (NDWs). Mean scores of the children with SLI were significantly lower for all three measures, though not for all subtests of the IPSyn. A number of individual differences were observed; notably, several children with SLI scored as well as those without. The problems and promise of language sampling for children beyond the preschool years are discussed in light of these results. Learning outcomes: (1) readers will gain an understanding of strengths and weaknesses of language sample measures in assessing kindergarten children with language impairment. (2) The reader will become aware of the utility of MLU in differentiating between young school age children with and without language impairment.

Genetic Influence on the Variance in Coincidence Timing and its Covariance with IQ: A Twin Study

Performance measures on a coincidence timing task have previously been associated with psychometric IQ suggesting that the ability of an individual to devote processing resources at the required time may account for some of intelligence test variance. Using the twin design, this study investigates whether genetic variability explains some of the variance in coincidence timing and whether common genetic factors account for the association with intellectual functioning. Fifty-five 16-year old twin pairs (28 MZ, 27 DZ) were tested. Individual differences in number of hits (HITS), mean absolute error (MAE), and intra-individual trial-to-trial consistency ( SD) were significantly influenced by genetic factors, accounting for approximately 50 percent of the variance. The correlation between coincidence timing and psychometric IQ was confirmed and ranged from 0.11 to 0.53 with a mean correlation of 0.33. In the limited sample, the correlation between IQ and the coincidence timing measures appeared to be mediated largely by a unique environmental factor, with only a small loading of SD on the genetic factor influencing IQ. However, as the confidence intervals in the other genetic cross loadings are large, we cannot exclude the possibility of a much stronger genetic influence.

Effect of plantation age on diversity and population fluctuation of Lepidoptera collected in Eucalyptus plantations in Brazil

A faunistic survey of Lepidoptera associated with eucalyptus was carried out from June 1989 to June 1994 in a plantation at the Vale do Rio Doce Region, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Insects were collected every fifteen days with five light traps and divided in primary, secondary and non-pests of eucalyptus as well as a group of nonidentified morphospecies. Twelve primary pests with 5823 individuals; 17 secondary pests with 2757 individuals; 148 non-pests with 8856 individuals and 1179 unidentified morphospecies with 11,834 individuals were collected. The most abundant primary pest species were Stenalcidia grosica and Glena unipennaria (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) while Eacles imperialis magnifica and Automeris illustris (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) and Idalus admirabilis (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae) were the most abundant secondary species. Differences in numbers of individuals trapped were significantly higher between locations of light traps than between years. There were significantly more species in the last years of this study, but the number of specimens was similar for all years. These results indicate a high environmental stability and suggest that this region is one of the most suitable areas for Eucalyptus plantation in Brazil.

Determinants of susceptibility to cigarette smoke. Potential roles for neuroendocrine cells and neuropeptides in airway inflammation, airway wall remodeling, and chronic airflow obstruction.

There is a subgroup of cigarette smokers who are more susceptible than others to the deleterious effects of cigarette smoke and to chronic airflow obstruction. The study of histopathologic and physiologic differences between these "susceptible" smokers and "resistant" smokers, who do not develop clinically significant airflow obstruction, may lead to better understanding of host factors that determine individual susceptibility to cigarette smoke. This report puts forth the hypothesis that individual differences in number or function of pulmonary neuroendocrine cells may play an important role in determining whether cigarette smokers develop chronic airflow obstruction and perhaps other smoking-related disorders. In this context, pulmonary neuroendocrine cells and bombesin-like peptides are discussed, emphasizing those aspects most relevant to the pathobiologic consequences of cigarette smoking.

Maternal unresponsiveness and infant crying across the first 9 months: A naturalistic longitudinal study

In this longitudinal study of 50 mother-infant dyads, it is hypothesized that maternal responsiveness, defined as promptness of maternal interventions to infant crying, decreases the number and duration of infant crying bouts. All subjects were visited 12 times at home at 3-week intervals during the first 9 months after the birth of the infant. The mean total observation period for every dyad was 21.7 hours. Data on frequency and duration of infant crying and maternal responsiveness were collected through event- and audiorecording equipment. Results show that average duration of crying is reduced by half from the first to the third quarter. Average frequency of crying bouts, however, remains the same. Individual differences in duration of crying cannot be explained by differences in promptness of maternal responsiveness to infant crying. However, individual differences in number of crying bouts at the end of the first half year can be partly attributed to differences in maternal responsiveness: More frequent delay of maternal responses reduces the number of crying bouts during the first half year of life. The concept of differential responsiveness is hypothesized to explain our unexpected results.

Effects of Selective Taxa Removal on Lotic Macroinvertebrate Colonization in a Wooded Piedmont USA Stream

Abstract The assemblage composition, following selective taxa removal, was examined on already colonized rocks in a North Carolina, piedmont stream. The taxa removed were either the net-spinning caddisfly Cheu-matopsyche sp. or the case-building chironomid Rheotanytarsus sp.. Handled rocks with no removals were the controls. Since both taxa were numerically dominant at the start of this study but occuppied different amounts of rock space, we hypothesized that the colonization dynamics following the removals would be different between the two treatments. Over the 14 day study period, no differences in total number of individuals (N), or number of taxa (S) were detected among treatments. High within-treatment variablity in these factors contributed to this result. The only taxa which showed a treatment effect (apart from the removal itself) were the chironomids Corynoneura sp., and Paraphaenocladius sp.. Both taxa were more abundant on rocks with Rheotanytarsus removed than on controls, suggesting competiti...