Assessment of shoulder dimensions and angles of porcelain bonded to metal crown preparations

This research examined hand preference for a bimanual task in 45 tufted capuchin (Cebus apella) and 55 rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) monkeys. Investigators presented subjects with plastic tubes lined with food and noted which hand the animals used to hold the tubes and which hand the animals used to remove the food. Several significant findings emerged from this investigation. First, rhesus macaques, but not tufted capuchins, exhibited a population-level bias toward use of the right hand (although the difference in direction of hand preference between species was not significant). Second, capuchins exhibited greater hand preference strength than did macaques. Third, among capuchins, but not among macaques, hand preference strength was greater for adults than for immatures. Finally, both species used their index digit to remove food most frequently when compared with other digits. Findings of hand preference direction and strength in this study were compared with other findings noted for chimpanzees which performed a bimanual tube task in a previous study. The authors conclude that using the same procedure to compare hand preference across species represents a powerful research tool that can lead to a more complete understanding of the evolution and ontogenesis of primate handedness.     

Hand preference for a bimanual task in tufted capuchins (Cebus apella) and rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta).

Examined hand preference for a bimanual task in 45 tufted capuchin (Cebus apella) and 55 rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) monkeys. Investigators presented subjects with plastic tubes lined with food and noted which hand the animals used to hold the tubes and which hand the animals used to remove the food. Several significant findings emerged from this investigation. First, rhesus macaques, but not tufted capuchins, exhibited a population-level bias toward use of the right hand (although the difference in direction of hand preference between species was not significant). Second, capuchins exhibited greater hand preference strength than did macaques. Third, among capuchins, but not among macaques, hand preference strength was greater for adults than for immatures. Finally, both species used their index digit to remove food most frequently when compared with other digits. Findings of hand preference direction and strength in this study were compared with other findings noted for chimpanzees which performed a bimanual tube task in a previous study. The authors conclude that using the same procedure to compare hand preference across species represents a powerful research tool that can lead to a more complete understanding of the evolution and ontogenesis of primate handedness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Posture and reaching in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus).

Hand preference in reaching was assessed under 2 postural adjustment conditions in 40 chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and 6 orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus). The postural conditions were quadrupedal and upright, during which reaching for food was scored on a minimum of 50 trials. Results indicated no population preference during quadrupedal reaching, but a right-hand population preference was found during upright reaching. There were no significant effects of age or sex on either the direction or strength of hand preference. Early rearing history affected the strength of hand preference but not direction. The results suggest that posture is an important factor in the assessment of hand preference in great apes and may have important evolutionary consequences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Behavioral laterality in captive bonobos (Pan paniscus).

Behavioral laterality was studied in a captive group of 11 bonobos (Pan paniscus). In an observational method a significant left lateral bias in carrying and a right lateral bias in leading limb were found. Direction of lateral bias in carrying and leading limb was enhanced when Ss maintained a bipedal posture. Analysis of bimanual feeding behavior revealed a significant right-hand bias for eating when the Ss were holding food with their left hand. In an experimental method a significant shift toward greater right-hand use was found when Ss were required to maintain a bipedal, rather than a quadrupedal, posture. There was no evidence of lateral bias for measures of face touching, self-touching, or gestures. The results are discussed in the context of previous reports of primate laterality. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) as living fossils of hominoid personality and subjective well-being.

Personality dimensions capturing individual differences in behavior, cognition, and affect have been described in several species, including humans, chimpanzees, and orangutans. However, comparisons between species are limited by the use of different questionnaires. We asked raters to assess free-ranging rhesus macaques at two time points on personality and subjective well-being questionnaires used earlier to rate chimpanzees and orangutans. Principal-components analysis yielded domains we labeled Confidence, Friendliness, Dominance, Anxiety, Openness, and Activity. The presence of Openness in rhesus macaques suggests it is an ancestral characteristic. The absence of Conscientiousness suggests it is a derived characteristic in African apes. Higher Confidence and Friendliness, and lower Anxiety were prospectively related to subjective well-being, indicating that the connection between personality and subjective well-being in humans, chimpanzees, and orangutans is ancestral in catarrhine primates. As demonstrated here, each additional species studied adds another fold to the rich, historical story of primate personality evolution. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Postural effects on manual reaching laterality in squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) and cotton-top tamarins (Saguinus oedipus).

Squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) and cotton-top tamarins (Saguinus oedipus) made unimanual food reaches from either a horizontal, quadrupedal posture or a vertical, clinging posture. No population-level handedness occurred in either species. However, in both species, directional lateral preferences weakly expressed for reaching from the stable quadrupedal posture were intensified in the vertical cling posture. This phenomenon, which is designated as soft handedness, may have been an evolutionary precursor to population-level handedness. Right or left turning by the squirrel monkeys before reaching closely predicted use of the right or left hand. However, the magnitude of the association decreased in the more highly lateralized vertical cling condition. This result suggests that as lateral hand preference increases, hand use may become increasingly independent of constraints from prior behavioral and environmental influences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Lateral bias for rotational behavior in tufted capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella).

This research examined lateral bias for rotational behavior in tufted capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella). A symmetrical distribution of rotational bias was noted, with approximately equal numbers of Ss preferring to turn to the right and to the left. As a group, adults did not exhibit a lateral rotational bias. Immatures preferentially rotated to the left. Across Ss, the strength of rotational bias was positively related to the incidence of right-eyed looking. Rotational bias was not related to hand preference. The finding of analogous age-dependent patterns of rotational bias in capuchins and in humans suggests that the rotational behavior of Cebus apella can be used to model an asymmetric response pattern that has been linked to development in Homo sapiens. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Hand preferences in unimanual and coordinated-bimanual tasks by tufted capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella).

Hand preferences in 26 capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) were examined in 2 reaching-for-food tasks under 2 postural conditions. In the 1st task (unimanual), monkeys were required to reach for food from both a quadrupedal and an upright posture. A right-hand bias was found for the upright but not for the quadrupedal condition. In the 2nd task (coordinated bimanual), monkeys were required to extract the food from a hanging Plexiglas tube from both a crouched and an upright posture. A right-hand bias was found for both conditions. A significant increase in right-hand use was noted from the unimanual, quadrupedal, reaching task to the coordinated-bimanual task, with females exhibiting a greater right-hand preference than males. In addition, a significant effect of task complexity on strength in laterality was found. Results are discussed in the context of recent theories on primate laterality. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Methodology of motor skill and laterality: new test of hand preference in Macaca nemestrina

Ten female pig-tailed macaques (Macaca nemestrina) were tested for hand preference and hand skill (i.e., speed of performance and error rate). The experimental task was naturalistic, calling for adaptive manual skills and fine manipulation: the monkeys had to remove small food rewards embedded in a vertical array, and precision opposition of thumb and forefinger was needed to extract each pellet. Each monkey was tested 10 times on 10 different days. The results indicated individual hand preference rather than population-level handedness; however, a tendency toward right predominance was found. The results on hand skill showed a relation between error rate and hand preference, as the preferred hand made fewer errors. A different and unexpected finding was obtained when skill was evaluated in terms of speed of performance: in adult subjects the left hand was quicker than the right. Therefore, different kinds of skill showed different patterns in relation to hand preference.     

Comparative and familial analysis of handedness in great apes.

Historically, population-level handedness has been considered a hallmark of human evolution. Whether nonhuman primates exhibit population-level handedness remains a topic of considerable debate. This paper summarizes published data on handedness in great apes. Comparative analysis indicated that chimpanzees and bonobos show population-level right handedness, whereas gorillas and orangutans do not. All ape species showed evidence of population-level handedness when considering specific tasks. Familial analyses in chimpanzees indicated that offspring and maternal (but not paternal) handedness was significantly positively correlated, but this finding was contingent upon the classification criteria used to evaluate hand preference. Overall, the proportion of right handedness is lower in great apes compared with humans, and various methodological and theoretical explanations for this discrepancy are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Visuospatial reaching preferences of common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus): An assessment of individual biases across a variety of tasks.

Using multiple measures of hand preference, the authors investigated lateralization at an individual level in 21 common marmosets. Despite showing group biases for sensory and communication functions, these same marmosets did not show a group bias in direction of lateralized hand use. Hand preferences were recorded on four novel reaching tasks requiring different levels of visual guidance and postural control. As found for simple food holding (with the same subjects), they displayed strong individual hand preferences but no group bias indicative of handedness. The strength of hand preference was influenced by task demands: stronger preferences were expressed when subjects adopted a suspended posture, and when "successful" versus "unsuccessful" foraging strategies were compared. Comparisons between visuospatial reaching and simple food holding preferences also revealed that half of the subjects displayed a division of function between the hands/hemispheres; subjects displayed opposing preferences in simple and visuospatial reaching, which would be beneficial for the performance of coordinated bimanual tasks. Given the apparent absence of a selective advantage for handedness, the authors suggest that hand preferences may reflect hemispheric dominance of other cognitive domains (i.e., temperament). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Carnitine depletion during total parenteral nutrition despite oral L-carnitine supplementation

This study examined the behavioral mechanisms that support transfer of food from adults to infants in tufted capuchins (Cebus apella). Two captive groups of capuchins were presented with abundant quantities of unshelled pecans or commercial pellets. Five of 11 infant subjects could not open the nuts. A variety of tolerated interactions were initiated by infants toward adults, and food was frequently transferred. All such interactions were more frequent with nuts (a preferred food) than with pellets. Adult capuchins were equally tolerant of infant capuchins that could open nuts and those that could not. Tolerated interactions during feeding could result in acquisition of dietary information by young capuchins or to important, if intermittent, nutritional support.     

Hypoxaemia and supplemental oxygen therapy in the first 24 hours after myocardial infarction: the role of pulse oximetry

SIV infection of rhesus macaques is an excellent model for HIV infection of humans. Unfortunately, it is has been difficult to identify macaques expressing particular MHC class I alleles. Here we describe the use of PCR-SSP for Mamu-A*01 typing of rhesus macaques. The Mamu-A*01 allele was amplified from genomic DNA using Mamu-A*01-specific primers and positive PCR products were directly sequenced. Our technique identified 15 Mamu-A*01-positive animals of 68 tested. We validated our molecular analysis by showing that lymphocytes from 8 Mamu-A*01-positive animals expressed Mamu-A*01 as determined by immunoprecipitation and 1-D IEF. The technical simplicity and accuracy of this typing method should facilitate selection of Mamu-A*01-positive rhesus macaques for AIDS virus pathogenesis and vaccine studies.     

Transfers of food from adults to infants in tufted capuchins (Cebus apella).

This study examined the behavioral mechanisms that support transfer of food from adults to infants in tufted capuchins (Cebus apella). Two captive groups of capuchins were presented with abundant quantities of unshelled pecans or commercial pellets. Five of 11 infant subjects could not open the nuts. A variety of tolerated interactions were initiated by infants toward adults, and food was frequently transferred. All such interactions were more frequent with nuts (a preferred food) than with pellets. Adult capuchins were equally tolerant of infant capuchins that could open nuts and those that could not. Tolerated interactions during feeding could result in acquisition of dietary information by young capuchins or to important, if intermittent, nutritional support. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mu-opioid receptor (OPRM1) variation, oxytocin levels and maternal attachment in free-ranging rhesus macaques Macaca mulatta.

Understanding the genetic and neuroendocrine basis of the mother-infant bond is critical to understanding mammalian affiliation and attachment. Functionally similar nonsynonymous mu-opioid receptor (OPRM1) SNPs have arisen and been maintained in humans (A118G) and rhesus macaques Macaca mulatta (C77G). In rhesus macaques, variation in OPRM1 predicts individual differences in infant affiliation for mothers. Specifically, infants carrying the G allele show increased distress on separation from their mothers, and spend more time with them upon reunion, than individuals homozygous for the C allele. In humans, individuals possessing the G allele report higher perceptions of emotional pain on receiving rejection by social partners. We studied maternal behavior over the course of a year among free-ranging female rhesus macaques on Cayo Santiago, Puerto Rico. We then trapped females and collected blood samples from which we assessed OPRM1 genotype; we also collected cerebrospinal fluid samples from which we measured oxytocin (OT) levels. We show that females possessing the G allele restrain their infants more (i.e., prevent infants from separating from them by pulling them back) than females homozygous for the C allele. Females possessing the G allele also show higher OT levels when lactating, and lower OT levels when neither lactating nor pregnant, than females homozygous for the C allele. This is the first study to demonstrate an association between OPRM1 genotype and maternal attachment for infants, and is one of the first studies of any free-ranging primate population to link functional genetic variation to behavior via potentially related neuroendocrine mechanisms. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ordinal Representation of Numeric Quantities by Brown Capuchin Monkeys (Cebus apella).

Using techniques established by E. M. Brannon and H. S. Terrace (2000) with rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta), the authors tested the ability of brown capuchins (Cebus apella) to order arrays of items ranging in quantity from 1 to 9. Three monkeys were trained on a touch screen to select the quantities 1-4 in ascending order. The monkeys exhibited successful transfer of this ability to novel representations of the quantities 1-4 and to pairs of the novel quantities 5-9. Patterns of responding with respect to numeric distance and magnitude were similar to those seen in human subjects, suggesting the use of similar psychological processes. The capuchins demonstrated an ordinal representation of quantity equivalent to that shown in Old World monkeys. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of posture on hand preference during experimental food reaching in bonobos (Pan paniscus).

The effect of posture on hand preferences was examined in an experiment with 5 bonobos (Pan paniscus). To obtain a food reward, the animals had to adopt 1 out of 7 different postures. These postures represented an increasing problem to the maintenance of body equilibrium. It was expected that an increasing demand for equilibrium maintenance would elicit individual preferences and a population-level bias. All animals showed an increasing trend toward left-handedness while shifting to a bipedal posture from a seated posture by way of a quadrupedal posture. The importance of bipedalism in the evolution of left- and right-handedness is discussed briefly. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The MHC class I genes of the rhesus monkey. Different evolutionary histories of MHC class I and II genes in primates

Homologues of the human HLA-A and -B MHC class I loci have been found in great apes and Old World primates suggesting that these two loci have existed for at least 30 million years. The C locus, however, shows some sequence similarity to the B locus and has been found only in gorillas, chimpanzees, and humans. To determine the age of the MHC class I C locus and to examine the evolution of the A and B loci we have cloned, sequenced, and in vitro translated 16 MHC class I cDNAs from two unrelated rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) using both cDNA library screening and PCR amplification. Analyses of these sequences suggest that the C locus is not present in the rhesus monkey, indicating that this locus may be of recent origin in gorillas, chimpanzees, and humans. The rhesus monkey's complement of MHC class I genes includes the products of at least one expressed A locus and at least two expressed B loci, indicating that a duplication of the B locus has taken place in the lineage leading to these Old World primates. Comparison of rhesus monkey MHC class I cDNAs to their primate counterparts reveals fundamental differences between MHC class I and class II evolution in primates. Although MHC class II allelic lineages are shared between humans and Old World primates, no such trans-species sharing of allelic lineages is seen at the MHC class I loci.     

South Turkwel: a new pliocene hominid site in Kenya

New fossils discovered south of the Turkwel River in northern Kenya include an associated metacarpal, capitate, hamate, lunate, pedal phalanx, mandibular fragment, and teeth. These fossils probably date to around 3.5 m.y.a. Faunal information suggests that the environment at South Turkwel was predominantly bushland. The mandibular and dental remains are fragmentary, but the postcranial fossils are informative. Comparisons with Australopithecus, modern human, chimpanzee and gorilla hand bones suggest that the Turkwel hominid was most like Australopithecus afarensis and A. africanus. Carpometacarpal articulations are intermediate between those of modern humans and African apes, suggesting enhanced gripping capabilities compared with extant apes. The hamulus was strikingly large, similar in proportion only to Neandertals and some gorillas, suggesting the presence of powerful forearms and hands. There are no indicators of adaptations to knuckle-walking or suspensory locomotion in the hand, and the pedal phalanx suggests that this hominid was habitually bipedal.     

Quality assurance in inpatient treatment of depression. Aspects of quality monitoring and external quality assurance exemplified by a pilot project of inpatient treatment of depression]

An apparent species-specific relatedness of SIVagm suggests a coevolution with their natural hosts. However, the exact species or subspecies classification of African green monkeys, AGM, is uncertain because current classification schemes rely on phenotype markers, while more definitive genetic data are lacking. In this study, the CD4 protein involved in tissue type recognition was genetically cloned and sequenced from PBMC RNA from all AGM species, including Barbados green monkeys (BGM). Phylogenetic trees were constructed that also included genomic CD4 nucleotide sequences from patas, sooty mangabeys, rhesus and pig-tail macaques, chimpanzees, and humans. Chimpanzees and humans consistently clustered together. Monkeys within the Cercopithecus genus formed a separate cluster which included pata monkeys, supporting its grouping as a member of Cercopithecus. Surprisingly, sooty mangabeys were genetically more closely related to Asian macaques than to other African species, which might explain why macaques are more susceptible to infection by the SIVsm group than to infection by SIVagm or HIV-1 and why patas, on the other hand, are highly susceptible to SIVagm infection. Based on CD4 genetic data, tantalus, vervets, grivets, and sabaeus formed separate subgroups with BGM grouping closely with vervets. The branching order of the AGM species was related to that of their respective SIVagm env sequences. The study suggests a strong correlation between CD4 phylogeny and the susceptibility of the host species to infection by a specific lentivirus and supports the assumption of a coevolution of SIVagm and AGM. CD4 sequencing is suggested as a relevant method for genetic determination of primate species.