Judgements of ordinality and summation of number symbols by squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus)

In Experiment 1, 2 squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) were given choices between all possible pairs of the arabic numbers 0, 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9, with choice of any number yielding that number of pieces of peanut as a reward. Both monkeys learned to choose the larger number in all pairings and learned to choose the largest number within a set of 4 numbers. In Experiments 2-4, the monkeys were tested on problems in which they chose between pairs of stimuli containing 2 numbers versus 2 numbers, 1 number versus 2 numbers, and 3 numbers versus 3 numbers. Both monkeys showed a significant tendency to choose the stimulus that contained the largest sum. Various tests indicated that this effect could not be explained by choice of the stimulus with the largest single number, by avoidance of the stimulus with the smallest single number, or by experimenter cuing.     

Social affiliation and dominance in captive squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus).

Considers that the use of squirrel monkeys in laboratory social research requires more detailed techniques for determining basic social relations. Social interaction in 3 squirrel monkey groups (N = 21) was observed using a tentative behavioral inventory and time samples of social proximity. Social preference for other group members was tested in an experimental setting. Factor analyses of observed frequencies of initiated dyadic interaction revealed 3 primary factors: play, social attraction, and social power. Examination of specific behavioral patterns that characterized the latter 2 factors indicated stable dominance and affiliative relations within the groups. Experimental assessments of social preference did not correspond with affiliative patterns evident in the group setting. Results are discussed in terms of relative value of observational and experimental procedures, observational inventories as laboratory instruments for the analysis of social relations, and implications for general factors underlying primate social organization. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Forelimb performance by squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) before and after dorsal column lesions.

Old World monkeys with dorsal column lesions have exhibited slow, inept reaching movements in extrapersonal space under neurological examination. The purpose of the present study was to obtain quantified observations of such performance in similarly prepared squirrel monkeys. Nine young adult Ss with high cervical lesions of the dorsal columns were tested pre- and postoperatively. After preoperative testing, 3 Ss were assigned as controls. Experimental Ss were compared with sham-operated controls on 3 tests requiring fast reaching for stationary bait and on 1 test requiring catching of a falling bait. Experimental Ss were impaired relative to controls postoperatively only on bait catching. Possible reasons for the apparent discrepancy between the forelimb performance of New World monkeys and Old World monkeys are discussed. (26 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Salivary cortisol: a non-invasive measure of hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenocortical activity in the squirrel monkey, Saimiri sciureus

STUDY OBJECTIVES: To study the in vitro effects of the serotonin2 (5-HT2) receptor agonist 1-(2.5-dimethoxy-4-iodophenyl)-2-aminopropane (DOI) in skeletal muscle specimens from malignant hyperthermia-susceptible (MHS) and normal (MHN) patients following pretreatment with the 5-HT2 receptor antagonist ritanserin. DESIGN: Prospective study. SETTING: Malignant hyperthermia (MH) laboratory at a university hospital. PATIENTS: 41 patients undergoing in vitro contracture test for diagnosis of MH susceptibility. INTERVENTIONS: Skeletal muscle biopsies in adult patients were performed with a 3-in-1 nerve block with 40 ml prilocaine 1%. In children, general anesthesia was induced with 50 micrograms/kg alfentanil intravenously (i.v.) and 2 to 2.5 micrograms/kg propofol i.v. and maintained with a continuous infusion of propofol (< or = 150 micrograms/kg/min) and nitrous oxide (66%) in oxygen. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Patients were first classified as MHS or MHN by the in vitro contracture test according to the European MH protocol. Surplus muscle specimens of 21 MHS and 20 MHN patients were used in this study. At first, DOI was added to the organ bath at a concentration of 0.02 mM. In the second part of the study, muscle specimens were preincubated with ritanserin 0.01 mM for 10 minutes before DOI 0.02 mM was added to the bath. Muscle specimens from all patients developed contractures after administration of DOI. The onset of contractures was significantly faster in MHS muscles, and the magnitude of contracture was significantly greater than in MHN. The muscle twitch decreased significantly in both groups after DOI. After pretreatment with ritanserin, start of contracture was significantly delayed in MHS muscles. MHN muscles failed to develop contractures. The maximum level of contracture was significantly reduced in MHS. Muscle twitch decreased also in both MHS and MHN groups. CONCLUSIONS: The findings may indicate that stimulation of 5-HT2 receptors is involved in MH induction. Furthermore, 5-HT2 receptor antagonists could possibly be effective in preventing MH. Additional studies are required to determine if administration of 5-HT2 receptor antagonists could be of additional value in the treatment or prevention of anesthetic-induced MH.     

Feeding interruptions, diurnal mass changes and daily routines of behaviour in the zebra finch

We investigated daily changes in body mass, fat reserves and crop contents, and diurnal organization of behaviour, in the zebra finch, Taeniopygia guttata, in relation to experimental manipulations of food availability. Diurnal mass change and the organization of foraging behaviour during the day were in general agreement with recent theoretical predictions. Foraging intensity, and hence rate of mass gain, was most rapid immediately after dawn and before dusk. The experimental birds did not alter either mean body mass or their diurnal mass trajectory after a period of 2 weeks when food was made unavailable for 2 h a day at unpredictable times. Instead, they changed their allocation of time to different activities during the day, decreasing the mean amount of time spent locomoting and increasing the mean amount of time spent inactive over the day. Thus, contrary to a number of recent studies on different species, zebra finches appear to respond to unpredictable interruptions in food supply by reducing energetically expensive activities rather than adjusting their levels of energy reserves. Copyright 1998 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour Copyright 1998 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.     

Outbreak of vampire bat biting in a Venezuelan village

An outbreak of 154 cases of vampire bat biting in a four-month period in the gold mine of Payapal, a Venezuelan village, is reported. All patients were bitten during the night and the most bites were on their toes. No complication attributed to the bite was reported. Diagnoses of rabies virus made by means of immunofluorescence were negative. A possible reason for this outbreak may been the development of mining areas, with the inhabitants providing an alternative food source for the bats.     

Radiocesium contamination in a submediterranean semi-natural ecosystem following the Chernobyl accident: measurements and models

Radiocesium dynamics in a Quercus conferta Kit ecosystem in Northern Greece have been extensively studied over the years 1993-1995. Radiocesium distribution in the different parts of the ecosystem was measured. A total 137Cs inventory of 243+/-66 MBq ha(-1) due to the Chernobyl accident was measured in all parts of the ecosystem. Almost 90% of this inventory is still in the upper layers of the soil and the forest floor. In particular 13.4% is in the forest floor, 52.6% in the Ah horizon, and 23.4% in the upper 5 cm of the soil. Only 2.2% of this inventory is in the above ground biomass. The mean total 137Cs deposited on the forest floor from the above ground biomass is 0.18 MBq ha(-1) y(-1). Cesium leaching from the forest floor is negligible. The radiocesium distribution in soil is fixed and in equilibrium, at least since 1993. Most of radiocesium is not available for migration. Cesium migration in soil was modeled by a) an "equivalent diffusion" model with different initial conditions and b) a "compartment" model derived from a diffusion-advection model. A compartment model for the contamination of living biomass is proposed. The total absorbed dose rate in air as well as the contribution due to 137Cs from the Chernobyl accident was determined inside the forest, by in-situ gamma spectrometry.     

Measuring the effect of a hygiene behaviour intervention by indicators of behaviour and diarrhoeal disease

A social marketing approach used both qualitative and quantitative methods to develop a hygiene behaviour intervention in rural north-east Thailand. Behaviours were preselected from a previous study and the intervention was designed to promote hand washing, especially before feeding a baby, cooking, eating, and after defaecation or cleaning a baby's bottom, and dish washing immediately after eating. A bacteriological indicator (enumerating faecal streptococci using a finger impression technique) was developed to measure changes in hand washing behaviour and observation (spot checks) of dirty dishes to indicate dish washing practice. There was a significant improvement in both behaviours and a significant reduction in diarrhoeal disease as a result of the intervention. Furthermore, both indicators were retrospectively found to be positively related to diarrhoeal disease incidence. However, receiving and being able to recall the intervention messages was not necessarily sufficient to ensure behaviour change, as some adults found it difficult to change old habits. Villages showing the greatest improvement tended to have a stronger sense of community than others and to have more people actively involved in the intervention.     

硫化氢环境下两种不锈钢的应力腐蚀开裂行为

用U形弯试样浸泡和慢应变速率拉伸实验研究了3Cr17Ni7Mo2SiN和00Cr22Ni5Mo3N(2205)不锈钢在硫化氢介质中的应力腐蚀开裂(SCC)行为.2205不锈钢的SCC萌生孕育期较长,在pH较低的饱和H₂S溶液中具有明显的SCC敏感性,其SCC敏感性随溶液pH值的升高或H₂S含量的降低而迅速降低.3Cr17Ni7Mo2SiN的SCC孕育期均低于2205不锈钢,在pH ≤ 4.5、H₂S的质量浓度 ≥ 10³mg·L^-1的H₂S介质中均具有明显的SCC敏感性,其SCC敏感性受pH值和H₂S含量变化影响较小.3Cr17Ni7Mo2SiN的SCC以沿晶裂纹萌生,扩展后转变为穿晶应力腐蚀开裂;2205不锈钢近表面处首先发生奥氏体-铁素体相间氢致开裂,并促进SCC萌生,其SCC为穿晶应力腐蚀开裂.     

An outbreak of vampire bat bite in a Brazilian village

An outbreak of 26 cases of vampire bat bite in one month in the rural area of Honorópolis, a Brazilian village, is reported. All patients were bitten during the night, when they were asleep, and most bites were on their toes. No complication attributed to the bite was reported. The patients were given prophylactic antirabies serum and rabies vaccine. Control of the outbreak was achieved by visiting bat roosting sites, smearing captured vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus) with a paste of 2% warfarin in vaseline, and releasing them. No case of human or animal rabies was diagnosed in a 5-month follow-up. A possible explanation for the outbreak of bat bite is that, because of man-induced environmental modifications in their habitats, vampire bats in Honorópolis now live in the peridomiciliar area, where people are more exposed to their bites. An alternative explanation is related to the use in cattle of a pyrethroid insecticide to control the horn fly, Haematobia irritans, as both events were temporally related. The insecticide could have had a repellent effect on bats, that then started to seek alternative food sources.     

Acoustic image representation of a point target in the bat Eptesicus fuscus: evidence for sensitivity to echo phase in bat sonar

Echolocating bats, Eptesicus fuscus, were trained in two distinct behavioral tasks to investigate the images they perceive of a sonar point target. In the first task, bats were trained in a two-alternative forced-choice procedure to detect electronically simulated target echoes at a range of approximately 57 cm. Half of the trials in the detection task contained echoes from a stationary target (simulated by a fixed echo delay) and half contained echoes from a jittering target (simulated by an echo delay alternating between two time values over successive sonar emissions). In the second task, bats were trained in a two-alternative forced-choice procedure to discriminate between electronically simulated stationary and jittering targets, centered about a range of 57 cm. Both target detection and target jitter discrimination performance were assessed as a function of jitter magnitude, with jitter values ranging from 0-60 microseconds (corresponding to a change in distance of 0 to 10.3 mm). In both detection and discrimination tasks, the bat's performance changed cyclically with the magnitude of echo jitter. Specifically, when the phase of the playback echoes was unchanged, performance levels were poorest at 0 and 30 microseconds, and when the phase of the echoes alternated by 180 deg from one to the next, performance levels were poorest at 15 and 40-50 microseconds. The results suggest that Eptesicus is sensitive to the phase reversal of echoes and thus have implications for assessing receiver models of echolocation.     

Changes in transformation behaviour and microstructure of a CrV-spring steel by thermomechanical treatment

The effect of austenite deformation on the transformation behaviour was investigated on a CrV-spring steel with the major attention put on the martensitic transformation. In the first part, a small review is given on the relation between the state of austenite after hot deformation and its influence on the formation of martensite. In the laboratory tests, the second part of the paper, a conventional heat treatment (CHT) was compared with two types of austenite conditioning by thermomechanical treatment (TMT): TMT_R - with deformation above the recrystallization temperature ?_R leading to a fully recrystallized austenite and TMT_N- with deformation below ?_R with a not recrystallized but possibly polygonized austenite. For the laboratory tests, the hot deformation simulator Wumsi was employed. After quenching In oil, the martensite after TMT consisted of associations of many fine fragments with a smaller number of large acicular martensitic units than observed after CHT. In both TMT-variants small ferritic areas (< 1 μ m) could be revealed. Different behaviour of martensite during tempering at low temperatures was observed after CHT and TMT. It can be explained by reduced inherent stresses generated during martensitic transformation after TMT, presumably as a result of a better ability of deformed austenite to withstand the accommodation strain during martensitic transformation. This may have considerable consequences for the toughness properties of tempered martensite.     

Flow cytometric analysis on reactivity of human T lymphocyte-specific and cytokine-receptor-specific antibodies with peripheral blood mononuclear cells of chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes), rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta), and squirrel monkey (Saimiri sciureus)

OBJECTIVES: To provide an overview of the vast amount of clinical and research data concerning the diseases treated with blood cell transplants. DATA SOURCES: Research studies, abstracts, book chapters, and articles pertaining to diseases treated with blood cell transplantation (BCT). CONCLUSIONS: The potential for the expanded use of BCT in cancer and other diseases appears unlimited. This type of transplantation is gaining widespread use and the number of centers offering this treatment for hematologic and solid tumors is increasing. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE: Nurses working in acute care, outpatient, and home care settings need to familiarize themselves with the rapidly expanding role of this treatment to provide the most state-of-the-art care to their patients.     

Intrinsic and required dynamics of a simple bat–ball skill.

Three experiments investigated the coordination dynamics of a simple bat-and-ball skill: cyclically striking a ball suspended by a string with a pendular bat. The relative phase φ between the bat and ball is dictated by the potential function V(φ)?=? k sin φ and the difference Δω in their uncoupled frequencies. For various Δω, φ and its standard deviation were measured in the absence of any environmental restraints (intrinsic dynamics) and when the ball had to reach resistive or nonresistive targets at set distances (required dynamics). Results support the dynamical theory of coordination patterns (G. Sch?ner & J. A. S. Kelso, 1988a, 1988c), particularly the hypothesis that required dynamics are understandable as the addition of terms to the potential governing the intrinsic dynamics. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of the post-weaning environment on the climbing behaviour of wild and domestic Norway rats

The climbing behaviour of wild and domestic Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) was compared after early rearing in three post-weaning environments offering different climbing experiences. Wild rats climbed in the test apparatus even when denied early climbing experience; male domestic rats did not. Early climbing experience increased the climbing scores of both stocks but influenced the climbing proficiency of wild rats only. Treatment differences in climbing behaviour may be related to specific motor experiences gained during development and the effect of early experience on the response to a novel environment (test apparatus). Stock differences in climbing behaviour may reflect a general reduction in motor activity among domestic rats and their reduced sensitivity to stimulus change or novelty.     

Lipopolysaccharide induces sickness behaviour in rats by a vagal mediated mechanism

A 52-year-old man was hospitalized for a right adrenal tumor which had been incidentally found by abdominal CT scan for examination of colon cancer. Laboratory and endocrine findings were within the normal limits except for increased urinary concentrations of noradrenaline and dopamine. Adrenal angiography revealed that the feeding artery of the tumor was the inferior suprarenal artery. Adrenal venous blood sampling studies detected no abnormalities in the concentrations of catecholamine, cortisol or aldosterone. Right adrenalectomy was performed and the tumor was histologically diagnosed as ganglioneuroma. Ganglioneuroma is a benign tumor originating from the sympathetic nerve ganglion. The adrenal origin of the tumor is relatively rare and 60 cases of adrenal ganglioneuroma including our case have been reported in Japan.     

Role of prior prey-eating experiences in the initiation of predation by rats.

Studied mouse killing by more than 400 male and female Sprague-Dawley rats in 6 experiments after Ss had been maintained on various flesh diets. Ss maintained on dead mice killed live mice more often than did Ss on Purina Chow, under both ad-lib feeding and food deprivation conditions. The effect was not dependent on these eating experiences taking place early in life, but there was suggestive evidence that the more there were of such feedings, the higher were the probabilities of subsequent killing. Ss maintained on flesh diets other than dead mice did not kill more than did Purina-maintained controls. Consequently, neither a chemical mechanism that would prime brain centers for predatory attack nor response-learning (e.g., biting hard) processes easily account for the phenomenon. Rather, stimulus generalization, the transfer of biting a dead mouse to biting a live mouse, is the simplest explanation. (32 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Retention of replication fidelity by a DNA polymerase functioning in a distantly related environment

The primary structures of the replicative DNA polymerases (gp43s) of bacteriophage T4 and its distant phylogenetic relative RB69 are diverged, retaining only 61% identity and 74% similarity. Nevertheless, RB69 gp43 substitutes effectively for T4 gp43 in T4 DNA replication in vivo. We show here that RB69 gp43 replicates T4 genomes in vivo with a fidelity similar to that achieved by T4 gp43. Furthermore, replication by RB69 gp43 in the distantly related environment does not enhance the mutator activities of mutations in T4 genes that encode other components of the multienzyme DNA replicase. We also show that the fidelities of RB69 gp43 and T4 gp43 are both high in vitro and that they are similarly and sharply reduced in vivo by mutations that eliminate the 3'-exonucleolytic proofreading function. We conclude that gp43 interactions with the other replication proteins are probably nonessential for polymerase fidelity.