Cockroaches in French Guiana Icteridae birds nests

We present here the cockroaches found in 55 nests of Icteridae birds in French Guiana in July 1998. Five species of cockroaches were found, Schultesia nitor (Zetoborinae), Phoetalia pallida (Blaberinae), Pelmatosilpha guianae (Blattinae), Chorisoneura n.sp. aff. gatunae (Pseudophyllodromiidae) and Epilampra grisea (Epilamprinae). The two dominant species, S. nitor and P. pallida, were found together in the same nests, and seem to be scavengers. The ecology of S. nitor was compared with those of S. lampyridiformis, a sister species found in the same type of habitat in Brazil

A Simplified Model for Growth Factor Induced Healing of Wounds

A mathematical model is developed for the rate of healing of a circular or elliptic wound. In this paper the regeneration, decay and transport of a generic \u27growth factor\u27, which induces the healing of the wound, is taken into account. Further, an equation of motion is derived for radial healing of a circular wound. The expressions for the equation of motion and the distribution of the growth factor are related in such a way that no healing occurs if the growth factor concentration at the wound edge is below a threshold value. In this paper we investigate the influence of the behaviour of the thickness of the active layer, in which the growth factor is produced, on the healing process. Also a correction is made to a result in earlier work. © 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Активность лептина и интерлейкина­-6 в сыворотке крови у больных полиэндокринопатией

Установлена взаимосвязь лептина с метаболическими и некоторыми иммунологическими показателями у больных сахарным диабетом 2−го типа в сочетании с аутоиммунным тиреоидитом. Выявлены наличие иммуносупрессии и повышение уровней интерлейкина−6 и лептина при сопутствующем ожирении и дислипидемии.Встановлено взаємозв’язок лептину з метаболічними і деякими імунологічними показниками у хворих на цукровий діабет 2−го типу у поєднанні з аутоімунним тиреоідитом. Виявлено наявність імуносупресії та підвищення рівнів інтерлейкіну−6 і лептину при супутньому ожирінні та дисліпідемії.Association between leptin and some immunological parameters in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus accompanied by autoimmune thyroiditis was established. The presence of immune suppression and increased levels of interleukin−6 and leptin was revealed at accompanying obesity and dyslipidemias

Bend it like Beckham: embodying the motor skills of famous athletes.

Observing an action activates the same representations as does the actual performance of the action. Here we show for the first time that the action system can also be activated in the complete absence of action perception. When the participants had to identify the faces of famous athletes, the responses were influenced by their similarity to the motor skills of the athletes. Thus, the motor skills of the viewed athletes were retrieved automatically during person identification and had a direct influence on the action system of the observer. However, our results also indicated that motor behaviours that are implicit characteristics of other people are represented differently from when actions are directly observed. That is, unlike the facilitatory effects reported when actions were seen, the embodiment of the motor behaviour that is not concurrently perceived gave rise to contrast effects where responses similar to the behaviour of the athletes were inhibited

Time-to-birth prediction models and the influence of expert opinions

Preterm birth is the leading cause of death among children under five years old. The pathophysiology and etiology of preterm labor are not yet fully understood. This causes a large number of unnecessary hospitalizations due to high--sensitivity clinical policies, which has a significant psychological and economic impact. In this study, we present a predictive model, based on a new dataset containing information of 1,243 admissions, that predicts whether a patient will give birth within a given time after admission. Such a model could provide support in the clinical decision-making process. Predictions for birth within 48 h or 7 days after admission yield an Area Under the Curve of the Receiver Operating Characteristic (AUC) of 0.72 for both tasks. Furthermore, we show that by incorporating predictions made by experts at admission, which introduces a potential bias, the prediction effectiveness increases to an AUC score of 0.83 and 0.81 for these respective tasks

Shallow rainwater lenses in deltaic areas with saline seepage

In deltaic areas with saline seepage, freshwater availability is often limited to shallow rainwater lenses lying on top of saline groundwater. Here we describe the characteristics and spatial variability of such lenses in areas with saline seepage and the mechanisms that control their occurrence and size. Our findings are based on different types of field measurements and detailed numerical groundwater models applied in the south-western delta of the Netherlands. By combining the applied techniques we could extrapolate measurements at point scale (groundwater sampling, temperature and electrical soil conductivity (TEC)-probe measurements, electrical cone penetration tests (ECPT)) to field scale (continuous vertical electrical soundings (CVES), electromagnetic survey with EM31), and even to regional scale using helicopter-borne electromagnetic measurements (HEM). The measurements show a gradual mixing zone between infiltrating fresh rainwater and upward flowing saline groundwater. The mixing zone is best characterized by the depth of the centre of the mixing zone <i>D</i><sub>mix</sub>, where the salinity is half that of seepage water, and the bottom of the mixing zone <i>B</i><sub>mix</sub>, with a salinity equal to that of the seepage water (Cl-conc. 10 to 16 g l<sup>−1</sup>). <i>D</i><sub>mix</sub> is found at very shallow depth in the confining top layer, on average at 1.7 m below ground level (b.g.l.), while <i>B</i><sub>mix</sub> lies about 2.5 m b.g.l. The model results show that the constantly alternating upward and downward flow at low velocities in the confining layer is the main mechanism of mixing between rainwater and saline seepage and determines the position and extent of the mixing zone (<i>D</i><sub>mix</sub> and <i>B</i><sub>mix</sub>). Recharge, seepage flux, and drainage depth are the controlling factors

GO-FRESH: Valorisatie kansrijke oplossingen voor een robuuste zoetwatervoorziening

Een consortium onderzoekt in hoeverre lokale maatregelen de zoetwaterbeschikbaarheid voor de landbouw kunnen vergroten in gebieden die onafhankelijk zijn van het hoofdwatersysteem. Hierbij wordt de ondergrond gebruikt voor opslag van zoet water in periodes van wateroverschot, om het water vervolgens te gebruiken in droge tijden. Het betreft een Kennis voor Klimaat project in de Zuidwestelijke Delta

In Defense of Consciousness: The Role of Conscious and Unconscious Inputs in Consumer Choice

Three experiments demonstrate that the same primed construct (e.g., a formal event) has different effects on the subsequent choices of different groups of people (e.g., men and women). Further, these differences in prime effects are attributable to the different associations these groups have with the primed construct. These effects are demonstrated with three different primes and choice domains, and differences in effects are shown with both demographic (e.g., gender) and personality (e.g., extraversion) characteristics. These results highlight the importance of understanding unique, personal associations to primes and demonstrate that segmentation is also important for predicting more automatically driven choices. [url]: http://www.acrwebsite.org/volumes/12797/volumes/v34/NA-34 [copyright notice]: This work is copyrighted by The Association for Consumer Research. For permission to copy or use this work in whole or in part, please contact the Copyright Clearance Center at http://www.copyright.com/. 155 Advances in Consumer Research Volume 34, © 2007 SPECIAL SESSION SUMMARY From First to Second Generation: Moderated Nonconscious Behavior Effects Christian Wheeler, Stanford University, USA SESSION SUMMARY Consumer behavior researchers are becoming increasingly aware of the variety of nonconscious influences on behavior (e.g., The first presentation, by Wheeler and Berger, shows that the same prime can have different, and sometimes opposite effects on choice, depending on the unique personal associations recipients have with the prime. Across three experiments and using both demographic and individual difference segmentation variables, they show that the effects of primes on choices of different groups of people can be predicted by understanding their personal prime associations. The experiments further demonstrate that the differential priming effects are be mediated by the unique personal associations the recipients have with the prime. The second presentation, by Dalton and Chartrand, examines how exposure to relationship partners affects goal pursuit. Whereas previous research has demonstrated that exposure to relationship partners leads to pursuit of the goals they have for the prime recipient, the current studies show that these effects can be reversed. The first study shows that accessibility of overly controlling relationship partners actually leads to pursuit of goals incompatible with those the relationship partner has for recipients, presumably in an attempt to restore personal freedom. The second study lends additional evidence for this account by showing that low reactance individuals pursue the goals of salient relationship partners, but high reactance individuals do not. Hence, reactance can automatically moderate nonconscious goal pursuit and can manifest both as a function of prime targets and individual differences. The final presentation, by Smeesters, Wheeler, and Kay, examines direction of focus as a moderator of whether primes will affect behavior via perceptions of others or more directly. They hypothesized that when features promote focus on other individuals in the situation, perceptions of those individuals will be biased by activated constructs, and changes in behavior will be mediated by such perceptions. When features promote self-focus, on the other hand, behavioral changes will not be mediated by perceptions of other people. Across a series of studies, and using both manipulations and measurements of self-focus vs. other-focus, they supported these hypotheses. Their studies show that primes can generate the same effects on economic decisions, but via different mechanisms, depending on the level of other focus. References EXTENDED ABSTRACTS "Same Prime, Different Effects: Segmentation in Nonconscious Behavior Influence" S. Christian Wheeler, Stanford University Jonah Berger, Stanford University Segmentation has long been recognized as a critical procedure in influencing consumer behavior. The varying needs, wants, experiences, and psychological characteristics of different consumer groups require individualized marketing attempts tailored to these subsets of people. Although the need for segmentation has been widely acknowledged for traditional marketing campaigns, the importance of segmentation for more non-conscious influence attempts has not been recognized. Indeed, one part of the power of such influence techniques is the assumed potential for them to influence different people in similar ways. Because such influence techniques rely on basic associative processes, it has been implicitly assumed that stimuli should exert consistent effects across different types of people. In the present experiments, we demonstrate that the same primes can exert different, and sometimes opposite effects on recipients, depending on the unique personal associations they have to the primed stimulus. Much as unique experiences and associations can affect responses to more deliberate influence attempts, we show that they can also affect less overt influences. Across three studies, and using both demographic and individual difference segmentation variables, we show that different subgroups of consumers exhibit predictable differences in their responses to primes. Specifically, we show that primes can significantly affect consumer choice, but that the effects differ across subgroups of individuals who tend to have different prime associations. The first experiment used the domain of clothing shopping. Pretests indicated that men and women have different shopping associations. Whereas men tend to be more "purpose-driven" or pragmatic and efficient, women tend to be more "possibilitydriven" and browse just to see what is out there. We predicted that these different tendencies, once activated, would influence participants' subsequent choices in an unrelated task. Thus in the main experiment, men and women were randomly assigned to write about either clothes shopping or a control topic (i.e. geography). / From First to Second Generation: Moderated Nonconscious Behavior Effects Then in an ostensibly unrelated study they were asked to make a series of hypothetical choices, some of which between more "purpose-driven" and "possibility-driven" options (e.g., driving a direct route cross-country vs. taking the scenic route). Results indicated that the effect of the prime on subsequent choices differed based on participants' gender; writing about shopping (versus geography) led women to make more possibility-driven choices in the subsequent context whereas it led men to make more purpose-driven choices. The second experiment used the domain of formal events. Pretests indicated that when attending a formal event, men have a goal to dress rather similar to others, whereas women have a goal to dress rather differently from others. Thus in the main experiment, men and women were instructed to write about attending a formal event (or geography) before choosing between different products. Results again indicated different effects of the prime based on gender; women who wrote about the formal event (versus geography) subsequently chose more unique items whereas men who wrote about the formal event tended to choose more common items. In the final experiment, introverts and extroverts were instructed to write about attending a party (or geography) before selecting different items they would like to receive in a drawing. Previous research has demonstrated that introverts and extroverts have different optimal levels of arousal. Introverts are aroused more easily than extroverts. As a result, they prefer lower-arousal situations and tend to be more easily over-aroused than extroverts. Consequently we predicted that thinking about a party would affect the subsequent choice of introverts and extraverts differently; introverts should be subsequently more likely to choose more lowarousal prizes, consistent with their desire to lower arousal at parties, whereas extroverts should be less affected by the prime. Results confirmed this hypothesis. Further, additional analyses showed that these different effects were mediated by the different associations (i.e. level of stimulation) that introverts and extroverts have with parties

Top-down social modulation of interpersonal observation-execution.

Cyclical upper limb movement can involuntarily deviate from its primary movement axis when the performer concurrently observes incongruent biological motion (i.e. interpersonal observation-execution). The current study examined the social modulation of such involuntary motor interference using a protocol that reflected everyday social interactions encountered in a naturalistic social setting. Eighteen participants executed cyclical horizontal arm movements during the observation of horizontal (congruent) or curvilinear (incongruent) biological motion. Both prior to, and during the interpersonal observation-execution task, participants also received a series of social words designed to prime a pro-social or anti-social attitude. The results showed greater orthogonal movement deviation, and thus interference, for the curvilinear compared to horizontal stimuli. Importantly, and opposite to most of the previous findings from work on automatic imitation and mimicry, there was a greater interference effect for the anti-social compared to pro-social prime condition. These findings demonstrate the importance of interpreting the context of social primes, and strongly support predictions of a comparison between the prime construct and the self-concept/-schema and the top-down response modulation of social incentives