The curious case of the refrigerator-TV: similarity and hybridization

This paper examines the role of similarity in the hybridization of concepts, focusing on hybrid products as an applied test case. Hybrid concepts found in natural language, such as singer songwriter, typically combine similar concepts, whereas dissimilar concepts rarely form hybrids. The hybridization of dissimilar concepts in products such as jogging shoe mp3 player, and refrigerator TV thus poses a challenge for understanding the process of conceptual combination. It is proposed that models of conceptual combination can throw light on the judged future success and desirability of hybrid products in general. The composite prototype model proposes two stages of conceptual combination. In the first stage, the concepts are aggregated into an additive hybrid, simply by forming the union of the two sets of attributes. In the second stage, any conflicting attributes are identified and resolved, often with the introduction of emergent attributes, resulting in an integrative hybrid. Across four studies that varied the similarity and type of hybrid products, similar and integrative hybrids were valued more than dissimilar and additive hybrids. Critically, though, dissimilar hybrids were also highly valued if they were integrative. Results supported the two stages proposed by the composite prototype model, and implications for other models of hybrid formation are discussed

Security of infantile attachment as assessed in the strange situation: its study and biological intrepretation

We study the Ainsworth \u27Strange Situation\u27 procedure to assess attachment between infant and parent, and intrepret individual variation in terms of modern human behavioral ecology ( sociobiology

Infant statistical-learning ability is related to real-time language processing

Infants are adept at learning statistical regularities in artificial language materials, suggesting that the ability to learn statistical structure may support language development. Indeed, infants who perform better on statistical learning tasks tend to be more advanced in parental reports of infants' language skills. Work with adults suggests that one way statistical learning ability affects language proficiency is by facilitating real-time language processing. Here we tested whether 15-month-olds' ability to learn sequential statistical structure in artificial language materials is related to their ability to encode and interpret native-language speech. Specifically, we tested their ability to learn sequential structure among syllables (Experiment 1) and words (Experiment 2), as well as their ability to encode familiar English words in sentences. The results suggest that infants' ability to learn sequential structure among syllables is related to their lexical-processing efficiency, providing continuity with findings from children and adults, though effects were modest

Applying an Integrated Refuge to Manage Western Corn Rootworm (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae): Effects on Survival, Fitness, and Selection Pressure

The refuge strategy can delay resistance of insect pests to transgenic maize producing toxins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). This is important for the western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), because of its history of adaptation to several management practices. A 2-yr study across four locations was conducted to measure the effects of integrated refuge (i.e., blended refuge) on western corn rootworm survival to adulthood, fitness characteristics, and susceptibility to Bt maize in the subsequent generation. The treatments tested in this study were as follows: a pure stand of Bt maize (event DAS-59122-7, which produces Bt toxins Cry34Ab1/Cry35Ab1), a pure stand of refuge (non-Bt maize), and two variations on an integrated refuge consisting of 94.4% Bt maize and 5.6% non-Bt maize. Within the two integrated refuge treatments, refuge seeds received a neonicotinoid insecticidal seed treatment of either 1.25 mg clothianidin per kernel or 0.25 mg thiamethoxam per kernel. Insects in the pure stand refuge treatment had greater survival to adulthood and earlier emergence than in all other treatments. Although fecundity, longevity, and head capsule width were reduced in treatments containing Bt maize for some site by year combinations, Bt maize did not have a significant effect on these factors when testing data across all sites and years. We found no differences in susceptibility of larval progeny to Bt maize in bioassays using progeny of adults collected from the four treatments

Efficiency of disinfectants against Rotavirus in the presence and absence of organic matter

Rotavirus is an enteric pathogen that causes morbidity and mortality in young mammals, including pigs. Outbreaks of rotavirus on commercial farms have a significant economic impact in terms of losses in production. Effective cleaning and disinfection along with good farm management can reduce rotavirus contamination in the environment, and decrease the chance of outbreaks of disease. This study investigated the efficacy of six commercial disinfectants against MS2 bacteriophage and Group A porcine rotavirus, in the presence of high and low levels of organic matter to simulate the farm environment. A phenolic-based disinfectant (Bi-OO-cyst) was effective at all levels of organic matter concentrations. Iodophore based disinfectants did not have a significant virucidal effect against rotavirus under any conditions. For peroxygen compound-based disinfectants and glutaraldehyde-based disinfectants, organic matter load made a significant difference in reducing efficacy. This highlights the importance of thorough cleaning with detergent before disinfection to reduce viral contamination on the farm and decrease rotavirus disease incidence in pigs

Social referencing and the security of attachment

The second episode of the Strange Situation procedure was used to study individual differences in infants' social referencing and relationships to the security of attachment. This 3-min episode entails interaction with an unfamiliar adult in which infants may seek emotional cues from mother. Forty-three 19 1/2 -month-old infants were observed. From videotaped records, the security of attachment was assessed using Ainsworth's criteria. For episode 2, minute-by-minute ratings of infant referencing and proximity to mother, and the quality of maternal utterances (to assess maternal emotional cuing) were performed. Referencing declined throughout the episode and was negatively related to proximity. A marginally significant (p <.06) main effect for attachment classification revealed that insecureresistant infants referenced most frequently (and showed persistent referencing early in the episode), insecure-avoidant babies referenced least frequently, with securely attached infants in between. Mothers displayed a positive vocal tone to the baby but did not vary with infant attachment status. These findings suggest that referencing may reflect aspects of secure base behavior which distinguish securely from insecurely attached infants.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/24687/1/0000106.pd

Neural Models of Normal and Abnormal Behavior: What Do Schizophrenia, Parkinsonism, Attention Deficit Disorder, and Depression Have in Common?

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and Office of Naval Research (N00014-95-1-0409); National Science Foundation (IRI-97-20333

Spatial Variation in Foraging Behaviour of a Marine Top Predator (Phoca vitulina) Determined by a Large-Scale Satellite Tagging Program

The harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) is a widespread marine predator in Northern Hemisphere waters. British populations have been subject to rapid declines in recent years. Food supply or inter-specific competition may be implicated but basic ecological data are lacking and there are few studies of harbour seal foraging distribution and habits. In this study, satellite tagging conducted at the major seal haul outs around the British Isles showed both that seal movements were highly variable among individuals and that foraging strategy appears to be specialized within particular regions. We investigated whether these apparent differences could be explained by individual level factors: by modelling measures of trip duration and distance travelled as a function of size, sex and body condition. However, these were not found to be good predictors of foraging trip duration or distance, which instead was best predicted by tagging region, time of year and inter-trip duration. Therefore, we propose that local habitat conditions and the constraints they impose are the major determinants of foraging movements. Specifically the distance to profitable feeding grounds from suitable haul-out locations may dictate foraging strategy and behaviour. Accounting for proximity to productive foraging resources is likely to be an important component of understanding population processes. Despite more extensive offshore movements than expected, there was also marked fidelity to the local haul-out region with limited connectivity between study regions. These empirical observations of regional exchange at short time scales demonstrates the value of large scale electronic tagging programs for robust characterization of at-sea foraging behaviour at a wide spatial scale