Feeding Behavior and Chick-a-dee Calls in the Presence of Predator Models: A Field Study of Carolina Chickadees (\u3cem\u3ePeocile carolinensis\u3c/em\u3e)

This study describes feeding and chick-a-dee calling behavior of Carolina chickadees (Poecile carolinensis) in the presence of predator models. Chickadees occur in stable social groups over much of the year, and birds in social groups often indicate the presence of predators through alarm calling and calling related to mobbing behavior. Research with two other chickadee species has found a relationship between predator stimuli and calling behavior, including the note composition of chick-a-dee calls. Here, I presented Carolina chickadees with avian models, and a “no model” control. The species represented by the avian models were the Cooper’s hawk (Accipiter cooperii), a natural predator of chickadees; the great horned owl (Bubo virginianus), a bird of prey but not a predator of chickadees; and the American crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos), a non-bird of prey. Stimuli were initially covered with a cloth and then exposed during the experimental procedure. Audio recordings of flocks were obtained at 16 field sites in eastern Tennessee from October 2004 to March 2005. Chickadees took significantly fewer seeds and produced more chick-a-dee calls during the post-exposure period than during pre-exposure for both the hawk and owl stimuli, but not for the crow and no model stimuli. I detected no effect of stimulus type on note composition of chick-a-dee calls, but note composition was affected by the proximity of the signaler to the seed stand for all four note types measured in this study. Note composition in chick-a-dee calls in Carolina chickadees may not be strongly influenced by external referents like predator type. Instead, note composition may be influenced by the state of arousal of the signaler or its behavioral tendencies. An increase in calling rate in Carolina chickadees may serve a general recruitment function, though playback studies are needed to test these ideas

Parity violation in polarized cold neutron capture

The longitudinal asymmetry in photons emitted during radiative neutron-proton capture depends cleanly on the neutral current contribution to the weak nucleonnucleon interaction. The NPDGamma experiment is an eort to measure this asymmetry with precision ten parts per billion, which is 10% of its range of predicted values. In 2006 the NPDGamma collaboration acquired its rst production dataset at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center. A pulsed beam of polarized slow neutrons is incident on a 16 L parahydrogen target; capture photons are observed in current mode in a cylindrical array of CsI scintillators. In this initial experiment, roughly 730 hours running with 50-55% neutron polarization, we set a new upper limit of 210 parts per billion for the size of the NPDGamma asymmetry, a modest improvement over the existing limit. In the next stage of the experiment this limit will be greatly reduced with the increased neutron ux at the Spallation Neutron Source

Investigations of chiral effects in molecular spectroscopy

A consequence of the chiral weak interaction is that the enantiomers of a chiral molecule will differ in energy by the minute parity-violating energy difference (PVED). The enantiomers of a chiral iron complex were prepared and characterized with various spectroscopies, including x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction. Measurements of the Mossbauer spectra show a small difference in the energy of the two enantiomers (~10-10 eV). This energy difference nears the expected order of magnitude of the parity-violating energy difference for a molecule in which the chiral center is a high Z atom. Sodium chlorate has been known to form chiral crystals from achiral aqueous solutions for over one hundred years. Typically, equal numbers of right- and left-handed crystals are produced in unstirred crystallizations. Data has been taken that show an excess of right-handed crystals are produced when crystallizations occur under the influence of a beta source. The beta particles are spin polarized due to the chiral weak interaction which is responsible for beta decay. Preliminary results indicate that the influence of positrons (which are spin polarized oppositely to beta particles) is in the opposite direction. Finally, measurements of mass resolved resonant and non-resonant multiphoton ionization of the chiral 2-butylamine entrained in a nozzle jet expansion into a linear time-of-flight mass spectrometer constructed in house were obtained using right- and left-circularly polarized laser light. In addition, ratios of ionization rates for linearly and circularly polarized light were measured

Simulation of charged particle trajectories in the neutron decay correlation experiment abBA

The proposed neutron decay correlation experiment, abBA, will directly detect the direction of emission of decay protons and electrons as well as providing spectroscopic information for both particles. In order to provide this information, the abBA experiment incorporates spatially varying electric and magnetic fields. We report on detailed simulations of the decay particle trajectories in order to assess the impact of various systematic effects on the experimental observables. These include among others; adiabaticity of particle orbits, tracking of orbits, reversal of low energy protons due to inhomogeneous electric field, and accuracy of proton time of flight measurements. Several simulation methods were used including commercial software (Simion), custom software, as well as analytical tools based on the use of adiabatic invariants. Our results indicate that the proposed field geometry of the abBA spectrometer will be substantially immune to most systematic effects and that transport calculations using adiabatic invariants agree well with solution of the full equations of motion

Transition Class: A Bridge from Early Intervention to Early Childhood Special Education

Transitions are widely acknowledged to present challenges for young children with special needs. In the US system, the transition from early intervention (EI; services for children aged 0–3) to early childhood special education services (ECSE; services for preschool children) is a process known to cause uncertainty and anxiety for families. This paper describes a transition class offered by a midwestern US EI agency; children receiving EI services are eligible to participate beginning at age 2;6. Agency personnel chart the children’s progress each week. For this study, researchers reviewed de-identified weekly progress reports for the 40 transition class participants who attended at least 6 class sessions. Class participants demonstrated highly significant changes across time in their tolerance for separation from parents/caregivers and their participation in structured class activities. These preliminary findings suggest that a structured class with familiar service providers may support young children in acquiring skills they will need for a successful transition to ECSE

Adverse Childhood Events, Empathy, and Altruism

poster abstractWith a growing prevalence of adverse treatment of children, it is important to look into the longterm effects of negative childhood experiences – specifically their capacities for empathic concern and helping behavior. Empathy is the tendency to read and interpret others’ emotions. Long-term outcomes of adverse childhood events (ACE) include a host of mental health disorders. Other studies have found that, on the other hand, ACE is correlated to an increase in empathy. Previous studies have also indicated that stress can increase prosocial behavior; the latter seems to function in offsetting the effects of the former. Clarification can be found in a motivational process model, which theorizes that experiencing ACE increases one’s motivation to help others who may experience the same circumstances. While ACE may indeed initially result in a blunting of affect, successfully overcoming the effects of these events often leads to a desire to change outcomes for others. 836 adults (72.5% female) completed an online survey that included the Interpersonal Reactivity Index, the Adverse Childhood Events scale, and the altruistic behaviors scale. In line with previous research, both Adverse Childhood Events, r=.155, p<.001, and empathic concern, r=.188, p<.001, are positively correlated with altruism. However, there is little research that determines the link between adverse childhood events and empathy. Not only are empathic concern, B=.153, p=<.001, and the experience of adverse childhood events, B=.190, p<.001, positively associated with altruism, but there is a strong interaction affect between empathic concern and adverse childhood events, B=.107, p=.002. In other words, the interaction between empathic concern and a history of adverse childhood events is positively associated with altruism. Most research on factors associated with altruism has focused on simple main effects. However, by exploring interaction effects, we can better determine what types of people are more likely to behave altruistically

Panel IV

Open Spaces, Open Secrets: Sanctuary\u27s Mysterious Something / Lisa Hinrichsen, University of Arkansas Unvanquished Uncertainty / Sarah Mahurin Mutter, Yale University Drunk and Disorderly: Alcohol and Prohibition in Sanctuary / Conor Picken, Louisiana State Universit

The Enemy Within: A Commentary on The Exploding Problem Of Employee Theft

Few companies recognize the big bite that thefts, both large and small, take out of their profit margin. It is estimated that theft in some form absorbs 5 percent of all business revenues, which translates into about $652 billion in losses per year. Small businesses take a disproportionate share of the hit. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the rapidly expanding scope of the employee theft problem and to suggest common sense Risk Management techniques that companies can use to prevent losses and to reduce the damages from those that occur. In many cases, the loss control measures are inexpensive and easy to implement