Spontaneous Innovation for Future Deception in a Male Chimpanzee

The ability to invent means to deceive others, where the deception lies in the perceptually or contextually detached future, appears to require the coordination of sophisticated cognitive skills toward a single goal. Meanwhile innovation for a current situation has been observed in a wide range of species. Planning, on the one hand, and the social cognition required for deception on the other, have been linked to one another, both from a co-evolutionary and a neuroanatomical perspective. Innovation and deception have also been suggested to be connected in their nature of relying on novelty

The Development of Sensorimotor Cognition in Common Ravens (Corvus corax) and its Comparative Evolution

Evolution involves developmental change. Species comparisons play an important role in comparative cognition because they can uncover common patterns and shared principles in cognitive evolution. Developmental studies reveal foundational elements of cognitive abilities and how they are constructed and integrated. Sensorimotor cognition is such a key element that forms the foundation for later-developing cognitive skills, yet little is known about its development in animals. This study uses 37 behaviors and tasks to investigate the development of Piagetian sensorimotor abilities in five young ravens (Corvus corax) from ages two to eleven weeks. Their developmental pattern largely mirrored that of twelve other bird and mammal species, albeit at a markedly accelerated rate. They reached the final sensorimotor stage, which to date has been shown only in great apes. The onset and sequence of sensorimotor development was identical for all species. Absolute number of neurons in the pallium and rest of brain was associated with achieving a higher stage across these species. This was not the case for absolute or relative brain mass, or number of neurons in the cerebellum or whole brain. We discuss the independent evolution of sensorimotor cognition and the importance of developmental pace and pattern therein. These findings show that the study of sensorimotor development is a useful tool for comparative cognition research

An Investigation of Some Aspects of the Coordination Chemistry of Synthetic Macroheterocyclic Ligands

The preparation of a range of fully saturated, unsubstituted pentaazamacrocycles is described. The macrocycles vary in ring size from fifteen to twenty members, and comprise every possible arrangement of dimethylene and trimethylene linkages between five nitroqens in a monocyclic arrangement. A new linear homologue of tetraethylene pentamine with trimethylene linkages between nitrogens is also reported. The copper(II) and nickel(II) complexes of these amines have been prepared; the conductivity and spectral properties have been determined in order to investigate their stereochemistry. The nickel(II) complexes of the two largest macrocycles appear to be five-coordinate both in the solid state and in solution. The remainder of the complexes are either five-coordinate (as the perchlorate salts in the solid state or in non-coordinating solvents) or six-coordinate (with a coordinated nitrate). Cobalt(III) complexes of the fifteen to eighteen membered macrocycles have been prepared with a variety of ligands occupying the sixth coordination site. Ligand field parameters have been derived from the electronic spectra of the complexes. The stereochemistry of the complexes and their behaviour on ligand substitution have been investigated principally by 13C n.m.r. Only a few of the numerous possible isomers of each species were formed. The structures of [Co(1, 4, 7, 10, 14-pentaazacycloheptadecane) Cl]Br0.33 Cl1.67. H2O and [Co(1, 4, 7, 11, 15-pentaazacyclooctadecane)Br]Br2, which were determined by single-crystal x-ray diffraction studies, are described. The spontaneous aquation rates of the bromo complexes have been investigated semi-quantitatively, and found to span many orders of magnitude. The most labile bromo complex [Co(1, 4, 8, 11, 15-pentaazacyclooctadecane)Br]Br2 spontaneously aquates in a matter of seconds at room temperature. The increasing strain and steric crowding caused by successive replacement of five-membered chelate rings by six-membered chelate rings, or by simply altering the sequence of five- and six-membered chelate rings is manifested in a progressive increase in the instability of the complexes. In the case of the nineteen- and twenty-membered macrocycles, this crowding and strain results in the formation of stable five-coordinate cobalt(II) complexes; for these ligands, no stable complexes were formed with the smaller cobalt(III) cation. The acid-dissociation kinetics of the copper(II) complexes have been examined in nitric acid at 298 K. A variable temperature study has also been performed on the complex of l, 4, 7, 10, 14-pentaazacycloheptadecane in order to determine the activation parameters. The complexes are labile by comparison with most tetraazamacrocyclic complexes. The dissociation reactions are first-order in complex concentration, but the acid-dependence varies. The observed rate constant is second-order in hydrogen ion concentration for the complex of 1, 4, 7, 10, 13-pentaazacyclopentadecane, first-order in hydrogen ion concentration for 1, 4, 7, 10, 14-pentaazacycloheptadecane and takes the form kobs = a[H+]2/(l+b[H+]2) for the complex of 1, 4, 7, 10, 13-pentaazacyclohexadecane. For the remainder of the complexes, the observed rate constant takes the form kobs = (c[H+] + d[H+]2)/(e + [H+]). Possible mechanisms that are consistent with the above behaviour are presented

Electric field-controlled rippling of graphene

International audienceMetal-graphene interfaces generated by electrode deposition induce barriers or potential modulations influencing the electronic transport properties of graphene based devices. However, their impact on the local mechanical properties of graphene is much less studied. Here we show that graphene near a metallic interface can exhibit a set of ripples self-organized into domains whose topographic roughness is controlled by the tip bias of a scanning tunneling microscope. The reconstruction from topographic images of graphene bending energy maps sheds light on the local electro-mechanical response of graphene under STM imaging and unveils the role of the stress induced by the vicinity of the graphene-metal interface in the formation and the manipulation of these ripples. Since microscopic rippling is one of the important factors that limit charge carrier mobility in graphene, the control of rippling with a gate voltage may have important consequences in the conductance of graphene devices where transverse electric fields are created by contactless suspended gate electrodes. This opens up also the possibility to dynamically control the local morphology of graphene nanomembranes

Mind the gaps: A comparison of pronominal forms of address in the Spanish and Catalan spoken by students in Barcelona

Màster de Lingüística Aplicada i Adquisició de Llengües en Contextos Multilingües, Departament de Filologia Anglesa i Alemanya, Universitat de Barcelona, Curs: 2013-2014, Tutor: F. Xavier VilaWhile there have been several influential studies over the past few decades regarding university students' use of formal (V) and informal (T) forms of pronominal address, a thorough review of the literature has revealed that no studies to date have compared bilingual Catalan-Spanish university students' pronominal address usage when speaking Catalan vs. when speaking Castilian Spanish with interlocutors of specific ages and social positions. The present study aimed to address this research gap by distributing a questionnaire to 61 bilingual Catalan-Spanish students of philology at the University of Barcelona. Results showed that, although the pronominal systems of Castilian Spanish and Catalan are different in theory (two forms vs. three forms of address), address pronoun choices were generally similar in percentages and in trends in both languages, even in spite of the fact that several students did not use Castilian Spanish or Catalan with certain interlocutors. This suggests that a process of linguistic convergence between Catalan and Castilian Spanish is taking place, even though the languages do not always share the same speakers

Cognition in the Fast Lane: Ravens' Gazes are Half as Short as Humans' when Choosing Objects

Time cannot be directly perceived; instead, its flow is inferred from the influx of sensory information. To prevent sensory overload, attentional mechanisms split up information into processable units. This portioning remains imperceptible to the individual. However, the length of these units still influences the speed of perception and the speed at which behaviors are performed. Previous studies have focused on establishing the length of these units in various mammalian species – mainly humans – by measuring different types of behaviors, including gaze. However, no such studies have been conducted on birds. We measured duration of ravens’ (Corvus corax) single gazes towards selectable objects before a choice was made, and compared it with that of humans in a similar set up. The raven gaze durations were approximately half those of humans (which fell slightly short of previously established ranges). We hypothesize that these differences are mainly due to the much higher so-called flicker-fusion-frequency in birds, which makes their vision faster in the sense that it picks up more information per time unit than mammalian vision does. We further discuss that the speed of perception might influence the general speed of cognitive processing in more complex tasks as well, and suggest that the addition of a temporal component in comparative cognitive studies might be informative

WORD USE AND CONTENT ANALYSIS OF THE FIRST VERSES OF SIX NATIONAL ANTHEMS: A TRANSCULTURAL ASPECT OF SUICIDAL BEHAVIOUR

Background: Suicide is a major health concern worldwide, although suicide rates widely differ among different countries and cultures. Transcultural studies suggest that national anthems reflect national attitudes towards self-harming behaviour as well. Our aim was to analyse the linguistic characteristics of six national anthems, and compare these results with national suicide rates. Methods: Word use assessment and content analysis of six national anthems were performed. Results: In the anthems of countries with similar historical or cultural background, similar linguistic patterns were found in word use and in content. Anthems of countries with lower suicide rates tend to contain relatively more positive contents, emotions and intentions, while in the anthems of countries with higher suicide rates more ambivalence, denial, loss or even aggressive and self-destructive implications were found. Conclusion: This transcultural analysis strengthens previous data that anthems could be indicators for national attitudes toward self-harm

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is capable of natural transformation in biofilms

Abstract Natural transformation is a mechanism that enables competent bacteria to acquire naked, exogenous DNA from the environment. It is a key process that facilitates the dissemination of antibiotic resistance and virulence determinants throughout bacterial populations. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic Gram-negative pathogen that produces large quantities of extracellular DNA (eDNA) that is required for biofilm formation. P. aeruginosa has a remarkable level of genome plasticity and diversity that suggests a high degree of horizontal gene transfer and recombination but is thought to be incapable of natural transformation. Here we show that P. aeruginosa possesses homologs of all proteins known to be involved in natural transformation in other bacterial species. We found that P. aeruginosa in biofilms is competent for natural transformation of both genomic and plasmid DNA. Furthermore, we demonstrate that type IV pili (T4P) facilitate but are not absolutely essential for natural transformation in P. aeruginosa

The Reaction of a Nitro-Capped Cobalt(III) Cage Complex With Base: the Crystal Structure of a Contracted Cage Complex, and the Mechanism of Its Formation

The synthesis, properties and crystal structure of the cage complex (1-hydroxy-8-methyl-3,6,10,13,15,18-hexaazabicyclo[6.6.5]nonadecane)cobalt(III) chloride hydrate ([Co(Me,OH-absar)] C13.H2O) are reported. The mechanism of the formation of this contracted cavity cage from a nitro-capped hexaazabicycloicosane type cage has been investigated. Treatment of (1-methyl-8-nitro-3,6,10,13,16,19-hexaazabicyclo[6.6.6]icosane)cobalt(III) chloride ([Co(Me,NO2-sar)] 3+) with excess base in aqueous solution leads initially to rapid (t1/2 < 1 ms) and reversible deprotonation of one coordinated secondary amine. This species undergoes a retro-Mannich type reaction and imine hydrolysis (t1/2 almost-equal-to 90 s). Quenching the reaction with acid gives rise to a pair of isomeric intermediate species which have been isolated and characterized. They have a pendant arm macrocyclic structure, resulting from the loss of a methylene unit from one of the arms of the cap. Heating either isomer in aqueous solution gives the new cage compound with the contracted cap. It is postulated that this occurs through a Nef reaction, resulting in the formation of a ketone which then condenses with the coordinated primary amine. A comparison with the corresponding bicycloicosane analogue indicates a reduced chromophoric cavity size for the contracted cage. The reduction potential of the cobalt(III)/cobalt(II) couple is 170 mV more negative for the smaller cage, and, in the electronic spectrum of the cobalt(III) complex, the d-d transitions are both shifted to higher energy, corresponding to a stronger ligand field

Ravens remember the nature of a single reciprocal interaction sequence over 2 days and even after a month

To explain reciprocity, direct or indirect, several proximate mechanisms have been proposed, yet little attention has been given to the specific underlying cognitive mechanisms. Regardless of what proximate rules underlie reciprocity, some kind of memory would be paramount. Corvids in general, and ravens, Corvus corax, specifically, have been shown to possess an array of sophisticated cognitive mechanisms involved in memory. In this study, we tested the memory of nine ravens in an exchange paradigm where they could exchange a low-quality for a high-quality food item. Specifically, we tested whether they remembered who was a reliable ‘fair’ experimenter and who would not reliably exchange (the ‘unfair’ experimenter), and whether they would subsequently choose to interact with the former when given the choice. In addition, we tested whether ravens that observed the initial seeding of information about who was ‘fair’ or ‘unfair’ could transform bystander information into first-person interactions, i.e. also preferring to interact with the ‘fair’ experimenter when given the choice. The results show that ravens with first-hand experience were more likely to interact with experimenters with whom they had had a positive previous experience, and that this memory lasted at least 1 month. In contrast, observers did not distinguish between the experimenters when given the choice to interact with them. Previous first-hand experience with the paradigm, however, seemed to help observers to be more successful in solving the task, albeit not significantly above chance. In sum, this study shows memory for direct reciprocity in ravens, and tentatively suggests memory for indirect reciprocity. Accordingly, these results provide hints for the underlying mechanism of memory in raven social interactions.FSW – Publicaties zonder aanstelling Universiteit Leide