Search results for "Adaptation"

Who am i : reconstructing cultural identity upon reentry

2012

The topic of this thesis is reentry adaptation and its effects on an individual’s cultural identity. The purpose of the study is to find out what kinds of problems may arrive during reentry adaptation, how identity is changed as a result of intercultural experiences, as well as what kinds of communication strategies help the entire adaptation process. The aim of the study is to examine what kinds of factors should be taken into account during reentry in order to make it easier on the returnees. In addition the aim is to investigate how individuals are able to comprehend their new cultural identity and in which ways they are able to communicate the possible changes to friends and family at h…

The effect of spatial and temporal scale on camouflage in North African rodents

2022

Abstract Background matching, a common form of camouflage, is a widespread anti-predator adaptation that hinders detection or recognition by increasing the resemblance of prey to its environment. However, the natural environment is complex and both spatially and temporally variable, which constrains effective background matching as an anti-predator strategy. Here, using remote sensing data (publicly available satellite imagery), we investigated how variation of habitat parameters predicts background matching in 16 Sahara–Sahel rodent species across spatial and temporal scales. All fur colour parameters (hue, saturation and brightness) strongly matched the respective habitats of the differen…

Range expansion to novel environments : evolutionary physiology and genetics in Leptinotarsa decemlineata

2010

Eco-physiological aspects of adaptation to seasonal environments : the latitudinal range expansion of the Colorado potato beetle across Europe

2013

Effect of Cycloplegia on Blur Perception Thresholds as Measured by Source Method

2017

Abstract One of the advantages of a source method over observer method in blur perception measurements is better control of a stimulus blur level, which is achieved with computerised image processing unlike the observer method that requires optical defocusing of the observer. The aim of this study was to determine if paralysation of accommodation has effect on blur perception thresholds, thereby evaluating its necessity in such experiments. Blur perception thresholds (just noticeable blur, clear image, recognition, and non-resolvable blur thresholds) were evaluated with (using cycloplegia) and without paralysed accommodation to determine effect on blur perception. A computerised low-pass sp…

ANCESTRALITY OR MORPHOLOGICAL CONVERGENCE IN THE MOLLISSIMA AND ITALICA GROUPS OF SILENE IN THE WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN BASIN

2010

Adaptation to stressful environments : invasion success of the Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata)

2018

Biological invasions, specifically human-induced dispersals, are one of the major threats to our biodiversity and are predicted to increase. Invasive pests provide an opportunity to study whether adaptation to human-induced environments could promote invasions to other human-induced environments. One major anthropogenic selection pressure is created by pesticides, and pests can be exposed to various pesticides in their native, as well as introduced, ranges. I investigated whether exposure to anthropogenic selection (i.e. insecticides and herbicides) and exposure to multiple anthropogenic stressors selects for higher stress tolerance. I also tested whether parental prolonged diapause or inse…

Global climate policies, local institutions and food security in a pastoral society in Ethiopia

2011

This paper explores climate change adaptation within national policy priorities in a least developed country (LDC). The premise of the article is that when considering food security, climate is an exogenous trigger, while the deeper causes lie in social problems. Therefore, adaptation is subordinate to poverty alleviation. The paper examines how these two goals, climate adaptation and poverty alleviation, can be combined. Recent studies have shown that the most effective way to adapt to changing climate conditions in a poor country is to rely on local institutions that have established and sustainable mechanisms to deal with extreme climatic conditions. This research analyzes the stakeholde…

Auditory cortical and hippocampal-system mismatch responses to duration deviants in urethane-anesthetized rats

2013

Any change in the invariant aspects of the auditory environment is of potential importance. The human brain preattentively or automatically detects such changes. The mismatch negativity (MMN) of event-related potentials (ERPs) reflects this initial stage of auditory change detection. The origin of MMN is held to be cortical. The hippocampus is associated with a later generated P3a of ERPs reflecting involuntarily attention switches towards auditory changes that are high in magnitude. The evidence for this cortico-hippocampal dichotomy is scarce, however. To shed further light on this issue, auditory cortical and hippocampal-system (CA1, dentate gyrus, subiculum) local-field potentials were …

Modulations of corticospinal excitability following rapid ankle dorsiflexion in skill- and endurance-trained athletes

2022

Abstract Purpose Long-term sports training, such as skill and endurance training, leads to specific neuroplasticity. However, it remains unclear if muscle stretch-induced proprioceptive feedback influences corticospinal facilitation/inhibition differently between skill- and endurance-trained athletes. This study investigated modulation of corticospinal excitability following rapid ankle dorsiflexion between well-trained skill and endurance athletes. Methods Ten skill- and ten endurance-trained athletes participated in the study. Corticospinal excitability was tested by single- and paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulations (TMS) at three different latencies following passive rapid ankl…