Search results for "Choice"
showing 10 items of 795 documents
Indirect cues of nest predation risk and avian reproductive decisions
2009
Current life-history theory predicts that increased mortality at early stages of life leads to reduced initial investment (e.g. clutch size) but increased subsequent investment during the reproduction attempt. In a field experiment, migratory pied flycatchers Ficedula hypoleuca perceived differences in mammalian nest predation risk and altered their reproductive strategies in two respects. First, birds avoided nest sites manipulated to reflect the presence of a predator. Second, birds breeding in risky areas nested 4 days earlier and laid 10 per cent larger clutches than those in safe areas, a result that runs counter to the prevailing life-history paradigm. We suggest that the overwhelmin…
Immune activation rapidly mirrored in a secondary sexual trait.
2003
A crucial assumption underlying most models of sexual selection is that sexual advertisements honestly reflect the phenotypic and/or genetic quality of their bearers ([1][1]). Here we show that experimental activation of the immune system is rapidly mirrored in the expression of a carotenoid-based
Olfaction scaffolds the developing human from neonate to adolescent and beyond
2020
The impact of the olfactory sense is regularly apparent across development. The fetus is bathed in amniotic fluid (AF) that conveys the mother's chemical ecology. Transnatal olfactory continuity between the odours of AF and milk assists in the transition to nursing. At the same time, odours emanating from the mammary areas provoke appetitive responses in newborns. Odours experienced from the mother's diet during breastfeeding, and from practices such as pre-mastication, may assist in the dietary transition at weaning. In parallel, infants are attracted to and recognize their mother's odours; later, children are able to recognize other kin and peers based on their odours. Familiar odours, su…
MALE COURTSHIP SONG AND FEMALE PREFERENCE VARIATION BETWEEN PHYLOGEOGRAPHICALLY DISTINCT POPULATIONS OF DROSOPHILA MONTANA
2007
Understanding the variation within and between populations in important male mating traits and female preferences is crucial to theories concerning the origin of sexual isolation by coevolution or other processes. There have been surprisingly few studies on the extent of variation and covariation within and between populations, especially where the evolutionary relationships between populations are understood. Here we examine variation in female preferences and a sexually selected male song trait, the carrier frequency of the song, within and between populations from different phylogeographic clusters of Drosophila montana. Song is obligatory for successful mating in this species, and both …
May Measurement Month 2018: a pragmatic global screening campaign to raise awareness of blood pressure by the International Society of Hypertension.
2019
Abstract Aims Raised blood pressure (BP) is the biggest contributor to mortality and disease burden worldwide and fewer than half of those with hypertension are aware of it. May Measurement Month (MMM) is a global campaign set up in 2017, to raise awareness of high BP and as a pragmatic solution to a lack of formal screening worldwide. The 2018 campaign was expanded, aiming to include more participants and countries. Methods and results Eighty-nine countries participated in MMM 2018. Volunteers (≥18 years) were recruited through opportunistic sampling at a variety of screening sites. Each participant had three BP measurements and completed a questionnaire on demographic, lifestyle, and envi…
Prevention and contrast of child abuse and neglect in the practice of European paediatricians: a multi-national pilot study
2021
AbstractBackgroundChild abuse and neglect, or maltreatment, is a serious public health problem, which may cause long-term effects on children’s health and wellbeing and expose them to further adulthood vulnerabilities. Studies on child maltreatment performed in Europe are scarce, and the number of participants enrolled relatively small. The aim of this multi-national European pilot study, was to evaluate the level of understanding and perception of the concepts of child abuse and neglect by European paediatricians working in different medical settings, and the attitude toward these forms of maltreatment in their practice.MethodsThe study was performed by a cross-sectional, descriptive, onli…
Time flies when you maximize - Maximizers and satisficers perceive time differently when making decisions
2013
Three experiments assessed whether maximizing and satisficing decision-making types were associated with differences in perception of time, as a consequence of their different cognitive workloads. Findings showed that maximizers and satisficers perceived time differently during decision-making, but not during other tasks. In particular, compared to satisficers, maximizers tended to underestimate time while choosing, independently of the number of options and the specific task requirements. Satisficers instead tended to underestimate time only when the number of options or the task requirements were more challenging. Our findings suggest that the perception of time may serve as a measure of …
Cuticular hydrocarbons of Drosophila montana: geographic variation, sexual dimorphism and potential roles as pheromones.
2014
Abstract Sexual selection within populations can play an important role in speciation when divergence in mating signals and their corresponding preferences occur along different coevolutionary trajectories in different populations. In insects, one potential target of sexual selection is the blend of cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs), which often show intra- and interspecific variation, sexual dimorphism and may act as pheromones. In Drosophila montana, a cold-adapted, circumboreal member of the Drosophila virilis species group, flies from different populations have been found to show significant premating isolation as well as variation in male mating signal (song) and female preference. While t…
Sexual selection drives asymmetric introgression in wall lizards.
2015
Hybridisation is increasingly recognised as an important cause of diversification and adaptation. Here, we show how divergence in male secondary sexual characters between two lineages of the common wall lizard (Podarcis muralis) gives rise to strong asymmetries in male competitive ability and mating success, resulting in asymmetric hybridisation upon secondary contact. Combined with no negative effects of hybridisation on survival or reproductive characters in F1-hybrids, these results suggest that introgression should be asymmetric, resulting in the displacement of sexual characters of the sub-dominant lineage. This prediction was confirmed in two types of secondary contact, across a natur…
Prognostic value of right ventricular dysfunction or elevated cardiac biomarkers in patients with low-risk pulmonary embolism: a systematic review an…
2018
Abstract Aims Patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE) classified as low risk by the Pulmonary Embolism Severity Index (PESI), its simplified version (sPESI), or the Hestia criteria may be considered for early discharge. We investigated whether the presence of right ventricular (RV) dysfunction may aggravate the early prognosis of these patients. Methods and results We did a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies including low-risk patients with acute PE to investigate the prognostic value of RV dysfunction. Diagnosis of RV dysfunction was based on echocardiography or computed tomography pulmonary angiography. In addition, we investigated the prognostic value of elevated troponin…