A Novel Behavior Observed in Humpback Whales on Wintering Grounds at Abrolhos Bank (Brazil)

We describe a novel behavior, termed “tail-up,” observed in humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) on wintering grounds on Abrolhos Bank, Brazil. The behavior involves the whale positioned vertically in the water column with its tail in the air. Wirh the exception of calves, tail-up was observed in all social classes, and its frequency increased through the end of the season. Tail-ups were recorded in 144 (5.8%) of 2,465 groups of whales observed from a shore station, and in 297 (14.9%) of 1,996 groups observed from vessel surveys; biases in each method suggest that the true frequency lies between these sources. One hundred and fifty-two hours of continuous sampling showed that the duration of tail-up events lasted from a few seconds to 12 min and was longest in groups comprised of a single adult. The maximum duration of a recorded period that consistently included tail-up was 10 h; however, some individuals were observed to engage in the behavior at night and for four consecutive days. Tail-up movement speed did not vary by social class; however, it varied according to wind direction and speed. The characteristics of tail-up that we observed showed that it differed from the descriptions of similar behaviors in other cetacean species. The function of tail-up is unknown, but we suggest that it may be a multifunctional behavior.

A Tool Box Half Full: How Social Science can Help Solve Human–Wildlife Conflict

There is a growing recognition among wildlife managers that focusing management on wildlife often provides a temporary fix to human–wildlife conflicts, whereas changing human behavior can provide long-term solutions. Human dimensions research of wildlife conflicts frequently focuses on stakeholders’ characteristics, problem identification, and acceptability of management, and less frequently on human behavior and evaluation of management actions to change that behavior. Consequently, little information exists to assess overall success of management. We draw on our experience studying human–bear conflicts, and argue for more human dimensions studies that focus on change in human behavior to measure management success. We call for help from social scientists to conduct applied experiments utilizing two methods, direct observation and self-reported data, to measure change in behavior. We are optimistic these approaches will help fill the managers’ tool box and lead to better integration of human dimensions into human–wildlife conflict management.

SOCIAL MONOGAMY AND BIPARENTAL CARE OF THE NEOTROPICAL SOUTHERN BAMBOO RAT (KANNABATEOMYS AMBLYONYX)

We analyzed social patterns indicative of the mating system and parental care in a population of the southern bamboo rat (Kannabateomys amblyonyx). This arboreal rodent feeds exclusively on bamboo stems and leaves. We conducted fieldwork from August 2003 to October 2004 in southern Brazil (30 degrees 20`-30 degrees 27`S, 50 degrees 50`-51 degrees 05`W), in patches of introduced Chinese bamboo (Bambusa tuldoides). We captured 18 individuals, 7 of which were adults that received radiotransmitters and were followed from 1 to 12 months. Another 5 animals (adults or subadults) received colored collars. We observed paternal care, delayed juvenile dispersal, and reduced degree of sexual dimorphism, all of which are traits typical of social monogamy. Mated males showed a direct parental behavioral repertoire similar to that of females (with the obvious exception of nursing), including grooming, huddling, and food provisioning. Potential monogamy in this species seems to be a flexible strategy linked to low density of bamboo patches. Females were confined to widely spaced., small home ranges, decreasing the possibility of male defense of and access to > 1 female. The arboreal habits of the species possibly increase the risk of inexperienced young falling from trees or else being depreciated when moving exposed through branches. This risk is probably reduced by the extensive biparental care observed, including the providing of low-energy plant food to young in the nest.

Ontogeny of manipulative behavior and nut-cracking in young tufted capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella): a Perception-action perspective

How do capuchin monkeys learn to use stones to crack open nuts? Perception-action theory posits that individuals explore producing varying spatial and force relations among objects and surfaces, thereby learning about affordances of such relations and how to produce them. Such learning supports the discovery of tool use. We present longitudinal developmental data from semifree-ranging tufted capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) to evaluate predictions arising from Perception-action theory linking manipulative development and the onset of tool-using. Percussive actions bringing an object into contact with a surface appeared within the first year of life. Most infants readily struck nuts and other objects against stones or other surfaces from 6 months of age, but percussive actions alone were not sufficient to produce nut-cracking sequences. Placing the nut on the anvil surface and then releasing it, so that it could be struck with a stone, was the last element necessary for nut-cracking to appear in capuchins. Young chimpanzees may face a different challenge in learning to crack nuts: they readily place objects on surfaces and release them, but rarely vigorously strike objects against surfaces or other objects. Thus the challenges facing the two species in developing the same behavior (nut-cracking using a stone hammer and an anvil) may be quite different. Capuchins must inhibit a strong bias to hold nuts so that they can release them; chimpanzees must generate a percussive action rather than a gentle placing action. Generating the right actions may be as challenging as achieving the right sequence of actions in both species. Our analysis suggests a new direction for studies of social influence on young primates learning sequences of actions involving manipulation of objects in relation to surfaces.

Influence of Prey Size on the Capture of Social Wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) by the Orb-Web Spider Nephilengys cruentata

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the plasticity of the hunting behavior of the spider Nephilengys cruentata (Araneae: Nephilidae) facing different species of social wasps. Considering that wasps can consume various species of spiders and that their poison can be used as defense against many predators, the effect of the corporal size of the prey was evaluated in the behavior of N. cruentata. Predation experiments were conducted using three species of social wasps of different sizes and the data registered in this research were compiled through annotations and filming of the hunting behavior of each spider, in relation to the offered prey. The results revealed that the size of the wasp and the sequential offer of prey change the hunting behavior of the spider, and prey of large size have high influence on this behavior.

Red Mud from Brazil: Thermal Behavior and Physical Properties

The main constituents of red mud produced in Aluminio city (S.P., Brazil) are iron, aluminum, and silicon oxides. It has been determined that the average particle diameter for this red mud is between 0.05 and 0.002 mm. It is observed that a decrease in the percentage of smaller particles occurs at temperatures greater than 400 degrees C. This observation corresponds with the thermal analysis and X-ray diffraction (XRD) data, which illustrate the phase transition of goethite to hematite. A 10% mass loss is observed in the thermal analysis patterns due to the hydroxide-oxide phase transitions of iron (primary phase transition) and aluminum (to a lesser extent). The disappearance and appearance of the different phases of iron and aluminum confirms the decomposition reactions proposed by the thermal analysis data. This Brazilian red mud has been classified as mesoporous at all temperatures except between 400 and 500 degrees C where the classification changes to micro/mesoporous.

Disentangling social networks from spatiotemporal dynamics: the temporal structure of a dolphin society

Social networks are static illustrations of dynamic societies, within which social interactions are constantly changing. Fundamental sources of variation include ranging behaviour and temporal demographic changes. Spatiotemporal dynamics can favour or limit opportunities for individuals to interact, and then a network may not essentially represent social processes. We examined whether a social network can embed such nonsocial effects in its topology, whereby emerging modules depict spatially or temporally segregated individuals. To this end, we applied a combination of spatial, temporal and demographic analyses to a long-term study of the association patterns of Guiana dolphins, Sotalia guianensis. We found that association patterns are organized into a modular social network. Space use was unlikely to reflect these modules, since dolphins' ranging behaviour clearly overlapped. However, a temporal demographic turnover, caused by the exit/entrance of individuals (most likely emigration/immigration), defined three modules of associations occurring at different times. Although this factor could mask real social processes, we identified the temporal scale that allowed us to account for these demographic effects. By looking within this turnover period (32 months), we assessed fission-fusion dynamics of the poorly known social organization of Guiana dolphins. We highlight that spatiotemporal dynamics can strongly influence the structure of social networks. Our findings show that hypothetical social units can emerge due to the temporal opportunities for individuals to interact. Therefore, a thorough search for a satisfactory spatiotemporal scale that removes such nonsocial noise is critical when analysing a social system. (C) 2012 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hypoactivity of the central dopaminergic system and autistic-like behavior induced by a single early prenatal exposure to lipopolysaccharide

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the behavioral patterns associated with autism and the prevalence of these behaviors in males and females, to verify whether our model of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) administration represents an experimental model of autism. For this, we prenatally exposed Wistar rats to LPS (100 mu g/kg, intraperitoneally, on gestational day 9.5), which mimics infection by gram-negative bacteria. Furthermore, because the exact mechanisms by which autism develops are still unknown, we investigated the neurological mechanisms that might underlie the behavioral alterations that were observed. Because we previously had demonstrated that prenatal LPS decreases striatal dopamine (DA) and metabolite levels, the striatal dopaminergic system (tyrosine hydroxylase [TH] and DA receptors D1a and D2) and glial cells (astrocytes and microglia) were analyzed by using immunohistochemistry, immunoblotting, and real-time PCR. Our results show that prenatal LPS exposure impaired communication (ultrasonic vocalizations) in male pups and learning and memory (T-maze spontaneous alternation) in male adults, as well as inducing repetitive/restricted behavior, but did not change social interactions in either infancy (play behavior) or adulthood in females. Moreover, although the expression of DA receptors was unchanged, the experimental animals exhibited reduced striatal TH levels, indicating that reduced DA synthesis impaired the striatal dopaminergic system. The expression of glial cell markers was not increased, which suggests that prenatal LPS did not induce permanent neuroinflammation in the striatum. Together with our previous finding of social impairments in males, the present findings demonstrate that prenatal LPS induced autism-like effects and also a hypoactivation of the dopaminergic system. (c) 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Gray Matter Volumes in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Before and After Fluoxetine or Cognitive-Behavior Therapy: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Serotonin reuptake inhibitors and cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) are considered first-line treatments for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). However, little is known about their modulatory effects on regional brain morphology in OCD patients. We sought to document structural brain abnormalities in treatment-naive OCD patients and to determine the effects of pharmacological and cognitive-behavioral treatments on regional brain volumes. Treatment-naive patients with OCD (n = 38) underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging scan before and after a 12-week randomized clinical trial with either fluoxetine or group CBT. Matched-healthy controls (n = 36) were also scanned at baseline. Voxel-based morphometry was used to compare regional gray matter (GM) volumes of regions of interest (ROIs) placed in the orbitofrontal, anterior cingulate and temporolimbic cortices, striatum, and thalamus. Treatment-naive OCD patients presented smaller GM volume in the left putamen, bilateral medial orbitofrontal, and left anterior cingulate cortices than did controls (p<0.05, corrected for multiple comparisons). After treatment with either fluoxetine or CBT (n = 26), GM volume abnormalities in the left putamen were no longer detectable relative to controls. ROI-based within-group comparisons revealed that GM volume in the left putamen significantly increased (p<0.012) in fluoxetine-treated patients (n = 13), whereas no significant GM volume changes were observed in CBT-treated patients (n = 13). This study supports the involvement of orbitofronto/cingulo-striatal loops in the pathophysiology of OCD and suggests that fluoxetine and CBT may have distinct neurobiological mechanisms of action. Neuropsychopharmacology (2012) 37, 734-745; doi: 10.1038/npp.2011.250; published online 26 October 2011

Lipopolysaccharide administration in the dominant mouse destabilizes social hierarchy

Sickness behavior is a set of behavioral changes that are part of an adaptive strategy to overcome infection. Mice that interact with conspecifics displaying sickness behavior also show relevant behavioral changes. In this work we sought to determine the role of sickness behavior display by a dominant mouse as a promoter of hierarchy instability. We treated the dominant mouse within a dyad with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (400 mu g/kg, i.p.) for three consecutive days and assessed social dominance behavior. Since elder animals display increased inflammatory responses and the behaviors toward conspecifics are influenced by kinship we also assessed whether kinship and age, might influence sickness related hierarchy instability. Our results show that administration of LPS in the dominant mouse promotes social instability within a dyad, and indicates that this instability could be influenced by kinship and age. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Risk assessment behaviors associated with corticosterone trigger the defense reaction to social isolation in rats: Role of the anterior cingulate cortex

The extent to which the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis is activated by short-term and long-term consequences of stress is still open to investigation. This study aimed to determine (i) the correlation between plasma corticosterone and exploratory behavior exhibited by rats subjected to the elevated plus maze (EPM) following different periods of social isolation, (ii) the effects of the corticosterone synthesis blocker, metyrapone, on the behavioral consequences of isolation, and (iii) whether corticosterone produces its effects through an action on the anterior cingulate cortex, area 1 (Cg1). Rats were subjected to 30-min, 2-h, 24-h, or 7-day isolation periods before EPM exposure and plasma corticosterone assessments. Isolation for longer periods of time produced greater anxiogenic-like effects on the EPM. However, stretched attend posture (SAP) and plasma corticosterone concentrations were increased significantly after 30 min of isolation. Among all of the behavioral categories measured in the EPM, only SAP positively correlated with plasma corticosterone. Metyrapone injected prior to the 24 h isolation period reversed the anxiogenic effects of isolation. Moreover, corticosterone injected into the Cg1 produced a selective increase in SAP. These findings indicate that risk assessment behavior induced by the action of corticosterone on Cg1 neurons initiates a cascade of defensive responses during exposure to stressors.

Desigualdade social no adoecimento e morte por câncer de boca e orofaríngeo no Município de São Paulo, Brasil: 1997 a 2008

A ocupação do espaço geográfico é determinada historicamente pelo modelo socioeconômico e pelo dinamismo de suas relações sociais, políticas e ideológicas. O objetivo deste trabalho é avaliar a distribuição espacial e o efeito de indicadores socioeconômicos no adoecimento e morte por câncer de boca e orofaríngeo no Município de São Paulo, Brasil, no período de 1997 a 2008. Os dados foram coletados no Registro de Câncer de Base Populacional e no Programa de Aprimoramento das Informações de Mortalidade - PRO-AIM e georreferenciados pelos softwares Terraview e GeoDa. O referencial teórico para avaliação dos resultados foi baseado na teoria de Milton Santos. As taxas de incidência apresentaram um índice de autocorrelação Global de Moran de 0,226 e as taxas de mortalidade de 0,337. A Incidência de câncer de boca e orofaríngeo não apresenta um padrão espacial bem definido no Município de São Paulo, mas é bastante desigual no que se refere à Mortalidade, concentrando as suas menores taxas na área central, mais rica e economicamente menos desigual.

Clinical correlates of social adjustment in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder

Background: Patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) frequently show poor social adjustment, which has been associated with OCD severity. Little is known about the effects that age at symptom onset, specific OCD symptoms, and psychiatric comorbidities have on social adjustment. The objective of this study was to investigate the clinical correlates of social functioning in OCD patients. Methods: Cross-sectional study involving 815 adults with a primary DSM-IV diagnosis of OCD participating in the Brazilian Research Consortium on Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders. Patients were assessed with the Social Adjustment Scale, the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short-Form Health Survey, the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale, the Dimensional Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale, and the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders. Clinical correlates of social adjustment were assessed with generalized linear models with gamma distribution. Results: Poor overall social functioning was associated with greater OCD severity (p = 0.02); hoarding symptoms (p = 0.004); sexual/religious obsessions (p = 0.005); current major depressive disorder (p = 0.004); current post-traumatic stress disorder (p = 0.002); and current eating disorders (p = 0.02). Poor social adjustment was also associated with impaired quality of life. Conclusions: Patients with OCD have poor social functioning in domains related to personal relationships and professional performance. Hoarding symptoms and sexual/religious obsessions seem to have the strongest negative effects on social functioning. Early age at OCD symptom onset seems to be associated with professional and academic underachievement and impairment within the family unit, whereas current psychiatric comorbidity worsen overall social functioning. In comparison with quality of life, social adjustment measures seem to provide a more comprehensive overview of the OCD-related burden. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Vocal and territorial behavior in the Smith frog (Hypsiboas faber): Relationships with plasma levels of corticosterone and testosterone

The possible trade-off between the roles of glucocorticoids as facilitators of energy substrate mobilization and neural inhibitors of sexual behavior during breeding season is under debate. We studied the relationship between calling and territorial behavior with plasma levels of corticosterone (CORT) and plasma levels of testosterone (T) across the breeding season of Hypsiboas faber, a large and territorial Neotropical treefrog. We investigated these relationships through focal observations of males calling naturally, followed by blood sampling for hormonal radioimmunoassay. We additionally used an experimental approach, which consisted of broadcasting recorded advertisement calls for 10 min to simulate an invasion in the territory of the focal subjects, followed by behavioral observation and blood sampling for hormonal radioimmunoassay. Results showed a pattern of co-variation between CORT and T across the breeding season. Furthermore, individual variation in CORT and T was related to different aspects of behavior: individuals with higher CORT showed higher calling rates, and individuals with higher steroid levels, mainly T, showed higher responsivity to social stimulation by other males in the chorus. Experimental simulation of territorial intrusion by using playback of advertisement calls of this species did not elicit consistent changes in agonistic behavior and CORT, but decreased T in focal males. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.