Showing papers by "University of Stirling published in 1999"
TL;DR: It is found that 39 different behaviour patterns, including tool usage, grooming and courtship behaviours, are customary or habitual in some communities but are absent in others where ecological explanations have been discounted.
Abstract: As an increasing number of field studies of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) have achieved long-term status across Africa, differences in the behavioural repertoires described have become apparent that suggest there is significant cultural variation1,2,3,4,5,6,7. Here we present a systematic synthesis of this information from the seven most long-term studies, which together have accumulated 151 years of chimpanzee observation. This comprehensive analysis reveals patterns of variation that are far more extensive than have previously been documented for any animal species except humans8,9,10,11. We find that 39 different behaviour patterns, including tool usage, grooming and courtship behaviours, are customary or habitual in some communities but are absent in others where ecological explanations have been discounted. Among mammalian and avian species, cultural variation has previously been identified only for single behaviour patterns, such as the local dialects of song-birds12,13. The extensive, multiple variations now documented for chimpanzees are thus without parallel. Moreover, the combined repertoire of these behaviour patterns in each chimpanzee community is itself highly distinctive, a phenomenon characteristic of human cultures14 but previously unrecognised in non-human species.
1,964 citations
TL;DR: It is deduced that differences in essential fatty acid requirements for different species of fish reflect different dietary and metabolic adaptations to different habitats and how such knowledge can be exploited to develop improved diets for fish, especially in their early stages of development.
1,033 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors attempt to remedy the omission by analysing the recent and spectacular growth of call centres in the UK, drawing on a wide variety of sources, including two extensive surveys of developments in Scotland during 1997.
Abstract: To date, academic studies of the call centre ‘sector’ remain limited in scope. Here the authors attempt to remedy that omission by analysing the recent and spectacular growth of call centres in the UK, drawing on a wide variety of sources, including two extensive surveys of developments in Scotland during 1997.
805 citations
TL;DR: The ideal marine fish larval diet is one containing circa 10% of the dry weight as n −3 HUFA-rich, marine phospholipids with less than 5% triacylglycerols, as exemplified by the lipid compositions of marine fish egg yolk, marine fish larvae themselves and their natural zooplankton prey.
780 citations
TL;DR: It is concluded that non-verbal short-term memory can indeed be viewed as comprising distinct visual and spatio-sequential components and the VPT will be a useful neuropsychological instrument for measuring the visual component.
540 citations
TL;DR: It is argued that these findings are consistent with the operation of a reflexive, stimulus-driven or exogenous orienting of an observer's visual attention.
Abstract: Four experiments investigate the hypothesis that cues to the direction of another's social attention produce a reflexive orienting of an observer's visual attention. Participants were asked to make a simple detection response to a target letter which could appear at one of four locations on a visual display. Before the presentation of the target, one of these possible locations was cued by the orientation of a digitized head stimulus, which appeared at fixation in the centre of the display. Uninformative and to-be-ignored cueing stimuli produced faster target detection latencies at cued relative to uncued locations, but only when the cues appeared 100 msec before the onset of the target (Experiments 1 and 2). The effect was uninfluenced by the introduction of a to-be-attended and relatively informative cue (Experiment 3), but was disrupted by the inversion of the head cues (Experiment 4). It is argued that these findings are consistent with the operation of a reflexive, stimulus-driven or exogenous orient...
538 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the ability of subjects to identify target people captured by a commercially available video security device and found that subjects who were personally familiar with the targets performed very well at identifying them, but subjects unfamiliar with the target performed very poorly.
Abstract: Security surveillance systems often produce poor-quality video, and this may be problematic in gathering forensic evidence. We examined the ability of subjects to identify target people captured by a commercially available video security device. In Experiment 1, sub- jects personally familiar with the targets performed very well at iden- tifying them, but subjects unfamiliar with the targets performed very poorly. Police officers with experience in forensic identification per- formed as poorly as other subjects unfamiliar with the targets. In Experiment 2, we asked how familiar subjects can perform so well. Using the same video device, we edited clips to obscure the head, body, or gait of the targets. Obscuring body or gait produced a small decrement in recognition performance. Obscuring the targets' heads had a dramatic effect on subjects' ability to recognize the targets. These results imply that subjects recognized the targets' faces, even in these poor-quality images.
536 citations
535 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors give an overview of social representation theory, definitions of the key terms and of the social processes leading to a representation and to social identity, and compare these theories to theories of attitudes, schemata and social cognition.
Abstract: This paper gives an overview of social representation theory, definitions of the key terms and of the social processes leading to a representation and to social identity. Six empirical studies are presented and details of their methods and findings are given to illustrate this social psychological approach. These studies are about the ontogenesis of gender, the public sphere in Brazil, madness on British television, images of androgyny in Switzerland, individualism and democracy in post-communist Europe and metaphorical thinking about conception. The methods are ethnography, interviews, focus-groups, content analysis of media, statistical analysis of word associations, questionnaires and experiments. Finally, social representation theory is compared to theories of attitudes, schemata and social cognition.
449 citations
TL;DR: It is suggested that the most critical issue in the use of a chromogenic protein assay for the characterization of a biopharmaceutical is the selection of a standard for the calibration of the assay; it is crucial that the standard be representative of the sample.
Abstract: There has been an increase in the number of colorimetric assay techniques for the determination of protein concentration over the past 20 years. This has resulted in a perceived increase in sensitivity and accuracy with the advent of new techniques. The present review considers these advances with emphasis on the potential use of such technologies in the assay of biopharmaceuticals. The techniques reviewed include Coomassie Blue G-250 dye binding (the Bradford assay), the Lowry assay, the bicinchoninic acid assay and the biuret assay. It is shown that each assay has advantages and disadvantages relative to sensitivity, ease of performance, acceptance in the literature, accuracy and reproducibility/coefficient of variation/laboratory-to-laboratory variation. A comparison of the use of several assays with the same sample population is presented. It is suggested that the most critical issue in the use of a chromogenic protein assay for the characterization of a biopharmaceutical is the selection of a standard for the calibration of the assay; it is crucial that the standard be representative of the sample. If it is not possible to match the standard with the sample from the perspective of protein composition, then it is preferable to use an assay that is not sensitive to the composition of the protein such as a micro-Kjeldahl technique, quantitative amino acid analysis or the biuret assay. In a complex mixture it might be inappropriate to focus on a general method of protein determination and much more informative to use specific methods relating to the protein(s) of particular interest, using either specific assays or antibody-based methods. The key point is that whatever method is adopted as the 'gold standard' for a given protein, this method needs to be used routinely for calibration.
434 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that the consultant-client relationship is best regarded as part of an overarching managerial structure and a contingent exchange that assumes a variety of forms, and they draw on case studies of consultants' role in the management of organizational change, one of clients with considerable market power, and another of interdependency between consultant and client.
Abstract: The management consultancy industry is attracting more and more attention. The critical literature in particular has questioned how a non-codified body of knowledge like ‘consultancy’ could become so apparently influential. The answering emphasis has been on the symbolic nature of consultant strategies and consultancy as a powerful system of persuasion. However, an emerging structural perspective has developed a rather different view, focusing on the limits of the industry discourse, and the constraints of a consultancy role defined largely by external forces. While it is useful to contrast the two perspectives – strategic and structural – they can also be viewed as complementary, and indeed a number of writers have been well aware both of the importance of consultant strategies and the context of consultancy work. In particular, they have explored the interaction between consultant and client, and called attention to factors like the countervailing power of client organizations and the uncertainty of the management task. The paper aims to contribute to this debate and draws on case studies of consultants' role in the management of organizational change – one of clients with considerable market power, and another of interdependency between consultant and client. The point stressed is that the consultancy process contains no ‘necessary’ structures (which may be implied by pairings such as the dependent client and indispensable consultant, or alternatively the resistant client and vulnerable consultant). Instead the consultant–client relationship is best regarded as part of an overarching managerial structure and a contingent exchange that assumes a variety of forms.
TL;DR: Although care is needed, elasticity analysis is a simple first step in answering important questions in evolutionary and population ecology.
Abstract: Elasticity analysis estimates the proportional change in the population growth rate for a proportional change in a vital rate (i.e. survival, growth or reproduction). It can be used to pinpoint those parts of an organism's life history that should be the focus of management effort, or those that contribute most to fitness. Recent theoretical work has emphasized some limitations of the technique, has overcome other problems, and has shown that it is robust to some violations of its underlying assumptions. Thus, although care is needed, elasticity analysis is a simple first step in answering important questions in evolutionary and population ecology.
TL;DR: In this article, a model of human face recognition which combines both a perceptual and a cognitive component is presented, which has a much wider predictive range than either perceptual or cognitive models alone.
TL;DR: In this article, a study of the international behavior of Scottish arts and crafts businesses that are instant internationals is presented, where the internationalization process is analyzed together with the business characteristics of these businesses.
Abstract: This article deals with a study of the international behavior of Scottish arts and crafts businesses that are “instant internationals.” The internationalization process is analyzed together with th...
01 May 1999
TL;DR: If partial replacement of fish oils in fish feeds with vegetable oils becomes necessary in future, it is argued that 18:3n-3-rich oils, such as linseed oil, are the oils of choice because they are much more acceptable from a human nutritional perspective, especially given the innate ability of freshwater fish, including salmonids, to convert dietary 18:2n-6 relative to linolenic acid in Western diets.
Abstract: The projected stagnation in the catch from global fisheries and the continuing expansion of aquaculture is considered against the background that fishmeal and fish oil are major feed stocks for farmed salmon and trout, and also for marine fish. The dietary requirement of these farmed fish for high-quality protein, rich in essential amino acids, can be met by sources other than fishmeal. However, the highly-polyunsaturated fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3) present in high concentrations in fish oil are essential dietary constituents for marine fish and highly-desirable dietary constituents for salmonids. Currently, there is no feasible alternative source to fish oil for these nutrients in fish feeds. Vegetable oils rich in linoleic acid (18:2n-6) can partially substitute for 20:5n-3 and 22:6n-3 in salmonid and marine-fish feeds. However, this is nutritionally undesirable for human nutrition because the health-promoting effects of fish-derived 20:5n-3 and 22:6n-3 reflect a very high intake of 18:2n-6 relative to linolenic acid (18:3n-3) in Western diets. If partial replacement of fish oils in fish feeds with vegetable oils becomes necessary in future, it is argued that 18:3n-3-rich oils, such as linseed oil, are the oils of choice because they are much more acceptable from a human nutritional perspective, especially given the innate ability of freshwater fish, including salmonids, to convert dietary 18:3n-3 to 20:5n-3 and 22:6n-3. In the meantime, a more judicious use of increasingly-expensive fish oil in aquaculture is recommended. High priorities in the future development of aquaculture are considered to be genetic improvement of farmed fish stocks with enhanced abilities to convert C18 to C20 and C22 n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, enhanced development of primary production of 20:5n-3 and 22:6n-3 by single-cell marine organisms, and continuing development of new species.
TL;DR: Replicate groups of halibut larvae were fed to d 71 post-first feeding either the marine copepod, Eurytemora velox, or Artemia nauplii doubly enriched with the marine chromist or golden algae, Schizochytrium sp.
Abstract: Replicate groups of halibut larvae were fed to d 71 post-first feeding (PFF) either the marine copepod, Eurytemora velox, or Artemia nauplii doubly enriched with the marine chromist or golden algae, Schizochytrium sp., (Algamac 2000) and a commercial oil emulsion (SuperSelco). The fatty acid compositions of eyes, brains and livers from larvae fed the two diets were measured, and indices of growth, eye migration and skin pigmentation were recorded along with histological examinations of eye and liver. The docosahexaenoic acid [22:6(n-3); DHA]/eicosapentaenoic acid [20:5(n-3); EPA] ratios in Artemia nauplii enriched with the SuperSelco and Algamac 2000 were 0.4 and 1.0, respectively. The E. velox copepods were divided into two size ranges (125-250 and 250-400 microm) with the smaller size range containing the highest level of (n-3) highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFA). The DHA/EPA ratios for the two size ranges of copepods were 2.0 and 0.9, respectively. The total lipids of eyes, brains and livers of larvae fed copepods had higher levels of DHA and lower levels of EPA than those of larvae fed enriched Artemia. The percentage of survival of the halibut larvae was significantly higher when copepods rather than enriched Artemia nauplii were fed, but larval specific growth rates did not differ. The indices of eye migration were high and not significantly different in larvae fed the two diets, but the percentage of larvae undergoing successful metamorphosis (complete eye migration and dorsal pigmentation) was higher in larvae fed copepods (40%) than in larvae fed enriched Artemia (4%). The rod/cone ratios in histological sections of the retina were 2.5 +/- 0.7 in larvae fed copepods and 1.3 +/- 0.6 in larvae fed enriched Artemia (P < 0.01). Histological examination of the livers and intestines of the larvae were consistent with better assimilation of lipid from copepods than lipid from Artemia nauplii up to 46 d post-first feeding. Thus, marine copepods are superior to enriched Artemia as food for halibut larvae in terms of survival, eye development and pigmentation, and this superiority can be related to the level of DHA in the feed.
TL;DR: The data obtained indicate that an eight-week modified feeding schedule reversed the age-related impairments in long-term potentiation and depolarization-induced glutamate transmitter release and the concentrations of both docosahexanoic acid and arachidonic acid were decreased in the hippocampus of aged rats, and were restored by dietary manipulation.
TL;DR: The structure of a hybrid zone in Argyll, Scotland, between native red deer and introduced Japanese sika deer is described, on the basis of a genetic analysis using 11 microsatellite markers and mitochondrial DNA, to conclude that the deer fall into two distinct genetic classes, corresponding to either a sika-like or red-like phenotype.
Abstract: In this article we describe the structure of a hybrid zone in Argyll, Scotland, between native red deer (Cervus elaphus) and introduced Japanese sika deer (Cervus nippon), on the basis of a genetic analysis using 11 microsatellite markers and mitochondrial DNA. In contrast to the findings of a previous study of the same population, we conclude that the deer fall into two distinct genetic classes, corresponding to either a sika-like or red-like phenotype. Introgression is rare at any one locus, but where the taxa overlap up to 40% of deer carry apparently introgressed alleles. While most putative hybrids are heterozygous at only one locus, there are rare multiple heterozygotes, reflecting significant linkage disequilibrium within both sika- and red-like populations. The rate of backcrossing into the sika population is estimated as H = 0.002 per generation and into red, H = 0.001 per generation. On the basis of historical evidence that red deer entered Kintyre only recently, a diffusion model evaluated by maximum likelihood shows that sika have increased at approximately 9.2% yr-1 from low frequency and disperse at a rate of approximately 3.7 km yr-1. Introgression into the red-like population is greater in the south, while introgression into sika varies little along the transect. For both sika- and red-like populations, the degree of introgression is 30-40% of that predicted from the rates of current hybridization inferred from linkage disequilibria; however, in neither case is this statistically significant evidence for selection against introgression.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present results from a time-series analysis of seven alternative measures of sustainability for Scotland, including green Net National Product, genuine savings, ecological footprint, environmental space, net primary productivity, the Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare and the Genuine Progress Indicator.
TL;DR: Babies fed formula with and without LCPUFA did not differ in cognitive or motor development, growth, infection, atopy or tolerance, and there was no evidence of a beneficial or adverse effect on cognitive and motor development or growth up to 18 months.
TL;DR: The effects of movement on the recognition of famous faces shown in difficult conditions were investigated and suggest that the dynamics of the motion provide additional information, helping to access an established familiar face representation.
Abstract: The effects of movement on the recognition of famous faces shown in difficult conditions were investigated. Images were presented as negatives, upside down (inverted), andthresholded. Results indicate that, under all these conditions, moving faces were recognized significantly better than static ones. One possible explanation of this effect could be that a moving sequence contains more static information about the different views and expressions of the face than does a single static image. However, even when the amount of static information was equated (Experiments 3 and 4), there was still an advantage for moving sequences that contained their original dynamic properties. The results suggest that the dynamics of the motion provide additional information, helping to access an established familiar face representation. Both the theoretical and the practical implications for these findings are discussed.
TL;DR: It is shown that a commercially fabricated diet can be successfully used as sensitive investigative tool for aquaculture research and facilitated comparable reproductive performance to the wet fish diet (Boops boops) which has previously been considered the most effective broodstock diet.
TL;DR: Several novel gene candidates for involvement in depression and bipolar disorder are proposed and evidence of impaired phospholipid metabolism and impaired fatty acid-related signal transduction processes is found.
Abstract: Depression and bipolar disorder are two of the commonest illnesses in the developed world. While some patients can be treated effectively with available drugs, many do not respond, especially in the depression related to bipolar disorder. Depression is associated with diabetes, cardiovascular disease, immunological abnormalities, multiple sclerosis, cancer, osteoporosis and ageing: in each case depressed individuals have a worse outcome than non-depressed individuals. In all of these conditions there is now evidence of impaired phospholipid metabolism and impaired fatty acid-related signal transduction processes. Impaired fatty acid and phospholipid metabolism may be a primary cause of depression in many patients and may explain the interactions with other diseases. Several novel gene candidates for involvement in depression and bipolar disorder are proposed.
TL;DR: A series of studies published within the past five years has shown that spatial synchrony is a general phenomenon not restricted to vertebrates or to cyclic species, and there exists an interesting tension between the synchronized effects of extrinsic environmental stochasticity and the desynchro-nizing effects of nonlinear density dependence.
Abstract: 1 P rogress in population ecology generally occurs through a continual synthesis of theory with empirical findings, but occasionally a study acts as a beacon and guides the discipline into exciting new areas of research. In the study of population fluctuations, Charles Elton's first description of the regular cycles in the fur returns of Canadian lynx (Lynx canadensis) to the Hudson's Bay Company 1 was arguably one of the most influential. His description has stimulated more than 70 years of theoretical and empirical investigation into the possible causes of population cycles, why population fluctuations are spatially synchronized and the relative importance of intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms. Although we still do not have a clear experimental demonstration of the mechanism that generates cycles in any natural system, a recent Nature paper by Grenfell and colleagues 2 shows that there exists an interesting tension between the synchronizing effects of extrinsic environmental stochasticity and the desynchro-nizing effects of nonlinear density dependence. Random effects have a major role to play in a nonlinear world and their influence is becoming increasingly recognized in ecological theory 3. A series of studies published within the past five years has shown that spatial synchrony is a general phenomenon not restricted to vertebrates or to cyclic species 4–7. Most, although not all 8 , have shown synchrony over a fairly wide geographical area, with the degree of synchrony between populations decreasing with distance. However, identifying synchrony is just the first step; the more difficult task is to identify the mechanism that causes this pattern. Early workers assumed that the cause of population cycles would also be the cause of the synchrony, so they looked for links with global events, such as cycles in sunspot activity, ozone levels and forest fires 9. However, Moran 10 dismissed the need for a single causation hypothesis and pointed out that, if two populations had the same density-dependent structure, then correlated density-independent factors (usually weather-induced) would bring the populations' fluctuations into synchrony. Royama 9 highlighted this in his synthesis of population dynamics and called it the 'Moran effect' (see also p. 24, this issue). The simplest model of synchrony between two uncoupled populations would be two linear autoregressive equations with no density dependence but similar environmental variation. In this case, the correlation of the populations will asymp-totically equal the level of correlation in the environmental variation. However, synchrony between populations will also depend on …
TL;DR: It is concluded that, given a sufficiency of dietary docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), the optimum dietary level of EPA is not a function of DHA, but of dietary ARA.
TL;DR: The literature reviewed in this paper substantiates the widely held view that empathy is crucial to all forms of helping relationships and proposes a definition of empathy considered to be relevant to clinical nursing, which includes the need to understand client's distress, and to provide supportive interpersonal communication.
Abstract: The literature reviewed in this paper substantiates the widely held view that empathy is crucial to all forms of helping relationships. While most studies cited are more than a decade old, the relationship between empathy and helping remains unchallenged in the 1990s. Additionally, while there is confusion about whether empathy is a personality dimension, an experienced emotion, or an observable skill, it is shown that empathy involves an ability to communicate an understanding of a client's world. Finally, a definition of empathy considered to be relevant to clinical nursing is introduced, which includes the need to understand client's distress, and to provide supportive interpersonal communication. It is argued that there is a need to revisit the role of empathy in the context of current health care delivery.
TL;DR: The detergent solubilisation of the fenugreek galactosyltransferase with retention of activity, the identification on gels of a putative 51 kDa galactOSyl transferase protein, and the isolation, cloning and sequencing of the corresponding cDNA are reported.
Abstract: Galactomannan biosynthesis in vitro is catalysed by membrane preparations from developing fenugreek seed endosperms. Two enzymes interact: a GDP-mannose dependent (1→4)-β-d-mannan synthase and a UDP-galactose dependent (1→6)-α-d-galactosyltransferase. The statistical distribution of galactosyl substituents along the mannan backbone, and the degree of galactose substitution of the primary product of galactomannan biosynthesis appear to be regulated by the specificity of the galactosyltransferase. We now report the detergent solubilisation of the fenugreek galactosyltransferase with retention of activity, the identification on gels of a putative 51 kDa galactosyltransferase protein, and the isolation, cloning and sequencing of the corresponding cDNA. The solubilised galactosyltransferase has an absolute requirement for added acceptor substrates. Beta-(1→4)-linked d-manno-oligosaccharides with chain lengths greater than or equal to 5 acted as acceptors, as did galactomannans of low to medium galactose-substitution. The putative galactosyltransferase cDNA encodes a 51282 Da protein, with a single transmembrane alpha helix near the N terminus. We have also confirmed the identity of the galactosyltransferase by inserting the cDNA in frame into the genome of the methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris under the control of an AOX promoter and the yeast alpha secretion factor and observing the secretion of galactomannan α-galactosyltransferase activity. Particularly high activities were observed when a truncated sequence, lacking the membrane-spanning helix, was expressed.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explored the potential of recent regulatory reforms in the United Kingdom (U.K.), many of which are unique to that country, to strengthen the independence framework.
TL;DR: It is demonstrated that preening with a normal bill selects for small body size in lice, which may facilitate their escape from preening, which is a crucial element of coevolutionary theory.
Abstract: Coevolution is evolution in one species in response to selection imposed by a second species, followed by evolution in the second species in response to reciprocal selection imposed by the first species. Although reciprocal selection is a prerequisite of coevolution, it has seldom been documented in natural pop- ulations. We examined the feasibility of reciprocal selection in a simple host-parasite system consisting of feral pigeons (Columba livia) and their Ischnoceran feather lice (Phthiraptera: Insecta). We tested for a selective effect of parasites on hosts with exper- imentally altered defenses and for a selective effect of host defense on a component of parasite escape. Previous work indicates that pigeons control lice through efficient preening, while lice escape from preening using complex avoidance behavior. Our results show that feral pigeons with impaired preening, owing to slight bill deformities, have higher louse loads than pigeons with normal bills. We use a controlled experiment to show that high louse loads reduce the survival of pigeons, suggesting that lice select for efficient preening and against bill deformities. In a reciprocal experiment, we demonstrate that preening with a normal bill selects for small body size in lice, which may facilitate their escape from preening. The results of this study verify a crucial element of coevolutionary theory by identifying likely targets of reciprocal phenotypic selection between host and parasite.