The function of peaceful post-conflict contacts among primates

Reconciliation has been the subject of considerable research in the last decade, and researchers have demonstrated that in many species of Old World monkeys and apes former opponents are more likely to engage in friendly interactions in the minutes that follow conflicts than they are at other times.de Waal has suggested that the function of these interactions is to mend relationships that have been damaged by conflict. Although peaceful post-conflict interactions are thought to have long-term effects upon the nature of social relationships, behavioral evidence presently indicates that the effects of these interactions may be limited to the post-conflict period. Theoretical considerations also raise some doubts about whether the relationship-repair hypothesis is cogent. Data that demonstrate that peaceful post-conflict interactions facilitate peaceful interactions and relieve victim's uncertainty and anxiety about whether conflict will be continued suggest that peaceful post-conflict interactions may be a means to reestablish contact with former opponents. Thus, they appear to function as predictive signals that the actor is going to stop fighting and behave peacefully. Such signals may be important in a broad range of social contexts.     

Costly apologies communicate conciliatory intention: an fMRI study on forgiveness in response to costly apologies

Reconciliation is an integral part of our social lives. Nevertheless, if a victim perceives the risk of further exploitation by his/her transgressor as non-negligible, the victim may well have difficulty forgiving the transgressor. Therefore, a key ingredient of reconciliation is the transgressor's sincere apology. Theoretical and empirical studies have shown that transgressors can make their apologies credible by incurring a substantial cost. Therefore, we hypothesized that costly apologies, compared to non-costly apologies (i.e., simply saying “sorry”), would effectively communicate a transgressor's conciliatory intention. In a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study, participants were asked to imagine a friend committing a mild interpersonal transgression (e.g., standing up the participant) and then apologizing in a costly fashion, apologizing in a non-costly fashion, or not apologizing at all. Compared to non-costly apologies and non-apologies, costly apologies (signals of conciliatory intention) more strongly activated the theory-of-mind network (i.e., bilateral temporoparietal junction, precuneus, medial prefrontal cortex). Moreover, we did not observe any significant differences in brain responses to non-costly apologies and non-apology controls. These results underscore the importance of costly signals in human communication and in human peace-making in particular.     

Otters and fish farms in the Sado estuary: ecological and socio-economic basis of a conflict

The degree of conflict between otter conservation and fish farming was assessed at Sado estuary (SW Portugal), using ecological (otter visiting rates to fish farms and consumption of commercial fish) and socio-economic (past and current instruments and policies addressing the conflict and a social impact assessment, including a discourse analysis of relevant stakeholders) parameters. The study concerned 14 fish farms producing Sparus aurata, Dicentrarchus labrax, Solea senegalensis and Solea solea. Results indicate high visiting rates in most fish farms (average: 76%), although in only 29%, species stocked were the most consumed prey. Other marine species and freshwater prey were the basis of otter diet in the remaining fish farms. The conflict is quite consensual among most fish farmers, and the results indicate that the perceived conflict by fish farmers has an ecological basis, although there are large gaps between effective and perceived predation. No specific instruments exist in Portugal to address the conflict, but some not specifically targeted can have an effect (e.g. species protection legislation and aquaculture licensing), although with limitations to effectively contribute to its mitigation (e.g. lack of enforcement and supervision). Formulating and assessing solutions is the following step, using a participatory approach to the development and evaluation of mitigation/compensation strategies, capable of providing an effective reconciliation of the conflict.

Conflict and post-conflict behavior in a small group of chimpanzees

Chimpanzee research plays a central role in the discussions of conflict negotiation. Reconciliation, or the attraction and affiliation of former opponents following conflict, has been proposed as a central element of conflict negotiation in chimpanzees and various other taxa. In an attempt to expand the database of chimpanzee conflict resolution, conflict and post-conflict behavior were recorded for a small group of socially housed chimpanzees at the Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute, at Central Washington University. Data were collected over six 6-week periods between 1997 and 2000, for a total of 840 hours of observation, resulting in a substantial post-conflict (PC) and matched control (MC) data set. The data demonstrate this group’s tendencies to maintain visual contact and closer proximity after conflicts. Dyadic corrected conciliatory tendencies ranged between 0 – 37.5% and averaged 17.25% across all dyads. Individual corrected conciliatory tendencies ranged between 5.8 and 32%. The results of this study combined with recent publications on captive and free-ranging chimpanzee post-conflict behavior suggest that variation in post-conflict behavior may be important to our understanding of chimpanzee conflict negotiation, and may also have implications for the design and management of captive chimpanzee enclosures and social groups, respectively.     

Facing the crowd: intruder pressure,within‐group competition,and the resolution of conflicts over group‐membership

Recent theory in social evolution has been mainly concerned with competition and cooperation within social groups of animals and their impact on the stability of those groups. Much less attention has been paid to conflicts arising as a result of solitary floaters (outsiders) attempting to join groups of established residents (insiders). We model such conflicts over group‐membership using a demographically explicit approach in which the rates of births and deaths in a population determine the availability of group‐vacancies and the number of floaters competing over these vacancies. We find that the outcome of within‐group competition, reflected in the partitioning of reproduction among group members, exerts surprisingly little influence on the resolution of insider‐outsider conflict. The outcome of such conflict is also largely unaffected by differences in resource holding potential between insiders and outsiders. By contrast, whether or not groups form is mainly determined by demographic factors (variation in vital rates such as fecundity and mortality) and the resulting population dynamics. In particular, at high floater densities territory defense becomes too costly, and groups form because insiders give in to the intruder pressure imposed on them by outsiders. We emphasize the importance of insider‐outsider conflicts in social evolution theory and highlight avenues for future research.     

Group size determined by fusion and fission A mathematical modelling with inclusive fitness

We consider a mathematical model for the group size determination by the intra-reactions, self-growth, ostracism and fission within a group, and by the inter-reactions, immigration and fusion between two groups. In some group reactions, a conflict between two groups occurs about the reaction to change the group size. We construct a mathematical model to consider such conflict, taking into account the inclusive fitness of members in each group. In the conflict about the fusion between two groups, our analysis shows that the smaller group wants to fuse, while the larger does not. Also the criterion to resolve the conflict is discussed, and some numerical examples are given, too. It is concluded that, depending on the deviation in the total cost paid for the conflict by counterparts, the group reactions could result in a terminal group size different from that reached only by a sequence of outsider's immigrations into a group.     

Resolving the Conflicts Between Biodiversity Conservation and Socioeconomic Development in China: Fuzzy Clustering Approach

Resolving the conflicts between biodiversity conservation and socioeconomic development is a global pursuit for the long-run prospects of the human species. Based on Wenchuan County, a typical county in southwestern China, a group of 20 indicators quantifying regional biodiversity and socioeconomic development was established to classify and evaluate the county area spatially. A fuzzy c-means clustering (FCM) algorithm was used as the classification method. Three indices including BD, DL and DR characterizing the value of biodiversity, the level and rate of socioeconomic development of the delineated regions were formulated. The results indicated that Wenchuan County was optimally classified into 4 types of regions (region I to IV). The area percentages of the regions vary widely from 4.3 to 65.7%. The sequences of the regions on biodiversity, socioeconomic development level, and socioeconomic development rate were, respectively, IV > II > III > I, I > III > II > IV and III >I >II >IV. The spatial strategy on coordinating biodiversity conservation and regional development is to develop mainly from the east(I, II, III) and to conserve mainly in the west(IV). Eco-industry, such as eco-tourism and eco-agriculture, need to be emphasized in the process of regional development. The quantitative methods used here may have a wide applicability.     

G蛋白及其在细胞信号转导中的作用

概述G蛋白的结构、种类、转导信息的机制,细菌毒素对G蛋白调节的影响及研究G蛋的意义和今后发展的重点。     

Two sexes,one genome: the evolutionary dynamics of intralocus sexual conflict

As the evolutionary interests of males and females are frequently divergent, a trait value that is optimal for the fitness of one sex is often not optimal for the other. A shared genome also means that the same genes may underlie the same trait in both sexes. This can give rise to a form of sexual antagonism, known as intralocus sexual conflict (IASC). Here, a tug‐of‐war over allelic expression can occur, preventing the sexes from reaching optimal trait values, thereby causing sex‐specific reductions in fitness. For some traits, it appears that IASC can be resolved via sex‐specific regulation of genes that subsequently permits sexual dimorphism; however, it seems that whole‐genome resolution may be impossible, due to the genetic architecture of certain traits, and possibly due to the changing dynamics of selection. In this review, we explore the evolutionary mechanisms of, and barriers to, IASC resolution. We also address the broader consequences of this evolutionary feud, the possible interactions between intra‐ and interlocus sexual conflict (IRSC: a form of sexual antagonism involving different loci in each sex), and draw attention to issues that arise from using proxies as measurements of conflict. In particular, it is clear that the sex‐specific fitness consequences of sexual dimorphism require characterization before making assumptions concerning how this relates to IASC. Although empirical data have shown consistent evidence of the fitness effects of IASC, it is essential that we identify the alleles mediating these effects in order to show IASC in its true sense, which is a “conflict over shared genes.”     

Conflict of interest policies and disclosure requirements among European Society of Cardiology National Cardiovascular Journals

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest (COI) is used by biomedical journals to guarantee credibility and transparency of the scientific process. COI disclosure, however, is not systematically nor consistently dealt with by journals. Recent joint editorial efforts paved the way towards the implementation of uniform vehicles for COI disclosure. This paper provides a comprehensive editorial perspective on classical COI-related issues. New insights into current COI policies and practices among European Society of Cardiology national cardiovascular journals, as derived from a cross-sectional survey using a standardised questionnaire, are discussed.     

Making sense of ultrahigh‐resolution movement data: A new algorithm for inferring sites of interest

Decomposing the life track of an animal into behavioral segments is a fundamental challenge for movement ecology. The proliferation of high‐resolution data, often collected many times per second, offers much opportunity for understanding animal movement. However, the sheer size of modern data sets means there is an increasing need for rapid, novel computational techniques to make sense of these data. Most existing methods were designed with smaller data sets in mind and can thus be prohibitively slow. Here, we introduce a method for segmenting high‐resolution movement trajectories into sites of interest and transitions between these sites. This builds on a previous algorithm of Benhamou and Riotte‐Lambert (2012). Adapting it for use with high‐resolution data. The data’s resolution removed the need to interpolate between successive locations, allowing us to increase the algorithm’s speed by approximately two orders of magnitude with essentially no drop in accuracy. Furthermore, we incorporate a color scheme for testing the level of confidence in the algorithm's inference (high = green, medium = amber, low = red). We demonstrate the speed and accuracy of our algorithm with application to both simulated and real data (Alpine cattle at 1 Hz resolution). On simulated data, our algorithm correctly identified the sites of interest for 99% of “high confidence” paths. For the cattle data, the algorithm identified the two known sites of interest: a watering hole and a milking station. It also identified several other sites which can be related to hypothesized environmental drivers (e.g., food). Our algorithm gives an efficient method for turning a long, high‐resolution movement path into a schematic representation of broadscale decisions, allowing a direct link to existing point‐to‐point analysis techniques such as optimal foraging theory. It is encoded into an R package called SitesInterest , so should serve as a valuable tool for making sense of these increasingly large data streams.     

Time Making and Place Making: A Journey of Immigration from Ethiopia to Israel

ABSTRACT

Anthropological studies of immigration usually focus on the immigrants’ country of origin or their destination. The present ethnographic study is a claim that the immigration experience must be examined as part of a journey and movement. The study was designed to show how the immigration process of Zera Beita Israel (Feres Mura) from Ethiopia to Israel is constructed on a process of journey and dialogue among the various stations. The two main aspects of the journey are place making – constructing a place in the unique context of immigration, and time making – creating being-time and meta-time, both unique to immigration. Each of the places affects the immigration process and is affected by this dynamic, nonlinear process. The combined concepts of place making and immigration time help explain the complexity of immigration.     

Let's Call A Truce…For Now: The Silent Bared‐Teeth Face Expression in Mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx) During Baseline and Post‐Conflict Conditions

The distinction between signals that are friendly and those that are non‐aggressive but motivationally neutral (signals of benign intent, SBIs) has not often been well elucidated in the literature. Although both signals occur in similar contexts, friendly signals should be exchanged more often between animals with good relationships whereas SBIs should be more commonly exchanged between animals with poor or unpredictable relationships. The importance of this distinction is particularly salient in the post‐conflict context, because the two different types of signals may have disparate distributions and functions. This study examines the nature of the silent bared‐teeth face (SBTF) in captive mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx) both during baseline interactions and following aggressive conflicts. We report that the SBTF is most commonly exchanged between mandrills with high rates of agonism. In addition, the SBTF is the most common post‐conflict signal exchanged, and the mandrills exchanging this signal after fighting also have poor relationships. We conclude that, although one must be careful in generalizing from studies of captive populations, the mandrill SBTF observed in this study is most accurately classified as a signal of benign intent, but not a truly friendly signal and discuss problems with interpreting post‐conflict data without distinguishing between these types of signals.     

Direct determination of the enantiomeric purity of (R)- and (S)-2-hydroxy-4-phenylbutyric acid

The determination of enantiomeric purity of (R)- and (S)-2-hydroxy-4-phenylbutyric acid by chiral HPLC is described. Good resolution has been obtained on covalently bonded L-hydroxyproline saturated with Cu(II) ions. The method makes possible the determination of enantiomeric purity in media containing growing cells. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

A new hypothesis for the evolution of overproduction of ovules: an advantage of selective abortion for females not associated with variation in genetic quality of the resulting seeds

A new hypothesis for the evolution of overproduction of ovules within flowers is proposed: overproduction is a counter-strategy of female seed production in the conflict with males and/or offspring. It is advantageous for females to produce a uniform size of seeds, whereas it is advantageous for fertilized ovules to absorb more resources than this size. If there is a variance in resource absorption ability among fertilized ovules, nonuniform seeds are produced. Then, by overproducing ovules, females should select fertilized ovules with similar resource absorption rates, resulting in seeds of uniform size. A model analysis confirmed that this hypothesis works. In the model, the fertilized ovules of a plant consist of two genotypes that differ in resource absorption rate. I found that overproduction of ovules and selective abortion is advantageous if the difference in the resource absorption rates of the genotypes is large. The new hypothesis is different from the selective abortion hypothesis in that selecting ovules is advantageous even if there are no differences in the genetic quality of resulting seeds.     

Wild justice and fair play: cooperation,forgiveness, and morality in animals

In this paper I argue that we can learn much about ‘wild justice’ and the evolutionary origins of social morality – behaving fairly – by studying social play behavior in group-living animals, and that interdisciplinary cooperation will help immensely. In our efforts to learn more about the evolution of morality we need to broaden our comparative research to include animals other than non-human primates. If one is a good Darwinian, it is premature to claim that only humans can be empathic and moral beings. By asking the question ‘What is it like to be another animal?’ we can discover rules of engagement that guide animals in their social encounters. When I study dogs, for example, I try to be a ‘dogocentrist’ and practice ‘dogomorphism.’ My major arguments center on the following ‘big’ questions: Can animals be moral beings or do they merely act as if they are? What are the evolutionary roots of cooperation, fairness, trust, forgiveness, and morality? What do animals do when they engage in social play? How do animals negotiate agreements to cooperate, to forgive, to behave fairly, to develop trust? Can animals forgive? Why cooperate and play fairly? Why did play evolve as it has? Does ‘being fair’ mean being more fit – do individual variations in play influence an individual's reproductive fitness, are more virtuous individuals more fit than less virtuous individuals? What is the taxonomic distribution of cognitive skills and emotional capacities necessary for individuals to be able to behave fairly, to empathize, to behave morally? Can we use information about moral behavior in animals to help us understand ourselves? I conclude that there is strong selection for cooperative fair play in which individuals establish and maintain a social contract to play because there are mutual benefits when individuals adopt this strategy and group stability may be also be fostered. Numerous mechanisms have evolved to facilitate the initiation and maintenance of social play to keep others engaged, so that agreeing to play fairly and the resulting benefits of doing so can be readily achieved. I also claim that the ability to make accurate predictions about what an individual is likely to do in a given social situation is a useful litmus test for explaining what might be happening in an individual's brain during social encounters, and that intentional or representational explanations are often important for making these predictions.     

制作竹类秆箨标本的新方法

秆箨作为鉴别竹类植物重要的营养器官 ,自然脱落后易卷或易破碎。常规的压制方式所制作的腊叶标本通常质量都不高 ,这给竹种的鉴定带来很大的困难。本文介绍一种新的秆箨腊叶标本制作方法 ,即熨斗熨烫法 ,并就这种方法对秆箨性状所产生的影响作了客观分析 ,结果表明 :它对保存秆箨分类性状有很大的改进 ,对标本质量有明显的提高     

Making restoration history: reconsidering Aldo Leopold's Arboretum dedication speeches

Scholarship surrounding Aldo Leopold's involvement in the University of Wisconsin Arboretum in Madison, Wisconsin, has often pointed to Leopold's 1934 dedication speech as a significant historical artifact. While reflecting both Arboretum history and the development of Leopold's thought and influence, the speech may also have been the first publically articulated rationale for ecological restoration in the modern era. This scholarly personal essay describes my 50‐year relationship with both Leopold and the Arboretum, and my recent research that offers a new historical interpretation of Leopold's speech. Two versions of the speech exist; tensions between them have been discussed in at least two professional journals. What I learned from examining the archival record indicates that we really don't know for sure what Leopold said that June morning of 1934. What we can be sure of, however, is that the dedication speech usually attributed to Leopold, by such able scholars as Curt Meine and Baird Callicott, was not the one Leopold actually delivered. What many historians continue to refer to as Aldo Leopold's 1934 Arboretum dedication speech was actually written for another Wisconsin audience. As I explored this mystery, I rediscovered Leopold's passion for ecological restoration and his commitment to educate a diverse, Depression‐era public about its goals and purposes. For Leopold, restoration involved not only the expression of social and ecological values, but also public critique of the destructive social forces that make restoration necessary. Embodying social critique and ecological science, Leopold continues to model for us personal and professional roles as public ecological citizens dedicated to land.