Diet sampling by wild Norway rats offered several unfamiliar foods

The present experiment was undertaken to examine directly the diet sampling behavior of wild Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) faced with a choice among familiar and unfamiliar foods. First-generation, laboratory-reared wild Norway rats ate from four food cups. Three of the food cups were in unfamiliar locations and contained unfamiliar foods. The remaining food cup was in a familiar location and contained a familiar food. Subjects in a control group were offered the familiar food in all four locations. We found (1) that subjects in experimental and control conditions took equal amounts of time to first visit food cups in unfamiliar locations, (2) that subjects in the experimental condition (those with access to unfamiliar foods) ate at unfamiliar locations at a slower rate than did subjects in the control condition (those with access only to familiar food), (3) that subjects in the experimental condition were no more likely than subjects in the control condition to eat at one unfamiliar location at a time, and (4) that following a bout of eating at an unfamiliar food cup, subjects in the experimental condition waited no longer than subjects in the control condition before eating from a different unfamiliar food cup. We interpreted these data as indicating that although wild Norway rats are hesitant to eat unfamiliar foods, once they begin to eat such foods, they do not sample among them so as to facilitate identification of any toxin present.     

The retention effects of an adult's emotional displays on infant behavior

The goal of this investigation was to study the regulatory retention effects of an adult's emotional displays on infant behavior. In Study 1, 11- and 14-month-old infants were tested in a social-referencing-like paradigm in which a 1-hr delay was imposed between the exposure trials and the test trial. In Study 2, 11-month-olds were tested in the same paradigm, but the delay between the exposure trials and the test trial was only 3 min. Study 1 revealed that 14-month-olds, but not 11-month-olds, demonstrated behavior regulatory effects toward the target object linked to the adult's emotional displays. Study 2 indicated that 11-month-olds were affected by the emotional displays if the delay between exposure and test trials was brief enough.     

Differences in student reasoning about belief-relevant arguments: a mixed methods study

This mixed methods study investigated high school students’ evaluations of scientific arguments. Myside bias occurs when individuals evaluate belief-consistent information more favorably than belief-inconsistent information. In the quantitative phase, participants (n?=?72 males) rated belief-consistent arguments more favorably than belief-inconsistent arguments; however, they also rated strong arguments more favorably than weak arguments, which indicated they did not evaluate the arguments exclusively on whether they were belief-consistent. In the follow-up qualitative phase, we conducted interviews with purposefully-sampled students who showed either higher or lower levels of myside bias. Results indicated that students in both groups applied normative evaluation criteria to the arguments. However, students who showed little or no myside bias applied the same evaluation criteria to arguments independent of whether they were belief-consistent, whereas students who showed high levels of myside bias applied different evaluation criteria to belief-inconsistent arguments. These findings suggest that procedural and conceptual metacognition may play a role in the extent to which individuals reason independent of their beliefs.     

Are Structured Abstracts Easier to Read Than Traditional Ones?

Background: Structured abstracts (which contain sub-headings such as this one) have replaced traditional abstracts in most current medical journals. Evaluation studies have shown that such abstracts usually contain more information, are of a higher quality, and facilitate peer review. Aim: The aim of the studies reported here was to investigate an additional, but as yet unexamined, feature of structured abstracts – namely whether or not they might be easier to read. Method: Eight studies were carried out. The first two compared the Flesch and the Gunning readability scores of traditional abstracts that were published in particular journals with those of structured ones that were published in the same journals after these journals had moved to using structured abstracts. The next two examined the Flesch and the Gunning readability scores of traditional and structured abstracts when they were written by the same authors. The next two examined the ability of readers to re-construct scrambled versions of abstracts to see if it was easier to re-construct structured abstracts than it was to re-construct traditional ones. The last two examined readers’ judgements of the readability of pairs of traditional and structured abstracts. Results: The first two studies showed that there were no significant differences in the readability scores of the earlier and the later abstracts. The next two studies showed, however, that when authors revised traditional abstracts to produce structured versions then the structured abstracts had higher readability scores. The next two studies showed that when readers were asked to re-sequence sentences taken from traditional and structured abstracts, they sometimes found this harder to do with traditional abstracts. The last two studies showed that readers rated structured abstracts more readable than traditional ones. Conclusions: These studies suggest that structured abstracts may be easier to read than traditional ones – sometimes!     

Normative concerns for endurance athletes

Endurance athletes work at creating habits and lifestyles which correspond to Aristotle’s notion of eudomania (human flourishing). They spend time and energy dedicating themselves to their craft. They relinquish other interests in pursuit of excellence. They fully accept William James’ notion of precipitousness as they create goals and work toward achievement. In this paper, we examine normative issues related to endurance sport participation, the potential dark side of this pursuit of excellence. Our overriding concern is how best to work toward and experience human flourishing while simultaneously remaining attentive to relationships and responsibilities. In terms of potential perils associated with endurance sport, we address questions of autonomy, authenticity and identification. We contend that endurance athletes concerned with these questions benefit from transcendental and pragmatic notions of the good life.     

Four weeks of running sprint interval training improves cardiorespiratory fitness in young and middle-aged adults

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a 4-week running sprint interval training protocol to improve both aerobic and anaerobic fitness in middle-aged adults (40–50 years) as well as compare the adaptations to younger adults (20–30 years). Twenty-eight inactive participants – 14 young 20–30-year-olds (n = 7 males) and 14 middle-aged 40–50-year-olds (n = 5 males) – completed 4 weeks of running sprint interval training (4 to 6, 30-s “all-out” sprints on a curved, self-propelled treadmill separated by 4 min active recovery performed 3 times per week). Before and after training, all participants were assessed for maximal oxygen consumption (VO_2max), 2000 m time trial performance, and anaerobic performance on a single 30-s sprint. There were no interactions between group and time for any tested variable, although training improved relative VO_2max (young = 3.9, middle-aged = 5.2%; P < 0.04), time trial performance (young = 5.9, middle-aged = 8.2%; P < 0.001), peak sprint speed (young = 9.3, middle-aged = 2.2%; P < 0.001), and average sprint speed (young = 6.8, middle-aged = 11.6%; P < 0.001) in both young and middle-aged groups from pre- to post-training on the 30-s sprint test. The current study demonstrates that a 4-week running sprint interval training programme is equally effective at improving aerobic and anaerobic fitness in younger and middle-aged adults.     

Validity of the iPhone M7 motion co-processor as a pedometer for able-bodied ambulation

Physical activity benefits for disease prevention are well-established. Smartphones offer a convenient platform for community-based step count estimation to monitor and encourage physical activity. Accuracy is dependent on hardware–software platforms, creating a recurring challenge for validation, but the Apple iPhone® M7 motion co-processor provides a standardised method that helps address this issue. Validity of the M7 to record step count for level-ground, able-bodied walking at three self-selected speeds, and agreement with the StepWatch^TM was assessed. Steps were measured concurrently with the iPhone® (custom application to extract step count), StepWatch^TM and manual count. Agreement between iPhone® and manual/StepWatch^TM count was estimated through Pearson correlation and Bland-Altman analyses. Data from 20 participants suggested that iPhone® step count correlations with manual and StepWatch^TM were strong for customary (1.3 ± 0.1 m/s) and fast (1.8 ± 0.2 m/s) speeds, but weak for the slow (1.0 ± 0.1 m/s) speed. Mean absolute error (manual–iPhone®) was 21%, 8% and 4% for the slow, customary and fast speeds, respectively. The M7 accurately records step count during customary and fast walking speeds, but is prone to considerable inaccuracies at slow speeds which has important implications for certain patient groups. The iPhone® may be a suitable alternative to the StepWatch^TM for only faster walking speeds.     

Fandom face to face

This essay focuses on the contexts away from the stadium where fans congregate, organise, develop and learn to perform their fandom. I define the concept of performance and show how it applies to fandom. I describe how, in small to medium scale, face-to-face settings, fans are able to form bonds and validate each others’ fandom. For some, fandom is an extension of playing the game as in Holland, where one might play in the amateur ranks of one of the famous professional teams. In Italy, organised fandom follows from a history of neighbourhood social clubs. I describe the Roma Club Testaccio as the epicentre of Roma fandom, and how it serves to educate fans in Roman-ness. Hardcore fan clubs support the team home and away, and I describe one of my own intense experiences travelling on the bus with some of the most notorious hardcore fans in Italy. Italians can also visit the grounds at which their beloved team practices and where they can catch a glimpse of the players up close, and connect with other devotees. As these snapshots demonstrate, the social gatherings of fans away from the football stadium are where fandom takes shape.