The preoptic area （POA） is located in the most anterior part of the hypothalamus and is bordered dorsally by the anterior commissure and anteroventrally by the nucleus of the diagonal band of Broca[1]. Accumulating ...The preoptic area （POA） is located in the most anterior part of the hypothalamus and is bordered dorsally by the anterior commissure and anteroventrally by the nucleus of the diagonal band of Broca[1]. Accumulating evidence from developmental neurobiology suggests, however, that the POA may be a separate entity from hypothalamus, and may actually be part of the basal telencephalon[2,3]. Both the hypothalamus and POA are highly complex and heterogeneous areas, containing multiple nuclei, each of which has specific fundamental functions for survival. Among these, the POA contains nuclei involved in the regulation of blood osmolality and temperature （the median preoptic nucleus）, sleep （the ventrolateral preoptic and suprachiasmatic nuclei）, ovulation （gonadotropin-releasing hormone neurons scattered mainly in the ventral part of the POA）, male sexual behavior （the medial preoptic nucleus）, and parental behavior （the central part of the medial POA, cMPOA）.展开更多
Juveniles of interspecific avian brood parasites need to locate and recognize conspecifics to continue their life cycle after being reared by individuals of another species.However,little is known about the recognitio...Juveniles of interspecific avian brood parasites need to locate and recognize conspecifics to continue their life cycle after being reared by individuals of another species.However,little is known about the recognition mechanisms and cues involved in this critical stage of their lives.It has been proposed that adult parasites could show some kind of parental behavior by actively searching and interacting with conspecific young,which in turn could serve the juveniles to learn and/or reinforce the learning of conspecific characteristics.Since acoustic communication is one of the main channels used by birds,if such form of parental behavior by adult avian brood parasites does exist,adult cowbirds should recognize and respond positively to vocalizations of conspecific juveniles.We experimentally tested whether adult shiny Molothrus bonariensis and screaming M.rufoaxillaris cowbirds respond positively towards acoustic signals of conspecific juveniles using two playback experiments,one conducted in semi-captivity and the other in the field.In both cases,we presented 3 types of playbacks to adults of both cowbird species:vocalizations of shiny cowbird juveniles,vocalizations of screaming cowbird juveniles,and white noise as a control.In the experiment in semi-captivity,no significant differences were found between treatments.In the field experiment,no conspecifics approached the playback area,but hosts of the species whose playback was played were attracted to the loudspeaker.In conclusion,our results do not support the predictions we tested from the parental behavior hypothesis and indicate that adult shiny and screaming cowbirds do not respond positively to acoustic signals of conspecific juveniles,at least not to the type of signals used in our experiments.展开更多
Background The first year of attending university induces a stressful experience for many college students. The experience exposes these students to challenging circumstances and raises expectations, which consequentl...Background The first year of attending university induces a stressful experience for many college students. The experience exposes these students to challenging circumstances and raises expectations, which consequently increases the risk of psychiatric disorders and may exacerbate pre-existing problems. This study was designed to explore the risk factors of psychological symptoms among freshmen in China. Methods A three-year follow-up study was designed in a sample of Chinese college freshmen. To set up the baseline interviews, subjects from 25 high schools in Beijing were interviewed during the first year in high school. Three years later, we followed up with the 1547 students from 15 of the previously-selected 25 high schools after they had entered universities. Association between potential risk factors and the occurrence of psychological symptoms measured by the Symptoms Check List-90 was evaluated in unconditional logistic regression models with Wald test. Results Among the 1547 interviewed college freshmen in the study, 120 students （7.8%） manifested at least one psychological symptom. Personality dysfunction （OR=3.655, 95% CI 1.967-6.793）, parental rejection （OR=2.619, 95% CI 1.544-4.442）, age 〉 20 （OR=2.578, 95% CI 1.227-5.418）, disfavored university （OR=2.054, 95% CI 1.376-3.066）, non- first-choice academic major （OR=1.887, 95% CI 1.255-2.837） and no orientation （OR=1.739, 95% CI 1.025-2.951） were determined to be the risk factors of psychological symptoms among the college freshmen in China. Conclusions Psychological symptoms of college freshmen are associated with personality traits, parental rearing behavior and study environment. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to changes in mental health as students enter or decide on colleges and increase education geared towards mental health issues for students in high school and universities in China.展开更多
文摘The preoptic area （POA） is located in the most anterior part of the hypothalamus and is bordered dorsally by the anterior commissure and anteroventrally by the nucleus of the diagonal band of Broca[1]. Accumulating evidence from developmental neurobiology suggests, however, that the POA may be a separate entity from hypothalamus, and may actually be part of the basal telencephalon[2,3]. Both the hypothalamus and POA are highly complex and heterogeneous areas, containing multiple nuclei, each of which has specific fundamental functions for survival. Among these, the POA contains nuclei involved in the regulation of blood osmolality and temperature （the median preoptic nucleus）, sleep （the ventrolateral preoptic and suprachiasmatic nuclei）, ovulation （gonadotropin-releasing hormone neurons scattered mainly in the ventral part of the POA）, male sexual behavior （the medial preoptic nucleus）, and parental behavior （the central part of the medial POA, cMPOA）.
基金supported by grants PICT 2015-1628 from Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica and UBACYT 20020170100521BA from Universidad de Buenos Aires to J.C.R.
文摘Juveniles of interspecific avian brood parasites need to locate and recognize conspecifics to continue their life cycle after being reared by individuals of another species.However,little is known about the recognition mechanisms and cues involved in this critical stage of their lives.It has been proposed that adult parasites could show some kind of parental behavior by actively searching and interacting with conspecific young,which in turn could serve the juveniles to learn and/or reinforce the learning of conspecific characteristics.Since acoustic communication is one of the main channels used by birds,if such form of parental behavior by adult avian brood parasites does exist,adult cowbirds should recognize and respond positively to vocalizations of conspecific juveniles.We experimentally tested whether adult shiny Molothrus bonariensis and screaming M.rufoaxillaris cowbirds respond positively towards acoustic signals of conspecific juveniles using two playback experiments,one conducted in semi-captivity and the other in the field.In both cases,we presented 3 types of playbacks to adults of both cowbird species:vocalizations of shiny cowbird juveniles,vocalizations of screaming cowbird juveniles,and white noise as a control.In the experiment in semi-captivity,no significant differences were found between treatments.In the field experiment,no conspecifics approached the playback area,but hosts of the species whose playback was played were attracted to the loudspeaker.In conclusion,our results do not support the predictions we tested from the parental behavior hypothesis and indicate that adult shiny and screaming cowbirds do not respond positively to acoustic signals of conspecific juveniles,at least not to the type of signals used in our experiments.
文摘Background The first year of attending university induces a stressful experience for many college students. The experience exposes these students to challenging circumstances and raises expectations, which consequently increases the risk of psychiatric disorders and may exacerbate pre-existing problems. This study was designed to explore the risk factors of psychological symptoms among freshmen in China. Methods A three-year follow-up study was designed in a sample of Chinese college freshmen. To set up the baseline interviews, subjects from 25 high schools in Beijing were interviewed during the first year in high school. Three years later, we followed up with the 1547 students from 15 of the previously-selected 25 high schools after they had entered universities. Association between potential risk factors and the occurrence of psychological symptoms measured by the Symptoms Check List-90 was evaluated in unconditional logistic regression models with Wald test. Results Among the 1547 interviewed college freshmen in the study, 120 students （7.8%） manifested at least one psychological symptom. Personality dysfunction （OR=3.655, 95% CI 1.967-6.793）, parental rejection （OR=2.619, 95% CI 1.544-4.442）, age 〉 20 （OR=2.578, 95% CI 1.227-5.418）, disfavored university （OR=2.054, 95% CI 1.376-3.066）, non- first-choice academic major （OR=1.887, 95% CI 1.255-2.837） and no orientation （OR=1.739, 95% CI 1.025-2.951） were determined to be the risk factors of psychological symptoms among the college freshmen in China. Conclusions Psychological symptoms of college freshmen are associated with personality traits, parental rearing behavior and study environment. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to changes in mental health as students enter or decide on colleges and increase education geared towards mental health issues for students in high school and universities in China.
