As Light as You Aspire to Be: Changing body perception with sound to support physical activity

Supporting exercise adherence through technology remains an important HCI challenge. Recent works showed that altering walking sounds leads people perceiving themselves as thinner/lighter, happier and walking more dynamically. While this novel approach shows potential for physical activity, it raises critical questions impacting technology design. We ran two studies in the context of exertion (gym-step, stairs-climbing) to investigate how individual factors impact the effect of sound and the duration of the after-effects. The results confirm that the effects of sound in body-perception occur even in physically demanding situations and through ubiquitous wearable devices. We also show that the effect of sound interacted with participants’ body weight and masculinity/femininity aspirations, but not with gender. Additionally, changes in body-perceptions did not hold once the feedback stopped; however, body-feelings or behavioural changes appeared to persist for longer. We discuss the results in terms of malleability of body-perception and highlight opportunities for supporting exercise adherence

One strategy doesn’t fit all: determinants of urban adaptation in mammals

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Luca Santini, Manuela González‐Suárez, Danilo Russo, Alejandro Gonzalez‐Voyer, Achaz von Hardenberg & Leonardo Ancillotto. (2018). One strategy does not fit all: determinants of urban adaptation in mammals. Ecology Letters, 22(2), 365-376, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13199. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-ArchivingUrbanisation exposes wildlife to new challenging conditions and environmental pressures. Somemammalian species have adapted to these novel environments, but it remains unclear which char-acteristics allow them to persist. To address this question, we identified 190 mammals regularlyrecorded in urban settlements worldwide, and used phylogenetic path analysis to test hypothesesregarding which behavioural, ecological and life history traits favour adaptation to urban environ-ments for different mammalian groups. Our results show that all urban mammals produce largerlitters; whereas other traits such as body size, behavioural plasticity and diet diversity were impor-tant for some but not all taxonomic groups. This variation highlights the idiosyncrasies of theurban adaptation process and likely reflects the diversity of ecological niches and roles mammalscan play. Our study contributes towards a better understanding of mammal association tohumans, which will ultimately allow the design of wildlife-friendly urban environments and con-tribute to mitigate human-wildlife conflicts

Shell occupation by the hermit crab Dardanus insignis (Decapoda, Diogenidae) from the north Coast of São Paulo state, Brazil

Abstract The pattern of shell occupation by the hermit crab Dardanus insignis (Saussure, 1858) from the subtropical region of southeastern coast of Brazil was investigated in the present study. The percentage of shell types that were occupied and the morphometric relationships between hermit crabs and occupied shells were analyzed from monthly collections conducted during two years (from January 1998 to December 1999). Individuals were categorized according to sex and gonadal maturation, weighed and measured with respect to their cephalothoracic shield length (CSL) and wet weight (CWW). Shells were measured regarding their aperture width (SAW), dry weight (SDW) and internal volume (SIV). A total of 1086 hermit crabs was collected, occupying shells of 11 gastropod species. Olivancillaria urceus (Roding, 1798) was most commonly used by the hermit crab D. insignis, followed by Buccinanops cochlidium (Dillwyn, 1817), and Stramonita haemastoma (Linnaeus, 1767). The highest determination coefficients (r2 > 0.50, p < 0.01) were recorded particularly in the morphometric relationships between CSL vs. CWW and SAW vs. SIV, which are important indication that in this D. insignis population the great majority the animals occupied adequate shells during the two years analysed. The high number of used shell species and relative plasticity in pattern of shell utilization by smaller individuals of D. insignis indicated that occupation is influenced by the shell availability, while larger individuals demonstrated more specialized occupation in Tonna galea (Linnaeus, 1758) shell

Communication and mutual resource exchange in north Florida hermit crabs

The patterns of shell exchange in three species of hermit crabs which overlap in distribution and shell use were observed in the laboratory. Crabs showed no tendency to initiate more exchanges with conspecifics as compared with nonconspecific individuals and there were no specific size dominance effects. Lack of common communicatory patterns between Clibararius vittatus and Pagurus pollicaris was correlated with minimal actual exchange, while Pagurus impressus exchanged with both species and executed patterns in common with both. The pattern of shell exchanges and preferences indicated that, in some cases, both individuals may gain in interspecific exchanges.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/46904/1/265_2004_Article_BF00569198.pd

Shell occupation by the South Atlantic endemic hermit crab Loxopagurus loxochelis (Moreira, 1901) (Anomura: Diogenidae)

The evaluation of population characteristics, particularly those of endemic species, aids in population preservation and management. Hermit crabs present an innate behavior of occupying shells, which tends to individual needs and limits their distribution. This study characterized the pattern of occupation of gastropod shells by the hermit Loxopagurus loxochelis in three bays of the southwestern coast of Brazil. Monthly collections were made from January/1998 to December/1999 in the bays Ubatumirim (UBM), Ubatuba (UBA) and Mar Virado (MV) with a shrimping boat. Overall, ten species of gastropod shells were occupied by L. loxochelis. The shell of Olivancillaria urceus represented 66.8% of those occupied. Morphometric relationships demonstrated a differential occupation of the more abundant shells among demographic groups, where most of the males occupied O. urceus, non-ovigerous females occupied O. urceus and Buccinanops cochlidium, and ovigerous females occupied B. cochlidium and Stramonita haemastoma. Most of the individuals occupied the more abundant shells, considered adequate for the morphology of this hermit crab species. Thus, the studied bays seem to be stable and propitious environments for population perpetuation and the settlement of new individuals.Universidade Estadual Paulista - UNESP Departamento de Zoologia Instituto de BiociênciasUniversidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte Grupo de Estudos de Ecologia e Fisiologia de Animais Aquáticos - GEEFAAUniversidade Estadual do Sudoeste da Bahia Departamento de Ciências NaturaisUniversidade Estadual de Londrina - UEL Departamento de Biologia Animal e VegetalUniversidade Estadual do Piauí - UESPIUniversidade Estadual Paulista - UNESP Departamento de Zoologia Instituto de Biociência

Marine diatoms grown in chemostats under silicate or ammonium limitation. III. Cellular chemical composition and morphology of Chaetoceros debilis, Skeletonema costatum , and Thalassiosira gravida

Three marine diatoms, Skeletonema costatum, Chaetoceros debilis , and Thalassiosira gravida were grown under no limitation and ammonium or silicate limitation or starvation. Changes in cell morphology were documented with photomicrographs of ammonium and silicate-limited and non-limited cells, and correlated with observed changes in chemical composition. Cultures grown under silicate starvation or limitation showed an increase in particulate carbon, nitrogen and phosporus and chlorophyll a per unit cell volume compared to non-limited cells; particulate silica per cell volume decreased. Si-starved cells were different from Si-limited cells in that the former contained more particulate carbon and silica per cell volume. The most sensitive indicator of silicate limitation or starvation was the ratio C:Si, being 3 to 5 times higher than the values for non-limited cells. The ratios Si:chlorophyll a and S:P were lower and N:Si was higher than non-limited cells by a factor of 2 to 3. The other ratios, C:N, C:P, C:chlorophyll a , N:chlorophyll a , P:chlorophyll a and N:P were considered not to be sensitive indicators of silicate limitation or starvation. Chlorophyll a , and particulate nitrogen per unit cell volume decreased under ammonium limitation and starvation. NH 4 -starved cells contained more chlorophyll a , carbon, nitrogen, silica, and phosphorus per cell volume than NH 4 -limited cells. N:Si was the most sensitive ratio to ammonium limitation or starvation, being 2 to 3 times lower than non-limited cells. Si:chlorophyll a , P:chlorophyll a and N:P were less sensitive, while the ratios C:N, C:chlorophyll a , N:chlorophyll a , C:Si, C:P and Si:P were the least sensitive. Limited cells had less of the limiting nutrient per unit cell volume than starved cells and more of the non-limiting nutrients (i.e., silica and phosphorus for NH 4 -limited cells). This suggests that nutrient-limited cells rather than nutrient-starved cells should be used along with non-limited cells to measure the full range of potential change in cellular chemical composition for one species under nutrient limitation.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/46631/1/227_2004_Article_BF00392568.pd

Greater Sage-Grouse (<i>Centrocercus</i> <i>urophasianus</i>) hen survival: effects of raptors, anthropogenic and landscape features, and hen behavior

Survival of breeding-age hens has been identified as the demographic rate with the greatest potential to influence population growth of Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus (Bonaparte, 1827); hereafter “Sage-Grouse”). During 2008–2011, we collected summer survival data from 427 Sage-Grouse hens in southern Wyoming, USA. We assessed the effects of raptor densities, anthropogenic features, landscape features, and Sage-Grouse hen behavior on Sage-Grouse hen survival. Survival of Sage-Grouse hens was positively associated with the proportion of big sagebrush (genus Artemisia L.) habitat within 0.27 km radius and road density and negatively associated with power-line density, proximity to forested habitat, and topographic ruggedness index within 0.27 km radius (TRI0.27). Raptor densities did not have individual effects on Sage-Grouse survival; however, an interaction between site-specific exposure to Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos (L., 1758)) density (GOEA) and TRI0.27 indicated that negative effects of GOEA and TRI0.27 were dampened in areas with both high TRI0.27 and high GOEA. Survival of nonreproductive hens was greater than brooding or nesting hens. Hens that stayed in intermediate-size flocks and yearling hens had higher survival than hens in small or large flocks and hens &gt;2 years old. Results indicated that risk of death for Sage-Grouse hens was greater relative to potential raptor perches but not anthropogenic and landscape variables that could provide food subsidies for predators. </jats:p