This thesis examines how natural variation in the foraging gene (for) of Drosophila melanogaster influences several learning and memory phenotypes in adult flies. These studies are undertaken using aversive olfactory associative conditioning paradigms. Novel approaches to standard Pavlovian conditioning paradigms are used in order to test hypotheses that were formulated based on what is known concerning movement- and feeding-related behaviour in the rover (forR) and sitter (fors) variants of for. The results show that natural variation in for, which is thought to have been under balancing selection in the wild, influences adult learning and memory traits appreciably. More specifically, forR flies, who are exposed to greater environmental heterogeneity than sitters, display retroactive interference. As might be expected from their foraging behaviour, rover responses are biased towards more recent learning events. Additionally, results indicate that individual performance in a learning task was affected by allelic variation in for and through pharmacological manipulations of PKG activity levels. Interestingly, in fors, but not forR, the acquisition of information was facilitated by social interaction (i.e. being in a group). In forR, but not in fors, the type of social interaction (being with other forR or with other fors) affected learning and memory. Also, naive individual forR flies tended to follow groups of conditioned fors but not groups of conditioned forR. In several other chapters, the thesis explores recent issues in behaviour genetics. In particular, the following concepts are explored: 1) the fruit fly as model for ecological and evolutionary studies; 2) cGMP-dependent protein kinase as a modifier of behaviour in disparate species; and 3) conservation of gene function in behaviour.

This thesis examines how natural variation in the foraging gene (for) of Drosophila melanogaster influences several learning and memory phenotypes in adult flies. These studies are undertaken using aversive olfactory associative conditioning paradigms. Novel approaches to standard Pavlovian conditioning paradigms are used in order to test hypotheses that were formulated based on what is known concerning movement- and feeding-related behaviour in the rover (forR) and sitter (fors) variants of for. The results show that natural variation in for, which is thought to have been under balancing selection in the wild, influences adult learning and memory traits appreciably. More specifically, forR flies, who are exposed to greater environmental heterogeneity than sitters, display retroactive interference. As might be expected from their foraging behaviour, rover responses are biased towards more recent learning events. Additionally, results indicate that individual performance in a learning task was affected by allelic variation in for and through pharmacological manipulations of PKG activity levels. Interestingly, in fors, but not forR, the acquisition of information was facilitated by social interaction (i.e. being in a group). In forR, but not in fors, the type of social interaction (being with other forR or with other fors) affected learning and memory. Also, naive individual forR flies tended to follow groups of conditioned fors but not groups of conditioned forR. In several other chapters, the thesis explores recent issues in behaviour genetics. In particular, the following concepts are explored: 1) the fruit fly as model for ecological and evolutionary studies; 2) cGMP-dependent protein kinase as a modifier of behaviour in disparate species; and 3) conservation of gene function in behaviour.

Preeclampsia is associated with placental insufficiency and fetal growth restriction. Fetal growth restriction is associated with an increased risk for language deficits at 2-5 years of age. However, fetal auditory processing in pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia has not been examined and is the focus of this study. Spontaneous and auditory elicited fetal behaviours were compared in 40 mother-fetal pairs (n=20 preclamptic and n=20 low-risk normotensive pregnancies) from 33 to 39 weeks gestational age (GA). Spontaneous fetal heart rate, body and breathing movements and muscle tone were observed and an estimate of amniotic fluid was made. To test if the fetuses could hear, six 2.5s trials (3, 110 dB pink noise; 3, no-sound control) were intermixed and randomly presented; fetal heart rate was recorded for 30 s following trial onset and body movements were observed for 5 s. Finally, the mother’s voice recorded reading a children’s story was presented: 2 min of no sound, 2 min of mother’s voice (95 dB A) and 2 min of no sound. Sounds were delivered through a speaker 10cm above the abdomen. During the 6 min procedure, fetal heart rate was recorded continuously and body movements were video recorded. Fetuses in the preeclamptic group were born earlier, t(37)=4.79, p<0.000. There were no differences in birth weight at delivery. Testing showed no differences between groups for any measure of spontaneous behaviour. There was increased heart rate, F(1,36)=37.47, p<0.001, and number of body movements, F(1, 35)=54.04, p<0.001, in response to the pink noise compared no-sound control trials, indicating that both groups could hear external sounds. No differences in fetal heart rate or body movement responses to the playing of the mother’s voice were found between the two groups; although, there was a suggestion that gestational age affected responding. There were no differences found in spontaneous behaviours or auditory processing behaviours in fetuses of pregnancies complicated by mild to moderate preeclampsia compared to those in low-risk, normotensive pregnancies. It is suggested that future studies examining fetal auditory processing in preeclamptic pregnancies employ sufficient sample size for analyses by gestational age at time of testing. / Thesis (Master, Nursing) -- Queen's University, 2008-09-26 11:06:27.498

The purpose of this research was to determine if Chinese- English bicultural individuals show discomfort when conflicting behavioural norms are simultaneously activated. I first identified behaviours that differentiated Canadian and Chinese along a cultural value dimension. Participants then rated four muted video clips of female actors engaged in the behaviours that were either consistent with Chinese or Canadian behavioural norms identified earlier. Within the set four video clips, the language spoken (English versus Chinese) and the topic (representing Canadian values or Chinese values) were crossed, such that each video contained a unique combination of the language and topic. As predicted, when actors spoke Chinese, they were rated more positively for the Chinese value topic than for the Canadian value topic. Additionally, within the Canadian topic, a comparison of the language spoken revealed that actors were rated significantly more positively when they spoke English than when they spoke Chinese. Contrary to predictions, however, European-Canadians in the control condition were better than chance at guessing the language actors spoke. European-Canadians in the experimental condition and Chinese participants in either condition did not perform better than chance levels in the language guessing task. One major weakness of the study was that none of the behaviours thought to reflect Chinese culture were rated significantly differently by Chinese and European-Canadians. For that reason, the results did not completely support the predicted outcomes. Furthermore, European-Canadians’ familiarity with body language associated with speaking English may have accounted for the results of the language guessing task. / Thesis (Master, Psychology) -- Queen's University, 2009-04-24 15:17:20.623

Current guidelines suggest that physical activity must be performed at a moderate-to-vigorous intensity (MVPA) and accumulated in bouts of at least 10 consecutive minutes to elicit improvement in cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF). In the first study we sought to determine whether the duration and intensity of objectively measured incidental physical activity (IPA; activity performed below the designated threshold) was associated with CRF in abdominally obese, inactive men (n=43) and women (n=92). Secondary analyses examined the associations between light physical activity (LPA), sporadic moderate physical activity (MPA; accumulated in <10 minute bouts), and CRF. Both duration and intensity of IPA were positively associated with CRF among inactive, abdominally obese adults. Sporadic MPA, but not LPA, was an independent predictor of CRF. Whereas some observations suggest that sedentary behaviour (SED) is negatively associated with health outcomes, other evidence fails to support this notion. The primary aim of the second study was to clarify the relationships between SED, LPA, and MVPA with 2-hour glucose and insulin resistance in inactive adults (43 men, 92 women) with abdominal obesity. Secondary analyses examined the association between SED, LPA, MVPA and other common cardiometabolic risk factors. Neither SED nor the physical activity variables were associated with 2-hour glucose or insulin resistance. SED was not associated with any cardiometabolic risk factor; with the exception of blood pressure, LPA was not associated with any cardiometabolic risk factor; and MVPA was independently associated with total cholesterol and triglycerides. Whether IPA is associated with abdominal obesity is unknown. The purpose of study three was to determine the association between IPA and abdominal adipose tissue depots (visceral adipose tissue and subcutaneous adipose tissue) in inactive men (n=42) and women (n=84). Secondary analyses examined the associations between SED, sleep duration, and caloric intake with abdominal obesity. IPA was not associated with any measure of abdominal obesity, nor was LPA. After control for age and sex, MPA was negatively associated with visceral adipose tissue. SED and sleep duration were not associated with abdominal obesity. Caloric intake was not associated with abdominal obesity after control for age and sex. / Thesis (Ph.D, Kinesiology & Health Studies) -- Queen's University, 2011-05-17 13:33:52.518

The overall objectives of this thesis were to (1) describe the sedentary behaviour levels of young people; (2) examine the impact of sedentary behaviour on obesity and other physical health outcomes among young people; and (3) examine the influence that individual, social, and environmental factors have on the sedentary behaviour of young people. Six manuscripts addressed these objectives. Manuscript one assessed the proportion of 0- to 4-year-olds meeting the new Canadian Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines for the Early Years in a sample of pre-school children. More than half of the children exceeded the guidelines and the majority of their parents believed that their child did not engage in excessive screen time. Manuscript two examined the association between types, overall volume, and patterns of sedentary behaviour with cardio-metabolic risk factors in a sample of children and adolescents. Television viewing predicted cardio-metabolic risk factors independent of moderate-to vigorous-intensity physical activity. No associations were observed for the other sedentary behaviour components. Manuscript three examined whether the relationship between television viewing and obesity in a sample of youth was mediated by dietary habits. While a positive association was observed between television viewing and body mass index, it was not explained by dietary habits. Manuscript four examined urban-rural differences in screen time in two samples of youth. Rural American youth were the most likely to be excessive television users and the least likely to be excessive computer users. Conversely, urban Canadian youth were the least likely to be excessive television users and the most likely to be excessive computer users. Manuscript five examined the association between neighbourhood disorder and screen time in a sample of youth. Participants in neighbourhoods with high social and high physical disorder were the most likely to engage in excessive screen time. Manuscript six examined associations between factors within the home setting and screen time among a sample of pre-school children. Several factors collectively explained 64.1% of the variance in television viewing including parental cognitive factors, which explained 41.0%. The findings of this thesis have important implications for future public health interventions and initiatives as well as future research in this area. / Thesis (Ph.D, Kinesiology & Health Studies) -- Queen's University, 2012-06-12 08:52:19.91

The aim of this study is to assess the advantages and disadvantages to all the troop members, of vervet males remaining in heterosexual groups outside the mating season. Extensive data on time budgeting and social interactions have been obtained for both a caged and a free-ranging undisturbed troop. Some of the potential advantages males provide to other members of the troop are: improvement in predator detection, maintenance of the troop unity and interference in agonistic interactions involving females and immatures. Special emphasis is placed on the analysis of seasonal changes in agonistic, social, sexual and proximity relationships of male-male and male-female pairs. The influence of male and female dominance rank and the vervet male genital signalling system are discussed. Also a framework to achieve a better understanding of vervet monkey sexuality is provided. A detailed analysis of male inspection of female's genitalia (visual, tactile, olfactory and muzzling), female receptivity, attractivity and proceptive behaviour has been done in order to investigate male and female mate choice. These behaviours are expected to be related to time of conception, although it was found that male and female rank, mate choice and possibly the age of the mates influence their outcome. In addition, sexual consortships and other alternative male strategies (besides agonistic rank) to control access to receptive females are described for the first time in vervet monkeys. The multi-male structure of vervet societies has been questioned by other authors, mostly because of the absence of male-male agonistic coalition against other males, and the absence of sexual consortships and other special friendly bonds between males and females. However, the results of this study do show that all the above patterns may also occur among vervet monkeys, therefore the multi-male structure of vervet monkeys is similar to the one found in baboon and macaque societies. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1991.

The effects of response-independent mirror presentation schedules on the swimming behaviour of Betta splendens were studied in two experiments. In experiment 1, four fish received alternating baseline (no mirror) and fixed-time (FT) 2-min or variable-time (VT) 2-min mirror presentation conditions. Two fish consistently showed increased rates of mirror-side lap-swimming (MSLS; a back-and-forth swimming pattern) and decreased distance from the mirror during the inter-stimulus intervals (ISIs) of FT and VT sessions, and during baseline sessions that followed FT and VT phases. Data from one fish indicated that a VT schedule might increase both proximity to the mirror and MSLS rates that have decreased on FT. Therefore, in experiment 2 three fish from experiment 1 received alternating FT and VT conditions. Proximity to the mirror and MSLS rates increased during VT phases relative to FT phases in two fish, though effects were small and did not occur across all alternations. Additional findings were that MSLS during ISIs tended to increase within FT phases, that MSLS generally occurred either at a steady rate within ISIs or showed a scalloped effect, that mirror presentations produced approach to the mirror side that persisted during ISIs and subsequent baseline phases, and that mirror-side distance during the mirror presentations was less than during the ISIs. Although the findings were not consistent across all fish, they were replicated a number of times within at least two of the fish. The findings are discussed in terms of adventitious operant conditioning, respondent conditioning, and the behaviour systems approach. The results of this study increase the generality of response-independent schedule effects on locomotive behaviour.

The fate of farmed fish after escape is poorly understood. The extent to which these fish might impact freshwater ecosystems is dependent upon their survival and distribution in the wild. I simulated small- and large-scale escape events from two commercial aquaculture operations in Lake Huron over 2 years. I combined the use of telemetry (120) and Floy (1000) tags to determine the fate of escaped farmed rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Once released, escapees dispersed rapidly, showed low site fidelity (~15% after 3 months) and were capable of long distance movements (up to 360 km). Rainbow trout experienced low survival (~50%) but maintained high growth rates both at and away from the farms. The results of this study provide a strong basis for understanding the potential risks that farmed fish may pose to the Lake Huron fish community and ecosystem in an escape event.

Condensation, of steam bubbles generated at an orifice and rising freely through water, subcooled from 5 K to 36.6 K at pressures of 1 bar and 2 bar, has been analysed theoretically and experimentally. Orifice diameters were 1 mm and 2 mm, and steam flow rates of 0.5, 1 and 1.5 g/min were used. The data indicate a decrease in collapse Fourier number with increase in either Jakob number or steam flow rate, or with a decrease in pressure, while change in orifice diameter does not have a significant effect on collapse Fourier number. Average values of heat transfer coefficient around the collapsing bubbles have been determined to be between 0.15 . 10⁵ - 0.35 . 10·⁵ W/m·²K. The effect of bubble distortion and of local heating of the liquid, close to the orifice, due to condensation of the bubbles, have both been included in the quasi-steady state theory which has been presented. The experimental data is compared with the theoretical predictions. A semi-empirical correlation for bubble rise height has been proposed, which is also based on the quasi-steady theory combined with a correlation for the velocity of steam bubbles condensing in subcooled water.