<p>Purpose/Aim: To examine whether or not there is such a thing as bloggbullying, and if so, how this manifests itself among female bloggers.</p><p>Material/Method: To analyze the material, which consists of comments made on a total of 75 posts made on three different blogs, a quantitative method as well as a qualitative critical discourse analysis was used.</p><p>Main result: Several similarities between Anatol Pikas definition of bullying and the results were found, and the conclusion is that there is such a thing as bloggbullying.</p>

Purpose/Aim: To examine whether or not there is such a thing as bloggbullying, and if so, how this manifests itself among female bloggers. Material/Method: To analyze the material, which consists of comments made on a total of 75 posts made on three different blogs, a quantitative method as well as a qualitative critical discourse analysis was used. Main result: Several similarities between Anatol Pikas definition of bullying and the results were found, and the conclusion is that there is such a thing as bloggbullying.

The aim of this thesis was to study chickens of an F7 intercross between red junglefowl and White Leghorn layers in five behavioural tests to see if there were any correlations between traits in the intercross. 80 animals were used (40 males, 40 females); they were tested in a tonic immobility test, an open field, a fear of human test, an aggression test and lastly a sociality test. The results indicate a pair of correlations between the different variables; chickens with long tonic immobility duration were less aggressive, and chickens with a high fear of humans were more social towards other chickens, which could suggest a correlation between fear and social behaviour/aggression. The results from this study also support previous studies showing that one QTL controls chickens’ behaviour in the tonic immobility test based on the correlations found between the variables in the tonic immobility test. Differences between the genders were found in variables that correlated with each other; this could lead to a speculative suggestion that those behaviours are affected by genes on the X-chromosome. There was also a significant relationship between the weight of the male chickens and their behaviour in the open field test and in the fear of human test, in which the heavier males were less fearful than the lighter ones.

Aggression Replacement Training (ART) är en multimodal behandlingsmetod som riktar sig till barn och ungdomar med aggressivt och antisocialt beteende. ART bygger på kognitiv beteendeterapi (KBT). Metoden består av tre kompo-nenter. Social färdighetsträning, ilskekontrollträning och moralträning. Syftet är att se hur två klassföreståndare, en elevassistent och tre ART-tränare upplever elevers utveckling av färdigheter i och med ART-träning, samt se hur informan-terna upplever att klassen där den enskilda eleven ingått har förändrats i och med den ART-träning som denne erhållit. Även miljöns påverkan på upprätthål-landet av de nyförvärvade färdigheterna undersöks. Studien har genomförts med kvalitativ metod. Halvstrukturerade intervjuer har utförts vilka sedermera har analyserats med hjälp av innehållsanalys. Resultatet visar att respondenterna upplever positiva förändringar hos de elever som fullföljer ART. Effekter som de kunnat skönja är ett minskat vinstorienterat beteende, ökat självförtroende och förbättrad koncentrationsförmåga samt effektivt tillämpande av de nyför-värvade färdigheterna både praktiskt och teoretiskt. Klassen har i de flesta av fallen förändrats genom att den har blivit lugnare och tryggare som grupp. Mil-jön är av stor betydelse för de förändringsprocesser som eleven genomgår. Vi-dare är miljön väsentlig för upprätthållandet av färdigheterna i skolklassen. Den kritik som respondenterna riktar till metoden är gällande den bristande roll bar-nens föräldrar spelar i behandlingen. Författarnas slutsats är att ART är en ef-fektiv metod som ger stöd och möjligheter för elever med ett avvikande beteen-de. Skolan upplevs av författarna vara en optimal plats för att vidareutveckla och bevara de färdigheter som ART medför. Vidare diskuteras huruvida en ut-vecklad dialog mellan de vuxna som finns kring varje elev skulle leda till ökade möjligheter att tillgodose det enskilda barnets specifika behov. För att detta skall kunna ske bör föräldrar/vårdnadshavare ges större utrymme till att ta del av barnets behandling och skolgång. Studien avslutas med förslag på fortsatt forskning.

Weakly electric fish produce and detect electric fields and use their electrosensory modality in a number of behaviours including navigation and communication. They can modulate their electric discharge in frequency and amplitude to produce electrocommunication signals in variable patterns during social interactions. In one model neuroethological species, Apteronotus leptorhynchus, the most commonly produced communication signal is the ‘small chirp’ – a brief 10-30ms modulation. Individuals tend to produce these signals at high rates during agonistic interactions. In this thesis I will explore the social value of chirps, and to a lesser extent other communication behaviours, in A. leptorhynchus using a variety of experimental designs involving different staged social contexts. I use time series analysis methods to explore the patterns of chirps produced and accompanying aggressive behaviours. I first characterize electrocommunication and chirping in pairs of free swimming fish and correlate signal production with aggressive displays. Bursts of echoed, or reciprocated, chirps tend to be produced in the intervals separating aggressive attacks. Behavioural analysis shows that fish respond to conspecific chirps with echoed chirps and decreased aggression in social contexts outside the range in which previous modelling and electrophysiological data predicted that chirps could be encoded effectively. I then characterize the chirping and aggressive responses to playbacks simulating intruders with different chirping styles to test whether alternative chirp patterns differentially influence conspecific behaviour. In response to simulated intruders producing chirps that echo the real fish’s chirps with a short latency, less aggressive fish tend to produce more of their chirps in bursts than more aggressive fish. For randomly chirping intruders, the response of fish depends on the rate of chirps delivered. Fish respond less aggressively, with fewer chirps, and echo the stimulus chirps at a higher rate when high rates of random chirps are delivered than when responding to simulated intruders with low rates of randomly delivered chirps. Further, across all playback scenarios, fish that produce chirps in response to the playbacks are more aggressive than those that do not chirp. Finally, to better understand the electrosensory inputs during these interactions, I characterize changes in the electric image received by a restrained fish during movements of a free-swimming conspecific and correlate these with chirp production. When one fish is restrained, bursts of chirps tend to be associated with approach behaviours. Communication signals often function to promote individual assessment of potential rivals during agonistic encounters and bursty, antiphonal chirp exchanges may facilitate these assessments and deter potentially costly physical escalations.

Genomic rearrangements, particularly deletions and duplications, are known to cause many genetic disorders. The chromosome 7q11.23 region in humans is prone to recurrent chromosomal rearrangement, due to the presence of low copy repeats that promote non-allelic homologous recombination. The most well characterized rearrangement of 7q11.23 is a hemizygous 1.5 million base pair (Mb) deletion spanning more than 25 genes. This deletion causes Williams-Beuren Syndrome (WBS; OMIM 194050), a multisystem developmental disorder with distinctive physical and behavioural features. Other rearrangements of the region lead to phenotypes distinct from that of WBS. Here we describe the first individual identified with duplication of the same 1.5 Mb region, resulting in severe impairment of expressive language, in striking contrast to people with WBS who have relatively well preserved language skills. We also describe the identification of a new gene for a severe form of childhood epilepsy through the analysis of individuals with deletions on chromosome 7 that extend beyond the boundaries typical for WBS. This gene, MAGI2, is part of the large protein scaffold at the post-synaptic membrane and provides a new avenue of research into both the molecular basis of infantile spasms and the development of effective therapies. Individuals with smaller than typical deletions of 7q11.23 have delineated a minimal critical region for WBS and have implicated two members of the TFII-I transcription factor family. To better understand the contribution of these genes to WBS, I have generated animal models with these genes deleted singly and in combination. Disruption of the first gene, Gtf2ird1, resulted in phenotypes reminiscent of WBS including alterations in social behaviour, natural fear response and anxiety. An alteration in serotonin function was identified in the frontal cortex and may be linked to these behavioural phenotypes. Together with a model for the second gene, Gtf2i, and the double deletion model that was generated using Cre-loxP technology, these resources will permit the study of the individual and additive effects of hemizygosity for Gtf2i and Gtf2ird1 and will greatly expand our understanding of the role the TFII-I gene family in WBS.

Reviews summarizing hundreds of studies cite Parent Management Training (PMT) and Cognitive-Behaviour Therapy (CBT) as some of the most effective interventions for aggressive youth (e.g., Brestan and Eyberg, 1998). However, variability in outcomes persists, and we have yet to understand why certain interventions only produce behaviour change in some children. Using a clinical sample of 57 children (53 boys, 4 girls) and their mothers enrolled in a combined PMT/CBT program, the current study examined the relation between changes in real-time parent-child interactions, and children’s externalizing outcomes from pre- to post-treatment. Results showed that dyads who were regulated in their interactions over time reported greater reductions in externalizing symptoms from pre- to post-treatment compared to dysregulated dyads. Changes in mean levels of affective content (e.g., negativity) were not associated with aggressive outcomes. Findings suggest that dyadic regulation may be an important process associated with treatment success for aggressive youth.

Crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) form dominance hierarchies, which are patterns of repeated fights with expected outcomes of winner and loser. Establishment of hierarchies allows dominants the first access to limited resources over subordinates, and leads to behavioral and cellular changes corresponding to the social status. Here, the animals¡¯ responses to an unexpected unilateral touch, a non-social stimulus, were examined with respect to their social status and to their social context. Isolates oriented to the stimulus source with raised claws and elevated posture. Dominants also oriented to the stimulus both when tested alone and in the presence of a subordinate. Subordinates oriented to the stimulus while separated from their familiar dominant partner; however, they avoided it when tested while paired with the dominant. In subsequent tests first while semi-separated from the dominant and later while fully separated, the same subordinates displayed more orienting responses as the duration of post-fight separation increased. These results suggest that the lingering effects of recent social experience influence the behavior of subordinate animals. During fights, crayfish release urine toward each other, providing critical chemosensory cues for establishing hierarchies. Throughout the lifespan, new neuronal precursors are added into clusters of olfactory local and projection interneurons (clusters 9 and 10). Here, the effect of pair-wise social experience on neurogenesis in these brain regions was examined using the proliferation marker bromodeoxyuridine. Groups of proliferating cells in clusters 9 and 10 formed distinctive comma shapes. The BrdU-positive nuclei in the head part of the comma were smaller and more circular than those in the tail part of the comma. Subordinates had fewer new neuronal precursors surviving in cluster 9 after 14 days than did dominants. Mitotic activity was not influenced by social status. The effect of social experience on neurogenesis remained when the effect of body growth rate on neurogenesis was removed. In conclusion, social domination enhances cell survival compared to social subordination. Although the function of these surviving newborn neuronal precursors is unknown they may enhance the learning ability of dominant crayfish.

Adaptation to changing social conditions is important for many social animals. Here, the effects of social experience on the behavior and neurophysiology of the red swamp crayfish, Procambarus clarkii, were studied. Evidence is presented that shows juvenile crayfish interact and form social order, and their behavior patterns shift in accordance to social status. Dominant animals maintain a high level of aggressive behavior, while subordinates shift their behavior pattern from aggressive to submissive behavior. Adult male crayfish show similar behavior pattern during dominance formation. However, this work demonstrates that male crayfish adopt a unique strategy to signify the formation of a social order expressed in the form of pseudocopulation. Pseudocopulation between male crayfish signifies the acceptance of the social status and leads to the reduction of aggression of dominants and enhances the survival of subordinate animals. I investigated the long-term effects of social status on the behavioral and physiological responses of crayfish to unexpected sensory touch. I discovered that animals of different social experience display different orienting responses that correlate with in vivo electromyographic recordings from the legs’ depressor muscle. The status-dependent response patterns observed in vivo are retained in a reduced, in vitro, preparation that lacks descending input from the brain. The role of serotonin (5-HT) was investigated in mediating the motor output patterns of the depressor nerve. Putative serotonergic innervations of the depressor nerve were identified that originate from serotonergic neurons located in the first abdominal ganglion. Selective stimulation of the ipsilateral 5-HT neuron enhances the response of the depressor nerve to sensory stimulation. Application of 5-HT modestly increased the tonic firing activity of the depressor nerve in social isolates and subordinates but significantly decreased the activity in dominants. This work illustrates that the formation of a dominance relationship significantly and immediately alters the behavior of the participants. As the social relationship matures, the social experience that develops affects the underlying neurophysiology that mediates the behavior. It will be of great interest in future studies to identify not only the effects rather the mechanisms of how social experience induces physiological changes.

Reviews summarizing hundreds of studies cite Parent Management Training (PMT) and Cognitive-Behaviour Therapy (CBT) as some of the most effective interventions for aggressive youth (e.g., Brestan and Eyberg, 1998). However, variability in outcomes persists, and we have yet to understand why certain interventions only produce behaviour change in some children. Using a clinical sample of 57 children (53 boys, 4 girls) and their mothers enrolled in a combined PMT/CBT program, the current study examined the relation between changes in real-time parent-child interactions, and children’s externalizing outcomes from pre- to post-treatment. Results showed that dyads who were regulated in their interactions over time reported greater reductions in externalizing symptoms from pre- to post-treatment compared to dysregulated dyads. Changes in mean levels of affective content (e.g., negativity) were not associated with aggressive outcomes. Findings suggest that dyadic regulation may be an important process associated with treatment success for aggressive youth.