Despite the importance of a cell's ability to sense and respond to mechanical force, the molecular mechanisms by which physical cues are converted to cell-instructive chemical information to influence cell behaviors remain to be elucidated. Exposure of cultured fibroblasts to uniaxial cyclic stretch results in an actin stress fiber reinforcement response that stabilizes the actin cytoskeleton. ...

It has been reported that triangular-shaped positive pressure pulses applied to the airway (high-frequency inflation, HFI) stimulates pulmonary stretch receptors and prolongs expiratory duration. In the present experiment, changes in the integrated curve of expiratory activity induced by HFI were investigated. Duration until the onset of the expiratory activity (E1 stage) was unchanged. In the ...

1. Previous studies on the forewing stretch receptors (FSRs) of locusts have suggested that feedback from these receptors during flight contributes to the excitation of depressor motoneurones and reduces the duration of depolarizations in elevator motoneurones. We have investigated these proposals by measuring the timing of FSR activity relative to depressor activity and by examining the effect...

The authors investigate whether need for closure affects how people seek order in judging social relations. In Study 1, the authors find that people who have a high need for closure (NFC) were more likely to assume their social contacts were connected to each other (i.e., transitivity) when this was not the case. In Studies 2 and 3, the authors examine another form of order in network relations...

Numerous studies have shown that men overestimate the sexual intent of women based on their clothing style; however, this hypothesis has not been assessed empirically in a natural setting. This small field study measured the time it took for men to approach two female confederates sitting in a tavern, one wearing suggestive clothes and one wearing more conservative clothes. The behavior of 108 ...

The study compared female white water paddlers over two conditions: with seat raise and with no seat raise. The aim was to determine whether raising the sitting height would improve paddling efficiency. Sitting height of each participant was recorded in order to calculate the seat raise height required and three-dimensional kinematic data was collected for six participants over both conditions....

Prosociality refers to behaviours that are intended to benefit others. This definition appears to be so straightforward that it hardly bears mentioning: like certain forms of adult entertainment, we know it when we see it. Yet, determining what counts as prosocial is not as simple as it first appears. There are numerous behaviours that appear prosocial but, on scrutiny, may not have been intend...

Clicker training has the potential to mitigate stress among shelter cats by providing environmental enrichment and human interaction. This study assessed the ability of cats housed in a shelter-like setting to learn new behaviors via clicker training in a limited amount of time. One hundred shelter cats were enrolled in the study. Their baseline ability to perform four specific behaviors touchi...