As a swarm-based optimization heuristic, the Ant System (AS) was proposed to deal with Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP). Classifified as constructive approach, AS inspired by ants’ social behavior.In Practice, its implementation reveals three basic variants that exploit two operating models: fifirst “natural” model, where ants move and update pheromones, consideration of distances between towns...

A cornerstone of ecological theory is the ecological niche. Yet little is known about how individuals come to adopt it: whether it is innate or learned. Here, we report a cross-fostering experiment in the wild where we transferred eggs of blue tits, Cyanistes caeruleus, to nests of great tits, Parus major, and vice versa, to quantify the consequences of being reared in a different social contex...

There is growing concern that global environmental change might exacerbate the ecological impacts of invasive species by increasing their per capita effects on native species. However, the mechanisms underlying such shifts in interaction strength are poorly understood. Here, we test whether ocean acidification, driven by elevated seawater pCO₂, increases the susceptibility of native Olympia oys...

Previous research has investigated the effect of maternal soothing behaviors on reducing infant reactivity but not the differential effects of specific maternal behaviors on infant stress responses. The present study investigated maternal regulation of 2- and 6-month-olds' responses to an inoculation and found a significant decline with age in both the intensity and duration of infants' crying....

Feeding is the set of behaviors whereby organisms acquire and process the energy required for survival and reproduction. Thus, feeding system morphology is presumably subject to selection to maintain or improve feeding performance. Relationships among feeding system morphology, feeding behavior, and diet not only explain the morphological diversity of extant primates, but can also be used to re...

By the use of doctored clocks, the external, food-relevant cue, "dinner time," is manipulated so that some Ss entered an experimental eating situation believing it to be later than their regular dinner time and others believing it to be before dinner time. Obese Ss ate more when they thought that they were eating after their regular dinner hour than they did when they thought that they were eat...

BACKGROUND Research concerning child's food intake have considered various influencing factors, for example parental feeding strategies, demographic and weight factors. At this time, however, there are few findings that explore these factors simultaneously. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to test a structural equation model regarding the associations between maternal feeding strategies a...