Chimpanzees are indifferent to the welfare of unrelated group members

Humans are an unusually prosocial species-we vote, give blood, recycle, give tithes and punish violators of social norms. Experimental evidence indicates that people willingly incur costs to help strangers in anonymous one-shot interactions, and that altruistic behaviour is motivated, at least in part, by empathy and concern for the welfare of others (hereafter referred to as other-regarding preferences). In contrast, cooperative behaviour in non-human primates is mainly limited to kin and reciprocating partners, and is virtually never extended to unfamiliar individuals. Here we present experimental tests of the existence of other-regarding preferences in non-human primates, and show that chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) do not take advantage of opportunities to deliver benefits to familiar individuals at no material cost to themselves, suggesting that chimpanzee behaviour is not motivated by other-regarding preferences. Chimpanzees are among the primates most likely to demonstrate prosocial behaviours. They participate in a variety of collective activities, including territorial patrols, coalitionary aggression, cooperative hunting, food sharing and joint mate guarding. Consolation of victims of aggression and anecdotal accounts of solicitous treatment of injured individuals suggest that chimpanzees may feel empathy. Chimpanzees sometimes reject exchanges in which they receive less valuable rewards than others, which may be one element of a 'sense of fairness', but there is no evidence that they are averse to interactions in which they benefit more than others.     

Increased marine production of N2O due to intensifying anoxia on the Indian continental shelf

Eutrophication of surface waters and hypoxia in bottom waters has been increasing in many coastal areas, leading to very large depletions of marine life in the affected regions. These areas of high surface productivity and low bottom-water oxygen concentration are caused by increasing runoff of nutrients from land. Although the local ecological and socio-economic effects have received much attention, the potential contribution of increasing hypoxia to global-change phenomena is unknown. Here we report the intensification of one of the largest low-oxygen zones in the ocean, which develops naturally over the western Indian continental shelf during late summer and autumn. We also report the highest accumulations yet observed of hydrogen sulphide (H2S) and nitrous oxide (N2O) in open coastal waters. Increased N2O production is probably caused by the addition of anthropogenic nitrate and its subsequent denitrification, which is favoured by hypoxic conditions. We suggest that a global expansion of hypoxic zones may lead to an increase in marine production and emission of N2O, which, as a potent greenhouse gas, could contribute significantly to the accumulation of radiatively active trace gases in the atmosphere.     

A Framework for Exploring the Dynamics of Autonomous Work Groups in Manufacturing Organizations

Nowadays, new paradigm of enterprise organization i s constantly changing due to the emergence of the global marketplace, the rise of information technology, and the emphasis of the social developments. This re quires a more flexible form of organization that are more adaptable to rapid cha nges in business environment such as autonomous work groups (AWGs) in order to achieve higher productivity and effectiveness. AWGs are work units responsib le for the production of goods and the provision of servi...     

The effect of abdominal wounding on the rate of tissue regeneration

Zusammenfassung Verwundung induziert Regeneration in entfernten Stellen bei männlichen und weiblichen Kaninchcn. Dies gilt für frühe Regenerationsstadien bei männlichen Tieren, während bei Weibchen die Regenerationswirkung mindestens 49 Tage anhält. Es wird vermutet, dass es sich um hormonale Einwirkungen infolge Stress handelt.     

C16-methyl derivatives of progesterone and 17α-acetoxyprogesterone: Preparation and biological activities

Zusammenfassung Mehrere Derivate des 16-Methyl-progesteron wurden synthetisiert und biologisch geprüft. Die Einführung einer C16-Methylgruppe ergab keine gesteigerte Progesteronaktivität in den getesteten Verbindungen.