Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Babblers'

In this thesis, I try to proceed one step further towards an understanding of the biogeographic processes forming the distribution patterns of organisms that we see today. Babblers and warblers are diverse groups of passerines that are phylogenetically intermixed with other groups in the superfamily Sylvioidea. First, the gross phylogeny of the babblers and associated groups was estimated. Five major lineages of a well-supported monophyletic babbler radiation were recovered, and we proposed a new classification at family and subfamily level. Further, the genus Pnoepyga was excluded from Timaliidae, and we proposed the new family Pnoepygidae fam. nov. Second, the systematic position was investigated for the Albertine Rift taxon Hemitesia neumanni, which was found to be nested within the almost entirely Asian family Cettidae, and possible biogeographical scenarios were discussed. We concluded that the most plausible explanation involved late Miocene vicariance in combination with local extinctions. Third, the historical biogeography of a Leiothrichinae subclade, the Turdoides babblers and allies, was inferred. We concluded that the Middle East region probably played an important role in the early history of this clade, followed by local extinctions in this region. Fourth, a Bayesian method to reconstruct the historical biogeography under an event-based model was proposed, where the total biogeographic histories are sampled from its posterior probability distribution using Markov chains. In conclusion, I believe that, especially with more sophisticated methods available, we will see an increasing number of studies inferring biogeographic histories that lead to distribution patterns built up by a combination of dispersals and vicariance, but where these distributions have been extensively reshaped, or litterally demolished, by local extinctions. Therefore, my answer to the frequently asked question dispersal or vicariance? is both, but not the least: extinctions.
At the time of the doctoral defence the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows; Papers 3 and 4: Manuscripts

Cooperative breeding occurs when individuals receive assistance from others in the production of young. Research attention has traditionally focussed on explaining how reproductive altruism can be reconciled with evolutionary theory; however in recent years, more emphasis has been placed on examining the extent of cooperation and conflict within cooperative societies. In this thesis, I present data on conflict and cooperation in cooperatively breeding pied babblers. In Chapter Three, I show that dispersal patterns dictate the circumstances under which helpers encounter unrelated individuals and attempt to breed, and suggest that sex-biases in dispersal might therefore be an important determinant of breeder-helper conflict in cooperative species. Chapter Four describes correlations between dispersal patterns and juvenile aggression: females, the dispersing sex, are more aggressive than males, and more aggressive females disperse earlier than less aggressive females. I then go on to examine offspring care in this species, focussing on food-associated ‘purr’ calls that are given by adults when feeding young. Most studies have shown that the function of food-calling is to ‘switch-on’ nestling begging; however, I found that adult pied babblers continue to use purr calls after young have fledged, and that their primary function is to move mobile offspring around the territory, rather than to elicit begging (Chapter Five). Chapter Six demonstrates that adults actively condition young to associate purr calls with food. Finally, I address trade-offs in cooperatively breeding species in two contexts. First, I show that the decision to fledge young depends critically on group size and the risk of nestling predation: in smaller groups, where predation risk is higher, adults fledge young earlier. This is traded off against allowing young a longer period to develop in the nest (Chapter Seven). I then discuss the trade-off between investing in current and future young and how this might be alleviated by the presence of non-reproductive helpers that care for first-born young, liberating breeders to initiate subsequent broods. Although this is thought to be common among cooperative breeders, the mechanism by which the care of different subsets of offspring is divided between breeders and helpers is not known. In Chapter Eight, I show that breeder-offspring aggression transfers first-born young to helpers; thereby achieving an inter-brood division of labour.

In this thesis, I use nestling provisioning in cooperatively breeding chestnut-crowned babblers as a measure of cooperative behaviour, and, using this measure, I investigate how and why members of the same group vary in their investment in young. Previous studies of investment have routinely used provisioning rates, rather than biomass of prey fed to young, as a proxy for investment. I show that provisioning rate closely reflected biomass delivered to the nest, making it a good measure of investment in provisioning behaviour in chestnut-crowned babblers. I explore how different components of provisioning effort (rate, prey size and type) traded off against each other in response to changes in brood demand. I show that contributions to care were strongly influenced by the interaction between the sex and age of helpers, and that observed patterns of care could only be explained by considering the costs as well as the benefits of care. Using brood size manipulations, I highlight that the effects of group size on helper contributions may well extend beyond changes in brood demand. I show that breeders and helpers did not follow the same investment rules. In particular, breeding females invested least in provisioning young. I discuss whether this strategy arose because resources were allocated to other components of reproduction. Finally, I use manipulations of provisioner:nestling ratios to demonstrate that helpers did enhance the fitness of the current brood and could therefore gain direct and/or indirect fitness benefits from provisioning young.

An increasing incidence of mass mortalities of birds in hot deserts suggests that birds may be appropriate candidates for assessing how natural selection, under the influence of climate change, drives adaptation. ... The effects of ambient temperature on daily weight gain, foraging effort and efficiency and the presence of heat-dissipation behaviours were assessed to determine the mechanisms by which increased temperature affect babbler body condition.

Thesis (MSc (Hons))--Macquarie University, Division of Environmental & Life Sciences, Dept. of Chemistry & Biomolecular Sciences, 2006.
Bibliography: leaves 153-158.
Wheat is a major crop in Australia with around 25 million tonnes of grain harvested in an average year. Improved wheat grain cultivars and wheat grain milling can result in higher biological yields and flour quality. The introduction covers the general aspects of the wheat grain from bran development and structure through to millings and the importance of flour quality in flour-based products. It also highlights the problem with bran contamination in flour during milling and other factors that may have an effect on flour quality. Proteomics was used to identify proteins in three separate bran tissue fractions: the inner fraction (aleurone), intermediate fraction (nucellar tissue, testa, tube cells and cross cells) and the outer faction (hypodermis and epidermis). The aim of the project was to identify proteins in bran tissue fractions which may potentially be useful in improvements in wheat quality for farmers and consumers and flour yield for millers. The results show that more than 80% of the identified proteins in the outer and intermediate tissue factions are defence-and stress-related proteins (chitinase, xylanase, thaumatin-like protein, wheatwin 1, lipid-transfer protein, oxalatae oxidase (OXO), polyphenol oxidase (PPO), peroxidase (POX)). Almost 60% of the proteins identified in the inner tissue fraction are 7S Globulin storage proteins and around 15% are protein synthesis-and energy-related. Water-soluble proteins were also identified and it was found that endochitinase, OXO, PPO and POX all leach out from the grain durings imbibition. This study has added to the knowledge of bran tissue-specific proteins and has broad implications for improving crop yield and flour quality.
Mode of access: World Wide Web.
xiii, 158 leaves ill

Språk är kultur. Språk är klass. Språk är identitet. Språk är makt. I mitt examensarbete har jag undersökt språket som maktmedel och hur design kan belysa och motarbeta språkligt förtryck. Syftet har varit att skapa förståelse kring hur det är att vardagligen begränsas av språkbarriärer och hur det är att inte få uttrycka sig på sitt modersmål. De övergripande frågorna som också utvecklas längre ned i texten är: Hur ser maktfördelningen ut i ett möte där deltagarna har olika språkliga förutsättningar? Hur kan design belysa och motarbeta språkligt förtryck?

Includes abstract.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 119-132).
Cooperative breeding occurs when more than two individuals help to raise offspring that are not their own, and has been the focus of empirical and theoretical research for over forty years. Of central importance to this work are the fitness costs and benefits of helping, and the factors limiting the reproduction of helpers. To understand these, the genetic relationship between individuals must be known. In this thesis, I use genetic and observational data to explore kinship between individuals in groups of wild Southern Pied Babblers Turdoides bicolor.

In order to reduce their predation risk, species have evolved a range of anti-predator behaviours. One co-ordinated anti-predator behaviour present in some group-living species is sentinel behaviour. In this behaviour individuals take up an elevated position and scan for threats, providing an alarm when one is spotted. However, this behaviour can lead to social conflict. Sentinel behaviour is a public good, i.e. the benefits are felt by all group members, but the costs only accrue to the actor. Thus it may be open to free loading, requiring individuals to monitor collaborators to prevent cheats. Additionally, individuals may vary in their alarm call reliability, which may select individuals to alter their behaviour based on caller ID. Monitoring others requires individuals to be closely associated, yet individuals may be spread out. For instance, foraging groups may be some distance from their nest, yet nestlings are particularly vulnerable. Adults should reduce their number of nest visits if a threat is nearby, so individuals returning from the nest may be selected to communicate about any perceived threats. Additionally, when perceiving threats, species need not use only conspecific information, because heterospecifics can also provide relevant information. In this thesis, I test these ideas in the Southern Pied Babbler (Turdoides bicolor), and I show that a) pied babblers monitor the quantity and quality of group-mates’ anti-predator behaviour; b) babblers accompany naïve sentinels and I investigate whether this may be related to anti-predator teaching; c) babblers do not appear to actively communicate about perceived nest threats because they do not alter their provisioning rate based on heterospecific derived anti-predator information; while d) avian heterospecifics are more prevalent in the presence of pied babblers, and can be attracted to areas by playback of pied babbler calls. These results show that species monitor both conspecifics and heterospecifics, and alter their behaviour based on the information they collect.

Animals use signals to facilitate the fundamental behaviours required for survival and reproduction. In social species, where many individuals interact and have to coordinate numerous behaviours, specialised signals are likely to arise. There are numerous costs and benefits to living in a group, and communication signals that minimise the costs and maximise the benefits of group-living are likely to be adaptive. In this thesis, I use a combination of behavioural observations, playback experiments and acoustic analyses to explore how vocal signals facilitate group-living in a cooperatively-breeding bird species, the pied babbler (Turdoides bicolor). Pied babblers forage together throughout the day, using their bills to find small invertebrates in the substrate, and emitting characteristic vocalisations whilst doing so. In chapter 3, I show that the acoustic structure of these chuck calls changes when a forager comes across certain food items and that the resulting `elevated chuck calls' attract other group-members to the foraging site. Calls are: not always given in situations suitable for sharing, sex-specific in structure, and (although dominant males gave elevated calls more often than expected by chance) males were less likely to be approached than females when giving these calls. These data suggest that elevated chuck calling is not an active signal to promote food sharing, but rather, I suggest, an asymmetry in calling among group members reflects the variation in the costs incurred by calling. Despite the fact that nutritional requirements and other incentives are likely to vary between group members, groups rarely split. In chapter 4, I explore the mechanisms that keep the group together whilst foraging and moving around the territory. I found that dominant individuals are more likely to initiate leading events and more likely to be followed by all other group members, initiating a `successful' lead that keeps the group together. The calls used whilst leading off do not appear to contain a dominant signature, and individuals that call and lead further are more likely to be followed, regardless of their dominance status. The most common patterns in leading and following are likely to reflect the most stable strategy for pied babblers, where dominant individuals hold the highest incentive to lead and subordinates pay thelowest costs of synchronizing movements with others. However, calling provides the opportunity for subordinates to successfully lead in situations where their own personal incentives are high, such as on days prior to dispersal. Pied babblers give a variety of loud calls in various contexts and these can be performed as either solos or group choruses. In chapter 5, I classify eight distinct call types, two of which are unique to males and one unique to females. Three additional calls types were used significantly more by the dominant male of the group, and another most often by dominant females. I discuss the possible functions and implications of the different calling patterns in this species. Group chorusing always occurs if another group is present, but also occurs in some intra-group contexts. In chapter 6, I investigate the function of group choruses, first looking at the patterns in which they occur, the difference in investment between individuals, and the significance of sex-specific call types. In common with other studies, my results suggest that choruses serve multiple functions, both in territory defence but also potentially acting as vocal billboards for the dominant pair to advertise their presence. In this way, choruses may aid in maintaining intra-group dominance hierarchies, and allow dominant females especially to deter opposite-sex competitors in order to retain their breeding position. Groups must defend their territory in order to retain access to resources such as food, breeding sites and sleeping sites, and all group members benefit from this behaviour. In pied babblers territorial signalling involves movement to territory boundaries and then long periods of group chorusing in combination with vigorous posturing displays. In chapter 7, I explore the seasonal patterns in territory defence and show that a reduction in territorial encounters and the strength of response to intruders in the nonbreeding season may be due to an energetic constraint, rather than being driven by breeding behaviours. Taken together, these results suggest that complex groups, where requirements and incentives are likely to be heterogeneous, can function successfully as a group by using signals to mediate the costs and benefits of group-living

Objective: The primary purpose of this investigation was to determine the effect of multitalker babble on ASSRs in adult subjects with normal hearing (NH) and sensorineural hearing loss (HI). The secondary purpose was to investigate the relationships among ASSRs, word recognition in quiet, and word recognition in babble. Design: ASSRs were elicited by a complex mixed-modulation tonal stimulus (carrier frequencies of 500, 1500, 2500, and 4000 Hz; modulation rate of 40 or 90 Hz) presented in quiet and in babble. The level of each carrier frequency was adjusted to match the level of the multitalker babble spectrum, which was based on the long term speech spectrum average. Word recognition in noise (WIN) performance was measured and correlated to ASSR amplitude and ASSR detection rate. Study Sample: Nineteen normal-hearing adults and nineteen adults with sensorineural hearing loss were recruited. Results and Conclusions: The presence of babble significantly reduced the ASSR detection rate and ASSR amplitude for NH subjects, but had minimal effect on ASSRs for HI subjects. In addition, babble enhanced ASSR amplitude at high stimulus levels. ASSR detection rate and ASSR amplitude recorded in quiet and babble were significantly correlated with word recognition performance for NH and HI subjects. Sumario Objetivo: El objetivo fundamental de esta investigación fue determinar el efecto de balbuceo de hablantes múltiples en los ASSR de adultos jóvenes con audición normal (NH) y con pérdidas auditivas sensorineurales (HI). El objetivo secundario fue investigar las relaciones entre los ASSR, el reconocimiento de palabras en silencio y el reconocimiento de palabras con en medio de balbuceo. Diseño: Los ASSR fueron evocados por estímulo tonal de modulación mezclada compleja (frecuencias portadoras de 500, 1500, 2500 y 4000 Hz; tasa de modulación de 40 o 90 Hz) presentadas en silencio y con el balbuceo. Se ajustó el nivel de cada frecuencia portadora para emparejar el nivel del espectro del balbuceo de hablantes múltiples, el cual se basó en el promedio del espectro a largo plazo. Se midió el rendimiento para el reconocimiento de palabras en ruido (WIN) y se correlacionó con la amplitud de los ASSR y con la tasa de detección de los ASSR. Muestra Del Estudio: Se reclutaron diez y nueve adultos normoyentes y diez y nueve adultos con pérdida auditiva sensorineural. Resultados Y Conclusiones: La presencia del balbuceo reduce significativamente la tasa de detección de los ASSR y la amplitud de los ASSR en sujetos NH, pero tiene efectos mínimos en los ASSR de sujetos HI. Además, el balbuceo aumenta la amplitud de los ASSR con estímulos de niveles altos. La tasa de detección de los ASSR y la amplitud de los ASSR registrada en silencio y con balbuceo, fueron significativamente correlacionadas con el rendimiento para reconocer palabras en sujetos NH y HI.

Although group-living is widespread in animals, the degree of social complexity varies markedly within and among taxa. One important precondition for the evolution of higher forms of social complexity is increasing group size. However, this imposes a challenge: finding sufficient food for growing numbers of individuals. One hypothesis is that the (in)ability to avoid resource competition as group size increases, could partly explain variation in social complexity among vertebrates. Increasingly, evidence suggests that resource competition can be reduced via three forms of individual specialisation. These are foraging niche specialisation, specialisation to a role under division of labour (DoL), and as a mediator of these two, personality variation. Yet few studies have directly investigated the role of these specialisations in mediating the costs of increasing group size in social vertebrates. In this thesis, I first review the evidence to date that specialising to a foraging niche, and/or to a task under DoL, is (1) mediated via personality variation and (2) can be a means of reducing competition, generated by increasing group size, in social species (Chapter 2). Then, using the cooperative breeding chestnut-crowned babbler (Pomatostomus ruficeps) as my model system, I empirically test some of the hypotheses posed in this review, regarding foraging niche specialisation and associations with personality variation. In Chapter 3, I show that babblers do show personality variation in traits likely to facilitate niche segregation, and in Chapter 4 that variation among individuals within groups is sufficient to lead to intragroup niche specialisation. However, I find that the level of variation within groups is not associated with group size. Then in Chapter 5, I show that in a direct measure of foraging niche, there is only limited evidence for intragroup specialisation, and again that any specialisation is not associated with larger group sizes. I therefore find no evidence that niche specialisation is a means through which babblers can overcome the costs of increasing group size. I discuss the implications of these results for the rise of social complexity in this system, and social vertebrates generally.

Företag engagerar sig allt mer i marknadsföring som belyser deras samhällsåtgärder, vilket går under benämningen Corporate social responsibility [CSR]. Ett företag som applicerar CSR i sin kommunikation är Systembolaget. Systembolaget är ett monopoliserat företag som på uppdrag av svenska staten säljer alkoholhaltiga drycker. I deras uppdrag ingår även att informera om alkoholens skadliga effekter samt att bidra till en minskad konsumtion. Alkohol anses vara en av de skadligaste drogerna i världen och alkoholmissbruk dödar varje år flera miljoner människor globalt. Det finns därigenom en problematik i att ett statligt ägt företag marknadsför sin CSR då forskning visat att CSR-kommunikation inte nödvändigtvis används i samhällsfrämjande syften, utan snarare kan ha motsatta effekter. Studien ämnar således problematisera Systembolagets användning av CSR-kommunikation i marknadsföringssyften. Analysen utfördes på tre reklamfilmer från Systembolagets Youtube-kanal med hjälp av en visuell retorikanalys. Den teoretiska utgångspunkten för studien grundar sig i retorik och begrepp som kopplas till CSR. Syftet med studien är att identifiera hur Systembolaget använder retoriska verktyg för att kommunicera CSR samt vad de vill associeras med för värderingar. Studiens syfte är även att problematisera Systembolagets CSR-kommunikation då det inte råder en tydlig gränsdragning beträffande vad som anses vara marknadsföring eller samhällsnyttig information. Resultatet visar att Systembolaget använder sig av retoriska verktyg för att förmedla budskapet om deras CSR. Genom användning av visuella och audiovisuella element förstärks associationerna till deras värderingar. Vidare visade resultatet på en tvetydighet gällande det egentliga syftet med CSR-kommunikationen. Analysen pekar på att den CSR-kommunikation som förmedlas i reklamfilmerna innehar persuasiva avsikter vilket står i konflikt med Systembolagets uppdrag. Systembolagets CSR-kommunikation kan därför anses vara marknadsföring i syfte att stärka deras varumärke vilket i sin tur riskerar att öka konsumtionen och därmed motsätta sig deras samhällsuppdrag.
Companies today are increasingly involved in marketing that highlights their societal actions. These actions are called Corporate social responsibility [CSR]. Systembolaget is a company that utilizes CSR communication. Systembolaget is a government-owned monopolized company that sells alcoholic beverages. Their mission includes informing about the harmful effects of alcohol and reducing the use of it. Alcohol is considered one of the most harmful drugs and the consumption kills millions of people globally every year. However, there is an issue regarding a government-owned company marketing its CSR as research has shown that CSR communication not necessarily is used for societal purposes, but rather may have the opposite effect. Therefore, the purpose of our study is to problematize Systembolaget's use of CSR communication for brand building purposes. The analysis was conducted using a visual rhetoric analysis on three commercials from Systembolaget's Youtube channel. The theoretical framework for the study is based on rhetoric theory and CSR. The purpose of the study is to identify how Systembolaget uses rhetorical tools to communicate their CSR and which values they want to be associated with. Furthermore, the study aims to problematize Systembolaget’s CSR communication as there is no clear definition regarding what is seen as marketing or information that is considered beneficial for the society. The result of the study shows that Systembolaget uses rhetorical tools to convey the message of their CSR. Through the use of visual and audiovisual elements, the associations to their values are strengthened. Furthermore, the result shows an ambiguity regarding the actual purpose of the CSR communication. The analysis indicated that the CSR communication conveyed in the commercials have persuasive intentions, which is in conflict with Systembolaget's mission. Systembolaget's CSR communication can therefore be considered brand building marketing, which pose a risk of increasing consumption and thereby opposing their societal duties.

Increasingly harsh and unpredictable climate regimes are affecting animal populations everywhere and understanding how species respond to current environmental variability is important for predicting vulnerability to climate change over longer timescales. Species living in characteristically harsh and unpredictable arid and semi-arid ecosystems are useful models for studying impacts of climate variability and change because these ecosystems are experiencing rapid increases in both average and maximum temperatures, as well as increased interannual rainfall variation, as a result of anthropogenic climate change. That animals living in highly variable environments are disproportionately more likely to engage in cooperative breeding implies that this strategy may buffer individuals against the negative effects of adverse climate conditions. An aspect of species' vulnerability to climate change that remains relatively unexplored is whether responses to environmental stressors might therefore be mitigated by sociality, particularly in those species in which group members are highly cooperative. In this thesis, I use behaviour, morphology, and physiology data that I collected over three consecutive austral summer field seasons (2016-2019) and A. Prof. Amanda Ridley's 15-year life history dataset (2003-2019, to which I contributed the last three years of data) for a cooperatively-breeding bird, the southern pied babbler Turdoides bicolor. I investigate the impacts of temperature, rainfall, and group size on interannual survival, behaviour, physiology, growth, and reproduction in southern pied babblers, taking a multidisciplinary approach combining behavioural ecology, life history, and ecophysiology. In order to avoid disturbance to the study population, I validated and implemented a non-invasive method for collecting physiological measurements (daily energy expenditure and water turnover). I also tested for the influence of interactions between weather and group size variables because the presence of significant interactions would provide evidence in support of a moderating effect of sociality. I found that exposure to high temperatures significantly constrained successful breeding and the interannual survival of both breeding adults and juvenile birds, and explored the mechanisms behind these observed relationships: adjustments in parental care behaviour, body mass loss, reduced nestling growth rates, and the physiological costs of care at high temperatures. Higher rainfall and larger groups sizes were generally associated with higher reproductive success and survival, but I found no evidence for an interaction between weather variables and group size: individuals across all group sizes experienced similar effects of conditions. I therefore conclude that 1) pied babblers will increasingly face challenges for population recovery and persistence in the near future as survival and reproduction are increasingly compromised by ever higher temperatures, and 2) a life history strategy that relies on the presence of helpers for successful breeding is unlikely to buffer individual group members against climatic variability and climate change in this cooperatively breeding species.

This essay focuses on the genre of Chick Lit and two novels in that genre: Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella and Queen of Babble by Meg Cabot. The essay examines the origins of the Chick Lit genre and discusses its influences and the typical trademarks of the Chick Lit novel. The essay also discusses how some of the current research has come to the conclusion that Chick Lit is sprung from the genre of romance novels. In the second section of the analysis, the conventional formula of the popular romance novel is presented, followed by a discussion about the ways in which the Chick Lit novels differ from that formula. The primary research question of the essay asks “Is the Chick Lit novel a new version of the romance novel or can it not be seen as a distinct literary genre?” The third section of the essay consists of a comparative reading of the two Chick Lit novels, where it is argued that they can be seen as novels about personal growth and development, and how they deal with self-discovery more than anything else.  In the conclusion, the essay discusses how although Chick Lit novels have borrowed some themes and characteristics from the romance novels, there is also more to the Chick Lit novel than just the romance theme. Friendships and family relations are as important to the two heroines as finding love is, and it is important for the protagonists to understand themselves first, and only after that do they begin thinking about love.

High variability phonetic training (HVPT) has been shown to improve non-native speakers’ perceptual performance in discriminating difficult second language phonemic contrasts (Bradlow, Akahane-Yamada, Pisoni, & Tohkura, 1999; Bradlow, Pisoni, Akahane-Yamada, & Tohkura, 1997; Lively, Logan, & Pisoni, 1993; Lively, Pisoni, Yamada, Tohkura, & Yamada, 1994; Logan, Lively, & Pisoni, 1991). The perceptual learning can be generalized to novel words (Wang & Munro, 2004), novel speakers (Nishi & Kewley-Port, 2007; Richie & Kewley-Port, 2008) and even to speech production (Bradlow et al., 1997). However, the rigidity of the laboratory training settings has limited applications to real life situations. The current thesis examined the effectiveness of a new phonetic training program - the Spoken English Discrimination (SED) training. SED training is a computerized individual training program designed to improve non-native speakers’ bottom-up perceptual sensitivity to discriminate difficult second language (L2) phonemic contrasts. It combines a number of key training features including 1) natural spoken stimuli, 2) highly variable stimuli spoken by multiple speakers, 3) multi-talker babble as background noise and 4) an adaptive staircase procedure that individualizes the level of background babble. The first experiment investigated the potential benefits of different versions of the SED training program. The effect of stimulus variability (single speaker vs. multiple speakers) and design of background babble (constant vs. adaptive staircase) were examined using English voiceless-voiced plosives /t/-/d/ phonemic contrast as the training materials. No improvements were found in the identification accuracy on the /t/-/d/ contrast in post-test, but identification improvements were found on the untrained English /ε/-/æ/ phonemic contrast. The effectiveness of SED training was re-examined in Chapter 3 using the English /ε/-/æ/ phonemic contrast as the training material. Three experiments were conducted to compare the SED training paradigms that had the background babble implemented either at a constant level (Constant SED) or using the adaptive staircase procedure (Adaptive Staircase SED), and the longevity of the training effects. Results revealed that the Adaptive Staircase SED was the more effective paradigm as it generated greater training benefits and its effect generalized better to the untrained /t/-/d/ phonemic contrast. Training effects from both SED paradigms retained six months after the last training section. Before examining whether SED training leads to improvements in speech production, Chapter 4 investigated the phonetics perception pattern of L1 Mandarin Malaysian speakers, L1 Malaysian English speakers and native British English speakers. The production intelligibility of the L1 Mandarin speakers was also evaluated by the L1 Malaysian English speakers and native British English speakers. Single category assimilation was observed in both L1 Mandarin and L1 Malaysian English speakers whereby the /ε/ and /æ/ phonetic sounds were assimilated to a single/æ/ category (Best, McRoberts, & Goodell, 2001). While the British English speakers showed ceiling performance for all phonetic categories involved, the L1 Malaysian English speakers had difficulty identifying the British English /ε/ phoneme and the L1 Mandarin speakers had difficulty identifying the /d/ final, /ε/ and /æ/ phonemes. As seen by their perceptual performance, the L1 Mandarin speakers also had difficulty producing distinct /d/ final, /ε/ and /æ/ phonemes. Two experiments in Chapter 5 examined whether the effects of SED training generalizes to speech production. The results showed that L1 Malaysian English speakers and native British English speakers found different SED paradigms to be more effective in inducing the production improvement. Only the production intelligibility of the /æ/ phoneme improved as a result of SED training. Collectively, the seven experiments in this thesis showed that SED training was effective in improving Malaysian speakers’ perception and production performance of difficult English phonemic contrasts. Further research should be conducted to examine the efficacy of SED training in improving speech perception and production across different training materials and in speakers who come from different language backgrounds.

Bibliography: pages 282-293.
The following study is concerned with a detailed examination of Samuel Beckett's prose fiction, from his earliest important writing up until the completion of the last book of his Trilogy. Although these works, widely recognized as being of seminal importance in the literary history of our time, have attracted a great deal of critical attention, I hope to contribute to this vast colloquy not merely by raising specific points of interpretation that appear to me to be both valid and hitherto unremarked (as well as challenging some popular misconceptions and critical heresies), but in the tenor of my approach to the texts, which stresses the need for a synthetic apprehension of their poetic texture and their narrative form, and insists that a thematic study of their imagery cannot be fruitfully conducted independently of a careful examination of their dramatic and rhythmical structure.

Talperception avser förmågan att uppfatta och känna igen talat språk. Nedsatt talperception förekommer hos flera grupper barn som besöker audiologisk och logopedisk klinik och i synnerhet hos barn med språkstörning. I förevarande studie testades talperceptionsförmåga i ljudmiljöerna tyst och babbel hos tio barn med språkstörning i åldrarna 7 – 9 år. Som kontrollgrupp tjänade tjugoen jämnåriga barn med typisk utveckling. För bedömning användes talperceptionstestet Lyssna-Säg, vilket är ett datorbaserat test, som mäter diskrimination, identifikation och produktion av konsonantkontraster i minimala ordpar. Studiens resultat visar att barn med språkstörning hade proportionerligt svårare än typiskt utvecklade barn att uppfatta tal i babbel och att förmågan att uppfatta skillnad i artikulationsställe var särskilt nedsatt hos dem. Viss försämring från tyst till babbel kunde även observeras på ordproduktionen, vilket kan indikera att babbelmiljön hade en negativ påverkan på barnens arbetsminne. Studien har bidragit med insikter kring hur barn med språkstörning uppfattar tal i olika ljudmiljöer och har även bidragit till utvecklingsarbetet med Lyssna-Säg-testet.
Speech perception refers to the ability to perceive and recognize spoken language. Impaired speech perception occurs in several groups of children visiting the audiological and speech language pathology clinic, and particularly in children with language impairment. In the present study, speech perception was tested in ten children with language impairment aged 7 – 9 years in silent and in babble. Twenty-one children with typical development of the same age served as control group. The Listen-Say test, which is a computer-assisted speech perception test that assesses discrimination, identification and production of consonant contrasts, was used as assessment tool. The study showed that children with language impairment had proportionally greater difficulty to perceive speech in babble compared to typically developing children and that place of articulation was particularly difficult to distinguish for them. A slight decrease in word production in babble may indicate that this condition had a negative impact on the children's working memory. The study has provided insight into how children with language impairment perceive speech in different auditory backgrounds, and has contributed to the development of the Listen-Say test.

碩士
國立臺灣大學
生態學與演化生物學研究所
100
Song type matching and song overlapping have been considered as aggressive signals in male songbirds. However, no studies have focused on the relationship between these two types of signals. To determine whether exposure to combine signaling increases aggression in songbirds, first, we evaluated the functions of song type matching and song overlapping in the Black-necklaced Scimitar Babblers (Pomatorhinus erythrocnemis). Second, we combined song type matching and song overlapping to examine is the combination a more aggressive signal. Lastly, we added overlapping in contest after type matching has already used for a while to examine that is song overlapping a second graded signal to escalate aggressive intention in the Black-necklaced Scimitar Babblers. The Black-necklaced Scimitar-Babblers, which exhibits strong reaction to intruders and possessed medium sized repertoire, was chosen as our subject. In the treatments interactive playback was used for recording their singing and behavioral responses. Field experiment was conducted during the breeding seasons of 2010 and 2011 at Wulai, New Taipei City, Taiwan. Interactive songs for playback were collected in Hsinchu, Yunlin and Chiayi. The results show that the male Black-necklaced Scimitar Babblers exhibited greater variation of song interval (P=0.011) and spent more time in a 10-meter circle from the speaker (P=0.039) when song-type matching treatments were conducted. Males did not exhibit responses that were different from control treatments compare to song overlapping treatments. However, when song overlapping and song type matching happened simultaneously, males exhibited shorter songs (P=0.030); when song overlapping was added in after song type matching had continued for a while, males responded stronger that they exhibited more number of songs (P=0.0005) and spent more time in a 10-meter circle from the speaker during playback (P=0.033) and post-playback period (P=0.033). We conclude that in song contests of the male Black-necklaced Scimitar Babblers, song-type matching may serve as an aggressive signal. Overlapping may serve as an aggressive signal if happens with song type matching simultaneously or with song type matching continues for a while. We conclude that song overlapping is a second graded signal to escalate aggressive intention in the Black-necklaced Scimitar Babblers if necessary.

碩士
國立嘉義大學
生物資源學系研究所
97
Song is an important medium of communication infer Passeriformes species. For the males, it is usually explained by dual functional theories. The first purpose is to attract female, and the other is repelling male. Repelling male means male-male competition and scientists usually use sharing hypothesis to interpret it. Sharing hypothesis asserts male birds could benefit for each other though sharing songs with neighbors. In many territorial birds, song sharing among neighbors has been demonstrated. Spot-breasted Scimitar Babblers (Pomatorhinus erythrocnemis) is a common resident bird in Taiwan. It is a suitable species to inspect sharing hypothesis, not only because of their obvious territorial behavior but also based on the habit that they used to communicate with neighbors through their specific songs. I recorded 12 male babblers from Huben Village, Linnei Township, Yunlin County, Taiwan (ROC) during the period March to October 2008. The result of research shows there are totally 22 different song types from 12 Huben babblers’ singing. The song types ranged from 1166-1852 KHz in frequency and 0.406±0.103 sec in duration. Discriminant functional analysis correctly assigned 82.4% of all recordings, furthermore, in average, each babbler has 7.17 song types (range 4-10). The sonograms of the same song types in different recording date shows the long constancy within individuals and from different males shows the similarities among individuals. The research outcome indicated that there were at least 2 shared songs between 12 male babblers and the average sharing coefficient was 0.385. Moreover, the finding significance presents the distance of territory is inversely proportional to the similarity of songs (Pearson correlation r=-0.257, N=66, p<0.05). Finally, according to the statistics which have been illustrated above, the research evidenced the prediction of sharing hypothesis, but the impacts on the aspect of function and ecology still require a profounder research and investigation.

碩士
國立東華大學
自然資源與環境學系
99
Bird song plays an important role in communication. In order to effectively transmit messages, birds tend to choose a favorable mode of transmission. Furthermore, acoustic variations of bird songs among populations may be formed as a result of the appearance of geographical barriers, the increase of distance between populations or different habitats. The Rufous-capped Babbler (Stachyris ruficeps) is a resident bird species in Taiwan, with a wide elevational distribution from sea level to 3000m. Its song is composed of simple whistling-like notes. In this study, I analyzed the songs of Rufous-capped Babblers from both sides of the Central Mountain Range with the aim to find if the geographical barrier or distance and elevational difference of environment would cause acoustic variations of their songs. I recorded the songs of 278 individuals from plots along Central Cross-Island Highway, Wu-She Supply branch Highway (Tai #14 Highway) and Su-Hua Highway (Tai #9 Highway). The parameters of these songs were measured from the sound spectrum. I measured seven acoustic parameters in which five are frequency-related and two are time-related. The results of simple regression analysis showed that in the eastern side of the Central Mountain Range, elevational gradient alone explained 46%, 35% and 23% of variations in respect to end frequency, the highest frequency and the lowest frequency, respectively, but offered less explanation to the variations of the duration, the bandwidth of songs and start frequency. The results of songs from the western side of The Central Mountain Range showed similar pattern, with elevational gradient explained 48% of variation to the lowest frequency, 32% of variation to end frequency, 17% of variation to start frequency and 15% of variation to the highest frequency. It also explained less but significant variations of duration and bandwidth. Comparing songs from both sides of the Range found no significant difference in all of the acoustic parameters, and no significant difference in all parameters between songs recorded from the same elevation. These findings indicated that mountain barrier and geographical distance did not result to significant difference in the songs of the Red-capped Babblers and showed that elevational gradient is the main factor causing variations in the songs of the Red-capped Babblers. In addition, we measured the morphological traits of 81 male Rufous-capped Babblers captured in the eastern slope of the Range during the same study period and found a significant correlation between their body size and elevation. Based on related researches, body size would affect song frequency, therefore, we concluded that the elevation would affect the songs of the Red-capped Babbler through the effect on the body size, as the elevation getting higher, the birds there become larger in body size and sing in lower frequency.

Der Spracherwerb beginnt lange vor der Produktion der ersten bedeutungstragenden Wörter. In der Fachliteratur besteht Einigkeit darüber, dass die vorsprachliche produktive Entwicklung in einer geordneten und zeitlich relativ klar definierten Abfolge von als universal postulierten Entwicklungsstufen verläuft (Koopmans-van Beinum & van der Stelt, 1986; Oller, 1980, 2000; Roug et al., 1989; Stark, 1980). Allerdings liegen bisher vergleichsweise wenige Erkenntnisse zu den akustischen und phonetischen Eigenschaften der für die einzelnen Entwicklungsstufen charakteristischen Vokalisationstypen vor. Hier setzt die vorliegende Arbeit an. Untersucht wurde ein Vokalisationstyp, der als Meilenstein der vorsprachlichen Erwerbsphase gilt: das kanonische Babbeln. Das kanonische Babbeln tritt bei sich normal entwickelnden Kindern erstmals zwischen dem 5. und 10. Lebensmonat auf und zeichnet sich dadurch aus, dass es entsprechend der temporalen und spektralen Eigenschaften der Erwachsenensprache phonetisch wohlgeformte Silben aufweist (Oller, 2000). Darüber hinaus findet sich bezüglich der phonetischen Eigenschaften von kanonischen Babblern und ersten bedeutungstragenden Wörtern ein hohes Maß an Kontinuität (Elbers & Ton, 1985; Kent & Bauer, 1985; Locke, 1989; Majorano & D'Odorico, 2011; Stoel-Gammon & Cooper, 1984; Vihman et al., 1986; Vihman et al., 1985). Zielstellung der vorliegenden explorativen Längsschnittstudie war es, die Eigenschaften von kanonischen Babblern von sich normal entwickelnden Kindern mit deutscher Umgebungssprache erstmalig quantitativ zu charakterisieren. Hierfür wurden von 15 gesunden deutschen Kindern (sieben Jungen und acht Mädchen) vom vierten Monat bis zum 13. Lebensmonat im Rhythmus von zwei bis vier Wochen digitale Lautaufnahmen angefertigt. Insgesamt wurden 4992 kanonische Babbler mittels speziell auf die Zielstellung der Untersuchung zugeschnittener signalanalytischer Verfahren untersucht. Für jeden kanonischen Babbler wurden die akustischen Messgrößen Vokalisationslänge und Vokallänge sowie die mittlere Grundfrequenz (F0) und der F0-Range berechnet. Darüber hinaus wurden die Silbenanzahl pro Babbler, die Konsonant-Vokal-Struktur der Silben (CV-Struktur) sowie Artikulationszone und –art der konsonantischen Elemente analysiert. Die längsschnittliche Auswertung erfolgte anhand des kanonischen Babbelalters, das ausgehend vom individuellen Alter bei Einsetzen der kanonischen Babbelphase bestimmt wurde. Die längsschnittliche Auswertung der zeitlichen Messgrößen ergab eine kontinuierliche Abnahme der Vokalisationslänge. Gleichzeit verringerte sich in einem ähnlichen Maß der Anteil an mehrsilbigen kanonischen Babblern, während sich der der einsilbigen kanonischen Babbler deutlich erhöhte. Dieses Entwicklungsmuster markiert möglicherweise den Übergang zur Wortproduktion (Vihman et al., 1985). Im Unterschied zur Vokalisationslänge wurden für die Vokallänge keine systematischen Veränderungen im Entwicklungsverlauf festgestellt. Die längsschnittliche Auswertung der melodischen Messgrößen ergab sowohl für die mittlere F0 als auch für den F0-Range zwischen dem 2. und 5. Monat nach Beginn der kanonischen Babbelphase ein erhöhtes Maß an Variabilität. Dies steht möglicherweise mit der Feinabstimmung der laryngealen und der supralaryngealen Aktivität im kanonischen Babbeln in Zusammenhang. Bezüglich der CV-Struktur und der Eigenschaften der konsonantischen Elemente fanden sich ähnliche Befunde wie in früheren Untersuchungen (z.B. Davis & MagNeilage, 1995). Während CV-Silben während des gesamten Untersuchungszeitraums und bei allen Kindern klar dominierten, fand sich hinsichtlich der Eigenschaften der konsonantischen Elemente im Rahmen universeller Tendenzen ein hohes Maß an inter- und intraindividueller Variabilität. Die vorliegende Untersuchung stellt erstmalig objektive Variationsbereiche für typische quantitative und qualitative Eigenschaften von kanonischen Babblern von Deutsch lernenden Kindern bereit. Die ermittelten vorläufigen Referenzwerte könnten die Grundlage für nachfolgende Untersuchungen bei Risikokindern für Sprech- und Spracherwerbsstörungen liefern und so zur Identifizierung valider frühdiagnostischer Risikomarker beitragen
Language acquisition starts long before the production of first words. In the literature it is largely accepted that development of pre-speech productive abilities follows a certain sequence of single stages, which is supposed to be universal (Koopmans-van Beinum & van der Stelt, 1986; Oller, 1980, 2000; Roug et al., 1989; Stark, 1980). However, to date relatively little is known about acoustic and phonetic features of different types of pre-speech vocalisations. This study investigated a type of vocalisation, which is considered as a milestone in pre-speech development: canonical babbling. In typically developing infants canonical babbling appears between 5 and 10 months of age and is characterised by well-formed syllables (Oller, 2000). Moreover, there is a high degree of continuity concerning phonetic features of canonical babbling and first words (Elbers & Ton, 1985; Kent & Bauer, 1985; Locke, 1989; Majorano & D'Odorico, 2011; Stoel-Gammon & Cooper, 1984; Vihman et al., 1986; Vihman et al., 1985). The aim of this explorative longitudinal study was to quantitatively characterise features of canonical babbling in typically developing German infants for the first time. For this purpose the vocalisations of 15 healthy German infants (seven boys and eight girls) were digitally recorded every 2 to 4 weeks from 4 to 13 months of age. In total, 4992 canonical babbles were examined according to signal-analytical methods specially adapted to the aim of the study. The acoustic parameters vocalisation length and vowel length as well as mean fundamental frequency (f0) and f0-range were calculated for each canonical babbling sound. Furthermore, the number of syllables per babble, the consonant-vowel structure of the syllables (CV-structure) and place and manner of articulation of the consonantal elements were analysed. The longitudinal analysis was conducted on the basis of canonical babbling age, which was determined by the individual age at the onset of the canonical babbling stage. The results of the longitudinal analysis of the time-based parameters showed a continuous decrease of vocalisation length. At the same time the proportion of canonical babbles consisting of three or more syllables decreased whereas the proportion of canonical babbles consisting of only one syllable clearly increased. This developmental pattern might mark the transition to word production (Vihman et al., 1985). In contrast to vocalisation length no systematic change during the investigation period was found with respect to vowel length. The longitudinal analysis of the melodic parameters showed a higher degree of variability between two to five months after the onset of the canonical babbling stage for both the mean f0 and the f0-range. This might be an indicator for the fine-tuning of laryngeal and supralaryngeal activity in canonical babbling. Regarding CV-structure and consonantal features the current investigation reached similar results as former studies (i.e. Davis & MacNeilage, 1995). Whereas CV-syllables clearly dominated during the whole investigation period and in all infants, features of consonants inter- and intraindividually largely differed within universal tendencies. This study for the first time provides objective ranges of variation for typical quantitative and qualitative features of canonical babbles of German infants. Based on these preliminary reference values further investigations with infants at risk for language impairment might be conducted, so that in long-term possible early risk markers might be identified

The story of the Tower of Babel (Gen 11: 1-9) has been interpreted in various ways down through the centuries. However, most commentators have ignored the genre of the text, and have not sought to interpret it within its mythological framework - therefore most interpretations are nothing short of babble. A working text is ascertained, and the complexity of the text investigated. The text is then identified as 'myth': within its mythological framework the tower is seen as a temple linking heaven and earth, ensuring the continuation of the royal dynasty (i e 'making a name'). When used by the Yahwist Levites during the Babylonian Exile, our story was inserted in the great Pre-History as polemic against the Babylonian concept of creation, temple, and dynasty; and served as both a warning and an encouragement to the Exiles. The post-exilic Priestly Writer re-interpreted our story as a warning to the returning exiles that their society, and their temple, should be reconstructed as YHWH determines. Interpreting the story as myth enables it, finally, to speak clearly into our context today, especially that of South Africa.
Biblical and Ancient Studies
D. Th. (Old Testament)

Babblers together with the close related Timallidae are not very common inmates of the zoological gardens. In the Czech Republic they are only bred in the zoological gardens in Ohrada, Pilsen and Prague. The breeding in the zoological gardens is not generally very successful. The zoo in Prague with its number of species owns the largest collection of these birds in Europe. In the past the breeders in Prague were the first ones in Europe who managed to raise for example Rufous-fronted Laughingthrush, Sunda Laughingthrush, Barred Laughingthrush or Sumatran Laughingthrush (Black-and-white Laughingthrush). As the first ones in the Czech Republic they were able to reproduce the critically endagered Blue-crowned Laughingthrush (Courtois's Laughingthrush). The Blue-crowned Laughingthrush is so rare that for several years it was not clear at all if they still live in nature. In the year 2000 they were rediscovered in the number of 240 pieces. The quantity of them in the zoological gardens all over the world does not exceed 100 pieces. The zoo in Chester does a European breeding book of these pieces. Some birds in Prague reproduce repetitively and they prove that the right method of the breeding was found. Hopefully this method would lead to the birth of the securing population in the care of humans. This securing population is very important for the protection of these birds. The attempt of this work is to assess the links between the results of the breeding and their conditions, the comparison of the nesting activities of the two chosen species of babblers, then the summarizing of the expansion and the results of the breeding of the individual species and also the processing of the expansion, the development of the quantity and the problems of the protection of the babblers in nature. The following facts were found out: the breeding of the birds in the exposition or in its environment does not have an essential influence on their nesting activity. However, for the nesting activity it is more important if they are a newly formed couple or a couple paired for a longer time and at the forest babbler it is the female that has an important role in incubation period. However, at the Sumatran Laughingthrush there is a frequent changing in different time intervals. The work also shows that only 5 species out of 12, that showed the nesting activity, are able to build a nest without the help of the keepers. That can be attributed to their closer relational breeding and also to putting the higher number of artificially reared individuals into the breeding.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1994.
Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 57-61).