Characteristics and spatiotemporal variation of sei whale (Balaenoptera borealis) downsweeps recorded in Atlantic Canada.

The call characteristics and vocal behaviour of sei whales (Balaenoptera borealis) off eastern Canada, including potential spatiotemporal variation, is poorly understood. Such information can improve the performance of automated detector-classifiers, enhancing the accuracy and efficiency of identifying sei whales in large acoustic datasets. Ultimately, these data can be used to understand the occurrence, distribution, and population structure of sei whales in Atlantic Canada. We measured sei whale downsweep characteristics recorded from six locations off Nova Scotia (NS) and Newfoundland and Labrador (NFLD), Canada over a two-year period (2015-2017), and examined variation between call subtypes (singlets, doublets, triplets+), and seasons (Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter). We found that downsweeps had a mean duration of 1.58 s, sweeping from 75.66 to 34.22 Hz, with a peak frequency of 43.89 Hz and an intra-call interval of 2.22 s. Most call characteristics did not vary between location, subtype, or season; however, significantly longer downsweeps occurred off NS, within doublet calls, and in fall months. We also found that NFLD had a higher proportion of doublets (70%) than NS (52%). This variation may be evidence of acoustically diverging sei whale populations, as well as useful for improving detector-classifiers of sei whales in the region.

Infusing 21st Century Skill Development into the Undergraduate Curriculum: The Formation of the iBEARS Network.

The demonstrated gap between skills needed and skills learned within a college education places both undergraduates seeking gainful employment and the employers seeking highly skilled workers at a disadvantage. Recent and up-and-coming college graduates should possess 21st century skills (i.e., communication, collaboration, problem solving), skills that employers deem necessary for the workplace. Research shows that the development of this skillset can help narrow the gap in producing highly skilled graduates for the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce. We propose the development of 21st century skills by utilizing the project-based learning (PjBL) framework and creating the inclusive biologist exploring active research with students (iBEARS) program, allowing undergraduate students to hone their 21st century skills and prepare for transition and success within the workplace.

Chronic noise exposure has context-dependent effects on stress physiology in nestling Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor).

Anthropogenic noise is increasing in intensity and scope, resulting in changes to acoustic landscapes and largely negative effects on a range of species. In birds, noise can mask acoustic signals used in a variety of communication systems, including parent-offspring communication. As a result, nestling birds raised in noise may have challenges soliciting food from parents and avoiding detection by predators. Given that passerine nestlings are confined to a nest and therefore cannot escape these challenges, noise may also act as a chronic stressor during their development. Here, we raised Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) nestlings with or without continuous, white noise to test whether noise exposure affected baseline and stress-induced plasma, integrated feather corticosterone levels, and immune function. Stress physiology and immune function may also vary with the competitive environment during development, so we also examined whether noise effects varied with brood size and nestling mass. We found that overall, exposure to noise did not alter nestling stress physiology or immune function. However, light nestlings raised in noise exhibited lower baseline plasma and integrated feather corticosterone than heavy nestlings, suggesting alternative physiological responses to anthropogenic stimuli. Furthermore, light nestlings in larger broods had reduced PHA-induced immune responses compared to heavy nestlings, and PHA-induced immune responses were associated with higher levels of baseline plasma and feather CORT. Overall, our findings suggest that noise can alter the stress physiology of developing birds; however, these effects may depend on developmental conditions and the presence of other environmental stressors, such as competition for resources. Our findings may help to explain why populations are not uniformly affected by noise.

A Comparison of the Knowledge of Alzheimer's Disease among Community Pharmacists Based on Regional Practice Setting Using the Alzheimer's Disease Knowledge Scale (ADKS).

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is the most prevalent type of dementia and has a high prevalence in the aging population. Due to the requirements for care, it is valuable for members of the healthcare system to be knowledgeable about AD and its treatment. Community pharmacists are particularly valuable in assisting in AD care because of their accessibility to the general public and they are a source for dispensing AD medications. The purpose of this study is to assess the level of knowledge of AD among Ohio community pharmacists based on regional practice settings using the Alzheimer's Disease Knowledge Scale (ADKS). A standardized, 30-question assessment tool known as the Alzheimer's Disease Knowledge Scale exists to measure the level of knowledge of AD among a given population. Studies on AD knowledge have been conducted using this tool, and the use of this scale identifies major misconceptions about AD that could be addressed in education initiatives for both the general public and for health care professionals. This study implemented this tool to compare the knowledge of community pharmacists that serve rural areas to those that serve urban areas. The Ohio Board of Pharmacy provided a list of emails of community pharmacists to send an anonymous survey including both demographic questions and the ADKS. Statistical analyses including independent t-tests and descriptive statistics were conducted using SPSS to determine the significance of the data. This study found no statistically significant difference between urban versus rural community pharmacists. However, in the future we hope to identify specific questions that correlate to areas of AD where continuing education may be helpful in improving patient outcomes by enabling caregivers and healthcare providers with a more accurate understanding of AD.

Can real-time polymerase chain reaction allow a faster recovery of hospital activity in cases of an incidental discovery of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae and vancomycin-resistant Enterococci carriers?

BACKGROUND: Detection of faecal carriers of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE) has become a routine medical practice in many countries. In an outbreak setting, several public health organizations recommend three-weekly rectal screenings to rule-out acquisition in contact patients. This strategy, associated with bed closures and reduction of medical activity for a relatively long time, seems costly. AIM: The objective of this study was to test the positive and negative predictive values of reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR; GeneXpert®) carried-out at Day 0, compared with conventional three-weekly culture-based rectal screenings, in identifying, among contact patients, those who acquired CPE/VRE. METHODS: A multicentre retrospective study was conducted from January2015 to October2018. All contact patients (CPs) were included identified from index patients (IPs) colonized or infected with CPE/VRE, incidentally discovered. Each CP was investigated at Day 0 by PCR (GeneXpert®), and by the recommended three-weekly screenings. FINDINGS: Twenty-two IPs and 159 CPs were included. An average of 0.77 secondary cases per patient was noted, with a mean duration of contact of 10 days (range 1-64). Among the 159 CPs, 16 (10%) had a CPE/VRE-positive culture during the monitoring period. Rectal screenings were positive at Day 0 (10 patients), Day 7 (two patients), Day 14 (four patients). Thirteen of 16 patients with positive culture had a positive PCR at Day 0. Overall, a concordance of 97.5% (155/159) was observed between the three-weekly screenings and Day 0 PCR results. When performed on CPs at Day 0 of the identification of an IP, PCR (GeneXpert®) allowed the reduction in turnaround time by five to 27 days, compared to three-weekly screenings. Positive predictive value and negative predictive value were 100% and 98%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The use of RT-PCR (GeneXpert®) can avoid the three-weekly rectal samplings needed to rule-out acquisition of CPE/VRE.

A range-wide domino effect and resetting of the annual cycle in a migratory songbird.

Latitudinal differences in timing of breeding are well documented but how such differences carry over to influence timing of events in the annual cycle of migratory birds is not well understood. We examined geographical variation in timing of events throughout the year using light-level geolocator tracking data from 133 migratory tree swallows ( Tachycineta bicolor) originating from 12 North American breeding populations. A swallow's breeding latitude influenced timing of breeding, which then carried over to affect breeding ground departure. This resulted in subsequent effects on the arrival and departure schedules at autumn stopover locations and timing of arrival at non-breeding locations. This 'domino effect' between timing events was no longer apparent by the time individuals departed for spring migration. Our range-wide analysis demonstrates the lasting impact breeding latitude can have on migration schedules but also highlights how such timing relationships can reset when individuals reside at non-breeding sites for extended periods of time.

The development and psychometric properties of the bipolar disorders knowledge scale.

PURPOSE: Bipolar Disorder (BD) presents in 1-4% of the world's population, carrying significant financial and functional consequences. Beyond the direct disease burden, patients with BD experience a high degree of both internal and external stigma. Additionally, medication adherence tends to be poor in patients with BD. Knowledge appears to play a role in mitigating both stigma and non-adherence, but these relationships have not been fully elucidated. The Bipolar Disorder Knowledge Scale (BDKS) was designed to explore the role of knowledge and better define such relationships. This research provides the evidence for the reliability and validity of the scale. METHODS: Forty-seven items were developed to assess knowledge of BD. The 47-item survey was sent out to two groups: first a group of 43 pharmacists with BCPP credentials from the College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists (CPNP) who were recruited from the CPNP directory, and second a group of 250 members of the general public who were recruited using Qualtrics Online Sample service. Participants were surveyed on their education status, health literacy, BD diagnostic status, and exposure to patients with BD. Participants then completed the 47-item scale. After 48 h 100 members from the original general public group were sent the same survey to assess test-retest reliability. For each item a difficulty index to evaluate how well participants performed on the item and a discrimination index to determine how well each item performed in high-scorers versus low scorers were calculated. Additionally, Cronbach's alpha was calculated to determine internal consistency validity and a Pearson correlation was run to determine test-retest reliability. Items were removed based on the results from the difficulty index, discrimination index, and Cronbach's alpha. Finally the pharmacist final scores were compared to the general public using an unpaired t-test to assess whether content experts were more likely to perform better on the scale. Following item removal, the scale was finalized at 25-items. RESULTS: The mean score for the scale was 34.48 (71.83%; SD: 5.50) and the Cronbach's alpha was 0.773 before item analysis. Following item analysis, 22 items were dropped leaving 25 items on the final version of the scale. The remaining items retained a difficulty index below 90% and a discrimination index above 20%. The mean of the 25-item scale was 18.40 (73.6%; SD: 4.13) for the general public and 23.20 (92.8%; SD: 1.36) for the pharmacists group (p < 0.001). The Cronbach's alpha for the finalized scale was 0.760, indicating a high-degree of internal consistency. While this is lower than the original alpha, this may be explained by the reduced number of scale items. A 25-item scale is much more practical and the items on the scale retain stronger item analysis statistics. Finally, the Pearson Correlation for the group who underwent the test-retest procedure was 0.841 (p < 0.001) indicating strong test-retest reliability. CONCLUSION: The BDKS is a 25-item true-false scale that takes approximately 5-10 min to complete. The scale assesses knowledge of BD with items targeting diagnosis, etiology, disease course, symptoms, treatment, and life impact. The scale has shown strong internal consistency and test-retest reliability in a general population and will be useful for evaluating knowledge of BD as it relates to stigma, non-adherence, and other variables.

The rationale, design, and methods of a randomized, controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of collaborative telecare in preserving function among patients with late stage cancer and hematologic conditions.

Disablement affects over 40% of patients with advanced stage cancer, devastates their quality of life (QoL), and increases their healthcare costs. Proactively treating the causes of disablement; physical impairments, pain, and immobility, can prolong functional independence, improve QoL and, potentially, reduce utilization. However rehabilitation service delivery models are reactive in nature and focus on catastrophic rather than incipient disability. A validated collaborative approach, the Three Component Model (TCM), optimizes important clinical outcomes and may provide an ideal framework to overcome barriers to proactively integrating rehabilitation into cancer care. A novel expansion of the TCM that targets disablement by engaging local physical therapists to address physical impairments and immobility, the TCM-Rehabilitation Services (TCM-RS), benefits and is well received by patients. However, its effectiveness has not been rigorously assessed. The 3-arm randomized COllaborative Care to Preserve PErformance in Cancer (COPE) Trial compared: 1) enhanced usual care, 2) rehabilitation services targeting physical impairments and immobility via the TCM-RS, and 3) TCM-RS plus conventional TCM pain management TCM-RS+Pain. Of the 516 participants, those randomized to arms 2 and 3 underwent an initial 4-week intervention period and were then followed for 6months with remote monitoring and monthly telephone calls. The trial's primary outcome, functional status, and secondary outcomes were assessed at baseline, 3, and 6months. Utilization was abstracted from clinical records. By estimating the effectiveness and cost-utility implications of the TCM-RS and TCM-RS+Pain, COPE will inform future delivery research, practice and policy in the means to reduce disablement in chronically diseased populations.

[First requests for a regional pediatric palliative care team: A prospective and observational study]. / Recours initial à une équipe régionale ressource de soins palliatifs pédiatriques : étude observationnelle prospective.

INTRODUCTION: In France, 26 regional pediatric palliative care teams (ERRSPP) were created between 2008 and 2012. We conducted the first prospective French study to describe the main specifications of the initial contact with an ERRSPP and to analyze the responses given. DESIGN AND METHODS: All the requests for interventions on the part of the ERRSPP were collected between September 2013 and September 2014. We prospectively completed a questionnaire on the patient's clinical and demographic data (age, sex, disease), details regarding the request (type of applicant, unit's specialty, request pattern), and the answers provided (interval between diagnosis and request, duration of care by ERRSPP, death, changes compared to the initial request). The diseases were classified within one of the six groups of palliative pediatric care diseases, based on the standards of the Canadian palliative care association. RESULTS: We gathered 67 requests, 61 relating to patients. The median age at the request was 49.8 months (range: 2.3-145). The original pattern was multiple: multidisciplinary decision-making (42 %), coordination of care (34 %), symptom management (21 %), logistic support for home care (19 %), education (9 %) and case discussion (6 %). Requests concerning multidisciplinary decision-making were predominant within the neonatal period (61 %); coordination of care was significant for children and adolescents (78 % after 4 years of age). The study of the median time from diagnosis to request compared to the groups of diseases revealed a short time in group 5 (neonatology: 0.36 months) and a long time in group 4 (irreversible and nonscalable diseases: 54.6 months) (P<0.001). At the end of the study, the follow-up of 50.8 % of the patients by ERRSPP was still going on (median duration of care by the ERRSPP of Languedoc-Roussillon region [ERRSPP-LR], 3.4 months [range: 0.2-5.5]). No request was formulated by a general practitioner. CONCLUSION: This study shows the heterogeneity of the initial contact made with an ERRSPP, confirming its different assignments and the need for a multidisciplinary team. The ERRSPP's answer was expanded in half of the cases, attesting to the changing needs over time.

Biaxial Strain Transfer in Supported Graphene.

Understanding the mechanism and limits of strain transfer between supported 2D systems and their substrate is a most needed step toward the development of strain engineering at the nanoscale. This includes applications in straintronics, nanoelectromechanical devices, or new nanocomposites. Here, we have studied the limits of biaxial compressive strain transfer among SiO2, diamond, and sapphire substrates and graphene. Using high pressure-which allows maximizing the adhesion between graphene and the substrate on which it is deposited-we show that the relevant parameter governing the graphene mechanical response is not the applied pressure but rather the strain that is transmitted from the substrate. Under these experimental conditions, we also show the existence of a critical biaxial stress beyond which strain transfer become partial and introduce a parameter, α, to characterize strain transfer efficiency. The critical stress and α appear to be dependent on the nature of the substrate. Under ideal biaxial strain transfer conditions, the phonon Raman G-band dependence with strain appears to be linear with a slope of -60 ± 3 cm-1/% down to biaxial strains of -0.9%. This evolution appears to be general for both biaxial compression and tension for different experimental setups, at least in the biaxial strain range -0.9% < ε < 1.8%, thus providing a criterion to validate total biaxial strain transfer hypotheses. These results invite us to cast a new look at mechanical strain experiments on deposited graphene as well as to other 2D layered materials.

Relationships between blood mercury levels, reproduction, and return rate in a small seabird.

Mercury (Hg) is a ubiquitous heavy metal that occurs naturally in the environment, but its levels have been supplemented for decades by a variety of human activities. Mercury can have serious deleterious effects on a variety of organisms, with top predators being particularly susceptible because methylmercury bioaccumulates and biomagnifies in food webs. Among birds, seabirds can have especially high levels of Hg contamination and Leach's storm-petrels (Oceanodroma leucorhoa), in particular, have amongst the highest known levels. Several populations of Leach's storm-petrels have declined recently in the Northwest Atlantic. The causes of these declines remain uncertain, but the toxic effects of Hg could be a potential factor in this decline. Here, we tested for relationships between adult blood total Hg (THg) concentration and several offspring development parameters, and adult return rate of Leach's storm-petrels breeding on Bon Portage Island (43° 28' N, 65° 44' W), Nova Scotia, Canada, between 2011 and 2015 (blood samples n = 20, 36, 6, 15, and 13 for each year, respectively). Overall, THg levels were elevated (0.78 ± 0.43 µg/g wet wt.) compared to other species of seabirds in this region, and varied significantly among years. However, we found no associations between THg levels and reproductive parameters or adult return rate. Our results indicate that levels of mercury observed in Leach's storm-petrel blood, although elevated, appear not to adversely affect their offspring development or adult return rate on Bon Portage Island.

Observer aging and long-term avian survey data quality.

Long-term wildlife monitoring involves collecting time series data, often using the same observers over multiple years. Aging-related changes to these observers may be an important, under-recognized source of error that can bias management decisions. In this study, we used data from two large, independent bird surveys, the Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Ontario ("OBBA") and the North American Breeding Bird Survey ("BBS"), to test for age-related observer effects in long-term time series of avian presence and abundance. We then considered the effect of such aging phenomena on current population trend estimates. We found significantly fewer detections among older versus younger observers for 13 of 43 OBBA species, and declines in detection as an observer ages for 4 of 6 vocalization groups comprising 59 of 64 BBS species. Consistent with hearing loss influencing this pattern, we also found evidence for increasingly severe detection declines with increasing call frequency among nine high-pitched bird species (OBBA); however, there were also detection declines at other frequencies, suggesting important additional effects of aging, independent of hearing loss. We lastly found subtle, significant relationships between some species' published population trend estimates and (1) their corresponding vocalization frequency (n ≥ 22 species) and (2) their estimated declines in detectability among older observers (n = 9 high-frequency, monotone species), suggesting that observer aging can negatively bias long-term monitoring data for some species in part through hearing loss effects. We recommend that survey designers and modelers account for observer age where possible.

[Infant rhabdoid tumors: a diagnostic emergency]. / Tumeurs rhabdoïdes du nourrisson : une urgence diagnostique.

Rhabdoid tumors are a heterogeneous family of aggressive tumors affecting young children. Their grouping within a single entity is recent, following the discovery of a bi-allelic inactivation of the hSNF5/INI1 tumor suppressor gene in tumoral cells. This bi-allelic inactivation of the hSNF5/INI1 gene found at the constitutional level in up to one-third of cases has led to the identification of a predisposal syndrome to rhabdoid tumors. Herein we report extrarenal rhabdoid tumors observed in three infants between 3 and 6 months of age, underlining the misleading feature of the clinical presentation and the aggressiveness of the disease. Finally, we also report the genetic patient care management strategy.

Daily activity budgets reveal a quasi-flightless stage during non-breeding in Hawaiian albatrosses.

BACKGROUND: Animals adjust activity budgets as competing demands for limited time and energy shift across life history phases. For far-ranging migrants and especially pelagic seabirds, activity during breeding and migration are generally well studied but the "overwinter" phase of non-breeding has received less attention. Yet this is a critical time for recovery from breeding, plumage replacement and gaining energy stores for return migration and the next breeding attempt. We aimed to identify patterns in daily activity budgets (i.e. time in flight, floating on the water's surface and active foraging) and associated spatial distributions during overwinter for the laysan Phoebastria immutabilis and black-footed P. nigripes albatrosses using state-space models and generalized additive mixed-effects models (GAMMs). We applied these models to time-series of positional and immersion-state data from small light- and conductivity-based data loggers. RESULTS: During overwinter, both species exhibited a consistent 'quasi-flightless' stage beginning c. 30 days after initiating migration and lasting c. 40 days, characterized by frequent long bouts of floating, very little sustained flight, and infrequent active foraging. Minimal daily movements were made within localized areas during this time; individual laysan albatross concentrated into the northwest corner of the Pacific while black-footed albatross spread widely across the North Pacific Ocean basin. Activity gradually shifted toward increased time in flight and active foraging, less time floating, and greater daily travel distances until colony return c. 155 days after initial departure. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that these species make parallel adjustments to activity budgets at a daily time-scale within the overwinter phase of non-breeding despite different at-sea distributions and phenologies. The 'quasi-flightless' stage likely reflects compromised flight from active wing moult while the subsequent increase in activity may occur as priorities shift toward mass gain for breeding. The novel application of a GAMM-based approach used in this study offers the possibility of identifying population-level patterns in shifting activity budgets over extended periods while allowing for individual-level variation in the timing of events. The information gained can also help to elucidate the whereabouts of areas important at different times across life history phases for far-ranging migrants.

Behavioral signature of intraspecific competition and density dependence in colony-breeding marine predators.

In populations of colony-breeding marine animals, foraging around colonies can lead to intraspecific competition. This competition affects individual foraging behavior and can cause density-dependent population growth. Where behavioral data are available, it may be possible to infer the mechanism of intraspecific competition. If these mechanics are understood, they can be used to predict the population-level functional response resulting from the competition. Using satellite relocation and dive data, we studied the use of space and foraging behavior of juvenile and adult gray seals (Halichoerus grypus) from a large (over 200,000) and growing population breeding at Sable Island, Nova Scotia (44.0 (o)N 60.0 (o)W). These data were first analyzed using a behaviorally switching state-space model to infer foraging areas followed by randomization analysis of foraging region overlap of competing age classes. Patterns of habitat use and behavioral time budgets indicate that young-of-year juveniles (YOY) were likely displaced from foraging areas near (<10 km) the breeding colony by adult females. This displacement was most pronounced in the summer. Additionally, our data suggest that YOY are less capable divers than adults and this limits the habitat available to them. However, other segregating mechanisms cannot be ruled out, and we discuss several alternate hypotheses. Mark-resight data indicate juveniles born between 1998 and 2002 have much reduced survivorship compared with cohorts born in the late 1980s, while adult survivorship has remained steady. Combined with behavioral observations, our data suggest YOY are losing an intraspecific competition between adults and juveniles, resulting in the currently observed decelerating logistic population growth. Competition theory predicts that intraspecific competition resulting in a clear losing competitor should cause compensatory population regulation. This functional response produces a smooth logistic growth curve as carrying capacity is approached, and is consistent with census data collected from this population over the past 50 years. The competitive mechanism causing compensatory regulation likely stems from the capital-breeding life-history strategy employed by gray seals. This strategy decouples reproductive success from resources available around breeding colonies and prevents females from competing with each other while young are dependent.

The tracking control system of the VLT Survey Telescope.

The VLT survey telescope is the latest telescope installed at European Southern Observatory's Paranal observatory that is considered one of the best sites for optical astronomy for the excellent seeing conditions. The exceptional quality of the site imposes tight requirements for the telescope tracking system that shall perform very well to fully exploit the extreme sharpness of the Chilean sky. We describe the specific solutions adopted for pointing, servo and guiding systems and the results obtained during the commissioning of the telescope. The hardware implementation relies on industry components and the control solutions privilege both the performance and the future maintainability of the system.

[Treatment initiation in psychotic and manic episodes: French attitudes collected by Focus Group]. / L'initiation thérapeutique dans les épisodes psychotiques et maniaques : recueil des attitudes françaises par Focus Group.

An accurate treatment of first episodes in schizophrenia and bipolar disorders has a significant impact on compliance and prognosis. However, existing therapeutic guidelines may be poorly respected and may concern only typical clinical situations. Medical attitudes in clinical practice have been collected and structured on the basis of small interactive meetings (Focus Group [FG]), and a synthesis of practical attitudes has been compared with updated guidelines. The FG method applied to treatment initiation in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder is seen as complementary to evidence-based guidelines. It reveals that, in a reflexive manner, clinical attitudes are often more diverse and frequently consider first treatments after global evaluation, taking more into account external factors such as clinicians' experience, patient's history and willingness, clinical setting, and environment. A symptomatic approach is sometimes preferred, and a better alliance is always considered as a main objective. The FG method could be a supplementary support to continuous medical education.

Ambient noise increases missed detections in nestling birds.

Ambient noise can mask acoustic cues, making their detection and discrimination difficult for receivers. This can result in two types of error: missed detections, when receivers fail to respond to the appropriate cues, and false alarms, when they respond to inappropriate cues. Nestling birds are error-prone, sometimes failing to beg when parents arrive with food (committing missed detections) or begging in response to stimuli other than a parent's arrival (committing false alarms). Here, we ask whether the frequency of these errors by nestling tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) increases in the presence of noise. We found that nestlings exposed to noise had more missed detections than their unexposed counterparts. We also found that false alarms remained low overall and did not differ significantly between noise and quiet treatments. Our results suggest that nestlings living in noisy environments may be less responsive to their parents than nestlings in quieter environments.