TY  - JOUR
A1  - Hönicke, Christiane
A1  - Bliss, Peter
A1  - Moritz, Robin F. A.
T1  - Effect of density on traffic and velocity on trunk trails of Formica pratensis
JF  - The science of nature
N2  - The allocation of large numbers of workers facilitates the swift intake of locally available resources which is essential for ant colony survival. To organise the traffic between nest and food source, the black-meadow ant Formica pratensis establishes permanent trunk trails, which are maintained by the ants. To unravel the ant organisation and potential traffic rules on these trails, we analysed velocity and lane segregation under various densities by experimentally changing feeding regimes. Even under the highest ant densities achieved, we never observed any traffic jams. On the contrary, velocity increased after supplementary feeding despite an enhanced density. Furthermore, inbound ants returning to the nest had a higher velocity than those leaving the colony. Whilst at low and medium density the ants used the centre of the trail, they used the full width of the trail at high density. Outbound ants also showed some degree of lane segregation which contributes to traffic organisation.
KW  - Density
KW  - Trunk trail
KW  - Traffic
KW  - Lateralization
KW  - Formica pratensis
Y1  - 2015
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-015-1267-6
SN  - 0028-1042
SN  - 1432-1904
VL  - 102
IS  - 3-4
PB  - Springer
CY  - Heidelberg
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Rossi, Sonja
A1  - Telkemeyer, Silke
A1  - Wartenburger, Isabell
A1  - Obrig, Hellmuth
T1  - Shedding light on words and sentences near-infrared spectroscopy in language research
JF  - Brain & language : a journal of the neurobiology of language
N2  - Investigating the neuronal network underlying language processing may contribute to a better understanding of how the brain masters this complex cognitive function with surprising ease and how language is acquired at a fast pace in infancy. Modern neuroimaging methods permit to visualize the evolvement and the function of the language network. The present paper focuses on a specific methodology, functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), providing an overview over studies on auditory language processing and acquisition. The methodology detects oxygenation changes elicited by functional activation of the cerebral cortex. The main advantages for research on auditory language processing and its development during infancy are an undemanding application, the lack of instrumental noise, and its potential to simultaneously register electrophysiological responses. Also it constitutes an innovative approach for studying developmental issues in infants and children. The review will focus on studies on word and sentence processing including research in infants and adults.
KW  - Language
KW  - Language acquisition
KW  - Word processing
KW  - Sentence processing
KW  - Lateralization
KW  - Optical imaging (OI)
KW  - Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS)
KW  - Electroencephalography (EEG)
Y1  - 2012
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bandl.2011.03.008
SN  - 0093-934X
VL  - 121
IS  - 2
SP  - 152
EP  - 163
PB  - Elsevier
CY  - San Diego
ER  -