What do zebrafish prefer? Directional and color preferences in maze tasks

Studies regarding the animals innate preferences help elucidate and avoid probable sources of bias and serve as a reference to improve and develop new behavioral tasks. In zebrafish research, the results of innate directional and color preferences are often not replicated between research groups or even inside the same laboratory raising huge concerns on the replicability and reproducibility. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the male and female zebrafish innate directional and color preferences in the plus-maze and T-maze behavioral tasks. As revealed by the percentage of time spent in each zone of the maze, our results showed that males and females zebrafish demonstrated no difference in directional preference in the plus-maze task. Surprisingly, male and female zebrafish showed color preference differences in the plus-maze task; males did not show any color preference, while female zebrafish demonstrated a red preference compared to white, blue, and yellow colors. Moreover, both male and female zebrafish demonstrated a strong black color preference compared to the white color in the T-maze task. Thus, our results demonstrate the importance of innate preference assays involved with the directionality of the apparatus or the application of colors as a screening process conducting behavioral tests (e.g., anxiety, learning and memory assessment, locomotion, and preference) and highlight the need to analyze sex differences.

Karakteristik Fisikokimia dan Sensoris Selai Bengkuang (Pachyrhizus Erosus L.) dengan Penambahan Pektin dan Asam Sitrat pada Berbagai Konsentrasi

This research aimed to figure out the effect of differences in concentration of citric acidand pectin and their interactions on the content of proximate and sensory of jam.The research was conducted using a completely randomized design (CRD) with a factorial pattern consisting of two factors.The first factor was the comparison of thethree levels of citric acid (A) concentration:1% (A1), 2% (A2),and 3% (A3) of the total ingredients for making jam.The second factor was pectin concentration (P) in 4 levels: 0.83%(P1), 1.0% (P2), 1.17% (P3), and 1.34% (P4) of the total ingredients for making jam.The chemical parameters tested included moisture content, fiber content, ash content, and antioxidant, while the physical parameters included pH and viscosity.The sensory test assessments includedaroma, taste, color, preference, and spreadability.The results indicated that the comparison of the concentration of citric acid (A) had a significant effect on the proximate analysis of the pH variable; however, it had no significant effect on several other variables:moisture content, crude fiber content, ash content, viscosity, and antioxidant.The results of the sensory test did not significantly affect the variables of aroma, taste, color, preference, and spreadability.In addition, the treatment of pectin (P)concentration ratio had a significant effect toward proximate analysis on water content and viscosity variable, but it had no significant effect on the variables offiber content, ash content, pH, and antioxidant.Meanwhile, the sensory test had a significant effect on the preference variable and had no significant effect on the aroma, taste, color, and spreadibilityvariables.The treatment interactions (AxP) significantly affectedproximate analysis on pH and viscosity variables.However, it did not affect the variable of water content, fiber content, ash content, and antioxidantsignificantly.The sensory test results hada significant effect onpreference variable.The best treatment wason the use of 1% citric acid concentration and 0.83% pectin concentration (A1P1) with 42.63% water content, 37.54% fiber content, 0.25% ash content, pH of 3.30, a viscosity of 8.49 cP, and an antioxidant of 9.22%.The treatment resulted in the aroma of 3.67 (delicious), taste of 4.67 (delicious), color of 4.00 (yellowish white), preference of 5.00 (likevery much), and spreadability 3.67 (easy).

Assessment of Color Perception and Preference with Eye-Tracking Analysis in a Dental Treatment Environment

Nowadays, medical facilities are developing their treatment environment to provide better services to their patients. In particular, dental hospitals have been considered uncomfortable and uninviting spaces, which needs to change so that people can visit easily and feel more relaxed. However, only a few systematic studies have reported on the demand for building a comfortable space. This study aimed to investigate gaze characteristics based on a color preference survey of the dental unit chair, which has the most influence on spatial perception in the dental treatment environment, using an eye tracking technique for color. The results of this study showed that the color perception by eye tracking and the color preference by survey did not tend to match. The color most viewed by a majority of subjects was pink, which attracted a high level of attention, regardless of personal preference. In addition, for the psychological color images associated with color preference, the subjects tended to prefer images such as warmth, friendliness, and calmness. This appeared to reflect the psychology of the subjects who wished to replace their feelings of anxiety or fear when going to the dental hospital with comfort and tranquility. Therefore, colors that can provide comfort and tranquility to patients should be considered first as visual elements (e.g., brown) in creating a dental treatment environment.

Color Preference for Host-Seeking Activity of Aedes albopictus and Culex pipiens (Diptera: Culicidae)

A cue for long-range vision allows mosquitoes to identify hosts and differentiate the ecological niches (e.g., habitats). However, the visual factors involved in attracting mosquitoes to a host are complex and have not been fully understood. Therefore, we assessed color preference to Aedes albopictus (Skuse) and Culex pipiens (Conquillett) as diurnal and nocturnal species, respectively, using seven fundamental colors including black, white, red, yellow, green, blue, and purple with each trap at 100 lux in a laboratory. We used a binary behavioral assay using the Mosquito Preference Index (MPI) as a preference ratio with a range of 0–1. Our analyses showed that Ae. albopictus had a greater response to black (MPIs, 0.7), followed closely by red, blue, and purple (MPIs, 0.6). We also found that red, blue, and purple were significantly higher (P < 0.05) than those of green (MPI, 0.5), white (MPI, 0.3), and yellow (MPI, 0.2). Similarly, the MPIs for Cx. pipiens were significantly higher at black and red (MPIs, 0.7; P < 0.05) compare to those of white and yellow (MPIs, 0.3; P < 0.05). The color preference of Ae. albopictus showed significant correlation to luminous intensities (L-value) (r = −0.640; P = 0.000) and blue intensities (b-value) (r = −0.372; P = 0.000) for all seven colors. In addition, Cx. pipiens negatively correlated (r = −0.703; P = 0.000) between color preference and L-value. Our analyses provide a greater understanding of how color plays a role in visual sensory stimuli, and how that could potentially affect mosquito host-seeking behavior.

Hymenopteran color preference using multiple colours of pan traps in Slovakia

The study presents results of colour preference of insects (Insecta), mainly from the order Hymenoptera (families Apidae, Formicidae). The research was carried out in the vicinity of the Beniakovce village (near the Košice city) over the years 2010–2012. Trapping by coloured water traps was conducted at ten sites with 50 Moerick′s water traps coloured with five different colours (white, yellow, blue, purple, and red). On the study area there were 12 357 individuals captured, belonging to 17 higher taxa (class, order, suborder) or genus morpho group of families Apidae and Formicidae. The highest abundance was found in Diptera followed by Hymenoptera, Coleoptera and Lepidoptera. Obtained results were in accordance with literature data, which showed that yellow colour was the most preferred by insects. Our results confirmed high degree of diversity of insect’s fauna in the study area. Our study suggested that a modified Moerick′s water traps may be a valuable tool in studies on insect diversity, distribution, seasonal abundance, and foraging behaviour as well.