DO HUMANS PRIORITIZE TIME, ENERGY, INTENSITY… OR SOMETHING ELSE ALTOGETHER WHEN MAKING DECISIONS ABOUT WALKING ON LEVEL VS. UPHILL SURFACES?

During daily life, people walk from one point to another. Sometimes they choose to walk along designated paths; other times they take shortcuts. To determine how humans weigh costs like time, metabolic energy expenditure, and metabolic intensity, I studied subjects making walking decisions about walking up a hill vs. along a level surface for various distances. I hypothesized that subjects would be indifferent to walking uphill at an 8.5% grade vs. on the level when the two options required the same time or the same amount of metabolic energy. Further, I hypothesized that subjects would walk at speeds such that the level and uphill tasks had the same metabolic intensity. I found that most of the subjects (11/15) made overall pragmatic/logical choices, but some subjects (4/15) intentionally made non-pragmatic walking choices. In contrast to my hypotheses, the pragmatic subjects chose, on average, to spend 34% more time walking on the level as compared to uphill (P<0.001). They also chose to both expend 35% more metabolic energy (P<0.001) and walk at 75% greater metabolic intensities up the hill as compared to on the level (P<0.001). The walking choices made by the non-pragmatic subjects varied widely with regard to time. But like the pragmatic subjects, the non-pragmatic subjects chose to expend far more (153% more, P=0.005) metabolic energy and walked at much higher (82% higher, P<0.001) intensities during uphill walking

Cardiovascular effects of intravenous vatinoxan in wild boars (Sus scrofa) anaesthetised with intramuscular medetomidine-tiletamine-zolazepam

Background The potent sedative medetomidine is a commonly used adjunct for the immobilisation of non-domestic mammals. However, its use is associated with pronounced cardiovascular side effects, such as bradycardia, vasoconstriction and decreased cardiac output. We investigated the effects of the peripherally-acting alpha-2-adrenoceptor antagonist vatinoxan on cardiovascular properties in medetomidine-tiletamine-zolazepam anaesthetised wild boar (Sus scrofa). Methods Twelve wild boars, anaesthetised twice with medetomidine (0.1 mg/kg) and tiletamine/zolazepam (2.5 mg/kg) IM in a randomised, crossover study, were administered (0.1 mg/kg) vatinoxan or an equivalent volume of saline IV (control). Cardiovascular variables, including heart rate (HR), mean arterial blood pressure (MAP), pulmonary artery pressure (PAP), pulmonary artery occlusion pressure (PAOP) and cardiac output (CO), were assessed 5 min prior to vatinoxan/saline administration until the end of anaesthesia 30 min later. Results MAP (p < 0.0001), MPAP (p < 0.001) and MPAOP (p < 0.0001) significantly decreased from baseline after vatinoxan until the end of anaesthesia. HR increased significantly (p < 0.0001) from baseline after vatinoxan administration. However, the effect on HR subsided 3 min after vatinoxan. All variables remained constant after saline injection. There was no significant effect of vatinoxan or saline on CO. Conclusion Vatinoxan significantly reduced systemic and pulmonary artery hypertension, induced by medetomidine in wild boar.Peer reviewe

The applicability of the concepts of Smart Growth through the instruments of urban intervention: PIU Rio Branco

Rapid urban growth challenges metropolises around the world with known problems such as insufficient infrastructure, lack of accessible public transportation, lack of green areas and leisure, environmental degradation, emptying of large centers and consequently urban sprawl. In the search for an urbanism with answers to a sustainable and intelligent development at the local level, movements of contemporary urbanism such as the Compact Cities and Smart Growth begin to emerge, whose principles are the pursuit of the promotion of quality of life, mobility, use Of public and private areas, diversification of uses, social and environmental rehabilitation. From the knowledge of these movements, this paper will correlate the concepts of compact cities and "Smart Growth" with the new formats of local development - the PIU Rio Branco, an urban instrument recently launched in the city of São Paulo. The results show great intentions for the creation of an urban model based on the principles of urban, environmental, cultural and social sustainability

Investigation of cardiorespiratory effects of the selective 5-HT4 agonist BIMU-8 in etorphine-immobilised goats (Capra aegagrus hircus) in a randomized, blinded and controlled trial

BACKGROUND : Opioid-induced respiratory compromise remains a significant challenge in etorphine-immobilised wildlife. Serotonergic agonists offer a potential avenue for preventing or treating opioid-induced respiratory compromise. We therefore aimed to determine whether the selective 5- hydroxytryptamine receptor 4 (5-HT4) agonist, BIMU-8, reverses opioidinduced respiratory compromise in etorphine-immobilised goats. METHODS : Seven healthy adult goats were immobilised with etorphine, then treated with BIMU-8 or sterile water 5 minutes later in a randomised, prospective cross-over study. Cardiorespiratory variables were measured at 1-minute intervals from 4 minutes before etorphine to 15 minutes after its administration. Arterial blood gas analyses were also performed before and after etorphine administration and the respective treatments. RESULTS : Intravenous injection of BIMU-8 attenuated etorphine-induced respiratory compromise, as indicated by improvements, compared to baseline and between treatments, in respiratory rate (ƒR), peripheral arterial blood oxygen saturation (SpO2), partial pressure of arterial oxygen (PaO2) and the alveolar-arterial oxygen partial pressure gradient (P(A-a)O2). BIMU-8 caused an increase in heart rate and a temporary decrease in arterial blood pressure. Mild movements and slight muscle spasm occurred but BIMU-8 did not reverse immobilisation. CONCLUSION : Our results indicate that BIMU-8 may be a potential drug candidate for the treatment, or prevention, of etorphine-induced respiratory compromise in immobilised ungulateshttps://bvajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/20427670dm2022Centre for Veterinary Wildlife StudiesParaclinical Science

AACAP 2006 Research Forum--Advancing research in early-onset bipolar disorder: barriers and suggestions

OBJECTIVE: The 2006 Research Forum addressed the goal of formulating a research agenda for early-onset bipolar disorder (EOBP) and improving outcome by understanding the risk and protective factors that contribute to its severity and chronicity. METHOD: Five work groups outlined barriers and research gaps in EOBP genetics, neuroimaging, prodromes, psychosocial factors, and pharmacotherapy. RESULTS: There was agreement that the lack of consensus on the definition and diagnosis of EOBP is the primary barrier to advancing research in BP in children and adolescents. Related issues included: the difficulties in managing co-morbidity both statistically and clinically; acquiring adequate sample sizes to study the genetics, biology, and treatment; understanding the EOBP\u27s developmental aspects; and identifying environmental mediators and moderators of risk and protection. Similarly, both psychosocial and medication treatment strategies for children with BP are hamstrung by diagnostic issues. To advance the research in EOBP, both training and funding mechanisms need to be developed with these issues in mind. CONCLUSIONS: EOBP constitutes a significant public health concern. Barriers are significant but identifiable and thus are not insurmountable. To advance the understanding of EOBP, the field must be committed to resolving diagnostic and assessment issues. Once achieved, with adequate personnel and funding resources, research into the field of EOBP will doubtless be advanced at a rapid pace

Capture and transport of white rhinoceroses (Ceratotherium simum) cause shifts in their fecal microbiota composition towards dysbiosis

DATA AVAILABILITY : Raw sequence data are available for download from the NCBI Sequence Read Archive (Accession no. PRJNA1021947).Translocations of Rhinocerotidae are commonly performed for conservation purposes but expose the animals to a variety of stressors (e.g. prolonged fasting, confinement, novel environment, etc.). Stress may change the composition of gut microbiota, which can impact animal health and welfare. White rhinoceroses in particular can develop anorexia, diarrhea and enterocolitis after translocation. The aim of this study was to investigate the associations of age, sex and translocation on the rhinoceros’ fecal bacterial microbiota composition. Fecal samples were collected from rhinoceroses at capture (n = 16) and after a >30-hour road transport (n = 7). DNA was isolated from these samples and submitted for 16S rRNA V3-V4 phylotyping. Alpha diversity indices of the rhinoceros’ fecal microbiota composition of different age, sex and before and after transport were compared using non-parametric statistical tests and beta diversity indices using Permutational Multivariate Analysis Of Variance (PERMANOVA). Resulting P-values were alpha-corrected (Padj.). Alpha and beta diversity did not differ between rhinoceroses of different age and sex. However, there was a significant difference in beta diversity between fecal samples collected from adult animals at capture and after transport. The most abundant bacterial phyla in samples collected at capture were Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes (85.76%), represented by Lachnospiraceae, Ruminococcaceae and Prevotellaceae families. The phyla Proteobacteria (Padj. = 0.009) and Actinobacteria (Padj. = 0.012), amongst others, increased in relative abundance from capture to after transport encompassing potentially pathogenic bacterial families such as Enterobacteriaceae (Padj. = 0.018) and Pseudomonadaceae (Padj. = 0.022). Important commensals such as Spirochaetes (Padj. = 0.009), Fibrobacteres (Padj. = 0.018) and Lachnospiraceae (Padj. = 0.021) decreased in relative abundance. These results indicate that the stressors associated with capture and transport cause an imbalanced fecal microbiota composition in white rhinoceroses that may lead to potentially infectious intestinal disorders. This imbalance may result from recrudescence of normally innocuous pathogens, increased shedding of pathogens or increased vulnerability to new pathogens.The University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, the International Rhino Foundation, Cayman Chemical (2020 Women in Research grant), and the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant. Open Access funding was provided by University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna.https://academic.oup.com/conphysam2024Centre for Veterinary Wildlife StudiesParaclinical SciencesSDG-03:Good heatlh and well-bein

A Novel Substrate-Based HIV-1 Protease Inhibitor Drug Resistance Mechanism

BACKGROUND: HIV protease inhibitor (PI) therapy results in the rapid selection of drug resistant viral variants harbouring one or two substitutions in the viral protease. To combat PI resistance development, two approaches have been developed. The first is to increase the level of PI in the plasma of the patient, and the second is to develop novel PI with high potency against the known PI-resistant HIV protease variants. Both approaches share the requirement for a considerable increase in the number of protease mutations to lead to clinical resistance, thereby increasing the genetic barrier. We investigated whether HIV could yet again find a way to become less susceptible to these novel inhibitors. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We have performed in vitro selection experiments using a novel PI with an increased genetic barrier (RO033-4649) and demonstrated selection of three viruses 4- to 8-fold resistant to all PI compared to wild type. These PI-resistant viruses did not have a single substitution in the viral protease. Full genomic sequencing revealed the presence of NC/p1 cleavage site substitutions in the viral Gag polyprotein (K436E and/or I437T/V) in all three resistant viruses. These changes, when introduced in a reference strain, conferred PI resistance. The mechanism leading to PI resistance is enhancement of the processing efficiency of the altered substrate by wild-type protease. Analysis of genotypic and phenotypic resistance profiles of 28,000 clinical isolates demonstrated the presence of these NC/p1 cleavage site mutations in some clinical samples (codon 431 substitutions in 13%, codon 436 substitutions in 8%, and codon 437 substitutions in 10%). Moreover, these cleavage site substitutions were highly significantly associated with reduced susceptibility to PI in clinical isolates lacking primary protease mutations. Furthermore, we used data from a clinical trial (NARVAL, ANRS 088) to demonstrate that these NC/p1 cleavage site changes are associated with virological failure during PI therapy. CONCLUSIONS: HIV can use an alternative mechanism to become resistant to PI by changing the substrate instead of the protease. Further studies are required to determine to what extent cleavage site mutations may explain virological failure during PI therapy

The enormous repetitive Antarctic krill genome reveals environmental adaptations and population insights

Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) is Earth’smost abundant wild animal, and its enormous biomass is vital to the Southern Ocean ecosystem. Here, we report a 48.01-Gb chromosome-level Antarctic krill genome, whose large genome size appears to have resulted from inter-genic transposable element expansions. Our assembly reveals the molecular architecture of the Antarctic krill circadian clock and uncovers expanded gene families associated with molting and energy metabolism, providing insights into adaptations to the cold and highly seasonal Antarctic environment. Population-level genome re-sequencing from four geographical sites around the Antarctic continent reveals no clear population structure but highlights natural selection associated with environmental variables. An apparent drastic reduction in krill population size 10 mya and a subsequent rebound 100 thousand years ago coincides with climate change events. Our findings uncover the genomic basis of Antarctic krill adaptations to the Southern Ocean and provide valuable resources for future Antarctic research

Gaze sensitivity: function and mechanisms from sensory and cognitive perspectives

Sensitivity to the gaze of other individuals has long been a primary focus in sociocognitive research on humans and other animals. Information about where others are looking may often be of adaptive value in social interactions and predator avoidance, but studies across a range of taxa indicate there are substantial differences in the extent to which animals obtain and use information about other individuals' gaze direction. As the literature expands, it is becoming increasingly difficult to make comparisons across taxa as experiments adopt and adjust different methodologies to account for differences between species in their socioecology, sensory systems and possibly also their underlying cognitive mechanisms. Furthermore, as more species are found to exhibit gaze sensitivity, more terminology arises to describe the behaviours. To clarify the field, we propose a restricted nomenclature that defines gaze sensitivity in terms of observable behaviour, independent of the underlying mechanisms. This is particularly useful in nonhuman animal studies where cognitive interpretations are ambiguous. We then describe how socioecological factors may influence whether species will attend to gaze cues, and suggest links between ultimate factors and proximate mechanisms such as cognition and perception. In particular, we argue that variation in sensory systems, such as retinal specializations and the position of the eyes, will determine whether gaze cues (e.g. head movement) are perceivable during visual fixation. We end by making methodological recommendations on how to apply these variations in socioecology and visual systems to advance the field of gaze research

New fossils of Australopithecus sediba reveal a nearly complete lower back

Abstract: Adaptations of the lower back to bipedalism are frequently discussed but infrequently demonstrated in early fossil hominins. Newly discovered lumbar vertebrae contribute to a near-complete lower back of Malapa Hominin 2 (MH2), offering additional insights into posture and locomotion in Australopithecus sediba. We show that MH2 demonstrates a lower back consistent with human-like lumbar lordosis and other adaptations to bipedalism, including an increase in the width of intervertebral articular facets from the upper to lower lumbar column (“pyramidal configuration”). This contrasts with recent work on lordosis in fossil hominins, where MH2 was argued to demonstrate no appreciable lordosis (“hypolordosis”) similar to Neandertals. Our three-dimensional geometric morphometric (3D GM) analyses show that MH2’s nearly complete middle lumbar vertebra is human-like in shape but bears large, cranially-directed transverse processes, implying powerful trunk musculature. We interpret this combination of features to indicate that A. sediba used its lower back in both human-like bipedalism and ape-like arboreal positional behaviors, as previously suggested based on multiple lines of evidence from other parts of the skeleton and reconstructed paleobiology of A. sediba