Hot-headed peckers: thermographic changes during aggression among juvenile pheasants ( Phasianus colchicus )

In group-living vertebrates, dominance status often covaries with physiological measurements (e.g. glucocorticoid levels), but it is unclear how dominance is linked to dynamic changes in physiological state over a shorter, behavioural timescale. In this observational study, we recorded spontaneous aggression among captive juvenile pheasants ( Phasianus colchicus ) alongside infrared thermographic measurements of their external temperature, a non-invasive technique previously used to examine stress responses in non-social contexts, where peripheral blood is redirected towards the body core. We found low but highly significant repeatability in maximum head temperature, suggesting individually consistent thermal profiles, and some indication of lower head temperatures in more active behavioural states (e.g. walking compared to resting). These individual differences were partly associated with sex, females being cooler on average than males, but unrelated to body size. During pairwise aggressive encounters, we observed a non-monotonic temperature change, with head temperature dropping rapidly immediately prior to an attack and increasing rapidly afterwards, before returning to baseline levels. This nonlinear pattern was similar for birds in aggressor and recipient roles, but aggressors were slightly hotter on average. Our findings show that aggressive interactions induce rapid temperature changes in dominants and subordinates alike, and highlight infrared thermography as a promising tool for investigating the physiological basis of pecking orders in galliforms. This article is part of the theme issue ‘The centennial of the pecking order: current state and future prospects for the study of dominance hierarchies’.

Wearable Sensors and Machine Learning for Hypovolemia Problems in Occupational, Military and Sports Medicine: Physiological Basis, Hardware and Algorithms

Hypovolemia is a physiological state of reduced blood volume that can exist as either (1) absolute hypovolemia because of a lower circulating blood (plasma) volume for a given vascular space (dehydration, hemorrhage) or (2) relative hypovolemia resulting from an expanded vascular space (vasodilation) for a given circulating blood volume (e.g., heat stress, hypoxia, sepsis). This paper examines the physiology of hypovolemia and its association with health and performance problems common to occupational, military and sports medicine. We discuss the maturation of individual-specific compensatory reserve or decompensation measures for future wearable sensor systems to effectively manage these hypovolemia problems. The paper then presents areas of future work to allow such technologies to translate from lab settings to use as decision aids for managing hypovolemia. We envision a future that incorporates elements of the compensatory reserve measure with advances in sensing technology and multiple modalities of cardiovascular sensing, additional contextual measures, and advanced noise reduction algorithms into a fully wearable system, creating a robust and physiologically sound approach to manage physical work, fatigue, safety and health issues associated with hypovolemia for workers, warfighters and athletes in austere conditions.

Cladobranchia (Gastropoda, Nudibranchia) as a Promising Model to Understand the Molecular Evolution of Photosymbiosis in Animals

Symbiosis with photoautotrophic organisms has evolved in various species and even whole animal lineages, which allowed them to directly benefit from photosynthesis. This so-called photosymbiosis is best studied in cnidarians, which primarily establish symbioses with dinoflagellates from the family Symbiodiniaceae. In most other animals the mechanisms of establishing photosymbiosis, the physiological basis, and the evolution of a photosymbiotic life history remain poorly understood. Sea slugs belonging to the Cladobranchia (Gastropoda, Nudibranchia) are no exception, and are a rather neglected animal lineage in the research field of photosymbiosis. Yet, studying these sea slugs holds great potential to establish a unique photosymbiosis model, as they are the only known taxon that has evolved two different strategies to acquire their symbiont: either from cnidarian prey (thus becoming a secondary host) or directly out of the water column. The mechanisms for photobiont uptake and maintenance are unknown for these sea slugs, but might be similar to those of cnidarians. However, in terms of the evolution of photosymbiosis, Cladobranchia seem to share many commonalities with more closely related sea slugs belonging to the Sacoglossa, which only maintain the chloroplasts of the algae they feed on. Hence, Cladobranchia have the potential to shed light on the evolution of photosymbiosis in taxonomically divergent animals that also harbor photobionts of different evolutionary lineages.

Meta-analysis of the genetic loci of pigment pattern evolution in vertebrates

Vertebrate pigmentation patterns are amongst the best characterised model systems for studying the genetic basis of adaptive evolution. The wealth of available data on the genetic basis for pigmentation evolution allows for meta-analysis of trends and quantitative testing of evolutionary hypotheses. We employed Gephebase, a database of genetic variants associated with natural and domesticated trait variation, to examine trends in how cis-regulatory and coding mutations contribute to vertebrate pigmentation phenotypes, as well as factors that favour one mutation type over the other. We found that studies with lower ascertainment bias identified higher proportions of cis-regulatory mutations, and that cis-regulatory mutations were more common amongst animals harboring a higher number of pigment cell classes. We classified pigmentation traits firstly according to their physiological basis and secondly according to whether they affect colour or pattern, and identified that carotenoid-based pigmentation and variation in pattern boundaries are preferentially associated with cis-regulatory change. We also classified genes according to their developmental, cellular, and molecular functions. We found that genes implicated in upstream developmental processes had greater cis-regulatory proportions than downstream cellular function genes, and that ligands were associated with higher cis-regulatory proportions than their respective receptors. Based on these trends, we discuss future directions for research in vertebrate pigmentation evolution.

THE CONCEPT OF “EYE” IN THE ART OF ANNA AKHMATOVA: IMAGE OF “BODY-MAKING MAN”

The anthropocentric postulates of Silver age’s poetry “acmeism” are opened as an idea of continuity of cultural and civilization models; the concept of "spiritual body of the Universe", of world physiological basis are represented. The article reveals the idea of continuity of cultural and civilization models in the works of acmeism representatives. The conceptual importance of the somatic lexicon as the name of parts of a body is analyzed in A. Akhmatova's masterpieces, especially the “eye” image. It is important to analyze the somatic lexicon as a component of the model of "body-making man” reproducing the most harmonious condition of the world. The authors of the article interpret static data determining the character and the number of references to the concept “eye” in A. Akhmatova's poetry and deduce the main regularities of the use of this concept. The structural models of constructions that include "eye" are revealed; the most productive semantic groups corresponding to traditional cultural interpretations and archetypes are highlighted. The main interpretations of the “eye” as a retranslator of inner feelings, a means of cognition of the world, a semantic detail of mythological and individual-author images are highlighted. The antithesis “closed eye - open eye” is introduced, the color symbolism of the “eye” is deciphered. The paper differentiates cultural and individual-author associative rows of the studied units. The authors of the article hypothesize the importance of “eye” in the works of A. Akhmatova as a part of the concept of “spiritual body of the Universe”; they reveal the dualism of this organ, which combines the experience of studying the outer world with the function of a conductor of feelings and emotions to the outer world. The idea of the fruitfulness of further observations on the functioning of somatic vocabulary in the works of A. Akhmatova in the aspect of anthropocentric model is introduced.

Plant-Derived Smoke Ameliorates Salt Stress in Wheat by Enhancing Expressions of Stress-Responsive Genes and Antioxidant Enzymatic Activity

Abiotic stresses are the biggest threat to the increasing population worldwide. Salt stress is one of the most significant abiotic stresses, affecting 20% of the crop production around the world. Plant-derived smoke (PDS) has been reported as a biologically active plant product in stimulating seed germination, seedling growth and physiological characteristics of crops under abiotic stress conditions. Nevertheless, studies showing how PDS alleviates salt stress are largely unknown. Here, we report the molecular mechanism of how PDS could alleviate salt stress in wheat. Initially, PDS at 2000 ppm enhanced seed germination, root/shoot length and seedling fresh weight. However, PDS at 1000 and 500 ppm did not show any significant effect. Salt stress at 150 and 200 mM significantly reduced seed germination rate, root/shoot length and fresh weight of the wheat seedlings. Interestingly, PDS supplementation at 2000 ppm concentration was sufficient to restore seed germination under salt stress condition. Moreover, PDS improved root/shoot length and seedling biomass under 150 and 200 mM salt stress, suggesting that PDS is a potent plant product, capable of abiotic stress alleviation in crops. In comparison to the control, PDS-treated seedlings displayed increased activity of major antioxidative enzymes such as superoxide dismutase, peroxidase and ascorbate peroxidase under salt stress, resulting in reduced levels of hydrogen peroxide and lipid peroxidase, showing that PDS can possibly help in salt stress amelioration by regulating redox homeostasis. Importantly, salt stress altered the expression of germination marker genes, such as TaSAM, TaPHY, TaBGU (germination positive effectors), TaLEA and TaGARS34 (germination negative effectors), suggesting the potential role of PDS in the germination pathway under salt stress. Further, PDS modulated the transcript levels of several salt stress stress-responsive genes, including TaSOS4, TaBADH and TaHKT2. In conclusion, this study provides a molecular and physiological basis for elucidating the mechanism of how PDS functions in stress induction in wheat, as well as demonstrates the importance of PDS in agricultural practices, laying the groundwork for future research into the role of PDS in the amelioration of abiotic stresses in various plants.

Variation in the transcriptome response and detoxification gene diversity drives pesticide tolerance in fishes

Pesticides are critical for invasive species management, but often have negative effects on non-target native biota. Tolerance to pesticides should have an evolutionary basis, but this is poorly understood. Invasive sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) populations in North America have been controlled with a pesticide lethal to them at lower concentrations than native fishes. We addressed how interspecific variation in gene expression and detoxification gene diversity confer differential pesticide sensitivity in two fish species. We exposed sea lamprey and bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus), a tolerant native species, to TFM, a pesticide commonly used in sea lamprey control, and used whole-transcriptome sequencing of gill and liver to characterize the cellular response. Comparatively, bluegill exhibited a larger number of detoxification genes expressed and a larger number of responsive transcripts overall, which likely contributes to greater tolerance to TFM. Understanding the genetic and physiological basis for pesticide tolerance is crucial for managing invasive species.

Characterizing the Utility of the Root-to-Shoot Ratio in Douglas-Fir Seedling Production

Nursery-grown tree seedlings are a vital component of successful restoration and reforestation programs, useful when calls for increased planting for industrial forest management are made, and a tool for climate change mitigation. One of the most extensively planted and studied trees in Western North America is Douglas-fir. Building on that body of work, this review was conducted to identify if the root-to-shoot ratio (root:shoot, R:S), a commonly referred-to metric in reforestation planning, yields meaningful guidance for producing seedlings that are better able to establish across a variety of field conditions. The results indicated that there is wide variability in R:S of nursery-grown seedlings. The relationship between R:S and subsequent root growth and seedling survival varies depending on Douglas-fir variety, seedling stocktypes, and site conditions. The biological and physiological basis for using R:S remains, and likely could be used to enhance seedling quality; however, there is an ongoing need for planning and collaboration between researchers and practitioners to identify how to best deploy this evaluation tool.

How Divergence for Feed Efficiency Traits Affects Body Measurements and Metabolites in Blood and Ruminal Parameters on Pre-Weaning Dairy Heifers

The objectives of this study were: (1) to evaluate feed efficiency indexes and their relationships with body measurements and blood and ruminal metabolites in the pre-weaning period; (2) to determine if such measurements can be used as feed-efficiency markers during the pre-weaning period. Holstein–Gyr heifer calves (n = 36), enrolled between 4 and 12 weeks of age, were classified into two residual feed intake (RFI) and residual body weight gain (RG) groups: high efficiency (HE; RFI, n = 10; and RG, n = 9), and low efficiency (LE; RFI, n = 10; and RG, n = 8). Calves were fed whole milk (6 L/day) and solid feed ad libitum. Body developments were measured weekly and feed intake (milk and solid feed) daily during the whole period. Blood samples were collected at 12 weeks of age and analyzed for glucose, insulin and β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB). Samples of ruminal content were collected on the same day and analyzed for pH, NH3-N, and volatile fatty acids (VFA). Among the growth characteristics, only the initial hip width differed between the RFI groups, and withers height differed between the RG groups. Concentration of BHB was greater and glucose: insulin ratios tended to be greater in LE-RG animals. Butyric acid proportions were similar among RFI groups, but tended to be greater for HE-RG than for LE-RG. Overall, correlation coefficients between RFI or RG and blood, rumen, or morphometric markers were low. Thus, it is unlikely that measurements of metabolic indicators, per se, will be useful in the early identification of more efficient animals. Understanding the underlying physiological basis for improved feed efficiency in dairy heifers requires further investigation.

P-O01 A patient education video to support the management of post-gastrectomy / oesophagectomy syndromes

Background Oesophagectomy and gastrectomy result in profound and life-long changes in eating behaviour and appetite, and significant post-prandial symptoms. Despite decades of research, and recent advantages in the understanding of gut physiology, medical approaches to post-resectional patient care remain limited. The mainstay of treatment is patient education. Using clinical and lab-based studies, we investigated the effects of altered gut hormone secretion in patients after surgery for oesophageal and gastric cancer. We then produced a partially animated patient information video to better equip our patients to manage their altered alimentation. Methods The scientific background to the video was previously presented at AUGIS, and published. Studies included examination of eating behaviour, post-prandial symptoms, glucose homeostasis, gut hormone profiles and intestinal transcriptomic / peptidomic changes in a cohort of patients after oesophagectomy and gastrectomy. The movie storyboard and script were written by a team of surgeons, dietitians, patient representatives, clinical scientists and communications specialists. The goal was to communicate the physiological basis of altered eating in post-operative patients and appropriate nutritional strategies. Results The video is now freely available on Vimeo at: https://vimeo.com/356892336 It is in routine use for pre- and post-operative patient education. Conclusions Multimedia patient education is a useful tool to help manage the late effects of upper GI cancer treatment.