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The study aimed towards the development and evaluation of glocalized experiential learning-infused resource package in Earth and Life Science. The study used the educational design research method and involved the generation of a learning resource package. Participants of the study include the Grade 11 students of LNFVHS, S.Y. 2019-2020, as well as learning experts. Both qualitative and quantitative data were gathered for the study. Qualitative data came from focus group discussions, while quantitative data came from the results of the Bioenergetics test and Learning Material Evaluation Form. The least mastered competencies generated were The Cell, Photosynthetic Reactions, and Acquisition and Utilization of Energy. From this result, a glocalized experiential learning infused resource package was developed consisting of three learning materials based on the least mastered concepts--two (2) print materials (Learner’s Material and Teacher’s Guide) and one (1) non-print (Video-Based Module). The resource package was rated as very acceptable (3.70 for Learner’s Material, 3.65 for Teacher’s Guide, and 3.62 for the Video-Based Module). The study revealed that when learning materials were glocalized, contextualized, and infused with experiential learning activities, learners were more likely to be engaged in learning the concepts. The learning package developed helped in encouraging independent learning and a good source of supplemental learning material for Grade 11 and other grade levels.

Stressful life events are major environmental risk factors for anxiety disorders, although not all individuals exposed to stress develop clinical anxiety. The molecular mechanisms underlying the influence of environmental effects on anxiety are largely unknown. To identify biological pathways mediating stress-related anxiety and resilience to it, we used the chronic social defeat stress (CSDS) paradigm in male mice of two inbred strains, C57BL/6NCrl (B6) and DBA/2NCrl (D2), that differ in their susceptibility to stress. Using a multi-omics approach, we identified differential mRNA, miRNA and protein expression changes in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) and blood cells after chronic stress. Integrative gene set enrichment analysis revealed enrichment of mitochondrial-related genes in the BNST and blood of stressed mice. To translate these results to human anxiety, we investigated blood gene expression changes associated with exposure-induced panic attacks. Remarkably, we found reduced expression of mitochondrial-related genes in D2 stress-susceptible mice and in exposure-induced panic attacks in humans, but increased expression of these genes in B6 stress-susceptible mice. Moreover, stress-susceptible vs. stress-resilient B6 mice displayed more mitochondrial cross-sections in the post-synaptic compartment after CSDS. Our findings demonstrate mitochondrial-related alterations in gene expression as an evolutionarily conserved response in stress-related behaviors and validate the use of cross-species approaches in investigating the biological mechanisms underlying anxiety disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Humans evolved to be endurance animals. Our ancestors were persistence hunters; they would chase animals, including gazelles, until they ran them into exhaustion. Put simply, people evolved in an ecological niche that selected for endurance and efficiency of locomotion. To locomote to any destination, one could take countless different paths, each requiring different amounts of energy. Because the ground is typically not flat or homogeneous, the straight direct path is often not the most energetically efficient. For hills below 14°, the direct straight path up the hill is the most energetically efficient. However, for hills above 14°, walkers would minimize their absolute energy expenditure by taking a zigzagged path so that their gradient of ascension is 14° []. In three experiments, we assessed the degree to which people make bioenergetically efficient decisions about locomotion through path selection. In Experiment 1, people were immersed into a virtual environment and adjusted the angle of ascension of a virtual path up hills of various gradients so that when taking the path, they would expend the least amount of energy when they reached the top. The second experiment was of a similar design, but was conducted in the real word. In the last experiment, in a virtual environment, participants choose between two paths up hills of various gradient, where these paths varied in the energy required for ascent. Participants made these judgements both before and after motor experience with gradient climbing on an incline trainer. For steep hills, we found that people choose much straighter paths over the bioenergetically optimal zigzagged paths. Motor experience did lead to higher probability for choosing optimal paths for steep hills, but lead to less optimal paths for shallower ones. These results show clearly that individuals show a straight path bias when deciding how to ascend hills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 1-D full-life-cycle, Individual-based model (IBM), two-way coupled with a hydrodynamic/biogeochemical model, is demonstrated for anchovy and sardine in the N. Aegean Sea (Eastern Mediterranean). The model is stage-specific and includes a ‘Wisconsin’ type bioenergetics, a diel vertical migration and a population dynamics module, with the incorporation of known differences in biological attributes between the anchovy and sardine stocks. A new energy allocation/egg production algorithm was developed, allowing for breeding pattern to move along the capital-income breeding continuum. Fish growth was calibrated against available size-at-age data by tuning food consumption (the half saturation coefficients) using a genetic algorithm. After a ten-years spin up, the model reproduced well the magnitude of population biomasses and spawning periods of the two species in the N. Aegean Sea. Surprisingly, model simulations revealed that anchovy depends primarily on stored energy for egg production (mostly capital breeder) whereas sardine depends heavily on direct food intake (income breeder). This is related to the peculiar phenology of plankton production in the area, with mesozooplankton concentration exhibiting a sharp decrease from early summer to autumn and a subsequent increase from winter to early summer. Monthly changes in somatic condition of fish collected on board the commercial purse seine fleet followed closely the simulated mesozooplankton concentration. Finally, model simulations showed that, when both the anchovy and sardine stocks are overexploited, the mesozooplankton concentration increases, which may open up ecological space for competing species. The importance of protecting the recruit spawners was highlighted with model simulations testing the effect of changing the timing of the existing 2.5-months closed period. Optimum timing for fishery closure is different for anchovy and sardine because of their opposite spawning and recruitment periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elevated postprandial triglyceride (TG) is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease. The time window for the last bout beneficial effect on postprandial lipaemia after football play is unknown. The aim of the present study was to examine whether playing affects postprandial TG during 1.5 day of reduced activity. Eighteen males were randomly allocated to perform either 1 (1FOOT; n = 9; age = 33.0 ± 5.0 yrs; body mass index = 24.2 ± 3.6 kg/m2) or 3 (3FOOT) consecutive days of 60-min 5 vs 5 football (n = 9; age = 32.8 ± 5.2 yrs; body mass index = 26.2 ± 4.1 kg/m2) matches across a 5-day study period. They arrived to the laboratory 10 hrs and 34 hrs after the final football session and blood samples were collected at fasted (0 min) and 45, 90, 240 and 360 min post a high fat load meal. There were non significant increase for postprandial TG AUC (9.1%; p = 0.17; 95%CI = -0.43 to 2.0; ES = -0.23) and iAUC (14.2%; p = 0.43; 95%CI = -0.92 to 1.9; ES = -0.24) between 10 and 34 hrs after the 1FOOT. For the 3FOOT, there was a non significant decrease in postprandial TG AUC (-2.7%; p = 0.73; 95%CI = -2.0 to 1.5; ES = 0.05) and iAUC (-17.5%; p = 0.41; 95%ci = -2.5 to 1.1; ES = 0.31) from 10 to 34 hrs, respectively. Performing three consecutive days of football exercise may offer no greater protective effect for postprandial TG before a period of reduced activity, compared to a single session. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A sea voyage is characterized by a variety of work requirements for the ship's crew, basically reflected in three voyage episodes: port stay, river passage and sea passage. The primary aim of this study was to compare stress and strain amongst a sample of merchant seafarers across these three voyage episodes. Methods: In a cross-sectional maritime field study, 323 sailors on 22 container ships were biometrically surveyed and completed a questionnaire. In addition, a survey of energy expenditure and heart rate (variability) was carried out in parallel with 236 participants with the SenseWear armband monitor and the RS 800 polar watch. Results: Port stay and sea passage each accounted for the largest proportion of the ships’ journeys, each at around 40%. The study participants rated port stay with 37.8% as the voyage episode with the highest strain, followed by the river passage (24.8%) and then the sea passage (13.0%). The working time during the sea passage was on average shorter than during port stay or the river passage (p<0.001)—as a result, seafarers had more spare time to spend on leisure and sleep. Total energy turnover and, by trend, work energy turnover were notably at the lowest during the sea passage. In particular, the crew had a significantly lower heart rate during the sea passage than during the other two voyage episodes (p = 0.001). Furthermore, there was no difference in the seafarers’ heart rate variability between the voyage episodes. Conclusion: In the present study, it becomes clear that an accumulation of psychophysical stress takes place during port stay and leads to a subjectively and objectively higher strain level. In contrast, seafarers are more likely to recover during the sea passage. This knowledge should be used to offer ships' crews targeted health measures, in particular during the sea passage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Extensive studies have been carried out over the years to determine the maximum acceptable weight that a worker is capable of lifting in a given situation among Occidental populations across Europe and US. Nonetheless, studies that place emphasis on using lifting frequency as the quantifying task parameter, especially in developing countries such as Malaysia, appear to be in scarcity. Hence, this study determined the maximum acceptable frequency of lift (MAFL) for combined manual material handling (MMH) tasks amongst Malaysian males. Method: Two lifting loads were considered in this study: 1 kg and 5 kg. Each subject adjusted his frequency of lifting using a psychophysical approach. The subjects were instructed to perform combined MMH task as fast as they could over a period of 45 minutes without exhausting themselves or becoming overheated. The physiological response energy expenditure was recorded during the experimental sessions. The ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) for four body parts (forearms, upper arm, lower back and entire body) were recorded after the subjects had completed the instructed task. Results: The mean frequencies of the MMH task had been 6.8 and 5.5 cycles/minute for lifting load of 1 and 5 kg, respectively, while the mean energy expenditure values were 4.16 and 5.62 kcal/min for 1 and 5 kg load, respectively. These displayed a significant difference in the Maximum Acceptable Frequency of Lift (MAFL) between the two loads, energy expenditure and RPE (p < 0.05) whereby the subjects appeared to work harder physiologically for heavier load. Conclusion: It can be concluded that it is significant to assess physiological response and RPE in determining the maximum acceptable lifting frequency at varied levels of load weight. The findings retrieved in this study can aid in designing tasks that do not exceed the capacity of workers in order to minimise the risk of WRMSDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are few valid instruments to assess domain-specific sedentary behaviours (SB) among Spanish-speaking populations. This study validated the original English version of the last 7 days SB questionnaire (SIT-Q-7d) into Spanish (Castilian). A total of 151 undergraduates (52% male, 21.19±2.57 yrs.) wore an activPAL3M (AP3M) for 7 days and subsequently completed the Spanish version of the SIT-Q-7d (SIT-Q-7d-Sp). A subsample of 30 participants (70% male, 22.89±1.54 yrs.) simultaneously wore the AP3M and used a domain-log to register the context where the SB occurred. The SIT-Q-7d-Sp differed significantly from the AP3M, overestimating sitting time by an average of 60.69 mins.d-1 (all p<0.016). No significant differences were observed between the two measures for weekend total sitting time. The SIT-Q-7d-Sp did not differ significantly from the AP3M +Log for meal, work, and transportation-based sitting time (all p>0.016). However, screen-based and other leisure-based sitting activities were significantly overestimated (ranging from 94.68 mins.d-1 to 234.08 mins.d-1, p<0.001). The SIT-Q-7d-Sp appears to provide acceptable estimates of sitting time during transportation, occupational and meal-based domains. The SIT-Q-7d-Sp is not an appropriate measure of SB when examining total sitting time and leisure-based SB in young adults. For total sitting time and leisure-based SB, the use of objective measures is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Increasing exercise reinforcement, or decreasing sedentary reinforcement, may reduce sedentary activity and promote habitual exercise. Repeated exposures to a reinforcer may increase its reinforcing value (i.e., incentive sensitization). It is not yet known whether incentive sensitization occurs for exercise or factors associated with incentive sensitization for exercise reinforcement. The purpose was to determine whether exercise exposures increase exercise reinforcement relative to a sedentary alternative and whether this sensitization of exercise reinforcement would alter physical or sedentary behavior. This work also determined whether exercise dose, intensity, and preference and tolerance for exercise intensity were associated with incentive sensitization of exercise. Methods: 104 sedentary men and women were randomized to exercise training groups with 89 completing the study. Groups included exercise exposures of 150 (n = 35) or 300 kcal/session (n = 34), 3 sessions/week for 6 weeks, or a non-exercise control group (n = 35). Assessments for exercise and sedentary behavior reinforcement (primary dependent variables) and activity and tolerance for exercise intensity were performed at baseline (week 0), post training (week 6), and post washout (week 10). Results: The control group reduced (P = 0.022) relative reinforcing value of exercise, such that the 150 kcal group had a greater relative reinforcing value of exercise after the exercise treatment 150 kcal: 0.69 ± 0.07 to 0.74 ± 0.07; 300 kcal: 0.72 ± 0.07 to 0.63 ± 0.08, control: 0.72 ± 0.07 to 0.57 ± 0.08 mean ± SE. Increases in tolerance for exercise intensity discomfort were associated with increases in relative reinforcing value of exercise. Sedentary behavior reinforcement decreased in both exercise groups (150 kcal: 5.4 ± 4.3 to 1.8 ± 1.3; 300 kcal: 5.4 ± 4.3 to 3.1 ± 2.4, P<0.05), but remained unchanged in the control group (5.1 ± 4.0 to 6.1 ± 4.9, P>0.05). Sedentary activity decreased baseline to post-training in the 300 kcal group (546.5 ± 10.7 to 503.8 ± 11.8 minutes, P<0.01). Conclusion: Small amounts of regular exercise may reduce the reinforcing value sedentary behavior. The process of incentive sensitization of exercise may include reducing the reinforcing value of competing sedentary activities. Developing tolerance to exercise discomfort of exercise may be critical to increasing exercise reinforcement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite growing scientific interest in the benefits of breaking up sedentary time with intermittent standing or walking, few studies have investigated the energy cost of posture transitions. This study aimed to determine whether posture transitions are associated with increased energy expenditure in preschool children. Methods: Forty children (mean age 5.3 ± 1.0y) completed a ~150-min room calorimeter protocol involving sedentary, light, and moderate- to vigorous-intensity activities. This study utilised data from ~65-min of the protocol, during which children were undertaking sedentary behaviours (TV viewing, drawing/colouring in, and playing with toys on the floor). Posture was coded as sit/lie, stand, walk, or other using direct observation; posture transitions were classified as sit/lie to stand/walk, sit/lie to other, stand/walk to other, or vice versa. Energy expenditure was calculated using the Weir equation and used to calculate individualised MET and activity energy expenditure (AEE) values. Spearman’s rank correlations were used to compare the number of posture transitions, in the individual activities separately and combined, with corresponding MET and AEE values. Participants were divided into tertiles based on the number of posture transitions; MET and AEE values of children in the lowest and highest tertiles of posture transitions were compared using unpaired t-tests. Effect sizes (Cohen’s d) were calculated. Results: There was a positive correlation between the total number of posture transitions and average METs (rs = 0.42, p = 0.02) and AEE (rs = 0.43, p = 0.02). MET differences between the lowest and highest tertiles of posture transitions resulted in a small effect size for playing with toys (d = 0.27), and moderate effect sizes for TV viewing, drawing and all three activities combined (d = 0.61, 0.50 and 0.64 respectively). Similar results were found for AEE. Conclusions: Results from this study showed that variation in posture transitions may be associated with variation in energy expenditure in preschool children. The findings suggest that the concept that variation in posture transitions may have meaningful biological or health effects in early childhood is worth investigating further. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate the running pace and step characteristics among various competitive-level 400-m hurdlers through inter-group and intra-athlete comparisons. We analysed spatiotemporal data involving the split time, mean step length (SL) and mean step frequency (SF) for 13 male world-class and 14 male national-level 400-m hurdlers. We analysed 16.5 ± 3.9 races for each world-class hurdler and 19.8 ± 6.0 races for each national-level hurdler (the total number of analysed runs was 491) using publicly available television and internet broadcasts. Inter-group comparisons showed that both first- and latter-halves split times of the world-class hurdlers were significantly shorter than those of the national-level hurdlers. In the latter-half phase, no significant differences of SL and SF were observed between the world-class and national level hurdlers. Intra-athlete comparisons showed that no athletes favoured only first-half phase in terms of running speed in short finish times. In contrast, finish times of all hurdlers were sensitive to running speed in the latter-half phase. In the latter half of the race, 18 of the 27 hurdlers were identified as being SF reliant during speed enhancements; running speed of the other 9 hurdlers were also sensitive to high SF. In conclusions, important findings regarding high performance in inter-group comparisons do not always corresponded with those in intra-athlete comparisons. All athletes and coaches should first prioritize maintaining high running speeds in the latter half of 400-m hurdles rather than in the first half of the race. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and objectives: This study explored whether, for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), changes to the 24-hour composition of physical activity (PA), sedentary behaviour (SB) and sleep were associated with changes in symptoms and health-related quality of life (HRQoL); and how time re-allocations between these behaviours were associated with changes in outcomes. Methods: This study pools data on people with COPD drawn from two previous studies: a randomised controlled trial of cognitive behavioural therapy and pulmonary rehabilitation and a usual care cohort. Participants recalled behaviours and completed symptom and HRQoL assessments at baseline (T0) and four months (T1). Linear mixed-effects models (pooled control/intervention samples) predicted changes in outcomes from T0 to T1 with a change to the 24-hour behaviour composition; compositional isotemporal substitution predicted change in outcomes when re-allocating time between behaviours. Results: Valid data were obtained for 95 participants (forced expiratory volume in one second %predicted = 49.6±15.3) at T0 and T1. A change in the 24-hour behaviour composition was associated with a change in anxiety (p<0.01) and mastery (p<0.01), but not breathlessness, depression or fatigue. When modelling time re-allocation with compositional isotemporal substitution, more time re-allocated to higher intensity PA or sleep was associated with favourable changes in outcomes; re-allocating time to SB or light PA was associated with unfavourable changes in outcomes. The direction of association, however, could not be determined. Conclusion: To improve the overall health and wellbeing of people with COPD, intervention approaches that optimise the composition of PA, SB and sleep may be beneficial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Currently minimal research has quantified physical requirement differences in match-play between youth and senior Australian football players. The aim of the current research was to describe and compare the movement profiles and energy cost of youth, sub-elite and elite senior Australian football match-play. Methods: Fifty-seven Australian footballers playing in an elite senior 20, sub-elite senior 16 and elite youth competition 21 participated in this study. Distance, speed based indices and metabolic power measures recording via Global Positioning System (GPS) devices were compared across three competition tiers. Kicks and handballs were collected via a commercial statistics provider (Champion Data) and compared across the competition tiers. Results: Youth players recorded less field time (elite: ES = 1.37/sub-elite: ES = 1.68), total distance (elite: ES = 1.64 /sub-elite: ES = 1.55) and high speed running (elite: ES = 0.90/sub-elite: ES = 0.26) compared to the elite and sub-elite players. The average energy cost of elite (ES = 2.19) and sub-elite (ES = 1.58) match-play was significantly higher that youth match-play. Conclusions: A progressive increase regarding physical demands was evident across AF competition tiers. The findings suggest that sub-elite match-play can provide a viable pathway for youth players to develop physical capacity and technical skills before transitioning to elite senior match-play. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial transplantation of organisms and consequent invasive hybridization can lead to the extinction of native species. In Matsuyama, Japan, a native bitterling fish, Tanakia lanceolata, is known to form hybrids with another bitterling species, T. limbata, which was recently introduced from western Kyushu, Japan. These bitterlings spawn in the gills of two freshwater unionid species, Pronodularia japanensis and Nodularia douglasiae nipponensis, which have rapidly declined on the Matsuyama Plain in the past 30 years. To gauge the effect of invasive hybridization, we determined the genetic introgression between T. lanceolata and T. limbata and analyzed the morphology of these species and their hybrids to infer their niche overlap. We collected adult individuals of Tanakia spp. and genotyped them based on six microsatellite loci and mitochondrial cytochrome b sequences. We analyzed their meristic characters and body shapes by geometric morphometrics. We found that 10.9% of all individuals collected were hybrids. Whereas T. lanceolata were more densely distributed downstream and T. limbata were distributed upstream, their hybrids were widely distributed, covering the entire range of native T. lanceolata. The body height and anal fin length of T. limbata were greater than those of T. lanceolata, but their hybrids were highly morphologically variable, covering both parental morphs, and were widely distributed in the habitats of both parental species. Hybridization has occurred in both directions, but introduced T. limbata females and native T. lanceolata males are more likely to have crossed. This study shows that invasive hybridization with the introduced T. limbata is a potential threat to the native population of T. lanceolata via genetic introgression and replacement of its niche in streams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wildlife crossings are designed to mitigate barrier effects of transportation infrastructure on wildlife movement. Most efforts in evaluating crossing efficiency focus on counting animal use. However, crossings placed at suboptimal locations may alter animals’ natural movement pattern and decrease population fitness, which cannot be reflected solely by counts of animal use. The long-distance migration of Tibetan antelope (Pantholops hodgsonii) is directly affected by the Qinghai-Tibet Railway (QTR). Using the Wubei wildlife underpass along the QTR, we evaluated how underpass placement affects migration routes and decreases movement efficiency. We calculated the net-squared displacement of each animal to identify migration segments (wintering, calving, and migrating) based on Argos tracking data. We used two corridor modeling methods to identify optimal routes that theoretically require less energy to travel between seasonal habitats. We calculated the distance from actual migration routes recorded by Argos to the modelled optimal routes. We found that antelopes stray farther away from the optimal routes as they approach Wubei, indicating that animals have to deviate from their optimal migration pathway to access the railway underpass. On average, antelopes prolong their migration distance by 86.19 km (SEM = 17.29 km) in order to access the underpass. Our study suggests crossing location can affect animal migrations even if structures facilitate animal crossing. To better conserve long-distance migrations, long-term studies using tracking data which evaluate optimal migration routes are needed. We suggest considering the location and structural characteristics in designing and improving wildlife crossings, which do not only facilitate utilization, but also optimize animal movement processes such as migration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental degradation is causing global warming, which is of the utmost concern to both physical and social scientists. A number of potential determinants of environmental degradation are analysed in the literature. This study examines the role of government expenditure and financial development in environmental degradation in the context of the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis for the Venezuelan economy. Time series data have been analysed for this purpose. The long-term relationship between the variables in this study is established through a bounds test in the presence of an unknown structural break. The results of this study confirm the EKC hypothesis. It is found that energy use is harming the quality of the environment not only in the long run but also in the short run. This study finds a positive impact of government expenditure on environmental degradation, which indicates that the Venezuelan government is not taking its expenditure for a sustainable environment into account. Moreover, this study finds that financial development is hindering environmental degradation. This means that financial institutions in Venezuela can help to develop the concept of sustainable energy in the country and the Venezuelan government can reduce carbon emissions through financial development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Accelerometers are increasingly used to obtain valuable descriptors of physical activity for health research. The cut-points approach to segment accelerometer data is widely used in physical activity research but requires resource expensive calibration studies and does not make it easy to explore the information that can be gained for a variety of raw data metrics. To address these limitations, we present a data-driven approach for segmenting and clustering the accelerometer data using unsupervised machine learning. Methods: The data used came from five hundred fourteen-year-old participants from the Millennium cohort study who wore an accelerometer (GENEActiv) on their wrist on one weekday and one weekend day. A Hidden Semi-Markov Model (HSMM), configured to identify a maximum of ten behavioral states from five second averaged acceleration with and without addition of x, y, and z-angles, was used for segmenting and clustering of the data. A cut-points approach was used as comparison. Results: Time spent in behavioral states with or without angle metrics constituted eight and five principal components to reach 95% explained variance, respectively; in comparison four components were identified with the cut-points approach. In the HSMM with acceleration and angle as input, the distributions for acceleration in the states showed similar groupings as the cut-points categories, while more variety was seen in the distribution of angles. Conclusion: Our unsupervised classification approach learns a construct of human behavior based on the data it observes, without the need for resource expensive calibration studies, has the ability to combine multiple data metrics, and offers a higher dimensional description of physical behavior. States are interpretable from the distributions of observations and by their duration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In most vertebrate animals, glucocorticoid hormones are the chief mediators of homeostasis in response to ecological conditions and as they progress through their lifecycle. In addition, glucocorticoids are a major part of the stress response and stress induced elevations of the hormone can make it difficult to assess glucocorticoid secretion in response to changes in life-stage and current environmental conditions in wild animals. Particularly when quantifying circulating levels of glucocorticoids in the blood which fluctuate rapidly in response to stress. An alternative method of quantifying glucocorticoids is as hormone metabolites in faeces or urine giving a historical sample related to the gut passage time and urinary tract that is less sensitive to stressful events which cause spikes in the circulating hormone level. Although the concentration of glucocorticoid metabolites are influenced by faecal mass thereby potentially affecting any differences in hormone metabolites detected amongst samples. In the present study, we aimed to detect changes in levels of corticosterone, the primary bird glucocorticoid, in relation to the phase of reproduction, in a breeding population of collared flycatchers by sampling corticosterone metabolites in droppings. We also tested how corticosterone metabolite concentrations were affected by ambient temperature and related to body condition in adult birds. Our results indicate that the upregulation of corticosterone between incubation and nestling feeding in female birds is crucial for successful reproduction in this species. Also, females appear to downregulate corticosterone during incubation in response to lower ambient temperature and poorer body condition. Our results did not indicate a relationship between dropping mass and corticosterone metabolite concentrations, which suggests that our findings were linked to the regulation of corticosterone in response to predictable and unpredictable challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The economic burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), including treatment costs and income and productivity losses, is a growing concern in developing countries, where NCD medical expenditure may offset consumption of other essential commodities. This study examines the role of NCDs in household resource allocation in Bangladesh. We use the Bangladesh Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) 2010 to obtain expenditure data on 11 household expenditure categories and 12 food expenditure sub-categories for 12,240 households. Household NCD status was determined through self-report of at least one of the six major NCDs within the household–heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, kidney diseases, asthma, and cancer. We estimated unadjusted and regression-adjusted differences in household expenditure shares between NCD and non-NCD households. We further investigated how consumption of different food sub-categories is related to NCD status, distinguishing between household economic levels. The medical expenditure share was estimated to be 59% higher for NCD households than non-NCD households, and NCD households had lower expenditure shares on food, clothing, hygiene, and energy. Regression results indicated that presence of NCDs was associated with lower relative expenditure on clothing and housing in all economic subgroups, and with lower expenditure on food among marginally poor households. Having an NCD was significantly associated with higher household spending on tobacco and higher-calorie foods such as sugar, beverages, meat, dairy, and fruit, and with lower spending on fish, vegetables, and legumes. The findings indicate a link between NCDs and the possibility of adverse economic effects on the household by highlighting the potential displacement effect on household consumption that might occur through higher medical expenditure and lower spending on essentials. The findings might also point to a need for raising awareness about the link between NCDs and diet in Bangladesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Physical activity contributes to prevent serious diseases and ailments, and previous research indicates that lifestyle habits are likely to track from early childhood to adulthood. 90% of Norwegian children aged 1–5 are enrolled in preschools, and preschool staff can play an important role in children’s activity levels. This study’s aim was to identify whether any associations exist between preschool staff’s characteristics (initiative, participation, attitudes, and activity levels) and children’s activity in preschool. Method: 289 children aged 4–6 and 72 preschool staff from 13 randomly selected preschools in a region of Nord-Troendelag, Norway, were enrolled in the study. All participants wore an Actigraph accelerometer for seven consecutive days. Questionnaires were also utilized to identify correlates between preschool staff’s attitudes and initiative in relation to children’s physical activity, in addition to their participation in children’s physical activity. A multilevel analysis, the linear mixed model (LMM), was used to elucidate associations between preschool staff and children’s activity levels. Results: A significant association was found between preschool staff’s average activity levels during preschool hours and children’s corresponding activity levels during preschool hours (t = 2.57; p = 0.021; f2 = 0.013). There were, however, no significant associations identified between the attitudes (t = –0.44; p = 0.67), initiative (t = –0.14; p = 0.89), and participation (t = 0.66; p = 0.52) variables among preschool staff and children’s activity levels during preschool hours. Conclusion: The study demonstrated that a significant association exists between preschool staff’s aggregated activity levels and 4–6-year-olds’ individual activity levels. However, an observational study is requisite in order to determine whether the association is based on preschool staff’s impact on children’s physical activity or if it is the children that affect the preschool staff’s activity levels, or a combination thereof. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Models for human running performances of various complexities and underlying principles have been proposed, often combining data from world record performances and bio-energetic facts of human physiology. The purpose of this work is to develop a novel, minimal and universal model for human running performance that employs a relative metabolic power scale. The main component is a self-consistency relation for the time dependent maximal power output. The analytic approach presented here is the first to derive the observed logarithmic scaling between world (and other) record running speeds and times from basic principles of metabolic power supply. Our hypothesis is that various female and male record performances (world, national) and also personal best performances of individual runners for distances from 800m to the marathon are excellently described by this model. Indeed, we confirm this hypothesis with mean errors of (often much) less than 1%. The model defines endurance in a way that demonstrates symmetry between long and short racing events that are separated by a characteristic time scale comparable to the time over which a runner can sustain maximal oxygen uptake. As an application of our model, we derive personalized characteristic race speeds for different durations and distances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding microhabitat preferences of animals is critical for effective conservation, especially for temperate-zone bats, which receive fitness benefits from selecting optimal roost microhabitats. Artificial roost structures are increasingly being used in conservation efforts for at-risk bat species. To evaluate microhabitat differences in common artificial roost structures and determine if roost selection occurs based on structure type, we installed artificial roosts of three different styles (bat box, rocket box, and bark mimic) in six clusters. We compared size and measured temperature parameters (12 points/roost) while bats were excluded from one cluster. We simultaneously conducted census counts during the active season at five more clusters open to bats for 1–2 years. The rocket box style provided larger entrance area, surface area, and volume versus other roost types. Microclimate varied with roost design. More positions inside the bat box and rocket box stayed within critical temperature limits for bats (0–45°C)—i.e., were usable. The bark-mimic provided less usable space than the rocket box and, often, large proportions of the roost were > 45°C. The rocket box provided the widest temperature availability in a given hour (max range available 7°C) and was more stable than the bark mimic. A maternity colony of Indiana bats (Myotis sodalis) selected the rocket box style; four of five available rocket boxes became primary maternity roosts, with 2–210 bats emerging per night. Future work should aim to manipulate roost size, temperature availability, and temperature stability in isolation to identify which features drive roost microhabitat selection by bats. Comparative studies of artificial roosts account for some inherent irregularity in natural systems, allowing us to study the dynamics of roost microhabitats. We recommend season-long monitoring of microhabitat in novel artificial refuges and comparative studies of artificial and natural roosts, and urge managers to consider potential positive and negative effects when substituting artificial roosts for natural habitat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxidative damage is implicated in the pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The dry form of AMD (geographic atrophy) is characterized by loss of RPE, photoreceptors, and macular pigments. The cumulative effects of oxidative stress impact mitochondrial function in RPE. In Sod2flox/floxVMD2-cre mice, the RPE specific deletion of Sod2, the gene for mitochondrial manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD), leads to elevated oxidative stress in retina and RPE, and causes changes in the RPE and underlying Bruch’s membrane that share some features of AMD. This study tested the hypothesis that zeaxanthin supplementation would reduce oxidative stress and preserve RPE structure and function in these mice. Zeaxanthin in retina/RPE/choroid and liver was quantified by LC/MS, retinal function and structure were evaluated by electroretinogram (ERG) and spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), and antioxidant gene expression was measured by RT-PCR. After one month of supplementation, zeaxanthin levels were 5-fold higher in the retina/RPE/choroid and 12-fold higher in liver than in unsupplemented control mice. After four months of supplementation, amplitudes of the ERG a-wave (function of rod photoreceptors) and b-wave (function of the inner retina) were not different in supplemented and control mice. In contrast, the c-wave amplitude (a measure of RPE function) was 28% higher in supplemented mice than in control mice. Higher RPE/choroid expression of antioxidant genes (Cat, Gstm1, Hmox1, Nqo1) and scaffolding protein Sqstm1 were found in supplemented mice than in unsupplemented controls. Reduced nitrotyrosine content in the RPE/choroid was demonstrated by ELISA. Preliminary assessment of retinal ultrastructure indicated that supplementation supported better preservation of RPE structure with more compact basal infoldings and intact mitochondria. We conclude that daily zeaxanthin supplementation protected RPE cells from mitochondrial oxidative stress associated with deficiency in the MnSOD and thereby improved RPE function early in the disease course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aims of this systematic review were to study the effectiveness of primary school-based physical activity, sedentary behavior and nutrition interventions with direct parental involvement on children’s BMI or BMI z-score, physical activity, sedentary behavior and nutrition behavior and categorize intervention components into targeted socio-cognitive determinants and environmental types using the Environmental Research framework for weight Gain prevention. Methods: In March 2018, a systematic search was conducted in four electronic literature databases. Articles written in English about effectiveness studies on school-based interventions with direct parental involvement targeting 4–12 year olds were included. Interventions with indirect parental involvement, interventions not targeting the school environment, and pilot studies were excluded. Study and intervention characteristics were extracted. Study quality and study effectiveness were assessed and effect sizes (Cohen’s d) were calculated for the outcome measures. Types of socio-cognitive factors and environmental types targeted were distinguished. Results: In total, 25 studies were included. Most studies on BMI or BMI z-score, physical activity and sedentary behavior found favorable results: 61.1%, 81.1% and 75%, respectively. Results regarding nutrition behavior were inconclusive. Methodological study quality varied. All interventions targeted multiple environmental types in the school and family environment. Five targeted socio-cognitive determinants (knowledge, awareness, attitude, self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation) of the children were identified. No consistent pattern was found between either type of environment targeted, number of type of environment targeted, or the child’s targeted socio-cognitive determinants and intervention effectiveness. Discussion: School-based interventions with direct parental involvement have the potential to improve children’s weight status, physical activity and sedentary behavior. Based on the results, it is recommended that school-based interventions with direct parental involvement target more than one EBRB, last at least one year, and focus particularly on the physical and social environment within both the school and the family environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adolescents spend large amounts of time sitting at school. Little is known about the impact of reducing and breaking-up prolonged sitting during school lessons on adolescents’ health. This study aimed to investigate the impact of an intervention to reduce classroom sitting time on adolescents’ energy expenditure (EE; kcal/lesson), body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and musculoskeletal discomfort. A secondary school classroom was equipped with height-adjustable desks, posters promoting the health benefits of and strategies for breaking-up sitting time, and desk stickers reminding students to periodically stand up. Classroom teachers participated in a professional development session. Using a quasi-experimental design, differences between 49 participants who utilised the intervention classroom 2–5 times/week and a comparison group (39 adolescents, matched by year level and subject) who used traditional classrooms, were examined. EE, BMI and WC were objectively measured and musculoskeletal discomfort was self-reported at baseline, 4-weeks, and 17-weeks. Hierarchical linear and multilevel logistic regression-mixed models were used to examine intervention effects, adjusting for baseline values, sex and age. EE was significantly higher at 4-weeks and 17-weeks (29.4 and 37.7 kcal/lesson, respectively), BMI was higher at 4-weeks (0.34 kg/m2), and WC was lower at 4-weeks and 17-weeks (-3.53 and -2.64 cm, respectively) in the intervention compared to the comparison group. No intervention effect was found for musculoskeletal discomfort. Findings provide preliminary indications that these strategies may benefit health among adolescents in the short term. However, extended longer-duration trials are needed to determine longer-term health effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing evidence suggests that dysregulation of lipid metabolism is associated with neurodegeneration in retinal diseases such as age-related macular degeneration and in brain disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Lipid storage organelles (lipid droplets, LDs), accumulate in many cell types in response to stress, and it is now clear that LDs function not only as lipid stores but also as dynamic regulators of the stress response. However, whether these LDs are always protective or can also be deleterious to the cell is unknown. Here, we investigated the consequences of LD accumulation on retinal cell homeostasis under physiological and stress conditions in Drosophila and in mice. In wild-type Drosophila, we show that dFatp is required and sufficient for expansion of LD size in retinal pigment cells (RPCs) and that LDs in RPCs are required for photoreceptor survival during aging. Similarly, in mice, LD accumulation induced by RPC-specific expression of human FATP1 was non-toxic and promoted mitochondrial energy metabolism in RPCs and non-autonomously in photoreceptor cells. In contrast, the inhibition of LD accumulation by dFatp knockdown suppressed neurodegeneration in Aats-metFB Drosophila mutants, which carry elevated levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS). This suggests that abnormal turnover of LD may be toxic for photoreceptors cells of the retina under oxidative stress. Collectively, these findings indicate that FATP-mediated LD formation in RPCs promotes RPC and neuronal homeostasis under physiological conditions but could be deleterious for the photoreceptors under pathological conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pokémon GO becomes the most rapidly downloaded mobile application in history. This study aimed to determine the physical activity of medical students, who played Pokémon GO, and the change in their use of Pokémon GO and physical activity over time. An observational study was conducted. Physical activity was measured by using self-administered questionnaires at baseline (phase 0), 1 month (phase 1) and 3 months (phase 2) post-Pokémon GO download. The changes in physical activity (phase 0 to 1 and phase 1 to 2) were analysed using Wilcoxon Signed Ranked test. The trend (3-point analysis) of physical activity from phase 0, 1 to 2 were analysed using Friedman’s test. The relationship between physical activity and time spent gaming was analysed by using Spearman’s rank correlation. Twenty-six participants (mean age 22.04±1.70 years) participated in the study. There was no statistically significant change in physical activity during the three-month period (p = 0.45). Only 11 participants (42.3%) were still playing Pokémon GO 3 months after download. The key reasons for playing game were ‘have fun’ and ‘pass time/boredom’. The most common commuting mode to play the game was walking; some drove a car or motorcycle while playing the game. There was no correlation between physical activity and time spent gaming. This study highlights how the lack of sustainability of the game and the motivation behind using Pokémon GO as a game rather than a physical activity app may have undermined the potential of using the game to improve physical activity. Further studies need to explore the reasons for the lack of sustainability and how to combine fun with behavioural change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Office workers spend most of their working day sitting, and prolonged sitting has been associated with increased risk of poor health. Standing in meetings has been proposed as a strategy by which to reduce workplace sitting but little is known about the standing experience. This study documented workers’ experiences of standing in normally seated meetings. Twenty-five participants (18+ years), recruited from three UK universities, volunteered to stand in 3 separate, seated meetings that they were already scheduled to attend. They were instructed to stand when and for however long they deemed appropriate, and gave semi-structured interviews after each meeting. Verbatim transcripts were analysed using Framework Analysis. Four themes, central to the experience of standing in meetings, were extracted: physical challenges to standing; implications of standing for meeting engagement; standing as norm violation; and standing as appropriation of power. Participants typically experienced some physical discomfort from prolonged standing, apparently due to choosing to stand for as long as possible, and noted practical difficulties of fully engaging in meetings while standing. Many participants experienced marked psychological discomfort due to concern at being seen to be violating a strong perceived sitting norm. While standing when leading the meeting was felt to confer a sense of power and control, when not leading the meeting participants felt uncomfortable at being misperceived to be challenging the authority of other attendees. These findings reveal important barriers to standing in normally-seated meetings, and suggest strategies for acclimatising to standing during meetings. Physical discomfort might be offset by building standing time slowly and incorporating more sit-stand transitions. Psychological discomfort may be lessened by notifying other attendees about intentions to stand. Organisational buy-in to promotional strategies for standing may be required to dispel perceptions of sitting norms, and to progress a wider workplace health and wellbeing agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose was to examine and compare the effects of replacing time spent sitting with standing at work on fat-free mass, fat mass and waist circumference using isotemporal substitution. Analyses were conducted on work hours on both cross-sectional and longitudinal data. The study included 223 persons from an intervention study aimed at reducing sitting time at work among office employees. Sitting, standing and anthropometry were measured objectively. Cross-sectional isotemporal substitution analyses were modelled on baseline data, while longitudinal analyses were modelled based on differences in sitting and standing time at work between baseline and 1-month follow-up in relation to differences in anthropometric measures between baseline and 3-months follow-up. Replacing one hour of sitting time with one hour of standing was associated with a 0.21 kg higher fat-free mass in the longitudinal analysis and 0.95 kg in the cross-sectional analysis. Fat mass was 0.32 kg lower in the longitudinal analysis and 0.61 kg lower in the cross-sectional analysis. Waist circumference decreased by 0.38 cm in the longitudinal analysis and 0.81 cm in the cross-sectional analysis. Both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses showed an effect on body composition measures by replacing one hour of sitting with standing however, this effect was largest in the cross-sectional analyses. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) uses various chemical signals produced by the worker exocrine glands to maintain the functioning of its colony. The roles of worker postcerebral glands (PcGs), thoracic glands (TGs), and mandibular glands (MGs) and the functional changes they undergo according to the division of labor from nursing to foraging are not as well studied. To comprehensively characterize the molecular roles of these glands in workers and their changes according to the division of labor of workers, we analyzed the proteomes of PcGs, TGs, and MGs from nurse bees and foragers using shotgun proteomics technology. We identified approximately 2000 proteins from each of the nurse bee or forager glands and highlighted the features of these glands at the molecular level by semiquantitative enrichment analyses of frequently detected, gland-selective, and labor-selective proteins. First, we found the high potential to produce lipids in PcGs and MGs, suggesting their relation to pheromone production. Second, we also found the proton pumps abundant in TGs and propose some transporters possibly related to the saliva production. Finally, our data unveiled candidate enzymes involved in labor-dependent acid production in MGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recent research has demonstrated decreases in resting metabolic rate (RMR), body composition and performance following a period of intensified training in elite athletes, however the underlying mechanisms of change remain unclear. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate how an intensified training period, designed to elicit overreaching, affects RMR, body composition, and performance in trained endurance athletes, and to elucidate underlying mechanisms. Method: Thirteen (n = 13) trained male cyclists completed a six-week training program consisting of a “Baseline” week (100% of regular training load), a “Build” week (~120% of Baseline load), two “Loading” weeks (~140, 150% of Baseline load, respectively) and two “Recovery” weeks (~80% of Baseline load). Training comprised of a combination of laboratory based interval sessions and on-road cycling. RMR, body composition, energy intake, appetite, heart rate variability (HRV), cycling performance, biochemical markers and mood responses were assessed at multiple time points throughout the six-week period. Data were analysed using a linear mixed modeling approach. Results: The intensified training period elicited significant decreases in RMR (F(5,123.36) = 12.0947, p = <0.001), body mass (F(2,19.242) = 4.3362, p = 0.03), fat mass (F(2,20.35) = 56.2494, p = <0.001) and HRV (F(2,22.608) = 6.5212, p = 0.005); all of which improved following a period of recovery. A state of overreaching was induced, as identified by a reduction in anaerobic performance (F(5,121.87) = 8.2622, p = <0.001), aerobic performance (F(5,118.26) = 2.766, p = 0.02) and increase in total mood disturbance (F(5, 110.61) = 8.1159, p = <0.001). Conclusion: Intensified training periods elicit greater energy demands in trained cyclists, which, if not sufficiently compensated with increased dietary intake, appears to provoke a cascade of metabolic, hormonal and neural responses in an attempt to restore homeostasis and conserve energy. The proactive monitoring of energy intake, power output, mood state, body mass and HRV during intensified training periods may alleviate fatigue and attenuate the observed decrease in RMR, providing more optimal conditions for a positive training adaptation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Barth syndrome is a rare X-linked disease affecting less than 200 individuals worldwide. Several comorbidities have been associated with the pathology and, among those, cardiac myopathy and neutropenia are the most life threatening. The appropriate nutritive support is important to sustain the everyday life of Barth syndrome patients given the chronic fatigue they experience. Since they often prefer salty and fried food, and avoid vegetables and fruits, their eating habit and food preferences do not always provide the proper amount of vitamins and amino acids. It has been indeed reported that Barth syndrome patients have altered taste sensitivity. As olfaction also contributes to food consumption and flavor perception, we decided to investigate their olfactory abilities using the “Sniffin’ sticks’ extended test”. We found no significant difference in any of the tested olfactory abilities between the group of Barth syndrome patients and the healthy controls. In summary, altered food preference of Barth boys could not be easily explained with an altered olfactory perception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study identifies and analyzes statistically significant overlaps between selective sweep screens in anatomically modern humans and several domesticated species. The results obtained suggest that (paleo-)genomic data can be exploited to complement the fossil record and support the idea of self-domestication in Homo sapiens, a process that likely intensified as our species populated its niche. Our analysis lends support to attempts to capture the “domestication syndrome” in terms of alterations to certain signaling pathways and cell lineages, such as the neural crest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: We analyzed the cross-sectional and prospective relationships between the accumulation of advanced glycation end products (AGE), assessed by skin autofluorescence (AF) and frailty and its components. Methods: A total of 423 participants of the Bordeaux sample of the Three-City study 75 years of age or older in 2009–2010 were included in the cross-sectional analysis. Among them, 255 initially non-frail participants were re-examined 4 years later. Skin AF (arbitrary units (AU)) was measured using the AGE Reader. Frailty was defined using Fried’s criteria. Associations were assessed with logistic regression models. Results: Mean skin AF at baseline was 2.81 ±0.68 AU and 16.8% participants were frail. Adjusted for sociodemographic and health characteristics, skin AF was associated neither with prevalent frailty as a whole (Odds Ratio (OR) = 1.2; 95% Confidence Interval: 0.8–1.9) nor with any of its components. Among 255 non-frail participants, 32 became frail over 4 years. In multivariate analyses, skin AF was not associated with incident frailty as a whole (OR = 1.0; 0.5–2.0) but with a doubled risk of incident exhaustion (OR = 2.0; 1.2–3.6) and low energy expenditure (OR = 2.0; 1.1–3.7). No association was observed with other criteria. Conclusion: In French older community-dwellers aged 75 years and over, the accumulation of AGEs evaluated by skin AF was not associated with prevalent or incident frailty but with the 4-year risk of exhaustion and low energy expenditure. Further studies with larger samples are needed to confirm our results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are prevalent in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) but the pathophysiology is poorly understood. Imbalances in the enteric microbiome have been associated with ASD and can cause GI dysfunction potentially through disruption of mitochondrial function as microbiome metabolites modulate mitochondrial function and mitochondrial dysfunction is highly associated with GI symptoms. In this study, we compared mitochondrial function in rectal and cecum biopsies under the assumption that certain microbiome metabolites, such as butyrate and propionic acid, are more abundant in the cecum as compared to the rectum. Rectal and cecum mucosal biopsies were collected during elective diagnostic colonoscopy. Using a single-blind case-control design, complex I and IV and citrate synthase activities and complex I-V protein quantity from 10 children with ASD, 10 children with Crohn’s disease and 10 neurotypical children with nonspecific GI complaints were measured. The protein for all complexes, except complex II, in the cecum as compared to the rectum was significantly higher in ASD samples as compared to other groups. For both rectal and cecum biopsies, ASD samples demonstrated higher complex I activity, but not complex IV or citrate synthase activity, compared to other groups. Mitochondrial function in the gut mucosa from children with ASD was found to be significantly different than other groups who manifested similar GI symptomatology suggesting a unique pathophysiology for GI symptoms in children with ASD. Abnormalities localized to the cecum suggest a role for imbalances in the microbiome, potentially in the production of butyrate, in children with ASD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human development strongly influences large carnivore survival and persistence globally. Behavior changes are often the first measureable responses to human disturbances, and can have ramifications on animal populations and ecological communities. We investigated how a large carnivore responds to anthropogenic disturbances by measuring activity, movement behavior, and energetics in pumas along a housing density gradient. We used log-linear analyses to examine how habitat, time of day, and proximity to housing influenced the activity patterns of both male and female pumas in the Santa Cruz Mountains. We used spatial GPS location data in combination with Overall Dynamic Body Acceleration measurements recorded by onboard accelerometers to quantify how development density affected the average distances traveled and energy expended by pumas. Pumas responded to development differently depending on the time of day; at night, they were generally more active and moved further when they were in developed areas, but these relationships were not consistent during the day. Higher nighttime activity in developed areas increased daily caloric expenditure by 10.1% for females and 11.6% for males, resulting in increases of 3.4 and 4.0 deer prey required annually by females and males respectively. Our results support that pumas have higher energetic costs and resource requirements in human-dominated habitats due to human-induced behavioral change. Increased energetic costs for pumas are likely to have ramifications on prey species and exacerbate human-wildlife conflict, especially as exurban growth continues. Future conservation work should consider the consequences of behavioral shifts on animal energetics, individual fitness, and population viability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accumulating evidence suggests that developmental exposure to environmental chemicals may modify the course of brain development, ultimately leading to neuropsychiatric / neurodegenerative disorders later in life. In the present study, we assessed the impact of one of the most frequently used pesticides in both residential and agricultural applications − the synthetic pyrethroid cypermethrin (CYP) − on developmental neurotoxicity (DNT). Female mice were perinatally exposed to low doses of CYP (5 and 20 mg/kg body weight) from gestation to postnatal day 15. Behavioral analyses were performed during the offspring’s early life and during adulthood. Postnatal analyses revealed that perinatal exposure to CYP disturbed motor development without modifying sensory and communicative skills. We found that later in life, CYP-exposed offspring expressed maladaptive behaviors in response to highly challenging tasks and abnormal sociability. Transcriptomic analyses performed in the offspring’s brain at the end of the exposure, highlighted mitochondrial dysfunction as a relevant pathomechanism underlying CYP-induced DNT. Interestingly, several genes involved in proteostasis maintenance were also shown to be dysregulated suggesting that alterations in biogenesis, folding, trafficking and degradation of proteins may significantly contribute to CYP-related DNT. From a regulatory perspective, this study highlights that behavioral and transcriptomic analyses are complementary tools providing useful direction for better DNT characterization, and as such, should be used together more systematically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A hypothesis that anger is related to high energetic arousal (EA), but only at a low level of agreeableness was tested. In the first two studies, the association between trait anger, agreeableness, and EA was explored. In the next two studies, the interactions of agreeableness with constructs conceptually and empirically close to EA, in predicting anger were tested. Study 3 revealed that anger was predicted by a low level of agreeableness and a high level of positive affect. In study 4 task engagement (construct containing an energetic component) was included in the context of cognitive performance. At a high level of agreeableness the association between anger and task engagement was negative, whereas among individuals with low agreeableness this relation was not significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gulf War Illness (GWI) is a chronic multi-symptom illness not currently diagnosed by standard medical or laboratory test that affects 30% of veterans who served during the 1990–1991 Gulf War. The clinical presentation of GWI is comparable to that of patients with certain mitochondrial disorders–i.e., clinically heterogeneous multisystem symptoms. Therefore, we hypothesized that mitochondrial dysfunction may contribute to both the symptoms of GWI as well as its persistence over time. We recruited 21 cases of GWI (CDC and Kansas criteria) and 7 controls to participate in this study. Peripheral blood samples were obtained in all participants and a quantitative polymerase chain reaction (QPCR) based assay was performed to quantify mitochondrial and nuclear DNA lesion frequency and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number (mtDNAcn) from peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Samples were also used to analyze nuclear DNA lesion frequency and enzyme activity for mitochondrial complexes I and IV. Both mtDNA lesion frequency (p = 0.015, d = 1.13) and mtDNAcn (p = 0.001; d = 1.69) were elevated in veterans with GWI relative to controls. Nuclear DNA lesion frequency was also elevated in veterans with GWI (p = 0.344; d = 1.41), but did not reach statistical significance. Complex I and IV activity (p > 0.05) were similar between groups and greater mtDNA lesion frequency was associated with reduced complex I (r2 = -0.35, p = 0.007) and IV (r2 = -0.28, p < 0.01) enzyme activity. In conclusion, veterans with GWI exhibit greater mtDNA damage which is consistent with mitochondrial dysfunction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nutrition transition concept developed by Popkin has gained wide currency within the nutritional sciences literature as a way of understanding population wide changes to diet and energy balance and their related health outcomes in society. It offers a useful template of different nutritional patterns societies progress through, but it has not provided a comprehensive understanding of the why and how of dietary change. Building on insights from the literature on food regimes in the social sciences, this paper argues the concept of dietary regimes can augment the nutrition transition model and can serve as a bridge between social and health sciences around nutrition and dietary change. The political economy analysis of the dietary regime approach provides insights into the historical degradation of food and the diffusion of nutrient-poor products throughout food environments today. It also engages analysis of the key actors shaping food environments and diets in the industrial era. The dietary regime approach can provide fruitful directions with respect to concrete policy options to address the major issue of population wide weight gain that the nutrition transition model has sought to confront in recent iterations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How effort is internally quantified and how it influences both movement generation and decisions between potential movements are 2 difficult questions to answer. Physical costs are known to influence motor control and decision-making, yet we lack a general, principled characterization of how the perception of effort operates across tasks and conditions. Morel and colleagues introduce an insightful approach to that end, assessing effort indifference points and presenting a quadratic law between perceived effort and force production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxidative stress has been demonstrated to be involved in the etiology of alcoholic fatty liver disease (AFLD). Previous studies had demonstrated that resveratrol (RES) could reduce oxidative stress by different mechanisms. However, the effect of RES on alcohol-induced fatty liver remains unclear. In the present study, a total of 48 male SD rats were divided into three groups: Control, AFLD, and RES groups. Rats were administered with either nothing or 65% vol/vol alcohol (5 ml/kg/day in the first three days, and then 10 ml/kg/day in the following days) with or without RES supplementation (250 mg/kg/day) for 4 weeks. Blood and liver tissue samples were collected and subjected to biochemical assays, histological examination, Western blot, and mitochondrial radical oxygen species (ROS) assays. In RES group, significant decreases in serum ALT and AST concentrations, fat deposition, triglyceride (TG) content, HIF-1α protein expression as well as mitochondrial ROS production in liver were observed when compared with AFLD group (all p <0.05). These results indicated that RES could alleviate the liver injury induced by alcohol and prevent the progression of AFLD. Down regulation of HIF-1α protein expression and mitochondrial ROS production in liver might be, at least part of, the underlying mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies have suggested that changing direction is associated with significant additional energy expenditure. A failure to account for this additional energy expenditure of turning has significant implications in the design and interpretation of health interventions. The purpose of this study was therefore to investigate the influence of walking speed and angle, and their interaction, on energy expenditure in 20 healthy adults (7 female; 28±7 yrs). On two separate days, participants completed a turning protocol at one of 16 speed- (2.5, 3.5, 4.5, 5.5 km∙h-1) and angle (0, 45, 90, 180°) combinations, involving three minute bouts of walking, interspersed by three minutes seated rest. Each condition involved 5 m of straight walking before turning through the pre-determined angle with the speed dictated by a digital, auditory metronome. Tri-axial accelerometry and magnetometry were measured at 60 Hz, in addition to gas exchange on a breath-by-breath basis. Mixed models revealed a significant main effect for speed (F = 121.609, P < 0.001) and angle (F = 19.186, P < 0.001) on oxygen uptake () and a significant interaction between these parameters (F = 4.433, P < 0.001). Specifically, as speed increased, increased but significant increases in relative to straight line walking were only observed for 90° and 180° turns at the two highest speeds (4.5 and 5.5 km∙hr-1). These findings therefore highlight the importance of accounting for the quantity and magnitude of turns completed when estimating energy expenditure and have significant implications within both sport and health contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Europe, the Middle Neolithic is characterized by an important diversification of cultures. In northeastern France, the appearance of the Michelsberg culture has been correlated with major cultural changes and interpreted as the result of the settlement of new groups originating from the Paris Basin. This cultural transition has been accompanied by the expansion of particular funerary practices involving inhumations within circular pits and individuals in “non-conventional” positions (deposited in the pits without any particular treatment). If the status of such individuals has been highly debated, the sacrifice hypothesis has been retained for the site of Gougenheim (Alsace). At the regional level, the analysis of the Gougenheim mitochondrial gene pool (SNPs and HVR-I sequence analyses) permitted us to highlight a major genetic break associated with the emergence of the Michelsberg in the region. This genetic discontinuity appeared to be linked to new affinities with farmers from the Paris Basin, correlated to a noticeable hunter-gatherer legacy. All of the evidence gathered supports (i) the occidental origin of the Michelsberg groups and (ii) the potential implication of this migration in the progression of the hunter-gatherer legacy from the Paris Basin to Alsace / Western Germany at the beginning of the Late Neolithic. At the local level, we noted some differences in the maternal gene pool of individuals in "conventional" vs. "non-conventional" positions. The relative genetic isolation of these sub-groups nicely echoes both their social distinction and the hypothesis of sacrifices retained for the site. Our investigation demonstrates that a multi-scale aDNA study of ancient communities offers a unique opportunity to disentangle the complex relationships between cultural and biological evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to validate estimated energy intake from a web-based food recall, designed for children and adolescents. We directly compared energy intake to estimates of total energy expenditure, calculated from accelerometer outputs, combined with data on weight and sex or resting energy expenditure prediction equations. Children (8–9 years) and adolescents (12–14 years) were recruited through schools in Norway in 2013 (N = 253). Results showed that more than one third (36–37%) were identified as under-reporters of energy. In contrast, only 2–4% were defined as over-reporters of energy. The mean energy intake was under-reported with -1.83 MJ/day for the entire study sample. Increased underestimation was observed for overweight and obese participants, the oldest age group (12–14 years), boys, those with parents/legal guardians with low educational level and those living in non-traditional families. In conclusion, energy intake from the web-based food recall is significantly underestimated compared with total energy expenditure, and should be used with caution in young people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The modified multiple platform method (MMPM) is a classical sleep deprivation model. It has been widely used in behavioral and brain research, due to its effects on physical and mental functions. However, different MMPM protocols can promote distinct effects in rats. Although the MMPM has been proved to induce central fatigue, the effects of different durations of subjection to the MMPM remain undetermined. This study aims to investigate the changes in behavior, N-Methyl-d-Aspartate receptor 1 (NR1) and 2A (NR2A), as well as the ultrastructural alteration in the hippocampus after different MMPM modelling, to compare the central fatigue effect induced by dynamic MMPM. Rats were randomly divided into four groups: 5-, 14- and 21- day MMPM groups, and a control group. Each MMPM group underwent a 14-hour daily MMPM modelling. After each training session, open field and elevated plus maze tests were performed. Corticosterone levels were detected by ELISA, and the hippocampal NR1 and NR2A were measured by RT-PCR and Western blot analysis. In addition, ultrastructural changes in the hippocampal cornu ammonis 1(CA1) region were determined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The findings showed that the 5 and 14 days of MMPM induced a high-stress state, while the 21 days of MMPM induced anxiety and degenerative alteration in the hippocampal morphology. Additionally, hippocampal NR1 and NR2A gene expression decreased in all MMPM groups, whereas the protein expression only decreased in the 21-day group. Overall, different durations of MMPM caused distinct behavioral and brain changes, and the 21 days of MMPM could induce central fatigue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Complex cognition and relatively large brains are distributed across various taxa, and many primarily verbal hypotheses exist to explain such diversity. Yet, mathematical approaches formalizing verbal hypotheses would help deepen the understanding of brain and cognition evolution. With this aim, we combine elements of life history and metabolic theories to formulate a metabolically explicit mathematical model for brain life history evolution. We assume that some of the brain’s energetic expense is due to production (learning) and maintenance (memory) of energy-extraction skills (or cognitive abilities, knowledge, information, etc.). We also assume that individuals use such skills to extract energy from the environment, and can allocate this energy to grow and maintain the body, including brain and reproductive tissues. The model can be used to ask what fraction of growth energy should be allocated at each age, given natural selection, to growing brain and other tissues under various biological settings. We apply the model to find uninvadable allocation strategies under a baseline setting (“me vs nature”), namely when energy-extraction challenges are environmentally determined and are overcome individually but possibly with maternal help, and use modern-human data to estimate model’s parameter values. The resulting uninvadable strategies yield predictions for brain and body mass throughout ontogeny and for the ages at maturity, adulthood, and brain growth arrest. We find that: (1) a me-vs-nature setting is enough to generate adult brain and body mass of ancient human scale and a sequence of childhood, adolescence, and adulthood stages; (2) large brains are favored by intermediately challenging environments, moderately effective skills, and metabolically expensive memory; and (3) adult skill is proportional to brain mass when metabolic costs of memory saturate the brain metabolic rate allocated to skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The consistency and repeatability of movement patterns has been of long-standing interest in locomotor biomechanics, but less well explored in other domains. Tool use is one of such a domain; while the complex dynamics of the human-tool-environment system have been approached from various angles, to date it remains unknown how the rhythmicity of repetitive tool-using action emerges. To examine whether the spontaneously adopted movement frequency is a variable susceptible to individual execution approaches or emerges as constant behaviour, we recorded sawing motion across a range of 14 experimental conditions using various manipulations. This was compared to free and pantomimed arm movements. We found that a mean (SD) sawing frequency of 2.0 (0.4) Hz was employed across experimental conditions. Most experimental conditions did not significantly affect the sawing frequency, signifying the robustness of this spontaneously emerging movement. Free horizontal arm translation and miming of sawing was performed at half the movement frequency with more than double the excursion distance, showing that not all arm movements spontaneously emerge at the observed sawing parameters. Observed movement frequencies across all conditions could be closely predicted from movement time reference data for generic arm movements found in the Methods Time Measurement literature, highlighting a generic biomechanical relationship between the time taken for a given distance travelled underlying the observed behaviour. We conclude that our findings lend support to the hypothesis that repetitive movements during tool use are executed according to generic and predictable musculoskeletal mechanics and constraints, albeit in the context of the general task (sawing) and environmental constraints such as friction, rather than being subject to task-specific control or individual cognitive schemata. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The metabolic demand of walking generally increases following lower extremity amputation. This study used real-time visual feedback to modify biomechanical factors linked to an elevated metabolic demand of walking in individuals with transtibial amputation. Eight persons with unilateral, traumatic transtibial amputation and 8 uninjured controls participated. Two separate bouts of real-time visual feedback were provided during a single session of gait retraining to reduce 1) center of mass sway and 2) thigh muscle activation magnitudes and duration. Baseline and post-intervention data were collected. Metabolic rate, heart rate, frontal plane center of mass sway, quadriceps and hamstrings muscle activity, and co-contraction indices were evaluated during steady state walking at a standardized speed. Visual feedback successfully decreased center of mass sway 12% (p = 0.006) and quadriceps activity 12% (p = 0.041); however, thigh muscle co-contraction indices were unchanged. Neither condition significantly affected metabolic rate during walking and heart rate increased with center-of-mass feedback. Metabolic rate, center of mass sway, and integrated quadriceps muscle activity were all not significantly different from controls. Attempts to modify gait to decrease metabolic demand may actually adversely increase the physiological effort of walking in individuals with lower extremity amputation who are young, active and approximate metabolic rates of able-bodied adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study was: 1) To compare Resting energy expenditure (REE) in adult males with Becker’s Muscular Dystrophy (BeMD, n = 21, 39 ±12 years) and healthy controls (CTRL, n = 12, 37 ±12 years) 2) Determine whether other physiological parameters correlate with REE in BeMD, and 3) Compare current prediction methods of REE with measured REE. Methods: REE was calculated via indirect calorimetry using continuous, expired gas analysis following an overnight fast. Fat free mass (FFM) and fat mass were measured by bioelectrical impedance. B-mode ultrasound measured Tibialis Anterior (TA) and Gastrocnemius Medialis (GM) anatomical cross sectional area (ACSA). The Bone Specific Physical Activity Questionnaire measured physical activity. Results: No difference in REE was found between CTRL and BeMD groups (1913 ±203 & 1786 ±324 Kcal respectively). Other physiological comparisons showed increased fat mass (+54%), decreased TA ACSA (-42%), increased GM ACSA (+25%) as well as reduced respiratory function (FVC -28%; FEV1−27%) in BeMD adults compared to controls. REE estimated from prediction equations (Schofield’s) in Muscular Dystrophy were different from measured REE (P<0.05, bias = -728kcal), while the Mifflin equation was no different from measured REE (r2 = 0.58, Bias = -8kcal). Within the present BeMD, REE predicted from FFM (REE = FFM x 34.57–270; r2 = 0.85) and body mass (REE = BM x 15.65 + 421.5; r2 = 0.66), were not different from measured REE (bias equals 0 and 0.2kcals, respectively) Conclusions: Despite no differences in REE between CTRL and BeMD adults, increased fat masses highlights the requirement for explicit nutritional guidelines, as well as maintenance of physical activity levels, where possible. Prediction equations are frequently used in clinical settings, however these have been shown to be less accurate in BeMD; therefore, the equations proposed here should be used where possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]