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Our molecular understanding of the early stages of human inner ear development has been limited by the difficulty in accessing fetal samples at early gestational stages. As an alternative, previous studies have shown that inner ear morphogenesis can be partially recapitulated using induced pluripotent stem cells directed to differentiate into inner ear organoids (IEOs). Once validated and benchmarked, these systems could represent unique tools to complement and refine our understanding of human otic differentiation and model developmental defects. Here, we provide the first direct comparisons of the early human embryonic otocyst and fetal sensory organs with human IEOs. We use multiplexed immunostaining and single-cell RNA-sequencing to characterize IEOs at three key developmental steps, providing a new and unique signature of in vitro-derived otic placode, epithelium, neuroblasts and sensory epithelia. In parallel, we evaluate the expression and localization of crucial markers at these equivalent stages in human embryos. Together, our data indicate that the current state-ofthe-art protocol enables the specification of bona fide otic tissue, supporting the further application of IEOs to inform inner ear biology and disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is estimated that animals pollinate 87.5% of flowering plants worldwide and that managed honey bees (Apis mellifera) account for 30-50% of this ecosystem service to agriculture. In addition to their important role as pollinators, honey bees are well-established insect models for studying learning and memory, behavior, caste differentiation, epigenetic mechanisms, olfactory biology, sex determination, and eusociality. Despite their importance to agriculture, knowledge of honey bee biology lags behind many other livestock species. In this study, we have used scRNA-Seq to map cell types to different developmental stages of the worker honey bee (prepupa at day 11 and pupa at day 15) and sought to determine their gene expression signatures. To identify cell-type populations, we examined the cell-tocell network based on the similarity of the single-cells transcriptomic profiles. Grouping similar cells together we identified 63 different cell clusters of which 17 clusters were identifiable at both stages. To determine genes associated with specific cell populations or with a particular biological process involved in honey bee development, we used gene coexpression analysis. We combined this analysis with literature mining, the honey bee protein atlas, and gene ontology analysis to determine cell cluster identity. Of the cell clusters identified, 17 were related to the nervous system and sensory organs, 7 to the fat body, 19 to the cuticle, 5 to muscle, 4 to compound eye, 2 to midgut, 2 to hemocytes, and 1 to malpighian tubule/pericardial nephrocyte. To our knowledge, this is the first whole single-cell atlas of honey bees at any stage of development and demonstrates the potential for further work to investigate their biology at the cellular level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article introduces a special issue of the American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly that focuses on late medieval hylomorphism, a philosophical theory that explores the relationship between matter and form. It explains the concepts of substantial form and prime matter and their role in shaping physical objects. The article acknowledges the lack of research on hylomorphism during this period and aims to address this gap by exploring the ideas of lesser-known figures and their contributions to hylomorphic theory. The special issue includes papers that discuss debates within the hylomorphic framework, such as the nature of composite substances and the ontological commitments involved. The authors hope that the articles in this special issue will shed light on the significance of late medieval hylomorphism and generate further interest in the topic. [Extracted from the article]

Eye is the most specialized and sensory body organ and treating eye diseases efficiently is necessary. Despite various attempts, the design of a consummate ophthalmic drug delivery system remains unsolved because of anatomical and physiological barriers that hinder drug transport into the desired ocular tissues. It is important to advance new platforms to manage ocular disorders, whether they exist in the anterior or posterior cavities. Nanotechnology has piqued the interest of formulation scientists because of its capability to augment ocular bioavailability, control drug release, and minimize inefficacious drug absorption, with special attention to lipid-based nanocarriers (LBNs) because of their cellular safety profiles. LBNs have greatly improved medication availability at the targeted ocular site in the required concentration while causing minimal adverse effects on the eye tissues. Nevertheless, the exact mechanisms by which lipid-based nanocarriers can bypass different ocular barriers are still unclear and have not been discussed. Thus, to bridge this gap, the current work aims to highlight the applications of LBNs in the ocular drug delivery exploring the different ocular barriers and the mechanisms viz. adhesion, fusion, endocytosis, and lipid exchange, through which these platforms can overcome the barrier characteristics challenges. [Display omitted] • Ocular drug delivery remains challenging due to various ocular barriers. • Lipid-based nanocarriers (LBNs) overcome ocular barriers via different mechanisms. • LBNs undergo fusion, endocytosis, and lipid exchange with ocular endothelium. • LBNs can improve drug ocular residence time. • Several limitations facing the translation of lipid-based nanocarrier to the clinic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Necatibey Faculty of Education Electronic Journal of Science & Mathematics Education is the property of Balikesir University, Necatibey Faculty of Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Sensory systems evolved to provide the organism with information about the environment to guide adaptive behaviour. Neuroscientists and psychologists have traditionally considered each sense independently, a legacy of Aristotle and a natural consequence of their distinct physical and anatomical bases. However, from the point of view of the organism, perception and sensorimotor behaviour are fundamentally multi-modal; after all, each modality provides complementary information about the same world. Classic studies revealed much about where and how sensory signals are combined to improve performance, but these tended to treat multisensory integration as a static, passive, bottom-up process. It has become increasingly clear how this approach falls short, ignoring the interplay between perception and action, the temporal dynamics of the decision process and the many ways by which the brain can exert top-down control of integration. The goal of this issue is to highlight recent advances on these higher order aspects of multisensory processing, which together constitute a mainstay of our understanding of complex, natural behaviour and its neural basis. This article is part of the theme issue 'Decision and control processes in multisensory perception'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: High-altitude (HA) affects sensory organ response, but its effects on the inner ear are not fully understood. The present scoping review aimed to collect the available evidence about HA effects on the inner ear with focus on auditory function. Methods: The scoping review was conducted following the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis extension for scoping reviews. PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science electronic databases were systematically searched to identify studies conducted in the last 20 years, which quantified in healthy subjects the effects of HA on auditory function. Results: The systematic search identified 17 studies on a total population of 888 subjects (88.7% male, age: 27.8 ± 4.1 years; median sample size of 15 subjects). Nine studies were conducted in a simulated environment and eight during real expeditions at HA. To quantify auditory function, six studies performed pure tone audiometry, four studies measured otoacoustic emissions (OAE) and eight studies measured auditory evoked responses (AER). Study protocols presented heterogeneity in the spatio-temporal patterns of HA exposure, with highly varying maximal altitudes and exposure durations. Conclusion: Most studies reported a reduction of auditory function with HA in terms of either elevation of auditory thresholds, lengthening of AER latencies, reduction of distortion-product and transient-evoked OAEs. Future studies in larger populations, using standardized protocols and multi-technique auditory function evaluation, are needed to further characterize the spatio-temporal pattern of HA effects along the auditory pathways and clarify the pathophysiological implications and reversibility of the observed changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well known that the nervous system adjusts itself to its environment during development. Although a great deal of effort has been directed towards understanding the developmental processes of the individual sensory systems (e.g., vision, hearing, etc.), only one major study has examined the maturation of multisensory processing in cortical neurons. Therefore, the present investigation sought to evaluate multisensory development in a different cortical region and species. Using multiple single‐unit recordings in anaesthetised ferrets (n = 18) of different ages (from postnatal day 80 to 300), we studied the responses of neurons from the rostral posterior parietal (PPr) area to presentations of visual, tactile and combined visual‐tactile stimulation. The results showed that multisensory neurons were infrequent at the youngest ages (pre‐pubertal) and progressively increased through the later ages. Significant response changes that result from multisensory stimulation (defined as multisensory integration [MSI]) were observed in post‐pubertal adolescent animals, and the magnitude of these integrated responses also increased across this age group. Furthermore, non‐significant multisensory response changes were progressively increased in adolescent animals. Collectively, at the population level, MSI was observed to shift from primarily suppressive levels in infants to increasingly higher levels in later stages. These data indicate that, like the unisensory systems from which it is derived, multisensory processing shows developmental changes whose specific time course may be regionally and species‐dependent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Possible functions of several species-specific, sexually dimorphic male structures and of the male genitalia of Lytta eucera were deduced from observations of behaviour in the field and captivity, and were used to test theories of sexual selection. The male rubbed and tapped on the female's antennae with sexually dimorphic segments of his antennae, and on her elytra with brushes of setae on his hind tarsi. He forcefully grasped the female's prothorax and at least occasionally perforated the female's prothoracic membranes with his modified middle tibiae, and her relatively uniform, membranous vaginal lining with his strong aedeagal teeth. His aedeagal teeth snagged her vaginal lining, and his gonostyli usually pressed against a featureless external female intersegmental membrane. None of these male structures was used as a weapon or in threat displays. No female structure fitted tightly in a "lock-and-key" manner with any of the male structures, nor was any female structure capable of selectively impeding their use, thus ruling out some hypotheses explaining their species-specificity in males. Female resistance to males, including occasional violent "tantrum" displays, was energetic, persistent, and highly effective; the functional significance of this resistance is unclear. If females distinguish the stimuli produced by species-specific traits of male genitalia, as supposed by some hypotheses, they likely use higher-level analyses in the central nervous system rather than the locations of the particular sense organs that are stimulated. The functional morphology of species-specific genital and nongenital sexually dimorphic traits of male Lytta eucera beetles was deduced using behavioural and morphological data. Two nongenital male traits function exclusively to stimulate females during courtship. Two other nongenital male traits may have mixed functions; one is unique in Meloidae in serving to grasp the female prothorax in a tong-like fashion. The traits were compared with predictions of hypotheses that have been proposed to explain species-specificity. No nongenital or genital trait fit well with mechanical versions of the species isolation or the sexually antagonistic coevolution (SAC) hypothesis. Inconsistency in the points of male–female genital contact indicated that stimulation versions of the cryptic female choice and SAC hypotheses could not be true unless female analyses of male stimuli occur not at the receptors themselves, but deeper in the female's nervous system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While age-related auditory deficits and cochlear alterations are well described, those affecting the vestibular sensory organs and more broadly the central vestibular pathways are much less documented. Although there is inter-individual heterogeneity in the phenomenon of vestibular ageing, common tissue alterations, such as losses of sensory hair cells or primary and secondary neurons during the ageing process, can be noted. In this review, we document the cellular and molecular processes that occur during ageing in the peripheral and central vestibular system and relate them to the impact of age-related vestibular deficits based on current knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tomopteridae are transparent, predatory Annelida inhabiting pelagic ocean zones. Despite being well-known for their fast metachronal swimming and species-specific bioluminescence, our knowledge of morphological adaptations in these fascinating holopelagic worms remains extremely limited. In particular, the evolutionary scenarios and adaptive changes related to the transition from putative benthic ancestors to recent free-swimming groups remain poorly investigated and understood. Therefore, we investigated different taxa and developmental stages within the holopelagic Tomopteridae. We used a comparative morphological approach, including a range of microscopic methods, in our investigations focused on the anterior nervous system and prominent sensory structures, such as nuchal organs and tentacular cirri, in early developmental and adult stages of four tomopterid species. Our data show that Tomopteridae undergo heterochronic, lecithotrophic development with early visibility of adult-like features, which is consistent with earlier investigations. Furthermore, our ultrastructural examinations of the tomopterid nuchal organ highlight the conservativism in the fine structure and development of this prominent polychaete chemosensory organ. Nevertheless, our data indicate ultrastructural differences, such as an extraordinary number of supporting cell types and a bipartite olfactory chamber, potentially related to their pelagic lifestyle. In contrast to previous assumptions, it is shown that the supporting structures in the cirrus-like appendages of the first chaetiger contain prominent intracellular skeletal elements rather than annelid chaetae. These findings highlight the need for further investigations to understand Annelida's immense morphological diversity of organ systems. Furthermore, our data demonstrate the necessity of functional analyses to understand Annelida's adaptive radiation of sensory and neuronal structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dizziness and vertigo are common reasons for consultation in primary care and occurs when the brain receives conflicting information from different sensory organs. After classifying the type and duration of dizziness or vertigo based on the patient history, a tentative diagnosis is made. In combination with a targeted physical examination, this is usually sufficient for diagnosis and exclusion of potentially dangerous causes. If a stroke is to be ruled out, a neurological examination and possibly HINTS (head impulse test, nystagmus, test of skew) testing are necessary. Despite a structured approach, many cases of dizziness and vertigo cannot be clearly diagnosed. In this case, it is crucial to inform patients about the benign nature of nonspecific forms of dizziness and vertigo and the mostly favorable outcome. In addition, balance training and drug therapy are possible options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A transfer-prepared specimen of Lepidotes (Actinopterygii, Lepisosteiformes) from the Posidonia Shale Formation of south Germany is tentatively identified specifically as L. gigas. The genus and its species are insufficiently defined and in need of revision. The new specimen reveals details of the cranial and pectoral girdle skeletal architecture and previously unknown osteological features of Lepidotes, such as a large foramen on the maxilla and the formation of two tooth-bearing clavicle elements (serrated appendages). Maxillary foramina are also known in the related contemporaneous lepisosteiform Mengius and possibly served for passage of nerve branches supplying either a maxillary pit-line or cutaneous sense organs (taste buds) in a thickened upper lip or barbels. The clavicle elements agree morphologically with those of the Recent Amia. Their function remains obscure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bonnet starts, as does Condillac, with a statue limited to the sense of smell, to a single sensation of a rose's scent. Both Condillac and Bonnet emphasize the importance of the body and its forces in ways that far exceed what Locke would have allowed. Charles Bonnet.. Translated and introduced by Stephen Gaukroger. [Extracted from the article]

The article "Dysphagia: Focus in Diagnosis" discusses the importance of diagnosing and managing swallowing disorders, particularly dysphagia, which can significantly impact an individual's quality of life. Various protocols and tools, such as the MD Anderson Dysphagia Inventory and the Eating Assessment Tool, are used to assess the impact of dysphagia on patients. The involvement of multiple medical professionals, including speech therapists, neurologists, and gastroenterologists, is often necessary for a comprehensive evaluation and treatment plan. The article emphasizes the significance of early diagnosis and management of dysphagia, especially in an aging population, to mitigate its adverse effects on patients' health and well-being. [Extracted from the article]

A cross-sectional, prospective, between-subjects design was used in this study to establish the differences in sensory reweighting of postural control among different ages during adolescence. A total of 153 adolescents (five age groups; 13-17 years old) performed bipedal standing in three sensory conditions (i.e., with visual restriction, vestibular disturbance, and proprioceptive disturbance). Center of pressure displacement signals were measured in mediolateral and anteroposterior directions to characterize reweighting in the sensory system in static postural control when sensory information is disturbed or restricted during adolescent growth. The results indicate a development of postural control, showing large differences between subjects of 13-14 years old and older adolescents. A critical change was found in sensory reweighting during bipedal stance with disturbance of proprioceptive information at 15 years old. Adolescents of 13-14 years old showed less postural control and performance than older adolescents during the disturbance of proprioceptive information. Moreover, the results demonstrated that the visual system achieves its development around 15-16 years old. In conclusion, this research suggests that a difference of sensory reweighting under this type of sensorial condition and sensory reweight systems would seem to achieve stabilization at the age of 15. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the potential mechanism of auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia, focusing on the overreliance on prior expectations as a primary deficit. The study by Duhamel et al. investigates biases toward prior expectations in healthy individuals and hallucination-prone individuals, revealing a correlation between deficits in the representation of prior variance and hallucination proneness.

[Background] The April 2022 revision of medical fees included prescription format changes and the implementation of a refill prescription system that enables patients with stable symptoms to repeatedly use prescriptions for a specified duration under appropriate coordination between physicians and pharmacists. To investigate the dissemination of refill prescriptions a year after their implementation, this study examined their trends using Nihon Chouzai prescription data from April 2022 to June 2023. [Methods] The study focused on prescriptions with a "refillable" checkbox that were filled at Nihon Chouzai pharmacies within Tokyo that had opened by March 2022. Patient sex, age, number of refill prescriptions, and drug types were analyzed. [Results and Discussion] We identified 17,561 refill prescriptions filled at 148 pharmacies during the study period. There were 10,226 prescriptions with two refills and 7,335 prescriptions with three refills. The pharmacies initially filled 199 refill prescriptions in April 2022, and subsequently increased to 1,369 in October 2022 and 1,542 in April 2023. Among the drug types, the largest number of refill prescriptions was 4,102 for cardiovascular agents. Refill prescriptions were mainly dispensed for long-term medications such as cardiovascular agents, other metabolic agents, and hormones (including antihormones). This differed from regular prescriptions, which were mainly dispensed for cardiovascular agents, digestive organ agents, and sensory organ agents. Refill prescription numbers gradually increased following their introduction in April 2022. However, this number reached 1,542 in December (0.48% of total prescriptions) and remained relatively unchanged until June 2023. Future trends in refill prescriptions should be closely watched. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A large sample was used to test tactile sensitivity among blind and deaf. • Early blind show no difference in tactile sensitivity compared to controls. • Deaf and late blind show reduced tactile sensitivity compared to controls. • Tactile sensitivity declines with age. • Men and women show no difference in tactile sensitivity. Perceptual experience is shaped by a complex interaction between our sensory systems in which each sense conveys information on specific properties of our surroundings. This multisensory processing of complementary information improves the accuracy of our perceptual judgments and leads to more precise and faster reactions. Sensory impairment or loss in one modality leads to information deficiency that can impact other senses in various ways. For early auditory or visual loss, impairment and/or compensatory increase of the sensitivity of other senses are equally well described. Investigating individuals with deafness (N = 73), early (N = 51), late blindness (N = 49) and corresponding controls, we compared tactile sensitivity using the standard monofilament test on two locations, the finger and handback. Results indicate lower tactile sensitivity in people with deafness and late blindness but not in people with early blindness compared to respective controls, irrespective of stimulation location, gender, and age. Results indicate that neither sensory compensation nor simple use-dependency or a hindered development of the tactile sensory system is sufficient to explain changes in somatosensation after the sensory loss but that a complex interaction of effects is present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding of the human body's internal processes to maintain balance is fundamental to simulate postural control behaviour. The body uses multiple sensory systems' information to obtain a reliable estimate about the current body state. This information is used to control the reactive behaviour to maintain balance. To predict a certain motion behaviour with knowledge of the muscle forces, forward dynamic simulations of biomechanical human models can be utilized. We aim to use predictive postural control simulations to give therapy recommendations to patients suffering from postural disorders in the future. It is important to know which types of modelling approaches already exist to apply such predictive forward dynamic simulations. Current literature provides different models that aim to simulate human postural control. We conducted a systematic literature research to identify the different approaches of postural control models. The different approaches are discussed regarding their applied biomechanical models, sensory representation, sensory integration, and control methods in standing and gait simulations. We searched on Scopus, Web of Science and PubMed using a search string, scanned 1253 records, and found 102 studies to be eligible for inclusion. The included studies use different ways for sensory representation and integration, although underlying neural processes still remain unclear. We found that for postural control optimal control methods like linear quadratic regulators and model predictive control methods are used less, when models' level of details is increasing, and nonlinearities become more important. Considering musculoskeletal models, reflex-based and PD controllers are mainly applied and show promising results, as they aim to create human-like motion behaviour considering physiological processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contact insecticides are primarily used for the control of Anopheles malaria vectors. These chemicals penetrate mosquito legs and other appendages; the first barriers to reaching their neuronal targets. An ATP-Binding Cassette transporter from the H family (ABCH2) is highly expressed in Anopheles coluzzii legs, and further induced upon insecticide exposure. RNAi-mediated silencing of the ABCH2 caused a significant increase in deltamethrin mortality compared to control mosquitoes, coincident with a corresponding increase in 14C-deltamethrin penetration. RT-qPCR analysis and immunolocalization revealed ABCH2 to be mainly localized in the legs and head appendages, and more specifically, the apical part of the epidermis, underneath the cuticle. To unravel the molecular mechanism underlying the role of ABCH2 in modulating pyrethroid toxicity, two hypotheses were investigated: An indirect role, based on the orthology with other insect ABCH transporters involved with lipid transport and deposition of CHC lipids in Anopheles legs which may increase cuticle thickness, slowing down the penetration rate of deltamethrin; or the direct pumping of deltamethrin out of the organism. Evaluation of the leg cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) content showed no affect by ABCH2 silencing, indicating this protein is not associated with the transport of leg CHCs. Homology-based modeling suggested that the ABCH2 half-transporter adopts a physiological homodimeric state, in line with its ability to hydrolyze ATP in vitro when expressed on its own in insect cells. Docking analysis revealed a deltamethrin pocket in the homodimeric transporter. Furthermore, deltamethrin-induced ATP hydrolysis in ABCH2-expressing cell membranes, further supports that deltamethrin is indeed an ABCH2 substrate. Overall, our findings pinpoint ABCH2 participating in deltamethrin toxicity regulation. Author summary: Malaria control is heavily dependent on insecticides to kill mosquitoes that spread the disease-causing pathogens. Insecticides are absorbed through the legs and sensory head organs when mosquitoes land on treated surfaces, such as bednets or sprayed house walls. The insecticides then must travel through the body to the target site, typically nerve cells, to cause death. In recent years, mosquito resistance to insecticides has become a severe problem leading to increased malaria mortalities, particularly in Africa. Finding out how mosquitoes become resistant is a key step in trying to find a solution to the problem. Previous work showed that some mosquitoes have evolved a resistance mechanism whereby they limit the amount of insecticide that passes through the legs, but how they did this was unclear. Here we show that the mosquito has a transporter, or pump, specifically found in the legs and head organs that actively removes the insecticide back out of the leg, similar to bailing out a boat taking on water, before it can disseminate through the body. The protection provided by the transporter highlights a novel mosquito 'detox' mechanism that could be targeted by insecticidal supplements that block the pump and restore insecticide toxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The function of sensory cells has been largely investigated in the field of neuroscience for how they report the physical and chemical changes of the environment ("exteroception") and of internal physiology ("interoception"). Investigations over the last century have largely focused on the morphological, electrical and receptor properties of sensory cells in the nervous system focusing on conscious perception of external cues or homeostatic regulation upon detection of internal cues. Research in the last decade has uncovered that sensory cells can often sense polymodal cues, such as mechanical, chemical, and/ or thermal. Furthermore, sensory cells in the peripheral as well as in the central nervous system can detect evidence associated with the invasion of pathogenic bacteria or viruses. The corresponding neuronal activation associated with the presence of pathogens can impact their classical functions within the nervous system and trigger the release of compounds modulating the response to intruders, either triggering pain to raise awareness, enhancing host defense or sometimes, aggravating the infection. This perspective brings to light the need for interdisciplinary training in immunology, microbiology and neuroscience for the next generation of investigators in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cerebral lateralisation is the tendency for an individual to preferentially use one side of their brain and is apparent in the biased use of paired sensory organs. Horses vary in eye use when viewing a novel stimulus which may be due to different physiological reactions. To understand the interplay between physiology and lateralisation, we presented a novel object (an inflated balloon) to 20 horses while electrocardiogram traces were collected. We measured the amount of time each horse looked at the balloon with each eye. We calculated 'sample entropy' as a measure of non-linear heart rate variability both prior to and during the stimulus presentation. A smaller drop in sample entropy values between the habituation phase and the sample presentation indicates the maintenance of a more complex signal associated with a relaxed physiological state. Horses that spent longer viewing the balloon with their left eye had a greater reduction in sample entropy, while time spend looking with the right eye was unrelated to the change in sample entropy. Therefore, the horses that exhibited a greater reduction in sample entropy tended to use their right hemisphere more, which may take precedence in emotional reactions. These results may help to explain the variation in lateralisation observed among horses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Animals can adaptively behave in different environmental conditions by converting environmental information obtained from their sensory organs into actions. This sensory–motor integration enables the accomplishment of various tasks and is essential for animal survival. This sensory–motor integration also plays an important role in localization to females, relying on sex pheromones floating in space. In this study, we focused on the localization behavior of the adult male silk moth, Bombyx mori. We investigated sensory–motor integration against time delay using odor plume tracking performance as an index when we set a certain time delay for the sensory and motor responses. Given that it is difficult to directly intervene in the sensory and motor functions of the silk moth, we constructed an intervention system based on a mobile behavior measurement system controlled by them. Using this intervention system, not only can timing the detection of the odor in the environment and timing the presentation of the odor to the silk moth be manipulated, but timing the reflection of the movement of the silk moth can also be manipulated. We analyzed the extent to which the localization strategy of the silk moth could tolerate sensory delays by setting a delay to the odor presentation. We also evaluated behavioral compensation by odor sensory feedback by setting a delay to the motor. The results of the localization experiment have shown that the localization success rate did not decrease when there was a motor delay. However, when there was a sensory delay, the success rate decreased depending on the time delay. Analysis of the change in behavior after detection of the odor stimulus has shown that the movement was more linear when we set a motor delay. However, the movement was accompanied by a large rotational movement when there was a delay in the sensory input. This result has suggested that behavior is compensated for the delay in motor function by feedback control of odor sensation, but not when accompanied by sensory delay. To compensate for this, the silk moth may acquire appropriate information from the environment by making large body movements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under conditions of prolonged durations of warmth, flies counter potential temperature stress by shifting their locomotor activity from day into night when the conditions are likely to be less harsh. Modulation of a rhythmic behavior such as this in response to the environment would require interaction between at least 2 neuronal systems: (1) a sensory system to receive input from the environment, and (2) the internal clock to correctly time rhythmic activity in response to this thermosensory input. Our previous studies found that a thermosensory mutant of the ion channel Drosophila Transient Receptor Potential-A1 (dTRPA1) failed to shift activity into the dark like control flies do and also identified the role of a specific cluster of the dTRPA1 -expressing neurons, the dTRPA1 sh+neurons necessary for this. In this study, we extended our previous findings and characterized the identity of these dTRPA1 sh+ neurons based on their overlap with circadian neurons. Utilizing various genetic manipulations, we asked whether the overlapping neurons could be potential points of intersection between the 2 circuits that modulate behavior under warm temperature, meaning whether they function as both—sensory and clock neurons. We found that the molecular clock within the dTRPA1 sh+ cluster was not necessary, but the expression of dTRPA1 in a subset of circadian neurons, the small ventrolateral neurons (sLNvs), was necessary in modulating phasing of behavior under warm temperature. Furthermore, attempting to identify the neuronal circuit, we were able to uncover the potential roles of serotonin and acetylcholine in modulating this temperature-dependent behavior. Finally, we also discuss possible parallel neuronal pathways that may exist to give rise to this modulation of behavior under warm temperature, thereby supporting and expanding the knowledge of the field about circuits that control temperature-mediated behavioral outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since molecular data identified hippopotamids as the closest living relatives of cetaceans, a common aquatic/semiaquatic ancestor hypothesis for these modern taxa has naturally been proposed. However, recent molecular studies concluded that most molecular adaptations in extant cetaceans occurred after their split from hippopotamids. If the question of aquatic affinities of the first cetaceans has been investigated at large, it has not been the case for the forebears of hippopotamids. Sensory organs are drastically affected by underwater perception. In this work, we question the aquatic affinities of fossil hippopotamoids through an investigation of the morphology and morphometrics of the petrosal bone and cochlea of 12 extinct hippopotamoid taxa. Petrosal and bony labyrinth morphological characters constitute a source of structured phylogenetic signal, both supporting major hippopotamoid clades and bringing original relationships. The morphometric study of functional measurements of the cochlear canal shows that anthracotheres bridge the morphological gap between terrestrial artiodactyls and modern hippopotamids. The integrated functional signal of the ear region further supports convergent acquisitions of semiaquatic behaviour in hippopotamids and cetaceans and indicates that terrestrial hearing was an ancestral trait among Hippopotamoidea. We highlight multiple convergent acquisitions of semiaquatic traits in the ear region of hippopotamoids and new robust phylogenetic characters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social learning is widespread in the animal kingdom and is involved in behaviours from navigation and predator avoidance to mate choice and foraging. While social learning has been extensively studied in group‐living species, this article presents a literature review demonstrating that social learning is also seen in a range of non‐grouping animals, including arthropods, fishes and tetrapod groups, and in a variety of behavioural contexts. We should not be surprised by this pattern, since non‐grouping animals are not necessarily non‐social, and stand to benefit from attending to and responding to social information in the same ways that group‐living species do. The article goes on to ask what non‐grouping species can tell us about the evolution and development of social learning. First, while social learning may be based on the same cognitive processes as other kinds of learning, albeit with social stimuli, sensory organs and brain regions associated with detection and motivation to respond to social information may be under selection. Non‐grouping species may provide useful comparison taxa in phylogenetic analyses investigating if and how the social environment drives selection on these input channels. Second, non‐grouping species may be ideal candidates for exploring how ontogenetic experience of social cues shapes the development of social learning, allowing researchers to avoid some of the negative welfare implications associated with raising group‐living animals under restricted social conditions. Finally, while non‐grouping species may be capable of learning socially under experimental conditions, there is a need to consider how non‐grouping restricts access to learning opportunities under natural conditions and whether this places a functional constraint on what non‐grouping animals actually learn socially in the wild. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 infection and long COVID affect multiple organ systems, including the respiratory, cardiovascular, renal, digestive, neuroendocrine, musculoskeletal systems, and sensory organs. Exerkines, released during exercise, have a potent crosstalk effect between multiple body systems. This reviewdescribes the evidence of howexerkines canmitigate the effects of COVID-19 in each organ system that the virus affects. The evidence presented in the review suggests that exercise should be considered a first-line strategy in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 infection and long COVID disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parasites exert a profound effect on biological processes. In animal communication, parasite effects on signalers are well-known drivers of the evolution of communication systems. Receiver behavior is also likely to be altered when they are parasitized or at risk of parasitism, but these effects have received much less attention. Here, we present a broad framework for understanding the consequences of parasitism on receivers for behavioral, ecological, and evolutionary processes. First, we outline the different kinds of effects parasites can have on receivers, including effects on signal processing from the many parasites that inhabit, occlude, or damage the sensory periphery and the central nervous system or that affect physiological processes that support these organs, and effects on receiver response strategies. We then demonstrate how understanding parasite effects on receivers could answer important questions about the mechanistic causes and functional consequences of variation in animal communication systems. Variation in parasitism levels is a likely source of among-individual differences in response to signals, which can affect receiver fitness and, through effects on signaler fitness, impact population levels of signal variability. The prevalence of parasitic effects on specific sensory organs may be an important selective force for the evolution of elaborate and multimodal signals. Finally, host–parasite coevolution across heterogeneous landscapes will generate geographic variation in communication systems, which could ultimately lead to evolutionary divergence. We discuss applications of experimental techniques to manipulate parasitism levels and point the way forward by calling for integrative research collaborations between parasitologists, neurobiologists, and behavioral and evolutionary ecologists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Animals interact with their environment through mechanically active, mobile sensors. The efficient use of these sensory organs implies the ability to track their position; otherwise, perceptual stability or prehension would be profoundly impeded. The nervous system may keep track of the position of a sensorimotor organ via two complementary feedback mechanisms--peripheral reafference (external, sensory feedback) and efference copy (internal feedback). Yet, the potential contributions of these mechanisms remain largely unexplored. By training male rats to place one of their vibrissae within a predetermined angular range without contact, a task that depends on knowledge of vibrissa position relative to their face, we found that peripheral reafference is not required. The presence of motor cortex is not required either, except in the absence of peripheral reafference to maintain motor stability. Finally, the red nucleus, which receives descending inputs from motor cortex and cerebellum and projects to facial motoneurons, is critically involved in the execution of the vibrissa positioning task. All told, our results point toward the existence of an internal model that requires either peripheral reafference or motor cortex to optimally drive voluntary motion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peripheral sensory organ damage leads to compensatory cortical plasticity that is associated with a remarkable recovery of cortical responses to sound. The precise mechanisms that explain how this plasticity is implemented and distributed over a diverse collection of excitatory and inhibitory cortical neurons remain unknown. After noise trauma and persistent peripheral deficits, we found recovered sound-evoked activity in mouse A1 excitatory principal neurons (PNs), parvalbumin- and vasoactive intestinal peptide-expressing neurons (PVs and VIPs), but reduced activity in somatostatin-expressing neurons (SOMs). This cell-type-specific recovery was also associated with cell-type-specific intrinsic plasticity. These findings, along with our computational modelling results, are consistent with the notion that PV plasticity contributes to PN stability, SOM plasticity allows for increased PN and PV activity, and VIP plasticity enables PN and PV recovery by inhibiting SOMs. Peripheral sensory organ damage leads to compensatory cortical plasticity. Here, the authors show that after noise trauma, auditory cortical neurons display cell-type-specific plasticity in their sound-evoked and intrinsic properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current transformation within the market context discloses how important the approach to new marketing strategies is in order to supply new demands. In that context, sensory marketing is emphasized as a thriving market strategy which the basis is deeply linked to the sensory organs and also to the particular sensitivity of the human mind. Considering this theoretical aspect, similarities were analyzed in what concerns the relation between sensory marketing and the field of executive secretariat. In addition, this research aimed to identify how this relation can be assimilated and perceived by these professionals into their daily routines of work in the area. This study follows a qualitative, descriptive and explanatory approach, in which six graduated professionals of the executive secretariat area conducted a field research. The results show that the sensory marketing is integrated into the secretarial routines of work and their aims at bringing pleasurable and involving experiences to the customers. Secretaries consider sensory marketing as something essential for a brand to achieve success. However, the concepts related to this area are not widely explored during the professional performance of those individuals who work in this area. Therefore, sensory marketing and executive secretariat play equally important roles by helping to develop qualifications and professional growth. Certainly, it derives from the relation between the exchange of knowledge provided by the interaction between these two areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The skin is a sensory organ, densely innervated with various types of sensory nerve endings, capable of discriminating touch, environmental sensations, proprioception, and physical affection. Neurons communication with skin cells confer to the tissue the ability to undergo adaptive modifications during response to environmental changes or wound healing after injury. Thought for a long time to be dedicated to the central nervous system, the glutamatergic neuromodulation is increasingly described in peripheral tissues. Glutamate receptors and transporters have been identified in the skin. There is a strong interest in understanding the communication between keratinocytes and neurons, as the close contacts with intra‐epidermal nerve fibers is a favorable site for efficient communication. To date, various coculture models have been described. However, these models were based on non‐human or immortalized cell line. Even the use of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) is posing limitations because of epigenetic variations during the reprogramming process. Methods: In this study, we performed small molecule‐driven direct conversion of human skin primary fibroblasts into induced neurons (iNeurons). Results: The resulting iNeurons were mature, showed pan‐neuronal markers, and exhibited a glutamatergic subtype and C‐type fibers characteristics. Autologous coculture of iNeurons with human primary keratinocytes, fibroblasts, and melanocytes was performed and remained healthy for many days, making possible to study the establishment of intercellular interactions. Conclusion: Here, we report that iNeurons and primary skin cells established contacts, with neurite ensheathment by keratinocytes, and demonstrated that iNeurons cocultured with primary skin cells provide a reliable model to examine intercellular communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disorder characterized by elevated blood sugar levels. Patients of DM body cells are exposed to excessive amounts of plasma glucose, and the symptoms reported to complicate the sensory hearing organ. Spiral ganglion atrophy, vestibulocochlear nerve myelin sheath degradation, a reduction in the number of spiral lamina nerve fibres, and thickening of the stria vascularis and small arteries capillary walls are all potential chronic auditory repercussions of diabetes. The damage to any part of the hearing mechanism can lead to hearing loss. The present study aimed to investigate the high-frequency hearing sensitivity level among young adults diagnosed with Insulin-dependent and Non-Insulin dependent Diabetes Mellitus. It is an observational study design. Totally 90 participants were included between the age range of 31–40 years and divided into three groups (Control, Insulin-dependent DM, and Non-Insulin dependent DM). Each group had 30 participants. The results indicated that the hearing sensitivity level in high frequencies decreased when compared to lower frequencies. Most of the participants were observed to have reduced hearing sensitivity from mild to moderately severe sensorineural hearing loss. The study concluded that strong evidence that hearing loss may be a sign of DM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Live imaging in the zebrafish embryo using tissue‐specific expression of fluorescent proteins can yield important insights into the mechanisms that drive sensory organ morphogenesis and cell differentiation. Morphogenesis of the semicircular canal ducts of the vertebrate inner ear requires a complex rearrangement of epithelial cells, including outgrowth, adhesion, fusion and perforation of epithelial projections to generate pillars of tissue that form the hubs of each canal. We report the insertion sites and expression patterns of two enhancer trap lines in the developing zebrafish embryo, each of which highlight different aspects of epithelial cell morphogenesis in the inner ear. A membrane‐linked EGFP driven by smad6b regulatory sequences is expressed throughout the otic epithelium, most strongly on the lateral side of the ear and in the sensory cristae. A second enhancer trap line, with cytoplasmic EGFP driven by frizzled1 (fzd1) regulatory sequences, specifically marks cells of the ventral projection and pillar in the developing ear, and marginal cells in the sensory cristae, together with variable expression in the retina and epiphysis, and neurons elsewhere in the developing central nervous system. We have used a combination of methods to identify the insertion sites of these two transgenes, which were generated through random insertion, and show that Targeted Locus Amplification is a rapid and reliable method for the identification of insertion sites of randomly inserted transgenes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, polymer materials have been at the forefront of other materials in building high‐performance flexible electronic skin (e‐skin) devices due to conspicuous advantages including excellent mechanical flexibility, good compatibility, and high plasticity. However, most research works just paid considerable attention and effort to the design, construction, and possible application of e‐skins that reproduce the tactile perception of the human skin sensory system. Compared with tactile sensing devices, e‐skins that aim to imitate the non‐contact sensing features in the sensory system of human skin tend to avoid undesired issues such as bacteria spreading and mechanical wear. To further promote the development of e‐skins to the human skin sensory system where tactile perception and non‐contact sensing complement each other, significant progress and advances have been achieved in the field of polymer materials enabled e‐skins for both tactile perception and non‐contact sensing applications. In this review, the latest progress in polymer material‐based e‐skins with regard to tactile, non‐contact sensing capabilities and their practical applications are introduced. The fabrication strategies of polymer materials and their role in building high‐performance e‐skins for tactile and non‐contact sensing are highlighted. Furthermore, we also review the research works that integrated the polymer‐based tactile and non‐contact e‐skins into robots and prostheses, smart gloves, and VR/AR devices and addressed some representative problems to demonstrate their suitability in practical applications in human–machine interactions. Finally, the current challenges in the construction of high‐performance tactile and non‐contact e‐skins are highlighted and promising properties in this direction, by taking advantage of the polymer materials, are outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 11th century translations Premnon physicon by Alfanus of Salerno and Pantegni by Constantine the African offered to the Latin West two systematic descriptions of the human bodily architecture and its functioning. Both works highlight the relationship between the material constitution and teleological principles at play in the living body. This paper explores the working of one of these principles, the ‘animal power’, and its principal organ, the brain, within the living body. In particular, it examines the account of pain within these systems, underscoring its relationship to sensation: pain is conceived as an affection of the soul, and as a physical-material change in the sense organ, which is connected with the brain in its activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To respond to the world around them, animals rely on the input of a network of sensory organs distributed throughout the body. Distinct classes of sensory organs are specialized for the detection of specific stimuli such as strain, pressure, or taste. The features that underlie this specialization relate both to the neurons that innervate sensory organs and the accessory cells they comprise. To understand the genetic basis of this diversity of cell types, both within and between sensory organs, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing on the first tarsal segment of the male Drosophila melanogaster foreleg during pupal development. This tissue displays a wide variety of functionally and structurally distinct sensory organs, including campaniform sensilla, mechanosensory bristles, and chemosensory taste bristles, as well as the sex comb, a recently evolved male-specific structure. In this study, we characterize the cellular landscape in which the sensory organs reside, identify a novel cell type that contributes to the construction of the neural lamella, and resolve the transcriptomic differences among support cells within and between sensory organs. We identify the genes that distinguish between mechanosensory and chemosensory neurons, resolve a combinatorial transcription factor code that defines 4 distinct classes of gustatory neurons and several types of mechanosensory neurons, and match the expression of sensory receptor genes to specific neuron classes. Collectively, our work identifies core genetic features of a variety of sensory organs and provides a rich, annotated resource for studying their development and function. Drosophila melanogaster carry a wide range of specialized sensory organs on the foreleg tarsus; a single-cell atlas of this tissue during pupal development reveals the genetic differences between different sensory organ classes and their constituent cells, as well as a novel cell type associated with the formation of the neural lamella. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The peripheral structures of mammalian sensory organs often serve to support their functionality, such as alignment of hair cells to the mechanical properties of the inner ear. Here, we examined the structure-function relationship for mammalian olfaction by creating an anatomically accurate computational nasal model for the domestic cat (Felis catus) based on high resolution microCT and sequential histological sections. Our results showed a distinct separation of respiratory and olfactory flow regimes, featuring a high-speed dorsal medial stream that increases odor delivery speed and efficiency to the ethmoid olfactory region without compromising the filtration and conditioning purpose of the nose. These results corroborated previous findings in other mammalian species, which implicates a common theme to deal with the physical size limitation of the head that confines the nasal airway from increasing in length infinitely as a straight tube. We thus hypothesized that these ethmoid olfactory channels function as parallel coiled chromatograph channels, and further showed that the theoretical plate number, a widely-used indicator of gas chromatograph efficiency, is more than 100 times higher in the cat nose than an "amphibian-like" straight channel fitting the similar skull space, at restful breathing state. The parallel feature also reduces airflow speed within each coil, which is critical to achieve the high plate number, while feeding collectively from the high-speed dorsal medial stream so that total odor sampling speed is not sacrificed. The occurrence of ethmoid turbinates is an important step in the evolution of mammalian species that correlates to their expansive olfactory function and brain development. Our findings reveal novel mechanisms on how such structure may facilitate better olfactory performance, furthering our understanding of the successful adaptation of mammalian species, including F. catus, a popular pet, to diverse environments. Author summary: The evolutionary occurrence of convoluted ethmoid turbinate structures in mammalian nose, remarkably resembles a different sensory organ, the snail-like coiled cochlea that is also unique to mammals. In birds and other non-mammalian vertebrates, the inner hearing organ, despite being called "cochlea", is instead a blind-ended tube. While the evolution of mammalian cochlea enhances our auditory frequency sensitivity and range, the functional benefit of the mammalian olfactory turbinates has only been speculated. Using anatomically-accurate computational models, we revealed that convoluted turbinate structures in the domestic cat, as a model, may function as a parallel coiled chromatograph to significantly increase odor delivery speed and chromatography efficiency: > 100 times higher, compared to an "amphibian-like" straight nasal channel fitting the same skull space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cochlea is the sensory organ in the periphery, and hair cells are its main sensory cells. The development and survival of hair cells are highly controlled processes. When cells face intracellular and environmental stimuli, epigenetic regulation controls the structure and function of the genome in response to different cell fates. During sensory hair cell development, different histone modifications can induce normal numbers of functional hair cells to generate. When individuals are exposed to environmental-related hair cell damage, epigenetic modification also plays a significant role in the regulation of hair cell fate. Since mammalian hair cells cannot regenerate, their loss can cause permanent sensorineural hearing loss. Many breakthroughs have been achieved in recent years in understanding the signaling pathways that determine hair cell regeneration, and it is fascinating to note that epigenetic regulation plays a significant role in hair cell regeneration. In this review, we discuss the role of epigenetics in inner ear cell development, survival and regeneration and the significant impact on hearing protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The early accurate diagnoses for autoimmune encephalitis (AE) and infectious encephalitis (IE) are essential since the treatments for them are different. This study aims to discover some specific and sensitive biomarkers to distinguish AE from IE at early stage to give specific treatments for good outcomes. Results: We compared the host gene expression profiles and microbial diversities of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from 41 patients with IE and 18 patients with AE through meta-transcriptomic sequencing. Significant differences were found in host gene expression profiles and microbial diversities in CSF between patients with AE and patients with IE. The most significantly upregulated genes in patients with IE were enriched in pathways related with immune response such as neutrophil degranulation, antigen processing and presentation and adaptive immune system. In contrast, those upregulated genes in patients with AE were mainly involved in sensory organ development such as olfactory transduction, as well as synaptic transmission and signaling. Based on the differentially expressed genes, a classifier consisting of 5 host genes showed outstanding performance with an area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) of 0.95. Conclusions: This study provides a promising classifier and is the first to investigate transcriptomic signatures for differentiating AE from IE by using meta-transcriptomic next-generation sequencing technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The neural crest, a unique cell population originating from the primitive neural field, has a multi-systemic and structural contribution to vertebrate development. At the cephalic level, the neural crest generates most of the skeletal tissues encasing the developing forebrain and provides the prosencephalon with functional vasculature and meninges. Over the last decade, we have demonstrated that the cephalic neural crest (CNC) exerts an autonomous and prominent control on the development of the forebrain and sense organs. The present paper reviews the primary mechanisms by which CNC can orchestrate vertebrate encephalization. Demonstrating the role of the CNC as an exogenous source of patterning for the forebrain provides a novel conceptual framework with profound implications for understanding neurodevelopment. From a biomedical standpoint, these data suggest that the spectrum of neurocristopathies is broader than expected and that some neurological disorders may stem from CNC dysfunctions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of the sensory organ precursor (SOP) from an equivalence group in Drosophila is a paradigm for studying single-cell fate specification through Notch-mediated lateral inhibition. Yet, it remains unclear how only a single SOP is selected from a relatively large group of cells. We show here that a critical aspect of SOP selection is controlled by cis-inhibition (CI), whereby the Notch ligands, Delta (Dl), cis-inhibit Notch receptors in the same cell. Based on the observation that the mammalian ligand Dl-like 1 cannot cis-inhibit Notch in Drosophila, we probe the role of CI in vivo. We develop a mathematical model for SOP selection where Dl activity is independently regulated by the ubiquitin ligases Neuralized and Mindbomb1. We show theoretically and experimentally that Mindbomb1 induces basal Notch activity, which is suppressed by CI. Our results highlight the trade-off between basal Notch activity and CI as a mechanism for singling out a SOP from a large equivalence group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]