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This study uses the 2015 Canadian Federal election as a case study to examine whether Twitter is used to spread locally relevant political news in Canadian communities outside major urban centres in the month leading up to an election. We examined eight communities across Canada, each with differing levels of traditional local media access (television, radio, and print). We wanted to discover, particularly in communities underserved by traditional local media, whether Twitter would help to fill an information gap during election time by helping to spread locally relevant political information. Preliminary analysis has revealed that most information shared on Twitter accounts in our eight communities was national rather than local in scope. Influencers, as identified by the number of @-mentions, tended to be national, rather than local, and general activity on Twitter did not reflect overall population of an area, or any specific locally important issue. Thus we conclude that despite its potential, Twitter is currently not a useful counterbalance for a declining local traditional news environment in smaller communities across Canada.

Though subjective feelings affected by lighting have been studied a lot, multivariate experimental studies are lacking in this research field. Central composite rotatable design (CCRD) was applied to investigate the influence of illuminance, correlated color temperature (CCT) and illuminance uniformity on satisfaction in this study. A series of subject experiments were carried out and polynomial regression models of luminous satisfaction for different activity scenarios were generated. Illuminance and CCT affected the satisfaction significantly in visual task scenarios, and the effect of them was independent with each other, which was demonstrated by the regression model (R2 = 0.89). The variation of luminous satisfaction in general activity scenarios cannot be fully explained by the three investigated factors. The results contributed to the knowledge of multivariate analysis of luminous environment and indicated that much could be expected referring to the application of CCRD in this field.

This study assessed the exploratory behavioral responses in BALB/c mice inoculated with Ehrlich ascitic carcinoma after 3 consecutive days of treatment with morphine or methadone. Fifty-three female mice, 60 ± 10 d old, were used. Seven days after intraperitoneal tumor inoculation (2 × 106 cells), the animals were randomized into 7 groups: morphine 5 mg/kg (MO5), morphine 7.5 mg/kg (MO7.5), morphine 10 mg/kg (MO10), methadone 2.85 mg/kg (ME2.85), methadone 4.3 mg/kg (ME4.3), methadone 5.7 mg/kg (ME5.7), and 0.9% NaCl (Saline) (n = 7). Drug treatments were administered subcutaneously every 6 h for 3 d. The animals were evaluated for analgesia using the mouse grimace scale (MGS) and for general activity using the open field test. The MGS was performed before tumor inoculation (day 0), on day 7 at 40, 90, 150, 240, and 360 min after drug injection, and on days 8 and 9 at 40, 150, 240, and 360 min after drug injection. The open field test was performed before tumor inoculation (day 0), on day 7 after inoculation at 40, 90, 150, 240, and 360 min after drug injection, and on days 8 and 9 after inoculation at 40, 150, and 360 min after drug injection. MGS results indicated that administration of morphine promoted analgesia for up to 240 min. Conversely, methadone reduced MGS scores only at 40 min. All tested doses promoted a significant dose-dependent increase in the total distance traveled and the average speed, and increase that was markedly pronounced on days 8 and 9 as compared with day 7. The frequencies of rearing and self-grooming decreased significantly after morphine or methadone administration. Despite the difference in analgesia, both drugs increased locomotion and reduced the frequency of rearing and self-grooming as compared with the untreated control animals.

Environmental light levels can affect physiological functions, such as general activity, body temperature and metabolism. Irregular lifestyles, such as those involving exposure to light during the night, can exacerbate the clinical symptoms of several inflammatory skin diseases. However, the effects of constant light exposure on immune responses are not fully understood. This study aimed to elucidate the effects of constant light exposure on two major types of skin reactions, allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) and irritant contact dermatitis (ICD). BALB/c mice were kept under constant light conditions or a normal light and dark cycle, and their ACD and ICD responses were assessed after the topical application of 2,4,6-trinitro-1-chlorobenzene and croton oil, respectively, to the ear skin. Interestingly, in both ACD and ICD, the ear-swelling response and local leukocyte infiltration were aggravated by constant exposure to light, which has previously been shown to severely disturb the behavioural rhythms of mice. In ACD, these findings were accompanied by increases in the numbers of degranulated mast cells and eosinophils. These results suggest that constant light exposure intensifies allergic and non-allergic skin inflammation.

Key points The zona incerta (ZI) and ventral tegmental area (VTA) are brain areas that are both implicated in feeding behaviour. The ZI projects to the VTA, although it has not yet been investigated whether this projection regulates feeding.We experimentally (in)activated the ZI to VTA projection by using dual viral vector technology, and studied the effects on feeding microstructure, the willingness to work for food, general activity and body temperature.Activity of the ZI to VTA projection promotes feeding by facilitating action initiation towards food, as reflected in meal frequency and the willingness to work for food reward, without affecting general activity or directly modulating body temperature.We show for the first time that activity of the ZI to VTA projection promotes feeding, which improves the understanding of the neurobiology of feeding behaviour and body weight regulation. Abstract Both the zona incerta (ZI) and the ventral tegmental area (VTA) have been implicated in feeding behaviour. The ZI provides prominent input to the VTA, although it has not yet been investigated whether this projection regulates feeding. Therefore, we investigated the role of ZI to VTA projection neurons in the regulation of several aspects of feeding behaviour. We determined the effects of (in)activation of ZI to VTA projection neurons on feeding microstructure, food‐motivated behaviour under a progressive ratio schedule of reinforcement, locomotor activity and core body temperature. To activate or inactivate ZI neurons projecting to the VTA, we used a combination of canine adenovirus‐2 in the VTA, as well as Cre‐dependent designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs (DREADD) or tetanus toxin (TetTox) light chain in the ZI. TetTox‐mediated inactivation of ZI to VTA projection neurons reduced food‐motivated behaviour and feeding by reducing meal frequency. Conversely, DREADD‐mediated chemogenetic activation of ZI to VTA projection neurons promoted food‐motivated behaviour and feeding. (In)activation of ZI to VTA projection neurons did not affect locomotor activity or directly regulate core body temperature. Taken together, ZI neurons projecting to the VTA exert bidirectional control overfeeding behaviour. More specifically, activity of ZI to VTA projection neurons facilitate action initiation towards feeding, as reflected in both food‐motivated behaviour and meal initiation, without affecting general activity., Key points The zona incerta (ZI) and ventral tegmental area (VTA) are brain areas that are both implicated in feeding behaviour. The ZI projects to the VTA, although it has not yet been investigated whether this projection regulates feeding.We experimentally (in)activated the ZI to VTA projection by using dual viral vector technology, and studied the effects on feeding microstructure, the willingness to work for food, general activity and body temperature.Activity of the ZI to VTA projection promotes feeding by facilitating action initiation towards food, as reflected in meal frequency and the willingness to work for food reward, without affecting general activity or directly modulating body temperature.We show for the first time that activity of the ZI to VTA projection promotes feeding, which improves the understanding of the neurobiology of feeding behaviour and body weight regulation.

Sickness behavior is a taxonomically widespread coordinated set of behavioral changes that increases shelter‐seeking while reducing levels of general activity, as well as food (anorexia) and water (adipsia) consumption, when fighting infection by pathogens and disease. The leading hypothesis explaining such sickness‐related shifts in behavior is the energy conservation hypothesis. This hypothesis argues that sick (i.e., immune‐challenged) animals reduce energetic expenditure in order have more energy to fuel an immune response, which in some vertebrates, also includes producing an energetically expensive physiological fever. We experimentally tested the hypothesis that an immune challenge with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) will cause Gryllus firmus field crickets to reduce their activity, increase shelter use and avoid foods that interfere with an immune response (i.e., fat) while preferring a diet that fuels an immune response (i.e., protein). We found little evidence of sickness behavior in Gryllus firmus as immune‐challenged individuals did not reduce their activity or increase their shelter‐seeking. Neither did we observe changes in feeding or drinking behavior nor a preference for protein or avoidance of lipids. Males tended to use shelters less than females but no other behaviors differed between the sexes. The lack of sickness behavior in our study might reflect the fact that invertebrates do not possess energetically expensive physiological fever as part of their immune response. Therefore, there is little reason to conserve energy via reduced activity or increased shelter use when immune‐challenged., Sickness behavior is a well‐documented phenomenon in vertebrate animals; however, sickness behavior is less documented in invertebrates. We show that immune‐challenged crickets exhibit very little behavioral modification compared with control crickets.

In both ethological and pharmacological experiments, open field test (OFT) is a classic experiment for measuring mouse general activity and exploratory behaviors. The OFT manual analysis is usually a time consuming and costly process. In this paper, we propose a convolutional neural network (CNN) based classification, which can automatically sort out two groups of mice with different behaviors. We first extract the multi-modality features from both spatial and time domain of the OFT video. Then, all extracted features are regularized and fused to a 2D behavior feature map. Finally, we train a CNN network to distinguish mice with different behaviors. On real OFT datasets experiments, the proposed classification significantly outperforms other methods.

OBJECTIVES To evaluate clinical and workplace outcomes from an evidence-based virtual behavioral therapy program for individuals with pain and behavioral health issues. METHODS This was a retrospective de-identified data analysis among a cohort of 1,086 participants enrolled in a standardized, evidence-based telebehavioral therapy program between September 1, 2016, and August 31, 2017 (mean age 53 ± 11.5 years; 29% male). The program was delivered over approximately 8 weeks by licensed therapists and behavior coaches by telephone or video, and tailored to the pain management and behavioral health goals of each participant. Structured measurements were documented in the electronic clinical record, including demographics, comorbidities, pain severity (Pain Intensity, Enjoyment of Life, General Activity tool), behavioral health symptoms (Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale short form), and productivity (Work Productivity and Activity Impairment survey). RESULTS At baseline, participants had high average pain severity (5.8/10 points), high frequencies of behavioral health symptoms (68%), and activity impairment (90%); absenteeism (34%) and presenteeism (75%) were observed among employed individuals. Pain severity and pain interference improved by 17% and 27%, respectively, over 8 weeks (P

This article defines the content of model characteristics of handball players training in competitive activity, which is based on the construction of group and individual training activities. The latest method of “programming” enables the scientist in the system of physical education and sports to systematize the training of athletes, to optimize the training and competitive process. Modeling activities in sports is the main difference between this method. A separate athlete is taken as the basis, or the type of activity (competition, training) separates the excess and creates a model indicated by direction. It has been established that a correctly selected model at the initial stages allows one to determine the general training strategy, select methods and tools during the training period, evenly distribute and optimize the loads. The model of competitive activity in the sports world is considered as a combination of data and the relationships between them, which positively affect the requirements for general activity. In training, as during the training period, it becomes possible to create model characteristics of real conditions in the competitive period and of individual parts of the game (attack, defense). One of the features of this approach is that in some cases, the performance of athletes is recorded by the maximum values of the indicators that are applied in the form of a model. The difference in the data obtained during the examination of athletes and indicators of model values are recorded in the protocol. The data obtained with this allow us to identify shortcomings and the potential for further solving problem shortcomings.

Introduction: Applicants to specialty programs lack guidance on knowing what exactly is desired by selection committees and program directors. Anesthesia is especially opaque, given its failure to provide transparency reports nationally. This study was developed to survey Canadian anesthesia program directors about the aspects of the application package desired in an anesthesia applicant. The primary objective is to identify the preferred attributes of anesthesia applications by those mandating the selection committees.Methods: Survey was developed via Google Surveys, and sent online over a period of two months in June and July 2020. All program directors were sent requests for filling in the survey. STATA was used for all statistical analyses. Two analyses, Mann-Whitney and ANOVA tests, were performed for comparison groups. A p < 0.05 was considered significant.Results: Fourteen of seventeen (83%) Canadian anesthesia program directors completed the survey. Having done an anesthesia elective, good performance in it, and excellence of preclinical academic performance were considered among the most important aspects of the application package with the highest ranking important and smallest standard deviation. Any form of red flag was also considered an important criterion, again with little variation among program directors. The reference letters selected by the applicants were also important, with a personal relationship and well written reference being identified as most important (p < 0.05).Conclusions: An applicant who has good academic performance, having anesthesia elective experience, personal, well-written reference letters, and general activity and interests that are not necessarily anesthesia-focused would be favoured by Canadian anesthesia programs., Introduction : Les candidats aux programmes de spécialité sont mal informés quant aux attentes des comités de sélection et des directeurs de programmes. Dans la mesure où les directions de programmes en anesthésiologie n’ont pas publié de rapports de transparence à l’échelle nationale, les attentes de ces programmes-là sont particulièrement indéchiffrables. La présente étude a été élaborée pour sonder les directeurs de programmes d’anesthésiologie au Canada sur les aspects privilégiés dans les dossiers de candidature. L’objectif principal était de dégager les éléments que ceux qui formulent les mandats des comités de sélection valorisent dans les dossiers des candidats.Méthodes : Au cours d’une période de deux mois, juin et juillet 2020, un sondage en ligne, élaboré par le biais de Google Surveys, a été envoyé à tous les directeurs de programmes. STATA a été utilisé pour toutes les analyses statistiques. Deux analyses, les tests de Mann-Whitney et d’ANOVA, ont été effectuées pour les groupes de comparaison. Un p

Physical activity can maximize health by improving disease-oriented and patient-oriented outcomes in women age 60 and older. General activity levels are low in the United States. Promoting physical activity in clinical practice is limited by time constraints and knowledge deficits. Understanding the benefits of the specific type of physical activity, the intensity, and the level in older women helps clinicians provide focused, time-efficient counseling in primary care. This review details the benefits of physical activity in older women by disease state.

General activity behaviour can be an indicator of numerous conditions in farm animals depending on the context of the measurement. Currently, most activity sensors established in livestock farming are optical or animal-attached sensors. Animal-attached sensors are hard to manage especially with smaller species. Optical sensors are susceptible to reduced sensitivity from dirt and to effects of changing light conditions. In scenarios where the spatial distribution of the activity is not relevant, simple stationary sensors which directly measure activity in an area may be beneficial as the signals are easy to interpret and hence require little computational power. The present work describes a proof of concept study for the utilisation of radar sensors for this purpose. In order to assess the effective sensitivity of the sensors under practical conditions, detecting the parturition-related activity increase in sows was chosen as benchmark. A simple classifier was implemented, detecting deviation in activity based on data from 15 sows, using day-to-day activity differences and the cumulative sum technique. This classifier achieved 92% sensitivity with 80% specificity and had a receiver operating characteristic with 95% area under the curve. This is comparable to the classification performance that has been achieved with animal-attached accelerometers and stationary light barriers. No negative effects from dust or other environmental conditions were observed. Additional studies will be necessary to verify this result and to show the suitability of radar sensors for additional application scenarios and other species.

The article presents the results of research evaluating the mental and health status of patients with a malignant tumour diagnosis, both in single patients and those with family support. The research results showed differences in mood, health and general activity, anxiety state, and aggression. The results can be considered in the preparation of senior patients for operation and during the postoperative period for psychological support, a reduction of the length of stay, and minimization of complications.

Cognitive testing programs are being implemented more frequently in zoo settings due to the benefits these programs can provide for the animals, researchers and zoo visitors. However, the impact that cognitive studies have on the welfare of captive animals, particularly for primates in a social group, is debated. Although cognitive testing can be mentally enriching, the provision of monopolisable apparatuses to a primate social group can elicit competition and potentially contribute to negative welfare. We sought to investigate how behaviours changed when a group of 12 Japanese macaques had access to two touchscreen devices. We assessed rates of affiliative behaviours, anxiety-related behaviours, general activity, and aggression over 15 months at matched time periods on days when cognitive testing was available and when it was not. Rates of affiliative behaviours, anxiety-related behaviours, and general activity were not significantly different between conditions. Rates of contact and non-contact aggression were significantly higher during cognitive testing compared to times without cognitive testing (p

The past two decades have seen increased interest in studies examining the welfare of elephants and animal–visitor interactions. One understudied area for both pursuits is the impact of public feeding interactions. Our study examined the effects of public feedings on the general activity of three zoo-housed elephants. Prior to public feedings, we developed and assessed a 21-behavior ethogram split into six classes of behavior. Comparisons between the elephants demonstrated that only one of the elephants engaged in stereotypies with regularity (&gt, 30%), and that the stereotypies occurred in place of most foraging. During public feedings, we compared the general activity of each elephant independently and across both public feeding and nonpublic feeding days, as well as the general activity before, during, and after a public feeding. Public feedings increased social activity and decreased stereotypies when compared with nonpublic feeding days for two of the elephants. In addition, all three elephants showed increased foraging and decreased inactivity in the period after a public feeding session. These results demonstrate that public feedings can be a useful tool for enriching the welfare of zoo-housed elephants and are among the first sets of data to demonstrate positive welfare outcomes associated with public feedings.

Selection for rapid growth has produced heavier, more efficient broiler chickens, but has also introduced health and welfare issues, which may cause or be caused by inactivity. Rapid growth may also limit the performance of motivated behaviors, whereas the provision of enrichment may increase these behaviors and general activity. This study aimed to evaluate the inactivity, behavior, and enrichment use of 2 fast- (CONV) and 12 slower-growing broiler strains [categorized as fastest (FAST), moderate (MOD) and slowest slow (SLOW), based on their growth rates]. To evaluate inactivity, one male and one female from 153 pens were outfitted with omni-directional accelerometers from day 21 until processing (14–24 birds/strain from 8-12 pens/strain). Additionally, to supplement inactivity data, five-minute continuous behavioral observations of four focal birds per pen (2 males, 2 females) were conducted on days 26, 42, and 56 (72–148 observations of 8–12 pens/strain) to quantify the duration and frequency of various behaviors; at the same time, 5–11 instantaneous scan samples were also performed for pen-based enrichment use. Inactivity peaked at 78-80% of the day for all strains; however, those with slower growth rates reached these levels at older ages. Compared to slower-growing strains at the same age, faster-growing strains were more inactive, spent more time sitting and feeding, spent less time standing and walking, and used enrichments less; these differences mostly occurred at younger ages. Generally, at the same age, strains with similar growth rates (within the same category) behaved similarly, with only a few exceptions. Results suggest that not all strains identified as ‘slow-growing’ broilers behave differently from fast-growing broilers, nor do they all behave similarly to each other. As such, results suggest that improved broiler welfare, particularly with respect to reduced inactivity, the performance of a wider range of normal, motivated behaviors, and/or increased enrichment use, is related to the broiler strain’s specific growth rate.

International audience; The common practice of artificially rearing lambs from prolific meat breeds of sheep constitutes a welfare issue due to increased mortality rates and negative health issues. In this multidisciplinary study, we investigated the possible short- and mid-term advantages of artificially feeding fresh ewe's milk instead of commercial milk replacer on lambs' growth, health and welfare. Romane lambs were either separated from their mothers on D3 and fed with Lacaune ewes' milk (LAC, n = 13) or milk replacer (REP, n = 15), or they were reared by their mothers (MOT, n = 15). On D45, they were weaned, gathered in single-sex groups until the end of the study on D150. Lamb performance and biomarkers of overall health were assessed by measuring: growth, dirtiness of the perianal area, enteric pathogens in the faeces, total antioxidant status and redox status assessed by plasma reduced glutathione/oxidised glutathione ratio, and immune response after vaccination against chlamydiosis. As an exploratory approach, blood cell transcriptomic profiles were also investigated. Last, qualitative behaviour assessment (QBA) was performed as an integrated welfare criterion. Lacaune ewes' milk and REP never differed in their average daily gain but grew less than MOT lambs in the early suckling period and just after weaning. No effect was detected afterwards. On D30, LAC and REP lambs had lower total antioxidant and higher redox status than MOT lambs but did not differ among themselves. Lacaune ewes' milk and MOT had a cleaner perianal area than REP lambs on D21, while faecal pathogen infection did not vary between the treatment groups. After vaccination, LAC also had a stronger immune response on D90 compared to REP lambs. Transcriptome analysis performed on D150 showed differential gene expression, mainly in relation to inflammatory, immune and cell cycle response, between male lambs of the LAC group and those of the MOT and REP groups. Based on QBA, LAC lambs never differed from MOT lambs in their general activity and varied from REP only on D21; REP lambs were always more agitated than MOT lambs. In conclusion, artificial milk feeding impaired early growth rate, health and emotional state mainly during the milk feeding period and at weaning. Feeding artificially reared lambs with fresh ewe's milk partly mitigated some of the negative effects induced by milk replacer but without achieving the full benefit of being reared by the mother. (C) 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of The Animal Consortium.

PURPOSE There is limited literature on owner's attitudes towards enucleation and behavioural changes after enucleation in dogs. The aim of this study is to investigate the owner's perception of canine enucleation as well as gain insight into the behavioural changes of dogs before and after enucleation due to glaucoma. METHODS This retrospective study involved a questionnaire sent to the owners whose dogs were diagnosed with glaucoma and underwent enucleation at the Queen Mother Hospital for Animals between June 2015 and January 2018. Owners were asked about their attitude towards enucleation, and to assess factors that affect their dogs' behaviours (appetite, general activity, playfulness and lethargy) at three time points: before enucleation, immediately after and 2 months after (TMA) enucleation. RESULTS Twenty-six of 45 questionnaires were completed and returned by the owners. TMA enucleation showed the most strongly positive responses indicating that owners perceived an improvement in the behaviours of their pets. 96% of participants were happy with their decision to go ahead with the surgery; and no participants regretted opting for enucleation. CONCLUSION The present study found expression of "normal" behaviour to increase after enucleation.

In recent years several applications, namely in surveillance, human-computer interaction and video recovery based on its content has studied the detection and recognition of violence [22]. The purpose of violence detection is to automatically and effectively determine whether or not violence occurs in a short time. So, it is a crucial area since it will automatically enable the necessary means to stop the violence. To quickly solve this problem, we used models trained to solve general activity recognition problems such as Kinetics-400 to learn to extract general patterns that are very important to detect violent behaviour in videos. Our approach consists of using a state of the art pre-trained model in general activity recognition tasks (e.g. Kinetics-400) and then fine-tuning it to violence detection. We applied this approach in two violence datasets and achieved state-of-the-art results using only four input frames.

The detection and recognition of violence have been area of interest to research, mainly in surveillance, Human-Computer Interaction and information retrieval for video based on content. The primary purpose of detecting and recognizing violence is to automatically and in real-time recognize violence. Hence, it is a crucial area and object of several studies, as it will enable systems to have the necessary means to contain violence automatically. In this sense, pre-trained models are used to solve general problems of recognition of violent activity. These models were pre-trained with datasets from: hockey fight; movies; violence in real surveillance; and fighting in real situations. From this pre-training models, general patterns are extracted that are very important to detect violent behaviour in videos. Our approach uses a state-of-the-art pre-trained violence detection model in general activity recognition tasks and then tweaks it for violence detection inside a car. For this, we created our dataset with videos inside the car to apply in this study.

Natural products (NPs) are one of the key resources for ancient as well as modern remedies. Today, many scientists aim to discover the mechanisms of action behind the observed effects of plant-based medicines. Modern drug discovery till today profits from the advantageous properties of nature-derived compounds. However, NP-based activities are often challenging to define due to unspecific and multi-target effects. Molecular docking is often used as a computational and easily accessible method to propose a binding mode of NPs on a protein target. By revealing the interaction points between ligand and target, it enables one to determine the structural elements, responsible for a specific activity. Binding site and pharmacophore similarities are used to explain the multi-target effects of NPs. This knowledge allows us to simulate the effects of possible synthetic structural modifications to optimize desirable activities and to exclude undesired targets. Furthermore, docking can also be used to explore different targets to determine the most likely one for a ligand to bind, in virtual target fishing setups. In addition, this technique is often combined with other molecular modeling approaches, e.g., pharmacophore modeling or molecular dynamics simulations to predict activity and to explore binding mechanisms. Robust molecular docking studies, however, require a thorough analysis of the available data on the target and known binding modes. As the theoretical approach aims to calculate the direct interaction between a small molecule ligand and a protein target, it is vital that the experimental setup corresponds to this premise and does not measure a more general activity. In the current chapter, we want to present the methods and requirements for successful NP docking and to highlight state-of-the-art docking studies performed on NPs, which resulted in significant, and ideally experimentally validated, insights into their mechanism of action.

Methylone's rewarding effects have been well characterized; however, little is known about its aversive effects and how such effects may be impacted by sex. In this context, the present study investigated the aversive effects of methylone (vehicle, 5.6, 10 or 18 mg/kg, IP) in 35 male and 31 female Sprague-Dawley rats assessed by conditioned taste avoidance and changes in body temperature and activity/stereotypies. Methylone induced significant taste avoidance, changes in temperature and increased activity and stereotypies in both males and females. Similar to work with other synthetic cathinones, methylone has aversive effects as indexed by significant taste avoidance and changes in temperature and activity (two characteristics of methylone overdose in humans). The only endpoint for which there were significant sex differences was in general activity with males displaying a faster onset and females displaying a longer duration. Although sex was not a factor with taste avoidance and temperature, separate analyses for males and females revealed different patterns, e.g., males displayed a more rapid acquisition of taste avoidance and females displayed changes in temperature at lower doses. Males displayed a faster onset and females displayed a longer duration of activity (consistent with the analyses considering sex as a factor), while time- and dose-dependent stereotypies did not show consistent pattern differences. Although sex differences were relatively limited when sex was specifically assessed as a factor (or only evident when sex comparisons were made in the patterns of effects), sex as a biological variable in the study of drugs should be made to determine if differences exist and, if evident, the basis for these differences.

Background: Human milk contains both arachidonic acid (ARA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Supplementation of infant formula with ARA and DHA results in fatty acid (FA) profiles, neurodevelopmental outcomes, and immune responses in formula-fed infants that are more like those observed in breastfed infants. Consequently, ARA and DHA have been historically added together to infant formula. This study investigated the impact of ARA or DHA supplementation alone or in combination on tissue FA incorporation, immune responses, and neurodevelopment in the young pig. Methods: Male pigs (N = 48 total) received one of four dietary treatments from postnatal day (PND) 2–30. Treatments targeted the following ARA/DHA levels (% of total FA): CON (0.00/0.00), ARA (0.80/0.00), DHA (0.00/0.80), and ARA+DHA (0.80/0.80). Plasma, red blood cells (RBC), and prefrontal cortex (PFC) were collected for FA analysis. Blood was collected for T cell immunophenotyping and to quantify a panel of immune outcomes. Myelin thickness in the corpus callosum was measured by transmission electron microscopy and pig movement was measured by actigraphy. Results: There were no differences in formula intake or growth between dietary groups. DHA supplementation increased brain DHA, but decreased ARA, compared with all other groups. ARA supplementation increased brain ARA compared with all other groups but did not affect brain DHA. Combined supplementation increased brain DHA levels but did not affect brain ARA levels compared with the control. Pigs fed ARA or ARA+DHA exhibited more activity than those fed CON or DHA. Diet-dependent differences in activity suggested pigs fed ARA had the lowest percent time asleep, while those fed DHA had the highest. No differences were observed for immune or myelination outcomes. Conclusion: Supplementation with ARA and DHA did not differentially affect immune responses, but ARA levels in RBC and PFC were reduced when DHA was provided without ARA. Supplementation of either ARA or DHA alone induced differences in time spent asleep, and ARA inclusion increased general activity. Therefore, the current data support the combined supplementation with both ARA and DHA in infant formula and raise questions regarding the safety and nutritional suitability of ARA or DHA supplementation individually.

Funding: The Roslin Institute is funded by a BBSRC Institute Strategic Program Grant BB/P013759/1. Husbandry procedures and facility settings, such as low-frequency fire alarms, can produce noises in a laboratory environment that cause stress to animals used in research. However, most of the data demonstrating harmful effects that have, consequently, led to adaptations to management, have largely come from laboratory rodents with little known of the impacts on avian behavior and physiology. Here we examined whether exposure to a routine laboratory noise, a low-frequency fire alarm test, induced behavioral changes in laboratory zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). Twenty-four breeding pairs of zebra finches were randomly selected and exposed to the low-frequency fire alarm (sounding for 10–20 s) or no noise (control) on separate test days. All birds were filmed before and after the alarm sounded and on a control day (without the alarm). The zebra finches decreased their general activity and increased stationary and social behaviors after exposure to the alarm. Brief exposure to a low-frequency alarm disrupted the birds' behavior for at least 15 min. The induction of this behavioral stress response suggests that low-frequency sound alarms in laboratory facilities have the potential to compromise the welfare of laboratory birds. Publisher PDF

Introdução: O Laboratório de Histopatologia Cutânea do Serviço de Dermatologia do Hospital de Santa Maria de Lisboa funciona ininterruptamente desde sua criação em 1975. Material e Métodos: Realizámos um estudo retrospetivo através da análise dos exames histológicos da patologia cutânea tumoral diagnosticados no laboratório durante o período de janeiro de 2008 a dezembro de 2019. Resultados: No período 2008-2019 o Laboratório de Histopatologia Cutânea efetuou 60 741 exames histológicos, dos quais 80% foram lesões tumorais. Destes, os tumores malignos representaram cerca de um terço da amostra, essencialmente constituída por basaliomas (53%), carcinomas espinocelulares (23%) e melanomas (8%). Outros tumores malignos documentados foram os linfomas (3%), o sarcoma de Kaposi (1%) e as infiltrações da pele por doenças malignas extracutâneas (2%). Do grupo das neoplasias benignas (68% do número total dos tumores) destacam-se os nevos melanocíticos (50%), as verrugas seborreicas (16%) e os quistos (6%). Conclusão: Em termos comparativos com anteriores casuísticas, tem-se assistido a um aumento constante e regular da actividade geral do Laboratório de Histopatologia Cutânea do Serviço de Dermatologia do Hospital de Santa Maria nos últimos 12 anos. Isto tem sido refletido num aumento no número de diagnósticos de tumores cutâneos malignos. Destacamos a importância do exame histológico como componente central no diagnóstico e subsequente tratamento das condições neoplásicas da pele.

Different from prior empirical studies that usually investigate the unidirectional linear relationships among prominent factors in online Encyclopedias from a static perspective, this study captures a dynamic picture of their interrelations from a perspective of system dynamics. This study proposes a general activity system of online encyclopedias based on Engestrom's activity theory and develops a holistic system dynamics model according to the system dynamics method proposed by Forrester. This study enriches our understanding of the intrinsic dynamic of knowledge collaboration in online encyclopedias and demonstrates the gains in understanding system co-evolution achievable by utilizing the system dynamics method in concert with the activity theory.

Title: This study was performed to evaluate the level of basic knowledge of students in Northern Greece regarding human papillomavirus matters, considering each gender’s aspect. Background: In every society it is fundamental that young adults should receive proper education for all Sexual Transmitted Diseases. This study aims on highlighting the necessity of aggressive campaigns, for informing students on HPV. Via a short survey, we performed a key evaluation of the knowledge of students to conclude on whether campaigns for informing students on HPV should be organized by the state. Methods and Findings: A questionnaire type of survey was undertaken to evaluate the level of basic knowledge of the sample regarding HPV. The questionnaire comprised of 11 questions. The first two questions were to determine specific characteristics of the sample; the third was about the participant’s belief of being well educated on HPV, while the rest of them were to evaluate their actual knowledge of the activity, pathogenesis and the national vaccination program against HPV. Five hundred sixty-one students of Northern Greece participated in the study (398 females and 161 males). Regarding their knowledge on HPV, most of the participants declared to be well informed with a rate of 76.1%. Indicatively, it appeared to be an independence regarding gender (p=0.44) about whether HPV can cause cancer to both sexes. As to vaccination, 50.7% of the participants, regardless gender, believed that HPV vaccine is effective on men (p=0.34). Conclusion: Students in Northern Greece seemed to be insufficiently informed about the general activity of HPV, pathogenicity, and vaccine’s effectiveness (p=0.00001). Similar surveys should be launched in the whole country for a proper evaluation to be obtained. The outcome of these studies could be rather beneficial in organizing educational campaigns for students of Greece and, if it is needed, to other countries as well.

Optimising nest design for broiler breeders has benefits for both the animals and the producers. The welfare of the hens will increase by providing preferred housing, while also reducing eggs laid outside the nests. These floor eggs cause economic losses by compromised automatic egg collection and reduced saleability and hatchability. Attractiveness of nests can involve factors such as seclusion, material and microclimate. In this study, four nest box designs were offered in a relative preference test: a plastic control nest, a plastic nest with a partition to divide the nest in two areas, a plastic nest with a ventilator underneath to create air flow inside the nest and a wooden nest. Six groups of 100 hens and 9 roosters had access to these four nests in a randomised location during the ages of 20 to 34 weeks. Nest and floor eggs were collected five days a week. Camera images from inside the nests made during the ages of 24–25 weeks and 26–27 weeks were analysed for behaviour. This included general activity, nest inspections, nest visits and social interactions. At 32 weeks of age the wooden nests were closed, and the subsequent response of the hens was monitored in terms of number of eggs. We found a clear preference in number of eggs for the wooden nest (69.3 ± 1.0%) compared to the control nest (15.1 ± 0.8%), partition nest (10.2 ± 0.5%) and the ventilator nest (5.4 ± 0.4%; p

Objective The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of pain severity on activity levels and physical disability in the context of high pain acceptance. We hypothesized that pain acceptance moderates the effect of pain severity on general activity and physical disability, such that at higher levels of acceptance, the deleterious effect of pain is mitigated. Methods Two hundred seven patients with chronic pain were recruited from three clinics in a large southwestern military treatment facility. Participants completed an anonymous self-report battery of standardized measures, including the Chronic Pain Acceptance Questionnaire, modified Oswestry Disability Index, and Pain Severity and General Activity subscales of the West Haven-Yale Multidimensional Pain Inventory. Results Chronic pain acceptance was found to significantly moderate relations between pain severity and general activity (b = 0.0061, t(198) = 2.75, P = 0.007, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.002 to 0.011) and pain severity and disability (b = 0.036, t(193) = –2.564, P = 0.011, 95% CI = –0.063 to –0.008). In the context of higher acceptance, the negative effect of pain on activity and disability appeared reduced. Conversely, in the context of low acceptance, the effect of pain on disability appeared accentuated at all levels of pain severity. Conclusions Higher acceptance mitigated both activity level and disability in a military-affiliated clinical sample of patients with chronic pain. Results further establish the role of acceptance in relation to functioning in a unique sample of people with chronic pain. These findings have implications for understanding and enhancing functioning in chronic pain populations.

In experiments on 94 white male rats in the Wistar line, were studied changes in the gastric mucous under the acute, subchronic and chronic conditions after introduction of a new original derivative of benzodiazepine – proxazepam. The study of gastrotoxicity of propoxazepam was carried out under conditions of its intragastric administration with Tween-80 solvents and distilled water. It has been established that propoxazepam does not exhibit a damaging effect on the stomach in the conditions of acute (3 hours after, 50, 250, 500 and 1000 mg/kg perorally), as well as subacute (within 4 days, 50 mg/kg perorally) and chronic (within 28 days, 0,5 mg/kg perorally) administration, and also does not change the dietary behavior and general activity of animals, which is confirmation of harmlessness of this compound, in particular, on the gastrointestinal tract.

We tested if consistent individual differences (CIDs) in the behaviour of sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) from the Laurentian Great Lakes could influence their vulnerability to trapping. The sea lamprey is invasive in the Upper Laurentian Great Lakes and the target of a binational control program. Trapping could be used for control if trapping efficiency is unbiased and effective. Our test involved comparing the behaviour of sea lamprey collected in the field from a trap (n = 42) at a barrier and electrofished (n = 9) downstream of the barrier. We quantified each individual's latency to exit an enclosure (a measure of exploration), proportion of time spent moving (a measure of general activity), and change in activity in response to a putative predator cue (a measure of boldness). CIDs were detected for each behaviour measured (intraclass correlations: 0.3–0.5). CIDs in behaviour also differed between trapped individuals and those collected downstream using electrofishing, irrespective of size, sex, and maturity status. Trapped individuals decreased their activity in response to a putative predator cue, while individuals collected using electrofishing increased their activity in response to the cue. Trapped individuals also tended to spend a greater proportion of time moving than individuals sampled downstream of the trap. However, the two samples of lamprey did not differ significantly in time taken to exit an enclosure. The behavioural differences between sea lamprey sampled from a trap and those sampled downstream of the trap suggest that CIDs in behaviour can influence an individual's vulnerability to trapping.

This study aims to investigate background noise levels and noise sources in geriatric ward, and to examine the sound fields of the patient room. Acoustic measurements were carried out over 24-h period in five typical rooms in a geriatric ward in the UK. Based on these measurements, noise levels and sources were analysed in terms of the A-weighted equivalent ( L Aeq ) and maximum Fast time-weighted sound pressure levels ( L AFmax ) over three different periods of time during the day. It was found that the measured noise levels of the rooms exceeded the World Health Organisation's guide levels by at least 25 dBA of average levels and at least 10 dBA of the maximum noise level. The most common noise sources in the geriatric ward were talking/voices, door closing/squeaking and general activity. Noise events most frequently occurred during daytime and the majority were talking/voices emanating from patients, staff and visitors. It was also observed that talking/voices produced the highest median value of maximum noise levels, followed by general activity and then door closing/squeaking. Measured reverberation time ( T 20 ) at high frequencies in an empty six-bedded room was less than 0.8 s, whereas T 20 at low frequencies was greater than 1.2 s. Computer simulations showed that absorptive treatments in the ceiling contributed to significant changes in reverberation time and sound pressure level.

The accompanying dataset for this article is available at: Dawson, Lauren C.; Widowski, Tina M.; Zhenzhen, Liu; Edwards, A. Michelle; Torrey, Stephanie, 2022, "Replication data for: In pursuit of a better broiler: a comparison of the inactivity, behavior, and enrichment use of fast- and slower growing broiler chickens", https://doi.org/10.5683/SP3/JQ5JHU, Borealis. Selection for rapid growth has produced heavier, more efficient broiler chickens, but has also introduced health and welfare issues, which may cause or be caused by inactivity. Rapid growth may also limit the performance of motivated behaviors, whereas the provision of enrichment may increase these behaviors and general activity. This study aimed to evaluate the inactivity, behavior patterns, and enrichment use of 2 fast- (CONV) and 12 slower-growing broiler strains (categorized as fastest [FAST], moderate [MOD], and slowest slow [SLOW]), based on their growth rates; 4 strains/category]. To evaluate inactivity, one male and one female from 153 pens were outfitted with omnidirectional accelerometers from d 21 until processing (14 −24 birds/strain from 8 to 12 pens/strain). Additionally, to supplement inactivity data, 5-min continuous behavioral observations of four focal birds per pen (2 males, 2 females) were conducted on days 26, 42, and 56 (72−148 observations of 8−12 pens/strain) to quantify the duration and frequency of various behaviors; at the same time, 5 to 11 instantaneous scan samples were also performed for pen-based enrichment use. Inactivity peaked at 78 to 80% of the day for all strains; however, those with slower growth rates reached these levels at older ages. Compared to slower growing strains at the same age, faster growing strains were more inactive, spent more time sitting and feeding, spent less time standing and walking, and used enrichments less; these differences mostly occurred at younger ages. Generally, at the same age, strains with similar growth rates (within the same category) behaved similarly, with only a few exceptions. Results suggest that not all strains identified as “slow-growing” broilers behave differently from fast-growing broilers, nor do they all behave similarly to each other. As such, results suggest that improved broiler welfare, particularly with respect to reduced inactivity, the performance of a wider range of normal, motivated behaviors, and/or increased enrichment use, is related to the broiler strain’s specific growth rate. Global Animal Partnership, Canada Research Excellence Fund, Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance, and Protekta

Although the cumulative record and cumulative recorder have become closely identified with B.F. Skinner and the experimental analysis of behavior, they actually predate both. The purpose of this article is to describe some early examples of cumulative records in psychology and physiology, as well as the techniques used to generate them. Among the work of Walther Poppelreuter, Heinrich von Recklinghausen, Fletcher Dresslar, Colin Stewart, James Slonaker, and others are early examples of “telescoping” to save space on the printed page, the automatic resetting of the pen at the top of the page, and other anticipations of Skinner’s own development of the technique. In most early instances, the cumulative recording was not used to display discrete operant responses such as lever presses, but to depict wheel running and respiration over extended periods. The historical approach here is illustrative rather than comprehensive, with the hope that these examples will serve as a starting point for those who might investigate further.