Why Are Bat Viruses So Deadly? Answers to the Question Raised by Coronavirus Outbreak – SciTechDaily

February 13, 2020 medical

The Australian black flying fox is a reservoir of Hendra virus, which can be transmitted to horses and sometimes humans. Credit: Linfa Wang, Duke University

Its no coincidence that some of the worst viral disease outbreaks in recent years SARS, MERS, Ebola, Marburg and likely the newly arrived 2019-nCoV virus originated in bats.

A new University of California, Berkeley, study finds that bats fierce immune response to viruses could drive viruses to replicate faster, so that when they jump to mammals with average immune systems, such as humans, the viruses wreak deadly havoc.

Some bats including those known to be the original source of human infections have been shown to host immune systems that are perpetually primed to mount defenses against viruses. Viral infection in these bats leads to a swift response that walls the virus out of cells. While this may protect the bats from getting infected with high viral loads, it encourages these viruses to reproduce more quickly within a host before a defense can be mounted.

This makes bats a unique reservoir of rapidly reproducing and highly transmissible viruses. While the bats can tolerate viruses like these, when these bat viruses then move into animals that lack a fast-response immune system, the viruses quickly overwhelm their new hosts, leading to high fatality rates.

Some bats are able to mount this robust antiviral response, but also balance it with an anti-inflammation response, said Cara Brook, a postdoctoral Miller Fellow at UC Berkeley and the first author of the study. Our immune system would generate widespread inflammation if attempting this same antiviral strategy. But bats appear uniquely suited to avoiding the threat of immunopathology.

The researchers note that disrupting bat habitat appears to stress the animals and makes them shed even more virus in their saliva, urine and feces that can infect other animals.

The Egyptian fruit bat, Rousettus aegyptiacus, is a host to the Marburg virus, which can infect monkeys and cross over into humans to cause a deadly hemorrhagic fever. Credit: Victor Corman

Heightened environmental threats to bats may add to the threat of zoonosis, said Brook, who works with a bat monitoring program funded by DARPA (the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) that is currently underway in Madagascar, Bangladesh, Ghana and Australia. The project, Bat One Health, explores the link between loss of bat habitat and the spillover of bat viruses into other animals and humans.

The bottom line is that bats are potentially special when it comes to hosting viruses, said Mike Boots, a disease ecologist and UC Berkeley professor of integrative biology. It is not random that a lot of these viruses are coming from bats. Bats are not even that closely related to us, so we would not expect them to host many human viruses. But this work demonstrates how bat immune systems could drive the virulence that overcomes this.

The new study by Brook, Boots and their colleagues was published this month in the journal eLife.

Boots and UC Berkeley colleague Wayne Getz are among 23 Chinese and American co-authors of a paper published recently in the journal EcoHealth that argues for better collaboration between U.S. and Chinese scientists who are focused on disease ecology and emerging infections.

As the only flying mammal, bats elevate their metabolic rates in flight to a level that doubles that achieved by similarly sized rodents when running.

Generally, vigorous physical activity and high metabolic rates lead to higher tissue damage due to an accumulation of reactive molecules, primarily free radicals. But to enable flight, bats seem to have developed physiological mechanisms to efficiently mop up these destructive molecules.

This has the side benefit of efficiently mopping up damaging molecules produced by inflammation of any cause, which may explain bats uniquely long lifespans. Smaller animals with faster heart rates and metabolism typically have shorter lifespans than larger animals with slower heartbeats and slower metabolism, presumably because high metabolism leads to more destructive free radicals. But bats are unique in having far longer lifespans than other mammals of the same size: Some bats can live 40 years, whereas a rodent of the same size may live two years.

This rapid tamping down of inflammation may also have another perk: tamping down inflammation related to antiviral immune response. One key trick of many bats immune systems is the hair-trigger release of a signaling molecule called interferon-alpha, which tells other cells to man the battle stations before a virus invades.

As shown in this model of viral infection (click to view animated GIF), when green monkey (Vero) cells are invaded by a virus, they quickly succumb because they have no interferon response. Susceptible cells (green pixels) are rapidly exposed, infected and killed (purple). Credit: Cara Brook / UC Berkeley

Brook was curious how bats rapid immune response affects the evolution of the viruses they host, so she conducted experiments on cultured cells from two bats and, as a control, one monkey. One bat, the Egyptian fruit bat (Rousettus aegyptiacus), a natural host of Marburg virus, requires a direct viral attack before transcribing its interferon-alpha gene to flood the body with interferon. This technique is slightly slower than that of the Australian black flying fox (Pteropus alecto), a reservoir of Hendra virus, which is primed to fight virus infections with interferon-alpha RNA that is transcribed and ready to turn into protein. The African green monkey (Vero) cell line does not produce interferon at all.

When challenged by viruses mimicking Ebola and Marburg, the different responses of these cell lines were striking. While the green monkey cell line was rapidly overwhelmed and killed by the viruses, a subset of the rousette bat cells successfully walled themselves off from viral infection, thanks to interferon early warning.

In the Australian black flying fox cells, the immune response was even more successful, with the viral infection slowed substantially over that in the rousette cell line. In addition, these bat interferon responses seemed to allow the infections to last longer.

Think of viruses on a cell monolayer like a fire burning through a forest. Some of the communities cells have emergency blankets, and the fire washes through without harming them, but at the end of the day you still have smoldering coals in the system there are still some viral cells, Brook said. The surviving communities of cells can reproduce, providing new targets for the the virus and setting up a smoldering infection that persists across the bats lifespan.

Brook and Boots created a simple model of the bats immune systems to recreate their experiments in a computer.

This suggests that having a really robust interferon system would help these viruses persist within the host, Brook said. When you have a higher immune response, you get these cells that are protected from infection, so the virus can actually ramp up its replication rate without causing damage to its host. But when it spills over into something like a human, we dont have those same sorts of antiviral mechanism, and we could experience a lot of pathology.

The researchers noted that many of the bat viruses jump to humans through an animal intermediary. SARS got to humans through the Asian palm civet; MERS via camels; Ebola via gorillas and chimpanzees; Nipah via pigs; Hendra via horses and Marburg through African green monkeys. Nonetheless, these viruses still remain extremely virulent and deadly upon making the final jump into humans.

In a model of viral infection (click to view animated GIF), when cells of the Australian black flying fox are invaded by a virus, some quickly wall themselves off from infection, having been forewarned by a rapid release of interferon from dying cells. This allows the cells to survive longer, but increases the number of infectious cells (red). Credit: Cara Brook / UC Berkeley

Brook and Boots are designing a more formal model of disease evolution within bats in order to better understand virus spillover into other animals and humans.

It is really important to understand the trajectory of an infection in order to be able to predict emergence and spread and transmission, Brook said.

References:

Accelerated viral dynamics in bat cell lines, with implications for zoonotic emergence by Cara E Brook Is a corresponding author , Mike Boots, Kartik Chandran, Andrew P Dobson, Christian Drosten, Andrea L Graham, Bryan T Grenfell, Marcel A Mller, Melinda Ng, Lin-Fa Wang and Anieke van Leeuwen, 3 February 2020, eLife.DOI: 10.7554/eLife.48401

Other co-authors of the eLife paper are Kartik Chandran and Melinda Ng of Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City; Andrew Dobson, Andrea Graham, Bryan Grenfell and Anieke van Leeuwen of Princeton University in New Jersey; Christian Drosten and Marcel Muller of Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany; and Lin-Fa Wang of Duke University-National University of Singapore Medical School.

The work was funded by a National Science Foundation fellowship, the Miller Institute for Basic Research at UC Berkeley and a grant from the National Institutes of Health (R01 AI134824).

Read the rest here:
Why Are Bat Viruses So Deadly? Answers to the Question Raised by Coronavirus Outbreak - SciTechDaily

Neuroscience

Thornton professor wins research award – Daily Trojan Online

February 13, 2020 medical

Lynn Helding knew she wanted to be a singer when she was 8 years old. Now, years later, Helding is a professor of voice and coordinator of vocology and voice pedagogy at the Thornton School of Music and was named the 2020 Contemporary Commercial Music Institute Lifetime Achievement Award recipient by Shenandoah University for her research in cognitive neuroscience and the teaching of voice.

Helding will receive the award in July when she gives the keynote address at the Contemporary Commercial Music Vocal Pedagogy Institute at the University.

It was a total surprise, Helding said. It is an honor to be there with the other past awardees They just started [the award] in 2017, and I feel honored to be only the fourth awardee.

Helding, who studies the intersection between cognitive neuroscience and vocology, has used her research findings in cognitive psychology to protect the vocal health of singers and enhance their learning and performance. She has also applied the mechanisms from her studies to ensure the physical well-being of her students.

The more we can understand how our body functions, the better we can sing but also the better we can teach, so when you start teaching, you really learn, Helding said. I would say that in performing arts, our singers are closest to dancers in terms of how we use our bodies.

As part of her emphasis on vocal health, Helding brought in the vocal health component to the Musicians Wellness Initiative program that Thornton professors William Kanengiser and Stephen Pierce started four years ago, right as Helding started her job at USC.

The Musicians Wellness Initiative program is a partnership between Thornton and Keck School of Medicine in which Thornton student singers get screened at the start of each new academic year at the USC Voice Center.

The doctors look at their voice and make sure they have at least a baseline of good vocal health, Helding said. If they dont, they get flagged and [are] advised to get services.

Thornton Dean Robert Cutietta said that Heldings research was well-developed even before she came to USC but joined due to its medical school where she could further her research.

Her research is all about healthy singing, Cutietta said. It is really easy for a singer who isnt trained properly to ruin her voice, to overuse it or use it incorrectly.

Helding said that as part of her research, she has read and analyzed hundreds of published academic articles on cognitive psychology and its application to classroom environments.

I had my own laboratory because I teach studio, Helding said. So, I started putting together my own experience as a teacher and coach and connecting the dots between what the research is saying about how people learn.

Lisa Sylvester, chair of the vocal arts and opera department at Thornton, said that the work done in the wellness program was critically important to the music industry and the way music was processed and performed.

[Her research] really represents a very high level and high standard of academic work, Sylvester said.

Helding is also the author of The Musicians Mind: Teaching, Learning, and Performance in the Age of Brain Science that released earlier this month. She started writing the book 10 years ago when she created a column called Mindful Voice in the Journal of Singing, where she introduced the mind as an important part of vocal science.

Shes had a whole career developing this research, Cutietta said. Its not as if there was just one study [where] she discovered something. This has been her whole career.

The highlight of Heldings research is the new focus of pedagogy that she has proposed. Cutietta said her specialization in the field complemented Thorntons program that incorporates workshops on wellness components such as posture while practicing.

We had a search several years back, and we needed someone who could teach the classes and who could advise our teaching assistants, Sylvester said. We needed someone for whom that was a focus and she was clearly the most qualified.

Helding said her study of pedagogy requires an understanding of how students learn.

A paradigm shift in how we teach should be on how well students learn, Helding said. You have to think about how people actually learn and how they learn best Those are all questions that cognitive science is looking at.

Helding said that she hopes to publish the second edition of The Musicians Mind. Meanwhile, she wishes to pass on her legacy to her students, which is why she decided to work at USC after 22 years of teaching at Dickinson College.

I wanted to have graduate students, Helding said. As we near the end of our careers, we want to be able to pass on our intellectual property.

See the article here:
Thornton professor wins research award - Daily Trojan Online

Neuroscience

BYU researches where religious OCD is activated in the brain – Universe.byu.edu

February 13, 2020 medical

See also Religious OCD: When faith becomes an obsession

Elizabeth Patterson never imagined herself struggling with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) until it became a reality while she served a full-time mission. Her fixations were centered on doing what she thought was right, focusing on certain rules in the missionary handbook and striving for extreme perfectionism.

I was stressed all the time, Patterson said. I struggled to feel happy and find purpose. I hurt my relationships with other people.

Patterson realized she was struggling with scrupulosity, a form of OCD that manifests itself through an obsession with moral and religious issues.

I would always say, We need to do whats right, and my companions would always say, Chill! We need to follow the Spirit! The Spirit prompts us to do whats right, but I just stopped listening, Patterson said.

Patterson isnt the only BYU student who has dealt with scrupulous thoughts and behavior. BYU psychology and neuroscience researchers recognized the need to better understand this phenomenon.

A look into the scrupulous brain

Kawika Allen is an assistant psychology professor and a scrupulosity researcher at BYU. He has conducted studies exploring scrupulosity in relation to legalism (the notion one has to earn Gods love to be worthy), family perfectionism and well-being among Latter-day Saints.

Last year, BYU neuroscience department researcher Jared Nielsen approached Allen and invited him to participate in a new study to detect where scrupulosity is being activated in the brain, and then comparing that to other OCD symptoms. The project is currently in the works and the plan is to have around 30-40 subjects with scrupulous tendencies to go through an MRI scan. Researchers will then observe whether theres a consistent, localized area where scrupulosity is coming from.

It may not tell us how its caused, but we can know where its coming from in terms of the location in the brain, Allen said. We suspect its somewhere just above the fornix area around the limbic system of the brain.

The research team consists of Allen, Nielsen, licensed psychologist Debra McClendon and students Benson Bunker, Eli Baughn and David Johnson. The team is in the process of conceptualizing the project. The next steps include drafting an Institutional Review Board (IRB) proposal to gain approval and then starting the MRI scans within the next few months.

BYU psychology major Benson Bunker joined Allens research team a year ago. The Henderson, Nevada native has personally struggled with scrupulosity, and researched it for an assignment in a psychology writing class. He joined Allens team after hearing about the opportunity from a friend.

Bunker, along with Allen and other team members, presented at the Association of Mormon Counselors and Psychotherapists (AMCAP) conference in Salt Lake City last October. A major part of their presentation was gathering information on scrupulosity and directing attention to the issue.

For the upcoming research project, Bunkers responsibility has been to compile a list of questions designed to trigger scrupulous thoughts. One of the main tasks subjects are expected to do is read and answer to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints previous temple recommend interview questions.

A big issue for people with scrupulosity in this Church is going in and being interviewed by a bishop, Bunker said. We thought it would be a good idea to reproduce that through questions based on the temple recommend interview questions.

According to Allen, the black and white dichotomy of the old interview questions tend to invoke scrupulosity in individuals more.

The new questions are much better in terms of the language. The words are softer and in three of the questions, they include the word strive so its not an absolute are you, or are you not, Allen said. Were using the old questions because thats what invokes scrupulosity more.

When considering the well-being of scrupulous individuals, Allen believes the change of wording in the temple reccomend interview questions was a step in the right direction.

I think the brethren and leaders of the church were inspired to change the interview questions because they know were human, that were imperfect and we have flaws, Allen said.

Bunker believes many individuals who struggle with scrupulosity dont know what it is or how they can overcome the symptoms attached to it.

I hope they dont think its normal for them to think theyre going to be cast into hell for a little mistake they made 10 years ago, Bunker said. I feel like if they understand what it is, and know there is help out there, that they can get better and still have a healthy relationship with God.

See the article here:
BYU researches where religious OCD is activated in the brain - Universe.byu.edu

Neuroscience

Satire | Sleeping around what different majors are like in bed – University of Pittsburgh The Pitt News

February 13, 2020 medical

Eli Savage | Contributing Editor

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to sleep with that cute guy you always make eye contact with in your gen ed class? How about that girl from your chemistry lab? You know, the one who always looks amazing even though its 9 p.m. and, well, a chem lab? Well, wonder no more! While you probably dont know what kind of lover they are, Im confident that you probably know what theyre majoring in. Before you hop into bed with anybody new, consult this list to see if theyre even worth your time.

Communications

If youre looking for someone to talk dirty to you all night long, then a communications major is your ideal lover. Since their major is essentially dedicated to learning how to effectively convey information to a diverse audience, it makes sense theyd be a good communicator in bed. And hey, communication is key, right?

Nursing

Nursing majors are perfectly adequate in bed, maybe even good. Id say all their practice with bedside manner turns them into attentive, gentle lovers. The only downside to sleeping with a nursing major is that youll wake up at 5 a.m. when their alarm goes off to wake them up for clinicals.

Biology/pre-med

While you might be tempted to hookup with a bio major I know its convenient, especially since it sometimes seems like bio is the only major we have at Pitt, just like the only place Pitt students come from is outside of Philly I would strongly advise against it. It seems that their intense knowledge of the way life functions and their important medical aspirations have left them with a strangely distanced and almost medical approach to sex.

Engineering

If you can convince an engineering major to leave Benedum long enough to get them into bed with you, I will be seriously impressed. With their busy schedules and impossibly challenging course work, its a wonder they have time to breathe, let alone have sex. However, with their knowledge about whatever engineers know theyre probably pretty all right in bed.

Neuroscience

Rest assured that if you sleep with a neuroscience major, it will be nothing more than a hookup. Chances are theyre just trying to distract themselves from the insanity of their classes. That being said, if youre into casual sex and want a fun night with no strings attached, go on Tinder and find yourself a neuroscience major.

Psychology

If you have daddy issues, then you should definitely sleep with a psychology major. Theyll be able to psychoanalyze you all night, and maybe help you get to the bottom of some of your deep-seated childhood trauma. Alternatively, you could just go to therapy and save yourself a disappointing hookup.

Environmental Studies/Science

Let me be real with you. Environmental studies and science majors are quite possibly the best lovers you will ever find. Nothing compares to the passion and dedication these students have in their hearts, and their astute powers of observation keenly honed from hours of identifying miscellaneous rocks and minerals make them very attuned to their partners needs in the bedroom. I know I havent given any other major a numerical rating, but students who study environmental studies and science have earned a 10/10. And no, I am not biased at all. I dont know why you would think that. No way.

Business

For now, lets pretend there arent subsects of the business school and condense everything into one, nondescript major. Business majors are forever the subject of jokes about how easy their classes are and how little work they have to do. Fortunately for the business major, this leaves them plenty of free time, making it likely that they are highly experienced in the bedroom. Unfortunately, their sex may tend to feel transactional, possibly because theyre thinking about that macroeconomics exam they have on Thursday.

Math

Allow me to simplify all mathematics majors I think theres multiple? How many kinds of math are there? into one, all-knowing math major just for laughs. This all-encompassing major is perfectly fine in bed, maybe even better than some of the previously mentioned majors it must be the fact that you know they know how to add and subtract. Plus, if you sleep with a math major, you might be able to get them to help you with your calculus homework.

Film

If you want to reenact your favorite steamy scene from film, you should absolutely sleep with a film major. Tell them how much you loved the sex scene from Atonement you know, the one in the library with Keira Knightley and James McAvoy and chances are that theyll agree and do their best to make your fantasies come true. However, if youre not looking to have movie-inspired sex, you might not want to sleep with a film major. Im pretty sure they dont know how to do much else.

English

An English major is a safe bet for a hookup, or a long term sexual thing. It might be a little strange at first, as they might say some words youve never heard before, but such is life when you have sex with someone who reads a lot. The good news about sleeping with an English major is that when you wake up in their bed in the morning and have to wait, like, an hour and a half for them to wake up, and you cant reach your phone because its on the opposite nightstand, and you dont want to crawl across the bed to get it for fear of waking them up, you can just roll over and read the titles of the 80 books on their shelf.

Paige Lawler writes primarily about environmental policy and politics for The Pitt News. This is her first and probably only satirical piece. Tell her if you think shes funny at pml36@pitt.edu

Follow this link:
Satire | Sleeping around what different majors are like in bed - University of Pittsburgh The Pitt News

Physiology

What Is VO2 Max? What To Know, According To An Exercise Physiologist – Women’s Health

February 13, 2020 medical

You know that awkward feeling when someone references a TV show or person you don't know but you smile and nod along because you want to seem in the loop? Yeah, that totally human experience happens in fitness too. Especially around relatively obscure terms like VO2 max, which you may have overheard in a locker room or name dropped by a trainer recentlyit's become a bit of a buzzword as of late. But what is VO2 max, you ask?

Basically, its the maximum amount of oxygen your body can take in and use during exercise at your 100-percent intensity, says Stacy Sims, PhD, exercise physiologist, and author of Roar: How to Match Your Food and Fitness to Your Female Physiology for Optimum Performance, Great Health, and a Strong, Lean Body for Life.

Its often considered the best measurement of someones cardiorespiratory fitness, and Sims notes that its a reflection of how fast your body can regenerate ATP (an energy-carrying molecule burned off as fuel during exercise) in your cells.

That's kind of heady, to be honest, so another way to think about VO2 max is that it's like your PR when it comes to consuming oxygen. In theory, the more O2 you can take in, the more energy you can expend for a longer period of time. It's why athletes are hyper-focused on increasing their own in an effort to optimize their performance.

Even if you're not a fitness pro, though, you can still benefit from training to boost your VO2 max for similar reasonsbigger, better gains! Keep reading for everything you need to know about VO2 max like how to figure out your own, how to improve it, and what's a good benchmark to aim for in the first place.

There's no "perfect score" for VO2 max. Sims says a desirable number really depends on your sport or main fitness activity. "When we look at elite values, top-end cross-country women sit around 65 to 70 ml/kg/min; runners are about 60 to 65ml/kg/min; cyclists are around 55 to 60 ml/kg/min."

Generally speaking, though, this VO2 max chart notes where optimal scores should fall depending on your age:

Jewelyn Butron

Testing VO2 max is where things get a little tricky. The gold standard is direct measurement in a lab setting, says Sims. This is known as a Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing (CPET), and it involves wearing a mask and heart rate monitor thats hooked up to a treadmill or stationary bike. The mask is connected to a machine that measures the amount of oxygen you inhale, and the amount of carbon dioxide you exhale. During the test, you continue upping the intensity of your bike or tread until your oxygen consumption value reaches a steady state, even as exercise intensity increases, explains Sims. Thats your max. The final measurement is recorded in mL/kg/min. If you're really interested in finding your true VO2 max, see if any gyms or fitness studios near you offer the service.

This, of course, is not realistic for most people, which is why an easier (albeit not as precise) way to get an approximation of you VO2 max is by investing in a fitness tracker or smartwatch that'll estimate it for you based on your heart rate and exercise intensity after collecting your data for a period of time. For the average active adult, this is the best option. Some, like the FitBit Ionic, refer to VO2 max as your "cardio fitness score," while others, like the Apple Watch, list it simply as VO2 maxyou can find yours in the Apple Health app when you click through to all health data, fyi.

Garmin vvosport, Fitness/Activity Tracker with GPS and Heart Rate Monitoring, Slate

$115.19

Apple Watch Series 5 (GPS, 40mm) - Space Gray Aluminum Case with Black Sport Band

Fitbit Ionic GPS Smart Watch, Charcoal/Smoke Gray, One Size (S & L Bands Included)

$178.99

Your cardio fitness level isn't the only thing that plays a role. Sims notes that there are actually a number of internal and external factors that can have a major impact on your VO2 max:

If you have the ability to track your VO2 max regularly, it can be one way to determine your fitness level and improvement. The best way to give it a boost is through high-intensity interval training (HIIT), which helps work you body at high levels for a period of time, in order to help build up your aerobic capacity, says Sims.

Try this four-move HIIT workout video to start improving yours:

That said, while VO2 max is used in scientific research and with elite athletes, Sims doesn't recommend getting too hung up on it as a go-to performance or training marker. Instead, focus on challenging your body little by little in cardio workouts to get fitter and faster.

Physiology

This Marsupial Dies After Marathon Mating. Now It’s Got Bigger Worries – WIRED

February 13, 2020 medical

What if I told you that in Australia, a mouselike marsupial called antechinus breeds so manically during its three-week mating season that the males bleed internally and go blind, until every male lies dead? And what if I told you that this isnt the reason the species is facing an existential threat?

Reporting today in the journal Frontiers in Physiology, biologists from University of New England in Australia and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology present troubling evidence that antechinus might be ill-prepared for a warmer world. The researchers set out to look at something called phenotypic plasticity in the yellow-footed antechinus, one of the creatures 15 known species. Think of your phenotype as your bodys hardware, or physiology: your height and skin color and metabolism. This is in part coded by your genotype, the genetic software that powers the hardware. Phenotypic plasticity is the ability of a species to respond to environmental stressorslike temperature swingsby altering their physiology without mucking with all the underlying genetics.

For the antechinus, the researchers were interested in the plasticity of its metabolism. This is highly influenced by temperature: An adult antechinus metabolism shifts to expend less energy when its cold during the winter and there isnt much insect prey for it to hunt. When its warm, an antechinus can afford to expend a lot of energy because prey is plentiful.

The researchers, though, were more interested in how temperature affects antechinus babiesthat is, how being raised in cold or warm environments might affect how their metabolism works once they become adults. So they reared two groups of babies, one in colder temperatures and one in warmer temperatures. They then flipped the thermostat, exposing the individuals reared in the cold to warm temperatures and the warm-reared ones to the cold.

As the researchers expected, when the temperature switched from warm to cold the animals decreased their activity levels, which the scientists were recording using infrared sensors that logged movements. This is perfectly natural for wild animals, since in winter they have fewer insects to hunt and need to conserve their energy to keep from starving. In fact, in the dead of winter, antechinus can slip into a state called torpor, drastically lowering their body temperature and metabolic rates.

In the lab, the researchers also found that when turning up the heat on animals that had been reared in the cold, the animals increased their activity levels, just like they would in the wild as warmer spring temperatures bring more insects to hunt.

So far so gooduntil the researchers also looked at the metabolic rates, instead of just the activity levels, of the animals as they experienced temperature shifts. A metabolic rate is the measure of how much energy the animal needs to maintain function at rest. For a mammal like antechinus, that rate can change significantly when outdoor temperatures go up or down. Unlike a reptile, a mammal like antechinus has to constantly maintain its own body temperature, either spending energy to cool or warm itself.

This time, the researchers found that when the antechinus raised in the warm group shifted to the cold, they increased their metabolic rate only slightly. But those raised in the cold group that shifted to the warmth decreased their metabolic rate significantly. The discrepancy suggests that the babies brought up in cold conditions have more plastic phenotypes when it comes to adjusting to temperature changes.

So we hypothesize that perhaps these results reveal that antechinus that are raised in cold conditions have more flexibility in their physiology than those that are raised in warm conditions, says physiological ecologist Clare Stawski of University of New England in Australia and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, lead author on the new paper. Which might show you that in the future when it's much warmer, and more consistently warm, that the antechinus might not be as flexible to changes in the climate.

Physiology

Orcutt: The other ‘lungs of the planet’ – Roanoke Times

February 13, 2020 medical

Orcutt is Professor Emeritus of Plant Physiology from Virginia Tech. He lives in Montgomery County

Alexander von Humboldt, an environmentalist credited with the early prediction of climate change, wrote President Thomas Jefferson in 1804: The wants and restless activity of large communities of men gradually dispoil the face of the Earth. This was after his exploration, in 1799 of the Aragua Valley in Venezuela, where rainforests were being removed and replaced with indigo by local farmers. He noted it was having detrimental effects on the local natural ecosystems and climate. According to Andrea Wulf, Alexander von Humboldts biographer, It was one of the first Western observations of human-caused climate change.

Although the rainforests are considered the Lungs of the Planet, and rightfully so, little public attention is given to an equally important group of plants called phytoplankton.

Phytoplankton are microscopic, single-celled/colonial photosynthetic plants that live suspended in the water of all aquatic ecosystems. They are important because through photosynthesis they remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air producing food and oxygen (O2) for plant and animal life in aquatic habitats as well as on land. Phytoplankton represent the bottom of the food chain and are ultimately a food source for all animals in oceans, lakes and rivers including the fin and shellfish we eat.

Estimates indicate that phytoplankton produce 50-85% of the earths O2.

In other words, roughly three out of four breaths you take, the O2 in each breath, is produced by phytoplankton.

Phytoplankton are important in reducing global warming by removing CO2 from the air during photosynthesis. One group of phytoplankton, called diatoms, has been estimated to remove 23 petragrams of CO2 from the air per year (1 petragram = 1.1 x 109 tons). Compare this with the rainforests at 18 petragrams, savannahs at 17, and cultivated plants at 8.

The role of diatoms and other phytoplankton in the survival of our planet is essential, but populations appear to be in decline. Since 1950, phytoplankton, in the major oceans, declined 40% and satellite imagery confirms that diatoms declined 1% per year between 1998-2012.

So, what may be causing phytoplankton to be declining?

Oceans readily absorb CO2 from the air and are an important repository for atmospheric CO2 but more CO2 in the air/oceans causes an increased acidity in the oceans due to the formation of carbonic acid which is likely having a negative effect on the growth of phytoplankton, coral and shellfish.

With continued warming of the oceans the solubility of CO2 and O2 declines and the ability of the oceans to remove/retain these gases from the atmosphere may also have negative consequences for the growth of phytoplankton and other life in the oceans.

Phytoplankton not only require CO2, light and O2 for growth but also require other nutrients. Such nutrients are obtained by oceanic mixing due to wind, currents and seasonal turnover of nutrients from lower depths of the ocean to the upper layers where light is available for photosynthesis. Seasonal turnover of water normally results in more dense cold water near the surface moving to the bottom of the ocean and less dense warmer water at the bottom migrating to the top bringing nutrients and organic matter that accumulated on the bottom. With global warming, the top layers of the oceans are warmer now with apparently less turn over occurring and less nutrients being brought to the surface where light is available for photosynthesis and growth of phytoplankton.

This all suggests that increased global warming, from rising CO2 levels, is causing elevated ocean temperatures, increased acidity, reduced nutrient levels and consequently, declining phytoplankton populations.

In addition, toxic materials from plastics, oil spills, pesticides, fertilizers and industrial, human and animal waste all contribute to pollution of streams, rivers, and lakes that ultimately flow into the oceans creating additional problems for the growth of animal and plant life.

Overcoming the problem of climate change will require a desire and willingness from individuals, industry and governments of the world to save our living planet. It will take a herculean effort not unlike the unselfish sacrifices made, for the greater good, by our parents and grandparents during World War II. Not to do so is a catastrophic failure of humankind and morally wrong. A statement made by Greta Thunberg, a 16-year-old Swedish girl in September 2019 at the UN, resonates so clearly now: All you can talk about is money and fairytales of economic growth.

Physiology

Cannabis Production Minor to Launch at Western Illinois University in Fall 2020 – Herald Pubs

February 13, 2020 medical

MACOMB, IL According to Forbes, the cannabis industry is among the fastest-growing job markets in America. According to Leaflys 2019 Cannabis Jobs Count, cannabis directly employs more than 211,000 full-time workers in the U.S. And now Western Illinois University students interested in careers in what Leafly calls Americas hidden job boom will have the opportunity through a new Cannabis Production minor set to debut at WIU in Fall 2020.Westerns Faculty Senate approved the new minor at its meeting Feb. 4. Offered through WIUs School of Agriculture, the majority of courses for the 18-19 credit hour minor will be offered through the school, with additional coursework offered through the Department of Biological Sciences.A new course within the program, Cannabis Biology and Production, as well as the minor itself, will assist with developing employees for the new Illinois industry in cannabis production, said School of Agriculture Director Andy Baker.Were excited to be a part of this flourishing industry and providing in-demand, and new, academic opportunities for our students, said WIU Interim President Martin Abraham. Because of our many years of work in alternative crops, and the outstanding expertise of our faculty at Western, we are in a unique position to be at the forefront of cannabis studies.Shelby Henning, horticulture professor in the School of Agriculture, will lead the biology/production course, which includes cannabis anatomy, physiology, breeding, propagation methods, management techniques, post-harvest processing, commercial production, crop rotations and product applications.The U.S. Farm Bill of 2014 legalized industrial hemp for research by state agriculture departments and universities. School of Agriculture Professor Win Phippen, who leads our alternative crops program, has been conducting research on hemp for several years, and most recently, added a cannabis component to his research, noted Baker. This new course and minor are perfect complements to our comprehensive agriculture degree program.Other courses available in the minor, which already exist through the School of Agriculture and Department of Biological Sciences include crop sciences, introduction to horticulture, introduction to plant biology, genetics in biology and agriculture, pest management, plant structure, plant physiology, greenhouse and nursery management, plant breeding, crop improvement and hydroponic plant production.For more information, contact the School of Agriculture at (309) 298-1080 or AJ-Baker@wiu.edu.

Continue reading here:
Cannabis Production Minor to Launch at Western Illinois University in Fall 2020 - Herald Pubs

Physiology

Going with the flow: searching for the optimum current speeds in RAS – The Fish Site

February 13, 2020 medical

One of the early findings is that the increased growth caused by higher water speeds occurs in muscles, rather than the other organs. However, the researchers also argue that it's crucial to keep an eye on any impairments in fish welfare that might be caused by strong currents.

The aim of the new project was to find the optimum water speeds, or currents, for smolt in recirculation systems.

The researchers divided 80g post-smolt salmon which have recently adapted to marine life into groups that would swim for three months in water flowing at four different speeds.

They wanted to test to see what happens to salmon physiology at different water speeds and whether or not there are any upper speed limits. Water speed is measured as body length per second.

The speeds that were tested were 0.5 body length/sec (low), 1 (medium), 1.8 (high) and 2.5 (very high).

2.5 body lengths per second is the highest speed that has been tested on salmon smolt to date. In commercial recirculation systems less than one body length per second is normal.

We tested this very high water speed because we were interested in the physiological response of the fish, says fish health researcher Gerrit Timmerhaus at Nofima.

He believes that it is not realistic to introduce water speeds that are much higher than the present day standard in existing recirculation systems because this requires special equipment and powerful pumps suitable for achieving such high speeds. He also doubts if it would pay off, even if it did result in increased growth.

One of the findings in the trial was that weak currents resulted in a low condition factor ie a long, narrow body shape while strong currents resulted in relatively broad fish, which denotes good condition.

Even through producers want a high percentage of muscle and rapid growth, the researchers do not know how this actual type of salmon would manage during the growth phase in the sea, and whether or not a poor condition factor would be compensated for in the salmon by muscle growth at a later stage. One finding in a previous trial conducted at Nofima showed that strong currents result in increased resistance to diseases in the sea.

The Health and Welfare of Atlantic Salmon course

It is vital that fish farm operatives who are responsible for farmed fish are trained in their health andwelfare. This will help to ensure that fish are free from disease and suffering whilst at the same timepromote good productivity and comply with legislation.

Salmon swimming in strong currents swim in shoals and the researchers think that this is a sign that they are optimising their use of energy. The skin damage recorded included scale loss and hemorrhagic patches, and not damage that was directly harmful to health in itself.

Based on this research and previous research conducted at Nofima, I believe that it is optimal for fish to swim at speeds somewhere between 1 and 1.8 body lengths per second. Anything below 1 means that their growth potential is not utilised and they do not build up resistance to disease, and at speeds above 1.8 we risk making compromises with the health of the barrier tissue of the fish, says Timmerhaus.

This research, which represents a step towards acquiring more knowledge about salmon yields and welfare in closed-containment systems, was conducted at the Norwegian Centre for Research-based Innovation, CtrlAQUA SFI, in Sunndalsra.

Follow this link:
Going with the flow: searching for the optimum current speeds in RAS - The Fish Site

Physiology

A rare disease among children is discovered in a 66-million-year-old dinosaur tumor – WLS

February 13, 2020 medical

A rare disease that still affects humans today has been found in the fossilized remains of a duck-billed dinosaur that roamed the Earth at least 66 million years ago.

Researchers at Tel Aviv University noticed unusual cavities in two tail segments of the hadrosaur, which were unearthed at the Dinosaur Provincial Park in southern Alberta, Canada.

They compared the vertebrae with the skeletons of two humans who were known to have a benign tumor called LCH (Langerhans cell histiocytosis), a rare and sometimes painful disease that affects children, mainly boys.

Diagnosing diseases in skeletal remains and fossils is complicated as in some cases different diseases leave similar marks on bones. LCH, however, has a distinctive appearance that fit to the lesions found in the hadrosaur, said Dr. Hila May, head of the Biohistory and Evolutionary Medicine Laboratory, at TAUs Sackler Faculty of Medicine.

The researchers used advanced, high-resolution CT scans to analyze the dinosaur tail fossils.

New technologies,such as the micro CT scanning, enabled us to examine the structure of the lesion and reconstruct the overgrowth as well as the blood vessels that fed it, May told CNN.

The micro and macro analyses confirmed that it was, in fact, LCH. This is the first time this disease has been identified in a dinosaur, May said.

In humans, LCH is sometimes described as a rare form of cancer but May said that there are different opinions among experts as to whether it is definitively a cancer or not because in some cases its passes spontaneously.

Most of the LCH-related tumors, which can be very painful, suddenly appear in the bones of children aged 2-10 years. Thankfully, these tumors disappear without intervention in many cases, she said.

Hadrosaurs would have stood about 10 meters high and weighed several tons. They roamed in large herds 66 to 80 million years ago, the study, which published this week in the journal Scientific Reports said.

Like us, dinosaurs got sick but evidence of disease and infection in the fossil record a field known as paleopathology has been scant.

However, there is evidence that tyrannosaurids, like the T-Rex, suffered from gout and that iguanodons may have had osteoarthritis. Cancer has proved more difficult for paleopathologists to diagnose but there is evidence that dinosaurs would have suffered from the disease, the study said.

Studying disease in fossils, independent of the species, is a complicated task. And it is even more complicated when dealing with those of animals that are extinct as we do not have a living reference, May explained.

The authors said the finding could help further evolutionary medicine a new field of research that investigates the development and behavior of diseases over time.

Given that many of the diseases we suffer from come from animals, such as coronovirus, HIV and tuberculosis, May said understanding how they manifest themselves in different species and survive evolution can help find new and effective ways to treat them.

When we know that a disease is independent of species or time, it means the mechanism that encourages its development is not specific to human behavior and environment, rather [its] a basic problem in an organisms physiology, May said.

Click here to read full story

See original here:
A rare disease among children is discovered in a 66-million-year-old dinosaur tumor - WLS