Navigating polycrisis: long-run socio-cultural factors shape response to changing climate.

Climate variability and natural hazards like floods and earthquakes can act as environmental shocks or socioecological stressors leading to instability and suffering throughout human history. Yet, societies experience a wide range of outcomes when facing such challenges: some suffer from social unrest, civil violence or complete collapse; others prove more resilient and maintain key social functions. We currently lack a clear, generally agreed-upon conceptual framework and evidentiary base to explore what causes these divergent outcomes.

Disentangling the evolutionary drivers of social complexity: A comprehensive test of hypotheses.

During the Holocene, the scale and complexity of human societies increased markedly. Generations of scholars have proposed different theories explaining this expansion, which range from broadly functionalist explanations, focusing on the provision of public goods, to conflict theories, emphasizing the role of class struggle or warfare. To quantitatively test these theories, we develop a general dynamical model based on the theoretical framework of cultural macroevolution.

Rise of the war machines: Charting the evolution of military technologies from the Neolithic to the Industrial Revolution.

What have been the causes and consequences of technological evolution in world history? In particular, what propels innovation and diffusion of military technologies, details of which are comparatively well preserved and which are often seen as drivers of broad socio-cultural processes? Here we analyze the evolution of key military technologies in a sample of pre-industrial societies world-wide covering almost 10,000 years of history using Seshat: Global History Databank. We empirically test previously speculative theories that proposed world population size, connectivity between geographical areas of innovation and adoption, and critical enabling technological advances, such as iron metallurgy and horse riding, as central drivers of military technological evolution. We find that all of these factors are strong predictors of change in military technology, whereas state-level factors such as polity population, territorial size, or governance sophistication play no major role.

Proteomic profile and morphological characteristics of skeletal muscle from the fast- and slow-growing yellow perch (Perca flavescens).

The objective of the present study was to compare skeletal muscle proteomic profiles, histochemical characteristics, and expression levels of myogenic regulatory factors (MRFs) between fast- versus slow-growing yellow perch Perca flavescens and identify the proteins/peptides that might play a crucial role in the muscle growth dynamic. Yellow perch were nursed in ponds for 6 weeks from larval stage and cultured in two meter diameter tanks thereafter. The fingerlings were graded to select the top 10% and bottom 10% fish which represented fast- and slow-growing groups (31 yellow perch per each group).

A structured open dataset of government interventions in response to COVID-19.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, governments have implemented a wide range of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs). Monitoring and documenting government strategies during the COVID-19 crisis is crucial to understand the progression of the epidemic. Following a content analysis strategy of existing public information sources, we developed a specific hierarchical coding scheme for NPIs.

Using the Digital Platform ExamSoft in Veterinary Anatomy and Parasitology Assessments in Written and Laboratory Components.

The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM), with a class size of 162, is one of the largest in the nation. In an effort to streamline examination procedures, create a consistent assessment format among courses, replace paper exams, track test questions linked to learning objectives, and reduce exam grading time, our DVM program adopted the use of ExamSoft for core courses beginning in the autumn semester 2014. ExamSoft is an electronic assessment application, which provides a secure testing environment and robust reporting features.

Quantitative historical analysis uncovers a single dimension of complexity that structures global variation in human social organization.

Do human societies from around the world exhibit similarities in the way that they are structured, and show commonalities in the ways that they have evolved? These are long-standing questions that have proven difficult to answer. To test between competing hypotheses, we constructed a massive repository of historical and archaeological information known as "Seshat: Global History Databank." We systematically coded data on 414 societies from 30 regions around the world spanning the last 10,000 years.

Effect of Salmonella infection on cecal tonsil regulatory T cell properties in chickens.

Two studies were conducted to study regulatory T cell [Treg (CD4⁺CD25⁺)] properties during the establishment of a persistent intestinal infection in broiler chickens. Four-day-old broiler chicks were orally gavaged with 5 × 10⁶ CFU/mL Salmonella enteritidis (S. enteritidis) or sterile PBS (control).

Feed restriction delays developmental fast skeletal muscle myosin heavy chain isoforms in turkey poults selected for differential growth.

Genetic selection has been very successful at significantly increasing BW and breast muscle proportion in commercial broiler and turkey strains. The mechanisms of breast muscle growth in poultry and the interactive effects of nutritional status and selection are not fully understood. The hypothesis underlying the current study is that feed restriction, simply as a vehicle for controlling early growth, would delay the temporal expression pattern of neonatal (nMyHC) and adult (aMyHC) fast skeletal muscle myosin heavy chain (MyHC) isoforms in the pectoralis major muscle of turkey poults.

Comparative proteomic characterization of the sarcoplasmic proteins in the pectoralis major and supracoracoideus breast muscles in 2 chicken genotypes.

The selection processes that have resulted in broiler (meat) and leghorn (eggs) chickens have had very different effects on the pectoralis major and supracoracoideus muscles. The objective of this study, therefore, was to analyze the one-dimensional proteomic profiles of sarcoplasmic protein fractions isolated from the p. major and supracoracoideus muscles collected from 10 chicks from each genotype to compare developmental differences.

Multivariate evaluation of 1-dimensional sarcoplasmic protein profile patterns of turkey breast muscle during early post-hatch development.

Proteins are the main participants in metabolic pathways. However, the analysis of protein abundance patterns associated with those pathways is complicated by the large number of proteins involved. In this study, the objective was to present the application of principal component analysis (PCA) to permit the visualization of developmental proteomic patterns of sarcoplasmic proteins found in breast muscle.

(-)-Gossypol containing hen sera and a myosin (-)-gossypol conjugate reduces the proliferation of MCF-7 cells.

Sera from chickens that consumed a known level of (-)-gossypol (-)-GP) exhibited bioactivity against human breast cancer cells in vitro. Based on this, it is conceivable that similar anti-breast cancer activities of different magnitudes will be exhibited in biological samples harvested from (-)-GP-fed layer hens. The experimental data generated in this study may influence the fundamental thinking regarding the utilization of low cost agricultural commodities such as (-)-GP cottonseed meal to produce value-added chemopreventive animal products.

Technical note: a gene delivery system in the embryonic cells of avian species using a human adenoviral vector.

Adenovirus (Ad) has been used in vivo and in vitro as a vector to carry a foreign gene for efficient gene delivery into various cell types and tissues of animals. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the Ad delivery system in primary avian cells. Primary cells isolated from the embryonic pectoralis major muscles of the chicken and quail were cultured and incubated with human recombinant Ad serotype 5 (Ad5) containing sequences encoding either the green fluorescence protein (GFP) gene alone, as a tracking marker, or both GFP and murine 3-hydroxyisobutyryl-CoA hydrolase (mHIBCH) as a target gene.

Proteomic analysis of proteins associated with body mass and length in yellow perch, Perca flavescens.

The goal of commercial yellow perch aquaculture is to increase muscle mass which leads to increased profitability. The accumulation and degradation of muscle-specific gene products underlies the variability in body mass (BM) and length observed in pond-cultured yellow perch. Our objective was to apply a combination of statistical and proteomic technologies to identify intact and/or proteolytic fragments of muscle specific gene products involved in muscle growth in yellow perch.

Analysis of myosin isoform transitions during growth and development in diverse chicken genotypes.

The temporal expression of chicken skeletal fast myosin heavy chain (MyHC) isoforms in pectoralis major muscle was characterized in 3 commercial broiler lines at embryonic d 19 and at 7, 14, and 21 d posthatch. Lines A and B have been selected for breast yield, and line C is a fast' growing commercial line with limited selection for carcass traits. The isoform transitions in breast muscle samples were compared with samples from Single Comb White Leghorns (line D) using a semiquantitative immunoassay.

Myosin heavy chain isoform expression is not altered in the pectoralis major muscle in selenium-deficient chickens recovering from exudative diathetic myopathy.

The recovery of broiler chickens experiencing skeletal muscle myopathy caused by a selenium deficiency was compared with control broiler chickens in an age matched study by ultrastructural analysis of the pectoralis major (PM) muscle and examination of the temporal expression of the developmental fast skeletal myosin heavy chain (MyHC) isoforms. Selenium-deficient chicks showing signs of exudative diathesis (ED) were injected subcutaneously with sodium selenite in water and allowed to recover. At 0, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 30 d after selenium injection, a sample of the PM muscle was removed from selenium-deficient and control chicks for analysis.

A comparison of growth and development patterns in diverse genotypes of broilers. 2. Pullet growth.

Genetic selection within commercial broiler lines continues to generate improvements in BW, feed conversion, and breast meat yield. The objective of the current experiment was to compare carcass and reproductive characteristics of broiler breeder pullets from 2 dam lines that produce heavy broilers with increased breast yield (A and B) with pullets from a commercial line that does not have the extremes in breast yield (C). Restricted-fed BW were similar at all ages of the experiment in the 3 genotypes.

A comparison of growth and development patterns in diverse genotypes of broilers. 1. Male broiler growth.

Selection for breast muscle yield and BW in commercial broilers has resulted in genotypes far different from broilers processed in the past. When comparative studies with commercial lines are conducted, it is often difficult to differentiate between carcass effects resulting from direct genetic selection vs. correlated effects that partially reflect genetic changes in BW.

Biochemical analyses of muscles from poultry bred for rapid growth.

In the current study, commercial broiler breeder hens were mated with either commercial broiler breeder males (B/B) or artificially inseminated with semen from Leghorn cockerels (B/L). Embryos and chicks from each mating were used to study the effects of paternal genotype on breast muscle myosin expression without the confounding effects of differences in egg size and embryo development due to maternal genotype. Specifically, the temporal transitions of myosin heavy chain (MyHC) isoforms within the pectoralis (P.

Effect of selection for growth on onset of sexual maturity in randombred and growth-selected lines of Japanese quail.

An experiment was conducted to determine the effect of selection for growth (BW) on the onset of reproduction (first egg) in Japanese quail hens from growth-selected (HW) and randombred (R1) lines. The HW line had undergone over 40 generations of selection for increased 4-wk BW and was originally developed from the R1 line. Data were collected over two consecutive hatches and summarized by hatch and within lines.

Analysis of poultry fertility data. 3. Analysis of the duration of fertility in naturally mating Japanese quail.

The purpose of the present study was to test the appropriateness of iterative least squares regression for the evaluation of fertility data in naturally mating quail. In each of four trials, 20 male and 200 female randombred Japanese quail were housed in stacked breeder cages. Paired females were exposed to their assigned male for a single 48-h period.

Causes of increased renal echogenicity in pediatric patients.

Review of 2,700 abdominal ultrasonic examinations revealed 56 patients whose kidneys showed increased echogenicity. Echogenic kidneys were associated with medical renal disease in 94% of cases (30% glomerular, 48% tubulointerstitial, 16% end-stage) and with no detectable renal disease in 6% (three patients). Patterns of increased echogenicity and renal size were evaluated.

Cystic fibrosis: its characteristic appearance on abdominal sonography.

The abdominal sonograms of 24 patients with cystic fibrosis aged 8-30 years were reviewed. Most patients had abnormal scans; the number and severity of organs involved tended to increase with age. When the pancreas was identified, it was usually echogenic and small.