Juvenile socio-ecological environment shapes material technology in nest-building birds

Abstract Variation in animal material technology, such as tool use and nest construction, is thought to be caused, in part, by differences in the early-life socio-ecological environment—that is, who and what is around—but this developmental hypothesis remains unconfirmed. We used a tightly controlled developmental paradigm to determine whether adult and/or raw-material access in early life shape first-time nest construction in laboratory-bred zebra finches Taeniopygia guttata at sexual maturity. We found that juvenile access to both an unrelated adult and raw material of one color led to a majority preference (75%) by novice builders for this color of material over that for either natal-nest or novel-colored material, whereas a lack of juvenile access to both an unrelated adult and raw material led to a 4- and nearly 3-fold reduction in the speed at which novice builders initiated and completed nest construction, respectively. Contrary to expectation, neither the amount of time juveniles nor their adult groupmate spent handling the raw material appear to drive these early-life effects on zebra finches’ first-time nest construction, suggesting that adult presence might be sufficient to drive the development of animal material technology. Together these data show that the juvenile socio-ecological environment can trigger variation in at least two critical aspects of animal material technology (material preference and construction speed), revealing a potentially powerful developmental window for technological advancement. Thus, to understand selection on animal material technology, the early-life environment must be considered.

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Early life nutritional stress affects song learning but not underlying neural circuitry in zebra finches.

Behavioral Neuroscience ◽

10.1037/bne0000362 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 134 (3) ◽

pp. 222-232

Author(s):

Khulganaa Buyannemekh ◽

Jessica B. Zito ◽

Michelle L. Tomaszycki

Keyword(s):

Early Life ◽

Nutritional Stress ◽

Neural Circuitry ◽

Song Learning ◽

Zebra Finches

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Determination of Essential Oil Bioactive Components and Rosmarinic Acid of Salvia officinalis Cultivated under Different Intra-row Spacing

Notulae Scientia Biologicae ◽

10.15835/nsb529046 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 5 (2) ◽

pp. 198-203 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Mohammad ABU DARWISH ◽

Ezz Al-Dein AL-RAMAMNEH ◽

Ivan SALAMON ◽

Ziad ABU-DIEYEH ◽

Mohamed AL NAWAISEH ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Essential Oil ◽

Essential Oils ◽

Rosmarinic Acid ◽

Plant Density ◽

Salvia Officinalis ◽

Raw Material ◽

Row Spacing ◽

Human Disorders ◽

Tea Production ◽

First Time

Salvia officinalis, known also as sage, is a medicinal plant belonging to the Lamiaceae family that spreads all over the word in several countries. The demand for the raw material and extracts of this plant is increasing due to its numerous applications in pharmacy, food and herbal tea production. The present study investigated for the first time the effect of 15, 30 and 45 cm intra-row spacing (plant density) on the main constituents of sage essential oils and rosmarinic acid content. The highest content of essential oils (2.7%) and rosmarinic acid (2.0%) were obtained in plants grown using 15 cm planting space. Likewise, close spacing resulted also in a substantial content of 1,8-cineole (47-50%, GC/FID; 55-60%, GC/MS). This work indicated that 1,8-cineole chemotype was a dominant character of cultivated S. officinalis in south of Jordan. In general, the percent of α-thujone in essential oil was not affected by intra-row spacing. However, the percent of β-thujone decreased from (2-3%, GC/MS) in plants grown using 15 cm intra-row spacing to (1-2%, GC/MS) in plants grown using 30 and 45 cm intra-row spacing. The highest content of α-and β-pinene was recorded in plants grown using 45 cm planting space (8-10%, GC/FID; 5-6% GC/MS). Based on GC/MS, camphor compound was enriched (9-10%) in sage plants grown under 15 cm spacing and greater than in plants grown under 30 (6-7%) or 45 cm (5-6%) spacing. The results make the potential use of sage extracts in the treatment of some human disorders or illness an area of further research.

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A Novel Approach to Fabricate Foam Ceramics from Steel Slag

Advances in Materials Science and Engineering ◽

10.1155/2020/4649082 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2020 ◽

pp. 1-7

Author(s):

Yu Zheng ◽

Xudong Luo ◽

Jinlong Yang ◽

Wenlong Huo ◽

Chi Kang

Keyword(s):

Compressive Strength ◽

Ph Value ◽

Steel Slag ◽

Raw Material ◽

Solid Loading ◽

Insulation Material ◽

Ceramic Foams ◽

Novel Approach ◽

The Stability ◽

First Time

A novel approach is used for fabricating steel slag foam ceramics based on the particle-stabilized foaming method. In this work, steel slag was used as the raw material and propyl gallate (PG) was used as the surface modifier. For the first time, steel slag ceramic foams were successfully fabricated based on particle-stabilized foams. The results show that the stability of the ceramic foams was closely related to the pH value and PG concentration. The porosity and compressive strength could be controlled by changing the solid loading of steel slag and sintering temperature. The porosity of steel slag foam ceramics ranged from 85.6% to 62.53%, and the compressive strength was from 1.74 MPa to 10.42 MPa. The thermal conductivity of steel slag foam ceramics was only 0.067 W (m·K)−1, which shows that it could be used as a thermal insulation material.

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Possible Causes in Breaking of Dental Implants Research

Materials Science Forum ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/msf.907.104 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 907 ◽

pp. 104-118

Author(s):

Maria Stoicănescu ◽

Eliza Buzamet ◽

Dragos Vladimir Budei ◽

Valentin Craciun ◽

Roxana Budei ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Dental Implants ◽

Dental Implant ◽

Scientific Literature ◽

Surface Characteristics ◽

Raw Material ◽

New Materials ◽

Materials Used ◽

Type Of Failure ◽

First Time ◽

Consequent Increase

Dental implants are becoming increasingly used in current dental practice. This increased demand has motivated manufacturers to develop varieties of product through design, but also looking for new materials used to improve surface characteristics in order to obtain a better osseointegration. But the increase in the use of implants goes to a consequent increase in the number of failures. These failures are caused either by treatment complications (peri-implantitis), by fatigue breakage under mechanical over-stress, by defective raw material, or due to errors during the insertion procedures. Although they are rare, these complications are serious in dentistry. Before to market a dental implant to clinical practitioners, the product is validated among other determinations in number of biocompatibility research. Raw material issues, details about its structure and properties are less published by the scientific literature, but all this are subject of a carefully analysis of the producers. Breaking of dental implants during surgical procedures, during the prosthetic procedures or during use (chewing, bruxism, accidents, etc.), is the second most common cause of loss of an implant after consecutive peri-implantitis rejection. Although the frequency of this type of failure for a dental implant is much smaller than those caused by the peri-implantitis, a detailed study of broken implants can explain possible causes. The use of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in the study of the cleave areas explain the production mechanism of cleavages, starting from micro-fissures in the alloy used for the production of dental implants. These micro-fissures in weak areas of the implant (anti-rotational corners of the polygons, etc.) could generate a serious risk of cleavage first time when a higher force is applied.

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Comparative Analysis of the Proteomic Profile of Cattle Hides that Produce Loose and Tight Leather using In-Gel Tryptic Digestion followed by LC-MS/MS

Journal of the American Leather Chemists Association ◽

10.34314/jalca.v115i11.4184 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 115 (11) ◽

pp. 399-408

Author(s):

Catherine Maidment ◽

Meekyung Ahn ◽

Rafea Naffa ◽

Trevor Loo ◽

Gillian Norris

Keyword(s):

Type I Collagen ◽

Raw Material ◽

Type I ◽

Collagen Structure ◽

Proteomic Profile ◽

Collagen Network ◽

Collagen Concentration ◽

Different Types ◽

Molecular Components ◽

First Time

Looseness is a defect found in leather that reduces its quality by causing a wrinkly appearance in the finished product, resulting in a reduction in its value. Earlier studies on loose leather using microscopy and Raman spectroscopy reported a change in the collagen structure of loose leather. In this study, proteomics was used to investigate the possible molecular causes of looseness in the raw material, the first time such a study has been carried out. Proteins extracted from two regions of raw hide using two different methods were analysed; those taken from the distal axilla, an area prone to looseness, and those taken from the backbone which is less prone to looseness. Analyses using 1DE-LC-MS/MS showed that although the overall collagen concentration was similar in both areas of the hide, the distribution of the different types of collagen differed. Specifically, concentrations of type I collagen, and the collagen-associated proteoglycan decorin were lower in samples taken from the distal axilla, symptomatic of a collagen network with excess space seen for these samples using confocal microscopy. This study suggests a possible link between the molecular components of raw cattle hide and looseness and more importantly between the molecular components of skin and skin defects. There is therefore potential to develop biomarkers for looseness which will enable early preventative action.

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Associations between DNA methylation and telomere length during early life: Insight from wild zebra finches ( Taeniopygia guttata )

Molecular Ecology ◽

10.1111/mec.16187 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Elizabeth L. Sheldon ◽

Riccardo Ton ◽

Winnie Boner ◽

Pat Monaghan ◽

Shirley Raveh ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Dna Methylation ◽

Telomere Length ◽

Early Life ◽

Taeniopygia Guttata ◽

Zebra Finches

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FoxP2 isoforms delineate spatiotemporal transcriptional networks for vocal learning in the zebra finch

eLife ◽

10.7554/elife.30649 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 7 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Zachary Daniel Burkett ◽

Nancy F Day ◽

Todd Haswell Kimball ◽

Caitlin M Aamodt ◽

Jonathan B Heston ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Vocal Learning ◽

Transcriptional Networks ◽

Zebra Finches ◽

Rna Seq ◽

Song Development ◽

Gene Modules ◽

Area X ◽

First Time ◽

Vocal Variability ◽

Coexpression Network Analysis

Human speech is one of the few examples of vocal learning among mammals yet ~half of avian species exhibit this ability. Its neurogenetic basis is largely unknown beyond a shared requirement for FoxP2 in both humans and zebra finches. We manipulated FoxP2 isoforms in Area X, a song-specific region of the avian striatopallidum analogous to human anterior striatum, during a critical period for song development. We delineate, for the first time, unique contributions of each isoform to vocal learning. Weighted gene coexpression network analysis of RNA-seq data revealed gene modules correlated to singing, learning, or vocal variability. Coexpression related to singing was found in juvenile and adult Area X whereas coexpression correlated to learning was unique to juveniles. The confluence of learning and singing coexpression in juvenile Area X may underscore molecular processes that drive vocal learning in young zebra finches and, by analogy, humans.

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New data on flint processing of East Trypillia tribes of the Bug-Dnieper interfluve

Vita Antiqua ◽

10.37098/va-2021-13-113-128 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 113-128

Author(s):

Ye.V. Pichkur ◽

Keyword(s):

Raw Materials ◽

Raw Material ◽

Production Waste ◽

The West ◽

Quantitative Ratio ◽

Lithic Industry ◽

Modern Level ◽

First Time ◽

Local Nature

For the first time, materials of such settlements of the East Trypillia culture as Trostyanchyk, Onopriyivka І are published. Despite approximately the same quantitative ratio, even at first glance, the materials of these two leaflets differ significantly from each other. The Trostyanchyk complex is actually blade-type: blades prevail both among production waste and among the tool kit. Flakes and tools on them dominate in Onopriyivka. If the Trostyanchyk complex can be regarded as "classic" in terms of the tool kit: retouched blades, end-scrapers, sickle inserts, perforators on blades, etc., then the Onopriyivka complex looks more primitive: retouched flakes, notched tools and scrapers on flakes, and others. In Onopriyivka, unlike Trostyanchyk, finds of weapons are completely absent. Products from Onopriyivka are made mainly of local raw materials, while in Trostyanchyk there are approximately equal parts of products from local and imported raw materials, and products from local flint are made as carefully as products from Volyn flint. At the same time, in both cases we can confidently speak of the local nature of production. This is evidenced by both the use of local flint raw material and the specific items present in both collections. In Trostyanchyk, as already mentioned, a hammerstone was found, in Onopriyivka — core-like fragments and chips of modify of cores. Such differences can be explained by both territorial and chronological discrepancies. Onopriyivka I is earlier, refers to the end of stage ВІ, Trostyanchyk — to the end of stage ВІІ. Trostyanchyk is located on the Southern Bug, Onopriyivka — in the Bugo-Dnieper interfluve. Although, perhaps, this situation is explained by the unevenness of the study of these sites. In addition, materials from the Vladyslavchyk settlement are published for the first time. Based on their analysis, using analogies from related and synchronous sites, the author tried to identify the features of the East Trypillia lithic industry in the Bug-Dnieper rivers interfluve. As it turned out, at the modern level, the identification of such features is not possible. The materials of the East Trypillia culture of the region are, on the whole, more similar to the materials of the settlements of the West Trypillia culture, than to related sites on the Southern Bug. Keywords: East Trypillia culture, Kukutenʹ-Trypillya, production, flint processing, Bug-Dnieper interfluve

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Flowers of Campanula species as a source of biologically active substances

BIO Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/bioconf/20213800033 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 38 ◽

pp. 00033

Author(s):

Tatiana Fomina ◽

Tatiana Kukushkina

Keyword(s):

Ascorbic Acid ◽

Western Siberia ◽

Food Additives ◽

Biologically Active Substances ◽

Biologically Active ◽

Raw Material ◽

Forest Steppe ◽

Wet Weight ◽

First Time ◽

Active Substances

The content of the major groups of biologically active substances in flowers of 7 Campanula species, cultivated in the forest-steppe of Western Siberia, were investigated for the first time. Freshly collected flowers were found to contain 0.06-0.15 % of catechins, 0.31-3.17 % of flavonols, 3.31-6.47 % of tannins, 3.10-15.57 % of pectic substances, and 0.66-16.4 mg% of carotenoids calculated per absolute dre weight of raw material. The amount of ascorbic acid was 36.9-114.0 mg% per wet weight. The data indicate that Campanula flowers are promising for the production of phenolic compounds, the development of food additives and fresh consumptions a seasoning.

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