scholarly journals Future trends in measuring physiology in free-living animals

2021 ◽  
Vol 376 (1831) ◽  
pp. 20200230
Author(s):  
H. J. Williams ◽  
J. Ryan Shipley ◽  
C. Rutz ◽  
M. Wikelski ◽  
M. Wilkes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Health ◽  
Physiological Data ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
Wild Animals ◽  
Ethical Challenges ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Absolute Minimum ◽  
Physiological Variables ◽  
Non Invasive

Thus far, ecophysiology research has predominantly been conducted within controlled laboratory-based environments, owing to a mismatch between the recording technologies available for physiological monitoring in wild animals and the suite of behaviours and environments they need to withstand, without unduly affecting subjects. While it is possible to record some physiological variables for free-living animals using animal-attached logging devices, including inertial-measurement, heart-rate and temperature loggers, the field is still in its infancy. In this opinion piece, we review the most important future research directions for advancing the field of ‘physiologging’ in wild animals, including the technological development that we anticipate will be required, and the fiscal and ethical challenges that must be overcome. Non-invasive, multi-sensor miniature devices are ubiquitous in the world of human health and fitness monitoring, creating invaluable opportunities for animal and human physiologging to drive synergistic advances. We argue that by capitalizing on the research efforts and advancements made in the development of human wearables, it will be possible to design the non-invasive loggers needed by ecophysiologists to collect accurate physiological data from free-ranging animals ethically and with an absolute minimum of impact. In turn, findings have the capacity to foster transformative advances in human health monitoring. Thus, we invite biomedical engineers and researchers to collaborate with the animal-tagging community to drive forward the advancements necessary to realize the full potential of both fields. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Measuring physiology in free-living animals (Part II)’.

scholarly journals A Physiological-Monitoring Electronic Platform for Cattle Grazing Systems

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Ricardo R. Santos ◽  
Fabiana V. Alves ◽  
Patrik O. Bressan ◽  
Ricardo E. Aguiar ◽  
Wellington O. Santos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Beef Cattle ◽  
Skin Temperature ◽  
Mobile Device ◽  
Electronic Device ◽  
Cattle Grazing ◽  
Physiological Data ◽  
Physiological Monitoring ◽  
Physiological Variables ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Grazing Systems

In this work, we present a non-invasive electronic platform for physiological data acquisition on cattle grazing systems. The platform can be used for dairy and beef cattle to continuously monitor physiological variables such as skin temperature, heartbeats, and respiratory frequency. The set of sensors are coupled into a halter so that they are in touch with the animal's forehead. Users can monitor the data acquired by the electronic device using a mobile device (smartphone or tablet) and it visualizes important physiological parameters in the platform cloud system.

scholarly journals Human-mediated impacts on biodiversity and the consequences for zoonotic disease spillover

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline K Glidden ◽  
Nicole Nova ◽  
Morgan P Kain ◽  
Katherine M Lagerstrom ◽  
Eloise B Skinner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Health ◽  
Biodiversity Conservation ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Positive Outcomes ◽  
Wild Animals ◽  
Natural Ecosystems ◽  
Zoonotic Pathogen ◽  
Integrated Strategies ◽  
Biodiversity Change ◽  
Phenological Diversity

Human-mediated changes to natural ecosystems have consequences for both ecosystem and human health. Historically, efforts to preserve or restore ‘biodiversity’ can seem to be in opposition to human interests. However, the integration of biodiversity conservation and public health has gained significant traction in recent years, and new efforts to identify solutions that benefit both environmental and human health are ongoing. At the forefront of these efforts is an attempt to clarify ways in which biodiversity conservation can help reduce the risk of zoonotic spillover of pathogens from wild animals, sparking epidemics and pandemics in humans and livestock. However, our understanding of the mechanisms by which biodiversity change influences the spillover process is incomplete, limiting the application of integrated strategies aimed at achieving positive outcomes for both conservation and disease management. Here, we review the literature, considering a broad scope of biodiversity dimensions, to identify cases where zoonotic pathogen spillover is mechanistically linked to changes in biodiversity. By reframing the discussion around biodiversity and disease using mechanistic evidence—while encompassing multiple aspects of biodiversity including functional diversity, landscape diversity, phenological diversity, and interaction diversity—we work toward general principles that can guide future research and more effectively integrate the related goals of biodiversity conservation and spillover prevention. We conclude by summarizing how these principles could be used to integrate the goal of spillover prevention into ongoing biodiversity conservation initiatives.

scholarly journals Introduction to the theme issue: Measuring physiology in free-living animals

2021 ◽  
Vol 376 (1830) ◽  
pp. 20200210
Author(s):  
L. A. Hawkes ◽  
A. Fahlman ◽  
K. Sato
Keyword(s):  
Rapid Development ◽  
Therapeutic Interventions ◽  
Wild Animals ◽  
Theme Issue ◽  
Physiological Mechanisms ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Physiological Variables ◽  
Biological Variables ◽  
Technological Limitations ◽  
Device Size

By describing where animals go, biologging technologies (i.e. animal attached logging of biological variables with small electronic devices) have been used to document the remarkable athletic feats of wild animals since the 1940s. The rapid development and miniaturization of physiologging (i.e. logging of physiological variables such as heart rate, blood oxygen content, lactate, breathing frequency and tidal volume on devices attached to animals) technologies in recent times (e.g. devices that weigh less than 2 g mass that can measure electrical biopotentials for days to weeks) has provided astonishing insights into the physiology of free-living animals to document how and why wild animals undertake these extreme feats. Now, physiologging, which was traditionally hindered by technological limitations, device size, ethics and logistics, is poised to benefit enormously from the on-going developments in biomedical and sports wearables technologies. Such technologies are already improving animal welfare and yield in agriculture and aquaculture, but may also reveal future pathways for therapeutic interventions in human health by shedding light on the physiological mechanisms with which free-living animals undertake some of the most extreme and impressive performances on earth. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Measuring physiology in free-living animals (Part I)’.

scholarly journals The fragranced products phenomenon: air quality and health, science and policy

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Steinemann
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Consumer Products ◽  
Health Science ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Research Directions ◽  
Science And Policy ◽  
New Findings ◽  
Future Research Directions ◽  
Indoor And Outdoor

Abstract Fragrance is used in consumer products around the world. However, fragrance has been associated with adverse effects on indoor and outdoor air quality and human health. Questions arise, such as the following: Why does fragrance in products pose problems? What are sources of emissions and exposures? What are health and societal effects? What are possible solutions? This paper examines the issue of fragranced consumer products and its science and policy dimensions, with a focus on the implications for air quality and human health. Results include new findings and new questions for future research directions.

scholarly journals Data-driven modelling approach to circadian temperature rhythm profiles in free-living conditions

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jari Lipsanen ◽  
Liisa Kuula ◽  
Marko Elovainio ◽  
Timo Partonen ◽  
Anu-Katriina Pesonen
Keyword(s):  
Skin Surface ◽  
Living Conditions ◽  
Data Driven ◽  
Physiological Data ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Physiological Level ◽  
Temperature Rhythm ◽  
Time Series Modelling ◽  
Circadian Preference ◽  
Free Living Conditions

AbstractThe individual variation in the circadian rhythms at the physiological level is not well understood. Albeit self-reported circadian preference profiles have been consolidated, their premises are grounded on human experience, not on physiology. We used data-driven, unsupervised time series modelling to characterize distinct profiles of the circadian rhythm measured from skin surface temperature in free-living conditions. We demonstrate the existence of three distinct clusters of individuals which differed in their circadian temperature profiles. The cluster with the highest temperature amplitude and the lowest midline estimating statistic of rhythm, or rhythm-adjusted mean, had the most regular and early-timed sleep–wake rhythm, and was the least probable for those with a concurrent delayed sleep phase, or eveningness chronotype. While the clusters associated with the observed sleep and circadian preference patterns, the entirely unsupervised modelling of physiological data provides a novel basis for modelling and understanding the human circadian functions in free-living conditions.

The Importance of the Posterolateral Area of the Diaphragm Muscle for Palpation and for the Treatment of Manual Osteopathic Medicine

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Bruno Bordoni ◽  
Stevan Walkowski ◽  
Allan Escher ◽  
Bruno Ducoux
Keyword(s):  
Functional Anatomy ◽  
Diaphragm Muscle ◽  
Physiological Data ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Physical Aspect ◽  
Osteopathic Medicine ◽  
Self Healing ◽  
Hands On ◽  
Critical Issues ◽  
Solid Foundation

The eupneic act in healthy subjects involves a coordinated combination of functional anatomy and neurological activation. Neurologically, a central pattern generator, the components of which are distributed between the brainstem and the spinal cord, are hypothesized to drive the process and are modeled mathematically. A functionally anatomical approach is easier to understand although just as complex. Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) is part of osteopathic medicine, which has many manual techniques to approach the human body, trying to improve the patient’s homeostatic response. The principle on which OMT is based is the stimulation of self-healing processes, researching the intrinsic physiological mechanisms of the person, taking into consideration not only the physical aspect, but also the emotional one and the context in which the patient lives. This article reviews how the diaphragm muscle moves, with a brief discussion on anatomy and the respiratory neural network. The goal is to highlight the critical issues of OMT on the correct positioning of the hands on the posterolateral area of the diaphragm around the diaphragm, trying to respect the existing scientific anatomical-physiological data, and laying a solid foundation for improving the data obtainable from future research. The correctness of the position of the operator’s hands in this area allows a more effective palpatory perception and, consequently, a probably more incisive result on the respiratory function.

scholarly journals Animal sales from Wuhan wet markets immediately prior to the COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao Xiao ◽  
Chris Newman ◽  
Christina D. Buesching ◽  
David W. Macdonald ◽  
Zhao-Min Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Biodiversity Conservation ◽  
Wildlife Trade ◽  
Wild Animals ◽  
Protected Species ◽  
Zoonotic Infections ◽  
Global Biodiversity ◽  
Poor Welfare

AbstractHere we document 47,381 individuals from 38 species, including 31 protected species sold between May 2017 and November 2019 in Wuhan’s markets. We note that no pangolins (or bats) were traded, supporting reformed opinion that pangolins were not likely the spillover host at the source of the current coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. While we caution against the misattribution of COVID-19’s origins, the wild animals on sale in Wuhan suffered poor welfare and hygiene conditions and we detail a range of other zoonotic infections they can potentially vector. Nevertheless, in a precautionary response to COVID-19, China’s Ministries temporarily banned all wildlife trade on 26th Jan 2020 until the COVID-19 pandemic concludes, and permanently banned eating and trading terrestrial wild (non-livestock) animals for food on 24th Feb 2020. These interventions, intended to protect human health, redress previous trading and enforcement inconsistencies, and will have collateral benefits for global biodiversity conservation and animal welfare.

scholarly journals Cognitive Assessments in Hydration Research Involving Children: Methods and Considerations

2019 ◽  
Vol 74 (Suppl. 3) ◽  
pp. 19-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel R. Westfall ◽  
Nicole E. Logan ◽  
Naiman A. Khan ◽  
Charles H. Hillman
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Research Interest ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Cognitive Assessments ◽  
Cognitive Domains ◽  
Essential Nutrient ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Relationship

The effects of optimal and insufficient hydration on human health have received increasing investigation in recent years. Specifically, water is an essential nutrient for human health, and the importance of hydration on cognition has continued to attract research interest over the last decade. Despite this focus, children remain a relatively understudied population relative to the effects of hydration on cognition. Of those studies investigating children, findings have been inconsistent, resulting from utilizing a wide variety of cognitive domains and cognitive assessments, as well as varied hydration protocols. Here, our aim is to create a primer for assessing cognition during hydration research in children. Specifically, we review the definition of cognition and the domains of which it is composed, how cognition has been measured in both field- and laboratory-based assessments, results from neuroimaging methods, and the relationship between hydration and academic achievement in children. Lastly, future research considerations are discussed.

scholarly journals Non-Invasive Fetal Electrocardiogram Monitoring Techniques: Potential and Future Research Opportunities in Smart Textiles

Signals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 392-412
Author(s):  
Geetika Aggarwal ◽  
Yang Wei
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Fetal Heart Rate ◽  
Fetal Heart ◽  
Skin Penetration ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Fetal Electrocardiogram ◽  
Smart Textiles ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Future Research Directions ◽  
Electrocardiogram Monitoring

During the pregnancy, fetal electrocardiogram (FECG) is deployed to analyze fetal heart rate (FHR) of the fetus to indicate the growth and health of the fetus to determine any abnormalities and prevent diseases. The fetal electrocardiogram monitoring can be carried out either invasively by placing the electrodes on the scalp of the fetus, involving the skin penetration and the risk of infection, or non-invasively by recording the fetal heart rate signal from the mother’s abdomen through a placement of electrodes deploying portable, wearable devices. Non-invasive fetal electrocardiogram (NIFECG) is an evolving technology in fetal surveillance because of the comfort to the pregnant women and being achieved remotely, specifically in the unprecedented circumstances such as pandemic or COVID-19. Textiles have been at the heart of human technological progress for thousands of years, with textile developments closely tied to key inventions that have shaped societies. The relatively recent invention of smart textiles is set to push boundaries again and has already opened the potential for garments relevant to medicine, and health monitoring. This paper aims to discuss the different technologies and methods used in non-invasive fetal electrocardiogram (NIFECG) monitoring as well as the potential and future research directions of NIFECG in the smart textiles area.

scholarly journals Numerical assessment in the wild: insights from social carnivores

2018 ◽  
Vol 373 (1740) ◽  
pp. 20160508 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Benson-Amram ◽  
Geoff Gilfillan ◽  
Karen McComb
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Wild Animals ◽  
Playback Experiments ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Numerical Assessment ◽  
Individual Discrimination ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
Assessment Skills ◽  
In The Wild

Playback experiments have proved to be a useful tool to investigate the extent to which wild animals understand numerical concepts and the factors that play into their decisions to respond to different numbers of vocalizing conspecifics. In particular, playback experiments have broadened our understanding of the cognitive abilities of historically understudied species that are challenging to test in the traditional laboratory, such as members of the Order Carnivora. Additionally, playback experiments allow us to assess the importance of numerical information versus other ecologically important variables when animals are making adaptive decisions in their natural habitats. Here, we begin by reviewing what we know about quantity discrimination in carnivores from studies conducted in captivity. We then review a series of playback experiments conducted with wild social carnivores, including African lions, spotted hyenas and wolves, which demonstrate that these animals can assess the number of conspecifics calling and respond based on numerical advantage. We discuss how the wild studies complement those conducted in captivity and allow us to gain insights into why wild animals may not always respond based solely on differences in quantity. We then consider the key roles that individual discrimination and cross-modal recognition play in the ability of animals to assess the number of conspecifics vocalizing nearby. Finally, we explore new directions for future research in this area, highlighting in particular the need for further work on the cognitive basis of numerical assessment skills and experimental paradigms that can be effective in both captive and wild settings. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘The origins of numerical abilities’.

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