Biologia futura最新文献

Language-readiness entails the ability to segment holistic events into discrete concepts, learn signals for such concepts, and combine them in a rule-based manner to create composite meanings. There is much debate about whether, and to what extent, the brain mechanisms that enable concept manipulation abilities in humans are unmatched in the animal kingdom. Challenging human-uniqueness theories, we propose a social cognition-mediation account hypothesizing that concept manipulation abilities essential for language-readiness could also emerge in other species with a sufficient level of certain prerequisite social-cognitive skills, namely goal-representation, intentionality-attribution, and mentalization. We argue for the involvement of a new species in comparative studies on language evolution to evaluate this hypothesis: the domestic dog, a species that has undergone selective pressures for prosociality during domestication similar to those experienced by early humans, as well as shows a natural propensity to communicate their experiences. As a consequence, dogs may possess the necessary social-cognitive capacities to develop concept manipulation skills. Dogs' concept manipulation abilities have never been systematically investigated, nor directly compared to those of humans. Capitalizing on recent advances in comparative non-invasive neuroimaging and behavioural measures, here we propose feasible, promising experimental approaches for such investigations.

Social learning is one of the most adaptive capacities for collecting information, which can enhance several key aspects of survival. Dogs represent a special case among other highly social species as they have been exposed within the anthropogenic environment to humans as source of information since their domestication. In this review article, we surveyed the literature of the various empirical approaches to social learning in dogs, with specific emphasis on biological relevance of the research methodologies. We applied a critical evaluation by comparing the included studies from the aspect of whether and how, the authors handled the question of evolutionary adaptiveness of social learning. Based on 61 publications that fulfilled our selection criteria, we identified three categories that corresponded with the focus of the investigations: (i) ecological validity was not included; (ii) copy the demonstrator when non-social learning is costly; (iii) copy the more successful demonstrator. We used the SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) evaluation paradigm to highlight each of these techniques' advantages and shortcomings. According to our survey, most of the empirical papers took into consideration ecologically valid hypotheses. Other studies aimed at testing particular social learning mechanisms, usually with applied conclusions. Hopefully our evaluation will help researchers to design biologically valid experiments, especially in such understudied areas as the relationship between social learning and the genetic relatedness of dog breeds, social learning between puppies and their mother, or in the case of free ranging dogs.

Lipases are crucial biocatalysts in various industrial applications, and there is considerable interest in developing sustainable methods for their synthesis. This study focuses on the isolation, screening, and comparison of Bacillus cereus strains to produce extracellular lipases utilizing agro-industrial waste through solid-state fermentation. The results indicate that B. cereus exhibited optimal lipase production with soybean extract, yielding 41.2 ± 1.08 µ/ml (p < 0.05), followed by bagasse with 40.5 ± 0.97 µ/ml (p < 0.05). Other substrates, including rice bran (9.9 µ/ml), wheat bran (25.8 µ/ml), sunflower seed (24.0 µ/ml), and oat bran (10.2 µ/ml), demonstrated significantly lower enzyme activity. Additionally, lipase production from fruit peels was assessed, with banana yielding 21.1 µ/ml, orange 20.3 µ/ml, melon 16.3 µ/ml, and watermelon 16.43 µ/ml. Various oil wastes were also evaluated, showing lipase activities of 14.6 µ/ml (Sitara oil), 13.3 µ/ml (Shan oil), 11.0 µ/ml (automobile oil), and 10.2 µ/ml (cooking oil). The bacterial lipases produced from B. cereus demonstrated maximum hydrolysis of tributyrin agar medium at 40°C (p < 0.05). The findings suggest that utilizing different agro-industrial wastes for the production of extracellular lipase could help mitigate environmental pollution while providing a viable option for commercial enzyme production.

This study investigated the effects of voluntary and involuntary/regular exercise on neurotrophic factors in the brain, cognitive functions, and anxiety in socially isolated adolescent male rats. In this study, 42 adolescent male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into six groups: control (C), socially isolated (SI), voluntary exercise (VE), regular exercise (RE), socially isolated + voluntary exercise (SI-VE), and socially isolated + regular exercise (SI-RE). Socially isolated groups were kept in separate cages for 4 weeks. Treadmill and wheel running were used in the exercise groups. The following behavioral tests-elevated plus maze (EPM), open field, ultrasonic vocalization (USV), and Morris water maze (MWM)-rats were euthanized, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), nerve growth factor (NGF), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels were measured in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus. Statistically, the differences between the groups were evaluated by one-way ANOVA and post hoc LSD tests using IBM SPSS software. In the EPM, locomotor activity was higher in the voluntary exercise groups. In the MWM, both regular exercise groups found the platform faster. In the USV, the SI-RE group produced more 50-kHz sounds. BDNF and NGF levels in the hippocampus were higher in the SI-RE and SI-VE groups; VEGF levels were higher in the SI-RE group. Neuron density in the PFC increased in the SI-RE and VE groups, while neuron density in the hippocampus increased in the SI-RE, SI-VE, and VE groups. According to the findings, we showed that voluntary exercise reduces social isolation-induced anxiety, and involuntary/regular exercise both reduces anxiety and has potential benefits on cognitive functions.

Dogs trained with the Do as I Do method can imitate human actions upon request, but their ability to match actions observed from different perspectives remains unknown. The use of 2D video stimuli may enable researchers to systematically manipulate the perspective from which demonstrations are observed, thereby widening the range of methods available to study cognitive skills related to imitation. In this study, we explore the possibility of using 2D stimuli to test action matching in dogs, including when demonstrations are seen from different perspectives. We examined two dogs' imitative performance using videos projected on a screen; while, the owner interacted with the dog remotely through an online meeting software. The dogs were first trained to match human actions seen on a screen frontally, and then were tested when the projected demonstrations were seen frontally, from the side, and from above. Results revealed that both dogs matched the demonstrated actions from frontal and, notably, also from side perspectives, at least to some extent, consistent with familiarity of their daily interactions with humans. However, action matching from an above perspective presented challenges, indicating the potential influence of observational experience and highlighting the importance of perspective manipulation when investigating imitation abilities. These findings show that it is possible to use 2D videos to test imitation in dogs, thereby expanding the potential methodologies to study imitation and other related cognitive skills.

Tree bark is an important natural polymer for sound absorption. The main components in the bark of different tree species are polymers with high molecular weight such as cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. The aim of this study is to determine the noise reduction coefficient (NRC), lignin, alcohol-benzene solubility (ABS), carbon (C), and nitrogen (N) contents in samples taken from the bark of different tree species-black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia), narrow-leaved ash (Fraxinus angustifolia), stone pine (Pinus pinea), silver lime (Tilia tomentosa), sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa), sessile oak (Quercus petraea), and maritime pine (Pinus pinaster) and to investigate the relationship between these chemical properties and sound absorption measurements. Tree species showed a statistically significant difference in terms of all measured variables. In the correlation matrix obtained as a result of the analysis, only ABS showed a significant and the highest positive correlation with the NRC, with a correlation coefficient of r = 0.812. ABS in bark is seen as the most important chemical factor regarding sound retention, indicating the abundance of extractives in barks of different tree species. An investigation into the relationship between sound retention and different extractive substance and contents of different extractive substances in bark is recommended for further studies.

This study describes the biosynthesis of nickel nanoparticles (Ni NPs) using gram-negative bacterium, Enterobacter cloacae. The synthesized Ni NPs were annealed at 350 °C for 3 h and characterized using various techniques. Powder X-ray diffraction analysis revealed the formation of Ni NPs with an average crystallite size of 48.78 nm. UV-Vis spectroscopy exhibited an absorption peak at 394 nm, while FTIR confirmed a peak at 416 nm. Field emission scanning electron microscopy showed the Ni NPs as a mixture uniform distribution, characterized by almost uniform spherical or hexagonal shapes. The Ni NPs demonstrated moderate antibacterial activity but exhibited notably high biofilm activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa species, suggesting their potential in combating biofilm-associated infections. Additionally, the biosynthesized Ni NPs showed promising larvicidal and Insecticidal activities. This study provides an eco-friendly and cost-effective method for synthesizing Ni NPs and highlights their multifaceted applications in healthcare and pest control.

Salinity stress is a major environmental factor that poses a significant constraint to plant growth, threatening agricultural productivity and sustainability. This study investigated the potential of halotolerant bacteria, isolated from the rhizosphere of wild halotolerant plants in Turkey's Salt Lake basin, to enhance salt stress tolerance in maize (Zea mays L.). The rhizospheres of 17 different wild halotolerant plants were selected for bacterial isolation, resulting in the identification of 22 halotolerant bacteria using 16S rRNA sequence analysis. Among these, 19 isolates were found to possess positive activity for 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase and nitrogen fixation. When the maize seeds inoculated with these 19 isolates were grown under normal conditions, four isolates‒TG-4 (Halomonas arcis), TG-8 (Marinococcus tarigensis), TG-12 (Halobacillus dabanensis), and TG-20 (Halomonas eurihalina)-significantly stimulated seedling growth and development. To evaluate the effect of these four isolates on salt tolerance, inoculated seeds were grown under various salt conditions (0.0, 75, 150, and 250 mM NaCl). The responses of plants to salt stress were analyzed by evaluating growth parameters, membrane damage, photosynthetic pigment and proline content, reactive oxygen species and lipid peroxidation levels, and antioxidant enzyme activities. According to the parameters, the results indicated that TG-4, TG-8, and TG-12, in particular, have the potential to function as plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria and effectively enhance salt stress tolerance in the maize seedlings. Overall, this research highlights the potential of halotolerant bacteria to improve salt stress tolerance in maize plants through multifaceted mechanisms, offering valuable insights for sustainable agriculture in saline environments.

This study investigates specimens of the Asian yellow-legged hornet (Vespa velutina nigrithorax du Buysson, 1905) originating from the first colony detected in Hungary. Phylogenetic analysis based on the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase c subunit 1 gene confirms their European origin and definitely identifies them as V. velutina. The detection in Hungary represented the species' farthest documented occurrence from its established European distribution at that time, highlighting its significant dispersal potential. Given the high density of bee populations in the region, particular attention should be paid to control efforts during the early stages of colonization.

In recent years, the realm of astrobiology has expanded beyond the search for microbial life to encompass the intriguing possibility of plant life beyond our planet. Plant astrobiology delves into the adaptations and mechanisms that might allow Earth's flora to flourish in the harsh conditions of outer space and other celestial bodies. This review aims to shed light on the captivating field of plant astrobiology, its implications, and the challenges and opportunities it presents. Plant astrobiology marries the disciplines of botany and astrobiology, challenging us to envision the growth of plants beyond Earth's atmosphere. Researchers in this field are not only exploring the potential for plant life on other planets and moons but also investigating how plants could be harnessed to sustain life during extended space missions. The review discusses how plants could adapt to environments characterized by low gravity, high radiation, extreme temperature fluctuations, and different atmospheric compositions. It highlights the physiological changes necessary for plants to survive and reproduce in these conditions. A pivotal concept is the integration of plants into closed-loop life support systems, where plants would play a crucial role in recycling waste products, generating oxygen, and producing food. The review delves into ongoing research involving genetic modifications and synthetic biology techniques to enhance plants' resilience in space environments. It addresses ethical considerations associated with altering organisms for off-planet habitation. Additionally, the review contemplates the psychological and emotional benefits of having greenery in enclosed, isolated space habitats. The review concludes that by employing advanced research methodologies, the field of plant astrobiology can greatly enhance the viability and sustainability of future space missions, highlighting the essential role of plants in sustaining long-term human presence beyond Earth.