Interpersonal synchrony affects 18-month-olds' social alignment via self-other comparison.

Glucocorticoids mediate behavioral and physiological responses to environmental stressors, supporting individuals' survival and fitness. Corticosterone, as the primary avian glucocorticoid, modulates these physiological responses. We focus on the common waxbill Estrilda astrild, a highly social and gregarious passerine that feeds and flocks together year-round, providing an excellent model to explore the impact of glucocorticoids on social behavior, especially in aggression. To investigate this, we conducted a correlational study in captive birds, examining baseline corticosterone plasma levels and three behavioral assays: 1) the tonic immobility test, a standard indicator of fear; 2) the mirror test, an assay to assess the reactive-proactive personality axis; and 3) food competition tests, which evaluate social behavior and aggression. Subsequently, we experimentally manipulated the common waxbill corticosterone levels by using exogenous high and low dosages of corticosterone to induce a short-term glucocorticoid challenge and evaluate its effects on behavior. Our results revealed that birds with higher baseline corticosterone plasma levels were less aggressive, but an acute increase in corticosterone levels increased aggression. Furthermore, corticosterone receptor antagonist reduced activity but did not affect feeding. These results suggest that corticosterone can influence aggression and activity in common waxbills, leading to a role in regulating social behavior in both sexes of this gregarious passerine species.

• Measuring deflection of reflected fringes or patterns is used to assess heliostat surfaces. • Performing this technique with computer vision targets has several key advantages. • Photogrammetry and camera advancements can also be leveraged improved cost and performance. • Testing this measurement system shows consistent surface slope results. Reflected computer vision targets are a powerful tool for measurement of mirror surface shape, with several important advantages over traditional fringe deflectometry methods. This method was first presented in 2021 and has undergone significant improvement and demonstration since. We describe a new baseline system using reflected computer vision targets, and present results from a large-scale measurement campaign conducted on both commercial heliostats and test mirrors in the laboratory. Calibration of the measurement system with photogrammetry allows for accurate measurement without careful control of target shape or camera position. Overall, the results show that a baseline setup using this method achieves measurement uncertainties in the slope error root-mean-square less than ±0.11 milliradian due to a series of repeatability conditions, varying sample position, rotation, lighting, camera settings, and system rebuild and recalibration. We present a detailed description of the setup, the results generated by this measurement tool, repeated measurement results, and the strengths and limitations of this metrology system.

For applications such as the fabrication and in-situ inspection of reflective optical components, phase measuring deflectometry (PMD) is widely used for surface figure measurement due to its simple setup and large dynamic range. However, as the measurement accuracy advances from the micrometer to the nanometer scale, systematic geometric errors increasingly dominate the measurement deviations and manifest as pronounced low-spatial-frequency figure errors. To address this issue, we propose a high-accuracy synchronous distortion-compensated stereo phase measuring deflectometry (SDC-PMD) system with orthogonal geometric constraints, in which lens distortion is explicitly incorporated into a system-level geometric modeling and parameter estimation framework, stable initial values are established under co-located orthogonal constraints, and a unified nonlinear optimization is performed in the original observation space using reprojection residuals. Numerical simulations demonstrate that the proposed method can significantly suppress the geometric errors of the extrinsic parameters and mirror pose, with the reprojection error converging to the order of 5.6 × 10-5 pixels. Experimentally, the root-mean-square (RMS) figure error is improved to 0.027 μm for a 70-mm high-precision flat mirror, corresponding to a 74.5% improvement over a classical calibration method, while for spherical mirror testing, the RMS absolute deviation from a Zygo interferometer is 0.007 μm. By preserving the physical consistency and engineering controllability of the pinhole model, the proposed system-level modeling and synchronous compensation suppress geometric biases induced by distortion-extrinsic coupling, thereby improving both the measurement accuracy and engineering applicability of stereo PMD.

Understanding the evolution of self-awareness, which is defined as the capacity to reflect on oneself as an individual, in nonhuman animals holds far-reaching implications for understanding the evolution of consciousness, cognition and ethical considerations that shape the treatment of animals. The mirror self-recognition test, which was developed in the 1970s, has been widely used to assess individual self-recognition, often equated with a certain level of self-awareness and higher-order cognition. In this review, the findings from mirror self-recognition and related tests, such as ecologically adapted, nonvisual modality and body-awareness paradigms, were synthesized. A total of 89 studies on 62 species from 17 orders were included, and significant conceptual, methodological and taxonomic biases inherent in the mirror self-recognition paradigm were highlighted. Such biases include anthropocentric assumptions about the universality of visual self-recognition, the binary pass or fail structure of the test and the over-representation of ‘large-brained’ species. In addition, the STRANGE framework reveals how subject-level variables, such as rearing history and personality, can influence outcomes. Although this review focuses on the mirror self-recognition test as a widely applied standard paradigm for assessing self-awareness, the conceptual, methodological and taxonomic biases discussed are broadly relevant across the fields of animal cognition and behaviour. By highlighting these pervasive biases, this review aims to raise awareness among animal behaviour researchers and encourage the design of future studies that address these limitations by testing a broader range of species, developing more ecologically relevant testing paradigms and transparently reporting the STRANGEness of study subjects. By addressing long-standing biases in the field of animal behaviour, we can develop a richer and more nuanced understanding of the diverse evolutionary drivers of self-awareness across the animal kingdom. • Review identifies the key biases in mirror self-recognition studies across taxa. • Large-brained species are overrepresented, limiting the generalizability of results. • Nonvisual and ecologically adapted tests provide broader insights into self-awareness. • Inclusive and bias-aware approaches are necessary in animal behaviour research.

Classifying before screening: A data-driven aggressiveness analysis framework for swimming crabs (Portunus trituberculatus)

Chronic mouth breathing in adolescents is associated with altered orofacial growth sleep disturbance and reduced quality of life yet evidence comparing breathing retraining approaches is limited. This single centre parallel group randomised controlled trial compared the effectiveness of the Buteyko breathing technique and diaphragmatic breathing in restoring nasal breathing and improving respiratory outcomes in adolescents with mouth breathing syndrome. Sixty four participants aged ten to seventeen years with clinically confirmed mouth breathing were randomly allocated to a four week intervention of either Buteyko breathing or diaphragmatic breathing. The primary outcome was conversion to nasal breathing assessed using the Glatzel Mirror and Water Holding tests while secondary outcomes included chest expansion measurements. Post intervention a markedly higher proportion of participants in the Buteyko group achieved nasal breathing compared with the diaphragmatic breathing group on both assessment tests with statistically significant between group differences. Chest expansion improved significantly in both groups with slightly greater absolute gains observed in the diaphragmatic breathing group. No adverse events were reported and adherence to both interventions exceeded ninety percent. These findings indicate that a short term Buteyko breathing programme is substantially more effective than diaphragmatic breathing in re establishing nasal breathing in adolescents with mouth breathing syndrome while both techniques contribute to improved thoracic mobility and respiratory function.

In the pediatric population, mouth breathing can cause obstruction, congestion and other upper-respiratory tract diseases. The aim of this study is to assess the relationship between halitosis and mouth breathing in the pediatric population. A cross-sectional study was carried out from February to April 2023. It included 232 children aged between 2-6 years from specialized clinics of pediatric dentistry in Saudi Arabia. The study sample was categorized in two groups such as nasal and mouth breathers. Breathing patterns were identified using clinical examination, mirror testing and water-in-mouth test under the supervision of an otolaryngologist. Breath AlerttTM device and Halimeter were used for the assessment of Halitosis. Data were analyzed using Chi-square and binary logistic regression, as effect size measures, with p-values (<0.05) considered as statistically significant. Out of 232 participants, 115 were males (49.6%) and 117 (50.4%) were females. In terms of breathing patterns, 111 (47.8%) individuals were classified as mouth breathers, whereas 121 (52.2%) primarily used nasal breathing. Findings revealed no significant relationship between gender and breathing pattern (p = 0.191) nor between gender and halitosis in mouth breathers (χ2= 0.035, p = 0.852) or nasal breathers (χ2= 0.001, p = 0.972). However, breathing patterns and halitosis were found to be significantly related (χ2= 10.466, p = 0.001). The results showed that (n = 62) 59.6% of the participants who were mouth breathers experienced halitosis, in contrast to (n = 42) 40.4% of nasal breathers. Further, the effect size confirmed that mouth breathers were more likely to experience halitosis than nasal breathers (OR = 2.37, 95% CI: 1.395-4.039, p = 0.001). Mouth breathers are more prone to develop halitosis as compared to the nasal breathers.

Whether animals are self-aware has important implications for our approaches to both animal cognition and animal welfare. A landmark moment in animal cognition research was when great apes passed the mark-test and demonstrated mirror self-recognition (MSR). Animals that pass the mark-test are capable of visually self-recognising and considered to be self-aware. Other taxa, including a fish, the cleaner wrasse (cleaner fish: Labroides dimidiatus) have also now passed the mark-test, forcing a rethink of the mental and neurological requirements for MSR. Previous research has largely focused on which species can pass the mark-test, rather than the processes underlying MSR. Here, we marked mirror-naïve cleaner fish with an ecologically relevant mark resembling an ectoparasite and then undertook detailed behavioural observations after exposure to a mirror. We found that cleaner fish achieve MSR rapidly, implying self-awareness prior to mirror exposure. By observing the exact timing of MSR in individuals, we could also report previously undocumented differences in pre- and post-MSR behaviours, including post-MSR exploratory behaviour of the mirror’s reflective properties. We find remarkable parallels between the processing of MSR in humans and cleaner fish, suggesting that some aspects of self-awareness are conserved across animal taxa.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1038/s41598-025-25837-0.

Mirror self-recognition (MSR) is a method to confirm self-awareness in animals. Recently, it has been documented that small cleaner fish (Labroides dimidiatus) identify their mirror reflection as own image via self-face recognition, suggesting fish have mental image of self-face, and have private self-awareness. Thus, existence of self-awareness will not be restricted to animals of large brain and phylogenetically close to humans. This document will be disproof for main evolutionary models of animal self-awareness: e.g. the gradualist view hypothesis (de Waal, 2019), assuming that large brained animals with phylogenetical closeness to humans would have several levels of self-awareness. This hypothesis is likely to be supported by many researchers including Veit (2023). It is suggested, however, that many studies of MSR would potentially conceive false-negative, and the interpretation of results of MSR-tests that used the traditional mark-test in various animals would misled the evolutionary views of self-awareness in vertebrates. I propose “self-awareness homology hypothesis” that self-awareness in vertebrates will go back to ancestral bony fish in Paleozoic era (450 Mya) at latest.

Rhodamine-B induces amyotrophic lateral sclerosis symptoms like -behaviours in zebrafish.

Recognizing the limitations of mirror self-recognition as a measure of self development, we use a multidimensional caregiver report measure known as the self-concept questionnaire (SCQ), consisting of four different factors (self-description/evaluation, self-recognition, emotional response to wrongdoing and autonomy) to replicate the previously identified developmental correlates of objective self-awareness for 199 14- to 54-month-old children. Primary caregivers were recruited via an online research platform to answer a survey regarding the development of their child, including the SCQ, and standardized measures of attachment, cognitive development, and social behavior. Correlation and linear regression analyses demonstrated that the established cognitive and social predictors of mirror self-recognition are also related to wider aspects of self-awareness, as measured by the SCQ. Older infants, with strong attachment bonds who placed greater demands on their caregiver and engaged in more pretend play, imitation, self-regulation, and prosociality were likely to have a more developed sense of self. These factors accounted for over 60% of the variance in overall SCQ scores, with pretend play, prosociality, and relational demands making independently significant contributions to the model. To determine causality, we suggest that future observational studies broaden their understanding of the development of the self beyond the mirror mark test of self-awareness and focus on the longitudinal mapping of the social and cognitive process of self-other-differentiation.

Colour morphs in polymorphic species are associated with a suite of heritable traits governed by distinct genetic loci, each corresponding to alternative fitness peaks. Hormonal pleiotropy has been proposed as a mechanism maintaining these morphs, though experimental evidence is lacking. In this study, we tested whether white and yellow morphs of the common wall lizard (Podarcis muralis) adopt alternative strategies shaped by the immuno-competence handicap hypotheses (ICHH). Specifically, we experimentally elevated plasma testosterone levels via transdermal administration and measured changes in (i) immune response using phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) swelling and (ii) the aggressive behaviour in response to a mirror test simulating territorial intrusion. We found that testosterone-induced immune suppression was stronger in white males, while aggression decreased in both morphs. Elevated testosterone eliminated the baseline differences between morphs in both immunity and aggression. These findings provide the first experimental support for morph-specific life-history strategies in common wall lizards, consistent with the ICHH: Yellow males prioritize aggression over immunity, while white males invest more in survival at the cost of competitiveness.

Environmental estrogens (EEs) are diverse and widespread in aquatic systems, influencing fish social behaviour. Prior studies have focused on individual EEs, but their combined effects, particularly at environmentally relevant concentrations, remain underexplored. In this study, adult male zebrafish were exposed to EE2-low (5.55 ng/L), EE2-high (11.1 ng/L), and Mix (4-NP, 62.2 ng/L; BPA, 250 ng/L; E1, 4.56 ng/L; E2, 5.53 ng/L; E3, 39.6 ng/L, with an estrogenic potency equal to EE2-low) for 60 days. Post-exposure assays (mirror test and dyadic interaction) revealed that Mix significantly reduced the frequency of approaching mirror, the attack mirror duration, and the frequency of chasing un-exposed fish, indicating a decrease in aggressive behaviour in Mix-fish. However, the ratio of 11-ketotestosterone (11-KT) to 17β-Estradiol (E2) was observed in EE2-exposed fish in addition to Mix-fish, indicating that, in addition to sex hormones, stress hormones and neurotransmitters may also be involved in Mix-altered aggression in zebrafish. In contrast, an elevation in plasma cortisol levels and a reduction in serotonin (5-HT) and dopamine (DA) levels in the brain were found only in Mix-fish, accompanied by altered expression of genes involved in the hypothalamic-pituitary-interrenal (HPI) axis and the 5-HT/DAergic system in the brain. The data suggest that a mixture of EEs may inhibit aggression in male zebrafish by disrupting the HPI/cortisol axis and the 5-HT/DAergic system, thus causing serious ecological consequences. These findings suggest that EEs mixtures may inhibit aggression by disrupting key physiological systems. This, in turn, could undermine the competitive and then survival abilities of zebrafish, and potentially affect their population number and structure.

One of the most established biases in human memory is that we remember information better when it refers to ourselves. We investigated the development of this self-reference effect and its relationship with the emergence of a self-concept. We presented 18-month-old infants with objects that were assigned either to them, or to another agent. Infants were then tested on their memory for the objects by presenting them with an image of each object, alongside a modified version of it. Mirror self-recognition served as an index of self-concept emergence. Infants who recognize themselves in the mirror remember objects assigned to themselves better than those assigned to the other. In contrast, non-self-recognizers only remember the objects assigned to the other rather than themselves. This difference is not explained by differences in infants’ age or inhibitory abilities. This suggests that the self-reference effect emerges with the development of self-concept in the second year. Prior to the emergence of a self-concept, however, infants instead seem to exhibit an other-reference effect. This reversal of the classic self-reference effect suggests that early in life, when infants are heavily reliant on others for information, they may be biased towards encoding the world as it relates to others.

In this study, the self-awareness trait was tested in Adelie penguins living on a remote island in Antarctica. Four experimental paradigms were designed for the study to visualize the effect of a coordinated and networked social life on generating the self-awareness trait in Adelie penguins. The study, conducted in extremely cold, snow-covered, and difficult terrains of Antarctica during January-February 2020, reports the presence of traits of self-awareness in wild Adélie penguins in their natural habitat on Dog's Neck Ice Shelf and Svenner Island in East Antarctica. The study is based on a close and careful watch on their daily movements, social activities, and overall lifestyle. Besides, it reports reactionsand postures of penguins in response to their images in mirrors during four experimental paradigms-group-behavior test, modified mirror test (MMT), hidden-head test, and colored-bib test. The paper argues that these experimental paradigms are probably the first attempt to find the presence of self-awareness traits in any penguin species. It is a pioneering attempt in conducting a set of cognitive experiments on the free-ranging individuals of a nonhuman species in their natural environment, without any prior familiarization, conditioning, or acclimatization of the experimental species. It is postulated that experimenting in a remote natural habitat, without any external superimposition, brings out the intrinsic qualities of an animal, in perfect equilibrium with its surroundings. Future studies integrating the socio-ecology and cognitive ethology of penguins may provide further insights into whether the reported self-awareness traits have evolved due to the cooperative behavior of individual penguins with conspecific individuals throughout their colonial/social setups. It is based on the understanding that self-awareness is an essential social requirement for a cooperative lifestyle and lies at the aggregated level of social cognition.

Deformable mirrors are a key enabling subsystem inside any coronagraph with active wavefront control. The Roman Space Telescope Coronagraph Instrument, a first-of-its-kind spaceflight coronagraph that has recently successfully demonstrated performance at required levels in its ground-based testing campaign, features two deformable mirrors as part of its active wavefront control architecture. We provide an overview of the design of these two mirrors as well as a detailed description of tests and performance data, including electrical risk reduction measurements, stroke assessment, self-flattening capability, actuator hysteresis, thermal sensitivity, moisture-dependent surface figure error, and drift under an applied voltage.

BackgroundNeurodevelopmental disorders manifest in early childhood and are characterized by cognitive deficits, intellectual disabilities, motor disorders, and social dysfunction. Mutations in BCAS3 gene are associated with syndromic neurodevelopmental disorders in humans, while the detailed pathological mechanism is still unknown.MethodsCRISPR/Cas9 technology was used to generate a bcas3 knockout zebrafish model. To investigate the effects of bcas3 on development, morphological evaluations were conducted. Locomotor behaviors, including performance in the light-dark test, novel tank test, mirror test, shoaling test, and social test, were assessed through video tracing and quantitative analysis of movement parameters. Transcriptome sequencing analysis was used to identify dysregulated pathways associated with development process. Additionally, Acridine Orange staining was employed to evaluate apoptosis. Western blot and real-time RT-PCR were used to analyze the expression levels of genes.ResultsBcas3 knockout zebrafish exhibited early larval phenotypes resembling clinical features of patients with BCAS3 mutations, including global delayed development at early embryonic development, microcephaly and reduced body length. Behavior analysis revealed abnormal motor dysfunction, such as social impairment, increased anxiety and heightened aggression. Notably, human BCAS3 rescued the developmental defects and motor disorders in bcas3 knockout larvae. Transcriptomic analysis identified substantial downregulation of genes related to embryonic development and startle response, brain development and neuron migration in bcas3 knockout zebrafish, such as rpl10, cyfip2, erbb3b, eya4a, nr2f1b, prkg1b and ackr3b. Additionally, increased apoptosis was observed in bcas3 knockout zebrafish, which was further confirmed by Acridine Orange staining and a decreased Bcl2/Bax ratio in western blot analysis. The increased apoptosis observed in the brain of bcas3 knockout larvae could contribute to the developmental and locomotor deficits.ConclusionThe bcas3 knockout zebrafish model recapitulates the clinical features observed in patients with BCAS3 mutations. Our results suggest that increased apoptosis may underlie the developmental deficits and motor disorders in these patients. The bcas3 knockout zebrafish model provides a valuable tool to identify dysregulated molecular targets for therapeutic intervention during the early stages of disease progression.

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to investigate the workflow of cleft teams in the Netherlands with regard to the diagnosis and treatment of velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI) in patients with cleft palate (CP).DesignThis is a cross-sectional survey study.SettingMulticenter study, tertiary hospital setting.ParticipantsEar-nose-throat surgeons, plastic surgeons and speech language pathologists of the eight cleft teams in the Netherlands.InterventionsA cross-sectional online survey was sent to the participants.Main Outcome Measure(s)The survey questions covered the following topics: diagnostic tests used to assess VPI, use of classification systems and cut-off values to determine the most optimal treatment, treatment of VPI, and postoperative follow-up.ResultsThe response rate was 88% (n = 7 cleft teams). Frequently described diagnostic tests to assess VPI include perceptual speech assessment, mirror test, nasendoscopy, oral inspection, patient-reported outcome measures, nasometry, and videofluoroscopy. Most centers reported that they did not use a classification system to determine the severity of VPI. None of the centers reported to use cut-off values based on the diagnostic tests to determine optimal treatment. The reported minimum duration of speech therapy prior to surgery varied. Many different surgical techniques were reported for the treatment of VPI. Regarding postoperative follow-up, survey responses indicate agreement on the multidisciplinary approach and diagnostic tests used. The timing of the visits varied.ConclusionFurther standardization of the diagnostic process and treatment workflow of VPI in patients with CP between Dutch cleft centers is needed in order to compare outcomes of different surgical techniques and to establish a national protocol for optimal treatment.

Abstract Soft X-ray beamlines require a hydrocarbon-free ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) to prevent carbon contamination of the optical elements. In addition, dry pumps and turbomolecular pumps (TMPs) should be stopped during user operation to suppress vibration of the optical elements. For these reasons, the UHV of soft X-ray beamlines is usually maintained by sputter ion pumps and non-evaporable getter (NEG) pumps. However, conventional sputter ion pumps and NEG pumps scarcely pump hydrocarbons. Recently, we developed oxygen-free Pd/Ti as a new NEG that can reduce hydrocarbons in UHV. During baking oxygen-free Pd/Ti oxidize residual hydrocarbons through the catalytic action of Pd forming CO and CO2 those can be easily pumped by TMP. Furthermore, oxygen-free Pd/Ti works as an excellent NEG with an activation temperature of 75–150 °C for residual H2 and CO. We applied oxygen-free Pd/Ti deposition for the first mirror (M1) test chamber of a new soft X-ray beamline BL-11 in the Photon Factory 2.5 GeV ring (Tsukuba, Japan). Then the mirror and mirror holder system was installed in the M1 test chamber. After pumping and baking at 90–110 °C for 52 hours, the pressure in the M1 test chamber reached 6.0 × 10–8 Pa. When the M1 test chamber was isolated from TMP the pressure was maintained at ca. 5 × 10–7 Pa. These results suggest that the oxygen-free Pd/Ti deposited film is activated by baking and works as NEG. After white synchrotron radiation irradiation slight carbon contamination on the mirror was observed. When oxygen is introduced the carbon contamination was removed to some extent.