Physiological Responses Research Articles

Organic Fertilizer Alleviates Salt Stress in Shallot by Modulating Plant Physiological Responses

Organic Fertilizer Alleviates Salt Stress in Shallot by Modulating Plant Physiological Responses

Current Trends in the Treatment of Misophonia

Misophonia is a disorder characterized by emotional and physiological responses that occur in response to certain auditory stimuli. Visual, tactile, and olfactory stimuli, primarily oral and nasal sounds such as eating, nose, and respiratory sounds, reveal misophonic responses. People with misophonia may have difficulty in social interactions, and work or school performance may be adversely affected. Misophonia symptoms can also cause anxiety, depression, and other mental health problems. Physiological reactions in the body, such as pain, sweating, tachycardia, hot flashes, and breathing difficulties, negatively affect people's physical health. For this reason, people's physical and mental health and quality of life are significantly affected. The absence of agreed diagnostic criteria for the diagnosis of misophonia and the lack of sufficient data to classify it as a psychiatric disorder has led to the lack of validated treatment guidelines. However, there are treatment recommendations discussed in the literature for misophonia, which has a prevalence of 20% in a limited number of studies and negatively affects the functionality of the individual. In the management of misophonia, tinnitus re-education therapy (TRT) was used as audiological treatment, antidepressants, and anxiolytics were used as pharmacological treatment and cognitive behavioral therapies were used as therapy. Other suggested treatment recommendations are neural remodeling technique, sequential remodeling hypnotherapy, trauma prevention technique, and trauma and tension reduction exercises. This review aims to present the treatment approaches available in the literature together and to understand the need for experimental evidence for treatment methods.

Çevre Yanlısı Davranışlarla İlişkili Bilişsel İşlevlerin Nöropsikolojisi

The daily habits and behaviors of modern society people harm the environment more than expected. It is well known that in order to protect the inherent values of the natural assets of the world we live in, and to sustain the mutual interaction of people with the environment in a productive manner, necessary precautions should be taken to establish and maintain pro-environmental behaviors. However, people act in different levels of pro-environmental behavior. Although most of the people state that they have a pro-environmental attitude, they cannot transform their attitudes into actual behaviors in their daily lives for various reasons. Examining the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon, known as the attitude-behavior gap, may contribute to the development of interventions that can help to understand how these behaviors differ among individuals and to eliminate this difference between the observed pro-environmental behaviors. At this point, neuroscience studies can provide a more comprehensive explanation of the reasons for the behavioral differences between these individuals, by comparing the performance of individuals with and without pro-environmental behaviors and those who have adopted and not adopting the environmentalist view, on behavioral tasks, and by simultaneously examining the physiological responses that may be related to sustainable behavior. This article will discuss how neuroscience and neuropsychological approach can provide an explanation for these questions through their unique methods.

Effects of Exogenous Application of Methyl Jasmonate and Salicylic Acid on the Physiological and Molecular Response of 'Dusa' Avocado to Rosellinia necatrix.

Methyl jasmonate (MeJA) and salicylic acid (SA) are important in mediating plant responses to abiotic and biotic stresses. MeJA and SA can act as elicitors by triggering plant defense responses similar to those induced by pathogens and may even provide long-term protection against them. Thus, exogenous application of MeJA and SA could protect susceptible avocado plants against white root rot (WRR) disease caused by the necrotrophic fungus Rosellinia necatrix, one of the main diseases affecting avocado orchards. This work evaluates the effects of MeJA or SA on the physiological and molecular response of susceptible 'Dusa' avocado rootstock and their ability to provide some protection against WRR. The application of MeJA and SA in avocado increased photoprotective mechanisms (nonphotochemical chlorophyll fluorescence quenching) and upregulated the glutathione S-transferase, suggesting the triggering of mechanisms closely related to oxidative stress relief and reactive oxygen species scavenging. In contrast to SA, MeJA's effects were more pronounced at the morphoanatomical level, including functional traits such as high leaf mass area, high stomatal density, and high root/shoot ratio, closely related to strategies to cope with water scarcity and WRR disease. Moreover, MeJA upregulated a greater number of defense-related genes than SA, including a glu protease inhibitor, a key gene in avocado defense against R. necatrix. The overall effects of MeJA increased 'Dusa' avocado tolerance to R. necatrix by inducing a primed state that delayed WRR disease symptoms. These findings point toward the use of MeJA application as an environmentally friendly strategy to mitigate the impact of this disease on susceptible avocado orchards.

Mapping the molecular motions of 5-HT3 serotonin-gated channel by voltage-clamp fluorometry.

The serotonin-gated ion channel (5-HT3R) mediates excitatory neuronal communication in the gut and the brain. It is the target for setrons, a class of competitive antagonists widely used as antiemetics, and is involved in several neurological diseases. Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) of the 5-HT3R in complex with serotonin or setrons revealed that the protein has access to a wide conformational landscape. However, assigning known high-resolution structures to actual states contributing to the physiological response remains a challenge. In the present study, we used voltage-clamp fluorometry (VCF) to measure simultaneously, for 5-HT3R expressed at a cell membrane, conformational changes by fluorescence and channel opening by electrophysiology. Four positions identified by mutational screening report motions around and outside the serotonin-binding site through incorporation of cysteine-tethered rhodamine dyes with or without a nearby quenching tryptophan. VCF recordings show that the 5-HT3R has access to four families of conformations endowed with distinct fluorescence signatures: 'resting-like' without ligand, 'inhibited-like' with setrons, 'pre-active-like' with partial agonists, and 'active-like' (open channel) with partial and strong agonists. Data are remarkably consistent with cryo-EM structures, the fluorescence partners matching respectively apo, setron-bound, 5-HT bound-closed, and 5-HT-bound-open conformations. Data show that strong agonists promote a concerted motion of all fluorescently labeled sensors during activation, while partial agonists, especially when loss-of-function mutations are engineered, stabilize both active and pre-active conformations. In conclusion, VCF, though the monitoring of electrophysiologically silent conformational changes, illuminates allosteric mechanisms contributing to signal transduction and their differential regulation by important classes of physiological and clinical effectors.

Effects of acute simulated altitude on the maximal lactate steady state in humans.

We sought to determine the effects of acute simulated altitude on the maximal lactate steady state (MLSS) and physiological responses to cycling at and 10 W above the MLSS-associated power output (PO) (MLSSp and MLSSp+10, respectively). Eleven (4 female) participants (mean [SD]; 28 [4] years; V̇O2max: 54.3 [6.9] mL×kg-1×min-1) acclimatized to ~1100 m performed 30-min constant PO trials in simulated altitudes of 0 m (SL), 1111 m (MILD), and 2222 m (MOD). MLSSp, defined as the highest PO with stable (<1mM change) blood lactate concentration ([BLa]) between 10 and 30 min, was significantly lower in MOD (209 [54] W) compared to SL (230 [56] W; p<0.001) and MILD (225 [58] W; p=0.001), but MILD and SL were not different (p=0.12). V̇O2 and V̇CO2 decreased at higher simulated altitudes due to lower POs (p<0.05), but other end-exercise physiological responses (e.g., [BLa], ventilation (V̇E), heart rate (HR)) were not different between conditions at MLSSp or MLSSp+10 (p>0.05). At the same absolute intensity (MLSSp for MILD), [BLa], HR, and V̇E and all perceptual variables were exacerbated in MOD compared to SL and MILD (p<0.05). Maximum voluntary contraction, voluntary activation, and potentiated twitch forces were exacerbated at MLSSp+10 relative to MLSSp within conditions (p<0.05); however, condition did not affect performance fatiguability at the same relative or absolute intensity (p>0.05). As MLSSp decreased in hypoxia, adjustments in PO are needed to ensure the same relative intensity across altitudes, but common indices of exercise intensity may facilitate exercise prescription and monitoring in hypoxia.

Comparison of face mask effects on cardiorespiratory responses between physically active and sedentary individuals.

Alterations caused by face masks on physiological responses vary among different population groups. This study aimed to investigate whether physically active and sedentary individuals respond differently to face mask use during exercise. Sixteen healthy college students were divided into two groups: Physically active group (N.=10; 26.50±2.80 years) and Sedentary group (N.=6; 26.33±2.81 years). They performed three maximal cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET)s following the Bruce protocol: one without a face mask (NON), one with a surgical mask (SUR) and one with a cloth mask (CLO). Cardiorespiratory parameters and heart rate were monitored continuously during the test. Blood pressure, oxygen saturation and lactate level were measured immediately before and after exertion. Significant differences were found between the Physically active and the Sedentary group in peak VO<inf>2</inf> (VO<inf>2peak</inf>) in NON (P=0.030). However, this difference disappeared when the face masks were used. Furthermore, VO<inf>2</inf>/kg (P=0.002) and METs (P=0.002) decreased significantly at the respiratory compensation point (RCP) only in the Physically active group with face masks. No significant differences were found between the two groups for exercise time, lactate level and dyspnea (P>0.05). The decrease in exercise tolerance and cardiorespiratory responses, particularly VO<inf>2peak</inf>, due to face mask use was greater in physically active individuals compared to sedentary individuals. Population group characteristics should be considered when adapting face masks to daily life.

IRE1α Mediates the Hypertrophic Growth of Cardiomyocytes Through Facilitating the Formation of Initiation Complex to Promote the Translation of TOP-Motif Transcripts.

Cardiomyocyte growth is coupled with active protein synthesis, which is one of the basic biological processes in living cells. However, it is unclear whether the unfolded protein response transducers and effectors directly take part in the control of protein synthesis. The connection between critical functions of the unfolded protein response in cellular physiology and requirements of multiple processes for cell growth prompted us to investigate the role of the unfolded protein response in cell growth and underlying molecular mechanisms. Cardiomyocyte-specific inositol-requiring enzyme 1α (IRE1α) knockout and overexpression mouse models were generated to explore its function in vivo. Neonatal rat ventricular myocytes were isolated and cultured to evaluate the role of IRE1α in cardiomyocyte growth in vitro. Mass spectrometry was conducted to identify novel interacting proteins of IRE1α. Ribosome sequencing and polysome profiling were performed to determine the molecular basis for the function of IRE1α in translational control. We show that IRE1α is required for cell growth in neonatal rat ventricular myocytes under prohypertrophy treatment and in HEK293 cells in response to serum stimulation. At the molecular level, IRE1α directly interacts with eIF4G and eIF3, 2 critical components of the translation initiation complex. We demonstrate that IRE1α facilitates the formation of the translation initiation complex around the endoplasmic reticulum and preferentially initiates the translation of transcripts with 5' terminal oligopyrimidine motifs. We then reveal that IRE1α plays an important role in determining the selectivity and translation of these transcripts. We next show that IRE1α stimulates the translation of epidermal growth factor receptor through an unannotated terminal oligopyrimidine motif in its 5' untranslated region. We further demonstrate a physiological role of IRE1α-governed protein translation by showing that IRE1α is essential for cardiomyocyte growth and cardiac functional maintenance under hemodynamic stress in vivo. These studies suggest a noncanonical, essential role of IRE1α in orchestrating protein synthesis, which may have important implications in cardiac hypertrophy in response to pressure overload and general cell growth under other physiological and pathological conditions.

Evaluation of the Physiological and Psychological Impact of Ballet Performances Across Age Cohorts: An Observational Uncontrolled Case Study.

Background: Ballet, epitomized by iconic seasonal performances such as "The Nutcracker," combines artistic expression with considerable physical demands. This study investigated the physiological and psychological responses of ballet dancers to the demands of intensive training and performance, with a specific focus on "The Nutcracker." Methods: Thirty- eight dancers volunteered for the study, including 6 youths (10.5 + 1.8 years, n = 6 female), 7 adolescents (15.4 + 1.1 years, n = 5 female), and 25 adults (21.1 + 2.1 years, n = 20 female). Employing an uncontrolled observational design, this pilot study tracked key biomarkers such as CK-MM for muscle damage and B-ALP for bone health, alongside psychological measures via PANAS-C/PANAS and DASS-21. Results: Significant findings included a post-performance reduction in cortisol and depression levels. Conclusion: These insights advocate for tailored strategies that address the multifaceted needs of dancers, acknowledging the intricate balance required to maintain peak performance and overall health within the demanding realm of professional ballet.

Physiological and molecular responses of strawberry plants to Cd stress

Cadmium (Cd), a toxic metal element, can be absorbed by plants via divalent metal ion transporters, thereby retarding plant growth and posing a threat to human health. Strawberries are popular and economically valuable berry species that are sensitive to soil pollutants, especially Cd. However, the mechanisms underlying Cd stress responses in strawberry plants remain largely unclear. Here, we investigated the physiological and molecular basis of Cd stress responses in strawberry plants using the diploid strawberry ‘Yellow Wonder’ as a material. The results indicated that Cd stress induced oxidative damage, repressed photosynthetic efficiency, and interfered with the accumulation and redistribution of trace elements. Furthermore, Cd stress reduced the concentrations of indoleacetic acid, trans-zeatin riboside and gibberellic acid while increasing the concentration of abscisic acid, thus altering the phytohormone signaling pathway in strawberry plants. Cd stress also inhibited the expression of genes involved in nitrogen uptake and assimilation while promoting the energy supply for plant survival under Cd toxicity. Moreover, the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway was induced, and the anthocyanin concentration increased, thereby improving the free radical scavenging capacity of strawberry plants under Cd toxicity. Additionally, we identified several transcription factors and functional genes as hub genes based on a weighted gene coexpression network analysis. These results collectively provide a theoretical foundation for strawberry breeding and ensuring agriculture and food safety.

Physiological responses of Atlantic cod to climate change indicate that coastal ecotypes may be better adapted to tolerate ocean stressors

Healthy ecosystems and species have some degree of resilience to changing conditions, however as the frequency and severity of environmental changes increase, resilience may be diminished or lost. In Sweden, one example of a species with reduced resilience is the Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua). This species has been subjected to overfishing, and with additional pressures such as habitat degradation and changing environmental conditions there has been little to no recovery, despite more than a decade of management actions. Given the historical ecological, economical, and cultural significance of cod, it is important to understand how Atlantic cod respond to global climate change to recover and sustainably manage this species in the future. A multi-stressor experiment was conducted to evaluate physiological responses of juvenile cod exposed to warming, ocean acidification, and freshening, changes expected to occur in their nursery habitat. The response to single drivers showed variable effects related to fish biometrics and increased levels of oxidative stress dependent parameters. Importantly, two separate responses were seen within a single treatment for the multi-stressor and freshening groups. These within-treatment differences were correlated to genotype, with the offshore ecotype having a heightened stress response compared to the coastal ecotype, which may be better adapted to tolerate future changes. These results demonstrate that, while Atlantic cod have some tolerance for future changes, ecotypes respond differently, and cumulative effects of multiple stressors may lead to deleterious effects for this important species.

Entheseal surface (Sharpey's fiber insertion) alterations identify past trauma; bone base robusticity, level of routine activity.

Sharpey's fiber alterations, referred to as entheseal reaction or enthesopathy, have long been considered an indicator of daily activities. Such semantic transformation seems to conflate processes which alter the characteristics of tendonous and ligamentous attachments to bone with the rugosity and extent of their base/footprint. Rather than reflecting normal activities, it is suggested that surface reactions are actually the response to the application of sudden or unconditioned repetitive stresses-analogous to stress fractures. Thus, they are distinct from enlargement of the base/footprint, the bone remodeling process responsible for the robusticity of the area to which the enthesis attaches, which is actually a measure of actual muscle activity. Surface reactions in attachment areas represent injury, be it mechanical stress fracture-equivalents or inflammation-derived. Bone base/footprint is the reaction of the enthesis to stresses of routine physical activities. The character of underlying bone supporting Sharpey's fibers may be augmented by applied stress, but there is neither a physiologic mechanism nor is there evidence for significant addition of Sharpey's fibers beyond ontogeny. Behavior is responsible for the physiologic response of robusticity; spiculation, pathology.

Effect of dietary macronutrients and immune challenge on gut microbiota, physiology and feeding behaviour in zebra finches.

Macronutrients play a vital role in host immunity and can influence host-pathogen dynamics, potentially through dietary effects on gut microbiota. To increase our understanding of how dietary macronutrients affect physiology and gut microbiota and investigate whether feeding behaviour is influenced by an immune threat, we conducted two experiments. First, we determined whether zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) exhibit shifts in physiology and gut microbiota when fed diets differing in macronutrient ratios. We found the type and amount of diet consumed affected gut microbiota alpha diversity, where microbial richness and Shannon diversity increased with caloric intake in birds fed a high-fat diet and decreased with caloric intake in birds fed a high protein diet. Diet macronutrient content did not affect physiological metrics, but lower caloric intake was associated with higher complement activity. In our second experiment, we simulated an infection in birds using the bacterial endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and quantified feeding behaviour in immune challenged and control individuals, as well as birds housed near either a control pair (no immune threat), or birds housed near a pair given an immune challenge with LPS (social cue of heightened infection risk). We also examined whether social cues of infection alter physiological responses relevant to responding to an immune threat, an effect that could be mediated through shifts in feeding behaviour. LPS induced a reduction in caloric intake driven by a decrease in protein, but not fat consumption. No evidence was found for socially induced shifts in feeding behaviour, physiology or gut microbiota. Our findings carry implications for host health, as sickness-induced anorexia and diet-induced shifts in the microbiome could shape host-pathogen interactions.

Mechanisms of myocardial reverse remodelling and its clinical significance: A scientific statement of the ESC Working Group on Myocardial Function.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of morbimortality in Europe and worldwide. CVD imposes a heterogeneous spectrum of cardiac remodelling, depending on the insult nature, that is, pressure or volume overload, ischaemia, arrhythmias, infection, pathogenic gene variant, or cardiotoxicity. Moreover, the progression of CVD-induced remodelling is influenced by sex, age, genetic background and comorbidities, impacting patients' outcomes and prognosis. Cardiac reverse remodelling (RR) is defined as any normative improvement in cardiac geometry and function, driven by therapeutic interventions and rarely occurring spontaneously. While RR is the outcome desired for most CVD treatments, they often only slow/halt its progression or modify risk factors, calling for novel and more timely RR approaches. Interventions triggering RR depend on the myocardial insult and include drugs (renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitors, beta-blockers, diuretics and sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors), devices (cardiac resynchronization therapy, ventricular assist devices), surgeries (valve replacement, coronary artery bypass graft), or physiological responses (deconditioning, postpartum). Subsequently, cardiac RR is inferred from the degree of normalization of left ventricular mass, ejection fraction and end-diastolic/end-systolic volumes, whose extent often correlates with patients' prognosis. However, strategies aimed at achieving sustained cardiac improvement, predictive models assessing the extent of RR, or even clinical endpoints that allow for distinguishing complete from incomplete RR or adverse remodelling objectively, remain limited and controversial. This scientific statement aims to define RR, clarify its underlying (patho)physiologic mechanisms and address (non)pharmacological options and promising strategies to promote RR, focusing on the left heart. We highlight the predictors of the extent of RR and review the prognostic significance/impact of incomplete RR/adverse remodelling. Lastly, we present an overview of RR animal models and potential future strategies under pre-clinical evaluation.

Physiological responses of a black locust plantation to drought stress based on a throughfall exclusion experiment in semi-arid northwestern China

Abstract Drought poses a significant threat on the ecosystem stability of extensive areas of black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) plantations in northwestern China. However, limited understanding of the physiological responses of black locust to drought has impeded the development of proactive measures to alleviate potential adverse effects of drought. This study investigated the physiological impacts of varying drought intensities, manipulated by a throughfall exclusion experiment, on a 20-year-old black locust plantation in northwestern China. The experiment involved 40% throughfall exclusion for moderate drought, 80% exclusion for extreme drought, and no exclusion for control. One year after the implementation of the experiment, both predawn (Ψpd) and midday (Ψmd) leaf water potentials were significantly lower under drought treatments compared to those in control (P &amp;lt; .01). Stomatal conductance (gs) exhibited a strong reduction, leading to decreased leaf transpiration and photosynthesis under drought. However, the reduction in gs did not effectively prevent the decrease in Ψmd. Instead, both Ψpd and Ψmd became more negative with increasing drought stress, but their difference remaining relatively constant (being ~1.1 MPa) across treatments. These results suggest that black locust adopts a balanced water regulatory strategy between isohydry and anisohydry to cope with drought stress. These results contribute to an enhanced understanding of the crucial physiological responses of black locust under drought stress, offering valuable insights for future management strategies aimed at sustaining the ecosystem stability of black locust plantations in an increasingly arid climate.

Time is of the essence: unveiling the rapid response of Populus to insect feeding

Plant metabolism response to insect herbivores is the central theme of this publication. Genetically uniform individuals of European aspen (Populus tremula) were exposed to recurrent feeding by spongy moths (Lepidoptera) at specific time intervals. Changes in physiology, contents of phenolics and saccharides were quantified over the first hour. The unconventional experiment design, integrating analytical methods, and timeline led to the revealing of unexpected dynamics in plant metabolism. The time interval between herbivory initiation and sample collection revealed a pivotal moment, with induced defense activating strongly after 5 min of chewing resulting in an increase in catechin and procyanidin B1. After 10 min, a shift to a tolerant strategy occurs and induced substance concentrations return to control levels. Delayed physiological response was recorded as the first significant difference in transpiration between affected and nonaffected plants and was found after 10 min. A different strategy in exploitation of saccharides after spongy moths infestation was applied because the pool of selected saccharides was rising in the leaves but decreasing in the roots. Placing our results in the context of existing knowledge highlights the uncertain conceptual basis behind the often rigid and definitive classifications in induced plant defense or tolerance strategy.

Mother-Child Conversations about the Impact of Nutrition and Activities on a Short and Long-Term Basis

The following two studies examined mother-child conversations about the outcomes of engaging in healthy and unhealthy eating and physically active and sedentary activities. Study 1 (n= 29 mother-child dyads, M age = 4.6 years) examined the impact of healthy and unhealthy eating on a short and on a long term basis. Study 2 (n = 34 mother-child dyads, M age = 4 years 8 months) examined the impact of physically active and sedentary activities on a short and on a long term basis. Overall for Study 1, preschoolers elicited significantly more physiological and physical responses. For Study 2, preschoolers gave significantly more physiological and physical utterances than their mothers did. The results of these two studies demonstrate that preschoolers draw predominantly on the biological domain when reasoning about the impact of engaging in healthy/unhealthy nutrition and physically active and sedentary activities on a short and on a long-term basis.

Effects of food bar chewing duration on the physiologic, metabolic, and perceptual responses to moderate-intensity running.

Chewing duration can affect food particle size, gastric processing, and postprandial glycemia, but these effects have not been investigated with exercise. This study examined how the chewing duration of a food bar impacts glycemic and metabolic responses, gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, psychological affect, and performance during endurance running. This randomized, unblinded, crossover study had 15 males (35.2 ± 7.4years, VO2peak: 56.1 ± 5.2ml/kg/min) attend three laboratory visits. Visit 1 required a VO2peak test, 10min familiarization run at 60% VO2peak, and familiarization time-to-exhaustion (TTE) test (10min at 90% VO2peak, followed by TTE at 100% VO2peak). Visits 2 and 3 consisted of a 60min run at 60% VO2peak, followed by TTE testing. Participants were fed 45g of a bar (180kcal, 4g fat, 33g carbohydrate, 3g protein, 1g fiber) in 9g servings 30min before running, and 27g of bar in 9g servings at three timepoints during the 60min run. Participants consumed the servings in 20 (20CHEW) or 40 (40CHEW) masticatory cycles, at 1 chew/second. Outcomes included blood glucose, substrate use, GI symptoms, perceived exertion (RPE), overall feeling, and TTE. Post-prandial blood glucose, GI symptoms, and RPE increased over time, but there were no significant between-condition or condition-by-time effects. TTE showed no significant between-condition effect (20CHEW: 288 ± 133s; 40CHEW: 335 ± 299s; p = 0.240). Overall feeling demonstrated a time-by-condition effect (p = 0.006), suggesting possible better maintenance over time with 40CHEW. Cumulatively, the results suggest that extended chewing minimally impacts physiology, perceptions, and performance during 60min moderate-intensity running.

Music in Academia for Undergraduate Nursing Students: A Randomized Controlled Study.

Over time, unmanaged stress and anxiety can potentially impact nursing students' health and academic performance. A randomized controlled approach explored the effects music has on stress and anxiety levels in undergraduate nursing students. Students ( n = 89) were randomized into two recording groups, and variables such as demographics, heart rate, blood pressure, and State-Trait Anxiety (STAI) scores were measured and compared. There were significant differences in mean STAI scores ( p < .001), in heart rate means ( p < .000), and in mean blood pressures ( p < .001). Music can have an influence on students' physiological and/or psychological responses while also promoting them to engage in self-care.

An Attractiveness Bias? How Women Entrepreneurs’ Physical Appearance Affects Men Investors

Women founders frequently appear to encounter varied and often negatively biased decisions from investors. Our study builds on the theoretical and practical interest in understanding whether and how biases against women entrepreneurs are attributed to men investors’ cognitive and physiological (i.e., hormonal) responses to the women’s physical appearance. Using a cross-sectional research design, we recruited 106 experienced investors and randomly assigned them to one of two versions of a prerecorded pitch to test the effect of a woman entrepreneur’s physical attractiveness. The versions were identical in content and form but were delivered by different actresses, one of whom was considered highly attractive. We asked participants to observe the pitch and answer questions on related topics, including how likely they believed the business described would successfully progress through the screening stage of the investment process. In contrast to our hypothesis, we find that a woman entrepreneur’s attractiveness positively influences men investors’ assessments of her competence. These competence assessments lead to evaluations that the entrepreneur’s proposal would progress through the investment screening stage. We also theorize and find that men investors have a marked increase in cortisol levels when presented with an attractive woman entrepreneur. This increased cortisol leads to evaluations that the entrepreneur’s proposal would progress through the screening stage. Identifying the role physiological mechanisms play in investment evaluations underscores the importance of adopting proactive measures to ensure equitable and fair investment practices alongside fostering introspection within the investment community.