Stable Social Conditions Research Articles

Deleterious effect of social instability on broiler chicken learning abilities and behaviour

Broiler chickens are reared in very large groups and are submitted to repeated encounters with unknown conspecifics. Our aim was to assess the consequences of these encounters on broiler chickens learning abilities, social behaviour and emotional reactivity. Groups of 5 male medium-growing broiler chickens (JA 957) were reared under stable or unstable social conditions (n=16 groups in each condition). Under the unstable conditions, the 5 birds of the groups changed every 3–4 days from 1 to 52 days of age. Broiler chickens were tested in an associative learning task (conditioned place preference) between 14 and 18 days of age. A highly palatable food (mealworms) was delivered in a particular environment with coloured stripes and preference for this environment was then tested. Social behaviours were analysed between 21 and 43 days of age. Emotional reactivity of the birds when faced with novelty (reactivity to unknown food, object and human) was assessed at the end of the rearing period (46–51 days of age). Only birds from the stable condition were able to associate the palatable food to the environment in which it was delivered (p = 0.02). Furthermore, these birds had a higher social proximity than those from the unstable condition (p < 0.01) and showed less aggressive interactions such as aggressive pecking (p = 0.06), threat (p < 0.01) or facing each other with wing flapping in front of another bird (p = 0.03). The social conditions tested had no significant effect on their emotional reactivity. Our results evidenced that chickens exposed to social instability have some learning abilities impaired compared to chickens maintained in stable social conditions. In addition, social instability increases aggressive interactions between conspecifics, while social stability favours bird proximity. In conclusion, being reared in unstable social conditions likely impairs bird adaptation to their rearing environment and increases deleterious consequences of aggressive interactions with conspecifics.

POPULATION'S RADIATION ANXIETY STRUCTURE ANALYSIS FOR THE PRE-COVID-19 PERIOD

Introduction. A considerable amount of conflicting reports creates conditions for concern about the effects of radiation on health. The adequacy of the assessment of problems and responses to these challenges depends on the sources used by a person, his culture and education level, as well as the emotional overtone of this assessment.&#x0D; The aim of the study is to determine dynamic changes in the prevalence and structure of population’s radiation anxiety states under stable social conditions based on a psychological and hygienic assessment.&#x0D; Materials and methods: In order to research and assess the perception of Kropyvnytskyi residents about the degree and prevalence of radiation anxiety states, a survey was conducted on Facebook and Instagram social networks from February to December 2019 using Google Form. For assessment of dynamic changes in radiation anxiety, data from our own studies in 2014 were used [9]. The questionnaire methodology was based on the principles of the previously tested and patented "Methodology for determining radiation anxiety among the population" and the monograph "Radiation anxiety among the population". Three hundred and twenty four residents of Kropyvnytskyi aged 18 to 73 were included in the study, 155 (47.8%) men and 169 (52.2%) women. The average age of the interviewees (Me (LQ; HQ)) was 27 (20; 33) years old.&#x0D; Results. A specific psycho-emotional state is developed and maintained at some level in the residents of cities with nuclear power plants – radiation anxiety, which is manifested by a complex of neuropsychological and somato-physiological disorders against the fear of ionizing radiation sources background. At the same time, such a psychogenic effect may not be related to the degree of actual effects of ionizing radiation on human health. It was determined that in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia's full armed aggression against Ukraine, more than 90% of the surveyed residents of Kropyvnytskyi, regardless of gender and age, were concerned about potential radiation pollution of the environment and foodstuffs, medium level of radiation anxiety was in 34,9%, and high level in 14.8% . Low radiation anxiety was detected in 41.4% of respondents, and in 8.9% it was absent.&#x0D; Conclusions. Over 5 years (from 2014 to 2019), there were noticeable negative changes in the structure of the radiation anxiety states among the surveyed urban residents, namely: the amount of people without signs of radiation anxiety halved (8.9% vs. 16.0%) and respondents with the high level of this psycho-emotional state increased almost four times (14.8% versus 3.9%). The obtained results encourage the authors to future studies of specific radiation anxiety states among the population to clarify their dynamics.

NATIONAL MINORITIES IN THE LABOUR MARKET: ECONOMIC AND LEGAL STUDY

The article provides a comprehensive economic and legal analysis of the position of national minorities in the labour market. To do this, a comparative analysis of the socio-economic and legal status of national minorities is carried out and an analysis of the situation of national minorities in the labour market is conducted while taking into account real and declarative indicators of the level of employment, which were determined by the author's survey and field experiment. It has been proven that discrimination in the labour market is characteristic of certain, but not all, groups of national minorities, in particular, the Roma. It is believed that the efficiency of the labour market of national minorities also affects tax revenues and the distribution of social costs. Ensuring equal opportunities for these groups contributes to the creation of stable social conditions, reducing the costs of social assistance and increasing the efficiency of social capital. The study of the labour market of national minorities also takes into account the importance of socio-economic stability. The main causes of discrimination of representatives of ethno-national groups in the labour market are singled out, and economic and legal measures to stimulate inclusion in the labour market are defined. Through the author's survey and the field method of fictitious questionnaires, the discrimination of certain groups of national minorities in Ukraine, among them Moldovans and especially the Roma, was proven, and it was proved that the unemployment rate in the region provokes an almost proportional decrease in the number of responses from employers from representatives of national minorities. The field of employment was not a significant factor in indicating certain features of discrimination based on the field of the labour market.

Controlled-environment agriculture for an urbanised world? A comparative analysis of the innovation systems in London, Nairobi and Singapore

Multiple crises and challenges in the food sector are driving a rising need for innovative food production methods that could provide a growing urban population with high-quality, sustainable and healthy food while strengthening the resilience of food systems. Controlled-environment agriculture (CEA) in urban areas has been proposed as one possible pathway to address these demands. Despite its various potential benefits, CEA is still in a conceptual or experimental stage and there has been less research that focuses on the specificities of urban areas where it could be implemented. Using the Urban Food Production Innovation System (UFoPrInS) concept, this paper analyses the urban contexts and enabling and impeding factors for implementing CEA in three contrasting locations: London, Nairobi and Singapore. Based on document analysis and semi-structured expert interviews, our findings show that Singapore is a favourable location because public policies support the implementation of CEA to reduce food import dependency and enhance the resilience of food supply. In London, high food import dependency is increasingly seen as problematic, but the implementation of CEA has been hampered by other policy priorities. In Nairobi, where over half of the population lives in informal settlements without adequate food, water and sanitation, CEA is unlikely to make an economically efficient contribution to food security. We conclude that the implementation of CEA might be suitable in locations with ample capital and knowledge, stable political, social, and infrastructure conditions, and limited space, where value can be linked to hospitality and tourism, supported by positive pricing for resource savings.

Results of the implementation of social assistance policies for ethnic minority migrant families in Lai Chau province

The Fifth Central Executive Committee Meeting of the Eleventh Tenure on Several Social Policy Issues for the Period 2012 – 2020 claimed that “For many years, our Party and State have always paid attention to constructing and organizing the implementation of social policies, considering them not only objective but also driving forces for sustainable development and stable political and social conditions”. The view point at the conference emphasized that “Ensuring social security is a regular and mandatory task of the Party, the State, the entire political system, and society as a whole.”, especially for the ethnic minorities migrating from poor and disadvantaged areas. The article discusses the results of implementing social assistance policies for ethnic minority migrant families in Lai Chau province. The content of the article reflects that Lai Chau has an undeveloped economy, with outdated customs still prevailing, and many ethnic minority households continue to face difficulties. The reasons for migration among ethnic minority people are primarily due to a lack of farming land and challenging living conditions, leading to migration with family members

Corporate Social Responsibility in Kazakhstan: Current State and Ways of Development

The main purpose of the study is to assess social responsibility development at the enterprise and its development ways. The main objectives of the study are to assess corporate social responsibility development in Kazakhstan, identify the main problems and make recommendations for its further development. The authors revealed that the understanding of social responsibility, the conduct of which in business creates additional competitive advantages, thereby forming a favourable social environment and stable social conditions, increasing the level of trust in it among various economic agents. Results: the authors also conducted the research in the form of an expert survey to assess the prospects for the development of corporate social responsibility in Kazakhstan. During the survey, questions were asked about corporate social responsibility: understanding of corporate social responsibility, the dynamics of its further development, etc. Also, during the conducted research, the main problems that hinder the development of corporate social responsibility in Kazakhstan were identified: the problem of a haphazard approach to the formation of a policy for corporate social responsibility development, incomplete openness o interaction processes between the state and business, the unreasonableness of existing economic measures to stimulate corporate social responsibility, weak involvement of the civil sector in the practice of corporate social responsibility, etc. Conclusions - to solve the development of corporate social responsibility, such as a systematic approach to the development of corporate social responsibility in Kazakhstan, the complete rejection of the state from corporate social responsibility economic stimulation.

Determining factors in the overall happiness and outlook for the future of women living homeless: Evidence from Madrid, Spain.

People living homeless are quite heterogeneous groups, including different subgroups with specific characteristics that vary substantially. Within this group, women living homeless are an understudied subgroup with specific necessities which in most cases have not been addressed in general studies related to the group. The present study examines determining factors that influence the levels of overall happiness and outlook for the future of women living homeless. To fulfill this objective, a survey was conducted on a group of women living homeless in the city of Madrid (Spain). The results of a structural equation modeling analysis found that having a larger and stable social support network, loneliness, and good health conditions without any problems associated with drug abuse are the main factors influencing their levels of overall happiness and their outlook for the future. The proposed model has also shown that stressful life events play an important role in the analysis, unlike economic aspects, which have a limited impact on their situation. This article provides new information and innovation in research about homelessness, in particular women living homeless, thus being important for extending and replicating its findings to an international context.

Three Faces of Leviathan: Rationality, Institutions, Ideas Koktysh К.Е. The Discourse of Rationalism, Freedom and Democracy. Мoscow: MGIMO-University, 2021 _

The monograph written by Kirill Koktysh is devoted to the issues of constructing languages of Political Science. These languages are diverse, but the author analyzes them through three basic concepts — rationalism, institutions and ideas. Masterfully combining a limited number of concepts, he builds a large-scale construction, showing in detail how one can study languages for describing politics. According to Koktysh, the rational is constructed by specific institutions. He identifies three institutions that go back to the three functions of the Indo-European gods, highlighted by Georges Dumézil. These institutions correspond to the three functions of politics — “leader” (makes decisions), “priest” (forms and maintains norms) and “merchant” (is engaged in economic reproduction). These institutions seek to extend their rationality to the society at large, using for this purpose three “big ideas” — order, justice, and freedom. According to the author’s conclusion, the institutions of the leader and the priest form the basis of stable social conditions — “political architectures”, and it is the relations between them that determine the specifics of such “architectures”. At the same time, the book pays attention not only to statics, but also to dynamics. The cognitive-structural method used by the author allows him to explore the transformations of the societies through the analysis of changes in rationalism, institutions and ideas. Koktysh’s book is valuable not only due to the novelty of its research question and fundamental nature, but also because it outlines important directions for further discussion. One of these directions concerns the popular criticism of the Enlightenment, with which the author agrees, as well as the justification for reducing rationality to mere derivatives of certain social contexts. Another direction for a discussion is about the evaluation of the Anglo-American model of democracy, which is denied the ability to produce generally valid meanings. In many ways, this book per se represents a significant contribution to a rational discussion of politics, convincingly demonstrating how complex and elusive the concepts of Political Science are.

Readiness for discharge from hospital: a concept analysis

PurposeThis study aimed to analyze and define the concept of readiness for hospital discharge (RHD) in patients with myocardial infarction (MI).Design/methodology/approachWalker and Avant's approach was used for concept analysis. Electronic text searches were performed using valid databases with “readiness for hospital discharge” and “MI” keywords. The research included quantitative and qualitative studies related to RHD published between 1997 and 2021 in English and Persian. Out of 103 obtained articles, 29 met the inclusion criteria.FindingsIn the analysis, the authors identified stable physical state, desirable individual and social conditions, psychological stability, adequate support, adequate information and knowledge, and multidisciplinary care as the attributes of the determinants of RHD. Antecedents were divided into two categories, including preadmission conditions (economic and social, etc.) and postadmission conditions (disease severity and patient health needs, etc). The consequences were also identified as both positive (e.g. self-care) and side effects (e.g. reduced readmission).Originality/valueThe results showed that the concept of RHD in MI patients is a complex and multidimensional condition that applies to all patients on discharge. It is critical for the care team to pay attention to its attributes and scopes in the process of preparing the patient for discharge. It is also suggested that the concept be used as a nursing diagnosis on the North American Nursing Diagnosis Association (NANDA) list. The Association provides nurses with an up-to-date list of nursing diagnoses.

Antioxidant capacity differs across social ranks and with ascension in males of a group-living fish

Animals that live in groups often form hierarchies in which an individual's behaviour and physiology varies based on their social rank. Occasionally, a subordinate can ascend into a dominant position and the ascending individual must make rapid behavioural and physiological adjustments to solidify their dominance. These periods of social transition and instability can be stressful and ascending individuals often incur large metabolic costs that could influence their oxidative status. Most previous investigations examining the link between oxidative status and the social environment have done so under stable social conditions and have evaluated oxidative status in a single tissue. Therefore, evaluations of how oxidative status is regulated across multiple tissues during periods of social flux would greatly enhance our understanding of the relationship between oxidative status and the social environment. Here, we assessed how antioxidant capacity in three tissues (brain, gonad, and muscle) varied among dominant, subordinate, and ascending males of the group-living cichlid fish, Neolamprologus pulcher. Antioxidant capacity in the brain and muscle of ascending males was intermediate to that of dominant (highest levels) and subordinate males (lowest levels) and correlated with differences in social and locomotor behaviours, respectively. Gonad antioxidant capacity was lower in ascending males than in dominant males. However, gonad antioxidant capacity was positively correlated with the size of ascending males' gonads suggesting that ascending males may increase gonad antioxidant capacity as they develop their gonads. Overall, our results highlight the widespread physiological consequences of social ascension and emphasize the importance of tissue-specific measures of oxidative status.

The state and problems of increasing milk production in Russian Federation

Milk production in the implementation of a competent management approach is a profitable agricultural business. To improve management decision making, regular monitoring of the situation on the milk market is needed. Our analysis showed that, despite the reduction in the number of dairy cows in all forms of management and despite the decline in milk production, in the period from 1990 to 2016 in the agricultural organizations of the country, the productivity of dairy cows increased by two folds. Secondly, the cost of producing one center of milk decreased four-fold, which indicates the processes, innovations, mechanization and automation of production are in place and working well. Thirdly, labor costs per cow, in man-hours decreased by 2.5 times. Fourthly, it is positive that the loss of milk decreased by half. Fifthly, the export of milk, which includes exports both to non-CIS countries and the CIS, has increased by 93%. In order to identify the factors that affect the productivity of dairy cows, we performed a special correlation regression analysis. Our analysis allows us to conclude that the most significant factors affecting the productivity of dairy cows are: (1) the cost per year for the maintenance of one cow, in thousands of rubles; (2) labor costs for the production of one center of milk, man-hours; (3) the number of livestock per 100 hectares of agricultural land, heads; (4) the mass of one calf at birth, in kilograms; (5) the load per operator of machine milking, heads; (5) average monthly salary of a machine milking operator, rubles. The state regulation of dairy cattle breeding should be carried out on the basis of competent economic mechanisms, it presupposes rationalization of the structure of agricultural production, inter-industry and inter-farm relations, the creation of stable economic, legal and social conditions for the development of agriculture, taking into account the already achieved production results, available and potential resource base, especially availability of basic production assets.

Study on the Rationality of Utilitarian Philosophy of Law-An Analysis

The modern doctrine of sovereignty is derived basically from two thoughts of development which emerged during the end of Indian medieval history. On the one side there was an emergence of new National States which are curious enough to assert their absolute independence during the new age of economic expansion by rejecting the feudal notions including exaggerated lordship or papal interference and on the other side, the departure from medieval idea of law based on fundamental customs and legislations as a form of declaring the existence of new customs. The Utilitarian Philosophy is based on the consequential ideology of rightness or wrongness of any action is determined through the good and bad consequences of that act. Bentham developed a liberal theory of justice based on egalitarian principles in order to secure the life of the people in cooperation with each other. The new approach based on secularist and positivism even when the lip services are notionally subjected to override the natural law. Positivism flourishes in stable social conditions highlighting the difficulties involved in maintaining a rigid separation between ‘what is’ and ‘what ought to be’ are only projected to the forefront when conditions are critical. The theory and principles work as a manual of instructions to the legislators. This paper analyses the rationality of Utilitarian philosophy in terms of its feasibility and adequateness of law to attain welfare society.

Social stability influences the association between adrenal responsiveness and hair cortisol concentrations in rhesus macaques

Hair cortisol concentrations are increasingly being used in both humans and nonhuman animals as a biomarker of chronic stress. However, many details regarding how hair cortisol concentrations relate to the dynamic activity and regulation of the HPA axis are still unknown. The current study explores 1) how the regulation of the HPA axis in infancy relates to hair cortisol concentrations (HCC) in infancy 2) whether this relationship persists into adulthood under conditions of social stability, and 3) how social instability impacts these relationships. All subjects were rhesus monkeys housed in large social groups at the California National Primate Research Center, and all had participated in a 25-hr. long BioBehavioral Assessment (BBA) at 3–4 months of age when four plasma samples were taken to assess HPA regulation, in particular cortisol responses to 1) 2-hour social separation and relocation, 2) sustained challenge, 3) dexamethasone and 4) ACTH administration. In Study 1, hair samples were collected at the end of the BBA testing from 25 infant rhesus monkeys from 2 different stable social groups. In Study 2, hair samples were obtained at three timepoints from 108 adults from 3 different stable social groups (1 in the Spring/Summer and 2 in the Fall/Winter) to examine the temporal stability of the relationship between HCC and HPA axis regulation. In Study 3, subjects included 31 infants and 33 adults from a single social group experiencing social instability following the same procedures as in Studies 1 and 2. Generalized linear models were used to determine if infants’ HPA axis activity and regulation predicted HCC in infancy (Study 1), in adulthood with animals living in stable social conditions (Study 2) or in animals living in an unstable social group (Study 3). Results indicated that for both infants and adults living in stable social groups, HCC are associated with the adrenal response to ACTH in infancy. Samples collected in the winter also had higher HCC than those collected in summer. In the unstable social group, adult hair cortisol levels were higher than in the stable social groups. Additionally, there were no consistent relationships between HCC and infant HPA axis regulation among adults or infants living in a group experiencing social instability. These results suggest that the aspects of the HPA axis that drive HCC may differ depending on context. Under stable, non-stressed conditions there seems to be a trait-like association between adrenal responsivity and HCC in infancy and adulthood. However, this association may be reduced or eliminated under conditions of social stress.

Riots in Indonesian Main Island: Peace Action of Defend Islam Impact on Economic Environment in Local Media Discourse

Indonesia is a maritime country with the largest numbers of islands in the world which covering more than seventeen thousands islands. There are thousand tribes and ethnics with their cultures suppose to be enriching the diversity of Indonesia. However a series of riots happening in Indonesia including Aksi Bela Islam (ABI) recently challenging the unity in diversity of Indonesia. This present study tries to describe Aksi Bela Islam (ABI) (The Peace Action of Defend Islam) rally that run peacefully brings impacts on Indonesia economic sector as stable social and political condition will bring significant impact on Indonesia economic sector. The rally is a long journey of Indonesia of Muslim majority to seek justice as the Republic of Indonesia State Police seems not to be serious to handle the Islamic blasphemy case. Through the framing approach, it will be described how ABI brings impacts on the economic sector focusing on the study on the media perspectives. From the perspective of one leading economic magazines in Indonesia Bisnis Indonesia.The framing from the media evidently showed that the rallyfollowed by millions of Indonesian Muslims does not bring negative impacts on the economic sector of Indonesia sinceit run peacefully, well manage and safe so the market gives a positive response and appreciationto the action.

Does the early social environment prepare individuals for the future? A match-mismatch experiment in female wild cavies

BackgroundThe social environment that mothers experience during pregnancy and lactation has a strong effect on the developing offspring. Whether offspring can be adaptively shaped to match an environment that is similar to the maternal one is still a major question in research. Our previous work in wild cavies showed that females whose mothers lived in a stable social environment with few social challenges during pregnancy and lactation (SE-daughters) developed different behavioral phenotypes than females whose mothers lived in an unstable social environment with frequent social challenges during pregnancy and lactation (UE-daughters). In the present study we investigated whether SE-daughters are better adapted to a stable social environment, similar to their maternal one, than are UE-daughters, for which the stable social environment represents a mismatch with their maternal one. For this purpose, we established pairs of one UE- and one SE-daughter and housed them together under stable social conditions for one week. Dominance ranks, behavioral profiles, glucocorticoid levels, cortisol responsiveness and body weight changes were compared between the groups. We hypothesized that SE-daughters fare better in a stable social setting compared to UE-daughters.ResultsAfter one week of cohabitation in the stable social condition, UE-daughters had higher glucocorticoid levels, tended to gain less body weight within the first three days and displayed higher frequencies of energy-demanding behaviors such as rearing and digging than SE-daughters. However, there was no difference in cortisol responsiveness as well as in dominance ranks between UE- and SE-daughters.ConclusionHigher glucocorticoid levels and less body weight gain imply that UE-daughters had higher energy demands than SE-daughters. This high energy demand of UE-daughters is further indicated by the increased display of rearing and digging behavior. Rearing implies increased vigilance, which is far too energy demanding in a stable social condition but may confer an advantage in an unstable social environment. Hence, SE-daughters seem to better match a stable social environment, similar to their maternal one, than do UE-daughters, who encountered a mismatch to their maternal environment. This data supports the environmental matching hypothesis, stating that individuals manage the best in environments that correspond to their maternal ones.

Social regulation of the lymph node transcriptome in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta)

Previous research has shown that adverse social conditions may promote a conserved transcriptional response to adversity (CTRA) involving up-regulation of proinflammatory gene expression and down-regulation of Type I interferon anti-viral genes in circulating blood cells. However, the impact of social conditions on lymphoid tissue gene regulation remains largely unexplored. This project assessed how social instability in adult male rhesus macaques (N=10, 5 in unstable, and 5 in stable social conditions) might regulate gene expression within secondary lymphoid tissue (lymph nodes; LN). Unstable social conditions down-regulated axillary LN expression of genes involved in Type I interferon anti-viral responses. Transcript origin analyses implicated monocytes and B cells as cellular mediators of these effects, and promoter-based bioinformatics analyses indicated reduced activity of AP-1, NF-κB, IRF, and CREB transcription factors within the axillary LN microenvironment. Although the current study is limited in sample size, these results suggest that social influences on immune cell gene regulation extend beyond the circulating leukocyte pool to alter generalized transcriptome profiles in secondary lymphoid tissue, and they do so in a regulatory program that resembles the pattern of antiviral inhibition previously observed in circulating leukocytes.

Growth patterns in male rats exposed to concurrent long-term environmental challenges

Growth is a key determinant of fitness in animals, and may be affected by the environmental challenges presented over the course of an individual’s lifespan. When faced with limited resources and environmental challenges, organisms may prioritize the development and maintenance of particular processes over others. To expand our understanding of the consequences of organism exposure to a changing environment, we offer a long-term experiment to compare the growth patterns of young male rats exposed and not exposed to food limitation and social conflict. The patterns of growth of young rats were altered by the exposure to these environmental challenges, two of the most frequently faced by animals. As expected, scarcity of food resulted in a marked growth decline in animals exposed to nutritional stress. Interestingly, individuals exposed to an unstable social environment, but fed ad libitum, evidenced a growth rate 6% smaller than those under stable social conditions. An interaction between food limitation and social conflict was not observed. As a larger body size growth results in a competitive advantage in encounters, the detected divergence on growth patterns may represent significant consequences on the individual’s life trajectory.

Microbial translocation and skeletal muscle in young and old vervet monkeys.

Intestinal barrier dysfunction leads to microbial translocation (MT) and inflammation in vertebrate and invertebrate animal models. Age is recently recognized as a factor leading to MT, and in some human and animal model studies, MT was associated with physical function. We evaluated sarcopenia, inflammation, MT biomarkers, and muscle insulin sensitivity in healthy female vervet monkeys (6-27years old). Monkeys were fed consistent diets and had large and varied environments to facilitate physical activity, and stable social conditions. Aging led to sarcopenia as indicated by reduced walking speeds and muscle mass, but general metabolic health was similar in older monkeys (n=25) as compared to younger ones (n=26). When older monkeys were physically active, their MT burden approximated that in young monkeys; however, when older monkeys were sedentary, MT burden was dramatically increased. MT levels were positively associated with inflammatory burden and negatively associated with skeletal muscle insulin sensitivity. Time spent being active was positively associated with insulin sensitivity as expected, but this relationship was specifically modified by the individual monkey's MT, not inflammatory burden. Our data supports clinical observations that MT interacts with physical function as a factor in healthy aging.

Prediction of reduction in aggressive behaviour of growing pigs using skin lesion traits as selection criteria

Aggression at regrouping is a common issue in pig farming. Skin lesions are genetically and phenotypically correlated with aggression and have been shown to have a significant heritable component. This study predicts the magnitude of reduction in complex aggressive behavioural traits when using lesion numbers on different body regions at two different time points as selection criteria, to identify the optimum skin lesion trait for selection purposes. In total, 1146 pigs were mixed into new social groups, and skin lesions were counted 24 h (SL24h) and 3 weeks (SL3wk) post-mixing, on the anterior, centre and posterior regions of the body. An animal model was used to estimate genetic parameters for skin lesion traits and 14 aggressive behavioural traits. Estimated breeding values (EBVs) and phenotypic values were scaled and standardised to allow direct comparison across multiple traits. Individuals with SL24h and SL3wk EBVs in the least aggressive 10% of the population were compared with the population mean to predict the expected genetic and phenotypic response in aggressive behaviour to selection. At mixing, selection for low anterior lesions was predicted to affect substantially more behavioural traits of aggressiveness than lesions obtained on other body parts, with EBVs between −0.21 and −1.17 SD below the population mean. Individuals with low central SL24h EBVs also had low EBVs for aggressive traits (−0.33 to −0.55). Individuals with high SL3wk EBVs had low EBVs for aggression at mixing (between −0.24 and −0.53 SD below the population mean), although this was predicted to affect fewer traits than selection against SL24h. These results suggest that selection against anterior SL24h would result in the greatest genetic and phenotypic reduction in aggressive behaviour recorded at mixing. Selection for increased SL3wk was predicted to reduce aggression at mixing; however, current understanding about aggressive behaviour under stable social conditions is insufficient to recommend using this trait for selection purposes.

Social instability and immunity in rhesus monkeys: the role of the sympathetic nervous system

Social instability can adversely affect endocrine, immune and health outcomes, and recent evidence suggests that the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) might mediate these effects. We conducted two studies with adult male rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) to understand how social conditions affect measures of SNS activity and immune function. In Experiment 1, animals were socialized in stable social conditions, then were switched to unstable (stressful) social conditions, then were returned to stable conditions. Analysis revealed quadratic effects for measures of behaviour, urinary metabolites of epinephrine and norepinephrine, and expression of immune response genes: as expected, social instability adversely impacted most measures, and the effects remediated upon re-imposition of stable conditions. Cortisol levels were unaffected. In Experiment 2, we used the sympathomimetic drug methamphetamine to challenge the SNS; animals also underwent socialization in stable or unstable groups. Surprisingly, while methamphetamine elevated plasma catecholamines, responses in lymph nodes tracked the social, and not the drug, condition: social instability upregulated the density of SNS fibres in lymph nodes and downregulated Type I interferon gene expression. Together, these results indicate that the SNS is extremely sensitive to social conditions; full understanding of the adverse effects of social instability on health should therefore incorporate measures of this health-relevant system.