ABSTRACT This study proposes a novel sequential classification algorithm based on a one‐class support vector machine (OC‐SVM) for detecting crossing‐gate rod breakage using time‐series data from the railway telemeter system operated by the Shikoku Railway Company (JR Shikoku), Japan. The algorithm is specifically designed for real‐time anomaly detection by incorporating sequential score monitoring and a threshold‐based alert mechanism. The proposed method uses OC‐SVM to classify the operational state of the rod without requiring failure labels. Sequential classification enables continuous inference, and alerts are triggered when the moving average of the classification‐difference score exceeds a dynamically updated threshold. The threshold is computed online through recursive updates of the mean and standard deviation. The method was evaluated using six rod breakage cases at five locations. Among them, four cases were successfully detected, whereas the two undetected cases were likely due to discrepancies between the actual breakage time and the reported alert time—highlighting a limitation in the evaluation framework. These results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm is suitable for real‐time deployment and contributes to the advancement of condition‐based maintenance (CBM) in railway infrastructure.

The movement ecology of ground-dwelling insects is essential for understanding their behavior and population dynamics. These insects, especially flightless beetles and orthopterans, exhibit cryptic lifestyles and fine-scale movements that pose unique challenges to tracking and recording their movement paths under natural field conditions. In this review, we evaluate existing tracking methods and propose an analytical framework for studying ground-dwelling insect movement, emphasizing their applications, limitations, and future directions. Traditional methods such as capture-mark-recapture and direct observation have been increasingly complemented by technologies like radio telemetry and harmonic radar, which can provide high-resolution movement trajectories. Despite these advances, many movement studies remain descriptive, focusing on basic metrics such as distances and turning angles without addressing underlying behavioral or ecological processes. Innovative analytical tools such as hidden Markov models and step-selection functions, well-established in vertebrate movement ecology, are rarely adapted to insect movement studies. This limits our ability to explore potential links between the movement of ground-dwelling insects and behavioral patterns, habitat features, or environmental changes. By framing movement analyses along a descriptive–mechanistic–predictive continuum, we highlight the need for more integrative, process-based approaches to improve our understanding of how these insects respond to habitat fragmentation and climate change. Since no single method fits all scenarios, we hope this review guides entomologists in selecting appropriate methods and analytical tools for studying ground-dwelling insects across diverse ecological contexts.

Abstract The eastern box turtle ( Terrapene carolina carolina ) is a long-lived terrestrial turtle species distributed throughout the eastern United States that has experienced widespread population decline. Many eastern box turtle populations are persisting as remanent populations in small, fragmented urban green spaces. We investigated the movement and resource selection of eastern box turtles within a mid-Atlantic region urban forest in the eastern United States. We used a combination of turtle occurrence data (via visual encounter surveys) and radio telemetry to create resource selection functions. Additionally, we applied a simulation modeling approach and modeled activity areas via dynamic Brownian Bridge Movement Models to quantify interactions between turtles and roads or trails. We also used these models to determine the propensity for turtles to move outside of the managed urban forest boundary and into surrounding development. We observed that turtles selected for deciduous forest patches and avoided roads and trails despite the urban forest having very little available areas where anthropogenic features could be avoided. We also demonstrated observed (and probable) movements outside of the urban forest boundary. Although eastern box turtles are persisting within the urban green space we examined, our work determined that interactions with roads and trails, and movements outside of protected boundaries into developed areas present challenges to individuals navigating the urban forest.

Wildlife tracking technologies are increasingly used to study animal behaviour, inform conservation management, and answer fundamental questions in ecology. However, a drawback to wildlife telemetry is that equipment is expensive and can be difficult to retrieve when lost in the field, leading to loss of data and inefficient use of project resources. As a potential solution, we began training dogs to search for and locate GPS tracking devices by scent. This approach targets the odour of the device itself, rather than the animal carrying the device. Here, we report on the training, deployment and evaluation of a wildlife telemetry detection dog. During field deployments, the detection dog successfully recovered $11,200 AUD worth of lost GPS devices over a 16-month period. In a controlled field evaluation, the detection dog located 100% of targets compared to 43% by the human-only search. The detection dog was significantly faster, with an average search time of 6.4 min (± 1.5 SE, n = 17) compared to 43.9 min (± 4.9 SE, n = 14) for human-only searches. Combining detection rate and search speed, the detection dog was 16 times more efficient. This is the first reported use of a detection dog to recover wildlife telemetry devices. The detection dog significantly improved device recovery efficiency, with benefits including reduced project costs and improved data completeness. This approach has broad applicability across diverse species and contexts, particularly when visual searching is inadequate such as in dense vegetation or when equipment is buried underground. This novel method offers a practical solution to equipment recovery challenges facing wildlife tracking programs worldwide.

Artificial bat roosts are deployed worldwide for conservation and mitigation for loss of habitat. To date, few studies have assessed bat physiological responses to these structures despite the direct fitness consequences associated with artificial roosts. Variations in artificial roost design and placement impact roost temperature and could affect bats' thermoregulatory responses, with potentially negative implications for energy expenditure and reproduction. To address this knowledge gap, we used temperature-sensitive radio telemetry to quantify the torpor expression of female Indiana bats, an endangered species, using five different artificial roost designs placed in sun-exposed and shaded locations during the summer of 2021at field sites in Indiana and Kentucky, USA. For bats using the large, thermally stratified artificial roosts we deployed, all variants of a reference design, torpor expression was strongly influenced by minimum daily temperature but not by artificial roost design. Indiana bats exhibited three common thermoregulatory behaviors during this study: continuous endothermy, morning torpor, and all-day torpor use. By switching roosts with seasonal weather shifts, Indiana bats could avoid cooler, shaded artificial roosts, thus avoiding excessive torpor use during pup rearing. Bats shifted from shaded roost placements early in the summer to sun-exposed roost placements after canopy leaf-out occurred. Our results highlight the labile behavioral and thermoregulatory responses of bats to their roosting environments. Offering a variety of artificial roost designs and placements to meet shifting thermoregulatory needs could be critical to enabling bats to maintain a positive energy budget over the course of the maternity season.

Social connections provide individuals with multiple benefits. Individuals, however, are often constrained in how they socially organize due to ecological and environmental factors that affect individual space-use and movement patterns. Weather is one such factor that influences individual movements, and thus social structure. While on longer time scales (i.e., seasonally) the impacts of weather are relatively predictable, on shorter time scales (i.e., sub-daily), the impacts of weather on social organization are less predictable yet are largely overlooked. In this study, we examined the influence of short-term weather components, specifically wind and temperature, on the social structure of free-living zebra finches (Taeniopygia castanotis) in the Australian arid zone. Our goal was to characterize if social network structure was impacted by hourly changes in these important weather components. To do so, we used an automated radio telemetry system to concurrently track 128 wild zebra finches for 12 consecutive days in the Australian spring in order to examine the relationships between weather components and social structure. Using Bayesian network analyses to account for the uncertainty in association strengths among individuals, we examined network structure, as measured by density and modularity, in relation to hourly wind speed, temperature, and time of day. Additionally, to assess if weather impacted the synchronization of group-level movements, we calculated proximity ratios between neighbouring individuals, which we related to wind and temperature. We observed that network modularity increased during hours with higher mean wind speed and was highest in the morning and evening hours. In contrast, network density was not related to wind speed. Additionally, neither modularity nor density showed a significant relationship with temperature during the tracking period, however, this period did not cover a large temperature gradient. Group-level movement patterns as measured by proximity ratios between neighbouring individuals showed no relationship with either wind or temperature. Our results suggest that changes in wind impact social structure in zebra finches. Given the critical role that network modularity plays in social information transfer, increased wind could have important downstream consequences. Stochastic and more frequent changes in weather due to climate change could thus potentially disproportionately impact species, such as the nomadic zebra finch, that rely on locating ephemeral resources.

Modern information systems operate in conditions of a continuous and rapidly changing data flow coming from a variety of sources, including corporate databases, cloud platforms, the Internet of Things, social networks and telemetry devices, which creates the need for the use of intelligent technologies for analyzing streaming information capable of identifying patterns, adapting to changes in the structure and nature of data, and provide timely support for managerial decision-making. This article discusses conceptual approaches to the organization of data mining, methodological foundations for the use of machine learning algorithms and modern analytical platforms, the architecture of multi-level information processing systems, as well as the practical application of these technologies in socio-economic, industrial and managerial processes characterized by a high degree of dynamic uncertainty.

Problem statement. Tests and intended use of rocket and space technology facilities are accompanied by monitoring of their technical condition and monitoring of various natural and man-made processes, for which various radio telemetry systems are being developed. An important task at the present stage of the development of the test base is the development and implementation of approaches to optimize the structure and composition of radio telemetry systems, as well as the characteristics of its components for the requirements of a specific flight test, including taking into account the many changing characteristics of the radio channel, depending on the type of test object, the dynamic parameters of its trajectory, the conditions of a particular test site and even the time of year. Under such conditions, simulation modeling is a tool necessary to assess the condition of a non-stationary radio channel of a radio telemetry system, to select the optimal characteristics of the radio channel equipment, as well as to conduct research on the effectiveness of certain technical solutions in the creation and further improvement of digital radio channel equipment. Goal. To consider the existing models of radio channels of communication systems and identify their main disadvantages, to develop a mathematical simulation model of a new-generation radio telemetry system with advantages over existing models, and to determine the prospects for its improvement. Results. The disadvantages of existing models of radio channels of communication systems have been identified. A new generation simulation mathematical model of a radio telemetry system has been developed, which has such advantages over existing models as accounting for the error of synchronization systems, accounting for signal attenuation due to the polarization mismatch of the transmitting and receiving antennas, accounting for the rotation of the signal source around the longitudinal axis, accounting for the movement of the signal source and receiver. The model takes into account the signal structure used, its encoding methods, digital signal processing algorithms, principles for increasing noise immunity with spaced reception, estimating the power of diffusely scattered and reflected radiation components from the underlying surface, and the model takes into account for losses caused by the influence of plasma generated by the movement of high-speed objects in dense atmospheric layers. The software implementation of the model makes it possible to calculate the reliability of receiving information (the probability of bit and packet errors, bandwidth, reception reliability), determine the optimal placement of measuring (receiving) points of various bases in accordance with the described criterion, determine the requirements for individual characteristics of the radio telemetry system, ensuring the achievement of the required information content of the system and the reliability of receiving information transmitted from the test facility, if necessary, add additional parameters and functionality to the program. Further improvement of the developed simulation model is seen in deeper consideration of the effect on the passage of the telemetric signal of the plasma envelope surrounding the test object upon entry into the dense layers of the atmosphere. Practical significance. The results can be used in the development and defining characteristics of new-generation radio telemetry systems to ensure flight tests of rocket and space technology facilities, and to conduct research on the effectiveness of certain technical solutions.

Radio telemetry offers new opportunities for studying the movement of insects. One important prerequisite for using radio tags to study butterfly movement ecology is that tag weight and attachment do not significantly affect butterfly flight performance. Despite recent applications of telemetry in butterflies, a systematic evaluation of tag-to-body-weight thresholds for successful tagging has been lacking. We tested ultra-light radio tags (0.13g) on 117 individuals of 18 butterfly species under greenhouse and field conditions. Tag-to-body-weight ratios ranged from 5.6% to 77.8%. We used generalized linear mixed-effects models to identify predictors of flight success and used ROC analysis to determine the critical tag-to-body-weight threshold. Tag retention was also compared between thoracic and abdominal attachment sites. We found that a threshold of approximately 20% of body weight marks a critical point beyond which flight performance declines significantly. Abdominal tag attachment proved more reliable and stable than thoracic attachment, with lower detachment rates. This study presents the first comprehensive evaluation of tag-to-body-weight thresholds and attachment methods in butterfly telemetry. The results provide practical guidance for planning radio telemetry studies of butterflies and for conducting further methodological research, such as into the effects of tagging on butterfly behavior, body condition, survival, and reproduction.

ABSTRACT Tropical nectarivorous birds should have flexible movement behaviors in response to the spatiotemporal availability of flowers. In the Neotropics, hummingbirds (Trochilidae) have diet breadths constrained by trait‐matching with flowers, while nectar‐robbing flowerpiercers (Thraupidae) typically drink nectar from holes pierced at the flower's base. Distinct movement patterns for these two bird families would be expected from optimal foraging theory due to differences in dietary specialization and behavioral flexibility, yet little is known about the daily movement patterns of tropical nectarivores. We used fine‐resolution tracking data from an automated radio telemetry grid to compare movement patterns between hummingbirds and flowerpiercers in high‐Andean mountain ecosystems, and obtained an accumulated total of 435,513 location estimates and 452 tracking days from 22 individuals across six bird species. Our results indicate that hummingbirds exhibit a greater diversity of movement behaviors compared to flowerpiercers, with varying space use and recursion patterns that are characteristic of sedentary, commuting/traplining and exploratory strategies, whereas most species of flowerpiercers were classified as central‐place foragers. However, there is substantial variation in daily movement metrics and hierarchical clustering does not necessarily group together bird families, species, nor even individuals as more similar to each other. Flexibility in movement behaviors has seldom been described for neotropical nectarivorous birds in the wild. It emerges as an important trait to adjust behavior to variable local contexts, and may be adaptive for the persistence of pollinators in challenging mountain ecosystems, where weather conditions are harsh and floral resources are seasonal.

Radio telemetry enables reliable, continuous arterial blood pressure (BP) monitoring in conscious rodents under physiological conditions, while minimizing operator-related artifacts. The implantable transmitter includes a pressure-sensing catheter, and the implantation procedure varies depending on the species used and the purpose of the study. In rodents, the most common approaches are implantation through the carotid artery or the abdominal aorta. The carotid artery approach is often favored for its direct path to the aortic arch, facilitating accurate central pressure measurement, while the abdominal aorta approach is also widely utilized for chronic studies.Compared with non-invasive methods such as tail-cuff, implantable telemetry provides more accurate and consistent measurements, making it especially useful for hypertension studies that require precise long-term BP monitoring. This protocol details anesthesia, surgical implantation techniques, and postoperative care, as well as procedures for acquiring and analyzing hemodynamic parameters-systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial pressure and heart rate (HR)-together with a comparative evaluation against tail-cuff measurements.

As cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of global mortality, innovative animal models are vital to demonstrating the translational value of experimental discoveries. Investigations focused on myocardial remodeling after ischemia reperfusion (I/R) are well suited to a porcine model, but the evolution of that injury and its impact on electrical conductivity or arrhythmia threshold have been difficult to monitor continuously. Multiple electrode telemetry devices may be fitted to the animals but are costly and prone to damage. Implantable telemetry devices are likewise expensive, carry surgical risk, and are often verified only for single use. Here, we report the utilization of the commercially available Fourth Frontier X2 external telemetry device for continuous monitoring of heart rate and rhythm after myocardial I/R injury in pigs, highlighting sustained monitoring across a 7-day study.

Automated radio telemetry systems (ARTS) consisting of animal-borne radio transmitters and networks of fixed radio receivers are frequently used to continuously track wildlife movements over time. The low weight of available radio transmitters and the ability of these systems to collect data with high temporal resolution make ARTS an attractive alternative to other wildlife tracking technologies. However, the research questions that can be addressed with ARTS are often limited by the spatial accuracy of location data produced by the system. One of the primary methods used to produce location estimates with ARTS involves comparing the received signal strength (RSS) of radio transmissions detected by multiple receivers in a network. The accuracy of the resulting locations is highly dependent on the algorithm used to process the raw RSS data generated by the ARTS into location estimates. In this work, we have developed a grid search algorithm for producing location estimates from RSS data generated by networks of receivers. In an experiment conducted with a radio transmitter and receiver network, we demonstrate that the grid search method produces location estimates that are greater than 2 times more accurate than the commonly used method of multilateration. A simulation was developed to compare the accuracy of the two methods over a large range of receiver spacings and with varying levels of measurement noise in the system. The simulation showed that the grid search method and multilateration perform similarly for receiver networks with relatively close receivers; however, as the distance between receivers in the array increases, the mean error of location estimates increases much more rapidly for multilateration than for grid search. The improvement in spatial accuracy realized through the use of grid search enables the design of wildlife tracking studies utilizing ARTS to address research questions that were previously inaccessible.

Abstract Background We have demonstrated that sympathetic nerve activity is regulated by central sympathetic output, and that sympathetic overactivation contributes to the pathophysiology of hypertension. Recently, tirzepatide, a dual glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GIP/GLP-1) receptor agonist, has been shown to reduce blood pressure, as well as body weight, in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and/or obesity. However, the direct effects of GIP/GLP-1 receptor agonist on blood pressure and sympathetic output in hypertension without type 2 diabetes mellitus or obesity remains unclear. Purpose This study aimed to investigate the impact of tirzepatide on blood pressure and sympathetic output from the brain in hypertensive rats without diabetes or obesity. Methods Seven-week-old male stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP) were used. On Day 1, a telemetry device was implanted to measure blood pressure and heart rate. From Day 7 onwards, tirzepatide (25 nmol/kg, subcutaneously, every two days) or vehicle was administered for four weeks. On Day 35, physiological, cardiovascular, and sympathetic nervous system parameters were assessed. Results Mean blood pressure was significantly higher in the tirzepatide-treated group compared to the vehicle-treated group (206.2 ± 5.0 vs. 182.1 ± 7.0 mmHg, p = 0.026, n = 8 vs. n = 6; Figure 1), whereas heart rate showed no significant difference (322.7 ± 5.7 vs. 308.2 ± 6.3 bpm, p = 0.24). Body weight and food intake were significantly lower in the tirzepatide group than in the vehicle group (body weight: 242.4 ± 11.7 vs. 275.8 ± 2.0 g, p = 0.048; food intake: 440.9 ± 22.7 vs. 516.7 ± 7.0 g/4 weeks, p = 0.019). However, there were no significant differences in heart weight/tibia length, lung weight/tibia length, or echocardiographic parameters. Notably, neuronal activity in the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM), which reflects sympathetic output, was significantly higher in the tirzepatide group than in the vehicle group, as assessed by c-Fos expression in immunohistochemical staining. Conclusions and Perspectives Contrary to our expectations, tirzepatide enhanced sympathetic nervous system activity, leading to further increases in blood pressure in hypertensive rats. These findings suggest that the blood pressure-lowering effect of tirzepatide observed in obese individuals may be primarily attributed to weight loss.Figure 1

Abstract Cooperative breeding, a rare trait in <1% of mammals, is explored within African wild dog packs ( Lycaon pictus ), where alpha females typically produce the first litters, but subordinate females may also breed, resulting in second litters within the same pack. We investigated the reproductive dynamics of wild dog packs in Zimbabwe's Savé Valley Conservancy (SVC) using 14 years of data from 49 packs and 131 den sites, obtained through spoor tracking, radio telemetry, sighting reports and camera traps during denning periods. Among packs capable of multiple litters, 41.15% of breeding events produced multiple litters annually, with 24.86% of all litters from subordinate females, primarily litter sisters of the alpha. Generalized linear mixed models revealed that younger packs and those with more subordinate females were significantly more likely to produce multiple litters, indicating weaker dominance hierarchies. Within multiple litter packs, pup survival to 1 year was significantly higher for second‐born than first‐born litters. However, 2‐year survival significantly increased with higher pre‐emergence rainfall, older alpha females and higher maximum temperatures. Across both litter types, 1‐year and 2‐year pup survival significantly improved with larger packs, while 2‐year survival also significantly increased with pre‐emergence rainfall. Pups from single litters had significantly lower survival to 2 years compared to multiple litters. Despite the potential for reproductive conflict, we found low infanticide (2%) and moderate pup stealing or adoption (14%), suggesting that kin selection promotes reproductive tolerance. These findings highlight the social and ecological complexity of cooperative breeding and its conservation relevance.

Abstract Background Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is prevalent in women and common in patients with hypertension. However, a female hypertensive HFpEF animal model has not been established. Furthermore, sympathetic activation is suggested to play a crucial role in HFpEF pathophysiology, but its contribution, particularly in women, remains unclear. Purpose To establish a female hypertensive HFpEF model and investigate whether sympathetic activation contributes to acute exacerbation of HFpEF. Methods and Results (1) Seven-week-old female Dahl salt-sensitive rats were subjected to an 8% high-salt diet (HS group, n=6) or a 0.3% low-salt diet (LS group, n=9, control). In the HS group, systolic blood pressure (237.0 ± 7.2 vs 128.4 ± 1.6 mmHg, p<0.05) and heart rate (465 ± 9 vs 409 ± 7 bpm, p<0.05) were significantly elevated (Fig. 1). Although left ventricular ejection fraction remained preserved on echocardiography, the HS group exhibited increased left ventricular wall thickness, a decreased E/A ratio, and an increased E/e’ ratio, indicating diastolic dysfunction. Furthermore, left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (12.4 ± 1.1 vs 5.4 ± 0.5 mmHg, p<0.05), left ventricular weight, and lung weight were significantly increased. Histological and PCR analyses confirmed myocardial hypertrophy and fibrosis. In addition, plasma noradrenaline levels and neuronal activity in the rostral ventrolateral medulla were elevated, indicating that this model presents a HFpEF phenotype with increased sympathetic activation. (2) To assess the impact of acute sympathetic activation, we used this female HFpEF model to perform stress-loading experiments. A telemetry device for left atrial pressure measurement was implanted at 12 weeks, and at 13 weeks, conscious rats underwent 30-minute stress loading to induce acute sympathetic activation, during which hemodynamic parameters were assessed. Compared with the high-salt non-loaded group (n=5), the high-salt loaded group (n=5) exhibited a significant increase in left atrial pressure (7.2 ± 2.4 vs 3.9 ± 1.0 mmHg, p<0.05) with elevated mean arterial pressure and heart rate following stress loading (Fig. 2). At the end of the experiment, plasma noradrenaline levels were significantly higher in the high-salt loaded group than in the high-salt non-loaded group. In contrast, in the low-salt group, the increase in left atrial pressure was less pronounced. Conclusion A female hypertensive HFpEF model was successfully established in Dahl salt-sensitive rats, characterized by left ventricular hypertrophy and fibrosis, as well as sympathetic overactivation. Using this model, we demonstrated that acute sympathetic activation in the pre-heart failure phase induced left atrial pressure overload, suggesting its contribution to HFpEF exacerbation.

Abstract Background Cumulative evidence suggests that interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the atrium may significantly contribute to the pathogenesis of postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). While our previous studies demonstrated a causal relationship between IL-6 and POAF, the specific signaling pathway(classical vs. trans-signaling) mediating this arrhythmogenic effect remains undetermined. Purpose To investigate whether IL-6 induces POAF via activation of the trans-signaling pathway while relatively suppressing the classical pathway. Methods Atrial myocytes (AM), ventricular myocytes (VM), and fibroblasts (FB) were isolated, cultured, and analyzed for IL-6R and glycoprotein 130 (gp130) expression using immunofluorescence and ELISA. Mice were randomly assigned to receive intraperitoneal injections of sgp130Fc (0.1, 0.5, 1 mg/kg), anti-IL-6 antibody (0.08, 0.4, 0.8 mg/kg), or vehicle 24 hours prior to simulated CABG. POAF was monitored for 7 days using an implanted telemetry device. Action potentials (APs), transient outward potassium current (Ito), and inward rectifier potassium current (Ik1) in AM were recorded under control, IL-6 (100 ng/mL), and IL-6 combined with sgp130Fc (0.1, 1, 10 μg/mL) conditions. Results IL-6R protein is expressed on mouse cardiomyocytes (Figures 1A), a finding essential for classical IL-6 signaling initiation and previously unreported. Notably, IL-6R and gp130 levels in AM lysates were lower than in VM and FB, while soluble forms (sIL-6R and sgp130) were significantly higher in AM supernatants (Figures 1C-D), indicating that AM preferentially drives cardiac inflammation through trans-signaling, while showing limited involvement in regeneration and repair via the classical pathway. In Figure 2A, selective inhibition of IL-6 trans-signaling by sgp130Fc dose-dependently reduced POAF incidence, achieving significance at 1 mg/kg (P = 0.021 vs. control), whereas complete IL-6 pathway blockade with anti-IL-6 antibody showed only a non-significant dose-dependent trend. Electrophysiological analysis revealed that IL-6 significantly shortened APD compared to controls, with significant reductions in APD90 and APD50. APD90 increased significantly in the IL-6 + sgp130Fc 10 μg/mL group compared to the IL-6 group and IL-6 + sgp130Fc 1 μg/mL group (Figure 2B). IL-6-treated AM showed reduced Ito current density compared to the control, particularly at voltages from -10 mV to +70 mV and at -40 mV. Conversely, sgp130Fc dose-dependently increased Ito current density from -40 mV to +70 mV (Figure 2C). No significant changes were observed in Ik1 current density with IL-6 or sgp130Fc treatment (Figure 2D). Conclusion IL-6 in cardiac tissue may play a major mechanistic role in the occurrence and maintenance of POAF through activing trans-signaling pathways, and inhibiting the IL-6 trans-signaling pathway may represent a potential novel strategy for preventing POAF.

Background/Objectives: Extremity trauma represents a significant proportion of battlefield injuries and is prevalent in polytraumatized patients from accidents. Delayed antibiotic treatment and surgical intervention can lead to wound infections, contributing to preventable mortality. This preliminary study aimed to develop a conscious swine model of complex extremity trauma that induces systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). Methods: All surgical procedures were conducted under anesthesia with sufficient analgesia. All swine were instrumented with a telemetry device and catheters at least 3 days prior to any injury. In phase 1 of model development, a complex extremity injury was performed that consisted of skin and muscle loss, bone defect, severe hemorrhage, and 2 h tourniquet application. In phase 2, multi-drug resistant Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria were inoculated topically at the injury site to exacerbate pathophysiological changes towards SIRS. Post-injury, conscious animals were assessed a minimum of twice daily, including pain assessment, neurological response, and vital signs. Blood samples were collected for microbiological testing, complete blood cell counts, and biochemical analysis. Results: After establishing SIRS criteria for Sinclair swine, we developed a model of severe extremity trauma leading to SIRS. During phase 1, resuscitative fluids were reduced and discontinued, with animals surviving 24 h and maintaining SIRS for up to 4 h post-recovery. Phase 2 showed that Gram-negative and Gram-positive pathogens can exacerbate and prolong SIRS. After 72 h, localized infection at the injury site was observed in all animals. Conclusions: We established a new swine model of complex extremity trauma with SIRS. Our model is consistent, reproducible, and relevant to prolonged care scenarios, providing a platform for future research into the evaluation of preventative and therapeutic strategies.

Autonomic Dysreflexia (AD) is a potentially life-threatening overreaction of the sympathetic nervous system that commonly occurs in individuals with spinal cord injuries at or above the T6 level. This uncoordinated response to noxious stimuli below the level of injury triggers episodes of severe hypertension that persist until the stimulus is removed. Although arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation have been identified as complications of AD, little is known about the long-term risk of arrhythmia across both the acute and chronic phases of AD. To model AD, ten Sprague-Dawley rats underwent spinal cord compression injury at the T3 level. For each animal, three trials of colorectal distension (CRD) were conducted to induce AD on days 5, 7, 9, 11, 14, 16, 19, and 21 post-injury. Implanted radio telemetry devices and surface electrodes collected blood pressure and electrocardiogram (ECG) signals. Trials were classified as AD if systolic blood pressure increased by ≥ 15 mmHg relative to baseline. ECG parameters were analyzed to assess arrhythmia risk. During AD, there was a significantly shortened PR interval (p = 0.00286), decreased QRS width (p < 0.001), decreased corrected QT (QTc) interval (p <0.001), and increased short-term variability of the QTc (STVQTc) (p < 0.001). No significant changes in RR interval were observed. Baseline STVQTc was significantly higher during the chronic phase (days 14-21) compared to the acute phase (days 5-11) (p = 0.0107). Arrhythmias such as premature ventricular contractions (PVC) and atrial flutter were observed in seven of ten rats. Temporal analysis revealed the same significant changes in ECG parameters during AD across the study period. Notably, increased baseline STVQTc during the chronic phase suggests elevated vulnerability even outside of active AD. Additionally, ECG parameter trends mirror AD incidence. Trends shift around day 14, marking the onset of the chronic phase of AD (see figure). Risk of arrhythmia associated with AD is not limited to hypertensive episodes but reflects persistent vulnerability over time. Because RR intervals remained unchanged, the observed ECG fluctuations are unlikely due to heart rate and instead indicate the potential contribution of AD to altered cardiac electrophysiology. As ECG dynamics reflect the trajectory of AD incidence, future investigations should explore the mechanisms linking sympathetic overreaction and cardiac electrophysiology.

ABSTRACTAnthropogenic development negatively affects biodiversity worldwide, particularly wildlife with low fecundity, long lifespans, and extensive habitat requirements such as freshwater turtles. While large‐scale habitat degradation's effects on freshwater turtles are well‐documented, the impact of low‐level disturbances remains understudied, even though these subtler disturbances may alter movement patterns, increase energetic demands, and reduce reproductive success, threatening population viability. Understanding the impacts of all disturbance levels, including those considered minimal, is critical for effective conservation of sensitive species. In this study, we examined the response of the federally endangered Blanding's Turtle (Emydoidea blandingii) to a narrow range of low‐level human disturbances in Northern Mnidoo Gamii (Georgian Bay), Ontario, Canada that included a reference site with no visible disturbance (REF), a site experiencing moderately low disturbances (DIS1; with roads), and a site experiencing higher levels of anthropogenic disturbances (DIS2; roads, industrial development). Using radio telemetry, we tracked 14 individuals (501 relocations) in REF during 2021 and 2022, as well as seven individuals (199 relocations) in DIS1 and 13 individuals (367 relocations) in DIS2 during 2023 and 2024. Turtles in DIS2 exhibited significantly larger home‐range size, longer home‐range length, and greater daily distance traveled than those in REF. Significant habitat selection was observed only in DIS2 at the landscape scale, whereas turtles in DIS1 and REF showed no significant selection at either the landscape or home‐range scale. The increased movement in DIS2 was estimated to cost females the energetic equivalent of producing 1.85 more eggs per active season (18.5% of a full clutch). These findings highlight that even moderate habitat disturbances can impose substantial energetic burdens on freshwater turtles, and that there may be a disturbance threshold above which the long‐term population viability is compromised. Conservation strategies should prioritize minimizing even low levels of habitat degradation to support the viability of at‐risk freshwater turtle populations.