Search

This paper examines the history of the Soviet human acclimatization project in the North and Siberia, which spanned from medical experiments in Stalin's forced labor camps to the subsequent wave of industrialization in the region. The author argues that human acclimatization in the North was a settler colonial science project aimed at facilitating Russian administrators and engineers in asserting control over the territory and its resources, while creating a new homogeneous 'indigenous population' in Siberia and the North. This envisioned population, referred to as Homo Polaris by the author, was intended to emerge through a two-way transformation: the adaptation of Indigenous peoples into Soviet ideologies and practices, and the acclimatization of settlers coming from the European part of the country to the Arctic environment. Although the administrators and medical doctors were unable to achieve this biopolitical objective, the complexities and dialogues surrounding these transformations shed light on the late Soviet settler-colonial ideologies and their impact on social life in Siberia from the 1950s to the 1980s. The research is based on a comprehensive analysis of both published and archival works by scholars involved in the project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lungs are the primary interface between the atmosphere and working tissues and act as the primary metabolic machinery of the body. The gas exchange that occurs inside the lungs through alveoli ensures adequate supply of oxygen to the tissues and determines the physical and physiological well beingness of the individuals. Barometric pressure decreases as altitude increases and individuals performing physically taxing activities in hypobaric hypoxic conditions need oxygen supplement due to reduced partial pressure of oxygen unless fully acclimatized. The physical activities at high altitude need more oxygen (partial pressure) to compensate for reduced barometric pressure. High Altitude Pulmonary Oedema (HAPO) is a deadly and fatal condition that can manifest in sojourners, mountaineers, scientific expedition teams or military personnel at high altitude. This paper while providing an insight into HAPO conditions, describes the principles behind design and safety of military customised fabric chamber developed by authors for field treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Singapore's global aspirations have, since the turn of the 21st century, led to the consolidation of a range of new institutions—arts research centers, degree granting programs in universities, museums, festivals— with affiliated experts, to prepare the ground for an emergent arts scene that is aligned with the norms of contemporary western art practice. As neoliberal instrumentation competes with the communitarian logic of the traditional arts, dance forms such as Indian classical, Javanese court and Malay folk dances, which once sought to link the ancient past and perpetuity for ethnic communities of spectatorship, are constricted within narrowly defined categories of the regional performing arts market. To avoid becoming mere touristic spectacles, a new generation of traditionally trained artists reinvent their respective forms to accommodate the near future of contemporary culture in Singapore. Such adaptations unsettle the once cohesive universe of traditional dance, resulting in unfinished and unsettling works that betray, to quote Nicholas Bourriard, "countless forms of melancholy", This paper looks at two recent works of contemporary dance staged in Singapore—January Low's Reclaim (2019), Raka Maitra's Pallavi Series (2015-2018). I consider dance emerging from this latter discourse as articulating an aesthetic of acclimatization, sustained by political, communal and institutional attachments that emerge in a climate of overwhelming crises and adjustment. As the traditional dance world in Singapore enters a state of slow death, I identify projects that embark on experiments of partial recuperation, which "stay with the trouble," as Donna Harraway suggests, making-with and getting-on with what remains of traditional dance and its embodied practices. I suggest that these projects extend the life of traditional dance as a minor, mutated species in an early evolutionary stage that nevertheless transforms the ecology they acclimate to. In remaining selectively porous to neoliberal and biopolitical operations, and receptive to novel artistic regimes, can the aesthetic of acclimatization allow traditional dance to escape its totalization within neoliberal calculations? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermotolerance acquisition is an important ecophysiological trait under global warming scenarios because it can allow organisms and populations to adapt, particularly during the most sensitive early stages of a life cycle. Here we used seasonality as a natural scenario to explore whether parental thermal histories can modulate thermotolerance of recruits of a canopy-forming intertidal seaweed (Fucus guiryi) across an ecologically relevant thermal gradient (15–28°C). For this purpose, we harvested embryos from parents after the periods of maximum and minimum accumulated heat exposure (late summer and late winter), and at the onset of summer. During early ontogeny we followed initial embryo size, internal nutrient content, survival, growth and developmental stages as performance metrics to address whether parental acclimation modulates thermal tolerance via provisioning or parental effects. Late winter recruits of F. guiryi exhibited the greatest thermotolerance, showing a broader range of optimal temperatures and higher upper thermal limits for growth and survival, probably associated with better provisioning from parental thalli. Physiological fitness of recruits decreased above 25°C, showing arrested growth, impaired development and dropping survival rates, but functional loss was more abrupt in early summer. Late summer responses confirmed that heat hardening occurs in natural populations, but at the seasonal scale the adaptive significance of this increased thermotolerance is much lower than that induced by winter parental provisioning. Heat-induced thermotolerance occurred from early to late summer due to parental exposure to warming. However, winter provisioning promoted greater thermotolerance acquisition. Exposure to moderate thermal stress at the onset of summer without prior seasonal acclimation resulted in minimum levels of thermal tolerance and loss of offspring fitness. While warmer winters might be neutral or benefit early development, increasing temperatures and poor nutritional conditions at the onset of the summer season may reduce survival and hamper population recruitment. Thermotolerance of Fucus guiryi increased towards the late cold season. Early summer recruits had the lowest survival under warming. Seasonal performance of recruits might be driven by parental environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The timely reprogramming of gene expression in response to internal and external cues is essential to eukaryote development and acclimation to changing environments. Chemically modifying molecular receptors and transducers of these signals is one way to efficiently induce proper physiological responses. Post-translation modifications, regulating protein biological activities, are central to many well-known signal-responding pathways. Recently, messenger RNA (mRNA) chemical (i.e. epitranscriptomic) modifications were also shown to play a key role in these processes. In contrast, transfer RNA (tRNA) and ribosomal RNA (rRNA) chemical modifications, although critical for optimal function of the translation apparatus, and much more diverse and quantitatively important compared to mRNA modifications, were until recently considered as mainly static chemical decorations. We present here recent observations that are challenging this view and supporting the hypothesis that tRNA and rRNA modifications dynamically respond to various cell and environmental conditions and contribute to adapt translation to these conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat acclimation (HA) protocols repeatedly expose individuals to heat stress. As HA is typically performed close to the pinnacle event, it is essential that the protocol does not compromise immune status, health, or wellbeing. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of HA on resting salivary immunoglobulin-A (s-IgA) and salivary cortisol (s-cortisol), self-reported upper-respiratory tract symptoms, and self-reported wellness parameters. Seventeen participants (peak oxygen uptake 53.2 ± 9.0 mL·kg−1·min−1) completed a 10-day controlled-hyperthermia HA protocol, and a heat stress test both before (HST1) and after (HST2) HA (33°C, 65% relative humidity). Resting saliva samples were collected at HST1, day 3 and 7 of the HA protocol, HST2, and at 5 ± 1 days post-HA. Upper-respiratory tract symptom data were collected weekly from one week prior to HA until three weeks post HA, and wellness ratings were reported daily throughout HA. HA successfully induced physiological adaptations, with a lower end-exercise rectal temperature and heart rate and higher whole-body sweat rate at HST2 compared to HST1. In contrast, resting saliva flow rate, s-IgA concentration, s-cortisol concentration, and s-cortisol secretion rate remained unchanged (n = 11–14, P = 0.10–0.48). Resting s-IgA secretion rate increased by 39% from HST1 to HST2 (n = 14, P = 0.03). No changes were observed in self-reported upper respiratory tract symptoms and wellness ratings. In conclusion, controlled-hyperthermia HA did not negatively affect resting s-IgA and s-cortisol, self-reported upper-respiratory tract symptoms, and self-reported wellness parameters in recreational athletes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photosynthesis is susceptible in response to nitrogen (N) deficiency. However, the acclimation of shade-tolerant and high-N sensitive species to N deficiency is unclear. Leaf morpho-physiological traits, photosynthetic performance related parameters were examined in a shade-tolerant and high-N sensitive species P. notoginseng grown under different N levels. Lower N content and Chl content were recorded in the N0-grown P. notoginseng. The maximum values of leaf morpho-physiological traits, photosynthetic rate, and photosynthetic N use efficiency (PNUE) were obtained in the N15-grown P. notoginseng. Coefficients for leaf N allocation into the carboxylation and light-harvesting system components in the N0-grown plants were significantly higher than others. N0 and N7.5 plants showed higher K phase. N addition decreased the absorption and capture of the light energy per unit area (ABS/RC and TRO/RC) and non-photochemical quenching (NPQ). Photochemical quenching (qP), electron transport rate (ETR), and effective quantum yield of photosystem II (ϕPSII) were reduced in the N0-grown plants. The reduction of light-harvesting and utilization capacity not only leads to a decrease in PNUE, but also induces the damage of PSII reaction center. Overall, the inhibition of leaf growth and photosynthetic capacity is an essential strategy for high-N sensitive and shade-tolerant plants in response to N deficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scientific research looks for answers to broaden our knowledge, and the specific questions addressed in each study are those that distinguish the type of scientific investigation pursued. In the field of ecophysiology biological functions are addressed, cell strategies of adaptation and acclimation to environmental changes are explored, the roles of biotic and abiotic factors on evolutionary trajectories of organisms are investigated. In line with the ecophysiological approach, the papers included in this issue explore the taxonomic and functional diversity of algae, reflecting and following the deep interest of professor Mario Giordano in aquatic autotrophic organisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rise in temperature during autumn is one of the most serious negative factors for winter rye (Secale cereale L.), which leads to wilting, plant damage by fungal diseases and yield losses. The aim of the current study was to elucidate the possibility of overcoming the consequences of heat stress through seed priming with zeatin solution. Rye seeds (cv. Boguslavka) were soaked in zeatin (Z) solution (10−6 M) or water for 3 h. Seedlings were grown at a temperature of +16° C in sand culture. The 7-day-old plants were exposed to heat stress (+35° C) for 2 h (alarm phase of response) or for 6 h for 2 days (acclimation phase of response). Then plants recovered for 5 d under initial conditions. Endogenous cytokinins content was analyzed by HPLC-MS method. Hyperthermia had a differential effect on the content of individual cytokinins and their localization in the shoots and roots of rye plants. Pre-sowing treatment of rye seeds with zeatin solution resulted in significant changes in cytokinin status in shoots and roots of young plants. Effect of hyperthermia on cytokinin amount in plants grown from primed seeds was less pronounced compared with the plants grown from untreated seeds. So, cytokinins are considered an important regulator of rye plants' response and adaptation to hyperthermia. Seed priming with cytokinins could be a relevant tool to improve growth and development of rye. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban heat is a growing problem, especially for vulnerable populations who are disproportionately exposed to higher temperatures. Adaptive capacity and, especially, social capital increases recovery from disasters and enhances adaptation. Social capital is declining nationwide and the Sunbelt States, with highest national temperatures, have the lowest levels of social capital. Social capital is situational and reflects a position within the formal and informal aspects of any issue, and frameworks developed for some purposes may not be relevant for others. Few have fully explored social capital's relation to heat vulnerability. There is a need to understand social capital in the context of urban heat to determine if it is present, used, enhanced or is a latent capacity. This research explores indicators and related questions for effective social capital for urban heat. This research was conducted in one of the hottest United States cities, metropolitan Phoenix, Arizona and, while the geographic and cultural context may be different, the findings have applicability to other warming urban centres. Using social capital as a lens to explore heat vulnerability and better metrics for urban heat social capital can inform policies that deepen networks and increase trust, minimise poor public health outcomes, and facilitate more effective community engagement. Effective social capital for extreme heat can provide a roadmap for decision-makers in working towards climate adaptation at the community scale by increasing their understanding of when and how to assist communities in building their capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bottom-dwelling fishes with low swimming capacity burrow into soft substrates or occupy shelters, such as stones and vegetation, to reduce metabolic costs of holding their position in running waters. As a consequence, under natural conditions it can be difficult to examine the effect of water flow as the limiting factor of benthic fishes. The velocity (0, 10, 20, and 30 cm s−1) preferences of spined loach and Northern golden loach were examined experimentally in an isosceles, cross-shaped acrylic tank with five square chambers (side of 15 cm and 40 cm high). Fish could select freely between a sheltered place without water flow (two side cells) and with flow (three) cells. Fishes were observed for 40 min by taking time-lapse photos every 0.5 min, with the first 7.5 min (= 15 photos) treated as an acclimatization period. Each treatment was repeated 10 times with 65 photos analysed. The disparity between the proportion of fish observed in the active and passive areas of the tank was used as the preference or avoidance of the velocity treatment. Northern golden loach showed a random distribution between cells (no bias from a proportion of 3:2), only at a velocity 0 cm s−1 revealing strong preference for water flow 10 and 20 cm s−1 and avoidance of velocity of 30 cm s−1. Spined loach preferred a velocity of 10 cm s−1 and avoided velocities of 20 and 30 cm s−1. Surprisingly fish were not randomly distributed at a velocity of 0 cm s−1, at which they were more frequently found in passive cells than active ones. The results confirm that Northern golden loach is a rheophilic fish occurring only in running waters, whereas spined loach is an ubiquitous species distributed in slow-flowing as well as stagnant waters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ide Leuciscus idus is a large-bodied cyprinid native to freshwaters around the Baltic, Black, Caspian, White, Barents, Kara, Laptev and North seas as well as the Aral Sea region. Historically an important commercial species, the ide is used in recreational fisheries and as an ornamental fish, and is subject to translocation and stocking events. The ide is less well-studied than many European cyprinids and relatively little is known of the risks it poses to native species and ecosystems where introduced. The present review and meta-analysis examine available data on the ide's environmental biology to provide an assessment of its potential invasiveness. A long-lived, omnivorous species, the ide is a habitat generalist that inhabits lowland rivers and nutrient-rich lakes, but also some brackish waters where it is facultatively anadromous. The ide displays variable age and length at maturity and asymptotic growth in body length, can be highly productive and migratory, and can withstand variable environmental conditions. Despite several attributes that should facilitate acclimation to novel environments, the ide has established relatively few self-sustaining populations outside its native range, and is therefore not currently considered to be invasive. However, as introductions are likely to continue, increased propagule pressure could lead to the development of invasive non-native populations in some locations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The timely reprogramming of gene expression in response to internal and external cues is essential to eukaryote development and acclimation to changing environments. Chemically modifying molecular receptors and transducers of these signals is one way to efficiently induce proper physiological responses. Post-translation modifications, regulating protein biological activities, are central to many well-known signal-responding pathways. Recently, messenger RNA (mRNA) chemical (i.e. epitranscriptomic) modifications were also shown to play a key role in these processes. In contrast, transfer RNA (tRNA) and ribosomal RNA (rRNA) chemical modifications, although critical for optimal function of the translation apparatus, and much more diverse and quantitatively important compared to mRNA modifications, were until recently considered as mainly static chemical decorations. We present here recent observations that are challenging this view and supporting the hypothesis that tRNA and rRNA modifications dynamically respond to various cell and environmental conditions and contribute to adapt translation to these conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]