Hasil untuk "Animal culture"

Dejan Grba

While generative artificial intelligence (generative AI) is being examined extensively, some issues it epitomizes call for more refined scrutiny and deeper contextualization. Besides the lack of nuanced understanding of art's continuously changing character in discussions about generative AI's cultural impact, one of the notably underexplored aspects is the conceptual and ideological substrate of AI science and industry whose attributes generative AI propagates by fostering the integration of diverse modes of AI-powered artmaking into the mainstream culture and economy. Taking the current turmoil around the generative AI as a pretext, this paper summarizes a broader study of AI's influence on art notions focusing on the confluence of certain foundational concepts in computer science and ideological vectors of the AI industry that transfer into art, culture, and society. This influence merges diverse and sometimes inconsistent but somehow coalescing philosophical premises, technical ideas, and political views, many of which have unfavorable overtones.

Yueqing Hu, Xinyang Peng, Yukun Zhao et al.

Recent scholarship typically characterizes Large Language Models (LLMs) through either an \textit{Instrumental Paradigm} (viewing models as reflections of their developers' culture) or a \textit{Substitutive Paradigm} (viewing models as bilingual proxies that switch cultural frames based on language). This study challenges these anthropomorphic frameworks by proposing \textbf{Machine Culture} as an emergent, distinct phenomenon. We employed a 2 (Model Origin: US vs. China) $\times$ 2 (Prompt Language: English vs. Chinese) factorial design across eight multimodal tasks, uniquely incorporating image generation and interpretation to extend analysis beyond textual boundaries. Results revealed inconsistencies with both dominant paradigms: Model origin did not predict cultural alignment, with US models frequently exhibiting ``holistic'' traits typically associated with East Asian data. Similarly, prompt language did not trigger stable cultural frame-switching; instead, we observed \textbf{Cultural Reversal}, where English prompts paradoxically elicited higher contextual attention than Chinese prompts. Crucially, we identified a novel phenomenon termed \textbf{Service Persona Camouflage}: Reinforcement Learning from Human Feedback (RLHF) collapsed cultural variance in affective tasks into a hyper-positive, zero-variance ``helpful assistant'' persona. We conclude that LLMs do not simulate human culture but exhibit an emergent Machine Culture -- a probabilistic phenomenon shaped by \textit{superposition} in high-dimensional space and \textit{mode collapse} from safety alignment.

Lei Song, Zizhao Chen, Zhuoxin Lai et al.

Astaxanthin has attracted considerable interest, owing to its potent antioxidant and pigmentation properties. To investigate its effects of astaxanthin on body color variation in <i>Lutjanus erythropterus</i>, fish were divided into a control group and a treatment group fed an astaxanthin-supplemented diet. Body color parameters, growth performance, and liver antioxidant enzyme activities were measured at the end of the experiment. Tissues, including skin, intestine, liver, and blood, were subsequently collected for transcriptome sequencing. The results demonstrate that the astaxanthin-treatment group exhibited significantly enhanced body coloration alongside improved body length, body weight, and specific growth rate compared to the control group (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Specifically regarding the red–green value (a*), the treatment group showed significantly higher values on the ventral skin, dorsal skin, and gill cover (<i>p</i> < 0.05). The yellow–blue (b*) and lightness (L*) values were also significantly elevated in the ventral skin and gill cover (<i>p</i> < 0.05), although no significant differences were observed in the dorsal skin (<i>p</i> > 0.05). The skin was identified as the tissue with the highest total carotenoid content. Astaxanthin supplementation enhanced liver antioxidant capacity, evidenced by significantly elevated total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) activity and significantly reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in the treatment group (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Catalase (CAT) activity did not differ significantly between groups (<i>p</i> > 0.05). Transcriptomic analysis identified several coloration-associated genes, such as bco1, bco2, gstt1, and gstz1. It also revealed significant enrichment in key metabolic pathways (fatty acid, cholesterol, and retinol metabolism) and signaling pathways (PPAR and PI3K-Akt). Furthermore, the expression of multiple solute-carrier family members and apolipoproteins was detected, with notable enrichment in lipid digestion and absorption, cholesterol metabolism, and several key immune-related signaling pathways. These findings provide a theoretical basis for understanding the molecular mechanisms of carotenoid-mediated pigmentation in <i>L. erythropterus</i>.

Diego Alejandro Benavides-Sánchez, Jorge Eliecer Pérez-Monroy, Sandra Blas-Yañez

El queso Paipa, único queso madurado de leche cruda de vaca con Denominación de Origen (DO) en Colombia, refleja una calidad diferenciada sustentada en un paisaje cultural ganadero particular. Sin embargo, no existen estudios que definan ni documenten este paisaje como una unidad estructurada que respalde dicha diferenciación. El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar los factores naturales, productivos y socioculturales que configuran el paisaje cultural ganadero en los municipios de Paipa y Sotaquirá, con el fin de comprender su contribución a la diferenciación territorial del queso Paipa protegido con DO. Se empleó un enfoque exploratorio-descriptivo, combinando observación participante, encuestas y entrevistas en 24 sistemas productivos de los municipios de Paipa y Sotaquirá durante los años 2023 y 2024. Los hallazgos revelan que las condiciones de alta montaña, el uso de razas adaptadas, las prácticas de pastoreo con forraje fresco y el conocimiento tradicional transmitido en entornos familiares, son componentes centrales del paisaje cultural ganadero. Estos elementos permiten avanzar en la comprensión del vínculo entre territorio, sistema productivo y diferenciación agroalimentaria del queso Paipa.

Catherine Krus, Ian Zander, Tyler J. Sherman et al.

Bluetongue virus (BTV) and epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV) are two viruses belonging to the genus Orbivirus that are transmitted via insect vector, the Culicoides biting midge, causing disease in domestic and wild ruminants. These infections can lead to significant morbidity, mortality, and production losses in livestock, with economic consequences for cattle and sheep industries. Despite their growing impact due to environmental and anthropogenic changes, little is known of the prevalence of these viruses in North American bison (Bison bison). We present the first cross-sectional survey of BTV and EHDV in North American bison, with samples collected from 287 animals across 9 herds in 7 U.S. states from September to November 2023. Using competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (cELISA), we detected seroprevalence rates of 56.5% for BTV and 57.5% for EHDV. We found higher seroprevalence in North American bison compared to reports in European bison populations, suggesting that bison could potentially serve as incidental hosts of orbiviruses during key transmission periods; however, their role in virus transmission remains uncertain and warrants further investigation, particularly regarding the duration of viremia, potential amplification capacity, and year-to-year variability in PCR positivity. Logistic regression analysis revealed age as a significant predictor for both BTV (OR: 1.15, CI: 1.05–1.26, p: 0.006) and EHDV (OR: 1.16, CI: 1.06–1.28, p: 0.0014) seropositivity. PCR amplification identified circulating BTV serotypes 6, 11, 13, 17. Additionally, age was negatively associated with PCR positivity for both BTV (OR: 0.70, CI: 0.53–0.93, p: 0.014) and EHDV (OR: 0.56, CI: 0.33–0.93, p: 0.024), suggesting a decline in detectable viremia with increasing age. Although complex environmental and epidemiological factors likely play a role, this trend may be due to older animals having experienced more vector seasons, thereby increasing their cumulative exposure and subsequent immunity to these viruses over time. The significant age-associated dynamics reveal the importance of considering life stage in disease surveillance and management. Our study also highlights the importance of integrating bison into future vector-borne disease research and control strategies to mitigate risks to livestock, wildlife, and ecosystem health.

Diana Luise, Silvia Carta, Paola Cremonesi et al.

The introduction of advanced sequencing platforms has redefined our understanding of microbial communities, revealing their presence in environments long assumed to be sterile. This literature review explores the complex microbiota of colostrum and milk, emphasising its importance for animal health and dairy production. It examines the methods and protocols for sampling and sequencing the milk microbial community. In addition, the review discusses the potential origins of the milk microbial community as well as intrinsic and extrinsic factors like host genetics and feeding strategies that can drive changes in the milk microbial community of livestock. Factors such as nutritional and feeding interventions, along with genetic predisposition, significantly influence milk microbiota, impacting feed efficiency and disease resistance. Despite these findings, the review underscores the paucity of studies and points out technical and methodological limitations, including the lack of standardised protocols for DNA extraction and sequencing and issues with sample contamination. Future research using a multi-omics approach is essential to enhance our understanding and develop strategies to improve livestock health, productivity, and sustainability.

Stephanie Wolfrum, Wolfgang Siegert, Ismael Rubio-Cervantes et al.

The objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of dietary myo-inositol hexakisphosphate (InsP6) concentration and added phytase on gastrointestinal InsP6 degradation, prececal digestibility of P, Ca, and amino acids (AA), and MEN in broiler chickens. Dietary InsP6 was increased by graded substitution of corn starch with a mixture of 50 % soybean meal, 20 % rapeseed meal, 20 % sunflower meal, and 10 % rice bran (oilseed meal-rice bran level (ORL)). The experiment was arranged in a 4 × 3-factorial design with 4 ORL (leading to 1.4, 1.9, 2.4, and 3.0 g InsP6-P/kg) and 3 phytase levels (500, 1,500, and 3,000 FTU/kg). Male Ross 308 broilers were allocated to 84 metabolism units in groups of 10 and assigned to 1 of the 12 diets. InsP6 disappearance in the crop decreased with increasing ORL (45 to 24 %; P = 0.001). Prececal InsP6 disappearance and P digestibility linearly decreased with increasing ORL at 500 FTU/kg (83 to 56 % and 80 to 62 %; P < 0.001). Minor differences were determined for prececal InsP6 disappearance and P digestibility among ORL at 1,500 and 3,000 FTU/kg, but values decreased with increasing ORL (91 to 83 % and 87 to 81 %, respectively; P < 0.001). When prececal InsP6 disappearance relative to FTU was regressed against dietary InsP6, the relationship was non-linear at 500 FTU/kg but linear at 1,500 and 3,000 FTU/kg. Cecal InsP6 concentration increased with ORL and decreased with phytase (P < 0.001). Except for cysteine, prececal digestibility of all AA and MEN decreased with increasing ORL. The data indicated that phytase supplemented at or above 1,500 FTU/kg did not limit gastrointestinal InsP6 degradation and AA digestibility at high InsP6 concentrations of the feed.

Noor N. Rafo, Hadil B. Al-Sabaawy

This article was designed to investigate the bursa of Fabricius (BF) morphometric and effects of glutathione peroxidase enzyme (GPX-1) in infectious bursal disease vaccinated (IBDV) broiler supplemented with selenium-nanomaterials (Se-NPs). Ninety-six one-day-old of the Ross 308 broilers were assigned into E1, E2, E3, and E4 of 24 chicks each; those of E1 served as control, E2 vaccinated with an intermediate strain of IBD at 12 and 20 days old through the eye drop, E3 received a mix of Se-NPs and the vaccine, and E4 was supplemented with Se-NPs (0.3mg/kg). At 19, 26, and 42 days of age, the diameters of the bursa of Fabricius were measured, and liver tissue was sampled to determine the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) of the Glutathione peroxidase enzyme. Results indicated that group E4 (selenium-Nanoparticles group) significantly increased the bursal morphometric at 26 days old, and E3 increased the morphometric of the bursa Fabricius at 42 days old, as well as supplementation of Se-NPs significantly up-regulated RT-PCR of GPX-1 at 26 and 42 days old. The highest gene expression was in the selenium-nanoparticle group at 26 and 42 days old, in contrast to the other groups. Based on this finding, it can be concluded that nanomaterials improved the morphology of immune organs and enzyme peroxidase activity in vaccinated broilers with the Gumboro vaccine.

Wieslaw Kopeć, Anna Jaskulska, Władysław Fuchs et al.

Digital technologies and tools have transformed the way we can study cultural heritage and the way we can recreate it digitally. Techniques such as laser scanning, photogrammetry, and a variety of Mixed Reality solutions have enabled researchers to examine cultural objects and artifacts more precisely and from new perspectives. In this part of the panel, we explore how Virtual Reality (VR) and eXtended Reality (XR) can serve as tools to recreate and visualize the remains of historical cultural heritage and experience it in simulations of its original complexity, which means immersive and interactive. Visualization of material culture exemplified by archaeological sites and architecture can be particularly useful when only ruins or archaeological remains survive. However, these advancements also bring significant challenges, especially in the area of transdisciplinary cooperation between specialists from many, often distant, fields, and the dissemination of virtual immersive environments among both professionals and the general public.

Théo Michelot, Emma Storey

Hidden Markov models (HMMs) have been used increasingly to understand how movement patterns of animals arise from behavioural states. An animal is assumed to transition between behavioural states through time, as described by transition probabilities. Within each state, the movement typically follows a discrete-time random walk, where steps between successive observed locations are described in terms of step lengths (related to speed) and turning angles (related to tortuosity). HMMs are discrete-time models, and most of their outputs strongly depend on the temporal resolution of data. We compile known theoretical results about scale dependence in Markov chains and correlated random walks, which are the most common components of HMMs for animal movement. We also illustrate this phenomenon using simulations covering a wide range of biological scenarios. The scale dependence affects not only all model parameters, i.e., the transition probabilities and the movement parameters within each behavioural state, but also the overall classification of movement patterns into states. This highlights the importance of carefully considering the time resolution when drawing conclusions from the results of analysis. In addition, scale dependence generally precludes the analysis of tracking data collected at irregular time intervals, and the comparison (or combination) of data sets with different sampling rates. HMMs remain a valuable tool to answer questions about animal movement and behaviour, as long as these limitations are well understood.

Bergmann Sven Michael, Wang Yingying, Li Yingying et al.

Herpesviruses are common agents in animals of the aquatic environment. They infect many species of fish but only lead to disease in one or two species. Nevertheless, infected fish without clinical symptoms can actively transfer infectious agents to disease-susceptible species. The aim of the study was to identify and prove the natural presence of different herpesviruses.

U. Arshad, J.E.P. Santos

Hepatic lipidosis is a prevalent metabolic disorder, and in vivo models to study intermediary lipid metabolism are needed in dairy cows. Objectives were to apply a method to induce hyperlipidemia and characterize the responses and safety of the intervention in feed-restricted dry Holstein cows at 8 mo of gestation. It was hypothesized that infusion of tyloxapol would induce hyperlipidemia without deleterious effects on health of dairy cows. Pregnant, nonlactating parous Holstein cows (n = 33) at a mean (± standard deviation) of 234 ± 2.2 d of gestation were fed for ad libitum intake on d 1 to 5 and restricted to 41% of the required NEL from d 6 to 13. On d 14, when cows were 247 ± 2.2 d of gestation, cows were kept off feed, and received i.v. a 10% solution of tyloxapol at 120 mg/kg body weight to block hydrolysis of triacylglycerols in very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) particles. Blood was sampled for 720 min and analyzed for concentrations of triacylglycerol, VLDL cholesterol, and total cholesterol in serum to reflect hepatic secretion or reduced clearance of such metabolites from blood. Rectal temperature, respiration and heart rates, and clinical signs related to potential anaphylaxis were monitored for the first 30 min relative to tyloxapol infusion, and for any abnormal behavior in the subsequent 24 h. Infusion of tyloxapol progressively increased the concentrations of triacylglycerol, VLDL cholesterol, and total cholesterol in serum. Tyloxapol increased rectal temperature by 0.19°C at 30 min after infusion and increased respiration and heart rates in the first 10 min after infusion by 29% and 40%, respectively. Tyloxapol induced tachycardia (heart rate >80 beats/min) in 66.7% (n = 22), frothy salivation in 39.4% (n = 13), muzzle twitching in 15.2% (n = 5), eyes twitching in 12.1% (n = 4), muscle twitching in 48.5% (n = 16), nystagmus in 6.1% (n = 2), signs of hyperexcitement in 18.2% (n = 6), staggering gait in 18.2% (n = 6), and anaphylaxis in 12.1% (n = 4) of the cows; however, all these signs were transient, and cows returned to normal after 20 min of infusion. No other abnormal behavior was observed past 20 min of tyloxapol infusion. None of the cows aborted and gestation length, calf birth weight, and risk of diseases in the first 21 d postpartum did not differ between cows receiving tyloxapol and a companion group that did not receive tyloxapol. Infusion of tyloxapol induced hyperlipidemia in cows with some animals showing transient reactions to the treatment, but without complications to the cow and the offspring. Application of this model can be useful to study intermediary lipid metabolism in dairy cows.

Sifa Ussyarif, Edy Kurnianto, Asep Setiaji

This study aimed to estimate the growth parameters of Muscovy ducks. The superiority of the study offers insightful information on the Muscovy duck growth curve, makes quantitative comparisons easier, allows for predictive capacities, and quickly finds problems. A total of 40 Muscovy ducks called “Rambon” were used in the study, consisting of 12 males and 28 females. Body weight was weighed periodically every two days from the day-old ducks (DOD) until 60 days of age. The data was analyzed by using Gompertz and Logistic models. The growth curves were analyzed, and parameters such as adult body weight (A), integral constant (B), and growth rate (K) were determined. Inflection points were also identified. Body weight (Wi) and age at the inflection (Ai) point using Gompertz were 1060.95 g and 46.34 d; 613.41 g and 30.52 d; 712.56 g and 36.81 d, respectively for males, females, and the unsexed. By using Logistic model, the Wi and Ai for males were 934.60 g and 41.46 d, females were 670.52 g and 32.96 d, and unsexed were 739.11 g and 36.56 d. Results showed that the Gompertz model generally outperformed the Logistic model, with lower AIC, BIC, MSE values and slightly higher R2 for all sex groups, indicating superior fit and predictive accuracy. These findings offer valuable insights into Rambon Muscovy duck growth dynamics, aiding in breeding and production strategies to enhance economic efficiency and sustainability. Farmers can utilize these models to optimize feeding schedules and make informed decisions about slaughtering, ultimately improving Muscovy duck production.

Ruo-Yu Li, Chang-Hwa Wang

The use of smart devices as media for digital learning constitutes a new-generation digital learning paradigm. Therefore, context-aware game-based learning has attracted considerable attention. Location-based games have not only positive effects on learning but also pronounced effects on culture and history. Accordingly, focusing on railway cultural heritages, we attempted to assess interdependent relationships between key factors crucial for the design of a location-based mobile game for cultural heritages. We adopted the analytic network process (ANP) for our assessment. We initially performed a literature review to generalize relevant criteria and elements and developed a questionnaire based on the fuzzy delphi method (FDM); thus, key factors, namely 3 criteria and 15 elements, were selected. We also applied an online ANP-based questionnaire; on the basis of the experts opinions, we established a network model and determined the priority order of the key factors. The results revealed that experts considered culture learning to be of the highest importance, with the most important three elements being prior knowledge, challenge levels, and cultural narrative. In addition, culture learning exhibited a strong interaction with content design. In each criterion, one element had a considerable influence on the remaining elements, as determined by an analysis of matrices.

Aslak Tøn, Ammar Ahmed, Ali Shariq Imran et al.

Camera trap imagery has become an invaluable asset in contemporary wildlife surveillance, enabling researchers to observe and investigate the behaviors of wild animals. While existing methods rely solely on image data for classification, this may not suffice in cases of suboptimal animal angles, lighting, or image quality. This study introduces a novel approach that enhances wild animal classification by combining specific metadata (temperature, location, time, etc) with image data. Using a dataset focused on the Norwegian climate, our models show an accuracy increase from 98.4% to 98.9% compared to existing methods. Notably, our approach also achieves high accuracy with metadata-only classification, highlighting its potential to reduce reliance on image quality. This work paves the way for integrated systems that advance wildlife classification technology.

Zsófia Katona, Seyed Sahand Mohammadi Ziabari, Fatemeh Karimi Nejadasl

Encounters between predator and prey play an essential role in ecosystems, but their rarity makes them difficult to detect in video recordings. Although advances in action recognition (AR) and temporal action detection (AD), especially transformer-based models and vision foundation models, have achieved high performance on human action datasets, animal videos remain relatively under-researched. This thesis addresses this gap by proposing the model MARINE, which utilizes motion-based frame selection designed for fast animal actions and DINOv2 feature extraction with a trainable classification head for action recognition. MARINE outperforms VideoMAE in identifying predator attacks in videos of fish, both on a small and specific coral reef dataset (81.53\% against 52.64\% accuracy), and on a subset of the more extensive Animal Kingdom dataset (94.86\% against 83.14\% accuracy). In a multi-label setting on a representative sample of Animal Kingdom, MARINE achieves 23.79\% mAP, positioning it mid-field among existing benchmarks. Furthermore, in an AD task on the coral reef dataset, MARINE achieves 80.78\% AP (against VideoMAE's 34.89\%) although at a lowered t-IoU threshold of 25\%. Therefore, despite room for improvement, MARINE offers an effective starter framework to apply to AR and AD tasks on animal recordings and thus contribute to the study of natural ecosystems.

Mónica Mora, Lucile Riaboff, Ingrid David et al.

This study explores how wearable accelerometers, small devices that measure acceleration, can help monitor the activity of growing rabbits. We equipped 16 rabbits with these devices and filmed them for two weeks. By watching the videos and using a special software we figure out what the rabbits were doing -- things like lying down, eating, moving around, and more. These activitties were grouped into two states: active or inactive. Then, this information along acceleration data was used to teach a computer program to recognize when the rabbits were active or not. This technology offers a reliable way to understand rabbit behavior, which could lead to better management practices in animal production.

Chen Cecilia Liu, Iryna Gurevych, Anna Korhonen

The surge of interest in "culture" in NLP has inspired much recent research, but a shared understanding of "culture" remains unclear, making it difficult to evaluate progress in this emerging area. Drawing on prior research in NLP and related fields, we propose a fine-grained taxonomy of elements in culture that can provide a systematic framework for analyzing and understanding research progress. Using the taxonomy, we survey existing resources and methods for culturally aware and adapted NLP, providing an overview of the state of the art and the research gaps that still need to be filled.

A. Nyga, U. Cheema, M. Loizidou

W. Nicklas ( Convenor, P. Baneux, R. Boot et al.