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Home > Journals > Zoological Science > Volume 32 > Issue 4 > Article
1 August 2015 Effects of Visual Cues of a Moving Model Predator on Body Patterns in Cuttlefish Sepia pharaonis
Kohei Okamoto, Akira Mori, Yuzuru Ikeda
Kohei Okamoto,1,* Akira Mori,1 Yuzuru Ikeda2
11Department of Zoology, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa Oiwake-cho, Saky
22Department of Chemistry, Biology and Marine Science, Faculty of Science, University of the Ryukyus,
* Corresponding author. Tel. : +81-75-753-4075; Fax : +81-75-753-4075; E-mail : kohei.o@ethol.zool.kyoto-u.ac.jp
Zoological Science, 32(4):336-344 (2015). https://doi.org/10.2108/zs140288
Predator stimulus
Body patterns expressed during control period
Body patterns expressed in T1
Comparison of body patterns between T1 and T2
We examined the effects of predator-prey distance (PPD) and trajectory of the predator on the body patterns that the pharaoh cuttlefish, Sepia pharaonis, shows in response to a predator. A model predator moving in three different trajectories was presented to the cuttlefish: T1, approached the cuttlefish but bypassed above; T2, approached directly toward the cuttlefish; T3, bypassed the cuttlefish both vertically and horizontally. We divided the body patterns that the cuttlefish expressed into seven categories, i.e., "uniform light", "disruptive", "center circle", "dark square", "vertical stripe", "all dark" and "eyespots". In T1, the number of individuals that showed "dark square" increased as the model approached the cuttlefish, whereas the number of individuals that showed "disruptive" decreased. In T2, the number of individuals that showed "all dark" and "eyespots" increased as the model approached the cuttlefish. In T3, the number of individuals that showed "dark square" and "vertical stripe" increased as the model approached the cuttlefish, and it tended to decrease as the model receded from the cuttlefish. These results demonstrate that S. pharaonis changes its body patterns according to PPD and the trajectory of the predator, which would affect predation risk and/or predator perception.
Coleoid cephalopods (squid, cuttlefish and octopus) have the most sophisticated ability to change their appearance in the animal kingdom (Hanlon et al., 1999; Mäthger et al., 2008; Chiao et al., 2009). Their body patterns are formed by a neurally-controlled pigmented chromatophore system, structurally-reflecting iridophores, and light-scattering leucophores in the skin, which enable them to change skin colors and patterns drastically and immediately (Messenger, 2001). Many field observations and laboratory experiments have shown that the body patterns of cephalopods change according to given situations, especially in anti-predator contexts (e.g., Moynihan and Rodaniche, 1982; Hanlon and Messenger, 1988, 1996; Mather, 2010; Staudinger et al., 2011). Because cephalopods lack hard structures such as shells and spines for defense against predators, they use their body pattern-changing ability to avoid predation by various species (e.g., marine mammals, diving birds, teleost and elasmobranch fish) (Hanlon and Messenger, 1996; Hanlon et al., 2009).
Although it is widely known that cuttlefish show various body patterns in response to predators, the specific functions of many body patterns are still not fully understood (see Hanlon and Messenger, 1996; Staudinger et al., 2011). To evaluate the function of each body pattern, it is necessary to elucidate the relationship between a given body pattern and stimuli that may evoke it. Recently, the stimuli that induce cuttlefish to display eyespots on their posterior mantle have been examined (Langridge et al., 2007; Langridge, 2009). Langridge et al. (2007) showed that Sepia officinalis displays "eyespots" only towards juvenile sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax), a visually hunting predator, and never towards crabs (Necora puber) or juvenile dogfish (Scyliorhinus canicula), chemically hunting predators. However, even in response to crabs and juvenile dogfish, cuttlefish continuously change their body pattern and express diverse patterns other than "eyespots" (see Langridge, 2009; Staudinger et al., 2013). Thus, factors other than predator type may also affect body patterns that cuttlefish show in anti-predator contexts.
Predation risk has been suggested to affect when prey animals show alternative anti-predator behaviors that serve different functions (Lima and Dill, 1990; Caro, 2005). For example, prey animals do not escape immediately after detecting an approaching predator, but only after the cost of staying exceeds the cost of fleeing (see Ydenberg and Dill, 1986; Stankowich and Blumstein, 2005), that is, after the predation risk becomes very high. Cooper (2010) showed that a lizard, Callisaurus draconoides, displays a pursuit deterrent signal to a predator most frequently when predation risk is intermediate, as prey needs not signal when predation risk is very low and should immediately escape when this risk is very high. Based on the findings of Ydenberg and Dill (1986) and Stankowich and Blumstein (2005), we predicted that cuttlefish would change body patterns depending on the level of predation risk, even in response to the same type of predator (see also Mather, 2010).
Predator-prey distance (PPD) and the trajectory of an approaching predator are good indicators of predation risk for prey: the closer the predator approaches the prey, the more likely the prey is to be detected and captured by the predator (Broom and Ruxton, 2005). The trajectory of a predator also affects predation risk, as the more directly the predator approaches the prey, the more likely it is that the predator has detected or will detect the prey (Cooper, 2009).
Previous researches using a real predator have shown that cuttlefish and squid change their body patterns according to PPD (Langridge et al., 2007; Mather, 2010). However, those studies did not examine how cephalopods change their body patterns with continuously changing PPD. In addition, it is difficult to evaluate the confounding effect of the movement of a predator when using a real animal.
In the present study, we examined the effects of PPD and the predator's trajectory on the body patterns of a cuttlefish, Sepia pharaonis Ehrenberg, 1831, using a model predator as a stimulus. This method enabled us to experimentally control the movement of a predator and examine how visual cues affect anti-predator behavior of S. pharaonis. We first describe and define body patterns exhibited by S. pharaonis during the experiment. We next examine the effects of PPD and the trajectory of the approaching predator on its body patterns.
Forty-eight S. pharaonis (78–98 mm in mantle length) were used in the present study. Eggs of S. pharaonis were collected from inshore waters of Okinawa Island, Japan in May 2011 and were transported to the Senbaru campus of the University of the Ryukyus, where they were reared until September. Before the experiments, subadult cuttlefish were transported to Sesoko Station, Tropical Biosphere Research Center (TBRC) of the University of the Ryukyus. Cuttlefish were maintained in six round tubs (70 cm in diameter, 30 cm in water depth), with eight individuals per tub. We were able to identify cuttlefish in each tub by small black spots on their mantle; the intensity of expression of these spots changed but their locations on the mantle were stable (see also Byrne et al., 2010).
Several previous studies demonstrated that S. officinalis uses different anti-predator behaviors according to the species of predators (e.g., Hanlon and Messenger, 1996; Langridge et al., 2007), which may suggest that the anti-predator behaviors of cuttlefish are affected by the appearance of predators. Therefore, we made a model that resembles a real predator as a predator stimulus in this study. A 50-cm-long model predator was made from foamed styrene (Fig. 1). This was modelled after a spangled emperor, Lethrinus nebulosus, a fish that is abundant around Okinawa Island (Carpenter and Allen, 1989) and is considered to be an active predator that preys on various animals such as mollusks (including cephalopods), crustaceans and sea urchins (Kiso and Kosuge, 2007). We added a 4 kg weight to the model so that it could remain submerged.
The model predator (Total length = 50 cm) used in the experiments, modelled after a spangled emperor, Lethrinus nebulosus.
All experiments were conducted in a circular tank (300 cm in diameter, 110 cm in water depth) in November and December 2011 at Sesoko Station, TBRC. A polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe above the middle of the experimental tank was used as a structure from which the model predator is suspended. The model predator was connected to four rings on the PVC pipe with fishing line and hung from the pipe. We moved the model along the pipe by pulling a string attached to the rings; at no time could the cuttlefish see the experimenter. The model was initially placed behind a white plastic board (50 × 50 cm), and thus a cuttlefish was not able to see it before the experiment started. A cuttlefish was introduced into a transparent cylindrical arena (30 cm in diameter, 60 cm in height) to maintain its approximate position during the experiment. The substrate was the bare bottom of the tank, which was basically uniform white. The arena was placed adjacent to the inner side of the wall of the experimental tank. The response of cuttlefish to the moving model predator was recorded by a video camera (GoPro HD HERO) mounted above the arena but underwater to avoid disturbance of the video recording by the flickering water surface. The cuttlefish was given 15 min to acclimatize after its introduction into the arena. We initiated the experiment only when the cuttlefish settled on the bottom of the tank and its body pattern became stable. Each experiment was initiated by removing the plastic board. Thirty seconds after the removal of the board, an experimenter started pulling the model predator with approximately consistent velocity (approximately 10 cm/s). The average time taken for each trial was 22.5 s. Cuttlefish changed their body patterns immediately after the removal of the board, but the patterns became fairly stable within 30 s. We moved the model in three different trajectories. Trajectory 1 (T1): the model predator was hung 70 cm from the bottom of the experimental tank, and the arena was placed so the model predator approached straight toward the cuttlefish (Fig. 2A). Trajectory 1 was intended to imitate a trajectory such that when the predator approaches the cuttlefish but bypasses it above. Trajectory 2 (T2): the model predator was hung 30 cm from the bottom of the experimental tank, and the arena was placed so that the predator approached directly toward the arena (Fig. 2A). Trajectory 2 was intended to imitate a predator directly approaching the cuttlefish. Trajectory 3 (T3): the height of the model predator was the same as that of T1, but the pipe was rotated 90° (Fig. 2B). Trajectory 3 was intended to imitate a trajectory in which the predator bypasses the cuttlefish both vertically and horizontally. Because cuttlefish have high visual acuity, a wide field of view (see Watanuki et al., 2000; Mäthger et al., 2013) and highly mobile eyes (Budelmann and Young, 1993), we consider that the cuttlefish were able to perceive the location and the movement of the model predator accurately. Each cuttlefish was used once for each trajectory and was subjected to all three trajectories in random order with a minimum of a four-day interval between two trials.
Three trajectories (A) T1, T2 and (B) T3 of the model predator presented to Sepia pharaonis in the experimental arena. (A) Lateral view, (B) Top view.
To examine body patterns that S. pharaonis expressed in the absence of the predator stimulus in the experimental tank, we recorded its body patterns for 30 s prior to removing the board (control period). From the recorded videos, we extracted images of cuttlefish body patterns every 6 s, and a total of five images was extracted from each trial.
To examine how S. pharaonis changed body patterns according to the movement of the model within a trajectory, we extracted video images of its body patterns in the following five stages for T1 and for T2: 1) 3 s before the model predator began to move, and when the linear PPD, that is, the straight-line distance between the cuttlefish and the model predator, was 2) 190 cm, 3) 150 cm, 4) 110 cm and 5) 70 cm. These positions were estimated from the diameter of the tank (300 cm), the distance the model moved and the height from the bottom (Fig. 3). For T3, we extracted video images of body patterns of the cuttlefish in six different stages: 1) 3 s before the model predator began to move, and when the model predator moved 2) 40 cm, 3) 80 cm, 4) 120 cm, 5) 160 cm and 6) 200 cm. The linear PPD was shortest at 120 cm. The linear PPD at 80 cm and 160 cm would be similar. Likewise, the linear PPD at 40 cm and 200 cm would be similar.
Using the extracted video images, we classified the body patterns of S. pharaonis. Hanlon and Messenger (1988) suggested that body patterns of cuttlefish should be classified hierarchically based on the chromatic components constructing each body pattern. They identified 34 chromatic components in S. officinalis and classified its body patterns into 13 categories (Hanlon and Messenger, 1988). Because the chromatic components have not been identified in S. pharaonis, we used the repertoire of chromatic components of S. officinalis, which shows body patterns similar to S. pharaonis (Shohet et al., 2007) and shares many chromatic components with it.
In each stage, we calculated the proportion of individuals that showed each body pattern by dividing the number of individuals expressing the body pattern by the total number of individuals used in the experiment (n = 39, see Results). To statistically analyze whether S. pharaonis changed body pattern while the model was moving within each trajectory, we compared the proportion of the individuals showing each body pattern at each stage within the trajectory using Cochran's Q test. Additionally, to examine whether S. pharaonis changed body patterns according to the trajectory of the approaching predator, we compared the proportion of individuals that showed each body pattern in response to T1 with that in response to T2 when the linear PPD was the same using McNemar's test with Bonferroni-corrected P values (0.05/5) for multiple comparison.
To examine how each cuttlefish changed body patterns in response to the movement of the model predator, we counted the number of transitions of body patterns of each cuttlefish. For T1 and T2, transition from stage 1 to stage 5 was counted. For T3, transition from stage 1 to stage 3 (i.e., when the model predator was approaching the cuttlefish) and that from stage 4 to stage 6 (i.e., when the model predator was retreating from the cuttlefish) were counted. We did not conduct statistical analysis on these data to examine whether the transitions of body patterns were significantly non-random, because the sample size was too small.
Variables used for estimating the positions (i.e., D1 and D2) of the model predator in T1 and T2. The equations used for calculating D1 and D2 are as follows: PPD in , PPD in
Eight of 48 cuttlefish ejected ink or fled from the arena during the trial in at least one of three trials. Also, one cuttlefish died during the experimental period after jetting out from its maintenance tank. We therefore could not collect the complete data set of the body patterns of these individuals and they were excluded from the analyses.
A total of 624 images of body patterns of S. pharaonis was extracted from the videos. Using these images, we classified the body patterns of S. pharaonis into seven major categories based on the chromatic components expressed on the mantle according to Hanlon and Messenger (1988): (1) "uniform light", (2) "disruptive", (3) "center circle", (4) "dark square", (5) "vertical stripe", (6) "all dark" and (7) "eyespots". (1) "Uniform light" is an overall light tone, lacking dark chromatic components (Fig. 4A). (2) "Disruptive" is characterized by transverse chromatic components such as White square, White mantle bar, Posterior transverse mantle line and Posterior mantle bar (Fig. 4B). (3) "Center circle" is characterized by the same chromatic components as "disruptive" but also contains Middle paired mantle spots and Central annulus (see Lee et al., 2010) (Fig. 4C). (4) "Dark square" is characterized by a set of dark chromatic components, which comprise a dark square component located in the same area as White square, Middle paired mantle spots and partial Posterior mantle bar (Fig. 4D). Anterior transverse mantle line and partial Anterior mantle bar are also expressed in this body pattern. (5) "Vertical stripe" is characterized by Median mantle stripe that transverses the lateral mantle vertically on one or both sides of the dorsal mantle. Anterior transverse mantle line and partial Anterior mantle bar are also expressed in this body pattern (Fig. 4E). (6) "All dark" is characterized by a uniformly darkened entire body (Fig. 4F). (7) "Eyespots" is characterized by a pair of dark eye-like spots on the posterior mantle (Fig. 4G). This pattern is mainly composed of Posterior paired mantle spots (see Lee et al., 2010). Eye ring and Mottle may also be expressed. We categorized 479 of the 624 images into one of the above seven major body patterns. The remaining 145 images could not be classified into any category because their patterns lacked chromatic components common to other images or because the number of observed cases was too small to classify into categories.
Images of seven body patterns shown by Sepia pharaonis during the experiment. (A) "Uniform light". (B) "Disruptive". (C) "Center circle". (D) "Dark square". (E) "Vertical stripe". (F) "All dark". (G) "Eyespots".
Sepia pharaonis mainly showed "uniform light", "disruptive" and "center circle", and rarely showed the other four body patterns, during the control period (Figs. 5 and 6). Cuttlefish did not change their body patterns during this period (Cochran's Q test; P > 0.05).
(1) The proportion of individuals that showed "uniform light" did not change among the five stages (Cochran's Q test; Q = 6.286, df = 4, P = 0.179) (Fig. 5A). (2) The proportion of individuals that showed "disruptive" significantly differed among the five stages (Q = 17.74, df = 4, P = 0.001). The proportion of individuals that showed "disruptive" decreased as PPD decreased (Fig. 5B). (3) The proportion of individuals that showed "center circle" did not differ significantly among the five stages (Q = 9.474, df = 4, P = 0.050) although it tended to decrease in frequency as PPD decreased (Fig. 5C). (4) The proportion of individuals that showed "dark square" differed among the five stages (Q = 42.19, df = 4, P < 0.001). "Dark square" was expressed only after the model predator was presented. The proportion of individuals that showed "dark square" increased as PPD decreased, especially when the model reached the closest PPD (Fig. 5D). (5) The proportion of individuals that showed "vertical stripe" did not differ significantly among the five stages (Q = 8.952, df = 4, P = 0.062). "Vertical stripe" was expressed only after the model predator was presented. The proportion of individuals that showed "vertical stripe" initially tended to increase as PPD decreased, but decreased rapidly when the model reached the closest PPD (Fig. 5E). (6) The proportion of individuals that showed "all dark" did not differ among the five stages (Q = 6.880, df = 4, P = 0.142). The proportion of individuals that showed "all dark" increased after the model predator was presented and was maintained while the model was approaching (Fig. 5F). (7) "Eyespots" was not expressed in T1 (Fig. 5G). The number of transitions of body patterns from stage 1 to stage 5 is shown in Table 1a. The body pattern of cuttlefish initially expressing "uniform light" tended to be stable, while those initially expressing "disruptive" or "center circle" tended to change their body patterns to "dark square".
(1) The proportion of individuals that showed "uniform light" did not change among the five stages (Q = 6.435, df = 4, P = 0.169). "Uniform light" was expressed at a relatively high rate from before the model predator was presented (Fig. 5A). (2) The proportion of individuals that showed "disruptive" did not differ among the five stages (Q = 5.956, df = 4, P = 0.202) although this pattern tended to decrease as the model approached (Fig. 5B). (3) The proportion of individuals that showed "center circle" did not differ among the five stages (Q = 6.947, df = 4, P = 0.139) although it tended to decrease as the model approached (Fig. 5C). (4) "Dark square" was rarely expressed (Fig. 5D), and the proportion of individuals that showed "dark square" did not differ among the five stages (Q = 4.000, df = 4, P = 0.406). (5) The proportion of individuals that showed "vertical stripe" differed among the five stages (Q = 15.11, df = 4, P = 0.004). "Vertical stripe" was not used before the model was presented. "Vertical stripe" was expressed immediately after the model was presented, and the proportion expressing it was very low during the model's approach (Fig. 5E). (6) The proportion of individuals that showed "all dark" differed among the five stages (Q = 14.84, df = 4, P = 0.005). "All dark" was used only after the predator was presented, and the proportion of individuals that showed "all dark" increased as the model approached but decreased at the closest PPD (Fig. 5F). (7) The proportion of individuals that showed "eyespots" differed among the five stages (Q = 32.63, df = 4, P < 0.001). "Eyespots" was displayed only when the model closely approached the cuttlefish (Fig. 5G). The number of transitions of body patterns from stage 1 to stage 5 is shown in Table 1b. There was no notable tendency in these numbers of transitions of body pattern.
Change of the proportion of individuals that showed each body pattern according to the decrease of the linear predator-prey distance in T1 and T2. Abbreviations: CTL, During control period; PRE, 3 s before the model predator began to move. See Fig. 2 for T1 and T2. Asterisks indicate significant differences among positions within a trajectory (* P < 0.05, ** P < 0.01; Cochran's Q test), and daggers indicate significant differences between the two trajectories († P < 0.05, †† P < 0.01 ; McNemar's test with Bonferroni correction).
(1) The proportion of individuals that showed "uniform light" did not change as the model moved (Q = 5.540, df = 5, P = 0.354). A low proportion of cuttlefish expressed "uniform light" before the model predator was presented (Fig. 6A). (2) The proportion of individuals that showed "disruptive" differed among the six stages (Q = 17.11, df = 5, P = 0.004). The proportion of individuals that showed "disruptive" patterning increased at the early and last stages of approaching, but decreased when the model made its closest approach to the cuttlefish (Fig. 6B). (3) The proportion of individuals that showed "center circle" did not differ significantly among the six stages (Q = 9.040, df = 5, P = 0.107). A relatively high proportion of cuttlefish expressed "center circle" before the model predator was presented, and this proportion tended to decrease as the model predator moved (Fig. 6C). (4) The proportion of individuals that showed "dark square" differed among the six stages (Q = 12.42, df = 5, P = 0.030). "Dark square" was used only after the model predator was presented. The proportion of individuals that showed "dark square" peaked in the middle of the trajectory, that is, the proportion increased as the model approached cuttlefish and decreased as the model receded from it (Fig. 6D). (5) The proportion of individuals that showed "vertical stripe" differed among the six stages (Q = 15.70, df = 5, P = 0.007). "Vertical stripe" was used only after the model predator was presented. The proportion of individuals that showed "vertical stripe" increased after the model began to move and remained relatively high while the model was moving (Fig. 6E). (6) Cuttlefish rarely expressed "all dark" (Fig. 6F) and (7) did not display "eyespots" (Fig. 6G). The numbers of transitions of body patterns from stage 1 to stage 3 and from stage 4 to stage 6 are shown in Table 1c and 1d, respectively. Cuttlefish initially expressing "disruptive" or "center circle" tended to change their body patterns to "dark square" or "vertical stripe" from stage 1 to stage 3 (Table 1c), while those initially expressing "center circle" tended to be stable, and the cuttlefish initially expressing "vertical stripe" tended to change their body patterns back to "disruptive" or "center circle" from stage 4 to stage 6 (Table 1d).
Change of the proportion of individuals that showed each body pattern according to the movement of the model predator in T3. The linear PPD is shortest at 120 cm. The linear PPD at 80 cm and 160 cm would be similar. Likewise, the linear PPD at 40 cm and 200 cm would be similar. Abbreviations: CTL, During control period; PRE, 3 s before the model predator began to move. See Fig. 2 for T3. Asterisks indicate significant differences among positions (* P < 0.05, ** P < 0.01; Cochran's Q test).
The numbers of transitions of body patterns expressed by Sepia pharaonis in each trajectory. For T1 (a) and T2 (b), transition from stage 1 to stage 5 is shown. For T3, transition from stage 1 to stage 3, that is, when the model predator is approaching the cuttlefish (c), and that from stage 4 to stage 6, that is, when the model predator is retreating from the cuttlefish (d), are shown. "Others" indicate body patterns that were not able to be classified into any category.
(4) The proportion of individuals that showed "dark square" was significantly higher in T1 than in T2 when the linear PPD was 70 cm (McNemar's test with Bonferroni correction, P < 0.0001) (Fig. 5D). (7) The proportion of individuals that showed "eyespots" was significantly higher in T2 than in T1 when the linear PPD was 70 cm (McNemar's test with Bonferroni correction, P = 0.0077) (Fig. 5G). The other five body patterns showed no significant difference in proportion between T1 and T2 in any stages.
Sepia pharaonis expressed various body patterns in response to the model predator. We classified the body patterns of S. pharaonis into seven major categories according to the combination of chromatic components expressed in the dorsal mantle. The intensity of chromatic components differed both within and between cuttlefish during the experiment, but the combinations of characteristic chromatic components in each body pattern were consistent, which enabled us to distinguish the body patterns from each other. Four body patterns were identical to those classified as "uniform light", "disruptive", "all dark" and "eyespots" in many previous studies using S. officinalis (e.g., Adamo et al., 2006; Barbosa et al., 2007; Mäthger et al., 2007; Langridge et al., 2007; Langridge, 2009). Body patterns similar to two body patterns that we classified as "vertical stripe" and "center circle" have been reported in several previous studies (see Hanlon and Messenger, 1988; Lee et al., 2010). Previous studies have classified these body patterns as one form of "disruptive". However, we classified these two body patterns and "disruptive" into different categories, as they are constructed from different sets of chromatic components and we can easily distinguish them from each other. The body pattern that we classified as "dark square" has not been reported in other species of Sepia. We named these three body patterns based on the characteristic feature in each body pattern.
Sepia pharaonis showed "uniform light", "disruptive" and 'center circle" during the control period. This suggests that these body patterns function as camouflage patterns, which was also suggested in many previous studies (e.g., Hanlon and Messenger, 1988; Lee et al., 2010). Although "uniform light" is assumed to function as camouflage on a uniform background such as the substrate used in this study, "disruptive" and "center circle" are considered to be effective camouflage patterns only on visually complex substrates that contain light and dark patches (Hanlon, 2007; Barbosa et al., 2008). Recently, however, Ulmer et al. (2013) demonstrated that S. officinalis shows "disruptive" in a uniform environment when there are high-contrast elements even if they constitute only a small proportion of its visual field. The experimental tank used in our study was basically uniform white, but there were a few small organisms attached to the bottom and the wall of the tank. The organisms were red and brown colored, and therefore they constructed a highcontrast pattern with the bottom and the wall of the tank. It is possible that S. pharaonis selectively responded to the attached organisms inside the tank and used "disruptive" and "center circle" as camouflage patterns.
During the control period, cuttlefish did not change their body patterns. This indicates that cuttlefish were sufficiently acclimated to the experimental condition before the model predator was presented. Cuttlefish temporarily changed body patterns in response to the sudden removal of the opaque board, but all cuttlefish recovered their body pattern within 30 s. Therefore, we are confident that the transition of body pattern during the trial was induced by the movement of the model predator. However, there is a possibility that cuttlefish responded to the moving model without recognizing it as a real predator, but simply recognized it as an unfamiliar object. Nevertheless, many cuttlefish in our experiment showed secondary defenses, such as deimatic patterns, jetting and inking, supporting the assumption that the model predator worked as a threatening stimulus for cuttlefish, and it is reasonable to assume that the cuttlefish used primary and secondary defenses to avoid this potentially threatening object.
We predicted that S. pharaonis would change its body pattern depending on the predation risk that is associated with PPD and the trajectory of the approaching predator. In our study, predation risk can be conceived 1) as very low before presentation of the model predator, 2) to increase as PPD decreases in T1 and T2, and 3) to increase in the anterior half of trajectory and decrease in the posterior half of the trajectory in T3. Additionally, even when the linear PPD is the same, predation risk would be higher in T2 than T1, because the model in T2 approached cuttlefish more directly. As we predicted, the results indicated that cuttlefish changed its body pattern according to PPD, and also indicated that the trajectory of the approaching model affected the body pattern of cuttlefish even when the linear PPD was the same. "Eyespots", which is assumed to function as secondary defense (Langridge, 2009; Staudinger et al., 2013), was expressed only in the situation expected to have high predation risk, that is, when linear PPD was short in T2. On the other hand, "uniform light", "disruptive" and "center circle", which are supposed to function as camouflage, tended to be used in the situations expected to be low predation risk, that is, before the model was presented and when PPD was long. On the other hand, "dark square", "vertical stripe" and "all dark" tended to be used in the situations when the predation risk was expected to be intermediate, which makes it difficult to determine whether these body patterns function as primary or secondary defense.
It is possible that factors other than predation risk also affect the expression of body patterns. Sepia pharaonis may change its camouflage patterns according to PPD and the trajectory of a nearby predator because these would affect how cuttlefish appear to a predator. This PPD-dependent appearance is attributed to limitations of the visual system of the predator, such as spatial acuity and contrast sensitivity (Endler, 1992; Stevens, 2007). Similarly, the trajectory dependent appearance is attributed to the angle of viewing by the predator. The predator in T1 and T3 would see cuttlefish from above, whereas the predator in T2 would see cuttlefish from the side. In our study, "dark square" and "vertical stripe" were frequently expressed in T1 and T3, respectively. The observed number of transitions of body patterns in T1 indicates that the cuttlefish initially expressing "disruptive" or "center circle" changed their body patterns mainly to "dark square" (Table 1). The observed number of transitions of body patterns in the anterior half of T3 indicates that the cuttlefish initially expressing "disruptive" or "center circle" tended to change their body patterns to "dark square" or "vertical stripe" (Table 1), and that in the posterior half of T3 indicates that cuttlefish expressing "vertical stripe" changed their body patterns back to "disruptive" or "center circle" (Table 1). From these results, we suggest that "vertical stripe" and "dark square" may function as camouflage patterns that take the place of "disruptive" and "center circle" when the latter two body patterns become less effective, that is, when predators come to view the cuttlefish from above. However, there is also a possibility that mechanoreceptive cues induced "vertical stripe" and "dark square". The transparent arena was open-topped and 60 cm in height, and the model predator in T1 and T3 moved 70 cm above the bottom of the tank, whereas the model in T2 moved 30 cm above the bottom of the tank. Therefore, it is possible that mechanoreceptive cues from the moving model in T1 and T3 were transmitted from the top of the arena through water to the cuttlefish inside the arena when the model was moving very close to the cuttlefish.
"Uniform light" and "disruptive" were both expressed from before the model predator was presented, which supports the notion that these two body patterns are used for camouflage, as mentioned above. However, the proportion of individuals that showed these two body patterns changed differently in response to the approach of the model predator. The proportion of individuals that used "uniform light" changed only slightly depending on the movement of the predator, whereas the proportion that used "disruptive" was significantly affected by the movement of the predator. The observed number of transitions of body patterns indicates that the cuttlefish initially expressing "uniform light" changed their body pattern less frequently compared to the cuttlefish initially expressing "disruptive" (Table 1). Accordingly, the eventual body patterns seemed to differ between the cuttlefish initially expressing "uniform light" and "disruptive" (Table 1). This result suggests that S. pharaonis changes its antipredator response according to its initial camouflage pattern.
The function of "all dark" is also unclear from our results. This body pattern was used most frequently when predation risk was assumed to be intermediate. One of the possible functions of "all dark" is masquerade, that is, S. pharaonis may mimic inedible objects such as a clump of seaweeds (see Buresch et al., 2011). Alternatively, "all dark" may function as a secondary defense, as several previous studies have suggested for S. officinalis (e.g., Adamo et al., 2006; Langridge, 2009; Staudinger et al., 2013).
We note that S. pharaonis in T1 and T2 showed "uniform light" most frequently during the control period, whereas S. pharaonis in T3 showed "center circle" most frequently during this period. We presume that this was because the visual environment during the acclimation period differed between the experiments. The relative position between the opaque board and the cuttlefish differed, that is, the cuttlefish in T1 and T2 would see the board located at the opposite side of the tank, whereas the cuttlefish in T3 would see the board located at a relatively close distance compared to T1 and T2 during the acclimation period. This difference may have affected the camouflage patterns of cuttlefish during this period.
It is noteworthy that Langridge (2009) showed that S. officinalis does not display "eyespots" in response to large teleosts, which are the model predator of our stimulus. Recently, however, Staudinger et al. (2013) demonstrated that S. officinalis displays "eyespots" in reponse to large teleosts. Staudinger et al. (2013) suggested that this discrepancy could be attributed to the difference in experimental design between the studies. Nonetheless, the experimental design of our study was more similar to that of Langridge (2009) than that of Staudinger et al. (2013). Both Langridge (2009) and the present study used a transparent arena to separate predators from cuttlefish, whereas Staudinger et al. (2013) did not use arenas in order to better simulate natural predator-prey encounters. Transparent arenas can restrict the movement of cuttlefish, which helps researchers to observe their behavior, and also prevents cuttlefish from being eaten by predators, which may raise ethical issues. On the other hand, a transparent arena may affect the antipredator response of cuttlefish because it would restrict the movement of the cuttlefish and make tactics such as fleeing ineffective. It may also disrupt information such as chemosensory and mechanoreceptive cues from predators (Boal and Golden, 1999; Komak et al., 2005). Further experiments are needed to clarify the factors that induce the "eyespots" response.
It should be noted that we presented cuttlefish only visual cues. Although cephalopods generally have excellent visual acuity and large optic lobes (Mather and Kuba, 2013) and their body patterns are strongly affected by visual cues (Williamson and Chrachri, 2004), cephalopods are also suggested to use modalities other than visual cues (i.e., chemoreceptive and mechanoreceptive cues) for avoiding predation (see Boal and Golden, 1999; Komak et al., 2005). Therefore, S. pharaonis may show responses different from the present observations if other cues are available. Further studies are necessary to examine the effects of chemoreceptive and mechanoreceptive cues on the body pattern changes of S. pharaonis.
In the present study, we demonstrated that the distance from a model predator and the trajectory of the model predator affect the body pattern of S. pharaonis. These results suggest that S. pharaonis is able to evaluate predation risk and the view-point of a predator based on the predator's movement and change its body pattern accordingly. Previous studies demonstrated that S. officinalis shows various anti-predator responses according to the species of predator (e.g., Staudinger et al., 2013), but those studies did not clarify the effect of specific factors that may affect the response of S. officinalis (e.g., appearance, movement, chemical cues and mechanosensory cues). We used a model predator to precisely control the visual cues of the movement of the predator stimulus to enable us to examine the effects of distance from a predator and its trajectory. Further studies using a model predator are expected to help to clarify the effects of other factors associated with the movement of the predator (e.g., speed of approach and sudden change in trajectory) on body patterns shown by the cuttlefish, which will lead to deeper understanding of their functions.
We thank the laboratory members of the Department of Chemistry, Biology and Marine Science, Faculty of Science, University of the Ryukyus, for their assistance in collection of cuttlefish eggs, maintainance at Senbaru campus, and transportation to Sesoko Station. We are also indebted to the staff of Sesoko Station, Tropical Biosphere Research Center (TBRC), University of the Ryukyus, for enabling us to conduct this research. We also acknowledge E. Nakajima for reviewing the manuscript. This project was financially supported in part by the Global COE Program (A06) of Kyoto University.
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© 2015 Zoological Society of Japan
Kohei Okamoto, Akira Mori, and Yuzuru Ikeda "Effects of Visual Cues of a Moving Model Predator on Body Patterns in Cuttlefish Sepia pharaonis," Zoological Science 32(4), 336-344, (1 August 2015). https://doi.org/10.2108/zs140288
Received: 19 December 2014; Accepted: 23 April 2015; Published: 1 August 2015
Zoological Science
body pattern
predator trajectory
predator-prey distance
primary defense
Kohei Okamoto, Akira Mori, Yuzuru Ikeda "Effects of Visual Cues of a Moving Model Predator on Body Patterns in Cuttlefish Sepia pharaonis," Zoological Science, 32(4), 336-344, (1 August 2015)


Potential political issues which affect a nation's economic relations with another nation. These risks can result from actions which are within or outside governmental control. An example would be a revolt by a country's middle class population.


text:
require "rubygems"
require "nokogiri"
require "open-uri"
require "csv"
require "date"

def processLowestLevelPage(url,f2)
  page = Nokogiri::HTML(open(url))
  leftStack = page.css("div[id=left-stack]")
  podcastId = ""
  podcastName = ""
  artist = ""
  link = ""
  episodeName = ""
  episodeDescription = ""
  result = ""
#TO-DO

   podcastInfo = page.css("div").select{|podcastId| podcastId['podcast-id']}[0]
   if podcastInfo.nil?
	return
   end
   unless podcastInfo['podcast-id'].nil?
    podcastId = podcastInfo['podcast-id']
   end
   unless podcastInfo['podcast-name'].nil?
    podcastName = '"'+podcastInfo['podcast-name'].gsub(/[\r,\n,"]/,'').strip+'"'
   end
  #  print podcastId+","
 #   print podcastName+","

    contentBox = page.css("div[class=tracklist-content-box]")
   if contentBox.nil?
	return
   end
    lastestEntryArray = contentBox.css("tbody").css("tr")
    size = 0
    unless lastestEntryArray[size+1].nil?
      while lastestEntryArray[size].css("td[class=release-date]")==lastestEntryArray[size+1].css("td[class=release-date]")
   	size = size+1
      end
    end
    for i in 0..size
    if i==1
      puts "duplicate!!"
    end
    result = ""
    lastestEntry = lastestEntryArray[i]
   if lastestEntry.nil?
	return
   end

     episodeNameEntry = lastestEntry.css("td[class='name flexible-col']")
     unless episodeNameEntry.nil?
	episodeName = '"'+episodeNameEntry.text.gsub(/[\r,\n,"]/,'').strip+'"'
    end

    episodeDiscriptionEntry = lastestEntry.css("td[class='description flexible-col']")
    unless episodeDiscriptionEntry.nil?
	episodeDescription = '"'+episodeDiscriptionEntry.text.gsub(/[\r,\n,"]/,'').strip+'"'
    end

   	 unless lastestEntry.nil?
	   unless lastestEntry['preview-artist'].nil?
   	   	artist = '"'+lastestEntry['preview-artist'].gsub(/[\r,\n,"]/,'').strip+'"'
           end
   	   unless lastestEntry['audio-preview-url'].nil?
   	   	link = '"'+lastestEntry['audio-preview-url'].gsub(/[\r,\n,"]/,'').strip+'"'
           end
   	 end

    	    unless podcastId.nil?
		result = result+podcastId+","
	    end
	    unless podcastName.nil?
		result = result+podcastName+","
	    end
	    unless artist.nil?
		result = result+artist+","
	    end
	    unless link.nil?
		result = result+link
	    end

	result = result + ","+episodeName+","+'"'+DateTime.now.to_s+'"'+","+episodeDescription
	f2.puts result
        i = i+1
  end
end

f2 = File.new("dataForUser"+DateTime.now.to_s+".csv", "w")

count = 0
CSV.foreach("crawl_data_table.csv") do |row|
  if row[4]=="1"
    count = count +1
    print "processing num:"
    puts count
    processLowestLevelPage(row[1],f2)
  end
end
f2.close

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Brewers Make Historic Hire: Sara Goodrum To Be New Minor League Hitting Coordinator
by Matt Loede January 28, 2021, 12:07 pm updated January 28, 2021, 1:29 pm 1 Comment
Major League Baseball made a historic hire on Thursday, according to MLB.com Brewers beat reporter Adam McCalvy. The Brewers have hired Sara Goodrum to be their new Minor League hitting coordinator.
Goodrum becomes the first woman in baseball history to serve in any organization as a Minor League hitting coordinator.
McCalvy points out that the official title for Goodrum is Coordinator – Hitting Development Initiatives.
Goodrum played Division I college softball at Oregon. She studied and got her Master's in Exercise and Sports Science from the University of Utah.
The past four years, she's been working with the Brewers in their sports science lab, and now will move on to being the team's minor league hitting coordinator.
"We've seen it work for almost four years with Sara in our organization, working very closely with our players and our coaches," Brewers President of Baseball Ops David Stearns said on Goodrum via McCalvy.
"I think we've seen that because of her talent and her skill set, she is trusted and respected."
Goodrum joins a number of other women who have broken barriers in Major League Baseball.
Kim Ng was hired by the Miami Marlins to be the first woman and first Asian American to serve as general manager of an MLB team in 2020.
Rachel Balkovec was hired by the Yankees in 2019 to be a full-time hitting coach for a Major League Baseball team.
In 2020, Alyssa Nakken was the first full-time female coach in Major League Baseball history. She also was the first to coach on the field during an MLB game.
Milwaukee BrewersSara Goodrum
Papaboss says:
None of this cosmetic diversity crap is historic anymore.
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Mike Gunzelman

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


It's crazy how much can happen in a year isn't it? I started 2017 with completelllly different expectations, ideas and goals and it's incredible how little control we really have over our lives and the paths they take. This time last year I was backpacking around South East Asia, yearning to be settled and feel a stronger sense of worth and belonging….
Hey friends! I'm in one of my favourite places (the library) chilling out, writing 'n' reading and relaxing. I'm surrounded by studiers, about 50 young adults on their laptops with papers, highlighters and books doing important things for important people. I reckon I am the only person in this entire room who doesn't attend university….


« They Sure Do Grow Up Fast!
I don't know why I didn't discover it until now. What's not to love about a plant that produces lots of tiny pink butterflies? I've seen white as well, but it doesn't have the same pop as the pink.
When I planted the gaura this spring I just liked the foilage. I had no idea it would be so pretty. I have this plan in mostly sun. It gets some shade in the afternoon.


text:
Q: Code works as a query, produces syntax error with currentdb.execute I have the following code:

    v_sql = "INSERT INTO tbl_eval_general ( id_empleado, id_evaluador, id_tipo_evaluación ) " & _
    "SELECT Empleado_bloques.id_empleado, Empleado_bloques.id_evaluador, Empleado_bloques.id_tipo_evaluación " & _
    " FROM Tipo_evaluación INNER JOIN Empleado_bloques ON Tipo_evaluación.id_tipo_evaluación = Empleado_bloques.id_tipo_evaluación " & _
    " WHERE (((Empleado_bloques.id_empleado)= " & Me.id_empleado & "));"
        CurrentDb.Execute v_sql, dbFailOnError

This is what v_sql gets:

    INSERT INTO tbl_eval_general ( id_empleado, id_evaluador, id_tipo_evaluación )
    SELECT Empleado_bloques.id_empleado, Empleado_bloques.id_evaluador, Empleado_bloques.id_tipo_evaluación
    FROM Tipo_evaluación INNER JOIN Empleado_bloques ON Tipo_evaluación.id_tipo_evaluación = Empleado_bloques.id_tipo_evaluación
    WHERE (((Empleado_bloques.id_empleado)= 125));

If I copy and paste the resulting code as SQL and create a query, it works. However, when running the code, it works (the record is created) and then I get this error message:

    Run-time error '3075:
    Syntax error (missing operator) in query expression 'INSERT INTO
    tbl_eval_general (id_empleado, id_evaluador, id_tipo_evaluación)
    SELECT Empleado_bloques.id_empleado,
    Empleado_bloques, id_evaluador,
    Empleado_bloques.id_bpo_evaluadón FROM Tipo_evaluación INNER
    JOIN Empleado_bloques ON Tipo_evaluadón.id_bpo_evaluaóón =
    Empleado_bloques.id tipo evaluación WHERE

It matches the code generated by Access using the query editor. I would appreciate any idea on why a query could work on the editor but not in Currentdb.execute.
Thanks a lot.
Armando.

A: I found the error. It was a silly mistake. I used the same v_sql variable on a DLOOKUP later in the code. The v_sql had the INSERT code I posted above. DLOOKUP was generating the error message because it was expecting just the condition.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Dozers are useful pieces of equipment if you need to level ground or create an in filled area of ground quickly and efficiently. Due to this their popularity in the construction and civil engineering industries have been invaluable for many years and are still widely used through out the industry.
Our Dozer training course covers a number of topics and is CITB Approved.


(Nagamani – my wife and my associate in Kennedy High School that we managed together. She passed away on January the 17th two years ago. She was fifty then. I started my blog a year and a half back documenting my memories of our thirty-four years of married life. On the eve of her second memorial I put across my gratitude for her and how much my children and I miss her).
'It has been two years since my wife was laid to rest. Although I have fairly settled, indulging in a motley of hobbies to scare away my solitary existence. It started from a month, for no useful reason, I tried to figure out what changes I saw in myself since then. My introspection revealed a few healthy-looking adaptive regimens. One good nature I have developed: the fine art of remembering, the efforts I'm investing in recollecting and conserving the episodes of the years we spent together'.
I carved out an emotional box to collect, the treasured memories of the past and dreams of the future. I never missed a day, to forgather the peaks and barbs we shared – all the subtle affairs: laughter, pains, and happiness. These intimate elements bound us together as a thread enwrapped gave us a sense of safety for our children, you and me.
I gathered every day, from the nostalgic past, like a gardener who plucks out flowers, with a good touch. I sieved out all the negativities picking only the guiding blossoms of our common understanding. It helped me to remind the responsibilities you left me to handle – the care and comfort of our children and grandchildren. You have shown the way, 'I'm first to understand them' type of attitude you stressed in the conversations about our grown-ups Neelima and Aditya. Today, I follow with patience, the same guidelines. Although it seemed impossible to create a mother like you, the love you reserved for them, I learned in two years, how much of experience and patience and caring you have forged around them. I took a chapter out of your silent teachings about being sensitive for our children. I resolved, with all my mighty attentiveness, never to let into their thoughts, 'Our mother is not with us.' I also showed them the fine memories I have been collecting in my treasured box as essays of hope for the future and hard truths of the past. It's put together as a colored collage I'm composing as heartily as I can. My idea, I believed, whenever they long for you, whatever the time of day, they can hold close to their tired minds the worded tapestry of their mother's valiancy.
The box is full of muses and memories of our family. Which I enjoyed with you, I take them as my best doctrines which I carry on as a norm. The past when I bring it forward I find it brimming with the lessons you taught me: the cautions you forewarned when my mind took a wayward course; the image of charity you have modeled. There are like threads of foothold so intertwined, when the days seemed dull, mind sunk to a bottom of hollowness, they weaved a cord of forbearance to prop me up.
I knew it had jammed you with unshared fears when my business proposals are adventurously risky. In every crisis, you counterbalanced my rashness with your well-timed prudence. Call it your spiritual vision or intuition only a woman like you can own. At such slippery moments, your actions are like a gear stick in an automobile. It controlled the speed according to terrain and slope: something like the upheavals we have had tamed whatever the stormy situations. I remembered you sat next to me; a tenacious companion at all times, when the road ahead looked up troubled, facing the uncertain, distant view.
Although, slowly, I took time, to remain balanced impervious to sting and singe of your memories and your absence. My honest belief in meditation, an urge not to become a slave to unproductive emotions prompted a shift in my thinking, my stance looking at my loneliness. Again your lessons of courage, insights you spoke about the spiritual trust, helped me to keep going with a comfortable nerve. Today I see myself more resilient, and stronger. The similar traits I learned from you; your courageous conviction, you uncomplaining doctrine – none of us, who are taking care of you, shouldn't wither in sadness. Even in your cancer treatment, though your suffering ran deep, your assurance for us never faltered. You're singularly a formidable rebel for a more dreadful disease, cancer – unafraid, never self-conscious throwing yourself combatting it.
Two little ones, with their glowing faces, searching eyes, will never know they arrived two years behind time. They will never see the beautiful smile of their grandmother. I imagined the two toddlers giggling looking at your photographs, clapping their tiny hands, waving their arms. How I wished you would come back hoist them into your arms; Kaushal, the oldest suddenly nudged me. I come out of my relishing reverie. My little trip down the wishful memories interrupted, hurtling me back to reality. It's a painful certainty; they never can reach your embracing hands caressing them. Kaushal and Abhiram, our grandchildren, are the two miracles; bundles of joy are the annexes of our two children – Aditya and Neelima. Aradhya was the lucky one who enjoyed your caress, smelt the fragrance of your affections.
Silent remembering is a form of a prayer. Although I bring myself together, early mornings, late evenings, to stay free in a state of serene solitude. I'm washed over by optimism I'm not alone at all; I'm deeply engrossed in recalling the glorious days. Memories go past by our daughter's wedding celebrations, in our son's Aditya marriage event, confined to a wheelchair, the way you organized everything with 'I never give up' attitude. The very many school's events, meetings, charity assignments, music, spiritual gatherings, mystifying life confessions – gather in my mind like spindles of yarn all mixed up, in sober colors. And I sit and extract, identify each thread, seek to decipher the magic embedded. Holding the colorful threads of our past, meticulously, I'm on an enduring mission – translate the faithful memories to a draft of written words.
I suffer from a maddening passion. Looking back make me queasy, but it's not the way I want to remember you. I want to live in the present and write about the past what I see now, how I survived. It's something similar to weaving a thread locating its origins retrospectively –examination of the roller-coaster ride in the entirety of our three decades of life together. In my writings, I discovered a renewed relationship with you. A new you. I'm telling our story publicly, to the people I liked, to the people who admired you, and I want everyone else to know about you – what a courageously beautiful soul you are. How reverentially I just wanted to pay my homage to you and celebrate the person you are. And helping along myself with the memories that will stay with me till I live. And, in my writings forever.


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A laser-cut wood medal engraved with an image of a chalice and Eucharist on one side and the reverse reads "Sweet Sacrament, we thee adore." These medals are lightweight and silent so they're perfect for carrying where silence is golden! They're ideal for pinning to a visor or hanging from your rearview mirror.
They're available in two sizes: small and large. The small medal measures 1 inch tall.


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My photos are genuine. I am a naturally sensuous beach beauty.
I am all built in to a passion for pleasure.
This is all you need to know before you go to a place that men rarely ever witness Paradise.
Are you looking to be spoiled ?
Is that what you looking for ?
If so, I hope you call me.
I want to please you, I am high class and will only be treated with the utmost of respect. I will provide you with great service and treat you like my boyfriend. I promise that you will love that and never forget the special memories.


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Now displaying: September, 2019
Gary Husband - Drum To Your Own Beat 0
"I'm in awe of what we all are as human beings and what we all have the capacity to do."
Gary Husband has had an interesting and varied career it would seem. He began playing with Allan Holdsworth in the late 70's — 79' if I am not mistaken — John McLaughlin, Billy Cobham, Todd Sucherman, Randy Brecker and the list goes on and on. The man has experienced so much as a musician and so to have him on this podcast was certainly an honor.
Gary began playing piano at a young age and was classically trained. There was a lot of theory, practice and no shortage of confinement. It wasn't until he found the drums that he saw freedom. I wonder if freedom to express came more easily on the piano after he had spent time learning the drums? Either way, he is brilliant on both instruments and is recognized for his ability which is apparent given the company he keeps.
Aside from being a sideman for so many unbelievable artists, Gary is also a bandleader and has released many works under his name and other project-based recordings. One such band was Gary Husband's Drive which released a record called "Hotwired". With that record, Gary wanted to pay a little nod to some of the drumming greats who were bandleaders as well who influenced him. He also recorded an album where he interpreted Allan Holdsworth's music and one where he interpreted John McLaughlin. I highly recommend checking these out as well as "A Meeting of Spirits".
Gary's new video cast series and some of the philosophies within it and why he decided to make it.
Not seeing yourself for who you really are.
Using our intuition to be responsible but also free in music.
Why having a personality prone to serving others makes for a better musician.
Are there aspects about being a musician that can't be taught?
How musicians can find enjoyment in music they don't enjoy playing.
Managing our expectations.
This is a conversation with one of the finest musicians in the world. With that being said, I think that this is more than worth your time to check out. We get deep with topics that are hard to quantify and explain but we try to make sense of what he, and to a lesser extent, I understand. It is nice to have this type of conversation with someone as warm and thoughtful as Gary. This conversation encourages us to think more for ourselves.
That is what I feel this episode brings forward. It's a couple of perspectives about some things that we as musicians experience but may find difficulty expressing into words. But what is important is that we decide for ourselves what we want out of this and pursue that was honest intentions.
Gary Husband's Drive: Hotwired
Angel's Over City Square
Heaven In My Hands
Gary's Socials
Damani & Stixx - The Duo Behind DrumTrax 0
"People talk about what makes money as if it's the same thing as being good!"
Damani and Somadhi (AKA Stixx) are the people behind the very popular DrumTrax app. With nearly 40,000 users, together they have created an exceptional service for drummers all over the world to jam to tracks created for FREE! They also host their podcast called "Drum Code" where they have had guests such as Eric Moore II and Devin Sumner. In addition to guest interviews, they often have solo shows where they explore deep subject matter that many of us likely consider regularly. They are also involved musically together in their band called Mino Yanci.
They also offer lessons through their DrumTrax YouTube channel where both Stixx and Damani share lessons and concepts to consider and apply within your drumming.
I have seen their tracks being used for online content all over social media for quite some time now. Very recently, Juan Carlito Mendoza performed and taught lessons at Drumeo. One of the tracks Juan performed to was, in fact, a tune composed by Damani titled "Odd Movements". This tune is one among many drumless tracks featured within the DrumTrax app.
The origins of the DrumTrax app, which takes us all the way back to Mike Johnston's DrumLab.
Smoke and mirrors. What we see online vs what things really are.
Musicians who work hard at their craft in hopes of earning a lot of money vs for the sake of art.
Damani's belief that by proclaiming you are a "pocket drummer" is a limiting belief.
The Dunning-Kruger effect.
Facing your own insecurities and dealing with them.
Managing your expectations with making music/performing.
Learning how to become an instrument of creativity.
The importance of serving through music.
This episode is FILLED with inspiration. Stixx and Damani share their points of view on intentions with art. They express their discontent for anyone who explores music for the sake of money and fame. We talk about insecurities, managing our expectations and why we shouldn't stop developing once we feel we have learned enough.
Towards the end of this episode, the conversation is truly impactful. We talk about how music and creativity flow through us and that we must allow that to happen without getting in the way. It gets a bit spiritual but from where I view this, and them too, making art IS about spirituality. It may not seem that way for everyone. For some, it may just be about learning, executing, listening, and essentially being a team player. But for some, it goes deeper than that. In my experiences music has always moved me in a way that I have difficulty explaining. It is powerful and it is a blessing that should be held with high esteem.
By learning and developing skills, it allows us to respond to what comes through us. As Paul Wertico said numerous times in a recent episode, "the music plays me". I believe that you will powerfully receive this message. This and many other parts of the conversation struck a strong response from these gentlemen and myself.
An assortment of DrumTrax app tracks
DrumTrax's Socials
Samantha Landa - The Truth About Being A Female Drummer 0
"For me, I agree that we don't want to be a novelty"
Sam is the drummer of melodic death/thrash metal band Dead Asylum and writer for Drumeo. She has toured a lot in her twenty years of playing the drums, including Europe and all over North America. Originally from Vancouver, Canada, Sam now lives in Montreal where she works from home and can take her work life on the road as well.
I asked Sam to be on the show for a couple of reasons. One being the fact that we actually work together. She is the person who takes these show notes and posts them to Drumeo Beat each week. We frequently email due to our work but have never had a conversation, so I thought to myself, "why not establish that connection over a podcast!?" The other reason is because I have interviewed only a handful of women on this show and I want to feature more women on this podcast.
Sam exhibits a great deal of professionalism through her drumming and her writing. Her career is a fantastic example of the modern drummer fusing more than one skill into creating a sustainable career within this often difficult industry.
Sam endorses Sabian Cymbals, Mapex Drums and Los Cabos Drumsticks.
The reality of being a female drummer
Why Sam chose drums and about her formative years as a drummer
External vs Internal motivation
Risk vs reward
Being an eternal student with music
Metalhead culture
Living with your own work for long periods of time
I think that in many people's minds there is an elephant in the room when it comes to female drummers. Maybe a couple. Both are addressed in this episode. One being the reality of being a female drummer in an industry that is - and has largely been - dominated by men for many years. What do these women have to put up with from the ignorance of both women and men? It must become incredibly frustrating to hear such things as, "oh, you must be the singer!", or "oh how nice, is this snare drum a gift for your boyfriend?" It hasn't quite become a thing yet where when people see a woman carrying drum equipment that it might actually belong to them. Imagine that!
The other point mentioned is in regards to objectifying women. Again, it is a male dominated industry. So, it shouldn't come as a surprise that many people watching women play drums are men. I think you know where I am going with this — don't you? Yes, the age old saying, "men are pigs", while it shouldn't be a generalization, still holds for many men. Sam shares the odd requests that she receives privately from guys. It does enforce the saying mentioned above and, unfortunately, she is treated this way. While the frequency of these requests aren't disclosed, the fact that it happens at all is disappointing. I hope that the men who listen to this show, which is the majority audience, considers this and if they do happen to see something online publicly that is unacceptable that something is said to prevent this from happening more than it already does.
Dead Asylum - Death Always Wins
Sam's Socials
Siros Vaziri - Your Phone Is Calling You ... 0
"Can you become a better person and simultaneously help your surroundings and improve other people's lives? Then you got it all figured out! Now just keep doing that day in day out and enjoy it. That's how you live a good life, I think."
Siros Vaziri is a Swedish drummer and entrepreneur. He is one of the very few who have managed to exist on social media and turn his online presence into a business within the drumming community. With a highly engaged audience on Instagram and Facebook, Siros has painstakingly ensured that he inspires his audience to find more productivity and personal growth in their lives.
His original concept, "Fill Of The Day", blew up gaining him a tremendous audience. This method of direct teaching was just the beginning of his journey of creating an online business. He then began creating a la carte products that contained lessons that pushed the level of quality up from his regular social media posts. Since then, he has been gigging, hosting drum camps at his studio, diving headfirst into physical fitness and nutrition, and most recently his newest endeavor "Daily Drum Bites" which is a subscription-based service.
Siros never ceases to amaze me due to his dedication to his path. He is constantly evolving and showing us the power of proper social media management and entrepreneurship. For someone in their early twenties, Siros is a fantastic role model for all people in this community. He demonstrates that if we stick to something, over time a net positive result is possible.
Siros endorses Tama, Meinl Cymbals, Evans and Promark.
Siros' new subscription service "Daily Drum Bites"
How people connect with online branding
The reality of subscriber/follower counts vs paying customers and super fans
Thoughts about why people place such a low value on online media
Smartphone addiction and the benefits to disciplined usage and mono tasking
Siros' average screen time on his smartphone
The virtues of social media and communicating with our audience
Siros' journey to healthier living through good nutrition and exercise
The long-term virtues of investing in yourself even when it doesn't give you a direct monetary return
This episode contains a lot of conversations that are often avoided in our community. I have been asked personally by aspiring content creators on how to start something like a podcast. Almost every single time the idea of monetization is brought into question. I always suggest to people that this is not the thing we need to aspire towards. Consider the early stages of content creating a free education rather than giving things away. Eventually, you will learn a lot about how this is done and perhaps an opportunity will come as a result. But most importantly you must LOVE what you are doing and treat it as a nice hobby in the beginning.
Another part of this conversation that really bears tremendous value is the topic of mono-tasking within a world of smartphone addiction. It is true that many of us have an issue with ignoring our phones because they are always calling us. I personally feel that our quality of life becomes deeply affected by this addiction. There is nothing wrong with the phones themselves and in many cases, it is a tremendously powerful and helpful technology to make our lives more interesting and engaging. But we MUST maintain a sense of discipline of ourselves when it comes to this. Between these two topics alone, this podcast is something you really need to check out.
Siros' Socials
Paul Wertico - The Music Plays Me 0
"I feel pretty fearless because of all the crazy stuff I've done. But it's also just trust and life is life and you kinda just go with the flow. And that is what makes life interesting ya know? If it's predictable then I think you lose the now."
Paul Wertico is a performer, teacher, bandleader, and clinician. He is a seven time Grammy award winner, Readers Poll winner for Modern Drummer magazine and DRUM! Magazine, 2004 Chicago Tribune "2004 Chicagoan of the Year" among many other lifetime accolades. He is most famously known as Pat Metheny's drummer for 18 years but should not be pigeon-holed into only that role. He is also a bandleader for his Paul Wertico Trio and improvisational trio Wertico, Cain, and Grey. He is highly experimental with his approach and the instruments he tends to use during his performances including bizarre cymbals, kitchen sinks, and other strange percussion instruments. Claiming that "music plays me", Paul is a devout musician who lives for the moment of what music can bring.
In this episode, we will hear about many of his deep philosophies on performing on the drums, how the human element of imperfection brings out the real beauty in art, how we can become more confident and rooted in what we as artists connect with, and much more!
Paul endorses DW Drums, ProMark, Remo and Shure.
Paul's adventures in Russia, Spain, Italy and China this summer.
Paul's high energy levels at the age of 66 even after recently needing surgery for two heart stints. He left for Spain three days later.
The time Paul flew a Robin aircraft as a reward for getting a fan an extra Pat Metheny ticket.
The grey areas in music and art that brings life and character to any given work.
Letting the music play you.
What a "front beat" is.
How we as drummers can tap into what connects us to our playing confidently.
Learning how to judge what your playing ACTUALLY sounds like while you play.
People should pay close attention to his philosophies about the relationship between life and the flow of it in particular. If there are musicians out there that have a lot of knowledge and understanding of vocabulary but feel like they aren't allowing their creativity to flow out of them, you will find this episode particularly helpful. He also shares his perspectives on phrasing ideas with his coined term "front beat" and how that can bring forward a stronger sense of time and pulse within the music.
Beyond that, Paul is simply a nice person to listen to. He is incredibly thoughtful, filled with great stories to enhance his perspectives, and is incredibly experienced with this art form. He has been featured on many podcasts in the past, so if this episode interests you, I would recommend checking out any other podcasts that he has been a guest on.
Music featured in this episode:
"Another Side" - Paul Wertico Trio
A Slow Stroll Round a Black Hole
Ain't No Thing
The Noisy Neighbour
O Man
"Short Cuts: 40 Improvisations" - Wertico, Cain & Grey
In a Sea of Souls
Photo cred: George Burrows "Drummer Photographer"
Paul's Socials


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A man was zip-tied at gunpoint and set on fire by at least three people who stole his vehicle in Northern California, according to the Sutter County Sheriff's…
A man was zip-tied at gunpoint and set on fire by at least three people who stole his vehicle in Northern California, according to the Sutter County Sheriff's Office. (Getty Images)
Hampden County
Hampden Police reminds everyone about gun safety
HAMPDEN, Mass. (WWLP) – An incident in Hampden Saturday is highlighting the importance of following gun storage regulations and safety procedures.
One person seriously injured in two-car accident in Agawam
Hampden Police told 22News that a properly stored gun was left in a locked case on top of a car, and the gun did fall off of the car. However, because the gun was properly stored according to Massachusetts Law, the gun did not go off and was retrieved by the owner.
Massachusetts law states "all guns must be stored in a locked container or equipped with a tamper-resistant mechanical lock or other safety device." Massachusetts recommends that firearms are stored unloaded and ammunition is stored in a separate locked compartment. A gun that is transported in a car that is not under the direct control of the gun owner must be stored unloaded in a locked case, secure container, or locked trunk.
Massachusetts residents must be 15 years or older to obtain a firearms license which are issued by municipal police departments.


Because structural integrity is so crucial to the safe operation of aircraft, their bodies are regularly inspected for signs of faults such as stress fractures. Some of these fractures can be virtually invisible to the human eye, so scientists are looking into the use of permanently-installed sensors, that would continuously provide information on the state of various parts of the aircraft. Given that one commercial airliner could potentially utilize hundreds of these sensors, however, running wiring to all of them could get quite complex. Using battery-operated sensors is one option, although ground crews would be constantly checking and changing batteries, plus it would be wasteful. Researchers from EADS Germany and the Vienna Institute of Technology now think they might have a better alternative - self-powered sensors that wirelessly transmit data.
The new sensors run on electricity produced by a thermoelectric energy harvester, built into each unit. At the heart of the harvester is a small water tank. The water will take on the temperature of the warmer air at ground level, and maintain that temperature as the plane ascends into the colder higher altitudes. The harvester is subjected to the difference in temperature between the warmer water and the colder outer wall of the sensor, and uses that temperature gradient to create electricity.
After spending some time aloft, the water will cool down. Electricity is then created on the way back down, based on the difference between the colder water and the warmer outer wall. During those times when there is no considerable temperature difference between the two, the sensors are able to run on power stored by the harvesters. One harvester could reportedly produce eight to ten milliwatt hours of energy on one flight, which would be enough to run one of the sensors.
Because the sensors transmit their data wirelessly, this means that holes wouldn't need to be drilled through the aircraft in order to run wires. Less holes would make for a stronger aircraft, while the elimination of wires and/or batteries would also make for a lighter one.
The EADS and Vienna scientists believe that their sensors could even be used to run other simple electrical functions on airliners, such as passenger seatbelt monitors, or flight attendant call buttons.
This research is reminiscent of work currently being done at New York's Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. A student there is designing sensors that could be placed on the outside of submarines, wirelessly sending data and receiving power through the vessels' metal hulls.


The lounge at the Institute for Women and Gender Studies at the University of Toronto came alive with an excited group of about 50 people, students, alumnae (Sara Mohammed and Danielle Smith) friends, (Mr. Rampersaud Tiwari, Inderpal Wig)) parents (Samina Jamal) and faculty (Alissa Trotz, Jin-Kyung Park, Marieme Lo, June Larkin) assembled for the panel discussion, Reflections: Medicinal Plants and Healing Practices.
Eight students (Shequita Thompson, Jesse Crombeen, Jenny Eun Young Choi, Jeff Tanaka, Zainab Jamal, Chelsea Fung, Minnu Tom and Simone Akyianu) represented their peers from two courses, Migrations of the Sacred and Aboriginal, Black and Immigrant Women in the Land of Dollars, both of which focused on the voice of subjects who do not appear to be subjects at all—Plants. They talked about their three month journey over the course of the semester, the plants they had chosen to research, the sacred lives of communities of women in various parts of the world, their initial skepticism about whether plants had anything at all to teach them about gender, race, class and the politics of migration, and how that skepticism morphed into new understandings of the ways in which their own lives were mirrored in the essence of plants.
I do not know where to begin, except to say how thankful I am for having the opportunity to engage with Professor Alexander and the rest of my peers throughout the semester, and more particularly at the Reflections gathering. Several of my peers shared their journey of writing, researching and getting to know "their" plant. Listening to those who presented before me, I realized my own story was only bits and pieces of every one else's. I was able to see where our truths overlap, and where they became blurry and sometimes tainted by our own fears. When it was time for me to share my own experience with the willow, I was nervous, but I knew that I also had to take a risk. And I am glad that I did. Sharing what the willow taught me was one of the hardest things I have ever done. It was also a necessary part of the healing and self- care the willow had opened up for me. At the end of the night, I noticed everyone just standing around each other, not saying a lot, and yet saying so much. No one wanted to leave. Papers, exams, final tests lurking in the background, and yet no one wanted to leave. It was beautiful. I remember thinking to myself: I have just experienced something I want so badly to hold onto. I am a human being, and I crave the love, knowledge, support and presence of others. I thank Professor Alexander for this. For bringing us all together to share and to connect in a way that we did not want to separate, and where we each saw a bit of ourselves in the Other. I think that is one of the most important things I have taken from the evening and from writing the book altogether.
The Jujuba trees, and all other medicinal plants, embody physical, emotional, mental and spiritual restoration. Their fluidity can mend our fragmentation and soothe the pain that arises from not remembering or not knowing what we have forgotten.. Reflections was a night where our personal journeys became a collective spiritual weave, embracing different sources of knowledge and wisdom, especially those that come from various communities, oral histories, as well as the medicinal plants themselves. We spoke to our shared desire for wholeness and healing by acknowledging the uncertainty that accompanies all of us in the journey. I witnessed how the plants were, have been, and will continue to do the healing work that they were meant to do. . . bringing communities together and creating histories of wholeness and restoration.
I can't adequately explain how disenchanted and frustrated I was with all I had experienced in the academy, but this class has really reinvigorated me, and provided me with so much valuable knowledge. I realize how much thinking I now have to do, for the sacred is something I've consistently discredited and I now know how much value it holds. . .The ginkgo is working to heal my amnesia, the deep ancient contours of its leaves are still bringing me to the mixed-race stories of my ancestry. Reflections allowed me to share the urgency of these stories; and created a place to put forth the forgotten stories of my genealogy. By sharing with my classmates, I was able to restore the sacred to my memory, actively contradicting the academic spaces that have long discounted the sacred spiritual knowledge of Black, Indigenous and immigrant women. The conversation allowed me to value the ginkgo's teachings, a reminder of the ways in which I often devalue living things, such as ginkgo, that are not human. By hearing the stories of others I was reminded of my own complicity in the [current] environmental degradation. The gingko and the evening of reflection reminded me that we must put effort into re-examining the very foundation of the processes upon which our society, our ways of knowing, and our lives are built.
When my classmates and I were first assigned a project dealing with women and the sacred and spiritual uses of plants . . . I knew immediately that I wanted to explore the sacred dimensions of frankincense, familiar to me as part of my cultural inheritance as a diasporic Somali woman. I wanted to delve into the classical histories of the Horn of Africa, of the female pharaoh Hatsheput's voyage to Somalia—the land of Punt—to collect frankincense and myrrh. I wanted to describe the frankincense induced trances and offerings of the women of the saar cult, to cast out the spirits causing spiritual and physical pain to affected women. I wanted to acknowledge my own subjectivity as someone brought up within a Somali cultural context, without compromising the distance of the academic historian's approach to the study of frankincense as an 'object' of inquiry. This approach would change, however, when I found myself in Ottawa after the death of my 20 year old cousin Khalid and for the first time, the subject of tacsi (condolences) — now the bereaved family during the mourning period before burial, known as the geeri. Though I mostly kept to a bedroom upstairs with my siblings and cousins, all of us unwilling or unable to sit with the mourners downstairs or greet the hundreds who came by over those days to give their tacsi, I/we could not escape the burning incense that filled the house, a reminder of death and the otherworldly.
My involvement in Professor Alexander's course Aboriginal, Black and Immigrant Women in the Land of Dollars at the University of Toronto and as part of the Women and Gender Studies program, was an enlightening experience. Professor Alexander carries much wisdom and brings unconventional teaching methods to the university classroom. Students come together to learn from one another through sharing, coupled with readings that guide you through concepts and ideas that create points of intersection between different peoples in terms of race, class and gender. The main project, the creation of a book on a specific plant, brought the elements of stories, community and healing together as part of a process of decolonization and revitalizing Indigenous knowledges. As an Anishnaabe Kwe, from Southern Ontario, I chose to do work on my book about Giizhik, the Northern/Eastern White Cedar plant, which is also called the "Tree of Life" and is a sacred medicine of the Anishnaabe people. Through exploring the stories, art, and ceremonial practices, as well as the uses by other Indigenous and Non-Indigenous peoples involving cedar and other plants, I was able to really begin to understand and relate plant experiences to human experiences. In Anishnaabe philosophy everything is alive and connected, this is something I am comprehending more and more, and the experience I have had in this course has been one that has helped me along my journey in going beyond those limitations that I have had in past educational experiences. Chi Meegwetch!
So much happens when we move away from species dominance into the terrain of surrender to the knowledge that plants are poised to gift to us.
Tonight, the Migrations of the Sacred and Aboriginal, Black, and Immigrant Women in the Land of Dollars classes have gathered together to present the Tobago Center for the Study and Practice of Indigenous Spirituality with handmade books on medicinal plants. We hope you enjoy our books, which are little pieces of ourselves that we collectively present to you. We wish you all the best, and hope that the spiritual journeys that we have taken as we made our books provide you with the same experience as you read them. On behalf of my classmates, thank you for providing a perfect future home for our books. We know the sacred dimensions of our plants will be forever valued at the Center and we hope to come visit one day.
We mingled, ate, drank the tea of sorossi which Jane Montague made, each of us taking away seeds for planting, many chosen from the very plants the students had already brought into their lives. After some weeks, Chelsea Fung, Thuy Thi Bich Thi Truong, Victoria Frangione and Jenny Eun Young Choi carefully wrapped the books for shipping—Mark Chatarpal, as always, the faithful photographer.
This past weekend, the alternative education initiative Lost Lyrics hosted the conference The Roots of the Rose which marked their five-year anniversary. On Saturday June 2, Ryerson University's Student Learning Centre was bustling with attendees eager to share in the discussion on the symposium's theme: Building an Alternative Education Movement. Ideas were shared through workshops and lectures on hip hop education, indigenous knowledge, understanding money, gender and race, among other topics. This conference facilitated meaningful dialogue between educators, community leaders, artists and community members. It also presented a profound challenge to conventional thought about education and provided the intellectual tools to re-conceptualize it, particularly for people of colour. The following day at the Art Gallery of Ontario, the conference culminated in the Live Report Card presentation by the graduates of the Lost Lyrics program in the form of art, music and dance.
Dr. Darrick Smith is an American educator and founder of the alternative education program TryUMF (Trying to Uplift My Folks). He gave a passionate lecture where he explored mainstream and alternative forms of education, capitalism and social justice issues with emphasis on the continued struggle of people of colour in navigating the education system.
Spontaneous jam sessions took place outside of the lecture halls and classrooms. Nothing could more naturally embody one of Lost Lyrics' aims — the marriage of education with various forms of artistic expression.
Pastor David Lewis-Peart and Sarah Beech of Seed II Soil facilitated an interactive workshop exploring the meaning of money. They challenged popular notions and debunked myths about its value with the aim of encouraging critical thought about people's attitudes towards money.
As part of a course, four former students of University of Toronto Professor Jacqui Alexander (pictured below) were required to pick a plant of personal significance in order to explore diasporic experiences. They each revealed their individual experiences of this process which — in becoming a spiritual journey — transcended their academic goals.
An attendee displays jujube seeds passed around by a speaker as she spoke about what the tree meant for her in the exploration of her Korean ancestry. As an amusing anecdote, she recounted being made to drink jujube tea as a child which her grandmother believed would tame her spirited nature.
Professor Jacqui Alexander (right) expressed complete gratitude for everyone's attendance explaining in good humour that the dropout rate for her course had been high. She is also the Founding Director of the Tobago Center for the Study and Practice of Indigenous Spirituality and along with a dedicated team, she is currently undertaking a project to grow and catalogue medicinal plants in Tobago.
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Maggy also took took to the canvas during her two week stay, leaning on the magic of the Land to create beauty.