bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
ClinicNet: machine learning for personalized clinical order set recommendations
Authors: Wang Jonathan X , Sullivan Delaney K , Wells Alex C , Chen Jonathan H
Published: June 2020

Objective

This study assesses whether neural networks trained on electronic health record (EHR) data can anticipate what individual clinical orders and existing institutional order set templates clinicians will use more accurately than existing decision support tools.

Materials and Methods

We process 57 624 patients worth of clinical event EHR data from 2008 to 2014. We train a feed-forward neural network (ClinicNet) and logistic regression applied to the traditional problem structure of predicting individual clinical items as well as our proposed workflow of predicting existing institutional order set template usage.

Results

ClinicNet predicts individual clinical orders (precision = 0.32, recall = 0.47) better than existing institutional order sets (precision = 0.15, recall = 0.46). The ClinicNet model predicts clinician usage of existing institutional order sets (avg. precision = 0.31) with higher average precision than a baseline of order set usage frequencies (avg. precision = 0.20) or a logistic regression model (avg. precision = 0.12).

Discussion

Machine learning methods can predict clinical decision-making patterns with greater accuracy and less manual effort than existing static order set templates. This can streamline existing clinical workflows, but may not fit if historical clinical ordering practices are incorrect. For this reason, manually authored content such as order set templates remain valuable for the purposeful design of care pathways. ClinicNet’s capability of predicting such personalized order set templates illustrates the potential of combining both top-down and bottom-up approaches to delivering clinical decision support content.

Conclusion

ClinicNet illustrates the capability for machine learning methods applied to the EHR to anticipate both individual clinical orders and existing order set templates, which has the potential to improve upon current standards of practice in clinical order entry.
A Multicenter Evaluation of Outcomes Following the Use of Nebulized Heparin for Inhalation Injury (HIHI2 Study)
Authors: Cox Courtney L , McIntire Allyson M , Bolton Kimberly J , Foster David R , Fritschle Andrew C , Harris Serena A , Pape Kate O , Whitten Jessica A , Harman Brett C , Sood Rajiv , Walroth Todd A
Published: June 2020

Inhalation injury causes significant morbidity and mortality secondary to compromise of the respiratory system as well as systemic effects limiting perfusion and oxygenation. Nebulized heparin reduces fibrin cast formation and duration of mechanical ventilation in patients with inhalation injury. To date, no study has compared both dosing strategies of 5000 and 10,000 units to a matched control group. This multicenter, retrospective, case-control study included adult patients with bronchoscopy-confirmed inhalation injury. Each control patient, matched according to age and percent of total body surface area, was matched to a patient who received 5000 units and a patient who received 10,000 units of nebulized heparin. The primary endpoint of the study was duration of mechanical ventilation. Secondary endpoints included 28-day mortality, ventilator-free days in the first 28 days, difference in lung injury scores, length of hospitalization, incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia, and rate of major bleeding. Thirty-five matched patient trios met inclusion criteria. Groups were well-matched for age (P = .975) and total body surface area (P = .855). Patients who received nebulized heparin, either 5000 or 10,000 units, had 8 to 11 less days on the ventilator compared to controls (P = .001). Mortality ranged from 3 to 14% overall and was not statistically significant between groups. No major bleeding events related to nebulized heparin were reported. Mechanical ventilation days were significantly decreased in patients who received 5000 or 10,000 units of nebulized heparin. Nebulized heparin, either 5000 units or 10,000 units, is a safe and effective treatment for inhalation injury.
Contact Hand Burns in Children: Still a Major Prevention Need
Authors: McBride Jaclyn M , Romanowski Kathleen S , Sen Soman , Palmieri Tina L , Greenhalgh David G
Published: June 2020

Since toddlers explore with their hands, contact burns continue to be a major pediatric problem. The purpose of this report is to review our 8-year experience with contact burns of the hand. After institutional review board approval, a review of pediatric contact hand burns that occurred between 2006 and 2014 was performed. In the 8-year span, 536 children had contact hand burns. The majority suffered burns from an oven or stove (120). The other etiologies included burns from a fireplace (76), clothing iron (65), curling or straightening iron (50), and firepit or campfire (46). The mean age was 2.62 years, with a range of 2 months to 18 years. Male children (339) burned their hands more than females (197). Most children burned the palmar aspect of their hand (384) compared to the dorsum (61). These burns typically cover small TBSAs (mean 1.08% TBSA), with only 2% of burns comprising >5% TBSA. Approximately, 84% of these patients did not need surgery, but 86 (16%) had skin grafting (usually full thickness) and roughly 26% of those needed reconstructive surgery. Contact burns to the hand continue to be a major problem for toddlers. Children are most likely to burn themselves on an oven or stove, fireplace, clothing iron or curling/straightening iron. The palmar surface of the hand is the most likely site. While most children do not require surgery, approximately 16% require grafting. A significant number of those patients need reconstructive surgery. Clearly, current prevention efforts have failed to reduce these injuries.
Appearance Concerns, Psychosocial Outcomes, and the Feasibility of Implementing an Online Intervention for Adolescents Receiving Outpatient Burn Care
Authors: Riobueno-Naylor Alexa , Williamson Heidi , Canenguez Katia , Kogosov Ann , Drexler Alana , Sadeq Farzin , DePamphilis Matthew , Holcomb Juliana M , Stoddard Frederick J , Lydon Martha , Murphy J Michael , Sheridan Robert L
Published: June 2020

The current study assessed the prevalence of appearance concerns, psychosocial difficulty, and use of an appearance-focused social and psychological support resource (Young Person’s Face IT; YPF) within a population of teens (12–17 year-olds) receiving outpatient burn care with the goal to assess the feasibility of routine use of the resource in outpatient burn care. The study sample included 78 patients ages 12 to 17 receiving outpatient care for burns at one hospital. Appearance concerns were measured via the Burn Outcomes Questionnaire Appearance Subscale, the Appearance Subscale of the Body Esteem Scale for Adolescents, and a 2-part question which asked participants directly about appearance concerns related to the burn injury. A large majority (70.0%) of study participants reported appearance concerns on at least one appearance measure and girls reported more burn-related appearance concerns compared with boys. Psychosocial difficulty was measured via the Pediatric Symptom Checklist-17 (PSC-17) and measures of social functioning were collected and compared within the sample by burn size, burn location, sex, and appearance concerns. Internalizing symptoms were prevalent on the PSC-17 (18.6% risk) and decreased self-worth and increased social anxiety symptoms were significantly associated with having appearance concerns. Although interest in YPF was high (78.3%), actual use of the resource among those who signed up to pilot it (n = 46 participants) was low (19.4% use). Results indicate that there is a need for and interest in appearance-focused social anxiety resources for adolescents with burn injuries such as YPF, but more research is needed to understand its feasibility in clinical practice.
Single-Center North American Experience of Liver Transplantation in Autoimmune Hepatitis: Infrequent Indication but Good Outcomes for Patients
Authors: de Quadros Onofrio Fernanda , Neong Evon , Adebayo Danielle , Kollmann Dagmar , Adeyi Oyedele Adewale , Fischer Sandra , Hirschfield Gideon Morris , Hansen Bettina Elisabeth , Bhat Mamatha , Galvin Zita , Lilly Leslie Blake , Selzner Nazia
Published: June 2020

Background and Aims

A 40% risk of disease recurrence post-liver transplantation (LT) for autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) has been previously reported. Risk factors for recurrence and its impact on long-term patient outcome are poorly defined. We aimed to assess prevalence, time to disease recurrence, as well as patient and graft survival in patients with recurrent AIH (rAIH) versus those without recurrence.

Methods

Single-center retrospective study of adult recipients who underwent LT for AIH between January 2007 and December 2017. Patients with AIH overlap syndromes were excluded.

Results

A total of 1436 LTs were performed during the study period, of whom 46 (3%) for AIH. Eight patients had AIH overlap syndromes and were excluded. Patients were followed up for 4.4 ± 3.4 years and mean age at LT was 46.8 years. Average transplant MELD (Model for End-Stage Liver Disease) score was 24.9. About 21% of patients (8 of 38) were transplanted for acute onset of AIH; 66% of patients (n = 25) received a deceased donor liver graft, and 34% a living donor organ. rAIH occurred in 7.8% (n = 3/38) of recipients. Time to recurrence was 1.6, 12.2 and 60.7 months. Patient and graft survival in patients without recurrence was 88.6% and 82.8% in 5 years, whereas in those with rAIH, it was 66.7%, respectively.

Conclusion

Although AIH recurs post-LT, our data indicate a lower recurrence rate when compared to the literature and excellent patient and graft survival.
Does hip preservation surgery prevent arthroplasty? Quantifying the rate of conversion to arthroplasty following hip preservation surgery
Authors: Sohatee Mark Andrew , Ali Mohammed , Khanduja Vikas , Malviya Ajay
Published: June 2020

Hip arthroscopic surgery for femoroacetabular impingement and periacetabular osteotomy (PAO) for dysplasia is the most commonly used contemporary treatment for these conditions and has been shown to provide pain relief and restore function. What is less understood and perhaps of more interest to health economists, is the role of these procedures in preserving the hip joint and avoiding hip arthroplasty. The aim of this systematic review was to determine whether hip joint preservation surgery, indeed, preserves the hip joint by looking at conversion rates to total hip arthroplasty (THA). Two separate searches were undertaken, using PRISMA guidelines and utilizing PubMed and Open Athens search engines, identifying manuscripts that looked at conversion to THA following either hip arthroscopy (HA) or PAO. When considering HA, we found 64 eligible papers. Out of these studies, there were 59 430 hips with 5627 undergoing conversion to THA (9.47% [95% CI 9.23–9.71%]) with a mean conversion time of 24.42 months. Regarding PAO, there were 46 eligible papers including 4862 patients who underwent PAO with subsequent conversion to THA in 404 patients (8.31% [95% CI 7.54–9.12%]). with a mean conversion time of 70.11 months. Certain features were associated with increased conversion rates, including increasing age, worsening arthritis and joint space <2 mm. This study demonstrates that the mean conversion rates to be <10% for HA and PAO, during the mean follow-up periods of included manuscripts. Joint preserving surgery appears to defer or at least delay the need for THA.
Odorant Binding Proteins and Chemosensory Proteins in Episyrphus balteatus (Diptera: Syrphidae): Molecular Cloning, Expression Profiling, and Gene Evolution
Authors: Jia Hui-Ru , Niu Lin-Lin , Sun Yu-Feng , Liu Yong-Qiang , Wu Kong-Ming
Published: June 2020

Aphidophagous syrphids (Diptera: Syrphidae) are important insects in agroecosystems for pollination and biological control. Insect chemoreception is essential for these processes and for insect survival and reproduction; however, molecular determinants is not well understood for these beneficial insects. Here, we used recent transcriptome data for the common hoverfly, Episyrphus balteatus, to characterize key molecular components of chemoreception: odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) and chemosensory proteins (CSPs). Six EbalCSPs and 44 EbalOBPs were cloned from this species, and sequence analysis showed that most share the characteristic hallmarks of their protein family, including a signal peptide and conserved cysteine signature. Some regular patterns and key conserved motifs of OBPs and CSPs in Diptera were identified using the online tool MEME. Motifs were also compared among the three OBP subgroups. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) showed that most of these chemosensory genes were expressed in chemosensory organs, suggesting these genes have chemoreceptive functions. An overall comparison of the Ka/Ks values of orthologous genes in E. balteatus and another predatory hoverfly species to analyze the evolution of these olfactory genes showed that OBPs and CSPs are under strong purifying selection. Overall, our results provide a molecular basis for further exploring the chemosensory mechanisms of E. balteatus, and consequently, may help us to understand the tritrophic interactions among plants, herbivorous insects, and natural enemies.
Randomized controlled Phase III trial to evaluate omentum preserving gastrectomy for patients with advanced gastric cancer (JCOG1711, ROAD-GC)
Authors: Sato Yuya , Yamada Takanobu , Yoshikawa Takaki , Machida Ryunosuke , Mizusawa Junki , Katayama Hiroshi , Tokunaga Masanori , Boku Narikazu , Terashima Masanori ,   Stomach Cancer Study Group/Japan Clinical Oncology Group
Published: June 2020

Gastrectomy with omentectomy and D2 lymph node dissection is the current standard procedure for locally advanced gastric cancer. However, some retrospective studies have reported that omentectomy increased post-operative abdominal complications but provided no survival advantage over omentum preservation. Therefore, we plan a randomized controlled phase III trial to confirm the non-inferiority of omentum preservation compared with omentectomy in patients with cT3 (SS) or cT4a (SE) gastric cancer. A total of 1050 patients will be enrolled from 62 institutions over a period of 6.5 years. The primary end point is relapse-free survival, and the secondary end points are overall survival, blood loss, operation time and adverse events. This trial has been registered at the UMIN Clinical Trials Registry as UMIN000036253.
Evaluation of Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness Among Young Children Receiving Consecutive Versus Nonconsecutive Vaccination During Influenza A(H3N2)-Predominant Seasons
Authors: Rao Suchitra , Moss Angela , Lamb Molly M , Asturias Edwin J
Published: June 2020

A test-negative case-control analysis of 1478 children aged 6 months to 8 years of age seeking care at an emergency/urgent care setting with influenza like illness during the 2016-17 and 2018-19 (H3N2 predominant) influenza seasons demonstrated that influenza vaccine effectiveness did not vary significantly by the prior seasons’ vaccination status.

Clinical Trials Registration

NCT02979626.
Shapes and alignments of dark matter haloes and their brightest cluster galaxies in 39 strong lensing clusters
Authors: Okabe Taizo , Oguri Masamune , Peirani Sébastien , Suto Yasushi , Dubois Yohan , Pichon Christophe , Kitayama Tetsu , Sasaki Shin , Nishimichi Takahiro
Published: June 2020

We study shapes and alignments of 45 dark matter (DM) haloes and their brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) using a sample of 39 massive clusters from Hubble Frontier Field (HFF), Cluster Lensing And Supernova survey with Hubble (CLASH), and Reionization Lensing Cluster Survey (RELICS). We measure shapes of the DM haloes by strong gravitational lensing, whereas BCG shapes are derived from their light profiles in Hubble Space Telescope images. Our measurements from a large sample of massive clusters presented here provide new constraints on DM and cluster astrophysics. We find that DM haloes are on average highly elongated with the mean ellipticity of 0.482 ± 0.028, and position angles of major axes of DM haloes and their BCGs tend to be aligned well with the mean value of alignment angles of 22.2 ± 3.9 deg. We find that DM haloes in our sample are on average more elongated than their BCGs with the mean difference of their ellipticities of 0.11 ± 0.03. In contrast, the Horizon-AGN cosmological hydrodynamical simulation predicts on average similar ellipticities between DM haloes and their central galaxies. While such a difference between the observations and the simulation may well be explained by the difference of their halo mass scales, other possibilities include the bias inherent to strong lensing measurements, limited knowledge of baryon physics, or a limitation of cold DM.
Relativistic, axisymmetric, viscous, radiation hydrodynamic simulations of geometrically thin discs. II. Disc variability
Authors: Mishra Bhupendra , Kluźniak Wlodek , Fragile P Chris
Published: June 2020

An analysis of two-dimensional viscous, radiation hydrodynamic numerical simulations of thin α-discs around a stellar mass black hole reveals multiple robust, coherent oscillations. Our disc models are initialized on both the gas- and radiation-pressure-dominated branches of the thermal equilibrium curve, with mass accretion rates between $\dot{M} = 0.01 L_\mathrm{Edd}/c^2$ and $10\, L_\mathrm{Edd}/c^2$. In the initially radiation-pressure-dominated disc, we confirm the presence of global inertial–acoustic oscillations of frequency slightly above the maximum radial epicyclic one. In the gas-pressure-dominated Schwarzschild-metric models, we find a velocity oscillation occurring at the maximum value of the radial epicyclic frequency, $3.5\times 10^{-3}\, t_\mathrm{g}^{-1}$, which is most likely a trapped fundamental g-mode. For the Kerr-metric, gas-pressure-dominated disc with dimensionless black hole spin parameter a* = 0.5, the mode frequency is well below the epicyclic frequency maximum, thus confirming that this oscillation is a trapped g-mode. Additionally, the total pressure fluctuations in the discs strongly suggest standing-wave p-modes with frequencies below the apparent g-mode frequency, some trapped in the inner disc close to the innermost stable circular orbit (ISCO), others present in the middle/outer parts of the disc. The strongest oscillations occur at the breathing oscillation frequency and are present in all the numerical models we report here, as are weaker velocity oscillations at the vertical epicyclic frequencies. The vertical oscillations show a 3:2 frequency ratio with oscillations occurring approximately at the radial epicyclic frequency, which could be of astrophysical importance in systems with observed twin peak, high-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations.
Where Did SARS-CoV-2 Come From?
Authors: Leitner Thomas , Kumar Sudhir
Published: June 2020

Identifying the origin of SARS-CoV-2, the etiological agent of the current COVID-19 pandemic, may help us to avoid future epidemics of coronavirus and other zoonoses. Several theories about the zoonotic origin of SARS-CoV-2 have recently been proposed. Although Betacoronavirus found in Rhinolophus bats from China have been broadly implicated, their genetic dissimilarity to SARS-CoV-2 is so high that they are highly unlikely to be its direct ancestors. Thus, an intermediary host is suspected to link bat to human coronaviruses. Based on genomic CpG dinucleotide patterns in different coronaviruses from different hosts, it was suggested that SARS-CoV-2 might have evolved in a canid gastrointestinal tract prior to transmission to humans. However, similar CpG patterns are now reported in coronaviruses from other hosts, including bats themselves and pangolins. Therefore, reduced genomic CpG alone is not a highly predictive biomarker, suggesting a need for additional biomarkers to reveal intermediate hosts or tissues. The hunt for the zoonotic origin of SARS-CoV-2 continues.
Standardized ileal digestible amino acids and net energy contents in full fat and defatted black soldier fly larvae meals (Hermetia illucens) fed to growing pigs
Authors: Crosbie Michelina , Zhu Cuilan , Shoveller Anna K , Huber Lee-Anne
Published: June 2020

Two experiments were conducted to determine standardized ileal digestibility (SID) of amino acids (AA; Exp. 1) and net energy (Exp. 2) in two black soldier fly larvae meal (BSFLM) samples [full fat (FF; 42.5% crude protein (CP), as-fed) and defatted (DF; 40.8% CP; as-fed)] for growing pigs. Two cornstarch-based diets were formulated with FF and DF BSFLM as the sole sources of AA. A nitrogen-free diet was also used, and the corn starch:sucrose:oil ratio was kept constant among diets to calculate digestible energy (DE) by difference method. In each experiment, pigs were fed 2.8 × estimated maintenance energy requirement. In Exp. 1, eight ileal-cannulated barrows (25.1 ± 0.41 kg initial body weight) were used in a replicated 2 × 2 Latin square design (n = 8). In each period, pigs were adapted to diets for 5 d followed by 2 d of continuous ileal digesta collection for 8 h. The SID of AA were calculated using basal endogenous losses for pigs fed a nitrogen-free diet. In Exp. 2, eight barrows [23.4 ± 0.54 kg initial body weight (BW)] were used in a partially replicated Latin square design (n = 8). In each period, pigs were adapted to diets for 7 d, followed by 5 d of total urine collection and fecal grab sampling. The SID of CP (80.6 ± 1.1%) and Lys (88.0 ± 1.4%) were not different between FF and DF BSFLM. The SID of Arg, Val, Ala, and Pro tended to be less, and the SID of Met tended to be greater for the FF versus the DF BSFLM (P = 0.034, 0.090, 0.053, 0.065, 0.074, respectively). Digestible energy (4,927 vs. 3,941 ± 75 kcal/kg), metabolizable energy (4,569 vs. 3,396 ± 102 kcal/kg), and predicted net energy (3,477 vs. 2,640 ± 30 kcal/kg, using equations from Noblet; 3,479 vs. 2,287 ± 28 kcal/kg, using equations from Blok, respectively) were greater for the FF versus the DF BSFLM (P < 0.05). The apparent total tract digestibility of neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber were greater for the FF versus the DF BSFLM (P ≤ 0.05). Both FF and DF BSFLM had high SID for most AA; however, FF BSFLM was a better source of net energy for growing pigs. Therefore, both FF and DF BSFLM could be used as protein alternatives in growing pig diets.
Overexpression of MdATG18a enhances alkaline tolerance and GABA shunt in apple through increased autophagy under alkaline conditions
Authors: Li Yuxing , Liu Chenlu , Sun Xun , Liu Boyang , Zhang Xiuzhi , Liang Wei , Huo Liuqing , Wang Peng , Ma Fengwang , Li Cuiying
Published: June 2020

Soil alkalization affects apple production in northwest China. Autophagy is a highly conserved degradative protein pathway in eukaryotes. Autophagy in plants can be activated by various abiotic factors. We previously identified the positive role of the autophagy-related gene MdATG18a in drought, nitrogen deficiency and resistance to Diplocarpon mali infection in apple. However, it is still unclear whether ATG18a is related to alkaline stress. In this study, we used hydroponic culture to simulate alkaline stress and found that the overexpression of MdATG18a significantly improved the tolerance of apple to alkaline stress. The overexpression of MdATG18a increased biomass, photosynthetic rate and antioxidant capacity of transgenic plants compared with wild-type plants under alkaline stress. The overexpression of MdATG18a promoted γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) shunt via an increase in glutamate (GABA precursor) and GABA contents and upregulation of GABA shunt-related genes. In addition, the overexpression of MdATG18a significantly upregulated the expression of other core ATG genes and increased the formation of autophagosomes under alkaline stress. In conclusion, these results suggest that the overexpression of MdATG18a in apple enhances alkaline tolerance and the GABA shunt, which may be owing to the increase in autophagic activity.
Ritual explained: interdisciplinary answers to Tinbergen's four questions
Authors: Legare Cristine H. , Nielsen Mark
Published: June 2020

Convergent developments across social scientific disciplines provide evidence that rituals are a psychologically prepared and culturally inherited behavioural hallmark of our species. The dramatic diversity of ritual practices ranges from simple greetings to elaborate religious ceremonies, from the benign to life-threatening. Yet our scientific understanding of this core human trait remains limited. Explaining the universality, functionality and diversity of ritual requires insight from multiple disciplines. This special issue integrates research from anthropology, archaeology, biology, primatology, cognitive science, psychology, religious studies and demography to build an interdisciplinary account of ritual. The objective is to contribute to an integrative explanation of ritual by addressing Tinbergen's four key questions. These include answering ultimate questions about the (i) phylogeny and (ii) adaptive functions of ritual; and proximate questions about the (iii) mechanisms and (iv) ontogeny of ritual. The intersection of these four complementary lines of inquiry yields new avenues for theory and research into this fundamental aspect of the human condition, and in so doing, into the coevolution of cognition and culture.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Ritual renaissance: new insights into the most human of behaviours’.
On the evolution of baboon greeting rituals
Authors: Dal Pesco Federica , Fischer Julia
Published: June 2020

To balance the trade-offs of male co-residence, males living in multi-male groups may exchange ritualized greetings. Although these non-aggressive signals are widespread in the animal kingdom, the repertoire described in the genusPapiois exceptional, involving potentially harmful behaviours such as genital fondling. Such greetings are among the most striking male baboon social interactions, yet their function remains disputed. Drawing on the comprehensive analysis from our own research on wild Guinea baboons, combined with a survey of the literature into other baboon species, we review the form and function of male–male ritualized greetings and their relation to the various social systems present in this genus. These ritualized signals differ between species in their occurrence, form and function. While ritualized greetings are rare in species with the most intense contest competition, the complexity of and risk involved in greeting rituals increase with the degree of male–male tolerance and cooperation. The variety of societies found in this genus, combined with its role as a model for human socioecological evolution, sheds light on the evolution of ritualized behaviour in non-human primates and rituals in humans.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Ritual renaissance: new insights into the most human of behaviours’.
Capuchin monkey rituals: an interdisciplinary study of form and function
Authors: Perry Susan , Smolla Marco
Published: June 2020

Many white-faced capuchin monkey dyads in Lomas Barbudal, Costa Rica, practise idiosyncratic interaction sequences that are not part of the species-typical behavioural repertoire. These interactions often include uncomfortable or risky elements. These interactions exhibit the following characteristics commonly featured in definitions of rituals in humans: (i) they involve an unusual intensity of focus on the partner, (ii) the behaviours have no immediate utilitarian purpose, (iii) they sometimes involve ‘sacred objects’, (iv) the distribution of these behaviours suggests that they are invented and spread via social learning, and (v) many behaviours in these rituals are repurposed from other behavioural domains (e.g. extractive foraging). However, in contrast with some definitions of ritual, capuchin rituals are not overly rigid in their form, nor do the sequences have specific opening and closing actions. In our 9260 h of observation, ritual performance rate was uncorrelated with amount of time dyads spent in proximity but (modestly) associated with higher relationship quality and rate of coalition formation across dyads. Our results suggest that capuchin rituals serve a bond-testing rather than a bond-strengthening function. Ritual interactions are exclusively dyadic, and between-dyad consistency in form is low, casting doubt on the alternative hypothesis that they enhance group-wide solidarity.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Ritual renaissance: new insights into the most human of behaviours’.
Spontaneous (minimal) ritual in non-human great apes?
Authors: Tennie Claudio , van Schaik Carel P.
Published: June 2020

The potential for rituals in non-human great apes (apes) is an understudied topic. We derive a minimal definition of ritual and then examine the currently available evidence for it in untrained and non-enculturated apes. First, we examine whether such apes show evidence for the two main components of our minimal definition of ritual: symbolism and copying. Second, we examine if there are actual cases already identifiable today that may fit all aspects of our minimal definition of ritual—or whether there are at least cases that fit some aspects (proto-ritual). We find that apes are not likely to spontaneously practise minimal ritual, but we claim that the highest expected likelihood of occurrence is in the results-copying domain. Yet, we did not find actual cases of minimal ritual in apes—including those involving environmental results. We did, however, find some cases that may match at least part of our minimal ritual definition—which we termed proto-ritual. At least two out of three potential cases of such proto-rituals that we identified (rain dance, object-in-ear and surplus nest-making procedures) do revolve around results. Overall, apes do not show much, or very clear, evidence for even minimal ritual, but may sometimes show proto-ritual. However, dedicated ape ritual studies are currently lacking, and future work may identify ape ritual (or clearer cases of proto-ritual). We discuss the implications of our preliminary finding for inferences of ritual in the last common ancestor of humans and apes.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Ritual renaissance: new insights into the most human of behaviours’.
Homo neanderthalensis and the evolutionary origins of ritual inHomo sapiens
Authors: Nielsen Mark , Langley Michelle C. , Shipton Ceri , Kapitány Rohan
Published: June 2020

There is a large, if disparate, body of archaeological literature discussing specific instantiations of symbolic material culture and the possibility of ritual practices in Neanderthal populations. Despite this attention, however, no single synthesis exists that draws upon cognitive, psychological and cultural evolutionary theories of ritual. Here, we review the evidence for ritual-practice among now-extinctHomo neanderthalensis, as well as the necessary cognitive pre-conditions for such behaviour, in order to explore the evolution of ritual inHomo sapiens. We suggest that the currently available archaeological evidence indicates that Neanderthals may have used ‘ritualization’ to increase the successful transmission of technical knowledge across generations—providing an explanation for the technological stability of the Middle Palaeolithic and attesting to a survival strategy differing from near-contemporaryH. sapiens.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Ritual renaissance: new insights into the most human of behaviours’.
The last Talmudic demon? The role of ritual in cultural transmission
Authors: Sosis Richard
Published: June 2020

Recent work on the evolution of religion has approached religions as adaptive complexes of traits consisting of cognitive, neurological, affective, behavioural and developmental features that are organized into a self-regulating feedback system. Religious systems, it has been argued, derive from ancestral ritual systems and continue to be fuelled by ritual performances. One key prediction that emerges from this systemic approach is that the success of religious beliefs will be related to how well they are connected to rituals and integrated with other elements of the religious system. Here, I examine this prediction by exploring the rich world of Jewish demonology. As a case study, I briefly survey the historical trajectory of demonic beliefs across Jewish communities and focus on one demon, aruach ra'ah, that has survived the vicissitudes of Jewish history and maintained its relevance in contemporary Jewish communities. I argue that it has done so because of its linkage with a morning handwashing ritual and its effective integration into the core elements of Jewish religious systems.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Ritual renaissance: new insights into the most human of behaviours’.
Ritual as resource management
Authors: Rossano Matt J.
Published: June 2020

This paper argues that rituals are mechanisms of resource management. The argument is based on four observations: (i) over the course of hominin evolution, fitness became contingent on psychological states; (ii) these psychological states can be understood as ‘resources’, not unlike material resources such as energy, food or fuel; (iii) ritual ‘manages’ these psychological resources—meaning that it cultivates, builds and directs them; and (iv) ritual management can be analytically decomposed, providing a new descriptive tool for understanding rituals and predictions about ritual survival.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Ritual renaissance: new insights into the most human of behaviours’.
Time investments in rituals are associated with social bonding, affect and subjective health: a longitudinal study of Diwali in two Indian communities
Authors: Singh Purnima , Tewari Shruti , Kesberg Rebekka , Karl Johannes Alfons , Bulbulia Joseph , Fischer Ronald
Published: June 2020

Rituals are performed within specific socio-ecological niches, yet the different effects of the same ritual form across different niches (community contexts) remains unclear. Here, using longitudinal measures over a two-week period during Diwali (the Indian festival of light), we investigate the relationship between ritual time allocation and social cohesion in two Indian communities. First, the positive effects of ritual on social bonding, perceived health and affect were highest on the focal day of the festival. Second, we observed anticipatory effects of ritualistic commitment on affect prior to the main day of the festival. Third, social bonding patterns were similar in the two Indian settings, indicating that Diwali fosters social cohesion across diverse social ecologies (cultural niches). However, individually focused emotional benefits appear to dampened in more cosmopolitan environments. Finally, time investments reveal diminishing marginal utilities for ritual activities on social cognition. Ritual time investments were linked to greater affect and family cohesion up to a certain limit. We argue that attention to the diminishing returns of ritual time investments on social cohesion across diverse human ecologies is an important horizon for future cross-cultural investigations.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Ritual renaissance: new insights into the most human of behaviours’.
The role of ritual behaviour in anxiety reduction: an investigation of Marathi religious practices in Mauritius
Authors: Lang M. , Krátký J. , Xygalatas D.
Published: June 2020

While the occurrence of rituals in anxiogenic contexts has been long noted and supported by ethnographic, quantitative and experimental studies, the purported effects of ritual behaviour on anxiety reduction have rarely been examined. In the present study, we investigate the anxiolytic effects of religious practices among the Marathi Hindu community in Mauritius and test whether these effects are facilitated by the degree of ritualization present in these practices. Seventy-five participants first experienced anxiety induction through the public speaking paradigm and were subsequently asked to either perform their habitual ritual in a local temple (ritual condition) or sit and relax (control condition). The results revealed that participants in the ritual condition reported lower perceived anxiety after the ritual treatment and displayed lower physiological anxiety, which was assessed as heart-rate variability. The degree of ritualization in the ritual condition showed suggestive albeit variable effects, and thus further investigation is needed. We conclude the paper with a discussion of various mechanisms that may facilitate the observed anxiolytic effects of ritual behaviour and should be investigated in the future.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Ritual renaissance: new insights into the most human of behaviours’.
The cultural evolutionary trade-off of ritualistic synchrony
Authors: Gelfand Michele J. , Caluori Nava , Jackson Joshua Conrad , Taylor Morgan K.
Published: June 2020

From Australia to the Arctic, human groups engage in synchronous behaviour during communal rituals. Because ritualistic synchrony is widespread, many argue that it is functional for human groups, encouraging large-scale cooperation and group cohesion. Here, we offer a more nuanced perspective on synchrony's function. We review research on synchrony's prosocial effects, but also discuss synchrony's antisocial effects such as encouraging group conflict, decreasing group creativity and increasing harmful obedience. We further argue that a tightness–looseness (TL) framework helps to explain this trade-off and generates new predictions for how ritualistic synchrony should evolve over time, where it should be most prevalent, and how it should affect group well-being. We close by arguing that synthesizing the literature on TL with the literature on synchrony has promise for understanding synchrony's role in a broader cultural evolutionary framework.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Ritual renaissance: new insights into the most human of behaviours'.
Perinatal risk and the cultural ecology of health in Bihar, India
Authors: Legare Cristine H. , Akhauri Santosh , Chaudhuri Indrajit , Hashmi Faiz A. , Johnson Tracy , Little Emily E. , Lunkenheimer Hannah G. , Mandelbaum Alexandra , Mandlik Harsh , Mondal Sudipta , Mor Nachiket , Saldanha Neela , Schooley Janine , Sharda Priyam , Subbiah Shalini , Swarup Siddharta , Tikkanen Mari , Burger Oskar
Published: June 2020

The objective of the current study is to examine the cultural ecology of health associated with mitigating perinatal risk in Bihar, India. We describe the occurrences, objectives and explanations of health-related beliefs and behaviours during pregnancy and postpartum using focus group discussions with younger and older mothers. First, we document perceived physical and supernatural threats and the constellation of traditional and biomedical practises including taboos, superstitions and rituals used to mitigate them. Second, we describe the extent to which these practises are explained as risk-preventing versus health-promoting behaviour. Third, we discuss the extent to which these practises are consistent, inconsistent or unrelated to biomedical health practises and describe the extent to which traditional and biomedical health practises compete, conflict and coexist. Finally, we conclude with a discussion of the relationships between traditional and biomedical practises in the context of the cultural ecology of health and reflect on how a comprehensive understanding of perinatal health practises can improve the efficacy of health interventions and improve outcomes.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Ritual renaissance: new insights into the most human of behaviours’.
Ritual and the origins of first impressions
Authors: Over Harriet , Eggleston Adam , Cook Richard
Published: June 2020

When encountering a stranger for the first time, adults spontaneously attribute to them a wide variety of character traits based solely on their physical appearance, most notably from their face. While these trait inferences exert a pervasive influence over our behaviour, their origins remain unclear. Whereas nativist accounts hold that first impressions are a product of gene-based natural selection, the Trait Inference Mapping framework (TIM) posits that we learn face–trait mappings ontogenetically as a result of correlated face–trait experience. Here, we examine the available anthropological evidence on ritual in order to better understand the mechanism by which first impressions from faces are acquired. Consistent with the TIM framework, we argue that examination of ritual body modification performed by communities around the world demonstrates far greater cross-cultural variability in face–trait mappings than currently appreciated. Furthermore, rituals of this type may be a powerful mechanism through which face–trait associations are transmitted from one generation to the next.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Ritual renaissance: new insights into the most human of behaviours'.
Ritual morphospace revisited: the form, function and factor structure of ritual practice
Authors: Kapitány Rohan , Kavanagh Christopher , Whitehouse Harvey
Published: June 2020

Human rituals exhibit bewildering diversity, from the Mauritian Kavadi to Catholic communion. Is this diversity infinitely plastic or are there some general dimensions along which ritual features vary? We analyse two cross-cultural datasets: one drawn from the anthropological record and another novel contemporary dataset, to examine whether a consistent underlying set of latent dimensions in ritual structure and experiences can be detected. First, we conduct a factor analysis on 651 rituals from 74 cultural groups, in which 102 binary variables are coded. We find a reliable set of dimensions emerged, which provide potential candidates for foundational elements of ritual form. Notably, we find that the expression of features associated with dysphoric and euphoric experiences in rituals appears to be largely orthogonal. Second, we follow-up with a pre-registered factor analysis examining contemporary ritual experiences of 779 individuals from Japan, India and the US. We find supporting evidence that ritual experiences are clustered in relatively orthogonal euphoric, dysphoric, frequency and cognitive dimensions. Our findings suggest that there are important regularities in the diversity of ritual expression and experience observed across both time and culture. We discuss the implications of these findings for cognitive theories of ritual and cultural evolution.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Ritual renaissance: new insights into the most human of behaviours'.
Watch me, watch you: ritual participation increases in-group displays and out-group monitoring in children
Authors: Wen Nicole J. , Willard Aiyana K. , Caughy Michaela , Legare Cristine H.
Published: June 2020

Collective rituals serve social functions for the groups that perform them, including identifying group members and signalling group commitment. A novel social group paradigm was used in an afterschool programme (N= 60 4–11-year-olds) to test the influence of participating in a ritual task on in-group displays and out-group monitoring over repeated exposures to the group. The results demonstrate that ritual participation increases in-group displays (i.e. time spent displaying materials to in-group members) and out-group monitoring (i.e. time spent looking at out-group members) compared with a control task across three time points. This study provides evidence for the processes by which rituals may influence children's behaviours towards in- and out-group members and discusses implications for understanding the development of ritual cognition and behaviour.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Ritual renaissance: new insights into the most human of behaviours’.
Ingredients of ‘rituals’ and their cognitive underpinnings
Authors: Boyer Pascal , Liénard Pierre
Published: June 2020

Ritual is not a proper scientific object, as the term is used to denote disparate forms of behaviour, on the basis of a faint family resemblance. Indeed, a variety of distinct cognitive mechanisms are engaged, in various combinations, in the diverse interactions called ‘rituals’ – and each of these mechanisms deserves study, in terms of its evolutionary underpinnings and cultural consequences. We identify four such mechanisms that each appear in some ‘rituals’, namely (i) the normative scripting of actions; (ii) the use of interactions to signal coalitional identity, affiliation, cohesiveness; (iii) magical claims based on intuitive expectations of contagion; and (iv) ritualized behaviour based on a specific handling of the flow of behaviour. We describe the cognitive and evolutionary background to each of these potential components of ‘rituals’, and their effects on cultural transmission.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Ritual renaissance: new insights into the most human of behaviours'.
Specialization in the vicarious learning of novel arbitrary sequences in humans but not orangutans
Authors: Renner Elizabeth , Patterson Eric M. , Subiaul Francys
Published: June 2020

Sequence learning underlies many uniquely human behaviours, from complex tool use to language and ritual. To understand whether this fundamental cognitive feature is uniquely derived in humans requires a comparative approach. We propose that the vicarious (but not individual) learning of novel arbitrary sequences represents a human cognitive specialization. To test this hypothesis, we compared the abilities of human children aged 3–5 years and orangutans to learn different types of arbitrary sequences (item-based and spatial-based). Sequences could be learned individually (by trial and error) or vicariously from a human (social) demonstrator or a computer (ghost control). We found that both children and orangutans recalled both types of sequence following trial-and-error learning; older children also learned both types of sequence following social and ghost demonstrations. Orangutans' success individually learning arbitrary sequences shows that their failure to do so in some vicarious learning conditions is not owing to general representational problems. These results provide new insights into some of the most persistent discontinuities observed between humans and other great apes in terms of complex tool use, language and ritual, all of which involve the cultural learning of novel arbitrary sequences.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Ritual renaissance: new insights into the most human of behaviours’.
A warming Southern Ocean may compromise Antarctic blue whale foetus growth
Authors: Smith Carl
Published: June 2020

After declining in abundance due to commercial whaling during the 20thCentury, populations of the Antarctic blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus intermedia) have failed to recover to pre-exploitation levels. Using historical whaling data from 1926-1954, in combination with temperature data for the Southern Ocean, a gamma GLMM with temporal dependency was fitted to 20,144 records ofB. m. intermediafoetus size using Bayesian inference. There was a negative relationship between antecedent winter sea surface temperature (SST) in the Southern Ocean on foetus size. This relationship is proposed as being mediated by a positive effect of the extent of winter sea ice on Antarctic krill (Euphasia superba) abundance on whichB. m. intermediafeed. There was also a positive density-dependent effect of a ‘krill surplus’ at low whale population sizes. However, the positive effect of a ‘krill surplus’ at lowB. m. intermediapopulation size on foetus growth was reversed at elevated winter SST due to a negative impact onE. superbarecruitment. Projected increases in temperature in the Southern Ocean are predicted to compromise the growth rates ofB. m. intermediafoetuses, with implications for the capacity of the subspecies to recover from overexploitation.