bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Incorporating Parcel-Based Housing Conditions to Increase the Precision of Identifying Children With Elevated Blood Lead
Authors: Manning Erika Rasnick , Duan Qing , Brokamp Cole
Published: January 2025

Context:

Area-level predictive models are commonly used to screen children for blood lead levels (BLLs) greater than the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) blood lead reference value (BLRV) of 3.5 µg/dL.

Objectives:

To increase screening accuracy and precision by creating a parcel-level model incorporating housing characteristics to predict parcels where children are at high risk

Design:

Residential addresses associated with child blood lead tests were linked to neighborhood- and parcel-level characteristics and proximity to lead sources. Regression forests were fit using different predictor combinations and compared using cross-validated accuracy and decile-based agreement across all residential parcels.

Setting:

Hamilton County, Ohio, United States

Participants:

Children less than 6 years of age with blood lead tests between January 2020 and April 2023.

Main Outcome Measure:

Cross-validated model accuracy and decile-based agreement across residential parcels.

Results:

27,782 tests were matched to a residential parcel. Regression forests using Parcel + Source (70.8% AUC) and Neighborhood + Parcel + Source predictors (70.3% AUC) had the highest cross-validated accuracy for predicting BLLs >3.5 µg/dL. Parcel-level predictions revealed heterogeneity of risk across parcels within the same tract.

Conclusions:

Parcel characteristics improved the accuracy of predicting locations of children with BLLs >3.5 µg/dL and can help identify children at high risk living in low-risk areas. A parcel-level identification of housing-based lead hazards could guide and support action to prevent pediatric lead exposure.
THE SOFT TRIANGLE TENSION GRAFT
Authors: Ghavami Ashkan , Vranis Neil M. , Villanueva Nathaniel L.
Published: January 2025

Introduction–

Rhinoplasty surgeons often rely on tip grafting in order to add volume in the infratip, mid-tip or supratip areas. The author has developed a novel tip graft, from the repurposed, pliable cephalic margins of the lower lateral cartilage lateral crura. The main purpose of the soft triangle tension graft (STTG) is to control tip tension of the medial crura, buttress the soft triangles and add a small degree of volume to the tip.

Methods–

A retrospective review was conducted identifying all patients where the STTG was utilized. Basic demographics, operative reports and complications were recorded.

Results–

The STTG was utilized in fifty-eight patients. Fifty-three were female with an average age of 33 years old (range: 22 to 45 years of age) and average follow-up time of 12 months (range: 8 to 24 months). No postoperative complications – including graft malposition, migration, palpability, visibility, infection, alar notching, surgical revisions -were evident on follow up.

Conclusion–

The novel STTG focuses on buttressing and controlling tension between the two medial crura and soft triangles rather than simply adding volume to the tip. The soft, pliable nature of the graft enables versatility which can be used even in thin skin patients with a favorable safety profile.
Assessing the Association Between Gadolinium-Based Contrast Agents and Parkinson Disease: Insights From the Korean National Health Insurance Service Database
Authors: Kim Cherry , Kim Chohee , Tae Bum Sik , Kwon Do-Young , Lee Young Hen
Published: January 2025

Objectives

This study aimed to investigate the association between the use of linear and macrocyclic gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs) and the subsequent development of Parkinson disease (PD).

Methods

In this retrospective cohort study, data were extracted from the Korean National Health Insurance Service database, comprising 1,038,439 individuals. From this population, 175,125 adults aged 40 to 60 years with no history of brain disease were identified. All patients including 3835 who were administered GBCA at least once were monitored until 2022 for the onset of PD. Propensity score (PS) matching was employed to compare the incidence of PD between those exposed to GBCAs (either linear or macrocyclic) and those not exposed (no-GBCA group).

Results

The final cohort consisted of 1175 subjects exposed to linear GBCAs, 2334 exposed to macrocyclic GBCAs, and 171,616 unexposed to any GBCA (no-GBCA group). After PS matching, PD incidence was significantly higher in the linear GBCA group compared with the no-GBCA group (0.9% vs 0.0%, P = 0.002) and was also significantly higher in the macrocyclic GBCA group than in the no-GBCA group (0.5% vs 0.04%, P = 0.003). No significant difference in PD incidence was observed between the linear and macrocyclic GBCA groups.

Conclusions

Exposure to GBCAs was linked to an increased risk of developing PD in this large population-based study. The risk of PD did not differ significantly between linear and macrocyclic GBCAs.
Simple Approach to Cosmetic Medial Epicanthoplasty
Authors: Kim Ju Hee , Kim Hyungsuk
Published: January 2025

Background

The medial epicanthal fold is a common ethnic trait in East Asian faces, and there is a significant demand for its correction for cosmetic reasons. Numerous epicanthoplasty techniques have been proposed; however, visible scarring and unnatural canthal shapes have been challenges. This study aimed to introduce a simpler approach for medial epicanthoplasty to address these issues and evaluate its outcomes.

Methods

From January 2020 to October 2023, 199 patients who were followed up for more than 6 months and had no history of prior medial epicanthoplasty were included in the study. The intercanthal distance (ICD) was measured from preoperative and recent medical photographs, and the ratio of the ICD to the corneal diameter was calculated for magnification correction. Postoperative complications and patient-reported aesthetic outcomes were evaluated.

Results

The medial epicanthoplasty techniques used were the elliptical excision method in 94 patients and the mini-redraping method in 105 patients. The average follow-up period was 10.8 months. The ICD measurements demonstrated a statistically significant reduction after surgery in both groups. In the elliptical excision group, 14 patients (14.9%) reported dissatisfaction with their surgical outcomes. Two patients had prominent medial vertical scars, and 12 patients reported undercorrection. In the mini-redraping group, only 4 patients reported dissatisfaction with the surgical outcome (3.8%), all owing to undercorrection. No significant postoperative complications were observed in either group.

Conclusions

With the mini-redraping method, the medial epicanthal fold can be effectively addressed with minimal complications while achieving the natural shape and symmetry of both canthi in a straightforward manner.
Closed-loop ventilation and oxygenation with decision support fluid resuscitation to treat major burn injury with smoke induced acute respiratory distress syndrome
Authors: Kakizaki Ryuichiro , Fukuda Satoshi , Liu Keibun , Nakamoto Kan , Batsaikhan Tsend-Ayush , Khan Muzna N. , Branson Richard D. , Kinsky Michael P. , Enkhbaatar Perenlei
Published: January 2025

Introduction

The understanding of the interaction of closed-loop control of ventilation and oxygenation, specifically fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) and positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP), and fluid resuscitation after burn injury and acute lung injury from smoke inhalation is limited. We compared the effectiveness of FiO2, PEEP, and ventilation adjusted automatically using adaptive support ventilation (ASV) and decision support fluid resuscitation based on urine output in a clinically relevant conscious ovine model of lung injury secondary to combined smoke inhalation and major burn injury.

Methods

Sheep were subjected to burn and smoke inhalation injury under deep anesthesia and analgesia. After injury, sheep were randomly allocated to two groups. 1) Closed-loop group: automated mechanical ventilation (ASV), oxygen FiO2 and PEEP (n = 9); and 2) Control group: mechanically ventilated with standard ASV mode (n = 8). FiO2, PEEP, and the percentage of the minute volume (%MV) were automatically adjusted in group 1, whereas PEEP was held at 5 cmH2O, and FiO2 and %MV were manually adjusted in group 2. Decision support fluid resuscitation was guided based on urine output. Cardiopulmonary hemodynamics were monitored for 48 h.

Results

There were no differences in body weight and the severity of smoke injury between the two groups. The Closed-loop group resulted in significantly higher PEEP, %MV, static lung compliance, and survival rate; the driving pressure was significantly lower compared to the Control group. In the Closed-loop group, the net fluid balance at 48 h was significantly greater than in the Control group.

Conclusion

Closed-loop ventilation and oxygenation with decision support fluid resuscitation improve lung mechanics and survival in sheep with combined burn and smoke inhalation. There were no negative interactions observed between automated PEEP control and fluid management.
Advancing Telemedicine
Authors: Abiri Autherine , Tucker Paula
Published: January 2025

Patient overcrowding in emergency departments (ED) impact quality of care by increasing length of stay which often leads to delayed patient dispositions. Emergency Department Observation Units (EDOUs) are protocol driven units staffed by ED providers that can alleviate overcrowding concerns and accommodate patients that require further diagnostics for a final disposition. Virtual rounding on EDOUs can be leveraged to maximize provider shortages and increase access to quality care. We present a case report of a patient who arrived at an ED for abdominal pain and was eventually admitted to an EDOU that practiced virtual rounds. This case report demonstrates the benefits of utilizing a clinical hybrid model that combines telemedicine and observation medicine to achieve quality care while improving ED operational flow.
Whence the birds: 200 years of dinosaurs, avian antecedents
Authors: Field Daniel J. , Burton M. Grace , Benito Juan , Plateau Olivia , Navalón Guillermo
Published: January 2025

Among the most revolutionary insights emerging from 200 years of research on dinosaurs is that the clade Dinosauria is represented by approximately 11 000 living species of birds. Although the origin of birds among dinosaurs has been reviewed extensively, recent years have witnessed tremendous progress in our understanding of the deep evolutionary origins of numerous distinctive avian anatomical systems. These advances have been enabled by exciting new fossil discoveries, leading to an ever-expanding phylogenetic framework with which to pinpoint the origins of characteristic avian features. The present review focuses on four notable avian systems whose Mesozoic evolutionary history has been greatly clarified by recent discoveries: brain, kinetic palate, pectoral girdle and postcranial skeletal pneumaticity.
Female gorillas form highly stable dominance relationships
Authors: Smit Nikolaos , Robbins Martha M.
Published: January 2025

Animals commonly form dominance relationships that determine the priority of access to resources and influence fitness. Dominance relationships based on age, immigration order or nepotism (alliances with kin) conventions are usually more stable than those based on intrinsic characteristics such as physical strength. Unlike most mammals, female gorillas disperse from their groups, typically more than once in their lifetimes, disrupting their group tenures and/or any alliances. Thus, we predicted that they form unstable dominance relationships that are not based on conventions. Contrarily, using a 24-year dataset on five groups of both gorilla species, we found that females form strikingly stable dominance relationships, maintained over their whole co-residence in a group (mean dyadic co-residence = 4.8, max = 17.3 years). Specifically, we observed rank reversals in only two out of 92 female dyads, and all other rank improvements resulted from emigration or death of higher-ranking females (passive mobility). These results mirror observations in chimpanzees, suggesting that dominance dynamics might have deep roots in hominid evolution. Our study challenges a hypothesized link between hierarchy instability and dispersal, particularly among animals in which fitness consequences of rank improvement may not be great enough to counterbalance the potentially high costs of challenging higher-ranking individuals.
Sweating the small stuff: microclimatic exposure and species habitat associations inform climate vulnerability in a grassland songbird community
Authors: Bernath-Plaisted Jacy S. , Ribic Christine A. , Zuckerberg Benjamin
Published: January 2025

Assessment of species’ vulnerability to climate change has been limited by mismatch between coarse macroclimate data and the fine scales at which species select habitat. Habitat mediates climate conditions, and fine-scale habitat features may permit species to exploit favourable microclimates, but habitat preferences can also constrain their ability to do so. We leveraged fine-resolution models of near-surface temperature and humidity in grasslands to understand how microclimates affect climatic exposure and demographics in a grassland bird community. We asked: (i) Do species select favourable nest-site microclimates? (ii) Do habitat preferences limit the ability of species to access microclimates? (iii) What are the demographic consequences of microclimatic exposure? We found limited evidence that grassland birds select cooler microclimates, which may buffer eggs and nestlings from extreme heat. Instead, many species appeared constrained by vegetation preferences. While facultative generalists displayed flexibility to use denser vegetation that provided buffering from high temperatures (>39°C), most obligate species nested in more exposed microclimates. Nesting success in facultative species was not well explained by microclimate, but success in specialized grassland obligates declined with increasing microclimate temperatures. These findings illustrate how microclimate and habitat use can interact to influence the potential vulnerability of species to future climate change.
Flipons and the origin of the genetic code
Authors: Herbert Alan
Published: January 2025

This paper is focused on the origins of the contemporary genetic code. A novel explanation is proposed for how the mapping of nucleotides in DNA to amino acids in proteins arose that derives from repeat nucleotide sequences able to form alternative nucleic acid structures (ANS), such as the unusual left-handed Z-DNA, triplex, G-quadruplex and I-motif conformations. The scheme identifies sequence-specific contacts that map ANS repeats to dipeptide polymers (DPS). The stereochemistry required naturally evolves into a non-overlapping, triplet code for mapping nucleotides to amino acids. The ANS/DPS complexes form a simple, genetically transmitted, self-templating, autonomously replicating collection of ‘tinkers’ for Nature to evolve. Tinkers have agency and promote their own synthesis by forming catalytic scaffolds with metals, further enhancing their capabilities. Initial support for the model is provided by computational models built with AlphaFold3. The predictions made are properly falsifiable with the currently available methodology.
Feed-forward loop improves the transient dynamics of an antithetic biological controller
Authors: Spartalis Thales R. , Foo Mathias , Tang Xun
Published: January 2025

Integral controller is widely used in industry for its capability of endowing perfect adaptation to disturbances. To harness such capability for precise gene expression regulation, synthetic biologists have endeavoured in building biomolecular (quasi-)integral controllers, such as the antithetic integral controller. Despite demonstrated successes, challenges remain with designing the controller for improved transient dynamics and adaptation. Here, we explore and investigate the design principles of alternative RNA-based biological controllers, by modifying an antithetic integral controller with prevalently found natural feed-forward loops (FFL), to improve its transient dynamics and adaptation performance. With model-based analysis, we demonstrate that while the base antithetic controller shows excellent responsiveness and adaptation to system disturbances, incorporating the type-1 incoherent FFL into the base antithetic controller could attenuate the transient dynamics caused by changes in the stimuli, especially in mitigating the undesired overshoot in the output gene expression. Further analysis on the kinetic parameters reveals similar findings to previous studies that the degradation and transcription rates of the circuit RNA species would dominate in shaping the performance of the controllers.
Illusory implications: incidental exposure to ideas can induce beliefs
Authors: Mikell Justin , Powell Derek
Published: January 2025

Numerous psychological findings have shown that incidental exposure to ideas makes those ideas seem more true, a finding commonly referred to as the ‘illusory truth’ effect. Under many accounts of the illusory truth effect, initial exposure to a statement provides a metacognitive feeling of ‘fluency’ or familiarity that, upon subsequent exposure, leads people to infer that the statement is more likely to be true. However, genuine beliefs do not only affect truth judgements about individual statements, they also imply other beliefs and drive decision-making. Here, we consider whether exposure to ‘premise’ statements affects people’s truth ratings for novel ‘implied’ statements, a pattern of findings we call the ‘illusory implication’ effect. We argue these effects would constitute evidence for genuine belief change from incidental exposure and identify a handful of existing findings that offer preliminary support for this claim. Building upon these, we conduct three new preregistered experiments to further test this hypothesis, finding additional evidence that exposure to ‘premise’ statements affected participants’ truth ratings for novel ‘implied’ statements, including for considerably more distant implications than those previously explored. Our findings suggest that the effects of incidental exposure reach further than previously thought, with potentially consequential implications for concerns around mis- and dis-information.
Response to collective threat: Russian invasion unifies Ukrainians across ethnic, linguistic, religious and geographic lines
Authors: Borycz Joshua , Horne Benjamin D. , Luther Catherine , Shteynberg Garriy , Allard Suzie , Prins Brandon , Bentley R. Alexander
Published: January 2025

Under the collective threat of war, the 2022 Russian invasion would be expected to unify Ukrainians across distinct ethnic, linguistic, geographic and generational identities. Here, we show this using survey data collected in Belarus and Ukraine before and after the full-fledged invasion of Ukraine by Russia. Using our data collection waves from spring and summer of 2022, we observed attitudinal changes rarely documented before and after such an event. Our data include both the invaded country, Ukraine, as the ‘treatment’ and a non-invaded country, Belarus, as the ‘control’. We find that, in Ukraine but not in Belarus, geopolitical views were sharply unified by the experience of the invasion, outweighing the heterogeneous group identities before the event. Our observations serve as evidence that identity fusion under collective threat can override long-standing social divisions.
Machine learning for refining interpretation of magnetic resonance imaging scans in the management of multiple sclerosis: a narrative review
Authors: Szekely-Kohn Adam C. , Castellani Marco , Espino Daniel M. , Baronti Luca , Ahmed Zubair , Manifold William G. K. , Douglas Michael
Published: January 2025

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease of the brain and spinal cord with both inflammatory and neurodegenerative features. Although advances in imaging techniques, particularly magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), have improved the process of diagnosis, its cause is unknown, a cure remains elusive and the evidence base to guide treatment is lacking. Computational techniques like machine learning (ML) have started to be used to understand MS. Published MS MRI-based computational studies can be divided into five categories: automated diagnosis; differentiation between lesion types and/or MS stages; differential diagnosis; monitoring and predicting disease progression; and synthetic MRI dataset generation. Collectively, these approaches show promise in assisting with MS diagnosis, monitoring of disease activity and prediction of future progression, all potentially contributing to disease management. Analysis quality using ML is highly dependent on the dataset size and variability used for training. Wider public access would mean larger datasets for experimentation, resulting in higher-quality analysis, permitting for more conclusive research. This narrative review provides an outline of the fundamentals of MS pathology and pathogenesis, diagnostic techniques and data types in computational analysis, as well as collating literature pertaining to the application of computational techniques to MRI towards developing a better understanding of MS.
Threat to the predator suppresses defence of its prey
Authors: Sysiak Monika , Maszczyk Piotr , Mikulski Andrzej
Published: January 2025

Many studies have shown that prey can optimize their defence mechanisms based on cues indicating predator presence and pressure. However, little is known about whether prey can assess the actual threat by considering both predator density and the motivational state of cannibalistic predators, which can be influenced by threats from higher order predators. We conducted laboratory experiments to test the hypothesis that high predator density, combined with chemical cues indicating predator stress (e.g. alarm and disturbance cues), may inhibit prey defences. Using
Daphnia
and Zygoptera/Anisoptera larvae, we observed that
Daphnia’s
strong response to low-density predator kairomones was suppressed when exposed to high-density predator kairomones and disturbance cues. Surprisingly, we found no evidence of a suppressive response to alarm cues. Our study is to our knowledge, the first to show that prey uses predator stress cues to avoid unnecessary defences, suggesting a ‘cascade of fear’ in which fear at one trophic level reduces fear at a lower level. Furthermore, it is to our knowledge the first to demonstrate that prey can reduce their anti-predator response in the presence of high densities of cannibalistic predators.
Continuous colonization of the Atlantic coastal rain forests of South America from Amazônia
Authors: Nicholls James A. , Ringelberg Jens J. , Dexter Kyle G. , Loiseau Oriane , Stone Graham N. , Coley Phyllis D. , Hughes Colin E. , Kursar Thomas A. , Koenen Erik J. M. , Garcia Flávia , Lemes Maristerra R. , Neves Danilo R. M. , Endara María José , de Lima Haroldo C. , Kidner Catherine A. , Pennington R. Toby
Published: January 2025

The two main extensions of rain forest in South America are the Amazon (Amazônia) and the Atlantic rain forest (Mata Atlântica), which are separated by a wide ‘dry diagonal’ of seasonal vegetation. We used the species-rich tree genus
Inga
to test if Amazônia—Mata Atlântica dispersals have been clustered during specific time periods corresponding to past, humid climates. We performed hybrid capture DNA sequencing of 810 nuclear loci for 453 accessions representing 164 species that included 62% of Mata Atlântica species and estimated a dated phylogeny for all accessions using maximum likelihood, and a species-level tree using coalescent methods. There have been 16–20 dispersal events to the Mata Atlântica from Amazônia with only one or two dispersals in the reverse direction. These events have occurred over the evolutionary history of
Inga
, with no evidence for temporal clustering, and model comparisons of alternative biogeographic histories and null simulations showing the timing of dispersal events matches a random expectation. Time-specific biogeographic corridors are not required to explain dispersal between Amazônia and the Mata Atlântica for rain forest trees such as
Inga
, which are likely to have used a dendritic net of gallery forests to cross the dry diagonal.
Energetic costs of social dominance in wild male baboons
Authors: Gesquiere Laurence R. , Adjangba Christine , Young Georgia , Brandon Clara , Parker Sophie , Jefferson Emily E. , Wango Tim L. , Oudu Vivian K. , Mututua Raphael S. , Kinyua Warutere J. , Siodi I. Long’ida , Markham A. Catherine , Archie Elizabeth A. , Alberts Susan C.
Published: January 2025

In vertebrates, glucocorticoids can be upregulated in response to both psychosocial and energetic stressors, making it difficult to identify the cause of elevated glucocorticoid concentrations when both types of stressors are present. This problem has been particularly challenging in studies of social dominance rank in wild animals. In contrast to glucocorticoids, thyroid hormone concentrations are largely unaffected by psychosocial stressors and therefore offer a better estimate of energetic challenges. Here, we measured faecal metabolites of both triiodothyronine (mT3) and glucocorticoids (fGC) in wild baboons and assessed how these hormonal profiles vary with male dominance rank. We found that alpha males have lower mT3 and higher fGC than males of other ranks, indicating sustained energetic costs of alpha status. By contrast, low-ranking males have higher mT3 but similar fGC concentrations than non-alpha high-ranking males, reflecting their lower exposure to energetic stressors but greater vulnerability to psychosocial stressors than higher-ranking males. We also found that mate-guarding of fertile females, a behaviour expressed at higher rates by alpha males, partly explains the energetic costs of high social status. These findings offer evidence of the different types of costs experienced by low- and high-ranking animals.
Adaptation in a keystone grazer under novel predation pressure
Authors: Kontou Danai , Paterson Andrew M. , Favot Elizabeth J. , Grooms Christopher , Smol John P. , Tanentzap Andrew J.
Published: January 2025

Understanding how species adapt to environmental change is necessary to protect biodiversity and ecosystem services. Growing evidence suggests species can adapt rapidly to novel selection pressures like predation from invasive species, but the repeatability and predictability of selection remain poorly understood in wild populations. We tested how a keystone aquatic herbivore,
Daphnia pulicaria
, evolved in response to predation pressure by the introduced zooplanktivore
Bythotrephes longimanus
. Using high-resolution
210
Pb-dated sediment cores from 12 lakes in Ontario (Canada), which primarily differed in invasion status by
Bythotrephes
, we compared
Daphnia
population genetic structure over time using whole-genome sequencing of individual resting embryos. We found strong genetic differentiation between populations approximately 70 years before versus 30 years after reported
Bythotrephes
invasion, with no difference over this period in uninvaded lakes. Compared with uninvaded lakes, we identified, on average, 64 times more loci were putatively under selection in the invaded lakes. Differentiated loci were mainly associated with known reproductive and stress responses, and mean body size consistently increased by 14.1% over time in invaded lakes. These results suggest
Daphnia
populations were repeatedly acquiring heritable genetic adaptations to escape gape-limited predation. More generally, our results suggest some aspects of environmental change predictably shape genome evolution.
A new sexual selection pattern in a frog (
Odorrana tormota
) with ultrasonic communication
Authors: Liu Guangxuan , Pan Shuibo , Shi Qingkai , Lei Zhongyu , Wu Juntao , Zhang Huijuan , Shu Yilin , Wu Hailong
Published: January 2025

The current study has revealed a unique sexual selection pattern in
Odorrana tormota
, a species renowned for its ultrasonic communication, which differs from the patterns observed in other anuran taxa. Typically, females listen to male vocalizations and exhibit phonotaxis towards preferred traits for mate selection. In contrast, female
O. tormota
do not actively approach displaying males for mate selection; instead, they use courtship calls to attract potential mates and incite male competition for access to them. Considering that successful male
O. tormota
in securing a mating opportunity are always those who embrace the female first, and the majority of them (84%) exhibit faster response times to female calls. We propose that female
O. tormota
can increase their likelihood of mating with high-quality males (as indicated by heightened responsiveness) by using courtship calls to attract males, while minimizing potential costs associated with active mate selection. Additionally, the differences in ultrasound perception between male and female
O. tormota
can be attributed to their divergent selection pressures, as male frogs must accurately perceive and locate the female’s call in challenging environments to increase their mating opportunities, whereas females do not face similar pressure.
Ecomorphological correlates of grasping forces in strepsirrhine primates
Authors: Dickinson Edwin , Young Melody W. , Hirschkorn Gabrielle A. , McKinney Julie C. , DiMartino Alana , Deutsch Michael R. , Welser Kay H. , Granatosky Michael C.
Published: January 2025

Powerful digital grasping is essential for primates navigating arboreal environments and is often regarded as a defining characteristic of the order. However,
in vivo
data on primate grip strength are limited. In this study, we collected grasping data from the hands and feet of eleven strepsirrhine species to assess how ecomorphological variables—such as autopodial shape, laterality, body mass and locomotor mode—influence grasping performance. Additionally, we derived anatomical estimates of grip force from cadaveric material to determine whether
in vivo
and
ex vivo
grip strength measurements follow similar scaling relationships and how they correlate. Results show that both
in vivo
and anatomical grip strength scale positively with body mass, though anatomical measures may overestimate
in vivo
performance. Species with wider autopodia tend to exhibit higher grip forces, and forelimb grip forces exceed those of the hindlimbs. No lateralization in grip strength was observed. While strepsirrhine grip forces relative to their body weight are comparable to those of other primates and slightly exceed those of humans, they are not exceptional compared to other arboreal mammals or birds, suggesting that claims of extraordinary primate grasping abilities require further investigation.
A hydrodynamic antenna: novel lateral line system in the tail of myliobatid stingrays
Authors: Chaumel Júlia , Lauder George V.
Published: January 2025

Eagle rays, cownose rays and manta rays (order Myliobatiformes) have a slender tail that can be longer than the animal’s body length, but its function and structure are unknown. Using histology, immunohistochemistry and three-dimensional imaging with micro-computed tomography scans, we describe the anatomy and function of the tail in
Rhinoptera bonasus
, the cownose ray. The tail is an extension of the vertebral column with unique morphological specializations. Along the tail behind the barb, vertebral centra are absent and neural and haemal arches fuse to form a solid mineralized structure that we describe for the first time and term
caudal synarcual
, which imparts passive stiffness to the tail, reducing bending. Two lateral line canals connected to an extensive tubule network extend along both sides of the tail. Tubules branch from the lateral line canal toward the dorsal and ventral tail surfaces, opening to the surrounding water via pores. A continuous neuromast is located within each lateral line canal, maintaining an uninterrupted structure along the entire tail. The complex lateral line mechanosensory system in the tail of
R. bonasus
supports the hypothesis that the tail functions like a hydrodynamic sensory antenna and may play an important role in their behavioural and functional ecology.
Early prenatal but not postnatal glucocorticoid exposure is associated with enhanced HPA axis activity into adulthood in a wild primate
Authors: Anzà Simone , Heistermann Michael , Ostner Julia , Schülke Oliver
Published: January 2025

The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis plays a dual role in the biology of developmental plasticity in mammals, including humans—HPA axis activity not only provides the input for, but is also a target of, offspring developmental plasticity. To investigate the understudied effects of exposure timing, this study quantified maternal HPA axis activity during each half of gestation as well as during early lactation and assessed its effect on offspring HPA axis activity in a cross-sectional sample of infant, juvenile and adult Assamese macaques (
Macaca assamensis
). To add ecological validity to experimental studies under laboratory conditions, macaques were studied in the wild. Increased maternal faecal glucocorticoid (GC) metabolite levels experienced early in gestation, but not postnatal exposure during lactation were associated with increased offspring HPA axis activity from infancy into adulthood. Building on prior findings, this study indicates that significant timing effects not only influence the presence, magnitude and direction, but also the consistency of maternal GC effects on offspring HPA axis function.
Long-term increases in wing length occur independently of changes in climate and climate-driven shifts in body size
Authors: Dias Tiffany , Lemoine Nathan P. , Yanco Scott W. , Zimova Marketa , Bay Rachael A. , Weeks Brian C.
Published: January 2025

Recent widespread reductions in body size across species have been linked to increasing temperatures; simultaneous increases in wing length relative to body size have been broadly observed but remain unexplained. Size and shape may change independently of one another, or these morphological shifts may be linked, with body size mediating or directly driving the degree to which shape changes. Using hierarchical Bayesian models and a morphological time series of 27 366 specimens from five North American migratory passerine bird species, we tested the roles that climate and body size have played in shifting wing length allometry over four decades. We found that colder temperatures and reduced precipitation during the first year of life were associated with increases in wing length relative to body size but did not explain long-term increases in wing length. We found no conclusive evidence that the slope of the relationship between body size and wing length changed among adult birds in response to any climatic variable or through time, suggesting that body size does not mediate shifts in relative wing length. Together, these findings suggest that long-term increases in wing length are not a compensatory adaptation mediated by size reductions, but rather are driven by non-climatic factors.
The adaptive value of recombination in resolving intralocus sexual conflict by gene duplication
Authors: Harper Jon Alexander , Morrow Edward H.
Published: January 2025

Recombination plays a key role in increasing the efficacy of selection. We investigate whether recombination can also play a role in resolving adaptive conflicts at loci coding for traits shared between the sexes. Errors during recombination events resulting in gene duplications may provide a long-term evolutionary advantage if those loci also experience sexually antagonistic (SA) selection since, after duplication, sex-specific expression profiles will be free to evolve, thereby reducing the load on population fitness and resolving the conflict. The potential advantage of gene duplication may be tempered by the short-term deleterious effects on gamete and zygote survival, which may be tolerable in a species with high reproductive output but not with low reproductive output. We used datasets of candidate SA loci from
Drosophila melanogaster
and humans to test these ideas. As in humans, sexually antagonistic alleles in flies with net positive effects across the two sexes occurred at higher frequencies than alleles with net negative effects. In flies, higher recombination rates were associated with more intense levels of sexual conflict and genes with paralogues occur in regions with higher recombination rates, indicating gene duplication events are associated with a history of SA selection. Genes experiencing higher levels of conflict also showed both a higher proportion with paralogues and higher numbers of paralogues. Together, our findings reveal multiple lines of evidence for a possible route towards the resolution of an adaptive conflict via gene duplication that is facilitated by higher recombination rates.
Delayed post-juvenile moult in malaria-infected Eurasian blackcaps
Authors: Remacha Carolina , de la Hera Iván , Ramírez Álvaro , Pérez-Tris Javier
Published: January 2025

Parasites have their strongest impact on fitness when host defences deplete resources needed for other critical life-history stages, such as development, breeding or migration. Among birds, one greatly neglected stage that could be altered by parasites is post-juvenile moult (PJM), through which yearling juvenile birds replace their fast-generated, low-quality juvenile feathers with adult-like feathers after leaving the nest. The earlier the birds complete PJM, the earlier they will be prepared to withstand forthcoming challenges, such as adverse winter conditions or migration. We used data from 435 juvenile Eurasian blackcaps (
Sylvia atricapilla
) sampled during three years in 26 localities spanning the wide range of environmental conditions across Iberian Spain to test whether haemosporidian infections (presence and abundance in blood of parasites of the genera
Haemoproteus
,
Plasmodium
and
Leucocytozoon
) were related to the progress of PJM. Controlling for body condition, sex, year and date of capture, infected blackcaps (single-infected or co-infected) had lower moult scores indicative of delayed moult, especially when birds had
Plasmodium
infections or high intensities of
Haemoproteus
parasites. Our results broaden the range of fitness costs that haemosporidian parasites may have on birds, as delayed post-juvenile plumage acquisition can impact subsequent key life-history stages.
The disadvantage of having a big mouth: the relationship between insect body size and microplastic ingestion
Authors: Ritchie M.W. , McColville E.R. , Mills J.E. , Provencher J.F. , Bertram S.M. , MacMillan H.A.
Published: January 2025

Plastic pollution is ubiquitous, and animals are exposed to diverse plastic shapes and sizes. When plastics enter natural environments, they break down into microplastics (MPs; <5 mm) and likely become more accessible to smaller animals. Insects play critical environmental and economic roles, ingest plastics in the wild, and can physically degrade ingested MPs into smaller and more harmful nanoplastics. While particle size and body size undoubtedly impact plastic ingestion, we have no predictive understanding of how these factors interact to influence which plastics are a threat to which animals. To uncover these potential interactions, we studied how a model cricket species (Gryllodes sigillatus) interacts with plastics of differing sizes throughout a twentyfold change in body size during growth and development. We fed crickets a range of MP sizes of 38 to 500 µm with clearly defined particle size thresholds. We investigated whether crickets would avoid MPs when given a choice and found that they do not; instead they gradually began to consume more of the plastic diet over time. We then studied how MP ingestion is influenced by body size and mouth size, and the extent of breakdown that occurs once MPs are ingested. We found that crickets would only consume whole beads when their mouth size was larger than the MP. While small MPs were more likely to be excreted whole, larger MPs were more extensively broken down as crickets grew. We conclude that crickets do not exhibit avoidance behaviour towards plastic and ingest it once a particle can be consumed whole. These effects of insect behaviour and body size on the likelihood of plastic ingestion and the degree to which MPs are degraded have important implications for regulating the size classes of plastic particles entering natural environments and how plastics move through those environments once discarded.
Transfusion of allogenic murine HOD red blood cells preferentially induces low-affinity, short-lived IgG antibodies that are germinal center independent
Authors: Medved Jelena , Arneja Abhinav , Moscovich Tamara C. , Shah Neha , Muppidi Rachel J. , Burnett Emily D. , Boscia Alexis R. , Hester Benjamin N. , Maram Jayati , Raghavan Rishi , Ireland Selby A. , Berberian Margaret B. , Stern-Green Elizabeth A. , Kodali Aditi S. , Niebuhr Conrad S. , Salazar Juan E. , Santhanakrishnan Manjula , Hudson Krystalyn E. , Zimring James C. , Hendrickson Jeanne E. , Luckey Chance John
Published: January 2025

Transfusion-induced anti-red blood cell (RBC) alloantibodies pose a significant risk to patients who require chronic transfusions. Anti-RBC alloantibodies can be remarkably short-lived (i.e. evanescent), leading to clinically relevant alloantibodies that are not detected in later pre-transfusion antibody screens. Subsequent transfusion of alloantigen-positive RBCs stimulates a rapid memory antibody response that may induce a delayed hemolytic transfusion reaction (DHTR), causing morbidity and occasional mortality in chronically transfused patients. It is unclear why transfusions favor evanescent antibody responses over long-lived antibodies typically observed upon infections and vaccinations. We therefore turned to the HOD mouse model of RBC alloimmunization to elucidate regulators of antibody persistence in response to allogenic transfusions. By following antibody responses over time in transfused mice, we found that HOD-specific alloantibodies rapidly decay within three months while vaccination-induced antibodies remain constant. Thus, the HOD model recapitulates RBC antibody evanescence. The rapid antibody evanescence suggests that transfusion is a poor inducer of germinal centers (GCs), specialized immunological structures where B cells differentiate into germinal center B (GC B) cells and undergo iterative rounds of affinity maturation, ultimately differentiating into long-lived plasma cells that can produce antibodies for decades. Consistent with this hypothesis, we failed to observe an increase in GC B cell formation in response to transfusion, and the majority of anti-RBC alloantibodies were low affinity when compared to vaccination. To formally test the functional requirement for GCs in anti-RBC alloantibody production, we employed two orthogonal approaches to disrupt GC formation: i) day 4 CD40L blockade and ii) genetic disruption of the GC-transcription factor BCL6 selectively in B cells. Both approaches fully blocked GC formation, yet anti-RBC alloantibody production was unchanged. Collectively, our data demonstrate that anti-HOD RBC alloantibodies are GC-independent, low affinity and short-lived. The GC-independence of HOD RBC IgG responses has important implications for understanding the cellular and molecular pathways that regulate the humoral immune response to transfused RBCs, potentially explaining anti-RBC alloantibody evanescence patterns in patients.
Using landscape biodiversity metrics to assess rewilding: a space-for-time comparison between the Knepp Estate and an agricultural baseline at Boothby Wildland
Authors: Pates NJ , Boyce BB , Crawley MJ , de Klee Ivan , Green Penny , Hodge Josh A , Estrada Catalina , Loughlin Eimear K , Learmonth Rona , Moye Thomas J , Pearce Saskia IL , Sherlock Megan , Pearse William D
Published: January 2025

The biodiversity crisis is often framed in terms of the reduction of species found at a site: a (alpha) diversity. However, changes in species composition across a landscape – b (beta) diversity – caused by biotic homogenisation are part of the same crisis. Much biotic homogenisation in British terrestrial landscapes in the post-war period (1945 onwards) has been driven by agricultural conversion and intensification. Restoration efforts must therefore contend with restoring agricultural land to some desired state, and rewilding has emerged as a potential solution to this problem.

Here we quantify rewilding success by comparing a- and b-diversity of plant assemblages across two study systems in different stages of rewilding. Boothby Wildland is an arable farm recently given over to rewilding, while the Knepp Estate is an ex-arable and dairy farm currently >20 years into rewilding. We assessed a-diversity within, and b- diversity across, these two landscapes using 3 years of plant survey data (2022-2024).

We confirmed expected differences between a baseline and rewilded landscape and explored the changes in a brand new rewilded landscape in its early years of progress. As expected, the plant community at the Knepp Estate is relatively stable while that of Boothby Wildland is changing rapidly, and we discuss the landscape impacts of different herbivory regimes on recovery.

Synthesis and applications.We also show that spatial metrics for SESMPD and SESMNTD can distinguish between a rewilded and degraded landscape. This suggests that changes in the structure of biodiversity across landscapes can be quantified using analyses that account for spatial structure in metrics. We call for further research to see if a spatial approach of this kind can be used as a general metric of success in rewilding.
Prenatal cannabinoid exposure affects central cardiorespiratory control in young male and female rats
Authors: Patrone Luis Gustavo A. , Karlen-Amarante Marlusa , Gargaglioni Luciane H. , Zoccal Daniel B.
Published: January 2025

Cannabis use among pregnant women is rising globally, mainly for recreational and medical reasons to relieve symptoms like nausea, vomiting, anxiety, and insomnia. This trend is reinforced by the misconception that its natural origin guarantees safety, along with government policies promoting legalization. However, exposure to cannabinoidsin uterocan impact normal offspring’s neurodevelopment and induce malfunctioning of various physiological systems, including the cardiorespiratory function. The present study investigated whether prenatal cannabinoid exposure disrupts the generation and control of autonomic and respiratory activities in early adulthood. Usingin situpreparations of juvenile male and female rats (27-28 days old) exposed to a synthetic cannabinoid (WIN 55,212-2; 0.5 mg/kg/day, n=4-9) or vehicle (n=3-10) during gestation, we analyzed the activity of nerves innervating respiratory muscles and blood vessels. We noticed that females receiving WIN prenatally exhibited a reduced excitatory drive (post-inspiratory activity, post-I) to laryngeal muscles under resting conditions, suggesting impaired control of upper airway patency. Moreover, males and females exposed to WIN displayed reduced post-I and abdominal expiratory motor activities during stimulation of carotid body chemoreceptors (mimicking low oxygen situations) or exposure to high carbon dioxide levels, indicating an inability to mount appropriate reflex respiratory motor responses during blood gas disturbances. In addition, WIN-treated males showed attenuated sympathoexcitatory responses to carotid body activation or hypercapnia, evidencing a limited capacity to promote sympathetic-mediated hemodynamic changes. Thus, manipulating the fetal endocannabinoid system impacts the development of networks controlling respiratory and autonomic functions, leading to negative, long-term consequences for ventilation and cardiovascular function.