bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mental Health Conditions in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Asexual Youth in Brazil: a call for action
Authors: Terra Tauana , Schafer Julia L. , Pan Pedro M. , Costa Angelo Brandelli , Caye Arthur , Gadelha Ary , Miguel Eurípedes , Bressan Rodrigo A. , Rohde Luis A. , Salum Giovanni A.
Published: June 2021

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Asexual (LGBTQA+) youth have a greater odds of experiencing stressful life events like discrimination and violence when compared to their cisgender heterosexual peers, which can lead to mental health problems. We aimed to estimate the prevalence of mental disorders among LGBTQA+ youths from the 3rd wave of the Brazilian High-Risk Cohort for Psychiatric Disorders (n= 1,475). Mental disorders were assessed using the Brazilian version of the Development and Well-Being Behavior Assessment. Sexual orientation, gender identity and biological sex were assessed using specific questions of a self-report confidential questionnaire. Data were analyzed using sampling weights to account for attrition and our oversampling design. The mean age was 18.14 years (SD= 2.00) and 15.18% of the sample described themselves as LGBTQA+ (n=221). The LGBTQA+ group presented higher rates of anxiety disorders (30.14% vs. 13.37%; OR= 3.66; 95%CI: 2.82 - 4.75; p<0.001), depressive disorders (27.75% vs. 15.34%; OR= 2.51; 95%CI: 1.92 - 3.27, p<0.001) and post-traumatic stress disorder (4.98% vs. 2.25%, OR= 4.21, 95%CI: 2.54 - 6.96, p<0.001), if compared with the cisgender heterosexual group. No difference was found for conduct disorders (2.97% vs. 5.21% OR= 0.81; 95%CI: 0.39 - 1.69; p=0.577) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (5.92% vs. 3.28%, OR= 1.29; 95%CI: 0.74 - 2.25; p=0.361). Our results elucidate the mental health disparities between LGBTQA+ people and cisgender heterosexuals in Brazil. It highlights the need to promote the inclusion of this population in policy formulation and to support actions to mitigate and prevent the suffering and mental health problems related to sexual orientation and gender identity.
HbA1c and FIB-4 as Serologic Markers for the Risk of Progression of Stage A Heart Failure
Authors: Grigg William , Mahfooz Faisal , Chaudhary Dharmista , Zapata Isain , Duffee Douglas
Published: June 2021

Background

The classic association of glycemic control as represented by glycosylated hemoglobin (Glyco% or HbA1c) with progression of micro and macro vascular clinical complications is well documented. However, use of the advanced glycation end product (AGE) axis as a marker for early diastolic hemodynamic changes leading to clinical heart failure has been suggested but is less well characterized. This study explored the association between elevated Glyco% and Fibrosis 4 (FIB-4, a 4-component marker for liver fibrosis) values and worsening measures of diastolic cardiac function in order to assess their utility as early serologic markers in cardiovascular disease prevention.

Methods and Results

A Retrospective cohort analysis was conducted in 102 patients presenting to the Parkview Medical Center health system who had received a full resting echo characterized by normal systolic ejection fraction and clinical risk factors associated with stage A heart failure in conjunction with Glyco% and FIB-4 scores all within a 3-month time window. Using regression analysis, measures of diastolic cardiac function were assessed in conjunction with rising Glyco% levels characterized as <6.5 and > 6.5 and FIB-4 scores after controlling for the presence of hypertension, coronary artery disease and valvular heart disease. Glyco% levels > 6.5 were significantly associated with a higher E/e’ ratio and closely associated with an elevated left atrial volume index both indicative of elevated left atrial pressure as a sensitive marker for diastolic cardiac dysfunction. FIB-4 scores did not appear to be clinically associated with progression of diastolic dysfunction.

Conclusions

Glyco%, long known to be a marker for metabolic glycemic control can also act as an early marker for identifying patients at increased risk for the progression of stage A heart failure. FIB-4 scores cannot.

Registration

https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04450576?term=duffee&draw=2&rank=3
Service user perspectives of community mental health services for people with complex emotional needs: a co-produced qualitative interview study
Authors: Trevillion Kylee , Stuart Ruth , Ocloo Josephine , Broeckelmann Eva , Jeffreys Stephen , Jeynes Tamar , Allen Dawn , Russell Jessica , Billings Jo , Crawford Mike J , Dale Oliver , Haigh Rex , Moran Paul , McNicholas Shirley , Nicholls Vicky , Foye Una , Simpson Alan , Lloyd-Evans Brynmor , Johnson Sonia , Oram Sian
Published: June 2021

Background

There is consensus that services supporting people with complex emotional needs are part of a mental health care system in which change is needed. To date, service users’ views and co-production exercises have had little impact on the development of treatment and care. This needs to change, and our paper evidences the experiences and perspectives of a diverse range of people on how community services can best address the needs of people with complex emotional needs.

Methods

A co-produced qualitative research study. Lived experience researchers led data collection and analysis. Individual interviews were conducted with 30 people across England who had a diverse range of experiences and perspectives of using community services for complex emotional needs. Participants were asked about their experiences of using community services for their mental health, and views on how community services can best address their needs. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.

Results

Participants reported some experiences of good practice but also of experiences of severely stigmatising treatment, a lack of effective support and service fragmentation.Relational Practicewas identified as the central overarching theme and describes how community services can best support people with complex emotional needs. This approach involves care delivered in a non-stigmatising, individualised, compassionate and trauma-informed manner. It involves care that is planned collaboratively with service users to ensure their multiple needs are addressed in a flexible, holistic and consistent way which accounts for the long-term and fluctuating nature of their needs.

Conclusions

Relational practice approaches have potential to facilitate better community care for people with complex emotional needs. Research and service development are needed to examine how best to implement such approaches across the mental health service system. This work must be co-produced with people with relevant lived experience, their carers and the professionals who support them.
Factors influencing focused practice: A qualitative study of resident and early-career family physician practice choices
Authors: Kabir Monisha , Randall Ellen , Mitra Goldis , Lavergne M. Ruth , Scott Ian , Snadden David , Jones Lori , Goldsmith Laurie J. , Marshall Emily G. , Grudniewicz Agnes
Published: June 2021

Background

Although focused practice within family medicine may be increasing globally, there is limited research on the factors contributing to decisions to focus practice. We aimed to examine the factors influencing resident and early-career family physician choices of focused practice across three Canadian provinces.

Methods

We analyzed a subset of qualitative interview data from a study across British Columbia, Ontario, and Nova Scotia. A total of 22 resident family physicians and 38 early-career family physicians in their first 10 years of practice who intend to or currently practice in a focused area were included in our analysis. We compared participant types, provinces, and the degree of focused practice while identifying themes related to factors influencing the pursuit of focused practice.

Results

We identified three key themes of factors contributing to choices of focused practice: self-preservation within the current health care system, support from colleagues, and experiences in medical school and/or residency. Minor themes included alignment of practice with skills, personal values, or ability to derive professional satisfaction; personal lived experiences; and having many attractive opportunities for focused practice.

Interpretation

Both groups of participants unanimously viewed focused practice as a way to circumvent the burnout or exhaustion they associated with comprehensive practice in the current structure of the health care. This finding, in addition to other influential factors, was consistent across the three provinces. More research is needed to understand the implications of resident and early-career family physician choices of focused practice within the physician workforce.
Test negative designs with uncertainty, sensitivity, and specificity
Authors: Johnson Erik K. , Kahn Rebecca , Grad Yonatan H. , Lipsitch Marc , Larremore Daniel B.
Published: June 2021

Test-negative designs (TNDs) can be used to estimate vaccine effectiveness by comparing the relative rates of the target disease and symptomatically similar diseases among vaccinated and unvaccinated populations. However, the diagnostic tests used to identify the target disease typically suffer from imperfect sensitivity and specificity, leading to biased vaccine effectiveness estimates. Here we present a solution to this problem via a Bayesian statistical model which can either incorporate point estimates of test sensitivity and specificity, or can jointly infer them directly from laboratory validation data. This approach enables uncertainties in the performance characteristics of the diagnostic test to be correctly propagated to estimates, avoiding both bias and false precision in vaccine effectiveness. By further incorporating individual covariates of study participants, and by allowing data streams from multiple diagnostic test types to be rigorously combined, our approach provides a flexible model for the analysis of TNDs with explicitly stated assumptions.
CMTr cap-adjacent 2’-O-ribose mRNA methyltransferases are required for reward learning and mRNA localization to synapses
Authors: Haussmann Irmgard U. , Wu Yanying , Nallasivan Mohanakarthik P. , Archer Nathan , Bodi Zsuzsanna , Hebenstreit Daniel , Waddell Scott , Fray Rupert , Soller Matthias
Published: June 2021

Cap-adjacent nucleotides of animal, protist and viral mRNAs can be dynamically O-methylated at the 2’ position of the ribose (cOMe). The functions of cOMe in animals, however, remain unknown. Here we show that the two cap methyltransferases (CMTr1 and CMTr2) of Drosophila can methylate the ribose of the first nucleotide in mRNA. Double-mutant flies lack cOMe but are viable. Consistent with prominent neuronal expression, they have a reward learning defect that can be rescued by conditional expression in mushroom body neurons before training. Among CMTr targets are cell adhesion and signaling molecules relevant for learning and cOMe is required for local translation of mRNAs at synapses. Hence, our study reveals a mechanism to co-transcriptionally prime mRNAs by cOMe for localized protein synthesis at synapses.
Dynamic metabolic exchanges between complementary bacterial types provide collaborative stress resistance
Authors: Amarnath Kapil , Narla Avaneesh V. , Pontrelli Sammy , Dong Jiajia , Taylor Brian R. , Caglar Tolga , Schwartzman Julia , Sauer Uwe , Cordero Otto X. , Hwa Terence
Published: June 2021

Metabolic cross-feeding plays vital roles in promoting ecological diversity. While some microbes depend on exchanges of essential nutrients for growth, forces driving the extensive cross-feeding needed to support the coexistence of free-living microbes are poorly understood. Here we characterize bacterial physiology under self-acidification, and establish that extensive excretion of key metabolites following acidification provides a collaborative, inter-species mechanism of stress resistance. This collaboration occurs not only between species isolated from the same community, but also between unrelated species with complementary (glycolytic vs. gluconeogenic) modes of metabolism. Cultures of such communities cycle through different phases in growth-dilution experiments, comprising of exponential growth, growth arrest upon acidification, collaborative stress relief, and growth recovery, with each phase involving distinct physiological states of individual species. Our findings challenge the static view of ecosystems commonly portrayed in ecological models, and offer an alternative dynamical view based on growth advantages of different species in different phases.
Disease-modifying therapies for T1 hypointense lesions (Black Holes) volume in patients with multiple sclerosis: Protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Fattahi Mohammad Reza , Sahraian Mohammad Ali , Azimi Amir Reza , Sadeghi Maryam , Torbati Mehrnush , Valizadeh Amir
Published: June 2021

Rationale

A major part of diagnosis and follow-up in patients with multiple sclerosis is based on MRI evaluations. As T1-hypointense lesions represent neural destruction or axonal loss and anticipate irreversible disability in the patients, evaluation of the effects of Disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) on the volume of black holes seems necessary.

Objectives

To evaluate the effects of FDA approved disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) on T1 hypointense lesions (Black Holes) volume in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS)

Data sources

We will search MEDLINE (through Ovid), Embase, and CENTRAL. We won’t consider any timeframe, language, or geographical restrictions.

Methods

We will include only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that have evaluated the effects of DMTs on black holes mean volume in adult patients diagnosed with any phenotype of multiple sclerosis (MS) in comparison to the placebo, routine care, or no treatment regimen. We will assess the risk of bias in the primary studies using the Revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials (RoB2). Data will be synthesized based on the random-effects model and results will be plotted on a forest plot. Heterogeneity will be assessed using I2 statistics. If feasible, we will also perform subgroup analyses for each DMT.

Funding

This study is not funded.

Registration

PROSPERO submission ID: 262883.
Spectrum of HRCT chest findings in RT-PCR positive asymptomatic COVID-19 patients at a COVID designated hospital in Nepal
Authors: Basnet Bina , Pant Sujit , Pant Sujata , Rai Kalpana , Tulachan Niraj Basanta , Karki Bibek , Shahi Rajiv , Basnet Shiva Bahadur , Thapa Bikash Bikram
Published: June 2021

Introduction

COVID-19 pandemic is grappling the world with the surge of infection time and again. Clinicians are trying to justify the ethics of public health care. Asymptomatic COVID-19 cases are going undocumented and most of them practice self-isolation. Studies have revealed significant radiological changes among RT-PCR positive asymptomatic COVID-19 cases.

Objective

The aim of this cross-sectional study is to characterized chest CT findings of asymptomatic RT-PCR-positive patients in one of the COVID-designated hospitals in Nepal.

Results

Out of 43, 26 (60.5%) participants had positive Chest CT scan findings consistent with COVID pneumonia. 65% had bilateral and 77% had multifocal lesions. The ground-glass opacities (92%), mixed (ground-glass opacities and consolidation) pattern (30.7%), and consolidation only (34.6%) were common chest CT findings. The median CT score was 3.5 (Interquartile range; 2-6).

Conclusion

The majority of the RT-PCR positive asymptomatic patient present with CT scan changes of lungs which are important to determine clinical status, prognosis, and long-term sequel in those cohorts.
Diffuse ions coordinate dynamics in a ribonucleoprotein assembly
Authors: Wang Ailun , Levi Mariana , Mohanty Udayan , Whitford Paul C.
Published: June 2021

Proper ionic concentrations are required for the functional dynamics of RNA and ribonucleoprotein (RNP) assemblies. While experimental and computational techniques have provided many insights into the properties of chelated ions, less is known about the energetic contributions of diffuse ions to large-scale conformational rearrangements. To address this, we present a model that is designed to quantify the influence of diffuse monovalent and divalent ions on the dynamics of biomolecular assemblies. This model employs all-atom (non-H) resolution and explicit ions, where effective potentials account for hydration effects. We first show that the model accurately predicts the number of excess Mg2+ ions for prototypical RNA systems, at a level comparable to modern coarse-grained models. We then apply the model to a complete ribosome and show how the balance between diffuse Mg2+ and K+ ions can control the dynamics of tRNA molecules during translation. The model predicts differential effects of diffuse ions on the free-energy barrier associated with tRNA entry and the energy of tRNA binding to the ribosome. Together, this analysis reveals the direct impact of diffuse ions on the dynamics of an RNP assembly.

TOC Graphic
Arrival and proliferation of the invasive seaweed Rugulopteryx okamurae in NE Atlantic islands
Authors: Faria João , Prestes Afonso CL , Moreu Ignacio , Martins Gustavo M , Neto Ana I , Cacabelos Eva
Published: June 2021

The present study reports the recent occurrence and expansion of Rugulopteryx okamurae in the Azores archipelago (NE Atlantic). Morphological and molecular characters confirmed the species identification. Quick surveys around the island of São Miguel showed that it has successfully colonized the island and is quickly expanding. In some locations, R. okamurae is currently the dominant organism smothering all other benthic biota and posing a serious threat to the benthic ecosystems across the region. The species first record dates from 2019 near the main harbour of the island, suggesting that its introduction was driven by human-assisted transport, via boat ballast waters or adhered to ship hulls and likely originating from the Mediterranean populations that have been proliferating in recent years across the Strait of Gibraltar.
On the neuronal dynamics of aesthetic experience: Evidence from electroencephalographic oscillatory dynamics
Authors: Strijbosch Wim , Vessel Edward A. , Welke Dominik , Mitas Ondrej , Gelissen John , Bastiaansen Marcel
Published: June 2021

Aesthetic experiences have an influence on many aspects of life. Interest in the neural basis of aesthetic experiences has grown rapidly in the past decade, and fMRI studies have identified several brain systems supporting aesthetic experiences. Work on the rapid neuronal dynamics of aesthetic experience, however, is relatively scarce. The present study adds to this field by investigating the experience of being aesthetically moved by means of ERP and time-frequency analysis. Participants’ EEG was recorded while they viewed a diverse set of artworks and evaluated the extent to which these artworks moved them. Results show that being aesthetically moved is associated with a sustained increase in gamma activity over centroparietal regions. Also, alpha power over right frontocentral regions was reduced in high and low moving images, compared to artworks given intermediate ratings. We interpret the gamma effect as an indication for sustained savoring processes for aesthetically moving artworks compared to aesthetically less moving artworks. The alpha effect is interpreted as an indication of increased attention for aesthetically salient images. In contrast to previous works, we observed no significant effects in any of the established ERP components, but we did observe effects at latencies longer than 1 s. We conclude that EEG time-frequency analysis provides useful information on the neuronal dynamics of aesthetic experience.
Gestationally-Dependent Immune Organization at the Maternal-Fetal Interface
Authors: Moore Amber R. , Gonzalez Nora Vivanco , Plummer Katherine A. , Mitchel Olivia R. , Kaur Harleen , Rivera Moises , Collica Brian , Palmer Theo D. , Bendall Sean C.
Published: June 2021

The immune system and placenta have a dynamic relationship across gestation to accommodate fetal growth and development. High-resolution characterization of this maternal- fetal interface is necessary to better understand the immunology of pregnancy and its complications. We developed a single-cell framework to simultaneously immuno-phenotype circulating, endovascular, and tissue-resident cells at the maternal-fetal interface throughout gestation, discriminating maternal and fetal contributions. Our data reveal distinct immune profiles across the endovascular and tissue compartments with tractable dynamics throughout gestation that respond to a systemic immune challenge in a gestationally-dependent manner. We uncover that mononuclear phagocytes and neutrophils drive the temporal immune composition of the placenta with remarkably diverse populations, including PD-L1-expressing subsets having compartmental and early gestational bias. Our approach and accompanying datasets provide a resource for additional investigations into gestational immunology and evoke a more significant role for the innate immune system in establishing the microenvironment of early pregnancy.

Abstract Figure
Room-temperature Storage of Lyophilized Engineered Bacteria using Tardigrade Intrinsically Disordered Proteins
Authors: Yang Yixian , Jiao Zhandong , Zhang Shao , Shan Mingjian , Duan Sizhe , Wang Xinyuan , Wang Siyuan , Tang Yiming , Wang Shiqi
Published: June 2021

Tardigrades, which live in transiently wet environments such as moss, are well-known for their extreme resistance to desiccation. Tardigrade intrinsically disordered proteins (TDPs) have been reported to also protect bacteria and yeast under desiccation [4, 5, 32]. In this study, we utilized lyophilization to achieve room-temperature storage of engineered bacteria. By using TDPs, engineered bacteria are protected under lyophilization and their original functions are preserved [12, 17, 18]. This study shows that TDPs can be expressed in the Escherichia coli (E. coli) BL21 and DH5α, and bacteria treated with Cytosolic-abundant heat soluble protein (CAHS) 106094 displayed the highest survival rate after lyophilization [16, 41, 44]. Moreover, this study shows that the co-expression of TDPs can improve the preservation of bacteria and maintain high survival rates after prolonged room temperature storage. Additionally, the TDPs can be expressed using different vectors, which means that they can be used in different types of engineered bacteria. This study offers a new storage method that not only improves the storage of biological material for industrial and daily usage, but also for future iGEM (International Genetically Engineered Machine Competition) teams to store and use their engineered bacteria in different applications.
Towards the Interpretability of Deep Learning Models for Multi-modal Neuroimaging: Finding Structural Changes of the Ageing Brain
Authors: Hofmann Simon M. , Beyer Frauke , Lapuschkin Sebastian , Goltermann Ole , Loeffler Markus , Müller Klaus-Robert , Villringer Arno , Samek Wojciech , Witte A. Veronica
Published: June 2021

Brain-age (BA) estimates based on deep learning are increasingly used as neuroimaging biomarker for brain health; however, the underlying neural features have remained unclear. We combined ensembles of convolutional neural networks with Layer-wise Relevance Propagation (LRP) to detect which brain features contribute to BA. Trained on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data of a population-based study (n=2637, 18-82 years), our models estimated age accurately based on single and multiple modalities, regionally restricted and whole-brain images (mean absolute errors 3.37-3.86 years). We find that BA estimates capture aging at both small and large-scale changes, revealing gross enlargements of ventricles and subarachnoid spaces, as well as white matter lesions, and atrophies that appear throughout the brain. Divergence from expected aging reflected cardiovascular risk factors and accelerated aging was more pronounced in the frontal lobe. Applying LRP, our study demonstrates how superior deep learning models detect brain-aging in healthy and at-risk individuals throughout adulthood.
Use of viral motif mimicry improves the proteome-wide discovery of human linear motifs
Authors: Wadie Bishoy , Kleshchevnikov Vitalii , Sandaltzopoulou Elissavet , Benz Caroline , Petsalaki Evangelia
Published: June 2021

Linear motifs have an integral role in dynamic cell functions including cell signalling, the cell cycle and others. However, due to their small size, low complexity, degenerate nature, and frequent mutations, identifying novel functional motifs is a challenging task. Viral proteins rely extensively on the molecular mimicry of cellular linear motifs for modifying cell signalling and other processes in ways that favour viral infection. This study aims to discover human linear motifs convergently evolved also in disordered regions of viral proteins, under the hypothesis that these will result in enrichment in functional motif instances. We systematically apply computational motif prediction, combined with implementation of several functional and structural filters to the most recent publicly available human-viral and human-human protein interaction network. By limiting the search space to the sequences of viral proteins, we observed an increase in the sensitivity of motif prediction, as well as improved enrichment in known instances compared to the same analysis using only human protein interactions. We identified > 8,400 motif instances at various confidence levels, 105 of which were supported by all functional and structural filters applied. Overall, we provide a pipeline to improve the identification of functional linear motifs from interactomics datasets and a comprehensive catalogue of putative human motifs that can contribute to our understanding of the human domain-linear motif code and the mechanisms of viral interference with this.
Cellular intelligence: dynamic specialization through non-equilibrium multi-scale compartmentalization
Authors: Tuyéras Rémy , Agudelo Leandro Z. , Ram Soumya P. , Loon Anjanet , Kutlu Burak , Grove Kevin , Kellis Manolis
Published: June 2021

Intelligence is usually associated with the ability to perceive, retain and use information to adapt to changes in one’s environment. In this context, systems of living cells can be thought of as intelligent entities. Here, we show that the concepts of non-equilibrium tuning and compartmentalization are sufficient to model manifestations of cellular intelligence such as specialization, division, fusion and communication using the language of operads. We implement our framework as an unsupervised learning algorithm, IntCyt, which we show is able to memorize, organize and abstract reference machine-learning datasets through generative and self-supervised tasks. Overall, our learning framework captures emergent properties programmed in living systems, and provides a powerful new approach for data mining.

Structured abstract

Background

Although intelligence has been given many definitions, we can associate it with the ability to perceive, retain, and use information to adapt to changes in one’s environment. In this context, systems of living cells can be thought of as intelligent entities. While one can reasonably describe their adaptive abilities within the realm of homeostatic mechanisms, it is challenging to comprehend the principles governing their metabolic intelligence. In each organism, cells have indeed developed as many ways to adapt as there are cell types, and elucidating the impetus of their evolutionary behaviors could be the key to understanding life processes and likely diseases.

Advances

The goal of this article is to propose principles for understanding cellular intelligence. Specifically, we show that the concepts of non-equilibrium tuning and compartmentalization are enough to recover cellular adaptive behaviors such as specialization, division, fusion, and communication. Our model has the advantage to encompass all scales of life, from organelles to organisms through systems of organs and cell assemblies. We achieve this flexibility using the language of operads, which provides an elegant framework for reasoning about nested systems and, as an emergent behavior, non-equilibrium compartmentalization.

To demonstrate the validity and the practical utility of our model, we implement it in the form of an unsupervised learning algorithm, IntCyt, and apply it to reference machine learning datasets through generative and self-supervised tasks. We find that IntCyt’s interpretability, plasticity and accuracy surpass that of a wide range of machine learning algorithms, thus providing a powerful approach for data mining.

Outlook

Our results indicate that the nested hierarchical language of operads captures the emergent properties of programmed cellular metabolism in the development of living systems, and provide a new biologically-inspired, yet practical and lightweight, computational paradigm for memorizing, organizing and abstracting datasets.
Age-related change in adult chimpanzee social network integration
Authors: González Nicole Thompson , Machanda Zarin , Otali Emily , Muller Martin N. , Enigk Drew K. , Wrangham Richard , Thompson Melissa Emery
Published: June 2021

Background

Social isolation is a key risk factor for the onset and progression of age-related disease and mortality in humans, yet older people commonly have narrowing social networks. Few models explain why human networks shrink with age, despite the risk that small networks and isolation pose. We evaluate models grounded in a life history perspective by studying social aging in wild chimpanzees, which are long-lived and show physical decline with age.

Methodology

We applied social network analysis to examine age-related changes in social integration in a 7+ year mixed-longitudinal dataset comprised of 38 wild adult chimpanzees (22 F, 16 M) in the Kanyawara community in the Kibale National Park, Uganda. Metrics of social integration included social attractivity and overt effort (directed degree and strength), gregariousness (undirected strength), social roles (betweenness and local transitivity), and embeddedness (eigenvector centrality) in grooming and spatial association networks.

Results

Males reduced overt social effort yet increased in attractivity, roles in cliques, and embeddedness. Females were overall less integrated than males, and their decreased integration with age suggested social avoidance. Effects of age were largely independent of rank. Both sexes maintained highly repeatable inter-individual differences in several aspects of integration, particularly among mixed-sex partners.

Conclusions and implications

As in humans, chimpanzees experience age-related declines in social effort. However, important facets of integration aged more similarly to humans in non-industrialized vs. industrialized societies, suggesting an evolutionary social mismatch between conserved declines in effort and dynamics of industrialized society. Lastly, individual and sex differences have the potential to be important mediators of successful social aging in chimpanzees, as in humans.
Structural determinants of Acid-sensing ion channel potentiation by single chain lipids
Authors: Klipp Robert C. , Bankston John R.
Published: June 2021

Acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs) are sensitized to activation by inflammatory mediators like the polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) arachidonic acid (AA). Previous work has shown that AA can potentiate ASIC currents at subsaturating proton concentrations, but the structural mechanisms of this change in gating are not understood. Here we show that PUFAs cause multiple gating changes in ASIC3 including shifting the pH dependence of activation, slowing the rate of desensitization, and increasing the current even at a saturating pH. The impact on gating depends on the nature of both the head and tail of the lipid with the head group structure primarily determining the magnitude of the effect on the channel. An N-acyl amino acid (NAAA), arachidonoyl glycine (AG), is such a strong regulator that it can act as a ligand at neutral pH. Mutation of an arginine in the outer segment of TM1 (R64) eliminated the effect of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) even at high concentrations suggesting a potential interaction site for the lipid on the channel. Our results suggest a model where PUFAs bind to ASICs both via their tail group as well as an electrostatic interaction between the negatively charged PUFA head group and the positively charged arginine side chain. These data provide the first look at the structural features of lipids that are important for modulating ASICs and suggest a potential binding site for PUFAs on the channel.

Short Summary

Arachidonic acid (AA) is a known modulator of ASICs. Bankston and Klipp examine the structural requirements for ASIC modulation by a number of lipids related to AA. Negatively charged head groups are stronger potentiators and may interact with an arginine in TM1 near the outer leaflet of the plasma membrane.
Woman Authorship in Pre-print Versus Peer-Reviewed Oral Health-Related Publications: A Two-Year Observational Study
Authors: Rajendran Lavanya , Khandelwal Namita , Feine Jocelyne , Ioannidou Effie
Published: June 2021

Objectives

Women in oral health science face similar societal issues and challenges as those in other STEMM careers, and gender disparities continue to exist as evidenced by fewer women represented as first and last authors in scientific publications. Pre-prints may serve as a conduit to immediately disseminating one’s work, bypassing the arduous peer review process and its associated inherent biases. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to 1] compare the gender of first and last authors in pre-print versus peer reviewed publications, 2] examine the composition of first and last author pairs as stratified by publication type, and 3] examine the correlation between woman authorship and institutional geographic location and publication metrics stratified by publication type.

Methods

The keyword “oral health” was used to search for publications in BioRxiv and Pubmed in the years 2018 and 2019. Gender of first and last authors were determined, and its frequency was considered as the primary outcome. Additionally, the geographic location of the author’s associated institution and publication metrics measured by Altmetrics score were extracted. Data was descriptively summarized by frequencies and percentages. Chi-square analysis was conducted for categorical variables which included the relationship between gender and publication type as well as gender and region of author’s associated institution. Binomial regression analysis was conducted to analyze the relationship between gender and Altmetrics.

Results

Woman first authors comprised 40.3% of pre-prints and 64.5% of peer reviewed publications [p<0.05]. Woman last authors comprised 31.3% of pre-prints and 61.5% of peer reviewed publications [p<0.05]. When analyzing the relationships between first and last author, the Man-Man pairing represented 47.7% of the pre-print publications and the Woman-Woman pairing comprised a majority of the of the peer review publications at 47.5%. All results were statistically significant with a p-value <0.05. No significant correlation was found between region of institution or Altmetrics and gender of first or last authors [p>0.05].

Conclusion

For the first time in oral health science, it was found that women show higher representation as first and last author positions in peer reviewed publications versus pre-prints.
Dynamical transitions of the actomyosin cortex can trigger single cell morphogenesis
Authors: Zhu Hongkang , Alonso-Matilla Roberto , McDargh Zachary , O’Shaughnessy Ben
Published: June 2021

Morphogenetic changes driven by actomyosin contractile forces are well-characterized at the tissue level. At the single cell level, shape changes steered by actomyosin contractile forces include mitotic rounding and cytokinetic furrow ingression. In some cases, more complex shape transitions associated with spatial patterning of the cortex were observed. The actomyosin cortex was widely studied using active gel frameworks, and stabilized contractile instabilities were shown to generate patterns, but whether complex shapes can emerge from these cortical patterns is not established. Here we show that complex morphogenetic changes at the single cell level can accompany cortical patterns, using a minimal active gel model. For sufficiently low membranecortex drag, an initially homogeneous cortex spontaneously develops stripes associated with stable furrows, similar to furrowing observed in cells. Our work suggests that controlled cortical instability can trigger morphogenesis at the cellular level.
Oxytocin receptors influence the development and maintenance of social behavior in zebrafish (Danio rerio)
Authors: Gemmer Anja , Mirkes Kristina , Anneser Lukas , Eilers Tim , Kibat Caroline , Mathuru Ajay , Ryu Soojin , Schuman Erin
Published: June 2021

Zebrafish are highly social teleost fish and an excellent model to study social behavior. The neuropeptide Oxytocin is associated different social behaviors as well as disorders resulting in social impairment like autism spectrum disorder. However, how Oxytocin receptor signaling affects the development and expression kinetics of social behavior is not known. In this study we investigated the role of the two oxytocin receptors, Oxtr and Oxtrl, in the development and maintenance of social preference and shoaling behavior in 2- to 8-week-old zebrafish. Using CRISPR/Cas9 mediated oxtr and oxtrl knock-out fish, we found that the development of social preference is accelerated if one of the Oxytocin receptors is knocked-out and that the knock-out fish reach significantly higher levels of social preference. Moreover, oxtr-/- fish showed impairments in the maintenance of social preference. Social isolation prior to testing led to impaired maintenance of social preference in both wild-type and oxtr and oxtrl knock-out fish. Knocking-out one of the Oxytocin receptors also led to increased group spacing and reduced polarization in a 20-fish shoal at 8 weeks post fertilization, but not at 4. These results show that the development and maintenance of social behavior is influenced by the Oxytocin receptors and that the effects are not just pro- or antisocial, but dependent on both the age and social context of the fish.
Enforced specialization fosters mutual cheating and not division of labour in the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Authors: Mridha Subham , Kümmerli Rolf
Published: June 2021

A common way for bacteria to cooperate is via the secretion of beneficial public goods (proteases, siderophores, biosurfactants) that can be shared among individuals in a group. Bacteria often simultaneously deploy multiple public goods with complementary functions. This raises the question whether natural selection could favour division of labour where subpopulations or species specialise in the production of a single public good, whilst sharing the complementary goods at the group level. Here we use an experimental system, where we genetically enforce specialization in the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa with regard to the production of its two siderophores, pyochelin and pyoverdine, and explore the conditions under which specialization can lead to division of labour. When growing pyochelin and pyoverdine specialists at different mixing ratios in various iron limited environments, we found that specialists could only successfully complement each other in environments with moderate iron limitation and grow as good as the generalist wildtype but not better. Under more stringent iron limitation, the dynamics in specialist communities was characterized by mutual cheating and with higher proportions of pyochelin producers greatly compromising group productivity. Nonetheless, specialist communities remained stable through negative frequency-dependent selection. Our work shows that specialization in a bacterial community can be spurred by mutual cheating and does not necessarily result in beneficial division of labour. We propose that natural selection might favour fine-tuned regulatory mechanisms in generalists over division of labour because the former enables generalists to remain flexible and adequately adjust public good investments in fluctuating environments.
The performance and corporate risk-taking of firms: evidence from Malaysian agricultural firms
Authors: Ahmad Hanis Hazwani , Azhari Adilah
Published: June 2021

Purpose

This study explores the effects of the performance and corporate risk-taking behaviour of agricultural firms. Despite its importance in mitigating climate change, the agricultural sector also faces global competition, market liberalisation, rapid technological advances and the starter of stricter quality and safety procedures, all of which require firms to take greater risks.

Design/methodology/approach

This study explores this relationship by applying generalised least square (GLS), random effect methodologies (REM) and generalised method of moments (GMM).

Findings

The findings report a favourable relationship between firm performance and corporate risk-taking using a sample of firms from an emerging market.

Research limitations/implications

The effects of these results for management practice and recommendations for further research were examined.

Originality/value

While this empirical study used a sample focused on a single industry, most previous studies focused on multiple industries. The originality of this study is its analysis of how firm performance affects corporate risk-taking in the Malaysian agriculture sector.
Illicit enrichment: is reconciliation a prevention of or an invitation to corruption? (The Egyptian example)
Authors: Al Agha Samah
Published: June 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the offense of illicit enrichment by public officials. It examines whether “reconciliation” could be a preventive measure from corruption or a vehicle for corruption.

Design/methodology/approach

To obtain the data on identifying the illicit enrichment offense and on examining “reconciliation” as a legal tool that combats corruption, this study uses a combination of primary and secondary resources such as the assigned laws, precedents by the Egyptian Cassation Court, academic books, journal articles and reliable websites. Using the same resources, the study explores the adverse aspects associated with “reconciliation.”

Findings

The paper concludes that the Egyptian Illicit Gains Authority Law No.62 of 1975 jeopardizes the “presumption of innocence” because it shifts the burden of proof from the prosecution to the defendant, but the Egyptian Cassation Court decides differently in many cases, whereby it puts emphasis on the prosecution to present enough evidence on illicit enrichment. If the accused is unable to prove the legitimate source of the increased wealth, then there will not be any conviction of illicit enrichment offense due to the presumption of innocence.
Mainstreaming whistleblowing as a regulatory mechanism against fraud in Nigeria’s capital market
Authors: Nwosu Edith O. , Nwoke Uchechukwu , Ajibo Collins Chikodi , Nwodo Fochi , Okoli Ikenna
Published: June 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to analyze the importance and application of whistleblowing in the fight against fraud in Nigeria’s capital market.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing from existing legislation and literature in the area, the paper (by adopting a doctrinal approach), analyzes the application of whistleblowing in the Nigerian capital market.

Findings

As a result of an inadequate legislative framework (a structure consisting mainly of mere policy directives and voluntary codes), whistleblowing is seldom used in Nigeria’s capital market.

Originality/value

This paper extends the body of knowledge in the area of whistleblowing in Nigeria’s capital market by not only identifying the non-utilization of the concept but also offers creative suggestions, which will help it is to normalize as a regulatory tool for reducing fraud in this sector.
Gender differences in child nutrition status of Bangladesh: a multinomial modeling approach
Authors: Haq Iqramul , Hossain Md. Ismail , Parvin Mst. Moushumi , Saleheen Ahmed Abdus Saleh , Habib Md. Jakaria , Chowdhury Imru- Al-Quais
Published: June 2021

Purpose

Malnutrition is one of the serious public health problems especially for children and pregnant women in developing countries such as Bangladesh. This study aims to identify the risk factors associated with child nutrition for both male and female children in Bangladesh.

Design/methodology/approach

This study was conducted among 23,099 mothers or caretakers of children under five years of age from a nationally representative survey named Bangladesh Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, 2019. This study used chi-square test statistic for bivariate analysis and multinomial logistic regression was used to evaluate the adjusted effects of those covariates on child nutritional status.

Findings

The prevalence of severely malnourished, nourishment was higher for males than females (5.3% vs 5.1%, 77.4% vs 76.8%) while moderately malnourished were higher for females (18.1% vs 17.4%). The findings from the multinomial model insinuated that the mother’s education level, wealth index, region, early child development, mother’s functional difficulties, child disability, reading children's books and diarrhea had a highly significant effect on moderate and severe malnutrition for male children. For the female children model, factors such as mother’s education level, wealth index, fever, child disability, rural, diarrhea, early child development and reading less than three books were significant for moderate and severe malnutrition.

Originality/value

There is a solution to any kind of problem and malnutrition is not an exceptional health problem. So, to overcome this problem, policymakers should take effective measures to improve maternal education level, wealth status, child health.
The Egyptian revolution of January 25, 2011 as an anti-systemic movement
Authors: Osman Amany Abdellatif
Published: June 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to analyze the Egyptian revolution as an anti-systemic movement. It illustrates how Egypt’s position in the world-economy has affected its political economy orientation and led to the marginalization of critical masses, who launched the revolution.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper follows Wallerstein’s world-system analysis focusing on the anti-systemic movement concept. The paper analyzes the Egyptian case based on Annales school’s longue durée concept, which is a perspective to study developments of social relations historically.

Findings

The Egyptian revolution was not only against the autocratic regime but also against the power structure resulting from the neoliberal economic policies, introduced as a response to the capitalism crisis. It represented the voice of the forgotten. The revolution was one of the anti-systemic movements resisting the manifestations of the capitalist world-economy.

Originality/value

This paper aims at proving that the Egyptian revolution was an anti-systemic movement; which will continue to spread as a rejection to the world-system and to aspire a more democratic and egalitarian world. The current COVID-19 pandemic is exacerbating the crisis of the world-system.