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1
Freedberg, Steven, Rachel M. Bowden, Michael A. Ewert, Dale R. Sengelaub, and Craig E. Nelson. "Long-term sex reversal by oestradiol in amniotes with heteromorphic sex chromosomes." Biology Letters 2, no. 3 (April 11, 2006): 378–81. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2006.0454.
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Oestradiol application during embryonic development reverses the sex of male embryos and results in normal female differentiation in reptiles lacking heteromorphic sex chromosomes, but fails to do so in birds and mammals with heteromorphic sex chromosomes. It is not clear whether the evolution of heteromorphic sex chromosomes in amniotes is accompanied by insensitivity to oestradiol, or if the association between oestradiol insensitivity and heteromorphic sex chromosomes can be attributable to phylogenetic constraints in these taxa. Turtles provide an ideal system to examine the potential relationship between oestradiol insensitivity and sex chromosome heteromorphy, since there are species with heteromorphic sex chromosomes that are closely related to species lacking heteromorphic sex chromosomes. We investigated this relationship by examining the long-term effects of oestradiol-17β application on sex determination in Staurotypus triporcatus and Staurotypus salvinii , two turtle species with male heterogamety. After raising the turtles in the lab for 3 years, we found follicular and Müllerian duct morphology in oestradiol-treated turtles that was identical to that of untreated females. The lasting sex reversal suggests that the evolutionary transition between systems lacking heteromorphic sex chromosomes and those with heteromorphic sex chromosomes is not constrained by a fundamental mechanistic difference.
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Pyle, Peter. "Remigial Molt Patterns in North American Falconiformes as Related to Age, Sex, Breeding Status, and Life-History Strategies." Condor 107, no. 4 (November 1, 2005): 823–34. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/condor/107.4.823.
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Abstract Examination of 1622 specimens indicates that North American Falconiformes show a wide variety of remigial (primary and secondary) replacement strategies, detectable throughout the year by evaluation of replacement patterns in the wings. Most Falconidae undergo complete prebasic molts whereas most Accipitridae display retained secondaries or show stepwise molt replacement patterns (“Staffelmäuser”). Among individuals exhibiting Staffelmäuser, minimum age can be inferred up to 5 years (fifth-basic plumage) by the number of “replacement waves” present among the primaries. It may also be able to infer breeding status during the previous summer by “suspension limits,” resulting from the interruption of molt during breeding. Among Accipitridae, Staffelmäuser occurred in species with greater mass, higher wing loading, longer migration distance, and more open rather than wooded foraging habitats: species that experience time constraints on molting and incur greater costs from large gaps in the wing. Thus, this study supports both the “time-constraints hypothesis,” suggesting that Staffelmäuser is a consequence of insufficient time for a complete annual molt, and the “aerodynamic hypothesis,” suggesting that Staffelmäuser reflects an adaptive need to replace as many feathers as possible without inhibiting flight efficiency. Time constraints may have been a proximate cause of Staffelmäuser among Falconiformes, with improvements to flying efficiency being an ultimate adaptive benefit.
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Li, Zhongqiu. "Sex-Age Related Rumination Behavior of Père David’s Deer under Constraints of Feeding Habitat and Rainfall." PLoS ONE 8, no. 6 (June 18, 2013): e66261. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0066261.
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Ball, Gregory F. "Species variation in the degree of sex differences in brain and behaviour related to birdsong: adaptations and constraints." Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 371, no. 1688 (February 19, 2016): 20150117. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2015.0117.
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The song-control system, a neural circuit that controls the learning and production of birdsong, provided the first example in vertebrates of prominent macro-morphological sex differences in the brain. Forebrain nuclei HVC, robust nucleus of the arcopallium (RA) and area X all exhibit prominent male-biased sex differences in volume in zebra finches and canaries. Subsequent studies compared species that exhibited different degrees of a sex difference in song behaviour and revealed an overall positive correlation between male biases in song behaviour and male biases in the volume of the song nuclei. However, several exceptions have been described in which male biases in HVC and RA are observed even though song behaviour is equal or even female-biased. Other phenotypic measures exhibit lability in both sexes. In the duetting plain-tailed wren ( Pheugopedius euophrys ), males and females have auditory cells in the song system that are tuned to the joint song the two sexes produce rather than just male or female components. These findings suggest that there may be constraints on the adaptive response of the song system to ecological conditions as assessed by nucleus volume but that other critical variables regulating song can respond so that each sex can modify its song behaviour as needed.
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Mendoza-Cuenca, Luis, and Rogelio Macías-Ordóñez. "Foraging polymorphism in Heliconius charitonia (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae): morphological constraints and behavioural compensation." Journal of Tropical Ecology 21, no. 4 (June 27, 2005): 407–15. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0266467405002385.
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Sexes and also within sex phenotypes, frequently differ in morphological traits associated with efficiency and performance in foraging and mating behaviours. In butterflies and other flying animals, phenotypic differences in wing size and traits associated with flight are involved in flight performance and individual fitness, but explorations of links among two or more traits and intrasexual differences are scarce. Foraging patterns were studied in a population of Heliconius charitonia butterflies having three phenotypes (females and two male phenotypes) which differ in their wing morphology and reproductive behaviour. As in previous studies, intersexual differences in foraging patterns were found; more interestingly, intrasexual differences were found between alternative male mating strategies. Using morphological and behavioural data, as well as data from previous flight analyses in Heliconius butterflies, we show that intrasexual differences may be explained by the energetic demands of each phenotype. Energetic expenditure is partially related to phenotypic variability in flight morphology and efficiency, and at least in both male phenotypes, differences may also be related to the energetic demands of alternative mating strategies.
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Fernández-Montraveta, Carmen, and Jesús Marugán-Lobón. "Geometric morphometrics reveals sex-differential shape allometry in a spider." PeerJ 5 (July 26, 2017): e3617. http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.3617.
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Common scientific wisdom assumes that spider sexual dimorphism (SD) mostly results from sexual selection operating on males. However, testing predictions from this hypothesis, particularly male size hyperallometry, has been restricted by methodological constraints. Here, using geometric morphometrics (GMM) we studied for the first time sex-differential shape allometry in a spider (Donacosa merlini, Araneae: Lycosidae) known to exhibit the reverse pattern (i.e., male-biased) of spider sexual size dimorphism. GMM reveals previously undetected sex-differential shape allometry and sex-related shape differences that are size independent (i.e., associated to the y-intercept, and not to size scaling). Sexual shape dimorphism affects both the relative carapace-to-opisthosoma size and the carapace geometry, arguably resulting from sex differences in both reproductive roles (female egg load and male competition) and life styles (wandering males and burrowing females). Our results demonstrate that body portions may vary modularly in response to different selection pressures, giving rise to sex differences in shape, which reconciles previously considered mutually exclusive interpretations about the origins of spider SD.
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Hamm, Jeremy, Meaghan Barlow, Jaron Tan, Odalis Garcia, and Katherine Duggan. "GOAL ADJUSTMENT CAPACITIES DURING COVID-19: CONTEXT-DEPENDENT BENEFITS FOR EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING." Innovation in Aging 6, Supplement_1 (November 1, 2022): 647. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igac059.2393.
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Abstract Increased constraints and lost opportunities inherent in the COVID-19 pandemic can threaten important life goals and erode emotional well-being. Theories of lifespan development have identified goal adjustment capacities (goal disengagement and goal reengagement) as core self-regulatory resources that can buffer against declines in well-being. However, little is known about the pandemic-related contextual circumstances under which goal adjustment capacities may become more or less beneficial for well-being. Using longitudinal data from a nationally-representative sample of Americans across the adult lifespan (aged 18-80, n=286), we examined the consequences of goal adjustment capacities for emotional well-being under circumstances when individuals reported lower or higher constraints than normal in their lives. Specifically, multilevel models tested whether the influence of between-person differences in (Level 2) goal disengagement and goal reengagement on well-being were moderated by (Level 1) within-person fluctuations in perceived constraints. Analyses controlled for age, sex, education, and income. We observed cross-level Goal Reengagement x Perceived Constraints interactions for depressive symptoms, perceived stress, and positive affect (bs = -.11 to .07, ps < .05), but not negative affect. Results showed that the benefits of goal reengagement for depressive symptoms, perceived stress, and positive affect were pronounced on occasions when participants reported lower (vs. higher) than average perceived constraints in their lives. Findings point to the moderating role of pandemic-related contextual circumstances and suggest that goal reengagement may be most beneficial when individuals have fewer constraints than usual in their lives and may thus able to capitalize on opportunities to pursue new attainable goals.
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Madsen, Daniel B., Ajit K. Das, Iver Bogen, and Eugene E. Grossman. "A Short Sensation-Seeking Scale." Psychological Reports 60, no. 3_part_2 (June 1987): 1179–84. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0033294187060003-235.1.
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Four studies examined the reliability and validity of a short form of Zuckerman's Sensation Seeking Scale. The short form demonstrated high retest reliability ( r = .78), correlated with drug- and sex-related behavior to the same extent as longer forms, gave higher scores for men than for women (as do the longer forms), and correlated .78 with Form V. The short form provides a reliable and valid measure of sensation seeking for use when time constraints preclude use of a longer form.
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Buvinić, Mayra, and Megan O'Donnell. "Gender Matters in Economic Empowerment Interventions: A Research Review." World Bank Research Observer 34, no. 2 (July 19, 2019): 309–46. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/wbro/lky004.
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Abstract Evidence shows that women face additional constraints because of their gender that affect their economic performance. A review of recent evaluation research demonstrates the types of gender-related constraints women face and the role that economic empowerment interventions can play in overcoming them, especially if they incorporate aspects of smart design, increasing their development impact. The evidence suggests that financial services and training programs are not gender-neutral and that specific design features can yield more positive economic outcomes for women by helping them overcome gender-related constraints. These features include savings and “Graduation” programs that increase women's economic independence, self-reliance and self-control, and the practice of repeated micro-borrowing that increases financial risk-taking and choice. “Smart” design also includes high-quality business management and jobs skills training, and stipends and other incentives in these training programs that address women's and young women's additional time burdens and childcare demands. Peer support may also help to increase financial risk-taking and confidence in business decisions. However, when social norms are too restrictive, and women are prevented from doing any paid work, no design will be smart enough. Subjective economic empowerment appears to be an important intermediate outcome for women that should be promoted and more reliably and accurately measured. Lastly, whenever possible, results should be sex-disaggregated and reported for individuals as well as households.
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Legrand, Delphine, Nicolas Larranaga, Romain Bertrand, Simon Ducatez, Olivier Calvez, Virginie M. Stevens, and Michel Baguette. "Evolution of a butterfly dispersal syndrome." Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 283, no. 1839 (September 28, 2016): 20161533. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2016.1533.
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The existence of dispersal syndromes contrasting disperser from resident phenotypes within populations has been intensively documented across taxa. However, how such suites of phenotypic traits emerge and are maintained is largely unknown, although deciphering the processes shaping the evolution of dispersal phenotypes is a key in ecology and evolution. In this study, we created artificial populations of a butterfly, in which we controlled for individual phenotypes and measured experimentally the roles of selection and genetic constraints on the correlations between dispersal-related traits: flight performance and wing morphology. We demonstrate that (i) trait covariations are not due to genetic correlations, (ii) the effects of selection are sex-specific, and (iii) both divergent and stabilizing selection maintain specific flight performance phenotypes and wing morphologies. Interestingly, some trait combinations are also favoured, depending on sex and fitness components. Moreover, we provide evidence for the role of (dis)assortative mating in the evolution of these dispersal-related traits. Our results suggest that dispersal syndromes may have high evolutionary potential, but also that they may be easily disrupted under particular environmental conditions.
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Li, Yiyuan, Bo Zhang, and Nancy A. Moran. "The Aphid X Chromosome Is a Dangerous Place for Functionally Important Genes: Diverse Evolution of Hemipteran Genomes Based on Chromosome-Level Assemblies." Molecular Biology and Evolution 37, no. 8 (April 14, 2020): 2357–68. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaa095.
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Abstract Different evolutionary forces shape gene content and sequence evolution on autosomes versus sex chromosomes. Location on a sex chromosome can favor male-beneficial or female-beneficial mutations depending on the sex determination system and selective pressure on different sexual morphs. An X0 sex determination can lead to autosomal enrichment of male-biased genes, as observed in some hemipteran insect species. Aphids share X0 sex determination; however, models predict the opposite pattern, due to their unusual life cycles, which alternate between all-female asexual generations and a single sexual generation. Predictions include enrichment of female-biased genes on autosomes and of male-biased genes on the X, in contrast to expectations for obligately sexual species. Robust tests of these models require chromosome-level genome assemblies for aphids and related hemipterans with X0 sex determination and obligate sexual reproduction. In this study, we built the first chromosome-level assembly of a psyllid, an aphid relative with X0 sex determination and obligate sexuality, and compared it with recently resolved chromosome-level assemblies of aphid genomes. Aphid and psyllid X chromosomes differ strikingly. In aphids, female-biased genes are strongly enriched on autosomes and male-biased genes are enriched on the X. In psyllids, male-biased genes are enriched on autosomes. Furthermore, functionally important gene categories of aphids are enriched on autosomes. Aphid X-linked genes and male-biased genes are under relaxed purifying selection, but gene content and order on the X is highly conserved, possibly reflecting constraints imposed by unique chromosomal mechanisms associated with the unusual aphid life cycle.
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Ofir, Dror, Pierantonio Laveneziana, Katherine A. Webb, Yuk-Miu Lam, and Denis E. O'Donnell. "Sex differences in the perceived intensity of breathlessness during exercise with advancing age." Journal of Applied Physiology 104, no. 6 (June 2008): 1583–93. http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.00079.2008.
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The prevalence of activity-related breathlessness increases with age, particularly in women, but the specific underlying mechanisms have not been studied. This novel cross-sectional study was undertaken to examine the effects of age and sex, and their interaction, on the perceptual and ventilatory responses to incremental treadmill exercise in 73 healthy participants (age range 40–80 yr old) with normal pulmonary function. Age-related changes at a standardized oxygen uptake (V̇o2) during exercise included significant increases in breathlessness ratings (Borg scale), ventilation (V̇e), ventilatory equivalent for carbon dioxide, and the ratio of tidal volume (Vt) to dynamic inspiratory capacity (IC) (all P < 0.05). These changes were quantitatively similar in women ( n = 39) and in men ( n = 34). For the group as a whole, exertional breathlessness ratings increased as resting static inspiratory muscle strength diminished ( P = 0.05), as exercise ventilation increased relative to capacity ( P = 0.013) and as the Vt/IC ratio increased ( P = 0.003) during exercise. Older women (60–80 yr old, n = 23) reported greater ( P < 0.05) intensity of exertional breathlessness at a standardized V̇o2 and V̇e than age-matched men ( n = 16), despite similar age-related changes in ventilatory demand and dynamic ventilatory mechanics. These increases in breathlessness ratings in older women disappeared when sex differences in baseline maximal ventilatory capacity were accounted for. In conclusion, although increased exertional breathlessness with advancing age is multifactorial, contributory factors included higher ventilatory requirements during exercise, progressive inspiratory muscle weakness, and restrictive mechanical constraints on Vt expansion related to reduced IC. The sensory consequences of this age-related respiratory impairment were more pronounced in women, who, by nature, have relatively reduced maximal ventilatory reserve.
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Thompson González, Nicole, Zarin Machanda, Emily Otali, Martin N. Muller, Drew K. Enigk, Richard Wrangham, and Melissa Emery Thompson. "Age-related change in adult chimpanzee social network integration." Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health 9, no. 1 (January 1, 2021): 448–59. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/emph/eoab040.
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Abstract Background Social isolation is a key risk factor for the onset and progression of age-related disease and mortality in humans. Nevertheless, older people commonly have narrowing social networks, with influences from both cultural factors and the constraints of senescence. We evaluate evolutionarily grounded models by studying social aging in wild chimpanzees, a system where such influences are more easily separated than in humans, and where individuals are long-lived and decline physically with age. Methodology We applied social network analysis to examine age-related changes in social integration in a 7+ year mixed-longitudinal dataset on 38 wild adult chimpanzees (22 females, 16 males). Metrics of social integration included social attractivity and overt effort (directed degree and strength), social roles (betweenness and local transitivity) and embeddedness (eigenvector centrality) in grooming networks. Results Both sexes reduced the strength of direct ties with age (males in-strength, females out-strength). However, males increased embeddedness with age, alongside cliquishness. These changes were independent of age-related changes in social and reproductive status. Both sexes maintained highly repeatable inter-individual differences in integration, particularly in mixed-sex networks. Conclusions and implications As in humans, chimpanzees appear to experience senescence-related declines in social engagement. However, male social embeddedness and overall sex differences were patterned more similarly to humans in non-industrialized versus industrialized societies. Such comparisons suggest common evolutionary roots to ape social aging and that social isolation in older humans may hinge on novel cultural factors of many industrialized societies. Lastly, individual and sex differences are potentially important mediators of successful social aging in chimpanzees, as in humans. Lay summary: Few biological models explain why humans so commonly have narrowing social networks with age, despite the risk factor of social isolation that small networks pose. We use wild chimpanzees as a comparative system to evaluate models grounded in an evolutionary perspective, using social network analysis to examine changes in integration with age. Like humans in industrialized populations, chimpanzees had lower direct engagement with social partners as they aged. However, sex differences in integration and older males’ central positions within the community network were more like patterns of sociality in several non-industrialized human populations. Our results suggest common evolutionary roots to human and chimpanzee social aging, and that the risk of social isolation with age in industrialized populations stems from novel cultural factors.
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Lewis, Ruth, Kirstin R. Mitchell, Catherine H. Mercer, Jessica Datta, Kyle G. Jones, and Kaye Wellings. "Navigating new sexual partnerships in midlife: a socioecological perspective on factors shaping STI risk perceptions and practices." Sexually Transmitted Infections 96, no. 4 (February 10, 2020): 238–45. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/sextrans-2019-054205.
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ObjectiveDespite increases in STIs among those over 40, little is known about the social context of STI transmission among people experiencing relationship transition in midlife, and few sexual health promotion initiatives are targeted at this group. This study sought to identify factors shaping STI risk perceptions and practices among midlife individuals either contemplating or having sex with new partners following the end of a long-term relationship.MethodsParticipants were purposively selected from respondents to Britain’s third National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles, using three eligibility criteria: aged 40–59, reported experience of the end of a marital or cohabiting relationship with an opposite-sex partner in the past 5 years, and willingness to participate in a qualitative interview. Qualitative data were generated via face-to-face interviews with 10 women and 9 men and analysed inductively using thematic analysis, with themes then organised using a socioecological framework.ResultsParticipants’ accounts of new sexual partnerships in midlife indicate that STI risk perceptions and practices are shaped by factors operating at multiple levels across the socioecological arena (individual, partnership, peers and communities, societal). Constraints on, and resources for, the navigation of sexual safety include self-perceived STI risk rooted in past rather than present circumstances; legacies of mistrust within former relationships; intersecting gender-age dynamics in negotiation of risk prevention strategies with new partners; peers and younger relatives’ influences on understandings of sexual risk and safety; postrelationship change in social networks that increase or mitigate vulnerability to sexual risk; age-related barriers to accessing condoms; and disconnection from safer sex messaging and services culturally coded as for the young.ConclusionsImproving sexual health among midlife adults requires age-sensitive interventions designed to address multilevel constraints, and harness positive influences, on the navigation of sexual safety at this stage of life.
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Berdychevsky, Liza, Galit Nimrod, and Wendy Rogers. "TAILORED INTERNET-BASED SEXUAL EDUCATION FOR OLDER ADULTS: NEEDS ASSESSMENT AND ALGORITHM DEVELOPMENT." Innovation in Aging 6, Supplement_1 (November 1, 2022): 581. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igac059.2184.
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Abstract Many older adults are sexually active, but ageism fuels the neglect of older adults' sexuality in research and sexual education. The purpose of this study was to (1) assess older adults’ willingness to adopt technology tools to receive innovative, tailored sexual health education via the internet, (2) investigate their sexual health needs, and (3) contribute to development of an assessment tool and tailoring algorithm. Tailoring is a precision approach that matches educational content to users’ needs instead of offering the same suboptimal one-size-fits-all content to everyone. We conducted an online survey using Qualtrics research panels of older adults (N = 836, with equal representation by gender and balanced representation in each 5-year cohort from age 60 to 80+). We found that 30% reported they were likely to try tailored internet-based education for older adults; an additional 34% were unsure. The results establish priority areas in sexual health needs, including behavioral patterns, knowledge gaps, health-related constraints, and attitudinal and communicational issues. These components provide the basis for the tailoring assessment questionnaire. Respondents also rated the personal relevance of 28 educational modules covering sex in later life (e.g., sexual ageism, sex as quality-of-life issue, sex-related communication, body image, health conditions, gender-specific issues, sexual attitudes, broadening sexual definitions and repertoires, sexual adaptations, inhibitions, sex aids/toys/robotics, medications/treatments, orgasm, self-stimulation/masturbation, dating, risk-taking, celibacy, LGBTQIA+, sexual rights, abuse). Statistical relationships between sexual health needs and personally relevant modules contribute to the development of a tailoring algorithm for creating educational bundles matched to older adults’ unique needs.
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Motevalli, Mohamad, Derrick Tanous, Gerold Wirnitzer, Claus Leitzmann, Thomas Rosemann, Beat Knechtle, and Katharina Wirnitzer. "Sex Differences in Racing History of Recreational 10 km to Ultra Runners (Part B)—Results from the NURMI Study (Step 2)." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19, no. 20 (October 14, 2022): 13291. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192013291.
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Sex differences in anatomy and physiology are the primary underlying factor for distinctions in running performance. Overall participation in recreational running events has been dominated by males, although increasing female participation has been reported in recent years. The NURMI study participants filled in a survey following the cross-sectional study design with questions on sociodemographic data, running and racing motivations, training behaviors, and racing history and experience. Data analysis included 141 female and 104 male participants aged 39 (IQR 17) with a healthy median BMI (21.7 kg/m²; IQR 3.5). Statistical analyses revealed sex differences with the males performing faster at half-marathon (p < 0.001) and marathon (p < 0.001) events but no difference at ultra-marathons (p = 0.760). Mediation analyses revealed no significant sex differences in the performance of half-marathon and marathon when considering training behaviors (p > 0.05), racing history (p > 0.05), or racing experience (p > 0.05). Differences in recreational performance may be more closely related to social constraints and expectations of females rather than the physiological advantages of the male athlete. Health professionals who guide and support recreational runners as well as the runners themselves and their coaches may benefit from this study’s results in order to improve the best time performance through a deeper understanding of the areas that mediate sex differences.
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Mbilizi Chimwaza, Yamikani R., Sufia S. Dadabhai, Alinane L. Nyondo Mipando, Calvin Mbeda, Ravindre Panchia, Jonathan P. Lucas, Wairimu Chege, Erica L. Hamilton, and Theodorus G. M. Sandfort. "HIV risk perception and sexual behavior among HIV-uninfected men and transgender women who have sex with men in sub-Saharan Africa: Findings from the HPTN 075 qualitative sub-study." PLOS Global Public Health 2, no. 12 (December 27, 2022): e0001408. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0001408.
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There remains a limited understanding of how men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TGW) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) perceive their risk for HIV and how risk influences behavior during sexual interactions. We performed thematic analysis on in-depth interviews from the qualitative sub-study of HPTN 075 in Kenya, Malawi, and South Africa. Using the Integrated Behavioral Model (IBM) constructs, we found that most MSM and TGW perceived themselves to be at risk for HIV, leading them to regularly engage in safer sexual behaviors. Notably, even though these MSM and TGW perceived themselves to be at risk for HIV, some of them reported engaging in transactional sex, sex under the influence of alcohol, and intentional non-use of condoms. This indicates that HIV risk perception was not always associated with safer sexual behaviors or a reduction in risk behaviors. Attitudes (negative attitudes toward condom use), perceived norms (social pressures), and environment constraints (contextual barriers) were related to MSM and TGW not engaging in safe sexual behavior. Hearing the perspectives of MSM and TGW on their sexual behavior continues to be important for the development and implementation of effective prevention policies and interventions. Eliminating structural barriers such as stigma, discrimination, and criminalization of same-sex sexuality is a crucial prerequisite for the success of interventions to promote sexual health among MSM and TGW in SSA.
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Lewis, Robin J., Robert J. Milletich, Valerian J. Derlega, and Miguel A. Padilla. "Sexual Minority Stressors and Psychological Aggression in Lesbian Women’s Intimate Relationships." Psychology of Women Quarterly 38, no. 4 (January 21, 2014): 535–50. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0361684313517866.
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Our study examined how two sexual minority stressors (internalized homophobia and social constraints in talking with others about one’s minority sexual identity) are related to psychological aggression (PA) in lesbian women’s relationships. PA includes a range of methods to hurt, coerce, control, and intimidate intimate partners. Rumination (i.e., brooding about one’s self and life situation) and relationship satisfaction were examined as potential mediating variables. Self-identified lesbian women in a same-sex relationship ( N = 220) were recruited from a market research firm’s online panel. Participants completed measures of internalized homophobia, social constraints, rumination, relationship satisfaction, and frequency of past year PA victimization and perpetration. Internalized homophobia and social constraints in talking to friends about sexual identity yielded a positive indirect link with PA via a sequential path through rumination and relationship satisfaction. There was an additional indirect positive association of minority stressors with PA via a unique path through rumination. These results demonstrate the importance of continued efforts toward reducing minority stress, where possible, as well as enhancing coping. Given the importance of rumination and relationship satisfaction in the link between minority stressors and PA, it is imperative to improve adaptive coping responses to sexual minority stressors. Development and validation of individual- and couples-based interventions that address coping with sexual minority stressors using methods that decrease rumination and brooding and increase relationship satisfaction are certainly warranted.
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Schellenberg, Diana. "Why Does Sex/Gender (Come to) Matter? Researchers' Reasons for Sex/Gender Assessment Illustrate its Context-Dependencies and Entanglements." Somatechnics 9, no. 2-3 (December 2019): 264–87. http://dx.doi.org/10.3366/soma.2019.0283.
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The simultaneous artificiality and reality of social categories such as (dis)abilities, ethnicity, gender, race, sex, sexuality, or social class can pose methodological and ethical problems that can be obscured and aggravated by a lack of transparency about the categories' operational definitions. In the case of sex/gender, for example, theoretical and empirical evidence suggests that mutually exclusive categories such as ‘female’ and ‘male’ can fail to adequately represent human and nonhuman variability and may not meet the standards of scientific measurement. A lack of information about what these or similar labels mean, how they were derived, or what prompted their inclusion in a study can therefore make it difficult to evaluate not only the operationalizations themselves but also the data they yield. In this article, I argue for the consideration of context in the development and evaluation of sex/gender-related assessment methods by exploring the phenomenon's instrumental and abstract roles in research. In an online survey, sixty-four international researchers from various disciplines shared the reasons why they assess or report sex/gender and which purpose sex/gender variables serve in their research. The findings indicate that although researchers' motivation can stem from research topics or general methodological considerations, it is also possible that structural conventions or institutional constraints lead to default inclusions of sex/gender variables. The findings also indicate that sex/gender is attributed with various forms of agency and spatio_temporal (non)locations, ranging from concrete physiological (e.g. hormones) to abstract social concepts (e.g. human history), which could be seen as potential precursors for definitions. The results demonstrate that science is both affected by and contributes to societal constructions of social categorisations, and that sex/gender in research is an entangled, multifaceted, unstable phenomenon. I conclude by proposing to engage in the default assumption that sex/gender is not one thing that can be measured and that the dissonances that surround its assessment could be addressed by identifying and operationalizing aspects of sex/gender that are meaningful in the context of a study.
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Larsson, Kjell. "Age and sex ratios of wintering Long-tailed Ducks Clangula hyemalis can be determined by analysis of photos of flying flocks at sea: A method description." Ornis Svecica 33 (March 6, 2023): 1–20. http://dx.doi.org/10.34080/os.v33.23757.
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The West Siberian/North European population of Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis that breeds in Fennoscandia and Northwestern Russia, and winters in the Baltic Sea, has declined by at least 65% since the 1990s and is classified as globally vulnerable. To propose effective management actions to stop the decline, knowledge about demographic parameters is required. A photo survey method by which it is possible, in winter, to collect data on sex ratios and production of first-winter birds is presented here. The plumage traits and bill patterns, which are detectable in photos taken at a distance, are described. The traits can be used to discriminate between three categories of birds: adult males, first-winter males, and females. To extrapolate results from several photo surveys and obtain population-wide estimates of demographic parameters, knowledge about non-random distributions of different bird categories is needed. It was found that different age and sex categories were distributed differently across flocks of different sizes. The required sample sizes and the possible constraints and biases related to the photo survey method are discussed.
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Whitford, Kate, Elke Mitchell, Elan Lazuardi, Emily Rowe, Irma Anintya Tasya, Dewa N. Wirawan, Rudi Wisaksana, et al. "A strengths-based analysis of social influences that enhance HIV testing among female sex workers in urban Indonesia." Sexual Health 18, no. 1 (2021): 77. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/sh20085.
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Background HIV prevalence among female sex workers in Indonesia remains high and large proportions of female sex workers have never been tested for HIV. International research highlights the importance of community-led strategies to increase HIV testing in this population. Little qualitative research has been conducted to address these issues in Indonesia or other Asia-Pacific countries. This paper documents social influences that enhance HIV testing among female sex workers in urban Indonesia. Methods: This was an interpretive qualitative study in Yogyakarta, Denpasar and Bandung. In total, 57 female sex workers participated in 11 focus group discussions, and four participated in individual semi-structured interviews. Deductive and inductive thematic analysis techniques were used to identify narratives of strengths pertaining to uptake of HIV testing. Results: Participants described supportive relationships with peers, community-based organisations and ‘bosses’. Participants reported trusted networks with peers within which to share information about HIV testing and receive emotional support. Relationships with community outreach workers facilitated HIV testing through reminders, accompanied visits, and emotional/informational support. Community-based organisations worked with health services to facilitate mobile, community-based testing to overcome employment- and family-related constraints that inhibited women’s clinic attendance. ‘Bosses’ employed a variety of practices to encourage HIV testing among their workers. Conclusions: Relationships, practices and action in community- and workplace-based settings outside formal health service spaces enhanced HIV testing among female sex workers. Community- or workplace-based HIV testing with outreach support from health services, peer-led HIV testing within existing social and work-based networks, and working with bosses to implement HIV prevention strategies can address low HIV testing rates in this key population.
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Whitford, Kate, Elke Mitchell, Elan Lazuardi, Emily Rowe, Irma Anintya Tasya, Dewa N. Wirawan, Rudi Wisaksana, et al. "Corrigendum to: A strengths-based analysis of social influences that enhance HIV testing among female sex workers in urban Indonesia." Sexual Health 18, no. 1 (2021): 122. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/sh20085_co.
Full textAbstract:
Background: HIV prevalence among female sex workers in Indonesia remains high and large proportions of female sex workers have never been tested for HIV. International research highlights the importance of community-led strategies to increase HIV testing in this population. Little qualitative research has been conducted to address these issues in Indonesia or other Asia-Pacific countries. This paper documents social influences that enhance HIV testing among female sex workers in urban Indonesia. Methods: This was an interpretive qualitative study in Yogyakarta, Denpasar and Bandung. In total, 57 female sex workers participated in 11 focus group discussions, and four participated in individual semi-structured interviews. Deductive and inductive thematic analysis techniques were used to identify narratives of strengths pertaining to uptake of HIV testing. Results: Participants described supportive relationships with peers, community-based organisations and ‘bosses’. Participants reported trusted networks with peers within which to share information about HIV testing and receive emotional support. Relationships with community outreach workers facilitated HIV testing through reminders, accompanied visits, and emotional/informational support. Community-based organisations worked with health services to facilitate mobile, community-based testing to overcome employment- and family-related constraints that inhibited women’s clinic attendance. ‘Bosses’ employed a variety of practices to encourage HIV testing among their workers. Conclusions: Relationships, practices and action in community- and workplace-based settings outside formal health service spaces enhanced HIV testing among female sex workers. Community- or workplace-based HIV testing with outreach support from health services, peer-led HIV testing within existing social and work-based networks, and working with bosses to implement HIV prevention strategies can address low HIV testing rates in this key population.
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Rothschild, Jeffrey A., Andrew E. Kilding, and Daniel J. Plews. "Prevalence and Determinants of Fasted Training in Endurance Athletes: A Survey Analysis." International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism 30, no. 5 (September 1, 2020): 345–56. http://dx.doi.org/10.1123/ijsnem.2020-0109.
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Athletes may choose to perform exercise in the overnight-fasted state for a variety of reasons related to convenience, gut comfort, or augmenting the training response, but it is unclear how many endurance athletes use this strategy. We investigated the prevalence and determinants of exercise performed in the overnight-fasted state among endurance athletes using an online survey and examined differences based on sex, competitive level, and habitual dietary pattern. The survey was completed by 1,950 endurance athletes (51.0% female, mean age 40.9 ± 11.1 years). The use of fasted training was reported by 62.9% of athletes, with significant effects of sex (p < .001, Cramer’s V [φc] = 0.18, 90% CI [0.14, 0.22]), competitive level (p < .001, φc = 0.09, 90% CI [0.5, 0.13]), and habitual dietary pattern noted (p < .001, φc = 0.26, 90% CI [0.22, 0.29]). Males, nonprofessional athletes, and athletes following a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet were most likely to perform fasted training. The most common reasons for doing so were related to utilizing fat as a fuel source (42.9%), gut comfort (35.5%), and time constraints/convenience (31.4%), whereas the most common reasons athletes avoided fasted training were that it does not help their training (47.0%), performance was worse during fasted training (34.7%), or greater hunger (34.6%). Overall, some athletes perform fasted training because they think it helps their training, whereas others avoid it because they think it is detrimental to their training goals, highlighting a need for future research. These findings offer insights into the beliefs and practices related to fasted-state endurance training.
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Taghreed Muslim Ateeq Aljehni, Ibrahim Awadhallah Raja Alofi, Taghreed Muslim Ateeq Aljehni, Ibrahim Awadhallah Raja Alofi. "Obstacles to creative teaching among Arabic language teachers at the primary level in Medina (from their point of view): معوقات التدريس الإبداعي لدى معلمي اللغة العربية بالمرحلة الابتدائية في المدينة المنورة من وجهة نظرهم." مجلة العلوم التربوية و النفسية 6, no. 18 (April 29, 2022): 24–43. http://dx.doi.org/10.26389/ajsrp.j290921.
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This study aimed to reveal the obstacles to creative teaching among Arabic language teachers at the primary school in Madina from their point of view. In order to achieve the goal, the researcher used the descriptive survey method. The researcher designed a questionnaire, that consisted of (29) items. The research sample was (328) male and female teachers, who were chosen by simple random method. the researcher found the following results: The axis of constraints related to the school environment came first, with an arithmetic mean (3.98) and The axis of student's constraints ranked second, with an arithmetic mean (3.46), and The axis of obstacles related to the textbook came in third place with an arithmetic mean (3.49) and The axis of the teacher’s obstacles ranked fourth and last in terms of verbal significance (medium) with an arithmetic mean (3.34) and There are no statistically significant differences at the level of significance (0.05) between the average responses of the sample members to the degree of severity of the creative teaching obstacles related to (the teacher and the textbook) in addition to the obstacles to creative teaching as a whole due to the gender variable. There are differences in the two axes (school environment, student) due to the variable of sex in favor of males (teachers). There are no differences in (obstacles specific to the teacher, obstacles specific to the textbook, obstacles for the student) in addition to obstacles to creative teaching as a whole, due to the variable of years of experience. However, there are differences in the axis (obstacles related to the school environment) due to the variable of years of experience, in favor of those with experience (5-10) years, and those with experience (more than 10 years) over those with less than (5 years) experience only.
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Konoyima, Komba Jossie, and Raymond Geoffrey Johnson. "Socio-Economic Status and Living Conditions of Coastal Communities: Impacts on the Mangrove Ecosystems in the Scarcies Estuaries, Sierra Leone, West Africa." International Letters of Social and Humanistic Sciences 88 (March 2020): 1–14. http://dx.doi.org/10.18052/www.scipress.com/ilshs.88.1.
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This research was conducted between the periods of March 2015 to December 2015 in the Scarcies Estuary, Sierra Leone. Participatory methods such as Focused Group Discussion (FGD), Interviews and ranking exercises were used for the assessment. The objective of this study is to assess the social and economic constraints of coastal communities, and how such constraints have influenced mangrove loss in the area. Knowledge on those is scarce for this region. The study will contribute to improving sustainable management agenda for mangrove forests in the Scarcies Estuaries. Results show a more active and productive age range of respondents (31-40 years), capable enough to make decisions that could influence resource use. A Student’s t-test showed no significant difference in sex at (P>0.05) for male (70%) and female (30%) mangrove dependents. In addition, of the various mangroves related economic activities, oyster collection and farming remained the most important with income above One Million Leones (>115USD) per week and per farming season respectively. Further, key constraints in the communities included inadequate health centers, educational facilities and lack of basic material assets. Multiple households in a dwelling unit are also a common residential arrangement in these areas. Such living conditions are in the context of the definition of poverty with such outcomes as deprived resources such as money and assets, poor health and illiteracy. Hence, it is increasingly evident that the conservation of mangroves in this region cannot be done without considering the varying impacts of poverty, gender roles and resource utilisation patterns.
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VAN KUREN, ANDREW T., BRIAN BOAG, EMILIE HRUBAN, and ISABELLA M. CATTADORI. "Variability in the intensity of nematode larvae from gastrointestinal tissues of a natural herbivore." Parasitology 140, no. 5 (January 25, 2013): 632–40. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0031182012001898.
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SUMMARYThe migration of infective nematode larvae into the tissues of their hosts has been proposed as a mechanism of reducing larval mortality and increase parasite lifetime reproductive success. Given that individual hosts differ in the level of exposure, strength of immune response and physiological conditions we may expect the number of larvae in tissue to vary both between and within hosts. We used 2 gastrointestinal nematode species common in the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and examined how the number of larvae in the tissue changed with the immune response, parasite intensity-dependent constraints in the lumen and seasonal weather factors, in rabbits of different age, sex and breeding status. For both nematode species, larvae from the gastrointestinal tissue exhibited strong seasonal and host age-related patterns with fewer larvae recovered in summer compared to winter and more in adults than in juveniles. The number of larvae of the 2 nematodes was positively associated with intensity of parasite infection in the lumen and antibody responses while it was negatively related with air temperature and rainfall. Host sex, reproductive status and co-infection with the second parasite species contributed to increase variability between hosts. We concluded that heterogeneities in host conditions are a significant cause of variability of larval abundance in the gastrointestinal tissues. These findings can have important consequences for the dynamics of nematode infections and how parasite's life-history strategies adjust to host changes.
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Mellors, Sarah. "Less Reproduction, More Production: Birth Control in the Early People’s Republic of China, 1949–1958." East Asian Science, Technology and Society 13, no. 3 (September 1, 2019): 367–89. http://dx.doi.org/10.1215/18752160-7755346.
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Abstract In the early People’s Republic of China (PRC), Communist officials initially placed strict constraints on birth control use, encouraging high fertility rates. However, in an effort to enhance agricultural and industrial productivity, such restrictions were gradually repealed and by the 1970s, aggressive promotion of family planning had become the norm. Drawing on both archival and oral history, this article considers the lived experience of birth control use from the founding of the People’s Republic until 1958, a period that is often overlooked in studies of reproduction and contraception in modern China, but that had important implications for later trends. Despite claims that discussion of sexuality was suppressed in the PRC and an early ban on certain publications related to sexual hygiene, a considerable amount of literature on sex and birth control was published in major cities in the 1950s. Narratives on sex and birth control in women’s magazines and sex handbooks, however, varied widely and access to birth control and surgeries, such as abortions and sterilizations, differed dramatically according to location, class, and education level. This essay probes the circumstances under which women or couples practiced birth control while demonstrating the diversity of contraceptive discourses and practices in the early People’s Republic. Though underexplored, the early years of the PRC remain critical to histories of reproduction in China because many of the gender dynamics, socioeconomic pressures, and cultural preferences that informed contraceptive practices in the 1950s continued to do so for decades to come.
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Abdou, Marwa Shawky, Khalid A. Kheirallah, Maged Ossama Aly, Ahmed Ramadan, Yasir Ahmed Mohammed Elhadi, Iffat Elbarazi, Ehsan Akram Deghidy, Haider M. El Saeh, Karem Mohamed Salem, and Ramy Mohamed Ghazy. "The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination psychological antecedent assessment using the Arabic 5c validated tool: An online survey in 13 Arab countries." PLOS ONE 16, no. 11 (November 29, 2021): e0260321. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0260321.
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Background Following the emergency approval of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines, research into its vaccination hesitancy saw a substantial increase. However, the psychological behaviors associated with this hesitancy are still not completely understood. This study assessed the psychological antecedents associated with COVID-19 vaccination in the Arab population. Methodology The validated Arabic version of the 5C questionnaire was distributed online across various social media platforms in Arabic-speaking countries. The questionnaire had three sections, namely, socio-demographics, COVID-19 related infection and vaccination, and the 5C scale of vaccine psychological antecedents of confidence, complacency, constraints, calculation, and collective responsibility. Results In total, 4,474 participants with a mean age of 32.48 ± 10.76 from 13 Arab countries made up the final sample, 40.8% of whom were male. Around 26.7% of the participants were found to be confident about the COVID-19 vaccination, 10.7% indicated complacency, 96.5% indicated they had no constraints, 48.8% had a preference for calculation and 40.4% indicated they had collective responsibility. The 5C antecedents varied across the studied countries with the confidence and collective responsibility being the highest in the United Arab Emirates (59.0% and 58.0%, respectively), complacency and constraints in Morocco (21.0% and 7.0%, respectively) and calculation in Sudan (60.0%). The regression analyses revealed that sex, age, educational degrees, being a health care professional, history of COVID-19 infection and having a relative infected or died from COVID-19 significantly predicted the 5C psychological antecedents by different degrees. Conclusion There are wide psychological antecedent variations between Arab countries, and different determinants can have a profound effect on the COVID-19 vaccine’s psychological antecedents.
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Robb, Michael P., and Allan B. Smith. "Fundamental Frequency Onset and Offset Behavior." Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research 45, no. 3 (June 2002): 446–56. http://dx.doi.org/10.1044/1092-4388(2002/035).
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Short-term changes in vowel fundamental frequency (F 0 ) immediately preceding (F 0 offset) and following (F 0 onset) production of voiceless obstruents were examined in groups of 4-year-olds, 8-year-olds, and 21-year-olds. Definitive patterns of laryngeal behavior were observed for each measure. F 0 was found to significantly lower at vowel offset across age groups, with no significant differences noted between groups, suggesting that F 0 offset is simply an acoustic consequence of producing a voiceless obstruent preceded by a vowel. The F 0 at vowel onset was high and significantly decreased thereafter. Age-related differences were identified for F 0 onset with 4-year-olds in that their F 0 rose to a lesser degree than that of adults. However, adult females demonstrated a greater change in both F 0 onset and F 0 offset behavior than adult males and children, suggesting that age-related differences in F 0 behavior are likely to be influenced by sex. The results are discussed with regard to the physiologic constraints of F 0 surrounding voiceless obstruent production in children and adults.
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Ramacciato, Valeria, Massimo Capula, Anna Loy, and Federica Gentilotti. "Demography of Eurotestudo hermanni in a mesic area of Central Italy." Amphibia-Reptilia 28, no. 1 (2007): 87–95. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/156853807779799108.
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AbstractHermann's tortoise (Eurotestudo hermanni) from a mesic area of Central Italy (Isernia, Molise) was investigated during a two-year period (2003-2004). The population is characterized by a fairly high density when compared to other Italian and European populations, with density ranging from 16.16 individuals/ha in 2003 to 25.08 individuals/ha in 2004 (average density 20.84/ha). The sex ratio was 1:1 both in 2003 and 2004. Females were captured in higher percentages from May to July in both years, while males were most abundant from August to October. These differences can be related to the different needs and behaviour of males and females in the two periods, and to the environmental constraints of the study area. All the marked tortoises were found aged between 10 and 21 years. Adult males and females from the study area were small-sized when compared to those from other Italian and European populations.
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Coakley, Jay, and Anita White. "Making Decisions: Gender and Sport Participation among British Adolescents." Sociology of Sport Journal 9, no. 1 (March 1992): 20–35. http://dx.doi.org/10.1123/ssj.9.1.20.
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This study explored the dynamics of how young people make decisions about their sport participation. In-depth semistructured interviews were conducted with 34 young men and 26 young women, ages 13–23 (only 3 were older than 18), from predominantly working-class families residing in an industrial area southeast of London. Interviews focused on descriptions of sport experiences, how young people defined and interpreted those experiences, how this influenced decisions about participation, and how participation was integrated into the rest of their lives. We found that young women and men shared concerns about their transition into adulthood and had common desires to develop and display personal competence and autonomy. However, these common concerns were significantly mediated by gender. Furthermore, gender differences were found in the ways sport experiences were defined and interpreted, in the ways that constraints related to money, parents, and opposite-sex friends operated, and in the ways that past experiences in physical education and school sports were incorporated into current decisionmaking about sport participation.
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Lescroël, A., PO’B Lyver, D. Jongsomjit, S. Veloz, KM Dugger, P. Kappes, BJ Karl, et al. "Inter-individual differences in the foraging behavior of breeding Adélie penguins are driven by individual quality and sex." Marine Ecology Progress Series 636 (February 20, 2020): 189–205. http://dx.doi.org/10.3354/meps13208.
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Inter-individual differences in demographic traits of iteroparous species can arise through learning and maturation, as well as from permanent differences in individual ‘quality’ and sex-specific constraints. As the ability to acquire energy determines the resources an individual can allocate to reproduction and self-maintenance, foraging behavior is a key trait to study to better understand the mechanisms underlying these differences. So far, most seabird studies have focused on the effect of maturation and learning processes on foraging performance, while only a few have included measures of individual quality. Here, we investigated the effects of age, breeding experience, sex, and individual breeding quality on the foraging behavior and location of 83 known-age Adélie penguins at Cape Bird, Ross Sea, Antarctica. Over a 2 yr period, we showed that (1) high-quality birds dived deeper than lower quality ones, apparently catching a higher number of prey per dive and targeting different foraging locations; (2) females performed longer foraging trips and a higher number of dives compared to males; (3) there were no significant age-related differences in foraging behavior; and (4) breeding experience had a weak influence on foraging behavior. We suggest that high-quality individuals have higher physiological ability, enabling them to dive deeper and forage more effectively. Further inquiry should focus on determining the physiological differences among penguins of different quality.
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van der Marel, Annemarie, Jane M. Waterman, and Marta López-Darias. "Social organization in a North African ground squirrel." Journal of Mammalogy 101, no. 3 (March 31, 2020): 670–83. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyaa031.
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Abstract Research on sociality in temperate ground-dwelling squirrels has focused on female philopatry and other life history trade-offs, which are influenced by constraints in the duration of the active growing season. Temperate ground-dwelling squirrels that experience high predation pressure, are large in body size, and have a short active season, show a more complex social organization. In contrast, African ground squirrels are active year-round, suggesting that instead of a short active season, distinct selective pressures influence their social organization. We examined the social organization of Barbary ground squirrels, Atlantoxerus getulus, and compared the social organization of temperate and African ground-dwelling sciurids. Anecdotal accounts on Barbary ground squirrels’ social organization suggested that they were either solitary or gregarious, or live in small family groups. We recorded the group size, composition, cohesion, and genetic relatedness, of the population on the arid island of Fuerteventura, Spain. Our data indicate that females live in small (1–8) all-female kin groups separate from adult males, and that unrelated adult males share sleeping burrows with immature individuals of either sex. We observed sex-biased dispersal with males primarily the dispersing sex and females primarily philopatric. Females sleep solitarily during gestation and lactation and nest either communally or singly after juvenile emergence. During the day, males and females can be active in the same area. Barbary ground squirrels are social because the squirrels share sleeping burrows and show spatiotemporal overlap. Barbary ground squirrels’ social organization resembles that of the closely related Cape ground squirrel rather than that of the temperate ground-dwelling sciurids, although the former are more temperate, seasonal breeders. In addition to describing the social organization of a previously unstudied species, this paper sheds light on the ecological drivers of sociality, and the evolution of distinct social organizations in ground-dwelling sciurids.
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Mangalam, Madhur, and Mewa Singh. "Sex and physiological state influence the rate of resource acquisition and monopolisation in urban free-ranging dogs, Canis familiaris." Behaviour 150, no. 2 (2013): 199–213. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1568539x-00003045.
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In animal populations, the constraints of energy and time can cause intraspecific variation in foraging behaviour. The proximate developmental mediators of such variation are often the mechanisms underlying perception and associative learning. Here, experience-dependent changes in foraging behaviour and their consequences were investigated in an urban population of free-ranging dogs, Canis familiaris by continually challenging them with the task of food extraction from specially crafted packets. Typically, males and pregnant/lactating (PL) females extracted food using the sophisticated ‘gap widening’ technique, whereas non-pregnant/non-lactating (NPNL) females, the relatively underdeveloped ‘rip opening’ technique. In contrast to most males and PL females (and a few NPNL females) that repeatedly used the gap widening technique and improved their performance in food extraction with experience, most NPNL females (and a few males and PL females) non-preferentially used the two extraction techniques and did not improve over successive trials. Furthermore, the ability of dogs to sophisticatedly extract food was positively related to their ability to improve their performance with experience. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that factors such as sex and physiological state can cause differences among individuals in the likelihood of learning new information and hence, in the rate of resource acquisition and monopolization.
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Tanous, Derrick, Mohamad Motevalli, Gerold Wirnitzer, Claus Leitzmann, Thomas Rosemann, Beat Knechtle, and Katharina Wirnitzer. "Sex Differences in Training Behaviors of 10 km to Ultra-Endurance Runners (Part A)—Results from the NURMI Study (Step 2)." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19, no. 20 (October 14, 2022): 13238. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192013238.
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Training for running events is fundamental for successful participation in various running events such as 10 km, half-marathon, marathon, or ultra-marathon distances. Training behaviors are likely based on runner motivations and social constraints, particularly for females. Participants completed a questionnaire following a cross-sectional approach, including questions on sociodemographics, general training behaviors, and periodization training strategies. The final sample included 245 participants (141 females, 104 males), mostly from Germany (72%), Austria (18%), and Switzerland (5%), with a median age of 39 years (IQR 17) and a BMI of 21.7 kg/m² (IQR 3.5). Males more often trained alone and independently, whereas females were most likely to follow an external resource (p = 0.037). Non-parametric ANOVA revealed significant training differences between sexes in daily training mileages and durations at each phase and stage (p < 0.05) as well as in weekly training mileages and durations for general basic training and race-specific training (p < 0.05). Critical sex differences in training behaviors may arise from physiological differences and social expectations, which may be related to the distances they prefer to race at as well as their motivations for running and racing. This study provides a wide overview of training behaviors for endurance runners or professionals guiding healthy running performance.
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Hantz, Edwin C., Kelley G. Kreilick, William Kananen, and Kenneth P. Swartz. "Neural Responses to Melodic and Harmonic Closure: An Event-Related-Potential Study." Music Perception 15, no. 1 (1997): 69–98. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/40285739.
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The event-related evoked potential (ERP) responses to sentence endings that either confirm or violate syntactic/semantic constraints have been extensively studied. Very little is known, however, about the corresponding situation with respect to music. The current study investigates the brain- wave (ERP) responses to perceived phrase closure. ERPs are a potentially valid measure of how language-like or uniquely musical the perception of phrase closure is. In our study, highly trained musicians (N= 16) judged whether or not novel musical phrases were closed (melodically or harmonically). Three stimulus series consisted of seven- note tunes with four possible endings: closed (tonic note or tonic chord), open/ diatonic (dominant chord or a member thereof), open/ chromatic (a chromatic note or chord outside the key of the melody), or open/white noise (a nonmusical control). One series included melodies alone, a second series included melodies harmonized, and a third series included melodies in which the melodic contexts were disrupted rather than the endings. In the recorded ERPs, a statistically significant negative drift in the waveforms occurred over the course of the context series, indicating anticipation of closure. The drift-corrected poststimulus waveforms for all series were subjected to a principal components analysis/analysis of variance. Two subject variables were also considered: sex and absolute pitch. All four stimulus types elicited identifiable responses. The waveform peaks for the four stimulus types are clearly differentiated by principal component analysis scores to two components: one with a maximum value at 273 ms and one with a maximum value at 471 ms. Taking the closed endings as the expected "standard," the waveforms for the two types of musical deviant endings were significantly below the standard at 273 ms and above the standard at 471 ms. The amount of negativity was proportional to the amount of deviance of the ending. The positive peak in the closed condition and the reduced peak in the open/diatonic condition are contrary to the normal inverse relationship between peak size and stimulus probability; the former agrees with peaks found in response to syntactic closure in language. Significant, though isolated, interactions involving both sex and absolute pitch also emerged.
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Azar, Georges, Benjamin Wolff, Flore De Bats, Jeremie Halfon, Mate Streho, Sarah Tick, Laurent Castelnovo, et al. "Morphological Predictive Features on Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography for Visual Outcomes in Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration Treated with Ranibizumab." BioMed Research International 2018 (June 26, 2018): 1–9. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2018/7438083.
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Purpose. To identify spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) predictive morphological features for the outcome of Ranibizumab therapy for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Methods. This is a retrospective multicentric study that involved 64 eyes with naïve AMD. Patients who received three monthly intravitreal injections of Ranibizumab were stratified into (1) “responders” [≥ 5 letters gain on Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) scale] and (2) “nonresponders” (< 5 letters gain). Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and SD-OCT morphological features were compared at baseline and one month after three consecutive injections of Ranibizumab. Univariate and multivariate analyses were carried out to correlate these morphological features with the change in BCVA. Results. Among the 64 patients enrolled, 40 (62.5%) were “responders” and 24 (37.5%) “nonresponders”. Age, sex, and BCVA were comparable between both groups. A multivariate correlational analysis found that subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) and the presence of pigment epithelial detachment (PED) > 250 μm at baseline were two independent prognostic indicators of final BCVA. No other SD-OCT morphological studied features seem to affect final BCVA after Ranibizumab treatment. Conclusion. SFCT and the presence of PED > 250 μm are two significant biomarkers that may predict improvement after Ranibizumab therapy for AMD. These markers may guide ophthalmologists' treatment decision under financial constraints and limited time.
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Nur, Irnawati, Nur Nasry Noor, Andi Ummu Salmah, Anwar Mallongi, and Hasnawati Amqam. "Risk Factors Analysis and Mapping of Pulmonary Tuberculosis in Community Health Centre Tamalatea of Jeneponto District." Open Access Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences 8, T2 (July 23, 2020): 59–62. http://dx.doi.org/10.3889/oamjms.2020.5186.
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BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a global health problem, and in Indonesia, although TB control efforts have been carried out since 1995. TB is ranked 9th as the leading cause of death worldwide. The increase in the number of TB cases caused by risk factors triggering include a decrease in the immune system caused by HIV infection, nutritional status, education, sex, occupation, air humidity, house ventilation, temperature, occupancy density lighting, and contact history.
AIM: This study aimed to analyze the relationship of nutritional status, contact history, and smoking to the incidence of pulmonary TB in Community Health Centre Tamalatea of Jeneponto District.
METOHDS: This type of research is analytic observational with a case–control design with a total sample of 147 samples consisting of 49 cases and 98 controls. Data collection was conducted from August to October 2019. Data analysis used in the study was univariate and bivariate analysis with Chi-square test.
RESULTS: The results showed that nutritional status (OR=5.403 95% CI: 2.547–11.461), contact history (OR=13.971 95% CI: 3.807–51.262), and smoking (OR=2.782 95% CI: 1.370–5.648) are related to the incidence of pulmonary in Community Health Centre Tamalatea of Jeneponto District. TB officers are expected to intensify the home visit program, especially for pulmonary TB sufferers with a considerable distance from the community health center, with transportation constraints and relatively poor economic conditions so that the health status of pulmonary TB sufferers can be monitored properly.
CONCLUSION: TB officers are expected to intensify the home visit program, especially for pulmonary TB sufferers with a considerable distance from the Puskesmas, with transportation constraints and relatively poor economic conditions so that the health status of pulmonary TB sufferers can be monitored properly.
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A Stockin, Karen, Padraig J Duignan, Wendi D Roe, Laureline Meynier, Maurice Alley, and Ticiana Fettermann. "Causes of mortality in stranded Common Dolphin (Delphinus sp.) from New Zealand waters between 1998 and 2008." Pacific Conservation Biology 15, no. 3 (2009): 217. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc090217.
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Post-mortem examinations provide valuable information on sources of mortality for marine mammal populations. However, no published data exist to describe causes of death in the New Zealand population of Common Dolphin (Delphinus sp.). In order to examine the proportion of human and non-human induced mortality affecting this population, necropsies were conducted on 133 individuals that stranded around the New Zealand coastline between 1998 and 2008. Of these, 92.5% (n=123) were found as beach cast carcasses, with just 7.5% (n=10) as live strandings that subsequently died or that were euthanized on humane grounds. The sample included 54 males, 67 females and 12 animals of unknown sex from a range of age classes. Of the individuals for which cause of mortality could be established, 41.2% (n=35) were classified as human induced, with 28.2% (n=24) of carcasses exhibiting evidence of net entanglement. A further 10.6% and 32.9% of mortality was attributable to disease and natural (non-human related) causes, respectively. Few examples of disease were detected, but this may be at least partly a consequence of sampling constraints. Of the carcasses assessed, 68.6% of individuals exhibited some form of parasitism. Parasites identified were typical of the genus and considered to be present in low to moderate burdens. The proportion of beach cast carcasses exhibiting evidence of net entanglement suggests that fisheries-related mortality maybe higher than that previously considered for the New Zealand Common Dolphin population.
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Zierk, Jakob, Farhad Arzideh, Tobias Rechenauer, Rainer Haeckel, Wolfgang Rascher, Markus Metzler, and Manfred Rauh. "Age- and Sex-Specific Dynamics in 22 Hematologic and Biochemical Analytes from Birth to Adolescence." Clinical Chemistry 61, no. 7 (July 1, 2015): 964–73. http://dx.doi.org/10.1373/clinchem.2015.239731.
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Abstract BACKGROUND Pediatric laboratory test results must be interpreted in the context of interindividual variation and age- and sex-dependent dynamics. Reference intervals as presently defined for separate age groups can only approximate the age-related dynamics encountered in pediatrics. Continuous reference intervals from birth to adulthood are not available for most laboratory analytes because of the ethical and practical constraints of defining reference intervals using a population of healthy community children. We applied an indirect method to generate continuous reference intervals for 22 hematologic and biochemical analytes by analyzing clinical laboratory data from blood samples taken during clinical care of patients. METHODS We included samples from 32 000 different inpatients and outpatients (167 000 samples per analyte) from a German pediatric tertiary care center. Measurements were performed on a Sysmex-XE 2100 and a Cobas Integra 800 during clinical care over a 6-year period. The distribution of samples considered normal was estimated with an established indirect statistical approach and used for the calculation of reference intervals. RESULTS We provide continuous reference intervals from birth to adulthood for 9 hematology analytes (hemoglobin, hematocrit, red cell indices, red cell count, red cell distribution width, white cell count, and platelet count) and 13 biochemical analytes (sodium, chloride, potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphate, creatinine, aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase, γ-glutamyltransferase, alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase, and total protein). CONCLUSIONS Continuous reference intervals capture the population changes in laboratory analytes during pediatric development more accurately than age groups. After local validation, the reference intervals provided should allow a more precise consideration of these dynamics in clinical decision making.
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González Ariza, Antonio, Ander Arando Arbulu, Francisco Javier Navas González, Sergio Nogales Baena, Juan Vicente Delgado Bermejo, and María Esperanza Camacho Vallejo. "The Study of Growth and Performance in Local Chicken Breeds and Varieties: A Review of Methods and Scientific Transference." Animals 11, no. 9 (August 25, 2021): 2492. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ani11092492.
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A review of the scientific advances in the study of the growth and performance in native chicken breeds and varieties over the past 20 years was performed. Understanding the growth patterns of native breeds can only be achieved if the constraints characterizing these populations are considered and treated accordingly. Contextually, the determination of researchers to use the same research methods and study designs applied in international commercial poultry populations conditions the accuracy of the model, variability capturing ability, and the observational or predictive performance when the data of the local population are fitted. Highly skewed sex ratios favouring females, an inappropriate census imbalance compensation and a lack of population structure render models that are regularly deemed effective as invalid to issue solid and sound conclusions. The wider the breed diversity is in a country, the higher the scientific attention paid to these populations. A detailed discussion of the most appropriate models and underlying reasons for their suitability and the reasons preventing the use of others in these populations is provided. Furthermore, the factors conditioning the scientific reception and impact of related publications used to transfer these results to the broad scientific public were evaluated to serve as guidance for the maximization of the success and dissemination of local breed information.
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Aragón, Pedro, Pilar López, and José Martín. "Seasonal changes in activity and spatial and social relationships of the Iberian rock lizard, Lacerta monticola." Canadian Journal of Zoology 79, no. 11 (November 1, 2001): 1965–71. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z01-159.
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We conducted a field study to examine the significance of the seasonal changes in activity levels, spatial relationships, and social interactions of the Iberian rock lizard, Lacerta monticola, during the same favorable climatic period. Activity level, movement rate, home-range size, number of same-sex neighbors, and number of agonistic interactions decreased as the mating season finished for males but not for females. The number of females' home ranges overlapped by the home range of each male was also higher in the mating season than in the nonmating season. Measurements of available ambient temperatures showed that the thermal environment was suitable for the activity of lizards in both seasons, therefore the seasonal changes cannot be explained by thermal constraints. Males gain access to several females by increasing their home-range size, thus overlapping a larger number of females' home ranges, but as a consequence, also those of a larger number of male competitors. Thus, the cost of incurring agonistic interactions also increases. These results suggest that because activity and aggressiveness in males are related to their mating success, the balance between the costs and benefits of their activity and spatial strategies differs seasonally, and this may be the cause of the observed seasonal changes.
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Rahman, Syed Faisal ur. "Theoretical estimates of integrated Sachs–Wolfe effect detection through the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder’s Evolutionary Map of the Universe (ASKAP- EMU) survey, with confusion, position uncertainty, shot noise, and signal-to-noise ratio analysis." Canadian Journal of Physics 93, no. 4 (April 2015): 384–94. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjp-2014-0339.
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Detection of the late-time integrated Sachs–Wolfe (ISW) effect is an active area of study related to large-scale structures (LSSs). The ISW effect can be studied by observing the non-zero cross-correlation between cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropies with tracers of mass field, such as galaxy survey data. We study this effect by cross-correlating the CMB data and related cosmological parameters, as delineated by the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP), with the upcoming Evolutionary Map of the Universe (EMU) survey planned for the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP). ASKAP-EMU will conduct a deep radio continuum survey with a root-mean-square (rms) flux of 10 μJy per beam (1 Jy = 10–26 Wm–2Hz–1). The survey will cover the entire southern sky, extending to +30° declination. To infer the expected redshift distribution (dN/dz) and differential source count (S) that can be extracted from the galaxies surveyed via EMU, we use data from the S-cubed simulation of extragalactic radio continuum sources (S3-SEX) for the Square Kilometre Array Design Studies (SKADS). We also calculate various parameters including galaxy survey shot noise, root mean square confusion uncertainty, and position uncertainty for the survey, which can help in understanding the accuracy of the survey results and in performing the data analysis. We also discuss signal-to-noise ratios over a range of maximum redshifts and maximum multipole values with some discussion on constraints over dark energy density parameter (ΩΛ) and baryonic matter density parameter (Ωb).
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Mantsios, Andrea, Ohvia Muraleetharan, Yeycy Donastorg, Martha Perez, Hoisex Gomez, Catherine Shembilu, S. Wilson Beckham, et al. "“She is the one who knows”: A qualitative exploration of oral and injectable PrEP as part of a community empowerment approach to HIV prevention among female sex workers in the Dominican Republic and Tanzania." PLOS Global Public Health 2, no. 9 (September 15, 2022): e0000981. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0000981.
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Despite documented interest among female sex workers (FSW), uptake of oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention has been low. Recent trials and regulatory approval of long-acting injectable (LAI) PrEP offer new hope for the potential of this biomedical intervention. We examined FSW’s PrEP-related interest and preferences regarding both oral and LAI PrEP situating these dynamics within their specific social and occupational realities. We conducted this work using qualitative methods across two distinct contexts by conducting 40 in-depth interviews with FSW in Tanzania and the Dominican Republic. Textual data was coded using iterative thematic content analysis. Analytic summaries were developed and reviewed to identify recurring themes. We systematically organized themes within each country and then compared across settings. Women in both settings expressed strong interest in PrEP seeing it as an important option to protect themselves in their work. Most participants preferred LAI PrEP due to expectations of reduced stigma and concerns about daily pill adherence and side effects. Occupational factors such as alcohol use, overnight dates with clients, and fear of violence from clients were identified as barriers to daily oral PrEP. LAI PrEP was seen as having the potential to reduce stress related to oral PrEP. Women who preferred pills discussed fear of needles, skepticism about the injections, and others relayed that taking a daily pill would not be challenging for them. There was a predominant sentiment that women know best whether they are better suited for oral or LAI PrEP. Participants stressed the importance of FSW understanding both options to ensure informed decision-making around PrEP and described community-led peer education as key to delivering trusted information. Community empowerment approaches led by FSW which address structural and psychosocial constraints and promote safe work environments may facilitate equitable access and uptake of PrEP among FSW across settings.
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Fesseha, Haben, Getero Gamo, Mesfin Mathewos, and Endale Mekonnen. "Survey on Mite Infestations in Small Ruminants in Kindo Didaye District, Wolaita zone, Southern Ethiopia." Environmental Health Insights 16 (January 2022): 117863022211272. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/11786302221127262.
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Background: Mange is a parasitic skin disease caused by microscopic mites that feed on the skin of small ruminants and affect animal productivity. Methods: A study was carried out to determine the prevalence and possible risk factors for mite infestation in small ruminants in Kindo Didaye district, Wolaita zone, southern Ethiopia. Skin scraping samples were collected from 384 small ruminants (196 goats and 188 sheep) for the identification of mite species following the standard parasitological protocol. Results: Of the 384 examined animals, 6.25% of sheep and goats were infested with different mite species, namely, Sarcoptes (3.67%), Demodex (1.54%), and mixed infestation of Sarcoptes and Demodex (1.04%). A relatively higher prevalence of mite infestation occurred in goats (7.14%) than in sheep (5.3%), and the highest prevalence of lesions of mange mites was recorded in the neck region (3.13%). The multivariate analysis of factors revealed that only BCS and herd size have a significant role in mite infestation of small ruminants. In addition, the correlation analysis of mite infestation with factors revealed that herd size ( r = .106), sex (.0434), and body condition score ( r = .104) had a positive correlation with mite infestation. Conclusion: Mites are among the most important health constraints of sheep and goats in the study area, requiring immediate attention and control interventions. Moreover, further epidemiological investigations that consider agroecology and other nonhost-related risk factors should be carried out for the appropriate control of mange mites.
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Menzel, H.-G., and J. Harrison. "Effective dose: a radiation protection quantity." Annals of the ICRP 41, no. 3-4 (October 2012): 117–23. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.icrp.2012.06.022.
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Modern radiation protection is based on the principles of justification, limitation, and optimisation. Assessment of radiation risks for individuals or groups of individuals is, however, not a primary objective of radiological protection. The implementation of the principles of limitation and optimisation requires an appropriate quantification of radiation exposure. The International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) has introduced effective dose as the principal radiological protection quantity to be used for setting and controlling dose limits for stochastic effects in the regulatory context, and for the practical implementation of the optimisation principle. Effective dose is the tissue weighted sum of radiation weighted organ and tissue doses of a reference person from exposure to external irradiations and internal emitters. The specific normalised values of tissue weighting factors are defined by ICRP for individual tissues, and used as an approximate age- and sex-averaged representation of the relative contribution of each tissue to the radiation detriment of stochastic effects from whole-body low-linear energy transfer irradiations. The rounded values of tissue and radiation weighting factors are chosen by ICRP on the basis of available scientific data from radiation epidemiology and radiation biology, and they are therefore subject to adjustment as new scientific information becomes available. Effective dose is a single, risk-related dosimetric quantity, used prospectively for planning and optimisation purposes, and retrospectively for demonstrating compliance with dose limits and constraints. In practical radiation protection, it has proven to be extremely useful.
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Baylie, Melese Mulu, and Csaba Fogarassy. "Decision Analysis of the Adaptation of Households to Extreme Floods Using an Extended Protection Motivation Framework—A Case Study from Ethiopia." Land 11, no. 10 (October 9, 2022): 1755. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/land11101755.
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Private extreme flood adaptation measures are cost effective and environmentally friendly. The objective of this study is to explore the major adaptation strategies, the determinants of the decisions of households to flood adaptation, specific prophylactic measures, and the constraints of these adaptation measures. A multi-stage sampling technique was employed to select the 337 samples for the study. As the data analysis showed, farm households adopted moving to high elevation places, selling cattle, seasonal migration, flood tolerant rice, planting trees, and the construction of a dike as adaptation measures to flood. The binary logistic regression results from both the socioeconomic and protection motivation theory (PMT) showed that marital status, sex, family size, off-farm income, previous flood experience, access to credit, and the average number of extension visits had a statistically significant positive influence on the flood adaptation decision of households. On the other hand, age, educational attainment, farm size, and access to extension played a negative but statistically insignificant role in flood adaptation decision. The scientific novelty of the paper is that its results revealed that not only the socioeconomic and demographic characteristics of households play a role in the decision-making reactions related to the flood, but also the psychological preparedness of the decision makers. The analysis also drew attention that, due to the mitigation of global influences, in the coming years, households can assume a much more decisive role in the process of local food supply. Therefore, in order to ensure safe supply, climate change-related measures and adaptation strategies must be defined very precisely. Dealing with this phenomenon must be part of social and business innovation as it can cause not only food supply problems but also various migration effects, which, in the short term, would result in the most serious damage to the social system.
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Mitchel, Elana, Jing Huang, Babette Zemel, Robert Baldassano, Lindsey Albenberg, and Michelle Denburg. "EXCESSIVE WEIGHT GAIN IN PEDIATRIC INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE PATIENTS ON ANTI-TNF THERAPY." Inflammatory Bowel Diseases 27, Supplement_1 (January 1, 2021): S19. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ibd/izaa347.044.
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Abstract Background Limited studies in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) suggest that anti-TNF therapy may be associated with excessive weight gain. The objective of this study was to compare the change in BMI z-score in children with Crohn Disease (CD) on anti-TNF therapy (CD exposed) to those not on anti-TNF therapy (CD unexposed) over time. We also sought to determine if anti-TNF exposure is a risk factor for excessive weight gain and obesity. Methods This was a retrospective cohort study utilizing the RISK database, a longitudinal inception cohort of pediatric patients with CD. Multivariable logistic, linear random mixed effects, and multilevel mixed effects generalized linear regression models were used to evaluate the association of anti-TNF therapy with excessive weight gain, change in BMI z-score, and obesity, respectively. Excessive weight gain was defined as patients with a normal baseline BMI z-score who became overweight/obese or had a delta BMI z-score >1 at the end of follow-up, underweight patients who became overweight/obese, and overweight patients who became obese or had a delta BMI z-score >0.5 at the end of follow-up. Results 625 (61%) exposed and 404 (39%) unexposed patients were included. There was no difference in age at diagnosis or sex between groups, however the CD exposed group had lower BMI z-score [-0.9 (IQR -1.8, 0.0) vs -0.5 (IQR -1.4, 0.3)] as well as higher disease activity index [52.5 (IQR 35.0, 72.5) vs 40.0 (IQR 25, 57.5)] and C-reactive protein (CRP) [4.5 (IQR 1.4, 13.0) vs 2.7 (IQR 0.7, 9.0)] at baseline. 28% of the group exposed to anti-TNF therapy met criteria for excessive weight gain. Exposed patients were at 1.43 (CI 1.06, 1.93) greater odds of excessive weight gain as compared to the unexposed group, controlling for baseline BMI z-score and sex. BMI z-score increased with anti-TNF exposure, particularly in the first year of follow-up and in children who were underweight at baseline, controlling for baseline BMI z-score, sex, CRP, and steroid exposure (Table 1). Male sex was associated with higher BMI z-score, while CRP and steroid exposure were inversely related to BMI z-score. Exposed patients had increased adjusted odds of obesity and morbid obesity: OR 1.72 (CI 1.34, 2.20) and OR 5.72 (CI 2.77, 11.33), respectively (Table 2). Male sex and baseline BMI z-score also increased the odds of obesity and morbid obesity. Conclusion CD patients with anti-TNF exposure have a significant increase in BMI z-score over time as compared to patients unexposed to anti-TNF therapy. While for most patients this increase in BMI z-score is restorative, a subset of patients gain excessive weight or become obese. Anti-TNF therapy may be a risk-factor for this phenomenon. BMI z-score at diagnosis and male sex may also be risk factors. Future studies evaluating changes in adiposity and energy expenditure should be pursued. Note: Interaction term between anti-TNF and baseline BMI z-score. Interaction term between anti-TNF and time. Interaction term between anti-TNF and quadratic time. Note: Table for risk factors for morbid obesity in CD patients not included due to text constraints but with similar findings.
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Singh, Om Prakash, and Rabin Aryal. "FACTORS AFFECTING THE APPLICATION OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES (ICT) IN THE AGRICULTURE SECTOR OF NEPAL." International Journal of Biological Innovations 05, no. 01 (2023): 74–82. http://dx.doi.org/10.46505/ijbi.2023.5105.
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Scaling-up of modern ICT tools produces an avenue to use ICT in the dissemination of agriculture information. To successfully apply ICT-based information for the prime development of sustainable agriculture, understanding the factors affecting the use of ICT in agriculture information is valuable. This study tried to analyze the socio-economic factors that influence the application of ICTs amongst farmers of the Rupandehi district of Nepal. Altogether, three villages, which are also declared and enlisted under smart villages by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Technology, and Land Management of Lumbini province, were purposely selected for this study. Data were collected from randomly selected 145 respondents from Devdaha, Omsatiya and Tilotama villages, of which 95 were ICT user farmers and 50 of them were non-users of ICT. A binary probit model was used for its statistical analysis. Social, economic, and institutional factors were explored as the major factors affecting the use of ICT among farmers in the delineated study area. Farm size, sex, and income were explored as positive and significant factors that influence the use of ICT in agriculture. The governmental policies including ICT tools in extension methodologies were found at an inadequate level. Moreover, the present ICT tools assessed inappropriate in the existing market that didn't address the real needs of farmers were the major constraints of using ICT tools in agriculture in the study area. Factors and reasons explored through this study should be internalized by concerned stakeholders as input while forming their policy or implanting ICT-related activities in forthcoming technological generations.
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Neikrug, A. B., S. Radom-Aizik, I. Y. Chen, A. Stehli, K. K. Lui, M. G. Chappel-Farley, A. N. Lim, B. A. Mander, and R. M. Benca. "0325 Better Aerobic Fitness is Associated with Distinct Sleep Characteristics in Children and Adolescents - A Pilot Study." Sleep 43, Supplement_1 (April 2020): A123—A124. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/sleep/zsaa056.322.
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Abstract Introduction Aerobic fitness facilitates brain synaptic plasticity, which influences global and local sleep expression. While it is known that sleep patterns/behavior and non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep slow wave activity (SWA) tracks brain maturation, little is known about how aerobic fitness and sleep interact during growth and development in children and adolescents. The aim of this pilot study was to characterize relationships among aerobic fitness, measures of global/local sleep expression, and habitual sleep patterns in children and adolescents. We hypothesized that greater aerobic fitness would be associated with better sleep quality, indicated by increased SWA. Methods Twenty healthy youth (11-17 years-old, 11 female) were evaluated during summer vacation (no school schedule constraints). Aerobic fitness (VO2peak) was measured using ramp-type progressive cycle ergometry, habitual sleep (i.e., sleep-time consistency and circadian activity patterns) was assessed with 7-day actigraphy, and ad lib sleep was evaluated during overnight polysomnography (PSG) with high-density electroencephalography (hdEEG; 128 channels). Spectral analysis was implemented to quantify SWA (0.5-4.5Hz). Data were analyzed using linear regression analyses and exploratory independent samples t-tests. Results Negative correlations were observed between VO2peak and sleep measures including sleep-time consistency (partial r=-0.53, p=0.045) and timing/acrophase of the circadian activity rhythm (partial r=-0.64, p=0.01) while controlling for sex and age. Additionally, after accounting for Tanner stage and sex, data demonstrated significant effects in SWA at frontal derivations (p=0.024) between low and high fitness levels at topographically specific and meaningful EEG derivations, e.g. over frontal cortex. Conclusion These results suggest that children and adolescents with greater fitness have less variability in sleep-times (improved sleep consistency), tend to have a more advanced circadian activity phase (i.e., go to sleep earlier), and express greater frontal SWA, supporting the hypothesis that fitness is associated with improved local and global sleep quality. Future research with larger samples is necessary to further evaluate these relationships, and to determine if interventions that improve fitness also improve sleep and related brain plasticity. Support NCATS grant #UL1TR001414 & PERC Systems Biology Fund