18 research outputs found
Perceptions of Attraction: Implicit Biases in Attraction Towards Transgender Individuals
No full textResearch regarding biases against the transgender community is growing in the field of psychology, with one of the focal points being attraction. This study was conducted to determine if individuals are perceived as less attractive when identified as transgender, rather than cisgender. A between-subjects experimental design was used in which a sample of university students who identified as cisgender women rated the attractiveness of the same 10 photos (5 of men and 5 of women), labelled as either “cisgender” (n = 21) or as “transgender” (n = 19). Our hypothesis was that photos labelled as transgender would receive lower ratings than the photos labelled as cisgender for both the men’s and women’s faces. The independent samples t-test indicated no statistically significant differences between the cisgender and transgender photos. This suggests that awareness of an individual’s transgender status does not negatively influence perceptions of attractiveness, and that younger university students may be less prejudiced towards the transgender community
Multiple ITS Copies Reveal Extensive Hybridization within Rheum (Polygonaceae), a Genus That Has Undergone Rapid Radiation
No full textBackground: During adaptive radiation events, characters can arise multiple times due to parallel evolution, but transfer of traits through hybridization provides an alternative explanation for the same character appearing in apparently non-sister lineages. The signature of hybridization can be detected in incongruence between phylogenies derived from different markers, or from the presence of two divergent versions of a nuclear marker such as ITS within one individual.Methodology/Principal Findings: In this study, we cloned and sequenced ITS regions for 30 species of the genus Rheum, and compared them with a cpDNA phylogeny. Seven species contained two divergent copies of ITS that resolved in different clades from one another in each case, indicating hybridization events too recent for concerted evolution to have homogenised the ITS sequences. Hybridization was also indicated in at least two further species via incongruence in their position between ITS and cpDNA phylogenies. None of the ITS sequences present in these nine species matched those detected in any other species, which provides tentative evidence against recent introgression as an explanation. Rheum globulosum, previously indicated by cpDNA to represent an independent origin of decumbent habit, is indicated by ITS to be part of clade of decumbent species, which acquired cpDNA of another clade via hybridization. However decumbent and glasshouse morphology are confirmed to have arisen three and two times, respectively.Conclusions: These findings suggested that hybridization among QTP species of Rheum has been extensive, and that a role of hybridization in diversification of Rheum requires investigation.</p
Stable isotope monitoring of benthic–planktonic coupling using salt marsh fish
No full textAuthor Posting. © Inter-Research, 2008. This article is posted here by permission of Inter-Research for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Marine Ecology Progress Series 369 (2008): 193-204, doi:10.3354/meps07644.Salt marshes are important coastal ecosystems whose trophic function can be monitored with stable isotopes of abundant fish biosentinel species such as the mummichog Fundulus heteroclitus and the Atlantic silverside Menidia menidia. We compared movement patterns and feeding biology of these species in the summers of 1999 and 2000 in the Rowley River salt marsh estuary north of Boston, Massachusetts, USA. A 15N tracer addition experiment showed that fish of both species were more resident than transient, with mummichogs resident at scales of 1 km or less. Natural abundance stable isotope C, N, and S distributions showed that mummichogs feed more strongly in the benthic food web while silversides feed more in the planktonic food web, with % benthic feeding respectively averaging 58 ± 5 and 32 ± 3% (mean ± 95% confidence limit, CL). For both species, isotope results indicated considerable individual specialization in foraging behavior, likely related to use of channel habitat versus use of the marsh. Power analysis showed that measuring 3 composite samples each comprising 10 to 15 individual fish should provide relatively low errors of 0.5‰ (95% CL) or less around stable isotope averages. Use of such composite samples in monitoring programs will allow detection of significant temporal and spatial changes in benthic-planktonic coupling for salt marsh ecosystems, as recorded in average fish diets. Analyzing some individual fish also is recommended to obtain more detailed information on fish food sources, feeding specializations, and end-member isotope values used in estimating importance of benthic and planktonic food sources.This work
was supported by Louisiana SeaGrant Projects R/CEH-13 and
R-EFH-07, NOAA MULTISTRESS award 16OP2670, and NSF
award DEB 9815598 and BES SGER award 0553138-001
Evolutionary genetics of naturally and sexually selected traits in cichlid fishes
No full textIn my PhD thesis I use cichlid fishes as model system to study the evolutionary
genetics of naturally and sexually selected traits. Several traits of cichlid fishes such as; the pharyngeal jaw apparatus, haplochromine maternal mouthbrooding, egg-spots and color polymorphisms have been proposed as evolutionary key innovations. Key innovations are described as novel traits that allow its bearer to exploit new ecological niches, and are considered as one of the possible causes leading to an adaptive radiation. Furthermore, these traits could (partly) be responsible for the evolutionary success of cichlid lineages.
Besides these key innovations, other adaptive traits could also have increased the fitness of an individual and subsequently spread within a population. These adaptive traits can be of a morphological, behavioral as well as physiological kind and are eminent candidates to study the genetic basis of adaptation and diversification.
Furthermore, they can be used to determine the role of natural and/or sexual selection in adaptive processes.
In my doctoral work I studied the molecular evolutionary genetics of candidate gene families that are associated with either key innovations or other adaptations in cichlids or specific lineages thereof. The goal was to get a better understanding of the sequence evolution and type of selection (i.e., neutral, purifying or positive selection) acting upon genes that are involved in evolutionary important traits. Furthermore, functional implications of these loci can then be validated by means of e.g., expression assays.
The goal of the second part of my thesis was to unravel the genetic basis of a particular adaptation: the thick-lipped phenotype observed in multiple cichlid lineages. Here, the aim was to generate a candidate gene list of loci that are putatively involved in the evolution of this particular adaptation. In conclusion, the results of my doctoral thesis provide valuable insights into the
molecular evolutionary genetics of three specific gene families and offers exciting
new insights into the genetic basis of one specific convergent adaptive trait: the thicklipped
phenotype observed in both African and Nicaraguan species
Molecular basis of a novel pigment trait in cichlid fishes
No full textThe genetics underlying the evolution of novel morphological structures is a fascinating topic that has attracted the attention of many evolutionary biologists. Among the East African cichlid fauna, the haplochromines represent the most species-rich group. One of their characteristics is the occurrence of egg-spots on the anal fins of males, which mimic real eggs and play a crucial role in the breeding cycle of these maternal mouthbrooding fish. These yellow to orange egg-spots serve as intra-specific sexual advertisement to attract females and to maximize breeding success. They are a novel trait that emerged only once in the evolution of the haplochromine lineage. The main goal of this doctoral thesis was to deepen our understanding of the genetics and developmental basis of the emergence and diversification of egg-spots, an evolutionary novelty in East African cichlid fishes. Further understanding of the molecular basis novelty requires the identification of the genes and mutations that underlie these major phenotypic changes. Here we report the identification of two genes that are involved in the development of the egg-spot trait Ð fhl2a and fhl2b Ð and one possible cis-regulatory mutation in fhl2b that might have played a role in the emergence of the egg-spot trait. We further described many more candidate genes via an RNAseq survey of Astatotilapia burtoni (haplochromine species) egg-spot and anal fin transcriptome. We generated hypotheses about their possible function using Gene Ontology definitions and inter-species gene expression, establishing a database that will serve as an important resource and useful resource for future research on the emergence and diversification the egg-spot trait
High connectivity among locally adapted populations of a marine fish (Menidia menidia)
No full textAuthor Posting. © Ecological Society of America, 2010. This article is posted here by permission of Ecological Society of America for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Ecology 91 (2010): 3526–3537, doi:10.1890/09-0548.1.Patterns of connectivity are important in understanding the geographic scale of local adaptation in marine populations. While natural selection can lead to local adaptation, high connectivity can diminish the potential for such adaptation to occur. Connectivity, defined as the exchange of individuals among subpopulations, is presumed to be significant in most marine species due to life histories that include widely dispersive stages. However, evidence of local adaptation in marine species, such the Atlantic silverside, Menidia menidia, raises questions concerning the degree of connectivity. We examined geochemical signatures in the otoliths, or ear bones, of adult Atlantic silversides collected in 11 locations along the northeastern coast of the United States from New Jersey to Maine in 2004 and eight locations in 2005 using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and isotope ratio monitoring mass spectrometry (irm-MS). These signatures were then compared to baseline signatures of juvenile fish of known origin to determine natal origin of these adult fish. We then estimated migration distances and the degree of mixing from these data. In both years, fish generally had the highest probability of originating from the same location in which they were captured (0.01–0.80), but evidence of mixing throughout the sample area was present. Furthermore, adult M. menidia exhibit highly dispersive behavior with some fish migrating over 700 km. The probability of adult fish returning to natal areas differed between years, with the probability being, on average, 0.2 higher in the second year. These findings demonstrate that marine species with largely open populations are capable of local adaptation despite apparently high gene flow.This work was funded by the National Science Foundation
(grant OCE-0425830 to D. O. Conover and grant OCE-
0134998 to S. R. Thorrold) and the New York State
Department of Environmental Conservation
Patents, Public-Private Partnerships or Prizes – How should we support pharmaceutical innovation?
No full textThe question as to how society should support pharmaceutical (‘pharma’) innovation is both pertinent and timely: Pharma drugs are an integral component of modern health care and hold the promise to treat more effectively various debilitating health problems. The productivity of the pharma R&D enterprise, however, has declined since the 1980s. Many observers question whether the patent system is conducive to pharma innovation and point to several promising alternative mechanisms. These mechanisms include both ‘push’ programs – subsidies directed towards the cost of pharma R&D – and ‘pull’ programs – lumpsum and royalty-based rewards for the outputs of pharma R&D, that is, new drugs. I review evidence why our current system of pharma patents is defective and outline the various alternative mechanisms that may spur pharma innovation more effectively.Pharmaceuticals, R&D, patents, prizes, innovation
Guidelines on the management of acute respiratory distress syndrome
No full text\ua9 Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2019. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.The Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine and Intensive Care Society Guideline Development Group have used GRADE methodology to make the following recommendations for the management of adult patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The British Thoracic Society supports the recommendations in this guideline. Where mechanical ventilation is required, the use of low tidal volumes (<6 ml/kg ideal body weight) and airway pressures (plateau pressure <30 cmH 2 O) was recommended. For patients with moderate/severe ARDS (PF ratio<20 kPa), prone positioning was recommended for at least 12 hours per day. By contrast, high frequency oscillation was not recommended and it was suggested that inhaled nitric oxide is not used. The use of a conservative fluid management strategy was suggested for all patients, whereas mechanical ventilation with high positive end-expiratory pressure and the use of the neuromuscular blocking agent cisatracurium for 48 hours was suggested for patients with ARDS with ratio of arterial oxygen partial pressure to fractional inspired oxygen (PF) ratios less than or equal to 27 and 20 kPa, respectively. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation was suggested as an adjunct to protective mechanical ventilation for patients with very severe ARDS. In the absence of adequate evidence, research recommendations were made for the use of corticosteroids and extracorporeal carbon dioxide removal
The Book of Good Counsels from the Sanskrit of the Hitopadesa
No full textI already have a more recent edition using Arnold's translation, with the illustrations of Gordon Brown, published by W.H. Allen in 1896. Here is a much earlier edition with illustrations by Harrison Weir. In fact, there are only four illustrations; they are listed opposite the opening T of C. The most successful of the illustrations may be The Old Hare and the Elephants (87). The seller describes it as a first edition and notes that it is signed by the author/translator on the front flyleaf. Dailey also notes the fine binding by Blackwell. Let me repeat, with page numbers appropriate to this edition, some of my comments from the Allen edition of 1896. This seems to be a good standard telling of the Hitopadesa. The opening T of C lists individual fables. In this version the merchant brings his wife on the second evening of the month of arranged assignations (41); it takes him only one viewing to be greedy to get the gifts that the king gave the woman of the first evening. The crow and the rat walk to the tortoise's pond. At the beginning of the second chapter, Lusty-Life the bull breaks a foreleg. In the story of the monkey and wedge, his tail and lower parts dangle down between the pieces of wood (49). Lusty-Life is put in charge of provisions when the jackals are discovered to be consuming and disposing of more than their share of the kill. This second chapter ends with the killing of the bull. What happens to the jackals is not addressed. In this version, the wheelwright duped by his wife hidden in his wife's chamber hears her praise of him and rushes out of hiding to ask her lover if he had ever seen a truer wife than this (92)! In the third chapter, War, the swan (Silversides) has as his main minister a goose, and the inciting incident is that a crane from his kingdom happens to fly in peacock territory. This crane is sent back as a spy, and a paddy-bird, a form of crane, is commissioned to fortify the fortress. The peacock has a vulture for a minister, a cock for a general, and a parrot for an ambassador. A crow also shows up as a guest at the swan's court. The parrot commands obeisance or withdrawal from Camphor-island. King Swan refuses. The peacock advances rashly against the swan-people, contrary to the vulture's advice. The crane and his fellows wreak havoc on the peacock's realm. The crows are indeed traitors and burn the besieged citadel of the swan-king. The paddy-bird defends the king in the last hour and helps him escape but dies himself. The peacock captures the fortress. In the fourth book, the swan king first ascertains whose treason had cost him the loss of his fort, namely that of the crows. The two kings end up creating a good peace. The inserted verses are done in rhyme. This edition does a nice job with the names of individual animals and towns. There are notes at the back.This is a hardbound book (hard cover)Signed by Edwin ArnoldBy Sir Edwin Arnol
A preventive care strategy to reduce moderate or severe acute kidney injury after major surgery (BigpAK-2); a multinational, randomised clinical trial
No full textAcute kidney injury (AKI) is a common and important complication of major surgery, yet recommended preventive care is rarely administered. We used urinary biomarkers to identify patients at high risk of AKI and implemented a preventive care strategy to reduce AKI within 72 h after major surgery.
BigpAK-2 was a multicentre randomised clinical trial done in 34 hospitals in Europe. Patients (aged ≥18 years) undergoing major surgery at high risk for AKI identified by predefined clinical risk factors and tubular stress biomarkers were randomly assigned to usual care or a preventive care strategy as per recommendations by the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcome guidelines: advanced hemodynamic monitoring, optimisation of volume status and haemodynamics, avoidance of nephrotoxic drugs and radiocontrast agents, and prevention of hyperglycaemia. The primary outcome was the occurrence of moderate or severe AKI within 72 h after surgery, assessed in the intention-to-treat population. Safety was assessed by comparing rates of adverse events between groups. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04647396.
From Nov 25, 2020, to June 21, 2024, 7873 patients were screened and 1180 (15·0%) were randomly assigned (589 [49·9%] to the intervention group and 591 [50·1%] to the control group). Among the 1176 patients available for the primary endpoint analysis, moderate or severe AKI occurred in 84 (14·4%) patients in the intervention group and in 131 (22·3%) patients in the control group (odds ratio 0·57 [95% CI 0·40-0·79; p=0·0002; number needed to treat 12 [7-33]). There were no differences in adverse events. The most common adverse events were atrial fibrillation (50 [8·8%] in the intervention group vs 56 (9·7%) in the control group), hemodynamically relevant arrhythmias (41 [7·2%] in the intervention group vs 50 [8·6%] in the control group), significant bleeding or haemorrhage (34 [6·0%] in the intervention group vs 31 [5·3%] in the control group), and unplanned return to the operating room (29 [5·1%] in the intervention vs 38 [6·5%] in the control group).
Among adults at high risk for AKI undergoing major surgery, a preventive care strategy consisting of supportive measures and avoidance of nephrotoxins significantly reduced the occurrence of moderate or severe AKI without increasing adverse events.
BioMérieux.
Copyright © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved
