Consistent Differences Research Articles

Face forgery video detection based on expression key sequences

In order to minimize additional computational costs in detecting forged videos, and enhance detection accuracy, this paper employs dynamic facial expression sequences as key sequences, replacing original video sequences as inputs for the detection model. A spatio-temporal dual-branch detection network is designed based on the visual Transformer architecture. Specifically, this process involves three steps. Firstly, dynamic facial expression sequences are localized as key sequences using optical flow difference algorithms. Subsequently, the spatial branch network employs the focal self-attention mechanism to focus on dynamic features of expression-relevant regions and uses Factorization Machines to facilitate feature interaction among multiple key sequences. Meanwhile, the temporal branch network concentrates on learning the temporal inconsistency of optical flow differences between adjacent frames. Finally, a binary classification linear SVM combines the Softmax values from the two branch networks to provide the ultimate detection outcome. Experimental results on the Faceforensics++ dataset demonstrate: (a) replacing whole video sequences with facial expression key sequences effectively reduces training and detection time by nearly 80% and 90%, respectively; (b) compared to state-of-the-art methods involving random sequence/frame extraction and key frame extraction based on video compression techniques, the proposed approach in this paper presents a more competitive detection accuracy.

Do sexes differ in consistent individual differences and behavioural syndrome in an aposematic poison frog?

AbstractThere is a burgeoning interest in studying consistent individual differences in animal behaviour. Most studies consider mainly males, but sexes are subject to distinct selection pressures that may drive differences in life history and therefore lead to differences in a variety of behaviours. Here, we used Oophaga pumilio, a poison frog with sex differences in life‐history strategies (e.g., sex bias in space use and parental care), to explore whether sexes differ or share personality characteristics like behavioural consistency and behavioural syndromes. Based on the natural history of this species, we predicted sex differences in behavioural consistency in exploration but not in boldness, and a correlation between these behavioural traits. We found no sex differences in behavioural consistency in boldness and exploration, although, we observed a tendency of higher consistency in males than females in boldness. When pooling all individuals, we found a higher consistency in boldness than exploration, suggesting the presence of a bold personality in general. We observed a positive between‐individual correlation of boldness and exploration in both sexes indicating the presence of a behavioural syndrome. Our data suggest that selective mechanisms shaping individual behaviour act equally on both sexes in this poison frog.

Comparison of the relative diagnostic performance of 68Ga-DOTA-IBA and 18F-NaF for the detection of bone metastasis.

We aimed to compare the relative diagnostic efficacy of 68Ga-Labeled DOTA-ibandronic acid (68Ga-DOTA-IBA) to that of18F-NaF PET/CT as a mean of detecting bone metastases in patients with a range of cancer types. This study retrospectively enrolled patients with bone metastases associated with various underlying malignancies. All patients underwent both 68Ga-DOTA-IBA and 18F-NaF PET/CT scans. Histopathology and follow-up CT or MRI imaging results were used as reference criteria, with a minimum follow-up period of 3 months. The maximum Standardized Uptake Value (SUVmax) and number of bone metastases were recorded. The Target-Background Ratio (TBR) was calculated along with the detection rate, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and accuracy of 68Ga-DOTA-IBA and 18F-NaF PET/CT imaging for overall and partial primary solid tumor bone metastases. Pearson chi-square test, McNemar test, and Kappa test was conducted to assess the correlation and consistency of diagnostic efficiency between the two imaging agents. Receiver Operating Characteristic curve (ROC curve) was performed to compare diagnostic performance and the area under the curve of the two imaging agents, determining optimal critical values for SUVmax and TBR in diagnosing bone metastasis. Differences in SUVmax and TBR values between the two imaging agents for detecting bone metastases were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed rank test. The difference was statistically significant when P < 0.05. A total of 24 patients (13 women and 11 men) were included in this study, with a mean age of 52 (interquartile range, 49-64 years). The detection rate, sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, accuracy, and AUC of 68Ga-DOTA-IBA and 18F-NaF PET/CT for bone metastases were 81%, 90%, 62%, 95%, 43%, 88%, 0.763, and 89%, 99%, 59%, 95%, 89%, 95%, 0.789, respectively. There was no significant difference between the two imaging methods (P < 0.01), and there was a significant correlation (X2=168.43, P < 0.001) and a strong consistency (Kappa=0.774,P < 0.001) between the diagnostic results of the two imaging agents. The SUVmax values of lesions measured by 68Ga-DOTA-IBA and 18F-NaF imaging in 22 patients with bone metastasis were 5.1 ± 5.4 and 19.6 ± 15.1, respectively, with statistically significant differences (P<0.05). The TBR values of the two imaging methods were 5.0 ± 5.0 and 6.7 ± 6.4, respectively, with statistically significant differences (P<0.05). The AUC of the SUVmax of 68Ga-DOTA-IBA and 18F-NaF curves were 0.824 and 0.862, respectively, with no statistically significant difference (P=0.490). No significant difference was found in the AUC of the TBR of 68Ga-DOTA-IBA and 18F-NaF (0.832 vs 0.890; P=0.248). Subgroup analysis showed significant correlation between the two imaging agents in the diagnosis of bone metastases in lung cancer and breast cancer, with consistent diagnostic results. However, in the diagnosis of bone metastases in prostate cancer, there was a significant difference (P<0.001) and lack of consistency (P=0.109). The diagnostic efficacy of 68Ga-DOTA-IBA for bone metastasis lesions is comparable to that of 18F-NaF. This finding holds significant clinical importance in terms of diagnosis of bone metastasis and selecting treatment plans for patients with malignant tumors.

A registered report survey of open research practices in psychology departments in the UK and Ireland.

Open research practices seek to enhance the transparency and reproducibility of research. While there is evidence of increased uptake in these practices, such as study preregistration and open data, facilitated by new infrastructure and policies, little research has assessed general uptake of such practices across psychology university researchers. The current study estimates psychologists' level of engagement in open research practices across universities in the United Kingdom and Ireland, while also assessing possible explanatory factors that may impact their engagement. Data were collected from 602 psychology researchers in the United Kingdom and Ireland on the extent to which they have implemented various practices (e.g., use of preprints, preregistration, open data, open materials). Here we present the summarized descriptive results, as well as considering differences between various categories of researcher (e.g., career stage, subdiscipline, methodology), and examining the relationship between researcher's practices and their self-reported capability, opportunity, and motivation (COM-B) to engage in open research practices. Results show that while there is considerable variability in engagement of open research practices, differences across career stage and subdiscipline of psychology are small by comparison. We observed consistent differences according to respondent's research methodology and based on the presence of institutional support for open research. COM-B dimensions were collectively significant predictors of engagement in open research, with automatic motivation emerging as a consistently strong predictor. We discuss these findings, outline some of the challenges experienced in this study, and offer suggestions and recommendations for future research. Estimating the prevalence of responsible research practices is important to assess sustained behaviour change in research reform, tailor educational training initiatives, and to understand potential factors that might impact engagement.

Machine Learning Did Not Outperform Conventional Competing Risk Modeling to Predict Revision Arthroplasty.

Estimating the risk of revision after arthroplasty could inform patient and surgeon decision-making. However, there is a lack of well-performing prediction models assisting in this task, which may be due to current conventional modeling approaches such as traditional survivorship estimators (such as Kaplan-Meier) or competing risk estimators. Recent advances in machine learning survival analysis might improve decision support tools in this setting. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the performance of machine learning compared with that of conventional modeling to predict revision after arthroplasty. Does machine learning perform better than traditional regression models for estimating the risk of revision for patients undergoing hip or knee arthroplasty? Eleven datasets from published studies from the Dutch Arthroplasty Register reporting on factors associated with revision or survival after partial or total knee and hip arthroplasty between 2018 and 2022 were included in our study. The 11 datasets were observational registry studies, with a sample size ranging from 3038 to 218,214 procedures. We developed a set of time-to-event models for each dataset, leading to 11 comparisons. A set of predictors (factors associated with revision surgery) was identified based on the variables that were selected in the included studies. We assessed the predictive performance of two state-of-the-art statistical time-to-event models for 1-, 2-, and 3-year follow-up: a Fine and Gray model (which models the cumulative incidence of revision) and a cause-specific Cox model (which models the hazard of revision). These were compared with a machine-learning approach (a random survival forest model, which is a decision tree-based machine-learning algorithm for time-to-event analysis). Performance was assessed according to discriminative ability (time-dependent area under the receiver operating curve), calibration (slope and intercept), and overall prediction error (scaled Brier score). Discrimination, known as the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, measures the model's ability to distinguish patients who achieved the outcomes from those who did not and ranges from 0.5 to 1.0, with 1.0 indicating the highest discrimination score and 0.50 the lowest. Calibration plots the predicted versus the observed probabilities; a perfect plot has an intercept of 0 and a slope of 1. The Brier score calculates a composite of discrimination and calibration, with 0 indicating perfect prediction and 1 the poorest. A scaled version of the Brier score, 1 - (model Brier score/null model Brier score), can be interpreted as the amount of overall prediction error. Using machine learning survivorship analysis, we found no differences between the competing risks estimator and traditional regression models for patients undergoing arthroplasty in terms of discriminative ability (patients who received a revision compared with those who did not). We found no consistent differences between the validated performance (time-dependent area under the receiver operating characteristic curve) of different modeling approaches because these values ranged between -0.04 and 0.03 across the 11 datasets (the time-dependent area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the models across 11 datasets ranged between 0.52 to 0.68). In addition, the calibration metrics and scaled Brier scores produced comparable estimates, showing no advantage of machine learning over traditional regression models. Machine learning did not outperform traditional regression models. Neither machine learning modeling nor traditional regression methods were sufficiently accurate in order to offer prognostic information when predicting revision arthroplasty. The benefit of these modeling approaches may be limited in this context.

Profiling Bilateral Skills in High-Performance Male and Female Gaelic Footballers

Background: Bilateral skill in sport refers to an individual’s ability to successfully perform sporting actions with both sides of the body. Two scarcely researched areas in relation to bilateral skills are the effects of opposition proximity on skill execution and bilateral skill in high-performance female athletes. Methods: All skill executions (hand pass, kick pass, hop, solo and shot) during 121 games (76 male, 45 female) were coded using Nacsport, with the participants including male and female tier 1 (n = 181, 134) and Tier 2 (n = 238, 115) adult, high performance Gaelic football players. Irrespective of tier or gender, Gaelic football players relied upon their dominant side for the majority of skill executions. Results: No consistent differences existed between tiers and genders in relation to dominant side use, but top tier male players were generally less reliant on the dominant limb than all female players. In general, top tier male players performed more successfully than the other three tiers. Most skills were executed under low opponent proximity, limiting the requirement to use the non-dominant limb. Conclusions: These findings illustrate the demands of Gaelic football in relation to bilateral skill and identify key questions for future research.

Volatilomic signatures of different strains of Helicobacter pylori.

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is the most extensively studied risk factor for gastric cancer. As with any bacteria, H. pylori will release distinctive odors that result from an emission of volatile metabolic byproducts in unique combinations and proportions. Effectively capturing and identifying these volatiles can pave the way for the development of innovative and non-invasive diagnostic methods for determining infection. Here we characterize the H. pylori volatilomic signature, pinpoint potential biomarkers of its presence, and evaluate the variability of volatilomic signatures between different H. pylori isolates. Using needle trap extraction, volatiles in the headspace above H. pylori cultures were collected and, following thermal desorption at 290°C in a splitless mode, were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The resulting volatilomic signatures of H. pylori cultures were compared to those obtained from an analysis of the volatiles in the headspace above the cultivating medium only. Amongst the volatiles detected, 21 showed consistent differences between the bacteria cultures and the cultivation medium, with 11 compounds being elevated and 10 showing decreased levels in the culture's headspace. The 11 elevated volatiles are four ketones (2-pentanone, 5-methyl-3-heptanone, 2-heptanone, and 2-nonanone), three alcohols (2-methyl-1-propanol, 3-methyl-1-butanol, and 1 butanol), one aromatic (styrene), one aldehyde (2-ethyl-hexanal), one hydrocarbon (n-octane), and one sulfur compound (dimethyl disulfide). The 10 volatiles with lower levels in the headspace of the cultures are four aldehydes (2-methylpropanal, benzaldehyde, 3-methylbutanal, and butanal), two heterocyclic compounds (2-ethylfuran and 2-pentylfuran), one ketone (2-butanone), one aromatic (benzene), one alcohol (2-butanol) and bromodichloromethane. Of the volatile species showing increased levels, the highest emissions are found to be for 3-methyl-1-butanol, 1-butanol and dimethyl disulfide. Qualitative variations in their emissions from the different isolates was observed. The volatiles emitted by H. pylori provide a characteristic volatilome signature that has the potential of being developed as a tool for monitoring infections caused by this pathogen. Furthermore, using the volatilome signature, we are able to differentiate different isolates of H. pylori. However, the volatiles also represent potential confounders for the recognition of gastric cancer volatile markers.

Exploring customer perceptions on the diverse services offered by Restobar establishments

This study was delimited to the perceptions of customers on the different services of Restobar establishment in Northern Part of Zambales utilizing the quantitative approach and the descriptive-survey research methodology. The population of the study comprised one hundred (100) customers of Restobar and had been randomly selected. Based on the summary of the investigations conducted, majority of respondents were females, young adulthood, single and a government employee. The respondents perceived strongly agree on consistency, courtesy, customer service, expectation, responsiveness, timeliness, and personal relationship. And perceived significant difference in consistency in terms of gender, age, and occupation; courtesy and responsiveness in terms of gender and occupation; customer service in terms of gender; expectation in terms of occupation; timeliness in terms of civil status and occupation; personal relationship in terms of civil status on the perceptions of the customer-respondents on the different services of resto bar when grouped according to profile variables. It is highly recommended that Restobar establishments may increase their personnel consistency to assist, act and supply the needs of the visitors in a timely manner; may train/practice their employees how to listen, understand, sympathize and take action on the concerns of the visitors when a problem arises; may employees need to know what products and services they are offering when visitors ask or inquire; and a proposed plan of action may be developed by the for the improvement of guest satisfaction.

Fatty Acid Methyl Ester Profiling of Californian Xylella fastidiosa Strains

Xylella fastidiosa ssp. fastidiosa ( Xff) is the causal agent of Pierce's disease of grapevine, a management-intensive and potentially deadly disease. However, different stains and other subspecies, such as Xylella fastidiosa ssp. multiplex ( Xfm), exist in the same regions and vary in capacity to cause disease. All strains differ in the fatty acids that comprise cell membranes, as these allow adaptations to specific host microenvironments. Therefore, studies were initiated to observe the fatty acid profiles of different Californian Xf isolates via fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) analysis. Observations revealed that the four Xff strains had similar FAME profiles that were distinct from those of the three Xfm strains, even in isolates that originated from the same host plant species. These data show consistent differences between Xff and Xfm strains and demonstrate the potential that FAME profiling has for Xylella subspecies identification of novel isolates. [Formula: see text] The author(s) have dedicated the work to the public domain under the Creative Commons CC0 “No Rights Reserved” license by waiving all of his or her rights to the work worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law, 2024.

Strategy revision phase with payoff threshold in the public goods game

Commonly, the strategy revision phase in evolutionary games relies on payoff comparison. Namely, agents compare their payoff with the opponent, assessing whether changing strategy can be potentially convenient. Even tiny payoff differences can be crucial in this decision process. In this work, we study the dynamics of cooperation in the public goods game, introducing a threshold ε in the strategy revision phase. In doing so, payoff differences narrower than ε entail the decision process reduces to a coin flip. Interestingly, with ordinary agents, results show that payoff thresholds curb the emergence of cooperation. Yet, the latter can be sustained by these thresholds if the population is composed of conformist agents, which replace the random-based revision with selecting the strategy of the majority. To conclude, agents sensible only to consistent payoff differences may represent ‘real-world’ individuals unable to properly appreciate advantages or disadvantages when facing a dilemma. These agents may be detrimental to the emergence of cooperation or, on the contrary, supportive when endowed with a conformist attitude.

Identification of a novel and plant height-independent QTL for coleoptile length in barley and validation of its effect using near isogenic lines

Key messageThis study reported the identification and validation of novel QTL conferring coleoptile length in barley and predicted candidate genes underlying the largest effect QTL based on orthologous analysis and comparison of the whole genome assemblies for both parental genotypes of the mapping population.Coleoptile length (CL) is one of the most important agronomic traits in cereal crops due to its direct influence on the optimal depth for seed sowing which facilitates better seedling establishment. Varieties with longer coleoptiles are preferred in drought-prone areas where less moisture maintains at the top layer of the soil. Compared to wheat, genetic study on coleoptile length is limited in barley. Here, we reported a study on detecting the genomic regions associated with CL in barley by assessing a population consisting of 201 recombinant inbred lines. Four putative QTL conferring CL were consistently identified on chromosomes 1H, 5H, 6H, and 7H in each of the trials conducted. Of these QTL, the two located on chromosomes 5H and 6H (designated as Qcl.caf-5H and Qcl.caf-6H) are likely novel and Qcl.caf-5H showed the most significant effect explaining up to 30.9% of phenotypic variance with a LOD value of 15.1. To further validate the effect of this putative QTL, five pairs of near isogenic lines (NILs) were then developed and assessed. Analysis of the NILs showed an average difference of 21.0% in CL between the two isolines. Notably, none of the other assessed morphological characteristics showed consistent differences between the two isolines for each pair of the NILs. Candidate genes underlying the Qcl.caf-5H locus were also predicted by employing orthologous analysis and comparing the genome assemblies for both parental genotypes of the mapping population in the present study. Taken together, these findings expand our understanding on genetic basis of CL and will be indicative for further gene cloning and functional analysis underly this locus in barley.

Identification of inflammation-related biomarkers in keloids.

The relationship between inflammation-related genes (IRGs) and keloid disease (KD) is currently unclear. The aim of this study was to identify a new set of inflammation-related biomarkers in KD. GSE145725 and GSE7890 datasets were used in this study. A list of 3026 IRGs was obtained from the Molecular Signatures Database. Differentially expressed inflammation-related genes (DEGs) were obtained by taking the intersection of DEGs between KD and control samples and the list of IRGs. Candidate genes were selected using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression analysis. Candidate genes with consistent expression differences between KD and control in both GSE145725 and GSE7890 datasets were screened as biomarkers. An alignment diagram was constructed and validated, and in silico immune infiltration analysis and drug prediction were performed. Finally, RT-qPCR was performed on KD samples to analyze the expression of the identified biomarkers. A total of 889 DEGs were identified from the GSE145725 dataset, 169 of which were IRGs. Three candidate genes (TRIM32, LPAR1 and FOXF1) were identified by the LASSO regression analysis, and expression validation analysis suggested that FOXF1 and LPAR1 were down-regulated in KD samples and TRIM32 was up-regulated. All three candidate genes had consistent changes in expression in both the GSE145725 and GSE7890 datasets. An alignment diagram was constructed to predict KD. Effector memory CD4 T cells, T follicular helper cell, Myeloid derived suppressor cell, activated dendritic cell, Immature dendritic cell and Monocyte were differentially expressed between the KD and control group. Sixty-seven compounds that may act on FOXF1, 108 compounds that may act on LPAR1 and 56 compounds that may act on TRIM32 were predicted. Finally, RT-qPCR showed that the expression of LPAR1 was significantly lower in KD samples compared to normal samples whereas TRIM32 was significantly higher, while there was no difference in the expression of FOXF1. This study provides a new perspective to study the relationship between IRGs and KD.

Daytime sleep duration during infancy as an indicator for cognitive development at school age: a prospective cohort study.

The reduction in daytime sleep during early life is considered one of the indicators of the maturation of sleep patterns, which is closely associated with cognitive development. The current study aims to analyze the relationships between daytime sleep duration (DSD) during infancy and cognitive development at 6 and 10 years. The study included 262 mothers with their newborns from the Shanghai Sleep Birth Cohort Study, spanning 11 follow-ups from 42 days to 10 years. Sleep parameters were assessed using parent-reported questionnaires at each follow-up, and cognitive development was evaluated with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, fourth edition at 6 and 10 years. Two distinct DSD trajectories in early childhood were identified: "typical DSD" (66.7%) and "infancy excessive DSD" (33.3%). Children in the "infancy excessive DSD" trajectory exhibited lower working memory scores than those in the "typical DSD" trajectory at 6 years (mean difference = 5.90, 95% confidence interval [1.83, 9.96], P = .005) and 10 years (mean difference = 4.37, 95% confidence interval [0.26, 8.48], P = .037). Additional analysis in a relatively homogeneous sample consistently showed correlations between DSD trajectories and working memory performance. No consistent significant differences were found in other domains of cognitive development. Excessive daytime sleep during infancy may serve as an early indicator for poor working memory at school age. These findings raise concerns about the long-term cognitive development of infants with excessive DSD. Lin J, Jiang Y, Xiao X, etal. Daytime sleep duration during infancy as an indicator for cognitive development at school age: a prospective cohort study. J Clin Sleep Med. 2024;20(7):1069-1077.

Adolescent to young adult longitudinal development of subcortical volumes in two European sites with four waves.

Adolescent subcortical structural brain development might underlie psychopathological symptoms, which often emerge in adolescence. At the same time, sex differences exist in psychopathology, which might be mirrored in underlying sex differences in structural development. However, previous studies showed inconsistencies in subcortical trajectories and potential sex differences. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the subcortical structural trajectories and their sex differences across adolescence using for the first time a single cohort design, the same quality control procedure, software, and a general additive mixed modeling approach. We investigated two large European sites from ages 14 to 24 with 503 participants and 1408 total scans from France and Germany as part of the IMAGEN project including four waves of data acquisition. We found significantly larger volumes in males versus females in both sites and across all seven subcortical regions. Sex differences in age-related trajectories were observed across all regions in both sites. Our findings provide further evidence of sex differences in longitudinal adolescent brain development of subcortical regions and thus might eventually support the relationship of underlying brain development and different adolescent psychopathology in boys and girls.

Spatial Variability of Selected Soil Chemical Parameters in Low-yielding Paddy Production Block in Mahaweli System H, Sri Lanka

Although water availability for paddy production in Mahaweli System H is abundant, paddy yield is lower in Nochchiyagama (278 km2), chosen for soil assessment. Paddy yield data were used to identify the low-yielding division using the area-weighted average. Twenty-five random locations were generated, and soil samples were collected for pH, soil conductivity (EC), salinity, and total dissolved solids (TDS) analysis. ArcGIS software was used to create spatial distribution maps and related geostatistical analyses for each parameter. Vector files were created with their associated properties, and thematic maps were generated using spatial interpolation techniques, such as universal kriging (UK), ordinary kriging (OK), and inverse distance weighted (IDW) methods of interpolation techniques to identify the best interpolation method for soil chemical parameters mapping. The entire Nochchiyagama land was observed to have a slightly acidic pH (5.6-5.9) range that may have affected rice crop growth due to nutrient mobility and uptake issues. The spatial interpolation evaluation suggests that at least two-thirds of the area observed for lower TDS levels (591-654 mg/L) is potentially unsafe paddy production. Elevated levels of EC (3.1-7.24 dS/m) along with TDS may lead to physiological drought due to interferences in ion uptake. In overall, spatial interpolation evaluation indicators suggest that the UK method was observed with a lower mean relative error (MRE) than the other two interpolations. However, EC distribution showed low MRE in both IDW and OK interpolation techniques. The IDW method was observed to have a lower RMSE (Root mean square error). The UK spatial interpolation performed better for TDS and salinity predictions than other methods. This study found consistent regional differences in low paddy yields in Mahaweli system H using the UK method for analyzing soil chemical parameters. &#x0D; Keywords: Electrical conductivity, Interpolation errors, Salinity, Spatial interpolation

Life events and life satisfaction: Estimating effects of multiple life events in combined models

How do life events affect life satisfaction? Previous studies focused on a single event or separate analyses of several events. However, life events are often grouped non-randomly over the lifespan, occur in close succession, and are causally linked, raising the question of how to best analyze them jointly. Here, we used representative German data (SOEP; N = 40,121 individuals; n = 41,402 event occurrences) to contrast three fixed-effects model specifications: First, individual event models in which other events were ignored, which are thus prone to undercontrol bias; second, combined event models which controlled for all events, including subsequent ones, which may induce overcontrol bias; and third, our favored combined models that only controlled for preceding events. In this preferred model, the events of new partner, cohabitation, marriage, and childbirth had positive effects on life satisfaction, while separation, unemployment, and death of partner or child had negative effects. Model specification made little difference for employment- and bereavement-related events. However, for events related to romantic relationships and childbearing, small but consistent differences arose between models. Thus, when estimating effects of new partners, separation, cohabitation, marriage, and childbirth, care should be taken to include appropriate controls (and omit inappropriate ones) to minimize bias.

Mitochondrial and apicoplast genome copy abundances of haemosporidian parasites are explained by host species and parasitic lineage

Endosymbiotic organelles, such as mitochondria and plastids, contain own remnant genomes (nucleoids), whose variable abundance in cells may be adaptive to the physiological necessities and functions of the cells. Unicellular apicomplexan parasites contain one mitochondrium and one apicoplast with variable genome copy numbers. We measured the abundance of mitochondrial, apicoplast and nuclear genome copies in a set of avian blood samples infected with haemosporidian blood parasites, belonging to the three main genera Plasmodium, Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon. We designed general primers suitable for qPCR, amplifying fragments of the mitogenome, plastome and nuclear genomes of avian malaria and related haemosporidian parasites. We measured the amplification of these fragments in 153 samples of 23 avian host species and infected with 33 parasitic lineages. We estimate on average several hundred mitochondrial genome copies and several tens of apicoplast copies per haploid gametocyte cell with substantial variation among samples. Host species appeared to differ in their mitogenome abundance while parasitic lineages differed in plastome abundance per cell (per nuclear copy signal). We did not find consistent differences between parasite genera or higher avian taxa. Parasite lineages and host bird species did not differ consistently in infection intensity, estimated from parasite to host nuclear signals, which may indicate that samples were taken at different stages of infection. However, this and similar results remain to be cross-validated with in-situ imaging techniques. The novel molecular tools introduced here offer avenues for the characterization of nucleoid abundance of haemosporidian parasites over environmental conditions and parasitic developmental stages. Such measures will improve our understanding of parasite physiology, ecology, the coadaptation and coevolution with hosts and suggest possible augmentations to standard methods in the research field.

The role of Weizmannia (Bacillus) coagulans LMG S-31876 in treating IBS-diarrhea.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common gastrointestinal condition. Some studies have shown the efficacy of probiotics in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Weizmannia (Bacillus) coagulans LMG S-31876 has been marketed as a dietary ingredient, but to date, its efficacy in diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) condition has not been clinically elucidated. Thus, a double-blind placebo-controlled multi-centered trial was planned to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Weizmannia (Bacillus) coagulans LMG S-31876 in diarrhea-predominant IBS patients. Study participants (n = 50) diagnosed with IBS prominent symptoms that include abdominal pain and other GI-related symptoms were treated with ProBC Plus (2 billion CFU) along with a placebo capsule once daily for approximately 8 weeks. Study participants were evaluated for the treatment success determined by the differences in stool consistency and frequency per day between the intervention and placebo groups over the study period. The vital signs and the biochemistry parameters were under the normal range; the other parameters showed a significant result as compared to the placebo during the study period. This study depicts a significant decline in the clinical symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea, and frequency of the stool as compared to the placebo. All the parameters such as hematology, lipid profile, and vital signs were in the normal range during the supplementation of ProBC Plus for a period of 8 weeks. Furthermore, the study verified that Weizmannia (Bacillus) coagulans LMG S-31876 and its probiotic product ProBC Plus at a dose of 2 billion/CFU/day has a prominent action in the relief from the clinical symptoms of IBS-D. Therefore, the product is intended safe to utilize for IBS-related symptoms.Clinical trial registration: The clinical study has been registered with CTRI/2023/01/048644 with https://ctri.nic.in/Clinicaltrials/pmaindet2.php?trialid=77708&EncHid=24313.96864&userName=CTRI/2023/01/048644 [CTRI/2023/01/048644].

Conservation detection dogs: A critical review of efficacy and methodology.

Conservation detection dogs (CDD) use their exceptional olfactory abilities to assist a wide range of conservation projects through the detection of target specimens or species. CDD are generally quicker, can cover wider areas and find more samples than humans and other analytical tools. However, their efficacy varies between studies; methodological and procedural standardisation in the field is lacking. Considering the cost of deploying a CDD team and the limited financial resources within conservation, it is vital that their performance is quantified and reliable. This review aims to summarise what is currently known about the use of scent detection dogs in conservation and elucidate which factors affect efficacy. We describe the efficacy of CDD across species and situational contexts like training and fieldwork. Reported sensitivities (i.e. the proportion of target samples found out of total available) ranged from 23.8% to 100% and precision rates (i.e. proportion of alerts that are true positives) from 27% to 100%. CDD are consistently shown to be better than other techniques, but performance varies substantially across the literature. There is no consistent difference in efficacy between training, testing and fieldwork, hence we need to understand the factors affecting this. We highlight the key variables that can alter CDD performance. External effects include target odour, training methods, sample management, search methodology, environment and the CDD handler. Internal effects include dog breed, personality, diet, age and health. Unfortunately, much of the research fails to provide adequate information on the dogs, handlers, training, experience and samples. This results in an inability to determine precisely why an individual study has high or low efficacy. It is clear that CDDs can be effective and applied to possibly limitless conservation scenarios, but moving forward researchers must provide more consistent and detailed methodologies so that comparisons can be conducted, results are more easily replicated and progress can be made in standardising CDD work.

Distinguishing four types of Person × Situation interactions: An integrative framework and empirical examination.

People differ in their reaction to situations, resulting in Person × Situation interactions. These interactions have been emphasized by many theoretical accounts of personality. Nevertheless, empirical progress on Person × Situation interactions has been slow. This is in part attributable to an insufficient distinction of person and situation variables and of different types of interaction effects. We propose a framework distinguishing four nested types of interaction effects varying in specificity: (a) P × S: broad Person × Situation interaction variance, (b) P × Sspec: between-person differences in situation variable-outcome associations, (c) Pspec × S: between-situation differences in person variable-outcome associations, and (d) Pspec × Sspec: specific Person Variable × Situation Variable interactions. We conducted two large online studies (N = 622 and N = 818) with standardized situation stimuli (N = 62 pictures and N = 62 first-person perspective videos) and assessed Big Five traits, DIAMONDS situation characteristics, and Big Five states. Using preregistered multilevel models, we systematically quantified the different interaction types. We found (a) large Person × Situation interaction variance in personality states, (b) sizable individual differences in situation characteristic-state contingencies, (c) consistent but smaller between-situation differences in trait-state associations, and (d) some significant but (very) small Personality Trait × Situation Characteristic interactions. Our findings highlight Person × Situation interactions as potentially important predictors of psychological states, although the explanation of these interactions through specific person variables remains difficult. Individual differences in the reaction to situations should be incorporated into our models of personality. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).