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100 generations of wealth equality after the Neolithic transitions

From Rousseau onward, scholars have identified the transition to sedentary agriculture as crucial to the history of wealth inequality. Here, using the GINI project’s global database on disparities in residential size, we examine the effects of important innovations in plant cultivation, animal husbandry, and traction on wealth inequality. Over a series of regional case studies, we find no evidence of major changes in residential disparity before or after these technological innovations became widespread, and where the effects of systemic change are recognizable, they are ambiguous. The introduction of horticulture/farming is accompanied by a slight general increase in inequality, while subsequent innovations tend to have a leveling effect. Although increasing productivity and surplus are critical to generating wealth inequality, nothing in our data suggests that rising productivity alone led to greater wealth inequality.

Effective integration of drone technology for mapping and managing palm species in the Peruvian Amazon

Placozoan secretory cell types implicated in feeding, innate immunity and regulation of behavior

Placozoa are millimeter-sized, flat, irregularly shaped ciliated animals that crawl on surfaces in warm oceans feeding on biofilms, which they digest externally. They stand out from other animals due to their simple body plans. They lack organs, body cavities, muscles and a nervous system and have only seven broadly defined morphological cell types, each with a unique distribution. Analyses of single cell transcriptomes of four species of placozoans revealed greater diversity of secretory cell types than evident from morphological studies, but the locations of many of these new cell types were unknown and it was unclear which morphological cell types they represent. Furthermore, there were contradictions between the conclusions of previous studies and the single cell RNAseq studies. To address these issues, we used mRNA probes for genes encoding secretory products expressed in different metacells in Trichoplax adhaerens to localize cells in whole mounts and in dissociated cell cultures, where their morphological features could be visualized and identified. The nature and functions of their secretory granules were further investigated with electron microscopic techniques and by imaging secretion in live animals during feeding episodes. We found that two cell types participate in disintegrating prey, one resembling a lytic cell type in mammals and another combining features of zymogen gland cells and enterocytes. We identified secretory epithelial cells expressing glycoproteins or short peptides implicated in defense. We located seven peptidergic cell types and two types of mucocytes. Our findings reveal mechanisms that placozoans use to feed and protect themselves from pathogens and clues about neuropeptidergic signaling. We compare placozoan secretory cell types with cell types in other animal phyla to gain insight about general evolutionary trends in cell type diversification, as well as pathways leading to the emergence of synapomorphies.

Economic inequality is fueled by population scale, land-limited production, and settlement hierarchies across the archaeological record

Defining wealth broadly to include wealth in people, relational connections, and material possessions, we examine the prehistory of wealth inequality at the level of the residential units using the consistent proxy of Gini coefficients calculated across areas of contemporaneous residential units. In a sample of >1,100 sites and > 47,000 residential units spanning >10,000 y, persistent wealth inequality typically lags the onset of plant cultivation by more than a millennium. It accompanies landscape modifications and subsistence practices in which land (rather than labor) limits production, and growth of hierarchies of settlement size. Gini coefficients are markedly higher through time in settlements at or near the top of such hierarchies; settlements not enmeshed in these systems remain relatively egalitarian even long after plant and animal domestication. We infer that some households in top-ranked settlements were able to exploit the network effects, agglomeration opportunities, and (eventually) political leverage provided by these hierarchies more effectively than others, likely boosted by efficient intergenerational transmission of material resources after increased sedentism made that more common. Since population growth is associated with increased sedentism, more land-limited production, and the appearance and growth of settlement hierarchies, it is deeply implicated in the postdomestication rise of wealth inequality. Governance practices mediate the degree of wealth inequality, as do technical innovations such as the use of animals for portage, horseback riding, and the development of iron smelting.

Engineering coupled consortia-based biosensors for diagnostic

Feasibility and preliminary effects of an app-based physical activity intervention for individuals with depression (MoodMover): A protocol for a single-arm, pre-post intervention study

Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide. Mobile app-based behavior change interventions that promote lifestyle physical activity (PA) may serve as viable alternatives or adjuncts to traditional treatments offering increased reach and accessibility. This protocol describes an experimental, pre-post single-arm trial to investigate the feasibility and preliminary effects of an app-based, 9-week PA intervention (MoodMover) designed for individuals with depression. MoodMover is co-designed with patients and a multidisciplinary research team using a no-code intervention development platform (Pathverse). This study will employ a single-arm pre-post trial with an optional 9-week follow-up, following the Obesity-Related Behavioral Intervention Trials (ORBIT) model. Thirty-six adults who self-report a clinical diagnosis of major depressive disorder or report at least mild depressive symptoms based on the Patient Health Questionnaire – 9 items (PHQ-9) will be recruited. The main outcomes of this study are the feasibility and acceptability of MoodMover, such as the recruitment strategy, assessments (e.g., PHQ-9), and user engagement. Preliminary effects will be assessed by evaluating changes in PA and depressive symptoms. Recruitment is expected to begin on November 1st, 2024, and end on May 1st, 2025. Trial results will be disseminated via publications in peer-reviewed journals and via presentations at academic conferences. This study fits within Phase IIa: Proof-of-concept and Phase IIb: Pilot and Preliminary Testing of the ORBIT model. The robust feasibility and acceptability measures, especially the user engagement data powered by Pathverse, will provide a comprehensive understanding of the MoodMover intervention’s feasibility and potential effects. Results will inform potential progression to the next step of the ORBIT model—Phase IIc: Phase II Efficacy Trial—to test MoodMover in a more rigorous randomized controlled trial. This study has been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT06573125; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06573125).

A 5-HT-mediated urethral defense against urinary tract infections

The urethra is considered a passive conduit for urine. Here, we reveal a surprising multicellular signaling pathway guiding the urethra’s dynamic response to an invading pathogen. Using a genetic approach in female mice, we deposited uropathogenic Escherichia coli into the distal urethra to establish a model of ascending urinary tract infection that progresses to the bladder within 4 h. We show that urethral neuroendocrine cells (UNECs), and the serotonin they synthesize, protect the bladder from bacterial colonization. We tested the hypothesis that serotonin initiates urethral contraction to expel ascending bacteria. We identified transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily A member 1, a noncanonical lipopolysaccharide receptor, in human and mouse UNECs and localized the serotonin receptors (HTR) 2B and 3, as well as the calcium-activated chloride channel anoctamin 1 (ANO1) to the pacemaker cells of the human and mouse urethra, the interstitial cells of Cajal (ICCs). HTR2B or ANO1 activation is sufficient for urethral contraction and is required for serotonin-induced mouse urethral contraction. Our results support the hypothesis that the urethra actively surveils its environment and responds to an ascending pathogen by evoking UNECs and ICC to induce urethral contraction and pathogen expulsion.

UKB-MDRMF: a multi-disease risk and multimorbidity framework based on UK biobank data

Ecological niche modeling for surveillance of foot-and-mouth disease in South Asia

Control of transboundary diseases at a regional level is commended over the country level due to its inherent complexities. World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) has established different zones worldwide to control such contagious diseases as foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). Controlling FMD is difficult because of the complicated connection between FMD risk factors, and the deficits of surveillance activities in countries. We used an ecological niche model (ENM) that accounts for the under-reporting of outbreaks to determine FMD risk and risk factors in South Asian countries India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. Centered on known outbreak information, we predicted high-risk areas using similar regional ecological features. Using a multi-algorithm machine-learning ensemble that includes random forest, support vector, and gradient boosting, 15 predictive variables (i.e., livestock densities, land cover, and climate), 660 FMD outbreaks from 13 years (2009–2022) in the region including the outbreaks from India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka we identified that Sri Lanka and Bangladesh appeared to have low to medium outbreak risk in the range of 0.04 to 0.55. India was used to fit the model. The machine learning models demonstrated high predictive performance (accuracy >0.87) through cross-validation. Production systems, isothermality, cattle density (per Km2), and mean diurnal range was identified as the most important predictors of FMD outbreaks. These models help to determine FMD low-risk areas to minimize FMD surveillance activities and high-risk areas to focus on performing additional confirmatory testing, and improve surveillance in a regional context.

Reconsidering indoor residual spraying coverage targets: A retrospective analysis of high-resolution programmatic malaria control data

Indoor residual spraying (IRS) is one of the core vector control interventions available to malaria control programs. Normative and scientific guidance has long held that very high IRS coverage (at least 80 to 85% houses sprayed) is necessary to provide community protection, but there is little evidence backing these recommendations, in large part due to the operational and ethical concerns that conducting appropriate trials of differing IRS coverage levels would raise. The present study leverages data from four years of targeted IRS implementation on Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea, to estimate a dose–response curve of IRS coverage. Due to the observational nature of the data, a double robust causal inference technique was utilized. The results suggest that at all spatial scales examined a threshold providing community protection was reached at much lower coverage levels than previously assumed (30 to 50%). Sensitivity analysis corroborated this result across multiple methods, but there was less agreement on whether extremely high coverage ( ≥ 85%) has additional benefit. A secondary analysis of the impact of changing operational coverage targets found that significantly reducing coverage targets (to 30 to 60%) could provide nearly the same protection as maintaining the existing 80% target in Bioko. While these findings are limited in strength by the observational nature of the data and may be specific to the context of Bioko Island, they raise important questions for further research on how IRS coverage impacts epidemiological outcomes and on how malaria control programs should set programmatic IRS coverage targets.

Efficient in vivo labeling of endogenous proteins with SMART delineates retina cellular and synaptic organization

From spawn to survival: decoding the hydraulic conditions for successful silver carp egg incubation

Natural rivers exhibit complex and dynamic flow conditions that significantly influence the survival and development of semi-buoyant fish eggs. This study investigated the effects of flow velocities and turbulence on silver carp eggs (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) during their development. Laboratory experiments conducted in an annular flume revealed that moderate flow conditions (0.5 m/s) yielded optimal hatching rates, while excessive velocities (1.1 m/s) led to complete mortality at the Late Blastula stage. Mild turbulence facilitated egg incubation, whereas intense turbulence reduced hatching success and increased larvae deformation rates. These findings revealed distinct relationship between hydrodynamic conditions and embryonic development, indicating that optimal spawning conditions differ from those required for successful hatching. These results provide fundamental insights for evaluating suitable hydraulic conditions in river habitats and assessing the potential impacts of hydraulic structures on fish populations. The study contributes valuable knowledge to river ecosystem management, semi-buoyant fish species conservation, and fish-friendly hydraulic structure design.

Housing inequality and settlement persistence are associated across the archaeological record

Definitions of sustainability commonly stress both systemic continuity and equality over time. However, the degree to which these two sides of sustainability might be related has not been systematically investigated. Recent theoretical and methodological insights have provided archaeologists with new tools for investigating sustainability in premodern societies. Here, we use Gini coefficients on residence size measurements as an estimate of material inequality and information on the persistence of settlements as a measure of continuity. Persistence is derived from the length of time a settlement endured in a particular state, and we assume that higher levels of persistence indicate greater adaptive capacity and resilience. We articulate an approach which allows us to combine these proxies to investigate the relationship between these two sides of sustainability and apply this to a global dataset of settlements from the last 10,000 y. We find that persistence is weakly correlated with material inequality, rather than equality, overall. We also find that this relationship grows stronger as settlement systems increase in scale and is strongest for larger sites in larger systems. This pattern may be the result of both increased functional diversity at a site level and network effects whereby residents of larger settlements were able to claim a larger share of the surplus produced by the settlement system.

Molecular-level insights into the supramolecular gelation mechanism of urea derivative

Abstract Despite being a promising soft material embodied by molecular self-assembly, the formation mechanism of supramolecular gels remains challenging to fully understand. Here we provide molecular to nanoscopic insights into the formation mechanism of gel-forming fibers from a urea derivative. High-speed atomic force microscopy of the urea derivative revealed the presence of a lag phase prior to the formation of supramolecular fibers, suggesting a nucleation process. The fiber growth kinetics differ at both termini of the fiber, indicating a directional hydrogen-bonding motif by the urea units, which is supported by single-crystal X-ray crystallography of a reference compound. Moreover, we observed an intermittent growth pattern of the fibers with repeated elongation and pause phases. This unique behavior can be simulated by a theoretical block-stacking model. A statistical analysis of the concentration-dependent lag time on macroscopic observation of the gelation suggests the presence of a tetrameric or octameric nucleus of the urea molecules.

Ketogenic diet improves disease activity and cardiovascular risk in psoriatic arthritis: A proof of concept study

Objectives Very low-calorie ketogenic diet (VLCKD) is a low-carbohydrate, low-calorie regimen that leads to rapid weight loss and may reduce inflammation. This study assessed the impact of VLCKD on anthropometric measurements, inflammatory biomarkers, metabolic health, and cardiovascular risk in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) patients moderately overweight or in class I obesity. Methods A proof-of-concept single-arm monocentric study involved PsA patients undergoing a 9-week VLCKD treatment. Patients with Body Mass Index (BMI) ≥27 and <35, in stable (≥6 months) remission or low disease activity, as defined by Disease Activity in PSoriatic Arthritis (DAPSA) score, were included and underwent nutritional evaluations every 3 weeks. The study analyzed changes after the VLCKD intervention and the association between changes of anthropometric parameters and clinical and laboratory variables. Results Twenty patients were enrolled since April 2022 and completed the study in May 2023. Median baseline BMI was 30.9 (interquartile range 29.1–33) kg/m². All participants exhibited low baseline disease activity, which correlated with BMI (Spearman’s correlation coefficient (rs)=0.59,p=0.007). Following VLCKD, significant improvements were observed in all anthropometric measures (BMI -3.5[-4;-2.6]), PsA activity (DAPSA -6.1[-16.8;3.7]), cardiovascular parameters (SCORE2 index -0.2[-0.7;0.1]), insulin resistance (Homeostatic Model Assessment-Insuline Resistance -2.1[-1.1;-3.0]), and lipid profile. Most inflammatory biomarkers remained within normal limits. BMI reduction correlated with changes in DAPSA scores (rs=0.52,p=0.020). Patients with higher baseline weight or clinical activity experienced more pronounced improvements. Conclusions VLCKD significantly improved PsA activity and metabolic health. Patients with a higher BMI and less controlled disease are particularly motivated and could benefit more from VLCKD compared to those with lower BMI or better disease control.

Coarctate reaction for synthesis of fluorescent N-heterocycles, late-stage functionalization, and photo-triggered drug delivery

Correction: Optimal length and temporal resolution of dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging for the differentiation between prostate cancer and normal peripheral zone tissue

Author Correction: Florida Current transport observations reveal four decades of steady state

Emotional impact according to the way cancer patients are conducted to the surgical center: A randomized clinical trial comparing ambulation to the stretcher

This study aimed to evaluate anxiety, depression and satisfaction of cancer patients according to the type of conduction to the surgical center. A randomized clinical trial was carried out at Barretos Cancer Hospital from 2019 to 2021. One hundred seventy-six patients were enrolled: 94 in the control group (conduction to the surgical center on a stretcher and pajamas) and 82 in the experimental group (conduction to the surgical center by ambulation in one’s own clothes). The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was used to assess the levels of anxiety and depression, and the Surgery Health Care Satisfaction Assessment Questionnaire (Sati-Cir) to assess the patient’s satisfaction. There was no difference regarding anxiety and depression symptoms between groups, 15 (18.3%) and 20 (21.3%) patients had anxiety symptoms in the ambulation group and in the stretcher group, respectively (p =  0.621). Six (7.3%) patients in the ambulation group and 4 (4.3%) met the criteria for depression (p =  0.518). Compared to those who were referred to the surgical center on a stretcher, those in the ambulation group were more often satisfied or very satisfied according to the waiting time until surgery (91.5% vs 74.5%; p =  0.008) and type of clothing, own clothes compared to pajamas (100% vs 79%; p =  0.001). When all patients were asked about their preferred method of going to the surgical center, 70.5% chose to walk in their own clothes, 28.4% preferred a stretcher, and 1.1% opted for a wheelchair (p <  0.001). The transportation method to the surgical center did not affect anxiety and depression levels in cancer patients with no or low fall risk. However, patients in the ambulation group were more satisfied with the waiting time for surgery and the type of clothing. Clinical trial registration: clinicaltrials.gov, NCT03576482, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03576482

Antibody function predicts viral control in newborn monkeys immunised with an influenza virus HA stem nanoparticle

Abstract The lack of an approved influenza vaccine for infants <6 months, coupled with the requirement for annual updates of current vaccines, warrants the development of a universal vaccine that can confer protection in young infants. Here we test the ability of a ferritin nanoparticle universal influenza vaccine (H1ssF) containing the stem region of hemagglutinin (HA) adjuvanted with AddaVax to elicit responses in newborn African green monkeys (AGM). Vaccinated newborns show robust HA stem-specific IgG responses but, despite the high antibody levels, viral load in the lung following H1N1 Ca09 challenge is variable among animals. Further analysis indicates that viral clearance is correlated with the presence of antibodies with neutralizing and antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis activity. Our findings show that newborn AGM can generate functional HA stem-specific antibodies for viral clearance following vaccination with H1ssF+AddaVax and support further investigation of H1ssF as a universal vaccine for this vulnerable human population.