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Bonobos point more for ignorant than knowledgeable social partners

Numerous uniquely human phenomena, from teaching to our most complex forms of cooperation, depend on our ability to tailor our communication to the knowledge and ignorance states of our social partners. Despite four decades of research into the “theory of mind” capacities of nonhuman primates, there remains no evidence that primates can communicate on the basis of their mental state attributions, to enable feats of coordination. Moreover, recent reevaluation of the experimental literature has questioned whether primates can represent others’ ignorance at all. The present preregistered study investigated whether bonobos are capable of attributing knowledge or ignorance about the location of a hidden food reward to a cooperative human partner, and utilizing this attribution to modify their communicative behavior in the service of coordination. Bonobos could receive a reward that they had watched being hidden under one of several cups, if their human partner could locate the reward. If bonobos can represent a partner’s ignorance and are motivated to communicate based on this mental state attribution, they should point more frequently, and more quickly, to the hidden food’s location when their partner is ignorant about that location than when he is knowledgeable. Bonobos indeed flexibly adapted the frequency and speed of their communication to their partner’s mental state. These findings suggest that apes can represent (and act on) others’ ignorance in some form, strategically and appropriately communicating to effectively coordinate with an ignorant partner and change his behavior.

Health-related quality of life implications of plantar ulcers resulting from neuropathic damage caused by leprosy: An analysis from the trial of autologous blood products (TABLE trial) in Nepal

Introduction Leprosy is a curable disease, treated by multidrug therapy. However, patients are often left with neuropathic damage leading to lifelong vulnerability to ulcers. Quantifying the value of interventions to improve ulcer healing is challenging as data on the health impact of plantar ulcers are scarce, especially in low- and middle-income countries. We aim to quantify the impact of plantar ulcers on patients’ health-related quality of life (HRQoL) using methods which can inform decisions about the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of alternative forms of management. Methods Generic HRQoL data were collected using the EuroQol (EQ)-5D-3L questionnaire in a randomised control trial in Nepal, treating plantar ulcers with leukocyte and platelet-rich fibrin or usual care. The trial followed 130 patients resulting in 600 observations. EQ-5D data were converted into a single ‘utility’ score by weighting the instrument’s different dimensions using the preferences of the Sri Lankan population. Utility data were analysed using general estimating equation regressions. The impact of an ulcer on HRQoL was estimated whilst controlling for clinical and demographic covariables. Results Estimated mean utility (standard error) for the sample across all time points was 0.52 (0.02) for patients with an ulcer and 0.64 (0.01) with a healed ulcer. Controlling for clinical and demographic covariates, we estimate that the presence of an ulcer leads to a 0.12 (0.02) decrement in HRQoL compared with a healed ulcer. Discussion Based on the levels of health they report and the values of the general public, patients with a history of leprosy are at risk of significant HRQoL burden from neuropathic plantar ulcers. Quantifying this health impact provides important evidence to assess the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of leprosy ulcer interventions and ensures that interventions for leprosy ulcers can be appropriately considered for funding under Universal Health Coverage against other potential uses of the same money.

Artificial intelligence support improves diagnosis accuracy in anterior segment eye diseases

Abstract CorneAI, a deep learning model designed for diagnosing cataracts and corneal diseases, was assessed for its impact on ophthalmologists’ diagnostic accuracy. In the study, 40 ophthalmologists (20 specialists and 20 residents) classified 100 images, including iPhone 13 Pro photos (50 images) and diffuser slit-lamp photos (50 images), into nine categories (normal condition, infectious keratitis, immunological keratitis, corneal scar, corneal deposit, bullous keratopathy, ocular surface tumor, cataract/intraocular lens opacity, and primary angle-closure glaucoma). The iPhone and slit-lamp images represented the same cases. After initially answering without CorneAI, the same ophthalmologists responded to the same cases with CorneAI 2–4 weeks later. With CorneAI’s support, the overall accuracy of ophthalmologists increased significantly from 79.2 to 88.8% ( P  < 0.001). Specialists’ accuracy rose from 82.8 to 90.0%, and residents’ from 75.6 to 86.2% ( P  < 0.001). Smartphone image accuracy improved from 78.7 to 85.5% and slit-lamp image accuracy from 81.2 to 90.6% (both, P  < 0.001). In this study, CorneAI’s own accuracy was 86%, but its support enhanced ophthalmologists’ accuracy beyond the CorneAI’s baseline. This study demonstrated that CorneAI, despite being trained on diffuser slit-lamp images, effectively improved diagnostic accuracy, even with smartphone images.

Cataract-prone variants of γD-crystallin populate a conformation with a partially unfolded N-terminal domain under native conditions

Human γD-crystallin, a monomeric protein abundant in the eye lens nucleus, must remain stably folded for an individual’s entire lifetime to avoid aggregation and protein deposition-associated cataract formation. γD-crystallin contains two homologous domains, an N-terminal domain (NTD) and a C-terminal domain (CTD), which interact via a hydrophobic interface. Several familial mutations in the gamma crystallin gene are linked to congenital early-onset cataract, most of which affect the NTD. Some of these, including V75D and W42R, are known to populate intermediates under partially denaturing conditions possessing a natively folded CTD and a completely unfolded NTD. We employed hydrogen–deuterium exchange mass spectrometry to probe the structural and energetic features of variants of γD-crystallin under both native and partially denaturing conditions. For V75D and W42R, we identify a species under native conditions that retains partial structure in the NTD and is structurally and energetically distinct from the intermediate populated under partially denaturing conditions. Residues at the NTD–CTD interface play crucial roles in stabilizing this intermediate, and disruption of interface contacts either by amino acid substitution or partial denaturation permits direct observation of two intermediates simultaneously. These data suggest that the intermediate identified under native conditions is accessed from the native state and not on the folding pathway. The intermediate we have identified here exposes hydrophobic amino acids that are buried in both the folded full-length protein and in the protein’s stable isolated domains. Such nonnative exposure of a hydrophobic patch may play an important role in cataract formation.

The Metabolic Score for Visceral Fat (METS-VF) as a predictor of diabetes mellitus: Evidence from the 2011–2018 NHANES study

Introduction With 42.4% of obese US population, the prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) is increasing. Visceral fat, even at the same body mass index, has significant deleterious effects. This study aims to investigate the association between the Metabolic Score for Visceral Fat (METS-VF) and DM. Methods The study utilized data from NHANES dataset, covering cycles from 2011 to 2018. Multivariate logistic regression and Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis assessed the association between METS-VF and DM. Additionally, the study compared visceral adipose tissue (VAT) measurement indices to METS-VF for the prediction of DM. Results In 3,445 participants, METS-VF was positively associated with diabetes [(OR 6.8; 95% CI 5.3–8.6) (AUC 0.791; 95% CI 0.768–0.814)], the association increased across quartiles (METS-VF >6.5; OR 53.8; 95% CI 0.17–169).METS-VF significantly identifies diabetes compared to other VAT indices (LAP, VAI, waist circumference, and WHtR). Additionally premenopausal females with BMI >25 and METS-VF >6.5 are at a higher risk of developing diabetes. Conclusion METS-VF positively associates with the prevalence of diabetes. It is an effective score compared to surrogate markers for VAT measurement. Routine screening of VAT using METS-VF score could be implemented in daily clinical settings and large-scale epidemiological studies to help identify early diabetes.

Retraction Note: Conditioned place preference reveals ongoing pain in calves 3 weeks after disbudding

The unique reactivity of EKODE lipid peroxidation products allows in vivo detection of inflammation

Lipid peroxidation is a complex biochemical process associated with oxidative stress, and its products play crucial roles in cellular signaling and the pathophysiology of many diseases. Among the diverse array of lipid peroxidation (LPO) products, epoxyketooctadecenoic acids (EKODEs) have emerged as intriguing molecules with potential impacts on inflammatory diseases. EKODEs arise from linoleic acid reacting with reactive oxygen and nitrogen species present during inflammation. A hallmark of many LPO products is an electrophilic chemical functionality that can react with different biological nucleophiles to form adducts that impact a broad swath of physiologic processes. Here, we present the identification of reactivity patterns exhibited by the EKODE class of LPO products that arise due to the unique chemistry of the EKODE electrophiles, namely α, β-unsaturated epoxyketones of variable regiochemistry. Our initial investigations with models of the EKODE reactive core showed that surrogates of lysine did not react, and histidine nucleophiles formed reversible Michael adducts. However, when models of cysteine nucleophiles were tested, a unique reactivity profile emerged where rapid Michael addition was followed by slow rearrangement and epoxide opening at an unpredicted electrophilic site, affording what we postulated to be an advanced lipoxidation end product (ALE). After confirming the EKODE reactivity in model systems, we produced polyclonal antibodies of a stable epitope of the EKODE-based ALE and used these antibodies to investigate an approach for in vivo monitoring of inflammatory disease progression.

Transcriptomic and biochemical insights into key gene networks driving bulbil development of Pinellia ternata (Thunb.) Breit

In this study, we explored the developmental characteristics of Pinellia ternate bulbils as well as the key gene networks driving the development of bulbils. Based on physiological and biochemical reactions as well as transcriptome technology, this study determined the content of endogenous metabolites and related enzyme activities during the five growth stages of the bulbils, obtained the transcriptome information of all samples. The results showed that the contents of sucrose and starch increased significantly in the ZY_2 and ZY_4 stages, and the changes in the activities of SPS, SuSy, and SS were basically consistent with the changing characteristics of sucrose and starch content. The contents of ABA and JA generally showed an increasing trend from ZY_1 to ZY_4, while the content of IAA was significantly higher only in ZY_1 and ZY_4 stages compared to other stages. In order to get more bioinformatic support for these results, RNA-Seq analysis was performed. There were 12 key enzyme genes differentially expressed in the sucrose-starch metabolic pathway, and 14 enzyme genes differentially expressed in the above-mentioned endogenous hormone metabolic pathway. Their expression characteristics well supported the measurement results of physiological and biochemical substances. Our results showed that ZY_2 and ZY_4 stages are the critical periods for the accumulation of sucrose and starch in the bulbils. JA has an important role in the whole development process of bulbils, which may enhance the adaptability of the bulbils to the environment in the transition process from the tender to the mature tissues. The low concentration of GA was beneficial to the normal development of the bulbils. IAA may have a strong regulatory role in the initial formation stage of the bulbils, which is beneficial to their tissue differentiation. In addition, four core transcripts involved in the bulbils development process were screened using WGCNA. This study provides an information source for analyzing the molecular mechanism of bulbils growth and development, and also helps to address the lack of genetic information in non-model plant species.

Clinical effectiveness of Finger gliding Exercise for patients with trigger fingers receiving steroid injection: a Randomized Clinical Trial

Abstract Finger gliding exercises are believed to enhance flexor tendons excursion. This study assesses the effectiveness of finger gliding exercises in patients after receiving steroid injections for trigger fingers. Patients with trigger fingers who received corticosteroid injection were randomly assigned (1:1) to control and intervention group. The intervention group was required to do finger exercises and submit online exercise log regularly. The clinical outcomes of trigger fingers at 24 weeks and compliance with finger gliding exercises were assessed via online surveys. A total of 38 participants were allocated to each group. Baseline characteristics were similar, except for a longer duration of symptoms in the intervention group (5.2 ± 2.9 vs. 3.6 ± 2.6 months, P = 0.002). At 24 weeks, 34 (89.5%) control and 33 (86.8%) intervention group participants responded to online survey. No statistical significant differences were observed in Numerical Pain Rating Score, Quinelle grading, finger improvement rate, recurrence of triggering, need for repeated injection and occurrence of new trigger finger sites. The exercise log response rate and compliance rate were 85.6% and 68.6%. In conclusion, our study did not establish the clinical effectiveness of finger gliding exercise for trigger finger patients following steroid injections compared to usual care.

Adoption of improved crop varieties limited biodiversity losses, terrestrial carbon emissions, and cropland expansion in the tropics

Research investments in crop improvements, including by national and international agricultural research centers, have made significant contributions to raising yields of staple food crops in developing countries. Although mostly intended to improve food security and rural incomes, innovations in crop production also have major implications for the environment. Building on the latest productivity estimates from historical crop improvements in developing countries and using a gridded (0.25 degrees) equilibrium model of global agriculture, we assess the impacts of improved crop varieties on cropland use, threatened biodiversity, and terrestrial carbon stocks over 1961–2015. We replicate a historical baseline and produce a counterfactual scenario which shows the impact of omitting productivity improvements from these technologies. The results show that higher crop productivity generally lowered commodity prices, which reduced incentives to expand cropland except in those areas where productivity gains outweighed price declines. The net global effect of technology adoption was to limit conversion of natural habitat to agricultural use, although it did cause cropland to expand in some areas. We estimate that adoption of improved crop varieties in developing countries saved on net 16.03 [95% CI, 12.33 to 20.89] million hectares worldwide. With more natural habitat preserved, around 1,043 [95% CI, 616 to 1,503] threatened animal and plant species extinctions were avoided over this period. In addition, net land use savings from the improved crop varieties resulted in avoided terrestrial greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of around 5.35 [95% CI, 3.75 to 7.22] billion metric tons CO 2 equivalent retained in terrestrial carbon stocks.

Beyond borders: Decoding the influence of economic development, money confidence, financial market, and purchasing power on currency internationalization

Due to dedollarization and deglobalization trends, countries are pursuing currency diversification to reduce reliance on the U.S. dollar and mitigate currency risks. The research on the drivers of currency internationalization still faces problems such as small sample sizes, fewer methods, and incomplete theoretical frameworks. This study aims to investigate the effects of economic development, money confidence, and the financial market on currency internationalization. It also explores whether purchasing power mediates the relationships between the first two exogenous variables and currency internationalization. The Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) method is used to analyze secondary data from 9 of the 10 most used currencies (excluding the euro) from 2000 to 2020 to examine these relationships. The findings show that economic development and money confidence have negative and significant relationships with currency internationalization, while financial market and purchasing power have positive and significant relationships with currency internationalization. The relationships between economic development and currency internationalization, as well as between money confidence and currency internationalization, are both mediated by purchasing power. These mediation effects are partially complementary mediation effects. Accordingly, to promote currency internationalization, this study recommends governments should adopt policies to develop the financial market, increase openness, and reduce capital controls. It also highlights the importance of managing inflation, diversifying reserve assets, and maintaining a flexible exchange rate to prevent currency depreciation. This study is limited by the exclusion of the euro, reliance on hard data, a small sample size, and a narrow focus on economic factors.

Biochemical response to neoadjuvant hormonal therapy predicts long-term prostate cancer survival outcomes after high-dose-rate brachytherapy with external beam radiotherapy

The C2 domain augments Ras GTPase-activating protein catalytic activity

Regulation of Ras GTPases by GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs) is essential for their normal signaling. Nine of the ten GAPs for Ras contain a C2 domain immediately proximal to their canonical GAP domain, and in RasGAP (p120GAP, p120RasGAP; RASA1 ) mutation of this domain is associated with vascular malformations in humans. Here, we show that the C2 domain of RasGAP is required for full catalytic activity toward Ras. Analyses of the RasGAP C2-GAP crystal structure, AlphaFold models, and sequence conservation reveal direct C2 domain interaction with the Ras allosteric lobe. This is achieved by an evolutionarily conserved surface centered around RasGAP residue R707, point mutation of which impairs the catalytic advantage conferred by the C2 domain in vitro. In mice, R707C mutation phenocopies the vascular and signaling defects resulting from constitutive disruption of the RASA1 gene. In SynGAP, mutation of the equivalent conserved C2 domain surface impairs catalytic activity. Our results indicate that the C2 domain is required to achieve full catalytic activity of GAPs for Ras.

Facilitating safe transition to home for preterm infants (FAST home): Protocol for a retrospective observational study

Background Preterm infants (i.e., those born before 37 completed weeks of pregnancy) often require additional care and are admitted to neonatal units soon after birth. Readiness for discharge home typically requires a level of physiological maturity such that an infant is able to: 1) breathe spontaneously without additional support; 2) maintain their own body temperature; 3) take all their nutritional requirements orally; 4) weighs ≥ 1700g and is gaining weight. Longer hospital stays than necessary can be detrimental to infants, stressful for families, and costly. Currently, little is known about whether, how long and why preterm infants stay in hospital beyond physiological readiness for discharge. Materials and methods We will conduct a retrospective cohort study using data from the National Neonatal Research Database on all infants born at < 37 weeks’ gestational age (GA) admitted to neonatal units in England and Wales from 2016-2022. The day of life and postmenstrual age infants reach each physiological milestone, and the final barrier to discharge, will be identified. We will assess whether the final barrier differs by GA and between neonatal Operational Delivery Networks and summarise the number of days infants remain in hospital after surpassing all physiological milestones. We will explore the characteristics of infants, mothers and neonatal units associated with extended hospital stays beyond physiological readiness for discharge. Discussion The results of this study will allow identification of areas to target to help achieve a safe reduction in length of hospital stay and will support the development of evidence-based recommendations to guide optimal discharge practices. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06284044

Pigs solve a cooperative task without showing a clear understanding of the need for a partner

Abstract Many animal species engage in cooperation, whereby they act together, typically to achieve a common goal. Domestic pigs were recently shown to lift a log together in pairs in the joint log-lift (JLL) task to access food treats. However, it is not yet clear whether pigs understand that they need a partner for this task. To investigate this, we applied a recruitment approach similar to that used for chimpanzees, coral trout, wolves and dogs. Pigs that were proficient with the JLL task were given access to the task on their own but could open a door to recruit a familiar partner from an adjacent enclosure. Pigs opened the door in all experimental conditions, allowing the partner to enter (if a partner was present). Comparing across conditions, latencies to open the door and to return to the box after opening the door generally did not suggest that subjects understood the need for the partner. As with many animal species in cooperative tasks, pigs may achieve a complex cooperative outcome in the JLL task without a full understanding of the need for a partner.

Bilateral cellular flows display asymmetry prior to left–right organizer formation in amniote gastrulation

A bilateral body plan is predominant throughout the animal kingdom. Bilaterality of amniote embryos becomes recognizable as midline morphogenesis begins at gastrulation, bisecting an embryonic field into the left and right sides, and left–right (LR) asymmetry patterning follows. While a series of laterality genes expressed after the LR compartmentalization has been extensively studied, the laterality patterning prior to and at the initiation of midline morphogenesis has remained unclear. Here, through a biophysical quantification in a high spatial and temporal resolution, applied to a chick model system, we show that a large-scale bilateral counterrotating cellular flow, termed “polonaise movements”, display LR asymmetries in early gastrulation. This cell movement starts prior to the formation of the primitive streak (PS) (the earliest midline structure) and the subsequent appearance of Hensen’s node (the LR organizer). The cellular flow speed and vorticity unravel the location and timing of the LR asymmetries. The bilateral flows displayed a Right dominance after 6 h since the start of cell movements. Mitotic arrest that diminishes PS formation resulted in changes in the bilateral flow pattern, but the Right dominance persisted. Our data indicate that the LR asymmetry in amniote gastrula becomes detectable earlier than suggested by current models, which assume that the asymmetric regulation of the laterality signals at the node leads to the LR patterning. More broadly, our results suggest that physical processes can play an unexpected but significant role in influencing LR laterality during embryonic development.

The effect of nursing shared governance educational program on nurse managers’ knowledge for sustainable nursing excellence and empowerment

Background Nursing governance residues one of the most composite functions in the complex and complicated healthcare arena. Providing nurse managers with professional nursing governance knowledge and its related practices is essential in today’s competitive healthcare environment for nursing practices excellence. Objective This research aimed to determine the effect of Professional Nursing Shared Governance Awareness Sessions on First-Line Nurse Managers’ Knowledge. Design A quasi-experimental research design. Setting Alexandria Medical Research Institute hospital. Participants A total of 50 first-line nurse managers were recruited for the participating hospital. Methods Professional Nursing Shared Governance Knowledge Questionnaire and the participants’ socio-demographic characteristics questions were included. Results There was a statistically significant differences between the overall mean score of first-line nurse managers’ knowledge about professional nursing shared governance before and after attending nursing shared governance awareness sessions (p < 0.001). The overall mean score of professional nursing shared governance was increased significantly from 3.12 ± 2.54 to 5.86 ± 0.35 (t 7.493, p < 0.001). Conclusions This research plugs the Arabian nursing literature gap by representing how effective professional nursing shared governance awareness sessions could improve the nurse managers’ level of knowledge regarding the governance concept and its practices. Participants perceived the awareness sessions as constructive and strategic contrivances to determine and evolve high-potential personnel in opportunities as giving compassionate organizational structures and effective leadership behaviors for aggregating contribution of nurses in work enterprise, problem-solving, conflict resolution, teams and organizational decision-making as “crucial components to an efficacious organization”. Hence, the definitive issue for the nursing profession future is participative decision making through shared governance, as it should be a part of every organization’s strategic plan.

Hemodialysis employing molecular hydrogen (H2) enriched dialysis solution may improve dialysis related fatigue through impact on energy metabolism

The estimated cost of preventing extinction and progressing recovery for Australia’s priority threatened species

The global extinction crisis is intensifying rapidly, driven by habitat loss, overexploitation, climate change, invasive species, and disease. This unprecedented loss of species not only threatens ecological integrity but also undermines ecosystem services vital for human survival. In response, many countries have set ambitious conservation targets such as halting species extinctions, yet the necessary financial commitments to achieve this are rarely prescribed. Estimating costs can be achieved using an ensemble of spatially variable species-specific cost models for threat abatement activities. We employ this method to provide a cost assessment to halt extinctions for Australia’s priority terrestrial and freshwater species. We show that it will cost ~AUD15.6 billion/year for 30 y to halt extinctions for these 99 priority species (comparable to 1% of Australia’s GDP). The more ambitious objectives to move priority species down one threat category (~AUD103.7 billion/year) or remove from the threatened species list entirely (~AUD157.7 billion/year) would require considerably more investment. Regardless of what is spent, we found that 16 (16%) priority species could not be removed from the threatened species list due to extensive historical declines and pervasive, ongoing, unmanageable threats, such as climate change. But implementing these efforts could ensure conservation benefits for over 43% of all nationally listed nonmarine threatened species. Adequate funding is crucial for meeting government commitments and requires both government leadership and private sector investment.

A simulated annealing with graph-based search for the social-distancing problem in enclosed areas during pandemics

During the pandemic, decision-makers offered many preventive policies to reduce the negative effects of the pandemic. The social distance rule in enclosed areas was implemented by educational institutions in any countries. In this study, we deal with the problem of assigning students to seats by considering the social distancing constraint and with objective of maximizing the total distance among the students. This problem is found to be similar to the Maximum Diversity Problem (MDP) in the literature. We name this new problem as Maximum Diversity Social Distancing problem (MDPs). A simulated annealing algorithm framework for MDPs (SA-MDPs) is proposed to identify an optimal or near-optimal solution within a reasonable computational time. A greedy random-based algorithm is presented to determine efficiently an initial feasible solution. The new neighborhood search procedure based on graph theory is introduced, in which the dominated, dominating, and nondominated seats are determined based on social distance. The proposed SA-MDPs is evaluated on classrooms with varying capacities and benchmarked against an off-the-shelf optimization solver. The computational tests demonstrated that the SA-MDP model consistently provided either proven optimal solutions or superior best-known solutions compared to a commercial solver, all within a reasonable CPU time.