Private, non-profit, and plantation: Oil palm smallholders in management-assistance programs vary in socio-demographics, attitudes, and management practices.

Smallholder farmers produce over 40% of global palm oil, the world's most traded and controversial vegetable oil. Awareness of the effects of palm oil production on ecosystems and human communities has increased drastically in recent years, with ever louder calls for the private and public sector to develop programs to support sustainable cultivation by smallholder farmers. To effectively influence smallholder practices and ensure positive social outcomes, such schemes must consider the variety in perspectives of farmers and align with their priorities. We conducted social surveys on smallholder farmers in Indonesia and Malaysia with varying degrees of participation in programs that offer advice and support with plantation management ("management-assistance programs") led by an industrial palm oil producer in Indonesia and a conservation-focused NGO in Malaysia. We surveyed farmers on their demographics, attitudes, and management decisions. Our analyses act as case studies to investigate the similarities and differences between smallholder palm oil producers involved in different schemes, allowing us to determine the alignment between the intentions of partnership programs and the current realities of smallholder plantations. The relationship between heterogeneity of social factors and management decisions and degree of program involvement differed across different groups and region: Indonesian smallholders most closely partnered with the private sector were the most varied in socio-demographics and attitudes but showed little variation in management inputs, while Malaysian smallholders most closely partnered with an NGO were the most heterogenous across all survey sections. Specifically, Indonesian farmers partnered with the private sector used less herbicide, more fertilizer, and had higher yield and total household income than farmers completely uninvolved with management assistance programs. In Malaysia, farmers partnered with an NGO also had higher yield and fertilizer application than independent farmers, however they used significantly more herbicide and had lower total household income. Our findings demonstrate the wide variety of smallholder farmers in both regions, directly opposing a 'one-size-fits-all' approach to sustainability. The wide variety of existing management practices also provides a potentially valuable natural experiment to identify high-yield, environmentally-friendly management approaches. When taken in context, our findings may inform the interventions of management-assistance programs, ensuring they are approaching the most relevant farmer groups in the most effective way

Seismic capacity of purely compressed shells based on Airy stress function

Purely compressed shells are often elegant and highly efficient structural forms, but this leanness may create risk if they are subjected to unexpected patterns and magnitudes of loading, such as may arise due to seismic events. In the same way that historic masonry structures were designed to sustain loads by activating purely compressive force paths, a modern metamaterial can be designed for specific purposes following the same logic. Conventional analysis methods for compression-only shells and vaults, often developed for masonry structures, have tended not to model combined vertical and horizontal loads directly. This has created a significant challenge for engineers assessing historic vaults or designing new shells. To address this gap, this paper presents an enhanced method based on membrane equilibrium analysis (MEA) and the static theorem of limit analysis. This approach is the first application of MEA to directly consider vertical and horizontal body forces acting on a compression-only shell through a parametric formulation of an Airy stress function. The method is applied to a case study of a sail vault subjected to vertical and horizontal loads. Moreover, it is demonstrated how this approach can be used to define iso-resistant shapes that offer more sustainable design options while preserving structural capacity

Transcriptome and DNA methylation profiling during the NSN to SN transition in mouse oocytes.

BACKGROUND: During the latter stages of their development, mammalian oocytes under dramatic chromatin reconfiguration, transitioning from a non-surrounded nucleolus (NSN) to a surrounded nucleolus (SN) stage, and concomitant transcriptional silencing. Although the NSN-SN transition is known to be essential for developmental competence of the oocyte, less is known about the accompanying molecular changes. Here we examine the changes in the transcriptome and DNA methylation during the NSN to SN transition in mouse oocytes. RESULTS: To study the transcriptome and DNA methylation dynamics during the NSN to SN transition, we used single-cell (sc)M&T-seq to generate scRNA-seq and sc-bisulphite-seq (scBS-seq) data from GV oocytes classified as NSN or SN by Hoechst staining of their nuclei. Transcriptome analysis showed a lower number of detected transcripts in SN compared with NSN oocytes as well as downregulation of 576 genes, which were enriched for processes related to mRNA processing. We used the transcriptome data to generate a classifier that can infer chromatin stage in scRNA-seq datasets. The classifier was successfully tested in multiple published datasets of mouse models with a known skew in NSN: SN ratios. Analysis of the scBS-seq data showed increased DNA methylation in SN compared to NSN oocytes, which was most pronounced in regions with intermediate levels of methylation. Overlap with chromatin immunoprecipitation and sequencing (ChIP-seq) data for the histone modifications H3K36me3, H3K4me3 and H3K27me3 showed that regions gaining methylation in SN oocytes are enriched for overlapping H3K36me3 and H3K27me3, which is an unusual combination, as these marks do not typically coincide. CONCLUSIONS: We characterise the transcriptome and DNA methylation changes accompanying the NSN-SN transition in mouse oocytes. We develop a classifier that can be used to infer chromatin status in single-cell or bulk RNA-seq data, enabling identification of altered chromatin transition in genetic knock-outs, and a quality control to identify skewed NSN-SN proportions that could otherwise confound differential gene expression analysis. We identify late-methylating regions in SN oocytes that are associated with an unusual combination of chromatin modifications, which may be regions with high chromatin plasticity and transitioning between H3K27me3 and H3K36me3, or reflect heterogeneity on a single-cell level

The Importance of Frailty in Stroke and How to Measure It.

The term ‘frailty’ is used frequently in healthcare and has become topical for both research and clinical care. Although many clinicians report an intuition for identifying frailty, there is often uncertainty over what it actually represents, how it can be assessed, and what it may mean for the patient. This article provides a focused introduction to frailty for the stroke clinician-in-training (and for those more experienced), in particular the different approaches to evaluating frailty in the stroke setting

Pervasive horizontal transmission of Wolbachia in natural populations of closely related and widespread tropical skipper butterflies.

BACKGROUND: The endosymbiotic relationship between Wolbachia bacteria and insects has been of interest for many years due to their diverse types of host reproductive phenotypic manipulation and potential role in the host's evolutionary history and population dynamics. Even though infection rates are high in Lepidoptera and specifically in butterflies, and reproductive manipulation is present in these taxa, less attention has been given to understanding how Wolbachia is acquired and maintained in their natural populations, across and within species having continental geographical distributions. RESULTS: We used whole genome sequencing data to investigate the phylogenetics, demographic history, and infection rate dynamics of Wolbachia in four species of the Spicauda genus of skipper butterflies (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae), a taxon that presents sympatric and often syntopic distribution, with drastic variability in species abundance in the Neotropical region. We show that infection is maintained by high turnover rates driven mainly by pervasive horizontal transmissions, while also presenting novel cases of double infection by distantly related supergroups of Wolbachia in S. simplicius. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that Wolbachia population dynamics is host species-specific, with genetic cohesiveness across wide geographical distributions. We demonstrate that low coverage whole genome sequencing data can be used for an exhaustive assessment of Wolbachia infection in natural populations of butterflies, as well as its dynamics in closely related host species. This ultimately leads to a better understanding of the endosymbiotic population dynamics of Wolbachia and its effects on the host's biology and evolution

Accrual of Alzheimer’s Disease pathology as a function of proximity to parental dementia onset

Background: There is emerging evidence to substantiate temporal proximity to parental onset (PPO) of dementia as a proxy stage marker in studies of late onset Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). PPO predicts accrual of amyloid pathology cross‐sectionally and longitudinally. However interactions with gender, age, and APOE‐4 carriage have been inconsistent across datasets and amyloid measures. Method: We investigated cross‐sectionally a subset of the European Prevention of Alzheimer's Dementia (EPAD) study cohort (n=688) (Table 1). PPO was calculated by substracting a subject’s age from the youngest age of diagnosis of an affected parent. Regressions were used to determine whether PPO predicts CSF fluid Aβ1‐42 in the whole sample or p‐tau in an amyloid‐positive subgroup (n=226). Possible interactions with age, gender, education, APOE‐ status, family history load, gender of affected parent and CDR score were explored. Result: Nearer PPO predicted lower CSF Aβ1‐42 level (p<0.001), interacting significantly with APOE‐4 carriage only (β=12.683; T=3.295; p=0.001) accounting for effects of age, gender and education level. In APOE‐4+ subjects, APOE‐2 provided a protective effect (Figure 1). At least half of APOE‐4+/APOE‐2‐ subjects (n=255) within ten years of age of parental onset were amyloid positive (Figure 2). PPO did not predict p‐tau levels in amyloid positive subjects (n=226) (p=0.414). Conclusion: In APOE‐4+/APOE‐2‐ individuals, PPO predicts accrual of amyloid but not tau pathology, independently of age. Selectively examining this population as they approach age of parental onset may better elucidate the natural history of preclinical late onset AD

Axial compressive behavior of circular stainless steel tube confined UHPC stub columns under monotonic and cyclic loading

A novel type of composite column consisting of an ultra-high performance concrete core confined by a stainless steel tube (SS + UHPC column) was investigated. The system is characterized by excellent corrosion resistance, aesthetic appearance, high axial capacity and pronounced ductility. An experimental programme comprising 14 SS + UHPC stub columns was carried out, covering both monotonic and cyclic loading. The main parameters varied in the experiments were the column diameter, the tube thickness and the loading scheme (monotonic or cyclic). The resulting load-displacement curves, failure modes, strain characteristics, axial capacities, confining pressures, stiffness degradation and ductility indices were thoroughly analyzed. The applicability of current empirical formulae in predicting the confined strength of UHPC in SS + UHPC columns was also examined, and found to be inadequate. Therefore, a new equation linking the confining pressure to the confined strength of UHPC was developed. Based on this, a design equation to quantify the axial capacity of SS + UHPC columns was presented

The mutational landscape of Staphylococcus aureus during colonisation.

Staphylococcus aureus is an important human pathogen and a commensal of the human nose and skin. Survival and persistence during colonisation are likely major drivers of S. aureus evolution. Here we applied a genome-wide mutation enrichment approach to a genomic dataset of 3060 S. aureus colonization isolates from 791 individuals. Despite limited within-host genetic diversity, we observed an excess of protein-altering mutations in metabolic genes, in regulators of quorum-sensing (agrA and agrC) and in known antibiotic targets (fusA, pbp2, dfrA and ileS). We demonstrated the phenotypic effect of multiple adaptive mutations in vitro, including changes in haemolytic activity, antibiotic susceptibility, and metabolite utilisation. Nitrogen metabolism showed the strongest evidence of adaptation, with the assimilatory nitrite reductase (nasD) and urease (ureG) showing the highest mutational enrichment. We identified a nasD natural mutant with enhanced growth under urea as the sole nitrogen source. Inclusion of 4090 additional isolate genomes from 731 individuals revealed eight more genes including sasA/sraP, darA/pstA, and rsbU with signals of adaptive variation that warrant further characterisation. Our study provides a comprehensive picture of the heterogeneity of S. aureus adaptive changes during colonisation, and a robust methodological approach applicable to study in host adaptive evolution in other bacterial pathogens

The power of play: gamification in virtual workplace training

Organizations face growing pressure to upskill their employees and provide effective and engaging training, leading to significant investments in virtual workplace training (VWT). However, the effectiveness of VWT, particularly when incorporating game elements, remains unclear. To address this, this study examined the impact of gamification intensity on perceived autonomy and its effect on training outcomes. Additionally, it explored whether self-efficacy played a moderating role in these relationships. Using a between-subjects design, we manipulated gamification intensity (low, medium and high levels) and asked 355 employees to complete a VWT and a retention test. In contrast to our expectations, gamification intensity negatively affected perceived autonomy. Furthermore, perceived autonomy had a positive impact only on affective but not on performance-related training outcomes. Also, we found no evidence of the mediating role of perceived autonomy or the moderating role of self-efficacy in these relationships. Regarding the retention test, gamification intensity negatively affected perceived autonomy and both affective and performance-related training outcomes. Our findings challenge the belief that gamification intensity enhances satisfaction and training success and underscore the importance of autonomy in VWT. We discuss how our findings can guide researchers and practitioners to promote sustainable training success in organizations

Evaluation of the effectiveness of the Indian government's policies to strengthen health warning labels on smokeless tobacco products: findings from the 2010-2019 Tobacco Control Project India Surveys.

BACKGROUND: Smokeless tobacco (SLT) packaging in India had a single symbolic (a scorpion) health warning label (HWL) in 2009 covering 40% of the front surface. In 2011, it was replaced with four pictorial images. In 2016, HWLs were enlarged to 85% on the front and back. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of the old (symbolic and smaller images) and larger HWLs. METHODS: Data were from the Tobacco Control Project India Survey and included respondents who used SLT in Wave 1 (2010-2011, n=5911), Wave 2 (2012-2013, n=5613) and Wave 3 (2018-2019, n=5636). Using a repeated-measures design, weighted logistic regression models assessed whether there were changes in seven HWL effectiveness measures within the domains of awareness, salience, cognitive and behavioural responses. A cohort design was employed to test whether HWL effectiveness in Waves 1 and 2 was associated with quitting SLT in Waves 2 and 3, respectively. RESULTS: The 2011 HWL revision did not result in any significant changes in HWL effectiveness. There was no significant change in HWL awareness and salience after larger HWLs were introduced in 2016, but respondents were more likely to consider SLT health risks (Wave 2=17.9%, Wave 3=33.6%, p<0.001) and quitting SLT (Wave 2=18.9%, Wave 3=36.5, p<0.001). There was no change in HWLs stopping SLT use (Wave 2=36.6%, Wave 3=35.2%, p=0.829); however, respondents were more likely to avoid looking at HWLs (Wave 2=10.1%, Wave 3=40.2%, p<0.001). Effectiveness of older, symbolic and smaller pictorial HWLs was not associated with quitting SLT. DISCUSSION: There was no significant change in HWL effectiveness following the revision from a symbolic to a pictorial image, but enlarging pictorial images resulted in some improved cognitive and behavioural effects. Results suggested wear-out of HWL salience and that the effectiveness of warnings depends on both their design and time since implementation