How willing are you to accept sexual requests from slightly unattractive to exceptionally attractive imagined requestors?

This is the post print version of the article. The official published version can be accessed from the link below.In their classic study of differences in mating strategies (Clark & Hatfield, 1989), men and women demonstrated a striking difference in interest in casual sex. The current study examined the role of requestor physical attractiveness (slightly unattractive, moderately attractive and exceptionally attractive) on men's and women's willingness to accept three different requests (go out, come to apartment, go to bed) in a questionnaire study. We tested two hypotheses, using a sample of 427 men and 443 women from three countries. Hypothesis 1 states that men, relative to women, will demonstrate a greater willingness to accept the “come to apartment” and “go to bed” requests but not the “go out” request for all three levels of requestor attractiveness. This hypothesis reflects Clark and Hatfield's (1989) main findings. Hypothesis 2 states that the physical attractiveness of a potential partner will have a greater effect on women's than on men's willingness to accept all three requests, and particularly for the explicit request for casual sex. The results partially supported Hypothesis 1 and fully supported Hypothesis 2. The discussion highlights limitations of the current research and presents directions for future research

A live vaccine against Neospora caninum abortions in cattle

CommentaryMichael P. Reichel, Dadín P. Moore, Andrew Hemphill, Luis M. Ortega-Mora, J.P. Dubey, John T. Elli

School Flexible Learning Spaces, Student Movement Behavior and Educational Outcomes among Adolescents: A Mixed-Methods Systematic Review

BACKGROUND: To achieve sustainability, we must consider scalable improvements in student movement behavior in the classroom setting, educational priorities. Flexible learning spaces that employ student‐centered pedagogy and contain a range of furniture and layout options, implemented to improve educational outcomes, may enable unintended health benefits. In this review, we summarize the evidence on the effects of flexible learning spaces on adolescent student movement behaviors and educational outcomes. METHODS: We searched 5 databases, retrieving 5 quantitative and one qualitative article meeting the review criteria. RESULTS: Students in flexible learning spaces spent less time sitting, and more time standing and moving. Students were also more engaged, on‐task, and collaborated and interacted more. Academic results for English, Mathematics and Humanities for those in flexible learning spaces were higher than peers in traditional classrooms. CONCLUSION: Evidence from the reviewed studies suggests that there may be beneficial outcomes across some movement behaviors as well as learning outcomes in classrooms that employ student‐centered pedagogy and use a built environment that facilitates autonomy and choice around where and how to learn. These learning environments present an opportunity for an interdisciplinary approach to address sedentary behavior in classrooms

Mean Hα+[N ii]+[S ii] EW inferred for star-forming galaxies at z ∼ 5.1–5.4 using high-quality Spitzer /IRAC photometry

Recent Spitzer/InfraRed Array Camera (IRAC) photometric observations have revealed that rest-frame optical emission lines contribute significantly to the broad-band fluxes of high-redshift galaxies. Specifically, in the narrow redshift range z ∼ 5.1–5.4 the [3.6]–[4.5] colour is expected to be very red, due to contamination of the 4.5 μm band by the dominant Hα line, while the 3.6 μm filter is free of nebular emission lines. We take advantage of new reductions of deep Spitzer/IRAC imaging over the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey-North+South fields (Labbé et al. 2015) to obtain a clean measurement of the mean Hα equivalent width (EW) from the [3.6]–[4.5] colour in the redshift range z = 5.1–5.4. The selected sources either have measured spectroscopic redshifts (13 sources) or lie very confidently in the redshift range z = 5.1–5.4 based on the photometric redshift likelihood intervals (11 sources). Our zphot = 5.1–5.4 sample and zspec = 5.10–5.40 spectroscopic sample have a mean [3.6]–[4.5] colour of 0.31 ± 0.05 and 0.35 ± 0.07 mag, implying a rest-frame EW (Hα+[N II]+[S II]) of 665 ± 53 and 707 ± 74 Å, respectively, for sources in these samples. These values are consistent albeit slightly higher than derived by Stark et al. at z ∼ 4, suggesting an evolution to higher values of the Hα+[N II]+[S II] EW at z > 2. Using the 3.6 μm band, which is free of emission line contamination, we perform robust spectral energy distribution fitting and find a median specific star formation rate of sSFR = 17+2−517−5+2 Gyr−1, 7+1−2×7−2+1× higher than at z ∼ 2. We find no strong correlation (<2σ) between the Hα+[N II]+[S II] EW and the stellar mass of sources. Before the advent of JWST, improvements in these results will come through an expansion of current spectroscopic samples and deeper Spitzer/IRAC measurements

Diversity and consequences of social network structure in toothed whales

This is the final version. Available on open access from Frontiers Media via the DOI in this recordData availability statement: The database of studies generated for this study can be found in the supplemental material.Toothed whales (suborder Odontoceti) are highly social, large brained mammals with diverse social systems. In recent decades, a large body of work has begun investigating these dynamic, complex societies using a common set of analytical tools: social network analysis. The application of social network theory to toothed whales enables insight into the factors that underlie variation in social structure in this taxon, and the consequences of these structures for survival, reproduction, disease transmission, and culture. Here, we perform a systematic review of the literature regarding toothed whale social networks to identify broad patterns of social network structure across species, common drivers of individual social position, and the consequences of network structure for individuals and populations. We also identify key knowledge gaps and areas ripe for future research. We recommend that future studies attempt to expand the taxonomic breadth and focus on standardizing methods and reporting as much as possible to allow for comparative analyses to test evolutionary hypotheses. Furthermore, social networks analysis may provide key insights into population dynamics as indicators of population health, predictors of disease risk, and as direct drivers of survival and reproduction.Natural Environment Research Council (NERC

Sondeo arqueológico del sector 36 [Material gráfico]

Detalle de los trabajos del levantamiento de materiales arqueológicos del Sector 36 Corte A/C-8/10Copia digital. Madrid : Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte. Subdirección General de Coordinación Bibliotecaria, 201

Spectroscopy of an extreme [OIII] emitting active galactic nucleus at z = 3.212: implications for the reionisation era

Reionization-era galaxies often display intense nebular emission lines, both in rest-frame optical ([O III] + H β) and ultraviolet (UV; C III], C IV). How such strong nebular emission is powered remains unclear, with both active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and hot stars considered equally viable. The UV continuum slopes of these early systems tend to be very blue (β −1) than typical star-forming systems in the reionization era. To investigate the properties of AGNs in the reionization era, we have conducted a search for potential examples of rare analogues with blue continua at intermediate redshift (⁠z ∼ 2−3). Our goals are to determine whether AGNs with intense line emission and blue continua exist and thereby to establish the range of rest-frame UV and optical line ratios in this population. In this paper, we report the detection of an X-ray luminous AGN at z = 3.21 (UDS-24561) with extreme [O III] + H β line emission (equivalent width = 1300 Å) and a blue UV continuum slope (β = −2.34). MMT/Binospec and Keck/MOSFIRE spectra indicate rest-frame UV line ratios consistent with AGN photoionization models and rest-frame optical lines with both a narrow component [full width at half-maximum (FWHM) =154kms−1] and extended broad wings (FWHM =977kms−1⁠), consistent with outflowing gas. We describe how such objects can be identified in future James Webb Space Telescope emission line surveys in the reionization era, thereby providing a valuable census of AGN activity at z > 6 and understanding their contribution to cosmic reionization

Inclusion of KI67 significantly improves performance of the PREDICT prognostication and prediction model for early breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: PREDICT (http://www.predict.nhs.uk) is a prognostication and treatment benefit tool for early breast cancer (EBC). The aim of this study was to incorporate the prognostic effect of KI67 status in a new version (v3), and compare performance with the Predict model that includes HER2 status (v2). METHODS: The validation study was based on 1,726 patients with EBC treated in Nottingham between 1989 and 1998. KI67 positivity for PREDICT is defined as >10% of tumour cells staining positive. ROC curves were constructed for Predict models with (v3) and without (v2) KI67 input. Comparison was made using the method of DeLong. RESULTS: In 1274 ER+ patients the predicted number of events at 10 years increased from 196 for v2 to 204 for v3 compared to 221 observed. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) improved from 0.7611 to 0.7676 (p=0.005) in ER+ patients and from 0.7546 to 0.7595 (p=0.0008) in all 1726 patients (ER+ and ER-). CONCLUSION: Addition of KI67 to PREDICT has led to a statistically significant improvement in the model performance for ER+ patients and will aid clinical decision making in these patients. Further studies should determine whether other markers including gene expression profiling provide additional prognostic information to that provided by PREDICT.SEARCH was funded through a programme grant from Cancer Research UK (C490/A10124) and this work is supported by the UK National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre at the University of Cambridge.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from BioMed Central via http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1471-2407-14-90

The evolution of menopause in toothed whales

This is the final version. Available on open access from Nature Research via the DOI in this recordData availability: All data used in this analysis are available as a database at: github.com/samellisq/marinelifehistdataCode availability: All R and stan code used for this analysis are available at osf.io/26s7m/. In addition, the mortality model is implemented as an R package available from: github.com/samellisq/marinesurvivalUnderstanding how and why menopause has evolved is a long-standing challenge across disciplines. Females can typically maximize their reproductive success by reproducing for the whole of their adult life. In humans, however, women cease reproduction several decades before the end of their natural lifespan1,2. Although progress has been made in understanding the adaptive value of menopause in humans3,4, the generality of these findings remains unclear. Toothed whales are the only mammal taxon in which menopause has evolved several times5, providing a unique opportunity to test the theories of how and why menopause evolves in a comparative context. Here, we assemble and analyse a comparative database to test competing evolutionary hypotheses. We find that menopause evolved in toothed whales by females extending their lifespan without increasing their reproductive lifespan, as predicted by the 'live-long' hypotheses. We further show that menopause results in females increasing their opportunity for intergenerational help by increasing their lifespan overlap with their grandoffspring and offspring without increasing their reproductive overlap with their daughters. Our results provide an informative comparison for the evolution of human life history and demonstrate that the same pathway that led to menopause in humans can also explain the evolution of menopause in toothed whales.Leverhulme TrustNatural Environment Research Council (NERC

Network-level consequences of outgroup threats in banded mongooses: grooming and aggression between the sexes

This is the final version. Available on open access from Wiley via the DOI in this record1) Animal groups are heterogeneous assemblages of individuals with differing fitness interests, which may lead to internal conflict over investment in group territorial defence. Differences between individuals may lead to different behavioural responses to intergroup conflict, particularly between the sexes. These potential impacts have been little studied. 2) We used social network analysis to investigate the impact of simulated intergroup conflicts on social relationships in groups of wild banded mongooses (Mungos mungo), in which intergroup fights are more costly for males than females. We predicted that social cohesion (specifically male-to-male and female-to-male grooming) would increase after conflict, and aggression would decrease, to minimise conflict between the sexes. 3) Simulated intergroup conflicts were performed by exposing banded mongoose groups to scents, “war cry” playbacks, and live intruders from a rival group. All grooming and aggression interactions between individuals were recorded, and grooming and aggression social networks were created for the two days preceding a simulated intergroup conflict (pre-conflict network) and the two days after (post-conflict network). 4) We found no evidence of an increase in social cohesion after simulated conflicts, measured as grooming eigenvector centrality. Male-to-male, male-to-female and female-to-male grooming strength decreased after simulated intrusions compared to female-to-female grooming strength. However, male-female aggression decreased in intrusion trials compared to other interaction types, consistent with the hypothesis that intergroup encounters reduce the level of intragroup conflict between males and females. Males were more affected socially by intergroup encounters than females, which may be because they are investing in defence rather than internal relationships. 5) Focusing on individual relationship changes, using social network analysis, can reveal changes in the directionality of behaviour in response to intergroup encounters, and highlight how individual responses to conflict may scale up to affect social networks and, potentially, group 69 performance. This study highlights the importance of studying both group level behaviours and individual relationships to more fully understand responses to intergroup encounters.Natural Environment Research Council (NERC