Psychometric and Faciometric Support for Observable Facial Feminization in Gay Men

Though male homosexuality appears to be evolutionarily paradoxical, phenotypic feminization has been offered as a route for three current models positing a genetic basis for male homosexuality. We tested whether facial feminization is observable in gay men in two studies. In Study 1, using two composite images of gay and of heterosexual men, naive participants (N = 308) rated the ‘gay’ face more highly on stereotypically feminine traits and actual femininity and the ‘heterosexual’ face more highly on stereotypically masculine traits and actual masculinity. In Study 2, faciometrics of 428 internet images of gay (N = 219) and heterosexual men were analyzed along six, sexually dimorphic ratios. The faciometrics of gay men were more feminine, both in gestalt terms, and for five of the six individual traits. The studies offer objective support for a more feminized facial phenotype in gay males that is difficult to explain through cultural or behavioral cues

A 4-D dataset for validation of crystal growth in a complex three-phase material, ice cream

Four dimensional (4D, or 3D plus time) X-ray tomographic imaging of phase changes in materials is quickly becoming an accepted tool for quantifying the development of microstructures to both inform and validate models. However, most of the systems studied have been relatively simple binary compositions with only two phases. In this study we present a quantitative dataset of the phase evolution in a complex three-phase material, ice cream. The microstructure of ice cream is an important parameter in terms of sensorial perception, and therefore quantification and modelling of the evolution of the microstructure with time and temperature is key to understanding its fabrication and storage. The microstructure consists of three phases, air cells, ice crystals, and unfrozen matrix. We perform in situ synchrotron X-ray imaging of ice cream samples using in-line phase contrast tomography, housed within a purpose built cold-stage (-40 to +20oC) with finely controlled variation in specimen temperature. The size and distribution of ice crystals and air cells during programmed temperature cycling are determined using 3D quantification. The microstructural evolution of three-phase materials has many other important applications ranging from biological to structural and functional material, hence this dataset can act as a validation case for numerical investigations on faceted and non-faceted crystal growth in a range of materials

Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin Levels Are Inversely Associated With Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in HIV-Infected and -Uninfected Men.

BackgroundNonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a leading cause of liver disease worldwide. Elevated sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) levels have been observed in the setting of HIV and may protect against some metabolic disorders. We aimed to investigate whether higher SHBG levels may protect against NAFLD in men with/without HIV.MethodsNAFLD was assessed using noncontrast computed tomography in 530 men in the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS) who drank <3 alcoholic drinks/d and were uninfected with chronic hepatitis C or B (340HIV+, 190HIV-). Morning serum samples were tested for SHBG, total testosterone (TT), and adiponectin. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess associations between HIV, SHBG, TT, adiponectin, and NAFLD.ResultsMedian SHBG was highest among HIV+/NAFLD- men and lowest among HIV-/NAFLD+ men. Adjusted for demographics, HIV, visceral adiposity, HOMA-IR, TT, and PNPLA3 genotype, higher SHBG was associated with lower odds of NAFLD (odds ratio [OR], 0.52 per doubling; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.34-0.80). In separate multivariable models without SHBG, HIV (OR, 0.46; 95% CI, 0.26-0.79) and higher adiponectin (OR, 0.66 per doubling; 95% CI, 0.49-0.89) were associated with lower NAFLD odds, whereas TT was not significantly associated (OR, 0.74 per doubling; 95% CI, 0.53-1.04). Adjusting for SHBG attenuated the associations of HIV (OR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.34-1.08) and adiponectin (OR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.54-1.02) with NAFLD.ConclusionsSHBG levels were higher among HIV+ men, were independently associated with lower NAFLD, and could partially explain the associations of HIV and higher adiponectin with lower NAFLD in our cohort. These findings suggest that SHBG may protect against NAFLD, supporting further prospective and mechanistic studies

Convergent evolution of SWS2 opsin facilitates adaptive radiation of threespine stickleback into different light environments

Repeated adaptation to a new environment often leads to convergent phenotypic changes whose underlying genetic mechanisms are rarely known. Here, we study adaptation of color vision in threespine stickleback during the repeated postglacial colonization of clearwater and blackwater lakes in the Haida Gwaii archipelago. We use whole genomes from 16 clearwater and 12 blackwater populations, and a selection experiment, in which stickleback were transplanted from a blackwater lake into an uninhabited clearwater pond and resampled after 19 y to test for selection on cone opsin genes. Patterns of haplotype homozygosity, genetic diversity, site frequency spectra, and allele-frequency change support a selective sweep centered on the adjacent blue- and red-light sensitive opsins SWS2 and LWS. The haplotype under selection carries seven amino acid changes in SWS2, including two changes known to cause a red-shift in light absorption, and is favored in blackwater lakes but disfavored in the clearwater habitat of the transplant population. Remarkably, the same red-shifting amino acid changes occurred after the duplication of SWS2 198 million years ago, in the ancestor of most spiny-rayed fish. Two distantly related fish species, bluefin killifish and black bream, express these old paralogs divergently in black- and clearwater habitats, while sticklebacks lost one paralog. Our study thus shows that convergent adaptation to the same environment can involve the same genetic changes on very different evolutionary time scales by reevolving lost mutations and reusing them repeatedly from standing genetic variation

Location of the Energy Levels of the Rare-Earth Ion in BaF2 and CdF2

The location of the energy levels of rare-earth (RE) elements in the energy band diagram of BaF2 and CdF2 crystals is determined. The role of RE3+ and RE2+ ions in the capture of charge carriers, luminescence, and the formation of radiation defects is evaluated. It is shown that the substantial difference in the luminescence properties of BaF2:RE and CdF2:RE is associated with the location of the excited energy levels in the band diagram of the crystals

Factors related to underweight prevalence among 33,776 children below 60 months old living in northern geopolitical zones, Nigeria (2008-2018)

The prevalence of underweight among children below 60 months old in Nigeria remains a significant public health challenge, especially in northern geopolitical zones (NGZ), ranging from 15% to 35%. This study investigates time-based trends in underweight prevalence and its related characteristics among NGZ children below 60 months old. Extracted NGZ representative dataset of 33,776 live births from the Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey between 2008 and 2018 was used to assess the characteristics related to underweight prevalence in children aged 0–23, 24–59, and 0–59 months using multilevel logistics regression. Findings showed that 11,313 NGZ children below 60 months old were underweight, and 24–59-month-old children recorded the highest prevalence (34.8%; 95% confidence interval: 33.5–36.2). Four factors were consistently significantly related to underweight prevalence in children across the three age groups: poor or average-income households, maternal height, children who had diarrhoea episodes, and children living in the northeast or northwest. Intervention initiatives that include poverty alleviation through cash transfer, timely health checks of offspring of short mothers, and adequate clean water and sanitation infrastructure to reduce the incidence of diarrhoea can substantially reduce underweight prevalence among children in NGZ in Nigeria

The Effect of Atorvastatin on Breast Cancer Biomarkers in High-Risk Women

Statins have the potential to reduce breast cancer incidence and recurrence as shown in both epidemiologic and laboratory studies. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of a lipophilic statin, atorvastatin, on breast cancer biomarkers of risk [mammographic density (MD) and insulin growth factor 1 (IGF-1)] in high-risk premenopausal women

Going beyond children’s single-text comprehension:The role of fundamental and higher–level skills in 4th graders’ multiple-document comprehension

Background: Children's comprehension of single texts relies on both foundational and higher-level skills. These are also assumed to support multiple-document comprehension, but their relative importance has not been examined, to date. Multiple-document comprehension additionally requires the identification and use of information about each document's source. Aims: This study examined multiple-document comprehension in primary school-aged children. It sought to determine the relative importance of skills proposed to be common to both single-text and multiple-document comprehension (word reading fluency, verbal working memory, comprehension monitoring) and specific to the latter (source use). Single-text comprehension and prior topic knowledge were considered as moderator and control. Sample: Participants were 94 children in the fourth year (mean age = 9; 7 years; 52% females). Methods: Children read three documents on each of two topics (chocolate and video games). Multiple-document comprehension and source use were assessed through short essays. Independent measures of the fundamental and higher-level skills were used. Results: There was a significant direct and indirect influence of word reading fluency on comprehension of multiple documents on videogames and also an indirect influence of comprehension monitoring. Indirect influences of word reading fluency and comprehension monitoring on multiple-document comprehension for both topics were also apparent. Verbal working memory was not a unique predictor. When source information was identified, it was included to support the argument in the composition. Conclusions: Efficient word reading, comprehension monitoring, and single-text comprehension are important for multiple-document comprehension in young readers. Implications of these findings and differences between the two document sets are discussed