On aims and methods of facial attractiveness research: the lasting influence of Tinbergen (1963)

Tinbergen's influential paper, On Aims and Methods of Ethology, has had a lasting impact on facial attractiveness research. While researchers rarely explicitly acknowledge the influence of Tinbergen's ideas, the field has embraced evolutionary thinking in recent years. is focus on functional and phylogenetic explanations has led to the generation of hypotheses that, when tested, produce knowledge at all four explanatory levels-hypotheses about the survival value, in Tinbergenen`s terms, of facial preferences have led to knowledge about the facial cues that are perceived as healthy and attractive. e focus on phylogeny as an important way of confirming predictions at the functional level has also led to the adoption of traditional ethological techniques of observation, as comparative and cross-cultural anthropological studies are brought into what is, at heart, an experimental science. The influence of Tinbergen's ideas on facial attractiveness research is discussed with examples om the literature

Long-Term Outcomes in a Family with Nephrogenic Syndrome of Inappropriate Antidiuresis

We report a familial case of the nephrogenic syndrome of inappropriate antidiuresis (NSIAD), including 30-year followup data on two patients. The proband and one maternal uncle presented in their infancy with severe recurrent hyponatremia, and clinical pictures consistent with the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone (SIADH) in the absence of an elevated ADH level. They were both confirmed to be hemizygous for the R137C mutation on the V2R gene (AVPR2), the same locus of the gain of function mutation demonstrated in the original reports of this condition. The proband's mother was identified as an asymptomatic carrier of this X-linked condition. Our case describes a favourable long-term outcome for NSIAD, in particular, successful treatment with oral urea during the infancy period, and with self-regulated precautions on fluid intake into adult life

Redness Enhances Perceived Aggression, Dominance and Attractiveness in Men’s Faces

In a range of non-human primate, bird and fish species, the intensity of red coloration in males is associated with social dominance, testosterone levels and mate selection. In humans too, skin redness is associated with health, but it is not known whether – as in non-human species – it is also associated with dominance and links to attractiveness have not been thoroughly investigated. Here we allow female participants to manipulate the CIELab a* value (red-green axis) of skin to maximize the perceived aggression, dominance and attractiveness of photographs of men’s faces, and make two findings. First, participants increased a* (increasing redness) to enhance each attribute, suggesting that facial redness is perceived as conveying similar information about a male’s qualities in humans as it does in non-human species. Second, there were significant differences between trial types: the highest levels of red were associated with aggression, an intermediate level with dominance, and the least with attractiveness. These differences may reflect a trade-off between the benefits of selecting a healthy, dominant partner and the negative consequences of aggression

Reframing Kurtz’s Painting: Colonial Legacies and Minority Rights in Ethnically Divided Societies

Minority rights constitute some of the most normatively and economically important human rights. Although the political science and legal literatures have proffered a number of constitutional and institutional design solutions to address the protection of minority rights, these solutions are characterized by a noticeable neglect of, and lack of sensitivity to, historical processes. This Article addresses that gap in the literature by developing a causal argument that explains diverging practices of minority rights protections as functions of colonial governments’ variegated institutional practices with respect to particular ethnic groups. Specifically, this Article argues that in instances where colonial governments politicize and institutionalize ethnic hegemony in the pre-independence period, an institutional legacy is created that leads to lower levels of minority rights protections. Conversely, a uniform treatment and depoliticization of ethnicity prior to independence ultimately minimizes ethnic cleavages post-independence and consequently causes higher levels of minority rights protections. Through a highly structured comparative historical analysis of Botswana and Ghana, this Article builds on a new and exciting research agenda that focuses on the role of long-term historio-structural and institutional influences on human rights performance and makes important empirical contributions by eschewing traditional methodologies that focus on single case studies that are largely descriptive in their analyses. Ultimately, this Article highlights both the strength of a historical approach to understanding current variations in minority rights protections and the varied institutional responses within a specific colonial government

Pulmonary Embolism Mimicking Pneumonia in a HIV Patient

Recent studies have shown an increased risk of arterial and venous vascular diseases in HIV patients, pulmonary thromboembolism being one of them. HIV-infected individuals may have procoagulants predisposing them to thromboembolism. Patients with thromboembolism may have a clinical presentation mimicking common opportunistic infections. It is important to consider pulmonary embolism in the differential of HIV patients with fever, cough, and dyspnea, particularly in those with well-controlled HIV infection

Short-term resource allocation during extensive athletic competition

Abstract Objectives: Following predictions from life history theory, we sought to identify acute trade-offs between reproductive effort (as measured by psychological arousal) and somatic maintenance (via functional measures of innate immunity) during conditions of severe energetic imbalance. Methods: Sixty-six male ultramarathon runners (ages 20 to 37 years) were sampled before and after a lengthy race. Saliva and sera were collected for testosterone and immunological analyses (hemolytic complement activity and bacterial killing ability). Lean body mass was assessed by bioelectrical impedance, and libido was measured using a slideshow of arousing and neutral images. Results: Following predictions, there was a significant decrease in salivary testosterone levels (109.59 pg/mL versus 97.61 pg/mL, P<.001) and arousal scores in response to provocative images (5.40 versus 4.89, P5.001) between prerace and postrace time points. Additionally, participant bacterial killing ability (P5.035) and hemolytic complement activity (P5.021) increased between prerace and postrace. Conclusions: Decreased libido and testosterone with concomitant heightened innate immune responses suggest a shift in energetic priorities away from reproduction and toward maintenance/defense during a period of energetic stress

The effect of attention on body size adaptation and body dissatisfaction

Attentional bias to low-fat bodies is thought to be associated with body dissatisfaction-a symptom and risk factor of eating disorders. However, the causal nature of this relationship is unclear. In three preregistered experiments, we trained 370 women to attend towards either high-or low-fat body stimuli using an attention training dot probe task. For each experiment, we analysed the effect of the attention training on (i) attention to subsequently presented high-versus low-fat body stimuli, (ii) visual adaptation to body size, and (iii) body dissatisfaction. The attention training had no effect on attention towards high-or low-fat bodies in an online setting (Experiment 1), but did increase attention to high-fat bodies in a laboratory setting (Experiment 2). Neither perceptions of a 'normal' body size nor levels of body dissatisfaction changed as a result of the attention training in either setting. The results in the online setting did not change when we reduced the stimulus onset-asynchrony of the dot probe task from 500 to 100 ms (Experiment 3). Our results provide no evidence that the dot probe training task used here has robust effects on attention to body size, body image disturbance or body dissatisfaction

Language of Lullabies: The Russification and De-Russification of the Baltic States

This article argues that the laws for promotion of the national languages are a legitimate means for the Baltic states to establish their cultural independence from Russia and the former Soviet Union