Possible male infanticide in wild orangutans and a re-evaluation of infanticide risk

Infanticide as a male reproductive tactic is widespread across mammals, and is particularly prevalent in catarrhine primates. While it has never been observed in wild orangutans, infanticide by non-sire males has been predicted to occur due to their extremely long inter-birth intervals, semi-solitary social structure, and the presence of female counter-tactics to infanticide. Here, we report on the disappearance of a healthy four-month-old infant, along with a serious foot injury suffered by the primiparous mother. No other cases of infant mortality have been observed at this site in 30 years of study. Using photographic measurements of the injury, and information on the behavior and bite size of potential predators, we evaluate the possible causes of this injury. The context, including the behavior of the female and the presence of a new male at the time of the injury, lead us to conclude that the most likely cause of the infant loss and maternal injury was male infanticide. We suggest that in orangutans, and other species where nulliparous females are not preferred mates, these females may be less successful at using paternity confusion as an infanticide avoidance tactic, thus increasing the likelihood of infanticide of their first-born infants.Published versio

COMPARISON OF PLUG-IN GAIT AND A SIX DEGREES OF FREEDOM MODEL ON ESTIMATING KNEE KINEMATICS DURING A DOUBLE LEG DROP JUMP

Biomechanical models allow for a comprehensive understanding of dynamic movements that could be used to assess athletic performance or identify injury risk and return to play status. In order to make clinical recommendations based on these model outputs, discrepancies between modelling approaches need to be identified. The purpose of this study was to compare the knee kinematics between the commonly used Plug-in Gait model and a six degrees of freedom model during the first landing a double leg drop jump (DLDJ). This study identified differences in the model outputs for knee kinematics, most prominently in the frontal and transverse planes. Further investigation is required to determine the reliability and sensitivity of these model outputs

The intermediate alternative effect: Considering a small tradeoff increases subsequent willingness to make large tradeoffs

Prior research has consistently demonstrated that people are reluctant to trade a good they own for an alternative good, particularly when the alternative (or “target”) represents a substantial departure from the “endowment”. We demonstrate that the endowment effect can be reduced by first making participants consider trading their endowment for an intermediate alternative (which shares some characteristics of the endowment and some characteristics of the target). We find that this “intermediate alternative effect” operates primarily by shifting one’s reference point in the direction of the target alternative. Even when the intermediate alternative is not adopted, the extent to which one’s endowment is treated as a reference point is weakened, which can also facilitate subsequent trading.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/141910/1/jcpy384.pd

The effects of trauma exposure and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on the emotion-induced memory trade-off

Many past examinations of memory changes in individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have focused on changes in memory for trauma. However, it is unclear if these mnemonic differences extend beyond the memory of the trauma to memory for other positive and negative information and if they are specific to individuals with PTSD or extend to other individuals who have experienced trauma. The present study examined the influences of trauma exposure and PTSD on an effect that may parallel tunnel memory in PTSD: the emotion-induced memory trade-off, whereby emotional aspects of an experience are remembered at the expense of the nonemotional context. Three groups of participants (25 with current PTSD, 27 who had experienced trauma but did not have current PTSD, and 25 controls who had neither experienced significant trauma nor met criteria for current PTSD) were shown complex visual scenes that included an item (positive, negative, or neutral) placed on a neutral background. Forty-five minutes later, participants underwent a recognition memory test for the items and backgrounds separately. An emotion-induced memory trade-off was said to occur when there was a significant difference in item and background memory for emotional scenes, but not for neutral scenes. Results indicated that people with PTSD, like the other groups, were more likely to remember positive and negative items than neutral items. Moreover, people with PTSD exhibited a memory trade-off comparable in magnitude to that exhibited by the non-trauma control group. In contrast, trauma-exposed people without a current diagnosis of PTSD did not show a trade-off, because they remembered items within scenes better than their accompanying contexts not only for emotional but also for neutral scenes. These results suggest that (1) the effect of emotion on memory for visual scenes is similar in people with PTSD and control participants, and (2) people who have experienced trauma, but do not have PTSD, may have a different way of attending to and remembering visual scenes, exhibiting less of a memory trade-off than either control participants or people with PTSD

Roles of Candida albicans Mig1 and Mig2 in glucose repression, pathogenicity traits, and SNF1 essentiality.

Metabolic adaptation is linked to the ability of the opportunistic pathogen Candida albicans to colonize and cause infection in diverse host tissues. One way that C. albicans controls its metabolism is through the glucose repression pathway, where expression of alternative carbon source utilization genes is repressed in the presence of its preferred carbon source, glucose. Here we carry out genetic and gene expression studies that identify transcription factors Mig1 and Mig2 as mediators of glucose repression in C. albicans. The well-studied Mig1/2 orthologs ScMig1/2 mediate glucose repression in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae; our data argue that C. albicans Mig1/2 function similarly as repressors of alternative carbon source utilization genes. However, Mig1/2 functions have several distinctive features in C. albicans. First, Mig1 and Mig2 have more co-equal roles in gene regulation than their S. cerevisiae orthologs. Second, Mig1 is regulated at the level of protein accumulation, more akin to ScMig2 than ScMig1. Third, Mig1 and Mig2 are together required for a unique aspect of C. albicans biology, the expression of several pathogenicity traits. Such Mig1/2-dependent traits include the abilities to form hyphae and biofilm, tolerance of cell wall inhibitors, and ability to damage macrophage-like cells and human endothelial cells. Finally, Mig1 is required for a puzzling feature of C. albicans biology that is not shared with S. cerevisiae: the essentiality of the Snf1 protein kinase, a central eukaryotic carbon metabolism regulator. Our results integrate Mig1 and Mig2 into the C. albicans glucose repression pathway and illuminate connections among carbon control, pathogenicity, and Snf1 essentiality

Less Worthy Lives? We Must Prioritize People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in COVID-19 Vaccine Allocation

Individuals with developmental and intellectual disability should prioritized during COVID-19 vaccination allocation

COVID-19 Trends Among Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) Living in Residential Group Homes in New York State through July 10, 2020

While COVID-19 case rates increased between April 10, 2020 and July 10, 2020 for both groups, from April 10 to May 1, the case rate increased by 2.5 times for people with IDD, from 2,225 to 5,544 cases per 100,000, but only increased by 1.6 times for New York State, from 886 to 1,584 cases per 100,000

Revealing Gender Bias: An Experiential Exercise

Stereotyping and biases continue to be a problem in many facets of society. Understanding how biases may affect recruitment and retention of employees has become a priority issue for companies, not only from an image perspective but also from a firm performance perspective, since both research and industry experience have shown that diverse teams generate better results. The need to address these issues, particularly with students who will become leaders in organizations, remains a priority in business education. In this article, we present an experiential activity that management instructors can use to help students understand and appreciate the reality and power of unconscious bias. The focus of this activity is on uncovering gender bias, yet the basic framework of the activity can easily be adapted to focus on other types of unconscious bias and stereotyping

Comparing Special Education Teachers’ Personality Profile With Their Choice to Teach

Researchers have yet to examine the association of Holland personality profiles as it relates to special education teachers. In response to this need, we report the personality and vocational profiles (Holland Codes) of 134 special education teachers across a special education training program. The purpose of this paper is to summarize findings from the Self-Directed Search measure commonly used to assess the personality of participants in an occupation and suggest implications for participants’ choice in becoming a special education teacher. Our focus was on personality match with vocational choice to include participants’ demographic (e.g., gender, race/ethnicity, and geographical location) profile. Findings from the study reveal that while special educators’ overall personality profile is congruent with the Holland Codes associated with special education teachers, other features may explain participants’ choice to pursue a career as a special education teacher. Implications for teacher preparation programs and K-12 schools training are recommended based on the research findings

A Streamlined Strategy for Aglycone Assembly and Glycosylation

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/102108/1/ange_201307680_sm_miscellaneous_information.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/102108/2/13892_ftp.pd