145 research outputs found
Behavioural Phenotypes and the Structure of Human Cognition
Human cognitive uniqueness is often defined in terms of cognitive abilities such as introspection, imitation and cooperativeness. However, little is known about how those traits vary in populations or correlate across individuals. Here we test whether those three cognitive domains are correlated manifestations of an underlying factor, analogous to the psychometric âgâ factor, or independent âbehavioural phenotypesâ, analogous to the âBig-Fiveâ personality components. We selected eight variables measuring introspection and extraversion, verbal and physical imitation, cooperation and punishment, and evaluated their individual variability, domain-consistency and sub-structuring in a sample of 84 individuals. Results show high variation and limited clustering into three independent âbehavioural phenotypesâ of introspection, imitation and cooperation. Only one significant correlation was identified (between two measures of extraversion), while other within-domain measures (introspection vs. extraversion, verbal vs. physical imitation, and cooperation vs. punishment) were not associated. Finally, no between-domain association was identified either through correlations or factor analysis. Overall, the results do not lend support to the hypothesis of a general âbehavioural phenotypeâ underlying individual behaviour. The independence of behaviours of introspection, imitation and cooperation may be the reason why individuals are able to adopt different behavioural strategies (combinations of behavioural phenotypes) and play distinct roles in the maintenance of human distinctive features such as hyper-cooperation and cumulative culture
The linear tearing instability in three dimensional, toroidal gyrokinetic simulations
Linear gyro-kinetic simulations of the classical tearing mode in
three-dimensional toroidal geometry were performed using the global gyro
kinetic turbulence code, GKW . The results were benchmarked against a
cylindrical ideal MHD and analytical theory calculations. The stability, growth
rate and frequency of the mode were investigated by varying the current
profile, collisionality and the pressure gradients. Both collision-less and
semi-collisional tearing modes were found with a smooth transition between the
two. A residual, finite, rotation frequency of the mode even in the absense of
a pressure gradient is observed which is attributed to toroidal finite
Larmor-radius effects. When a pressure gradient is present at low
collisionality, the mode rotates at the expected electron diamagnetic
frequency. However the island rotation reverses direction at high
collisionality. The growth rate is found to follow a scaling with
collisional resistivity in the semi-collisional regime, closely following the
semi-collisional scaling found by Fitzpatrick. The stability of the mode
closely follows the stability using resistive MHD theory, however a
modification due to toroidal coupling and pressure effects is seen
Universality Without Uniformity: A Culturally Inclusive Approach to Sensitive Responsiveness in Infant Caregiving
Do caregivers in nonâWestern communities adapt their behaviors to the needs of infants? This question reflects one of the most longâstanding debates on the universality versus cultureâspecificity of caregiverâinfant interactions in general and sensitive responsiveness to infants in particular. In this article, an integration of both points of view is presented, based on the theoretical origins of the sensitive responsiveness construct combined with the ethnographic literature on caregivers and infants in different parts of the world. This integration advocates universality without uniformity, and calls for multidisciplinary collaborations to investigate the complexities and nuances of caregiverâinfant interactions in different cultures. Salient issues are illustrated with observations of infants (ages 7â31Â months) in Mali, the Republic of Congo, and the Philippines.Development Psychopathology in context: familyGlobal Challenges (FSW
Inhibition of Stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 reverts BRAF and MEK inhibition-induced selection of cancer stem cells in BRAF-mutated melanoma
Combination therapy with BRAF and MEK inhibitors significantly improves survival in BRAF mutated melanoma patients but is unable to prevent disease recurrence due to the emergence of drug resistance. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) have been involved in these long-term treatment failures. We previously reported in lung cancer that CSCs maintenance is due to altered lipid metabolism and dependent upon Stearoyl-CoA-desaturase (SCD1)-mediated upregulation of YAP and TAZ. On this ground, we investigated the role of SCD1 in melanoma CSCs
Merkel-cell carcinoma: ESMO-EURACAN Clinical Practice Guideline for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up
: ⢠This ESMO Clinical Practice Guideline provides key recommendations for managing Merkel-cell carcinoma (MCC). ⢠Recommendations are based on available scientific data and the multidisciplinary group of expertsâ collective opinion. ⢠The guideline covers clinical and pathological diagnosis, staging and risk assessment, treatment and follow-up. ⢠Algorithms for the management of locoregional and inoperable/metastatic disease are provided. ⢠A multidisciplinary team with a high level of expertise in MCC should diagnose and make decisions about therapy
Oral microbiomes from hunter-gatherers and traditional farmers reveal shifts in commensal balance and pathogen load linked to diet
Maladaptation to modern diets has been implicated in several chronic disorders. Given the higher prevalence of disease such as dental caries and chronic gum diseases in industrialized societies, we sought to investigate the impact of different subsistence strategies on oral health and physiology, as documented by the oral microbiome. To control for confounding variables such as environment and host genetics, we sampled saliva from three pairs of populations of hunterâgatherers and traditional farmers living in close proximity in the Philippines. Deep shotgun sequencing of salivary DNA generated highâcoverage microbiomes along with human genomes. Comparing these microbiomes with publicly available data from individuals living on a Western diet revealed that abundance ratios of core species were significantly correlated with subsistence strategy, with hunterâgatherers and Westerners occupying either end of a gradient of Neisseria against Haemophilus, and traditional farmers falling in between. Species found preferentially in hunterâgatherers included microbes often considered as oral pathogens, despite their hosts' apparent good oral health. Discriminant analysis of gene functions revealed vitamin B5 autotrophy and ureaseâmediated pH regulation as candidate adaptations of the microbiome to the hunterâgatherer and Western diets, respectively. These results suggest that major transitions in diet selected for different communities of commensals and likely played a role in the emergence of modern oral pathogens
Evo-devo of human adolescence: beyond disease models of early puberty
Despite substantial heritability in pubertal development, much variation remains to be explained, leaving room for the influence of environmental factors to adjust its phenotypic trajectory in the service of fitness goals. Utilizing evolutionary development biology (evo-devo), we examine adolescence as an evolutionary life-history stage in its developmental context. We show that the transition from the preceding stage of juvenility entails adaptive plasticity in response to energy resources, other environmental cues, social needs of adolescence and maturation toward youth and adulthood. Using the evolutionary theory of socialization, we show that familial psychosocial stress fosters a fast life history and reproductive strategy rather than early maturation being just a risk factor for aggression and delinquency. Here we explore implications of an evolutionary-developmental-endocrinological-anthropological framework for theory building, while illuminating new directions for research
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