Proceedings of the 2019 Global Business Anthropology Summit

The second Global Business Anthropology Summit was held May 28-29, 2019 at Fordham University in New York City. The 2019 Summit brought together 160 industry practitioners and academic scholars to build upon the work of the 2018 Summit. The 2019 Summit was explicitly and emphatically forward thinking and action oriented to advance anthropological ideas in business. Its broad aims were to (1) advance thinking on the value of anthropological perspectives in business; (2) generate ways to spread appreciation of our work to academics, students, industry leaders, and the general public; and (3) build community among scholars and practitioners. The Summit's plenary panels and workshops demonstrated how anthropologists penetrate nearly every domain of business and are most adept at handling issues that are humanistic and complex. Throughout the two days, the Summit acknowledged the need to continue to grow the demand for anthropologists in business

Molecular assessment of dietary variation in neighbouring primate groups

Facing rapid environmental changes and anthropogenic habitat destruction, animal behavioural plasticity becomes an adaptive potential that needs to be considered in conservation strategies along with, for example, genetic diversity. Here, we evaluate to what extent non-invasive environmental DNA (eDNA) methods may contribute to the assessment of intraspecies behavioural plasticity in terms of foraging behaviour. We analysed DNA metabarcoding data for plant components in the diet of four neighbouring groups of wild vervet monkeys Chlorocebus pygerythrus to identify intergroup variation (IGV). The faecal samples considered for the analyses were limited to the summer season to minimise the impact of seasonality. Each sample was attributed by observation to individuals with known life history data. A plant survey was conducted in each group home range during the study period to account for environmental variation. We observed mixed results when testing whether IGV in plant consumption was greater than intragroup variation, indicating that the influence of social dynamics must be considered. Intragroup variation was positively correlated with group size. We observed IGV in diet composition among all groups as well as in some pairwise comparisons. We found significant dietary differences between two group pairs when considering only adult females. Lastly, we observed IGV in foraging of specific plants that were not explained by their distribution, suggesting behavioural differences in selectivity between groups. Our study system and organism, being a highly social and non-threatened primate species, with constant gene flow and overlapping territories between groups, provides an ideal model to evaluate the usage of eDNA-based methods to better understand the impact of social factors on IGV. Our results highlight the need to consider social and demographic factors, the impact of which remains complicated to disentangle from environmental factors. However, we emphasise the great potential for studying social groups using eDNA and that such studies are needed to better understand intraspecific behavioural plasticity in wild populations. </ol

Focal vs. fecal: Seasonal variation in the diet of wild vervet monkeys from observational and DNA metabarcoding data

Assessing the diet of wild animals reveals valuable information about their ecology and trophic relationships that may help elucidate dynamic interactions in ecosystems and forecast responses to environmental changes. Advances in molecular biology provide valuable research tools in this field. However, comparative empirical research is still required to highlight strengths and potential biases of different approaches. Therefore, this study compares environmental DNA and observational methods for the same study population and sampling duration. We employed DNA metabarcoding assays targeting plant and arthropod diet items in 823 fecal samples collected over 12 months in a wild population of an omnivorous primate, the vervet monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus). DNA metabarcoding data were subsequently compared to direct observations. We observed the same seasonal patterns of plant consumption with both methods; however, DNA metabarcoding showed considerably greater taxonomic coverage and resolution compared to observations, mostly due to the construction of a local plant DNA database. We found a strong effect of season on variation in plant consumption largely shaped by the dry and wet seasons. The seasonal effect on arthropod consumption was weaker, but feeding on arthropods was more frequent in spring and summer, showing overall that vervets adapt their diet according to available resources. The DNA metabarcoding assay outperformed also direct observations of arthropod consumption in both taxonomic coverage and resolution. Combining traditional techniques and DNA metabarcoding data can therefore not only provide enhanced assessments of complex diets and trophic interactions to the benefit of wildlife conservationists and managers but also opens new perspectives for behavioral ecologists studying whether diet variation in social species is induced by environmental differences or might reflect selective foraging behaviors

A Comparative Study on the Reactivity of Various Ketohexoses to Furanics in Methanol

The acid-catalysed dehydration of the four 2-ketohexoses (fructose, sorbose, tagatose and psicose) to furanics was studied in methanol (65 gL(-1) substrate concentration, 17 and 34 mm sulfuric acid, 100 degrees C) with Avantium high-throughput technology. Significant differences in the reactivities of the hexoses and yields of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and its methyl ether (MMF) were observed. Psicose and tagatose were the most reactive, and psicose also afforded the highest combined yield of MMF and HMF of approximately 55% at 96% sugar conversion. Hydroxyacetylfuran and its corresponding methyl ether were formed as byproducts, particularly for sorbose and tagatose, with a maximum combined yield of 8% for sorbose. The formation of hydroxyacetylfuran was studied through C-13 NMR spectroscopy with labelled sorbose, which provided new insights into the reaction mechanism

Effects of heathland management on seedling recruitment of common juniper (Juniperus communis)

Background and aims: Common juniper (Juniperus communis L.) is one of the most widespread woody species on the planet. Over recent decades, however, common juniper populations are decreasing in size and number in different regions. Lack of recruitment, caused by extremely low seed viability and the absence of suitable microsites for recruitment, is the key reason for this decline. For successful germination, the seeds need gaps in the existing vegetation and a soil with a relatively high base saturation. The aim of this study was therefore to assess how management actions such as sod cutting, rotavation and liming (alone or in various combinations) influence soil characteristics, seed germination and seedling survival of common juniper. Methods: We installed a sowing experiment across 104 1-m2 plots in four different sites in Belgium and the Netherlands using treatments with different combinations of fencing, sod cutting, rotavation, litter addition and liming. We determined how these treatments affected soil characteristics and how they influenced seed germination and seedling survival. Key results and conclusions: Across the whole experiment, germination rates of juniper seeds were very low (almost always < 1%). Our results confirm that bare ground promotes the germination of juniper seeds. Secondly, higher silt and lutum (clay) proportions in the soil and higher soil organic matter content seemed to have a positive impact on recruitment, possibly due to drought reduction. Management actions that negatively affect those soil characteristics, such as deep sod cutting, should thus be avoided in heathlands on sandy soils. Our results reveal a complex relationship between seedling recruitment success, soil conditions and management of common juniper populations. Overall, combinations of fencing, (superficial) sod cutting and liming or rotavation were most successful

Individual cognitive stimulation therapy for dementia : a clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness pragmatic, multicentre, randomised controlled trial

Background Group cognitive stimulation therapy programmes can benefit cognition and quality of life for people with dementia. Evidence for home-based, carer-led cognitive stimulation interventions is limited. Objectives To evaluate the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of carer-delivered individual cognitive stimulation therapy (iCST) for people with dementia and their family carers, compared with treatment as usual (TAU). Design A multicentre, single-blind, randomised controlled trial assessing clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness. Assessments were at baseline, 13 weeks and 26 weeks (primary end point). Setting Participants were recruited through Memory Clinics and Community Mental Health Teams for older people. Participants A total of 356 caregiving dyads were recruited and 273 completed the trial. Intervention iCST consisted of structured cognitive stimulation sessions for people with dementia, completed up to three times weekly over 25 weeks. Family carers were supported to deliver the sessions at home. Main outcome measures Primary outcomes for the person with dementia were cognition and quality of life. Secondary outcomes included behavioural and psychological symptoms, activities of daily living, depressive symptoms and relationship quality. The primary outcome for the family carers was mental/physical health (Short Form questionnaire-12 items). Health-related quality of life (European Quality of Life-5 Dimensions), mood symptoms, resilience and relationship quality comprised the secondary outcomes. Costs were estimated from health and social care and societal perspectives. Results There were no differences in any of the primary outcomes for people with dementia between intervention and TAU [cognition: mean difference –0.55, 95% confidence interval (CI) –2.00 to 0.90; p-value = 0.45; self-reported quality of life: mean difference –0.02, 95% CI –1.22 to 0.82; p-value = 0.97 at the 6-month follow-up]. iCST did not improve mental/physical health for carers. People with dementia in the iCST group experienced better relationship quality with their carer, but there was no evidence that iCST improved their activities of daily living, depression or behavioural and psychological symptoms. iCST seemed to improve health-related quality of life for carers but did not benefit carers’ resilience or their relationship quality with their relative. Carers conducting more sessions had fewer depressive symptoms. Qualitative data suggested that people with dementia and their carers experienced better communication owing to iCST. Adjusted mean costs were not significantly different between the groups. From the societal perspective, both health gains and cost savings were observed. Conclusions iCST did not improve cognition or quality of life for people with dementia, or carers’ physical and mental health. Costs of the intervention were offset by some reductions in social care and other services. Although there was some evidence of improvement in terms of the caregiving relationship and carers’ health-related quality of life, iCST does not appear to deliver clinical benefits for cognition and quality of life for people with dementia. Most people received fewer than the recommended number of iCST sessions. Further research is needed to ascertain the clinical effectiveness of carer-led cognitive stimulation interventions for people with dementia