Persistent social isolation reflects identity and social context but not maternal effects or early environment

This is the final version of the article. Available from Springer Nature via the DOI in this record.Individuals who are well integrated into society have greater access to resources and tend to live longer. Why some individuals are socially isolated and others are not is therefore puzzling from an evolutionary perspective. Answering this question requires establishing the mix of intrinsic and contextual factors that contribute to social isolation. Using social network data spanning up to half of the median adult lifespan in a gregarious primate, we found that some measures of social isolation were modestly repeatable within individuals, consistent with a trait. By contrast, social isolation was not explained by the identity of an animal’s mother or the group into which it was born. Nevertheless, age, sex and social status each played a role, as did kin dynamics and familiarity. Females with fewer close relatives were more isolated, and the more time males spent in a new group the less isolated they became, independent of their social status. These results show that social isolation results from a combination of intrinsic and environmental factors. From an evolutionary perspective, these findings suggest that social isolation could be adaptive in some contexts and partly maintained by selection.This work was supported by National Institute of Mental Health grants R01-MH089484 and R01-MH096875, and an Incubator Award from the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences. L.J.N.B. was supported by an Early Career Fellowship from the Leverhulme Trust. Data provided by the University of Puerto Rico, and its facilities, are funded by grant number 2 P40 OD012217 from the Office of Research Infrastructure Programs (ORIP) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Pyroclastic density currents (PDC) of the 16-17 August 2006 eruptions of Tungurahua volcano, Ecuador: Geophysical registry and characteristics

Tungurahua, located in the Eastern Cordillera of the Ecuadorian Andes, is a 5023 m-high active volcano, notable for its extreme relief (3200 m), steep sides, and frequent eruptive cycles. From 1999 until 2006 Tungurahua experienced short periods of low to moderate strombolian activity, characterized by fire fountaining, explosions, frequent ash falls and debris flows, and no PDC events. Without warning, Tungurahua initiated PDC activity on 15–16 July 2006, which became more intense on the night of 16–17 August 2006, which is the focus of this study. Continuous monitoring of Tungurahua has employed seismic (both short period and broadband (BB) instruments), SO2 gas emission (COSPEC and DOAS), and geodetic methods (EDM, tilt meters, and GPS), in addition to thermal imagery (airborne and ground-based). Acoustic flow monitors (AFM) installed to monitor lahar activity were important for detecting PDC events. Acoustic signals were monitored at Riobamba, 40 km to the SW, as well as by infrasound sensors at Tungurahua's BB seismic stations. Based on geophysical parameters, visual observations, and PDC deposit characteristics, four phases of distinct eruptive activity are recognized during the 16–17 August episode. Phase I (08H37 to 21H13 of 16 Aug.) (local time) experienced low to moderate strombolian activity with occasional high energy impulsive bursts and small PDC. Phase II (21H13-16 Aug. to 00H12-17 Aug.) was characterized by a number of discrete events with high amplitude seismo-acoustic signals, followed by the generation of larger PDC that overran monitoring stations and had velocities of 30–33 m/s. After midnight, Phase III (00H12 to 01H14) saw an intense period of unrelenting eruptive activity corresponding to the episode's greatest energy release. It was characterized by subplinian activity accompanied by a series of high energy outbursts and constant low frequency jetting that together formed a continuous plume. It was during this phase that the largest PDC were produced, reaching the surrounding river valleys. Phase IV (after 01H14) followed the cessation of the paroxysmal eruption, but witnessed many granular PDC generated by degassed lava spill outs from the crater that developed lobe and channel morphology on the cone's lower flanks. Hours later a blocky lava flow issued from the crater. During these episodes, more than 30 PDC events were detected, the majority being small flows that remained high on the cone. The two largest PDC occurred after midnight, probably generated by fountain collapse. Their descent down the cone's upper steep flanks (~ 28°) and 2.4 km in length favored air entrainment, resulting in PDC with greater fluidity. These flows had volumes of 9 to 17 × 106 m3 and produced widespread, but relatively thin (1–2 m thick) normally-graded deposits at their distal ends. The character and evolution of the PDC activity apparently reflect decreasing volatile contents of the magma and a diminishing magma supply

Social network dynamics precede a mass eviction in group-living rhesus macaques

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier Masson via the DOI in this record.Network dynamics can reveal information about the adaptive function of social behaviour and the extent to which social relationships can flexibly respond to extrinsic pressures. Changes in social networks occur following changes to the social and physical environment. By contrast, we have limited understanding of whether changes in social networks precede major group events. Permanent evictions can be important determinants of gene flow and population structure and are a clear example of an event that might be preceded by social network dynamics. Here we examined the social networks of a group of rhesus macaques, Macaca mulatta, in the 2 years leading up to the eviction of 22% of adult females, which are the philopatric sex. We found that females engaged in the same amount of aggression and grooming in the 2 years leading up to the eviction but that there were clear changes in their choice of social partners. Females that would eventually be evicted received more aggression from lower-ranking females as the eviction approached. Evicted females also became more discriminating in their grooming relationships in the year nearer the split, showing a greater preference for one another and becoming more cliquish. Put simply, the females that would later be evicted continued to travel with the rest of the group as the eviction approached but were less likely to interact with other group members in an affiliative manner. These results have potential implications for understanding group cohesion and the balance between cooperation and competition that mediates social groups.We were supported by National Institute of Mental Health grants R01-MH089484 and R01-MH096875, and an Incubator Award from the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences. L.J.N.B. was supported by a Duke Center for Interdisciplinary Decision Sciences Fellowship and by an Early Career Fellowship from the Leverhulme Trust. The CPRC is funded by grant number 2 P40 OD012217 from the Office of Research Infrastructure Programs (ORIP) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Relocation and investment in R&D by firms

The literature on foreign direct investment has analyzed corporate location decisions when firms invest in R&D to reduce production costs. Such firms may set up new plants in other developed countries while maintaining their domestic plants. In contrast, we here consider firms that close down their domestic operations and relocate to countries where wage costs are lower. Thus, we assume that firms may reduce their production costs by investing in R&D and likewise by moving their plants abroad. We show that these two mechanisms are complementary. When a firm relocates it invests more in R&D than when it does not change its location and, therefore, its production cost is lower in the first case. As a result, investment in R&D encourages firms to relocate.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Transversalidad de discapacidad lineamientos 2006

El Concepto de discapacidad se relaciona con la capacidad de las personas para la realización de sus actividades de la vida diaria y en la forma como interactúan con su propio entorno para la realización de las mismas. Se pasa de una visión eminentemente médica a una visión social. Por ejemplo, la Organización Panamericana de la Salud en el 2001, señala que la participación restringida de las personas con discapacidad en las actividades educativas, laborales y sociales ya no se considera como el resultado de sus limitaciones sino como producto de las barreras sociales, es decir de la relación de las personas con el entorno

FReDoWS: a method to automate molecular docking simulations with explicit receptor flexibility and snapshots selection

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>In silico</it> molecular docking is an essential step in modern drug discovery when driven by a well defined macromolecular target. Hence, the process is called structure-based or rational drug design (RDD). In the docking step of RDD the macromolecule or receptor is usually considered a rigid body. However, we know from biology that macromolecules such as enzymes and membrane receptors are inherently flexible. Accounting for this flexibility in molecular docking experiments is not trivial. One possibility, which we call a fully-flexible receptor model, is to use a molecular dynamics simulation trajectory of the receptor to simulate its explicit flexibility. To benefit from this concept, which has been known since 2000, it is essential to develop and improve new tools that enable molecular docking simulations of fully-flexible receptor models.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We have developed a Flexible-Receptor Docking Workflow System (FReDoWS) to automate molecular docking simulations using a fully-flexible receptor model. In addition, it includes a snapshot selection feature to facilitate acceleration the virtual screening of ligands for well defined disease targets. FReDoWS usefulness is demonstrated by investigating the docking of four different ligands to flexible models of <it>Mycobacterium tuberculosis’</it> wild type InhA enzyme and mutants I21V and I16T. We find that all four ligands bind effectively to this receptor as expected from the literature on similar, but wet experiments.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>A work that would usually need the manual execution of many computer programs, and the manipulation of thousands of files, was efficiently and automatically performed by FReDoWS. Its friendly interface allows the user to change the docking and execution parameters. Besides, the snapshot selection feature allowed the acceleration of docking simulations. We expect FReDoWS to help us explore more of the role flexibility plays in receptor-ligand interactions. FReDoWS can be made available upon request to the authors.</p

Genetic origins of social networks in rhesus macaques

This is the final version of the article. Available from the publisher via the DOI in this record.Sociality is believed to have evolved as a strategy for animals to cope with their environments. Yet the genetic basis of sociality remains unclear. Here we provide evidence that social network tendencies are heritable in a gregarious primate. The tendency for rhesus macaques, Macaca mulatta, to be tied affiliatively to others via connections mediated by their social partners - analogous to friends of friends in people - demonstrated additive genetic variance. Affiliative tendencies were predicted by genetic variation at two loci involved in serotonergic signalling, although this result did not withstand correction for multiple tests. Aggressive tendencies were also heritable and were related to reproductive output, a fitness proxy. Our findings suggest that, like humans, the skills and temperaments that shape the formation of multi-agent relationships have a genetic basis in nonhuman primates, and, as such, begin to fill the gaps in our understanding of the genetic basis of sociality.We thank Bonn Aure, Jacqueline Buhl, Monica Carlson, Matthew McConnell, Elizabeth Maldonado, David Paulsen, Cecilia Penedo & the Caribbean Primate Research Center (CPRC) for assistance, and Roger Mundry for the use of PSAM software. The authors were supported by NIMH grant R01-MH089484, an Incubator Award from the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, and a Duke Center for Interdisciplinary Decision Sciences Fellowship to LJNB. The CPRC is supported by grant 8-P40 OD012217-25 from the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) and the Office of Research Infrastructure Programs (ORIP) of the National Institutes of Health

Intravitreal ranibizumab for myopic choroidal neovascularization: 12-month results

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of intravitreal ranibizumab after 12 months in the treatment of choroidal neovascularization secondary to pathologic myopia. METHODS: This was a prospective, multicenter, consecutive, nonrandomized, interventional case series. The study included 34 eyes of 32 patients with choroidal neovascularization secondary to pathologic myopia; 13 eyes had previous photodynamic therapy, and 21 eyes had no previous treatment. The patients were followed for > or = 12 months. Best-corrected visual acuity, optical coherence tomography, and the presence of metamorphopsia were assessed monthly. RESULTS: Mean visual acuity improved 8 letters from baseline to 12-month follow-up, and the difference was statistically significant (P or = 3 lines, 44% improved > or = 2 lines, 65% improved > or = 1 line, and 79% improved > or = 0 lines. Central retinal thickness decreased significantly from baseline to the 12-month follow-up (P < 0.01). A mean of 3.6 treatments were performed during the 12-month follow-up, and no systemic or ocular side effects were registered during that time. CONCLUSION: One-year results of intravitreal ranibizumab for myopic choroidal neovascularization are very promising. Additional prospective studies are necessary to better determine long-term efficacy and safety

No evidence that grooming is exchanged for coalitionary support in the short- or long-term via direct or generalized reciprocity in unrelated rhesus macaques

This is the final version. Available on open access from Springer via the DOI in this recordData availability: The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available in the Dryad repository, (doi:https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.pvmcvdnks).Reciprocity is a prominent explanation for cooperation between non-kin. Studies designed to demonstrate reciprocity often focus on direct reciprocity in the timescale of minutes to hours, whereas alternative mechanisms like generalized reciprocity and the possibility of reciprocation over longer timescales of months and years are less often explored. Using a playback experiment, we tested for evidence of direct and generalized reciprocity across short and longer timescales. We examined the exchange of grooming for coalitionary support between unrelated female rhesus macaques in a population with a complete genetic pedigree. Females that received grooming were not more responsive to calls for coalitionary support from unrelated female group mates compared to control females that received agonism or no interaction — even when the call belonged to a females’ most recent grooming partner. Similarly, females were not more responsive to calls for support from their most frequent unrelated grooming partner of the last two years, nor if they received large amounts of grooming from all other females in their group. We interpret these results as an absence of evidence for direct or generalized reciprocity on any timescale in the exchange of grooming for coalitionary support in rhesus macaques. If grooming is exchanged for support in this population, it is with an intensity below our ability to detect it or over a longer timescale than we examined. We propose by-product explanations may also be at play and highlight the importance of investigating multiple mechanisms when testing apparently cooperative behaviors.National Institutes of Health (NIH)Leverhulme Trus

Employee share ownership in a unionised duopoly

Profit sharing schemes have been analysed assuming Cournot competition and decentralised wage negotiations, and it has been found that firms share profits in equilibrium. This paper analyses a different remuneration system: employee share ownership. We find that whether firms choose to share ownership or not depends on both the type of competition in the product market and the way in which workers organise to negotiate wages. If wage setting is decentralised, under duopolistic Cournot competition both firms share ownership. If wage setting is centralised, only one firm shares ownership if the degree to which goods are substitutes takes an intermediate value; otherwise, the two firms share ownership. In this case, if the union sets the same wage for all workers neither firm shares ownership. Therefore, centralised wage setting discourages share ownership. Fi- nally, under Bertrand competition neither firm shares ownership regardless of how workers are organised to negotiate wages.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio