Does personality affect dietary intake?

The purpose of this review is to evaluate the evidence for an association between the Big Five dimensions of personality, dietary intake, and compliance to dietary recommendations. Poor diet is a known risk factor for overweight and obesity and associated chronic lifestyle diseases and it has been proposed that personality may be linked to dietary choices. Findings from cross-sectional surveys from different countries and cultures show a positive association between Openness and consumption of fruits and vegetables and between Conscientiousness and healthy eating. Although no evidence has been found that personality dimensions are associated with adherence to dietary recommendations over time, Conscientiousness is associated with a number of prosocial and health-promoting behaviors that include avoiding alcohol-related harm, binge-drinking, and smoking, and adherence to medication regimens. With emerging evidence of an association between higher Conscientiousness and lower obesity risk, the hypothesis that higher Conscientiousness may predict adoption of healthy dietary and other lifestyle recommendations appears to be supported

Correlation of ISO 16840-2:2007 impact damping and hysteresis measures for a sample of wheelchair seating cushions

Hysteresis and impact damping measures were made on 37 wheelchair seating cushions according to ISO 16840-2:2007 Wheelchair seating—Part 2: Determination of physical and mechanical characteristics of devices intended to manage tissue integrity—seat cushions. These measures were then correlated using Spearman and Pearson correlations to investigate the relationship between them. Correlations were also conducted on the subset of cushions comprising only those with planar foam construction. Correlation between the hysteresis measures (h250 and h500) and the mean number of rebounds greater in amplitude than 10% of the peak acceleration amplitude (R10%) were weak, as were the correlations between the hysteresis measures and the mean peak first rebound acceleration (aa). Correlations between hysteresis and the mean peak second rebound acceleration (a2), and also hysteresis and the ratio of first and second peak (a2:aa) however were moderate. Results demonstrate that the relationship between these two measures is complex. The assertion implicit in ISO 16840-2:2007 is that the two measures are related, but this study shows that these should not be assumed to be equivalent or used interchangeably

A quick guide for student-driven community genome annotation

High quality gene models are necessary to expand the molecular and genetic tools available for a target organism, but these are available for only a handful of model organisms that have undergone extensive curation and experimental validation over the course of many years. The majority of gene models present in biological databases today have been identified in draft genome assemblies using automated annotation pipelines that are frequently based on orthologs from distantly related model organisms. Manual curation is time consuming and often requires substantial expertise, but is instrumental in improving gene model structure and identification. Manual annotation may seem to be a daunting and cost-prohibitive task for small research communities but involving undergraduates in community genome annotation consortiums can be mutually beneficial for both education and improved genomic resources. We outline a workflow for efficient manual annotation driven by a team of primarily undergraduate annotators. This model can be scaled to large teams and includes quality control processes through incremental evaluation. Moreover, it gives students an opportunity to increase their understanding of genome biology and to participate in scientific research in collaboration with peers and senior researchers at multiple institutions

Dietary electrolytes are related to mood

Dietary therapies are routinely recommended to reduce disease risk; however, there is concern they may adversely affect mood. We compared the effect on mood of a low-sodium, high-potassium diet (LNAHK) and a high-calcium diet (HC) with a moderate-sodium, high-potassium, high-calcium Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH)-type diet (OD). We also assessed the relationship between dietary electrolytes and cortisol, a stress hormone and marker of hypothalamic&ndash;pituitary&ndash;adrenal (HPA) axis activity. In a crossover design, subjects were randomized to two diets for 4 weeks, the OD and either LNAHK or HC, each preceded by a 2-week control diet (CD). Dietary compliance was assessed by 24 h urine collections. Mood was measured weekly by the Profile of Mood States (POMS). Saliva samples were collected to measure cortisol. The change in mood between the preceding CD and the test diet (LNAHK or HC) was compared with the change between the CD and OD. Of the thirty-eight women and fifty-six men (mean age 56&middot;3 (sem 9&middot;8) years) that completed the OD, forty-three completed the LNAHK and forty-eight the HC. There was a greater improvement in depression, tension, vigour and the POMS global score for the LNAHK diet compared to OD (P &lt; 0&middot;05). Higher cortisol levels were weakly associated with greater vigour, lower fatigue, and higher levels of urinary potassium and magnesium (r 0&middot;1&ndash;0&middot;2, P &lt; 0&middot;05 for all). In conclusion, a LNAHK diet appeared to have a positive effect on overall mood.<br /

Impact of physical and biological processes on temporal variations of the ocean carbon sink in the mid-latitude North Atlantic (2002–2016)

The ocean is currently a significant net sink for anthropogenically remobilised CO2, taking up around 24% of global emissions. Numerical models predict a diversity of responses of the ocean carbon sink to increased atmospheric concentrations in a warmer world. Here, we tested the hypothesis that increased atmospheric forcing is causing a change in the ocean carbon sink using a high frequency observational dataset derived from underway pCO2 (carbon dioxide partial pressure) instruments on ships of opportunity (SOO) and a fixed-point mooring between 2002 and 2016. We calculated an average carbon flux of 0.013 Pg yr−1 into the ocean at the Porcupine Abyssal Plain (PAP) site, consistent with past estimates. In spite of the increase in atmospheric pCO2, monthly average seawater pCO2 did not show a statistically significant increasing trend, but a higher annual variability, likely due to the decreasing buffer capacity of the system. The increasing led to an increasing trend in the estimated CO2 flux into the ocean of 0.19 ± 0.03 mmol m−2 day−1 per year across the entire 15 year time series, making the study area a stronger carbon sink. Seawater pCO2 variability is mostly influenced by temperature, alkalinity and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) changes, with 77% of the annual seawater pCO2 changes explained by these terms. DIC is in turn influenced by gas exchange and biological production. In an average year, the DIC drawdown by biological production, as determined from nitrate uptake, was higher than the DIC increase due to atmospheric CO2 dissolution into the surface ocean. This effect was enhanced in years with high nutrient input or shallow mixed layers. Using the rate of change of DIC and nitrate, we observed Redfieldian carbon consumption during the spring bloom at a C:N ratio of 6.2 ± 1.6. A comparison between SOO and PAP sustained observatory data revealed a strong agreement for pCO2 and DIC. This work demonstrates that the study area has continued to absorb atmospheric CO2 in recent years with this sink enhancing over time. Furthermore, the change in pCO2 per unit nitrate became larger as surface buffer capacity changed

Associations of dietary intake on biological markers of inflammation in children and adolescents: A systematic review

Background: In children and adolescents, chronic low-grade inflammation has been implicated in the pathogenesis of co- and multi-morbid conditions to mental health disorders. Diet quality is a potential mechanism of action that can exacerbate or ameliorate low-grade inflammation; however, the exact way dietary intake can regulate the immune response in children and adolescents is still to be fully understood. Methods: Studies that measured dietary intake (patterns of diet, indices, food groups, nutrients) and any inflammatory biomarkers in children and adolescents aged 2 to19 years and published until November 2020 were included in this systematic review, and were selected in line with PRISMA guidelines through the following databases: Academic Search Complete, CINAHL, Global Health, Medline COMPLETE andWeb of Science-Core Collection. A total of 53 articles were identified. Results: Results show that adequate adherence to healthful dietary patterns such as the Mediterranean diet, or food groups such as vegetables and fruit, or macro/micro nutrients such as fibre or vitamin C and E, are associated with decreased levels of pro-inflammatory biomarkers, mainly c-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), whereas adherence to aWestern dietary pattern, as well as intake of food groups such as added sugars, macro-nutrients such as saturated fatty acids or ultra-processed foods, is associated with higher levels of the same pro-inflammatory biomarkers. Conclusions: This is the first systematic review examining dietary intake and biological markers of inflammation in both children and adolescents. A good quality diet, high in vegetable and fruit intake, wholegrains, fibre and healthy fats ameliorates low-grade inflammation, and therefore represents a promising therapeutic approach, as well as an important element for disease prevention in both children and adolescents.A.B. and C.M.P. are funded by the UK Medical Research Council (grants MR/L014815/1, MR/J002739/1and MR/N029488/1), the European Commission Horizon 2020 (grant SC1-BHC-01- 2019) and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College London; they have also received research funding from Johnson and Johnson for research on depression and inflammation, but this paper is independent from this funding. In addition, C.M.P. is funded by the Wellcome Trust strategy award to the Neuroimmunology of Mood Disorders and Alzheimer’s Disease (NIMA) Consortium (104025), which is also funded by Janssen, GlaxoSmithKline, Lundbeck and Pfizer, but, again, this paper is independent from this funding

Robust Network Stability of Mosquitoes and Human Pathogens of Medical Importance

Background: The exact number of mosquito species relevant to human health is unknown, posing challenges in understanding the scope and breadth of vector–pathogen relationships, and how resilient mosquito vector–pathogen networks are to targeted eradication of vectors. Methods: We performed an extensive literature survey to determine the associations between mosquito species and their associated pathogens of human medical importance. For each vector–pathogen association, we then determined the strength of the associations (i.e., natural infection, lab infection, lab dissemination, lab transmission, known vector). A network analysis was used to identify relationships among all pathogens and vectors. Finally, we examined how elimination of either random or targeted species affected the extinction of pathogens. Results: We found that 88 of 3578 mosquito species (2.5%) are known vectors for 78 human disease-causing pathogens; however, an additional 243 species (6.8%) were identified as potential or likely vectors, bringing the total of all mosquitos implicated in human disease to 331 (9.3%). Network analysis revealed that known vectors and pathogens were compartmentalized, with the removal of six vectors being enough to break the network (i.e., cause a pathogen to have no vector). However, the presence of potential or likely vectors greatly increased redundancies in the network, requiring more than 41 vectors to be eliminated before breaking the network. Conclusion: Although \u3c 10% of mosquitoes are involved in transmitting pathogens that cause human disease, our findings point to inherent robustness in global mosquito vector–pathogen networks

Does stress induce salt intake?

Psychological stress is a common feature of modern day societies, and contributes to the global burden of disease. It was proposed by Henry over 20 years ago that the salt intake of a society reflects the level of stress, and that stress, through its effect on increasing salt intake, is an important factor in the development of hypertension. This review evaluates the evidence from animal and human studies to determine if stress does induce a salt appetite and increase salt consumption in human subjects. Findings from animal studies suggest that stress may drive salt intake, with evidence for a potential mechanism via the sympatho-adrenal medullary system and/or the hypothalamo&ndash;pituitary&ndash;adrenal axis. In contrast, in the few laboratory studies conducted in human subjects, none has found that acute stress affects salt intake. However, one study demonstrated that life stress (chronic stress) was associated with increased consumption of snack foods, which included, but not specifically, highly salty snacks. Studies investigating the influence of chronic stress on eating behaviours are required, including consumption of salty foods. From the available evidence, we can conclude that in free-living, Na-replete individuals, consuming Na in excess of physiological requirements, stress is unlikely to be a major contributor to salt intake.<br /

Dietary fat restriction increases fat taste sensitivity in people with obesity

OBJECTIVE: Individuals with obesity may be less sensitive to the taste of fat, and it is hypothesized that this is due to excess dietary fat intake. This study assessed the effect of a 6-week low-fat (LF) or portion control (PC) diet matched for weight loss on fat taste thresholds, fat perception, and preference in people with overweight/obesity. METHODS: Participants (n&thinsp;=&thinsp;53) completed a randomized dietary intervention and consumed either a LF diet (25% fat) or PC diet (33% fat) for 6 weeks. Fat taste thresholds (lowest detectable fat concentration), fat perception (discrimination ability), preference, and anthropometry were assessed at baseline and week 6. RESULTS: Consumption of a LF diet (n&thinsp;=&thinsp;26) and PC diet (n&thinsp;=&thinsp;27) reduced participants\u27 weight (P&thinsp;&lt;&thinsp;0.001), with no significant differences between groups (LF, -2.9%, PC, -2.7%). Both diets resulted in a decrease in fat taste thresholds (P&thinsp;=&thinsp;0.014), and the effect tended to be stronger in the LF diet vs. the PC diet (P&thinsp;=&thinsp;0.060). The ability to perceive different fat concentrations in foods was increased after the LF diet only (P&thinsp;=&thinsp;0.017); however, food preference did not change on either diet. CONCLUSIONS: A PC and LF diet both increase fat taste sensitivity in people with overweight/obesity, with the strongest effect after the LF diet

Kepler-68: Three Planets, One With a Density Between That of Earth and Ice Giants

NASA's Kepler Mission has revealed two transiting planets orbiting Kepler-68. Follow-up Doppler measurements have established the mass of the innermost planet and revealed a third jovian-mass planet orbiting beyond the two transiting planets. Kepler-68b, in a 5.4 day orbit has mass 8.3 +/- 2.3 Earth, radius 2.31 +/- 0.07 Earth radii, and a density of 3.32 +/- 0.92 (cgs), giving Kepler-68b a density intermediate between that of the ice giants and Earth. Kepler-68c is Earth-sized with a radius of 0.953 Earth and transits on a 9.6 day orbit; validation of Kepler-68c posed unique challenges. Kepler-68d has an orbital period of 580 +/- 15 days and minimum mass of Msin(i) = 0.947 Jupiter. Power spectra of the Kepler photometry at 1-minute cadence exhibit a rich and strong set of asteroseismic pulsation modes enabling detailed analysis of the stellar interior. Spectroscopy of the star coupled with asteroseismic modeling of the multiple pulsation modes yield precise measurements of stellar properties, notably Teff = 5793 +/- 74 K, M = 1.079 +/- 0.051 Msun, R = 1.243 +/- 0.019 Rsun, and density 0.7903 +/- 0.0054 (cgs), all measured with fractional uncertainties of only a few percent. Models of Kepler-68b suggest it is likely composed of rock and water, or has a H and He envelope to yield its density of about 3 (cgs).Comment: 32 pages, 13 figures, Accepted to Ap