Cue-based estimates of reproductive value explain women's body attractiveness

Women's body attractiveness is influenced by specific anthropometric cues, including body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), waist-to-stature ratio (WSR), and shoulder-to-waist ratio (SWR). Despite the existence of multiple functional hypotheses to explain these preferences, it remains unclear which cue-based inferences are most influential in regulating evaluations of women's body attractiveness. We argue that (i) the common link to the morphological cues that influence women's body attractiveness is that they all reliably indicate high reproductive value (as defined by youth and low parity); and (ii) ancestrally, selection pressures related to tracking between-women differences in reproductive value would have been among the strongest acting on adaptations for body evaluation. An empirical study then tested the resulting prediction that cue-based estimates of reproductive value function as powerful regulators of women's body attractiveness judgments. Subjects viewed standardized photos of women in swimsuits (with heads obscured), and were assigned to either estimate components of their reproductive value (age or number of offspring) or rate their attractiveness. Structural equation modeling revealed that a latent variable capturing estimated reproductive value was almost perfectly correlated with a latent variable capturing body attractiveness. Moreover, unique associations of women's BMI, WHR, and WSR with their body attractiveness were entirely mediated via estimated reproductive value. These findings provide strong support for the longstanding hypothesis that women's body attractiveness is primarily explained by cue-based estimates of reproductive value – expected future utility as a vehicle of offspring production.     

What people prefer and what they think they prefer in short- and long-term partners. The effects of the phase of the menstrual cycle,hormonal contraception,pregnancy, and the marital and the parenthood status on partner preferences

The issue with most studies concerned with mate selection preferences in humans is that they rely on declarations and rational actions of experimental subjects, which are affected by their pre-conceived opinions and prejudices. Moreover, current research suggests that subcortical structures and processes, rather than the neocortex, play the principal role in actual partner choice behaviour. Consequently, we have only limited information on how relevant our current knowledge is in relation to real-life human ethology. To address these issues, we surveyed 2718 women and 4073 men between the ages of 16–50 and compared their declared and observed preferences for various properties in short-term and long-term partners. We found differences between what the subjects declared to prefer and what they preferred in reality: for example, men declared that wealth was the second least desirable property out of eleven in short-term partners, but we observed that in reality, they considered wealth the third most important factor after charisma and sense of humour. Similarly, while women declared that dominance and masculinity were desirable properties in short-term partners, in the observational part of the study, they showed little preference for these traits. Furthermore, we investigated the effects of the phase of the menstrual cycle, hormonal contraception, pregnancy, and partnership and parenthood status on these preferences. We found some support for the good parents hypothesis and no support for the good genes and the immunocompetence handicap hypotheses when observed, rather than declared preferences were considered. We also detected that hormonal contraception, and parenthood and partnership status influenced declared preferences in considerable ways, but had only a small, if any, impact on observed preferences. We suggest interpreting the results of studies reliant on declarations and rational actions of experimental subjects with great caution.     

Post‐ingestive effects of nectar alkaloids depend on dominance status of bumblebees

Abstract 1. Secondary metabolites have acute or chronic post‐ingestive effects on animals, ranging from death to growth inhibition to reduced nutrient assimilation. 2. Although characterised as toxic, the nectar of Gelsemium sempervirens is not lethal to pollinators, even when the concentration of the nectar alkaloid gelsemine is very high. However, little is known about the sublethal costs of nectar alkaloids. 3. Using a microcolony assay and paired worker bumblebees, the present study measured the effects of artificial nectar containing gelsemine on oocyte development. Oocytes are a sensitive indicator of protein utilisation and general metabolic processes. We also calculated carbohydrate concentrations in the haemolymph to examine energetic costs of gelsemine consumption. 4. High concentrations of gelsemine significantly reduced mean oocyte width in subordinate bees, while dominant bees showed only a trend towards oocyte inhibition. Gelsemine consumption did not reduce carbohydrate concentrations in haemolymph. 5. The cost of ingesting gelsemine may be due to direct toxicity of alkaloids or may be an expense associated with detoxifying gelsemine. Detoxification of alkaloids can require reallocation of resources away from essential metabolic functions like reproduction. The risks associated with nectar alkaloid consumption are tied to both the social and nutritional status of the bee.     

Molecular phylogeny of the extinct Steller's sea cow and other Sirenia species based on their complete mitochondrial genomes

The Steller's sea cow – Hydrodamalis gigas (Dugongidae: Sirenia) – is an extinct herbivorous marine mammal which inhabited the North Pacific Ocean during the Pleistocene and Holocene. H. gigas was the largest member of the Sirenia order and disappeared in the middle of the 18th century. Here, we present the complete sequence of the mitochondrial genome of this extinct animal. The Steller's sea cow mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is 16,872 base pairs (bp) in length and contains a set of mitochondrial genes typical for mammals. Phylogenetic analysis based on complete mitochondrial genomes of the sirenian species allows accurate assessment of the degree of their mitogenomic diversification during millions of years of evolution.     

The influence of goal demotion on children's reproduction of ritual behavior

Rituals are a ubiquitous feature of human behavior, yet we know little about the cognitive mechanisms that enable children to recognize them and respond accordingly. In this study, 3 to 6 year old children living in Bushman communities in South Africa were shown a sequence of causally irrelevant actions that differed in the extent to which goal demotion was a feature. The children consistently replicated the causally irrelevant actions but when such actions were also fully goal demoted they were reproduced at significantly higher rates. These findings highlight how causal opacity and goal demotion work in tandem to demarcate actions as being ritualistic, and specifically, how goal demotion uniquely influences the reproduction of ritualistic actions.     

A correlated response of a parasite’s virulence and life cycle to selection on its host’s life history

We demonstrate a correlated response of the virulence and the mode of transmission of the microsporidian parasite Edhazardia aedis to selection on the age at pupation of its host, the mosquito Aedes aegypti. We selected three lines of mosquitoes each for early or late pupation and exposed the larvae after zero, two and four generations of selection to a low and a high concentration of the parasite’s spores. Before selection the parasites induced a similar level of mortality in the six lines; after four generations of selection mortality was higher in the mosquitoes selected for late pupation than in those selected for early pupation. Overall, parasite-induced mortality was positively correlated with the mean age at pupation of the matching uninfected line. When they died, mosquitoes selected for early pupation harboured mostly binucleate spores, which are responsible for vertical transmission. Mosquitoes selected for late pupation were more likely to harbour uninucleate spores, which are responsible for horizontal transmission. The parasite enhanced this tendency for horizontal transmission by prolonging the larval period in the lines selected for late pupation, but not in the ones selected for early pupation. These results suggest that the genetic basis of the mosquito’s age at pupation helps to determine the parasite’s mode of transmission: parasites in rapidly developing mosquitoes are benign and transmit vertically, while parasites in slowly developing mosquitoes are virulent and transmit horizontally. Thus, as the host’s life history evolves, the parasite’s performance changes, because the host’s evolution changes the environment in which the parasite develops.     

脐血单个核细胞移植对帕金森病的临床疗效研究

目的观察经寰枕间隙侧方穿刺术移植人脐血单个核细胞（hUCB-MNCs）治疗帕金森病（PD）的临床疗效。 方法选取聊城市人民医院神经内科经寰枕间隙侧方穿刺术移植hUCB-MNCs治疗的31例PD患者，于治疗前及治疗后1、3、6、12个月，采用统一帕金森评估量表（UPDRS）第Ⅱ部分、第Ⅲ部分和帕金森非运动症状评价量表（NMSS）、匹兹堡睡眠质量指数量表（PSOI）对患者进行评分，并记录左旋多巴等效剂量（LED）。采用重复测量资料方差分析对治疗前后多个时间点的评分及左旋多巴等效剂量进行比较，两两比较采用Bonferroni检验。 结果（1）与治疗前比较，治疗后3、6、12个月UPDRS Ⅱ评分[（17.75±6.81）分比（13.67±5.62）分、（12.54±4.39）分、（10.41±4.31）分]均降低；治疗后3、6、12个月UPDRS Ⅲ评分[（28.53±14.75）分比（21.65±10.11）分、（19.37±9.26）分、（16.12±7.44）分]亦均降低，差异有统计学意义（P < 0.05）。（2）与治疗前比较，治疗后1、3、6、12个月NMSS评分[（58.94±35.74）分比（50.27±31.06）分、（41.38±28.25）分、（38.42±25.73）分、（36.15±24.56）分]均降低，差异有统计学意义（P < 0.05）。PSOI评分亦有相同变化趋势。（3）与治疗前比较，治疗后6、12个月LED[（629.57±205.33）mg/d比（435.54±160.62）mg/d、（300.71±135.83） mg/ d]下降，差异有统计学意义（P < 0.05）。 结论经寰枕间隙侧方穿刺术移植hUCB-MNCs治疗能改善PD患者的运动及非运动症状，延缓病情的进展。     

A comprehensive assessment of caffeine’s effects on components of countermovement jump performance

The aim of this study was to conduct a comprehensive examination of caffeine’s effects on countermovement jump (CMJ) performance. In this randomized, double-blind, crossover study, twenty-two resistance-trained men (age: 28 ± 5 years; height: 183 ± 5 cm; weight: 79 ± 10 kg; habitual caffeine intake: 127 ± 102 mg/day) performed the CMJ test on two occasions, following the ingestion of capsule containing 3 mg/kg of caffeine or placebo (3 mg/kg of dextrose). Fifteen outcomes derived from the force plate during the CMJ test were analyzed. As compared to placebo, there was a significant ergogenic effect of caffeine for peak force, force at eccentric to concentric action transition, time to peak force, peak power, maximum rate of power development, peak velocity, power at peak force, velocity at peak power, velocity at peak force, and vertical jump height. Effect sizes ranged from 0.11 to 0.38, p-values ranged from 0.048 to 0.002. There were no significant differences between caffeine and placebo for mean force, mean power, time to peak power, impulse at 300 ms, and force at peak power. This study shows that caffeine ingestion impacts a wide array of outcomes derived from the force plate during the CMJ test, not only jump height. From a practical perspective, the findings suggest that: (1) individuals interested in acute increases in CMJ performance may consider caffeine supplementation; and, (2) caffeine intake should be standardized before CMJ testing.     

Host‐searching responses to herbivory‐associated chemical information and patch use depend on mating status of female solitary parasitoid wasps

1. In a tritrophic interaction system consisting of plants, herbivores, and their parasitoids, chemicals released from plants after herbivory are known to play important roles for many female parasitoids to find their hosts efficiently. On the plant side, chemical information associated with herbivory can act as an indirect defence by attracting the natural enemies of the host herbivores. 2. However, mated and virgin females of haplodiploid parasitoids might not necessarily respond to such chemical cues in the same way. Since virgin females can produce only sons, they might refrain from searching for hosts to invest eggs until copulation, in order to produce both sexes. 3. Here, we investigated differential host‐searching behaviours shown by mated and virgin females in the solitary parasitoid wasp, Cotesia vestalis, in response to herbivory‐associated chemical information from cruciferous plants infested by their host larvae, Plutella xylostella. 4. Mated females showed a significantly higher flight preference for host‐infested plants over intact plants, while no preference was observed with virgin females. Mated females also showed more intensive antennal searching and ovipositor probing behaviours to leaf squares with wounds caused by hosts than did virgin females. Furthermore, mated females stayed longer in host patches with higher parasitism rates than virgin females. 5. These results indicate that mating status of C. vestalis females clearly influences their host‐searching behaviour in response to herbivory‐associated chemical information and patch exploitation. Female parasitoids seem to forage for hosts depending on their own physiological condition in a tritrophic system.     

间充质干细胞外泌体在阿尔兹海默症治疗中的研究进展

阿尔兹海默症（AD）是一种病理机制复杂,以进行性认知功能障碍为主的中枢神经系统疾病,目前仍缺乏有效的治疗方法。多项研究结果显示,间充质干细胞（MSCs）外泌体能够促进抗炎、调节免疫功能、加强Aβ降解、促进神经细胞轴突生长等,能很好地针对AD的核心病理机制发挥效果从而达到治疗效果。本文主要介绍MSCs外泌体在各项AD病理机制治疗中的研究进展。     

信号肽优化在枯草芽孢杆菌体系中对脂肪酶LipS分泌表达的影响

枯草芽孢杆菌具有良好的安全性和优异的外分泌能力,是目前常用的脂肪酶异源分泌表达体系。在枯草体系中如何提高脂肪酶分泌量是目前的研究热点。该体系中信号肽与目的基因不匹配和目标蛋白总表达量不高是导致脂肪酶LipS分泌表达效果较差的重要原因。针对这些问题,依据信号肽结构特征的不同(正电荷与疏水氨基酸个数的差异)对枯草芽孢杆菌体系中Sec和Tat这两个主要分泌途径的信号肽进行了筛选,结果显示Tat途径中的phoD信号肽分泌效果明显优于其他信号肽。在此基础上,通过替换使用诱导型表达载体、突变优化phoD信号肽,并考察了表达条件的影响,显著提高了脂肪酶LipS的分泌表达量,发酵液中转酯酶活达到62.07U/L,占总酶活的62.30%,较原始分泌表达体系的分泌量提高了13.7倍。     

固态发酵预处理木屑对其制备成型燃料的影响

为了解决生物质成型产业存在的成型燃料密度低、强度低、抗吸水能力弱、不耐存储等问题,采用黄孢原毛平革菌Phanerochaete chrysosporium BKMF21767对黧蒴栲木屑(Castanopsis fissa Rehd.et Wils)进行固态发酵预处理,固态发酵木屑在含水率15%和最大压强98 MPa的条件下制备成型燃料。以成型能耗(挤压和推动能耗)、成型燃料密度、Meyer强度和吸水性等表征发酵时间对黧蒴栲木屑成型行为及成型燃料性能的影响。结果表明:与由新鲜黧蒴栲木屑制备的成型燃料相比,经固态发酵的黧蒴栲木屑成型燃料的燃烧热值几乎不变,虽然在成型过程中的挤压能耗最高升高6.98%,但推动能耗最高可降低32.19%。同时,固态发酵预处理能够提高成型燃料的密度、Meyer强度和抗吸水能力,有利于成型燃料在长时间储运中保持品质,其中由固态发酵48 d左右的木屑制备的成型燃料品质最佳。     

Effect of increased gene dosage expression on the α-interferon receptors in Down's syndrome

The gene coding for the α,β-interferon (α,β-IFN) receptor is localized to chromosome 21. Cells from patients with Down's syndrome contain an extra chromosome 21, and thereby an expected 1.5-times increase in the number of genes located to this chromosome and in consequence a 1.5-times increase in cell surface α-IFN receptors. Actual measurements of these by competition binding experiments with human recombinant α-IFN on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from patients with Down's syndrome resulted in a mean of 1.69, which is in accordance to the theoretical 1.50, but slightly overestimated due to the calculation method. The increased gene dosage of the α-IFN receptor was quantitatively verified by Southern blot-hybridizations. Further characterization of α-IFN receptor binding showed insignificant differences in dissociation constants among patients and healthy individuals.     

Nest survival rate of Reeves's pheasant (Syrmaticus reevesii) based on artificial nest experiments

To explore the nest survival rate of Reeves's pheasant (Syrmaticus reevesii) and the nest-site factors that affect it,we conducted artificial nest experiments with reference to natural nests at Dongzhai National Nature Reserve (DNNR),Henan Province and Pingjingguan,Hubei Province from April to June 2014 simulating the situation in its early and later breeding season.We also determined distance characteristics of the nest sites by ArcGIS 10.0.Nest survival models were constructed in Program MARK for data analysis.Results indicated that in the early breeding season,the apparent survival rate (ASR) in DNNR (52.4％) was significantly greater than that in Pingjingguan (13.5％),and the ASR in the later breeding season in DNNR (26.7％) was not indistinctively correlated with Pingjingguan (3.2％).The daily survival rate (DSR) in the later breeding season was 93.8％ in DNNR and 92.0％ in Pingjingguan,respectively.The DSRs were both negatively correlated with nest distance to forest edges and settlements.The DSR in Pingjingguan was positively correlated with nest distance to paths and negatively correlated with nest distance to water sources.However,the DSR in DNNR was negatively correlated with nest distance to paths but positively correlated with nest distance to water sources.     

三种方法制备的猪小肠黏膜下层支架的生物相容性和免疫原性的对比研究

目的:采用三种不同的脱细胞方法制备小肠黏膜下层(small intestinal submucosa,SIS)支架,研究其生物相容性、免疫原性以及构建真皮替代物等方面,为组织工程化皮肤的细胞载体支架提供优选方案。方法:将新鲜猪小肠分别采用单纯机械法、机械-化学法、机械-酶消化法制备三种不同的SIS,分别作为A、B、C组;通过复合成纤维细胞构建真皮替代物,利用HE染色观察支架组织学形态以及细胞粘附情况、MTT法检测细胞增殖情况,同时观察支架移植SD大鼠皮下1、2、4周后炎症反应及血管化程度。结果:组织学观察A组有细胞残留,B、C组未见细胞残留。MTT结果显示细胞在支架上生长旺盛增殖能力强,其中A组优于B、C组;皮下移植后的HE结果表明B组引起炎症反应较A、C组弱,而C组血管化程度较A、B组更明显。结论:机械-化学法以及机械-酶消化法制备的SIS具有良好的生物相容性以及免疫原性,可作为构建组织工程化皮肤细胞载体的选择。     

Effects of Pendular Waist on Gecko's Climbing: Dynamic Gait,Analytical Model and Bio-inspired Robot

Most quadruped reptiles,such as lizards,salamanders and crocodiles,swing their waists while climbing on horizontal or vertical surfaces.Accompanied by body movement,the centroid trajectory also becomes more of a zigzag path rather than a straight line.Inspired by gecko's gait and posture on a vertical surface,a gecko inspired model with one pendular waist and four active axil legs,which is called GPL model,is proposed.Relationship between the waist position,dynamic gait,and driving forces on supporting feet is analyzed.As for waist trajectory planning,a singular line between the supporting feet is found and its effects on driving forces are discussed.Based on the GPL model,it is found that a sinusoidal waist trajectory,rather than a straight line,makes the driving forces on the supporting legs smaller.Also,a waist close to the pygal can reduce the driving forces compared to the one near middle vertebration,which is in accord with gecko's body bending in the process of climbing.The principles of configuration design and gait planning are proposed based on theoretical analyses.Finally,a bio-inspired robot DracoBot is developed and both of the driving force measurements and climbing experiments reinforce theoretical analysis and the rationality of gecko's dynamic gait.     

Occurrence of Bondar's Nesting Whitefly,Paraleyrodes bondari (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), on cassava in Uganda

Cassava is a valued calorific source to millions of Africans who eat it daily and a vital staple for their food security. One of the key constraints to this crop is whiteflies which are both a vector of viral diseases and a direct pest. Although the African cassava whitefly is known to cause physical damage on cassava with considerable tuberous yield loss, a recent whitefly outbreak caused unusually severe damage, which prompted the current reported investigation. Molecular identification of whitefly adults sampled from the affected cassava field revealed the presence of a new whitefly species, Paraleyrodes bondari. This communication is the first report of the occurrence of P. bondari on cassava in Uganda.     

Subtle but ubiquitous selection on body size in a natural population of collared flycatchers over 33 years

Understanding the magnitude and long‐term patterns of selection in natural populations is of importance, for example, when analysing the evolutionary impact of climate change. We estimated univariate and multivariate directional, quadratic and correlational selection on four morphological traits (adult wing, tarsus and tail length, body mass) over a time period of 33 years (≈ 19 000 observations) in a nest‐box breeding population of collared flycatchers (Ficedula albicollis). In general, selection was weak in both males and females over the years regardless of fitness measure (fledged young, recruits and survival) with only few cases with statistically significant selection. When data were analysed in a multivariate context and as time series, a number of patterns emerged; there was a consistent, but weak, selection for longer wings in both sexes, selection was stronger on females when the number of fledged young was used as a fitness measure, there were no indications of sexually antagonistic selection, and we found a negative correlation between selection on tarsus and wing length in both sexes but using different fitness measures. Uni‐ and multivariate selection gradients were correlated only for wing length and mass. Multivariate selection gradient vectors were longer than corresponding vector of univariate gradients and had more constrained direction. Correlational selection had little importance. Overall, the fitness surface was more or less flat with few cases of significant curvature, indicating that the adaptive peak with regard to body size in this species is broader than the phenotypic distribution, which has resulted in weak estimates of selection.