If it pays to be a jerk, why isn’t everyone that way?

Long-term research on chimpanzees offers new clues to the puzzle of personality

Peer-Reviewed Publication

PEERJ

 

IMAGE: KNOWN AS A BULLY, FRODO THE CHIMPANZEE WAS GOMBE'S ALPHA MALE FOR FIVE YEARS. view more 

CREDIT: IAN C. GILBY, ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY.

DURHAM, N.C. -- Throw a tantrum. Threaten, shove aside or steal from your colleagues. Science confirms, yet again, that brutish behavior can be an effective path to power. And not just in humans, but in chimpanzees, too. 

A new study appearing April 24 in the journal PeerJ Life and Environment found that male chimps with more bullying, greedy and irritable personalities reached higher rungs of the social ladder and were more successful at siring offspring than their more deferential and conscientious counterparts.

But if that’s the case, researchers ask, why isn’t every chimp a bully? 

A team led by researchers at the University of Edinburgh and Duke University followed 28 male chimps living in Gombe National Park in Tanzania.

A previous study of Gombe chimpanzees led by Edinburgh’s Alexander Weiss along with Duke professor Anne Pusey and colleagues showed how some chimpanzees are more sociable, while others are loners. Some lean towards easy-going, while others are more overbearing or quick to pick fights.

Tanzanian field researchers who knew the chimpanzees well performed the personality assessments, based on years of near-daily observations of how each chimpanzee behaved and interacted with other chimps.

In the current study, researchers found that male chimps with certain personality traits -- in this case, a combination of high dominance and low conscientiousness -- tend to fare better in life than others. 

“Personality matters,” said Joseph Feldblum, assistant research professor of evolutionary anthropology at Duke and the other lead author of the study.

It may not be shocking to learn that bullying has its perks. But for some researchers, findings like these pose a conundrum: If males with certain personality tendencies are more likely to rise to the top and reproduce, and pass the genes for those traits on to their offspring, then shouldn’t every male be that way? 

In other words, why do personality differences exist at all?

“It’s an evolutionary puzzle,” Feldblum said.

One long-held theory is that different personality traits pay off at different points in animals’ lives. Even if being aggressive gives young male chimps an edge, it might backfire when they’re older. Or perhaps certain traits are a liability in youth but an asset in old age.

“Think of the personality traits that lead some people to peak in high school versus later in life,” Weiss said. “It’s a trade-off.” 

But when the team tested this idea, using 37 years of data going back to some of Jane Goodall’s early work at Gombe in the 1970s, they found the same personality traits were linked to high rank and reproductive success across the lifespan. 

The findings suggest that something else must explain the diversity of personalities in chimpanzees. It might be that the “best” personality to have varies depending on environmental or social conditions, or that a trait that is beneficial to males is costly to females, Feldblum said.

If that were true, then “genes associated with those traits would be kept in the population,” Weiss said.

Not too many years ago, the mere suggestion that animals have personalities at all was considered taboo. Jane Goodall herself was accused of anthropomorphism when she described some of the Gombe chimpanzees as “bolder” or “more fearful” than others, some as “affectionate” and others “cold.”

Since that time, scientists studying creatures ranging from birds to squid have found evidence of distinctive personalities in animals: quirks and idiosyncrasies and ways of relating to the world that remain reasonably stable over time and across situations.

Weiss says personality ratings for animals have proven to be as consistent from one observer to the next as are similar measures of human personality.

“The data just don’t support the skepticism,” Weiss said.

This research was supported by grants from the National Science Foundation (#BCS-9021946, #BCS-0452315, #BCS-0648481, #BCS-9319909, #IIS-0431141, #IOS-1052693, #IOS-1457260, #EF-0905606 and #DGE-1106401), the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland, the Jane Goodall Institute, the U.S. National Institutes of Health (R01-AI058715), Harris Steel Group, the University of Edinburgh, University of Minnesota, Duke University and the British Academy (PF20/100086).

CITATION: "Personality Traits, Rank Attainment, and Siring Success Throughout the Lives of Male Chimpanzees of Gombe National Park," Alexander Weiss, Joseph T. Feldblum, Drew M. Altschul, D. Anthony Collins, Shadrack Kamenya, Deus Mjungu, Steffen Foerster, Ian C. Gilby, Michael L. Wilson, Anne E. Pusey. PeerJ,April 24, 2023. DOI:  10.7717/peerj.1508.

 

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JOURNAL

PeerJ

DOI

10.7717/peerj.15083 

ARTICLE TITLE

Personality traits, rank attainment, and siring success throughout the lives of male chimpanzees of Gombe National Park

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

24-Apr-2023

Monkeys are smarter than we thought

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH

PITTSBURGH, April 24, 2023 – A paradigm-shifting study published today in Nature Neuroscience shows that, just like humans, monkeys are capable of complex deliberation and careful decision-making. The study is first to show that monkeys can think deeply about a problem and consider combinations of factors such as costs, consequences and constraints. In doing so, monkeys can find optimal outcomes rather than impulsively reaching for the first available option.

“Humans are not the only animals capable of slow and thoughtful deliberation,” said senior author William Stauffer, Ph.D., assistant professor of neurobiology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. “Our work shows that monkeys have a rich mental state that renders them capable of intelligent thinking. It’s a new paradigm for studying the neurophysiological basis for deliberative thought.”

Consider a fundamental question: how do we, as humans, think about what we want? What happens in our brains when we close our eyes and deliberate over complex questions, such as who to spend time with or what to study at school? And are other animals, including monkeys, capable of the same complexity of thought?

Several decades ago, the Nobel Prize laureate Daniel Kahneman, Ph.D., revolutionized the field of behavioral economics with Prospect Theory. In his book, “Thinking Fast and Slow,” he postulated that humans employ two distinct systems of thinking: one nearly instantaneous that happens automatically, and the other much slower conscious logical reasoning that requires more mental effort.

Kahneman dubbed the first, effortless, type of thinking as ‘fast’ and the second as ‘slow.’ Slow, effortful thinking enables us to write music, develop scientific hypothesis and balance our checkbooks.

As it turns out, humans’ slow thinking is not unique.

By presenting monkeys with combinatorial optimization problems in what Pitt neuroscientists dubbed the ‘knapsack task’ and rewarding the animals based on the value of the submitted solutions, researchers showed that monkeys employed sophisticated mathematical reasoning and used efficient computational algorithms to tackle complex problems.

The scientists discovered that the animals’ performance and speed of deliberation was dependent on the task’s complexity, and that their solutions closely matched those generated by efficient computer algorithms designed specifically to solve the optimization problem.

“Results from this work will contribute neurophysiological evidence to enlighten centuries of discussions about dual process theories of the mind, the structure of thoughts, and the neurobiological basis of intuition and reasoning,” wrote Stauffer in an accompanying research briefing.

Tao Hong of Carnegie Mellon University is the lead author of the paper.

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JOURNAL

Nature Neuroscience

DOI

10.1038/s41593-023-01307-6 

ARTICLE TITLE

Computational complexity drives sustained deliberation

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

24-Apr-2023

Investment in education in shrinking cities

Effectiveness of increasing the investment in educational support for children in shrinking cities

Peer-Reviewed Publication

OSAKA METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY

 

IMAGE: THIS STUDY DEMONSTRATES THAT SOCIAL AND EDUCATIONAL INDICATORS STRONGLY AFFECT THE POPULATION DECLINE RATE. THIS INDICATES THAT MUNICIPALITIES WITH MORE INVESTMENT IN EDUCATION FOR CHILDREN TEND TO EXPERIENCE SLOWER RATES OF POPULATION DECLINE. THE IMPACT OF EDUCATIONAL INDICATORS IS MORE SUBSTANTIAL THAN THAT OF ECONOMIC INDICATORS, SUCH AS THE FINANCIAL STRENGTH INDEX. SUCH EDUCATIONAL INDICATORS INCLUDE THE “NUMBER OF CHILDREN PER TEACHER IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL” AND THE “NUMBER OF STUDENTS PER EDUCATIONAL COMPUTER IN SCHOOLS.” view more 

CREDIT: HARUKA KATO, OSAKA METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY

In Japan, many municipalities have suffered from population decline due to low birth rates and an aging population. In 2022, the Japanese population over the age of 65 was 36.21 million, accounting for 28.9% of the total population. In addition, approximately 1,300 shrinking cities are within the 1,700 municipalities in Japan. Moreover, the large number of shrinking cities in Japan is unprecedented on a global scale. As a response to the low birthrate, the Japanese government is discussing “unprecedented” measures to reverse the decline, such as providing financial assistance for education to families with young children.

Assistant Professor Haruka Kato, at the Graduate School of Human Life and Ecology, Osaka Metropolitan University, clarified the effectiveness of increasing educational support for children in preventing population decline. In detail, the study employed Bayesian network analysis, a technique for machine learning, using a dataset of economic, social, and educational indicators. The dataset consists of cross-sectional data from 259 indicators of approximately 1,300 shrinking cities, representing the majority of city-level government statistics in Japan.

In conclusion, this study demonstrates that social and educational indicators strongly affect the population decline rate. This implies that municipalities that invest more in education for children tend to have lower population decline rates. Surprisingly, educational indicators exert a greater influence than economic indicators, such as the financial strength index. The indicators include the “number of children per teacher in elementary school” and the “number of students per educational computer in schools.”

According to Professor Kato, “This relevance of educational indicators might be unique to Japan, which has experienced a declining population due to its low birthrates. Education accounts for a low percentage of national and administrative fiscal expenditures in Japan, primarily because social welfare expenditures for older adults are a heavy burden. However, among the fiscal expenditure limitations in Japan, the suggestion is that increasing investment in education for children might help solve the problem of shrinking cities. In addition, the conclusion would be effective in some Asian countries, such as South Korea and China, which will decline in population due to low birth rates and aging populations.”

The results were published in PLOS ONE.

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About OMU

Osaka Metropolitan University is a new public university established by a merger between Osaka City University and Osaka Prefecture University in April 2022. For more science news, see https://www.upc-osaka.ac.jp/new-univ/en-research/, and follow @OsakaMetUniv_en and #OMUScience.

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JOURNAL

PLoS ONE

DOI

10.1371/journal.pone.0284134 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Data/statistical analysis

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Urban Modeling of Shrinking Cities through Bayesian Network Analysis Using Economic, Social, and Educational Indicators: Case of Japanese Cities

Achieving prevention and health, rather than more healthcare

Rutgers is researching a new health care model that emphasizes primary care and prevention over emergency care in underserved communities

Peer-Reviewed Publication

RUTGERS UNIVERSITY

If more people have access to health insurance, we have to be sure the death rates of those with certain chronic conditions are decreasing.

This is one of the statements Gregory Peck, an acute care surgeon and associate professor at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, will be researching on behalf of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) at the National Institutes of Health.

Funded by NIH grants totaling more than $1 million through a recent two-year award from the New Jersey Alliance for Clinical and Translational Science (NJ ACTS), a Rutgers hub of the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, and now a four-year award from the NIDDK, Peck is on average one of just two critical care surgeons funded nationally annually creating new models of health for NIH consideration.

Peck recently published two studies investigating death rates for gallstone disease, a disease of the abdomen that causes right-sided belly pain after eating, which share risk factors with other deadly diseases. His study, published in Gastro Hep Advances, found that between 2009 and 2018 the number of deaths of people in New Jersey with diagnosed gallstone disease (1,580) remained steady and did not improve, and that deaths in Latinos ages 65 and older potentially increased.

His study in the Journal of Surgical Research found that after Medicaid expansion in 2014 as compared to before, the amount of emergency surgery to remove the gallbladders for gallstone disease decreased in the state overall, but increased in people with Medicaid. While fatality from gallbladder removal surgery decreased for those 65 or older, there was increased death from surgery in the younger population and a trend of more death in the population with Medicaid. Further, the relatively decreased amount of gallbladder removal surgery occurring in ambulatory outpatient care centers did not necessarily help this.

 

Peck discusses the implications of the findings on a new shift in healthcare to prevention model.

Why did you focus on gallstone disease?

As a metabolic disease, gallstone disease is also linked to heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity and a sedentary lifestyle. In fact, heart disease, which is the No. 1 killer in America, and gallstone disease, which is the No. 1 digestive disease requiring surgery in America, share the risk factors of high levels of bad cholesterol type and obesity.

How do these studies inform public policy?

The amount of people dying with gallstone disease – most of whom require surgery – over the past decade has not gotten better. That’s 160 people a year who still are dying from a preventable death such as gallstone disease. Making progress is what this type of epidemiologic study focuses on, and concerningly, we might not have made good progress.

If Medicaid expansion didn’t positively affect the death rate of people with gallstone disease and we see it increase specifically in older Latino populations, we need to be asking if we are helping people of color and those who live in communities with lower socioeconomic status improve health or treating them sooner to prevent emergency surgery and especially decreasing death from emergency surgery. Insurance expansion is certainly needed, but we have to ensure the action specific pieces of policy impact the population requiring surgery in a patient-centered way.

The real goal is preventing the disease from even occurring. When we pass public health policy, we need to advocate for preventive care that reaches people through their community. Right now, the findings show that we might just be providing people with insurance cards who find themselves still needing to use the emergency department. Instead, that insurance should help them visit their primary care doctor, who can help them make changes like decreasing their bad cholesterol levels, which contribute to gallstone disease, and help them access care in ambulatory surgery centers sooner.

We need to cultivate preventive healthcare rather than ballooning the investment in emergency healthcare, which does not solve current inequities.

What other steps to improve access to care should be taken?

We propose a novel population health approach that shifts from the reactive treatments of emergency disease to proactive prevention. One place to start is increasing access to appropriate outpatient elective healthcare for underrepresented groups with barriers to preventive care, such as by increasing health insurance that incentivizes the behaviors toward improved health. A first step for my research group is to focus on diseases that currently require as much emergency as elective care, such as gallstone disease, and understand this by understanding who presents to the hospital, as to dial this back into the community level, to decrease hospital care.

In addition, in primary care, laboratory, radiology or ambulatory care settings we need to improve communication with people with low English proficiency – especially how well prevention is explained in a patient’s primary language. Language barriers might also prevent them from understanding the importance of cholesterol or blood pressure control over the one, two and three decades of life, or how they find access to diagnostic tests or treatment needed earlier.

How is Rutgers working to increase primary care knowledge in underserved communities?

Shawna Hudson, the co-director of community engagement for NJ ACTS, and my research mentor, is researching how representatives rooted in the community can help healthcare providers and researchers better understand how we can use community engagement to involve people in a communities’ preventive care as to decrease risk factors for chronic disease before they need hospital-based care and, more importantly, emergency surgery.

One initiative is the Community Engagement Virtual Salons, which help researchers and health care providers at NJ ACTS engage with patients and community members about how biomedical and clinical research leads to action through understanding disease and then enacting policy. In these sessions, the public serves as experts to provide feedback from a community perspective. This allows the medical profession to build relationships with community partners and increase the culturally sensitive participation of hard-to-reach populations.

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JOURNAL

Journal of Surgical Research

DOI

10.1016/j.jss.2023.03.006 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Data/statistical analysis

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Decreased Emergency Cholecystectomy and Case Fatality Rate, Not Explained by Expansion of Medicaid

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

14-Apr-2023

COI STATEMENT

Gregory L. Peck, DO, MPH, FACS was first author in the intellectual content and writing of the manuscript to take public responsibility for it. He has reviewed the final manuscript, believe it represents valid work, and approves it for submission. He is currently supported by the NIH National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences’ (NCATS) Rutgers Clinical Translational Science KL2 Career Development Award (CTSA 5 KL2 TR003018-4). He reports no proprietary or commercial interest in any product mentioned or concept discussed in this article and has no potential conflicts of interest. Yen-Hong Kuo, PhD participated sufficiently in the intellectual content and writing of the manuscript to take public responsibility for it. He has reviewed the final manuscript, believes it represents valid work, and approves it for submission. He reports no proprietary or commercial interest in any product mentioned or concept discussed in this article and has no potential conflicts of interest. Shawna V. Hudson, PhD participated sufficiently in the intellectual content and writing of the manuscript to take public responsibility for it. She has reviewed the final manuscript, believes it represents valid work, and approves it for submission. She reports no proprietary or commercial interest in any product mentioned or concept discussed in this article and has no potential conflicts of interest. Vicente H. Gracias, MD, FACS participated sufficiently in the intellectual content and writing of the manuscript to take public responsibility for it. He has reviewed the final manuscript, believes it represents valid work, and approves it for submission. He reports no proprietary or commercial interest in any product mentioned or concept discussed in this article and has no potential conflicts of interest. Jason A. Roy, PhD participated sufficiently in the intellectual content and writing of the manuscript to take public responsibility for it. He has reviewed the final manuscript, believes it represents valid work, and approves it for submission. He reports no proprietary or commercial interest in any product mentioned or concept discussed in this article and has no potential conflicts of interest. Brian L. Strom, MD, MPH participated sufficiently in the intellectual content and writing of the manuscript to take public responsibility for it. He has reviewed the final manuscript, believes it represents valid work, and approves it for submission. He reports no proprietary or commercial interest in any product mentioned or concept discussed in this article and has no potential conflicts of interest.

Growing number of states provide coverage for outpatient hemodialysis for undocumented immigrants

AMERICAN COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS   

NEWS RELEASE 24-APR-2023

Annals of Internal Medicine Tip Sheet @Annalsofim Below please find summaries of new articles that will be published in the next issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. The summaries are not intended to substitute for the full articles as a source of information. This information is under strict embargo and by taking it into possession, media representatives are committing to the terms of the embargo not only on their own behalf, but also on behalf of the organization they represent. ---------------------------- 1. Growing number of states provide coverage for outpatient hemodialysis for undocumented immigrants Abstract: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M23-0202 Editorial: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M23-0838 URL goes live when the embargo lifts A brief research report has found that, due to increased advocacy and awareness of outcomes, a growing number of states have implemented policies that provide statewide coverage for undocumented persons with kidney failure to receive outpatient hemodialysis. The report is published in Annals of Internal Medicine. Currently, undocumented immigrants cannot receive federal health insurance and most state Medicaid programs. In many states, undocumented immigrants with kidney failure rely on emergency hemodialysis (dialysis only after presenting critically ill to an emergency department) as mandated by the 1986 Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA), which requires hospitals to provide emergency care regardless of ability to pay. Emergency hemodialysis is associated with a 14-fold higher mortality rate at 5 years and increased psychosocial burden for patients, caregivers, and clinicians. In 2019, only 12 states and the District of Columbia provided statewide coverage of outpatient hemodialysis by including kidney failure as a qualifying condition under Emergency Medicaid. Researchers from the University of Colorado and University of California San Francisco assessed policy between March and October 2022 by 1) review of state Medicaid and Emergency Medicaid policy manuals for covered diagnosis codes “kidney failure,” “dialysis,” and “transplantation” and inclusion of undocumented immigrants and 2) brief interviews with clinicians with experience working with undocumented immigrants in every state. The authors found that as of 2022, twenty states and Washington, DC provide statewide coverage for standard outpatient hemodialysis for undocumented immigrants. Seventeen of those states provide outpatient hemodialysis through Emergency Medicaid, the remainder through Medicaid or state insurance pools. Five states also provide coverage for kidney transplantation. According to the authors, the expansion of dialysis coverage may be due to increasing awareness of poor outcomes with emergency hemodialysis and heightened advocacy efforts. An accompanying editorial by authors from Harvard Medical School highlights the significant burden of lack of access to kidney replacement therapy care faced by undocumented residents experiencing kidney failure. The authors call for a humane national solution to abandon emergency dialysis as the only option for undocumented immigrants and instead pursue a move toward covering outpatient dialysis in all 50 states. They also call on legislators and policymakers to support a pathway for non-U.S. citizens living in the United States, including undocumented immigrants, to be able to purchase affordable insurance. Media contacts: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Angela Collom at acollom@acponline.org. To speak with corresponding author Katherine Rizzolo, MD, please email Katherine.rizzolo@cuanschutz.edu. ---------------------------- 2. A cash transfer temporarily alleviates functional impairments for older adults Abstract: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M22-2496 URL goes live when the embargo lifts A randomized controlled trial of more than 1,100 people aged 55 years and older found that among older people living alone, a small cash transfer was effective in alleviating short-term functional impairment, but the effects were not sustained after 3 months. The findings are published in Annals of Internal Medicine. As many as 16 percent of older adults worldwide live alone, and the proportion is expected to grow over time. The resulting isolation is of significant policy concern, as loneliness is associated with depression, cognitive decline, and reduced well-being. Given the low number of trained therapists in developing countries and the financial constraints their governments face, delivery of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) over the phone could be a promising intervention to improve the well-being of older persons living alone. Similarly, cash transfers could have a direct impact on food security and could also affect mental health or day-to-day functioning. Researchers from Dartmouth College, MIT, Sangath, and IIT Madras studied 1,120 adults living alone in Tamil Nadu, India aged 55 and older to determine whether phone-based CBT or a cash transfer reduce functional impairment, depression, or food insecurity in this population. Participants received phone-based CBT, a one-time cash transfer of 1,000 rupees ($12 USD), or both. The outcomes were measured at baseline and at 2 rounds of follow-up phone surveys, 3 weeks and 3 months after the end of CBT. Overall, the small cash transfer reduced short-term (3 weeks) functional impairment and resulted in a small but not clinically or statistically significant reduction in depression in the short term. Cash had no effect on short-term food security. There were no short-term effects from CBT or the 2 interventions together. None of the interventions showed any effect at 3 months. Media contacts: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Angela Collom at acollom@acponline.org. To speak with corresponding author Esther Duflo, please email eduflo@mit.edu. -------------------------------- 3. Hypotensive-avoidance strategies not associated with decrease in postoperative hypotension or adverse outcomes Abstract: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M22-3157 Editorial: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M23-0745 URL goes live when the embargo lifts A randomized trial of more than 7,000 people found that hypotension-avoidance strategies were not associated with a decrease in postoperative hypotension or adverse outcomes compared with hypertension-avoidance strategies. The findings are published in Annals of Internal Medicine. Hypotension is common during and after noncardiac surgery. It is also associated with an increased risk for death and cardiovascular complications at 30 days after noncardiac surgery. Similarly, postoperative hypertension is associated with vascular complications after noncardiac surgery. Half of adults having major noncardiac surgery have a history of hypertension, and most use antihypertension medication. Uncertainty remains about what intraoperative blood pressure to target and how to manage long-term antihypertensive medications perioperatively. Researchers from Population Health Research Institute conducted a partial factorial randomized trial of 7,490 people using two perioperative blood pressure management strategies. Patients using the hypotension-avoidance strategy did not take angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) or angiotensin-receptor blockers (ARBs) from the night before surgery through postoperative day 2, resuming them 3 days after surgery. Patients using the hypertension-avoidance strategy received all their usual antihypertensives preoperatively, including on the morning of surgery, and postoperatively. The authors found that fewer patients using the hypotensive-avoidance strategy experienced clinically significant hypotension compared with patients using the hypertensive-avoidance strategy. However, there was no difference between strategies related to vascular death and nonfatal myocardial injury, stroke, or cardiac arrest. According to the authors, further research is needed to identify and evaluate perioperative interventions that can modify hemodynamics to an extent and in the direction that will lead to a favorable effect on major clinical outcomes. An accompanying editorial from authors at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine highlights that the decision about whether to hold selected antihypertensive medications for surgery remains a nuanced, individualized decision. They emphasize that the degree and possibly the duration of hypotension experienced by patients in this study may have been inadequate to affect the outcomes that were studied. The authors also call for future studies to examine both intraoperative and postoperative management strategies, identify other patient risk factors for poor outcomes, and ensure the clarity of surrogate versus patient-relevant clinical outcomes. Media contacts: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Angela Collom at acollom@acponline.org. To speak with corresponding author P.J. Devereaux, MD, PhD, please email PJ.Devereaux@phri.ca. -------------------------------- Also published in this issue: Infectious Diseases: What You May Have Missed in 2022 Rand Al Ohaly, MBBS*; Marie-Eve Benoit, MD*; and Mindy Schuster, MD, MSCE Special Article Abstract: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M23-0757

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JOURNAL

Annals of Internal Medicine

DOI

10.7326/M23-0202 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Data/statistical analysis

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Access to Kidney Care for Undocumented Immigrants Across the United States

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

25-Apr-2023

New tool for genetics and cultivating high-quality rice

Peer-Reviewed Publication

KEAI COMMUNICATIONS CO., LTD.

 

IMAGE: SCIENTISTS FROM CHINA HAVE DESINGED A NEW SINGLE-NUCLEOTIDE POLYMORPHISM CHIP THAT CAN HELP US IDENTIFY GENETIC MARKERS OF DESIRABLE TRAITS IN RICE, OPENING DOORS TO SUPERIOR RICE VARIETIES THAT CAN ENSURE FOOD SECURITY AND FLAVOR DIVERSIFICATION. view more 

CREDIT: TOSHIYUKI IMAI FROM FLICKR

Genetic markers such as fragment length polymorphisms (RFLP), simple sequence repeat (SSR), and single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) provide unique identifiers for individual organisms. This aids the identification of significant genetic variations in plants, allowing modern plant breeding to select superior crop varieties. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) has enhanced marker-assisted selection or backcross breeding of crops, which is the transfer a desired trait such into the favored genetic background of another.

However, due to its expensive nature and extensive data processing requirements, NGS is not practical for screening large populations of crop plants, especially among small and medium breeders. A more cost-effective and efficient solution to assess desirable genetic traits in these populations is SNP arrays. These chips have embedded DNA probes that interact with a genetic sample, enabling the detection of hundreds of thousands of variations amongst two or more plant samples.

Tapping the potential of this approach, Associate Professor Wensheng Wang from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and his research team have created a SNP array containing over 56,606 genetic markers for rice.

“Globally, more than 2.6 billion people rely on rice as a staple in their diet. The gene chip developed in our study can be an effective tool for breeders in selecting superior, new, high-quality rice varieties that are more flavorful, better tasting, salt tolerant, and resistant to diseases and insects,” shared Wang. “Moreover, the gene chip can be used for various genetic studies.”

The researchers developed the custom SNP array by collecting and sequencing genetic samples belonging to 3,024 rice samples from around the world. From over 18.9 million high-quality SNPs from this sample, approximately 2.5 million polymorphic SNPs were identified and retained in the array design. These SNPs were then printed on a genotyping chip platform (Affymetrix) with four designs.

The effectiveness of the array was tested by using a representative set of 192 rice varieties, and the results were impressive. On average, it correctly identified 99.6 % of the relevant genome, while also demonstrating high density and uniform coverage with an average distance of 6.7-kb between two adjacent SNPs. Furthermore, the data obtained from this platform offered more genetic variability information than other previously developed arrays.

The team reported their findings in KeAi’s The Crop Journal.

“Rice3K56 can help small and medium-sized companies select for superior rice varieties in a manner that is less subjective and low-effort,” said Wang. “Our work makes genotyping more mechanized and streamlined, resulting in higher efficiency and accuracy. In the long run, this can ensure not only food security but also a diversification of rice flavors.”

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Contact the corresponding author: Wensheng Wang

The publisher KeAi was established by Elsevier and China Science Publishing & Media Ltd to unfold quality research globally. In 2013, our focus shifted to open access publishing. We now proudly publish more than 100 world-class, open access, English language journals, spanning all scientific disciplines. Many of these are titles we publish in partnership with prestigious societies and academic institutions, such as the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC).

 

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JOURNAL

The Crop Journal

DOI

10.1016/j.cj.2023.02.006 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Rice3K56 is a high-quality SNP array for genome-based genetic studies and breeding in rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Understanding the long-term impact of climate change on Indian crops

Peer-Reviewed Publication

CARL R. WOESE INSTITUTE FOR GENOMIC BIOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN

 

IMAGE: RICE FIELDS IN UTTAR PRADESH, A STATE IN NORTHERN INDIA. view more 

CREDIT: FLICKR (KEES VD)

Over the past few decades, it has become obvious that climate change, and consequent extreme weather events, can wreak havoc on crop yields. Concerningly, there is a large disparity in agricultural vulnerability between developed and developing countries. In a new study, researchers have looked at major food grains in India to understand the long- and short-term effects of climate change on crop yields.

“Most studies that measure the effects of climate change are looking at year-to-year changes, which are representative of variations in weather and not climate,” said Madhu Khanna (CABBI), a professor of agriculture and consumer economics. “We used data across 60 years to examine how deviations in weather from long-term averages affect the yields of three major cereal crops: rice, maize, and wheat.”

Changes in weather are short term, like a hot day with a sudden thunderstorm. However, such variations may be distinct from long-term differences, which are the hallmark of climate change. “We were looking to see if the effect of short-term deviations in extreme temperature and precipitation are significant when compared to their long-term averages and if their effects are absent in the long term as farmers adapt to climate change,” Khanna said.

The researchers used quantile regression models to determine if farmers were adapting to the long-term changes in climate. To do so, they used 60-year data sets on temperature, precipitation, the length of the growing season, and crop yield to create different models for short-term and long-term responses of crops.

According to their analysis, if differences in temperature, for example, have no impact in either model, there have been no adaptations. On the other hand, if the short-term impact is worse, it means that the farmers have been able to adapt and smooth out the effects.

“We found that the farmers were able to adapt to changes in temperature for rice and maize but not wheat. Increased precipitation enhanced rice yield, but adversely affected wheat and maize yields,” Khanna said. “We also found that farmers are customizing their strategies across different regions and crops. For example, heat-prone districts fared better to higher temperatures compared to districts in colder regions.”

“The impacts are higher at the lower tail of the distribution, but are lower at the upper tail of the distribution,” said Surender Kumar, a professor of economics at the University of Delhi, India. Farmers who worked in areas that were less productive, and therefore at the lower tail of distribution, differed in their response to those who worked in areas where the yields were higher—the former took more adaptation measures due to higher impacts.

“Higher productive regions have better irrigation facilities and are less dependent on the monsoon, and so the difference between long-term and short-term impacts is negligible,” Kumar said.

There are two ways by which the crops can adapt: the farmers can change their management practices or the varieties themselves are hardier. Although this study cannot distinguish between these possibilities, it suggests that action can be taken to improve seed varieties and educate farmers on how they can adapt to changing climate.

“This study is a part of our overall effort to build understanding across different countries. In the past we did a similar study in the US and now we're doing it for India. It's interesting that the results of this study are telling us that in both countries, although there is a negative impact of climate, the crops are adapting,” Khanna said. “However, these effects differ across crops and across the type of effects they are adapting to. We need to take a holistic view of all the various ways in which changing climate effects yield, which is obviously a very challenging and complex problem, and understand that focusing on particular dimensions of climate change and adapting crops may not be sufficient.”

The study “Distributional heterogeneity in climate change impacts and adaptation: Evidence from Indian agriculture” was published in Agricultural Economics and can be found at https://doi.org/10.1111/agec.12765.

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JOURNAL

Agricultural Economics

DOI

10.1111/agec.12765 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Data/statistical analysis

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Distributional heterogeneity in climate change impacts and adaptation: Evidence from Indian agriculture

Signs you could be suffering from racial trauma – and tools for healing, according to therapists

Research has shown that repeated exposure to racism, directly or indirectly, impacts long-term mental health. Now, a licensed professional counselor and psychologist have released a toolkit to not only identify racial trauma but also to heal from it.

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In the United States, depression and anxiety are on the rise in African Americans and the evidence suggests that racism is a contributing factor, creating a ripple effect on mental health.

Janeé M. Steele Ph.D. and Charmeka S. Newton, Ph.D. are licensed mental health professionals and scholars who specialize in culturally responsive therapy. They say: “In the Black community there can be a real resistance to our own trauma – for example, if I wasn’t exposed to physical abuse, is it really that bad?

“But this kind of systemic, permeating racism that exists all around us has a real and physical impact on our minds and bodies. This is trauma.”

Drs. Steele and Newton have joined forces to research and collate tools to tackle racial trauma. Their book, Black Lives Are Beautiful: 50 Tools to Heal from Trauma and Promote Positive Racial Identity, has been released today.

Cultural stereotypes

As well as overt exposure to direct racism, Drs. Steele and Newton argue racial trauma can be caused in a number of ways – including transgenerational trauma due to historical oppression.

The experts explain that trauma causes chronic stress which lives in the body and can be felt like a rush of energy to the chest or stomach. These physical symptoms can be prompted by a range of external triggers – such as race-based violence reported in news or social media.

Repeated exposure to these stressors can impact the brain – creating more of the ‘stress’ chemicals that affect memory and fight/flight responses. This means the brain remains hypervigilant and unable to relax.

“This could present itself as hypervigilance around threats to safety, anxiety about the way one is perceived – choosing certain clothes and avoiding certain places,” the authors explain. “Because racialized trauma is a result of accumulated effects over time, you may not even be aware that your reactions are in response to your encounters with race.”

Internalized racism

The experts also explain the impact of internalized racism for Black people, which often leads to self-hatred and a low sense of self-worth.

“In Western culture, White cultural standards are still upheld as the gold standard – and the beauty and cultural norms of other racial groups are portrayed as inferior,” Drs. Steele and Newton.

The experts explain that messages of inferiority include television shows that depict Black people as unintelligent, criminal, prone to violence, and sexually promiscuous; the underrepresentation of Black people in positions of leadership and power; and the lack of justice received by Black people in our judicial systems.

“Internalized racism sounds like it might be easy to identify in yourself, but it could look like simply choosing a different pair of shoes to fit in with others – it is about altering your appearance or behavior to fit into white cultural norms,” Drs. Steele and Newton explain.

Tools for healing

As well as helping Black people to identify racial trauma, Black Lives Are Beautiful also offer tools for healing.

The experts have collated a trauma checklist to help identify racial trauma, including feeling guarded around white people, having witnessed Black people being mistreated, and feelings of helplessness when hearing about racism in the news.

As well as helping to acknowledge the trauma, the experts provide a list of tools for coping, including mindfulness, physical relaxation techniques, and mental exercises including compassion meditations, positive affirmations, a self-esteem plan, and visualization tools.

Recognizing how social media can be triggering, they also offer tips to navigate the online world with wellbeing in mind – such as following uplifting content creators and taking regular breaks.

Drs. Steele and Newton say: “Because of racism, many people of color lead lives full of worry, with a constant sense of being on guard. We might suppress or deny feelings about racism, or feel conflicted about talking about it. Dealing with these thoughts and feelings repeatedly and over a prolonged period of time can eventually result in damage to mental and physical health.

“We want to give people the tools to identify their trauma, and move forward with their healing.”