scholarly journals How do I bite thee? Let me count the ways: Heterogeneity and temperature dependence in Ae. aegypti biting habits drive individual mosquito arbovirus transmission potential

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca C. Christofferson ◽  
HJ Wearing ◽  
CS Walsh ◽  
H Salje ◽  
C Tran Kiem ◽  
...  

AbstractIn models of mosquito-borne transmission, biting rate is the most influential parameter, and understanding the role of temperature on this process is important for assessing the transmission potential of arboviruses like dengue (DENV). Further, the process of biting is assumed to be relatively homogeneous across individuals, with time-between-bites described by an exponentially distributed process. However, these assumptions have not been addressed through laboratory experimentation. We experimentally determined daily biting habits of Ae. aegypti at three temperatures (24°C, 28°C, and 32°C) and determined that there was a high degree of individual heterogeneity in biting habits (number of bites, timing of bites, etc.). There was a significantly higher proportion of females that bit at 28°C compared to both 24°C and 32°C. We further explored the consequences of biting heterogeneity using an individual-based model designed to examine whether a particular biting profile determines whether a mosquito is more or less likely to 1) become exposed given a single index case of DENV and 2) transmit to a susceptible individual. Our results indicate that biting is heterogeneous among individuals and this heterogeneity affects transmission potential of DENV. Understanding individual-level heterogeneity in biting is important and may suggest a role for high-frequency biters as significant contributors to the transmission of DENV.

PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e8623 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei-Jiun Lin ◽  
Han-Chen Ho ◽  
Sheng-Chang Chu ◽  
Jui-Yu Chou

Green microalgae of the genus Desmodesmus are characterized by a high degree of phenotypic plasticity (i.e. colony morphology), allowing them to be truly cosmopolitan and withstand environmental fluctuations. This flexibility enables Desmodesmus to produce a phenotype–environment match across a range of environments broader compared to algae with more fixed phenotypes. Indoles and their derivatives are a well-known crucial class of heterocyclic compounds and are widespread in different species of plants, animals, and microorganisms. Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) is the most common, naturally occurring plant hormone of the auxin class. IAA may behave as a signaling molecule in microorganisms, and the physiological cues of IAA may also trigger phenotypic plasticity responses in Desmodesmus. In this study, we demonstrated that the changes in colonial morphs (cells per coenobium) of five species of the green alga Desmodesmus were specific to IAA but not to the chemically more stable synthetic auxins, naphthalene-1-acetic acid and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid. Moreover, inhibitors of auxin biosynthesis and polar auxin transport inhibited cell division. Notably, different algal species (even different intraspecific strains) exhibited phenotypic plasticity different to that correlated to IAA. Thus, the plasticity involving individual-level heterogeneity in morphological characteristics may be crucial for microalgae to adapt to changing or novel conditions, and IAA treatment potentially increases the tolerance of Desmodesmus algae to several stress conditions. In summary, our results provide circumstantial evidence for the hypothesized role of IAA as a diffusible signal in the communication between the microalga and microorganisms. This information is crucial for elucidation of the role of plant hormones in plankton ecology.


2019 ◽  
Vol 85 (1(I)) ◽  
pp. 64-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. M. Gadenin

The cycle configuration at two-frequency loading regimes depends on the number of parameters including the absolute values of the frequencies and amplitudes of the low-frequency and high-frequency loads added during this mode, the ratio of their frequencies and amplitudes, as well as the phase shift between these harmonic components, the latter having a significant effect only with a small ratio of frequencies. Presence of such two-frequency regimes or service loading conditions for parts of machines and structures schematized by them can significantly reduce their endurance. Using the results of experimental studies of changes in the endurance of a two-frequency loading of specimens of cyclically stable, cyclically softened and cyclically hardened steels under rigid conditions we have shown that decrease in the endurance under the aforementioned conditions depends on the ratio of frequencies and amplitudes of operation low-frequency low-cycle and high-frequency vibration stresses, and, moreover, the higher the level of the ratios of amplitudes and frequencies of those stacked harmonic processes of loading the greater the effect. It is shown that estimation of such a decrease in the endurance compared to a single frequency loading equal in the total stress (strains) amplitudes can be carried out using an exponential expression coupling those endurances through a parameter (reduction factor) containing the ratio of frequencies and amplitudes of operation cyclic loads and characteristic of the material. The reduction is illustrated by a set of calculation-experimental curves on the corresponding diagrams for each of the considered types of materials and compared with the experimental data.


Author(s):  
Per Faxneld

Chapter9 analyses individuals who, both on and off the stage, actively assumed the role of the demon woman. Three persons are considered in detail: Sarah Bernhardt, the Italian marchioness Luisa Casati, and silent film actress Theda Bara. They chose—or, in Bara’s case, were chosen—to embody the (more or less supernatural or occult) femme fatale, as constructed mostly by male authors and artists. Seemingly, they felt this was empowering or useful for commercial, subversive, or other purposes. The analysis attempts to tease out some of the implications this enactment of a disquieting stereotype had on an individual level as well as in a broader cultural context. This also applies to the unknown women who wore jewellery depicting devils, demons, or Eve—a rebellious token clearly drawing on motifs familiar from Satanic feminism.


Author(s):  
Dean Keith Simonton

Although psychologists typically see creativity as an individual-level event, sociologists and cultural anthropologists are more likely to view it as a sociocultural phenomenon. This phenomenon takes place at the level of relatively large and enduring collectives, such as cultures, nations, and even whole civilizations. This chapter reviews the extensive research on such macro-level creativity. The review begins with a historical overview before turning to the cross-sectional research on the creative Ortgeist, a subject that encompasses the factors that influence the relative creativity of both preliterate cultures and entire modern nations. From there the chapter turns to role of the Zeitgeist in affecting the creativity of civilizations across time—the rise and fall of creative activity. This research examines both quantitative and qualitative causes that operate both short- and long-term.


2021 ◽  
Vol 75 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah E. A. MacGregor ◽  
Aislinn Cottage ◽  
Christos C. Ioannou

Abstract Consistent inter-individual variation in behaviour within a population, widely referred to as personality variation, can be affected by environmental context. Feedbacks between an individual’s behaviour and state can strengthen (positive feedback) or weaken (negative feedback) individual differences when experiences such as predator encounters or winning contests are dependent on behavioural type. We examined the influence of foraging on individual-level consistency in refuge use (a measure of risk-taking, i.e. boldness) in three-spined sticklebacks, Gasterosteus aculeatus, and particularly whether changes in refuge use depended on boldness measured under control conditions. In the control treatment trials with no food, individuals were repeatable in refuge use across repeated trials, and this behavioural consistency did not differ between the start and end of these trials. In contrast, when food was available, individuals showed a higher degree of consistency in refuge use at the start of the trials versus controls but this consistency significantly reduced by the end of the trials. The effect of the opportunity to forage was dependent on behavioural type, with bolder fish varying more in their refuge use between the start and the end of the feeding trials than shyer fish, and boldness positively predicted the likelihood of feeding at the start but not at the end of the trials. This suggests a state-behaviour feedback, but there was no overall trend in how bolder individuals changed their behaviour. Our study shows that personality variation can be suppressed in foraging contexts and a potential but unpredictable role of feedbacks between state and behaviour. Significance statement In this experimental study, we examined how foraging influences consistency in risk-taking in individual three-spined sticklebacks. We show that bolder individuals become less consistent in their risk-taking behaviour than shyer individuals during foraging. Some bolder individuals reinforce their risk-taking behaviour, suggesting a positive feedback between state and behaviour, while others converge on the behaviour of shyer individuals, suggesting a negative feedback. In support of a role of satiation in driving negative feedback effects, we found that bolder individuals were more likely to feed at the start but not at the end of the trials. Overall, our findings suggest that foraging can influence personality variation in risk-taking behaviour; however, the role of feedbacks may be unpredictable.


2020 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 143-165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angeliki Papachroni ◽  
Loizos Heracleous

Following the turn to practice in organization theory and the emerging interest in the microfoundations of ambidexterity, understanding the role of individuals in realizing ambidexterity approaches becomes crucial. Drawing insights from Greek philosophy on paradoxes, and practice theory on paradoxes and ambidexterity, we propose a view of individual ambidexterity grounded in paradoxical practices. Existing conceptualizations of ambidexterity are largely based on separation strategies. Contrary to this perspective, we argue that individual ambidexterity can be accomplished via paradoxical practices that renegotiate or transcend boundaries of exploration and exploitation. We identify three such paradoxical practices at the individual level that can advance understanding of ambidexterity: engaging in “hybrid tasks,” capitalizing cumulatively on previous learning, and adopting a mindset of seeking synergies between the competing demands of exploration and exploitation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sander van der Linden ◽  
Jon Roozenbeek ◽  
Rakoen Maertens ◽  
Melisa Basol ◽  
Ondřej Kácha ◽  
...  

Abstract In recent years, interest in the psychology of fake news has rapidly increased. We outline the various interventions within psychological science aimed at countering the spread of fake news and misinformation online, focusing primarily on corrective (debunking) and pre-emptive (prebunking) approaches. We also offer a research agenda of open questions within the field of psychological science that relate to how and why fake news spreads and how best to counter it: the longevity of intervention effectiveness; the role of sources and source credibility; whether the sharing of fake news is best explained by the motivated cognition or the inattention accounts; and the complexities of developing psychometrically validated instruments to measure how interventions affect susceptibility to fake news at the individual level.


Genes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 1036
Author(s):  
Junhong Ye ◽  
Jifu Li ◽  
Ping Zhao

Although ignored in the past, with the recent deepening of research, significant progress has been made in the field of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs). Accumulating evidence has revealed that microRNA (miRNA) response elements regulate RNA. Long ncRNAs, circular RNAs, pseudogenes, miRNAs, and messenger RNAs (mRNAs) form a competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network that plays an essential role in cancer and cardiovascular, neurodegenerative, and autoimmune diseases. Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common cancers, with a high degree of malignancy. Considerable progress has been made in understanding the molecular mechanism and treatment of GC, but GC’s mortality rate is still high. Studies have shown a complex ceRNA crosstalk mechanism in GC. lncRNAs, circRNAs, and pseudogenes can interact with miRNAs to affect mRNA transcription. The study of the involvement of ceRNA in GC could improve our understanding of GC and lead to the identification of potential effective therapeutic targets. The research strategy for ceRNA is mainly to screen the different miRNAs, lncRNAs, circRNAs, pseudogenes, and mRNAs in each sample through microarray or sequencing technology, predict the ceRNA regulatory network, and, finally, conduct functional research on ceRNA. In this review, we briefly discuss the proposal and development of the ceRNA hypothesis and the biological function and principle of ceRNAs in GC, and briefly introduce the role of ncRNAs in the GC’s ceRNA network.


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