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Translational Vision Science &... Mar 2023To propose new methods for eye selection in presbyopic monovision corrections.
PURPOSE
To propose new methods for eye selection in presbyopic monovision corrections.
METHODS
Twenty subjects with presbyopia performed two standard methods of binary eye dominance identification (sensory with +1.50 diopters [D ]and +0.50 D and sighting with "hole-in-the-card") and two psychophysical methods of perceived visual quality: (1) the Preferential test, 26 natural images were judged with the near addition in one eye or in the other in a 2-interval forced-choice task, and the Eye Dominance Strength (EDS) defined as the proportion of trials where one monovision is preferred over the other; (2) the Multifocal Acceptance Score (MAS-2EV) test, the perceived quality of a natural images set (for 2 luminance levels and distances) was scored and EDS defined as the score difference between monovision in one eye or the other. Left-eye and right-eye dominance are indicated with negative and positive values, respectively. Tests were performed using a Simultaneous Vision Simulator, which allows rapid changes between corrections.
RESULTS
Standard sensory and sighting dominances matched in only 55% of subjects. The Preferential EDS (ranging from -0.7 to +0.9) and MAS-2EV EDS (ranging from -0.6 to +0.4) were highly correlated. Selecting the eye for far in monovision with the MAS-2EV, sensory, or sighting tests would have resulted in 79%, 64%, and 43% success considering the Preferential test as the gold standard.
CONCLUSIONS
Tests based on perceptual preference allow selection of the preferred monovision correction and measurement of dominance strength.
TRANSLATIONAL RELEVANCE
The binocular visual simulator allows efficient implementation of eye preference tests for monovision in clinical use.
Topics: Humans; Vision, Monocular; Visual Acuity; Dominance, Ocular; Vision, Ocular; Vision Tests
PubMed: 36939712
DOI: 10.1167/tvst.12.3.18 -
The Journal of Sexual Medicine Mar 2021Recent research has indicated that participation in BDSM (bondage-discipline, dominance-submission, and/or sadism-masochism) is not associated with psychological...
BACKGROUND
Recent research has indicated that participation in BDSM (bondage-discipline, dominance-submission, and/or sadism-masochism) is not associated with psychological distress or psychopathology but that sexual roles may be associated with personality characteristics, specifically interpersonal dominance and empathy.
AIM
The present study examined potential differences between those who identify as dominant, switch, and submissive on interpersonal dominance and empathy.
METHODS
Individuals who identified as members of the BDSM community were recruited online via a social networking site.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Self-reported demographic variables, the Personality Assessment Inventory, Dominance subscale, and the Interpersonal Reactivity Index Empathic Concern subscale.
RESULTS
Participants were well distributed across sexual roles (n = 279; 25.4% dominant, 38% submissive, 36.6% switch), identified as primarily female (59.5%), primarily heterosexual (53.4%), and the most common age group was 25-34 years (27.2%). BDSM role was associated with scores on the Dominance subscale; dominant BDSM practitioners scored significantly higher on the Dominance scale than switches, who in turn scored significantly higher than submissives (dominant mean [M] = 61.44, standard deviation [SD] = 8.26; switch M = 53.99, SD = 11.18, P < .01; submissive M = 49.41, SD = 11.46, P < .01). There were no differences on the measure of empathy between dominant, submissive, and switch BDSM practitioners. On average, individuals who identified as submissives and switches scored in the average range on the Dominance scale compared with the normative sample, and individuals who identified as dominants scored higher but not in the markedly elevated range.
CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS
The study provides information on the relationship between interpersonal dominance as a personality trait and dominance as a sexual role and has implications for reducing stigma related to these practices.
STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS
The study contributes to the growing literature suggesting that while BDSM roles may correspond with specific personality characteristics, they are not indicative of personalities significantly different than the general population's. The study also included individuals who identified as switch, a group often excluded from quantitative research in the BDSM community. The sample was, however, recruited exclusively online, and findings may not be applicable to all BDSM practitioners.
CONCLUSION
These findings suggest that there are no differences in empathy between BDSM practitioner roles, and although there are differences in interpersonal dominance, these characteristics are not likely to be prominent in individuals' everyday interactions. Jansen KL, Fried AL, Chamberlain J. An Examination of Empathy and Interpersonal Dominance in BDSM Practitioners. J Sex Med 2021;18:549-555.
Topics: Adult; Empathy; Female; Humans; Interpersonal Relations; Masochism; Sadism; Sexual Behavior; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 33547018
DOI: 10.1016/j.jsxm.2020.12.012 -
The Journal of Animal Ecology Apr 2020Researchers studying mammals have frequently interpreted earlier or faster rates of ageing in males as resulting from polygyny and the associated higher costs of...
Researchers studying mammals have frequently interpreted earlier or faster rates of ageing in males as resulting from polygyny and the associated higher costs of reproductive competition. Yet, few studies conducted on wild populations have compared sex-specific senescence trajectories outside of polygynous species, making it difficult to make generalized inferences on the role of reproductive competition in driving senescence, particularly when other differences between males and females might also contribute to sex-specific changes in performance across lifespan. Here, we examine age-related variation in body mass, reproductive output and survival in dominant male and female meerkats, Suricata suricatta. Meerkats are socially monogamous cooperative breeders where a single dominant pair virtually monopolizes reproduction in each group and subordinate group members help to rear offspring produced by breeders. In contrast to many polygynous societies, we find that neither the onset nor the rate of senescence in body mass or reproductive output shows clear differences between males and females. Both sexes also display similar patterns of age-related survival across lifespan, but unlike most wild vertebrates, survival senescence (increases in annual mortality with rising age) was absent in dominants of both sexes, and as a result, the fitness costs of senescence were entirely attributable to declines in reproductive output from mid- to late-life. We suggest that the potential for intrasexual competition to increase rates of senescence in females-who are hormonally masculinized and frequently aggressive-is offset by their ability to maintain longer tenures of dominance than males, and that these processes when combined lead to similar patterns of senescence in both sexes. Our results stress the need to consider the form and intensity of sexual competition as well as other sex-specific features of life history when investigating the operation of senescence in wild populations.
Topics: Aging; Animals; Breeding; Female; Herpestidae; Longevity; Male; Reproduction; Sexual Behavior, Animal
PubMed: 31943191
DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13173 -
The Science of the Total Environment Aug 2021The first and limiting step of nitrification is catalyzed by ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB). Recently, complete ammonia oxidizers (comammox...
The first and limiting step of nitrification is catalyzed by ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB). Recently, complete ammonia oxidizers (comammox Nitrospira) have been discovered to perform complete nitrification in one cell, yet their role in soil nitrification is still unclear. This study investigated the abundance and contribution of aerobic ammonia oxidizers in typical soil habitats, and assessed the role of comammox Nitrospira in ammonia-oxidizing communities. The results showed that comammox Nitrospira were dominant in 70% of the samples and their abundance displayed a significant positive correlation with nitrification potential. The median amoA gene transcription level of comammox Nitrospira exceeded that of AOA and AOB in in-situ soils. The abundance of comammox Nitrospira was negatively correlated with soil pH, dominating in 84% of soil samples with pH < 6.17. The results challenge the role of AOA and AOB in soils, highlighting the importance of comammox Nitrospira in soil nitrification, especially in acid soils. This work supports better understanding and regulation of the soil nitrogen cycle.
Topics: Ammonia; Archaea; Bacteria; Nitrification; Oxidation-Reduction; Phylogeny; Soil; Soil Microbiology
PubMed: 33765470
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.146558 -
Heliyon Feb 2023Owing to its excellent properties, Metal Matrix Composites (MMC) has gained popularity and finds application in aerospace, aircraft, shipbuilding, biomedical,... (Review)
Review
Owing to its excellent properties, Metal Matrix Composites (MMC) has gained popularity and finds application in aerospace, aircraft, shipbuilding, biomedical, biodegradable implant materials and many more. To serve the industrial needs, the manufactured MMC should have homogenous distribution along with minimum agglomeration of reinforcement particles, defect-free microstructure, superior mechanical, tribological and corrosive properties. The techniques implemented to manufacture MMC highly dominate the aforementioned characteristics. According to the physical state of the matrix, the techniques implemented for manufacturing MMC can be classified under two categories i.e. solid state processing and liquid state process. The present article attempts to review the current status of different manufacturing techniques covered under these two categories. The article elaborates on the working principles of state-of-the-art manufacturing techniques, the effect of dominating process parameters and the resulting characteristic of composites. Apart from this, the article does provide data regarding the range of dominating process parameters and resulting mechanical properties of different grades of manufactured MMC. Using this data along with the comparative study, various industries and academicians will be able to select the appropriate techniques for manufacturing MMC.
PubMed: 36846686
DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e13558 -
Brain and Behavior May 2024Living in a social dominance hierarchy presents different benefits and challenges for dominant and subordinate males and females, which might in turn affect their...
BACKGROUND
Living in a social dominance hierarchy presents different benefits and challenges for dominant and subordinate males and females, which might in turn affect their cognitive needs. Despite the extensive research on social dominance in group-living species, there is still a knowledge gap regarding how social status impacts brain morphology and cognitive abilities.
METHODS
Here, we tested male and female dominants and subordinates of Neolamprologus pulcher, a social cichlid fish species with size-based hierarchy. We ran three executive cognitive function tests for cognitive flexibility (reversal learning test), self-control (detour test), and working memory (object permanence test), followed by brain and brain region size measurements.
RESULTS
Performance was not influenced by social status or sex. However, dominants exhibited a brain-body slope that was relatively steeper than that of subordinates. Furthermore, individual performance in reversal learning and detour tests correlated with brain morphology, with some trade-offs among major brain regions like telencephalon, cerebellum, and optic tectum.
CONCLUSION
As individuals' brain growth strategies varied depending on social status without affecting executive functions, the different associated challenges might yield a potential effect on social cognition instead. Overall, the findings highlight the importance of studying the individual and not just species to understand better how the individual's ecology might shape its brain and cognition.
Topics: Animals; Cichlids; Female; Male; Executive Function; Brain; Social Dominance; Reversal Learning; Memory, Short-Term
PubMed: 38680075
DOI: 10.1002/brb3.3484 -
Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) Oct 2022Recent studies showed that the current endemic of carbapenem-resistant (CRE) in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi is dominated by highly resistant clones ST14, ST231, and...
Recent studies showed that the current endemic of carbapenem-resistant (CRE) in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi is dominated by highly resistant clones ST14, ST231, and CC147, respectively. In the absence of continuous, molecular typing-based surveillance, it remained unknown whether they lately emerged and rapidly became dominant, or they had been present from the early years of the endemic. Therefore, antibiotic resistance, the presence of carbapenemase and 16S methylase genes, and the sequence types of CRE strains collected between 2009 and 2015 were compared with those collected between 2018 and 2019. It was found that members of these three clones, particularly those of the most prevalent ST14, started dominating already in the very early years of the CRE outbreak. Furthermore, while severely impacting the overall antibiotic resistance patterns, the effect of these clones was not exclusive: for example, increasing trends of colistin or decreasing rates of tigecycline resistance were also observed among nonclonal isolates. The gradually increasing prevalence of few major, currently dominating clones raises the possibility that timely, systematic, molecular typing-based surveillance could have provided tools to public health authorities for an early interference with the escalation of the local CRE epidemic.
PubMed: 36290093
DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics11101435 -
Microorganisms Jul 2021Causal agents of schistosomiasis are dioecious, digenean schistosomes affecting mankind in 76 countries. Preventive measures are manifold but need to be complemented by... (Review)
Review
Causal agents of schistosomiasis are dioecious, digenean schistosomes affecting mankind in 76 countries. Preventive measures are manifold but need to be complemented by vaccination for long-term protection; vaccine candidates in advanced pre-clinical/clinical stages include Sm14, Sm-TSP-2/Sm-TSP-2Al, Smp80/SchistoShield, and Sh28GST/Bilhvax. Natural and anthropogenic changes impact on breaking species isolation barriers favoring introgressive hybridization, i.e., allelic exchange among gene pools of sympatric, interbreeding species leading to instant large genetic diversity. Phylogenetic distance matters, thus the less species differ phylogenetically the more likely they hybridize. PubMed and Embase databases were searched for publications limited to hybridale confirmation by mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase (COX) and/or nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS). Human schistosomal hybrids are predominantly reported from West Africa with clustering in the Senegal River Basin, and scattering to Europe, Central and Eastern Africa. Noteworthy is the dominance of interbreeding with human and veterinary species leading due to hybrid vigor to extinction and homogenization as seen for in Cameroon and in Niger, respectively. Heterosis seems to advantage / interbreeds with dominant -ITS/-COX1 profile to spread from West to East Africa and reoccur in France. / interactions seen among Senegalese and Côte d'Ivoirian children are unexpected due to their high phylogenetic distance. Detecting pure and / crosses capable of infecting humans observed in Corsica and Côte d'Ivoire, and Niger, respectively, is worrisome. Taken together, species hybridization urges control and preventive measures targeting human and veterinary sectors in line with the One-Health concept to be complemented by vaccination protecting against transmission, infection, and disease recurrence. Functional and structural diversity of naturally occurring human schistosomal hybrids may impact current vaccine candidates requiring further research including natural history studies in endemic areas targeted for clinical trials.
PubMed: 34361901
DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9071465 -
Ecology Letters Aug 2019Understanding why communities appear deterministically dominated by relatively few species is an age-old debate in ecology. We hypothesised that the dominant and...
Understanding why communities appear deterministically dominated by relatively few species is an age-old debate in ecology. We hypothesised that the dominant and non-dominant species in a community are governed by different assembly mechanisms where environmental conditions influence dominant species more than non-dominant species. Further, dominant plants moderate the environment where non-dominant species thrive, diminishing the influence of environmental filtering and increasing the influence of limiting similarity for non-dominant species. We tested these hypotheses by removing two dominant species in five temperate meadows. We found that the composition of the non-dominants diverged while the new dominants converged over time. Phylogenetic analyses suggested that habitat filtering and limiting similarity drove the new dominant species simultaneously. Conversely, non-dominant community assembly appeared more unpredictable. These suggest that dominant species converged towards a predictable environmentally driven optimum, while non-dominant species thrive in a moderated habitat, which probably reduced non-dominant species predictability.
Topics: Ecology; Ecosystem; Phylogeny; Plants
PubMed: 31134752
DOI: 10.1111/ele.13281 -
Archives of Toxicology Jul 2023Cannabis contains cannabinoids including Δ-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). THC causes the psychoactive effects of cannabis, and both THC and CBD are...
Cannabis contains cannabinoids including Δ-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). THC causes the psychoactive effects of cannabis, and both THC and CBD are thought to be anti-inflammatory. Cannabis is typically consumed by inhaling smoke that contains thousands of combustion products that may damage the lungs. However, the relationship between cannabis smoke exposure and alterations in respiratory health is poorly defined. To address this gap in knowledge, we first developed a mouse model of cannabis smoke exposure using a nose-only rodent inhalation exposure system. We then tested the acute effects of two dried cannabis products that differ substantially in their THC-CBD ratio: Indica-THC dominant (I-THC; 16-22% THC) and Sativa-CBD dominant (S-CBD; 13-19% CBD). We demonstrate that this smoke exposure regime not only delivers physiologically relevant levels of THC to the bloodstream, but that acute inhalation of cannabis smoke modulates the pulmonary immune response. Cannabis smoke decreased the percentage of lung alveolar macrophages but increased lung interstitial macrophages (IMs). There was also a decrease in lung dendritic cells as well as Ly6C and Ly6C monocytes, but an increase in lung neutrophils and CD8 T cells. These immune cell changes were paralleled with changes in several immune mediators. These immunological modifications were more pronounced when mice were exposed to S-CBD compared to the I-THC variety. Thus, we show that acute cannabis smoke differentially affects lung immunity based on the THC:CBD ratio, thereby providing a foundation to further explore the effect of chronic cannabis smoke exposures on pulmonary health.
Topics: Animals; Mice; Cannabis; Cannabidiol; Dronabinol; Smoke; CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes; Hallucinogens; Cannabinoid Receptor Agonists; Lung
PubMed: 37179517
DOI: 10.1007/s00204-023-03514-3