Science

In a study of an online gig-economy platform, Yale SOM’s Tristan Botelho and his co-authors found that the ubiquitous five-star rating system could subtly propagate discrimination. But they also found a surprisingly simple fix: switching to a two-point scale (thumbs up or thumbs down) eliminated subtle racial bias in customer ratings of gig workers, which in turn equalized wages between White and non-White workers.‌‌

The lowering air pollution in the US has brought significant health benefits; however, climate change may offset the benefits by increasing the temperature and worsening air quality. This study aimed to estimate the mortality changes due to air pollution reductions and evaluate the potential climate penalty in the Mid-South Region of the US. Daily concentrations of PM2.5 and ozone measured at local monitoring stations in 1999–2019 were extracted from the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Quality System. Meteorological data for the same period were obtained from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Local Climatological Data. Annual average age-adjusted all-cause mortality rates (MRs) were downloaded from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s WONDERS Databases. MRs attributable to exposure to PM2.5, ozone, and high temperatures in warm months were estimated using their corresponding health impact functions. Using Year 1999 as the baseline, contributions of environmental changes to MR reductions were calculated. Results showed that annual average concentrations of PM2.5 and ozone decreased by 46% and 23% in 2019, respectively, compared with the base year; meanwhile, the mean daily temperature in the warm season fluctuated and displayed an insignificant increasing trend (Kendall’s tau = 0.16, p = 0.30). MRs displayed a significant decreasing trend and dropped by 215 deaths/100,000 person-year in 2019. Lower PM2.5 and ozone concentrations were estimated to reduce 59 and 30 deaths/100,000 person-year, respectively, contributing to 23% and 17% of MR reductions, respectively. The fluctuating temperatures had negligible impacts on mortality changes over the two-decade study period. This study suggests that improved air quality may have contributed to mortality reductions, while the climate penalty effects appeared to be insignificant in the Mid-South Region.

Achieving sustainable practices in the jewelry industry necessitates the adoption of optimized eco-design approaches. The optimization of eco-friendly jewelry design was investigated in this study through an integrated analysis of materials, digital manufacturing, and predictive modeling. Sustainable techniques were identified, and an artificial neural network (ANN) model was developed to predict environmental impacts based on material properties and design attributes. The applicability of the model was validated, and insights were generated to drive eco-innovation and facilitate the transition towards sustainable practices in the jewelry industry. Key findings demonstrated the superior sustainability of renewable biomaterials, specifically Biomaterials 2-5 derived from lingo-cellulosic sources, compared to conventional materials. Consistently, simpler design configurations outperformed intricate designs. The relationships were effectively captured by the ANN model, providing a reliable evidence-based approach. Quantitative linkages between design attributes and sustainability metrics were established by the study, offering valuable guidance for optimization strategies. Significant results demonstrate that Biomaterials 2-5 exhibit average carbon footprints of 1.1–1.2 kg and water usage of 9–16.5 L, compared to 2.1 kg and 24.5 L for precious metals. Simplified designs exhibit carbon footprints of 0.8 kg and water usage of 11.5 L, whereas intricate designs show footprints of 3.1 kg and water usage of 33 L. These predictions establish renewable biomaterials and streamlined configurations as preferable paradigms for sustainable jewelry. Based on the findings, recommendations include prioritizing the use of Biomaterials 2-5 and streamlined configurations through the implementation of incentives. Transitioning operations towards biomaterial-focused infrastructure and emerging technologies is suggested to further enhance sustainability. Additionally, international cooperation and the development of standards are proposed to address sustainability challenges holistically. The empirical and computational findings of this study establish optimization methodologies that can inspire transformative sustainability practices in the jewelry industry.

Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) is associated with a wide range of post-acute sequelae. The prevalence of erectile dysfunction (ED) that developed after COVID-19 and the associated underlying factors were analyzed based on a questionnaire survey, COVID-19 Recovery Study II in Japan. A case–control study was conducted with those with or without ED one and two years hospitalized with COVID-19 between March and September 2021. Six hundred and nine Japanese men, with a median age of 48 years, were analyzed. During the study period, 116 subjects (19.0%) had erectile dysfunction. The patients with ED responded with less subjective awareness of recovery and high breathless and fatigue scores compared to those without ED. The patients with ED also showed higher Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-D (depression) and the EuroQol 5-dimensions 5-level scores for pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression scores compared before COVID-19 infection. Sleep disturbance was suggested to be associated with erectile dysfunction using an exploratory clustering analysis in the one-year survey. There were no associations of COVID-19 severity, reinfection, vaccination frequency, antiviral treatment for COVID-19 with the presence of erectile dysfunction. It was considered that mental support for the subject with erectile dysfunction as a long-COVID symptom is warranted.

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cross-posted from: https://ani.social/post/9668172

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A deepwater fish new to science has been named after San, the warrior princess from Studio Ghibli's landmark animated film Princess Mononoke, due to its striking facial markings.

The new species, Branchiostegus sanae, was identified by Chinese researchers after they noticed its unique cheek stripes.

Inspired by its resemblance to San, they chose "sanae" for the specific name as a tribute.

Lead author of the study Haochen Huang said: "In Princess Mononoke, San is a young woman raised by wolves after being abandoned by her human parents. She sees herself as a part of the forest and fights to protect it.

"The film delves into the complex relationship between humans and nature, promoting a message of harmonious coexistence between the two: something we hope to echo through this naming."

NOVA1, a neuronal RNA-binding protein expressed in the central nervous system, is essential for survival in mice and normal development in humans. A single amino acid change (I197V) in NOVA1’s second RNA binding domain is unique to modern humans. To study its physiological effects, we generated mice carrying the human-specific I197V variant (Nova1^hu/hu^) and analyzed the molecular and behavioral consequences. While the I197V substitution had minimal impact on NOVA1’s RNA binding capacity, it led to specific effects on alternative splicing, and CLIP revealed multiple binding peaks in mouse brain transcripts involved in vocalization. These molecular findings were associated with behavioral differences in vocalization patterns in Nova1^hu/hu^ mice as pups and adults. Our findings suggest that this human-specific NOVA1 substitution may have been part of an ancient evolutionary selective sweep in a common ancestral population of Homo sapiens, possibly contributing to the development of spoken language through differential RNA regulation during brain development.

The term incel is a neologism combining “involuntary” and “celibate”, describing men who experience involuntary absence from sexual and romantic relationships. Incels frequently espouse conspiratorial and misogynistic ideologies, often engaging in verbal aggression. The present study aimed at qualitatively exploring the emotional experiences and beliefs articulated within an online incel community, contributing to the formation of its collective identity. A thread (453 comments) sampled from an Italian “incel” forum was analyzed by two independent raters, using thematic analysis. Four themes emerged: (a) “non-persons (i.e., women) are not like us” revealed perceived gender inequality and misogynistic beliefs, (b) “without experiences in adolescence you are ruined” reflected the belief that early romantic and sexual experiences are crucial for later relationship satisfaction, (c) “I have no life” captured expressions of profound distress and life dissatisfaction, and (d) “only ours is true suffering” highlighted a sense of unique victimhood. Incel group identity was shaped by gender role stress, primarily stemming from the perceived failure to meet socially constructed expectations of hegemonic masculinity. Suffering emerged as the dominant emotional experience, seemingly exacerbated by feelings of hopelessness regarding romantic and sexual prospects. The perceived subordinate status of men and male suffering were exploited to rationalize and perpetuate misogyny. The observed incels’ openness in discussing experiences of suffering and trauma may present an opportunity for the development of preventive interventions aimed at increasing help-seeking behavior in this population.