Culture

Tiny, 3D-printed bricks have been designed to heal broken bones -- and could one day lead to lab-made organs for human transplant.

Inspired by Lego blocks, the small, hollow bricks serve as scaffolding onto which both hard and soft tissue can regrow better than today's standard regeneration methods, according to new research published in Advanced Materials. Each brick is 1.5 millimeters cubed, or roughly the size of a small flea.

"Our patent-pending scaffolding is easy to use; it can be stacked together like Legos and placed in thousands of different configurations to match the complexity and size of almost any situation," said Luiz Bertassoni, Ph.D., who led the technology's development and is an associate professor in the OHSU School of Dentistry and an associate professor of biomedical engineering in the OHSU School of Medicine.

Bertassoni partnered with colleagues from OHSU, University of Oregon, New York University and Mahidol University in Thailand to develop and evaluate the technology.

When stacked together, the microcages are designed to repair broken bones better than today's methods. Orthopaedic surgeons typically repair more complex bone fractures by implanting metal rods or plates to stabilize the bone and then inserting bio-compatible scaffolding materials packed with powders or pastes that promote healing.

A unique advantage of this new scaffolding system is that its hollow blocks can be filled with small amounts of gel containing various growth factors that are precisely placed closest to where they are needed. The study found growth factor-filled blocks placed near repaired rat bones led to about three times more blood vessel growth than conventional scaffolding material.

"The 3D-printed microcage technology improves healing by stimulating the right type of cells to grow in the right place, and at the right time," said study co-author Ramesh Subbiah, Ph.D., a postdoctoral scholar in Bertassoni's OHSU lab who specializes in growth factor delivery. "Different growth factors can be placed inside each block, enabling us to more precisely and quickly repair tissue."

The small devices are modular and can be assembled to fit into almost any space. When piecing together block segments containing four layers of four-bricks-by-four bricks, the researchers estimate more than 29,000 different configurations can be created.

Bertassoni and colleagues also imagine their 3D-printed technology could be used to heal bones that have to be cut out for cancer treatment, for spinal fusion procedures and to build up weakened jaw bones ahead of a dental implant.

And, by changing the composition of the technology's 3D-printed materials, they envision it could also be used to build or repair soft tissues. With significantly more research, they hope the modular microcage approach could even be used to make organs for transplant.

Bertassoni and his team will further explore the microcages' performance in bone repair. They plan to test the technology's ability to repair more complex bone fractures in rats or larger animals.

If physical distancing measures in the United States are relaxed while there is still no COVID-19 vaccine or treatment and while personal protective equipment remains in short supply, the number of resulting infections could be about the same as if distancing had never been implemented to begin with, according to a UCLA-led team of mathematicians and scientists.

The researchers compared the results of three related mathematical models of disease transmission that they used to analyze data emerging from local and national governments, including one that measures the dynamic reproduction number -- the average number of susceptible people infected by one previously infected person. The models all highlight the dangers of relaxing public health measures too soon.

"Distancing efforts that appear to have succeeded in the short term may have little impact on the total number of infections expected over the course of the pandemic," said lead author Andrea Bertozzi, a distinguished professor of mathematics who holds UCLA's Betsy Wood Knapp Chair for Innovation and Creativity. "Our mathematical models demonstrate that relaxing these measures in the absence of pharmaceutical interventions may allow the pandemic to reemerge. It's about reducing contact with other people, and this can be done with PPE as well as distancing."

The study is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and is applicable to both future spikes of COVID-19 and future pandemics, the researchers say.

If distancing and shelter-in-place measures had not been taken in March and April, it is very likely the number of people infected in California, New York and elsewhere would have been dramatically higher, posing a severe burden on hospitals, Bertozzi said. But the total number of infections predicted if these precautions end too soon is similar to the number that would be expected over the course of the pandemic without such measures, she said. In other words, short-term distancing can slow the spread of the disease but may not result in fewer people becoming infected.

Mathematically modeling and forecasting the spread of COVID-19 are critical for effective public health policy, but wide differences in precautionary approaches across the country have made it a challenge, said Bertozzi, who is also a distinguished professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering. Social distancing and wearing face masks reduce the spread of COVID-19, but people in many states are not following distancing guidelines and are not wearing masks -- and the number of infections continues to rise.

What are the implications of these findings for policymakers who want to relax social distancing in an effort to revive their economies?

"Policymakers need to be careful," Bertozzi said. "Our study predicts a surge in cases in California after distancing measures are relaxed. Alternative strategies exist that would allow the economy to ramp up without substantial new infections. Those strategies all involve significant use of PPE and increased testing."

During the 1918 influenza pandemic, social distancing was first enforced and then relaxed in some areas. Bertozzi points to a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2007 that looked at several American cities during that pandemic where a second wave of infections occurred after public health measures were removed too early.

That study found that the timing of public health interventions had a profound influence on the pattern of the second wave of the 1918 pandemic in different cities. Cities that had introduced measures early in the pandemic achieved significant reductions in overall mortality. Larger reductions in peak mortality were achieved by those cities that extended the public health measures for longer. San Francisco, St. Louis, Milwaukee and Kansas City, for instance, had the most effective interventions, reducing transmission rates by 30% to 50%.

"Researchers Martin Bootsma and Neil Ferguson were able to analyze the effectiveness of distancing measures by comparing the data against an estimate for what might have happened had distancing measures not been introduced," Bertozzi said of the 2007 study. "They considered data from the full pandemic, while we addressed the question of fitting models to early-time data for this pandemic. During the 1918 influenza pandemic, the early relaxation of social distancing measures led to a swift uptick in deaths in some U.S. cities. Our mathematical models help to explain why this effect might occur today."

The COVID-19 data in the new study are from April 1, 2020, and are publicly available. The study is aimed at scientists who are not experts in epidemiology.

"Epidemiologists are in high demand during a pandemic, and public health officials from local jurisdictions may have a need for help interpreting data," Bertozzi said. "Scientists with relevant background can be tapped to assist these people."

You're faced with a big decision so your second brain provides what's normally referred to as 'gut instinct', but how did this sensation reach you before it was too late?

The Enteric Nervous System (ENS) is an extensive network of neurons and transmitters wrapped in and around the human gut with the prime function of managing digestion, but researchers at Flinders University are delving into the complexity of this brain like system to uncover it's secret capabilities.

In a new study published in the eNeuro journal, Professor Nick Spencer's laboratory has identified a particular type of neuron in the gut wall that communicates signals to other neurons outside the gut, near the spinal cord and up to the brain.

"There is significant interest in how the gut communicates with the brain as a major unresolved issue because of growing evidence that many diseases may first start in the gut and then travel to the brain, an example of which is Parkinson's Disease," says Professor Spencer.

"The new study has uncovered how viscerofugal neurons provide a pathway so our gut can "sense" what is going on inside the gut wall, then relay this sensory information more dynamically than was previously assumed to other organs, like the spinal cord and brain which influence our decisions, mood and general wellbeing."

The results reveal why the ENS might play an increasingly important part on human health, and could shed light on potential new treatments for conditions like Parkinson's disease.

This study represents a big step towards understanding ENS functions and the complexity of the gut and brain connection through the neurons that allow communication in the body.

Professor Spencer says there is increasing interest in understanding how the nervous system in the gut (ENS) communicates with the brain, to give us all those sensations we know of.

"What is particularly exciting about the gut, is that it is unlike all other internal organs (e.g. heart, liver, bladder) because the gut has its own nervous system, which can function independently of the brain or spinal cord. Understanding how the gut communicates and controls other organs in the body can lead to important breakthroughs for disease treatment and this is an important step in the right direction."

What The Article Says: In this essay, an experienced oncologist mourns the loss of personal connection with patients and their families that has resulted from the social distancing of the COVID-19 era.

Authors: Hanna K. Sanoff, M.D., of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, is the corresponding author.

To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ 

(doi:10.1001/jamaoncol.2020.2839)

Editor's Note: Please see the articles for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, conflicts of interest and financial disclosures, and funding and support.

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Media advisory: The full article is linked to this news release.

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Researchers are urging city-dwellers to switch off their garden lights at night-time after a study of magpies and pigeons revealed the harmful impact artificial light is having on the birds' sleep patterns.

The study by La Trobe University and University of Melbourne, published today in Current Biology, is the first to measure neurological responses to light pollution in wildlife.

The researchers looked at how birds' sleep was affected by artificial white light and the apparently more "sleep-friendly" amber light.

They found light comparable in intensity to street lighting can disrupt the length, structure and intensity of sleep in magpies and pigeons, regardless of the light's colour.

Utilising miniature sensors to measure magpie and pigeon brain activity, researchers found their non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and REM sleep cycles were altered when exposed to white and amber lighting at night, but that the magnitude of these effects differed between the species.

La Trobe University sleep expert Dr John Lesku said that while magpie sleep is more disrupted under white light compared to amber light, both types of light are equally disruptive for sleep in pigeons.

"Both magpies and pigeons average 10 hours of sleep per night. We found that magpies lost more NREM sleep under white light than amber light. By comparison, pigeons lost around 4 hours of sleep under both white and amber light," Dr Lesku said.

"Interestingly, neither species fully recovered sleep lost to white or amber light exposure."

University of Melbourne and La Trobe University researcher Dr Anne Aulsebrook said changes to sleeping patterns in birds, caused by human light pollution, is concerning.

"We know sleep is important for animals to not only function, but thrive," Dr Aulsebrook said.

"While amber lighting appears to have a less damaging impact than white light on magpies, our findings suggest the relative impacts of light pollution on birds may be species-specific. Amber lighting can reduce sleep disruption in some birds, but it is not a solution for all species.

"Additionally, disrupted sleeping patterns that force birds to catch up on sleep in the daytime could impact their ability to forage for food, fight off predators and search for mates."

University of Melbourne and La Trobe University graduate researcher Farley Connelly recommended further research into avian circadian rhythms and the implementation of short-term solutions.

"We should think about using artificial light only as and where it's needed," Mr Connelly said.

"Switch off that porch light, install sensor lights, remove decorative lights from trees, balconies and other outdoor settings, and keep street and park lights directed to the ground or shielded where possible.

"And if you're ever woken by the early call of a magpie, remember it could be just as sleep deprived as you are."

Throughout history, spikes in mortality due to wars and famines were followed by increased births, while the Spanish Flu resulted in a temporary drop in fertility before recovering during a "baby boom." Contrary to this historic trend, the Covid-19 health emergency will plausibly cause a decline in fertility, without the factors that have brought on a baby boom in the past, according to "The Covid-19 pandemic and human fertility" published on July 24 by Science Magazine, the peer-reviewed journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, by Bocconi University's Arnstein Aassve, Nicolò Cavalli, Letizia Mencarini and Samuel Plach, and Massimo Livi Bacci from University of Florence.

The authors emphasize differences in populations' development and their stage in the demographic transition to accurately draw conclusions from the existing research.

"Although it is difficult to make precise predictions, a likely scenario is that fertility will fall, at least in high-income countries and in the short run," said Arnstein Aassve, Professor at the Department of Social and Political Sciences at Bocconi and at the Carlo F. Dondena Centre for Research on Social Dynamics and Public Policy.

This study is part of the Dondena Centre's research activities within Bocconi's Covid Crisis Lab.

In high-income countries, disruption in the organization of family life due to prolonged lockdowns, the reinternalization of childcare within the couple following school closures, and deteriorating economic outlooks are likely to lead to postponements in childbearing. A further fertility fall in high-income countries will accelerate population ageing and population decline, with implications for public policy.

In low- and middle-income countries the fertility decline observed in recent decades from trends such as urbanization, economic development and female occupation is unlikely to be fundamentally reversed by economic setbacks. Difficulties, though, in accessing family planning services might result in a short-run spike in unintended pregnancies and worsening neonatal and reproductive health.

Home-made cloth face masks likely need a minimum of two layers, and preferably three, to prevent the dispersal of viral droplets from the nose and mouth that are associated with the spread of COVID-19, indicates a video case study published online in the journal Thorax.

Viral droplets are generated during coughing, sneezing, or speaking. And face masks are thought to protect healthy people from inhaling infectious droplets as well as reducing the spread from those who are already infected.

But worldwide shortages of personal protective equipment during the pandemic have led some health agencies, such as the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC), to recommend the use of home-made cloth face coverings as an alternative to surgical face masks.

Several types of material have been suggested for these, but based on little or no evidence of how well they work.

A team of Australian researchers therefore compared the effectiveness of single and double-layer cloth face coverings (175 g/m² cotton fabric, with a thread count of 170/ inch) with a 3-ply surgical face mask (Bao Thach) at reducing droplet spread.

The single layer covering was made from a folded piece of cotton T shirt and hair ties; the double layer covering was made using the sew method, as set out by CDC:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/how-to-make-cloth-face-covering.html

The researchers used a tailored LED lighting system and a high-speed camera to film the dispersal of airborne droplets produced by a healthy person with no respiratory infection, during speaking, coughing, and sneezing while wearing each type of mask.

The video recording showed that the 3-ply surgical face mask was the most effective at reducing airborne droplet dispersal, although even a single layer cloth face covering reduced the droplet spread from speaking.

But a double layer covering was better than a single layer in reducing the droplet spread from coughing and sneezing, the recording showed.

This is just one case, added to which several other factors contribute to the effectiveness of cloth face masks, note the researchers. These include the type of material used, design and fit, as well as the frequency of washing.

Nevertheless, based on their observations, a home made cloth mask with at least two layers is preferable to a single layer mask, they say, adding: "Guidelines on home-made cloth masks should stipulate multiple layers."

And they emphasise: "There is a need for more evidence to inform safer cloth mask design, and countries should ensure adequate manufacturing or procurement of surgical masks."

This quiet period, likely caused by the total global effect of social distancing measures, closure of services and industry, and drops in tourism and travel, is the longest and most pronounced quiet period of seismic noise in recorded history.

The new research, led by the Royal Observatory of Belgium and five other institutions around the world including Imperial College London, showed that the dampening of 'seismic noise' caused by humans was more pronounced in more densely populated areas.

The relative quietness allowed researchers to listen in to previously concealed earthquake signals, and could help us differentiate between human and natural seismic noise more clearly than ever before.

Co-author Dr Stephen Hicks, from Imperial's Department of Earth Science and Engineering, said: "This quiet period is likely the longest and largest dampening of human-caused seismic noise since we started monitoring the Earth in detail using vast monitoring networks of seismometers.

"Our study uniquely highlights just how much human activities impact the solid Earth, and could let us see more clearly than ever what differentiates human and natural noise."

The paper is published today in Science.

Anthropause

Measured by instruments called seismometers, seismic noise is caused by vibrations within the Earth, which travel like waves. The waves can be triggered by earthquakes, volcanoes, and bombs - but also by daily human activity like travel and industry.

Although 2020 has not seen a reduction in earthquakes, the drop in human-caused seismic noise is unprecedented. The strongest drops were found in urban areas, but the study also found signatures of the lockdown on sensors buried hundreds of metres underground and in more remote areas.

Human-generated noise usually dampens during quiet periods like over the Christmas/New Year period and Chinese New Year, and during weekends and overnight. However, the drop in vibrations caused by COVID-19 lockdown measures eclipse even those seen during these periods.

Some researchers are dubbing this drop in anthropogenic (human-caused) noise and pollution the 'anthropause'.

Dr Hicks said: "This is the first global study of the impact of the coronavirus anthropause on the solid Earth beneath our feet."

To gather the data, researchers looked at seismic data from a global network of 268 seismic stations in 117 countries and found significant noise reductions compared to before any lockdown at 185 of those stations. Beginning in China in late January 2020, and followed by Europe and the rest of the world in March to April 2020, researchers tracked the 'wave' of quietening between March and May as worldwide lockdown measures took hold.

The largest drops in vibrations were seen in the most densely populated areas, like Singapore and New York City, but drops were also seen in remote areas like Germany's Black Forest and Rundu in Namibia.
Citizen-owned seismometers, which tend to measure more localised noise, noted large drops around universities and schools around Cornwall, UK and Boston, USA - a drop in noise 20 per cent larger than seen during school holidays.
Countries like Barbados, where lockdown coincided with the tourist season, saw a 50 per cent decrease in noise. This coincided with flight data that suggested tourists returned home in the weeks before official lockdown.

Listening in

Over the past few decades, seismic noise has gradually increased as economies and populations have grown.

The drastic changes to daily life caused by the pandemic have provided a unique opportunity to study their environmental impacts, such as reductions in emissions and pollution in the atmosphere. The changes have also given us the opportunity to listen in to the Earth's natural vibrations without the distortions of human input.

The study reports the first evidence that previously concealed earthquake signals, especially during daytime, appeared much clearer on seismometers in urban areas during lockdown.

The researchers say the lockdown quietening could also help them differentiate between human-caused noise and natural signals that might warn of upcoming natural disasters.

Lead author Dr Thomas Lecocq from the Royal Observatory of Belgium said: "With increasing urbanisation and growing global populations, more people will be living in geologically hazardous areas. It will therefore become more important than ever to differentiate between natural and human-caused noise so that we can 'listen in' and better monitor the ground movements beneath our feet. This study could help to kick-start this new field of study."

The study's authors hope that their work will spawn further research on the seismic lockdown, as well as finding previously hidden signals from earthquakes and volcanoes.

Dr Hicks said: "The lockdowns caused by the coronavirus pandemic may have given us a glimmer of insight into how human and natural noise interact within the Earth. We hope this insight will spawn new studies that help us listen better to the Earth and understand natural signals we would otherwise have missed."

A new 42-country study has found that the more gender egalitarian the country, the less likely men are to support women's causes.

The study, published in the European Journal of Social Psychology, was led by Dr Natasza Kosakowska-Berezecka from the University of Gda?sk, Poland, and involved a team of experts including Dr Magdalena Zawisza of Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), who was a member of the lead research group.

Gender equality benefits both men and women at individual and society levels. It is associated with greater human rights observance, higher levels of happiness and wellbeing, and better physical and mental health, in addition to greater relationship satisfaction and economic benefits, including higher average levels of GDP.

The new research is the largest study on this topic ever undertaken, forming part of the Towards Gender Harmony project, and involved 6,734 men from 42 nations ranging from Norway, ranked second out of 153 countries for gender equality in the World Economic Forum's 2020 Global Gender Gap Index (GGGI) to Pakistan, ranked 151st.

The researchers found, regardless of nationality, that the more men believe in "zero-sum" thinking - that gains for women equate to losses for men - the less they are inclined to support gender equality and are more likely to express attitudes of hostile sexism.

Counterintuitively, the study also found that the higher the national level of gender egalitarianism, the less men are willing to engage in activities such as signing petitions in favour of workplace gender equality, endorsing gender egalitarian political candidates, and using social media to raise awareness about gender issues. Norway, the Philippines, and Ireland were the most egalitarian countries (according to their GGGI scores) included in this study.

Dr Zawisza, Reader in Consumer and Gender Psychology at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), said: "Some men view women as competitors rather than allies, and our research found that men, regardless of their nationality, withdraw their support for gender equality when they think that women's gains threaten their own status.

"What is particularly interesting is that higher levels of gender equality within a country appear to have the effect of demotivating men from supporting gender equality causes. This could be due to a perceived threat to men's masculinity or men's belief that women are doing perfectly well on their own and do not need any extra help.

"Although we are seeing more women in senior management and executive roles, globally women earn 21% less than men and hold only 29% of the positions of power. This 'zero-sum' thinking, where gains for women equate to losses for men, remains a key barrier to further improvements in equality. Instead, 'her gain equals his gain' thinking needs to be promoted if we are to move towards gender harmony."

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Leesburg, VA, July 23, 2020--According to an open-access article published in ARRS' American Journal of Roentgenology (AJR), lung ultrasound (US) was highly sensitive for detecting abnormalities in patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19), with B-lines, a thickened pleural line, and pulmonary consolidation the most commonly observed features.

"In addition," concluded Yao Zhang of at China's Beijing Ditan Hospital, "our results indicate that lung US findings can be used to reflect both the infection duration and disease severity."

From March 3 to March 30, 2020, Zhang and colleagues performed lung US on consecutive patients with positive reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RTPCR) test results for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), using the Fisher exact test to compare the percentages of patients with each US finding between groups with different symptom durations and disease severity.

All 28 patients (14 men and 14 women; age range, 21-92 years) had positive findings on both lung US and chest CT. On US, B-lines were present in 100% of patients, and 19 (67.9%) patients had pulmonary consolidation. Thickened pleural lines were observed in 17 patients (60.7%), and only one patient (3.6%) showed a small amount of pleural effusion.

"A thickened pleural line was more frequently observed on US in patients with longer time intervals after the initial onset of symptoms," Zhang et al. noted, adding that pulmonary consolidations--visualized as tissuelike hypoechoic regions, reflecting highly reduced air flow and increased quantity of inflammatory cellular exudate--were more common in severe and critical cases.

Acknowledging that portable radiography could be just as useful in evaluating consolidation, "a bedside portable, handheld US system or even a robot-assisted tele-US system (a unique technique for physicians to remotely scan patients) further minimizes the number of health care workers and medical devices exposed to COVID-19," wrote Zhang and team.

The authors of this AJR article also proposed that severity scoring for lung US, similar to CT severity scores, should be developed to facilitate more accurate comparisons in future studies.

The latest AJR Podcast episode takes a closer look at "Lung US Findings in Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) Patients," noting that compared to CT, US is portable, less costly, and does not use radiation--making US a useful tool for triage, particularly in pre-hospital/outpatient settings, and severity stratification and monitoring, especially for critically ill patients who may be challenging to transport and require careful ventilation management:

https://ajrpodcast.libsyn.com/lung-us-findings-in-coronavirus-disease-19-covid-19-patients

Juvenile fishes have one of the highest mortality rates compared to other life stages. Within two days of settling into a reef almost 60 percent are consumed by predators. Our recent study found noisy boats and ships can also affect the prey response of these young fishes.

When exposed to the noise of vessels, juvenile fishes decreased their activity, which reduced their swimming distance. Previous research found more active fishes learn faster about their environment and potential predators, which results in a higher chance of survival (2).

We also found juveniles exposed to boat and ship noise were slower to escape when exposed to a simulated predator attack. This is highly relevant as the timing of the escape response to a predator is critical for success--a slower fish is more likely to get eaten.

Noise pollution is mostly concentrated in coastal areas. The higher the human population the higher the incidence of recreational boating activities such as diving and recreational fishing. More than 250,000 boats are registered in the Great Barrier Reef region and this number is projected to increase 500 percent by 2040. This means vessel noise is not only already widespread, but increasing along the Great Barrier Reef.

Our results suggest boat and ship noise could increase the mortality of juvenile fishes during their critical period of growth (and remember, ~60 percent already die within two days). In areas such as the Great Barrier Reef, fishes are likely exposed to recreational boats and ships multiple times throughout their life. An increase in the mortality rate could have implications for population structure and community dynamics.

Man-made noise is easier to manage compared to other pollutants, which provides an opportunity to mitigate its effects on coral reef communities. The main goal of our research is to investigate the effects of noise on reef fishes in order to provide governmental institutions with information for its management and regulation. Future research will investigate the long-term effects of noise pollution on fishes and whether there are interactive effects with other stressors.

Scientists at the University of California, Davis, have successfully produced a bull calf, named Cosmo, who was genome-edited as an embryo so that he'll produce more male offspring. The research was presented in a poster today (July 23) at the American Society of Animal Science meeting.

Using the genome-editing technology CRISPR, researchers can make targeted cuts to the genome or insert useful genes, which is called a gene knock-in. In this case, scientists successfully inserted or knocked-in the cattle SRY gene, the gene that is responsible for initiating male development, into a bovine embryo. It's the first demonstration of a targeted gene knock-in for large sequences of DNA via embryo-mediated genome editing in cattle.

"We anticipate Cosmo's offspring that inherit this SRY gene will grow and look like males, regardless of whether they inherit a Y chromosome," said Alison Van Eenennaam, animal geneticist with the UC Davis Department of Animal Science.

MORE MALES, MORE BEEF

Van Eenennaam says part of the motivation to produce more male cattle is that male cattle are about 15 percent more efficient at converting feed into weight gain. They are more fuel-efficient than females. Additionally, they tend to be processed at a heavier weight.

It could also be a win for the environment, with fewer cattle needed to produce the same amount of beef. "Ranchers could produce some females as replacements and direct a higher proportion of male cattle for market," said Joey Owen, a postdoctoral researcher in animal science who is leading the project with Van Eenennaam.

AN ARDUOUS JOURNEY

The SRY gene was inserted into bovine chromosome 17, which is a genomic safe harbor site. That ensures the genetic elements function predictably and don't disrupt the expression or regulation of adjacent genes. Chromosome 17 was chosen after unsuccessful attempts to knock-in the gene on the X chromosome, which would have resulted in a bull that produced only male offspring. Cosmo is expected to produce 75 percent male offspring -- the normal 50 percent XY animals, and another 25percent XX animals that inherit the SRY gene.

"It took two and a half years to develop the method to insert a gene into the developing embryo and another two years to successfully establish a pregnancy," said Owen. But in April of 2020, a healthy 110-pound male calf was born.

"This has been a real labor of love," said Van Eenennaam.

She said this is just the beginning of the research. Cosmo will reach sexual maturity in a year, and he will be bred to study if inheriting the SRY gene on chromosome 17 is sufficient to trigger the male developmental pathway in XX embryos, and result in offspring that will grow and look like males. As the Food and Drug Administration regulates gene-editing of animals as if they were drugs, Cosmo and his offspring will not enter the food supply.

Hotels should build an emotional attachment with tourists when communicating during crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic if they are to encourage them to return, according to new research.

The study finds that crisis communication emphasising shared emotional responses to risks enables tourists to humanise the hotel, which can subsequently create an emotional attachment. This attachment can then increase tourists' intentions to visit once the crisis ends, which is crucial if the industry is to recover.

Researchers from the Universities of East Anglia (UEA), Bath and the West of England say their findings challenge the approach that dominates many hotels' current COVID-19 communication, which is to focus on cancellation policy and commitment to cleanliness.

The tourism industry has been hugely affected by COVID-19, with lockdowns and travel bans introduced at the height of the pandemic - by late April coronavirus had spread to 185 countries, affecting millions of people and shutting down thousands of businesses.

As a result, the study authors say hotel groups such as Four Seasons and Hilton all emphasised publicly their commitment to cleanliness to reduce tourist's perceptions of the risk to health. However, they argue this approach only focuses on cognitive, or rational, aspects of risk perceptions and ignores emotional responses to risks.

They add that their findings, published in the Annals of Tourism Research, provide unique insights on the impact of crisis communication during a sustained global crisis such as the coronavirus pandemic, whereas previous research on crisis and disaster management in tourism mainly focuses on recovery after the event.

Dr Haiming Hang, from the University of Bath's School of Management, said: "During COVID-19, fear and anxiety are the most common emotions among both tourists and the hotel sector. Tourists experience fear and anxiety towards the health risks of COVID-19, while the hotel sector feels fear and anxiety about the uncertainty it faces."

Dr Lukman Aroean, of UEA's Norwich Business School, added: "Understandably hotels wish to reassure customers about the practical precautions they are taking.

However, we argue that crisis communication focusing on shared emotions during the current coronavirus pandemic is very important, as it can establish emotional attachment with tourists better than rational statements can. This can be crucial for tourism recovery, because emotional attachment can increase tourists' intentions to visit when the outbreak ends.

"We show that humanising the brand underlines the impact of shared emotions on emotional attachment and demonstrates the key reason shared emotions can trigger emotional attachment."

The study involved 405 American participants whose travel plans were disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic. The research team collected details about their travel plans (purpose and destination), and perceived severity, susceptibility and emotions (fear, anxiety, worry, unease) towards the coronavirus pandemic.

Participants were then randomly allocated to one of the three experimental conditions. In all conditions they were exposed to the same experimental stimulus - a fictitious middle-market international hotel chain - to control participants' pre-existing knowledge of real hotels.

Participants in the control condition were not exposed to any crisis communication message. In the other two conditions, the hotel's crisis communication focused on the same areas, commitment to cleanliness and cancelation policy, but they differed on why the hotel wanted to do this.

In the cognitive (rational) condition, consistent with many hotels' current response, the crisis communication explained the hotel's commitment to cleanliness was to reduce health risk.

In the shared emotions condition, the crisis communication explained the hotel's commitment to cleanliness was because it shared the same emotions as tourists: the hotel employees and their families are susceptible to coronavirus just like everyone else. The uncertainty surrounding the pandemic also makes the hotel anxious and worried because it is hard for them to know how exactly they will be impacted or how bad things might get.

The best footballers (soccer players) have a high degree of passion and grit.

"These factors appear to be extremely important for getting good at the sport," says professor and first author Hermundur Sigmundsson at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology's (NTNU) Department of Psychology.

A research group has studied some of the best football players in Vestland county, including Sogndal's Elite team, which played to qualify for the Elite Series that season. They wanted to find out what contributes to someone joining the ranks of the very best.

An article on their findings has now been published in the journal New Ideas in Psychology. The other researchers behind the study are associate professor Jan M. Loftesnes from the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Campus Sogndal and Filipe Manuel Clemente of the Escola Superior de Desporto e Lazer in Portugal.

The researchers examined players' passion, grit and positive mindset. The last term means that you think you will succeed.

"This is the first study in the world that has looked at these factors in football players," Sigmundsson says.

One of the other teams they studied was Sogndal Junior, the best junior team in the Nordic countries that year. This team played in the UEFA Youth League, which is the junior version of the UEFA Champions League.

The third team was Sogn og Fjordane's regional team for 14-15 year olds, who were among the best players in their age group.

All the players in the study played football at a high level. But perhaps it's no surprise that players on the Elite team scored the highest on all three factors of passion, grit and positive mindset.

The researchers found differences between the good players and the very best players.

Certainly, it takes even more to attain the top tier, such as skilled coaches, effective and proper training and people who support you, but passion and grit seem to be of central importance.

This is in line with other study findings, including some from NTNU. Passion determines what you become good at, while grit and positive mindset support you in achieving it.

The players' feelings for football also match the coaches' perception of their skills.

"When the coaches for each team ranked their players in terms of football skills, we saw a very high correlation between their ranking and the passion of the players," says Sigmundsson.

The researchers also found a clear link between the ranking and players' grit, especially for the Elite players and Junior 15s.

But they didn't find this connection with positive mindset, even though you need that too. So just believing you'll be able to do it if you reach the top isn't enough.

"This also supports our theory that passion and grit are important for success and excellence," says Sigmundsson.

A total of 63 players participated in the study, consisting of 25 players from Sogndal Elite, 17 from Sogndal Junior and 21 from Sogn and Fjordane Juniors aged 14-15. This is the first part of a somewhat larger project with Sogndal Fotball and Sogn and Fjordane Fotballkrets.

"A follow-up study is imminent, and with such good partners we should be able to find more answers to the question of what can predict good players," said Loftesnes.

For the first time, the raw genetic material that codes for bats' unique adaptations and superpowers such as the ability to fly, to use sound to move effortlessly in complete darkness, to survive and tolerate deadly diseases, to resist ageing and cancer - has been fully revealed.

Bat1K (Bat1K.com), a global consortium of scientists dedicated to sequencing the genomes of every one of the 1421 living bat species, has generated and analyzed six highly accurate bat genomes that are ten times more complete than any bat genome published to date, in order to uncover bats' unique traits.

"Given these exquisite bat genomes, we can now better understand how bats tolerate viruses, slow down ageing, and have evolved flight and echolocation. These genomes are the tools needed to identify the genetic solutions evolved in bats that ultimately could be harnessed to alleviate human ageing and disease," Emma Teeling, University College Dublin, Co-Founding Director of Bat1K and Senior Author.

To generate these exquisite bat genomes, the team used the newest technologies of the DRESDEN-concept Genome Center, a shared technology resource in Dresden, to sequence the bat's DNA, and generated new methods to assemble these pieces into the correct order and to identify the genes present.

"Using the latest DNA sequencing technologies and new computing methods for such data, we have 96 to 99 percent of each bat genome in chromosome level reconstructions - an unprecedented quality akin to for example the current human genome reference which is the result of over a decade of intensive "finishing" efforts. As such, these bat genomes provide a superb foundation for experimentation and evolutionary studies of bats' fascinating abilities and physiological properties" Eugene Myers, Director of Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, and the Center for Systems Biology, Dresden, Germany, Senior Author.

Relationship to other mammals

The team compared these bat genomes against 42 other mammals to address the unresolved question of where bats are located within the mammalian tree of life. Using novel phylogenetic methods and comprehensive molecular data sets, the team found the strongest support for bats being most closely related to a group called Ferreuungulata that consists of carnivores (which includes dogs, cats and seals, among other species), pangolins, whales and ungulates (hooved mammals).

To uncover genomic changes that contribute to the unique adaptations found in bats, the team systematically searched for gene differences between bats and other mammals, identifying regions of the genome that have evolved differently in bats and the loss and gain of genes that may drive bats' unique traits.

"Our genome scans revealed changes in hearing genes that may contribute to echolocation, which bats use to hunt and navigate in complete darkness. Furthermore, we found expansions of anti-viral genes, unique selection on immune genes, and loss of genes involved in inflammation in bats. These changes may contribute to bats' exceptional immunity and points to their tolerance of coronaviruses." Michael Hiller, Max Planck Research Group Leader, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Dresden, Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, and the Center for Systems Biology, Dresden, Senior Author.

Tolerance against viruses

The team also found evidence that bats' ability to tolerate viruses is reflected in their genomes. The exquisite genomes revealed "fossilised viruses", evidence of surviving past viral infections, and showed that bat genomes contained a higher diversity than other species providing a genomic record of historical tolerance to viral infection.

Given the quality of the bat genomes the team uniquely identified and experimentally validated several non-coding regulatory regions that may govern bats' key evolutionary innovations.

"Having such complete genomes allowed us to identify regulatory regions that control gene expression that are unique to bats. Importantly we were able to validate unique bat microRNAs in the lab to show their consequences for gene regulation. In the future we can use these genomes to understand how regulatory regions and epigenomics contributed to the extraordinary adaptations we see in bats," says Sonja Vernes, Co-Founding Director Bat 1K, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, Senior Author.

This is just a beginning. The remaining ~1400 living bat species exhibit an incredible diversity in ecology, longevity, sensory perception and immunology, and numerous questions still remain regarding the genomic basis of these spectacular features. Bat1K will answer these questions as more and more exquisite bat genomes are sequenced, further uncovering the genetic basis of bats' rare and wonderful superpowers.