Shared social identity and social norms shape risk-taking at mass gatherings

Shared social identity and social norms are often un(der)recognized within mass gatherings health literature, yet they can increase infectious disease transmission by motivating people to engage in risk-taking behaviours. Across three experiments (Ntotal = 1551), we investigated how shared social identities, perceived norms of resource-sharing, and perceived riskiness of sharing interact to shape decisions that can lead to disease transmission. In Experiment 1 (N = 528), we examined how shared social identity and perceived descriptive norms affect the likelihood of crowd members sharing resources that may contribute to disease spread. We then replicated this in Experiment 2 (N = 511) using perceived injunctive norms. In Experiment 3 (N = 512), we explored how high shared social identity, perceived norms, and perceived health risks of resource-sharing impact the likelihood of sharing that may, in turn, increase infectious disease transmission at mass gatherings. We found that high shared social identity interacts with perceived descriptive and injunctive norms, and low health risk perceptions, to increase the likelihood of accepting resources and giving resources at mass gatherings. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to build effective strategies to mitigate infectious disease transmission at mass gatherings.

Opportunities for risk-taking during play alters cognitive performance and prefrontal inhibitory signalling in rats of both sexes

Social play behaviour is a rewarding activity that can entail risks, thus allowing young individuals to test the limits of their capacities and to train their cognitive and emotional adaptability to challenges. Here, we tested in rats how opportunities for risk-taking during play affect the development of cognitive and emotional capacities and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) function, a brain structure important for risk-based decision making. Male and female rats were housed socially or social play-deprived (SPD) between postnatal day (P)21 and P42. During this period, half of both groups were daily exposed to a high-risk play environment. Around P85, all rats were tested for cognitive performance and emotional behaviour after which inhibitory currents were recorded in layer 5 pyramidal neurons in mPFC slices. We show that playing in a high-risk environment altered cognitive flexibility in both sexes and improved behavioural inhibition in males. High-risk play altered anxiety-like behaviour in the elevated plus maze in males and in the open field in females, respectively. SPD affected cognitive flexibility in both sexes and decreased anxiety-like behaviour in the elevated plus maze in females. We found that synaptic inhibitory currents in the mPFC were increased in male, but not female, rats after high-risk play, while SPD lowered prefrontal cortex (PFC) synaptic inhibition in both sexes. Together, our data show that exposure to risks during play affects the development of cognition, emotional behaviour and inhibition in the mPFC. Furthermore, our study suggests that the opportunity to take risks during play cannot substitute for social play behaviour.

Antibody drug conjugates in breast cancer in China: Highlights, challenges, and prospects

Antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) are novel drugs that exert specific cytotoxicity against tumor cells. China approved T-Dxd in May 2023, and their introduction has changed the nation's clinical practice. Although more than 700 ADCs are being investigated worldwide, the challenges that remain in antibody engineering, drug discovery, safety management, resistance, drug selection, and sequencing hinder the further promotion and application of ADCs. Experts in China have discussed the several critical concerns related to clinical practice since 2022. Here, the authors conducted a review of ADCs and then discussed several ADCs explored in China. This study proposes several solutions and strategies to maximize the potential benefit that ADCs can provide to patients with breast cancer.

Social, emotional and behavioural difficulties associated with persistent speech disorder in children: A prospective population study

Purpose

Social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD) in childhood are associated with negative consequences across the life course. Children with developmental language disorder have been identified as being at risk of developing SEBD but it is unclear whether a similar risk exists for children with speech sound disorder, a condition which impacts on children's ability to make themselves understood and has been shown to be associated with poor educational outcomes.

Methods

Participants were children who attended the 8-year-old clinic in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (N = 7390). Children with speech sound disorder that had persisted beyond the period of typical speech acquisition (persistent speech disorder [PSD]) at age 8 were identified from recordings and transcriptions of speech samples (N = 263). Parent-, teacher- and child-reported questionnaires and interviews including the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, Short Moods and Feelings Questionnaire and measures for antisocial and risk-taking behaviour were used to provide outcome scores for SEBD at 10-14 years in a series of regression analyses.

Results

Following adjustment for biological sex, socio-economic status and Intelligence Quotient, children with PSD at age 8 were more likely to show peer problems at age 10-11 years compared with their peers, as reported by teachers and parents. Teachers were more likely to report problems with emotionality. Children with PSD were no more likely to report symptoms of depression than their peers. No associations were observed between PSD, risk of antisocial behaviour, trying alcohol at age 10 or smoking cigarettes at age 14.

Conclusions

Children with PSD may be at risk in terms of their peer relationships. This could impact on their wellbeing and, while not observed at this age, may lead to depressive symptoms in older childhood and adolescence. There is also the potential that these symptoms may impact on educational outcomes.

Are British urban foxes (Vulpes vulpes) "bold"? The importance of understanding human-wildlife interactions in urban areas

Human-wildlife interactions are believed to be increasing in urban areas. In Britain, numerous media reports have stated that urban foxes (Vulpes vulpes) are becoming "bolder," thereby posing a risk to public safety. However, such claims overlook how an individual's personality might influence urban fox behavior. Personality determines multiple aspects of an animal's interactions with both conspecifics and its environment, and can have a significant impact on how people perceive wildlife. Furthermore, describing urban foxes as "bold" confounds two different but inter-related behaviors, both of which influence an animal's propensity to take risks. Neophobia affects an animal's reaction to novelty, wariness its reaction to potential threats. Since urban wildlife frequently encounters both novel and threatening stimuli, a highly adaptable species such as the red fox might be predicted to exhibit reduced neophobia and wariness. We investigated how social status influenced both behaviors in Bristol's fox population. Dominant foxes were significantly more neophobic and warier than subordinates, which adopt a more exploratory and risk-taking lifestyle to meet their energetic and other needs. We found no seasonal effect on neophobia and wariness, although this may be due to sample size. The presence of conspecifics decreased neophobia for dominants, and wariness for both dominants and subordinates. We highlight the importance of considering animal social status and personality when planning management protocols, since interventions that destabilize fox social groups are likely to increase the number of subordinate foxes in the population, thereby increasing rather than decreasing the number of interactions between humans and urban foxes.

Parental habituation to human disturbance over time reduces fear of humans in coyote offspring

A fundamental tenet of maternal effects assumes that maternal variance over time should have discordant consequences for offspring traits across litters. Yet, seldom are parents observed across multiple reproductive bouts, with few studies considering anthropogenic disturbances as an ecological driver of maternal effects. We observed captive coyote (Canis latrans) pairs over two successive litters to determine whether among‐litter differences in behavior (i.e., risk‐taking) and hormones (i.e., cortisol and testosterone) corresponded with parental plasticity in habituation. Thus, we explicitly test the hypothesis that accumulating experiences of anthropogenic disturbance reduces parental fear across reproductive bouts, which should have disparate phenotypic consequences for first‐ and second‐litter offspring. To quantify risk‐taking behavior, we used foraging assays from 5–15 weeks of age with a human observer present as a proxy for human disturbance. At 5, 10, and 15 weeks of age, we collected shaved hair to quantify pup hormone levels. We then used a quantitative genetic approach to estimate heritability, repeatability, and between‐trait correlations. We found that parents were riskier (i.e., foraged more frequently) with their second versus first litters, supporting our prediction that parents become increasingly habituated over time. Second‐litter pups were also less risk‐averse than their first‐litter siblings. Heritability for all traits did not differ from zero (0.001–0.018); however, we found moderate support for repeatability in all observed traits (r = 0.085–0.421). Lastly, we found evidence of positive phenotypic and cohort correlations among pup traits, implying that cohort identity (i.e., common environment) contributes to the development of phenotypic syndromes in coyote pups. Our results suggest that parental habituation may be an ecological cue for offspring to reduce their fear response, thus emphasizing the role of parental plasticity in shaping their pups’ behavioral and hormonal responses toward humans.

High-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) of left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex affects performance in Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART)

Background

Studies on risk preferences have long been of great concern and have examined the neural basis underlying risk-based decision making. However, studies using conventional transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) revealed that bilateral stimulation could change risk propensity with limited evidence of precisely focalized unilateral high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS). The aim of this experiment was to investigate the effect of HD-tDCS focalizing the left dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) on risk-taking behavior during the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART).

Methods

This study was designed as a between-subject, single-blind, sham-controlled experiment. University students were randomly assigned to three groups: the anodal group (F3 anode, AF3, F1, F5, FC3 returned), the cathodal group (F3 cathodal, AF3, F1, F5, FC3 returned) and the sham group. Subsequently, 1.5-mA 20-min HD-tDCS was applied during the BART, and the Positive Affect and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS), the Sensation Seeking Scale-5 (SSS-5), and the Behavioral Inhibition System and Behavioral Approach System scale (BIS/BAS) were measured as control variables.

Results

The cathodal group earned less total money than the sham group, and no significant difference was observed between the anodal group and the sham group.

Conclusions

These results showed that, to some extent, focalized unilateral cathodal HD-tDCS on left DLPFC could change performance during risky tasks and diminish risky decision making. Further studies are needed to investigate the dose effect and electrode distribution of HD-tDCS during risky tasks and examine synchronous brain activity to show the neural basis.

Indirect risk effects reduce feeding efficiency of ducks during spring

Indirect risk effects of predators on prey behavior can have more of an impact on prey populations than direct consumptive effects. Predation risk can elicit more vigilance behavior in prey, reducing the amount of time available for other activities, such as foraging, which could potentially reduce foraging efficiency. Understanding the conditions associated with predation risk and the specific effects predation risk have on prey behavior is important because it has direct influences on the profitability of food items found under various conditions and states of the forager. The goals of this study were to assess how ducks perceived predation risk in various habitat types and how strongly perceived risk versus energetic demand affected foraging behavior. We manipulated food abundance in different wetland types in Illinois, USA to reduce confounding between food abundance and vegetation structure. We conducted focal‐animal behavioral samples on five duck species in treatment and control plots and used generalized linear mixed‐effects models to compare the effects of vegetation structure versus other factors on the intensity with which ducks fed and the duration of feeding stints. Mallards fed more intensively and, along with blue‐winged teal, used longer feeding stints in open habitats, consistent with the hypothesis that limited visibility was perceived to have a greater predation risk than unlimited visibility. The species temporally nearest to nesting, wood ducks, were willing to take more risks for a greater food reward, consistent with an increase in a marginal value of energy as they approached nesting. Our results indicate that some duck species value energy differently based on the surrounding vegetation structure and density. Furthermore, increases in the marginal value of energy can be more influential than perceived risk in shaping foraging behavior patterns. Based on these findings, we conclude that the value of various food items is not solely determined by energy contained in the item but by conditions in which it is found and the state of the forager.