Reliable long-term individual variation in wild chimpanzee technological efficiency.

Variation in the efficiency of extracting calorie-rich and nutrient-dense resources directly impacts energy expenditure and potentially has important repercussions for cultural transmission where social learning strategies are used. Assessing variation in efficiency is key to understanding the evolution of complex behavioural traits in primates. Here we examine evidence for individual-level differences beyond age- and sex-class in non-human primate extractive foraging efficiency.

Nonadjacent dependencies and sequential structure of chimpanzee action during a natural tool-use task.

Many of the complex behaviours of humans involve the production of nonadjacent dependencies between sequence elements, which in part can be generated through the hierarchical organization of sequences. To understand how these structural properties of human behaviours evolved, we can gain valuable insight from studying the sequential behaviours of nonhuman animals. Among the behaviours of nonhuman apes, tool use has been hypothesised to be a domain of behaviour which likely involves hierarchical organization, and may therefore possess nonadjacent dependencies between sequential actions.

Retraction: Short polyethylene glycol chains densely bound to soft nanotube channels for inhibition of protein aggregation.

[This retracts the article DOI: 10.1039/C6RA06793J.].

Deep learning detects subtle facial expressions in a multilevel society primate.

Facial expressions in nonhuman primates are complex processes involving psychological, emotional, and physiological factors, and may use subtle signals to communicate significant information. However, uncertainty surrounds the functional significance of subtle facial expressions in animals. Using artificial intelligence (AI), this study found that nonhuman primates exhibit subtle facial expressions that are undetectable by human observers.

Linking affected community and academic knowledge: a community-based participatory research framework based on a Shichigahama project.

Earthquakes that cause extensive damage occur frequently in Japan, the most recent being the Noto Peninsula earthquake on January 1, 2024. To facilitate such a recovery, we introduce a community-based participatory research program implemented through cooperation between universities and local communities after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. In this project, the university and the town of Shichigahama, one of the affected areas, collaborated to hold annual workshops in the target area, which evolved into a climate monitoring survey.

Identification and characterization of xyloglucan-degradation related α-1,2-l-fucosidase in Aspergillus oryzae.

Xyloglucan in plant cell walls has complex side-chain structures; Aspergillus oryzae produces various enzymes to degrade and assimilate xyloglucan. In this study, we identified and characterized α-1,2-l-fucosidase (AfcA) which is involved in xyloglucan degradation in A. oryzae.

Influence of Humidity on Layer-by-Layer Growth and Structure in Coordination Networks.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are promising materials because of their high designability of pores and functionalities. Especially, MOF thin films and their properties have been investigated toward applications in nanodevices. Typically, MOF thin films are fabricated by using a bottom-up method such as layer-by-layer (LbL) growth in air.

Flexible grouping patterns in a western and eastern chimpanzee community.

Primate social organizations, or grouping patterns, vary significantly across species. Behavioral strategies that allow for flexibility in grouping patterns offer a means to reduce the costs of group living. Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) have a fission-fusion social system in which temporary subgroups ("parties") change in composition because of local socio-ecological conditions.

Identification and Characterization of Novel Intracellular α-Xylosidase in .

α-Xylosidase releases xylopyranosyl side chains from xyloglucan oligosaccharides and is vital for xyloglucan degradation. Previously, we identified and characterized two α-xylosidases, intracellular AxyA and extracellular AxyB, in . In this study, we identified a third α-xylosidase, termed AxyC, in .

Plant polysaccharide degradation-related enzymes in Aspergillus oryzae.

Plants synthesize large amounts of stored and structural polysaccharides. Aspergillus oryzae is used in traditional Japanese fermentation and produces many types of plant polysaccharide degradation-related enzymes. The carbohydrate-active enzymes of A.

News and Perspectives: Words matter in primatology.

Postings on social media on Twitter (now X), BioAnthropology News (Facebook), and other venues, as well as recent publications in prominent journals, show that primatologists, ecologists, and other researchers are questioning the terms "Old World" and "New World" due to their colonial implications and history. The terms are offensive if they result in erasing Indigenous voices and history, ignoring the fact that Indigenous peoples were in the Americas long before European colonization. Language use is not without context, but alternative terminology is not always obvious and available.

Application of linear and machine learning models to genomic prediction of fatty acid composition in Japanese Black cattle.

We collected 3180 records of oleic acid (C18:1) and monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) measured using gas chromatography (GC) and 6960 records of C18:1 and MUFA measured using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) in intermuscular fat samples of Japanese Black cattle. We compared genomic prediction performance for four linear models (genomic best linear unbiased prediction [GBLUP], kinship-adjusted multiple loci [KAML], BayesC, and BayesLASSO) and five machine learning models (Gaussian kernel [GK], deep kernel [DK], random forest [RF], extreme gradient boost [XGB], and convolutional neural network [CNN]). For GC-based C18:1 and MUFA, KAML showed the highest accuracies, followed by BayesC, XGB, DK, GK, and BayesLASSO, with more than 6% gain of accuracy by KAML over GBLUP.

Dynamic mode decomposition with memory.

This study proposed a numerical method of dynamic mode decomposition with memory (DMDm) to analyze multidimensional time-series data with memory effects. The memory effect is a widely observed phenomenon in physics and engineering and is considered to be the result of interactions between the system and environment. Dynamic mode decomposition (DMD) is a linear operation-based, data-driven method for multidimensional time-series data proposed in 2008.

Optimization of microplate-based phenol-sulfuric acid method and application to the multi-sample measurements of cellulose nanofibers.

The phenol-sulfuric acid (PSA) method is a widely used colorimetric method for determining the total saccharides. Microplate-based PSA methods have been developed to handle a large number of samples and reduce the use of hazardous chemicals. However, the optimal procedures and measurement conditions for this method have not yet been fully established.

Clinical outcomes of aspergillosis among paediatric and adult inpatients: A multicentre study in a Brazilian metropolitan area.

Background: Invasive Aspergillosis (IA) is a disease of significant clinical relevance, especially among immunosuppressed patients, and is associated with high mortality rates. In this study, we evaluated the epidemiological features and clinical outcomes in children and adults with IA.

Methods: This was an observational, multicentre, prospective surveillance study of inpatients with IA at two different hospitals in Campinas, Brazil, between 2018 and 2021.

A Japanese Prospective, Multicenter Study of Colonic Stenting for Palliation Using a High Axial Force Self-Expandable Metal Stent for Malignant Large Bowel Obstruction in 200 Patients.

Evidence of the efficacy and safety of colorectal stent placement for palliation remains insufficient. This single-arm, prospective, multicenter study with a WallFlex enteral colonic stent included 200 consecutive patients with malignant large bowl obstruction in the palliation cohort. The technical and clinical success, as well as stent patency and complications as short-term (≤7 days) and long-term (>7 days) outcomes, of high axial force self-expandable metal stent (SEMS) placement was evaluated.

DeepWild: Application of the pose estimation tool DeepLabCut for behaviour tracking in wild chimpanzees and bonobos.

Studying animal behaviour allows us to understand how different species and individuals navigate their physical and social worlds. Video coding of behaviour is considered a gold standard: allowing researchers to extract rich nuanced behavioural datasets, validate their reliability, and for research to be replicated. However, in practice, videos are only useful if data can be efficiently extracted.

Molecular identification and antimicrobial resistance pattern of Nocardia isolated from 14 diseased dogs and cats.

Nocardia are ubiquitous, saprophytic and opportunistic bacteria. They cause a set of pyogenic clinical infections in animals and humans, particularly immunocompromised patients, mostly affecting the skin and respiratory tract, with refractoriness to conventional therapy. The most descriptions of nocardial infections in companion animals involve case reports, and there are scarce case series studies focused on canine and feline nocardiosis in which diagnosis has been based on molecular techniques.

Analyzing the relationship between the efficacy of first-line immune checkpoint inhibitors and cumulative sun damage in Japanese patients with advanced BRAF wild-type nonacral cutaneous melanoma: A retrospective real-world, multicenter study.

Background: Efficacy of anti-PD-1 antibody monotherapy (PD1) or anti-PD-1 plus anti-CTLA-4 combination therapy (PD1 +CTLA4) for melanoma is affected by its clinical subtype. The amount of tumor mutation burden (TMB) caused by cumulative sun damage (CSD) is occasionally used to explain this; however, their relationship in Japanese nonacral cutaneous melanoma (NACM) is still unclear.

Objective: To analyze the ICI efficacy and its relationship with CSD of the primary lesion in Japanese patients with NACM.

Sequence Order in the Range 1 to 19 by Chimpanzees on a Touchscreen Task: Processing Two-Digit Arabic Numerals.

The sequence of Arabic numerals from 1 to 19 was taught to six chimpanzees, three pairs of mother and child. Each chimpanzee participant sat facing a touchscreen on which the numerals appeared in random positions within an imaginary 5-by-8 matrix. They had to touch the numerals in ascending order.

[Arterial Switch Operation for the Criss-cross Heart Complicated by Muscular Ventricular Septal Defect:Report of a Case].

Criss-cross heart is an extreamly rare anomaly characterized by abnormal rotation of the heart on its long axis. Almost always there are associated cardiac anomalies such as pulmonary stenosis, ventricular septal defect (VSD) and ventriculoarterial connection discord, and most cases are candidates for Fontan procedure due to hypoplasia of right ventricle or straddling atrioventricular valve. We report a case of arterial switch operation for criss-cross heart with muscular ventricular septal defect.