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Human Behavior

New COVID-19 strain may be easier to transmit to others – KIIITV.com

Health officials are hoping it sounds worse than it is.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas During this time of year when were used to hearing phrases like peace on earth and holiday cheer, the term mutating virus seems appropriately out of place.

Health officials are hoping it sounds worse than it is.

When a new strain of COVID-19 was detected in England, other countries began to announce new travel restrictions to the U-K. Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson put in place plans for a Christmas lockdown

The idea of a new COVID-19 variant is inherently scary for many people, but health experts tell us that a mutation is a natural occurrence. That includes Dr Jaime Fergie, an Infectious Disease Specialist with Driscoll Children's Hospital, who tells 3News, Since the beginning of this pandemic, we have seen mutations in the virus, so this is not really totally new. There are a large number of mutations that have occurred.

This one, though, may be worth watching for another reason. According to Fergie, This one is concerning a little bit because it appears, although it is early, that this virus is easier to transmit.

Although mutations do not tend to make the virus more harmful, the changes may make it more infectious, affecting how easily it is spread from person to person.

Of course, the first question most of us have is, 'What about the vaccine? If the virus changes, does the vaccine need to change, and should I just wait for a new one?'

Doctors say that getting the vaccine is still going to be your best bet.

So far, the initial impression, the initial studies we have is that the vaccines are going to work for these variants, says Dr. Fergie.

Keep in mind that although it may already be here, this particular strain of the virus has yet to be detected in the U.S.

Ultimately, health officials agree, getting a handle on the virus still comes down to human behavior. Thats why as we move through these early months of vaccine doses being administered, everyone should continue to wash their hands, watch their distance, and wear a mask.

For the latest updates on coronavirus in the Coastal Bend, click here.

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New COVID-19 strain may be easier to transmit to others - KIIITV.com

Human Behavior

Did the pandemic stave off climate change? Here’s what the science says – Salon

Shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic caused international lockdowns, amemesurfaced: the words "nature is healing" overlain on a scene of environmental recovery, perhaps a shot of crystal-clear skies over an oft-polluted city. Whether made seriously or in jest, the underlying idea was thatas humans were forced to stay indoors and reduce resource consumption, the planet wouldrecovereven as humanity reeled from a deadly disease. True stories like wild goats reclaiming a city in Wales andfake ones about dolphins swimming in the canals of Venice circulated the internet.

Behind the joke was a real, serious proposition:the notion that humanity, by being forced to reduce ourgreenhouse gas emissions,may have inadvertently been savingourselvesfrom the impending climate change apocalypse. But was there any truth to this idea?

Certainly, there were hints: aforementioned instances ofwildlife returning to urban areas,and a drop in oil pricesthat signified a reduction in demand. But on a macroscopicscale, quantifying the way human behavior may have affected carbon emissions in 2020 is much harder.Indeed, Salon reached out to a pair of climate change experts who had somewhat different conclusions.

"The estimates vary among the different groups doing these sorts of calculations, but the consensus seems to be about a 7% decrease [in greenhouse gas emissions] relative to 2019 levels," Dr. Michael E. Mann, a distinguished professor of atmospheric science at Penn State University, wrote to Salon. Although the holiday season traditionally exacerbates greenhouse gas emissions as people consume more and travel more between Thanksgiving and the start of the new year Mann was optimistic that this year would not see as much of an increase as usual.

"The average for the year is pretty much baked in at this point," Mann explained, adding that air travel is a "very small contributor," accounting for only 3 percent oftotal carbon emissions. Mann concluded that, "regardless" of holiday travel,"the decrease in carbon emissions for 2020 will be the largest on record," as high as6 to 7 percent.

Kevin Trenberth, a distinguished scholar at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, was more pessimistic.

"There has been a lot of rhetoric based on the Global Carbon Project suggesting a substantial decrease in emissions with the pandemic," Trenberth emailed Salon, referring to a recentstudywhich found that global carbon dioxide emissions from both fossil fuels and industry are expected to decline by roughly 7% in 2020. "This was a 'bottom up'estimate based on estimates of emissions from various places. It gives the wrong result."

Trenberth argued, if scientists use a 'top down'approach based on the actual amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, they reach a different conclusion. Citing the data from theNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) facility at Mauna Loa, he claimed "that has shown no slow down at all. The rates of increase on average over the previous 5 years was 2.8 ppm per year and exactly the same rate applies to the last 12 months." The NOAA announced earlier this month that there is more than a 50% chance that 2020 will be the hottest year on record.

"The reason relates to the sources," Trenberth argued. "The [Global Carbon Project] is correct that fossil fuel emissions are down, but they have evidently been entirely compensated for by emissions from other sources: in particular wildfires. These are especially the bushfires in Australia a year or so ago, the wildfires in places like the Pantanal and Brazil, and especially the record wildfires in California, Oregon, Colorado, and so forth."

Mann pointed out an unsettling fact: in the long run, climate change will kill far more than COVID-19. And it cannot be vaccinated against and stopped as easily.

"Ultimately climate inaction will be even more deadly, costing millions of lives," Mann told Salon. "If there is a silver lining, it is that the failure of the current administration to respond meaningfully to the pandemic lays bare the deadliness of ideologically-motivated science denial. This applies to the even greater crisis of human-caused climate change and the need to treat it as the emergency it is."

Recent studies reaffirmMann's observations. Scientists at McGill University recently revealed that a more sophisticated that the threshold for dangerous global warming is likely to occur between 2027 and 2042, while a recent paperby top glaciologists and sea level experts that sea level rises due to climate change are likely to surpass the high end of previous expert projections. The World Health Organization estimates that 250,000 people will perish each year between 2030 and 2050 due to climate changerelated factors.

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Did the pandemic stave off climate change? Here's what the science says - Salon

Human Behavior

One Of A Kind Shelter Helps Traumatized Dogs Learn To Trust Humans Again – WBHM

In the gold-brown mountains around Weaverville, N.C., theres a dormitory filled with dysfunctional and depressed dogs. Its part of the ASPCAs Behavioral Rehabilitation Center, a cutting-edge program designed specifically to teach traumatized canines to be trustful human companions.

This is, as far as we know, the only facility in the U.S. and perhaps the world exclusively dedicated to the rehabilitation of extremely fearful, undersocialized dogs, says Kristen Collins, senior director of operations.

A former New York City copywriter turned animal cruelty investigator, Collins now oversees the care and treatment of up to 65 dogs housed in this long low building. Most have been rescued from puppy mills or hoarding situations. Right now, Ryan, an 8-month-old brown shepherd is bouncing around an outdoor space, confidently interacting with a stranger instructed to feed him cheese.

He was one of 42 other dogs living in a single family house, on the second story, explains Christine Young, a preternaturally calm behavior specialist whos worked with Ryan since he arrived at the center a few months ago from New Mexico. He was a cowering mess who, she says, had probably never been outside or affectionately handled. Nothing in these dogs life experiences prepared them to be proper pets.

Youd put a leash on them and they would panic and try to climb the wall and do what we call gater rolling,' adds Collins. Theyd thrash around on a leash, or even if you just tried to pet them sometimes even if you tried to approach them theyd lose control of their bladder or bowels or become catatonic. It was really heartbreaking to see.

Collins came up with the idea for the Behavioral Rehabilitation Center a decade ago, along with Dr. Pamela Reid and Dr. Katherine Miller. It became a reality in 2013. Since then, the BRCs full-time staff has expanded from five to more than 30 employees, including veterinarians, research scientists studying behavioral therapy and trainers such as Young, who admits that no one predicted the BRCs current success rate of 87%.

We thought we could save maybe half of them, she says, of the dogs entering the program. More than 500 have graduated, after undergoing a roughly 3-month long training course that slowly and gently teaches these animals to enjoy human company and respond to basic commands.

Basically, counter conditioning, Young explains. So, creating a new emotional association with things that scare them. She uses a reporters introduction to Ryan as an example. So instead of being a scary thing, you become a great thing, because it means Ryan gets more cheese.

Thats the magic part, Collins says. Watching, for the first time, a dog thats been terrified lean towards you, or play thats just amazing. And I cant talk about it without getting choked up. (You may get choked up, too, if you watch an upbeat, ASPCA-produced documentary, Second Chance Dogs, thats appeared on Animal Planet and Netflix.)

During the first few months of the pandemic, the ASPCA saw about a 400% increase in foster applications, according to spokesperson Alyssa Fleck. It was among many animal welfare organizations reporting spikes in adoptions and fostering, but those numbers seem to have leveled off since last spring.

These overall statistics do not account for regional differences in how the pandemic has played out with regard to pet adoptions and, more broadly, the well-being of animals in communities, Fleck wrote in an email to NPR. In short: The problem of animals needing homes has not been solved, but the issue of treating traumatized dogs is evolving.

When COVID-19 started to spread across the country, the Behavioral Rehabilitation Center had to put the brakes on one of the most exciting parts of its program bringing staff from shelters all over the country for residencies here in North Carolina, to learn how the program works and take it back home. Now that the centers switched to online teaching for the time being, at least, that means reaching more people. And by extension, more very good boys, and very good girls, will be able to find very good homes.

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One Of A Kind Shelter Helps Traumatized Dogs Learn To Trust Humans Again - WBHM

Human Behavior

An Educational Alternative to the Medical Model of Mental Health – James Moore

The Journal of Humanistic Psychology, which has published high-profile challenges to psychiatric diagnosis, recently republished seminal articles for its 60th-anniversary. The issue aimed to spark renewed scholarship that challenges the current paradigm in psychiatry and clinical psychology as well as research on alternatives to the current paradigm.

The issue features, The Solving Problems in Everyday Living Model: Toward a Demedicalized, Education-Based Approach to Mental Health, by Tomi Gomory and colleagues from Florida State University. The Solving Problems in Everyday Living (SPIEL) approach is an educational model of care that would serve as an alternative to the contemporary medical model of mental health treatment. The model was a response to the criticisms of the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V) that occurred around 2013, highlighting the limitations of psychotherapy and the coercive nature of psychiatry. The authors explain:

We aim to offer practitioners an alternative, noncoercive, nonpatronizing, non-pathologizing, and humanistic approach for conceptualizing distress and distressing behavior, constructing the helping encounter, engaging with clients, and addressing clients problems-in-living.

The DSM has changed over time. More recent iterations have focused on descriptive diagnoses conceptualized as mental disorders. These disorders are most often understood to be medical conditions that could be identified by observable behaviors or reported experiences.

The authors explain that although diagnoses do not appear helpful in the process of change, they became a necessary procedure for helping professionals to receive compensation from the government or insurance companies. This current medical framework has often focused on finding the cause of abnormal behavior in the brain or neurological mechanisms. Gomorys and colleagues alternative to the medical model stems from the lack of empirical support for this psychiatric framework, as scientific practice demands that after data falsify a proposed hypothesis through multiple independent tests, newly proposed alternate theories, not yet falsified, should be tested. Their SPIEL model serves as an alternative model not yet falsified.

From their perspective, the behavior is not caused by biological factors but rather by a complexity of factors, including a persons history, their experiences in their environment, and the learned behaviors, thoughts, and language developed through the process of socialization.

The SPIEL model works as a model for reeducation. Instead of illnesses, this model understands a persons troubles to be problems in living that can be addressed by learning new ways of surviving in the world. The authors describe the role of practitioners who use SPIEL:

The job of the professional, drawing on his or her experiences with lifes travails, understanding of human behavior and development, expertise at interpersonal communication and in the use of rhetoric, is to identify and make explicit the problematic, habituated behavioral patterns, interpersonal style, and strategies of the learner for the learners consideration.

The learning experience ends when the learners problems have been resolved or when they no longer find the engagement helpful. SPIEL is considered primarily a learning or educational experience whereby the learner gains new understanding about themselves, others, and their emotional, behavioral, and interpersonal difficulties. Although this is a large part of some psychotherapeutic approaches, the very use of the term psychotherapy places this form of engagement within the medical field.

The proponents of SPIEL were mainly influenced by the commonalities in thought between Karl Popper and Paulo Freire. Paulo Freire was a Brazilian educator and activist who worked alongside disempowered communities. His critical pedagogy invites people to reflect on themselves and their position within our environment and context. By doing so, learners can then act upon their context differently in order to change their current conditions. Putting ones new knowledge and hypotheses to the test, the learner engages in praxis, taking a primary role in their own liberation and the process of personal and environmental change.

SPIEL, like Freire, also understands the teacher as a person who facilitates a process rather than an expert that assumes a position of power within the process of self-understanding. Instead, the processes are humanized as the learner takes an active role in learning about themselves and the world and finding emancipatory actions and ways of living authentically.

SPIEL was also influenced by Karl Popper, a 20th-centuryphilosopher of science. More specifically, this model takes from his notion of critical feedback, where a person challenges their prejudices, assumptions, and habits to identify possible problematic beliefs and behaviors. This allows the person to change and grow, developing new ways of understanding themselves, others, and the world, opening up the potential for creative ways of being.

Adding another layer, situational analysis invites the scrutiny of others so that the person can further learn about their context where problems occur and reflect on how they have tried to solve these problems. With this new layer of information, the person or group can either use previously successful attempts at solving the problem or create new solutions to unsolved issues.

These concepts are not unlike those utilized in psychosocial interventions such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, interpersonal therapy, and narrative therapy. The authors add that, in fact, feedback is a key component of successful psychotherapy. Yet, to engage in SPIEL more specifically, the following elements are necessary:

The SPIEL model proposes a change in the language around helping professions (such as problems of living, rather than mental illness, or learner rather than the patient) and advocates for empowering and person-centered practices. The presence of these elements within the encounter will facilitate a process of self-understanding that is ultimately noncoercive, and that can lead to the betterment of the persons suffering by finding solutions to their problems.

****

Gomory, T., Dunleavy, D. J., & Lieber, A. S. (2017).The Solving Problems in Everyday Living Model: Toward a Demedicalized, Education-Based Approach to Mental Health. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 002216781772243. doi:10.1177/0022167817722430 (Link)

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An Educational Alternative to the Medical Model of Mental Health - James Moore

Human Behavior

MSF-OCBA is looking for a MOBILE BEHAVIOR AND ETHICS BASED IN MIDDLE EAST (ONE YEAR CONTRACT) – ReliefWeb

GENERAL CONTEXT

Mdecins Sans Frontires is an international independent medical-humanitarian organization, which offers assistance to populations in distress, to victims of natural or man-made disasters and to victims of armed conflict, without discrimination and irrespective of race, religion, creed or political affiliation.

MSF is a civil society initiative that brings together individuals committed to the assistance of other human beings in crisis. As such MSF is by choice an association.Each individual working with MSF does it out of conviction and is ready to uphold the values and principles of MSF.

The MSF movement is built around five operational directorates supported by MSFs 21 sections, 24 associations and other offices together worldwide. MSF OCBA is one of those directorates. The operations are implemented by field teams and the mission coordination teams; together with the organizational units based in Barcelona, Athens and decentralised in Nairobi, Dakar and Amman. The field operations are guided and supported by 5 Operational Cells, the Emergency Unit and other departments supporting operations, including Projects & IT.

GENERAL OBJECTIVE

She/he will be hierarchically and functionally accountable to the Abuse Prevention Manager and part of the Behaviour Unit in OCBA.

MAIN FUNCTIONS, RESPONSIBILITIES AND TASKS

Update, conduct and propose new training solutions for the missions/unit.

Map possible external resources (communication and trainings).

Participate in training sessions as a facilitator upon request.

Context analysis in relation to Behaviour:

a. Analyses existing sensitiveness, knowledge, barriers and awareness in relation to Behaviour and Medical Ethics in the region and in OCBA settings.

b. Awareness sessions in MSF Missions of the region: adapts the awareness sessions to each context.

Specific focus on training of trainers (TOT) for focal points.

Collaborates with other MSF sections and NGOs in facilitating awareness sessions.

Awareness sessions in the Unit:

a. In collaboration with the Abuse Prevention Manager she/he will organize regular debates, awareness activities and trainings in the Unit.

b. Provides CMT members at mission level with sufficient tools to escalate cases following the guidance and directions of the Behaviour Lead and Medical department.

Briefings on abuse prevention to all new members of the Unit.

Participates in Briefings for CMT members upon request in collaboration with the Abuse and Ethics Lead, the Abuse Prevention Manager and the Behaviour Officer.

Briefings on abuse prevention to Medcos and PMRs (face to face/ by distance).

Data collection of awareness activities in the region.

Elaborates TOR for each visit in collaboration with the Abuse Prevention Manager and produce visit reports including: assessment of the context related to barriers, weaknesses and strengths of each mission, main topics of discussion and problems encountered, sessions and trainings done, reporting and communication systems.

Participate in meetings at the department, from decentralized units and in in-house discussion forums.

Coordination with HRCOs in the field and HR responsible of the Unit. Supports the OCBA fields, HQ and decentralized units in the implementation of the Behavioural Commitments and other relevant documents regarding abuse and discrimination.

Liaise with Abuse and Ethics Lead, the Medical department and the Abuse Prevention Manager to update on findings and progresses in missions.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Academic Background: psychology, social and cultural anthropology, sociology, philosophy, history, public health or similar/ complementary areas.

Fluent in Arabic and English.

Minimum 3 years experience in teaching and coordinating teams within a multicultural setting. Facilitation skills for the sensitization sessions are a strong asset.

Solid experience in social, health, humanitarian and/or cultural projects or frameworks.

Experience with challenging settings within social or humanitarian projects (vulnerable populations or contexts, multiple stakeholders, activist agendas, human rights agendas).

Experience where sensibility and sense of respect towards people from different origins and horizons made the difference.

Field experience within MSF is desirable. Relevant experience in similar organizations will be taken into consideration.

Familiar (and willing to remain updated) with MSF tools and policies in the relevant field.

Exposure to trainings or previous professional experience on Behavioral and medical Ethics issues and Abuse prevention is a strong asset.

TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE

Good command of Microsoft Office package and/or Open Office.

Good command of social media applications.

Desirable: focus group discussion programs or applications/ Data collection Kobo Toolbox.

COMPETENCIES

Commitment to MSFs Principles

Cross-cultural Awareness

Behavioral Flexibility

Stress Management

Analytical Thinking

Results and Quality Orientation

Service Orientation

Planning and Organizing

Teamwork and Cooperation

People Management and Development

CONDITIONS

Homebased position or at any OCBA Hub.

Full time job.

One year contract

Annual gross salary: (divided into twelve monthly payments) + Secondary Benefits based on the MSF-OCBA Reward Policy.

Starting date: February 2021.

MSF OCBA is a people-focused humanitarian organization that offers a diverse, collaborative and inclusive work environment. We believe this approach enhances our work and we are committed to equity in employment. We embrace diverse backgrounds of people working together to exhibit their passion in action for the social mission of MSF.

Mdecins Sans Frontieres, as a responsible employer, under article 38 of Ley de Integracin Social del Minusvlido de 1982 (LISMI) invite those persons with a recognized disability and with an interest in the humanitarian area to apply for the above-mentioned position.

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MSF-OCBA is looking for a MOBILE BEHAVIOR AND ETHICS BASED IN MIDDLE EAST (ONE YEAR CONTRACT) - ReliefWeb

Human Behavior

Love and Hate in the Mouse Brain – ScienceBlog.com

Mounting behavior, that awkward thrusting motion dogs sometimes do against your leg, is usually associated with sexual arousal in animals, but this is not always the case. New research by Caltech neuroscientists that explores the motivations behind mounting behavior in mice finds that sometimes there is a thin line between love and hate (or anger) in the mouse brain.

The research, which appears in the journalNature, was conducted in the lab ofDavid Anderson, the Seymour Benzer Professor of Biology, Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience Leadership Chair, investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and director of the Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience.

Our lab is interested in understanding how social behaviors and underlying emotional states are controlled by the brain, explains lead author Tomomi Karigo, a postdoctoral scholar at Caltech. While we were studying social behaviors in mice, we sometimes noticed that male mice would mount other males, in a way similar to how they would mount females, Karigo says.

It was unclear whether these male mice tried to mate with a male because they simply mistook it for a female or if they knew it was a male but intended to establish dominance over it. The researchers hoped to understand whether a male mouse mounting another male mouse reflects a different intent than a mouse mounting a female mouse, and how mounting behavior is regulated in the brain.

To find out, the researchers first recorded videos of males mounting both male and female mice. Using machine learning, a type of software that learns and adapts through experience, they analyzed the videos to see whether there was anything different in the mounting behavior that was exhibited toward a male versus that toward a female mouse. The machine-learning analysis revealed no obvious difference in the mechanics of the mounting behavior.

The researchers then looked for other clues in the mounting males behavior that might differentiate female-focused versus male-focused mounting.

One clue was that male mice appear to sing to females while mating with them. These songs, known as ultrasonic vocalizations, are too high-pitched for humans to hear, but can be picked up with a special microphone. Karigo and the team found that mounting mice sing only to female mice, not to males. In addition, when a male is mounting another male, the two animals usually end up fighting after a short period of mounting. This does not happen in the case of a female mounting partner.

These results suggested that mounting behavior toward a female has a different meaning than mounting behavior toward a male. Specifically, mounting toward a male is probably the expression of dominance or mild anger (aggressive mounting) and not a reproductive (or so-called affiliative) behavior.

Next, the researchers explored which brain regions are responsible for each type of mounting behavior.

When a male mouse mounted male or female mice, the researchers observed neural activity in an area of its brain called the hypothalamus, which controls, among other things, hunger, thirst, metabolism, and defensive behaviors. In particular, two regions of the hypothalamus seemed to be involved: the medial preoptic area (MPOA) and the ventrolateral subdivision of the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMHvl). The MPOA showed high levels of activity when the male mouse was mounting, and singing to, a female; conversely, the VMHvl showed high levels of activity when the male mouse was mounting, but not singing to, a male.

The team then took a closer look at the activity of individual neurons in the MPOA and VMHvl. They found that distinct groups of neurons were activated during reproductive mounting and aggressive mounting, in each brain region. In addition, the researchers discovered that they could train a computer to correctly predict whether the mounting was sexual or aggressive, based purely on the pattern of neuronal activity in these two regions.

The researchers then tested to see if those brain regions actually controlled the two mounting behaviors, or if activity in the regions was simply correlated with the behaviors. They did this using a technique called optogenetic stimulation, in which light is used to trigger the firing of neurons. By directing the light to specific areas of the brain, researchers can induce neuronal activity there, and thus induce behaviors.

When the researchers presented a female mouse to a male mouse, the male mouse began to sing and mate with a female. But when the researchers stimulated the males VMHvl, the male stopped singing and started to show aggressive mounting behavior toward the female. Conversely, if a male mouse was engaging in aggressive behaviors toward another male and the researchers stimulated its MPOA, the aggressive mouse would stop fighting, begin to sing, and attempt to mate with the other male.

Karigo and Anderson liken this to a seesaw of love and hate. Activity in the MPOA tilts the seesaw toward love, while activity in the VMHvl tilts it toward hate (or aggression).

In this study, we used mounting behavior as an entry point to understand the underlying neural mechanisms that control emotional or motivational states, Karigo says. She says their findings advance our understanding of how the mouse brain, and more broadly the mammalian brain, works to control emotions, and she adds that they may one day help us to better understand human behaviors.

The paper describing their findings, titled, Distinct hypothalamic control of same- and opposite-sex mounting behaviour in mice, was published online byNatureon December 2. Co-authors are Ann Kennedy, formerly of Caltech and now at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University; neurobiology graduate students Bin Yang and Mengyu Liu of Caltech; Derek Tai, formerly a research assistant at Caltech and now at the Touro University Nevada College of Osteopathic Medicine; Iman A. Wahle (BS 20), a Schmidt Scholar at Caltech; and David J. Anderson.

Funding for the research was provided by the National Institutes of Health, the Simons Collaboration on the Global Brain Foundation, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience, of which Anderson is the director.

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Love and Hate in the Mouse Brain - ScienceBlog.com

Embryology

The sperm race: How an Irish firm is finding the strongest swimmers – The Irish Times

Every year roughly a million fertility treatment cycles are carried out in the EU and the US, and two-thirds of them fail. Fertility problems affect one in six couples and treatment costs about 5,000 for a single cycle in Europe and twice that or more in the US.

It takes an average of three cycles for a couple to conceive. When the treatments fail, those involved pay a heavy emotional and financial price.

Infertility is often wrongly seen as predominantly a female problem. But in up to 50 per cent of cases, issues with the sperm are a major contributing factor, says reproductive specialist Dr Sean Fair, who is also the driving force behind a new technology that dramatically improves sperm selection and increases the chances of a successful pregnancy.

Sperm is produced in the hundreds of millions, which suggests that a reasonable proportion will successfully make it up the female reproductive tract. This is not the case. Even in men considered to have robust fertility levels, only 4-8 per cent of their sperm have what is considered the normal shape required to go the full distance and fertilise an egg.

In a fertility clinic setting, most eggs are fertilised by an intra cytoplasmic sperm injection. This involves the embryologist selecting a sperm and injecting it directly into the egg, Fair says.

An experienced embryologist will select the best sperm available with a normal shape but they have no information about its DNA integrity which can fragment as the only test available to check it would destroy the sperm. We know that high sperm DNA fragmentation leads to lower fertilisation rates and doubles the risk of miscarriage, so the selection of sperm with the best DNA integrity is crucial.

Fairs background is in animal science, and he has been researching for the past 15 years how sperm interact with the female reproductive tract. Although much of his professional life has been spent on animal reproduction, he says there are close parallels with humans and it was a small step to transfer what he knew in one context to another.

Im guessing that not a lot of people know that Ireland has been at the leading edge of animal reproductive science for probably 40 years now, and there is a huge reservoir of knowledge here on the subject, says Fair. I felt there was significant potential to apply what we already knew about animals to humans given the mammalian similarities and I spoke to numerous fertility specialists who immediately identified with the science and saw it as a significant step forward in helping couples to overcome their infertility problems.

In August his research took a giant step towards commercialisation with the formation of NeoMimix, which will take the technology to market. The companys co-founder is embryologist Declan Keane (also founder of the ReproMed fertility group), and NeoMimix will be spun out from the University of Limerick, where Fair is based at the Bernal Institute. Market launch has been set for 2023.

We knew from looking at how sperm progress up the female reproductive tract in farm animals that they swim up small grooves along the edges of the cervix against outward-moving mucus. I discussed replicating this process in the lab with my engineering and product design teams and this led to our first basic prototype, which allowed us to see the sperm swimming against a fluid flow, says Fair.

Whats developed from there is NeoMimixs proprietary technology, which works by naturally stimulating the sperm to swim in microchannels against an active fluid flow. In other words, its exactly how sperm naturally orientate and swim up the female reproductive tract against an outward flow of mucus produced under the influence of oestrogen around the time of ovulation.

We can complete the selection process in about half the time it takes with current methods, and environmentally what were doing is also a step forward, as our technology requires the use of a single disc, not multiple test tubes that have to be discarded after use.

NeoMimixs microfluidics-based technology comprises a small reusable control unit and a disposable plastic disc with multiple tiny channels that act like the grooves of the cervix. The sperm sample is placed on the disc and the system then mimics the way the female body naturally conducts its selection process. In short, its all about survival of the fittest, and whats left at the end of the process is an elite group of super swimmers.

The embryologist then works with this elite cohort alone to fertilise the egg, thereby enhancing the potential for pregnancy and reducing the number of IVF cycles a couple has to go through.

Shaun Rogers is an embryology clinical scientist at the Gennet City fertility clinic in London, which is part of Europes third-largest provider of IVF. He has spent almost three decades in the field and is encouraged by what he has seen and heard so far about the NeoMimix technology.

There have been big advances in fertility treatment in the last 10 years but a lot of it has been focused on the embryo and improving the implant potential, says Rogers. The preparation of sperm samples has received less attention so there have been fewer big developments, which is why what NeoMimix is doing is particularly relevant. There are significant advantages to a sperm sorting system that will give us a better functional population to work with.

In my experience the ideas with the best potential usually come from the field rather than from a research company working in isolation, says Rogers. In the case of NeoMimix you have an approach that combines the best of both worlds: the experience of a reproductive biologist who has worked in the field for over 30 years and the rigorous approach of an academic researcher at the leading edge. Putting the two together gives the best chance of producing something thats different and ground-breaking.

Fair says the advantages of NeoMimixs system will become obvious to the infertility community once the company breaks cover and begins actively demonstrating its technology. Currently, our competition and the industry norm is a method called density gradient centrifugation.

This is where sperm are spun in a centrifuge at high speed and forced through silica nanoparticles. More dense sperm are pushed to the bottom, Fair says. This technique is rudimentary and not very selective. In addition, the centrifugation process stresses the sperm (our technology does not) and silica nanoparticles can get stuck to it and then need to be washed off by further centrifugations, which is far from ideal.

Component parts for NeoMimixs technology will be made in Sligo and Shannon, and its potential customers are fertility clinics worldwide. Its addressable market is estimated at 280 million, and Fair says the company intends to develop its microfluidics platform into a total embryo culture system that will open up a potential market of 23 billion.

Between now and the product launch in roughly two years time, the device has to go through US and EU regulatory processes and the company is about to embark on a 2 million fundraising round to build out its team and proceed to market. Investment in the technology to date is about 700,000, which has come from Enterprise Ireland, UL and the EUs EIT Health innovation network.

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The sperm race: How an Irish firm is finding the strongest swimmers - The Irish Times

Embryology

Eating Nuts Makes Sperm More Robust, Study Says (So Thats Why Mr. Peanut Is So Cocky) – Mandatory

Nuts are a crunchy, tasty, often salty snack. They pair well with beer (if were being bad) or salad (if were being good) or trail mix (if we think were being good but actually being bad). We know theyre beneficial for our heart and brain health. But a new study suggests that men have yet another reason to chow down on the popular snack: superior sperm.

Research funded by the International Nut and Dried Fruit Council found that eating nuts can improve the DNA quality of sperm. This is the latest in a trio of studies that confirm that popping nuts on the regular can help your little swimmers go the distance.

A 2018 study from the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology studied 119 men and found that those who consumed 60 grams per day of almonds, hazelnuts or walnuts experienced boosts in sperm count, vitality, motility and morphology. In laymans terms, they were more virile.

And yet another study by the American Society of Andrology and the European Academy of Andrology of 72 men found that those who added nuts to their diet experienced DNA alterations in their sperm that might make them more likely to fertilize an egg.

So now you know why Mr. Peanut is so cocky though he shouldnt be, because peanuts are at the bottom of the nut hierarchy when it comes to health benefits. (Technically, theyre a legume.)

And you have to take these studies with a grain of salt (which is how we happen to like our nuts anyway sprinkled in sea salt to be exact) because they were all funded by Big Nut, which obviously has a vested interest in finding out good things about nuts.

Cynicism aside, how many nuts do you need to, um, nut more effectively? About 40 almonds, 40 hazelnuts or 20 walnuts a day which is a pretty hefty serving. If you do add that many nuts to your daily diet, make sure you reduce your caloric intake elsewhere or youll not only have beefier sperm but a beer belly as well and that will definitely not help you get laid.

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Eating Nuts Makes Sperm More Robust, Study Says (So Thats Why Mr. Peanut Is So Cocky) - Mandatory

Immunology

Medical Musings: Scientist ushered in science of immunology, ability to produce vaccines with landmark 1885 treatment – Daily Press

Louis Pasteurs method for zapping the germs from fresh milk changed the way people bought and consumed dairy, and today many more food products are pasteurized for safety. Pasteurs work was one of the most immediate consequences of germ theory, where he worked to kill something invisible to the naked eye that nonetheless could cause grave illness.

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Medical Musings: Scientist ushered in science of immunology, ability to produce vaccines with landmark 1885 treatment - Daily Press

Immunology

For immunologists, 2020 has been a terrifying, incredible year – The Guardian

You may think of immunologists as biologists, but we are also in the defence business. This aspect of our role really comes into its own when a new, devastating disease rears its head. We estimate that the new coronavirus Sars-CoV-2 first made the leap to humans last December. Over one and a half million lives have been lost in the past year as a result. Dealing with Covid has undoubtedly left its mark on the field my field and it seems like a good time to take stock.

Right now I am sitting opposite my Christmas tree, the cat beside me, and I cant help thinking that swooning over That Plot from the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine briefing (page 58 if you are interested) is probably a phenomenon restricted to viral immunologists. But if this year has taught us anything, its not to make assumptions. And sure enough, Ive seen it shared on social media by non-scientists as a symbol of hope.

Its been quite the journey to get to that graph. In March we were asked to go home, shut down our labs and think of things for our students and staff to do. It was unclear whether many of them would be eligible for furlough. Research students had to teach themselves new skills, trying their hand at programming languages and science writing. Masters students switched to dry projects, forgoing the coveted lab experience that is often the main point of an expensive MRes degree.

Postdocs, who are on contracts, entered a new era of uncertainty. Universities were forced to implement hiring freezes and funding bodies deferred or cancelled grant schemes. Academics with clinical backgrounds went back to frontline duties, their research stagnating but, thankfully, their salaries secure. Nevertheless, their risk of catching a new dangerous disease increased, and PPE was in short supply. Non-clinicians were seriously worried about how student recruitment would affect universities income and their job security by association. It was clear that there would be tough times ahead.

At the same time as all this insecurity, there was a buzz of intellectual excitement in viral immunology: a new virus, an unknown entity. We had so many questions! We consumed preprints a version of a scientific paper that precedes peer review with a desperate thirst. It takes months to put a scientific paper through peer review, but preprints share the data immediately for all to see and can help shape the next steps in disease prevention and treatment. Immunologists worked with journalists to evaluate and interpret new findings on a daily basis, and this has increased the publics trust in science.

I fangirled over my viral immunology heroes as they appeared on broadcast media and in the popular press, dispelling misinformation and flying the flag for evidence-based medicine. In 1663, the Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge was formed under the motto Nullius in verba, which can be glossed as take nobodys word for it.

Back then, fellows met at the societys premises to promote and defend their research under the harsh questioning of their peers. In 2020, however, we had lockdowns.

One of the best parts of my job is travelling to meet with scientists, learning about their discoveries and forging relationships that lead us down new and fruitful paths. Scientists know no borders, and being stuck at home during the pandemic has hindered the emergence of new collaborations.

On the other hand, we took to meeting remotely like ducks to water; immunologists are now equipped to attend a seminar presented by a colleague from the other side of the planet, while feeding their children lunch and moving the laundry to the dryer. Caring responsibilities while working from home have given rise to hilarious memes, but have also caused a huge amount of stress, and it is estimated that women have and will be disproportionately affected. The resulting decrease in productivity is likely to impact womens career progression in the years following the pandemic, and scientists and funders are looking for solutions.

The economic after-effects of the pandemic will hold back research in some areas of immunology for years to come, because so much discovery science relies on funding from charities that are currently in dire straits. On the other hand, governments have diverted resources to coronavirus projects to cope with the new healthcare challenges. Academics have collaborated with industry to speed up vaccine development and drug discovery, and expensive clinical trials have experienced no trouble getting support. As a result, the first Covid-19 vaccine was rolled out less than a year from the discovery of the virus, and there are plenty more to come.

The pandemic has acted as a proof-of-concept test for the idea that investing in scientific discovery is crucial for humanitys health and economic prosperity. If we put money into science and work together, we can take on global challenges with resounding success. For example, we are now laying the foundations of the infrastructure needed to deploy vaccines globally, and we will be able to use this to target diseases other than coronavirus with prophylactic and therapeutic vaccination. This will include autoimmune diseases and cancer as well.

I dont need to tell you that its been a terrible year in terms of human suffering. But I take comfort from the fact that its also been a year that proved how powerful not just immunology, but science as a whole, can be.

Zania Stamataki is a senior lecturer in viral immunology at the Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Birmingham

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For immunologists, 2020 has been a terrifying, incredible year - The Guardian