PeerJ
type: channel
link: https://peerj.com/articles/
description: Articles published in PeerJ
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
publication name: PeerJ
issn: 2167-8359
items: Investigating mortality salience as a potential causal influence and moderator of responses to laboratory pain
items: Seasonal fluctuations of litter and soil Collembola and their drivers in rainforest and plantation systems
items: Health and ecological risk of heavy metals in agricultural soils related to Tungsten mining in Southern Jiangxi Province, China
items: Spatial habitat suitability prediction of essential oil wild plants on Indonesia’s degraded lands
items: Higher body condition with infection by Haemoproteus parasites in Bananaquits (Coereba flaveola)
items: Factors associated with intention to be vaccinated with the COVID-19 booster dose: a cross-sectional study in Peru
items: On the elephant trails: habitat suitability and connectivity for Asian elephants in eastern Indian landscape
items: An androgen receptor-based signature to predict prognosis and identification of ORC1 as a therapeutical target for prostate adenocarcinoma
items: First record of Apanteles hemara (N.) on Leucinodes orbonalis Guenée and biodiversity of Hymenoptera parasitoids on Brinjal
items: Vocal repertoire of Microhyla nilphamariensis from Delhi and comparison with closely related M. ornata populations from the western coast of India and Sri Lanka

Investigating mortality salience as a potential causal influence and moderator of responses to laboratory pain
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Background Because pain can have profound ramifications for quality of life and daily functioning, understanding nuances in the interplay of psychosocial experiences with pain perception is vital for effective pain management. In separate lines of research, pain resilience and mortality salience have emerged as potentially important psychological correlates of reduced pain severity and increased tolerance of pain. However, to date, there has been a paucity of research examining potentially interactive effects of these factors on pain perception. To address this gap, the present experiment investigated mortality salience as a causal influence on tolerance of laboratory pain and a moderator of associations between pain resilience and pain tolerance within a Chinese sample. Methods Participants were healthy young Chinese adults (86 women, 84 men) who first completed a brief initial cold pressor test (CPT) followed by measures of demographics and pain resilience. Subsequently, participants randomly assigned to a mortality salience (MS) condition completed two open-ended essay questions in which they wrote about their death as well as a death anxiety scale while those randomly assigned to a control condition completed analogous tasks about watching television. Finally, all participants engaged in a delay task and a second CPT designed to measure post-manipulation pain tolerance and subjective pain intensity levels. Results MS condition cohorts showed greater pain tolerance than controls on the post-manipulation CPT, though pain intensity levels did not differ between groups. Moderator analyses indicated that the relationship between the behavior perseverance facet of pain resilience and pain tolerance was significantly stronger among MS condition participants than controls. Conclusions This experiment is the first to document potential causal effects of MS on pain tolerance and Ms as a moderator of the association between self-reported behavior perseverance and behaviora…
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Beibei You
creator: Hongwei Wen
creator: Todd Jackson
subject: Anesthesiology and Pain Management
subject: Psychiatry and Psychology
subject: Rehabilitation
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.17204
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2024 You et al.
abstract: Background Because pain can have profound ramifications for quality of life and daily functioning, understanding nuances in the interplay of psychosocial experiences with pain perception is vital for effective pain management. In separate lines of research, pain resilience and mortality salience have emerged as potentially important psychological correlates of reduced pain severity and increased tolerance of pain. However, to date, there has been a paucity of research examining potentially interactive effects of these factors on pain perception. To address this gap, the present experiment investigated mortality salience as a causal influence on tolerance of laboratory pain and a moderator of associations between pain resilience and pain tolerance within a Chinese sample. Methods Participants were healthy young Chinese adults (86 women, 84 men) who first completed a brief initial cold pressor test (CPT) followed by measures of demographics and pain resilience. Subsequently, participants randomly assigned to a mortality salience (MS) condition completed two open-ended essay questions in which they wrote about their death as well as a death anxiety scale while those randomly assigned to a control condition completed analogous tasks about watching television. Finally, all participants engaged in a delay task and a second CPT designed to measure post-manipulation pain tolerance and subjective pain intensity levels. Results MS condition cohorts showed greater pain tolerance than controls on the post-manipulation CPT, though pain intensity levels did not differ between groups. Moderator analyses indicated that the relationship between the behavior perseverance facet of pain resilience and pain tolerance was significantly stronger among MS condition participants than controls. Conclusions This experiment is the first to document potential causal effects of MS on pain tolerance and Ms as a moderator of the association between self-reported behavior perseverance and behaviora…
bibliographic citation: You et al. (2024) Investigating mortality salience as a potential causal influence and moderator of responses to laboratory pain. PeerJ 12:e17204 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.17204
date submitted: 2023-08-18
date accepted: 2024-03-15
issued: 2024-04-03
is part of: PeerJ
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: You
  given name: Beibei
author list: Agent
  family name: Wen
  given name: Hongwei
author list: Agent
  family name: Jackson
  given name: Todd
doi: 10.7717/peerj.17204
volume: 12
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2024-04-03
copyright: © 2024 You et al.
attribution name: You et al.

Seasonal fluctuations of litter and soil Collembola and their drivers in rainforest and plantation systems
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Rainforest conversion and expansion of plantations in tropical regions change local microclimate and are associated with biodiversity decline. Tropical soils are a hotspot of animal biodiversity and may sensitively respond to microclimate changes, but these responses remain unexplored. To address this knowledge gap, here we investigated seasonal fluctuations in density and community composition of Collembola, a dominant group of soil invertebrates, in rainforest, and in rubber and oil palm plantations in Jambi province (Sumatra, Indonesia). Across land-use systems, the density of Collembola in the litter was at a maximum at the beginning of the wet season, whereas in soil it generally varied little. The community composition of Collembola changed with season and the differences between land-use systems were most pronounced at the beginning of the dry season. Water content, pH, fungal and bacterial biomarkers, C/N ratio and root biomass were identified as factors related to seasonal variations in species composition of Collembola across different land-use systems. We conclude that (1) conversion of rainforest into plantation systems aggravates detrimental effects of low moisture during the dry season on soil invertebrate communities; (2) Collembola communities are driven by common environmental factors across land-use systems, with water content, pH and food availability being most important; (3) Collembola in litter are more sensitive to climatic variations than those in soil. Overall, the results document the sensitivity of tropical soil invertebrate communities to seasonal climatic variations, which intensifies the effects of the conversion of rainforest into plantation systems on soil biodiversity.
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Winda Ika Susanti
creator: Valentyna Krashevska
creator: Rahayu Widyastuti
creator: Christian Stiegler
creator: Dodo Gunawan
creator: Stefan Scheu
creator: Anton M. Potapov
subject: Biodiversity
subject: Ecology
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.17125
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2024 Susanti et al.
abstract: Rainforest conversion and expansion of plantations in tropical regions change local microclimate and are associated with biodiversity decline. Tropical soils are a hotspot of animal biodiversity and may sensitively respond to microclimate changes, but these responses remain unexplored. To address this knowledge gap, here we investigated seasonal fluctuations in density and community composition of Collembola, a dominant group of soil invertebrates, in rainforest, and in rubber and oil palm plantations in Jambi province (Sumatra, Indonesia). Across land-use systems, the density of Collembola in the litter was at a maximum at the beginning of the wet season, whereas in soil it generally varied little. The community composition of Collembola changed with season and the differences between land-use systems were most pronounced at the beginning of the dry season. Water content, pH, fungal and bacterial biomarkers, C/N ratio and root biomass were identified as factors related to seasonal variations in species composition of Collembola across different land-use systems. We conclude that (1) conversion of rainforest into plantation systems aggravates detrimental effects of low moisture during the dry season on soil invertebrate communities; (2) Collembola communities are driven by common environmental factors across land-use systems, with water content, pH and food availability being most important; (3) Collembola in litter are more sensitive to climatic variations than those in soil. Overall, the results document the sensitivity of tropical soil invertebrate communities to seasonal climatic variations, which intensifies the effects of the conversion of rainforest into plantation systems on soil biodiversity.
bibliographic citation: Susanti et al. (2024) Seasonal fluctuations of litter and soil Collembola and their drivers in rainforest and plantation systems. PeerJ 12:e17125 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.17125
date submitted: 2023-09-26
date accepted: 2024-02-26
issued: 2024-04-01
is part of: PeerJ
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Susanti
  given name: Winda Ika
author list: Agent
  family name: Krashevska
  given name: Valentyna
author list: Agent
  family name: Widyastuti
  given name: Rahayu
author list: Agent
  family name: Stiegler
  given name: Christian
author list: Agent
  family name: Gunawan
  given name: Dodo
author list: Agent
  family name: Scheu
  given name: Stefan
author list: Agent
  family name: Potapov
  given name: Anton M.
doi: 10.7717/peerj.17125
volume: 12
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2024-04-01
copyright: © 2024 Susanti et al.
attribution name: Susanti et al.

Health and ecological risk of heavy metals in agricultural soils related to Tungsten mining in Southern Jiangxi Province, China
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Background Dayu County, a major tungsten producer in China, experiences severe heavy metal pollution. This study evaluated the pollution status, the accumulation characteristics in paddy rice, and the potential ecological risks of heavy metals in agricutural soils near tungsten mining areas of Dayu County. Furthermore, the impacts of soil properties on the accumulation of heavy metals in soil were explored. Methods The geo-accumulation index (Igeo), the contamination factor (CF), and the pollution load index (PLI) were used to evaluate the pollution status of metals (As, Cd, Cu, Cr, Pb, Mo, W, and Zn) in soils. The ecological risk factor (RI) was used to assess the potential ecological risks of heavy metals in soil. The health risks and accumulation of heavy metals in paddy rice were evaluated using the health risk index and the translocation factor (TF), respectively. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used to discuss the influence of soil factors on heavy metal contents in soil. Results The concentrations of metals exceeded the respective average background values for soils (As: 10.4, Cd: 0.10, Cu: 20.8, Cr: 48.0, Pb: 32.1, Mo: 0.30, W: 4.93, Zn: 69.0, mg/kg). The levels of As, Cd, Mo, and tungsten(W) exceeded the risk screening values for Chinese agricultural soil contamination and the Dutch standard. The mean concentrations of the eight tested heavy metals followed the order FJ-S > QL > FJ-N > HL > CJ-E > CJ-W, with a significant distribution throughout the Zhangjiang River basin. Heavy metals, especially Cd, were enriched in paddy rice. The Igeo and CF assessment indicated that the soil was moderately to heavily polluted by Mo, W and Cd, and the PLI assessment indicated the the sites of FJ-S and QL were extremely severely polluted due to the contribution of Cd, Mo and W. The RI results indicated that Cd posed the highest risk near tungsten mining areas. The non-carcinogenic and total carcinogenic risks were above the threshold values (non-carcinogenic risk b…
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Jinhu Lai
creator: Yan Ni
creator: Jinying Xu
creator: Daishe Wu
subject: Agricultural Science
subject: Soil Science
subject: Biogeochemistry
subject: Environmental Contamination and Remediation
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.17200
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2024 Lai et al.
abstract: Background Dayu County, a major tungsten producer in China, experiences severe heavy metal pollution. This study evaluated the pollution status, the accumulation characteristics in paddy rice, and the potential ecological risks of heavy metals in agricutural soils near tungsten mining areas of Dayu County. Furthermore, the impacts of soil properties on the accumulation of heavy metals in soil were explored. Methods The geo-accumulation index (Igeo), the contamination factor (CF), and the pollution load index (PLI) were used to evaluate the pollution status of metals (As, Cd, Cu, Cr, Pb, Mo, W, and Zn) in soils. The ecological risk factor (RI) was used to assess the potential ecological risks of heavy metals in soil. The health risks and accumulation of heavy metals in paddy rice were evaluated using the health risk index and the translocation factor (TF), respectively. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used to discuss the influence of soil factors on heavy metal contents in soil. Results The concentrations of metals exceeded the respective average background values for soils (As: 10.4, Cd: 0.10, Cu: 20.8, Cr: 48.0, Pb: 32.1, Mo: 0.30, W: 4.93, Zn: 69.0, mg/kg). The levels of As, Cd, Mo, and tungsten(W) exceeded the risk screening values for Chinese agricultural soil contamination and the Dutch standard. The mean concentrations of the eight tested heavy metals followed the order FJ-S > QL > FJ-N > HL > CJ-E > CJ-W, with a significant distribution throughout the Zhangjiang River basin. Heavy metals, especially Cd, were enriched in paddy rice. The Igeo and CF assessment indicated that the soil was moderately to heavily polluted by Mo, W and Cd, and the PLI assessment indicated the the sites of FJ-S and QL were extremely severely polluted due to the contribution of Cd, Mo and W. The RI results indicated that Cd posed the highest risk near tungsten mining areas. The non-carcinogenic and total carcinogenic risks were above the threshold values (non-carcinogenic risk b…
bibliographic citation: Lai et al. (2024) Health and ecological risk of heavy metals in agricultural soils related to Tungsten mining in Southern Jiangxi Province, China. PeerJ 12:e17200 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.17200
date submitted: 2023-09-07
date accepted: 2024-03-14
issued: 2024-04-01
is part of: PeerJ
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Lai
  given name: Jinhu
author list: Agent
  family name: Ni
  given name: Yan
author list: Agent
  family name: Xu
  given name: Jinying
author list: Agent
  family name: Wu
  given name: Daishe
doi: 10.7717/peerj.17200
volume: 12
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2024-04-01
copyright: © 2024 Lai et al.
attribution name: Lai et al.

Spatial habitat suitability prediction of essential oil wild plants on Indonesia’s degraded lands
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Background Essential oils are natural products of aromatic plants with numerous uses. Essential oils have been traded worldwide and utilized in various industries. Indonesia is the sixth largest essential oil producing country, but land degradation is a risk to the continuing extraction and utilization of natural products. Production of essential oil plants on degraded lands is a potential strategy to mitigate this risk. This study aimed to identify degraded lands in Indonesia that could be suitable habitats for five wild native essential oil producing plants, namely Acronychia pedunculata (L.) Miq., Baeckea frutescens L., Cynometra cauliflora L., Magnolia montana (Blume) Figlar, and Magnolia sumatrana var. glauca (Blume) Figlar & Noot using various species distribution models. Methods The habitat suitability of these species was predicted by comparing ten species distribution models, including Bioclim, classification and regression trees (CART), flexible discriminant analysis (FDA), Maxlike, boosted regression trees (BRT), multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS), generalized linear models (GLM), Ranger, support vector machine (SVM), and Random Forests (RF). Bioclimatic, topographic and soil variables were used as the predictors of the model habitat suitability. The models were evaluated according to their AUC and TSS metrics. Model selection was based on ranking performance. The total suitable area for five native essential oil producing plants in Indonesia’s degraded lands was derived by overlaying the models with degraded land locations. Results The habitat suitability model for these species was well predicted with an AUC value >0.8 and a TSS value >0.7. The most important predictor variables affecting the habitat suitability of these species are mean temperature of wettest quarter, precipitation seasonality, precipitation of warmest quarter, precipitation of coldest quarter, cation exchange capacity, nitrogen, sand, and soil organic carbon. C. cauliflor…
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Elga Renjana
creator: Elok Rifqi Firdiana
creator: Melisnawati H. Angio
creator: Linda Wige Ningrum
creator: Intani Quarta Lailaty
creator: Apriyono Rahadiantoro
creator: Irfan Martiansyah
creator: Rizmoon Zulkarnaen
creator: Ayyu Rahayu
creator: Puguh Dwi Raharjo
creator: Ilham Kurnia Abywijaya
creator: Didi Usmadi
creator: Rosniati Apriani Risna
creator: Wendell P. Cropper, Jr
creator: Angga Yudaputra
subject: Biogeography
subject: Conservation Biology
subject: Ecology
subject: Plant Science
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.17210
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2024 Renjana et al.
abstract: Background Essential oils are natural products of aromatic plants with numerous uses. Essential oils have been traded worldwide and utilized in various industries. Indonesia is the sixth largest essential oil producing country, but land degradation is a risk to the continuing extraction and utilization of natural products. Production of essential oil plants on degraded lands is a potential strategy to mitigate this risk. This study aimed to identify degraded lands in Indonesia that could be suitable habitats for five wild native essential oil producing plants, namely Acronychia pedunculata (L.) Miq., Baeckea frutescens L., Cynometra cauliflora L., Magnolia montana (Blume) Figlar, and Magnolia sumatrana var. glauca (Blume) Figlar & Noot using various species distribution models. Methods The habitat suitability of these species was predicted by comparing ten species distribution models, including Bioclim, classification and regression trees (CART), flexible discriminant analysis (FDA), Maxlike, boosted regression trees (BRT), multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS), generalized linear models (GLM), Ranger, support vector machine (SVM), and Random Forests (RF). Bioclimatic, topographic and soil variables were used as the predictors of the model habitat suitability. The models were evaluated according to their AUC and TSS metrics. Model selection was based on ranking performance. The total suitable area for five native essential oil producing plants in Indonesia’s degraded lands was derived by overlaying the models with degraded land locations. Results The habitat suitability model for these species was well predicted with an AUC value >0.8 and a TSS value >0.7. The most important predictor variables affecting the habitat suitability of these species are mean temperature of wettest quarter, precipitation seasonality, precipitation of warmest quarter, precipitation of coldest quarter, cation exchange capacity, nitrogen, sand, and soil organic carbon. C. cauliflor…
bibliographic citation: Renjana et al. (2024) Spatial habitat suitability prediction of essential oil wild plants on Indonesia’s degraded lands. PeerJ 12:e17210 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.17210
date submitted: 2023-11-08
date accepted: 2024-03-18
issued: 2024-04-01
is part of: PeerJ
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
author list: Agent
  family name: Renjana
  given name: Elga
author list: Agent
  family name: Firdiana
  given name: Elok Rifqi
author list: Agent
  family name: Angio
  given name: Melisnawati H.
author list: Agent
  family name: Ningrum
  given name: Linda Wige
author list: Agent
  family name: Lailaty
  given name: Intani Quarta
author list: Agent
  family name: Rahadiantoro
  given name: Apriyono
author list: Agent
  family name: Martiansyah
  given name: Irfan
author list: Agent
  family name: Zulkarnaen
  given name: Rizmoon
author list: Agent
  family name: Rahayu
  given name: Ayyu
author list: Agent
  family name: Raharjo
  given name: Puguh Dwi
author list: Agent
  family name: Abywijaya
  given name: Ilham Kurnia
author list: Agent
  family name: Usmadi
  given name: Didi
author list: Agent
  family name: Risna
  given name: Rosniati Apriani
author list: Agent
  family name: Cropper, Jr
  given name: Wendell P.
author list: Agent
  family name: Yudaputra
  given name: Angga
doi: 10.7717/peerj.17210
volume: 12
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2024-04-01
copyright: ©2024 Renjana et al.
attribution name: Renjana et al.

Higher body condition with infection by Haemoproteus parasites in Bananaquits (Coereba flaveola)
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Parasite transmission is a heterogenous process in host-parasite interactions. This heterogeneity is particularly apparent in vector-borne parasite transmission where the vector adds an additional level of complexity. Haemosporidian parasites, a widespread protist, cause a malaria-like disease in birds globally, but we still have much to learn about the consequences of infection to hosts’ health. In the Caribbean, where malarial parasites are endemic, studying host-parasites interactions may give us important insights about energetic trade-offs involved in malarial parasites infections in birds. In this study, we tested the consequences of Haemoproteus infection on the Bananaquit, a resident species of Puerto Rico. We also tested for potential sources of individual heterogeneity in the consequences of infection such as host age and sex. To quantify the consequences of infection to hosts’ health we compared three complementary body condition indices between infected and uninfected individuals. Our results showed that Bananaquits infected by Haemoproteus had higher body condition than uninfected individuals. This result was consistent among the three body condition indices. Still, we found no clear evidence that this effect was mediated by host age or sex. We discuss a set of non-mutually exclusive hypotheses that may explain this pattern including metabolic syndrome, immunological responses leading to host tolerance or resistance to infection, and potential changes in consumption rates. Overall, our results suggest that other mechanisms, may drive the consequences of avian malarial infection.
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Nicole A. Gutiérrez-Ramos
creator: Miguel A. Acevedo
subject: Ecology
subject: Parasitology
subject: Zoology
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.16361
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2024 Gutiérrez-Ramos and Acevedo
abstract: Parasite transmission is a heterogenous process in host-parasite interactions. This heterogeneity is particularly apparent in vector-borne parasite transmission where the vector adds an additional level of complexity. Haemosporidian parasites, a widespread protist, cause a malaria-like disease in birds globally, but we still have much to learn about the consequences of infection to hosts’ health. In the Caribbean, where malarial parasites are endemic, studying host-parasites interactions may give us important insights about energetic trade-offs involved in malarial parasites infections in birds. In this study, we tested the consequences of Haemoproteus infection on the Bananaquit, a resident species of Puerto Rico. We also tested for potential sources of individual heterogeneity in the consequences of infection such as host age and sex. To quantify the consequences of infection to hosts’ health we compared three complementary body condition indices between infected and uninfected individuals. Our results showed that Bananaquits infected by Haemoproteus had higher body condition than uninfected individuals. This result was consistent among the three body condition indices. Still, we found no clear evidence that this effect was mediated by host age or sex. We discuss a set of non-mutually exclusive hypotheses that may explain this pattern including metabolic syndrome, immunological responses leading to host tolerance or resistance to infection, and potential changes in consumption rates. Overall, our results suggest that other mechanisms, may drive the consequences of avian malarial infection.
bibliographic citation: Gutiérrez-Ramos et al. (2024) Higher body condition with infection by Haemoproteus parasites in Bananaquits (Coereba flaveola). PeerJ 12:e16361 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.16361
date submitted: 2022-12-28
date accepted: 2023-10-05
issued: 2024-03-29
is part of: PeerJ
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Gutiérrez-Ramos
  given name: Nicole A.
author list: Agent
  family name: Acevedo
  given name: Miguel A.
doi: 10.7717/peerj.16361
volume: 12
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2024-03-29
copyright: © 2024 Gutiérrez-Ramos and Acevedo
attribution name: Gutiérrez-Ramos and Acevedo

Factors associated with intention to be vaccinated with the COVID-19 booster dose: a cross-sectional study in Peru
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Introduction The pandemic of COVID-19 continues to impact people worldwide, with more than 755 million confirmed cases and more than 6.8 million reported deaths. Although two types of treatment, antiviral and immunomodulatory therapy, have been approved to date, vaccination has been the best method to control the spread of the disease. Objective To explore factors associated with the intention to be vaccinated with the COVID-19 booster dose in Peru. Material and Methods Cross-sectional study, using virtual and physical surveys of adults with two or more doses of COVID-19 vaccine, where the dependent variable was the intention to be vaccinated (IBV) with the booster dose. We calculated prevalence ratios with 95% confidence intervals, using generalized linear models of the Poisson family with robust varying, determining associations between sociodemographic, clinical, and booster dose perception variables. Results Data from 924 adults were analyzed. The IBV of the booster doses was 88.1%. A higher prevalence was associated with being male (aPR = 1.05; 95% CI [1.01–1.10]), having a good perception of efficacy and protective effect (PR = 3.69; 95% CI [2.57–5.30]) and belonging to the health sector (PR = 1.10; 95% CI [1.04–1.16]). There was greater acceptance of the recommendation of physicians and other health professionals (aPR = 1.40; 95% CI [1.27–1.55]). Conclusions Factors associated with higher IBV with booster dose include male gender, health sciences, physician recommendation, and good perception of efficacy.
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Rodrigo Camacho-Neciosup
creator: Ericka N. Balcazar-Huaman
creator: Margarita L. Alvarez-Vilchez
creator: Janith P. De la Cruz-Galán
creator: Yubely Gálvez-Guadalupe
creator: Edwin D. Garcia-Muñoz
creator: Greysi Cerron-Daga
creator: Virgilio E. Failoc-Rojas
creator: Mario J. Valladares-Garrido
subject: Global Health
subject: Immunology
subject: COVID-19
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.16727
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2024 Camacho-Neciosup et al.
abstract: Introduction The pandemic of COVID-19 continues to impact people worldwide, with more than 755 million confirmed cases and more than 6.8 million reported deaths. Although two types of treatment, antiviral and immunomodulatory therapy, have been approved to date, vaccination has been the best method to control the spread of the disease. Objective To explore factors associated with the intention to be vaccinated with the COVID-19 booster dose in Peru. Material and Methods Cross-sectional study, using virtual and physical surveys of adults with two or more doses of COVID-19 vaccine, where the dependent variable was the intention to be vaccinated (IBV) with the booster dose. We calculated prevalence ratios with 95% confidence intervals, using generalized linear models of the Poisson family with robust varying, determining associations between sociodemographic, clinical, and booster dose perception variables. Results Data from 924 adults were analyzed. The IBV of the booster doses was 88.1%. A higher prevalence was associated with being male (aPR = 1.05; 95% CI [1.01–1.10]), having a good perception of efficacy and protective effect (PR = 3.69; 95% CI [2.57–5.30]) and belonging to the health sector (PR = 1.10; 95% CI [1.04–1.16]). There was greater acceptance of the recommendation of physicians and other health professionals (aPR = 1.40; 95% CI [1.27–1.55]). Conclusions Factors associated with higher IBV with booster dose include male gender, health sciences, physician recommendation, and good perception of efficacy.
bibliographic citation: Camacho-Neciosup et al. (2024) Factors associated with intention to be vaccinated with the COVID-19 booster dose: a cross-sectional study in Peru. PeerJ 12:e16727 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.16727
date submitted: 2023-07-12
date accepted: 2023-12-05
issued: 2024-03-29
is part of: PeerJ
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Camacho-Neciosup
  given name: Rodrigo
author list: Agent
  family name: Balcazar-Huaman
  given name: Ericka N.
author list: Agent
  family name: Alvarez-Vilchez
  given name: Margarita L.
author list: Agent
  family name: De la Cruz-Galán
  given name: Janith P.
author list: Agent
  family name: Gálvez-Guadalupe
  given name: Yubely
author list: Agent
  family name: Garcia-Muñoz
  given name: Edwin D.
author list: Agent
  family name: Cerron-Daga
  given name: Greysi
author list: Agent
  family name: Failoc-Rojas
  given name: Virgilio E.
author list: Agent
  family name: Valladares-Garrido
  given name: Mario J.
doi: 10.7717/peerj.16727
volume: 12
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2024-03-29
copyright: ©2024 Camacho-Neciosup et al.
attribution name: Camacho-Neciosup et al.

On the elephant trails: habitat suitability and connectivity for Asian elephants in eastern Indian landscape
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Identifying suitable habitats and conserving corridors are crucial to the long-term conservation of large and conflict-prone animals. Being a flagship species, survival of Asian elephants is threatened by human-induced mortality and habitat modification. We aimed to assess the habitat suitability and connectivity of the Asian elephant Elephas maximus Linnaeus, 1758 habitat in the state of Odisha in eastern India. We followed the ensemble of spatial prediction models using species presence data and five environmental variables. We used least-cost path and circuit theory approaches to identify the spatial connectivity between core habitats for Asian elephants. The results revealed that normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI; variable importance 42%) and terrain ruggedness (19%) are the most influential variables for predicting habitat suitability of species within the study area. Our habitat suitability map estimated 14.6% of Odisha’s geographical area (c. 22,442 km2) as highly suitable and 13.3% (c. 20,464 km2) as moderate highly suitable. We identified 58 potential linkages to maintain the habitat connectivity across study area. Furthermore, we identified pinch points, bottlenecks, and high centrality links between core habitats. Our study offers management implications for long-term landscape conservation for Asian elephants in Odisha and highlights priority zones that can help maintain spatial links between elephant habitats.
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Himanshu Shekhar Palei
creator: Ashish Kumar Jangid
creator: Dhamdhere Dhanraj Hanumant
creator: Nimain Charan Palei
creator: Arun Kumar Mishra
subject: Biogeography
subject: Conservation Biology
subject: Ecology
subject: Zoology
subject: Spatial and Geographic Information Science
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.16746
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2024 Palei et al.
abstract: Identifying suitable habitats and conserving corridors are crucial to the long-term conservation of large and conflict-prone animals. Being a flagship species, survival of Asian elephants is threatened by human-induced mortality and habitat modification. We aimed to assess the habitat suitability and connectivity of the Asian elephant Elephas maximus Linnaeus, 1758 habitat in the state of Odisha in eastern India. We followed the ensemble of spatial prediction models using species presence data and five environmental variables. We used least-cost path and circuit theory approaches to identify the spatial connectivity between core habitats for Asian elephants. The results revealed that normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI; variable importance 42%) and terrain ruggedness (19%) are the most influential variables for predicting habitat suitability of species within the study area. Our habitat suitability map estimated 14.6% of Odisha’s geographical area (c. 22,442 km2) as highly suitable and 13.3% (c. 20,464 km2) as moderate highly suitable. We identified 58 potential linkages to maintain the habitat connectivity across study area. Furthermore, we identified pinch points, bottlenecks, and high centrality links between core habitats. Our study offers management implications for long-term landscape conservation for Asian elephants in Odisha and highlights priority zones that can help maintain spatial links between elephant habitats.
bibliographic citation: Palei et al. (2024) On the elephant trails: habitat suitability and connectivity for Asian elephants in eastern Indian landscape. PeerJ 12:e16746 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.16746
date submitted: 2023-09-05
date accepted: 2023-12-11
issued: 2024-03-29
is part of: PeerJ
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Palei
  given name: Himanshu Shekhar
author list: Agent
  family name: Jangid
  given name: Ashish Kumar
author list: Agent
  family name: Hanumant
  given name: Dhamdhere Dhanraj
author list: Agent
  family name: Palei
  given name: Nimain Charan
author list: Agent
  family name: Mishra
  given name: Arun Kumar
doi: 10.7717/peerj.16746
volume: 12
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2024-03-29
copyright: ©2024 Palei et al.
attribution name: Palei et al.

An androgen receptor-based signature to predict prognosis and identification of ORC1 as a therapeutical target for prostate adenocarcinoma
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Background Aberrant activation of androgen receptor (AR) signaling plays a crucial role in the progression of prostate adenocarcinoma (PRAD) and contributes significantly to the development of enzalutamide resistance. In this study, we aimed to identify a novel AR-driven signature that can predict prognosis and endows potentially reveal novel therapeutic targets for PRAD. Methods The Seurat package was used to preprocess the single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq). Differentially expressed genes were visualized using limma and pheamap packages. LASSO and multi-variate Cox regression models were established using glmnet package. The package “Consensus Cluster Plus” was utilized to perform the consensus clustering analysis. The biological roles of origin recognition complex subunit 1 (ORC1) in PRAD were determined by gain- and loss-of-function studies in vitro and in vivo. Result We characterized the scRNA-seq data from GSE99795 and identified 10 AR-associated genes (ARGs). The ARGs model was trained and validated in internal and external cohorts. The ARGs were identified as an independent hazard factor in PRAD and correlated with clinical risk characteristics. In addition, the ARGs were found to be correlated with somatic tumor mutation burden (TMB) levels. Two groups that have distinct prognostic and molecular features were identified through consensus clustering analysis. ORC1 was identified as a critical target among these ARGs, and it ORC1 promoted proliferation and stem-like properties of PRAD cells. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP)-qPCR assay confirmed that AR could directly bind the promoter of ORC1. Activated AR/ORC1 axis contributed to enzalutamide resistance, and targeting ORC1 rendered PRAD cells more susceptible to enzalutamide. Conclusions This study defines an AR-driven signature that AR activates ORC1 expressions to promote PRAD progression and enzalutamide resistance, which may provide novel targets for PRAD treatment.
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Linjin Li
creator: Dake Chen
creator: Xiang Chen
creator: Jianlong Zhu
creator: Wenshuo Bao
creator: Chengpeng Li
creator: Feilong Miao
creator: Rui Feng
subject: Bioinformatics
subject: Cell Biology
subject: Molecular Biology
subject: Oncology
subject: Medical Genetics
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.16850
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2024 Li et al.
abstract: Background Aberrant activation of androgen receptor (AR) signaling plays a crucial role in the progression of prostate adenocarcinoma (PRAD) and contributes significantly to the development of enzalutamide resistance. In this study, we aimed to identify a novel AR-driven signature that can predict prognosis and endows potentially reveal novel therapeutic targets for PRAD. Methods The Seurat package was used to preprocess the single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq). Differentially expressed genes were visualized using limma and pheamap packages. LASSO and multi-variate Cox regression models were established using glmnet package. The package “Consensus Cluster Plus” was utilized to perform the consensus clustering analysis. The biological roles of origin recognition complex subunit 1 (ORC1) in PRAD were determined by gain- and loss-of-function studies in vitro and in vivo. Result We characterized the scRNA-seq data from GSE99795 and identified 10 AR-associated genes (ARGs). The ARGs model was trained and validated in internal and external cohorts. The ARGs were identified as an independent hazard factor in PRAD and correlated with clinical risk characteristics. In addition, the ARGs were found to be correlated with somatic tumor mutation burden (TMB) levels. Two groups that have distinct prognostic and molecular features were identified through consensus clustering analysis. ORC1 was identified as a critical target among these ARGs, and it ORC1 promoted proliferation and stem-like properties of PRAD cells. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP)-qPCR assay confirmed that AR could directly bind the promoter of ORC1. Activated AR/ORC1 axis contributed to enzalutamide resistance, and targeting ORC1 rendered PRAD cells more susceptible to enzalutamide. Conclusions This study defines an AR-driven signature that AR activates ORC1 expressions to promote PRAD progression and enzalutamide resistance, which may provide novel targets for PRAD treatment.
bibliographic citation: Li et al. (2024) An androgen receptor-based signature to predict prognosis and identification of ORC1 as a therapeutical target for prostate adenocarcinoma. PeerJ 12:e16850 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.16850
date submitted: 2023-04-27
date accepted: 2024-01-08
issued: 2024-03-29
is part of: PeerJ
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Li
  given name: Linjin
author list: Agent
  family name: Chen
  given name: Dake
author list: Agent
  family name: Chen
  given name: Xiang
author list: Agent
  family name: Zhu
  given name: Jianlong
author list: Agent
  family name: Bao
  given name: Wenshuo
author list: Agent
  family name: Li
  given name: Chengpeng
author list: Agent
  family name: Miao
  given name: Feilong
author list: Agent
  family name: Feng
  given name: Rui
doi: 10.7717/peerj.16850
volume: 12
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2024-03-29
copyright: © 2024 Li et al.
attribution name: Li et al.

First record of Apanteles hemara (N.) on Leucinodes orbonalis Guenée and biodiversity of Hymenoptera parasitoids on Brinjal
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: The brinjal fruit and shoot borer (BFSB), Leucinodes orbonalis Guenée (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), is a very detrimental pest that causes significant economic losses to brinjal crop worldwide. Infested brinjal fruits were collected from vegetable fields located at the ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute (ICAR-IARI), New Delhi, India, during two consecutive seasons (2021–2022). The larvae of the pest were brought to the laboratory and reared under controlled conditions of 25 ± 0.5 °C and 70 ± 5% relative humidity, for the emergence of parasitoids. In addition, the survey of Hymenoptera parasitoids in brinjal was conducted utilizing a sweep net and yellow pan trap over the course of two seasons. The results reveal that five parasitoid species were emerged from L. orbonalis viz., Apanteles hemara Nixon, 1965, Bracon greeni Ashmead 1896 (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), Goryphus nursei (Cameron, 1907), Trathala flavoorbitalis (Cameron, 1907) (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) and Spalangia gemina Boucek 1963 (Hymenoptera: Spalangiidae). Out of these, A. hemara and S. gemina were documented as new occurrences in Delhi. Additionally, A. hemara was recorded for the first time as a parasite on L. orbonalis. Trathala flavoorbitalis was observed during both seasons and exhibited higher parasitism reaching 15.55% and 18.46% in July and August 2022, respectively. However, the average parasitism (%) recorded by A. hemara, B. greeni, G. nursei, T. flavoorbitalis and S. gemina was 3.10%, 1.76%, 1.10%, 9.28% and 1.20% respectively. Furthermore, the findings showed a significant (p ≤ 0.01) strongly positive correlation between fruit infestation (%) by L. orbonalis and parasitism (%). The survey indicates the presence of a broad group (19 families and 60 species) of Hymenoptera parasitoids in the brinjal crop ecosystem in Delhi which could be valuable in biological control. In light of these results, this study revealed that A. hemara and other parasitoids identified in this study alongside …
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Hager M. M. Saleh
creator: Areej A. Al-Khalaf
creator: Maha Abdullah Alwaili
creator: Debjani Dey
subject: Agricultural Science
subject: Biodiversity
subject: Ecology
subject: Entomology
subject: Zoology
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.16870
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2024 Saleh et al.
abstract: The brinjal fruit and shoot borer (BFSB), Leucinodes orbonalis Guenée (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), is a very detrimental pest that causes significant economic losses to brinjal crop worldwide. Infested brinjal fruits were collected from vegetable fields located at the ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute (ICAR-IARI), New Delhi, India, during two consecutive seasons (2021–2022). The larvae of the pest were brought to the laboratory and reared under controlled conditions of 25 ± 0.5 °C and 70 ± 5% relative humidity, for the emergence of parasitoids. In addition, the survey of Hymenoptera parasitoids in brinjal was conducted utilizing a sweep net and yellow pan trap over the course of two seasons. The results reveal that five parasitoid species were emerged from L. orbonalis viz., Apanteles hemara Nixon, 1965, Bracon greeni Ashmead 1896 (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), Goryphus nursei (Cameron, 1907), Trathala flavoorbitalis (Cameron, 1907) (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) and Spalangia gemina Boucek 1963 (Hymenoptera: Spalangiidae). Out of these, A. hemara and S. gemina were documented as new occurrences in Delhi. Additionally, A. hemara was recorded for the first time as a parasite on L. orbonalis. Trathala flavoorbitalis was observed during both seasons and exhibited higher parasitism reaching 15.55% and 18.46% in July and August 2022, respectively. However, the average parasitism (%) recorded by A. hemara, B. greeni, G. nursei, T. flavoorbitalis and S. gemina was 3.10%, 1.76%, 1.10%, 9.28% and 1.20% respectively. Furthermore, the findings showed a significant (p ≤ 0.01) strongly positive correlation between fruit infestation (%) by L. orbonalis and parasitism (%). The survey indicates the presence of a broad group (19 families and 60 species) of Hymenoptera parasitoids in the brinjal crop ecosystem in Delhi which could be valuable in biological control. In light of these results, this study revealed that A. hemara and other parasitoids identified in this study alongside …
bibliographic citation: Saleh et al. (2024) First record of Apanteles hemara (N.) on Leucinodes orbonalis Guenée and biodiversity of Hymenoptera parasitoids on Brinjal. PeerJ 12:e16870 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.16870
date submitted: 2023-07-24
date accepted: 2024-01-10
issued: 2024-03-29
is part of: PeerJ
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Saleh
  given name: Hager M. M.
author list: Agent
  family name: Al-Khalaf
  given name: Areej A.
author list: Agent
  family name: Alwaili
  given name: Maha Abdullah
author list: Agent
  family name: Dey
  given name: Debjani
doi: 10.7717/peerj.16870
volume: 12
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2024-03-29
copyright: © 2024 Saleh et al.
attribution name: Saleh et al.

Vocal repertoire of Microhyla nilphamariensis from Delhi and comparison with closely related M. ornata populations from the western coast of India and Sri Lanka
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Advertisement calls in frogs have evolved to be species-specific signals of recognition and are therefore considered an essential component of integrative taxonomic approaches to identify species and delineate their distribution range. The species rich genus Microhyla is a particularly challenging group for species identification, discovery and conservation management due to the small size, conserved morphology and wide distribution of its members, necessitating the need for a thorough description of their vocalization. In this study, we provide quantitative description of the vocal behaviour of Microhyla nilphamariensis, a widely distributed south Asian species, from Delhi, India, based on call recordings of 18 individuals and assessment of 21 call properties. Based on the properties measured acrossed 360 calls, we find that a typical advertisement call of M. nilphamariensis lasts for 393.5 ± 57.5 ms, has 17 pulses on average and produce pulses at rate of 39 pulses/s. The overall call dominant frequency was found to be 2.8 KHz and the call spectrum consisted of two dominant frequency peaks centered at 1.6 KHz and 3.6 KHz, ranging between 1.5–4.1 KHz. Apart from its typical advertisement call, our study also reveals the presence of three ‘rare’ call types, previously unreported in this species. We describe variability in call properties and discuss their relation to body size and temperature. We found that overall dominant frequency 1 (spectral property) was found to be correlated with body size, while first pulse period (temporal property) was found to be correlated with temperature. Further, we compare the vocal repertoire of M. nilphamariensis with that of the congener Microhyla ornata from the western coast of India and Sri Lanka and also compare the call properties of these two populations of M. ornata to investigate intra-specific call variation. We find statistically significant differentiation in their acoustic repertoire in both cases. Based on 18 call prop…
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Megha Srigyan
creator: Abdus Samad
creator: Abhishek Singh
creator: Jyotsna Karan
creator: Abhishek Chandra
creator: Pooja Gokhale Sinha
creator: Vineeth Kumar
creator: Sandeep Das
creator: Ashish Thomas
creator: Robin Suyesh
subject: Animal Behavior
subject: Biodiversity
subject: Zoology
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.16903
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2024 Srigyan et al.
abstract: Advertisement calls in frogs have evolved to be species-specific signals of recognition and are therefore considered an essential component of integrative taxonomic approaches to identify species and delineate their distribution range. The species rich genus Microhyla is a particularly challenging group for species identification, discovery and conservation management due to the small size, conserved morphology and wide distribution of its members, necessitating the need for a thorough description of their vocalization. In this study, we provide quantitative description of the vocal behaviour of Microhyla nilphamariensis, a widely distributed south Asian species, from Delhi, India, based on call recordings of 18 individuals and assessment of 21 call properties. Based on the properties measured acrossed 360 calls, we find that a typical advertisement call of M. nilphamariensis lasts for 393.5 ± 57.5 ms, has 17 pulses on average and produce pulses at rate of 39 pulses/s. The overall call dominant frequency was found to be 2.8 KHz and the call spectrum consisted of two dominant frequency peaks centered at 1.6 KHz and 3.6 KHz, ranging between 1.5–4.1 KHz. Apart from its typical advertisement call, our study also reveals the presence of three ‘rare’ call types, previously unreported in this species. We describe variability in call properties and discuss their relation to body size and temperature. We found that overall dominant frequency 1 (spectral property) was found to be correlated with body size, while first pulse period (temporal property) was found to be correlated with temperature. Further, we compare the vocal repertoire of M. nilphamariensis with that of the congener Microhyla ornata from the western coast of India and Sri Lanka and also compare the call properties of these two populations of M. ornata to investigate intra-specific call variation. We find statistically significant differentiation in their acoustic repertoire in both cases. Based on 18 call prop…
bibliographic citation: Srigyan et al. (2024) Vocal repertoire of Microhyla nilphamariensis from Delhi and comparison with closely related M. ornata populations from the western coast of India and Sri Lanka. PeerJ 12:e16903 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.16903
date submitted: 2021-09-23
date accepted: 2024-01-17
issued: 2024-03-29
is part of: PeerJ
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Srigyan
  given name: Megha
author list: Agent
  family name: Samad
  given name: Abdus
author list: Agent
  family name: Singh
  given name: Abhishek
author list: Agent
  family name: Karan
  given name: Jyotsna
author list: Agent
  family name: Chandra
  given name: Abhishek
author list: Agent
  family name: Sinha
  given name: Pooja Gokhale
author list: Agent
  family name: Kumar
  given name: Vineeth
author list: Agent
  family name: Das
  given name: Sandeep
author list: Agent
  family name: Thomas
  given name: Ashish
author list: Agent
  family name: Suyesh
  given name: Robin
doi: 10.7717/peerj.16903
volume: 12
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2024-03-29
copyright: ©2024 Srigyan et al.
attribution name: Srigyan et al.

PeerJ
type: Periodical
uri: PeerJ
issn: 2167-8359