Sex, Bugs and Rock 'n' Roll: Insects in Music Videos.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Coelho JR
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8306228 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:IntroductionSexual health is an intrinsic element of overall health; however, opportunities to enhance medical student comfort and knowledge about sexual health vary substantially and receive limited curricular time. Sex, Bugs, and Rock 'n' Roll is a novel service-learning initiative designed to enhance undergraduate medical student knowledge and comfort with sexual health. A total of 80 fifth-year undergraduate medical students researched, designed, and delivered a short sexual health promotion initiative for a population that experiences inequity.MethodsThis initiative employed active learning tasks including performing a literature review, participating in team learning, facilitating small-group sessions, and providing peer feedback. Ongoing formative feedback from the program leaders, tutors, and members of the target audience contributed to student development. A summative assessment rubric was used by program leaders to evaluate student performance at the end of the module. Anonymized pre- and posttest knowledge questions and module evaluations were used to evaluate the module.ResultsAll 80 (100%) students completed randomized pre- and posttest knowledge questions and module evaluations. Student knowledge scores about sexuality and sexual health improved by 17% between pre- and posttest. All students reported increased comfort with and understanding of the clinical relevance of sexual health in the module evaluations.DiscussionSex, Bugs, and Rock 'n' Roll is a promising initiative for improving medical student knowledge and comfort with sexual health. This module also offers a novel way for students to experience sexual health, public health, and social accountability in an active and engaging fashion.
| S-EPMC6464422 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The nucleus accumbens, a site within the ventral striatum, plays a prominent role in mediating the reinforcing effects of drugs of abuse, food, sex, and other addictions. Indeed, it is generally believed that this structure mandates motivated behaviors such as eating, drinking, and sexual activity, which are elicited by natural rewards and other strong incentive stimuli. This article focuses on sex addiction, but we hypothesize that there is a common underlying mechanism of action for the powerful effects that all addictions have on human motivation. That is, biological drives may have common molecular genetic antecedents, which if impaired, lead to aberrant behaviors. Based on abundant scientific support, we further hypothesize that dopaminergic genes, and possibly other candidate neurotransmitter-related gene polymorphisms, affect both hedonic and anhedonic behavioral outcomes. Genotyping studies already have linked gene polymorphic associations with alcohol and drug addictions and obesity, and we anticipate that future genotyping studies of sex addicts will provide evidence for polymorphic associations with specific clustering of sexual typologies based on clinical instrument assessments. We recommend that scientists and clinicians embark on research coupling the use of neuroimaging tools with dopaminergic agonistic agents to target specific gene polymorphisms systematically for normalizing hyper- or hypo-sexual behaviors.
| S-EPMC4040958 | biostudies-literature
Project description: Not available
| S-EPMC8381774 | biostudies-literature
Project description:We here report a study characterizing the potential for edible insects to act as a prebiotic by altering the bacterial composition of the human fecal microbiome, using batch cultures inoculated with fecal adult human donors. Black field cricket nymphs, grass grub larvae, and wax moth larvae were subjected to an in vitro digestion to simulate the oral, gastric, and small intestinal stages of digestion. The digested material was then dialyzed to remove small molecules such as amino acids and free sugars to simulate removal of nutrients through upper gastrointestinal tract digestion. The retentate, representing the digestion resistant constituents, was then fermented in fecal batch cultures for 4, 7, and 15 h to represent rapid and longer fermentation times. Batch cultures without any added substrates were also set up to act as controls. Additionally, phosphate-buffered saline was used as a no-protein control and milk powder as "standard" protein control. At the end of the incubation period, the bacterial pellets were collected for microbiome analysis by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Analysis of fecal cultures showed striking differences in community composition. Each substrate led to significant differences across a wide range of taxa compared to each other and PBS controls. Among the differences observed, digested grass grub larvae increased proportions of Faecalibacterium and the Prevotella 2 group. Black field crickets increased the prevalence of the Escherichia-Shigella group, Dialister genus, and a group of unclassified Lachnospiraceae. Wax moth larvae promoted the expansion of the same group of unclassified Lachnospiraceae and the Escherichia/Shigella group. The increased Faecalibacterium observed in the cultures with grass grub larvae represents a noteworthy finding as this bacterium is widely thought to be beneficial in nature, with demonstrated anti-inflammatory properties and associations with gut health. We conclude that insects can differentially modulate the microbiome composition in batch cultures inoculated with adult fecal material after simulated in vitro digestion. Although the physiological impact in vivo remains to be determined, this study provides sound scientific evidence that investigating the potential for consuming insects for gut health is warranted.
| S-EPMC7390975 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Musical rhythms performed by humans typically show temporal fluctuations. While they have been characterized in simple rhythmic tasks, it is an open question what is the nature of temporal fluctuations, when several musicians perform music jointly in all its natural complexity. To study such fluctuations in over 100 original jazz and rock/pop recordings played with and without metronome we developed a semi-automated workflow allowing the extraction of cymbal beat onsets with millisecond precision. Analyzing the inter-beat interval (IBI) time series revealed evidence for two long-range correlated processes characterized by power laws in the IBI power spectral densities. One process dominates on short timescales (t < 8 beats) and reflects microtiming variability in the generation of single beats. The other dominates on longer timescales and reflects slow tempo variations. Whereas the latter did not show differences between musical genres (jazz vs. rock/pop), the process on short timescales showed higher variability for jazz recordings, indicating that jazz makes stronger use of microtiming fluctuations within a measure than rock/pop. Our results elucidate principles of rhythmic performance and can inspire algorithms for artificial music generation. By studying microtiming fluctuations in original music recordings, we bridge the gap between minimalistic tapping paradigms and expressive rhythmic performances.
| S-EPMC5783353 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Capture-mark-recapture (CMR) studies have been used extensively in ecology and evolution. While it is feasible to apply CMR in some animals, it is considerably more challenging in small fast-moving species such as insects. In these groups, low recapture rates can bias estimates of demographic parameters, thereby handicapping effective analysis and management of wild populations. Here, we use high-speed videos (HSV) to capture two large dragonfly species, Anax junius and Rhionaeschna multicolor, that rarely land and, thus, are particularly challenging for CMR studies. We test whether HSV, compared to conventional "eye" observations, increases the "resighting" rates and, consequently, improves estimates of both survival rates and the effects of demographic covariates on survival. We show that the use of HSV increases the number of resights by 64% in A. junius and 48% in R. multicolor. HSV improved our estimates of resighting and survival probability which were either under- or overestimated with the conventional observations. Including HSV improved credible intervals for resighting rate and survival probability by 190% and 130% in A. junius and R. multicolor, respectively. Hence, it has the potential to open the door to a wide range of research possibilities on species that are traditionally difficult to monitor with distance sampling, including within insects and birds.
| S-EPMC8207387 | biostudies-literature
Project description:AimsTo quantify tobacco and alcohol content, including branding, in popular contemporary YouTube music videos; and measure adolescent exposure to such content.DesignTen-second interval content analysis of alcohol, tobacco or electronic cigarette imagery in all UK Top 40 YouTube music videos during a 12-week period in 2013/14; on-line national survey of adolescent viewing of the 32 most popular high-content videos.SettingGreat Britain.ParticipantsA total of 2068 adolescents aged 11-18 years who completed an on-line survey.MeasurementsOccurrence of alcohol, tobacco and electronic cigarette use, implied use, paraphernalia or branding in music videos and proportions and estimated numbers of adolescents who had watched sampled videos.FindingsAlcohol imagery appeared in 45% [95% confidence interval (CI)?=?33-51%] of all videos, tobacco in 22% (95% CI?=?13-27%) and electronic cigarettes in 2% (95% CI?=?0-4%). Alcohol branding appeared in 7% (95% CI?=?2-11%) of videos, tobacco branding in 4% (95% CI?=?0-7%) and electronic cigarettes in 1% (95% CI?=?0-3%). The most frequently observed alcohol, tobacco and electronic cigarette brands were, respectively, Absolut Tune, Marlboro and E-Lites. At least one of the 32 most popular music videos containing alcohol or tobacco content had been seen by 81% (95% CI?=?79%, 83%) of adolescents surveyed, and of these 87% (95% CI?=?85%, 89%) had re-watched at least one video. The average number of videos seen was 7.1 (95% CI?=?6.8, 7.4). Girls were more likely to watch and also re-watch the videos than boys, P?<?0.001.ConclusionsPopular YouTube music videos watched by a large number of British adolescents, particularly girls, include significant tobacco and alcohol content, including branding.
| S-EPMC4402034 | biostudies-literature
Project description:We apply the independent cascade network inference model to a large database of music videos to infer the structure of the global network of music diffusion. The derived network reveals an intricate topology-fully interconnected, exhibiting a modular structure, and characterized by asymmetric links. We explore the relationship between the identified bilateral cultural diffusion pathways and the geographical and cultural distances among countries, and key socioeconomic interactions such as international trade and migration. Additionally, we use a gravity model to ascertain the factors contributing to both the formation and the intensity of the estimated diffusion channels between countries. Our findings reveal that cultural, geographical, and historical factors serve as primary drivers of musical diffusion, downplaying the importance of economic factors. This study posits that these elements exert considerable force in shaping musical preferences across nations, making the emergence of a homogeneous global musical culture improbable. This exploration adds valuable insights to the discourse on the globalization of music and its potential cultural implications.
| S-EPMC10642795 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Insects harbor a tremendous diversity of sex determining mechanisms both within and between groups. For example, in some orders such as Hymenoptera, all members are haplodiploid, whereas Diptera contain species with homomorphic as well as male and female heterogametic sex chromosome systems or paternal genome elimination. We have established a large database on karyotypes and sex chromosomes in insects, containing information on over 13000 species covering 29 orders of insects. This database constitutes a unique starting point to report phylogenetic patterns on the distribution of sex determination mechanisms, sex chromosomes, and karyotypes among insects and allows us to test general theories on the evolutionary dynamics of karyotypes, sex chromosomes, and sex determination systems in a comparative framework. Phylogenetic analysis reveals that male heterogamety is the ancestral mode of sex determination in insects, and transitions to female heterogamety are extremely rare. Many insect orders harbor species with complex sex chromosomes, and gains and losses of the sex-limited chromosome are frequent in some groups. Haplodiploidy originated several times within insects, and parthenogenesis is rare but evolves frequently. Providing a single source to electronically access data previously distributed among more than 500 articles and books will not only accelerate analyses of the assembled data, but also provide a unique resource to guide research on which taxa are likely to be informative to address specific questions, for example, for genome sequencing projects or large-scale comparative studies.
| S-EPMC6281344 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ImportanceHip-hop is the leading music genre in the United States and its fan base includes a large proportion of adolescents and young adults of all racial and ethnic groups, particularly minorities. The appearance of combustible and electronic tobacco and marijuana products, especially brand placement and use by popular and influential artists, may increase the risk of tobacco and marijuana use and decrease perceptions of harm.ObjectiveTo assess the prevalence of the appearance and use of combustible and electronic tobacco and marijuana products, including brand placement, in leading hip-hop songs.Design, setting, and participantsAnalysis of top 50 songs from 2013 to 2017 of Billboard magazine's weekly Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs with videos that included the appearance or use of combustible tobacco and marijuana products (manufactured cigarettes, cigars, hookah or waterpipe, pipe, hand-rolled tobacco and marijuana products, marijuana buds); appearance of exhaled smoke or vapor without an identifiable source product; appearance or use of electronic tobacco and marijuana products (eg, electronic cigarettes); tobacco or marijuana brand placement; appearance or use of combustible and electronic tobacco and marijuana by main or featured artist. Data were collected from December 6, 2017, to June 4, 2018.Main outcomes and measuresPrevalence of (1) appearance or use of combustible tobacco and marijuana products, (2) appearance of smoke or vapor, (3) appearance or use of electronic tobacco and marijuana products, (4) tobacco or marijuana brand placement, and (5) appearance or use of combustible and electronic tobacco and marijuana by main or featured artist. Probability of appearance or use of combustible and electronic tobacco and marijuana products by quartile of viewership of videos.ResultsThe proportion of leading hip-hop videos containing combustible use, electronic use, or smoke or vapor ranged from 40.2% (76 of 189) in 2015, to 50.7% (102 of 201) in 2016. For each year, the leading category of combustible use was hand-rolled products. The appearance of branded products increased from 0% in 2013 (0 of 82) to 9.9% in 2017 (10 of 101) for combustible products, and from 25.0% in 2013 (3 of 12) to 87.5% in 2017 (14 of 16) for electronic products. The prevalence of combustible or electronic product use or exhaled smoke or vapor increased by quartile of total number of views: 41.9% (8700 to 19 million views) among songs in the first quartile of viewership and 49.7% among songs in the fourth quartile of viewership (112 million to 4 billion views).Conclusions and relevanceCombustible and electronic tobacco and marijuana use frequently occurred in popular hip-hop music videos. The genre's broad appeal, use of branded products by influential artists, and rise of electronic product and marijuana use may contribute to a growing public health concern of tobacco and marijuana use.
| S-EPMC6583628 | biostudies-literature