Exploration and problem-solving are highly motivated behaviors in non-human primates, but little research has focused on whether cognitively challenging tasks can enhance primates' psychological well-being, particularly in the absence of food rewards. We evaluated whether a novel cognitive challenge device (CCD) consisting of a maze of opaque tubes enhanced the well-being of a group of six adult chimpanzees housed at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo, UK, over a two-month period. Chimpanzees had the opportunity to interact with two versions of the CCD: the first contained tokens which fell into a transparent chamber when extracted from the CCD and could not be eaten. The second contained unshelled Brazil nuts, which could be extracted and eaten. CCD-use was low over the study, occupying on average 2.5% of observation time. However, compared to baseline levels, chimpanzees exhibited more problem-solving behaviors (directed toward the CCD) and spent significantly more time engaged in social play when the CCD was present. Cage exploration was rare whether the CCD was present or not. Chimpanzees used the CCD (including tool-use) significantly more when it contained tokens. The relationship between the presence of the CCD and self-directed behavior (rough-scratching) was difficult to interpret. Although rough-scratching was significantly higher in the cage when the CCD was present and 18% of these scratching events occurred within one arm's length from the CCD, rough-scratching decreased when device use increased. This study provides a preliminary investigation of the CCD and two reward types, and suggests how the design could be modified to enhance its effects.
Micronutrient powders (MNP) are an efficacious intervention in terms of reducing anaemia among young children, yet challenges remain regarding implementation at scale. Research that can guide effective implementation of nutrition interventions and facilitate integration into existing health care platforms is needed. This paper seeks to advance the implementation science knowledge base by presenting our multiphased strategy and findings for scaling-up MNP in Rwanda. The multiphased implementation strategy, spanning a 5-year period (2011-2016), included (a) a feasibility study involving formative research, (b) a 30-day trial of improved practices (n = 60 households), (c) a 12month pilot that included an effectiveness study (n = 1,066 caregiver/child pairs), and (d) a staggered approach to national scale-up. At the end of Phase 4, the programme had been implemented in 19 of Rwanda's 30 districts with the scale-up in the final 11 districts completed in the following year. The caregivers of over 270,000 eligible children 6-23 months of age received a box of 30 MNP sachets in the final 3-month assessment period, representing a coverage rate of 87%. Initial problems with the supply chain and distribution and ongoing challenges to monitoring and reporting have been the largest obstacles. Continued success will be dependent on adequate resources for capacity development, refresher training, and responsive monitoring. Rwanda is one of the first countries to successfully scale-up home fortification subnationally with MNP. Lessons learned have implications for other countries.
In the summer of 2020, it became clear that the genetic composition of SARS-CoV-2 was changing rapidly. This was highlighted by the rapid emergence of the D614G mutation at that time. In the autumn of 2020, the project entitled “Agility” was initiated with funding from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) to assess new variants of SARS-CoV-2. The project was designed to reach out and intercept swabs containing live variant viruses in order to generate highly characterised master and working stocks, and to assess the biological consequences of the rapid genetic changes using both in vitro and in vivo approaches. Since November 2020, a total of 21 variants have been acquired and tested against either a panel of convalescent sera from early in the pandemic, and/or a panel of plasma from triple-vaccinated participants. A pattern of continuous evolution of SARS-CoV-2 has been revealed. Sequential characterisation of the most globally significant variants available to us, generated in real-time, indicated that the most recent Omicron variants appear to have evolved in a manner that avoids immunological recognition by convalescent plasma from the era of the ancestral virus when analysed in an authentic virus neutralisation assay.
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