Search Results (16)

Canine morbillivirus (CDV), the cause of canine distemper, is a pathogen affecting many hosts. While modified live virus (MLV) vaccines are crucial for controlling the disease in dogs, cases of vaccine-related infections have been found in both domestic and wild animals. Specifically, the America-1 and Rockborn-like vaccine genotypes are concerning due to their spread and ability to transmit between different species. This study conducted a review and analysis of molecular detections of these strains in various carnivores (domestic, captive, synanthropic, and wild species). This study used a conceptual model considering host ecology and the domestic–wild interface to evaluate plausible transmission connections over time using Linear Directional Mean (LDM) and Weighted Mean Centre (WMC) methods. Statistical analyses examined the relationship between how likely a strain is to spread and factors like host type and vaccination status. The findings showed that the America-1 genotype spread in a more organised way, with domestic dogs being the main source and recipient, bridging different environments. Synanthropic mesocarnivores also played this same role, with less intensity. America-1 was most concentrated in the North Atlantic and Western Europe. In contrast, the Rockborn-like strain showed a more unpredictable and restricted spread, residual circulation from past use rather than ongoing spread. Species involved in vaccine-related infections often share characteristics like generalist behaviour, social living, and a preference for areas where domestic animals and wildlife interact. We did not find a general link between a host vaccination status and the likelihood of the strain spreading. The study emphasised the ongoing risk of vaccine-derived strains moving from domestic and synanthropic animals to vulnerable wild species, supporting the need for improved vaccination approaches. Mapping these plausible transmission routes can serve as a basis for targeted surveillance, not only of vaccine-derived strains, but of any other circulating genotype. Full article

Free-ranging dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) pose a significant but often overlooked threat to wildlife populations and global conservation efforts while also having the potential to contribute positively to conservation initiatives. As generalist predators and scavengers, these adaptable animals can lead to biodiversity loss through predation, disease transmission, competition, and behavioral disruption of native species. This review synthesizes global studies on their ecological impact, highlighting notable cases of predation on endangered species, such as the markhor (Capra falconeri cashmiriensis) in Pakistan and elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) in Mexico, as well as the spread of zoonotic diseases like Echinococcus spp. and canine distemper. A growing concern is hybridization between free-ranging dogs and wild canids. Such genetic mixing can erode local adaptations, reduce genetic purity, and undermine conservation efforts for wild canid populations. Current management strategies—including lethal control, trap–neuter–release, and vaccination—have produced mixed results and face challenges related to data limitations, regional variability, and cultural barriers. This review advocates for integrated, context-specific management approaches that consider ecological, social, and economic dimensions. Future research should prioritize standardized definitions and data collection, long-term evaluation of intervention effectiveness, and the socio-economic drivers of dog–wildlife interactions to develop sustainable solutions for mitigating the multifaceted threats imposed by free-ranging dogs to global diversity. Full article

Three years after a pandemic that demonstrated the importance of reliable health information in a news agenda dominated by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), we analyze the situation of health disinformation in Spain on the basis of the verifications carried out by its main fact-checking platforms. The results show that COVID-19 shared center stage with other topics in the health area. In addition, a unique agenda is evident in each situation in the study, indicating a fact-checking strategy that is differentiated according to the media outlet and type of specialization (generalist fact-checker or one specialized in health). Vaccination, nutrition, and disease treatment emerge as the most important thematic subfields. Most health hoaxes are manufactured, i.e., created from scratch, rather than being manipulated or reconfigured from real preexisting elements. The format of text and image together predominates, and new social networks (TikTok or Telegram) have appeared as platforms for the circulation of hoaxes. This indicates that providing necessary health literacy to society and giving health issues greater presence in current fact-checking agendas are strategies for combatting disinformation, which can have serious consequences, regardless of whether there is a public health crisis such as the one experienced recently. Full article

We used a population genomic approach to unravel the population structure, genetic differentiation, and genetic diversity of three widespread wild bee species across the Iberian Peninsula, Andrena agilissima, Andrena flavipes and Lasioglossum malachurum. Our results demonstrated that genetic lineages in the Ebro River valley or near the Pyrenees mountains are different from the rest of Iberia. This relatively congruent pattern across species once more supports the hypothesis of “refugia within refugia” in the Iberian Peninsula. The results for A. flavipes and A. agilissima showed an unexpected pattern of genetic differentiation, with the generalist polylectic A. flavipes having lower levels of genetic diversity (Ho = 0.0807, He = 0.2883) and higher differentiation (F_ST = 0.5611), while the specialist oligolectic A. agilissima had higher genetic diversity (Ho = 0.2104, He = 0.3282) and lower differentiation values (F_ST = 0.0957). For L. malachurum, the smallest and the only social species showed the lowest inbreeding coefficient (F_IS = 0.1009) and the lowest differentiation level (F_ST = 0.0663). Overall, our results, suggest that this pattern of population structure and genetic diversity could be explained by the combined role of past climate changes and the life-history traits of the species (i.e., size, sociality and host-plant specialization), supporting the role of the Iberian refugia as a biodiversity hotspot. Full article

Like other forms of domestic violence, child-to-parent violence (CPV) is a social and health-related problem. The identification of risk factors has preventive and therapeutic implications. This paper analyzes the risk profiles and gender differences of 206 CPV cases between 12 and 28 years of age (58% males) from clinical and judicial contexts in Spain, assessed using the Child to Parent Violence Risk (CPVR) Assessment tool. Two profiles were compared according to the extent of their violence: those using only CPV (specialist, 64.1%) and those also using other types of violence (generalist, 35.9%), as coded by professionals working with the cases. Generalist perpetrators had a significantly higher prevalence in terms of the bidirectionality of the violence (being victims at home), bullying victimization, empathy problems, anger management issues, attitudes justifying violence, antisocial behavior, failure of previous interventions, violence between parents, cohabitation problems other than CPV, problematic education style, and inversion of the hierarchy. Females were less likely to be generalists, and, in the case of female specialists, violence from parents and issues in the family context may have been among the main explanations for their violence. The results suggest differences between groups, which is consistent with previous research, but also the need for more accurate typological classification methods. Full article

Gut bacterial communities assist host animals with numerous functions such as food digestion, nutritional provision, or immunity. Some social mammals and insects are unique in that their gut microbial communities are stable among individuals. In this review, we focus on the gut bacterial communities of eusocial insects, including bees, ants, and termites, to provide an overview of their community structures and to gain insights into any general aspects of their structural basis. Pseudomonadota and Bacillota are prevalent bacterial phyla commonly detected in those three insect groups, but their compositions are distinct at lower taxonomic levels. Eusocial insects harbor unique gut bacterial communities that are shared within host species, while their stability varies depending on host physiology and ecology. Species with narrow dietary habits, such as eusocial bees, harbor highly stable and intraspecific microbial communities, while generalists, such as most ant species, exhibit relatively diverse community structures. Caste differences could influence the relative abundance of community members without significantly altering the taxonomic composition. Full article

Plastics are widely distributed in all ecosystems with evident impacts on biodiversity. We aimed at examining the topic of plastic occurrence within bird nests. We conducted a systematic search on three social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter) to fill the gap of knowledge on plastic nests worldwide. As a result, we observed nests with plastics mostly belonging to synanthropic species inhabiting riverine habitats, mainly in Europe, North America, and Asia, with an increase in occurrence over the years. Two common and generalist freshwater species (Eurasian Coot Fulica atra and Swans Cygnus sp.) showed the highest frequency of occurrence of plastic debris. We suggest plastics in bird nests as a proxy for debris occurring in the environment. However, our data may be biased, due to our sample’s low representativeness. Therefore, more data are necessary to have more information on plastic distribution. In conclusion, social media might be pivotal in indicating plastic hotspot areas worldwide and being an indicator of plastic pollution within the environment. Full article

Dementia is one of the leading causes of death and disability among citizens and a societal challenge because of aging worldwide. As dementia has physical, psychological, social, material, and economic impacts, both research and care practice require many disciplines to develop and implement diagnostics, medical and psychosocial interventions, and support, crossing all domains of housing, public services, care, and cure. Notwithstanding large research efforts, much knowledge about mechanisms, interventions, and needs’ based care pathways is still lacking. To cope with these challenges in research and practice, this paper is the first to question how generalist and specialist orientations can be unfolded. In the Netherlands, all dementia professors (N = 44) at eight Dutch academic centers have been interviewed. Qualitative analyses revealed three subgroups of dementia professors, one with a generalist orientation, one adhering to specialist approaches, and a third group that pleas for mixed orientations, with some differences between research and care practice. Each group has arguments for its generalist/specialist vision, but the synthesis suggests a paradigm of personalized and integrated dementia care, aimed at the individual in his own living environment. Sustainable strategies to cope with dementia require (inter)national programs and strong collaboration to build multi- and interdisciplinarity within and between research and practice. Full article

Social philanthropy and innovation systems both require significant resource investment—how can organizations achieve both? This paper combines social exchange theory, signaling theory and imprinting theory to analyze the intrinsic dynamics mechanism from the perspective of government technology resource acquisition and to explore the influential role of generalist CEOs. Based on the hand-collected multidimensional career experience dataset of CEOs and the quantitative analysis of 3651 enterprises in China’s A-share listed manufacturing industry from 2010–2019, the results show that: philanthropic donation has a systematic contribution to corporate innovation investment, in which government science and technology (S&T) resource acquisition plays a partially mediating role; generalist CEOs significantly enhance the effect of philanthropic donations and government S&T resource acquisition on innovation investment. Finally, the statistical results remain stable in the lagged effects experiment and the IV-2SLS model analysis using exogenous variables. The contribution of this study lies in expanding the research on maximizing the combined benefits of economic value creation and social performance from a social exchange perspective, and helping us understand why the share of generalists in the global managerial market big data has been steadily increasing. Full article

Background: Job burnout has become a widespread phenomenon in school settings. However, little is known about the mental health condition of the growing cohort of generalist teachers in rural primary schools. Drawing on the job demands–resource model and social exchange theory, this study examines the correlation between job burnout and job satisfaction through perceived organizational support and work engagement. Methods: We recruited 639 Chinese generalist teachers in rural primary schools as the study subjects and developed a serial mediation model to assess the hypothesized construct. The data acquired online via Wenjuanxing Software were confirmed as valid and analyzed with SPSS and SmartPLS. Results: The participants scored above the median in perceived organizational support, work engagement, and job satisfaction, and had scores close to the median for job burnout. Statistically significant differences among the investigated variables were found in gender, age, experience, and degree. Job burnout was negatively predictive of perceived organizational support, work engagement, and job satisfaction (each p = 0.000). Perceived organizational support mediated the association between job burnout and work engagement (p = 0.000) and the connection between job burnout and job satisfaction (p = 0.000), while work engagement mediated the association between job burnout and job satisfaction (p = 0.000) and the association between perceived organizational support and job satisfaction (p = 0.000). Conclusions: Perceived organizational support and work engagement as two sequential mediators buffered the detrimental impact of job burnout on job satisfaction among Chinese generalist teachers in rural primary schools. Targeted strategies should be implemented to diminish generalist teachers’ feelings of burnout, being unsupported by organizations, disengagement at work, and dissatisfaction with the job. Full article

Leave taking is a common, possibly universal, feature of human social behaviour that has undergone very little empirical research. Although the importance remains unknown, it has been suggested to play an important role in managing separations, mitigating the risk, and increasing social bonding beyond the interaction itself. In nonhuman species, the literature is virtually absent, but identifying leave taking beyond humans may provide unique insights into the evolutionary history of this behaviour and shed light onto its proximate and ultimate function(s). Methods to study leave taking are not well-established, and the variation in definitions, measures, and control variables presented in past studies poses additional challenges. Baboons are a valuable model for investigating human behavioural evolution: as a flexible, highly adaptable, and social primate whose radiation is, similarly to humans, associated with the emergence of the African savannah biome. Using the framework and definition proposed by Baehren, we investigated the presence of leave taking in a wild, generalist primate and tested a range of candidate behaviours on prerecorded video footage: (1) self-scratching, (2) eye gaze, and (3) orientation in the direction of parting. Using multivariate analysis, controlling for interaction duration and individual variation, our results show that orientation in the direction of parting occurs predominantly before social separation events. These results indicate evidence of leave taking in a wild nonhuman population and contrast with previous ideas that this is a uniquely human behaviour. The presence of leave taking in baboons suggests a deep evolutionary history of this behaviour, warranting further investigation into its function and presence across other nonhuman primate species. Full article

Palliative care is defined as ‘an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families who are facing problems associated with life-threatening illness. It prevents and relieves suffering through identification, assessment and treatment of pain and other problems, whether physical, psychosocial or spiritual’. As a palliative care physician, I aim to explore and meet the needs of my patients and their loved ones. As I am specifically trained as a specialist in assessing and treating ‘pain and other physical symptoms’, in psychological, social and spiritual issues, I am a generalist. Two approaches are described to assess spiritual needs in palliative care: The first is adjoining the analytic concept of the four dimensions of palliative care: using an instrument, measuring spiritual well-being or spiritual needs, and measuring the quality of life, with specific attention to spiritual issues. Second, a holistic approach is promoted, with openness to the patients’ narrative of their life, disease and suffering. In the integrity of the clinical encounter, medical, ethical and spiritual issues may be discussed. Broadening our clinical language with ethical, psychosocial, and spiritual vocabulary is mandatory, and self-reflection, interdisciplinary collaboration and specific interdisciplinary training may be supportive to develop such a clinical language. Full article

Despite the diversity of social situations in which cats live, the degree to which free-ranging cats (FRCs) are social is still debated. The aim of this review is to explore the literature on the social behavior of FRCs. A search of two major databases revealed that observations of intraspecies and interspecies social interactions have been conducted. The intraspecific social dynamics of FRCs differ based on group of cats surveyed. Some groups display strong social bonds and preferential affiliations, while other groups are more loosely associated and display little to no social interaction. Factors impacting FRC conspecific interactions include cat body size, cat social rank, cat individuality, cat age, relationship to conspecific (kin/familiar), cat sex, level of human caretaking, presence of food, the health of the individual, or sexual status of conspecifics. Interspecies interactions also occur with humans and wildlife. The human’s sex and the weather conditions on the day of interaction have been shown to impact FRC social behavior. Interactions with wildlife were strongly linked to the timing of cat feeding events. These findings support the idea that FRCs are “social generalists” who display flexibility in their social behavior. The social lives of FRCs exist, are complex, and deserve further study. Full article

Ponerine ants are generalist predators feeding on a variety of small arthropods, annelids, and isopods; however, knowledge of their bacterial communities is rather limited. This study investigated the bacterial composition and diversity in the digestive tract (different gut sections and the infrabuccal pockets (IBPs)) of two ponerine ant species (Odontomachus monticola Emery and Ectomomyrmex javanus Mayr) distributed in northwestern China using high-throughput sequencing. We found that several dominant bacteria that exist in other predatory ants were also detected in these two ponerine ant species, including Wolbachia, Mesoplasma, and Spiroplasma. Bacterial communities of these two ant species were differed significantly from each other, and significant differences were also observed across their colonies, showing distinctive inter-colony characteristics. Moreover, bacterial communities between the gut sections (crops, midguts, and hindguts) of workers were highly similar within colony, but they were clearly different from those in IBPs. Further, bacterial communities in the larvae of O. monticola were similar to those in the IBPs of workers, but significantly different from those in gut sections. We presume that the bacterial composition and diversity in ponerine ants are related to their social behavior and feeding habits, and bacterial communities in the IBPs may play a potential role in their social life. Full article

In the industrial environment, individual enterprises survive by obtaining specific resources. Niche theory uses adaptations of the organizational niche and the environment to explain the survival opportunities of generalist and specialist organizations. However, it does not explain in depth the key to the sustainable development of many enterprises with poor conditions, which have productive social relationships and can obtain the resources that are needed for sustainable development from these relationships. In this study, 106 valid questionnaires were obtained through e-mail. Taiwanese firms investing in China were taken as the enterprise groups, and SPSS statistical software was used to test the empirical relationships among niche characteristics, network relationships, and enterprise performance. The research draws the following conclusions. (1) When the external environment changes unfavorably, the financial performance of firms with a high degree of network embeddedness and large niche width is poorer than that of firms with a low degree of network embeddedness. (2) When the external environment changes unfavorably, the financial performance of firms with a low degree of network centrality and high niche specificity is better than that of firms with a high degree of network centrality. These results can provide suggestions for management theory and practice. Full article