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Recent Submissions
Octopamine and tyramine dynamics predict learning rate phenotypes during associative conditioning in honey bees
Sands, Lester P.; Lei, Hong; Batten, Seth R.; Hartle, Alec; Lohrenz, Terry; Barbosa, Leonardo; Bang, Dan; Dayan, Peter; Howe, William M.; Smith, Brian H.; Montague, P. Read (American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2026-02-13)
Biogenic amines are fundamental for physiological homeostasis and behavioral control in both vertebrates and invertebrates. Monoamine neurotransmitters released in target brain regions conjointly regulate adaptive learning and plasticity. However, our understanding of these multianalyte mechanisms remains nascent, in part due to limitations in measurement technology. Here, during associative conditioning in honey bees, we concurrently tracked subsecond fluctuations in octopamine, tyramine, dopamine, and serotonin in the antennal lobe, where plasticity influences odorant representations. By repeatedly pairing an odorant with subsequent sucrose delivery, we observed individual differences in the conditioned response to odor, which occurred after a variable number of pairings (learners) or not at all (non-learners). The distinction between learners and non-learners was reflected in neurotransmitter responses across experimental conditions. The speed of learning, the number of pairings prior to a proboscis extension reflex, could be predicted from monoamine opponent signaling (octopamine-tyramine), from both the first presentation of the odorant alone, prior to any pairing with sucrose, and the first conditioned response to the odorant, coming after a number of sucrose pairings. These results suggest that monoamine signaling phenotypes may relate directly to the now widely reported socially relevant genetic differences in honey bee learning.
Conceptualizing social dynamic capabilities: Contextual embeddedness in hospitality industry
Dias, Alvaro; Zizka, Laura; Bernard, Shaniel; Singal, Manisha; Ho, Jo Ann (Elsevier, 2026-02-12)
This study introduces the concept of Social Dynamic Capabilities to address the growing need for hospitality organizations to align business strategies with social sustainability goals. Employing a grounded theory approach, we develop propositions and a conceptual framework delineating social dynamic capabilities from the broader concept of dynamic capabilities. Our research was conducted in two phases: an exploratory phase to identify core skills and practices for social dynamic capabilities and a confirmatory phase to refine the framework. The findings underscore the importance of stakeholder collaboration and community involvement in the operationalization of social dynamic capabilities, leading to the concept of Collaborative Social Transformation. Our study advances the dynamic capabilities framework by extending it into the social domain and providing a practical framework for implementation. This study provides a new perspective on integrating social sustainability issues into long-term organizational practices.
Functional Group Transposition Enabled by Palladium and Photo Dual Catalysis
Xu, Menghua; Wu, Chengjun; Chen, Ming (American Chemical Society, 2025-11-05)
The ability to precisely modify the structure of molecules is a captivating process that has fascinated the synthetic organic and medicinal chemistry communities. To this end, functional group transposition has recently emerged as a powerful strategy to edit molecules and allow for access to novel chemical entities without significantly altering the synthesis routes. Here we disclose an unusual functional group transposition reaction. By using palladium and photo dual catalysis, this radical-induced process enables the transposition between an iodo group and a boryl group to convert iodoarenes appended with an alkylboronate group to arylboronates appended with an alkyl iodide.
Enantioselective Syntheses of Secondary Alkylboronates via Asymmetric Regioselective Reduction of 1,3-Dienylboronates
Cao, Wen-Bin; Hu, Lingfei; Liu, Jiaming; Chen, George; Lu, Gang; Chen, Ming (Wiley-VCH, 2026-01-16)
We report herein the development of catalytic asymmetric synthesis of secondary alkylboronates. Under the optimal conditions, Cu-catalyzed semi-reduction of 1-alkyl- or 1,3-dialkyl-substituted 1-boryl-1,3-butadienes forms secondary alkylboronates with excellent regioselectivities and enantioselectivities. With H2O as the source of hydrogen, the reaction proceeds through a protoboration and protodeboration cascade reaction sequence to generate the desired boronates. By using a slightly modified protocol, the process allows for access to enantioenriched deuterium-labeled secondary alkylboronates. Density functional theory (DFT) studies were conducted to probe the origins of selectivities.
Temperature impacts the environmental suitability for malaria transmission by Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles stephensi
Villena, Oswaldo C.; Ryan, Sadie J.; Murdock, Courtney C.; Johnson, Leah R. (Wiley, 2022-08)
Extrinsic environmental factors influence the spatiotemporal dynamics of many organisms, including insects that transmit the pathogens responsible for vector-borne diseases (VBDs). Temperature is an especially important constraint on the fitness of a wide variety of ectothermic insects. A mechanistic understanding of how temperature impacts traits of ectotherms, and thus the distribution of ectotherms and vector-borne infections, is key to predicting the consequences of climate change on transmission of VBDs like malaria. However, the response of transmission to temperature and other drivers is complex, as thermal traits of ectotherms are typically nonlinear, and they interact to determine transmission constraints. In this study, we assess and compare the effect of temperature on the transmission of two malaria parasites, Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax, by two malaria vector species, Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles stephensi. We model the nonlinear responses of temperature dependent mosquito and parasite traits (mosquito development rate, bite rate, fecundity, proportion of eggs surviving to adulthood, vector competence, mortality rate, and parasite development rate) and incorporate these traits into a suitability metric based on a model for the basic reproductive number across temperatures. Our model predicts that the optimum temperature for transmission suitability is similar for the four mosquito–parasite combinations assessed in this study, but may differ at the thermal limits. More specifically, we found significant differences in the upper thermal limit between parasites spread by the same mosquito (A. stephensi) and between mosquitoes carrying P. falciparum. In contrast, at the lower thermal limit the significant differences were primarily between the mosquito species that both carried the same pathogen (e.g., A. stephensi and A. gambiae both with P. falciparum). Using prevalence data, we show that the transmission suitability metric (Formula presented.) calculated from our mechanistic model is consistent with observed P. falciparum prevalence in Africa and Asia but is equivocal for P. vivax prevalence in Asia, and inconsistent with P. vivax prevalence in Africa. We mapped risk to illustrate the number of months various areas in Africa and Asia predicted to be suitable for malaria transmission based on this suitability metric. This mapping provides spatially explicit predictions for suitability and transmission risk.