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Stranks J, Heistermann M, Sangmaneedet S, Schülke O, Ostner J. The dynamics of sociality and glucocorticoids in wild male Assamese macaques. Horm Behav 2024; 164:105604. [PMID: 39013354 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2024.105604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2023] [Revised: 05/22/2024] [Accepted: 07/09/2024] [Indexed: 07/18/2024]
Abstract
For males of gregarious species, dominance status and the strength of affiliative relationships can have major fitness consequences. Social dynamics also impose costs by affecting glucocorticoids, mediators of homeostasis and indicators of the physiological response to challenges and within-group competition. We investigated the relationships between dominance, social bonds, seasonal challenges, and faecal glucocorticoid metabolite (fGC) measures in wild Assamese macaques (Macaca assamensis) at Phu Khieo Wildlife Sanctuary, Thailand, combining behavioural data with 4129 samples from 62 adult males over 15 years. Our previous work on this population suggested that increased competition during the mating season was associated with elevated fGC levels and that, unusually for male primates, lower rank position correlated with higher fGC levels. With a much larger dataset and dynamic measures of sociality, we re-examined these relationships and additionally tested the potentially fGC-attenuating effect of social support. Contrary to our previous study, yet consistent with the majority of work on male primates, dominance rank had a positive relationship with fGC levels, as high status correlated with elevated glucocorticoid measures. fGC levels were increased at the onset of the mating season. We demonstrated an fGC-reducing effect of supportive relationships in males and showed that dynamics in affiliation can correlate with dynamics in physiological responses. Our results suggest that in a system with intermediate contest potential, high dominance status can impose physiological costs on males that may potentially be moderated by social relationships. We highlight the need to consider the dynamics of sociality and competition that influence hormonal processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Stranks
- Behavioral Ecology Department, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany; Primate Social Evolution Group, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Goettingen, Germany; Leibniz ScienceCampus Primate Cognition, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Goettingen, Germany.
| | - Michael Heistermann
- Endocrinology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Somboon Sangmaneedet
- Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand
| | - Oliver Schülke
- Behavioral Ecology Department, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany; Primate Social Evolution Group, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Goettingen, Germany; Leibniz ScienceCampus Primate Cognition, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Julia Ostner
- Behavioral Ecology Department, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany; Primate Social Evolution Group, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Goettingen, Germany; Leibniz ScienceCampus Primate Cognition, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Goettingen, Germany
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Ehrie AJ, Iruri-Tucker AA, Lord YB, Williamson HG, Hunt KD, Polly PD, Fitzpatrick CL, Wasserman MD. Measuring mantled howler monkey (Alouatta palliata) testes via parallel laser photogrammetry: Expanding the use of noninvasive methods. Am J Primatol 2024; 86:e23616. [PMID: 38462743 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Revised: 02/20/2024] [Accepted: 02/24/2024] [Indexed: 03/12/2024]
Abstract
Parallel laser photogrammetry (PLP), which consists of attaching two or three parallel laser beams at a known inter-beam distance to a camera, can be used to collect morphological measurements of organisms noninvasively. The lasers project onto the photo being taken, and because the inter-beam distance is known, they act as a scale for image analysis programs like ImageJ. Traditionally, this method has been used to measure larger morphological traits (e.g., limb length, crown-rump length) to serve as proxies for overall body size, whereas applications to smaller anatomical features remain limited. To that end, we used PLP to measure the testes of 18 free-living mantled howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata) at La Selva Biological Station, Costa Rica. We tested whether this method could reliably measure this relatively small and globular morphology, and whether it could detect differences among individuals. We tested reliability in three ways: within-photo (coefficient of variation [CV] = 4.7%), between-photo (CV = 5.5%), and interobserver (intraclass correlation = 0.92). We found an average volume of 36.2 cm3 and a range of 16.4-54.4 cm3, indicating variation in testes size between individuals. Furthermore, these sizes are consistent with a previous study that collected measurements by hand, suggesting that PLP is a useful method for making noninvasive measurements of testes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Austen J Ehrie
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
- Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
| | - Alec A Iruri-Tucker
- Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
| | - Yasmin B Lord
- Department of Anthropology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
| | - Heidi G Williamson
- Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Kevin D Hunt
- Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
- Department of Anthropology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
| | - P David Polly
- Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
- Department of Geology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
| | | | - Michael D Wasserman
- Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
- Department of Anthropology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
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Sadoughi B, Mundry R, Schülke O, Ostner J. Social network shrinking is explained by active and passive effects but not increasing selectivity with age in wild macaques. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20232736. [PMID: 38471563 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.2736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Evidence of social disengagement, network narrowing and social selectivity with advancing age in several non-human animals challenges our understanding of the causes of social ageing. Natural animal populations are needed to test whether social ageing and selectivity occur under natural predation and extrinsic mortality pressures, and longitudinal studies are particularly valuable to disentangle the contribution of within-individual ageing from the demographic processes that shape social ageing at the population level. Data on wild Assamese macaques (Macaca assamensis) were collected between 2013 and 2020 at the Phu Khieo Wildlife Sanctuary, Thailand. We investigated the social behaviour of 61 adult females observed for 13 270 h to test several mechanistic hypotheses of social ageing and evaluated the consistency between patterns from mixed-longitudinal and within-individual analyses. With advancing age, females reduced the size of their social network, which could not be explained by an overall increase in the time spent alone, but by an age-related decline in mostly active, but also passive, behaviour, best demonstrated by within-individual analyses. A selective tendency to approach preferred partners was maintained into old age but did not increase. Our results contribute to our understanding of the driver of social ageing in natural animal populations and suggest that social disengagement and selectivity follow independent trajectories during ageing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baptiste Sadoughi
- Department of Behavioral Ecology, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach Institute for Zoology and Anthropology, Kellnerweg 6, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
- Research Group Primate Social Evolution, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
- Leibniz ScienceCampus Primate Cognition, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
| | - Roger Mundry
- Leibniz ScienceCampus Primate Cognition, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
- Cognitive Ethology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
- Department for Primate Cognition, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Oliver Schülke
- Department of Behavioral Ecology, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach Institute for Zoology and Anthropology, Kellnerweg 6, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
- Research Group Primate Social Evolution, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
- Leibniz ScienceCampus Primate Cognition, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Julia Ostner
- Department of Behavioral Ecology, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach Institute for Zoology and Anthropology, Kellnerweg 6, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
- Research Group Primate Social Evolution, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
- Leibniz ScienceCampus Primate Cognition, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
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Levy EJ, Lee A, Siodi IL, Helmich EC, McLean EM, Malone EJ, Pickard MJ, Ranjithkumar R, Tung J, Archie EA, Alberts SC. Early life drought predicts components of adult body size in wild female baboons. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2023; 182:357-371. [PMID: 37737520 PMCID: PMC10591920 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2023] [Revised: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES In many taxa, adverse early-life environments are associated with reduced growth and smaller body size in adulthood. However, in wild primates, we know very little about whether, where, and to what degree trajectories are influenced by early adversity, or which types of early adversity matter most. Here, we use parallel-laser photogrammetry to assess inter-individual predictors of three measures of body size (leg length, forearm length, and shoulder-rump length) in a population of wild female baboons studied since birth. MATERIALS AND METHODS Using >2000 photogrammetric measurements of 127 females, we present a cross-sectional growth curve of wild female baboons (Papio cynocephalus) from juvenescence through adulthood. We then test whether females exposed to several important sources of early-life adversity-drought, maternal loss, low maternal rank, or a cumulative measure of adversity-were smaller for their age than females who experienced less adversity. Using the "animal model," we also test whether body size is heritable in this study population. RESULTS Prolonged early-life drought predicted shorter limbs but not shorter torsos (i.e., shoulder-rump lengths). Our other measures of early-life adversity did not predict variation in body size. Heritability estimates for body size measures were 36%-67%. Maternal effects accounted for 13%-17% of the variance in leg and forearm length, but no variance in torso length. DISCUSSION Our results suggest that baboon limbs, but not torsos, grow plastically in response to maternal effects and energetic early-life stress. Our results also reveal considerable heritability for all three body size measures in this study population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily J. Levy
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington IN 47405, USA
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham NC 27708, USA
| | - Anna Lee
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham NC 27708, USA
| | | | - Emma C. Helmich
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham NC 27708, USA
| | - Emily M. McLean
- Division of Natural Sciences, Oxford College of Emory University, Oxford, GA, 30054, USA
| | - Elise J. Malone
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham NC 27708, USA
| | | | - Riddhi Ranjithkumar
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
| | - Jenny Tung
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham NC 27708, USA
- Department of Primate Behavior and Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham NC 27708, USA
- Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, Canada M5G 1M1, Canada
| | - Elizabeth A. Archie
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame IN, 46556, USA
| | - Susan C. Alberts
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham NC 27708, USA
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham NC 27708, USA
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Pittet F, Hinde K. Meager Milk: Lasting Consequences for Adult Daughters of Primiparous Mothers Among Rhesus Macaques (Macaca mulatta). Integr Comp Biol 2023; 63:569-584. [PMID: 37170073 PMCID: PMC10503474 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icad022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2023] [Revised: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Among mammals, primipara who initiate reproduction before full maturity can be constrained in their maternal investment, both due to fewer somatic resources and tradeoffs between their own continued development and reproductive effort. Primipara are particularly limited in their capacity to synthesize milk during lactation, the costliest aspect of reproduction for most mammals, especially primates due to long periods of postnatal development. Due to reduced milk transfer, Firstborns may be at elevated risk for long-term consequences of deficits in early life endowment from their primiparous mothers. Here we investigated mass, growth, stature, and lactation performance among N = 273 adult daughters across N = 335 reproductions, who were their own mother's Firstborn or Laterborn progeny, among rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) at the California National Primate Research Center. We further explored mass during infancy of the offspring of Firstborn and Laterborn mothers. Firstborns had accelerated growth during infancy, but had slowed growth during juvenility, compared to Laterborns. Although both Firstborns and Laterborns were the same age at reproductive debut, Firstborns had lower body mass, an effect that persisted throughout the reproductive career. Available milk energy, the product of milk energetic density and milk yield, was on average 16% lower for Firstborns compared to Laterborns, a difference that was only partially mediated by their lower mass. Despite differences in their mothers' energy provision through milk, the mass of infants of Firstborn and Laterborn mothers did not differ at peak lactation, suggesting that infants of Firstborns devote a higher proportion of milk energy to growth than infants of Laterborns. To date few studies have explored how early life conditions shape capacities to synthesize milk and milk composition. Our findings contribute new information among primates on how early life maternal endowments are associated with persistent effects long after the period of maternal dependence well into reproductive maturity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florent Pittet
- Neuroscience and Behavior Unit, California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Katie Hinde
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
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Berghaenel A, Stevens JMG, Hohmann G, Deschner T, Behringer V. Evidence for adolescent length growth spurts in bonobos and other primates highlights the importance of scaling laws. eLife 2023; 12:RP86635. [PMID: 37667589 PMCID: PMC10479963 DOI: 10.7554/elife.86635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Adolescent growth spurts (GSs) in body length seem to be absent in non-human primates and are considered a distinct human trait. However, this distinction between present and absent length-GSs may reflect a mathematical artefact that makes it arbitrary. We first outline how scaling issues and inappropriate comparisons between length (linear) and weight (volume) growth rates result in misleading interpretations like the absence of length-GSs in non-human primates despite pronounced weight-GSs, or temporal delays between length- and weight-GSs. We then apply a scale-corrected approach to a comprehensive dataset on 258 zoo-housed bonobos that includes weight and length growth as well as several physiological markers related to growth and adolescence. We found pronounced GSs in body weight and length in both sexes. Weight and length growth trajectories corresponded with each other and with patterns of testosterone and insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 3 levels, resembling adolescent GSs in humans. We further re-interpreted published data of non-human primates, which showed that aligned GSs in weight and length exist not only in bonobos. Altogether, our results emphasize the importance of considering scaling laws when interpreting growth curves in general, and further show that pronounced, human-like adolescent length-GSs exist in bonobos and probably also many other non-human primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Berghaenel
- Domestication Lab, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Jeroen MG Stevens
- Behavioral Ecology and Ecophysiology, Department of Biology, University of AntwerpAntwerpBelgium
- Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of AntwerpAntwerpBelgium
- SALTO Agro- and Biotechnology, Odisee University of Applied SciencesSint-NiklaasBelgium
| | - Gottfried Hohmann
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary AnthropologyLeipzigGermany
- Max-Planck-Institute of Animal BehaviourRadolfzellGermany
| | - Tobias Deschner
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary AnthropologyLeipzigGermany
- Comparative BioCognition, Institute of Cognitive Science, University of OsnabrückOsnabrückGermany
| | - Verena Behringer
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary AnthropologyLeipzigGermany
- Endocrinology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate ResearchGöttingenGermany
- Leibniz ScienceCampus Primate Cognition, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate ResearchGöttingenGermany
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Behringer V, Heistermann M, Malaivijitnond S, Schülke O, Ostner J. Developmental and environmental modulation of fecal thyroid hormone levels in wild Assamese macaques (Macaca assamensis). Am J Primatol 2023; 85:e23530. [PMID: 37365835 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2023] [Revised: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 06/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023]
Abstract
Thyroid hormones are key modulators of development, as well as mediators of environmental conditions, by regulating developmental processes and metabolism in primates. Hormone measurement in noninvasively collected samples, that is, feces and urine, is a valuable tool for studying the endocrine function of wildlife, and recent studies have demonstrated the feasibility of measuring thyroid hormones in fecal samples of zoo-housed and wild nonhuman primates. Our study aimed to (i) validate the measurement of immunoreactive fecal total triiodothyronine (IF-T3) in wild Assamese macaques (Macaca assamensis) and (ii) to investigate its developmental changes and its response to environmental changes, including stress responses, in immature individuals. Fecal samples and environmental parameters were collected from individuals of three social groups of wild Assamese macaques living at Phu Khieo Wildlife Sanctuary, Northeastern Thailand. Our study confirmed the methodological feasibility and biological validity of measuring IF-T3 in this population. Specifically, the biological validation demonstrated higher IF-T3 levels in immatures compared to adults, and higher levels in females during late gestation compared to the preconception stage. Our analysis of IF-T3 levels in developing immature macaques revealed a significant increase with age. Furthermore, we found a positive association between IF-T3 and immunoreactive fecal glucocorticoid levels, an indicator of the physiological stress response. Neither minimum temperature nor fruit abundance predicted variation in IF-T3 levels in the immatures. Our findings indicate the possibility for differing effects of climatic factors and food availability on thyroid hormone level changes in immature versus adult animals and in wild compared to experimental conditions. Overall, our study provides the basis for further investigations into the role of thyroid hormones in shaping species-specific traits, growth, and overall primate development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Verena Behringer
- Endocrinology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany
- Leibniz ScienceCampus Primate Cognition, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Michael Heistermann
- Endocrinology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Suchinda Malaivijitnond
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- National Primate Research Center of Thailand, Chulalongkorn University, Saraburi, Thailand
| | - Oliver Schülke
- Leibniz ScienceCampus Primate Cognition, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany
- Behavioral Ecology Department, University of Goettingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Primate Social Evolution Group, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Julia Ostner
- Leibniz ScienceCampus Primate Cognition, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany
- Behavioral Ecology Department, University of Goettingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Primate Social Evolution Group, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany
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A photogrammetric method to estimate total length of the largest mammal, the blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus). Mamm Biol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s42991-022-00307-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Gallo JA, Abba AM, Superina M. Individual identification of armadillos (Mammalia, Cingulata) using a photo-identification software. Mamm Biol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s42991-022-00260-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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