COVID-19 Public Health Restrictions and New Mothers' Mental Health: A Qualitative Scoping Review.

Public health restrictions to protect physical health during the COVID-19 pandemic had unintended effects on mental health, which may have disproportionately affected some potentially vulnerable groups. This scoping review of qualitative research provides a narrative synthesis of new mothers' perspectives on their mental health during COVID-19 pandemic restrictions through pregnancy to the postpartum period. Database searches in PubMed, CINAHL, and PsycINFO sought primary research studies published until February 2023, which focused on new mothers' self-perceived mental health during the pandemic (N = 55). Our synthesis found that new mothers' mental health was impacted by general public health restrictions resulting in isolation from family and friends, a lack of community support, and impacts on the immediate family. However, public health restrictions specific to maternal and infant healthcare were most often found to negatively impact maternal mental health, namely, hospital policies prohibiting the presence of birthing partners and in-person care for their infants. This review of qualitative research adds depth to previous reviews that have solely examined the quantitative associations between COVID-19 public health restrictions and new mothers' mental health. Here, our review demonstrates the array of adverse impacts of COVID-19 public health restrictions on new mothers' mental health throughout pregnancy into the postpartum period, as reported by new mothers. These findings may be beneficial for policy makers in future public health emergency planning when evaluating the impacts and unintended consequences of public health restrictions on new mothers.

News and Perspectives: Words matter in primatology.

Postings on social media on Twitter (now X), BioAnthropology News (Facebook), and other venues, as well as recent publications in prominent journals, show that primatologists, ecologists, and other researchers are questioning the terms "Old World" and "New World" due to their colonial implications and history. The terms are offensive if they result in erasing Indigenous voices and history, ignoring the fact that Indigenous peoples were in the Americas long before European colonization. Language use is not without context, but alternative terminology is not always obvious and available. In this perspective, we share opinions expressed by an international group of primatologists who considered questions about the use of these terms, whether primatologists should adjust language use, and how to move forward. The diversity of opinions provides insight into how conventional terms used in primatological research and conservation may impact our effectiveness in these domains.

Best practices are never best: Evaluating primate conservation education programs (PCEPs) with a decolonial perspective.

Who do we aim to educate with primate conservation education programs (PCEPs)? In a commentary published in a recent AJP, Annette Lanjouw suggested that many efforts to "educate" habitat-country communities can be neocolonial in their approaches. Forest destruction and habitat loss are a result of global consumption and expansion. We therefore need to approach conservation education from many angles including local stakeholders, policy makers, government officials, and the humans living in industrialized nations who are major consumers of the items that shrink primate habitats. In this review, we investigate PCEPs to determine if the conservation education goals, education methods, and assessment processes are proceeding within a neocolonial context. We reviewed the last 20 years of primate conservation literature and looked for publications that were focused on education programs. We found that in 50 of 52 publications published between 2001 and 2021, the education programs take place in habitat-country local communities. We also reviewed primate field researcher and field site websites, and in most cases, education programs were also focused on educating local communities living near or in nonhuman primate habitats. Exceptions were student clubs, zoo programs, and a high school outreach program. Many PCEP providers presented a list of "lessons learned" and we compiled their wisdom in combination with our experience to provide a framework for moving forward. We conclude that as conservation primatologists, we must think beyond our field sites to create opportunities for educational outreach. We can reach global consumers by linking to zoos, television/motion picture, print media, social media, and working with schools on curricula. Primatologists can engage our undergraduates to establish clubs and create meaningful assignments that reach beyond the classroom. We encourage primatologists from the Global North to consider their positionality and the history of conservation exclusion in their attempts to conserve primates.

The what and where of primate field research may be failing primate conservation.

With approximately 30% of nonhuman primate species listed as critically endangered, the window of opportunity to conserve primates is closing fast. In this article, we focus on the degree to which publications in field primatology are biased in favor of particular taxa and field sites. We examined more than 29,000 peer-reviewed articles and identified 876 field visits to 349 field sites. We found a highly clumped distribution by site and species. We also examined publication ethical statements and the extent to which they acknowledged local human communities (<5%). Due to a lack of consistency across publications, we provide recommendations for improving ethical statements and for evaluating research impact. Given the plight of primate biodiversity, these results suggest broader coverage of primate species and geographies, as well as more attention to the local human communities whose support is necessary if the intent is to have primate species in the wild in the 22nd century.

Fluoride-Mediated Desulfonylative Intramolecular Cyclization to Fused and Bridged Bicyclic Compounds: A Complex Mechanism.

We previously reported the synthesis of polysubstituted chiral oxazepanes in three steps from commercially available starting materials. The unexpected reaction of one of these 1,4-oxazepanes in the presence of TBAF provided a 4-oxa-1-azabicyclo[4.1.0]heptane core. This unusual process significantly increased the complexity of the molecular scaffold by introducing a bicyclic core. Surprisingly, the generated bicyclic structure featuring three stereocenters was a mixture of enantiomers with no other diastereomers observed. These striking experimental observations deserved further investigations. A combination of experimental and computational investigations unveiled a complex diastereoselective mechanism. Mechanistic rationale is presented for this observed rearrangement.

Age- and sex-based patterns of positional behavior and substrate utilization in the golden snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana).

Body mass plays an important role in primate positional behavior and in sexually dimorphic arboreal primate species may influence how immature and adult individuals travel through the forest canopy and access food resources. In this study, we examined age- and sex-based patterns of positional behavior and substrate utilization in wild golden snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus roxellana), an endangered species of Asian colobine. Our results indicated that among all age and sex classes, sitting was the most common feeding and resting posture and during travel, quadrupedal walking was the dominant locomotor behavior. Despite the fact that adult male R. roxellana are reported to exhibit a body mass nearly two times that of adult females, we found no significant sex differences in the positional repertoire during feeding and traveling. In addition, we found that while infants and juveniles used similar postural and locomotor behaviors as their adult counterparts, younger golden snub-nosed monkeys more frequently engaged in risky or escape-oriented behaviors such as climbing, running, leaping, and forelimb suspension. With increasing age, the use of quadrupedal walking and dropping (downward in-air displacement of body mass that does not require hindlimb propulsion) increased and the use of leaping, suspensory postures, and bridging decreased. Finally, given differences in the positional repertoire of adult and immature golden snub-nosed monkeys, we argue that studies of ontogenetic patterns of positional behavior should emphasize what it takes to survive at each life stage rather than what it takes to match an adult repertoire.

Stereo- and regioselective synthesis of polysubstituted chiral 1,4-oxazepanes.

The number of cyclic molecular scaffolds available to medicinal chemists remains limited, and simple structures such as oxazepanes are still made using multistep procedures, including a number of protection/deprotection steps and purifications. We report herein an expedient and efficient synthesis of chiral polysubstituted oxazepanes. The developed method relies on a regio- and stereoselective 7-endo cyclization through haloetherification. Mechanistic studies using a combination of computations and experiments confirmed the expected role of the asymmetry of the chiral bromonium intermediate on the haloetherification regioselectivity. Computations also suggested that the bromonium intermediate is formed with no transition state; hence, the stereoselectivity is controlled primarily by the conformation of the substrate. Applied to a set of 16 substrates, tetra- and pentasubstituted oxazepanes were prepared with good yields and moderate to excellent regio- and stereoselectivities.

Reducing the ecological impact of field research.

Researchers and students at biological field stations, especially in remote areas, are subject to leaving "footprints," as we conduct research, work, and live in sensitive ecosystems. These footprints include travel, personal trash and waste, and field equipment (e.g. flagging, tree markers, plot markers, trail markers, monitoring devices, etc.). In this commentary, we argue that the field of primatology's commitment to minimum impact research should be more explicitly and visibly integrated into our ethical protocols with regard to field research and instruction in sensitive environments. We review current ethical codes and potential solutions to reducing our "researcher footprints" while conducting fieldwork. Using Costa Rica as an example, we address how sustainable fieldwork differs among varying cultural contexts and argue that researchers should be made responsible and accountable for how our presence, research, and teaching might impact the environment. We conclude by recommending a set of guidelines to be added to ethical protocols regarding research design, station policies, and the conduct of research and teaching in the field.

The ontogeny of prehensile-tail use in Cebus capucinus and Alouatta palliata.

A study of the platyrrhine prehensile tail provides an opportunity to better understand how ecological and biomechanical factors affect the ability of primates to distribute mass across many different kinds of arboreal supports. Young individuals experience ontogenetic changes in body mass, limb proportions, and motor skills that are likely to exert a strong influence on foraging strategies, social behaviors, support use, and associated prehensile-tail use. In this research, I examine ontogenetic patterns of prehensile-tail use in Cebus capucinus and Alouatta palliata. I collected behavioral data on activity, positional context, support size, and prehensile-tail use in five age categories of white-faced capuchins and mantled howlers during a 12-month period at Estación Biológica La Suerte in northeastern Costa Rica. Infant and juvenile howlers and capuchins were found to use their prehensile tails significantly more often than adults during feeding, foraging, and social behavior. Prehensile-tail use did not show predictable increases during growth. In both species, adults used their prehensile tails in mass-bearing modes significantly less often than juveniles. Despite differences in tail anatomy in Cebus and Alouatta, prehensile-tail use was observed to follow an increasing trajectory from infancy, peaking during juvenescence, and then decreasing in older juveniles and adults. In both species, it appeared that adult patterns of prehensile-tail use reflected the demands placed on young juveniles.

Technical note: tree truthing: how accurate are substrate estimates in primate field studies?

Field studies of primate positional behavior typically rely on ground-level estimates of substrate size, angle, and canopy location. These estimates potentially influence the identification of positional modes by the observer recording behaviors. In this study we aim to test ground-level estimates against direct measurements of support angles, diameters, and canopy heights in trees at La Suerte Biological Research Station in Costa Rica. After reviewing methods that have been used by past researchers, we provide data collected within trees that are compared to estimates obtained from the ground. We climbed five trees and measured 20 supports. Four observers collected measurements of each support from different locations on the ground. Diameter estimates varied from the direct tree measures by 0-28 cm (Mean: 5.44 ± 4.55). Substrate angles varied by 1-55° (Mean: 14.76 ± 14.02). Height in the tree was best estimated using a clinometer as estimates with a two-meter reference placed by the tree varied by 3-11 meters (Mean: 5.31 ± 2.44). We determined that the best support size estimates were those generated relative to the size of the focal animal and divided into broader categories. Support angles were best estimated in 5° increments and then checked using a Haglöf clinometer in combination with a laser pointer. We conclude that three major factors should be addressed when estimating support features: observer error (e.g., experience and distance from the target), support deformity, and how support size and angle influence the positional mode selected by a primate individual. individual.

Life history and locomotion in Cebus capucinus and Alouatta palliata.

As an individual matures from birth to adulthood, many factors may influence the positional repertoire. The biological and behavioral changes that accompany a growing individual are expected to influence foraging strategy, social status and interaction, diet, predator avoidance strategies, and ultimately positional behavior as a behavioral link between anatomy and the environment. In this work, positional behavior is considered as an important feature of life history in juvenile and adult white-faced capuchins (Cebus capucinus) and mantled howling monkeys (Alouatta palliata) inhabiting the same tropical forest in Costa Rica. During growth and development ontogenetic changes in body size, limb proportions, and motor skills are likely to influence locomotion and posture through the arboreal canopy. I collected data on positional behavior, activity, branch size, branch angle, and crown location during a 12-month period at Estación Biológica La Suerte in northeastern Costa Rica. Life history timing and differences in rates of growth did not predictably influence the development of adultlike positional behaviors in Cebus and Alouatta. Young Cebus resembled the adult pattern of positional behavior by 6 months of age while howlers exhibited significant differences in several positional behavior categories through 24 months of age. The positional repertoire of both species revealed similarities in the types of modes used during feed/forage and travel in juveniles and adults. Data presented here suggest that the environment exerts different pressures on growing Cebus and Alouatta that may relate to diet, energy expenditure, foraging skill, and/or social learning.

Patterns of subgrouping and spatial affiliation in a community of mantled howling monkeys (Alouatta palliata).

Studies of social affiliation and social spacing offer important insight into the dynamics of subgroup formation and social strategies in living primates. Among the 11 species in the genus Alouatta, mantled howlers (A. palliata) are the only species to consistently form large, stable social groups composed of several adult males and several adult females. In this study, we examine patterns of subgrouping, activity, and partner preferences in a troop of 26-29 wild mantled howling monkeys (including 12-13 marked individuals) inhabiting Isla de Ometepe, Nicaragua. During two study seasons in 2000 and 2001, we simultaneously monitored the size, composition, and activities of individuals in two to three different subgroups. A half-weight association index was used to calculate partner preferences and patterns of spatial association. Results indicate that our howler study troop fragmented into subgroups of 1-20 with subgroups averaging five and six individuals. Subgroup size and membership reflected individual patterns of social affiliation and social tolerance, and in general remained consistent across activities and from year to year. We also found evidence of cliques or social networks of three to four individuals embedded within larger subgroups. A small number of adult males appeared to play an important social role as the nucleus of clique formation. We argue that the persistence of strong male-male and male-female partner preferences in mantled howlers helps to explain the stability of relatively large multimale-multifemale groups.