cometadata/datacite-rtg-text-other-reclassification-records huggingface dataset:
Optimised Method for Short-Chain Fatty Acid Profiling of Bovine Milk and Serum
Creators: name: Li, Cheng
name: Liu, Z
name: Bath, C
name: Marett, L
name: Pryce, Jennie
name: Rochfort, Simone
Publisher: name: La Trobe
Year: 2022
Subjects: classificationCode: 340199
subject: Analytical chemistry not elsewhere classified
classificationCode: 300101
subject: Agricultural biotechnology diagnostics (incl. biosensors)

description: Short-chain fatty acids (SCFA, C2-C5) in milk and serum are derived from rumen bacterial fermentation and, thus, have the potential to be used as biomarkers for the health status of dairy cows. Currently, there is no comprehensive and validated method that can be used to analyse all SCFAs in both bovine serum and milk. This paper reports an optimised protocol, combining 3-nitrophenylhydrazine (3-NPH) derivatisation and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis for quantification of SCFA and β-hydroxybutyric acid (BHBA) in both bovine milk and bovine serum. This method is sensitive (limit of detection (LOD) ≤ 0.1 µmol/L of bovine milk and serum), accurate (recovery 84–115% for most analytes) and reproducible (relative standard deviation (RSD) for repeated analyses below 7% for most measurements) with a short sample preparation step. The application of this method to samples collected from a small cohort of animals allowed us to reveal a large variation in SCFA concentration between serum and milk and across different animals as well as the strong correlation of some SCFAs between milk and serum samples.
Let that sink in: track depth as a driving factor in the formation of dinosaur tail traces
Creators: name: McLarty, J.A.
name: McKenzie, Z.
name: Hayes, W.K.
name: Clawson, R.
name: Baltazar, H.D.
name: Alves, E.F.
name: Nick, K.E.
name: Esperante, R.
Publisher: name: Taylor & Francis
Year: 2025
Subjects: subject: Biophysics
subject: Physiology
subject: FOS: Biological sciences
subject: Pharmacology
subject: Environmental Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: Ecology
subject: Sociology
subject: FOS: Sociology
subject: Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: Cancer
subject: Science Policy

description: To date, most reports of dinosaur tail traces have been limited to a small number per tracksite and have not included a detailed analysis of the associated trackways. Carreras Pampa comprises an Upper Maastrichtian theropod-dominated tracksite in Torotoro National Park, Bolivia. This tracksite preserves the largest number of theropod trackways associated with tail traces worldwide, allowing us to compare trackways to better understand how dinosaurs moved when producing tail traces. We applied multiple statistical analyses to 10 trackways with associated tail traces at the Carreras Pampa tracksite. Trackway measurements indicated that dinosaurs leaving tail traces were all of a similar size, with an estimated height at hip of 1.1–1.5 m. All trackways suggested that the dinosaurs were moving at a walking gait, with speed estimates of 4.1–8.8 km/h. Many of the trackways preserved deep tracks with a metatarsal mark. Statistical analyses using runs tests and generalised estimating equations (GEEs) suggested that the walking kinematics of a dinosaur’s foot sinking into the substrate was a driving factor in the formation of tail traces. The Carreras Pampa tracksite presented a unique opportunity to understand the effect of substrate consistency on theropod body posture and the formation of tail traces. Tail traces were more likely to form when dinosaurs sank into the sedimentWalking kinematics in soft substrate could generate tail tracesFirst statistical analysis of how dinosaur tail traces formed Tail traces were more likely to form when dinosaurs sank into the sediment Walking kinematics in soft substrate could generate tail traces First statistical analysis of how dinosaur tail traces formed
Voice Level: Autophonic Scale, Perceived Loudness, and Effects of Sidetone
Creators: name: Lane, H. L.
name: Catania, A. Charles
name: Stevens, S. S.
Publisher: name: AIP
Year: 1961

description: The speaker's numerical estimation of his own vocal level, the autophonic response, was found to grow as the 1.1 power of the actual sound pressure produced. When listeners judged the loudness of another speaker's vocalization (the phoneme [a]), the exponent was 0.7. The disparity between these exponents suggests that the speaker does not rely solely upon his perception of loudness in judging his own relative vocal level. The minor role played by loudness in the autophonic judgment is further demonstrated by the fact that the form and exponent of the subjective scale for autophonic responses remain relatively invariant under wide changes in auditory feedback.The power laws governing the autophonic response (exponent 1.1) and loudness (exponent 0.6) were used to predict successfully the outcome of cross?modality comparisons in which subjects tried to match their vocal level to sounds of various intensities presented either by loudspeaker or by earphone. The slope of the matching function, relating the criterion SPL to the vocal SPL in log?log coordinates, is given by the ratio of the two exponents.Unless the speaker tries deliberately to hold a constant level, the amount of sidetone gain with which the voice is fed back to the ears alters the voice level. The degree to which the speaker lowers his voice when the sidetone is increased is also predicted by the exponents governing the autophonic scale and the loudness scale.
Independence of concurrent responding maintained by interval schedules of reinforcement
Creators: name: Catania, A. Charles
Publisher: name: Wiley
Year: 1962
Subjects: Animals
Columbidae
Learning
Reaction Time
Reinforcement Schedule
Reinforcement, Psychology

description: A pigeon's responses were reinforced on a variable-interval schedule on one key; and, concurrently, either a multiple or a fixed-interval schedule of reinforcement was in effect on a second key. These concurrent schedules, conc VI 3 (mult VI 3 EXT) or conc VI 3 FI 6, were programmed with or without a changeover delay (COD). Because the COD provided that responses on one key could not be followed by reinforced responses on the other key, responding on one key was not likely to accidentally come under the control of the reinforcement schedule on the other. When the COD was used, the performances on each key were comparable to the performances maintained when these interval schedules are programmed separately. The VI schedule maintained a relatively constant rate of responding, even though the rate of responding on the second key varied in a manner appropriate to the schedule on the second key. The mult VI 3 EXT schedule maintained two separate rates of responding: a relatively high rate during the VI 3 component, and almost no responding during the EXT component. The FI schedule maintained the gradually increasing rate of responding within each interval that is characteristic of the performance maintained by this schedule. The concurrent performances, however, did include certain interactions involving the local characteristics of responding and the over-all rates of responding maintained by the various schedules. The relevance of the present findings to an inter-response time analysis of VI responding, a chaining account of FI responding, and the concept of the reflex reserve was discussed.
A Metabolomic Study of Epichloë Endophytes for Screening Antifungal Metabolites
Creators: name: Fernando, K
name: Reddy, Priyanka
name: Guthridge, KM
name: Spangenberg, German
name: Rochfort, Simone
Publisher: name: La Trobe
Year: 2022
Subjects: classificationCode: 310799
subject: Microbiology not elsewhere classified
classificationCode: 310899
subject: Plant biology not elsewhere classified

description: Epichloë endophytes, fungal endosymbionts of Pooidae grasses, are commonly utilized in forage and turf industries because they produce beneficial metabolites that enhance resistance against environmental stressors such as insect feeding and disease caused by phytopathogen infection. In pastoral agriculture, phytopathogenic diseases impact both pasture quality and animal production. Recently, bioactive endophyte strains have been reported to secrete compounds that significantly inhibit the growth of phytopathogenic fungi in vitro. A screen of previously described Epichloë-produced antifeedant and toxic alkaloids determined that the antifungal bioactivity observed is not due to the production of these known metabolites, and so there is a need for methods to identify new bioactive metabolites. The process described here is applicable more generally for the identification of antifungals in new endophytes. This study aims to characterize the fungicidal potential of novel, ‘animal friendly’ Epichloë endophyte strains NEA12 and NEA23 that exhibit strong antifungal activity using an in vitro assay. Bioassay-guided fractionation, followed by metabolite analysis, identified 61 metabolites that, either singly or in combination, are responsible for the observed bioactivity. Analysis of the perennial ryegrass-endophyte symbiota confirmed that NEA12 and NEA23 produce the prospective antifungal metabolites in symbiotic association and thus are candidates for compounds that promote disease resistance in planta. The “known unknown” suite of antifungal metabolites identified in this study are potential biomarkers for the selection of strains that enhance pasture and turf production through better disease control.
Experimental control of superstitious responding inhumans
Creators: name: Catania, A. Charles
name: Cutts, David
Publisher: name: Wiley
Year: 1963
Subjects: Humans
Reinforcement, Psychology
Superstitions
SUPERSTITIONS

description: Superstitions were demonstrated with human subjects when presses on one button were reinforced on a VI 30-sec schedule while presses on a second were never reinforced. Superstitious responding, on the second button, was often maintained because presses on that button were frequently followed by reinforcement for a subsequent press on the first button. The introduction of a changeover delay (COD), which separated in time presses on the second button and subsequent reinforced presses on the first button, reduced or eliminated the superstitious responding of these subjects. Some complex superstitions were also demonstrated with other subjects for which the COD was in effect from the beginning of the session.
Additional file 4 of Genomic and transcriptional characterization of early esophageal squamous cell carcinoma
Creators: name: Zhao, Jingjing
name: Jia, Xiya
name: Li, Qiaojuan
name: Zhang, Hena
name: Wang, Jianjun
name: Huang, Shenglin
name: Hu, Zhixiang
name: Li, Caiping
Publisher: name: figshare
Year: 2024
Subjects: subject: Genetics
subject: FOS: Biological sciences

description: Additional file 4: TableS3. Clinical data of the patients in this study. Table S4. TCGA samples used in the study. Table S5. Primers and RNA sequences used in this study.
Carnivores from Chlum 4S (Czech Republic): new insight for the latest early Pleistocene carnivore faunas in Central Europe
Creators: name: Marciszak, Adrian
name: Wagner, Jan
Publisher: name: Taylor & Francis
Year: 2025
Subjects: subject: Evolutionary Biology
subject: FOS: Biological sciences
subject: Ecology
subject: Sociology
subject: FOS: Sociology
subject: Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified

description: The analysis of carnivore remains from Chlum 4S revealed the presence of an abundant assemblage dominated by species of the Early Pleistocene origin. At least 13 taxa have been identified from this locality: Lycaon lycaonoides, Cuon alpinus priscus, Canis mosbachensis, Vulpes praeglacialis, Ursus deningeri, Ursus cf. arctos, Gulo gulo schlosseri, Meles meles, Lutra sp. Martes vetus, Panthera gombaszogensis gombaszogensis, Lynx issiodorensis and Pachycrocuta brevirostris. Most of them documented characterise MIS 23–21 (0.9–0.8 mya), i.e. the time when the carnivore communities were still highly diversified, and ancient faunal elements such as Lycaon lycaonoides, Canis mosbachensis, Martes vetus, Panthera gombaszogensis gombaszogensis and Pachycrocuta brevirostris were still common, widespread and dominant. At the same time, this fauna also signalised upcoming faunal changes. Among them, Cuon alpinus priscus and Ursus deningeri are the species confirming the beginning of the faunal turnover. Within the next 400 kya, almost all ancient species have disappeared, while dhole and spelaeoid bear were among the carnivores which formed the core of the assemblage that survived with small modifications until the very end of the Late Pleistocene.
Astrocyte Control of Zika Infection Is Independent of Interferon Type I and Type III Expression
Creators: name: Das, Mithun
name: Smith, Monique
name: Furihata, T
name: Sarker, Subir
name: O’shea, R
name: Helbig, Karla
Publisher: name: La Trobe
Year: 2022
Subjects: classificationCode: 420699
subject: Public health not elsewhere classified

description: Zika virus (ZIKV) is a pathogenic neurotropic virus that infects the central nervous system (CNS) and results in various neurological complications. Astrocytes are the dominant CNS cell producer of the antiviral cytokine IFN-β, however little is known about the factors involved in their ability to mediate viral infection control. Recent studies have displayed differential responses in astrocytes to ZIKV infection, and this study sought to elucidate astrocyte cell-specific responses to ZIKV using a variety of cell models infected with either the African (MR766) or Asian (PRVABC59) ZIKV strains. Expression levels of pro-inflammatory (TNF-α and IL-1β) and inflammatory (IL-8) cytokines following viral infection were low and mostly comparable within the ZIKV-resistant and ZIKV-susceptible astrocyte models, with better control of proinflammatory cytokines displayed in resistant astrocyte cells, synchronising with the viral infection level at specific timepoints. Astrocyte cell lines displaying ZIKV-resistance also demonstrated early upregulation of multiple antiviral genes compared with susceptible astrocytes. Interestingly, pre-stimulation of ZIKV-susceptible astrocytes with either poly(I:C) or poly(dA:dT) showed efficient protection against ZIKV compared with pre-stimulation with either recombinant IFN-β or IFN-λ, perhaps indicating that a more diverse antiviral gene expression is necessary for astrocyte control of ZIKV, and this is driven in part through interferon-independent mechanisms.
Concurrent performances: reinforcement interaction and response independence
Creators: name: Catania, A. Charles
Publisher: name: Wiley
Year: 1963
Subjects: Animals
Columbidae
Learning
REINFORCEMENT LEARNING
Reinforcement, Psychology

description: When a pigeon's pecks on two keys were reinforced concurrently by two independent variable-interval (VI) schedules, one for each key, the response rate on either key was given by the equation: R(1)=Kr(1)/(r(1)+r(2))(5/6), where R is response rate, r is reinforcement rate, and the subscripts 1 and 2 indicate keys 1 and 2. When the constant, K, was determined for a given pigeon in one schedule sequence, the equation predicted that pigeon's response rates in a second schedule sequence. The equation derived from two characteristics of the performance: the total response rate on the two keys was proportional to the one-sixth power of the total reinforcement rate provided by the two VI schedules; and, the pigeon matched the relative response rate on a key to the relative reinforcement rate for that key. The equation states that response rate on one key depends in part on reinforcement rate for the other key, but implies that it does not depend on response rate on the other key. This independence of response rates on the two keys was demonstrated by presenting a stimulus to the pigeon whenever one key's schedule programmed reinforcement. This maintained the reinforcement rate for that key, but reduced the response rate almost to zero. The response rate on the other key, nevertheless, continued to vary with reinforcement rates according to the equation.
Theoretical insights into the antiradical activity and copper-catalysed oxidative damage of mexidol in the physiological environment
Creators: name: Hoa, NT
name: Van Bay, M
name: Mechler, Adam
name: Vo, Quan Van
Publisher: name: La Trobe
Year: 2022
Subjects: classificationCode: 340799
subject: Theoretical and computational chemistry not elsewhere classified

description: Mexidol (MD, 2-ethyl-6-methyl-3-hydroxypyridine) is a registered therapeutic agent for the treatment of anxiety disorders. The chemical structure suggests that MD may also act as an antioxidant. In this study, the hydroperoxyl radical scavenging activity of MD was studied to establish baseline antioxidant activity, followed by an investigation of the effect of MD on the copper-catalysed oxidative damage in biological systems, using computational methods. It was found that MD exhibits moderate radical scavenging activity against HOO • in water and pentyl ethanoate solvents following the single electron transfer and formal hydrogen transfer mechanisms, respectively. MD can chelate Cu(II), forming complexes that are much harder to reduce than free Cu(II): MD chelation completely quenches the Cu(II) reduction by ascorbic acid and suppresses the rate of reduction reaction by O2⋅ - that are the main reductants of Cu(II) in biological environments. Therefore, MD exerts its anti-HO • activity primarily as an OIL-1 inhibitor.
Additional file 1 of Synovial sarcoma of female urethra: a case report and review of the literature
Creators: name: Cui, Wei
name: Liao, Yuan-Jian
name: Su, Peng
name: Yang, Hua
name: Zhang, Neng
Publisher: name: figshare
Year: 2024
Subjects: subject: Biophysics
subject: Medicine
subject: Physiology
subject: FOS: Biological sciences
subject: Pharmacology
subject: Ecology
subject: Cancer

description: Supplementary Material 1
Feasibility of a virtual reality-based exercise intervention and low-cost motion tracking method for estimation of motor proficiency in youth with autism spectrum disorder
Creators: name: Hocking, Darren
name: Ardalan, A
name: Abu-Rayya, Hisham
name: Farhat, Hassan
name: Andoni, A
name: Lenroot, R
name: Kachnowski, S
Publisher: name: La Trobe
Year: 2022
Subjects: classificationCode: 32
subject: Biomedical and clinical sciences
classificationCode: 3209
subject: Neurosciences
subject: FOS: Clinical medicine
classificationCode: 40
subject: Engineering
classificationCode: 4003
subject: Biomedical engineering

description: Background: Motor impairment is widely acknowledged as a core feature in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which can affect adaptive behavior and increase severity of symptoms. Low-cost motion capture and virtual reality (VR) game technologies hold a great deal of promise for providing personalized approaches to motor intervention in ASD. The present study explored the feasibility, acceptability and potential efficacy of a custom-designed VR game-based intervention (GaitWayXR™) for improving gross motor skills in youth with ASD. Methods: Ten children and adolescents (10–17 years) completed six, 20-min VR-based motor training sessions over 2 weeks while whole-body movement was tracked with a low-cost motion capture system. We developed a methodology for using motion tracking data to quantify whole-body movement in terms of efficiency, synchrony and symmetry. We then studied the relationships of the above quantities with standardized measures of motor skill and cognitive flexibility. Results: Our results supported our presumption that the VR intervention is safe, with no adverse events and very few minor to moderate side-effects, while a large proportion of parents said they would use the VR game at home, the most prohibitive reasons for adopting the system for home therapy were cost and space. Although there was little evidence of any benefits of the GaitWayXR™ intervention in improving gross motor skills, we showed several positive correlations between the standardized measures of gross motor skills in ASD and our measures of efficiency, symmetry and synchrony from low-cost motion capture. Conclusions: These findings, though preliminary and limited by small sample size, suggest that low-cost motion capture of children with ASD is feasible with movement exercises in a VR-based game environment. Based on these preliminary findings, we recommend conducting larger-scale studies with methods for improving adherence to VR gaming interventions over longer periods.
Concurrent performances: a baseline for the study of reinforcement magnitude
Creators: name: Catania, A. Charles
Publisher: name: Wiley
Year: 1963
Subjects: Animals
Columbidae
Learning
REINFORCEMENT LEARNING
Reinforcement, Psychology

description: When a pigeon's pecking on a single key was reinforced by a variable-interval (VI) schedule of reinforcement, the rate of pecking was insensitive to changes in the duration of reinforcement from 3 to 6 sec. When, however, the pigeon's pecking on each of two keys was concurrently reinforced by two independent VI schedules, one for each key, the rate of pecking was directly proportional to the duration of reinforcement.
Asymptotic normality of simultaneous estimators of cyclic long-memory processes
Creators: name: Ayache, A
name: Fradon, M
name: Nanayakkara, Ravindi
name: Olenko, Andriy
Publisher: name: La Trobe
Year: 2022
Subjects: classificationCode: 490599
subject: Statistics not elsewhere classified
classificationCode: 490509
subject: Statistical theory

description: Spectral singularities at non-zero frequencies play an impor-tant role in investigating cyclic or seasonal time series. The publication [2] introduced the generalized filtered method-of-moments approach to simul-taneously estimate singularity location and long-memory parameters. This paper continues studies of these simultaneous estimators. A wide class of Gegenbauer-type semi-parametric models is considered. Asymptotic normality of several statistics of the cyclic and long-memory parameters is proved. New adjusted estimates are proposed and investigated. The theoretical findings are illustrated by numerical results. The methodology in-cludes wavelet transformations as a particular case.
Planning implementation and scale-up of physical activity interventions for people with walking difficulties: study protocol for the process evaluation of the ComeBACK trial
Creators: name: Wong, S
name: Hassett, L
name: Koorts, H
name: Grunseit, A
name: Tong, A
name: Tiedemann, A
name: Greaves, CJ
name: Haynes, A
name: Milat, A
name: Harvey, LA
name: Taylor, Nicholas
name: Hinman, RS
name: Pinherio, MDB
name: Jennings, M
name: Treacy, D
name: O’Rourke, S
name: West, C
name: Ramsay, E
name: Kirkham, C
name: Morris, C
name: Sherrington, C
Publisher: name: La Trobe
Year: 2022
Subjects: classificationCode: 420699
subject: Public health not elsewhere classified

description: Background: There is currently little evidence of planning for real-world implementation of physical activity interventions. We are undertaking the ComeBACK (Coaching and Exercise for Better Walking) study, a 3-arm hybrid Type 1 randomised controlled trial evaluating a health coaching intervention and a text messaging intervention. We used an implementation planning framework, the PRACTical planning for Implementation and Scale-up (PRACTIS), to guide the process evaluation for the trial. The aim of this paper is to describe the protocol for the process evaluation of the ComeBACK trial using the framework of the PRACTIS guide. Methods: A mixed methods process evaluation protocol was developed informed by the Medical Research Council (MRC) guidance on process evaluations for complex interventions and the PRACTIS guide. Quantitative data, including participant questionnaires, health coach and administrative logbooks, and website and text message usage data, is being collected over the trial period. Semi-structured interviews and focus groups with trial participants, health coaches and health service stakeholders will explore expectations, factors influencing the delivery of the ComeBACK interventions and potential scalability within existing health services. These data will be mapped against the steps of the PRACTIS guide, with reporting at the level of the individual, provider, organisational and community/systems. Quantitative and qualitative data will elicit potential contextual barriers and facilitators to implementation and scale-up. Quantitative data will be reported descriptively, and qualitative data analysed thematically. Discussion: This process evaluation integrates an evaluation of prospective implementation and scale-up. It is envisaged this will inform barriers and enablers to future delivery, implementation and scale-up of physical activity interventions. To our knowledge, this is the first paper to describe the application of PRACTIS to guide the process evaluation of physical activity interventions. Trial registration: Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR) Registration date: 10/12/2018.
Updated record of Proterotheriidae (Litopterna, Mammalia) from the late Neogene of northwestern Argentina
Creators: name: Schmidt, Gabriela I.
name: Armella, Matías A.
name: Bonini, Ricardo A.
Publisher: name: Taylor & Francis
Year: 2024
Subjects: subject: Genetics
subject: FOS: Biological sciences
subject: Evolutionary Biology
subject: Environmental Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: Ecology
subject: Astronomical and Space Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: Infectious Diseases
subject: FOS: Health sciences
subject: Computational Biology

description: We describe several proterotheriid remains from the Andalhuala and the Corral Quemado formations (Villavil-Quillay and Santa María basins, Catamarca Province) and the Andalhuala Formation (Santa María Basin at Encalilla, Tucumán Province), Argentina. Neobrachytherium intermedium distinguishes from N. morenoi by the presence of lophoid metaconules in upper molars and astragalus with fusiform attachment for the tibioastragalar ligament, while N. morenoi presents bunoid metaconules and astragalus with ectal facet slightly projected laterally without attachment for the tibioastragalar ligament. ?Proterotherium simplicidens is considered junior synonym of N. intermedium. N. intermedium is circumscribed to levels ca. 6.02 Ma in the Santa María Basin (extendable to ca. 6.88 Ma), to ca. 3.66 Ma in Puerta de Corral Quemado. N. morenoi is restricted to levels above ca. 6.02 to below ca. 4.85 Ma in the Santa María Basin. While other species of Neobrachytherium (i.e. N. ullumense and N. ameghinoi) are distributed in Argentina and Uruguay, N. intermedium and N. morenoi only have records in the late Neogene of northwestern Argentina. These distributions align with earlier hypotheses regarding a regional ecological distinction between the western and eastern regions in the northern half of Argentina during the late Neogene while also fitting the paleophytogeographic provinces (Neotropical and Proto-Spinal).
The landscape of immune dysregulation in pediatric sepsis at a single-cell resolution
Creators: name: Alhamdan, Fahd
name: Koutsogiannaki, Sophia
name: Yuki, Koichi
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024

description: Recognizing immune dysregulation as a hallmark of sepsis pathophysiology, leukocytes have attracted major attention of investigation. While adult and pediatric sepsis are clinically distinct, their immunological delineation remains limited. Single cell technologies facilitated the characterization of immune signatures. We tackled to delineate immunological profiles of pediatric sepsis at a single-cell level by analyzing blood samples from six septic children, at both acute and recovery phases, and four healthy children. 16 single-cell transcriptomic datasets were analyzed and compared to adult sepsis dataset. We showed a unique shift in neutrophil subpopulations and functions between acute and recovery phases, along with the regulatory role of resistin. Neutrophil signatures were comparable between adult and pediatric sepsis. Innate-like CD4 T cells were predominantly and uniquely observed in acute phase of pediatric sepsis. Our study serves as a rich source of information about the phenotypic diversity and trajectory of circulating immune cells during pediatric sepsis.

DOI:  10.1016/j.clim.2024.110175
Minimax Lower Bound and Optimal Estimation of Convex Functions in the Sup-Norm
Creators: name: Lebair, Teresa M.
name: Shen, Jinglai
name: Wang, Xiao
Publisher: name: IEEE
Year: 2017
Subjects: Convergence
Convex functions
Convex regression
Estimation
Manganese
minimax theory
Shape
shape constrained estimation
Splines (mathematics)
sup-norm risk
Upper bound

description: Estimation of convex functions finds broad applications in science and engineering; however, the convex shape constraint complicates the asymptotic performance analysis of such estimators. This technical note is devoted to the minimax optimal estimation of univariate convex functions in a given Hölder class. Particularly, a minimax lower bound in the supremum norm (or simply sup-norm) is established by constructing a novel family of piecewise quadratic convex functions in the Hölder class. This result, along with a recent result on the minimax upper bound, gives rise to the optimal rate of convergence for the minimax sup-norm risk of convex functions with the Hölder order between one and two. The present technical note provides the first rigorous justification of the optimal minimax risk for convex estimation on the entire interval of interest in the sup-norm.
ON THE VISUAL ACUITY OF THE PIGEON
Creators: name: Catania, A. Charles
Publisher: name: Wiley
Year: 1964
Subjects: Animals
Birds
BIRDS
Columbidae
EXPERIMENTAL LAB STUDY
Research
VISION
Vision, Ocular
Visual Acuity

description: Several lines of evidence suggest that the pigeon is near-sighted for stimuli located in front of its beak and far-sighted for stimuli located to the sides of its head.
Urban Neighbourhood Environments, Cardiometabolic Health and Cognitive Function: A National Cross-Sectional Study of Middle-Aged and Older Adults in Australia
Creators: name: Cerin, E
name: Barnett, A
name: Shaw, Jonathan
name: Martino, E
name: Knibbs, LD
name: Tham, Rachel
name: Wheeler, AJ
name: Anstey, KJ
Publisher: name: La Trobe
Year: 2022
Subjects: classificationCode: 420699
subject: Public health not elsewhere classified
classificationCode: 420301
subject: Aged health care

description: Population ageing and urbanisation are global phenomena that call for an understanding of the impacts of features of the urban environment on older adults’ cognitive function. Because neighbourhood characteristics that can potentially have opposite effects on cognitive function are interdependent, they need to be considered in conjunction. Using data from an Australian national sample of 4141 adult urban dwellers, we examined the extent to which the associations of interre-lated built and natural environment features and ambient air pollution with cognitive function are explained by cardiometabolic risk factors relevant to cognitive health. All examined environmental features were directly and/or indirectly related to cognitive function via other environmental features and/or cardiometabolic risk factors. Findings suggest that dense, interconnected urban environments with access to parks, blue spaces and low levels of air pollution may benefit cognitive health through cardiometabolic risk factors and other mechanisms not captured in this study. This study also high-lights the need for a particularly fine-grained characterisation of the built environment in research on cognitive function, which would enable the differentiation of the positive effects of destination-rich neighbourhoods on cognition via participation in cognition-enhancing activities from the negative effects of air pollutants typically present in dense, destination-rich urban areas.
Did Panthera gombaszogensis reach the Sunda shelf?
Creators: name: Sherani, Shaheer
name: Sherani, Maryam
Publisher: name: Taylor & Francis
Year: 2024
Subjects: subject: Evolutionary Biology
subject: FOS: Biological sciences
subject: Environmental Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: Ecology
subject: Sociology
subject: FOS: Sociology
subject: Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified

description: The history of Panthera throughout Asia is dependent on a very scant fossil record. Dominating Asia in the Holocene, Pleistocene Panthera fossils have often been attributed to Panthera tigris. However, newer finds suggest that there was more than just P. tigris in Pleistocene Asia. Rather, species previously thought to be only from western Eurasia have been uncovered in South and East Asia, including Panthera spelaea and Panthera gombaszogensis. Therefore, re-evaluation of the fossil Panthera from Pleistocene Sunda is indicated. A partial mandible from Kedung Brubus (MIS 20–15) shows characteristics distinct from both contemporary Pleistocene P. tigris and Holocene Sunda populations. Rather, this specimen shows strong affinities with the Eurasian P. gombaszogensis. The Kedung Brubus mandible therefore provides the first evidence for the presence of P. gombaszogensis in Middle Pleistocene Sunda, becoming extinct some time after the arrival of P. tigris.
INTEROCULAR TRANSFER OF DISCRIMINATIONS IN THE PIGEON
Creators: name: Catania, A. Charles
Publisher: name: Wiley
Year: 1965
Subjects: Animals
Birds
BIRDS
Color
Color Perception
COLOR PERCEPTION
Columbidae
Discrimination Learning
DISCRIMINATION LEARNING
EXPERIMENTAL LAB STUDY
Form Perception
FORM PERCEPTION
Research
TRANSFER (PSYCHOLOGY)
Transfer, Psychology
VISION
Vision, Ocular
Visual Perception
VISUAL PERCEPTION

description: Pigeons with one eye covered were trained to discriminate intensities or colors of stimuli located to one side of the head, or intensities, colors or forms of stimuli located in front of the beak. Each discrimination transferred to the covered eye, even when previous training with the covered eye included the reversal of the tested discrimination. Pigeons also were able to learn conditional discriminations in which appropriate responding depended on which eye was covered.
Research Software Policy Establishment at Helmholtz - Activities and Results
Creators: name: Schlauch, Tobias
name: Konrad, Uwe
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024

description: The Helmholtz Association is a pioneer in the establishment of research software guidelines and policies in the German research landscape. The roots go back to one of the first German RSE focused workshops, which took place in Dresden in 2016. Since then, the field of RSE has been successively expanded at various levels through the provision of training and support services, technical platforms and, last but not least, the development of guidelines and policies. In context of research data management, a similar process has been driven with a strong focus on research data policies and data management plans. Guidelines for software development are just as important in modern research, but have hardly been established to date.

The talk is a progress report on the activities and results that have been achieved in the Helmholtz Centers in recent years. We present concrete examples with facts, statistics and user experience reports. In addition, we also share our experiences on how to actively stimulate this process, for example, through awards and visible indicators.The policy implementation at Helmholtz is ongoing and is actively supported in regular Helmholtz-wide research software forums organized by the Helmholtz Incubator Platform HIFIS and the Task Group Research Software of the Helmholtz Open Science Working Group.
Moving Toward a More Comprehensive Analysis of Acceleration Profiles in Elite Youth Football
Creators: name: Kovacevic, D
name: Elias, G
name: Ellens, Susanne
name: Cox, A
name: Serpiello, FR
Publisher: name: La Trobe
Year: 2022
Subjects: classificationCode: 420799
subject: Sports science and exercise not elsewhere classified

description: In football, having greater acceleration ability may decide the most important moments within matches. Up to now, commonly used acceleration variables have typically been investigated in isolation, with each variable suffering from unique limitations. Subsequently, any findings may provide a limited representation of what specific acceleration demands had actually occurred. Without gaining a comprehensive understanding of acceleration demands in football, it appears difficult to identify how to best monitor and maximize the long-term development of acceleration ability in footballers, all whilst doing so in a safe, sport-specific manner. Moving toward a more comprehensive analysis of acceleration profiles addresses this, as it can provide a more robust, informative understanding of the unique acceleration demands of competitive match-play. This perspective article aims to discuss the benefits of adopting a more comprehensive analysis of the acceleration demands during competitive matches for football players, by simultaneously analyzing high-intensity accelerations, repeated high acceleration ability (RHAA), and average acceleration. We discuss examples of the calculation and application of a more comprehensive acceleration profile at a team level throughout the course of an entire elite youth football season, as well as on an individual level. Monitoring acceleration profiles more comprehensively not only appears important from a training load/injury prevention perspective, but also, equips coaches and conditioning staff with the specific information necessary to develop and prescribe individualized, acceleration-emphasized training protocols that are replicable to the demands of match-play. Examples of such protocols are provided.
Concurrent fixed-ratio and avoidance responding in the squirrel monkey
Creators: name: Catania, A. Charles
name: Deegan, John F.
name: Cook, Leonard
Publisher: name: Wiley
Year: 1966

description: Squirrel monkeys maintained concurrent performances appropriate to a fixed-ratio schedule of food reinforcement on one lever and an avoidance schedule on a second lever. The overall rate of responding maintained by either schedule was not systematically affected when the other schedule was discontinued and its lever removed.
A quantitative analysis of the responding maintained by interval schedules of reinforcement
Creators: name: Catania, A. C.
name: Reynolds, G. S.
Publisher: name: Wiley
Year: 1968
Subjects: Animals
Columbidae
Conditioning, Operant
Reaction Time
Reinforcement Schedule
Reinforcement, Psychology
Time Factors

description: Interval schedules of reinforcement maintained pigeons' key-pecking in six experiments. Each schedule was specified in terms of mean interval, which determined the maximum rate of reinforcement possible, and distribution of intervals, which ranged from many-valued (variable-interval) to single-valued (fixed-interval). In Exp. 1, the relative durations of a sequence of intervals from an arithmetic progression were held constant while the mean interval was varied. Rate of responding was a monotonically increasing, negatively accelerated function of rate of reinforcement over a range from 8.4 to 300 reinforcements per hour. The rate of responding also increased as time passed within the individual intervals of a given schedule. In Exp. 2 and 3, several variable-interval schedules made up of different sequences of intervals were examined. In each schedule, the rate of responding at a particular time within an interval was shown to depend at least in part on the local rate of reinforcement at that time, derived from a measure of the probability of reinforcement at that time and the proximity of potential reinforcements at other times. The functional relationship between rate of responding and rate of reinforcement at different times within the intervals of a single schedule was similar to that obtained across different schedules in Exp. 1. Experiments 4, 5, and 6 examined fixed-interval and two-valued (mixed fixed-interval fixed-interval) schedules, and demonstrated that reinforcement at one time in an interval had substantial effects on responding maintained at other times. It was concluded that the rate of responding maintained by a given interval schedule depends not on the overall rate of reinforcement provided but rather on the summation of different local effects of reinforcement at different times within intervals.
High-Throughput Quantitation of Cannabinoids by Liquid Chromatography Triple-Quadrupole Mass Spectrometry
Creators: name: Tran, Jonathan
name: Elkins, AC
name: Spangenberg, German
name: Rochfort, Simone
Publisher: name: La Trobe
Year: 2022
Subjects: classificationCode: 340199
subject: Analytical chemistry not elsewhere classified
classificationCode: 310101
subject: Analytical biochemistry

description: The high-throughput quantitation of cannabinoids is important for the cannabis industry. As medicinal products increase, and research into compounds that have pharmacological benefits increase, and the need to quantitate more than just the main cannabinoids becomes more important. This study aims to provide a rapid, high-throughput method for cannabinoid quantitation using a liquid chromatography triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer (LC-QQQ-MS) with an ultraviolet diode array detector (UV-DAD) for 16 cannabinoids: CBDVA, CBDV, CBDA, CBGA, CBG, CBD, THCV, THCVA, CBN, CBNA, THC, ∆8-THC, CBL, CBC, THCA-A and CBCA. Linearity, limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantitation (LOQ), accuracy, precision, recovery and matrix effect were all evaluated. The validated method was used to determine the cannabinoid concentration of four different Cannabis sativa strains and a low THC strain, all of which have different cannabinoid profiles. All cannabinoids eluted within five minutes with a total analysis time of eight minutes, including column re-equilibration. This was twice as fast as published LC-QQQ-MS methods mentioned in the literature, whilst also covering a wide range of cannabinoid compounds.
Additional file 1 of Mediating effect of resilience between social support and compassion fatigue among intern nursing and midwifery students during COVID-19: a cross-sectional study
Creators: name: Li, Jia-Ning
name: Jiang, Xiu-Min
name: Zheng, Qing-Xiang
name: Lin, Fen
name: Chen, Xiao-Qian
name: Pan, Yu-Qing
name: Zhu, Yu
name: Liu, Ru-Lin
name: Huang, Ling
Publisher: name: figshare
Year: 2024
Subjects: subject: Medicine
subject: Environmental Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: Sociology
subject: FOS: Sociology
subject: Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: Cancer
subject: Science Policy

description: Additional file 1: Appendix S1. STROBE Statement—EQUATOR checklist of items that should be included in reports of observational studies.
Mandibular ecomorphology in the genus Ursus (Ursidae, Carnivora): relevance for the palaeoecological adaptations of cave bears (U. spelaeus) from Scladina cave
Creators: name: Charters, Daniel
name: Brown, Richard P.
name: Abrams, Grégory
name: Di Modica, Kévin
name: Pirson, Stéphane
name: De Groote, Isabelle
name: Ghiraldi, Luca
name: Meloro, Carlo
Publisher: name: Taylor & Francis
Year: 2025
Subjects: subject: Molecular Biology
subject: Evolutionary Biology
subject: FOS: Biological sciences
subject: Environmental Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: Ecology
subject: Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: Inorganic Chemistry
subject: FOS: Chemical sciences
subject: Science Policy
subject: Infectious Diseases
subject: FOS: Health sciences

description: Considerable morphological and ecological diversity has been found in extinct and extant members of the bear genus, Ursus, and appears to be key in explaining how they have thrived across vast ecological gradients. One example is the cave bear Ursus spelaeus. We applied 2D geometric morphometric techniques to describe morphological changes in the mandibles of extant Ursus species to further interpret the palaeoecology of U. spelaeus. Ursus species were discriminated using their mandibular morphology, which showed intra and interspecific shape variation that was indirectly linked to climatic adaptations through dietary variation. Mandibles of bears that inhabit colder, drier and more seasonal environments were generally slender with large diastema and a dorsoventrally smaller ramus. In contrast, species from warmer environments with higher levels of precipitation were found to have a dorsoventrally taller ramus (relative to the corpus). Discriminant function analyses of the morphology of U. spelaeus suggested adaptations to a series of fluctuating environments through time, helping to assess previously proposed Marine Isotope Stages for sedimentary deposits in Scladina Cave. Our geometric morphometrics analyses of bear mandibular ecomorphology demonstrates how geometric morphometrics provides a valuable tool to enhance paleoenvironmental reconstructions within deposits of the same fossil site.
Evidence of a Possible Viral Host Switch Event in an Avipoxvirus Isolated from an Endangered Northern Royal Albatross (Diomedea sanfordi)
Creators: name: Sarker, Subir
name: Bowden, TR
name: Boyle, DB
Publisher: name: La Trobe
Year: 2022
Subjects: classificationCode: 310599
subject: Genetics not elsewhere classified

description: Avipoxviruses have been characterized from many avian species. Two recent studies have reported avipoxvirus-like viruses with varying pathogenicity in reptiles. Avipoxviruses are considered to be restricted to avian hosts. However, reports of avipoxvirus-like viruses from reptiles such as the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) and crocodile tegu (Crocodilurus amazonicus) suggest that cross-species transmission, within avian species and beyond, may be possible. Here we report evidence for a possible host switching event with a fowlpox-like virus recovered from an endangered northern royal albatross (Diomodea sanfordi)—a species of Procellariiformes, unrelated to Galliformes, not previously known to have been infected with fowlpox-like viruses. Complete genome sequencing of this virus, tentatively designated albatrosspox virus 2 (ALPV2), contained many fowlpox virus-like genes, but also 63 unique genes that are not reported in any other poxvirus. The ALPV2 genome contained 296 predicted genes homologous to different avipoxviruses, 260 of which were homologous to an American strain of fowlpox virus (FWPV). Subsequent phylogenetic analyses indicate that ALPV2 likely originated from a fowlpox virus-like progenitor. These findings highlight the importance of host-switching events where viruses cross species barriers with the risk of disease in close and distantly related host populations.