1,469 research outputs found
A brief observation of the Endangered Coquerelâs sifaka (Propithecus coquereli) feeding on red mangrove (Rhizophora mucronata) vegetation in a mangrove environment, northwest Madagascar
Novel application and validation of in vivo microâCT to study bone modelling in 3D
Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/149362/1/ocr12265.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/149362/2/ocr12265_am.pd
Survey of Canadian Animal-Based Researchers' Views on the Three Rs: Replacement, Reduction and Refinement
The âThree Rsâ tenet (replacement, reduction, refinement) is a widely accepted cornerstone of Canadian and international policies on animal-based science. The Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) initiated this web-based survey to obtain greater understanding of âprincipal investigatorsâ and âother researchersâ (i.e. graduate students, post-doctoral researchers etc.) views on the Three Rs, and to identify obstacles and opportunities for continued implementation of the Three Rs in Canada. Responses from 414 participants indicate that researchers currently do not view the goal of replacement as achievable. Researchers prefer to use enough animals to ensure quality data is obtained rather than using the minimum and potentially waste those animals if a problem occurs during the study. Many feel that they already reduce animal numbers as much as possible and have concerns that further reduction may compromise research. Most participants were ambivalent about re-use, but expressed concern that the practice could compromise experimental outcomes. In considering refinement, many researchers feel there are situations where animals should not receive pain relieving drugs because it may compromise scientific outcomes, although there was strong support for the Three Rs strategy of conducting animal welfare-related pilot studies, which were viewed as useful for both animal welfare and experimental design. Participants were not opposed to being offered âassistanceâ to implement the Three Rs, so long as the input is provided in a collegial manner, and from individuals who are perceived as experts. It may be useful for animal use policymakers to consider what steps are needed to make replacement a more feasible goal. In addition, initiatives that offer researchers greater practical and logistical support with Three Rs implementation may be useful. Encouragement and financial support for Three Rs initiatives may result in valuable contributions to Three Rs knowledge and improve welfare for animals used in science
The Anatomy of Asilisaurus kongwe, a Dinosauriform from the Lifua Member of the Manda Beds (~Middle Triassic) of Africa
The diagnosis of Dinosauria and interrelationships of the earliest dinosaurs relies on careful documentation of the anatomy of their closest relatives. These close relatives, or dinosaur âprecursors,â are typically only documented by a handful of fossils from across Pangea and nearly all specimens are typically missing important regions (e.g., forelimbs, pelves, skulls) that appear to be important to help resolving the relationships of dinosaurs. Here, we fully describe the known skeletal elements of Asilisaurus kongwe, a dinosauriform from the Middle Triassic Manda Beds of the Ruhuhu Basin of Tanzania. The taxon is known from many disarticulated and partially articulated remains and, most importantly, from a spectacularly preserved associated skeleton of an individual containing much of the skull, pectoral and pelvic girdles, forelimb and hindlimb, and parts of the vertebral column including much of the tail. The unprecedented detail of the anatomy indicates that Asilisaurus kongwe had a unique skull that was short and had both a premaxillary and dentary edentulous margin, but retained a number of character states plesiomorphic for Archosauria, including a crocodylian-like ankle configuration and a rather short foot with well-developed metatarsals I and V. Additionally, character states present across the skeleton of Asilisaurus kongwe suggest it is more closely related to Silesaurus opolensis than to dinosaurs; thus suggesting high homoplasy and parallel trends within Silesauridae and within lineages of early dinosaurs. The anatomy of Asilisaurus kongwe and detailed description of early members of clades found outside Dinosauria are clearly needed to untangle the seemingly complex character evolution of the skeleton within avemetatarsalians.Fil: Nesbitt, Sterling J.. Virginia Polytechnic Institute; Estados UnidosFil: Langer, Max C.. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Ezcurra, Martin Daniel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂficas y TĂ©cnicas. Oficina de CoordinaciĂłn Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia"; Argentin
Modeling Inhomogeneous DNA Replication Kinetics
In eukaryotic organisms, DNA replication is initiated at a series of chromosomal locations called origins, where replication forks are assembled proceeding bidirectionally to replicate the genome. The distribution and firing rate of these origins, in conjunction with the velocity at which forks progress, dictate the program of the replication process. Previous attempts at modeling DNA replication in eukaryotes have focused on cases where the firing rate and the velocity of replication forks are homogeneous, or uniform, across the genome. However, it is now known that there are large variations in origin activity along the genome and variations in fork velocities can also take place. Here, we generalize previous approaches to modeling replication, to allow for arbitrary spatial variation of initiation rates and fork velocities. We derive rate equations for left- and right-moving forks and for replication probability over time that can be solved numerically to obtain the mean-field replication program. This method accurately reproduces the results of DNA replication simulation. We also successfully adapted our approach to the inverse problem of fitting measurements of DNA replication performed on single DNA molecules. Since such measurements are performed on specified portion of the genome, the examined DNA molecules may be replicated by forks that originate either within the studied molecule or outside of it. This problem was solved by using an effective flux of incoming replication forks at the model boundaries to represent the origin activity outside the studied region. Using this approach, we show that reliable inferences can be made about the replication of specific portions of the genome even if the amount of data that can be obtained from single-molecule experiments is generally limited
Perceptual expertise improves category detection in natural scenes
There is much debate about how detection, categorization, and within-category identification relate to one another during object recognition. Whether these tasks rely on partially shared perceptual mechanisms may be determined by testing whether training on one of these tasks facilitates performance on another. In the present study we asked whether expertise in discriminating objects improves the detection of these objects in naturalistic scenes. Self-proclaimed car experts (N = 34) performed a car discrimination task to establish their level of expertise, followed by a visual search task where they were asked to detect cars and people in hundreds of photographs of natural scenes. Results revealed that expertise in discriminating cars was strongly correlated with car detection accuracy. This effect was specific to objects of expertise, as there was no influence of car expertise on person detection. These results indicate a close link between object discrimination and object detection performance, which we interpret as reflecting partially shared perceptual mechanisms and neural representations underlying these tasks: the increased sensitivity of the visual system for objects of expertise â as a result of extensive discrimination training â may benefit both the discrimination and the detection of these objects. Alternative interpretations are also discussed
The Inactivation Principle: Mathematical Solutions Minimizing the Absolute Work and Biological Implications for the Planning of Arm Movements
An important question in the literature focusing on motor control is to determine
which laws drive biological limb movements. This question has prompted numerous
investigations analyzing arm movements in both humans and monkeys. Many theories
assume that among all possible movements the one actually performed satisfies an
optimality criterion. In the framework of optimal control theory, a first
approach is to choose a cost function and test whether the proposed model fits
with experimental data. A second approach (generally considered as the more
difficult) is to infer the cost function from behavioral data. The cost proposed
here includes a term called the absolute work of forces, reflecting the
mechanical energy expenditure. Contrary to most investigations studying
optimality principles of arm movements, this model has the particularity of
using a cost function that is not smooth. First, a mathematical theory related
to both direct and inverse optimal control approaches is presented. The first
theoretical result is the Inactivation Principle, according to which minimizing
a term similar to the absolute work implies simultaneous inactivation of
agonistic and antagonistic muscles acting on a single joint, near the time of
peak velocity. The second theoretical result is that, conversely, the presence
of non-smoothness in the cost function is a necessary condition for the
existence of such inactivation. Second, during an experimental study,
participants were asked to perform fast vertical arm movements with one, two,
and three degrees of freedom. Observed trajectories, velocity profiles, and
final postures were accurately simulated by the model. In accordance,
electromyographic signals showed brief simultaneous inactivation of opposing
muscles during movements. Thus, assuming that human movements are optimal with
respect to a certain integral cost, the minimization of an absolute-work-like
cost is supported by experimental observations. Such types of optimality
criteria may be applied to a large range of biological movements
Monitoring Functional Capability of Individuals with Lower Limb Amputations Using Mobile Phones
To be effective, a prescribed prosthetic device must match the functional requirements and capabilities of each patient. These capabilities are usually assessed by a clinician and reported by the Medicare K-level designation of mobility. However, it is not clear how the K-level designation objectively relates to the use of prostheses outside of a clinical environment. Here, we quantify participant activity using mobile phones and relate activity measured during real world activity to the assigned K-levels. We observe a correlation between K-level and the proportion of moderate to high activity over the course of a week. This relationship suggests that accelerometry-based technologies such as mobile phones can be used to evaluate real world activity for mobility assessment. Quantifying everyday activity promises to improve assessment of real world prosthesis use, leading to a better matching of prostheses to individuals and enabling better evaluations of future prosthetic devices.Max Nader Center for Rehabilitation Technologies and Outcome
Perceptual Other-Race Training Reduces Implicit Racial Bias
Background: Implicit racial bias denotes socio-cognitive attitudes towards other-race groups that are exempt from conscious awareness. In parallel, other-race faces are more difficult to differentiate relative to own-race faces â the ââOther-Race Effect.â â To examine the relationship between these two biases, we trained Caucasian subjects to better individuate other-race faces and measured implicit racial bias for those faces both before and after training. Methodology/Principal Findings: Two groups of Caucasian subjects were exposed equally to the same African American faces in a training protocol run over 5 sessions. In the individuation condition, subjects learned to discriminate between African American faces. In the categorization condition, subjects learned to categorize faces as African American or not. For both conditions, both pre- and post-training we measured the Other-Race Effect using old-new recognition and implicit racial biases using a novel implicit social measure â the ââAffective Lexical Priming Scoreâ â (ALPS). Subjects in the individuation condition, but not in the categorization condition, showed improved discrimination of African American faces with training. Concomitantly, subjects in the individuation condition, but not the categorization condition, showed a reduction in their ALPS. Critically, for the individuation condition only, the degree to which an individual subjectâs ALPS decreased was significantly correlated with the degree of improvement that subject showed in their ability to differentiate African American faces
Use of Mangroves by Lemurs
Despite an increasing recognition of the ecosystem services provided by mangroves, we know little about their role in maintaining terrestrial biodiversity, including primates. Madagascarâs lemurs are a top global conservation priority with 94 % of species threatened with extinction, but records of their occurrence in mangroves are scarce. I used a mixed-methods approach to collect published and unpublished observations of lemurs in mangroves: I carried out a systematic literature search, and supplemented this with a targeted information request to 1243 researchers, conservation and tourism professionals and others who may have visited mangroves in Madagascar. I found references to, or observations of, at least 23 species in five families using mangroves, representing more than 20 % of lemur species and over 50 % of species whose distributions include mangrove areas. Lemurs used mangroves for foraging, sleeping and travelling between terrestrial forest patches, and some were observed as much as 3 km from the nearest permanently dry land. However most records were anecdotal and thus tell us little about lemur ecology in this habitat. Mangroves are more widely used by lemurs than has previously been recognised, and merit greater attention from primate researchers and conservationists in Madagascar
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