Grasses and the resource availability hypothesis: the importance of silica-based defences

The resource availability hypothesis (RAH) predicts that allocation of resources to anti-herbivore defences differs between species according to their growth rate. We tested this hypothesis by assessing the growth and defence investment strategies of 18 grass species and comparing them against vole feeding preferences. In addition, we assessed the effectiveness of silica, the primary defence in many grasses, in influencing vole feeding behaviour. Across species, we found that there was a strong negative relationship between the overall investment in defence and growth rate, thus supporting predictions of the RAH. However, no such relationship was found when assessing the various individual anti-herbivore defences, suggesting that different grass species show significant variation in their relative investment in strategies such as phenolic concentration, silica concentration and leaf toughness. Silica was the most influential defensive factor in determining vole feeding preference. Experimentally induced increases in leaf silica concentration deterred vole feeding in three of the five species tested, and altered feeding preference ranks between species. The strong positive relationship between silica concentration and leaf abrasiveness, when assessed both within and between species, suggests that increased abrasiveness is the mechanism by which silica deters feeding. Although grasses are often considered to be tolerant of herbivore damage rather then defended against it, they do follow predictions of defence allocation strategy based on their growth rates, and this affects the feeding behaviour of generalist grass-feeding herbivores

Whole body interaction

In this workshop we explore the notation of whole body interaction. We bring together different disciplines to create a new research direction for study of this emerging form of interaction

Alien Registration- Lea, Fergus P. (Portland, Cumberland County)

https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/26715/thumbnail.jp

A critical look at studies applying over-sampling on the TPEHGDB dataset

Preterm birth is the leading cause of death among young children and has a large prevalence globally. Machine learning models, based on features extracted from clinical sources such as electronic patient files, yield promising results. In this study, we review similar studies that constructed predictive models based on a publicly available dataset, called the Term-Preterm EHG Database (TPEHGDB), which contains electrohysterogram signals on top of clinical data. These studies often report near-perfect prediction results, by applying over-sampling as a means of data augmentation. We reconstruct these results to show that they can only be achieved when data augmentation is applied on the entire dataset prior to partitioning into training and testing set. This results in (i) samples that are highly correlated to data points from the test set are introduced and added to the training set, and (ii) artificial samples that are highly correlated to points from the training set being added to the test set. Many previously reported results therefore carry little meaning in terms of the actual effectiveness of the model in making predictions on unseen data in a real-world setting. After focusing on the danger of applying over-sampling strategies before data partitioning, we present a realistic baseline for the TPEHGDB dataset and show how the predictive performance and clinical use can be improved by incorporating features from electrohysterogram sensors and by applying over-sampling on the training set

Policies for replacing long-term indwelling urinary catheters in adults

We would also like to thank the foll owing Cochrane Incontinence editorial base staff members for their help and support with this re-view: Cathryn Glazener, Sheila Wallace, Mandy Fader, Peter Her-bison and Suzanne Macdonald. The review authors are grateful to Toby Lasseron for his advice. The review authors are thankful to Dr Beverly Priefer for responding to our query about Priefer 1982. Policies for replacing long‐term indwelling urinary catheters in adults, Protocol, Fergus PM Cooper, Cameron Edwin Alexander, Sanjay Sinha, Muhammad Imran Omar; https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD011115; 14 May 2014Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Pottery: art as relationship

The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file.Title from title screen of research.pdf file viewed on (July 10, 2006)Vita.Includes bibliographical references.Thesis (M.F.A.) University of Missouri-Columbia 2005.Dissertations, Academic -- University of Missouri--Columbia -- Art.This thesis asserts that pottery is art because of the relationships people form with it. These formations occur on three levels. The first is the human response to the form of the pot. In this case a cup and a plate serve different functions and we choose the form that corresponds with our need: a cup for liquid, a plate for food. Secondly, we form relationships with pots through an aesthetic response. Formal elements and principles such as color, size, profile, texture, imagery, etc., lead us to admire a particular pot. And thirdly, we form relationships because of emotional attachment. This can be due, for instance, to knowing the potter or because the pot represents and reminds us of events in our lives. In this case our attachment to a particular pot is not necessarily based upon the pot's quintessential form for the given function ; nor is it necessarily reliant upon its aesthetic appeal though both of these usually figure into one's relationship with any pot. This thesis also explores the role of Zen thought in both the making and using of pots. In both cases the pot acts as a pathway to the considered moment whereby the ordinary and even the mundane can be seen in a new light and appreciated. A section is dedicated to the process of making and firing salt-glazed stoneware. A final section details the physical and philosophical nature of the thesis exhibit

Knowledge Extraction Using Probabilistic Reasoning: An Artificial Neural Network Approach

The World Wide Web (WWW) has radically changed the way in which we access, generate and disseminate information. Its presence is felt daily and with more internet-enabled devices being connected the web of knowledge is growing. We are now moving into era where the WWW is capable of ‘understanding’ the actual/intended meaning of our content. This is being achieved by creating links between distributed data sources using the Resource Description Framework (RDF). In order to find information in this web of interconnected sources, complex query languages are often employed, e.g. SPARQL. However, this approach is limited as exact query matches are often required. In order to overcome this challenge, this paper presents a probabilistic approach to searching RDF documents. The developed algorithm converts RDF data into a matrix of features and treats searching as a machine learning problem. Using a number of artificial neural network algorithms, a successfully developed prototype has been developed that demonstrates the applicability of the approach. The results illustrate that the Voted Perceptron classifier (VPC), perceptron linear classifier (PERLC) and random neural network classifier (RNNC) performed particularly well, with accuracies of 100%, 98% and 93% respectively

Prolactinoma presenting as chronic anaemia with osteoporosis: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Unexplained anaemia is a rare mode of presentation for prolactinoma. We describe a case of a man, with chronic anaemia ascribed to old age. Six years later, he was evaluated and diagnosed with a prolactinoma and resultant osteoporosis. Prolactinoma in old people may present insidiously with chronic anaemia and osteoporosis with or without sexual dysfunction.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We describe the case of a 70-year-old Caucasian man who presented with mild anaemia and tiredness. His anaemia was investigated and ascribed to senescence. Endocrine causes were not considered or tested for. Six years later, he was again referred. Reassessment and direct questioning revealed long-standing sexual dysfunction. It was also discovered that our patient had fractured his radius twice, with minor trauma, during the preceding year. His serum prolactin was massively increased and a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of the head demonstrated a pituitary mass consistent with a prolactinoma. Dual X-ray absorptiometry revealed osteoporosis. Treatment of the prolactinoma led to a reduction in his serum prolactin with a rise in his haemoglobin to normal levels. This suggested that the prolactinoma was present during the initial presentation and was the cause of his anaemia.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This case highlights the importance of fully evaluating and investigating unexplained anaemia in older people and that endocrine causes should be considered. Osteoporosis also requires evaluation with secondary causes considered.</p