Identifying reliable traits across laboratory mouse exploration arenas: A meta-analysis

This study is a meta-analysis of 367 mice from a collection of behaviour neuroscience and behaviour genetic studies run in the same lab in Zurich, Switzerland. We employed correlation-based statistics to confirm and quantify consistencies in behaviour across the testing environments. All 367 mice ran exactly the same behavioural arenas: the light/dark box, the null maze, the open field arena, an emergence task and finally an object exploration task. We analysed consistency of three movement types across those arenas (resting, scanning, progressing), and their relative preference for three zones of the arenas (home, transition, exploration). Results were that 5/6 measures showed strong individual-differences consistency across the tests. Mean inter-arena correlations for these five measures ranged from +.12 to +.53. Unrotated principal component factor analysis (UPCFA) and Cronbach’s alpha measures showed these traits to be reliable and substantial (32-63% of variance across the five arenas). UPCFA loadings then indicate which tasks give the best information about these cross-task traits. One measure (that of time spent in “intermediate” zones) was not reliable across arenas. Conclusions centre on the use of individual differences research and behavioural batteries to revise understandings of what measures in one task predict for behaviour in others. Developing better behaviour measures also makes sound scientific and ethical sense

Debunking the myths about British science after an EU exit

In this extract from their evidence to the House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology, Dr Mike Galsworthy (left) and Dr Rob Davidson explore the relationship between EU membership and the effectiveness of science, research and innovation in the UK

Brexit is damaging UK science already. Here is a plan to fix it

British science and technology are already haemorrhaging talent and collaborations because of the Brexit vote, write Mike Galsworthy (left) and Rob Davidson of Scientists for EU. The government’s promise to underwrite Horizon 2020 funding was a bare minimum and uncertainty about future funding has made the UK a much less attractive place for research. They present an eight-point plan to limit damage to UK science and put its knowledge economy back in contention

Metal interactions with the sulfur cycle in modern and ancient environments

Modelling global biogeochemical cycles requires an understanding of processes at a range of scales. Small-scale redox processes are often modelled as a succession of successively less energy efficient reactions which are predominantly mediated by bacteria. This thesis is a series of discrete studies which examine early diagenetic processes in a peatbog, saltmarsh and an ancient marine sequence. In an ombrotrophic peat bog at Thorne Moors, redox horizons, which influence the behaviour of sulfur and iron, are complex because they are impacted by abiotic and biotic processes, roots, lateral flows and potentially “hotspots” of organic matter (OM) degradation. In these systems the long-term fate of trace metals was found to be predominantly controlled by dust deposition suggesting that they are immobile; this was confirmed by the DET and DGT data. Warham salt marsh results show that due to the rapid sedimentation rates, more reactive iron is buried which then partially oxidises sulfide to elemental sulfur in the deeper sediment and to sulfate in the near-surface. The ancient site (Shales-with-Beef Member) has concretionary horizons that coincide with partial oxidation of sulfide to elemental sulfur and a change in iron chemistry, whilst the organic matter input and anoxic conditions remained the same. The changes in diagenetic conditions arose from slow sedimentation rates which cause the less reactive iron to remain longer in the biogeochemical zone. This study shows that redox zones are much more complex than the series of cascading reactions which successively yield less energy and are predominantly mediated by bacteria

Cognition in Rodents

Cognition is a loosely defined term with divergent meanings in different disciplines and species. In human psychology, ‘cognition’ is often used in reference to concepts such as ‘mind’ or ‘higher mental functions’. However, in more general terms, ‘cognition’ is regularly used to refer to all manner of information organization by the brain: from collection, to processing, to storage and recognition or recall. Whereas ‘cognition’ would seem to permeate all mental functions, including subjective perception and innate responses, ‘cognitive ability’ has a slightly more specific connotation – something more akin to intelligence or information-processing ability. Thus, ‘cognition’ deals with mental process structure and ‘cognitive abilities’ with natural variations impinging upon functioning at the higher end of that structure. Although the term ‘cognition’ sometimes subsumes or substitutes ‘cognitive ability’ in the literature, understanding this methodological distinction allows us to read across the two fields without the misunderstandings that classical cognitive psychologists have sometimes shown for cognitive ability research

Performance of industrial melting pots in the provision of dynamic frequency response in the Great Britain power system

As a result of the increasing integration of Renewable Energy Source (RES), maintenance of the balance between supply and demand in the power system is more challenging because of RES’s intermittency and uncontrollability. The smart control of demand is able to contribute to the balance by providing the grid frequency response. This paper uses the industrial Melting Pot (MP) loads as an example. A thermodynamic model depicting the physical characteristics of MPs was firstly developed based on field measurements carried out by Open Energi. A distributed control was applied to each MP which dynamically changes the aggregated power consumption of MPs in proportion to changes in grid frequency while maintaining the primary heating function of each MP. An aggregation of individual MP models equipped with the control was integrated with the Great Britain (GB) power system models. Case studies verified that the aggregated MPs are able to provide frequency response to the power system. The response from MPs is similar but faster than the conventional generators and therefore contributes to the reduction of carbon emissions by replacing the spinning reserve capacity of fossil-fuel generators. Through the reviews of the present balancing services in the GB power system, with the proposed frequency control strategy, the Firm Frequency Response service is most beneficial at present for demand aggregators to tender for. All studies have been conducted in partnership between Cardiff University, Open Energi London – Demand Aggregator, and National Grid – System Operator in GB to ensure the quality and compliance of results

Love and limblessness: male heterosexuality, disability, and the Great War

Tens of thousands of British men were permanently wounded as a result of war service. Their return home sparked debates about the wounded male body, female accountability for war-injuries, and the ideology, performance, and practice of masculinity. Other historians have shown how ‘broken heroes’ from the First World War were constituted into ‘men’ in four contexts: physical appearance, occupation, sport, and Britishness. This article explores a fifth dimension: sexuality. It explores debates about the need for war-disabled men to establish stable marital relationships and investigates some attempts to encourage this, including encouraging women to take the initiative in proposing marriage and the establishment of The League for the Marrying of Broken Heroes

Power system frequency response from the control of bitumen tanks

Bitumen tanks were tested to investigate the capability of industrial heating loads to provide frequency response to an electric power system. A decentralized control algorithm was developed enabling the tanks to alter their power consumption in proportion to the variations of grid frequency. The control maintains the normal operation of tanks and causes little impact on their primary function of storing hot bitumen. Field investigations were undertaken on 76 tanks with power ratings from 17 to 75 kW. A model of a population of controlled tanks was developed. The behavior of the tanks was compared between the simulations and the field tests. The model of controlled tanks was then integrated with a simplified Great Britain power system model. It was shown that the controlled tanks were able to contribute to the grid frequency control in a manner similar to and faster than that provided by frequency-sensitive generation

The XVth World Congress of Psychiatric Genetics, October 7–11, 2007: Rapporteur summaries of oral presentations

The World Congress of Psychiatric Genetics (WCPG) has become an annual event since the early 1990's sponsored by the International Society of Psychiatric Genetics (ISPG). Each year the latest published and unpublished findings are aired for discussion by representatives of the majority of research programs on this topic world-wide. The 2007 congress was held in New York City and attracted over 1000 researchers. The topics emphasized included results from whole genome association studies, the significance of copy number variation and the important contributions of epigenetic events to psychiatric disorders. There were over 20 oral sessions devoted to these and other topics of interest. Young investigator recipients of travel awards served as rapporteurs to summarize sessions and these summaries follow.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/58040/1/30711_ftp.pd