MODELING FISH LENGTH DISTRIBUTION USING A MIXTURE TECHNIQUE

In fisheries science, length and age are important aspects of fish life history. Length is a function of growth, which provides an integrated measure of the environmental and endogenous conditions, e.g. genetics, affecting individuals and populations. Length at age data can be used to assess quality and quantity of habitat, food availability, or the need for and influence of management activities. Statistical mixture techniques may be used as a means to effectively model fish length distribution. A three-component mixture model, based on normal variates, was employed to describe length distribution in mountain whitefish species. The resulting model provided parameter estimates with meaningful biological interpretations, which were in turn used for inferential and comparative purposes. The technique will be demonstrated with reference to seven years of bio-monitoring data collected from the Kootenai River in Northern Idaho prior to and post nutrient addition treatment

Efficient brain age prediction from 3D MRI volumes using 2D projections

Using 3D CNNs on high resolution medical volumes is very computationally demanding, especially for large datasets like the UK Biobank which aims to scan 100,000 subjects. Here we demonstrate that using 2D CNNs on a few 2D projections (representing mean and standard deviation across axial, sagittal and coronal slices) of the 3D volumes leads to reasonable test accuracy when predicting the age from brain volumes. Using our approach, one training epoch with 20,324 subjects takes 20 - 50 seconds using a single GPU, which two orders of magnitude faster compared to a small 3D CNN. These results are important for researchers who do not have access to expensive GPU hardware for 3D CNNs

A new tram network for Bristol:a possible scenario?

Some UK cities have seen the successful reintroduction of trams to complement and improve public transport services. This paper investigates the impact a hypothetical tramline would have in Bristol. This study was conducted in light of proposals for a bus rapid transit (BRT) network in Bristol. The literature review undertaken concludes that while BRT systems tend to have lower capital costs, a tram system could also be considered. At near-capacity operation, trams may be more effective in encouraging a modal shift away from travelling by car. Evidence from a preliminary simulation model, which was built to evaluate the demand a hypothetical tramline from the airport to the city centre would attract, suggests that a tram would encourage users to switch to public transport. Suggestions for further work for model refinement coupled with better understanding system impacts of the proposed tram system are included. </jats:p

CHARACTERIZING BENTHIC MACROINVERTEBRATE COMMUNITY RESPONSES TO NUTRIENT ADDITION USING NMDS AND BACI ANALYSES

Nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) is an ordination technique which is often used for information visualization and exploring similarities or dissimilarities in ecological data. In principle, NMDS maximizes rank-order correlation between distance measures and distance in the ordination space. Ordination points are adjusted in a manner that minimizes stress, where stress is defined as a measure of the discordance between the two kinds of distances. Before and After Control Impact (BACI) is a classical analysis of variance method for measuring the potential influence of an environmental disturbance. Such effects can be assessed by comparing conditions before and after a planned activity. In certain ecological applications, the extent of the impact is also expressed relative to conditions in a control area, after a particular anthropogenic activity has occurred. In this paper, two statistical techniques are employed to investigate the effects of stream nutrient addition on a riverine benthic macroinvertebrate community. The clustering of sampling units, based on multiple macroinvertebrate metrics across pre-determined river zones, is explored using NMDS. BACI is subsequently used to test for the potential impact of nutrient addition on the specified macroinvertebrate response metrics. The combination of the two approaches provides a powerful and sensitive tool for detecting complex second-order effects in river food chains. Statistical techniques are demonstrated using eight years of benthic macroinvertebrate survey data collected on an ultra-oligotrophic reach of the Kootenai River in Northern Idaho and Western Montana downstream from a hydro-electric dam

Activity Patterns Govern Synapse-Specific AMPA Receptor Trafficking between Deliverable and Synaptic Pools

SummaryIn single neurons, glutamatergic synapses receiving distinct afferent inputs may contain AMPA receptors (-Rs) with unique subunit compositions. However, the cellular mechanisms by which differential receptor transport achieves this synaptic diversity remain poorly understood. In lateral geniculate neurons, we show that retinogeniculate and corticogeniculate synapses have distinct AMPA-R subunit compositions. Under basal conditions at both synapses, GluR1-containing AMPA-Rs are transported from an anatomically defined reserve pool to a deliverable pool near the postsynaptic density (PSD), but further incorporate into the PSD or functional synaptic pool only at retinogeniculate synapses. Vision-dependent activity, stimulation mimicking retinal input, or activation of CaMKII or Ras signaling regulated forward GluR1 trafficking from the deliverable pool to the synaptic pool at both synapses, whereas Rap2 signals reverse GluR1 transport at retinogeniculate synapses. These findings suggest that synapse-specific AMPA-R delivery involves constitutive and activity-regulated transport steps between morphological pools, a mechanism that may extend to the site-specific delivery of other membrane protein complexes

Ipsilateral and Contralateral Torque Responses to Bilateral and Unilateral Maximal, Fatiguing, Isokinetic Leg Extensions

Background: Few studies have compared performance fatigability (PF) for bilateral versus unilateral isokinetic tasks. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine: Mode- specific testing responses to isokinetic fatigue, differences in PF between bilateral and unilateral leg extensions, and the effects of fatiguing, unilateral, dynamic leg extensions on contralateral isokinetic peak torque (PT) and maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC). Methods: Eight men (mean ± SD: age= 22.5 ± 2.5 yr.) completed pre- and post-testing for PT and MVIC following 50 bilateral, unilateral right or left leg maximal, isokinetic leg extensions at 180°·s-1, on three separate days. Fatigue-induced decreases in PT and MVIC were used to quantify PF. The data were analyzed with a 4-way repeated measures ANOVA, follow up, and post-hoc analyses. Results: The results indicated that there were no differences (p \u3e 0.05) in PF for the bilateral versus unilateral fatiguing tasks, decreases in PT (p \u3c 0.001 - 0.016; d = 0.54 - 2.58) and MVIC (p \u3c 0.001 - 0.006; η2p = 0.682 - 0.962) for the exercised legs during unilateral fatigue, and a contralateral increase (p = 0.007) in PT following the right leg fatiguing task. Conclusion: The results indicated that PT was more sensitive to fatiguing isokinetic tasks than was MVIC. In addition, there was a facilitation of PT in the contralateral leg following unilateral right leg fatigue. The differences in PT and MVIC testing may be attributable to the timing and/ or relative contributions of peripheral and central fatigue

Time course of changes in torque and neuromuscular parameters during a sustained isometric forearm flexion task to fatigue anchored to a constant rating of perceived exertion

Objective: This study examined the time course of changes in torque and electromyographic (EMG) and mechanomyographic (MMG) responses during a sustained isometric task anchored to a constant perception of exertion (RPE). Methods: Twelve college-aged men performed an isometric forearm flexion task to failure anchored to RPE=7 (OMNI-RES scale). The amplitude (AMP) and frequency (MPF) of the EMG and MMG signals from the biceps brachii were recorded. Repeated measures ANOVAs were used to examine differences for the normalized (%MVIC) torque and neuromuscular parameters. Results: The time to task failure (TTF) was 678.0±468.1s. Torque decreased significantly (p\u3c0.001, ηp 2=0.774) across time and all subjects reduced torque to zero. Post-hoc comparisons indicated that the torque values from 20–100% TTF were less than the value at 10% TTF. There were no significant (p\u3e0.05) changes from 10–100% TTF for the EMG and MMG parameters. Conclusion: We hypothesize that RPE was maintained by various mechanisms throughout the task: group III/IV afferent neurons, adequate blood flow, and a combination of reduced contractile efficiency, collective afferent feedback (group III/IV afferents) from muscles involved with forearm flexion, and motivation that resulted in an initial decrease, plateau, and final decline in torque to zero, respectively

The Effects of Anchor Schemes on Performance Fatigability, Neuromuscular Responses and the Perceived Sensations That Contributed to Task Termination

The present study examined the effect of anchor schemes on the time to task failure (TTF), performance fatigability, neuromuscular responses, and the perceived sensations that contributed to task termination following the sustained, isometric forearm flexion tasks. Eight women completed sustained, isometric forearm flexion tasks anchored to RPE = 8 (RPEFT) and the torque (TRQFT) that corresponded to RPE = 8. The subjects performed pre-test and post-test maximal isometric contractions to quantify performance fatigability and changes in electromyographic amplitude (EMG AMP) and neuromuscular efficiency (NME). In addition, the subjects completed a post-test questionnaire (PTQ) to quantify the contributions of perceived sensations to task termination. Repeated measure ANOVAs were used to assess the mean differences for TTF, performance fatigability, and neuromuscular responses. Wilcoxon Signed Rank Tests were used to assess the differences between anchor schemes for the average values from the PTQ item scores. For TTF, the RPEFT was longer than the TRQFT (174.9 ± 85.6 vs. 65.6 ± 68.0 s; p = 0.006). Collapsed across the anchor scheme, there were decreases in torque (23.7 ± 5.5 Nm vs. 19.6 ± 4.9 Nm; p \u3c 0.001) and NME (1.00 ± 0.00 vs. 0.76 ± 0.15; p = 0.003). There were no significant (p \u3e 0.577) changes for EMG AMP. For the PTQ, there were no differences (p \u3e 0.05) between anchor schemes. There were, however, inter-individual differences in the response scores. The current findings indicated that performance fatigability was likely due to peripheral fatigue (based on NME), not central fatigue (based on EMG AMP). Furthermore, the use of a PTQ may serve as a simple tool to assess the contributions of perceived sensations to task termination

Fatiguing Joint Angle Does Not Influence Torque and Neuromuscular Responses Following Sustained, Isometric Forearm Flexion Tasks Anchored to Perceptual Intensity in Men

This study examined the effects of joint angle (JA) on maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) and neuromuscular responses following fatiguing tasks anchored to RPE. Nine men (mean ± SD: age = 20.7 ± 1.2 yrs) performed forearm flexion MVICs at elbow JAs of 75o and 125o before and after sustained, isometric forearm flexion tasks to failure at fatiguing joint angles (FJA) of 75o and 125o anchored to RPE = 8. The amplitude and frequency of the electromyographic and mechanomyographic signals were recorded. Neuromuscular efficiency was calculated by dividing normalized torque by normalized electromyographic amplitude. A dependent t-test was used to assess the mean difference for time to task failure (TTF) between FJA. Repeated measure ANOVAs were used to assess mean differences for pre-test to post-test MVIC and neuromuscular responses. There was no significant difference between FJA for TTF (p = 0.223). The MVIC (collapsed across FJA and MVIC JA) decreased from pre-test to post-test (51.1 ± 5.0 vs. 45.3 ± 5.6 Nm, p \u3c 0.001). Normalized neuromuscular parameters remained unchanged (p \u3e 0.05). The FJA resulted in similar torque and neuromuscular responses, and the decreases in MVIC were not tracked by changes in the neuromuscular parameters. Thus, the neuromuscular parameters were not sensitive to fatigue, and pre-test to post-test measures may be compared between different FJA