325 research outputs found
Prominencia facial autoatribuida en redes sociales a través de la propia fotografía: Efecto del tipo de red, edad y género
There are many studies on Self-Attributed Face-ism (SAF) in considering social networks (SNS), sex and age, but with these variables separately. This research carries out a joint study of the above variables through a random sample of 1050 SNS profiles. Our hypothesis is that SAF is a function of SNS (dating: Badoo, social: Facebook, professional: LinkedIn), sex, age, and the interaction of sex×age. The results show differences in SAF depending on SNS (highest in the professional network), men having more facial prominence than women. It happens even more when they get older, whereas SAF hardly augments in women with age (having more body prominence than men) (sex x age interaction). Findings show that SAF on-line is a complex phenomenon, it seems not to have a unique and straightforward theoretical explanation, and SAF gender stereotypes grow with age. We also consider the need to study the phenomenon, including a gender perspective, to fight against sexism in new media.Existen muchos estudios sobre el Face-ismo autoatribuido (FIA) en función de la red social (RS), sexo y edad, pero con estas variables por separado. Esta investigación lleva a cabo un estudio conjunto de las variables anteriores a través de una muestra aleatoria de 1050 perfiles de RS. Nuestra hipótesis es que el FIA es una función de la RS (citas: Badoo, social: Facebook, profesional: LinkedIn), sexo, edad y la interacción de Sexo×Edad. Los resultados muestran diferencias en FIA según la RS (más alto en la red profesional), con los hombres teniendo más prominencia facial que las mujeres. Esto incrementa según se hacen mayores, mientras que apenas aumenta en las mujeres con la edad (teniendo más prominencia corporal que los hombres) (interacción sexo×edad). Los resultados muestran que el FIA en línea es un fenómeno complejo, parece no tener una explicación teórica única y sencilla, y los estereotipos de género FIA aumentan con la edad. Consideramos también la necesidad de estudiar el fenómeno incluyendo una perspectiva de género para luchar contra el sexismo en los nuevos medios
Pooled Time Series Modeling Reveals Smoking Habit Memory Pattern
Smoking is a habit that is hard to break because nicotine is highly addictive and smoking
behavior is strongly linked to multiple daily activities and routines. Here, we explored the
effect of gender, age, day of the week, and previous smoking on the number of cigarettes
smoked on any given day. Data consisted of daily records of the number of cigarettes
participants smoked over an average period of 84 days. The sample included smokers (36
men and 26 women), aged between 18 and 26 years, who smoked at least five cigarettes
a day and had smoked for at least 2 years. A panel data analysis was performed by way of
multilevel pooled time series modeling. Smoking on any given day was a function of the
number of cigarettes smoked on the previous day, and 2, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49, and 56
days previously, and the day of the week. Neither gender nor age influenced this pattern,
with no multilevel effects being detected, thus the behavior of all participants fitted the
same smoking model. These novel findings show empirically that smoking behavior is
governed by firmly established temporal dependence patterns and inform temporal
parameters for the rational design of smoking cessation programs
Where were they from? Modelling the source stock of dolphins stranded after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill using genetic and stable isotope data
Understanding the source stock of common bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus that stranded in the northern Gulf of Mexico subsequent to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill was essential to accurately quantify injury and apportion individuals to the appropriate stock. The aim of this study, part of the Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA), was to estimate the proportion of the 932 recorded strandings between May 2010 and June 2014 that came from coastal versus bay, sound and estuary (BSE) stocks. Four sources of relevant information were available on overlapping subsets totaling 336 (39%) of the strandings: genetic stock assignment, stable isotope ratios, photo-ID and individual genetic-ID. We developed a hierarchical Bayesian model for combining these sources that weighted each data source for each stranding according to a measure of estimated precision: the effective sample size (ESS). The photo- and genetic-ID data were limited and considered to potentially introduce biases, so these data sources were excluded from analyses used in the NRDA. Estimates were calculated separately in 3 regions: East (of the Mississippi outflow), West (of the Mississippi outflow through Vermilion Bay, Louisiana) and Western Louisiana (west of Vermilion Bay to the Texas-Louisiana border); the estimated proportions of coastal strandings were, respectively 0.215 (95% CI: 0.169-0.263), 0.016 (0.036-0.099) and 0.622 (0.487-0.803). This method represents a general approach for integrating multiple sources of information that have differing uncertainties.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe
Intensive longitudinal modelling predicts diurnal activity of salivary alpha-amylase
Salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) activity has been widely used in psychological and medical
research as a surrogate marker of sympathetic nervous system activation, though its utility
remains controversial. The aim of this work was to compare alternative intensive longitudinal
models of sAA data: (a) a traditional model, where sAA is a function of hour (hr) and hr
squared (sAAj,t = f(hr, hr2
), and (b) an autoregressive model, where values of sAA are a
function of previous values (sAAj,t = f(sAA j,t-1, sAA j,t-2, . . ., sAA j,t-p). Nineteen normal subjects (9 males and 10 females) participated in the experiments and measurements were performed every hr between 9:00 and 21:00 hr. Thus, a total of 13 measurements were
obtained per participant. The Napierian logarithm of the enzymatic activity of sAA was analysed. Data showed that a second-order autoregressive (AR(2)) model was more parsimonious and fitted better than the traditional multilevel quadratic model. Therefore, sAA follows a
process whereby, to forecast its value at any given time, sAA values one and two hr prior to
that time (sAA j,t = f(SAAj,t-1, SAAj,t-2) are most predictive, thus indicating that sAA has its
own inertia, with a “memory” of the two previous hr. These novel findings highlight the relevance of intensive longitudinal models in physiological data analysis and have considerable
implications for physiological and biobehavioural research involving sAA measurements
and other stress-related biomarkers
Snow property controls on modelled Ku-band altimeter estimates of first-year sea ice thickness: Case studies from the Canadian and Norwegian Arctic
Uncertainty in snow properties impacts the accuracy
of Arctic sea ice thickness estimates from radar altimetry. On firstyear sea ice (FYI), spatiotemporal variations in snow properties
can cause the Ku-band main radar scattering horizon to appear
above the snow/sea ice interface. This can increase the estimated
sea ice freeboard by several centimeters, leading to FYI thickness
overestimations. This study examines the expected changes in Kuband main scattering horizon and its impact on FYI thickness
estimates, with variations in snow temperature, salinity and
density derived from 10 naturally occurring Arctic FYI Cases
encompassing saline/non-saline, warm/cold, simple/complexly
layered snow (4 cm to 45 cm) overlying FYI (48 cm to 170 cm).
Using a semi-empirical modeling approach, snow properties from
these Cases are used to derive layer-wise brine volume and
dielectric constant estimates, to simulate the Ku-band main
scattering horizon and delays in radar propagation speed.
Differences between modeled and observed FYI thickness are
calculated to assess sources of error. Under both cold and warm
conditions, saline snow covers are shown to shift the main
scattering horizon above from the snow/sea ice interface, causing
thickness retrieval errors. Overestimates in FYI thicknesses of up
to 65% are found for warm, saline snow overlaying thin sea ice.
Our simulations exhibited a distinct shift in the main scattering
horizon when the snow layer densities became greater than 440
kg/m3
, especially under warmer snow conditions. Our simulations
suggest a mean Ku-band propagation delay for snow of 39%,
which is higher than 25%, suggested in previous studies
Understanding the relationship between apathy, cognition and functional outcome in schizophrenia: The significance of an ecological assessment
In recent years there has been an increasing interest in understanding the role apathy plays in mediating the relationship between cognitive impairment and functional outcome. In general, most studies measure cognition with traditional cognitive tests that give explicit instructions and guide the participants toward generating a response. However, given that apathy is defined by a decrease in self-initiated behavior, it is crucial to evaluate cognition with ecological tasks that do not explicitly direct the patient´s motivation to generate behaviors to assess the actual effect. This study investigated whether an ecological cognitive assessment (the Jansari Executive Function Assessment, JEF©) would uniquely contribute to the relationship between cognition, apathy, and functional outcome in schizophrenia. The Apathy Evaluation Scale (AES), neuropsychological tests and the JEF© were administered to 20 patients with schizophrenia. Hierarchical multiple regression and mediation analysis were performed to test the associations between the variables of interest. Results showed that JEF© explained a significant portion of the variance in AES (25%). In addition, apathy explained 36% of the variance in functional outcome. However, AES did not mediate between cognition and functional outcome. Our results highlight the importance of assessing cognition with tasks that require integration of cognitive functions needed for real life demands
Where were they from? Modelling the source stock of dolphins stranded after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill using genetic and stable isotope data
Snow Property Controls on Modeled Ku-Band Altimeter Estimates of First-Year Sea Ice Thickness: Case Studies From the Canadian and Norwegian Arctic
Uncertainty in snow properties impacts the accuracy of Arctic sea ice thickness estimates from radar altimetry. On first-year sea ice (FYI), spatiotemporal variations in snow properties can cause the Ku-band main radar scattering horizon to appear above the snow/sea ice interface. This can increase the estimated sea ice freeboard by several centimeters, leading to FYI thickness overestimations. This article examines the expected changes in Ku-band main scattering horizon and its impact on FYI thickness estimates, with variations in snow temperature, salinity, and density derived from ten naturally occurring Arctic FYI Cases encompassing saline/nonsaline, warm/cold, simple/complexly layered snow (4–45 cm) overlying FYI (48–170 cm). Using a semi-empirical modeling approach, snow properties from these Cases are used to derive layer-wise brine volume and dielectric constant estimates, to simulate the Ku-band main scattering horizon and delays in radar propagation speed. Differences between modeled and observed FYI thickness are calculated to assess sources of error. Under both cold and warm conditions, saline snow covers are shown to shift the main scattering horizon above from the snow/sea ice interface, causing thickness retrieval errors. Overestimates in FYI thicknesses of up to 65% are found for warm, saline snow overlaying thin sea ice. Our simulations exhibited a distinct shift in the main scattering horizon when the snow layer densities became greater than 440 kg/m 3 , especially under warmer snow conditions. Our simulations suggest a mean Ku-band propagation delay for snow of 39%, which is higher than 25%, suggested in previous studies
A Homolog of the Vaccinia Virus D13L Rifampicin Resistance Gene is in the Entomopoxvirus of the Parasitic wasp, Diachasmimorpha longicaudata
The parasitic wasp, Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), introduces an entomopoxvirus (DlEPV) into its Caribbean fruit fly host, Anastrepha suspensa. (Loew) (Diptera: Tephritidae), during oviposition. DlEPV has a 250–300 kb unipartite dsDNA genome, that replicates in the cytoplasm of the host's hemocytes, and inhibits the host's encapsulation response. The putative proteins encoded by several DlEPV genes are highly homologous with those of poxviruses, while others appear to be DlEPV specific. Here, a 2.34 kb sequence containing a 1.64 kb DlEPV open reading frame within a cloned 4.5 kb EcoR1 fragment (designated R1–1) is described from a DlEPV EcoRI genomic library. This open reading frame is a homolog of the vaccinia virus rifampicin resistance (rif) gene, D13L, and encodes a putative 546 amino acid protein. The DlEPV rif contains two EcoRV, two HindIII, one XbaI, and one DraII restriction sites, and upstream of the open reading frame the fragment also contains EcoRV, HindII, SpEI, and BsP106 sites. Early poxvirus transcription termination signals (TTTTTnT) occur 236 and 315 nucleotides upstream of the consensus poxvirus late translational start codon (TAAATG) and at 169 nucleotides downstream of the translational stop codon of the rif open reading frame. Southern blot hybridization of HindIII-, EcoRI-, and BamH1-restricted DlEPV genomic DNA probed with the labeled 4.5 kb insert confirmed the fidelity of the DNA and the expected number of fragments appropriate to the restriction endonucleases used. Pairwise comparisons between DlEPV amino acids and those of the Amsacta moorei, Heliothis armigera, and Melanoplus sanguinipes entomopoxviruses, revealed 46, 46, and 45 % similarity (identity + substitutions), respectively. Similar values (41–45%) were observed in comparisons with the chordopoxviruses. The mid portion of the DlEPV sequence contained two regions of highest conserved residues similar to those reported for H. armigera entomopoxvirus rifampicin resistance protein. Phylogenetic analysis of the amino acid sequences suggested that DlEPV arose from the same ancestral node as other entomopoxviruses but belongs to a separate clade from those of the grasshopper- infecting M. sanguinipes entomopoxvirus and from the Lepidoptera-infecting (Genus B or Betaentomopoxvirus) A. moorei entomopoxvirus and H. armigera entomopoxvirus. Interestingly, the DlEPV putative protein had only 3–26.4 % similarity with RIF-like homologs/orthologs found in other large DNA non-poxviruses, demonstrating its closer relationship to the Poxviridae. DlEPV remains an unassigned member of the Entomopoxvirinae (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ICTVdb/Ictv/index.htm) until its relationship to other diptera-infecting (Gammaentomopoxvirus or Genus C) entomopoxviruses can be verified. The GenBank accession number for the nucleotide sequence data reported in this paper is EF541029
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