1,322 research outputs found
Alzheimer\u27s Disease
An overview of the background, etiology, pathophysiology, clinical features, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of Alzheimer\u27s disease
The food seeking behavior of slime mold: a macroscopic approach
Starting from a particle model we derive a macroscopic aggregation-diffusion
equation for the evolution of slime mold under the assumption of propagation of
chaos in the large particle limit. We analyze properties of the macroscopic
model in the stationary case and study the behavior of the slime mold between
food sources. The efficient numerical simulation of the aggregation-diffusion
equation allows for a detailed analysis of the interplay between the different
regimes drift, interaction and diffusion.Comment: 23 pages, 11 figure
Bounded Confidence: How AI Could Exacerbate Social Mediaâs Homophily Problem
The advent of the Internet was heralded as a revolutionary development in the democratization of information. It has emerged, however, that online discourse on social media tends to narrow the information landscape of its users. This dynamic is driven by the propensity of the network structure of social media to tend toward homophily; users strongly prefer to interact with content and other users that are similar to them. We review the considerable evidence for the ubiquity of homophily in social media, discuss some possible mechanisms for this phenomenon, and present some observed and hypothesized effects. We also discuss how the homophilic structure of social media makes it uniquely vulnerable to artificial-intelligence-driven, automated influence campaigns
Development of tools for the automated analysis of spectra generated by tandem mass spectrometry
Background
While multiple tools exist for the analysis and identification of spectra generated in shotgun proteomics experiments, few easily implemented tools exist that allow for the automated analysis of the quality of spectra. A researcherâs knowledge of the quality of a spectra from an experiment can be helpful in determining possible reasons for misidentification or lack of identification of spectra in a sample.
Materials and methods
We are developing a automated high throughput method that analyses spectra from 2d-LC-MS/MS datasets to determine their quality and overall determines the quality of the run. We will then compare our programs to existing programs that perform a similar function. Our program calculates a quality score based on the following metrics: signal/noise ratio, absolute signal intensity, peak number, predicted mass distances between peak, and percent of incoming mass accounted for by peaks. These scores are then graphed against the outputs of common database search algorithms in order to display the following four categories: High-quality/Identified, High-quality/Unidentified, Low-quality/Identified, and Low-quality/Unidentified. We are currently testing the algorithm against 2d-LC-MS/MS runs of a mixed protein standard and blanks with no peptide spectra. The application samples are a time series of metaproteomes collected from environmental ground waters after biostimulation
Development of tools for the automated analysis of spectra generated by tandem mass spectrometry
Background
While multiple tools exist for the analysis and identification of spectra generated in shotgun proteomics experiments, few easily implemented tools exist that allow for the automated analysis of the quality of spectra. A researcherâs knowledge of the quality of a spectra from an experiment can be helpful in determining possible reasons for misidentification or lack of identification of spectra in a sample.
Materials and methods
We are developing a automated high throughput method that analyses spectra from 2d-LC-MS/MS datasets to determine their quality and overall determines the quality of the run. We will then compare our programs to existing programs that perform a similar function. Our program calculates a quality score based on the following metrics: signal/noise ratio, absolute signal intensity, peak number, predicted mass distances between peak, and percent of incoming mass accounted for by peaks. These scores are then graphed against the outputs of common database search algorithms in order to display the following four categories: High-quality/Identified, High-quality/Unidentified, Low-quality/Identified, and Low-quality/Unidentified. We are currently testing the algorithm against 2d-LC-MS/MS runs of a mixed protein standard and blanks with no peptide spectra. The application samples are a time series of metaproteomes collected from environmental ground waters after biostimulation
From academic to political rigour: Insights from the âTarotâ of transgressive research
The role of science and knowledge production is at a crossroads, as societal transformation calls for challenging dominant forms of knowledge production that have contributed to marginalizing other ways of knowing. This presents a challenge to mainstream science and invites a deeper reflection on our roles as scientists and exploration of alternative engaged, post-normal and activist approaches to research. This paper examines the diverse ways researchers are meeting this challenge. Employing the device of the Tarot deck we describe seven âcharactersâ to illustrate the variety of roles and approaches that trans-disciplinary, transformative, transgressive and activist researchers are engaging in. These characters are used to introduce and develop the concept of political rigour as a means of expanded academic rigour in new emancipatory scientific paradigms. We demonstrate how these Tarot characters can be used as an activity for collective and personal reflexivity and propose ten principles that frequently emerge in a âpoliticalâ peer review process. We argue that the insights emerging from these strands of radical, critical, engaged and applied forms of scholarship, can significantly improve the understanding of what a âtransformative knowledge paradigmâ may look like in practice and how it can be mobilized for social change and environmental justice
From academic to political rigour: Insights from the âTarotâ of transgressive research
The role of science and knowledge production is at a crossroads, as societal transformation calls for challenging dominant forms of knowledge production that have contributed to marginalizing other ways of knowing. This presents a challenge to mainstream science and invites a deeper reflection on our roles as scientists and exploration of alternative engaged, post-normal and activist approaches to research. This paper examines the diverse ways researchers are meeting this challenge. Employing the device of the Tarot deck we describe seven âcharactersâ to illustrate the variety of roles and approaches that trans-disciplinary, transformative, transgressive and activist researchers are engaging in. These characters are used to introduce and develop the concept of political rigour as a means of expanded academic rigour in new emancipatory scientific paradigms. We demonstrate how these Tarot characters can be used as an activity for collective and personal reflexivity and propose ten principles that frequently emerge in a âpoliticalâ peer review process. We argue that the insights emerging from these strands of radical, critical, engaged and applied forms of scholarship, can significantly improve the understanding of what a âtransformative knowledge paradigmâ may look like in practice and how it can be mobilized for social change and environmental justice
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