A sensory 3-D map of the odor description space derived from a comparison of numeric odor profile databases

Many authors have proposed different schemes of odor classification, which are useful to aid the complex task of describing smells. However, reaching a consensus on a particular classification seems difficult because our psychophysical space of odor description is a continuum and is not clustered into well-defined categories. An alternative approach is to describe the perceptual space of odors as a low-dimensional coordinate system. This idea was first proposed by Crocker and Henderson in 1927, who suggested using numeric profiles based on 4 dimensions: fragrant, acid, burnt, and caprylic. In the present work, the odor profiles of 144 aroma chemicals were compared by means of statistical regression with comparable numeric odor profiles obtained from 2 databases, enabling a plausible interpretation of the 4 dimensions. Based on the results and taking into account comparable 2D sensory maps of odor descriptors from the literature, a 3D sensory map (odor cube) has been drawn up to improve understanding of the similarities and dissimilarities of the odor descriptors most frequently used in fragrance chemistry.Zarzo Castelló, M. (2015). A sensory 3-D map of the odor description space derived from a comparison of numeric odor profile databases. Chemical Senses. 40(5):305-313. doi:10.1093/chemse/bjv012S30531340

Comparación de modelos mensuales y anuales para estimar el coeficiente de Hargreaves en la Comunidad Valenciana

El modelo de Hargreaves (HG) para estimar evapotranspiración de referencia (ETo) es una alternativa interesante a la ecuación de Penman Monteith (PM), propuesta como método estándar por la FAO, pero que no es aplicable en muchas situaciones porque requiere muchas variables climáticas que no suelen estar disponibles o cuyos valores medidos no son fiables. Para la aplicación de esta ecuación se recomienda una calibración local preliminar del llamado coeficiente de Hargreaves (AHC). Sin embargo, la obtención de valores concretos de AHC tiene un uso limitado, dado que se requieren valores locales de PM, que se aplicará realmente para determinar la ETo de la estación. Asimismo los valores de AHC no pueden extrapolarse. Por ello es preciso proponer y estudiar modelos para estimar el AHC, dado que en las condiciones en las que la ecuación de HG pretende ser útil no habrá posibilidad de calibración previa mediante valores de PM. Este estudio analiza si están justificadas las parametrizaciones mensuales o estacionales del AHC. Para ello se compararon tres escalas temporales en el desarrollo de los modelos de AHC: la anual, la mensual y la estacional. Los resultados sugieren que el desarrollo de modelos mensuales podría reducir el error relativo alrededor del 2% para AHC diarios y alrededor de 1% para AHC medios mensuales, es decir, un único modelo anual de AHC podría ser insuficiente para recoger toda la variabilidad anual de AHC. Por ello, la aplicación de modelos mensuales (o estacionales) podría estar justificado para una correcta estimación de los AHC. Asimismo, los resultados muestran que la estimación mensual del AHC fue más ajustada de mayo a septiembre que de octubre a abril, y, particularmente, que de noviembre a enero

Curiosities of Weight Loss Diets of the Last 60 Years

Lately, we've witnessed the emergence of obesity as a prominent concern for public health and the economy. This issue commands serious attention, impacting millions worldwide, particularly in the most developed nations. Practical approaches to tackling obesity involve tailored physical activity and dietary interventions overseen by qualified healthcare professionals. Nonetheless, some individuals opt for quicker routes, embracing dietary regimens that promise rapid and effortless weight reduction yet lack substantiated scientific backing. Given the potential hazards these approaches pose to well-being, this calls for immediate address, occasionally leading to unexpected and severe consequences. In this review, we aim to analyze the curiosities of popular diets embraced by adults from the 1960s to the present day, including the scientific justification that supports or contradicts their effectiveness.N.S.O. was supported by the Universidad de Alicante, Ministerio de Universidades and the European Union ‘NextGeneration EU/PRTR’ through 2022–2024 Margarita Salas grant (MARSALAS22-23)

Density and reproductive characteristics of female brown bears in the Cantabrian Mountains, NW Spain

Here we present annual nearest-neighbour distances (as a proxy of density) between females with cubs-of-the-year (hereafter FCOY) and reproductive characteristics of brown bears Ursus arctos in the Cantabrian Mountains (NW Spain), from 1989 to 2017. FCOY nearest-neighbour distances and reproduction parameters of 19 focal females followed over several consecutive years (from 2004 to 2017) were obtained from bears inhabiting the western sector of the Cantabrian Mountains, where most of the bear population resides. In contrast, general reproductive characteristics were studied in the whole Cantabrian Mountains (western and eastern sectors together) on a sample of 362 litter sizes and 695 cubs. Mean nearest-neighbour distance between FCOY was 2559 ± 1222 m (range = 1305–4757 m). Mean litter size was significantly larger in the west (1.8 ± 0.2 cubs) than in the east (1.3 ± 0.6 cubs). Mean litter size for the whole of the Cantabrian Mountains was 1.6 ± 0.3 cubs. Litter sizes of one, two and three cubs represented 33.4, 56.1 and 10.5% of observed family groups, respectively. Interannual variations in litter size were not significant for both the western and the eastern areas. Mean cub mortality was 0.2 ± 0.5 cubs and did not vary among years. Cub mortality per litter size was 3.9% for one cub, 69.2% for two cubs and 26.9% for three cubs. Mean reproductive rate of the 19 focal females was 1.5 ± 0.6 cubs (n = 58 litters). Litter size of focal FCOY did not differ from the litter size obtained from systematic observations in the whole Cantabrian Mountains. During this period, cub mortality occurred in 24.1% of the 58 litters. Females usually bred every second year (average litter interval = 2.2 years). The estimated reproductive rate for the bear population was 0.7 young born/year/reproductive adult female

Comparative analysis of some modeal reconstruction methods of the cornea from corneal elevation data

Purpose. A comparative study of the ability of some modal schemes to reproduce corneal shapes of varying complexity is performed, using both standard radial polynomials and the radial basis functions (RBF). Our claim is that the correct approach in the case of highly irregular corneas should combine several bases. Methods. Standard approaches of reconstruction by Zernike and other types of radial polynomials are compared with the discrete least squares fit (LSF) by the RBF in three theoretical surfaces, synthetically generated by computer algorithms in the lack of measurement noise. For the reconstruction by polynomials the maximal radial order 6 was chosen, which corresponds to the first 28 Zernike polynomials or the first 49 Bhatia-Wolf polynomials. The fit with the RBF has been carried out using a regular grid of centers. Results. The quality of fit was assessed by computing for each surface the mean square errors (MSE) of the reconstruction by LSF, measured at the same nodes where the heights were collected. Another criterion of the fitting quality used was the accuracy in recovery of the Zernike coefficients, especially in the case of incomplete data. Conclusions. The Zernike (and especially, the Bhatia-Wolf) polynomials constitute a reliable reconstruction method of a non-severely aberrated surface with a small surface regularity index (SRI). However, they fail to capture small deformations of the anterior surface of a synthetic cornea. The most promising is a combined approach that balances the robustness of the Zernike fit with the localization of the RBF

Comparative Analysis of Some Modal Reconstruction Methods of the Shape of the Cornea from Corneal Elevation Data

Purpose: A comparative study of the ability of some modal schemes to reproduce corneal shapes of varying complexity was performed, by using both standard radial polynomials and radial basis functions (RBFs). The hypothesis was that the correct approach in the case of highly irregular corneas should combine several bases. Methods: Standard approaches of reconstruction by Zernike and other types of radial polynomials were compared with the discrete least-squares fit (LSF) by the RBF in three theoretical surfaces, synthetically generated by computer algorithms in the absence of measurement noise. For the reconstruction by polynomials, the maximal radial order 6 was chosen, which corresponds to the first 28 Zernike polynomials or the first 49 Bhatia-Wolf polynomials. The fit with the RBF was performed by using a regular grid of centers. Results: The quality of fit was assessed by computing for each surface the mean square errors (MSEs) of the reconstruction by LSF, measured at the same nodes where the heights were collected. Another criterion of the fit quality used was the accuracy in recovery of the Zernike coefficients, especially in the case of incomplete data. Conclusions: The Zernike (and especially, the Bhatia-Wolf) polynomials constitute a reliable reconstruction method of a nonseverely aberrated surface with a small surface regularity index (SRI). However, they fail to capture small deformations of the anterior surface of a synthetic cornea. The most promising approach is a combined one that balances the robustness of the Zernike fit with the localization of the RBF

Categorical Dimensions of Human Odor Descriptor Space Revealed by Non-Negative Matrix Factorization

In contrast to most other sensory modalities, the basic perceptual dimensions of olfaction remain unclear. Here, we use non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) – a dimensionality reduction technique – to uncover structure in a panel of odor profiles, with each odor defined as a point in multi-dimensional descriptor space. The properties of NMF are favorable for the analysis of such lexical and perceptual data, and lead to a high-dimensional account of odor space. We further provide evidence that odor dimensions apply categorically. That is, odor space is not occupied homogenously, but rather in a discrete and intrinsically clustered manner. We discuss the potential implications of these results for the neural coding of odors, as well as for developing classifiers on larger datasets that may be useful for predicting perceptual qualities from chemical structures

Positional errors in species distribution modelling are not overcome by the coarser grains of analysis

The performance of species distribution models (SDMs) is known to be affected by analysis grain and positional error of species occurrences. Coarsening of the analysis grain has been suggested to compensate for positional errors. Nevertheless, this way of dealing with positional errors has never been thoroughly tested. With increasing use of fine-scale environmental data in SDMs, it is important to test this assumption. Models using fine-scale environmental data are more likely to be negatively affected by positional error as the inaccurate occurrences might easier end up in unsuitable environment. This can result in inappropriate conservation actions. Here, we examined the trade-offs between positional error and analysis grain and provide recommendations for best practice. We generated narrow niche virtual species using environmental variables derived from LiDAR point clouds at 5 x 5 m fine-scale. We simulated the positional error in the range of 5 m to 99 m and evaluated the effects of several spatial grains in the range of 5 m to 500 m. In total, we assessed 49 combinations of positional accuracy and analysis grain. We used three modelling techniques (MaxEnt, BRT and GLM) and evaluated their discrimination ability, niche overlap with virtual species and change in realized niche. We found that model performance decreased with increasing positional error in species occurrences and coarsening of the analysis grain. Most importantly, we showed that coarsening the analysis grain to compensate for positional error did not improve model performance. Our results reject coarsening of the analysis grain as a solution to address the negative effects of positional error on model performance. We recommend fitting models with the finest possible analysis grain and as close to the response grain as possible even when available species occurrences suffer from positional errors. If there are significant positional errors in species occurrences, users are unlikely to benefit from making additional efforts to obtain higher resolution environmental data unless they also minimize the positional errors of species occurrences. Our findings are also applicable to coarse analysis grain, especially for fragmented habitats, and for species with narrow niche breadth

Distribution models of the Spanish argus and its food plant, the storksbill, suggest resilience to climate change

Distribution models of the Spanish argus and its food plant, the storksbill, suggest resilience to climate change. Climate change is an important risk factor for the survival of butterflies and other species. In this study, we developed predictive models that show the potentially favourable areas for a lepidopteran endemic to the Iberian Peninsula, the Spanish argus (Aricia morronensis), and its larval food plants, the storksbill (genus Erodium). We used species distribution modelling software (MaxEnt) to perform the models in the present and in the future in two climatic scenarios based on climatic and topographic variables. The results show that climate change will not significantly affect A. morronensis distribution, and may even slightly favour its expansion. Some plants may undergo a small reduction in habitat favourability. However, it seems that the interaction between this butterfly and its food plants is unlikely to be significantly affected by climate changeLos modelos de distribución de la morena española y las plantas nutricias de sus larvas sugieren resistencia frente al cambio climático. El cambio climático representa un importante factor de riesgo para la supervivencia de las mariposas y de otras especies. En este estudio se han elaborado modelos predictivos que muestran las zonas potencialmente favorables para un lepidóptero endémico de la península ibérica, la morena española (Aricia morronensis), y las plantas nutricias de sus larvas, los alfilerillos o agujas de pastor (género Erodium). Se ha utilizado el programa informático MaxEnt para elaborar modelos de la distribución de las especies en el presente y en el futuro, bajo dos escenarios de condiciones climáticas, basadas en variables climáticas y topográficas. Los resultados muestran que el cambio climático no afectará significativamente a la distribución de A. morronensis, sino que incluso podría favorecer levemente su expansión. Algunas de las plantas podrían sufrir una pequeña reducción de la favorabilidad del hábitat. Sin embargo, la interacción entre la mariposa y sus plantas nutricias probablemente no se vea afectada significativamente por el cambio climátic

Terminology and classification of miracle slimming diets: A narrative review and new proposals

Introduction: In the last years, confusing or misleading use of the term called miracle or magic diets, using to weight loss treatment, has increased, along with several classification of them. Objectives: The purpose of this narrative review is to discuss miracle slimming diets and proposal new term and new classification for these diets. Methods: A narrative review up to September 2021 was carried out in the PubMed, Google Scholar, and Web of Knowledge. Furthermore, this strategy was complemented with a comprehensive search of the 'grey' literature [7] based in four different searching strategies: i) grey literature databases, ii) customized Google search engines, iii) targeted websites, and iv) consultation with contact experts. Results: Our proposal is to use the new concept called hazardous slimming diets defined as diets that propose rapid weight loss (> 1 kg/week), to be performed effortlessly, without the super-vision of a medical/nutritional professional, excessive energy restrictions and/or exclusion from the di-et of food or nutrients for the body. Furthermore, the development of a new algorithm reflected as is possible to classify the diet as non-effective, hazardous and effective diet. Conclusions: Our review could help to classify and develop a new terminology about the miracle slimming diets focusing in the knowledge to guarantee the quality in the treatments for weight loss