scholarly journals Shape matters: animal colour patterns as signals of individual quality

2017 ◽  
Vol 284 (1849) ◽  
pp. 20162446 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorenzo Pérez-Rodríguez ◽  
Roger Jovani ◽  
Martin Stevens
Keyword(s):  
Multidisciplinary Approach ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
Evolutionary Developmental Biology ◽  
Research Area ◽  
Individual Quality ◽  
Colour Intensity ◽  
Model Species ◽  
Future Challenges ◽  
Colour Patterns ◽  
Pattern Variability

Colour patterns (e.g. irregular, spotted or barred forms) are widespread in the animal kingdom, yet their potential role as signals of quality has been mostly neglected. However, a review of the published literature reveals that pattern itself (irrespective of its size or colour intensity) is a promising signal of individual quality across species of many different taxa. We propose at least four main pathways whereby patterns may reliably reflect individual quality: (i) as conventional signals of status, (ii) as indices of developmental homeostasis, (iii) by amplifying cues of somatic integrity and (iv) by amplifying individual investment in maintenance activities. Methodological constraints have traditionally hampered research on the signalling potential of colour patterns. To overcome this, we report a series of tools (e.g. colour adjacency and pattern regularity analyses, Fourier and granularity approaches, fractal geometry, geometric morphometrics) that allow objective quantification of pattern variability. We discuss how information provided by these methods should consider the visual system of the model species and behavioural responses to pattern metrics, in order to allow biologically meaningful conclusions. Finally, we propose future challenges in this research area that will require a multidisciplinary approach, bringing together inputs from genetics, physiology, behavioural ecology and evolutionary-developmental biology.

From Face to Facial Expression

2010 ◽  
pp. 217-238
Author(s):  
Zakia Hammal ◽  
Zakia Hammal
Keyword(s):  
Computer Vision ◽  
Facial Expression ◽  
Everyday Life ◽  
Facial Expression Recognition ◽  
Multidisciplinary Approach ◽  
Expression Recognition ◽  
Future Challenges ◽  
Facial Expression Classification ◽  
Expression Classification ◽  
Processing Steps

This chapter addresses recent advances in computer vision for facial expression classification. The authors present the different processing steps of the problem of automatic facial expression recognition. They describe the advances of each stage of the problem and review the future challenges towards the application of such systems to everyday life situations. The authors also introduce the importance of taking advantage of the human strategy by reviewing advances of research in psychology towards multidisciplinary approach for facial expression classification. Finally, the authors describe one contribution which aims at dealing with some of the discussed challenges.

scholarly journals Automatic Gene Function Prediction in the 2020’s

Genes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 1264
Author(s):  
Stavros Makrodimitris ◽  
Roeland C. H. J. van Ham ◽  
Marcel J. T. Reinders
Keyword(s):  
Functional Annotation ◽  
Protein Sequences ◽  
Research Area ◽  
Function Prediction ◽  
Research Field ◽  
Model Species ◽  
Large Step ◽  
Gene Functions ◽  
Performance Gains ◽  
The Way

The current rate at which new DNA and protein sequences are being generated is too fast to experimentally discover the functions of those sequences, emphasizing the need for accurate Automatic Function Prediction (AFP) methods. AFP has been an active and growing research field for decades and has made considerable progress in that time. However, it is certainly not solved. In this paper, we describe challenges that the AFP field still has to overcome in the future to increase its applicability. The challenges we consider are how to: (1) include condition-specific functional annotation, (2) predict functions for non-model species, (3) include new informative data sources, (4) deal with the biases of Gene Ontology (GO) annotations, and (5) maximally exploit the GO to obtain performance gains. We also provide recommendations for addressing those challenges, by adapting (1) the way we represent proteins and genes, (2) the way we represent gene functions, and (3) the algorithms that perform the prediction from gene to function. Together, we show that AFP is still a vibrant research area that can benefit from continuing advances in machine learning with which AFP in the 2020s can again take a large step forward reinforcing the power of computational biology.

scholarly journals Microbiota Characterization of Agricultural Green Waste-Based Suppressive Composts Using Omics and Classic Approaches

Agriculture ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Riccardo Scotti ◽  
Alex L. Mitchell ◽  
Catello Pane ◽  
Rob D. Finn ◽  
Massimo Zaccardelli
Keyword(s):  
Plant Pathogens ◽  
Multidisciplinary Approach ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
Crop Protection ◽  
Phytopathogenic Fungi ◽  
Microbiota Composition ◽  
Intensive Use ◽  
Environmentally Sound ◽  
On Farm

While the control of soil-borne phytopathogenic fungi becomes increasingly difficult without using chemicals, concern over the intensive use of pesticides in agriculture is driving more environmentally sound crop protection managements. Among these approaches, the use of compost to suppress fungal diseases could have great potential. In this study, a multidisciplinary approach has been applied to characterize microbiota composition of two on-farm composts and assess their suppress and biostimulant activities. The on-farm composting system used in this study was able to produce two composts characterized by an antagonistic microbiota community able to suppress plant pathogens and biostimulate plant growth. Our results suggest a potential role for Nocardiopsis and Pseudomonas genera in suppression, while Flavobacterium and Streptomyces genera seem to be potentially involved in plant biostimulation. In conclusion, this study combines different techniques to characterize composts, giving a unique overview on the microbial communities and their role in suppressiveness, helping to unravel their complexity.

scholarly journals Why many Batesian mimics are inaccurate: evidence from hoverfly colour patterns

2016 ◽  
Vol 283 (1842) ◽  
pp. 20161585 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher H. Taylor ◽  
Tom Reader ◽  
Francis Gilbert
Keyword(s):  
Natural Selection ◽  
Multiple Model ◽  
Wild Populations ◽  
Model Species ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Binary Images ◽  
Classic Problem ◽  
Pattern Similarity ◽  
Colour Patterns ◽  
Shed Light

Mimicry is considered a classic example of the elaborate adaptations that natural selection can produce, yet often similarity between Batesian (harmless) mimics and their unpalatable models is far from perfect. Variation in mimetic accuracy is a puzzle, as natural selection should favour mimics that are hardest to distinguish from their models. Numerous hypotheses exist to explain the persistence of inaccurate mimics, but most have rarely or never been tested against empirical observations from wild populations. One reason for this is the difficulty in measuring pattern similarity, a key aspect of mimicry. Here, we use a recently developed method, based on the distance transform of binary images, to quantify pattern similarity both within and among species for a group of hoverflies and their hymenopteran models. This allowed us to test three key hypotheses regarding inaccurate mimicry. Firstly, we tested the prediction that selection should be more relaxed in less accurate mimics, but found that levels of phenotypic variation are similar across most hoverfly species. Secondly, we found no evidence that mimics have to compromise between accuracy to multiple model species. However, we did find that darker-coloured hoverflies are less accurate mimics, which could lead to a trade-off between mimicry and thermoregulation in temperate regions. Our results shed light on a classic problem concerning the limitations of natural selection.

scholarly journals Fractal geometry of a complex plumage trait reveals bird's quality

2013 ◽  
Vol 280 (1755) ◽  
pp. 20122783 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorenzo Pérez-Rodríguez ◽  
Roger Jovani ◽  
François Mougeot
Keyword(s):  
Body Condition ◽  
Fractal Geometry ◽  
Animal Communication ◽  
Alectoris Rufa ◽  
Colour Intensity ◽  
Colour Patterns ◽  
Behaviour Genetics ◽  
Natural And Sexual Selection ◽  
Individual Body ◽  
Study Species

Animal coloration is key in natural and sexual selection, playing significant roles in intra- and interspecific communication because of its linkage to individual behaviour, genetics and physiology. Simple animal traits such as the area or the colour intensity of homogeneous patches have been profusely studied. More complex patterns are widespread in nature, but they escape our understanding because their variation is difficult to capture effectively by standard, simple measures. Here, we used fractal geometry to quantify inter-individual variation in the expression of a complex plumage trait, the heterogeneous black bib of the red-legged partridge ( Alectoris rufa ). We show that a higher bib fractal dimension (FD) predicted better individual body condition, as well as immune responsiveness, which is condition-dependent in our study species. Moreover, when food intake was experimentally reduced during moult as a means to reduce body condition, the bib's FD significantly decreased. Fractal geometry therefore provides new opportunities for the study of complex animal colour patterns and their roles in animal communication.

The potential role of nurses in leading positive behaviour support

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (7) ◽  
pp. 414-418
Author(s):  
Darren Savarimuthu
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Multidisciplinary Approach ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
Clinical Psychologists ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
Service Users ◽  
Challenging Behaviour ◽  
Leading Role ◽  
Positive Behaviour Support

Positive behaviour support (PBS) has become the preferred intervention in the management of challenging behaviour in learning disability and mental health services. However, there is an absence of literature on nurses' views and experience of PBS. Nurses are passive in PBS plan development while other professionals, such as clinical psychologists, often take the lead. While nurses see clinical psychologists as experts in PBS, they feel this could create a barrier that hinders its full potential and a more multidisciplinary approach would be beneficial. Nurses could take a pivotal role in delivering PBS plans if they were able to take a leading role, and this would benefit service users as nurses work far more closely with them than other professionals.

scholarly journals Antibiotics in Aquaculture Wastewater: Is It Feasible to Use a Photodegradation-Based Treatment for Their Removal?

Toxics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 194
Author(s):  
Carla Patrícia Silva ◽  
Vitória Louros ◽  
Valentina Silva ◽  
Marta Otero ◽  
Diana L. D. Lima
Keyword(s):  
Antimicrobial Resistance ◽  
Solar Radiation ◽  
Research Area ◽  
Potential Threat ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Future Challenges ◽  
Receiving Waters ◽  
Aquaculture Wastewater ◽  
Near Future

Aquacultures are a sector facing a huge development: farmers usually applying antibiotics to treat and/or prevent diseases. Consequently, effluents from aquaculture represent a source of antibiotics for receiving waters, where they pose a potential threat due to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) induction. This has recently become a major concern and it is expectable that regulations on antibiotics’ discharge will be established in the near future. Therefore, it is urgent to develop treatments for their removal from wastewater. Among the different possibilities, photodegradation under solar radiation may be a sustainable option. Thus, this review aims at providing a survey on photolysis and photocatalysis in view of their application for the degradation of antibiotics from aquaculture wastewater. Experimental facts, factors affecting antibiotics’ removal and employed photocatalysts were hereby addressed. Moreover, gaps in this research area, as well as future challenges, were identified.

scholarly journals Pregnancy and dialysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 349-356
Author(s):  
Catarina Isabel Ribeiro ◽  
Natália Silva
Keyword(s):  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Multidisciplinary Approach ◽  
Treatment Options ◽  
Success Rates ◽  
Basic Principles ◽  
Future Challenges ◽  
Fetal Complications ◽  
Literature Evidence ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Nutritional Deficits

ABSTRACT The pregnancy rate of women on dialysis is still very low when compared to that of the remaining population. However, recent years have seen an increase in the success rates of these pregnancies. Among the main precautions that must be taken with pregnant women on dialysis are the maintenance of low levels of pre-dialysis urea, the adequacy of the tension profile, the control of anemia and care to avoid infections, nutritional deficits, changes in phosphorus-calcium metabolism and electrolytic fluctuations. It is also necessary to strictly monitor fetal growth and development. Pregnant women on dialysis have a higher probability of maternal and fetal complications; thus the importance of a multidisciplinary approach among nephrologists, obstetricians and pediatricians. The main objective of this study was to review the literature evidence available on pregnancy on dialysis, on the basic principles of the pathophysiology of pregnant women and their particularities in kidney disease. We will address available treatment options, benefits and risks, anticipating possible future challenges. At the end, we will present a clinical case to illustrate the topic.

scholarly journals A detailed investigation of the visual system and visual ecology of the Barrier Reef anemonefish, Amphiprion akindynos

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara M. Stieb ◽  
Fanny de Busserolles ◽  
Karen L. Carleton ◽  
Fabio Cortesi ◽  
Wen-Sung Chung ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual System ◽  
Multidisciplinary Approach ◽  
Barrier Reef ◽  
Chromatic Contrast ◽  
Sequential Hermaphroditism ◽  
Single Cone ◽  
Host Anemone ◽  
Colour Patterns ◽  
Cone Opsins ◽  
Species Ecology

Abstract Vision plays a major role in the life of most teleosts, and is assumingly well adapted to each species ecology and behaviour. Using a multidisciplinary approach, we scrutinised several aspects of the visual system and ecology of the Great Barrier Reef anemonefish, Amphiprion akindynos, including its orange with white patterning, retinal anatomy and molecular biology, its symbiosis with anemones and sequential hermaphroditism. Amphiprion akindynos possesses spectrally distinct visual pigments and opsins: one rod opsin, RH1 (498 nm), and five cone opsins, SWS1 (370 nm), SWS2B (408 nm), RH2B (498 nm), RH2A (520 nm), and LWS (554 nm). Cones were arranged in a regular mosaic with each single cone surrounded by four double cones. Double cones mainly expressed RH2B (53%) in one member and RH2A (46%) in the other, matching the prevailing light. Single cones expressed SWS1 (89%), which may serve to detect zooplankton, conspecifics and the host anemone. Moreover, a segregated small fraction of single cones coexpressed SWS1 with SWS2B (11%). This novel visual specialisation falls within the region of highest acuity and is suggested to increase the chromatic contrast of Amphiprion akindynos colour patterns, which might improve detection of conspecifics.

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