scholarly journals Species-Habitat Associations: Spatial data, predictive models, and ecological insights

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason Matthiopoulos ◽  
John Fieberg ◽  
Geert Aarts
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Data ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Anthropogenic Impacts ◽  
Local Environment ◽  
Statistical Technique ◽  
Habitat Associations ◽  
New Methods ◽  
Spatiotemporal Scales ◽  
Ecological Mechanisms ◽  
Living Organisms

Ecologists develop species-habitat association (SHA) models to understand where species occur, why they are there and where else they might be. This knowledge can be used to designate protected areas, estimate anthropogenic impacts on living organisms and assess risks from invasive species or disease spill-over from wildlife to humans. Here, we describe the state of the art in SHA models, looking beyond the apparent correlations between the positions of organisms and their local environment. We highlight the importance of ecological mechanisms, synthesize diverse modelling frameworks and motivate the development of new analytical methods. Above all, we aim to be synthetic, bringing together several of the apparently disconnected pieces of ecological theory, taxonomy, spatiotemporal scales, and mathematical and statistical technique in our field. The first edition of this ebook reviews the ecology of species-habitat associations, the mechanistic interpretation of existing empirical models and their shared statistical foundations that can help us draw scientific insights from field data. It will be of interest to graduate students and professionals looking for an introduction to the ecological and statistical literature of SHAs, practitioners seeking to analyse their data on animal movements or species distributions and quantitative ecologists looking to contribute new methods addressing the limitations of the current incarnations of SHA models.

scholarly journals Films and Materials Derived from Aminomalononitrile

Processes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 82
Author(s):  
Helmut Thissen ◽  
Richard A. Evans ◽  
Vincent Ball
Keyword(s):  
Surface Chemistry ◽  
Surface Functionalization ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Chemical Reactivity ◽  
The State ◽  
Deposition Kinetics ◽  
Conformal Coating ◽  
Early Atmosphere ◽  
Living Organisms ◽  
Hypothetical Structure

In recent years major advances in surface chemistry and surface functionalization have been performed through the development, most often inspired by living organisms, of versatile methodologies. Among those, the contact of substrates with aminomalononitrile (AMN) containing solutions at pH = 8.5 allows a conformal coating to be deposited on the surface of all known classes of material. Since AMN is a molecule probably formed in the early atmosphere of our planet and since HCN-based compounds have been detected on many comets and Titan (Saturn’s largest moon) it is likely that such molecules will open a large avenue in surface functionalization mostly for bio-applications. This mini review describes the state of the art of AMN-based coatings from their deposition kinetics, composition, chemical reactivity, hypothetical structure to their first applications as biomaterials. Finally, the AMN-based versatile coatings are compared to other kinds of versatile coating based on catecholamines and polyphenols.

New Trends in Asymptotic Approaches: Summation and Interpolation Methods

2001 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Igor V. Andrianov ◽  
Jan Awrejcewicz
Keyword(s):  
Applied Sciences ◽  
Solid Mechanics ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Asymptotic Methods ◽  
Perturbation Series ◽  
Review Article ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
New Methods ◽  
Local Character

In this review article, we present in some detail new trends in application of asymptotic techniques to mechanical problems. First we consider the various methods which allows for the possibility of extending the perturbation series application space and hence omiting their local character. While applying the asymptotic methods very often the following situation appears: an existence of the asymptotics ε → 0 implies an existence of the asymptotics ε → ∞ (or, in a more general sense, ε → a and ε → b). Therefore, an idea of constructing a single solution valid for a whole interval of parameter ε changes is very attractive. In other words, we discuss a problem of asymptotically equivalent function constructions possessing for ε → a and ε → b a known asymptotic behavior. The defined problems are very important from the point of view of both theoretical and applied sciences. In this work, we review the state-of-the-art, by presenting the existing methods and by pointing out their advantages and disadvantages, as well as the fields of their applications. In addition, some new methods are also proposed. The methods are demonstrated on a wide variety of static and dynamic solid mechanics problems and some others involving fluid mechanics. This review article contains 340 references.

scholarly journals A state-of-the-art perspective on microgliopathic pain

Open Biology ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 180154 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazuhide Inoue
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Pain ◽  
Neuropathic Pain ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Warning System ◽  
Physiological Significance ◽  
Principal Role ◽  
Activated Microglia ◽  
Clinical Burden ◽  
Synaptic Functions ◽  
Living Organisms

Acute nociceptive pain is an undesirable feeling but has a physiological significance as a warning system for living organisms. Conversely, chronic pain is lacking physiological significance, but rather represents a confusion of nerve functions. The neuropathic pain that occurs after peripheral nerve injury (PNI) is perhaps the most important type of chronic pain because it is refractory to available medications and thus remains a heavy clinical burden. In recent decades, studies have shown that spinal microglia play a principal role in the alterations in synaptic functions evoking this pain. It is also clear that the P2X4 receptor (P2X4R), a subtype of ionotropic ATP receptors, is upregulated exclusively in spinal microglia after PNI and plays a key role in evoking neuropathic pain. Neuropathic pain is caused by several conditions associated with activated microglia without nerve damage. ‘Microgliopathic pain’ is a new concept indicating such abnormal pain related to activated microglia.

scholarly journals On the Experimental Assessment of the Molecular-Scale Interactions between Wood and Water

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 616 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nayomi Z. Plaza
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Bound Water ◽  
Local Environment ◽  
Polymer Dynamics ◽  
Experimental Assessment ◽  
Molecular Scale ◽  
Computational Work ◽  
Durable Products ◽  
Unmodified Wood

Although molecular-scale wood-water interactions needed for moisture-durability can lead to the accelerated development of moisture-durable products, these interactions are often experimentally elusive. In this perspective, the topic’s state of the art understanding will be discussed, excluding computational work. Recent research efforts based on infrared spectroscopy methods have provided new insights in terms of the accessibility of the wood polymers and moisture-induced polymer dynamics. Likewise, neutron scattering and nuclear magnetic relaxometry experiments have shown that bound water can be found within more than one local environment inside the cell wall. However, a majority of the experiments have focused on studying extracted or derived polymers instead of unmodified wood. Thus, in this paper some of the questions that still need to be addressed experimentally will also be highlighted.

scholarly journals Landslide susceptibility assessment in the Peloritani Mts. (Sicily, Italy) and clues for tectonic control of relief processes

2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 949-963 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. De Guidi ◽  
S. Scudero
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Data ◽  
Landslide Susceptibility ◽  
Landscape Evolution ◽  
Statistical Technique ◽  
Slope Instability ◽  
Tectonic Activity ◽  
Medium Term ◽  
Tectonic History ◽  
Susceptibility Model ◽  
Morphological Processes

Abstract. Many destructive shallow landslides hit villages in the Peloritani Mountains area (Sicily, Italy) on 1 October 2009 after heavy rainfall. The collection of several types of spatial data, together with a landslide inventory, allows the assessment of the landslide susceptibility by applying a statistical technique. The susceptibility model was validated by performing an analysis in a test area using independent landslide information, the results being able to correctly predict more than 70% of the landslides. Furthermore, the susceptibility analysis allowed the identification of which combinations of classes, within the different factors, have greater relevance in slope instability, and afterwards associating the most unstable combinations (with a short–medium term incidence) with the endogenic processes acting in the area (huge regional uplift, fault activity). Geological and tectonic history are believed to be key to interpreting morphological processes and landscape evolution. Recent tectonic activity was found to be a very important controlling factor in landscape evolution. A geomorphological model of cyclical relief evolution is proposed in which endogenic processes are directly linked to superficial processes. The results are relevant both to risk reduction and the understanding of active geological dynamics.

scholarly journals Multi-Modal Regulation of Circadian Physiology by Interactive Features of Biological Clocks

Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 21
Author(s):  
Yool Lee ◽  
Jonathan P. Wisor
Keyword(s):  
Circadian Clock ◽  
Neurological Diseases ◽  
Night Shift ◽  
Hormone Secretion ◽  
Local Environment ◽  
Biological Clocks ◽  
Tightly Coupled ◽  
Peripheral Clocks ◽  
Living Organisms ◽  
Circadian Physiology

The circadian clock is a fundamental biological timing mechanism that generates nearly 24 h rhythms of physiology and behaviors, including sleep/wake cycles, hormone secretion, and metabolism. Evolutionarily, the endogenous clock is thought to confer living organisms, including humans, with survival benefits by adapting internal rhythms to the day and night cycles of the local environment. Mirroring the evolutionary fitness bestowed by the circadian clock, daily mismatches between the internal body clock and environmental cycles, such as irregular work (e.g., night shift work) and life schedules (e.g., jet lag, mistimed eating), have been recognized to increase the risk of cardiac, metabolic, and neurological diseases. Moreover, increasing numbers of studies with cellular and animal models have detected the presence of functional circadian oscillators at multiple levels, ranging from individual neurons and fibroblasts to brain and peripheral organs. These oscillators are tightly coupled to timely modulate cellular and bodily responses to physiological and metabolic cues. In this review, we will discuss the roles of central and peripheral clocks in physiology and diseases, highlighting the dynamic regulatory interactions between circadian timing systems and multiple metabolic factors.

scholarly journals Oscillating Reactions Meet Polymers at Interfaces

Materials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 2957
Author(s):  
Alina Osypova ◽  
Matthias Dübner ◽  
Guido Panzarasa
Keyword(s):  
Polymer Brushes ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Reaction Networks ◽  
Wide Field ◽  
Layer By Layer ◽  
Bz Reaction ◽  
Oscillating Reactions ◽  
Future Developments ◽  
Potential Applications ◽  
Living Organisms

Chemo-mechanical phenomena, including oscillations and peristaltic motions, are widespread in nature—just think of heartbeats—thanks to the ability of living organisms to convert directly chemical energy into mechanical work. Their imitation with artificial systems is still an open challenge. Chemical clocks and oscillators (such as the popular Belousov–Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction) are reaction networks characterized by the emergence of peculiar spatiotemporal dynamics. Their application to polymers at interfaces (grafted chains, layer-by-layer assemblies, and polymer brushes) offers great opportunities for developing novel smart biomimetic materials. Despite the wide field of potential applications, limited research has been carried out so far. Here, we aim to showcase the state-of-the-art of this fascinating field of investigation, highlighting the potential for future developments and providing a personal outlook.

Organic Synthesis

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglass F. Taber ◽  
Tristan Lambert
Keyword(s):  
Organic Synthesis ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Research Area ◽  
Organic Transformations ◽  
The Past ◽  
Catalytic Asymmetric Synthesis ◽  
New Methods ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Enantioselective Epoxidation ◽  
To Come

Organic synthesis is a vibrant and rapidly evolving field; chemists can now cyclize alkenes directly onto enones. Like the first five books in this series, Organic Synthesis: State of the Art 2013-2015 will lead readers quickly to the most important recent developments in a research area. This series offers chemists a way to stay abreast of what's new and exciting in organic synthesis. The cumulative reaction/transformation index of 2013-2015 outlines all significant new organic transformations over the past twelve years. Future volumes will continue to come out every two years. The 2013-2015 volume features the best new methods in subspecialties such as C-O, C-N and C-C ring construction, catalytic asymmetric synthesis, selective C-H functionalization, and enantioselective epoxidation. This text consolidates two years of Douglass Taber's popular weekly online column, "Organic Chemistry Highlights" as featured on the organic-chemistry.org website and also features cumulative indices of all six volumes in this series, going back twelve years.

scholarly journals Response to Discussion on “Improved Overlap-Based Undersampling for Imbalanced Dataset Classification with Application to Epilepsy and Parkinson’s Disease,”

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (09) ◽  
pp. 2075002
Author(s):  
Pattaramon Vuttipittayamongkol ◽  
Eyad Elyan
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Method Validation ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Statistical Tests ◽  
Behavioral Analysis ◽  
Supporting Evidence ◽  
Competitive Performance ◽  
Imbalanced Dataset ◽  
New Methods

In the paper Improved Overlap-Based Undersampling for Imbalanced Dataset Classification with Application to Epilepsy and Parkinson’s Disease, the authors introduced two new methods that address the class overlap problem in imbalanced datasets. The methods involve identification and removal of potentially overlapped majority class instances. Extensive evaluations were carried out using 136 datasets and compared against several state-of-the-art methods. Results showed competitive performance with those methods, and statistical tests proved significant improvement in classification results. The discussion on the paper related to the behavioral analysis of class overlap and method validation was raised by Fernández. In this article, the response to the discussion is delivered. Detailed clarification and supporting evidence to answer all the points raised are provided.

scholarly journals Special Issue: Genomic Analyses of Avian Evolution

Diversity ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 178
Author(s):  
Peter Houde
Keyword(s):  
Genome Organization ◽  
De Novo ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Phylogenetic Inference ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Model Species ◽  
De Novo Genome Assembly ◽  
Avian Evolution ◽  
New Methods ◽  
Genomic Analyses

“Genomic Analyses of Avian Evolution” is a “state of the art” showcase of the varied and rapidly evolving fields of inquiry enabled and driven by powerful new methods of genome sequencing and assembly as they are applied to some of the world’s most familiar and charismatic organisms—birds. The contributions to this Special Issue are as eclectic as avian genomics itself, but loosely interrelated by common underpinnings of phylogenetic inference, de novo genome assembly of non-model species, and genome organization and content.

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