Depth Camera-Based 3D Hand Gesture Controls with Immersive Tactile Feedback for Natural Mid-Air Gesture Interactions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kwangtaek Kim

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Vision-based hand gesture interactions are natural and intuitive when interacting with computers, since we naturally exploit gestures to communicate with other people. However, it is agreed that users suffer from discomfort and fatigue when using gesture-controlled interfaces, due to the lack of physical feedback. To solve the problem, we propose a novel complete solution of a hand gesture control system employing immersive tactile feedback to the user’s hand. For this goal, we first developed a fast and accurate hand-tracking algorithm with a Kinect sensor using the proposed MLBP (modified local binary pattern that can efficiently analyze 3D shapes in depth images. The superiority of our tracking method was verified in terms of tracking accuracy and speed by comparing with existing methods, Natural Interaction Technology for End-user (NITE, 3D Hand Tracker and CamShift. As the second step, a new tactile feedback technology with a piezoelectric actuator has been developed and integrated into the developed hand tracking algorithm, including the DTW (dynamic time warping gesture recognition algorithm for a complete solution of an immersive gesture control system. The quantitative and qualitative evaluations of the integrated system were conducted with human subjects, and the results demonstrate that our gesture control with tactile feedback is a promising technology compared to a vision-based gesture control system that has typically no feedback for the user’s gesture inputs. Our study provides researchers and designers with informative guidelines to develop more natural gesture control systems or immersive user interfaces with haptic feedback.

How to control chaotic behaviour and population size with proportional feedback

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liz, Eduardo, E-mail: eliz@dma.uvigo.e [Departamento de Matematica Aplicada II, E.T.S.E. Telecomunicacion, Universidade de Vigo, Campus Marcosende, 36310 Vigo (Spain)

2010-01-18

We study the control of chaos in one-dimensional discrete maps as they often occur in modelling population dynamics. For managing the population, we seek to suppress any possible chaotic behavior, leading the system to a stable equilibrium. In this Letter, we make a rigorous analysis of the proportional feedback method under certain conditions fulfilled by a wide family of maps. We show that it is possible to stabilize the chaotic dynamics towards a globally stable positive equilibrium, that can be chosen among a broad range of possible values. In particular, the size of the population can be enhanced by control in form of population reduction. This paradoxical phenomenon is known as the hydra effect, and it has important implications in the design of strategies in such areas as fishing, pest management, and conservation biology.

How to control chaotic behaviour and population size with proportional feedback

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liz, Eduardo

2010-01-01

We study the control of chaos in one-dimensional discrete maps as they often occur in modelling population dynamics. For managing the population, we seek to suppress any possible chaotic behavior, leading the system to a stable equilibrium. In this Letter, we make a rigorous analysis of the proportional feedback method under certain conditions fulfilled by a wide family of maps. We show that it is possible to stabilize the chaotic dynamics towards a globally stable positive equilibrium, that can be chosen among a broad range of possible values. In particular, the size of the population can be enhanced by control in form of population reduction. This paradoxical phenomenon is known as the hydra effect, and it has important implications in the design of strategies in such areas as fishing, pest management, and conservation biology.

Epigenetics in natural animal populations.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, J; Barrett, R D H

2017-09-01

Phenotypic plasticity is an important mechanism for populations to buffer themselves from environmental change. While it has long been appreciated that natural populations possess genetic variation in the extent of plasticity, a surge of recent evidence suggests that epigenetic variation could also play an important role in shaping phenotypic responses. Compared with genetic variation, epigenetic variation is more likely to have higher spontaneous rates of mutation and a more sensitive reaction to environmental inputs. In our review, we first provide an overview of recent studies on epigenetically encoded thermal plasticity in animals to illustrate environmentally-mediated epigenetic effects within and across generations. Second, we discuss the role of epigenetic effects during adaptation by exploring population epigenetics in natural animal populations. Finally, we evaluate the evolutionary potential of epigenetic variation depending on its autonomy from genetic variation and its transgenerational stability. Although many of the causal links between epigenetic variation and phenotypic plasticity remain elusive, new data has explored the role of epigenetic variation in facilitating evolution in natural populations. This recent progress in ecological epigenetics will be helpful for generating predictive models of the capacity of organisms to adapt to changing climates. © 2017 European Society For Evolutionary Biology. Journal of Evolutionary Biology © 2017 European Society For Evolutionary Biology.

Experimental test of an eco-evolutionary dynamic feedback loop between evolution and population density in the green peach aphid.

Science.gov (United States)

Turcotte, Martin M; Reznick, David N; Daniel Hare, J

2013-05-01

An eco-evolutionary feedback loop is defined as the reciprocal impacts of ecology on evolutionary dynamics and evolution on ecological dynamics on contemporary timescales. We experimentally tested for an eco-evolutionary feedback loop in the green peach aphid, Myzus persicae, by manipulating initial densities and evolution. We found strong evidence that initial aphid density alters the rate and direction of evolution, as measured by changes in genotype frequencies through time. We also found that evolution of aphids within only 16 days, or approximately three generations, alters the rate of population growth and predicts density compared to nonevolving controls. The impact of evolution on population dynamics also depended on density. In one evolution treatment, evolution accelerated population growth by up to 10.3% at high initial density or reduced it by up to 6.4% at low initial density. The impact of evolution on population growth was as strong as or stronger than that caused by a threefold change in intraspecific density. We found that, taken together, ecological condition, here intraspecific density, alters evolutionary dynamics, which in turn alter concurrent population growth rate (ecological dynamics) in an eco-evolutionary feedback loop. Our results suggest that ignoring evolution in studies predicting population dynamics might lead us to over- or underestimate population density and that we cannot predict the evolutionary outcome within aphid populations without considering population size.

Physician Perceptions of Performance Feedback in a Quality Improvement Activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Eden, Aimee R; Hansen, Elizabeth; Hagen, Michael D; Peterson, Lars E

2017-10-01

Physician performance and peer comparison feedback can affect physician care quality and patient outcomes. This study aimed to understand family physician perspectives of the value of performance feedback in quality improvement (QI) activities. This study analyzed American Board of Family Medicine open-ended survey data collected between 2004 and 2014 from physicians who completed a QI module that provided pre- and post-QI project individual performance data and peer comparisons. Physicians made 3480 comments in response to a question about this performance feedback, which were generally positive in nature (86%). Main themes that emerged were importance of accurate feedback data, enhanced detail in the content of feedback, and ability to customize peer comparison groups to compare performance to peers with similar patient populations or practice characteristics. Meaningful and tailored performance feedback may be an important tool for physicians to improve their care quality and should be considered an integral part of QI project design.

Giving Feedback: Development of Scales for the Mum Effect, Discomfort Giving Feedback, and Feedback Medium Preference

Science.gov (United States)

Cox, Susie S.; Marler, Laura E.; Simmering, Marcia J.; Totten, Jeff W.

2011-01-01

Research in organizational behavior and human resources promotes the view that it is critical for managers to provide accurate feedback to employees, yet little research addresses rater tendencies (i.e., the "mum effect") and attitudes that influence how performance feedback is given. Because technology has changed the nature of…

Morpho-phenological diversity among natural populations of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

... the high levels of within population variation and the lack of correlation between population differentiation and geographical distances suggest a potentially important rate of long-distance seed dispersal and confirm the role played by natural selection in the population structure of Tunisian populations of M. polymorpha.

Explaining stasis: microevolutionary studies in natural populations.

Science.gov (United States)

Merilä, J; Sheldon, B C; Kruuk, L E

2001-01-01

Microevolution, defined as a change in the genetic constitution of a population over time, is considered to be of commonplace occurrence in nature. Its ubiquity can be inferred from the observation that quantitative genetic divergence among populations usually exceeds that to be expected due to genetic drift alone, and from numerous observations and experiments consistent with local adaptation. Experimental manipulations in natural populations have provided evidence that rapid evolutionary responses may occur in the wild. However, there are remarkably few cases where direct observations of natural populations have revealed microevolutionary changes occurring, despite the frequent demonstration of additive genetic variation and strong directional selection for particular traits. Those few cases where responses congruent with expectation have been demonstrated are restricted to changes over one generation. In this article we focus on possible explanations as to why heritable traits under apparently strong directional selection often fail to show the expected evolutionary response. To date, few of these explanations for apparent stasis have been amenable to empirical testing. We describe new methods, derived from procedures developed by animal breeding scientists, which can be used to address these explanations, and illustrate the approach with examples from long-term studies of collared flycatchers (Ficedula albicollis) and red deer (Cervus elaphus). Understanding why most intensively studied natural populations do not appear to be evolving is an important challenge for evolutionary biology.

BREATHING FIRE: HOW STELLAR FEEDBACK DRIVES RADIAL MIGRATION, RAPID SIZE FLUCTUATIONS, AND POPULATION GRADIENTS IN LOW-MASS GALAXIES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

El-Badry, Kareem; Geha, Marla; Wetzel, Andrew; Hopkins, Philip F.; Kereš, Dusan; Chan, T. K.; Faucher-Giguère, Claude-André

2016-01-01

We examine the effects of stellar feedback and bursty star formation on low-mass galaxies (M star  = 2 × 10 6  − 5 × 10 10 M ⊙ ) using the Feedback in Realistic Environments (FIRE) simulations. While previous studies emphasized the impact of feedback on dark matter profiles, we investigate the impact on the stellar component: kinematics, radial migration, size evolution, and population gradients. Feedback-driven outflows/inflows drive significant radial stellar migration over both short and long timescales via two processes: (1) outflowing/infalling gas can remain star-forming, producing young stars that migrate ∼1 kpc within their first 100 Myr, and (2) gas outflows/inflows drive strong fluctuations in the global potential, transferring energy to all stars. These processes produce several dramatic effects. First, galaxies’ effective radii can fluctuate by factors of >2 over ∼200 Myr, and these rapid size fluctuations can account for much of the observed scatter in the radius at fixed M star . Second, the cumulative effects of many outflow/infall episodes steadily heat stellar orbits, causing old stars to migrate outward most strongly. This age-dependent radial migration mixes—and even inverts—intrinsic age and metallicity gradients. Thus, the galactic-archaeology approach of calculating radial star formation histories from stellar populations at z = 0 can be severely biased. These effects are strongest at M star  ≈ 10 7–9.6 M ⊙ , the same regime where feedback most efficiently cores galaxies. Thus, detailed measurements of stellar kinematics in low-mass galaxies can strongly constrain feedback models and test baryonic solutions to small-scale problems in ΛCDM

On the nature of the sea ice albedo feedback in simple models

OpenAIRE

Moon, Woosok; Wettlaufer, John S.

2013-01-01

We examine the nature of the ice-albedo feedback in a long standing approach used in the dynamic-thermodynamic modeling of sea ice. The central issue examined is how the evolution of the ice area is treated when modeling a partial ice cover using a two-category-thickness scheme; thin sea ice and open water in one category and "thick" sea ice in the second. The problem with the scheme is that the area-evolution is handled in a manner that violates the basic rules of calculus, which leads to a ...

BREATHING FIRE: HOW STELLAR FEEDBACK DRIVES RADIAL MIGRATION, RAPID SIZE FLUCTUATIONS, AND POPULATION GRADIENTS IN LOW-MASS GALAXIES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

El-Badry, Kareem; Geha, Marla [Department of Astronomy, Yale University, New Haven, CT (United States); Wetzel, Andrew; Hopkins, Philip F. [TAPIR, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA USA (United States); Kereš, Dusan; Chan, T. K. [Department of Physics, Center for Astrophysics and Space Sciences, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla (United States); Faucher-Giguère, Claude-André, E-mail: kareem.el-badry@yale.edu [Department of Physics and Astronomy and CIERA, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL (United States)

2016-04-01

We examine the effects of stellar feedback and bursty star formation on low-mass galaxies (M{sub star} = 2 × 10{sup 6} − 5 × 10{sup 10} M{sub ⊙}) using the Feedback in Realistic Environments (FIRE) simulations. While previous studies emphasized the impact of feedback on dark matter profiles, we investigate the impact on the stellar component: kinematics, radial migration, size evolution, and population gradients. Feedback-driven outflows/inflows drive significant radial stellar migration over both short and long timescales via two processes: (1) outflowing/infalling gas can remain star-forming, producing young stars that migrate ∼1 kpc within their first 100 Myr, and (2) gas outflows/inflows drive strong fluctuations in the global potential, transferring energy to all stars. These processes produce several dramatic effects. First, galaxies’ effective radii can fluctuate by factors of >2 over ∼200 Myr, and these rapid size fluctuations can account for much of the observed scatter in the radius at fixed M{sub star}. Second, the cumulative effects of many outflow/infall episodes steadily heat stellar orbits, causing old stars to migrate outward most strongly. This age-dependent radial migration mixes—and even inverts—intrinsic age and metallicity gradients. Thus, the galactic-archaeology approach of calculating radial star formation histories from stellar populations at z = 0 can be severely biased. These effects are strongest at M{sub star} ≈ 10{sup 7–9.6} M{sub ⊙}, the same regime where feedback most efficiently cores galaxies. Thus, detailed measurements of stellar kinematics in low-mass galaxies can strongly constrain feedback models and test baryonic solutions to small-scale problems in ΛCDM.

Natural Selection in Large Populations

Science.gov (United States)

Desai, Michael

2011-03-01

I will discuss theoretical and experimental approaches to the evolutionary dynamics and population genetics of natural selection in large populations. In these populations, many mutations are often present simultaneously, and because recombination is limited, selection cannot act on them all independently. Rather, it can only affect whole combinations of mutations linked together on the same chromosome. Methods common in theoretical population genetics have been of limited utility in analyzing this coupling between the fates of different mutations. In the past few years it has become increasingly clear that this is a crucial gap in our understanding, as sequence data has begun to show that selection appears to act pervasively on many linked sites in a wide range of populations, including viruses, microbes, Drosophila, and humans. I will describe approaches that combine analytical tools drawn from statistical physics and dynamical systems with traditional methods in theoretical population genetics to address this problem, and describe how experiments in budding yeast can help us directly observe these evolutionary dynamics.

AIED 2009 Workshops Proceeedings Volume 10: Natural Language Processing in Support of Learning: Metrics, Feedback and Connectivity

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dessus, Philippe; Trausan-Matu, Stefan; Van Rosmalen, Peter; Wild, Fridolin

2009-01-01

Dessus, P., Trausan-Matu, S., Van Rosmalen, P., & Wild, F. (Eds.) (2009). AIED 2009 Workshops Proceedings Volume 10 Natural Language Processing in Support of Learning: Metrics, Feedback and Connectivity. In S. D. Craig & D. Dicheva (Eds.), AIED 2009: 14th International Conference in Artificial

Feedback på arbejdspladser

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Holdt Christensen, Peter

Feedback på arbejdspladser er vigtig. Men feedback er også et populært begreb mange taler med om uden dog at vide sig helt sikker på hvad det er. Formålet med denne bog er at bidrage til en bedre forståelse af hvad feedback er, hvordan det fungerer og dermed hvordan arbejdspladser bedst muligt bør...... understøtte feedback. Med udgangspunkt i forskningen identificeres centrale udfordringer ved feedback, bl.a. hvorfor det kan være svært at give præcis feedback, hvordan forholdet mellem lederen og den ansatte påvirker den feedback der gives, og hvad der kendetegner en feedback kultur. Bogen er skrevet til...... undervisere og studerende på videregående uddannelser samt praktikere der ønsker en systematisk og forskningsbaseret forståelse af feedback på arbejdspladser. Bogen er således ikke en kogebog til bedre feedback, men en analyse og diskussion af hvad forskningen ved om feedback, og bidrager med inspiration og...

'Peer feedback' voor huisartsopleiders

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Damoiseaux, R A M J; Truijens, L

2016-01-01

In medical specialist training programmes it is common practice for residents to provide feedback to their medical trainers. The problem is that due to its anonymous nature, the feedback often lacks the specificity necessary to improve the performance of trainers. If anonymity is to be abolished,

Towards a Population Dynamics Theory for Evolutionary Computing: Learning from Biological Population Dynamics in Nature

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Zhanshan (Sam)

In evolutionary computing (EC), population size is one of the critical parameters that a researcher has to deal with. Hence, it was no surprise that the pioneers of EC, such as De Jong (1975) and Holland (1975), had already studied the population sizing from the very beginning of EC. What is perhaps surprising is that more than three decades later, we still largely depend on the experience or ad-hoc trial-and-error approach to set the population size. For example, in a recent monograph, Eiben and Smith (2003) indicated: "In almost all EC applications, the population size is constant and does not change during the evolutionary search." Despite enormous research on this issue in recent years, we still lack a well accepted theory for population sizing. In this paper, I propose to develop a population dynamics theory forEC with the inspiration from the population dynamics theory of biological populations in nature. Essentially, the EC population is considered as a dynamic system over time (generations) and space (search space or fitness landscape), similar to the spatial and temporal dynamics of biological populations in nature. With this conceptual mapping, I propose to 'transplant' the biological population dynamics theory to EC via three steps: (i) experimentally test the feasibility—whether or not emulating natural population dynamics improves the EC performance; (ii) comparatively study the underlying mechanisms—why there are improvements, primarily via statistical modeling analysis; (iii) conduct theoretical analysis with theoretical models such as percolation theory and extended evolutionary game theory that are generally applicable to both EC and natural populations. This article is a summary of a series of studies we have performed to achieve the general goal [27][30]-[32]. In the following, I start with an extremely brief introduction on the theory and models of natural population dynamics (Sections 1 & 2). In Sections 4 to 6, I briefly discuss three

Students' Informal Peer Feedback Networks

Science.gov (United States)

Headington, Rita

2018-01-01

The nature and significance of students' informal peer feedback networks is an under-explored area. This paper offers the findings of a longitudinal investigation of the informal peer feedback networks of a cohort of student teachers [n = 105] across the three years of a UK primary education degree programme. It tracked the dynamic nature of these…

The Nature of Feedback Given to Elementary Student Teachers from University Supervisors after Observations of Mathematics Lessons

Science.gov (United States)

Schwartz, Catherine; Walkowiak, Temple A.; Poling, Lisa; Richardson, Kerri; Polly, Drew

2018-01-01

This research explores the frequency and nature of mathematics-specific feedback given to elementary student teachers by university supervisors across a collection of post-lesson observation forms. Approximately one-third of the forms (n = 250) analysed from five large universities had no comments related to mathematics. Forms that did have…

Quantitative variation in natural populations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parsons, P.A.

1975-01-01

Quantitative variation is considered in natural populations using Drosophila as the example. A knowledge of such variation enables its rapid exploitation in directional selection experiments as shown for scutellar chaeta number. Where evidence has been obtained, genetic architectures are in qualitative agreement with Mather's concept of balance for traits under stabilizing selection. Additive genetic control is found for acute environmental stresses, but not for less acute stresses as shown by exposure to 60 Co-γ rays. D. simulans probably has a narrower ecological niche than its sibling species D. melanogaster associated with lower genetic heterogeneity. One specific environmental stress to which D. simulans is sensitive in nature is ethyl alcohol as shown by winery data. (U.S.)

On the nature of the sea ice albedo feedback in simple models.

Science.gov (United States)

Moon, W; Wettlaufer, J S

2014-08-01

We examine the nature of the ice-albedo feedback in a long-standing approach used in the dynamic-thermodynamic modeling of sea ice. The central issue examined is how the evolution of the ice area is treated when modeling a partial ice cover using a two-category-thickness scheme; thin sea ice and open water in one category and "thick" sea ice in the second. The problem with the scheme is that the area evolution is handled in a manner that violates the basic rules of calculus, which leads to a neglected area evolution term that is equivalent to neglecting a leading-order latent heat flux. We demonstrate the consequences by constructing energy balance models with a fractional ice cover and studying them under the influence of increased radiative forcing. It is shown that the neglected flux is particularly important in a decaying ice cover approaching the transitions to seasonal or ice-free conditions. Clearly, a mishandling of the evolution of the ice area has leading-order effects on the ice-albedo feedback. Accordingly, it may be of considerable importance to reexamine the relevant climate model schemes and to begin the process of converting them to fully resolve the sea ice thickness distribution in a manner such as remapping, which does not in principle suffer from the pathology we describe.

Cavity-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy of Natural Gas with Optical Feedback cw-Diode Lasers.

Science.gov (United States)

Hippler, Michael

2015-08-04

We report on improvements made on our previously introduced technique of cavity-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (CERS) with optical feedback cw-diode lasers in the gas phase, including a new mode-matching procedure which keeps the laser in resonance with the optical cavity without inducing long-term frequency shifts of the laser, and using a new CCD camera with improved noise performance. With 10 mW of 636.2 nm diode laser excitation and 30 s integration time, cavity enhancement achieves noise-equivalent detection limits below 1 mbar at 1 bar total pressure, depending on Raman cross sections. Detection limits can be easily improved using higher power diodes. We further demonstrate a relevant analytical application of CERS, the multicomponent analysis of natural gas samples. Several spectroscopic features have been identified and characterized. CERS with low power diode lasers is suitable for online monitoring of natural gas mixtures with sensitivity and spectroscopic selectivity, including monitoring H2, H2S, N2, CO2, and alkanes.

Adaptation of natural drosophila populations from radiocontaminated areas of Belarus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mosseh, I.B.; Glushkova, I.V.; Anoshenko, I.P.; Aksyutik, T.V.

2005-01-01

Genetic monitoring of natural drosophila populations from the area radiation contaminated due to Chernobyl accident (Vetka district of Gomel region) and from the control area (Byarehzinski National Reserve) had been conducted. Flies from radiation contaminated area were shown to be much more adapted to irradiation than insects from the control region. Then the population samples were kept under laboratory condition without irradiation for 8 generations. Adaptation of Vetka population to irradiation remained.. Besides the control population became also more resistant to ionizing radiation. Keeping of natural populations under laboratory or vivarium conditions is a strong stress (limited space, overpopulation, other than in nature temperature and light conditions), which increases mutation process and induces unspecific adaptation. These facts should be taken into account in studying dynamics of the mutation level during radionuclide removal in animals caught in radiation contaminated regions and placed in vivarium conditions. (authors)

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal diversity and natural enemies promote coexistence of tropical tree species

Science.gov (United States)

Benedicte Bachelot; María Uriarte; Krista L. McGuire; Jill Thompson; Jess Zimmerman

2017-01-01

Negative population feedbacks mediated by natural enemies can promote species coexistence at the community scale through disproportionate mortality of numerically dominant (common) tree species. Simultaneously, associations with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can result in positive effects on tree populations. Coupling data on seedling foliar damage from herbivores...

Robust permanence for ecological equations with internal and external feedbacks.

Science.gov (United States)

Patel, Swati; Schreiber, Sebastian J

2018-07-01

Species experience both internal feedbacks with endogenous factors such as trait evolution and external feedbacks with exogenous factors such as weather. These feedbacks can play an important role in determining whether populations persist or communities of species coexist. To provide a general mathematical framework for studying these effects, we develop a theorem for coexistence for ecological models accounting for internal and external feedbacks. Specifically, we use average Lyapunov functions and Morse decompositions to develop sufficient and necessary conditions for robust permanence, a form of coexistence robust to large perturbations of the population densities and small structural perturbations of the models. We illustrate how our results can be applied to verify permanence in non-autonomous models, structured population models, including those with frequency-dependent feedbacks, and models of eco-evolutionary dynamics. In these applications, we discuss how our results relate to previous results for models with particular types of feedbacks.

Ombud’s Corner: the gift of feedback

CERN Multimedia

Sudeshna Datta-Cockerill

2016-01-01

Dealing with feedback is an essential part of any learning process. Taking into account other people’s perceptions of what we do or say can be a very valuable insight into ways in which we can develop and improve our performance. However, knowing how to give feedback does not come naturally, and we can all gain from developing this skill.   In the workplace, feedback can be considered a gift when delivered with positive intent and empathy. It is a two-way process and everyone – supervisors and staff alike – can benefit from listening to feedback from others. Giving feedback effectively, however, can sometimes present a challenge, and it is certainly in everyone’s interest to invest in learning how to deliver honest and appropriate messages in the most constructive way possible. Feedback is often of a sensitive nature and it can backfire badly if it is delivered at the wrong time (e.g. too late) or in the wrong place (e.g. during team meetings as opposed to ...

Learning receptive fields using predictive feedback.

Science.gov (United States)

Jehee, Janneke F M; Rothkopf, Constantin; Beck, Jeffrey M; Ballard, Dana H

2006-01-01

Previously, it was suggested that feedback connections from higher- to lower-level areas carry predictions of lower-level neural activities, whereas feedforward connections carry the residual error between the predictions and the actual lower-level activities [Rao, R.P.N., Ballard, D.H., 1999. Nature Neuroscience 2, 79-87.]. A computational model implementing the hypothesis learned simple cell receptive fields when exposed to natural images. Here, we use predictive feedback to explain tuning properties in medial superior temporal area (MST). We implement the hypothesis using a new, biologically plausible, algorithm based on matching pursuit, which retains all the features of the previous implementation, including its ability to efficiently encode input. When presented with natural images, the model developed receptive field properties as found in primary visual cortex. In addition, when exposed to visual motion input resulting from movements through space, the model learned receptive field properties resembling those in MST. These results corroborate the idea that predictive feedback is a general principle used by the visual system to efficiently encode natural input.

GLOBULAR CLUSTER FORMATION EFFICIENCIES FROM BLACK HOLE X-RAY BINARY FEEDBACK

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Justham, Stephen [The Key Laboratory of Optical Astronomy, National Astronomical Observatories, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Datun Road, Beijing 100012 (China); Peng, Eric W. [Department of Astronomy, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); Schawinski, Kevin, E-mail: sjustham@nao.cas.cn [Institute for Astronomy, ETH Zurich, Wolfgang-Pauli-Strasse 27, 8093 Zurich (Switzerland)

2015-08-10

We investigate a scenario in which feedback from black hole X-ray binaries (BHXBs) sometimes begins inside young star clusters before strong supernova (SN) feedback. Those BHXBs could reduce the gas fraction inside embedded young clusters while maintaining virial equilibrium, which may help globular clusters (GCs) to stay bound when SN-driven gas ejection subsequently occurs. Adopting a simple toy model with parameters guided by BHXB population models, we produce GC formation efficiencies consistent with empirically inferred values. The metallicity dependence of BHXB formation could naturally explain why GC formation efficiency is higher at lower metallicity. For reasonable assumptions about that metallicity dependence, our toy model can produce a GC metallicity bimodality in some galaxies without a bimodality in the field-star metallicity distribution.

Natural Environment Suitability of China and Its Relationship with Population Distributions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaohuan Yang

2009-12-01

Full Text Available The natural environment factor is one of the main indexes for evaluating human habitats, sustained economic growth and ecological health status. Based on Geographic Information System (GIS technology and an analytic hierarchy process method, this article presents the construction of the Natural Environment Suitability Index (NESI model of China by using natural environment data including climate, hydrology, surface configuration and ecological conditions. The NESI value is calculated in grids of 1 km by 1 km through ArcGIS. The spatial regularity of NESI is analyzed according to its spatial distribution and proportional structure. The relationship of NESI with population distribution and economic growth is also discussed by analyzing NESI results with population distribution data and GDP data in 1 km by 1 km grids. The study shows that: (1 the value of NESI is higher in the East and lower in the West in China; The best natural environment area is the Yangtze River Delta region and the worst are the northwest of Tibet and southwest of Xinjiang. (2 There is a close correlation among natural environment, population distribution and economic growth; the best natural environment area, the Yangtze River Delta region, is also the region with higher population density and richer economy. The worst natural environment areas, Northwest and Tibetan Plateau, are also regions with lower population density and poorer economies.

Natural Environment Suitability of China and Its Relationship with Population Distributions

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Xiaohuan; Ma, Hanqing

2009-01-01

The natural environment factor is one of the main indexes for evaluating human habitats, sustained economic growth and ecological health status. Based on Geographic Information System (GIS) technology and an analytic hierarchy process method, this article presents the construction of the Natural Environment Suitability Index (NESI) model of China by using natural environment data including climate, hydrology, surface configuration and ecological conditions. The NESI value is calculated in grids of 1 km by 1 km through ArcGIS. The spatial regularity of NESI is analyzed according to its spatial distribution and proportional structure. The relationship of NESI with population distribution and economic growth is also discussed by analyzing NESI results with population distribution data and GDP data in 1 km by 1 km grids. The study shows that: (1) the value of NESI is higher in the East and lower in the West in China; The best natural environment area is the Yangtze River Delta region and the worst are the northwest of Tibet and southwest of Xinjiang. (2) There is a close correlation among natural environment, population distribution and economic growth; the best natural environment area, the Yangtze River Delta region, is also the region with higher population density and richer economy. The worst natural environment areas, Northwest and Tibetan Plateau, are also regions with lower population density and poorer economies. PMID:20049243

Decorrelation of Neural-Network Activity by Inhibitory Feedback

Science.gov (United States)

Einevoll, Gaute T.; Diesmann, Markus

2012-01-01

Correlations in spike-train ensembles can seriously impair the encoding of information by their spatio-temporal structure. An inevitable source of correlation in finite neural networks is common presynaptic input to pairs of neurons. Recent studies demonstrate that spike correlations in recurrent neural networks are considerably smaller than expected based on the amount of shared presynaptic input. Here, we explain this observation by means of a linear network model and simulations of networks of leaky integrate-and-fire neurons. We show that inhibitory feedback efficiently suppresses pairwise correlations and, hence, population-rate fluctuations, thereby assigning inhibitory neurons the new role of active decorrelation. We quantify this decorrelation by comparing the responses of the intact recurrent network (feedback system) and systems where the statistics of the feedback channel is perturbed (feedforward system). Manipulations of the feedback statistics can lead to a significant increase in the power and coherence of the population response. In particular, neglecting correlations within the ensemble of feedback channels or between the external stimulus and the feedback amplifies population-rate fluctuations by orders of magnitude. The fluctuation suppression in homogeneous inhibitory networks is explained by a negative feedback loop in the one-dimensional dynamics of the compound activity. Similarly, a change of coordinates exposes an effective negative feedback loop in the compound dynamics of stable excitatory-inhibitory networks. The suppression of input correlations in finite networks is explained by the population averaged correlations in the linear network model: In purely inhibitory networks, shared-input correlations are canceled by negative spike-train correlations. In excitatory-inhibitory networks, spike-train correlations are typically positive. Here, the suppression of input correlations is not a result of the mere existence of correlations between

Natural equilibria in steady-state neutron diffusion with temperature feedback

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pounders, J. M.; Ingram, R.

2013-01-01

The critical diffusion equation with feedback is investigated within the context of steady-state multiphysics. It is proposed that for critical configurations there is no need to include the multiplication factor k in the formulation of the diffusion equation. This is notable because exclusion of k from the coupled system of equations precludes the mathematically tenuous notion of a nonlinear eigenvalue problem. On the other hand, it is shown that if the factor k is retained in the diffusion equation, as is currently common practice, then the resulting problem is equivalent to the constrained minimization of a functional representing the critical equilibrium of neutron and temperature distributions. The unconstrained solution corresponding to k = 1 represents the natural equilibrium of a critical system at steady-state. Computational methods for solving the constrained problem (with k) are briefly reviewed from the literature and a method for the unconstrained problem (without k) is outlined. A numerical example is studied to examine the effects of the constraint in the nonlinear system. (authors)

Feedback on students' clinical reasoning skills during fieldwork education.

Science.gov (United States)

de Beer, Marianne; Mårtensson, Lena

2015-08-01

Feedback on clinical reasoning skills during fieldwork education is regarded as vital in occupational therapy students' professional development. The nature of supervisors' feedback however, could be confirmative and/or corrective and corrective feedback could be with or without suggestions on how to improve. The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of supervisors' feedback on final-year occupational therapy students' clinical reasoning skills through comparing the nature of feedback with the students' subsequent clinical reasoning ability. A mixed-method approach with a convergent parallel design was used combining the collection and analysis of qualitative and quantitative data. From focus groups and interviews with students, data were collected and analysed qualitatively to determine how the students experienced the feedback they received from their supervisors. By quantitatively comparing the final practical exam grades with the nature of the feedback, their fieldwork End-of-Term grades and average academic performance it became possible to merge the results for comparison and interpretation. Students' clinical reasoning skills seem to be improved through corrective feedback if accompanied by suggestions on how to improve, irrespective of their average academic performance. Supervisors were inclined to underrate high performing students and overrate lower performing students. Students who obtained higher grades in the final practical examinations received more corrective feedback with suggestions on how to improve from their supervisors. Confirmative feedback alone may not be sufficient for improving the clinical reasoning skills of students. © 2015 The Authors. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal published by Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd on behalf of Occupational Therapy Australia.

The population of natural Earth satellites

Science.gov (United States)

Granvik, Mikael; Vaubaillon, Jeremie; Jedicke, Robert

2012-03-01

We have for the first time calculated the population characteristics of the Earth’s irregular natural satellites (NESs) that are temporarily captured from the near-Earth-object (NEO) population. The steady-state NES size-frequency and residence-time distributions were determined under the dynamical influence of all the massive bodies in the Solar System (but mainly the Sun, Earth, and Moon) for NEOs of negligible mass. To this end, we compute the NES capture probability from the NEO population as a function of the latter’s heliocentric orbital elements and combine those results with the current best estimates for the NEO size-frequency and orbital distribution. At any given time there should be at least one NES of 1-m diameter orbiting the Earth. The average temporarily-captured orbiter (TCO; an object that makes at least one revolution around the Earth in a co-rotating coordinate system) completes (2.88 ± 0.82) rev around the Earth during a capture event that lasts (286 ± 18) d. We find a small preference for capture events starting in either January or July. Our results are consistent with the single known natural TCO, 2006 RH120, a few-meter diameter object that was captured for about a year starting in June 2006. We estimate that about 0.1% of all meteors impacting the Earth were TCOs.

Population Genetics and Natural Selection in Rheumatic Disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Ramos, Paula S

2017-08-01

Human genetic diversity is the result of population genetic forces. This genetic variation influences disease risk and contributes to health disparities. Natural selection is an important influence on human genetic variation. Because immune and inflammatory function genes are enriched for signals of positive selection, the prevalence of rheumatic disease-risk alleles seen in different populations is partially the result of differing selective pressures (eg, due to pathogens). This review summarizes the genetic regions associated with susceptibility to different rheumatic diseases and concomitant evidence for natural selection, including known agents of selection exerting selective pressure in these regions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Rapid evolution leads to differential population dynamics and top-down control in resurrected Daphnia populations.

Science.gov (United States)

Goitom, Eyerusalem; Kilsdonk, Laurens J; Brans, Kristien; Jansen, Mieke; Lemmens, Pieter; De Meester, Luc

2018-01-01

There is growing evidence of rapid genetic adaptation of natural populations to environmental change, opening the perspective that evolutionary trait change may subsequently impact ecological processes such as population dynamics, community composition, and ecosystem functioning. To study such eco-evolutionary feedbacks in natural populations, however, requires samples across time. Here, we capitalize on a resurrection ecology study that documented rapid and adaptive evolution in a natural population of the water flea Daphnia magna in response to strong changes in predation pressure by fish, and carry out a follow-up mesocosm experiment to test whether the observed genetic changes influence population dynamics and top-down control of phytoplankton. We inoculated populations of the water flea D. magna derived from three time periods of the same natural population known to have genetically adapted to changes in predation pressure in replicate mesocosms and monitored both Daphnia population densities and phytoplankton biomass in the presence and absence of fish. Our results revealed differences in population dynamics and top-down control of algae between mesocosms harboring populations from the time period before, during, and after a peak in fish predation pressure caused by human fish stocking. The differences, however, deviated from our a priori expectations. An S-map approach on time series revealed that the interactions between adults and juveniles strongly impacted the dynamics of populations and their top-down control on algae in the mesocosms, and that the strength of these interactions was modulated by rapid evolution as it occurred in nature. Our study provides an example of an evolutionary response that fundamentally alters the processes structuring population dynamics and impacts ecosystem features.

Feedback effect of human physical and psychological adaption on time period of thermal adaption in naturally ventilated building

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

liu, weiwei; Huangfu, Hao; Xiong, Jing

2014-01-01

This study proposed a method to determine time period of thermal adaption for occupants in naturally ventilated building, and analyzed the synergistic and separate feedback effect of the physical and psychological adaption modes on the time period of thermal adaption. Using the method, the values...... of the time period of thermal adaption were obtained on the basis of the data from a long-term field survey conducted in two typical naturally ventilated offices located in Changsha, China. The results showed that the occupants need to take 4.25 days to fully adapt to a step-change in outdoor air temperature...

Natural selection and infectious disease in human populations

Science.gov (United States)

Karlsson, Elinor K.; Kwiatkowski, Dominic P.; Sabeti, Pardis C.

2015-01-01

The ancient biological 'arms race' between microbial pathogens and humans has shaped genetic variation in modern populations, and this has important implications for the growing field of medical genomics. As humans migrated throughout the world, populations encountered distinct pathogens, and natural selection increased the prevalence of alleles that are advantageous in the new ecosystems in both host and pathogens. This ancient history now influences human infectious disease susceptibility and microbiome homeostasis, and contributes to common diseases that show geographical disparities, such as autoimmune and metabolic disorders. Using new high-throughput technologies, analytical methods and expanding public data resources, the investigation of natural selection is leading to new insights into the function and dysfunction of human biology. PMID:24776769

The Relationship between Natural Resources and Population Development in Liaocheng City

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

2011-01-01

According to the relevant data about the land resources and population in Liaocheng City from 1999 to 2008, by using the research method of bearing capacity of natural resources, the thesis analyzes the relationship between natural resources and dynamic change of population in Liaocheng City. The results show that the farmland tends to diminish on the whole, and forests, garden land, urban-rural settlements and land for enterprises and mining increase slowly. Based on the analysis of the dynamic relationship between land resources and population, we conclude that the land resources still can bear the current population in Liaocheng City, but the population development inflict critical pressure on the forest resources and water resources.

Feedback in analog circuits

CERN Document Server

Ochoa, Agustin

2016-01-01

This book describes a consistent and direct methodology to the analysis and design of analog circuits with particular application to circuits containing feedback. The analysis and design of circuits containing feedback is generally presented by either following a series of examples where each circuit is simplified through the use of insight or experience (someone else’s), or a complete nodal-matrix analysis generating lots of algebra. Neither of these approaches leads to gaining insight into the design process easily. The author develops a systematic approach to circuit analysis, the Driving Point Impedance and Signal Flow Graphs (DPI/SFG) method that does not require a-priori insight to the circuit being considered and results in factored analysis supporting the design function. This approach enables designers to account fully for loading and the bi-directional nature of elements both in the feedback path and in the amplifier itself, properties many times assumed negligible and ignored. Feedback circuits a...

Species conservation and natural variation among populations [Chapter 5

Science.gov (United States)

Leonard F. Ruggiero; Michael K. Schwartz; Keith B. Aubry; Charles J. Krebs; Amanda Stanley; Steven W. Buskirk

2000-01-01

In conservation planning, the importance of natural variation is often given inadequate consideration. However, ignoring the implications of variation within species may result in conservation strategies that jeopardize, rather than conserve, target species (see Grieg 1979; Turcek 1951; Storfer 1999). Natural variation in the traits of individuals and populations is...

Evaluation of natural radiation exposure of the French population

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Billon, S.; Morin, A.; Baysson, H.; Gambard, J.P.; Rannou, A.; Tirmarche, M.; Laurier, D.; Caer, S.

2004-01-01

Exposure of the French population to ionising radiation is mainly due to natural radiation (i.e. exposure through: inhalation of radon decay products, external radiation of terrestrial and cosmic origin and water and food ingestion). In an epidemiological context, it is necessary to estimate as precisely as possible the population exposure, in order to study its influence on health indicators. In this aim, indicators of population exposure should be created taking into account results of environmental measurements by controlling the different factors that may influence these measurements (dwelling characteristics, seasonal variations, population density). The distribution of these exposures should also be studied at different geographical levels (department, job area). This work updates the estimation of the French population exposure to natural radiation. Radon exposure indicators have been based on concentrations measured in dwellings, corrected on season and dwelling characteristics (departmental range: 19-297 Bq/m 3 ). Indicators of terrestrial gamma ray exposure have been based on measured indoor and outdoor dose rates adjusted on dwelling characteristics (22-95 nSv/h). Cosmic ray exposure has been evaluated from altitude and weighted by population density (0.27-0.38 mSv/yr). Due to these three components, the effective annual dose was estimated to be at 2.2 mSv. (author)

Real-time vision, tactile cues, and visual form agnosia in pantomimed grasping: removing haptic feedback induces a switch from natural to pantomime-like grasps

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robert Leslie Whitwell

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Investigators study the kinematics of grasping movements (prehension under a variety of conditions to probe visuomotor function in normal and brain-damaged individuals. When patient DF, who suffers from visual form agnosia, performs natural grasps, her in-flight hand aperture is scaled to the widths of targets ('grip scaling' that she cannot discriminate amongst. In contrast, when DF's pantomime grasps are based on a memory of a previewed object, her grip scaling is very poor. Her failure on this task has been interpreted as additional support for the dissociation between the use of object vision for action and object vision for perception. Curiously, however, when DF directs her pantomimed grasps towards a displaced imagined copy of a visible object where her fingers make contact with the surface of the table, her grip scaling does not appear to be particularly poor. In the first of two experiments, we revisit this previous work and show that her grip scaling in this real-time pantomime grasping task does not differ from controls, suggesting that terminal tactile feedback from a proxy of the target can maintain DF's grip scaling. In a second experiment with healthy participants, we tested a recent variant of a grasping task in which no tactile feedback is available (i.e. no haptic feedback by comparing the kinematics of target-directed grasps with and without haptic feedback to those of real-time pantomime grasps without haptic feedback. Compared to natural grasps, removing haptic feedback increased RT, slowed the velocity of the reach, reduced grip aperture, sharpened the slopes relating grip aperture to target width, and reduced the final grip aperture. All of these effects were also observed in the pantomime grasping task. Taken together, these results provide compelling support for the view that removing haptic feedback induces a switch from real-time visual control to one that depends more on visual perception and cognitive supervision.

Natural background radiation and population dose distribution in India

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nambi, K.S.V.; Bapat, V.N.; David, M.; Sundaram, V.K.; Sunta, C.M.; Soman, S.D.

1986-01-01

A country-wide survey of the outdoor natural background gamma radiation levels has been made using mailed thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs). The salient features of the results are: (1) The air-kerma levels and the population doses in various states follow log-normal and normal distributions respectively. (2) The national average value for the air dose (air-kerma) is 775 ± 370 (1σ)μGy/y. (3) The lowest air-kerma recorded is 0.23 mGy/y at Minicoy (Laccadive Islands) and the highest is 26.73 mGy/y at Chavra (monazite areas, Kerala). (4) There are significant temporal variation s (even as high as ± 40 per cent) of the background radiation level at many locations and at least in 10 locations where radon/thoron measurements are available, these could be associated with the seasonal variations in radon/thoron levels. (5) The mail control TLDs indicate a country-wide average value of 785 ± 225 μGy/y for the air-kerma which can be considered to provide a truly national average value for the natural background radiation level in India. (6) The mean natural radiation per caput for the country works out to be 690 ± 200 (1σ) Sv/y. (7) The natural radiation per caput seems to be maximum for Andhra Pradesh (1065 ± 325 μSv/y) and minimum for Maharashtra (370 ± 80 μSv/y). (8) The population dose from the external natural background radiation is estimated to be half a million person-Sievert. (9) Assuming 1 CRP risk factor, it can be estimated that just one out of the 43 cancer deaths occurring on an average per 100,000 population in India, can be attributed to the external natural background radiation. (author). 18 refs., 13 tabs., 9 figs

Hard and Soft Selection Revisited: How Evolution by Natural Selection Works in the Real World.

Science.gov (United States)

Reznick, David

2016-01-01

The modern synthesis of evolutionary biology unified Darwin's natural selection with Mendelian genetics, but at the same time it created the dilemma of genetic load. Lewontin and Hubby's (1966) and Harris's (1966) characterization of genetic variation in natural populations increased the apparent burden of this load. Neutrality or near neutrality of genetic variation was one mechanism proposed for the revealed excessive genetic variation. Bruce Wallace coined the term "soft selection" to describe an alternative way for natural selection to operate that was consistent with observed variation. He envisioned nature as presenting ecological vacancies that could be filled by diverse genotypes. Survival and successful reproduction was a combined function of population density, genotype, and genotype frequencies, rather than a fixed value of the relative fitness of each genotype. My goal in this review is to explore the importance of soft selection in the real world. My motive and that of my colleagues as described here is not to explain what maintains genetic variation in natural populations, but rather to understand the factors that shape how organisms adapt to natural environments. We characterize how feedbacks between ecology and evolution shape both evolution and ecology. These feedbacks are mediated by density- and frequency-dependent selection, the mechanisms that underlie soft selection. Here, I report on our progress in characterizing these types of selection with a combination of a consideration of the published literature and the results from my collaborators' and my research on natural populations of guppies. © The American Genetic Association. 2015. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Opportunity for natural selection among five population groups of Manipur, North East India.

Science.gov (United States)

Asghar, M; Meitei, S Y; Luxmi, Y; Achoubi, N; Meitei, K S; Murry, B; Sachdeva, M P; Saraswathy, K N

2014-01-01

Opportunity for natural selection among five population groups of Manipur in comparison with other North East Indian population has been studied. Crow's index as well as Johnston and Kensinger's index for natural selection were calculated based on differential fertility and mortality. The mortality component was found to be lower compared to fertility component in all the populations which may attribute to comparatively improved and easily accessible health care facilities. However, different selection pressures, artificial and natural, seem to be influencing the selection intensity through induced abortion and spontaneous abortion among the two non-tribal migrant groups: Bamon and Muslims, respectively. This study highlights the probable interaction of artificial and natural selection in determining the evolutionary fate of any population group.

Too old to have children? Lessons from natural fertility populations.

Science.gov (United States)

Eijkemans, Marinus J C; van Poppel, Frans; Habbema, Dik F; Smith, Ken R; Leridon, Henri; te Velde, Egbert R

2014-06-01

Is it possible to construct an age curve denoting the ages above which women are biologically too old to reproduce? We constructed a curve based on the distribution of female age at last birth in natural fertility populations reflecting the ages above which women have become biologically too old to have children. The median age at last birth (ALB) for females is ∼40-41 years of age across a range of natural fertility populations. This suggests that there is a fairly universal pattern of age-related fertility decline. However, little is known about the distribution of female ALB and in the present era of modern birth control, it is impossible to assess the age-specific distribution of ALB. Reliable information is lacking that could benefit couples who envisage delaying childbearing. This study is a review of high-quality historical data sets of natural fertility populations in which the distributions of female age at last birth were analysed. The studies selected used a retrospective cohort design where women were followed as they age through their reproductive years. Using a common set of eligibility criteria, large data files of natural fertility populations were prepared such that the analysis could be performed in parallel across all populations. Data on the ALB and confounding variables are presented as box and whisker plots denoting the 5th, 25th, 50th, 75th and 95th percentile distribution of the age at last birth for each population. The analysis includes the estimation of Kaplan-Meier curves for age at last birth of each population. The hazard curve for ALB was obtained by plotting the smoothed hazard curve of each population and taking the lowest hazard within a time period of at least 5 years. This lowest hazard curve was then transformed into a cumulative distribution function representing the composite curve of the end of biological fertility. This curve was based on the data from three of the six populations, having the lowest hazards of end of

The low-metallicity starburst NGC346: massive-star population and feedback

Science.gov (United States)

Oskinova, Lida

2017-08-01

The Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) is ideal to study young, massive stars at low metallicity. The compact cluster NGC346 contains about half of all O-type stars in the entire SMC. The massive-star population of this cluster powers N66, the brightest and largest HII region in the SMC. We propose to use HST-STIS to slice NGC346 with 20 long-slit exposures, in order to obtain the UV spectra of most of the massive early-type stars of this cluster. Archival data of 13 exposures that cover already a minor part of this cluster will be included in our analyses. Our aim is to quantitatively analyze virtually the whole massive-star population of NGC346. We have already secured the optical spectra of all massive stars in the field with the integral-field spectrograph MUSE at the ESO-VLT. However, for the determination of the stellar-wind parameters, i.e. the mass-loss rates and the wind velocities, ultraviolet spectra are indispensable. Our advanced Potsdam Wolf-Rayet (PoWR) code will be used for modeling the stellar and wind spectra in the course of the analysis. Finally, we will obtain:(a) the fundamental stellar and wind parameters of all stars brighter than spectral type B2V in the field, which, e,g,, will constrain the initial mass function in this young low-metallicity starburst;(b) mass-loss rates of many more OB-type stars at SMC metallicity than hitherto known, allowing to better constrain their metallicity dependence;(c) the integrated feedback by ionizing radiation and stellar winds of the whole massive-star population of NGC346, which will be used as input to model the ecology of the giant HII region N66.These HST UV data will be of high legacy value.

Nature Appropriation and Associations with Population Health in Canada’s Largest Cities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Timothy Jason

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Earth is a finite system with a limited supply of resources. As the human population grows, so does the appropriation of Earth’s natural capital, thereby exacerbating environmental concerns such as biodiversity loss, increased pollution, deforestation and global warming. Such concerns will negatively impact human health although it is widely believed that improving socio-economic circumstances will help to ameliorate environmental impacts and improve health outcomes. However, this belief does not explicitly acknowledge the fact that improvements in socio-economic position are reliant on increased inputs from nature. Gains in population health, particularly through economic means, are disconnected from the appropriation of nature to create wealth so that health gains become unsustainable. The current study investigated the sustainability of human population health in Canada with regard to resource consumption or “ecological footprints” (i.e., the resources required to sustain a given population. Ecological footprints of the 20 largest Canadian cities, along with several important determinants of health such as income and education, were statistically compared with corresponding indicators of human population health outcomes. A significant positive relationship was found between ecological footprints and life expectancy, as well as a significant negative relationship between ecological footprints and the prevalence of high blood pressure. Results suggest that increased appropriation of nature is linked to improved health outcomes. To prevent environmental degradation from excessive appropriation of natural resources will require the development of health promotion strategies that are de-coupled from ever-increasing and unsustainable resource use. Efforts to promote population health should focus on health benefits achieved from a lifestyle based on significantly reduced consumption of natural resources.

Ecological feedbacks can reduce population-level efficacy of wildlife fertility control

Science.gov (United States)

Ransom, Jason I.; Powers, Jenny G.; Hobbs, N. Thompson; Baker, Dan L.

2014-01-01

1. Anthropogenic stress on natural systems, particularly the fragmentation of landscapes and the extirpation of predators from food webs, has intensified the need to regulate abundance of wildlife populations with management. Controlling population growth using fertility control has been considered for almost four decades, but nearly all research has focused on understanding effects of fertility control agents on individual animals. Questions about the efficacy of fertility control as a way to control populations remain largely unanswered. 2. Collateral consequences of contraception can produce unexpected changes in birth rates, survival, immigration and emigration that may reduce the effectiveness of regulating animal abundance. The magnitude and frequency of such effects vary with species-specific social and reproductive systems, as well as connectivity of populations. Developing models that incorporate static demographic parameters from populations not controlled by contraception may bias predictions of fertility control efficacy. 3. Many population-level studies demonstrate that changes in survival and immigration induced by fertility control can compensate for the reduction in births caused by contraception. The most successful cases of regulating populations using fertility control come from applications of contraceptives to small, closed populations of gregarious and easily accessed species. 4. Fertility control can result in artificial selection pressures on the population and may lead to long-term unintentional genetic consequences. The magnitude of such selection is dependent on individual heritability and behavioural traits, as well as environmental variation. 5. Synthesis and applications. Understanding species' life-history strategies, biology, behavioural ecology and ecological context is critical to developing realistic expectations of regulating populations using fertility control. Before time, effort and funding are invested in wildlife

A system dynamics feedback control model study of population of "India 2001" and policies for stabilizing growth.

Science.gov (United States)

Patil, M K; Janahanlal, P S

1978-06-01

A mathematical population model is presented and diagrammed. The model is a nonlinear, higher order, self-regulating, goal-seeking system. In other words, the model treats the population system like a biological system which has positive and negative feedbacks. The model incorporates the effects of important economic factors that influence human birth and death rates. It calculates the total population size, which is a determinant of resource usage. It also indicates the demographic response, through a changing birth and death rate, to a changing resource supply. The model is illustrated with Indian population data, disaggregated by age into 15 levels each of which is, in turn, divided into 4 income levels. The effect on population growth of various alternative population policies is analyzed with the goal of stabilizing the population growth quickly without causing undue hardship. Different computer runs of the model are conducted, using different levels of family planning practice, different ages at marriage, and different distributions of income throughout the country. The policy which would result in the lowest population for the year 2001 is 1 in which family planning acceptance levels would increase from 15% in 1975 to 60% in 1980 and 100% from 1990 on. However, there is widespread opposition to this policy. It is felt that a much slower rise in family planning acceptance would be a more acceptable policy for stabilizing population in India.

Genetic structure of natural populations: Final technical report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ayala, F.J.

1987-01-01

We determined the LD 50 for individuals with any one of four genetic constitutions. The LD 50 was in kR units (S and F refer to the two common alleles found in natural populations and N is a mull allele) S/S 5.31, F/F 4.61, S/F 4.19, N/N 3.16. These results are as expected under the hypothesis the SOD is involved in radio-resistance and the degree of protection is a function of SOD specific activity. S codes for an allozyme that has the highest in vitro specific activity while N reduces the amount of enzyme to 3.5% of the normal level. Natural selection experiments in population cages were carried out for 13 generations. In control populations, the frequency of the S allele decreases from the initial frequency of 0.50 to an equilibrium value 0.1 to 0.2 in about 10 generations. In populations with the larvae receiving 4 KR in each generation, s reaches an equilibrium frequency of 0.6; when the irradiation was no longer applied, the frequency of S started declining, eventually reaching 0.1 to 0.2. These results corroborate the hypothesis that SOD protects against irradiation and that the degree of protection is correlated by the in vitro specific activity of the allozymes. 29 refs., 4 tabs

Vibrotactile Feedback for Brain-Computer Interface Operation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Febo Cincotti

2007-01-01

Full Text Available To be correctly mastered, brain-computer interfaces (BCIs need an uninterrupted flow of feedback to the user. This feedback is usually delivered through the visual channel. Our aim was to explore the benefits of vibrotactile feedback during users' training and control of EEG-based BCI applications. A protocol for delivering vibrotactile feedback, including specific hardware and software arrangements, was specified. In three studies with 33 subjects (including 3 with spinal cord injury, we compared vibrotactile and visual feedback, addressing: (I the feasibility of subjects' training to master their EEG rhythms using tactile feedback; (II the compatibility of this form of feedback in presence of a visual distracter; (III the performance in presence of a complex visual task on the same (visual or different (tactile sensory channel. The stimulation protocol we developed supports a general usage of the tactors; preliminary experimentations. All studies indicated that the vibrotactile channel can function as a valuable feedback modality with reliability comparable to the classical visual feedback. Advantages of using a vibrotactile feedback emerged when the visual channel was highly loaded by a complex task. In all experiments, vibrotactile feedback felt, after some training, more natural for both controls and SCI users.

Effects of feedback reliability on feedback-related brain activity: A feedback valuation account.

Science.gov (United States)

Ernst, Benjamin; Steinhauser, Marco

2018-04-06

Adaptive decision making relies on learning from feedback. Because feedback sometimes can be misleading, optimal learning requires that knowledge about the feedback's reliability be utilized to adjust feedback processing. Although previous research has shown that feedback reliability indeed influences feedback processing, the underlying mechanisms through which this is accomplished remain unclear. Here we propose that feedback processing is adjusted by the adaptive, top-down valuation of feedback. We assume that unreliable feedback is devalued relative to reliable feedback, thus reducing the reward prediction errors that underlie feedback-related brain activity and learning. A crucial prediction of this account is that the effects of feedback reliability are susceptible to contrast effects. That is, the effects of feedback reliability should be enhanced when both reliable and unreliable feedback are experienced within the same context, as compared to when only one level of feedback reliability is experienced. To evaluate this prediction, we measured the event-related potentials elicited by feedback in two experiments in which feedback reliability was varied either within or between blocks. We found that the fronto-central valence effect, a correlate of reward prediction errors during reinforcement learning, was reduced for unreliable feedback. But this result was obtained only when feedback reliability was varied within blocks, thus indicating a contrast effect. This suggests that the adaptive valuation of feedback is one mechanism underlying the effects of feedback reliability on feedback processing.

Population Dynamics and Natural Resources in the Volta in the ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Also, population growth is causing shortfalls in agricultural land, deforestation and high demand on water resources in some of the sub-basins of the Volta River Keywords: Population, Natural resources, Volta River Basin, Human Settlement Land Use/Coverage Change Ghana Journal of Development Studies Vol.

Biodiversity maintenance in food webs with regulatory environmental feedbacks.

Science.gov (United States)

Bagdassarian, Carey K; Dunham, Amy E; Brown, Christopher G; Rauscher, Daniel

2007-04-21

Although the food web is one of the most fundamental and oldest concepts in ecology, elucidating the strategies and structures by which natural communities of species persist remains a challenge to empirical and theoretical ecologists. We show that simple regulatory feedbacks between autotrophs and their environment when embedded within complex and realistic food-web models enhance biodiversity. The food webs are generated through the niche-model algorithm and coupled with predator-prey dynamics, with and without environmental feedbacks at the autotroph level. With high probability and especially at lower, more realistic connectance levels, regulatory environmental feedbacks result in fewer species extinctions, that is, in increased species persistence. These same feedback couplings, however, also sensitize food webs to environmental stresses leading to abrupt collapses in biodiversity with increased forcing. Feedback interactions between species and their material environments anchor food-web persistence, adding another dimension to biodiversity conservation. We suggest that the regulatory features of two natural systems, deep-sea tubeworms with their microbial consortia and a soil ecosystem manifesting adaptive homeostatic changes, can be embedded within niche-model food-web dynamics.

High recombination rate in natural populations of Plasmodium falciparum

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Conway, D. J.; Roper, C.; Oduola, A. M.; Arnot, D. E.; Kremsner, P. G.; Grobusch, M. P.; Curtis, C. F.; Greenwood, B. M.

1999-01-01

Malaria parasites are sexually reproducing protozoa, although the extent of effective meiotic recombination in natural populations has been debated. If meiotic recombination occurs frequently, compared with point mutation and mitotic rearrangement, linkage disequilibrium between polymorphic sites is

The Hidden Complexity of Mendelian Traits across Natural Yeast Populations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jing Hou

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Mendelian traits are considered to be at the lower end of the complexity spectrum of heritable phenotypes. However, more than a century after the rediscovery of Mendel’s law, the global landscape of monogenic variants, as well as their effects and inheritance patterns within natural populations, is still not well understood. Using the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we performed a species-wide survey of Mendelian traits across a large population of isolates. We generated offspring from 41 unique parental pairs and analyzed 1,105 cross/trait combinations. We found that 8.9% of the cases were Mendelian. Further tracing of causal variants revealed background-specific expressivity and modified inheritances, gradually transitioning from Mendelian to complex traits in 30% of the cases. In fact, when taking into account the natural population diversity, the hidden complexity of traits could be substantial, confounding phenotypic predictability even for simple Mendelian traits.

Follower-Centered Perspective on Feedback: Effects of Feedback Seeking on Identification and Feedback Environment

OpenAIRE

Gong, Zhenxing; Li, Miaomiao; Qi, Yaoyuan; Zhang, Na

2017-01-01

In the formation mechanism of the feedback environment, the existing research pays attention to external feedback sources and regards individuals as objects passively accepting feedback. Thus, the external source fails to realize the individuals’ need for feedback, and the feedback environment cannot provide them with useful information, leading to a feedback vacuum. The aim of this study is to examine the effect of feedback-seeking by different strategies on the supervisor-feedback environme...

Genome-wide Selective Sweeps in Natural Bacterial Populations Revealed by Time-series Metagenomics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chan, Leong-Keat; Bendall, Matthew L.; Malfatti, Stephanie; Schwientek, Patrick; Tremblay, Julien; Schackwitz, Wendy; Martin, Joel; Pati, Amrita; Bushnell, Brian; Foster, Brian; Kang, Dongwan; Tringe, Susannah G.; Bertilsson, Stefan; Moran, Mary Ann; Shade, Ashley; Newton, Ryan J.; Stevens, Sarah; McMcahon, Katherine D.; Mamlstrom, Rex R.

2014-05-12

Multiple evolutionary models have been proposed to explain the formation of genetically and ecologically distinct bacterial groups. Time-series metagenomics enables direct observation of evolutionary processes in natural populations, and if applied over a sufficiently long time frame, this approach could capture events such as gene-specific or genome-wide selective sweeps. Direct observations of either process could help resolve how distinct groups form in natural microbial assemblages. Here, from a three-year metagenomic study of a freshwater lake, we explore changes in single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) frequencies and patterns of gene gain and loss in populations of Chlorobiaceae and Methylophilaceae. SNP analyses revealed substantial genetic heterogeneity within these populations, although the degree of heterogeneity varied considerably among closely related, co-occurring Methylophilaceae populations. SNP allele frequencies, as well as the relative abundance of certain genes, changed dramatically over time in each population. Interestingly, SNP diversity was purged at nearly every genome position in one of the Chlorobiaceae populations over the course of three years, while at the same time multiple genes either swept through or were swept from this population. These patterns were consistent with a genome-wide selective sweep, a process predicted by the ecotype model? of diversification, but not previously observed in natural populations.

Genome-wide Selective Sweeps in Natural Bacterial Populations Revealed by Time-series Metagenomics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chan, Leong-Keat; Bendall, Matthew L.; Malfatti, Stephanie; Schwientek, Patrick; Tremblay, Julien; Schackwitz, Wendy; Martin, Joel; Pati, Amrita; Bushnell, Brian; Foster, Brian; Kang, Dongwan; Tringe, Susannah G.; Bertilsson, Stefan; Moran, Mary Ann; Shade, Ashley; Newton, Ryan J.; Stevens, Sarah; McMahon, Katherine D.; Malmstrom, Rex R.

2014-06-18

Multiple evolutionary models have been proposed to explain the formation of genetically and ecologically distinct bacterial groups. Time-series metagenomics enables direct observation of evolutionary processes in natural populations, and if applied over a sufficiently long time frame, this approach could capture events such as gene-specific or genome-wide selective sweeps. Direct observations of either process could help resolve how distinct groups form in natural microbial assemblages. Here, from a three-year metagenomic study of a freshwater lake, we explore changes in single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) frequencies and patterns of gene gain and loss in populations of Chlorobiaceae and Methylophilaceae. SNP analyses revealed substantial genetic heterogeneity within these populations, although the degree of heterogeneity varied considerably among closely related, co-occurring Methylophilaceae populations. SNP allele frequencies, as well as the relative abundance of certain genes, changed dramatically over time in each population. Interestingly, SNP diversity was purged at nearly every genome position in one of the Chlorobiaceae populations over the course of three years, while at the same time multiple genes either swept through or were swept from this population. These patterns were consistent with a genome-wide selective sweep, a process predicted by the ‘ecotype model’ of diversification, but not previously observed in natural populations.

Sample size for monitoring sirex populations and their natural enemies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Susete do Rocio Chiarello Penteado

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The woodwasp Sirex noctilio Fabricius (Hymenoptera: Siricidae was introduced in Brazil in 1988 and became the main pest in pine plantations. It has spread to about 1.000.000 ha, at different population levels, in the states of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Paraná, São Paulo and Minas Gerais. Control is done mainly by using a nematode, Deladenus siricidicola Bedding (Nematoda: Neothylenchidae. The evaluation of the efficiency of natural enemies has been difficult because there are no appropriate sampling systems. This study tested a hierarchical sampling system to define the sample size to monitor the S. noctilio population and the efficiency of their natural enemies, which was found to be perfectly adequate.

Student Teacher Assessment Feedback Preferences: The Influence of Cognitive Styles and Gender

Science.gov (United States)

Evans, Carol; Waring, Michael

2011-01-01

The enhancement of assessment feedback is an international concern. This study is unique in its exploration of the nature of the relationship between student teachers' assessment feedback preferences, cognitive styles and gender, with a view to informing the development of assessment feedback practices and course design within initial teacher…

Population genetic structure in natural and reintroduced beaver (Castor fiber populations in Central Europe

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kautenburger, R.

2008-12-01

Full Text Available Castor fiber Linnaeus, 1758 is the only indigenous species of the genus Castor in Europe and Asia. Due to extensive hunting until the beginning of the 20th century, the distribution of the formerly widespread Eurasian beaver was dramatically reduced. Only a few populations remained and these were in isolated locations, such as the region of the German Elbe River. The loss of genetic diversity in small or captive populations throughgenetic drift and inbreeding is a severe conservation problem. However, the reintroduction of beaver populations from several regions in Europe has shown high viability and populations today are growing fast. In the present study we analysed the population genetic structure of a natural and two reintroduced beaver populations in Germany and Austria. Furthermore, we studied the genetic differentiation between two beaver species, C. fiber and the American beaver (C. canadensis, using RAPD (Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA as a genetic marker. The reintroduced beaver populations of different origins and the autochthonous population of the Elbe River showed a similar low genetic heterogeneity. There was an overall high genetic similarity in the species C. fiber, and no evidence was found for a clear subspecific structure in the populations studied.

The Collapse of Ecosystem Engineer Populations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

José F. Fontanari

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Humans are the ultimate ecosystem engineers who have profoundly transformed the world’s landscapes in order to enhance their survival. Somewhat paradoxically, however, sometimes the unforeseen effect of this ecosystem engineering is the very collapse of the population it intended to protect. Here we use a spatial version of a standard population dynamics model of ecosystem engineers to study the colonization of unexplored virgin territories by a small settlement of engineers. We find that during the expansion phase the population density reaches values much higher than those the environment can support in the equilibrium situation. When the colonization front reaches the boundary of the available space, the population density plunges sharply and attains its equilibrium value. The collapse takes place without warning and happens just after the population reaches its peak number. We conclude that overpopulation and the consequent collapse of an expanding population of ecosystem engineers is a natural consequence of the nonlinear feedback between the population and environment variables.

Local variation in conspecific plant density influences plant-soil feedback in a natural grassland

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kos, M.; Veendrick, Johan; Bezemer, T.M.

2013-01-01

Several studies have argued that under field conditions plant–soil feedback may be related to the local density of a plant species, but plant–soil feedback is often studied by comparing conspecific and heterospecific soils or by using mixed soil samples collected from different locations and plant

Effects of visual feedback-induced variability on motor learning of handrim wheelchair propulsion.

Science.gov (United States)

Leving, Marika T; Vegter, Riemer J K; Hartog, Johanneke; Lamoth, Claudine J C; de Groot, Sonja; van der Woude, Lucas H V

2015-01-01

It has been suggested that a higher intra-individual variability benefits the motor learning of wheelchair propulsion. The present study evaluated whether feedback-induced variability on wheelchair propulsion technique variables would also enhance the motor learning process. Learning was operationalized as an improvement in mechanical efficiency and propulsion technique, which are thought to be closely related during the learning process. 17 Participants received visual feedback-based practice (feedback group) and 15 participants received regular practice (natural learning group). Both groups received equal practice dose of 80 min, over 3 weeks, at 0.24 W/kg at a treadmill speed of 1.11 m/s. To compare both groups the pre- and post-test were performed without feedback. The feedback group received real-time visual feedback on seven propulsion variables with instruction to manipulate the presented variable to achieve the highest possible variability (1st 4-min block) and optimize it in the prescribed direction (2nd 4-min block). To increase motor exploration the participants were unaware of the exact variable they received feedback on. Energy consumption and the propulsion technique variables with their respective coefficient of variation were calculated to evaluate the amount of intra-individual variability. The feedback group, which practiced with higher intra-individual variability, improved the propulsion technique between pre- and post-test to the same extent as the natural learning group. Mechanical efficiency improved between pre- and post-test in the natural learning group but remained unchanged in the feedback group. These results suggest that feedback-induced variability inhibited the improvement in mechanical efficiency. Moreover, since both groups improved propulsion technique but only the natural learning group improved mechanical efficiency, it can be concluded that the improvement in mechanical efficiency and propulsion technique do not always appear

Effects of visual feedback-induced variability on motor learning of handrim wheelchair propulsion.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marika T Leving

Full Text Available It has been suggested that a higher intra-individual variability benefits the motor learning of wheelchair propulsion. The present study evaluated whether feedback-induced variability on wheelchair propulsion technique variables would also enhance the motor learning process. Learning was operationalized as an improvement in mechanical efficiency and propulsion technique, which are thought to be closely related during the learning process.17 Participants received visual feedback-based practice (feedback group and 15 participants received regular practice (natural learning group. Both groups received equal practice dose of 80 min, over 3 weeks, at 0.24 W/kg at a treadmill speed of 1.11 m/s. To compare both groups the pre- and post-test were performed without feedback. The feedback group received real-time visual feedback on seven propulsion variables with instruction to manipulate the presented variable to achieve the highest possible variability (1st 4-min block and optimize it in the prescribed direction (2nd 4-min block. To increase motor exploration the participants were unaware of the exact variable they received feedback on. Energy consumption and the propulsion technique variables with their respective coefficient of variation were calculated to evaluate the amount of intra-individual variability.The feedback group, which practiced with higher intra-individual variability, improved the propulsion technique between pre- and post-test to the same extent as the natural learning group. Mechanical efficiency improved between pre- and post-test in the natural learning group but remained unchanged in the feedback group.These results suggest that feedback-induced variability inhibited the improvement in mechanical efficiency. Moreover, since both groups improved propulsion technique but only the natural learning group improved mechanical efficiency, it can be concluded that the improvement in mechanical efficiency and propulsion technique do not

Emergent Patterns of Diversity and Dynamics in Natural Populations of Planktonic Vibrio Bacteria

Science.gov (United States)

2005-06-01

1973. Ecology of Vibrio parahemolyticus in mixed-template amplifications: formation, consequences and elimination by Chesapeake Bay. J. Bacteriol. 113...Science 1930 and Engineering DOCTORAL DISSERTATION Emergent Patterns of Diversity and Dynamics in Natural Populations of Planktonic Vibrio Bacteria by...DYNAMICS IN NATURAL POPULATIONS OF PLANKTONIC VIBRIO BACTERIA by Janelle Ren6e Thompson B.S. Biological Sciences, Stanford University 1998 M.S

A novel approach to negative feedback in RX front-ends

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vandi, Luca; Andreani, Pietro; Tired, Tobias

2006-01-01

A new approach to negative feedback is proposed and applied to active mixer cells based on Gilbert multiplier. The feedback can be exploited in several ways, and different configurations are derived. A dual-loop topology provides a solution for inductor-less broad-band receiver stages. The nature...

Seasonal fluctuation in susceptibility to insecticides within natural populations of Drosophila melanogaster. II. Features of genetic variation in susceptibility to organophosphate insecticides within natural populations of D. melanogaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Miyo, Takahiro; Oguma, Yuzuru; Charlesworth, Brian

2006-08-01

To elucidate genetic variation in susceptibility to organophosphate insecticides within natural populations of Drosophila melanogaster, we conducted an analysis of variance for mortality data sets of isofemale lines (10-286 lines) used in the previous studies. Susceptibility of isofemale lines to the three organophosphate insecticides was continuously distributed within each natural population, ranging from susceptible to resistant. Analysis of variance showed highly significant variation among isofemale lines in susceptibility to each insecticide for each natural population. Significant genetic variances in susceptibility to the three chemicals were estimated for the Katsunuma population; 0.0529-0.2722 for malathion, 0.0492-0.1603 for prothiophos, and 0.0469-0.1696 for fenitrothion. Contrary to the consistent seasonal tendency towards an increase in mean susceptibility in the fall, reported in the previous study, genetic variances in susceptibility to the three organophosphates did not change significantly in 1997 but tended to increase by 2- to 5-times in 1998. We tested whether both the observed situations, maintenance and increase in genetic variance in organophosphate resistance, can be generated under circumstances in which the levels of resistance to the three organophosphates tended to decrease, by conducting a simulation analysis, based on the hypothesis that resistant genotypes have lower fitnesses than susceptible ones under the density-independent condition. The simulation analysis generally explained the pattern in the mean susceptibility and genetic variances in susceptibility to the three organophosphates, observed in the Katsunuma population of D. melanogaster. It was suggested that the differences in the frequencies of resistance genes in the summer population could affect the patterns in genetic variance in organophosphate resistance in the fall population.

Effective Dose Equivalent To The Cypriot Population Due To Natural Radiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Christofides, S [Medical Physics Department, Nicosia General Hospital (Cyprus)

1994-12-31

A study was initiated by the Biomedical Research Foundation, two years ago, to estimate the various natural radiation components that contribute to the Effective Dose Equivalent (EDE) to the Cypriot population. The present study has shown that the contribution due to cosmic radiation is estimated to be less than 270 microSiverts per annum, while that due to airborne Rn-222 concentration in Cypriot houses is estimated to be less then 330 microSieverts per annum. The contribution due to terrestrial gamma radiations, which is currently under investigation, is so far estimated to be around 108 microSieverts per annum. Therefore the EDE to the Cypriot population due to natural radiation is likely to be around 700 microSieverts per annum, not taking into account the internal exposure due to other naturally occuring radionuclides. (author). 7 refs, 4 figs, 4 tabs.

The impact of natural transformation on adaptation in spatially structured bacterial populations.

Science.gov (United States)

Moradigaravand, Danesh; Engelstädter, Jan

2014-06-20

Recent studies have demonstrated that natural transformation and the formation of highly structured populations in bacteria are interconnected. In spite of growing evidence about this connection, little is known about the dynamics of natural transformation in spatially structured bacterial populations. In this work, we model the interdependency between the dynamics of the bacterial gene pool and those of environmental DNA in space to dissect the effect of transformation on adaptation. Our model reveals that even with only a single locus under consideration, transformation with a free DNA fragment pool results in complex adaptation dynamics that do not emerge in previous models focusing only on the gene shuffling effect of transformation at multiple loci. We demonstrate how spatial restriction on population growth and DNA diffusion in the environment affect the impact of transformation on adaptation. We found that in structured bacterial populations intermediate DNA diffusion rates predominantly cause transformation to impede adaptation by spreading deleterious alleles in the population. Overall, our model highlights distinctive evolutionary consequences of bacterial transformation in spatially restricted compared to planktonic bacterial populations.

Feedback coupling in dynamical systems

Science.gov (United States)

Trimper, Steffen; Zabrocki, Knud

2003-05-01

Different evolution models are considered with feedback-couplings. In particular, we study the Lotka-Volterra system under the influence of a cumulative term, the Ginzburg-Landau model with a convolution memory term and chemical rate equations with time delay. The memory leads to a modified dynamical behavior. In case of a positive coupling the generalized Lotka-Volterra system exhibits a maximum gain achieved after a finite time, but the population will die out in the long time limit. In the opposite case, the time evolution is terminated in a crash. Due to the nonlinear feedback coupling the two branches of a bistable model are controlled by the the strength and the sign of the memory. For a negative coupling the system is able to switch over between both branches of the stationary solution. The dynamics of the system is further controlled by the initial condition. The diffusion-limited reaction is likewise studied in case the reacting entities are not available simultaneously. Whereas for an external feedback the dynamics is altered, but the stationary solution remain unchanged, a self-organized internal feedback leads to a time persistent solution.

Building robust functionality in synthetic circuits using engineered feedback regulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Susan; Harrigan, Patrick; Heineike, Benjamin; Stewart-Ornstein, Jacob; El-Samad, Hana

2013-08-01

The ability to engineer novel functionality within cells, to quantitatively control cellular circuits, and to manipulate the behaviors of populations, has many important applications in biotechnology and biomedicine. These applications are only beginning to be explored. In this review, we advocate the use of feedback control as an essential strategy for the engineering of robust homeostatic control of biological circuits and cellular populations. We also describe recent works where feedback control, implemented in silico or with biological components, was successfully employed for this purpose. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Susceptibility of natural populations of dengue vector to insecticides in Colombia].

Science.gov (United States)

Santacoloma, Liliana; Chaves, Bernardo; Brochero, Helena Luisa

2012-09-01

Physiological resistance of natural population of Aedes aegypti to insecticides contribute to the decreased efficacy of chemical control as a main control strategy during dengue outbreaks. The susceptibility status of Ae. aegypti was assessed for the carbamate propoxur, the adulticide malathion and the larvicide temephos on 13 natural populations of Ae. aegypti immature forms were taken from 8 Colombian localities. These included the following: Bucaramanga (1), Sabana de Torres (2), Girardot (2), La Mesa (2), Villavicencio (2), Puerto López (2), San José del Guaviare (1) and Florencia (1). Susceptibility tests mainly consisted of the standardized bioassay outlined by WHO (1981) and CDC bottles (1998). Colorimetric tests were undertaken to determine enzyme levels possibly responsible for the reduction of susceptibility to organophosphate and carbamate insecticides. All specimens demonstrated susceptibility to malathion and propoxur insecticides. Four of the 13 populations revealed susceptibility to the temephos larvicide. Seven of 11 populations showed a limited increase in values for nonspecific esterase enzymes. The Bucaramanga population was the only one which showed an increase in the cytochrome P450 monooxygenases enzymes. Neither population was found with modified acetilcolinesterase. The widespread susceptibility to organophosphates used as adulticides indicated that malathion, the most used insecticide in Colombia, remains effective in interrupting the transmission of dengue. Physiological resistance to insecticides occurring in communities of a single township proved to be a localized phenomenon.

A randomized controlled trial of a personalized feedback intervention for problem gamblers.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John A Cunningham

Full Text Available Personalized feedback is a promising self-help for problem gamblers. Such interventions have shown consistently positive results with other addictive behaviours, and our own pilot test of personalized normative feedback materials for gamblers yielded positive findings. The current randomized controlled trial evaluated the effectiveness, and the sustained efficacy, of the personalized feedback intervention materials for problem gamblers.Respondents recruited by a general population telephone screener of Ontario adults included gamblers with moderate and severe gambling problems. Those who agreed to participate were randomly assigned to receive: 1 the full personalized normative feedback intervention; 2 a partial feedback that contained all the feedback information provided to those in condition 1 but without the normative feedback content (i.e., no comparisons provided to general population gambling norms; or 3 a waiting list control condition. The primary hypothesis was that problem gamblers who received the personalized normative feedback intervention would reduce their gambling more than problem gamblers who did not receive any intervention (waiting list control condition by the six-month follow-up.The study found no evidence for the impact of normative personalized feedback. However, participants who received, the partial feedback (without norms reduced the number of days they gambled compared to participants who did not receive the intervention. We concluded that personalized feedback interventions were well received and the materials may be helpful at reducing gambling. Realistically, it can be expected that the personalized feedback intervention may have a limited, short term impact on the severity of participants' problem gambling because the intervention is just a brief screener. An Internet-based version of the personalized feedback intervention tool, however, may offer an easy to access and non-threatening portal that can be used to

RADIO SOURCE FEEDBACK IN GALAXY EVOLUTION

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shabala, Stanislav; Alexander, Paul

2009-01-01

We present a galaxy evolution model which incorporates a physically motivated implementation of active galactic nucleus feedback. Intermittent jets inflate cocoons of radio plasma which then expand supersonically, shock heating the ambient gas. The model reproduces observed star formation histories to the highest redshifts for which reliable data exist, as well as the observed galaxy color bimodality. Intermittent radio source feedback also naturally provides a way of keeping the black hole and spheroid growth in step. We find possible evidence for a top-heavy initial mass function for z > 2, consistent with observations of element abundances, and submillimeter and Lyman break galaxy counts.

How Quasar Feedback May Shape the Co-evolutionary Paths

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ishibashi, Wako, E-mail: wako.ishibashi@physik.uzh.ch [Physik-Institut, University of Zurich, Zürich (Switzerland)

2017-10-17

Observations point toward some form of “co-evolutionary sequence,” from dust-enshrouded starbursts to luminous unobscured quasars. Active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback is generally invoked to expel the obscuring dusty gas in a blow-out event, eventually revealing the hidden central quasar. However, the physical mechanism driving AGN feedback, either due to winds or radiation, remains uncertain and is still a source of much debate. We consider quasar feedback, based on radiation pressure on dust, which directly acts on the obscuring dusty gas. We show that AGN radiative feedback is capable of efficiently removing the obscuring cocoon, and driving powerful outflows on galactic scales, consistent with recent observations. I will discuss how such quasar feedback may provide a natural physical interpretation of the observed evolutionary path, and the physical implications in the broader context of black hole-host galaxy co-evolution.

Population ecology and conservation status of the last natural population of English yew Taxus baccata in Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Svenning, Jens-Christian; Magård, Else

1999-01-01

English yew Taxus baccata L. has become extinct or rare in many parts of Europe. Here we investigate the status of the only natural population persisting in Denmark. While many other yew populations are declining, the Danish population increased from 2000 in 1998....... This was most likely due to the thinning of the tree stand at this site, as reproductive activity, strobilus production, and recruitment were enhanced at better lit microsites. The declining status of other populations is probably often caused by succession from open woodland to dense forest. The light...... dependency is consistent with the Quaternary history of yew. The sex ratio of the Danish yew population was female-biased, probably due to chance. Yew invaded forest areas neighbouring source populations at rates of 3 m yr−1, but forest management impeded this process....

Natural populations of drosophila melanogaster from radioactively contaminated territories of Ukraine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Protsenko, A.V.; Kozeretskaya, I.A.

2007-01-01

Complete text of publication follows. Drosophila melanogaster has been used as a model object to study Chernobyl NPP after-effects on biological processes. We performed study of natural populations from sites contaminated with radionuclides. Drosophila individuals were collected in autumn 2005 and 2006 in the regions with different degrees of radioactive contamination. The flies were sampled in Polesskoe with radioactive background of 50 uR/h; near cooling pond of Chernobyl NPP (2100 uR/h); Chernobyl city (60 uR/h); Kyiv (17 uR/h), Lubny (16 uR/h); Piryatin (15 uR/h); Uman (12 uR/h); Odessa (13 uR/h). Hybridological analysis was performed using drosophila laboratory lines Canton S (wild type strain) and C(1)DX (to detect lethal mutations in sex chromosome). The flies were kept on a standard medium in laboratory conditions. Occurrence of hybrid dysgenesis was monitored by gonad reduction, isolating the gonads and evaluating visually the degree of their development. Visual mutations have not been found in all the natural populations studied. When the populations were transferred to culture breeding, an elevation of the mutation visible frequency in generations has been detected. The elevation was the highest for Chernobyl (2100 uR/h) population. All the mutations observed are typical for Ukraine. Low frequency of gonad reduction has been detected. Since the gonad reduction is one of the traits of mobile elements activity in drosophilids, a conclusion has been made about the absence of mobile elements activity in all the populations, including the laboratory wild-type line Canton S. The results of the gonad reduction analysis indirectly confirm the low frequency of visual mutations in the populations studied. To assess the spontaneous level of lethal sex-linked mutations, the male/female ratio was evaluated in the first generation and compared with the ratio in the strain Canton S (using as control) using χ2-criterion. In natural populations from Lubny and Piryatin

Genetic radiation effects and natural radioactivity of human population in Brazil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Freire-Maia, A.

1972-01-01

A study on areas of natural radioactivity is done, covering the genetic effects on human population. The study is done in depth dealing with aspecto such as radioactive area involved, discussion of materials and methods, errors and fallacies, influential factors, models, buildup and natural radioactivity, hypotheses, results and perspectives, etc. It covers 24 localites, 8.572 couples and 43.930 pregnancy cases [pt

Estimation of natural radiation background level and population dose in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pan Ziqiang

1992-01-01

The authors describe in general the natural radiation background level in China, and based on available data present an estimated annual effective dose equivalent of the population to natural radiation that is some 2.3 mSv, of which about 0.54 mSv is from original γ radiation and about 0.8 mSv from radon and its short-lived daughters

Feedback Valence Affects Auditory Perceptual Learning Independently of Feedback Probability

Science.gov (United States)

Amitay, Sygal; Moore, David R.; Molloy, Katharine; Halliday, Lorna F.

2015-01-01

Previous studies have suggested that negative feedback is more effective in driving learning than positive feedback. We investigated the effect on learning of providing varying amounts of negative and positive feedback while listeners attempted to discriminate between three identical tones; an impossible task that nevertheless produces robust learning. Four feedback conditions were compared during training: 90% positive feedback or 10% negative feedback informed the participants that they were doing equally well, while 10% positive or 90% negative feedback informed them they were doing equally badly. In all conditions the feedback was random in relation to the listeners’ responses (because the task was to discriminate three identical tones), yet both the valence (negative vs. positive) and the probability of feedback (10% vs. 90%) affected learning. Feedback that informed listeners they were doing badly resulted in better post-training performance than feedback that informed them they were doing well, independent of valence. In addition, positive feedback during training resulted in better post-training performance than negative feedback, but only positive feedback indicating listeners were doing badly on the task resulted in learning. As we have previously speculated, feedback that better reflected the difficulty of the task was more effective in driving learning than feedback that suggested performance was better than it should have been given perceived task difficulty. But contrary to expectations, positive feedback was more effective than negative feedback in driving learning. Feedback thus had two separable effects on learning: feedback valence affected motivation on a subjectively difficult task, and learning occurred only when feedback probability reflected the subjective difficulty. To optimize learning, training programs need to take into consideration both feedback valence and probability. PMID:25946173

Population of Tuta absoluta and natural enemies after releasing on ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The study was conducted to evaluate the population of tomato leafminer, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) and efficiency of natural enemies on tomato grown greenhouse in Mediterranean Region of Turkey during 2010 and 2011. Trichogramma evanescens Westwood (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) ...

Natural disturbance reduces disease risk in endangered rainforest frog populations.

Science.gov (United States)

Roznik, Elizabeth A; Sapsford, Sarah J; Pike, David A; Schwarzkopf, Lin; Alford, Ross A

2015-08-21

Natural disturbances can drive disease dynamics in animal populations by altering the microclimates experienced by hosts and their pathogens. Many pathogens are highly sensitive to temperature and moisture, and therefore small changes in habitat structure can alter the microclimate in ways that increase or decrease infection prevalence and intensity in host populations. Here we show that a reduction of rainforest canopy cover caused by a severe tropical cyclone decreased the risk of endangered rainforest frogs (Litoria rheocola) becoming infected by a fungal pathogen (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis). Reductions in canopy cover increased the temperatures and rates of evaporative water loss in frog microhabitats, which reduced B. dendrobatidis infection risk in frogs by an average of 11-28% in cyclone-damaged areas, relative to unaffected areas. Natural disturbances to the rainforest canopy can therefore provide an immediate benefit to frogs by altering the microclimate in ways that reduce infection risk. This could increase host survival and reduce the probability of epidemic disease outbreaks. For amphibian populations under immediate threat from this pathogen, targeted manipulation of canopy cover could increase the availability of warmer, drier microclimates and therefore tip the balance from host extinction to coexistence.

Natural radioactive isotopes in food of Polish population

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pietrzak-Lis, Z.

1999-01-01

The natural radioactive isotopes contamination of basic food products and water in two regions of Poland (Central Poland and Silesia Region) have been measured. The following isotopes have been taken into account: U-234, U-238, Th-228, Th-230, Th-232, Ra-226, Ra-228, Pb-210; Po-210. The annually intake of mentioned isotopes by regional population and relative doses have been assessed for typical diet of adults in Poland

Black hole winds II: Hyper-Eddington winds and feedback

Science.gov (United States)

King, Andrew; Muldrew, Stuart I.

2016-01-01

We show that black holes supplied with mass at hyper-Eddington rates drive outflows with mildly sub-relativistic velocities. These are ˜0.1-0.2c for Eddington accretion factors {dot{m}_acc}˜ 10-100, and ˜1500 km s-1 for {dot{m}_acc}˜ 10^4. Winds like this are seen in the X-ray spectra of ultraluminous sources (ULXs), strongly supporting the view that ULXs are stellar-mass compact binaries in hyper-Eddington accretion states. SS433 appears to be an extreme ULX system ({dot{m}_acc}˜ 10^4) viewed from outside the main X-ray emission cone. For less-extreme Eddington factors {dot{m}_acc}˜ 10-100 the photospheric temperatures of the winds are ˜100 eV, consistent with the picture that the ultraluminous supersoft sources (ULSs) are ULXs seen outside the medium-energy X-ray beam, unifying the ULX/ULS populations and SS433 (actually a ULS but with photospheric emission too soft to detect). For supermassive black holes (SMBHs), feedback from hyper-Eddington accretion is significantly more powerful than the usual near-Eddington (`UFO') case, and if realized in nature would imply M - σ masses noticeably smaller than observed. We suggest that the likely warping of the accretion disc in such cases may lead to much of the disc mass being expelled, severely reducing the incidence of such strong feedback. We show that hyper-Eddington feedback from bright ULXs can have major effects on their host galaxies. This is likely to have important consequences for the formation and survival of small galaxies.

Auditory reafferences: The influence of real-time feedback on movement control

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christian eKennel

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Auditory reafferences are real-time auditory products created by a person’s own movements. Whereas the interdependency of action and perception is generally well studied, the auditory feedback channel and the influence of perceptual processes during movement execution remain largely unconsidered. We argue that movements have a rhythmic character that is closely connected to sound, making it possible to manipulate auditory reafferences online to understand their role in motor control. We examined if step sounds, occurring as a by-product of running, have an influence on the performance of a complex movement task. Twenty participants completed a hurdling task in three auditory feedback conditions: a control condition with normal auditory feedback, a white noise condition in which sound was masked, and a delayed auditory feedback condition. Overall time and kinematic data were collected. Results show that delayed auditory feedback led to a significantly slower overall time and changed kinematic parameters. Our findings complement previous investigations in a natural movement situation with nonartificial auditory cues. Our results support the existing theoretical understanding of action–perception coupling and hold potential for applied work, where naturally occurring movement sounds can be implemented in the motor learning processes.

Auditory reafferences: the influence of real-time feedback on movement control.

Science.gov (United States)

Kennel, Christian; Streese, Lukas; Pizzera, Alexandra; Justen, Christoph; Hohmann, Tanja; Raab, Markus

2015-01-01

Auditory reafferences are real-time auditory products created by a person's own movements. Whereas the interdependency of action and perception is generally well studied, the auditory feedback channel and the influence of perceptual processes during movement execution remain largely unconsidered. We argue that movements have a rhythmic character that is closely connected to sound, making it possible to manipulate auditory reafferences online to understand their role in motor control. We examined if step sounds, occurring as a by-product of running, have an influence on the performance of a complex movement task. Twenty participants completed a hurdling task in three auditory feedback conditions: a control condition with normal auditory feedback, a white noise condition in which sound was masked, and a delayed auditory feedback condition. Overall time and kinematic data were collected. Results show that delayed auditory feedback led to a significantly slower overall time and changed kinematic parameters. Our findings complement previous investigations in a natural movement situation with non-artificial auditory cues. Our results support the existing theoretical understanding of action-perception coupling and hold potential for applied work, where naturally occurring movement sounds can be implemented in the motor learning processes.

Amount of kinematic feedback affects learning of speech motor skills.

Science.gov (United States)

Ballard, Kirrie J; Smith, Heather D; Paramatmuni, Divija; McCabe, Patricia; Theodoros, Deborah G; Murdoch, Bruce E

2012-01-01

Knowledge of Performance (KP) feedback, such as biofeedback or kinematic feedback, is used to provide information on the nature and quality of movement responses for the purpose of guiding active learning or rehabilitation of motor skills. It has been proposed that KP feedback may interfere with long-term learning when provided throughout training. Here, twelve healthy English-speaking adults were trained to produce a trilled Russian [r] in words with KP kinematic feedback using electropalatography (EPG) and without KP (noKP). Five one-hour training sessions were provided over one week with testing pretraining and one day and one week posttraining. No group differences were found at pretraining or one day post training for production accuracy. A group by time interaction supported the hypothesis that providing kinematic feedback continually during skill acquisition interferes with retention.

Effects of voice harmonic complexity on ERP responses to pitch-shifted auditory feedback.

Science.gov (United States)

Behroozmand, Roozbeh; Korzyukov, Oleg; Larson, Charles R

2011-12-01

The present study investigated the neural mechanisms of voice pitch control for different levels of harmonic complexity in the auditory feedback. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded in response to+200 cents pitch perturbations in the auditory feedback of self-produced natural human vocalizations, complex and pure tone stimuli during active vocalization and passive listening conditions. During active vocal production, ERP amplitudes were largest in response to pitch shifts in the natural voice, moderately large for non-voice complex stimuli and smallest for the pure tones. However, during passive listening, neural responses were equally large for pitch shifts in voice and non-voice complex stimuli but still larger than that for pure tones. These findings suggest that pitch change detection is facilitated for spectrally rich sounds such as natural human voice and non-voice complex stimuli compared with pure tones. Vocalization-induced increase in neural responses for voice feedback suggests that sensory processing of naturally-produced complex sounds such as human voice is enhanced by means of motor-driven mechanisms (e.g. efference copies) during vocal production. This enhancement may enable the audio-vocal system to more effectively detect and correct for vocal errors in the feedback of natural human vocalizations to maintain an intended vocal output for speaking. Copyright © 2011 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of Integrated Feedback on Classroom Climate of Secondary School Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Patel, Nilesh Kumar

2018-01-01

This study aimed at finding out the effect of Integrated feedback on Classroom climate of secondary school teachers. This research is experimental in nature. Non-equivalent control group design suggested by Stanley and Campbell (1963) was used for the experiment. Integrated feedback was treatment and independent variable, Classroom climate was…

MiR-192-Mediated Positive Feedback Loop Controls the Robustness of Stress-Induced p53 Oscillations in Breast Cancer Cells.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Richard Moore

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The p53 tumor suppressor protein plays a critical role in cellular stress and cancer prevention. A number of post-transcriptional regulators, termed microRNAs, are closely connected with the p53-mediated cellular networks. While the molecular interactions among p53 and microRNAs have emerged, a systems-level understanding of the regulatory mechanism and the role of microRNAs-forming feedback loops with the p53 core remains elusive. Here we have identified from literature that there exist three classes of microRNA-mediated feedback loops revolving around p53, all with the nature of positive feedback coincidentally. To explore the relationship between the cellular performance of p53 with the microRNA feedback pathways, we developed a mathematical model of the core p53-MDM2 module coupled with three microRNA-mediated positive feedback loops involving miR-192, miR-34a, and miR-29a. Simulations and bifurcation analysis in relationship to extrinsic noise reproduce the oscillatory behavior of p53 under DNA damage in single cells, and notably show that specific microRNA abrogation can disrupt the wild-type cellular phenotype when the ubiquitous cell-to-cell variability is taken into account. To assess these in silico results we conducted microRNA-perturbation experiments in MCF7 breast cancer cells. Time-lapse microscopy of cell-population behavior in response to DNA double-strand breaks, together with image classification of single-cell phenotypes across a population, confirmed that the cellular p53 oscillations are compromised after miR-192 perturbations, matching well with the model predictions. Our study via modeling in combination with quantitative experiments provides new evidence on the role of microRNA-mediated positive feedback loops in conferring robustness to the system performance of stress-induced response of p53.

Historical metal pollution in natural gudgeon populations: Inferences from allozyme, microsatellite and condition factor analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Knapen, Dries; De Wolf, Hans; Knaepkens, Guy; Bervoets, Lieven; Eens, Marcel; Blust, Ronny; Verheyen, Erik

2009-01-01

This study presents the results of a microsatellite and allozyme analysis on natural populations of the gudgeon (Gobio gobio) located in a pollution gradient of cadmium and zinc. Differences among contaminated and reference populations were observed at 2 allozyme loci, as well as a relationship between the fish condition factor and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase genotypes, the locus that showed the largest difference in allele frequencies. The microsatellite data partly confirmed the differentiation pattern that was revealed by the allozyme survey. Our data further suggest that at least 2 microsatellite loci may be affected by natural selection. We thus illustrate that both microsatellite and allozyme loci do not necessarily behave as selectively neutral markers in polluted populations. Estimates of population differentiation can therefore be significantly different depending on which loci are being studied. Finally, these results are discussed in the light of the conservation unit concept, because microsatellites are often used to assess genetic variation in endangered natural populations and to propose measures for conservation or management.

Level of natural background radiation and dose to population in Zhejiang Province

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao Yifang; Chen Guopei; Wang Zanxin; Ma Mingqiang

1994-01-01

The natural background radiation in Zhejiang Province was measured and the dose to population was estimated. The results showed that the population-weighted average values of the absorbed dose rate in air from cosmic ray ionization were 3.0 x 10 -8 Gy·h -1 outdoors and 2.7 x 10 -8 Gy·h -1 indoors. The average absorbed dose rates in air from terrestrial γ-radiation were 9.1 x 10 -8 Gy·h -1 outdoors and 14.9 x 10 -8 Gy·h -1 indoors. The average values of radon in air were 17.2 Bq· -3 indoors and 12.7 Bq·m -8 outdoors. The contents of natural radionuclides in food and water were measured. The total annual individual average effective dose from natural background radiation was about 2.0 mSv. The contributions of cosmic rays, terrestrial radiation radon and thoron daughters exposure in air and internal exposure within the body were about 0.24, 0.77, 0.67 and 0.35 mSv, respectively. The annual collective effective dose to population in the province was estimated to be 8.5 x 10 4 man Sv·a -1

ASSESSING RADIATION PRESSURE AS A FEEDBACK MECHANISM IN STAR-FORMING GALAXIES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andrews, Brett H.; Thompson, Todd A.

2011-01-01

Radiation pressure from the absorption and scattering of starlight by dust grains may be an important feedback mechanism in regulating star-forming galaxies. We compile data from the literature on star clusters, star-forming subregions, normal star-forming galaxies, and starbursts to assess the importance of radiation pressure on dust as a feedback mechanism, by comparing the luminosity and flux of these systems to their dust Eddington limit. This exercise motivates a novel interpretation of the Schmidt law, the L IR -L' CO correlation, and the L IR -L' HCN correlation. In particular, the linear L IR -L' HCN correlation is a natural prediction of radiation pressure regulated star formation. Overall, we find that the Eddington limit sets a hard upper bound to the luminosity of any star-forming region. Importantly, however, many normal star-forming galaxies have luminosities significantly below the Eddington limit. We explore several explanations for this discrepancy, especially the role of 'intermittency' in normal spirals-the tendency for only a small number of subregions within a galaxy to be actively forming stars at any moment because of the time dependence of the feedback process and the luminosity evolution of the stellar population. If radiation pressure regulates star formation in dense gas, then the gas depletion timescale is 6 Myr, in good agreement with observations of the densest starbursts. Finally, we highlight the importance of observational uncertainties, namely, the dust-to-gas ratio and the CO-to-H 2 and HCN-to-H 2 conversion factors, that must be understood before a definitive assessment of radiation pressure as a feedback mechanism in star-forming galaxies.

Audio Feedback -- Better Feedback?

Science.gov (United States)

Voelkel, Susanne; Mello, Luciane V.

2014-01-01

National Student Survey (NSS) results show that many students are dissatisfied with the amount and quality of feedback they get for their work. This study reports on two case studies in which we tried to address these issues by introducing audio feedback to one undergraduate (UG) and one postgraduate (PG) class, respectively. In case study one…

The genetic consequences of selection in natural populations.

Science.gov (United States)

Thurman, Timothy J; Barrett, Rowan D H

2016-04-01

The selection coefficient, s, quantifies the strength of selection acting on a genetic variant. Despite this parameter's central importance to population genetic models, until recently we have known relatively little about the value of s in natural populations. With the development of molecular genetic techniques in the late 20th century and the sequencing technologies that followed, biologists are now able to identify genetic variants and directly relate them to organismal fitness. We reviewed the literature for published estimates of natural selection acting at the genetic level and found over 3000 estimates of selection coefficients from 79 studies. Selection coefficients were roughly exponentially distributed, suggesting that the impact of selection at the genetic level is generally weak but can occasionally be quite strong. We used both nonparametric statistics and formal random-effects meta-analysis to determine how selection varies across biological and methodological categories. Selection was stronger when measured over shorter timescales, with the mean magnitude of s greatest for studies that measured selection within a single generation. Our analyses found conflicting trends when considering how selection varies with the genetic scale (e.g., SNPs or haplotypes) at which it is measured, suggesting a need for further research. Besides these quantitative conclusions, we highlight key issues in the calculation, interpretation, and reporting of selection coefficients and provide recommendations for future research. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Homogeneity of Powassan virus populations in naturally infected Ixodes scapularis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brackney, Doug E.; Brown, Ivy K.; Nofchissey, Robert A.; Fitzpatrick, Kelly A.; Ebel, Gregory D.

2010-01-01

Powassan virus (POWV, Flaviviridae: Flavivirus) is the sole North American member of the tick-borne encephalitis complex and consists of two distinct lineages that are maintained in ecologically discrete enzootic transmission cycles. The underlying genetic mechanisms that lead to niche partitioning in arboviruses are poorly understood. Therefore, intra- and interhost genetic diversity was analyzed to determine if POWV exists as a quasispecies in nature and quantify selective pressures within and between hosts. In contrast to previous reports for West Nile virus (WNV), significant intrahost genetic diversity was not observed. However, pN (0.238) and d N /d S ratios (0.092) for interhost diversity were similar to those of WNV. Combined, these data suggest that purifying selection and/or population bottlenecks constrain quasispecies diversity within ticks. These same selective and stochastic mechanisms appear to drive minor sequence changes between ticks. Moreover, Powassan virus populations seem not to be structured as quasispecies in naturally infected adult deer ticks.

Natural resource collection and desired family size: a longitudinal test of environment-population theories.

Science.gov (United States)

Brauner-Otto, Sarah R; Axinn, William G

2017-06-01

Theories relating the changing environment to human fertility predict declining natural resources may actually increase the demand for children. Unfortunately most previous empirical studies have been limited to cross-sectional designs that limit our ability to understand links between processes that change over time. We take advantage of longitudinal measurement spanning more than a decade of change in the natural environment, household agricultural behaviors, and individual fertility preferences to reexamine this question. Using fixed-effects models, we find that women experiencing increasing time required to collect firewood to heat and cook or fodder to feed animals (the dominant needs for natural resources in this setting) increased their desired family size, even as many other macro-level changes have reduced desired family size. In contrast to previous, cross-sectional studies we find no evidence of such a relationship for men. Our findings regarding time spent collecting firewood are also new. These results support the "vicious circle" perspective and economic theories of fertility pointing to the value of children for household labor. This feedback from natural resource constraint to increased fertility is an important mechanism for understanding long term environmental change.

Genetic variation in natural honeybee populations, Apis mellifera capensis

Science.gov (United States)

Hepburn, Randall; Neumann, Peter; Radloff, Sarah E.

2004-09-01

Genetic variation in honeybee, Apis mellifera, populations can be considerably influenced by breeding and commercial introductions, especially in areas with abundant beekeeping. However, in southern Africa apiculture is based on the capture of wild swarms, and queen rearing is virtually absent. Moreover, the introduction of European subspecies constantly failed in the Cape region. We therefore hypothesize a low human impact on genetic variation in populations of Cape honeybees, Apis mellifera capensis. A novel solution to studying genetic variation in honeybee populations based on thelytokous worker reproduction is applied to test this hypothesis. Environmental effects on metrical morphological characters of the phenotype are separated to obtain a genetic residual component. The genetic residuals are then re-calculated as coefficients of genetic variation. Characters measured included hair length on the abdomen, width and length of wax plate, and three wing angles. The data show for the first time that genetic variation in Cape honeybee populations is independent of beekeeping density and probably reflects naturally occurring processes such as gene flow due to topographic and climatic variation on a microscale.

Neutral Theory: From Complex Population History to Natural Selection and Sociocultural Phenomena in Human Populations.

Science.gov (United States)

Austerlitz, Frédéric; Heyer, Evelyne

2018-06-01

Here, we present a synthetic view on how Kimura's Neutral theory has helped us gaining insight on the different evolutionary forces that shape human evolution. We put this perspective in the frame of recent emerging challenges: the use of whole genome data for reconstructing population histories, natural selection on complex polygenic traits, and integrating cultural processes in human evolution.

Assessment of cyst production potential of a natural population of brine shrimp Artemia

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Royan, J.P.; Sumitra-Vijayaraghavan; Krishnakumari, L.

Studies on a natural population of Artemia in the salterns of Jamnagar indicated that the population is parthenogenetic. These shrimps reach a maximum size of 9 mm. Number of cysts per brood varies from 10-32. Adults form about 68% of the total...

Too old to have children? Lessons from natural fertility populations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Eijkermans, M.J.C.; van Poppel, F.W.A.; Habbema, J.D.F.; Smith, K.R.; Leridon, H.; te Velde, E.R.

2014-01-01

study question: Is it possible to construct an age curve denoting the ages above which women are biologically too old to reproduce? summaryanswer:We constructed a curve based on the distribution of female age at last birth in natural fertility populations reflecting the ages above which women have

Methyl salicylate attracts natural enemies and reduces populations of soybean aphids (Hemiptera: Aphididae) in soybean agroecosystems.

Science.gov (United States)

Mallinger, Rachel E; Hogg, David B; Gratton, Claudio

2011-02-01

Methyl salicylate, an herbivore-induced plant volatile, has been shown to attract natural enemies and affect herbivore behavior. In this study, methyl salicylate was examined for its attractiveness to natural enemies of the soybean aphid, Aphis glycines Matsumura (Hemiptera: Aphididae), and for its direct effects on soybean aphid population growth rates. Methyl salicylate lures were deployed in plots within organic soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] fields. Sticky card traps adjacent to and 1.5 m from the lure measured the relative abundance of natural enemies, and soybean aphid populations were monitored within treated and untreated plots. In addition, exclusion cage studies were conducted to determine methyl salicylate's effect on soybean aphid population growth rates in the absence of natural enemies. Significantly greater numbers of syrphid flies (Diptera: Syrphidae) and green lacewings (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) were caught on traps adjacent to the methyl salicylate lure, but no differences in abundance were found at traps 1.5 m from the lure. Furthermore, abundance of soybean aphids was significantly lower in methyl salicylate-treated plots. In exclusion cage studies, soybean aphid numbers were significantly reduced on treated soybean plants when all plants were open to natural enemies. When plants were caged, however, soybean aphid numbers and population growth rates did not differ between treated and untreated plants suggesting no effect of methyl salicylate on soybean aphid reproduction and implicating the role of natural enemies in depressing aphid populations. Although aphid populations were reduced locally around methyl salicylate lures, larger scale studies are needed to assess the technology at the whole-field scale.

Climate-carbon cycle feedbacks under stabilization: uncertainty and observational constraints

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jones, Chris D.; Cox, Peter M.; Huntingford, Chris

2006-01-01

Avoiding 'dangerous climate change' by stabilization of atmospheric CO 2 concentrations at a desired level requires reducing the rate of anthropogenic carbon emissions so that they are balanced by uptake of carbon by the natural terrestrial and oceanic carbon cycles. Previous calculations of profiles of emissions which lead to stabilized CO 2 levels have assumed no impact of climate change on this natural carbon uptake. However, future climate change effects on the land carbon cycle are predicted to reduce its ability to act as a sink for anthropogenic carbon emissions and so quantification of this feedback is required to determine future permissible emissions. Here, we assess the impact of the climate-carbon cycle feedback and attempt to quantify its uncertainty due to both within-model parameter uncertainty and between-model structural uncertainty. We assess the use of observational constraints to reduce uncertainty in the future permissible emissions for climate stabilization and find that all realistic carbon cycle feedbacks consistent with the observational record give permissible emissions significantly less than previously assumed. However, the observational record proves to be insufficient to tightly constrain carbon cycle processes or future feedback strength with implications for climate-carbon cycle model evaluation

Modelling techniques for predicting the long term consequences of radiation on natural aquatic populations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wallis, I.G.

1978-01-01

The purpose of this working paper is to describe modelling techniques for predicting the long term consequences of radiation on natural aquatic populations. Ideally, it would be possible to use aquatic population models: (1) to predict changes in the health and well-being of all aquatic populations as a result of changing the composition, amount and location of radionuclide discharges; (2) to compare the effects of steady, fluctuating and accidental releases of radionuclides; and (3) to evaluate the combined impact of the discharge of radionuclides and other wastes, and natural environmental stresses on aquatic populations. At the onset it should be stated that there is no existing model which can achieve this ideal performance. However, modelling skills and techniques are available to develop useful aquatic population models. This paper discusses the considerations involved in developing these models and briefly describes the various types of population models which have been developed to date

Structure and genetic diversity of natural Brazilian pepper populations (Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi).

Science.gov (United States)

Álvares-Carvalho, S V; Duarte, J F; Santos, T C; Santos, R M; Silva-Mann, R; Carvalho, D

2016-06-17

In the face of a possible loss of genetic diversity in plants due the environmental changes, actions to ensure the genetic variability are an urgent necessity. The extraction of Brazilian pepper fruits is a cause of concern because it results in the lack of seeds in soil, hindering its distribution in space and time. It is important to address this concern and explore the species, used by riparian communities and agro-factories without considering the need for keeping the seeds for natural seed banks and for species sustainability. The objective of this study was to evaluate the structure and the genetic diversity in natural Brazilian pepper populations (Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi). Twenty-two alleles in 223 individuals were identified from eight forest remnants located in the states of Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo, and Sergipe. All populations presented loci in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium deviation. Four populations presented six combinations of loci in linkage disequilibrium. Six exclusive alleles were detected in four populations. Analysis of molecular variance showed the absence of diversity between regions and that between the populations (GST) was 41%. Genetic diversity was structured in seven clusters (ΔK7). Brazilian pepper populations were not structured in a pattern of isolation by distance and present genetic bottleneck. The populations São Mateus, Canastra, Barbacena, and Ilha das Flores were identified as management units and may support conservation projects, ecological restoration and in implementation of management plans for Brazilian pepper in the State of Sergipe.

Feedback Conversations: Creating Feedback Dialogues with a New Textual Tool for Industrial Design Student Feedback

Science.gov (United States)

Funk, Mathias; van Diggelen, Migchiel

2017-01-01

In this paper, the authors describe how a study of a large database of written university teacher feedback in the department of Industrial Design led to the development of a new conceptual framework for feedback and the design of a new feedback tool. This paper focuses on the translation of related work in the area of feedback mechanisms for…

Feedback on Feedback: Eliciting Learners' Responses to Written Feedback through Student-Generated Screencasts

Science.gov (United States)

Fernández-Toro, María; Furnborough, Concha

2014-01-01

Despite the potential benefits of assignment feedback, learners often fail to use it effectively. This study examines the ways in which adult distance learners engage with written feedback on one of their assignments. Participants were 10 undergraduates studying Spanish at the Open University, UK. Their responses to feedback were elicited by means…

The feedback pathway from horizontal cells to cones. A mini review with a look ahead

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kamermans, M.; Spekreijse, H.

1999-01-01

The feedback pathway from HCs to cones forms the basis of the surround responses of the bipolar cells and is essential for the spectral opponency of horizontal cells. The nature of this feedback pathway is an issue of debate. Three hypothesis are presented in literature: (1) a GABAA-ergic feedback

Negative Plant-Soil Feedback and Positive Species Interaction in a Herbaceous Plant Community

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bonanomi, G.; Rietkerk, M.; Dekker, S.C.; Mazzoleni, S.

2005-01-01

Increasing evidence shows that facilitative interaction and negative plant¿soil feedback are driving factors of plant population dynamics and community processes. We studied the intensity and the relative impact of negative feedback on clonal growth and seed germination of Scirpus holoschoenus, a

Negative Plant–Soil Feedback and Positive Species Interaction in a Herbaceous Plant Community

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bonanomi, G.; Rietkerk, M.G.; Dekker, S.C.; Mazzoleni, S.

2005-01-01

Increasing evidence shows that facilitative interaction and negative plant–soil feedback are driving factors of plant population dynamics and community processes. We studied the intensity and the relative impact of negative feedback on clonal growth and seed germination of Scirpus holoschoenus, a

Feedback and feedforward control of frequency tuning to naturalistic stimuli.

Science.gov (United States)

Chacron, Maurice J; Maler, Leonard; Bastian, Joseph

2005-06-08

Sensory neurons must respond to a wide variety of natural stimuli that can have very different spatiotemporal characteristics. Optimal responsiveness to subsets of these stimuli can be achieved by devoting specialized neural circuitry to different stimulus categories, or, alternatively, this circuitry can be modulated or tuned to optimize responsiveness to current stimulus conditions. This study explores the mechanisms that enable neurons within the initial processing station of the electrosensory system of weakly electric fish to shift their tuning properties based on the spatial extent of the stimulus. These neurons are tuned to low frequencies when the stimulus is restricted to a small region within the receptive field center but are tuned to higher frequencies when the stimulus impinges on large regions of the sensory epithelium. Through a combination of modeling and in vivo electrophysiology, we reveal the respective contributions of the filtering characteristics of extended dendritic structures and feedback circuitry to this shift in tuning. Our results show that low-frequency tuning can result from the cable properties of an extended dendrite that conveys receptor-afferent information to the cell body. The shift from low- to high-frequency tuning, seen in response to spatially extensive stimuli, results from increased wide-band input attributable to activation of larger populations of receptor afferents, as well as the activation of parallel fiber feedback from the cerebellum. This feedback provides a cancellation signal with low-pass characteristics that selectively attenuates low-frequency responsiveness. Thus, with spatially extensive stimuli, these cells preferentially respond to the higher-frequency components of the receptor-afferent input.

Some remarks on the natural radiation burden of population

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feher, I.; Gemesi, J.; Toth, A.

1975-04-01

A large scale of the population's radiation burden is due to the natural radioactivity of building materials. An appropriate model has been developed for the calculation of the burden of population from the concentration of radioisotopes in building materials. The external and internal radiation burden of Hungary's population were determined (weighted means were 33 mrem/year and the bronhial dose 730 mrad/year, respectively) and the effect of new building technologies and materials on the radiation burden was studied. In dwellings built of precast concrete slabs containing low-activity ballast available in Hungary the radiation burden was found to be significantly lower than the present average. The increase in the contamination hazard expected from the peaceful uses of atomic energy could be compensated by reducing the average external radiation burden together with the average bronchial dose. This reduction can be 1.6 mrem/year and 58 mrad/year, respectively (according to our estimations based on simple assumptions), requiring acceptable excess cost. (K.A.)

About Politeness, Face, and Feedback: Exploring Resident and Faculty Perceptions of How Institutional Feedback Culture Influences Feedback Practices.

Science.gov (United States)

Ramani, Subha; Könings, Karen D; Mann, Karen V; Pisarski, Emily E; van der Vleuten, Cees P M

2018-03-06

To explore resident and faculty perspectives on what constitutes feedback culture, their perceptions of how institutional feedback culture (including politeness concepts) might influence the quality and impact of feedback, feedback seeking, receptivity, and readiness to engage in bidirectional feedback. Using a constructivist grounded theory approach, five focus group discussions with internal medicine residents, three focus group discussions with general medicine faculty, and eight individual interviews with subspecialist faculty were conducted at Brigham and Women's Hospital between April and December 2016. Discussions and interviews were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim; concurrent data collection and analysis were performed using the constant comparative approach. Analysis was considered through the lens of politeness theory and organizational culture. Twenty-nine residents and twenty-two general medicine faculty participated in focus group discussions, and eight subspecialty faculty participated in interviews. The institutional feedback culture was described by participants as: (1) a culture of politeness, in which language potentially damaging to residents' self-esteem was discouraged, and (2) a culture of excellence, in which the institution's outstanding reputation and pedigree of trainees inhibited constructive feedback. Three key themes situated within this broader cultural context were discovered: normalizing constructive feedback to promote a culture of growth, overcoming the mental block to feedback seeking, and hierarchical culture impeding bidirectional feedback. An institutional feedback culture of excellence and politeness may impede honest, meaningful feedback and may impact feedback seeking, receptivity, and bidirectional feedback exchanges. It is essential to understand the institutional feedback culture before it can be successfully changed.

Epigenetic Differentiation of Natural Populations of Lilium bosniacum Associated with Contrasting Habitat Conditions

OpenAIRE

Zoldoš, Vlatka; Biruš, Ivan; Muratović, Edina; Šatović, Zlatko; Vojta, Aleksandar; Robin, Odile; Pustahija, Fatima; Bogunić, Faruk; Vičić Bočkor, Vedrana; Siljak-Yakovlev, Sonja

2018-01-01

Abstract Epigenetic variation in natural populations with contrasting habitats might be an important element, in addition to the genetic variation, in plant adaptation to environmental stress. Here, we assessed genetic, epigenetic, and cytogenetic structure of the three Lilium bosniacum populations growing on distinct habitats. One population was growing under habitual ecological conditions for this species and the other two were growing under stress associated with high altitude and serpenti...

How Attributes of the Feedback Message affect Subsequent Feedback Seeking: The interactive effects of feedback sign and type

OpenAIRE

Medvedeff, Megan; Gregory, Jane Brodie; Levy, Paul E

2008-01-01

In the current study, we examined the interactive effects of feedback type and sign on feedback-seeking behaviour, as well as the moderating role of regulatory focus. Using a behavioural measure of feedback seeking, we demonstrated a strong interaction between feedback type and sign, such that individuals subsequently sought the most feedback after they were provided with negative process feedback. Additionally, results suggested that an individual's chronic regulatory focus has implications ...

Molecular nature of alpha-globin genes in the Saudi population

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Francis Borgio

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Alpha-thalassemia (α-thal is a disorder caused by the deletion of single or double α-globin genes, and/or point mutations in the α-globin genes. There are 2 common types of α-globin genes; HBA2 and HBA1. Recently, it has been discovered that the HBA2 gene is replaced by a unique HBA12 gene convert in 5.7% of the Saudi population. The α-globin genes have been emerging as a molecular target for the treatment of β-thalassemia (β-thal. Hence, it is essential to understand the molecular nature of α-globin genes to treat the most prevalent hemoglobin disorders, such as sickle cell disease, α-thal, and β-thal prevalent in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Thirty-two different α-globin genotypes have been observed in the Saudi population. This review outlines the classification of the α-globin genes on the basis of their molecular nature and complex combinations of α-globin genes, and their variants predominant in Saudis.

Chromatographic analysis of phenol compounds in six natural populations of Anthyllis vulneraria (L.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andzrej Kalinowski

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Thin-layer chromatography was used to study the phenol composition in individual plants from six natural populations of Anthyllis collected from three distinct geographic regions of Poland. The results showed a variability of the phenols in the examined populations. The populations from Wielkopolska region proved to be most variable, showing the greatest number of phenols. The lowest number of the phenols studies was found in the Tatry populations. Each population showed its own particular spectrum of phenolic compounds. It was found that the populations originating from similar habitats showed more common spots than those from different regions. Populations from the Tatra region were found to differ most from the rest.

Horizontal transmission of Paranosema locustae (Microsporidia) in grasshopper populations via predatory natural enemies.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang-Peng, Shi; Zheng, Xuan; Jia, Wan-Tong; Li, Ao-Mei; Camara, Ibrahima; Chen, Hong-Xing; Tan, Shu-Qian; Liu, Yi-Qing; Ji, Rong

2018-04-24

Paranosema locustae Canning, 1953 (Microsporidia) provides effective control of grasshoppers. While horizontal transmission of P. locustae is known to occur, evidence for the mechanisms of such transmission via predatory natural enemies was found. We conducted a three-year laboratory and field study to assess the potential impact of feces both from grasshoppers Locusta migratoria L. and from their natural enemies on the persistence of P. locustae. We found that P. locustae persisted among grasshopper populations in treated areas and in adjacent untreated areas for up to two years, and the density of grasshoppers decreased in both areas. We showed that healthy grasshoppers could be infected by feeding on food contaminated by feces from their natural enemies. Predators of grasshoppers retained a large number of spores acquired from eating grasshoppers infected with P. locustae. Spores in the feces of the main natural enemy, the beetle Pterostichus gebleri Dejean 1828 in treated area showed clear viability. These results demonstrate that predatory natural enemies are important vectors for this microsporidian disease, and suggest that sustainable transmission and continuing population suppression might be achieved by horizontal transmission through natural enemies, which should be maximized to increase the effectiveness of P. locustae. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

[The susceptibility of different animal species to synanthropic and natural populations of Trichinella].

Science.gov (United States)

Artemenko, Iu G; Artemenko, L P

1997-01-01

Pigs have been found to be highly susceptible to the synanthropic (domestic) population of Trichinella [correction of Trachina] and weakly susceptible to the natural (native) one. Fur-bearing animals (polar foxes and foxes) are more susceptible to the natural population of Trichinella [correction of Trachina], but minks are equally sensible to the two variants of T. spiralis. In the host's body, synanthropic Trichinella [correction of Trachinas] form capsules of lemon-like, less frequently, oval shape, but the native population do round capsules. There is larval adaptation when Trichinella [correction of Trachina] larvae enter the nonspecific host's body after their prepassage through the organism of domestic carnivorous animals (cats, dogs). The pig is successfully infected with T. spiralis nativa via the cat or dog; the infection rate is approximately close to that observed during control infection of pigs with synanthropic Trichinella [correction of Trachina].

Pantomime-grasping: Advance knowledge of haptic feedback availability supports an absolute visuo-haptic calibration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shirin eDavarpanah Jazi

2016-05-01

Full Text Available An emerging issue in movement neurosciences is whether haptic feedback influences the nature of the information supporting a simulated grasping response (i.e., pantomime-grasping. In particular, recent work by our group contrasted pantomime-grasping responses performed with (i.e., PH+ trials and without (i.e., PH- trials terminal haptic feedback in separate blocks of trials. Results showed that PH- trials were mediated via relative visual information. In contrast, PH+ trials showed evidence of an absolute visuo-haptic calibration – a finding attributed to an error signal derived from a comparison between expected and actual haptic feedback (i.e., an internal forward model. The present study examined whether advanced knowledge of haptic feedback availability influences the aforementioned calibration process. To that end, PH- and PH+ trials were completed in separate blocks (i.e., the feedback schedule used in our group’s previous study and a block wherein PH- and PH+ trials were randomly interleaved on a trial-by-trial basis (i.e., random feedback schedule. In other words, the random feedback schedule precluded participants from predicting whether haptic feedback would be available at the movement goal location. We computed just-noticeable-difference (JND values to determine whether responses adhered to, or violated, the relative psychophysical principles of Weber’s law. Results for the blocked feedback schedule replicated our group’s previous work, whereas in the random feedback schedule PH- and PH+ trials were supported via relative visual information. Accordingly, we propose that a priori knowledge of haptic feedback is necessary to support an absolute visuo-haptic calibration. Moreover, our results demonstrate that the presence and expectancy of haptic feedback is an important consideration in contrasting the behavioral and neural properties of natural and stimulated (i.e., pantomime-grasping grasping.

RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN PLANT-DENSITY, OUTCROSSING RATES AND SEED SET IN NATURAL AND EXPERIMENTAL POPULATIONS OF SCABIOSA-COLUMBARIA

NARCIS (Netherlands)

VANTREUREN, R; BIJLSMA, R; OUBORG, NJ; KWAK, MM

Outcrossing rates were estimated in both natural and experimental populations of Scabiosa columbaria, a self-compatible, entomophilous, gynodioecious, protandrous perennial. In natural populations, estimates of the outcrossing rate in hermaphrodites were near to one and ranged from 0.84 +/- 0.07 to

Feedback and Incentives

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Eriksson, Tor Viking; Poulsen, Anders; Villeval, Marie Claire

2009-01-01

This paper experimentally investigates the impact of different pay schemes and relative performance feedback policies on employee effort. We explore three feedback rules: no feedback on relative performance, feedback given halfway through the production period, and continuously updated feedback. ...... behind, and front runners do not slack off. But in both pay schemes relative performance feedback reduces the quality of the low performers' work; we refer to this as a "negative quality peer effect"....

Feedback on Teaching from Observations of Teaching: What Do Administrators Say and What Do Teachers Think about It?

Science.gov (United States)

Khachatryan, Edit

2015-01-01

Teachers crave yet rarely receive qualitative performance feedback. Though student feedback has been studied, we know little about what kinds of feedback are useful to teachers for improving practice. This study begins to address the need in research on the nature of feedback teachers receive from classroom observations as well as on how teachers…

Chemotaxis by natural populations of coral reef bacteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Tout, Jessica; Jeffries, Thomas C; Petrou, Katherina; Tyson, Gene W; Webster, Nicole S; Garren, Melissa; Stocker, Roman; Ralph, Peter J; Seymour, Justin R

2015-08-01

Corals experience intimate associations with distinct populations of marine microorganisms, but the microbial behaviours underpinning these relationships are poorly understood. There is evidence that chemotaxis is pivotal to the infection process of corals by pathogenic bacteria, but this evidence is limited to experiments using cultured isolates under laboratory conditions. We measured the chemotactic capabilities of natural populations of coral-associated bacteria towards chemicals released by corals and their symbionts, including amino acids, carbohydrates, ammonium and dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP). Laboratory experiments, using a modified capillary assay, and in situ measurements, using a novel microfabricated in situ chemotaxis assay, were employed to quantify the chemotactic responses of natural microbial assemblages on the Great Barrier Reef. Both approaches showed that bacteria associated with the surface of the coral species Pocillopora damicornis and Acropora aspera exhibited significant levels of chemotaxis, particularly towards DMSP and amino acids, and that these levels of chemotaxis were significantly higher than that of bacteria inhabiting nearby, non-coral-associated waters. This pattern was supported by a significantly higher abundance of chemotaxis and motility genes in metagenomes within coral-associated water types. The phylogenetic composition of the coral-associated chemotactic microorganisms, determined using 16S rRNA amplicon pyrosequencing, differed from the community in the seawater surrounding the coral and comprised known coral associates, including potentially pathogenic Vibrio species. These findings indicate that motility and chemotaxis are prevalent phenotypes among coral-associated bacteria, and we propose that chemotaxis has an important role in the establishment and maintenance of specific coral-microbe associations, which may ultimately influence the health and stability of the coral holobiont.

Genomic Variation in Natural Populations of Drosophila melanogaster

Science.gov (United States)

Langley, Charles H.; Stevens, Kristian; Cardeno, Charis; Lee, Yuh Chwen G.; Schrider, Daniel R.; Pool, John E.; Langley, Sasha A.; Suarez, Charlyn; Corbett-Detig, Russell B.; Kolaczkowski, Bryan; Fang, Shu; Nista, Phillip M.; Holloway, Alisha K.; Kern, Andrew D.; Dewey, Colin N.; Song, Yun S.; Hahn, Matthew W.; Begun, David J.

2012-01-01

This report of independent genome sequences of two natural populations of Drosophila melanogaster (37 from North America and 6 from Africa) provides unique insight into forces shaping genomic polymorphism and divergence. Evidence of interactions between natural selection and genetic linkage is abundant not only in centromere- and telomere-proximal regions, but also throughout the euchromatic arms. Linkage disequilibrium, which decays within 1 kbp, exhibits a strong bias toward coupling of the more frequent alleles and provides a high-resolution map of recombination rate. The juxtaposition of population genetics statistics in small genomic windows with gene structures and chromatin states yields a rich, high-resolution annotation, including the following: (1) 5′- and 3′-UTRs are enriched for regions of reduced polymorphism relative to lineage-specific divergence; (2) exons overlap with windows of excess relative polymorphism; (3) epigenetic marks associated with active transcription initiation sites overlap with regions of reduced relative polymorphism and relatively reduced estimates of the rate of recombination; (4) the rate of adaptive nonsynonymous fixation increases with the rate of crossing over per base pair; and (5) both duplications and deletions are enriched near origins of replication and their density correlates negatively with the rate of crossing over. Available demographic models of X and autosome descent cannot account for the increased divergence on the X and loss of diversity associated with the out-of-Africa migration. Comparison of the variation among these genomes to variation among genomes from D. simulans suggests that many targets of directional selection are shared between these species. PMID:22673804

Natural hazard risk perception of Italian population: case studies along national territory.

Science.gov (United States)

Gravina, Teresita; Tupputi Schinosa, Francesca De Luca; Zuddas, Isabella; Preto, Mattia; Marengo, Angelo; Esposito, Alessandro; Figliozzi, Emanuele; Rapinatore, Matteo

2015-04-01

Risk perception is judgment that people make about the characteristics and severity of risks, in last few years risk perception studies focused on provide cognitive elements to communication experts responsible in order to design citizenship information and awareness appropriate strategies. Several authors in order to determine natural hazards risk (Seismic, landslides, cyclones, flood, Volcanic) perception used questionnaires as tool for providing reliable quantitative data and permitting comparison the results with those of similar surveys. In Italy, risk perception studies based on surveys, were also carried out in order to investigate on national importance Natural risk, in particular on Somma-Vesuvio and Phlegrean Fields volcanic Risks, but lacked risk perception studies on local situation distributed on whole national territory. National importance natural hazard were frequently reported by national mass media and there were debate about emergencies civil protection plans, otherwise could be difficult to obtain information on bonded and regional nature natural hazard which were diffuses along National territory. In fact, Italian peninsula was a younger geological area subjected to endogenous phenomena (volcanoes, earthquake) and exogenous phenomena which determine land evolution and natural hazard (landslide, coastal erosion, hydrogeological instability, sinkhole) for population. For this reason we decided to investigate on natural risks perception in different Italian place were natural hazard were taken place but not reported from mass media, as were only local relevant or historical event. We carried out surveys in different Italian place interested by different types of natural Hazard (landslide, coastal erosion, hydrogeological instability, sinkhole, volcanic phenomena and earthquake) and compared results, in order to understand population perception level, awareness and civil protection exercises preparation. Our findings support that risks

Level of natural background radiation and dose to population in Jilin Province

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Wanxi; Chen Huiying; Ju Cuixiang; Li Fulin; Li Xianggao

1994-01-01

The natural background radiation in Jilin Province was measured and the population dose was estimated. The results showed that the population-weighted average value of the absorbed dose rate in air from cosmic ray ionization was 3.2 x 10 -8 Gy·h -1 . The average absorbed dose rates in air from terrestrial γ radiation were 7.7 x 10 -8 Gy·h -1 outdoors and 9.8 x 10 -8 Gy·h -1 indoors. The average values of radon in air were 8.7 Bq·m -3 outdoors and 5.8 Bq·m -3 indoors. The average concentration of natural radionuclides U, Th, 226 Ra, and 40 K were 3.7 x 10 -2 , 2.4 x 10 -2 , 14.7 x 10 -2 and 81.5 Bq·kg -1 in food, and 2.3, 0.1, 1.1 and 0.3 Bq·L -1 in drinking water, respectively. The total annual individual average effective dose equivalent from natural background radiation was about 1.5 mSv

Task-dependent vestibular feedback responses in reaching.

Science.gov (United States)

Keyser, Johannes; Medendorp, W Pieter; Selen, Luc P J

2017-07-01

When reaching for an earth-fixed object during self-rotation, the motor system should appropriately integrate vestibular signals and sensory predictions to compensate for the intervening motion and its induced inertial forces. While it is well established that this integration occurs rapidly, it is unknown whether vestibular feedback is specifically processed dependent on the behavioral goal. Here, we studied whether vestibular signals evoke fixed responses with the aim to preserve the hand trajectory in space or are processed more flexibly, correcting trajectories only in task-relevant spatial dimensions. We used galvanic vestibular stimulation to perturb reaching movements toward a narrow or a wide target. Results show that the same vestibular stimulation led to smaller trajectory corrections to the wide than the narrow target. We interpret this reduced compensation as a task-dependent modulation of vestibular feedback responses, tuned to minimally intervene with the task-irrelevant dimension of the reach. These task-dependent vestibular feedback corrections are in accordance with a central prediction of optimal feedback control theory and mirror the sophistication seen in feedback responses to mechanical and visual perturbations of the upper limb. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Correcting limb movements for external perturbations is a hallmark of flexible sensorimotor behavior. While visual and mechanical perturbations are corrected in a task-dependent manner, it is unclear whether a vestibular perturbation, naturally arising when the body moves, is selectively processed in reach control. We show, using galvanic vestibular stimulation, that reach corrections to vestibular perturbations are task dependent, consistent with a prediction of optimal feedback control theory. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.

Perceived Insider Status and Feedback Reactions: A Dual Path of Feedback Motivation Attribution

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Weijiong Wu

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Many studies have evaluated how the characteristics of feedback receiver, feedback deliverer and feedback information influence psychological feedback reactions of the feedback receiver while largely neglecting that feedback intervention is a kind of social interaction process. To address this issue, this study proposes that employees’ perceived insider status (PIS, as a kind of employee-organization relationship, could also influence employees’ reactions to supervisory feedback. In particular, this study investigates the influence of PIS focusing on affective and cognitive feedback reactions, namely feedback satisfaction and feedback utility. Surveys were conducted in a machinery manufacturing company in the Guangdong province of China. Samples were collected from 192 employees. Data analysis demonstrated that PIS and feedback utility possessed a U-shaped relationship, whereas PIS and feedback satisfaction exhibited positively linear relationships. The analysis identified two kinds of mediating mechanisms related to feedback satisfaction and feedback utility. Internal feedback motivation attribution partially mediated the relationship between PIS and feedback satisfaction but failed to do the same with respect to the relationship between PIS and feedback utility. In contrast, external feedback motivation attribution partially mediated the relationship between PIS and feedback utility while failing to mediate the relationship between PIS and feedback satisfaction. Theoretical contributions and practical implications of the findings are discussed at the end of the paper.

Polymorphism of the Hereditary Sigma Virus in Natural Populations of DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER.

Science.gov (United States)

Fleuriet, A

1980-06-01

Previous studies have shown that, in natural French populations of Drosophila melanogaster, 10 to 20% of the flies are infected by the noncontagious, hereditary rhabdovirus sigma responsible for CO(2) sensitivity. These populations are also polymorphic for two alleles [ref(2)P(o) and ref(2)P(p)] of a gene for resistance to the sigma virus. Evidence is given here that two viral genetic types, differing in their response to the ref(2)P(p) allele, are present in these populations of flies; the most common type is only slightly sensitive to the ref(2)P(p) allele.

Natural Disasters and Cholera Outbreaks: Current Understanding and Future Outlook.

Science.gov (United States)

Jutla, Antarpreet; Khan, Rakibul; Colwell, Rita

2017-03-01

Diarrheal diseases remain a serious global public health threat, especially for those populations lacking access to safe water and sanitation infrastructure. Although association of several diarrheal diseases, e.g., cholera, shigellosis, etc., with climatic processes has been documented, the global human population remains at heightened risk of outbreak of diseases after natural disasters, such as earthquakes, floods, or droughts. In this review, cholera was selected as a signature diarrheal disease and the role of natural disasters in triggering and transmitting cholera was analyzed. Key observations include identification of an inherent feedback loop that includes societal structure, prevailing climatic processes, and spatio-temporal seasonal variability of natural disasters. Data obtained from satellite-based remote sensing are concluded to have application, although limited, in predicting risks of a cholera outbreak(s). We argue that with the advent of new high spectral and spatial resolution data, earth observation systems should be seamlessly integrated in a decision support mechanism to be mobilize resources when a region suffers a natural disaster. A framework is proposed that can be used to assess the impact of natural disasters with response to outbreak of cholera, providing assessment of short- and long-term influence of climatic processes on disease outbreaks.

Designing student peer assessment in higher education: Analysis of written and oral peer feedback

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van den Berg, I.; Admiraal, W.; Pilot, A.

2006-01-01

Designing student peer assessment in higher education: analysis of written and oral peer feedback Relating it to design features, the present article describes the nature of written and oral peer feedback as it occurred in seven writing courses, each with a different PA design. Results indicate that

Feedback on Feedback--Does It Work?

Science.gov (United States)

Speicher, Oranna; Stollhans, Sascha

2015-01-01

It is well documented that providing assessment feedback through the medium of screencasts is favourably received by students and encourages deeper engagement with the feedback given by the language teacher (inter alia Abdous & Yoshimura, 2010; Brick & Holmes, 2008; Cann, 2007; Stannard, 2007). In this short paper we will report the…

Steelhead Supplementation Studies in Idaho Rivers: To evaluate the feasibility of using artificial production to increase natural steelhead populations and to collect baseline life history, genetic, and disease data from natural steelhead populations. 1993 Annual report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Byrne, A.

1996-01-01

The Steelhead Supplementation Study was designed to evaluate the feasibility of using artificial production to increase natural steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss populations and to collect baseline life history, genetic, and disease data from natural steelhead populations. To evaluate supplementation, the authors focused their experimental design on post-release survival, reproductive success, long-term fitness, and ecological interactions. They began field experiments in 1993 by outplanting hatchery adults and fingerlings to assess reproductive fitness and long-term survival. They snorkeled eight streams to estimate juvenile steelhead densities, recorded temperatures in 17 streams, and tagged natural steelhead in six streams with Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tags

Investigation of natural radiation background and assessment of its population dose in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1989-01-01

This paper presents the nationwide survey in 1984-1988 of environmental external radiation by integrating measurements, and the assessment of population doses from obtained data. Thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLD) model ETLD-80 with CaSO 4 : Dy were used. The survey was conducted in two different scales. In general survey, TLDs were distributed in whole area of every investigated provinces; and in local survey, one city and one village within each province were selected and investigated for the purpose of comparison of the natural radiation levels between the rural and urban areas. A marked characteristics was noted that the level of natural environmental radiation in south China seems to be higher than that in north China. It may be attributed to the geological difference in both parts. The annual individual average and collective effective dose equivalents to population of China from natural environmental radiation were estimated to be 780 μSv and 8.1 x 10 5 man. Sv, based on the model recommended by UNSCEAR 1988 Report

A population genetic analysis of the potential for a crude oil spill to induce heritable mutations and impact natural populations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cronin, M.A. [LGL Alaska Research Associates Inc., Anchorage, AK (United States); Bickham, J.W. [Texas A and M University, College Station, TX (United States). Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences; LGL Ecological Genetics Inc., Bryan, TX (United States)

1998-07-01

The primary environmental impact following an oil spill typically is acute toxicity to fish and wildlife. However, multigenerational effects through toxicant-induced heritable mutations might also occur. Some polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) components of crude oil are potentially mutagenic, although specific components and doses that induce mutations are poorly known. We applied population genetics concepts to assess the extent of mortality and the persistence of deleterious heritable mutations resulting from exposure to potential mutagens, such as crude oil. If lethal mutations are induced, the population will experience some mortality, but the mutations are quickly removed or reduced to low frequency by natural selection. This occurs within one or a few generations when mutations are dominant or partially recessive. Totally recessive alleles persist in low frequency for many generations, but result in relatively little impact on the population, depending on the number of mutated loci. We also applied population genetics concepts to assess the potential for heritable mutations induced by the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound, Alaska, to affect pink salmon populations. We stress that breeding units (e.g., streams with distinct spawning populations of salmon) must be considered individually to assess heritable genetic effects. For several streams impacted by the oil spill, there is inconsistency between observed egg mortality and that expected if lethal heritable mutations had been induced by exposure to crude oil. Observed mortality was either higher or lower than expected depending on the spawning population, year, and cohort considered. Any potential subtle effect of lethal mutations induced by the Exxon Valdez oil spill is overridden by natural environmental variation among spawning areas. We discuss the need to focus on population-level effects in toxicological assessments because fish and wildlife management focuses on populations, not

Measuring voluntary quadriceps activation: Effect of visual feedback and stimulus delivery.

Science.gov (United States)

Luc, Brittney A; Harkey, Matthew H; Arguelles, Gabrielle D; Blackburn, J Troy; Ryan, Eric D; Pietrosimone, Brian

2016-02-01

Quadriceps voluntary activation, assessed via the superimposed burst technique, has been extensively studied in a variety of populations as a measure of quadriceps function. However, a variety of stimulus delivery techniques have been employed, which may influence the level of voluntary activation as calculated via the central activation ratio (CAR). The purpose was to determine the effect of visual feedback, stimulus delivery, and perceived discomfort on maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) peak torque and the CAR. Quadriceps CAR was assessed in 14 individuals on two days using three stimulus delivery methods; (1) manual without visual feedback, (2) manual with visual feedback, and (3) automated with visual feedback. MVIC peak torque and the CAR were not different between the automated with visual feedback (MVIC=3.25, SE=0.14Nm/kg; CAR=88.63, SE=1.75%) and manual with visual feedback (MVIC=3.26, SE=0.13Nm/kg, P=0.859; CAR=89.06, SE=1.70%, P=0.39) stimulus delivery methods. MVIC (2.99, SE=0.12Nm/kg) and CAR (85.32, SE=2.10%) were significantly lower using manual without visual feedback compared to manual with visual feedback and automated with visual feedback (CAR P<0.001; MVIC P<0.001). Perceived discomfort was lower in the second session (P<0.05). Utilizing visual feedback ensures participant MVIC, and may provide a more accurate assessment of quadriceps voluntary activation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of different feedback types on information integration in repeated monetary gambles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peter eHaffke

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Most models of risky decision making assume that all relevant information is taken into account (e.g., Kahneman & Tversky, 1979; von Neumann & Morgenstern, 1944. However, there are also some models supposing that only part of the information is considered (e.g., Brandstätter, Gigerenzer, & Hertwig, 2006; Gigerenzer & Gaissmaier, 2011. To further investigate the amount of information that is usually used for decision making, and how the use depends on feedback, we conducted a series of three experiments in which participants choose between two lotteries and where no feedback, outcome feedback, and error feedback was provided, respectively. The result show that without feedback participants mostly chose the lottery with the higher winning probability, and largely ignored the potential gains. The same result occurred when the outcome of each decision was fed back. Only after presenting error feedback (i.e., signaling whether a choice was optimal or not, participants considered probabilities as well as gains, resulting in more optimal choices. We propose that outcome feedback was ineffective, because of its probabilistic and ambiguous nature. Participants improve information integration only if provided with a consistent and deterministic signal such as error feedback.

Supportive breeding boosts natural population abundance with minimal negative impacts on fitness of a wild population of Chinook salmon

Science.gov (United States)

Hess, Maureen A; Rabe, Craig D; Vogel, Jason L; Stephenson, Jeff J; Nelson, Doug D; Narum, Shawn R

2012-01-01

While supportive breeding programmes strive to minimize negative genetic impacts to populations, case studies have found evidence for reduced fitness of artificially produced individuals when they reproduce in the wild. Pedigrees of two complete generations were tracked with molecular markers to investigate differences in reproductive success (RS) of wild and hatchery-reared Chinook salmon spawning in the natural environment to address questions regarding the demographic and genetic impacts of supplementation to a natural population. Results show a demographic boost to the population from supplementation. On average, fish taken into the hatchery produced 4.7 times more adult offspring, and 1.3 times more adult grand-offspring than naturally reproducing fish. Of the wild and hatchery fish that successfully reproduced, we found no significant differences in RS between any comparisons, but hatchery-reared males typically had lower RS values than wild males. Mean relative reproductive success (RRS) for hatchery F1 females and males was 1.11 (P = 0.84) and 0.89 (P = 0.56), respectively. RRS of hatchery-reared fish (H) that mated in the wild with either hatchery or wild-origin (W) fish was generally equivalent to W × W matings. Mean RRS of H × W and H × H matings was 1.07 (P = 0.92) and 0.94 (P = 0.95), respectively. We conclude that fish chosen for hatchery rearing did not have a detectable negative impact on the fitness of wild fish by mating with them for a single generation. Results suggest that supplementation following similar management practices (e.g. 100% local, wild-origin brood stock) can successfully boost population size with minimal impacts on the fitness of salmon in the wild. PMID:23025818

Level of natural background radiation and dose to population in Heilongjiang province

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liang Yicheng; Wang Lu; He Yongjiang

1992-01-01

The natural background radiation in Heilongjiang Province was measured and the population dose was estimated. The results showed that the population-weighted average values of the absorbed dose rate in air from cosmic ray ionization were 3.3 ± 10 -8 Gy·h -1 outdoors and 3.0 x 10 -8 Gy·h -1 indoors. The average values of radon in air were 11.3 Bq·m -3 outdoors and 20.8 Bq·m -3 indoors. The average concentrations of natural radionuclides U, Th, 226 Ra, and 40 K were 6.1 x 10 -2 , 1.1 x 10 -2 , 8.4 x 10 -2 , and 68.9 Bq·kg -1 respectively in food, and 4.8 x 10 -2 , 2.0 x 10 -4 , 1.2 x 10 -2 and 4.6 x 10 -2 Bq·L -1 respectively in drinking water. The total annual individual average effective dose equivalents from natural background radiation were about 2200 μSv. Among them the contributions of cosmic rays, terrestrial radiation, radon and thoron daughters exposure in air, internal exposure within the body were about 320, 630, 860, and 390 μSv, respectively

Personalized behavioral feedback for online gamblers: A real world empirical study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael Mario Auer

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Some gambling companies around the world have started to utilize responsible gambling tools to support their clientele gamble more responsibly (e.g., limit-setting tools, pop-up messages, personalized feedback. However, relatively few studies have evaluated whether such tools actually work. The present study examined whether the use of three types of information (i.e., personalized feedback, normative feedback, and/or a recommendation could enable players to gamble more responsibly as assessed using three measures of behavior, i.e., theoretical loss (TL, amount of money wagered, and gross gaming revenue (GGR. By manipulating the three forms of information, data from six different groups of players were analyzed. The participant sample drawn from the population were those that had played at least one game for money on the Norsk Tipping online platform (Intaspill during April 2015. A total of 17,452 players were randomly selected from 69,631 players that fulfilled the selection criteria. Gambling activity among the control group (who received no personalized feedback, normative feedback or no recommendation was also compared with the other five groups that received information of some kind (personalized feedback, normative feedback and/or a recommendation. Results clearly showed that overall gambling behavior (as assessed by the three measures was significantly higher in the control group than the other five groups. Players that received both personalized feedback and a recommendation decreased gambling behavior the most. It is concluded that personalized behavioral feedback can enable behavioral change in gambling but that normative feedback does not appear change behavior significantly more than personalized feedback.

The exposure of the Greek population to natural gamma radiation of terrestrial origin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Probonas, M.; Kritidis, P.

1993-01-01

The terrestrial natural radioactivity is a significant source of exposure of the population to ionising radiations. To evaluate the external doses received by the Greek population due to this source, soil samples from all Greek provinces have been collected and analysed using two high resolution gamma spectroscopy devices with germanium detectors of high purity (HPGe detectors). The concentrations of 238 U, 226 Ra, 228 Ra, 228 Th and 40 K show significant variations, which correlate with the chemical consistency of soils from region to region. A theoretical evaluation of the dose equivalent rates due to the external natural gamma radiation of terrestrial origin has been made. The mean value does not differ greatly from the average dose rates in other countries of the world. (Author)

A prototype framework for models of socio-hydrology: identification of key feedback loops and parameterisation approach

Science.gov (United States)

Elshafei, Y.; Sivapalan, M.; Tonts, M.; Hipsey, M. R.

2014-06-01

It is increasingly acknowledged that, in order to sustainably manage global freshwater resources, it is critical that we better understand the nature of human-hydrology interactions at the broader catchment system scale. Yet to date, a generic conceptual framework for building models of catchment systems that include adequate representation of socioeconomic systems - and the dynamic feedbacks between human and natural systems - has remained elusive. In an attempt to work towards such a model, this paper outlines a generic framework for models of socio-hydrology applicable to agricultural catchments, made up of six key components that combine to form the coupled system dynamics: namely, catchment hydrology, population, economics, environment, socioeconomic sensitivity and collective response. The conceptual framework posits two novel constructs: (i) a composite socioeconomic driving variable, termed the Community Sensitivity state variable, which seeks to capture the perceived level of threat to a community's quality of life, and acts as a key link tying together one of the fundamental feedback loops of the coupled system, and (ii) a Behavioural Response variable as the observable feedback mechanism, which reflects land and water management decisions relevant to the hydrological context. The framework makes a further contribution through the introduction of three macro-scale parameters that enable it to normalise for differences in climate, socioeconomic and political gradients across study sites. In this way, the framework provides for both macro-scale contextual parameters, which allow for comparative studies to be undertaken, and catchment-specific conditions, by way of tailored "closure relationships", in order to ensure that site-specific and application-specific contexts of socio-hydrologic problems can be accommodated. To demonstrate how such a framework would be applied, two socio-hydrological case studies, taken from the Australian experience, are presented

The frequency of allelic lethals and complementation maps in natural populations of drosophila melanogaster from Mexico

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Salceda Victor M.

2004-01-01

Full Text Available Departing from a previous study on the genetic loads affecting the second chromosome of Drosophila melanogaster in four natural populations, 171 lethal chromosomes were recovered and maintained as a balanced stocks in the condition Cy L / 1 (l=lethal; of those lethais 24 correspond to population A, 50 to populations B and C and 47 to population D. later on an intra-population allelism test for the four populations was performed for each one. A total of 3807 inter lethal crosses were done yielding a total of i 10 allelic combinations, from them the respective percentage of allelism for each population was calculated and they are as follow: 3.98 % for population A, 1.80 % for population B, 3.67 % for population C and 2.96 % for population D. the observed values for the frequency of allelism in these populations are not significantly different from those reported by other authors in similar studies in natural and/or experimental populations. Beside these values the frequency for singles, doubles, triplets and even quadruplets present in each population were determined, they shown the presence of various complementation maps due to the clustering of few different lethals: also a large complementation map formed by a large cluster involving the presence of 26 different lethals found in population D all of them combined constituting a single unit was found.

Bayesian feedback versus Markovian feedback in a two-level atom

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wiseman, H.M.; Mancini, Stefano; Wang Jin

2002-01-01

We compare two different approaches to the control of the dynamics of a continuously monitored open quantum system. The first is Markovian feedback, as introduced in quantum optics by Wiseman and Milburn [Phys. Rev. Lett. 70, 548 (1993)]. The second is feedback based on an estimate of the system state, developed recently by Doherty and Jacobs [Phys. Rev. A 60, 2700 (1999)]. Here we choose to call it, for brevity, Bayesian feedback. For systems with nonlinear dynamics, we expect these two methods of feedback control to give markedly different results. The simplest possible nonlinear system is a driven and damped two-level atom, so we choose this as our model system. The monitoring is taken to be homodyne detection of the atomic fluorescence, and the control is by modulating the driving. The aim of the feedback in both cases is to stabilize the internal state of the atom as close as possible to an arbitrarily chosen pure state, in the presence of inefficient detection and other forms of decoherence. Our results (obtained without recourse to stochastic simulations) prove that Bayesian feedback is never inferior, and is usually superior, to Markovian feedback. However, it would be far more difficult to implement than Markovian feedback and it loses its superiority when obvious simplifying approximations are made. It is thus not clear which form of feedback would be better in the face of inevitable experimental imperfections

Interpreting Feedback: A Discourse Analysis of Teacher Feedback and Student Identity

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Torres, J. T.; Anguiano, Carlos J.

2016-01-01

Feedback has typically been studied as a means of improving academic performance. Few studies inquire into the processes by which feedback shapes student identity. The authors carry out a discourse analysis of written comments to explore how feedback is discursively constructed by both teachers and students. Analysis of written feedback,…

Genetic diversity of macauba from natural populations of Brazil.

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da Conceição, Léo Duc Haa Carson Schwartzhaupt; Antoniassi, Rosemar; Junqueira, Nilton Tadeu Vilela; Braga, Marcelo Fideles; de Faria-Machado, Adelia Ferreira; Rogério, Joice Barbosa; Duarte, Iara Duprat; Bizzo, Humberto Ribeiro

2015-09-04

The macauba has been identified as the most promising native species for the production of vegetable oil and biomass. Several studies confirm its potential for numerous purposes (liquid and solid biofuels, food, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals), but this Brazilian biodiversity resource has been little explored, and work aimed at their domestication and genetic improvement are relatively recent. This study consisted of a multivariate approach to levels of trans fatty acids, oil yield and physical characteristics found in fruits of macauba of natural populations. The objective was to quantify the genetic variability among 35 genotypes of natural populations of macauba from 16 locations in different regions of Brazil. Euclidean Distance measurements were estimated and the cluster analysis obtained by the UPGMA method considering separately the fatty acid profile, and traits related to physical part and the fruits oil content. It was observed the formation of seven groups for the profile of fatty acids and five groups for physical characteristics and oil yield. Large variations were observed for different types of mesocarp (pulp) fatty acids and kernel. Oleic acid (18: 1) in mesocarp was the largest contribution to the total divergence. The results indicate variations to the physical characteristics and oil yield, especially the oil percentage in mesocarp and weight of the whole fruit which contributed 64.58% of the divergence between genotypes. The study identified genotypes potential to generate variability and obtaining selection gains, directing plant breeding programs according with demands of oils market.

Hydrology and density feedbacks control the ecology of intermediate hosts of schistosomiasis across habitats in seasonal climates.

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Perez-Saez, Javier; Mande, Theophile; Ceperley, Natalie; Bertuzzo, Enrico; Mari, Lorenzo; Gatto, Marino; Rinaldo, Andrea

2016-06-07

We report about field and theoretical studies on the ecology of the aquatic snails (Bulinus spp. and Biomphalaria pfeifferi) that serve as obligate intermediate hosts in the complex life cycle of the parasites causing human schistosomiasis. Snail abundance fosters disease transmission, and thus the dynamics of snail populations are critically important for schistosomiasis modeling and control. Here, we single out hydrological drivers and density dependence (or lack of it) of ecological growth rates of local snail populations by contrasting novel ecological and environmental data with various models of host demography. Specifically, we study various natural and man-made habitats across Burkina Faso's highly seasonal climatic zones. Demographic models are ranked through formal model comparison and structural risk minimization. The latter allows us to evaluate the suitability of population models while clarifying the relevant covariates that explain empirical observations of snail abundance under the actual climatic forcings experienced by the various field sites. Our results link quantitatively hydrological drivers to distinct population dynamics through specific density feedbacks, and show that statistical methods based on model averaging provide reliable snail abundance projections. The consistency of our ranking results suggests the use of ad hoc models of snail demography depending on habitat type (e.g., natural vs. man-made) and hydrological characteristics (e.g., ephemeral vs. permanent). Implications for risk mapping and space-time allocation of control measures in schistosomiasis-endemic contexts are discussed.

Transmission efficiency of the sigma virus in natural populations of its host, Drosophila melanogaster.

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Fleuriet, A

1982-01-01

A study of the viral samples collected in French natural populations of Drosophila melanogaster since 1969, indicates that natural populations include, as expected, both stabilized and non stabilized infected individuals. In agreement with previous observations made on other characters of the virus, the viral samples collected appear to be homogeneous for the efficiency of the hereditary transmission. However, this efficiency is greater than the average value observed with virus perpetuated in infected laboratory fly strains. One sample collected in Gabon and three in the U.S.A. appear to differ from the French samples for one at least of the traits studied in these experiments.

Population growth and the decline of natural Southern yellow pine forests

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David B. South; Edward R. Buckner

2004-01-01

Population growth has created social and economic pressures that affect the sustainability of naturally regenerated southern yellow pine forests. Major causes of this decline include (1) a shift in public attitudes regarding woods burning (from one favoring it to one that favors fire suppression) and (2) an increase in land values (especially near urban centers). The...

Annual individual hygienic assessment of natural exposure doses of the Altai territory model areas population

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N. Yu. Potseluev

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The goal is to determine ionizing radiation natural sources exposure regularities of Altai Territory model areas population. The materials and methods. 11376 radon measurements, 1247 gamma radiation meas-urements in an open area and in residential and office buildings were performed, selection of 189 drinking water tests was carried out. Results. Complex radiation and hygienic examination of the region with the most large municipalities number with model areas allocation was conducted. The assessment of the Altai Territory population’s individual annual radiation doses from natural radionuclides has revealed a number of the regularities depending on the terrain’s ecological and geographical type. Following the research results, ranging the region territories taking into account of annual effective doses of the population from natural sources for 2009-2015 was carried out. The annual individual effective dose of the Altai Territory upland areas population presented by the highest values and ranges from 7.36 mSv / year to 8.19 mSv / year. Foothill regions of Altai and in Salair ridge are characterized by increased population exposure from natural sources. Here the dose ranges from 5.09 mSv / year to 6.22 mSv / year. Steppe and forest-steppe territories are characterized by the lowest level of the natural radiation which is ranging from 3.23 mSv / year to 4.11 mSv / year, that doesn’t exceed the all-Russian levels. Most of the hygienic radon equivalent equilibrium volume activity standards exceedances were registered in mountain and foothill areas buildings. A number of radon anomalies is revealed also in steppe areas. Med exceedances ranged from 203 ± 17.8 Bq / m3 to 480 ± 37.9 Bq / m3. Given the fact that most of these buildings belong to the administrative or educational institutions with an eight-hour working day, the dose of radiation for people there can be up to 10 mSv / year. Conclusion. Spreading of individual annual effective

Cortical feedback control of olfactory bulb circuits.

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Boyd, Alison M; Sturgill, James F; Poo, Cindy; Isaacson, Jeffry S

2012-12-20

Olfactory cortex pyramidal cells integrate sensory input from olfactory bulb mitral and tufted (M/T) cells and project axons back to the bulb. However, the impact of cortical feedback projections on olfactory bulb circuits is unclear. Here, we selectively express channelrhodopsin-2 in olfactory cortex pyramidal cells and show that cortical feedback projections excite diverse populations of bulb interneurons. Activation of cortical fibers directly excites GABAergic granule cells, which in turn inhibit M/T cells. However, we show that cortical inputs preferentially target short axon cells that drive feedforward inhibition of granule cells. In vivo, activation of olfactory cortex that only weakly affects spontaneous M/T cell firing strongly gates odor-evoked M/T cell responses: cortical activity suppresses odor-evoked excitation and enhances odor-evoked inhibition. Together, these results indicate that although cortical projections have diverse actions on olfactory bulb microcircuits, the net effect of cortical feedback on M/T cells is an amplification of odor-evoked inhibition. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Molecular mechanisms of drug resistance in natural Leishmania populations vary with genetic background.

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Saskia Decuypere

Full Text Available The evolution of drug-resistance in pathogens is a major global health threat. Elucidating the molecular basis of pathogen drug-resistance has been the focus of many studies but rarely is it known whether a drug-resistance mechanism identified is universal for the studied pathogen; it has seldom been clarified whether drug-resistance mechanisms vary with the pathogen's genotype. Nevertheless this is of critical importance in gaining an understanding of the complexity of this global threat and in underpinning epidemiological surveillance of pathogen drug resistance in the field. This study aimed to assess the molecular and phenotypic heterogeneity that emerges in natural parasite populations under drug treatment pressure. We studied lines of the protozoan parasite Leishmania (L. donovani with differential susceptibility to antimonial drugs; the lines being derived from clinical isolates belonging to two distinct genetic populations that circulate in the leishmaniasis endemic region of Nepal. Parasite pathways known to be affected by antimonial drugs were characterised on five experimental levels in the lines of the two populations. Characterisation of DNA sequence, gene expression, protein expression and thiol levels revealed a number of molecular features that mark antimonial-resistant parasites in only one of the two populations studied. A final series of in vitro stress phenotyping experiments confirmed this heterogeneity amongst drug-resistant parasites from the two populations. These data provide evidence that the molecular changes associated with antimonial-resistance in natural Leishmania populations depend on the genetic background of the Leishmania population, which has resulted in a divergent set of resistance markers in the Leishmania populations. This heterogeneity of parasite adaptations provides severe challenges for the control of drug resistance in the field and the design of molecular surveillance tools for widespread

Resolving the Formation of Protogalaxies. 3; Feedback from the First Stars

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Wise, John H.; Abel, Tom

2008-01-01

The first stars form in dark matter halos of masses 106 M as suggested by an increasing number of numerical simulations. Radiation feedback from these stars expels most of the gas from the shallow potential well of their surrounding dark matter halos.We use cosmological adaptive mesh refinement simulations that include self-consistent Population III star formation and feedback to examine the properties of assembling early dwarf galaxies. Accurate radiative transport is modeled with adaptive ray tracing. We include supernova explosions and follow the metal enrichment of the intergalactic medium. The calculations focus on the formation of several dwarf galaxies and their progenitors. In these halos, baryon fractions in 10(exp 8) Stelar Mass halos decrease by a factor of 2 with stellar feedback and by a factor of 3 with supernova explosions.We find that radiation feedback and supernova explosions increase gaseous spin parameters up to a factor of 4 and vary with time. Stellar feedback, supernova explosions, and H2 cooling create a complex, multiphase interstellar medium whose densities and temperatures can span up to 6 orders of magnitude at a given radius. The pair-instability supernovae of Population III stars alone enrich the halos with virial temperatures of 10(exp 4) K to approximately 10(exp -3) of solar metallicity.We find that 40% of the heavy elements resides in the intergalactic medium (IGM) at the end of our calculations. The highest metallicity gas exists in supernova remnants and very dilute regions of the IGM.

Using Feedback to Promote Physical Activity: The Role of the Feedback Sign.

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Kramer, Jan-Niklas; Kowatsch, Tobias

2017-06-02

Providing feedback is a technique to promote health behavior that is emphasized by behavior change theories. However, these theories make contradicting predictions regarding the effect of the feedback sign-that is, whether the feedback signals success or failure. Thus, it is unclear whether positive or negative feedback leads to more favorable behavior change in a health behavior intervention. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of the feedback sign in a health behavior change intervention. Data from participants (N=1623) of a 6-month physical activity intervention was used. Participants received a feedback email at the beginning of each month. Feedback was either positive or negative depending on the participants' physical activity in the previous month. In an exploratory analysis, change in monthly step count averages was used to evaluate the feedback effect. The feedback sign did not predict the change in monthly step count averages over the course of the intervention (b=-84.28, P=.28). Descriptive differences between positive and negative feedback can be explained by regression to the mean. The feedback sign might not influence the effect of monthly feedback emails sent out to participants of a large-scale physical activity intervention. However, randomized studies are needed to further support this conclusion. Limitations as well as opportunities for future research are discussed. ©Jan-Niklas Kramer, Tobias Kowatsch. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 02.06.2017.

Analysis of Feedback processes in Online Group Interaction: a methodological model

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Anna Espasa

2013-06-01

Full Text Available The aim of this article is to present a methodological model to analyze students' group interaction to improve their essays in online learning environments, based on asynchronous and written communication. In these environments teacher and student scaffolds for discussion are essential to promote interaction. One of these scaffolds can be the feedback. Research on feedback processes has predominantly focused on feedback design rather than on how students utilize feedback to improve learning. This methodological model fills this gap contributing to analyse the implementation of the feedback processes while students discuss collaboratively in a specific case of writing assignments. A review of different methodological models was carried out to define a framework adjusted to the analysis of the relationship of written and asynchronous group interaction, and students' activity and changes incorporated into the final text. The model proposed includes the following dimensions: 1 student participation 2 nature of student learning and 3 quality of student learning. The main contribution of this article is to present the methodological model and also to ascertain the model's operativity regarding how students incorporate such feedback into their essays.

Site-specific selfish genes as tools for the control and genetic engineering of natural populations.

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Burt, Austin

2003-05-07

Site-specific selfish genes exploit host functions to copy themselves into a defined target DNA sequence, and include homing endonuclease genes, group II introns and some LINE-like transposable elements. If such genes can be engineered to target new host sequences, then they can be used to manipulate natural populations, even if the number of individuals released is a small fraction of the entire population. For example, a genetic load sufficient to eradicate a population can be imposed in fewer than 20 generations, if the target is an essential host gene, the knockout is recessive and the selfish gene has an appropriate promoter. There will be selection for resistance, but several strategies are available for reducing the likelihood of it evolving. These genes may also be used to genetically engineer natural populations, by means of population-wide gene knockouts, gene replacements and genetic transformations. By targeting sex-linked loci just prior to meiosis one may skew the population sex ratio, and by changing the promoter one may limit the spread of the gene to neighbouring populations. The proposed constructs are evolutionarily stable in the face of the mutations most likely to arise during their spread, and strategies are also available for reversing the manipulations.

Effects of the Ordering of Natural Selection and Population Regulation Mechanisms on Wright-Fisher Models.

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He, Zhangyi; Beaumont, Mark; Yu, Feng

2017-07-05

We explore the effect of different mechanisms of natural selection on the evolution of populations for one- and two-locus systems. We compare the effect of viability and fecundity selection in the context of the Wright-Fisher model with selection under the assumption of multiplicative fitness. We show that these two modes of natural selection correspond to different orderings of the processes of population regulation and natural selection in the Wright-Fisher model. We find that under the Wright-Fisher model these two different orderings can affect the distribution of trajectories of haplotype frequencies evolving with genetic recombination. However, the difference in the distribution of trajectories is only appreciable when the population is in significant linkage disequilibrium. We find that as linkage disequilibrium decays the trajectories for the two different models rapidly become indistinguishable. We discuss the significance of these findings in terms of biological examples of viability and fecundity selection, and speculate that the effect may be significant when factors such as gene migration maintain a degree of linkage disequilibrium. Copyright © 2017 He et al.

Evolution of the Drosophila melanogaster-sigma virus system in natural populations from Languedoc (southern France).

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Fleuriet, A; Periquet, G

1993-01-01

An analysis of natural populations of Drosophila melanogaster in a southern French region (Languedoc) was started in 1983, concerning two non Mendelian systems: the P-M system of transposable elements and the sigma virus. This virus is not contagious, but only transmitted through gametes; it is usually present in a minority of individuals in natural populations. The first data collected revealed unexpectedly clear and fast-evolving phenomena; they also gave evidence of some interesting correlations between the two systems. This paper presents all the results gathered from 1983 to 1991 in the Drosophila-sigma system. Striking correlations were observed for three interconnected parameters: frequency of infected flies, frequency of an allele of the fly giving resistance to the virus, and adaptation of the virus to this allele. This adaptation consisted of a qualitative step (change of viral type) followed by quantitative variation (better adaptation to the allele). This analysis also showed, firstly, that the evolution of natural populations differs completely in Languedoc from the rest of France; secondly, that three geographical zones where selective forces worked differently persisted over time in Languedoc.

An experimental field study of delayed density dependence in natural populations of Aedes albopictus.

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Rachael K Walsh

Full Text Available Aedes albopictus, a species known to transmit dengue and chikungunya viruses, is primarily a container-inhabiting mosquito. The potential for pathogen transmission by Ae. albopictus has increased our need to understand its ecology and population dynamics. Two parameters that we know little about are the impact of direct density-dependence and delayed density-dependence in the larval stage. The present study uses a manipulative experimental design, under field conditions, to understand the impact of delayed density dependence in a natural population of Ae. albopictus in Raleigh, North Carolina. Twenty liter buckets, divided in half prior to experimentation, placed in the field accumulated rainwater and detritus, providing oviposition and larval production sites for natural populations of Ae. albopictus. Two treatments, a larvae present and larvae absent treatment, were produced in each bucket. After five weeks all larvae were removed from both treatments and the buckets were covered with fine mesh cloth. Equal numbers of first instars were added to both treatments in every bucket. Pupae were collected daily and adults were frozen as they emerged. We found a significant impact of delayed density-dependence on larval survival, development time and adult body size in containers with high larval densities. Our results indicate that delayed density-dependence will have negative impacts on the mosquito population when larval densities are high enough to deplete accessible nutrients faster than the rate of natural food accumulation.

The Effects and Perceptions of Trained Peer Feedback in L2 Speaking: Impact on Revision and Speaking Quality

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Rodríguez-González, Eva; Castañeda, Martha E.

2018-01-01

The present study examined the impact of trained peer feedback on Spanish as a second language (L2) in terms of language performance, nature of feedback, and perceptions of peer feedback in speaking tasks. Participants in the study included 17 intermediate L2 Spanish learners enrolled in a conversation course that incorporated peer feedback…

Effects of Informative and Confirmatory Feedback on Brain Activation During Negative Feedback Processing

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Yeon-Kyoung eWoo

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The current study compared the effects of informative and confirmatory feedback on brain activation during negative feedback processing. For confirmatory feedback trials, participants were informed that they had failed the task, whereas informative feedback trials presented task relevant information along with the notification of their failure. Fourteen male undergraduates performed a series of spatial-perceptual tasks and received feedback while their brain activity was recorded. During confirmatory feedback trials, greater activations in the amygdala, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, and the thalamus (including the habenular were observed in response to incorrect responses. These results suggest that confirmatory feedback induces negative emotional reactions to failure. In contrast, informative feedback trials elicited greater activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC when participants experienced failure. Further psychophysiological interaction (PPI analysis revealed a negative coupling between the DLPFC and the amygdala during informative feedback relative to confirmatory feedback trials. These findings suggest that providing task-relevant information could facilitate implicit down-regulation of negative emotions following failure.

Genome patterns of selection and introgression of haplotypes in natural populations of the house mouse (Mus musculus.

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Fabian Staubach

Full Text Available General parameters of selection, such as the frequency and strength of positive selection in natural populations or the role of introgression, are still insufficiently understood. The house mouse (Mus musculus is a particularly well-suited model system to approach such questions, since it has a defined history of splits into subspecies and populations and since extensive genome information is available. We have used high-density single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP typing arrays to assess genomic patterns of positive selection and introgression of alleles in two natural populations of each of the subspecies M. m. domesticus and M. m. musculus. Applying different statistical procedures, we find a large number of regions subject to apparent selective sweeps, indicating frequent positive selection on rare alleles or novel mutations. Genes in the regions include well-studied imprinted loci (e.g. Plagl1/Zac1, homologues of human genes involved in adaptations (e.g. alpha-amylase genes or in genetic diseases (e.g. Huntingtin and Parkin. Haplotype matching between the two subspecies reveals a large number of haplotypes that show patterns of introgression from specific populations of the respective other subspecies, with at least 10% of the genome being affected by partial or full introgression. Using neutral simulations for comparison, we find that the size and the fraction of introgressed haplotypes are not compatible with a pure migration or incomplete lineage sorting model. Hence, it appears that introgressed haplotypes can rise in frequency due to positive selection and thus can contribute to the adaptive genomic landscape of natural populations. Our data support the notion that natural genomes are subject to complex adaptive processes, including the introgression of haplotypes from other differentiated populations or species at a larger scale than previously assumed for animals. This implies that some of the admixture found in inbred strains of mice

Belowground biotic complexity drives aboveground dynamics: a test of the soil community feedback model.

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Pendergast, Thomas H; Burke, David J; Carson, Walter P

2013-03-01

Feedbacks between soil communities and plants may determine abundance and diversity in plant communities by influencing fitness and competitive outcomes. We tested the core hypotheses of soil community feedback theory: plant species culture distinct soil communities that alter plant performance and the outcome of interspecific competition. We applied this framework to inform the repeated dominance of Solidago canadensis in old-field communities. In glasshouse experiments, we examined the effects of soil communities on four plant species' performance in monoculture and outcomes of interspecific competition. We used terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (TRFLP) analysis to infer differences in the soil communities associated with these plant species. Soil community origin had strong effects on plant performance, changed the intensity of interspecific competition and even reversed whether plant species were limited by conspecifics or heterospecifics. These plant-soil feedbacks are strong enough to upend winners and losers in classic competition models. Plant species cultured significantly different mycorrhizal fungal and bacterial soil communities, indicating that these feedbacks are likely microbiotic in nature. In old-fields and other plant communities, these soil feedbacks appear common, fundamentally alter the intensity and nature of plant competition and potentially maintain diversity while facilitating the dominance of So. canadensis. © 2013 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2013 New Phytologist Trust.

Human-inspired feedback synergies for environmental interaction with a dexterous robotic hand.

Science.gov (United States)

Kent, Benjamin A; Engeberg, Erik D

2014-11-07

Effortless control of the human hand is mediated by the physical and neural couplings inherent in the structure of the hand. This concept was explored for environmental interaction tasks with the human hand, and a novel human-inspired feedback synergy (HFS) controller was developed for a robotic hand which synchronized position and force feedback signals to mimic observed human hand motions. This was achieved by first recording the finger joint motion profiles of human test subjects, where it was observed that the subjects would extend their fingers to maintain a natural hand posture when interacting with different surfaces. The resulting human joint angle data were used as inspiration to develop the HFS controller for the anthropomorphic robotic hand, which incorporated finger abduction and force feedback in the control laws for finger extension. Experimental results showed that by projecting a broader view of the tasks at hand to each specific joint, the HFS controller produced hand motion profiles that closely mimic the observed human responses and allowed the robotic manipulator to interact with the surfaces while maintaining a natural hand posture. Additionally, the HFS controller enabled the robotic hand to autonomously traverse vertical step discontinuities without prior knowledge of the environment, visual feedback, or traditional trajectory planning techniques.

Human-inspired feedback synergies for environmental interaction with a dexterous robotic hand

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kent, Benjamin A; Engeberg, Erik D

2014-01-01

Effortless control of the human hand is mediated by the physical and neural couplings inherent in the structure of the hand. This concept was explored for environmental interaction tasks with the human hand, and a novel human-inspired feedback synergy (HFS) controller was developed for a robotic hand which synchronized position and force feedback signals to mimic observed human hand motions. This was achieved by first recording the finger joint motion profiles of human test subjects, where it was observed that the subjects would extend their fingers to maintain a natural hand posture when interacting with different surfaces. The resulting human joint angle data were used as inspiration to develop the HFS controller for the anthropomorphic robotic hand, which incorporated finger abduction and force feedback in the control laws for finger extension. Experimental results showed that by projecting a broader view of the tasks at hand to each specific joint, the HFS controller produced hand motion profiles that closely mimic the observed human responses and allowed the robotic manipulator to interact with the surfaces while maintaining a natural hand posture. Additionally, the HFS controller enabled the robotic hand to autonomously traverse vertical step discontinuities without prior knowledge of the environment, visual feedback, or traditional trajectory planning techniques. (paper)

Ex-situ evaluation of morphological, agronomic and qualitative traits of a naturalized population of parsley (Petroselinum crispum (Mill Nyman

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Fusani, Pietro

2016-07-01

Full Text Available A naturalized population of parsley of the province of Trento, Italy, was evaluated ex-situ for its morphological and agronomic traits in a field trial in which it was compared with three commercial cultivars of the species. The naturalized population belongs to the smooth leaf type for the absence of curling, and differed from the other smooth leaf type accessions for the lower plant height, the smaller length of petiole and the prostrate attitude of the plant, all undesirable characteristics which make the harvest of plants more difficult. The yields of aerial parts and leaves were higher in the commercial cultivars, while the naturalized population had the highest yield and content of essential oil. Due to the high content and yield of essential oil, the naturalized population could be the object of an eventual breeding program aiming to improve the morphologic and agronomic undesirable characteristics.

Rateless feedback codes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Jesper Hemming; Koike-Akino, Toshiaki; Orlik, Philip

2012-01-01

This paper proposes a concept called rateless feedback coding. We redesign the existing LT and Raptor codes, by introducing new degree distributions for the case when a few feedback opportunities are available. We show that incorporating feedback to LT codes can significantly decrease both...... the coding overhead and the encoding/decoding complexity. Moreover, we show that, at the price of a slight increase in the coding overhead, linear complexity is achieved with Raptor feedback coding....

Modeling techniques for predicting long-term consequences of the effects of radiation on natural aquatic populations and ecosystems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van Winkle, W.

1977-01-01

Appropriate modeling techniques already exist for investigating some long-term consequences of the effects of radiation on natural aquatic populations and ecosystems, even if to date these techniques have not been used for this purpose. At the low levels of irradiation estimated to occur in natural aquatic systems, effects are difficult to detect at even the individual level much less the population or ecosystem level where the subtle effects of radiation are likely to be completely overshadowed by the effects of other environmental factors and stresses and the natural variability of the system. The claim that population and ecosystem models can be accurate and reliable predictive tools in assessing any stress has been oversold. Nonetheless, the use of these tools can be useful for learning more about the effects of radioactive releases on aquatic populations and ecosystems

Phenotypic selection on leaf WUE and related ecophysiological traits for natural populations of desert sunflowers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Donovan, L.A.; Rosenthal, D.R.; Dudley, S.A.; Ludwig, F.

2007-01-01

Plant water-use efficiency (WUE) is expected to affect plant fitness and thus be under natural selection in arid habitats. Although many natural population studies have assessed plant WUE, only a few related WUE to fitness. The further determination of whether selection on WUE is direct or indirect

The Impact of Feedback on the Different Time Courses of Multisensory Temporal Recalibration

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Matthew A. De Niear

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The capacity to rapidly adjust perceptual representations confers a fundamental advantage when confronted with a constantly changing world. Unexplored is how feedback regarding sensory judgments (top-down factors interacts with sensory statistics (bottom-up factors to drive long- and short-term recalibration of multisensory perceptual representations. Here, we examined the time course of both cumulative and rapid temporal perceptual recalibration for individuals completing an audiovisual simultaneity judgment task in which they were provided with varying degrees of feedback. We find that in the presence of feedback (as opposed to simple sensory exposure temporal recalibration is more robust. Additionally, differential time courses are seen for cumulative and rapid recalibration dependent upon the nature of the feedback provided. Whereas cumulative recalibration effects relied more heavily on feedback that informs (i.e., negative feedback rather than confirms (i.e., positive feedback the judgment, rapid recalibration shows the opposite tendency. Furthermore, differential effects on rapid and cumulative recalibration were seen when the reliability of feedback was altered. Collectively, our findings illustrate that feedback signals promote and sustain audiovisual recalibration over the course of cumulative learning and enhance rapid trial-to-trial learning. Furthermore, given the differential effects seen for cumulative and rapid recalibration, these processes may function via distinct mechanisms.

THE NATURAL MOVEMENT OF POPULATION IN THE NORTH-WEST REGION OF ROMANIA

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MANUELA-DORA ORBOI

2009-05-01

Full Text Available From the perspective of human development indicators during the past 15 years, Region North-West has undergone a series of negative processes, which are the most significant demographic decline due to negative natural growth and increased migration of people, especially those assets. Region North-West faces a negative demographic trend, with life expectancy of 71.38 years, the national average (72.22 years with high external migration, especially of highly qualified workforce. Analysis of employment trends of population in Region North-West shows a downward trend and projections for the development for years emphasized the decrease in employment. Estimates on the evolution of the population in Region North-West during 2005-2013 reveals a total population decreased by 4.2%.

Level of natural radiation and doses to population in Shanxi province

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang Yi; Hao Hailiang; Wang Quanlu

1985-01-01

The exposure rates from natural radiation measured from August 1982 to January 1984 with a FD-71 Scintillation Radiometer in Shanxi Province are reported. The average absorbed dose rate in air of 1,842 open field sites was (10.78 +- 1.41) x 10 -8 Gy.h -1 . The mean value of area-weighted outdoor absorbed dose rates in air was 6.8 x 10 -8 Gy.h -1 . The average absorbed dose rate in air from natural external radiation of 3,446 indoor sites was (14.02 +- 2.09) x 10 -8 Gy.h -1 and the indoor area-weighted dose rate from natural radiation was 10.48 x 10 -8 Gy.h -1 . The annual individual average effective dose equivalant to population in this province was 0.88 mSv, and the annual collective dose equivalent was 21,626.83 man.Sv

Levels of external natural radiation and doses to population in Heilongjiang province

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liang Yicheng; He Yongjiang; Wang Lu

1985-01-01

The external natural radiation level in Heilongjiang Province was measured by using China-made FD-71 scintillation radiometers and RSS-111 high pressure ionization chambers. The doses of external radiation to population were also calculated. The population-weighted average value of the absorbed dose rate from terrestrial γ-radiation was 7.2 x 10 -8 Gy.h -1 for outdoors, and 10.8 x 10 -8 Gy.h -1 for indoors. The population-weighted average absorbed dose rate in air from cosmic rays was 3.3 x 10 -8 Gy.h -1 . The annual population-weighted average effective dose equivalent and the annual collective effective dose equivalent from the environmental γ-radiation were 620 μSv and 20.1 x 10 3 man.Sv, respectively. The corresponding figures from cosmic rays were 260 μSv and 8.7 x 10 3 man.Sv, respectively

Velocity Feedback Experiments

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Chiu Choi

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Transient response such as ringing in a control system can be reduced or removed by velocity feedback. It is a useful control technique that should be covered in the relevant engineering laboratory courses. We developed velocity feedback experiments using two different low cost technologies, viz., operational amplifiers and microcontrollers. These experiments can be easily integrated into laboratory courses on feedback control systems or microcontroller applications. The intent of developing these experiments was to illustrate the ringing problem and to offer effective, low cost solutions for removing such problem. In this paper the pedagogical approach for these velocity feedback experiments was described. The advantages and disadvantages of the two different implementation of velocity feedback were discussed also.

BLACK HOLE FORAGING: FEEDBACK DRIVES FEEDING

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dehnen, Walter; King, Andrew

2013-01-01

We suggest a new picture of supermassive black hole (SMBH) growth in galaxy centers. Momentum-driven feedback from an accreting hole gives significant orbital energy, but little angular momentum to the surrounding gas. Once central accretion drops, the feedback weakens and swept-up gas falls back toward the SMBH on near-parabolic orbits. These intersect near the black hole with partially opposed specific angular momenta, causing further infall and ultimately the formation of a small-scale accretion disk. The feeding rates into the disk typically exceed Eddington by factors of a few, growing the hole on the Salpeter timescale and stimulating further feedback. Natural consequences of this picture include (1) the formation and maintenance of a roughly toroidal distribution of obscuring matter near the hole; (2) random orientations of successive accretion disk episodes; (3) the possibility of rapid SMBH growth; (4) tidal disruption of stars and close binaries formed from infalling gas, resulting in visible flares and ejection of hypervelocity stars; (5) super-solar abundances of the matter accreting on to the SMBH; and (6) a lower central dark-matter density, and hence annihilation signal, than adiabatic SMBH growth implies. We also suggest a simple subgrid recipe for implementing this process in numerical simulations

A conceptual framework for regional feedbacks in a changing climate

Science.gov (United States)

Batlle Bayer, L.; van den Hurk, B. J. J. M.; Strengers, B.

2012-04-01

Terrestrial ecosystems and climate influence each other through biogeochemical (e.g. carbon cycle) and biogeophysical (e.g. albedo, water fluxes) processes. These interactions might be disturbed when a climate human-induced forcing takes place (e.g. deforestation); and the ecosystem responses to the climate system might amplify (positive feedback) or dampen (negative feedback) the initial forcing. Research on feedbacks has been mainly based on the carbon cycle at the global scale. However, biogeophysical feedbacks might have a great impact at the local or regional scale, which is the main focus of this article. A conceptual framework, with the major interactions and processes between terrestrial ecosystems and climate, is presented to further explore feedbacks at the regional level. Four hot spots with potential changes in land use/management and climate are selected: sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), Europe, the Amazon Basin and South and Southeast Asia. For each region, diverse climate human-induced forcings and feedbacks were identified based on relevant published literature. For Europe, the positive soil moisture-evapotranspiration (ET) is important for natural vegetation during a heat wave event, while the positive soil moisture-precipitation feedback plays a more important role for droughts in the Amazon region. Agricultural expansion in SSA will depend on the impacts of the changing climate on crop yields and the adopted agro-technologies. The adoption of irrigation in the commonly rainfed systems might turn the positive soil moisture- ET feedback into a negative one. In contrast, South and Southeast Asia might face water shortage in the future, and thus turning the soil moisture-ET feedback into a positive one. Further research is needed for the major processes that affect the ultimate sign of the feedbacks, as well as for the interactions, which effect remains uncertain, such as ET-precipitation interaction. In addition, socio-economic feedbacks need to be added

Estimation of thyroid gland state of voles natural populations from increased radioactive background territories

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Raskosha, O.; Ermakova, O.; Kaneva, A. [Institute of Biology of Komi Scientific Center, Ural Division of Russian Academy of Science (Russian Federation)

2014-07-01

Investigation of effects caused in biological objects by chronic low-intensity radiation in their natural habitats is one of the most important problems of modern radioecology. The aim of our work - complex estimation of state of thyroid gland of voles inhabiting increased radioactive background territories. We investigated tundra voles (Microtus oeconomus Pall.) that were sampled at different stages of population cycle from the experimental and the control sites in the Uhta region of the Komi Republic, Russia. Experimental site contamination resulted from commercial extraction od radium between the 1930's and 1950's. Irradiation exposure dose at the site was 50-2000 mR/h (at the control site 10-15 mR/h). Complex estimation of thyroid was made by histological, morpho-metrical, radioimmunological and cytogenetic methods. Results showed high sensitivity of thyroid gland of tundra voles from chronically irradiated natural populations. We found reliable changes in morphological features of thyroid, in the level of thyroidal hormones and increased frequency of cells with micro-nucleuses in animals sampled from the experimental site as compared with the control ones. It was also showed, that chronic exposure of ionizing irradiation at the same range of absorbed doses can cause different effects in animals depending on sex, age and the stage of population cycle. This confirms the need of including these biological factors to analysis of low doses effects in the natural populations during radioecological studies. Investigations were supported by RFBR grants No. 13-04-01750? and No. 13-04-90351-RBUa. Document available in abstract form only. (authors)

Contribution of sensory feedback to plantar flexor muscle activation during push-off in adults with cerebral palsy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Frisk, Rasmus F.; Jensen, Peter; Kirk, Henrik

2017-01-01

applied unload perturbations at the ankle, thereby removing sensory feedback naturally activated during push-off. Reduction of electromyographic (EMG) activity in the soleus muscle caused by unloads was compared and related to kinematics and ankle joint stiffness measurements. Similar measures were...... feedback to ongoing soleus muscle activation during push-off than uninjured individuals. Increased passive stiffness around the ankle joint is likely to diminishn sensory feedback during gait, and/or sensory feedback is less integrated with central motor commands in the activation of spinal motor neurons...

The Association between Natural Amenities, Rural Population Growth, and Long-Term Residents' Economic Well-Being

Science.gov (United States)

Hunter, Lori M; Boardman, Jason D.; Saint Onge, Jarron M.

2005-01-01

Population growth in rural areas characterized by high levels of natural amenities has recently received substantial research attention. A noted concern with amenity-driven rural population growth is its potential to raise local costs-of-living while yielding only low-wage service sector employment for long-term residents. The work presented here…

Brain-actuated gait trainer with visual and proprioceptive feedback

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Dong; Chen, Weihai; Lee, Kyuhwa; Chavarriaga, Ricardo; Bouri, Mohamed; Pei, Zhongcai; Millán, José del R.

2017-10-01

Objective. Brain-machine interfaces (BMIs) have been proposed in closed-loop applications for neuromodulation and neurorehabilitation. This study describes the impact of different feedback modalities on the performance of an EEG-based BMI that decodes motor imagery (MI) of leg flexion and extension. Approach. We executed experiments in a lower-limb gait trainer (the legoPress) where nine able-bodied subjects participated in three consecutive sessions based on a crossover design. A random forest classifier was trained from the offline session and tested online with visual and proprioceptive feedback, respectively. Post-hoc classification was conducted to assess the impact of feedback modalities and learning effect (an improvement over time) on the simulated trial-based performance. Finally, we performed feature analysis to investigate the discriminant power and brain pattern modulations across the subjects. Main results. (i) For real-time classification, the average accuracy was 62.33 +/- 4.95 % and 63.89 +/- 6.41 % for the two online sessions. The results were significantly higher than chance level, demonstrating the feasibility to distinguish between MI of leg extension and flexion. (ii) For post-hoc classification, the performance with proprioceptive feedback (69.45 +/- 9.95 %) was significantly better than with visual feedback (62.89 +/- 9.20 %), while there was no significant learning effect. (iii) We reported individual discriminate features and brain patterns associated to each feedback modality, which exhibited differences between the two modalities although no general conclusion can be drawn. Significance. The study reported a closed-loop brain-controlled gait trainer, as a proof of concept for neurorehabilitation devices. We reported the feasibility of decoding lower-limb movement in an intuitive and natural way. As far as we know, this is the first online study discussing the role of feedback modalities in lower-limb MI decoding. Our results suggest that

Theoretical Approaches in Evolutionary Ecology: Environmental Feedback as a Unifying Perspective.

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Lion, Sébastien

2018-01-01

Evolutionary biology and ecology have a strong theoretical underpinning, and this has fostered a variety of modeling approaches. A major challenge of this theoretical work has been to unravel the tangled feedback loop between ecology and evolution. This has prompted the development of two main classes of models. While quantitative genetics models jointly consider the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of a focal population, a separation of timescales between ecology and evolution is assumed by evolutionary game theory, adaptive dynamics, and inclusive fitness theory. As a result, theoretical evolutionary ecology tends to be divided among different schools of thought, with different toolboxes and motivations. My aim in this synthesis is to highlight the connections between these different approaches and clarify the current state of theory in evolutionary ecology. Central to this approach is to make explicit the dependence on environmental dynamics of the population and evolutionary dynamics, thereby materializing the eco-evolutionary feedback loop. This perspective sheds light on the interplay between environmental feedback and the timescales of ecological and evolutionary processes. I conclude by discussing some potential extensions and challenges to our current theoretical understanding of eco-evolutionary dynamics.

Interpretation of Melanoma Risk Feedback in First-Degree Relatives of Melanoma Patients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hay, J. L.; Baguer, C.; Li, Y.; Orlow, I.; Berwick, M.

2012-01-01

Little is known about how individuals might interpret brief genetic risk feedback. We examined interpretation and behavioral intentions (sun protection, skin screening) in melanoma first-degree relatives (FDRs) after exposure to brief prototypic melanoma risk feedback. Using a 3 by 2 experimental pre-post design where feedback type (high-risk mutation, gene environment, and nongenetic) and risk level (positive versus negative findings) were systematically varied, 139 melanoma FDRs were randomized to receive one of the six scenarios. All scenarios included an explicit reminder that melanoma family history increased their risk regardless of their feedback. The findings indicate main effects by risk level but not feedback type; positive findings led to heightened anticipated melanoma risk perceptions and anticipated behavioral intentions. Yet those who received negative findings often discounted their family melanoma history. As such, 25%, 30%, and 32% of those who received negative mutation, gene-environment, and nongenetic feedback, respectively, reported that their risk was similar to the general population. Given the frequency with which those who pursue genetic testing may receive negative feedback, attention is needed to identify ideal strategies to present negative genetic findings in contexts such as direct to consumer channels where extensive genetic counseling is not required.

Fault Tolerant Feedback Control

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stoustrup, Jakob; Niemann, H.

2001-01-01

An architecture for fault tolerant feedback controllers based on the Youla parameterization is suggested. It is shown that the Youla parameterization will give a residual vector directly in connection with the fault diagnosis part of the fault tolerant feedback controller. It turns out...... that there is a separation be-tween the feedback controller and the fault tolerant part. The closed loop feedback properties are handled by the nominal feedback controller and the fault tolerant part is handled by the design of the Youla parameter. The design of the fault tolerant part will not affect the design...... of the nominal feedback con-troller....

Spatial distributions of niche-constructing populations

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Xiaozhuo Han

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Niche construction theory regards organisms not only as the object of natural selection but also an active subject that can change their own selective pressure through eco-evolutionary feedbacks. Through reviewing the existing works on the theoretical models of niche construction, here we present the progress made on how niche construction influences genetic structure of spatially structured populations and the spatial-temporal dynamics of metapopulations, with special focuses on mathematical models and simulation methods. The majority of results confirmed that niche construction can significantly alter the evolutionary trajectories of structured populations. Organism-environmental interactions induced by niche construction can have profound influence on the dynamics, competition and diversity of metapopulations. It can affect fine-scale spatially distribution of species and spatial heterogeneity of the environment. We further propose a few research directions with potentials, such as applying adaptive dynamics or spatial game theory to explore the effect of niche construction on phenotypic evolution and diversification.

Omics and Environmental Science Genomic Approaches With Natural Fish Populations From Polluted Environments

Science.gov (United States)

Bozinovic, Goran; Oleksiak, Marjorie F.

2010-01-01

Transcriptomics and population genomics are two complementary genomic approaches that can be used to gain insight into pollutant effects in natural populations. Transcriptomics identify altered gene expression pathways while population genomics approaches more directly target the causative genomic polymorphisms. Neither approach is restricted to a pre-determined set of genes or loci. Instead, both approaches allow a broad overview of genomic processes. Transcriptomics and population genomic approaches have been used to explore genomic responses in populations of fish from polluted environments and have identified sets of candidate genes and loci that appear biologically important in response to pollution. Often differences in gene expression or loci between polluted and reference populations are not conserved among polluted populations suggesting a biological complexity that we do not yet fully understand. As genomic approaches become less expensive with the advent of new sequencing and genotyping technologies, they will be more widely used in complimentary studies. However, while these genomic approaches are immensely powerful for identifying candidate gene and loci, the challenge of determining biological mechanisms that link genotypes and phenotypes remains. PMID:21072843

Use of visual CO2 feedback as a retrofit solution for improving classroom air quality.

Science.gov (United States)

Wargocki, P; Da Silva, N A F

2015-02-01

Carbon dioxide (CO2 ) sensors that provide a visual indication were installed in classrooms during normal school operation. During 2-week periods, teachers and students were instructed to open the windows in response to the visual CO2 feedback in 1 week and open them, as they would normally do, without visual feedback, in the other week. In the heating season, two pairs of classrooms were monitored, one pair naturally and the other pair mechanically ventilated. In the cooling season, two pairs of naturally ventilated classrooms were monitored, one pair with split cooling in operation and the other pair with no cooling. Classrooms were matched by grade. Providing visual CO2 feedback reduced CO2 levels, as more windows were opened in this condition. This increased energy use for heating and reduced the cooling requirement in summertime. Split cooling reduced the frequency of window opening only when no visual CO2 feedback was present. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Longitudinal coupling impedance imposed by a beam feedback in a synchrotron

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ivanov, S.

1997-01-01

Commonly, a longitudinal beam feedback processes a slowly varying signal at zero intermediate frequency (a phase offset, an amplitude departure). Often, only a portion of the data confined in a picked-up band-pass beam signal is retained (like, say, in a purely phase feedback). Sometimes, a beam feedback employs different RF bands to pick up beam data and return a correction back to the beam. All the manipulations thus involved with signal spectra result in cross-talk between various beam-current and electric-field waves propagating along the orbit, which is shown to be described by an impedance matrix with, at most, three non-trivial elements per row. It is this matrix which gives the intuitive notion that a linear feedback is seen by a beam as an artificial coupling impedance controlled from the outside from a quantitative basis. This (impedance) approach has at least two plain advantages: (i) It allows one to mount the feedback's effect into the well-established theory of longitudinal coherent instabilities to use most of its inventory: beam transfer functions, threshold maps, handling of coupled-bunch motion, etc. (ii) The destabilizing effect of the beam environment, being available in standard terms of coupling impedances, is naturally taken into account since the early stages of feedback R and D. (orig.)

AFLP genome scanning reveals divergent selection in natural populations of Liriodendron chinense (Magnoliaceae along a latitudinal transect

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Aihong eYang

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Understanding adaptive genetic variation and its relation to environmental factors are important for understanding how plants adapt to climate change and for managing genetic resources. Genome scans for the loci exhibiting either notably high or low levels of population differentiation (outlier loci provide one means of identifying genomic regions possibly associated with convergent or divergent selection. In this study, we combined AFLP genome scan and environmental association analysis to test for signals of natural selection in natural populations of Liriodendron chinense (Chinese Tulip Tree; Magnoliaceae along a latitudinal transect. We genotyped 276 individuals from 11 populations of L. chinense using 987 AFLP markers. Two complementary methods (Dfdist and BayeScan and association analysis between AFLP loci and climate factors were applied to detect outlier loci. Our analyses recovered both neutral and potentially adaptive genetic differentiation among populations of L. chinense. We found moderate genetic diversity within populations and high genetic differentiation among populations with reduced genetic diversity towards the periphery of the species ranges. Nine AFLP marker loci showed evidence of being outliers for population differentiation for both detection methods. Of these, six were strongly associated with at least one climate factor. Temperature, precipitation and radiation were found to be three important factors influencing local adaptation of L. chinense. The outlier AFLP loci are likely not the target of natural selection, but the neighboring genes of these loci might be involved in local adaptation. Hence, these candidates should be validated by further studies.

The clinical relevance of advanced artificial feedback in the control of a multi-functional myoelectric prosthesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Markovic, Marko; Schweisfurth, Meike A; Engels, Leonard F; Bentz, Tashina; Wüstefeld, Daniela; Farina, Dario; Dosen, Strahinja

2018-03-27

To effectively replace the human hand, a prosthesis should seamlessly respond to user intentions but also convey sensory information back to the user. Restoration of sensory feedback is rated highly by the prosthesis users, and feedback is critical for grasping in able-bodied subjects. Nonetheless, the benefits of feedback in prosthetics are still debated. The lack of consensus is likely due to the complex nature of sensory feedback during prosthesis control, so that its effectiveness depends on multiple factors (e.g., task complexity, user learning). We evaluated the impact of these factors with a longitudinal assessment in six amputee subjects, using a clinical setup (socket, embedded control) and a range of tasks (box and blocks, block turn, clothespin and cups relocation). To provide feedback, we have proposed a novel vibrotactile stimulation scheme capable of transmitting multiple variables from a multifunction prosthesis. The subjects wore a bracelet with four by two uniformly placed vibro-tactors providing information on contact, prosthesis state (active function), and grasping force. The subjects also completed a questionnaire for the subjective evaluation of the feedback. The tests demonstrated that feedback was beneficial only in the complex tasks (block turn, clothespin and cups relocation), and that the training had an important, task-dependent impact. In the clothespin relocation and block turn tasks, training allowed the subjects to establish successful feedforward control, and therefore, the feedback became redundant. In the cups relocation task, however, the subjects needed some training to learn how to properly exploit the feedback. The subjective evaluation of the feedback was consistently positive, regardless of the objective benefits. These results underline the multifaceted nature of closed-loop prosthesis control as, depending on the context, the same feedback interface can have different impact on performance. Finally, even if the closed

Inner Super-Earths, Outer Gas Giants: How Pebble Isolation and Migration Feedback Keep Jupiters Cold

Science.gov (United States)

Fung, Jeffrey; Lee, Eve J.

2018-06-01

The majority of gas giants (planets of masses ≳102 M ⊕) are found to reside at distances beyond ∼1 au from their host stars. Within 1 au, the planetary population is dominated by super-Earths of 2–20 M ⊕. We show that this dichotomy between inner super-Earths and outer gas giants can be naturally explained should they form in nearly inviscid disks. In laminar disks, a planet can more easily repel disk gas away from its orbit. The feedback torque from the pile-up of gas inside the planet’s orbit slows down and eventually halts migration. A pressure bump outside the planet’s orbit traps pebbles and solids, starving the core. Gas giants are born cold and stay cold: more massive cores are preferentially formed at larger distances, and they barely migrate under disk feedback. We demonstrate this using two-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations of disk–planet interaction lasting up to 105 years: we track planet migration and pebble accretion until both come to an end by disk feedback. Whether cores undergo runaway gas accretion to become gas giants or not is determined by computing one-dimensional gas accretion models. Our simulations show that in an inviscid minimum mass solar nebula, gas giants do not form inside ∼0.5 au, nor can they migrate there while the disk is present. We also explore the dependence on disk mass and find that gas giants form further out in less massive disks.

Human-nature interactions and the consequences and drivers of provisioning wildlife.

Science.gov (United States)

Cox, Daniel T C; Gaston, Kevin J

2018-05-05

Many human populations are undergoing an extinction of experience, with a progressive decline in interactions with nature. This is a consequence both of a loss of opportunity for, and orientation towards, such experiences. The trend is of concern in part because interactions with nature can be good for human health and wellbeing. One potential means of redressing these losses is through the intentional provision of resources to increase wildlife populations in close proximity to people, thereby increasing the potential for positive human-nature experiences, and thence the array of benefits that can result. In this paper, we review the evidence that these resource subsidies have such a cascade of effects. In some Westernized countries, the scale of provision is extraordinarily high, and doubtless leads to both positive and negative impacts for wildlife. In turn, these impacts often lead to more frequent, reliable and closer human-nature interactions, with a greater variety of species. The consequences for human wellbeing remain poorly understood, although benefits documented in the context of human-nature interactions more broadly seem likely to apply. There are also some important feedback loops that need to be better characterized if resource provisioning is to contribute effectively towards averting the extinction of experience.This article is part of the theme issue 'Anthropogenic resource subsidies and host-parasite dynamics in wildlife'. © 2018 The Authors.

An exploration of grip force regulation with a low-impedance myoelectric prosthesis featuring referred haptic feedback.

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Jeremy D; Paek, Andrew; Syed, Mashaal; O'Malley, Marcia K; Shewokis, Patricia A; Contreras-Vidal, Jose L; Davis, Alicia J; Gillespie, R Brent

2015-11-25

Haptic display technologies are well suited to relay proprioceptive, force, and contact cues from a prosthetic terminal device back to the residual limb and thereby reduce reliance on visual feedback. The ease with which an amputee interprets these haptic cues, however, likely depends on whether their dynamic signal behavior corresponds to expected behaviors-behaviors consonant with a natural limb coupled to the environment. A highly geared motor in a terminal device along with the associated high back-drive impedance influences dynamic interactions with the environment, creating effects not encountered with a natural limb. Here we explore grasp and lift performance with a backdrivable (low backdrive impedance) terminal device placed under proportional myoelectric position control that features referred haptic feedback. We fabricated a back-drivable terminal device that could be used by amputees and non-amputees alike and drove aperture (or grip force, when a stiff object was in its grasp) in proportion to a myoelectric signal drawn from a single muscle site in the forearm. In randomly ordered trials, we assessed the performance of N=10 participants (7 non-amputee, 3 amputee) attempting to grasp and lift an object using the terminal device under three feedback conditions (no feedback, vibrotactile feedback, and joint torque feedback), and two object weights that were indiscernible by vision. Both non-amputee and amputee participants scaled their grip force according to the object weight. Our results showed only minor differences in grip force, grip/load force coordination, and slip as a function of sensory feedback condition, though the grip force at the point of lift-off for the heavier object was significantly greater for amputee participants in the presence of joint torque feedback. An examination of grip/load force phase plots revealed that our amputee participants used larger safety margins and demonstrated less coordination than our non-amputee participants

Feedback-related brain activity predicts learning from feedback in multiple-choice testing.

Science.gov (United States)

Ernst, Benjamin; Steinhauser, Marco

2012-06-01

Different event-related potentials (ERPs) have been shown to correlate with learning from feedback in decision-making tasks and with learning in explicit memory tasks. In the present study, we investigated which ERPs predict learning from corrective feedback in a multiple-choice test, which combines elements from both paradigms. Participants worked through sets of multiple-choice items of a Swahili-German vocabulary task. Whereas the initial presentation of an item required the participants to guess the answer, corrective feedback could be used to learn the correct response. Initial analyses revealed that corrective feedback elicited components related to reinforcement learning (FRN), as well as to explicit memory processing (P300) and attention (early frontal positivity). However, only the P300 and early frontal positivity were positively correlated with successful learning from corrective feedback, whereas the FRN was even larger when learning failed. These results suggest that learning from corrective feedback crucially relies on explicit memory processing and attentional orienting to corrective feedback, rather than on reinforcement learning.

Population doses from naturally occurring radiation in Norway

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stranden, E.

The main purpose of this work was to study the radiological consequences of the introduction of building materials with high concentrations of radioactivity and to analyse the impact of a reduction of the ventilation rates in houses on the population dose from inhalation of natural airborne radioactivity. The general problems of radioactivity in building materials are discussed. Measurements of radioactivity in building materials from different parts of the country are reported, together with theoretical calculations of the gamma doses in houses. These calculations are compared with experimental results and earlier measurements of the indoor gamma radiation in Norway. Measurements of the outdoor gamma radiation in different parts of Norway are presented. These results are used together with earlier measurements of the gamma radiation inside houses to calculate the average, and variations of population dose from this radiation. An experimental study on the radon concentrations inside different types of dwellings, and a discussion of the respiratory dose received by the inhalation of radon daughters is presented. Some factors that may have influence upon the radon concentrations are also discussed. A method for measurement of radon and thoron daughters in air is discussed. The possible radiological effects of an increased radon concentration in houses are discussed. (Auth.)

Numerical simulation of optical feedback on a quantum dot lasers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Al-Khursan, Amin H., E-mail: ameen_2all@yahoo.com [Thi-Qar University, Nassiriya Nanotechnology Research Laboratory (NNRL), Science College (Iraq); Ghalib, Basim Abdullattif [Babylon University, Laser Physics Department, Science College for Women (Iraq); Al-Obaidi, Sabri J. [Al-Mustansiriyah University, Physics Department, Science College (Iraq)

2012-02-15

We use multi-population rate equations model to study feedback oscillations in the quantum dot laser. This model takes into account all peculiar characteristics in the quantum dots such as inhomogeneous broadening of the gain spectrum, the presence of the excited states on the quantum dot and the non-confined states due to the presence of wetting layer and the barrier. The contribution of quantum dot groups, which cannot follow by other models, is simulated. The results obtained from this model show the feedback oscillations, the periodic oscillations which evolves to chaos at higher injection current of higher feedback levels. The frequency fluctuation is attributed mainly to wetting layer with a considerable contribution from excited states. The simulation shows that is must be not using simple rate equation models to express quantum dots working at excited state transition.

The Use of Genetic Mechanisms and Behavioral Characteristics to Control Natural Populations of the German Cockroach.

Science.gov (United States)

1981-03-01

release of sterile males into natural populations of the German cockroach. Submitted to Entomologia exp. & Appl. Feb., 1981. A first draft was...populations of the German cockroach. Subm. Entomologia Exp. & Appl. Feb., 1981. aEight other publications of earlier research on this Contract have

Phenotypic selection on leaf water use efficiency and related ecophysiological traits for natural populations of desert sunflowers.

Science.gov (United States)

Donovan, Lisa A; Dudley, Susan A; Rosenthal, David M; Ludwig, Fulco

2007-05-01

Plant water-use efficiency (WUE) is expected to affect plant fitness and thus be under natural selection in arid habitats. Although many natural population studies have assessed plant WUE, only a few related WUE to fitness. The further determination of whether selection on WUE is direct or indirect through functionally related traits has yielded no consistent results. For natural populations of two desert annual sunflowers, Helianthus anomalus and H. deserticola, we used phenotypic selection analysis with vegetative biomass as the proxy for fitness to test (1) whether there was direct and indirect selection on WUE (carbon isotope ratio) and related traits (leaf N, area, succulence) and (2) whether direct selection was consistent with hypothesized drought/dehydration escape and avoidance strategies. There was direct selection for lower WUE in mesic and dry H. anomalus populations, consistent with dehydration escape, even though it is the longer lived of the two species. For mesic H. anomalus, direct selection favored lower WUE and higher N, suggesting that plants may be "wasting water" to increase N delivery via the transpiration stream. For the shorter lived H. deserticola in the direr habitat, there was indirect selection for lower WUE, inconsistent with drought escape. There was also direct selection for higher leaf N, succulence and leaf size. There was no direct selection for higher WUE consistent with dehydration avoidance in either species. Thus, in these natural populations of two desert dune species higher fitness was associated with some combination direct and indirect selection for lower WUE, higher leaf N and larger leaf size. Our understanding of the adaptive value of plant ecophysiological traits will benefit from further consideration of related traits such as leaf nitrogen and more tests in natural populations.

Changes in ethnic structure of population in the light of recent trends of migration and natural reproduction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Novotný Ladislav

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The paper aims to assess the impact of migration and natural reproduction of population to the changes in ethnic structure of population by the case study of three multi-ethnic functional urban regions in Slovakia. All three regions are located at the Slovak-Hungarian ethnic border and are characterized by larger proportion of Slovaks and lower proportion of Hungarians in the core than in the ring. The regions were chosen also with intent to provide a sample with various processes of spatial redistribution of population taking place, which are described in the paper. The ethnic structure at the levels of whole regions, their basic components - cores and rings - is introduced briefly. The analyses of changes in the ethnic structure and its relationships with the natural reproduction and migration of population provides interesting results. It was proved that the migration is a driving force in changes of ethnic structure in analysed regions, even though the patterns of natural reproduction behaviors between ethnic Slovaks and Hungarians are traditionally different. Since the most intensive process of spatial redistribution of population is the decentralization from the cores to the rings of the regions driven by migration, the ethnic structure of the rings tends to approximate to that in the cores.

Black hole feedback on the first galaxies

Science.gov (United States)

Jeon, Myoungwon; Pawlik, Andreas H.; Greif, Thomas H.; Glover, Simon C. O.; Bromm, Volker; Milosavljević, Miloš; Klessen, Ralf S.

2012-09-01

We study how the first galaxies were assembled under feedback from the accretion onto a central black hole (BH) that is left behind by the first generation of metal-free stars through selfconsistent, cosmological simulations. X-ray radiation fromthe accretion of gas onto BH remnants of Population III (Pop III) stars, or from high-mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs), again involving Pop III stars, influences the mode of second generation star formation. We track the evolution of the black hole accretion rate and the associated X-ray feedback startingwith the death of the Pop III progenitor star inside a minihalo and following the subsequent evolution of the black hole as the minihalo grows to become an atomically cooling galaxy. We find that X-ray photoionization heating from a stellar-mass BH is able to quench further star formation in the host halo at all times before the halo enters the atomic cooling phase. X-ray radiation from a HMXB, assuming a luminosity close to the Eddington value, exerts an even stronger, and more diverse, feedback on star formation. It photoheats the gas inside the host halo, but also promotes the formation of molecular hydrogen and cooling of gas in the intergalactic medium and in nearby minihalos, leading to a net increase in the number of stars formed at early times. Our simulations further show that the radiative feedback from the first BHs may strongly suppress early BH growth, thus constraining models for the formation of supermassive BHs.

Virtual sensory feedback for gait improvement in neurological patients

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yoram eBaram

2013-10-01

Full Text Available We review a treatment modality for movement disorders by sensory feedback. The natural closed-loop sensory-motor feedback system is imitated by a wearable virtual reality apparatus, employing body-mounted inertial sensors and responding dynamically to the patient’s own motion. Clinical trials have shown a significant gait improvement in patients with Parkinson's disease using the apparatus. In contrast to open-loop devices, which impose constant-velocity visual cues in a treadmill fashion, or rhythmic auditory cues in a metronome fashion, requiring constant vigilance and attention strategies, and in some cases, instigating freezing in Parkinson’s patients, the closed-loop device improved gait parameters and eliminated freezing in most patients, without side effects. Patients with multiple sclerosis, previous stroke, senile gait and cerebral palsy using the device also improved their balance and gait substantially. Training with the device has produced a residual improvement, suggesting virtual sensory feedback for the treatment of neurological movement disorders.

Student Engagement with Feedback

Science.gov (United States)

Scott, Jon; Shields, Cathy; Gardner, James; Hancock, Alysoun; Nutt, Alex

2011-01-01

This report considers Biological Sciences students' perceptions of feedback, compared with those of the University as a whole, this includes what forms of feedback were considered most useful and how feedback used. Compared with data from previous studies, Biological Sciences students gave much greater recognition to oral feedback, placing it on a…

Do we have to choose between feeding the human population and conserving nature? Modelling the global dependence of people on ecosystem services.

Science.gov (United States)

Cazalis, Victor; Loreau, Michel; Henderson, Kirsten

2018-09-01

The ability of the human population to continue growing depends strongly on the ecosystem services provided by nature. Nature, however, is becoming more and more degraded as the number of individuals increases, which could potentially threaten the future well-being of the human population. We use a dynamic model to conceptualise links between the global proportion of natural habitats and human demography, through four categories of ecosystem services (provisioning, regulating, cultural recreational and informational) to investigate the common future of nature and humanity in terms of size and well-being. Our model shows that there is generally a trade-off between the quality of life and human population size and identifies four short-term scenarios, corresponding to three long-term steady states of the model. First, human population could experience declines if nature becomes too degraded and regulating services diminish; second the majority of the population could be in a famine state, where the population continues to grow with minimal food provision. Between these scenarios, a desirable future scenario emerges from the model. It occurs if humans convert enough land to feed all the population, while maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem services. Finally, we find a fourth scenario, which combines famine and a decline in the population because of an overexploitation of land leading to a decrease in food production. Human demography is embedded in natural dynamics; the two factors should be considered together if we are to identify a desirable future for both nature and humans. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Density-dependent feedbacks can mask environmental drivers of populations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dahlgren, Johan Petter

I present some results from studies identifying environmental drivers of vital rates and population dynamics when controlling for intraspecific density statistically or experimentally, show that density dependence can be strong even in populations of slow-growing species in stressful habitats, an...

Feedback Control of MEMS to Atoms

CERN Document Server

Shapiro, Benjamin

2012-01-01

Feedback Control of MEMS to Atoms illustrates the use of control and control systems as an essential part of functioning integrated miniaturized systems. The book is organized according to the dimensional scale of the problem, starting with microscale systems and ending with atomic-scale systems. Similar to macroscale machines and processes, control systems can play a major role in improving the performance of micro- and nanoscale systems and in enabling new capabilities that would otherwise not be possible. The majority of problems at these scales present many new challenges that go beyond the current state-of-the-art in control theory and engineering. This is a result of the multidisciplinary nature of micro/nanotechnology, which requires the merging of control engineering with physics, biology and chemistry. This book: Shows how the utilization of feedback control in nanotechnology instrumentation can yield results far better than passive systems can Discusses the application of control systems to problems...

Doses to the Norwegian population from naturally occuring radiation and from the Chernobyl fallout

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Strand, T.

1987-01-01

The doses to the Norwegian population from naturally occuring radiation are extensively reviewed. The annual population weighted average dose equivalent to the Norwegian population from 222 Rn and its daughters is estimated to be between 3.5 and 4.5 mSv. The average concentration of 220 Rn daughters in Norwegian dwellings is most probably between 1.0 and 1.5 Bq m -3 . The corresponding effective dose equivalent for 220 Rn and its daughters is estimated to be between 0.4 and 0.6 mSv. The total annual collective dose equivalent from naturally occuring radiation in Norway is found to be between 21000 and 27000 man Sv. The doses to the Norwegian population from the Chernobyl fallout are briefly discussed. Based on the results of a ''food basket'' project and supplementary data from about 30000 measurements on food samples the first year after the reactor accident, the total annual effective dose equivalent from foodstuffs to an average Norwegian consumer during this first year is estimated to be 0.15 +-0.002 m Sv at the 95% confidence level. The per caput effective dose equivalent from external fallout gamma radiation in the first year after the Chernobyl accident, is approximately 82 μSv in Norway

Advantages of externally powered prosthesis with feedback system using pseudo-cineplasty.

Science.gov (United States)

Nambu, Seiji; Ikebuchi, Mitsuhiko; Taniguchi, Masashi; Park, Choong Sik; Kitagawa, Takahiro; Nakajima, Shigeyoshi; Koike, Tatsuya

2014-01-01

Externally powered upper-limb prostheses are difficult to use because of the lack of sensory feedback. Neuroprostheses have recently been developed for people with upper-limb amputation but are complicated, expensive, and still developing. We therefore designed a simple system by combining pseudo-cineplasty with extended physiological proprioception to provide sensory feedback to the body. We penetrated the palmaris longus tendon percutaneously with a metal ring, similar to that used in body piercing, in a nondisabled subject as a pseudo-cineplasty. The tendon and ring were connected to the system, and a sensory feedback experiment was performed. We investigated the ability of the user to determine the size of an object grasped by the prosthetic hand without visual information. The subject could distinguish between large and small objects with 100% accuracy and between small, medium, and large objects with 80% accuracy. In pseudo-cineplasty, control and sensory feedback are natural because the prosthetic hand is controlled by muscle contraction. Tension transmitted from the prosthetic hand is sensed via muscle spindles and skin sensors. This technique allows only partial sensory feedback but appears to offer several advantages over other human-machine interfaces.

Host–virus dynamics and subcellular controls of cell fate in a natural coccolithophore population

Science.gov (United States)

Vardi, Assaf; Haramaty, Liti; Van Mooy, Benjamin A. S.; Fredricks, Helen F.; Kimmance, Susan A.; Larsen, Aud; Bidle, Kay D.

2012-01-01

Marine viruses are major evolutionary and biogeochemical drivers in marine microbial foodwebs. However, an in-depth understanding of the cellular mechanisms and the signal transduction pathways mediating host–virus interactions during natural bloom dynamics has remained elusive. We used field-based mesocosms to examine the “arms race” between natural populations of the coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi and its double-stranded DNA-containing coccolithoviruses (EhVs). Specifically, we examined the dynamics of EhV infection and its regulation of cell fate over the course of bloom development and demise using a diverse suite of molecular tools and in situ fluorescent staining to target different levels of subcellular resolution. We demonstrate the concomitant induction of reactive oxygen species, caspase-specific activity, metacaspase expression, and programmed cell death in response to the accumulation of virus-derived glycosphingolipids upon infection of natural E. huxleyi populations. These subcellular responses to viral infection simultaneously resulted in the enhanced production of transparent exopolymer particles, which can facilitate aggregation and stimulate carbon flux. Our results not only corroborate the critical role for glycosphingolipids and programmed cell death in regulating E. huxleyi–EhV interactions, but also elucidate promising molecular biomarkers and lipid-based proxies for phytoplankton host–virus interactions in natural systems. PMID:23134731

Using a Feedback Environment to Improve Creative Performance: A Dynamic Affect Perspective

OpenAIRE

Gong, Zhenxing; Zhang, Na

2017-01-01

Prior research on feedback and creative performance has neglected the dynamic nature of affect and has focused only on the influence of positive affect. We argue that creative performance is the result of a dynamic process in which a person experiences a phase of negative affect and subsequently enters a state of high positive affect that is influenced by the feedback environment. Hierarchical regression was used to analyze a sample of 264 employees from seven industry firms. The results indi...

Feedback i matematik

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sortkær, Bent

2017-01-01

Feedback bliver i litteraturen igen og igen fremhævet som et af de mest effektive midler til at fremme elevers præstationer i skolen (Hartberg, Dobson, & Gran, 2012; Hattie & Timperley, 2007; Wiliam, 2015). Dette på trods af, at flere forskere påpeger, at feedback ikke altid er læringsfremmende...... (Hattie & Gan, 2011), og nogle endda viser, at feedback kan have en negativ virkning i forhold til præstationer (Kluger & DeNisi, 1996). Artiklen vil undersøge disse tilsyneladende modstridende resultater ved at stille spørgsmålet: Under hvilke forudsætninger virker feedback i matematik læringsfremmende......? Dette gøres ved at dykke ned i forskningslitteraturen omhandlende feedback ud fra en række temaer for på den måde at besvare ovenstående spørgsmål....

Validation of rearrangement break points identified by paired-end sequencing in natural populations of Drosophila melanogaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Cridland, Julie M; Thornton, Kevin R

2010-01-13

Several recent studies have focused on the evolution of recently duplicated genes in Drosophila. Currently, however, little is known about the evolutionary forces acting upon duplications that are segregating in natural populations. We used a high-throughput, paired-end sequencing platform (Illumina) to identify structural variants in a population sample of African D. melanogaster. Polymerase chain reaction and sequencing confirmation of duplications detected by multiple, independent paired-ends showed that paired-end sequencing reliably uncovered the break points of structural rearrangements and allowed us to identify a number of tandem duplications segregating within a natural population. Our confirmation experiments show that rates of confirmation are very high, even at modest coverage. Our results also compare well with previous studies using microarrays (Emerson J, Cardoso-Moreira M, Borevitz JO, Long M. 2008. Natural selection shapes genome wide patterns of copy-number polymorphism in Drosophila melanogaster. Science. 320:1629-1631. and Dopman EB, Hartl DL. 2007. A portrait of copy-number polymorphism in Drosophila melanogaster. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 104:19920-19925.), which both gives us confidence in the results of this study as well as confirms previous microarray results.We were also able to identify whole-gene duplications, such as a novel duplication of Or22a, an olfactory receptor, and identify copy-number differences in genes previously known to be under positive selection, like Cyp6g1, which confers resistance to dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane. Several "hot spots" of duplications were detected in this study, which indicate that particular regions of the genome may be more prone to generating duplications. Finally, population frequency analysis of confirmed events also showed an excess of rare variants in our population, which indicates that duplications segregating in the population may be deleterious and ultimately destined to be lost from the

Modeling Sustainability: Population, Inequality, Consumption, and Bidirectional Coupling of the Earth and Human Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Motesharrei, Safa; Rivas, Jorge; Kalnay, Eugenia; Asrar, Ghassem R.; Busalacchi, Antonio J.; Cahalan, Robert F.; Cane, Mark A.; Colwell, Rita R.; Feng, Kuishuang; Franklin, Rachel S.;

Modeling Sustainability: Population, Inequality, Consumption, and Bidirectional Coupling of the Earth and Human Systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Motesharrei, Safa; Rivas, Jorge; Kalnay, Eugenia; Asrar, Ghassem R.; Busalacchi, Antonio J.; Cahalan, Robert F.; Cane, Mark A.; Colwell, Rita R.; Feng, Kuishuang; Franklin, Rachel S.; Hubacek, Klaus; Miralles-Wilhelm, Fernando; Miyoshi, Takemasa; Ruth, Matthias; Sagdeev, Roald; Shirmohammadi, Adel; Shukla, Jagadish; Srebric, Jelena; Yakovenko, Victor M.; Zeng, Ning

2016-12-11

Over the last two centuries, the impact of the Human System has grown dramatically, becoming strongly dominant within the Earth System in many different ways. Consumption, inequality, and population have increased extremely fast, especially since about 1950, threatening to overwhelm the many critical functions and ecosystems of the Earth System. Changes in the Earth System, in turn, have important feedback effects on the Human System, with costly and potentially serious consequences. However, current models do not incorporate these critical feedbacks. We argue that in order to understand the dynamics of either system, Earth System Models must be coupled with Human System Models through bidirectional couplings representing the positive, negative, and delayed feedbacks that exist in the real systems. In particular, key Human System variables, such as demographics, inequality, economic growth, and migration, are not coupled with the Earth System but are instead driven by exogenous estimates, such as United Nations population projections. This makes current models likely to miss important feedbacks in the real Earth–Human system, especially those that may result in unexpected or counterintuitive outcomes, and thus requiring different policy interventions from current models. The importance and imminence of sustainability challenges, the dominant role of the Human System in the Earth System, and the essential roles the Earth System plays for the Human System, all call for collaboration of natural scientists, social scientists, and engineers in multidisciplinary research and modeling to develop coupled Earth–Human system models for devising effective science-based policies and measures to benefit current and future generations.

Trainees' Perceptions of Feedback: Validity Evidence for Two FEEDME (Feedback in Medical Education) Instruments.

Science.gov (United States)

Bing-You, Robert; Ramesh, Saradha; Hayes, Victoria; Varaklis, Kalli; Ward, Denham; Blanco, Maria

2018-01-01

Construct: Medical educators consider feedback a core component of the educational process. Effective feedback allows learners to acquire new skills, knowledge, and attitudes. Learners' perceptions of feedback are an important aspect to assess with valid methods in order to improve the feedback skills of educators and the feedback culture. Although guidelines for delivering effective feedback have existed for several decades, medical students and residents often indicate that they receive little feedback. A recent scoping review on feedback in medical education did not reveal any validity evidence on instruments to assess learner's perceptions of feedback. The purpose of our study was to gather validity evidence on two novel FEEDME (Feedback in Medical Education) instruments to assess medical students' and residents' perceptions of the feedback that they receive. After the authors developed an initial instrument with 54 items, cognitive interviews with medical students and residents suggested that 2 separate instruments were needed, one focused on the feedback culture (FEEDME-Culture) and the other on the provider of feedback (FEEDME-Provider). A Delphi study with 17 medical education experts and faculty members assessed content validity. The response process was explored involving 31 medical students and residents at 2 academic institutions. Exploratory factor analysis and reliability analyses were performed on completed instruments. Two Delphi consultation rounds refined the wording of items and eliminated several items. Learners found both instruments easy and quick to answer; it took them less than 5 minutes to complete. Learners preferred an electronic format of the instruments over paper. Factor analysis revealed a two- and three-factor solution for the FEEDME-Culture and FEEDME-Provider instruments, respectively. Cronbach's alpha was greater than 0.80 for all factors. Items on both instruments were moderately to highly correlated (range, r = .3-.7). Our

Instructor feedback versus no instructor feedback on performance in a laparoscopic virtual reality simulator: a randomized educational trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Oestergaard, Jeanett; Bjerrum, Flemming; Maagaard, Mathilde; Winkel, Per; Larsen, Christian Rifbjerg; Ringsted, Charlotte; Gluud, Christian; Grantcharov, Teodor; Ottesen, Bent; Soerensen, Jette Led

2012-02-28

Several studies have found a positive effect on the learning curve as well as the improvement of basic psychomotor skills in the operating room after virtual reality training. Despite this, the majority of surgical and gynecological departments encounter hurdles when implementing this form of training. This is mainly due to lack of knowledge concerning the time and human resources needed to train novice surgeons to an adequate level. The purpose of this trial is to investigate the impact of instructor feedback regarding time, repetitions and self-perception when training complex operational tasks on a virtual reality simulator. The study population consists of medical students on their 4th to 6th year without prior laparoscopic experience. The study is conducted in a skills laboratory at a centralized university hospital. Based on a sample size estimation 98 participants will be randomized to an intervention group or a control group. Both groups have to achieve a predefined proficiency level when conducting a laparoscopic salpingectomy using a surgical virtual reality simulator. The intervention group receives standardized instructor feedback of 10 to 12 min a maximum of three times. The control group receives no instructor feedback. Both groups receive the automated feedback generated by the virtual reality simulator. The study follows the CONSORT Statement for randomized trials. Main outcome measures are time and repetitions to reach the predefined proficiency level on the simulator. We include focus on potential sex differences, computer gaming experience and self-perception. The findings will contribute to a better understanding of optimal training methods in surgical education. NCT01497782.

Skriftlig feedback i engelskundervisningen

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kjærgaard, Hanne Wacher

2017-01-01

The article describes useful feedback strategies in language teaching and describes the feedback practices of lower-seconday teachers in Denmark. The article is aimed at language teahcers in secondary schools.......The article describes useful feedback strategies in language teaching and describes the feedback practices of lower-seconday teachers in Denmark. The article is aimed at language teahcers in secondary schools....

Feedback and efficient behavior.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sandro Casal

Full Text Available Feedback is an effective tool for promoting efficient behavior: it enhances individuals' awareness of choice consequences in complex settings. Our study aims to isolate the mechanisms underlying the effects of feedback on achieving efficient behavior in a controlled environment. We design a laboratory experiment in which individuals are not aware of the consequences of different alternatives and, thus, cannot easily identify the efficient ones. We introduce feedback as a mechanism to enhance the awareness of consequences and to stimulate exploration and search for efficient alternatives. We assess the efficacy of three different types of intervention: provision of social information, manipulation of the frequency, and framing of feedback. We find that feedback is most effective when it is framed in terms of losses, that it reduces efficiency when it includes information about inefficient peers' behavior, and that a lower frequency of feedback does not disrupt efficiency. By quantifying the effect of different types of feedback, our study suggests useful insights for policymakers.

Feedback - fra et elevperspektiv

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Benedikte Vilslev; Pedersen, Bent Sortkær

Feedback bliver i litteraturen igen og igen fremhævet som et af de mest effektive midler til at fremme elevers præstationer i skolen (Hattie og Timperley, 2007). Andre studier er dog inde på at feedback ikke altid er læringsfremmende og nogle viser endda at feedback kan have en negativ virkning i...... forhold til præstationer (Kluger & DeNisi, 1996). I forsøget på at forklare hvordan og hvorfor feedback virker (forskelligt), er der undersøgt flere dimensioner og forhold omkring feedback (se bl.a. Black og Wiliam, 1998; Hattie og Timperley, 2007; Shute, 2008). Dog er der få studier der undersøger...... hvordan feedback opleves fra et elevperspektiv (Ruiz-Primo og Li, 2013). Samtidig er der i feedbacklitteraturen en mangel på kvalitative studier, der kommer tæt på fænomenet feedback, som det viser sig i klasserummet (Ruiz-Primo og Li, 2013) i naturlige omgivelser (Black og Wiliam, 1998), og hvordan...

Radioactive wastes of uranium mining and milling: Radiological consequences for human population and natural environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sazykina, T.G.; Kryshev, I.I.

2002-01-01

The sources of wastes and levels of radioactive contamination are considered in the areas of uranium ore mining and milling. Assessments of doses to the population are made using the methodology of multiple sources and pathways of exposure, including calculations of inhalation dose and doses from consumption of contaminated agricultural and natural products, as well as external exposure from the radioactive cloud and soil. On the local (0-100 km) spatial scale, the dose from uranium mining and processing is, on average, about 0.7 man Sv (GWa) -1 . The most significant pathway of the population exposure is inhalation of radon. The impact of uranium ore mining and processing on natural flora and fauna is determined by specific characteristics of the production at uranium mining enterprises and has both radiation and non-radiation components. The estimates of external and internal exposures to the natural biota in the vicinity of hydro-metallurgical works and tailing dumps are presented. (author)

Feedback reliability calculation for an iterative block decision feedback equalizer

OpenAIRE

Huang, G; Nix, AR; Armour, SMD

2009-01-01

A new class of iterative block decision feedback equalizer (IB-DFE) was pioneered by Chan and Benvenuto. Unlike the conventional DFE, the IB-DFE is optimized according to the reliability of the feedback (FB) symbols. Since the use of the training sequence (TS) for feedback reliability (FBR) estimation lowers the bandwidth efficiency, FBR estimation without the need for additional TS is of considerable interest. However, prior FBR estimation is limited in the literature to uncoded M-ary phases...

Feedback stabilization initiative

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-06-01

Much progress has been made in attaining high confinement regimes in magnetic confinement devices. These operating modes tend to be transient, however, due to the onset of MHD instabilities, and their stabilization is critical for improved performance at steady state. This report describes the Feedback Stabilization Initiative (FSI), a broad-based, multi-institutional effort to develop and implement methods for raising the achievable plasma betas through active MHD feedback stabilization. A key element in this proposed effort is the Feedback Stabilization Experiment (FSX), a medium-sized, national facility that would be specifically dedicated to demonstrating beta improvement in reactor relevant plasmas by using a variety of MHD feedback stabilization schemes

Feedback stabilization initiative

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1997-06-01

Much progress has been made in attaining high confinement regimes in magnetic confinement devices. These operating modes tend to be transient, however, due to the onset of MHD instabilities, and their stabilization is critical for improved performance at steady state. This report describes the Feedback Stabilization Initiative (FSI), a broad-based, multi-institutional effort to develop and implement methods for raising the achievable plasma betas through active MHD feedback stabilization. A key element in this proposed effort is the Feedback Stabilization Experiment (FSX), a medium-sized, national facility that would be specifically dedicated to demonstrating beta improvement in reactor relevant plasmas by using a variety of MHD feedback stabilization schemes.

Relative accuracy of three common methods of parentage analysis in natural populations

KAUST Repository

Harrison, Hugo B.; Saenz Agudelo, Pablo; Planes, Serge; Jones, Geoffrey P.; Berumen, Michael L.

2012-01-01

Parentage studies and family reconstructions have become increasingly popular for investigating a range of evolutionary, ecological and behavioural processes in natural populations. However, a number of different assignment methods have emerged in common use and the accuracy of each may differ in relation to the number of loci examined, allelic diversity, incomplete sampling of all candidate parents and the presence of genotyping errors. Here, we examine how these factors affect the accuracy of three popular parentage inference methods (colony, famoz and an exclusion-Bayes' theorem approach by Christie (Molecular Ecology Resources, 2010a, 10, 115) to resolve true parent-offspring pairs using simulated data. Our findings demonstrate that accuracy increases with the number and diversity of loci. These were clearly the most important factors in obtaining accurate assignments explaining 75-90% of variance in overall accuracy across 60 simulated scenarios. Furthermore, the proportion of candidate parents sampled had a small but significant impact on the susceptibility of each method to either false-positive or false-negative assignments. Within the range of values simulated, colony outperformed FaMoz, which outperformed the exclusion-Bayes' theorem method. However, with 20 or more highly polymorphic loci, all methods could be applied with confidence. Our results show that for parentage inference in natural populations, careful consideration of the number and quality of markers will increase the accuracy of assignments and mitigate the effects of incomplete sampling of parental populations. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Relative accuracy of three common methods of parentage analysis in natural populations

KAUST Repository

Harrison, Hugo B.

2012-12-27

Parentage studies and family reconstructions have become increasingly popular for investigating a range of evolutionary, ecological and behavioural processes in natural populations. However, a number of different assignment methods have emerged in common use and the accuracy of each may differ in relation to the number of loci examined, allelic diversity, incomplete sampling of all candidate parents and the presence of genotyping errors. Here, we examine how these factors affect the accuracy of three popular parentage inference methods (colony, famoz and an exclusion-Bayes\\' theorem approach by Christie (Molecular Ecology Resources, 2010a, 10, 115) to resolve true parent-offspring pairs using simulated data. Our findings demonstrate that accuracy increases with the number and diversity of loci. These were clearly the most important factors in obtaining accurate assignments explaining 75-90% of variance in overall accuracy across 60 simulated scenarios. Furthermore, the proportion of candidate parents sampled had a small but significant impact on the susceptibility of each method to either false-positive or false-negative assignments. Within the range of values simulated, colony outperformed FaMoz, which outperformed the exclusion-Bayes\\' theorem method. However, with 20 or more highly polymorphic loci, all methods could be applied with confidence. Our results show that for parentage inference in natural populations, careful consideration of the number and quality of markers will increase the accuracy of assignments and mitigate the effects of incomplete sampling of parental populations. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Theoretical and experimental studies of optical feedback on solid-state lasers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kervevan, L.

2006-12-01

The main objective of this Phd thesis was to implement solid-state lasers based on codoped Yb 3+ :Er 3+ phosphate glasses pumped by laser diode and to study their behavior when submitted to an optical feedback. This kind of lasers presents as main advantages a very high sensibility to the optical feedback due to the optical properties of the Er 3+ ion enhancing the relaxation oscillations. Moreover, the emission wavelength around 1,535 μm belongs to the eye safe spectral domain. First, we have established the rate equations of the population inversion and the electric field for a three-level laser (Yb:Er) submitted to an optical feedback. We have done a comparative study of the influence of the amplifying medium (three-level system Yb:Er or four-level system LNA:Nd) and cavity parameters on the sensitivity due to the optical feedback. The home-made lasers were implemented in optical feedback experiments allowing original measurement of speed, absolute distance or vibration for optical detection of sound restitution. The fourth part of this thesis deals with the behavior a dual frequency laser submitted to a optical feedback. Such a laser oscillates simultaneously on two polarization eigenstates whose optical frequencies are slightly different. The beating mode between these two eigenstates allows self-heterodyne detection. (author)

Feedback matters current feedback practices in the EFL classroom

CERN Document Server

Reitbauer, Margit; Mercer, Sarah; Schumm-Fauster, Jennifer

2013-01-01

This varied collection of papers is concerned with feedback in the language learning context. With its blend of theoretical overviews, action research-based empirical studies and practical implications, this will be a valuable resource for all academics and practitioners concerned with generating feedback that matters.

Natural amenities and rural population migration: a technical document supporting the Forest Service 2010 RPA Assessment

Science.gov (United States)

H. Ken Cordell; Vahé Heboyan; Florence Santos; John C. Bergstrom

2011-01-01

Research has suggested that significant relationships exist between rural population change and natural amenities. Thus, understanding and predicting domestic migration trends as a function of changes in natural amenities is important for effective regional growth and development policies and strategies. In this study, we first estimated an econometric model which...

Exposure of the Spanish population to radiation from natural sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garcia-Talavera, M.; Suarez, E.; Matarranz, J.L.; Salas, R.; Ramos, L.

2006-01-01

We have assessed the exposure of the Spanish population to natural radiation sources. The annual average effective dose is estimated to be 2.38 mSv, taking into account contributions from cosmic radiation (13.8%), terrestrial gamma radiation (39%), radon and thoron inhalation (34%) and ingestion (13.2%). Cosmic radiation doses were calculated from town altitude data. Terrestrial gamma ray exposure outdoors was derived from the M.A.R.N.A. (natural gamma radiation map of Spain). Indoor gamma ray exposure was calculated by multiplying the corresponding outdoor value by a conversion factor, which was obtained by a linear least-squares fit of experimental measurements. Radon doses were estimated from national surveys carried out throughout the country. To assess doses by ingestion of water and foodstuffs we considered the results from a detailed study on consumption habits by age and geographical area in Spain, promoted by C.S.N., and average radioactivity values from UNSCEAR. (authors)

Exposure of the Spanish population to radiation from natural sources

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Garcia-Talavera, M.; Suarez, E.; Matarranz, J.L.; Salas, R.; Ramos, L. [Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear. Justo Dorado, Madrid (Spain)

2006-07-01

We have assessed the exposure of the Spanish population to natural radiation sources. The annual average effective dose is estimated to be 2.38 mSv, taking into account contributions from cosmic radiation (13.8%), terrestrial gamma radiation (39%), radon and thoron inhalation (34%) and ingestion (13.2%). Cosmic radiation doses were calculated from town altitude data. Terrestrial gamma ray exposure outdoors was derived from the M.A.R.N.A. (natural gamma radiation map of Spain). Indoor gamma ray exposure was calculated by multiplying the corresponding outdoor value conversion factor, which was obtained by a linear least-squares fit of experimental measurements. Radon doses were estimated from national surveys carried out throughout the country. To assess doses by ingestion of water and foodstuffs we considered the results from a detailed study on consumption habits by age and geographical area in Spain, promoted by C.S.N., and average radioactivity values from UNSCEAR. (authors)

A review of invasive and non-invasive sensory feedback in upper limb prostheses.

Science.gov (United States)

Svensson, Pamela; Wijk, Ulrika; Björkman, Anders; Antfolk, Christian

2017-06-01

The constant challenge to restore sensory feedback in prosthetic hands has provided several research solutions, but virtually none has reached clinical fruition. A prosthetic hand with sensory feedback that closely imitates an intact hand and provides a natural feeling may induce the prosthetic hand to be included in the body image and also reinforces the control of the prosthesis. Areas covered: This review presents non-invasive sensory feedback systems such as mechanotactile, vibrotactile, electrotactile and combinational systems which combine the modalities; multi-haptic feedback. Invasive sensory feedback has been tried less, because of the inherent risk, but it has successfully shown to restore some afferent channels. In this review, invasive methods are also discussed, both extraneural and intraneural electrodes, such as cuff electrodes and transverse intrafascicular multichannel electrodes. The focus of the review is on non-invasive methods of providing sensory feedback to upper-limb amputees. Expert commentary: Invoking embodiment has shown to be of importance for the control of prosthesis and acceptance by the prosthetic wearers. It is a challenge to provide conscious feedback to cover the lost sensibility of a hand, not be overwhelming and confusing for the user, and to integrate technology within the constraint of a wearable prosthesis.

Population Dynamic of Dendronephthya sp.-Associated Bacteria in Natural and Artificial Habitats

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

SUSAN SOKA

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Dendronephthya sp. is a soft coral that has huge distribution starting from Indopacific, Tonga, Solomon Islands to Great Barrier Reef in Australia. However, this soft corals survive only in short period after cultivation in artificial habitat (aquarium. Recent study showed that the soft coral Dendronephtya sp. has an association or symbiotic relationship with several bacteria, commonly known as coral associated bacteria (CAB. In this study, we compared the population dynamic of Dendronephthya sp.-associated bacteria in natural and artificial habitat, resulting different bacterial community profiles using terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP analysis of bacterial community DNA. There were 15 main classes of bacterial population identified along with uncultured microorganism, uncultured organism, uncultured bacteria and unidentified organism. Members of Actinobacteria, Arthrobacteria, Chlorobia, Caldilineae, -proteobacteria and Proteobacteria were predicted to give contributions in the survival ability of both Dendronephthya sp. The cultivation of soft corals after 2 weeks in artificial habitat increases bacterial population similarity on 2 different samples by 10%. Bacterial population similarity in artificial habitat would increase along with the longer cultivation time of soft corals.

Population Dynamic of Dendronephthya sp.-Associated Bacteria in Natural and Artificial Habitats

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

SUSAN SOKA

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Dendronephthya sp. is a soft coral that has huge distribution starting from Indopacific, Tonga, Solomon Islands to Great Barrier Reef in Australia. However, this soft corals survive only in short period after cultivation in artificial habitat (aquarium. Recent study showed that the soft coral Dendronephtya sp. has an association or symbiotic relationship with several bacteria, commonly known as coral associated bacteria (CAB. In this study, we compared the population dynamic of Dendronephthya sp.-associated bacteria in natural and artificial habitat, resulting different bacterial community profiles using terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP analysis of bacterial community DNA. There were 15 main classes of bacterial population identified along with uncultured microorganism, uncultured organism, uncultured bacteria and unidentified organism. Members of Actinobacteria, Arthrobacteria, Chlorobia, Caldilineae, Δ-proteobacteria and Proteobacteria were predicted to give contributions in the survival ability of both Dendronephthya sp. The cultivation of soft corals after 2 weeks in artificial habitat increases bacterial population similarity on 2 different samples by 10%. Bacterial population similarity in artificial habitat would increase along with the longer cultivation time of soft corals.

Formativ Feedback

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hyldahl, Kirsten Kofod

Denne bog undersøger, hvordan lærere kan anvende feedback til at forbedre undervisningen i klasselokalet. I denne sammenhæng har John Hattie, professor ved Melbourne Universitet, udviklet en model for feedback, hvilken er baseret på synteser af meta-analyser. I 2009 udgav han bogen "Visible...

Feedback GAP: study protocol for a cluster-randomized trial of goal setting and action plans to increase the effectiveness of audit and feedback interventions in primary care.

Science.gov (United States)

Ivers, Noah M; Tu, Karen; Francis, Jill; Barnsley, Jan; Shah, Baiju; Upshur, Ross; Kiss, Alex; Grimshaw, Jeremy M; Zwarenstein, Merrick

2010-12-17

feedback design. Intention-to-treat approach will be used to analyze the trial. Analysis will be performed on patient-level variables using generalized estimating equation models to adjust for covariates and account for the clustered nature of the data. The trial is powered to show small, but clinically important differences of 7 mmHG in systolic BP and 0.32 mmol/L in LDL. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00996645.

Feedback Loop Gains and Feedback Behavior (1996)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kampmann, Christian Erik

2012-01-01

Linking feedback loops and system behavior is part of the foundation of system dynamics, yet the lack of formal tools has so far prevented a systematic application of the concept, except for very simple systems. Having such tools at their disposal would be a great help to analysts in understanding...... large, complicated simulation models. The paper applies tools from graph theory formally linking individual feedback loop strengths to the system eigenvalues. The significance of a link or a loop gain and an eigenvalue can be expressed in the eigenvalue elasticity, i.e., the relative change...... of an eigenvalue resulting from a relative change in the gain. The elasticities of individual links and loops may be found through simple matrix operations on the linearized system. Even though the number of feedback loops can grow rapidly with system size, reaching astronomical proportions even for modest systems...

Flying between sky islands: the effect of naturally fragmented habitat on butterfly population structure.

Science.gov (United States)

Sekar, Sandhya; Karanth, Praveen

2013-01-01

High elevation montane areas are called "sky islands" when they occur as a series of high mountains separated by lowland valleys. Different climatic conditions at high elevations makes sky islands a specialized type of habitat, rendering them naturally fragmented compared to more continuous habitat at lower elevations. Species in sky islands face unsuitable climate in the intervening valleys when moving from one montane area to another. The high elevation shola-grassland mosaic in the Western Ghats of southern India form one such sky island complex. The fragmented patches make this area ideal to study the effect of the spatial orientation of suitable habitat patches on population genetic structure of species found in these areas. Past studies have suggested that sky islands tend to have genetically structured populations, possibly due to reduced gene flow between montane areas. To test this hypothesis, we adopted the comparative approach. Using Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms, we compared population genetic structures of two closely related, similar sized butterfly species: Heteropsis oculus, a high elevation shola-grassland specialist restricted to the southern Western Ghats, and Mycalesis patnia, found more continuously distributed in lower elevations. In all analyses, as per expectation the sky island specialist H. oculus exhibited a greater degree of population genetic structure than M. patnia, implying a difference in geneflow. This difference in geneflow in turn appears to be due to the natural fragmentation of the sky island complexes. Detailed analysis of a subset of H. oculus samples from one sky island complex (the Anamalais) showed a surprising genetic break. A possible reason for this break could be unsuitable conditions of higher temperature and lower rainfall in the intervening valley region. Thus, sky island species are not only restricted by lack of habitat continuity between montane areas, but also by the nature of the intervening habitat.

Evidence for natural selection at the melanocortin-3 receptor gene in European and African populations.

Science.gov (United States)

Yoshiuchi, Issei

2016-08-01

Obesity is increasing steadily in worldwide prevalence and is known to cause serious health problems in association with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), including hypertension, stroke, and cardiovascular diseases. According to the thrifty gene hypothesis, the natural selection of obesity-related genes is important during feast and famine because they control body weight and fat levels. Past human adaptations to environmental changes in food supply, lifestyle, and geography may have influenced the selection of genes associated with the metabolism of glucose, lipids, and energy. The melanocortin-3 receptor gene (MC3R) is associated with obesity, with MC3R-deficient mice showing increased fat mass. MC3R variations are also linked with childhood obesity and insulin resistance. Here, we aimed to uncover evidence of selection at MC3R. We performed a three-step method to detect selection at MC3R using HapMap population data. We used Wright's F statistics as a measure of population differentiation, the long-range haplotype test to identify extended haplotypes, and the integrated haplotype score (iHS) to detect selection at MC3R. We observed high population differentiation between European and African populations at two MC3R childhood obesity- and insulin resistance-associated single-nucleotide polymorphisms (rs3746619 and rs3827103) using Wright's F statistics. The iHS revealed evidence of natural selection at MC3R. These findings provide evidence for natural selection at MC3R. Further investigation is warranted into adaptive evolution at T2DM- and obesity-associated genes.

Effect of Gamma radiation on microbial population of natural casings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Trigo, M.J.; Fraqueza, M.J.

1998-01-01

The high microbial load of fresh and dry natural casings increases the risk of meat product contamination with pathogenic microorganims, agents of foodborn diseases. The aim of this work is to evaluate the killing effect of gamma radiation on the resident microbial population of pork and beef casings, to improve their hygiene and safety. Portions of fresh pork (small intestine and colon) and dry beef casings were irradiated in a Cobalt 60 source with absorbed doses of 1, 2, 5 and 10 kGy. The D 10 values of total aerobic microorganisms in the pork casings were 1.65 kGy for colon and 1.54 kGy for small intestine. The D 10 value found in beef dry casings (small intestine) was 10.17 kGy. Radurization with 5 kGy was able to reduce, at least, 6 logs the coliform bacteria in pork casings. The killing effect over faecal Streptococci was 4 logs for pork fresh casings and 2 logs for beef dry casings. Gamma radiation with 5 kGy proved to be a convenient method to reduce substantially the microbial population of pork fresh casings. Otherwise, the microbial population of beef dry casings still resisted to 10 kGy

Kinematic evidence for feedback-driven star formation in NGC 1893

Science.gov (United States)

Lim, Beomdu; Sung, Hwankyung; Bessell, Michael S.; Lee, Sangwoo; Lee, Jae Joon; Oh, Heeyoung; Hwang, Narae; Park, Byeong-Gon; Hur, Hyeonoh; Hong, Kyeongsoo; Park, Sunkyung

2018-06-01

OB associations are the prevailing star-forming sites in the Galaxy. Up to now, the process of how OB associations were formed remained a mystery. A possible process is self-regulating star formation driven by feedback from massive stars. However, although a number of observational studies uncovered various signposts of feedback-driven star formation, the effectiveness of such feedback has been questioned. Stellar and gas kinematics is a promising tool to capture the relative motion of newborn stars and gas away from ionizing sources. We present high-resolution spectroscopy of stars and gas in the young open cluster NGC 1893. Our findings show that newborn stars and the tadpole nebula Sim 130 are moving away from the central cluster containing two O-type stars, and that the time-scale of sequential star formation is about 1 Myr within a 9 pc distance. The newborn stars formed by feedback from massive stars account for at least 18 per cent of the total stellar population in the cluster, suggesting that this process can play an important role in the formation of OB associations. These results support the self-regulating star formation model.

Technologies for learner-centered feedback

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jane Costello

2013-09-01

Full Text Available As the number, type, and use of technologies to support learning increases, so do the opportunities for using these technologies for feedback. Learner-centered feedback is a core to the teaching-learning process. It is related to assessment in describing how learners perform in their learning, their gain in knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Feedback, types of feedback, guidelines for effective learner-centered feedback, and feedback’s relationship to assessment are presented. Methods of providing feedback, for example, automated, audio scribe pens, digital audio, etc., and the related technologies are described. Technologies that allow instructors to make informed decisions about the use of various methods for feedback are discussed.

A population-feedback control based algorithm for well trajectory optimization using proxy model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Javad Kasravi

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Wellbore instability is one of the concerns in the field of drilling engineering. This phenomenon is affected by several factors such as azimuth, inclination angle, in-situ stress, mud weight, and rock strength parameters. Among these factors, azimuth, inclination angle, and mud weight are controllable. The objective of this paper is to introduce a new procedure based on elastoplastic theory in wellbore stability solution to determine the optimum well trajectory and global minimum mud pressure required (GMMPR. Genetic algorithm (GA was applied as a main optimization engine that employs proportional feedback controller to obtain the minimum mud pressure required (MMPR. The feedback function repeatedly calculated and updated the error between the simulated and set point of normalized yielded zone area (NYZA. To reduce computation expenses, an artificial neural network (ANN was used as a proxy (surrogate model to approximate the behavior of the actual wellbore model. The methodology was applied to a directional well in southwestern Iranian oilfield. The results demonstrated that the error between the predicted GMMPR and practical safe mud pressure was 4% for elastoplastic method, and 22% for conventional elastic solution.

Management of a radiological emergency. Experience feedback and post-accident management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dubiau, Ph.

2007-01-01

In France, the organization of crisis situations and the management of radiological emergency situations are regularly tested through simulation exercises for a continuous improvement. Past severe accidents represent experience feedback resources of prime importance which have led to deep changes in crisis organizations. However, the management of the post-accident phase is still the object of considerations and reflections between the public authorities and the intervening parties. This document presents, first, the nuclear crisis exercises organized in France, then, the experience feedback of past accidents and exercises, and finally, the main aspects to consider for the post-accident management of such events: 1 - Crisis exercises: objectives, types (local, national and international exercises), principles and progress, limits; 2 - Experience feedback: real crises (major accidents, other recent accidental situations or incidents), crisis exercises (experience feedback organization, improvements); 3 - post-accident management: environmental contamination and people exposure, management of contaminated territories, management of populations (additional protection, living conditions, medical-psychological follow up), indemnification, organization during the post-accident phase; 4 - conclusion and perspectives. (J.S.)

Corrective feedback, learner uptake, and feedback perception in a Chinese as a foreign language classroom

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tingfeng Fu

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The role of corrective feedback in second language classrooms has received considerable research attention in the past few decades. However, most of this research has been conducted in English-teaching settings, either ESL or EFL. This study examined teacher feedback, learner uptake as well as learner and teacher perception of feedback in an adult Chinese as a foreign language classroom. Ten hours of classroom interactions were videotaped, transcribed and coded for analysis. Lyster and Ranta’s (1997 coding system involving six types of feedback was initially used to identify feedback frequency and learner uptake. However, the teacher was found to use a number of additional feedback types. Altogether, 12 types of feedback were identified: recasts, delayed recasts, clarification requests, translation, metalinguistic feedback, elicitation, explicit correction, asking a direct question, repetition, directing question to other students, re-asks, and using L1-English. Differences were noted in the frequency of some of the feedback types as well as learner uptake compared to what had been reported in some previous ESL and EFL studies. With respect to the new feedback types, some led to noticeable uptake. As for the students’ and teacher’s perceptions, they did not match and both the teacher and the students were generally not accurate in perceiving the frequency of each feedback type. The findings are discussed in terms of the role of context in affecting the provision and effectiveness of feedback and its relationship to student and teacher perception of feedback.

Multi-bunch Feedback Systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lonza, M; Schmickler, H

2014-01-01

Coupled-bunch instabilities excited by the interaction of the particle beam with its surroundings can seriously limit the performance of circular particle accelerators. These instabilities can be cured by the use of active feedback systems based on sensors capable of detecting the unwanted beam motion and actuators that apply the feedback correction to the beam. Advances in electronic technology now allow the implementation of feedback loops using programmable digital systems. Besides important advantages in terms of flexibility and reproducibility, digital systems open the way to the use of novel diagnostic tools and additional features. We first introduce coupled-bunch instabilities, analysing the equation of motion of charged particles and the different modes of oscillation of a multi-bunch beam, showing how they can be observed and measured. Different types of feedback systems will then be presented as examples of real implementations that belong to the history of multi-bunch feedback systems. The main components of a feedback system and the related issues will also be analysed. Finally, we shall focus on digital feedback systems, their characteristics, and features, as well as on how they can be concretely exploited for both the optimization of feedback performance and for beam dynamics studies

External exposure level from natural radiation and population dose in Gansu province

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo Shanxiang; Li Fuzeng; Jiao Yufang

1985-01-01

The resultts of measurement of absorbed dose rate in air from natural gamma radiation in Gansu measured with FD-71 scintillation radiometers are reported in this paper. Sketch maps of distribution of absorbed dose rates from natural radiation in this province are also presented. The mean values of absorbed rates in air from terrestrial gamma radiation for outdoors and indoors are 0.7 mGy/a (range 0.32 to 1.11 mGy/a) and 1.02 mGy/a (range 0.73 to 1.4 mGy/a), respectively. The annual effective dose equivalent from terrestrial gamma radiation to population in this province is estimated to be 1,14 mSv

Probabilistic models for neural populations that naturally capture global coupling and criticality.

Science.gov (United States)

Humplik, Jan; Tkačik, Gašper

2017-09-01

Advances in multi-unit recordings pave the way for statistical modeling of activity patterns in large neural populations. Recent studies have shown that the summed activity of all neurons strongly shapes the population response. A separate recent finding has been that neural populations also exhibit criticality, an anomalously large dynamic range for the probabilities of different population activity patterns. Motivated by these two observations, we introduce a class of probabilistic models which takes into account the prior knowledge that the neural population could be globally coupled and close to critical. These models consist of an energy function which parametrizes interactions between small groups of neurons, and an arbitrary positive, strictly increasing, and twice differentiable function which maps the energy of a population pattern to its probability. We show that: 1) augmenting a pairwise Ising model with a nonlinearity yields an accurate description of the activity of retinal ganglion cells which outperforms previous models based on the summed activity of neurons; 2) prior knowledge that the population is critical translates to prior expectations about the shape of the nonlinearity; 3) the nonlinearity admits an interpretation in terms of a continuous latent variable globally coupling the system whose distribution we can infer from data. Our method is independent of the underlying system's state space; hence, it can be applied to other systems such as natural scenes or amino acid sequences of proteins which are also known to exhibit criticality.

What higher education students do with teacher feedback: Feedback ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Writing pedagogy research has constantly maintained that feedback is 'an essential component of virtually every model of the writing process' (Hall, 1990: 43) as it motivates writers to improve their next draft. Feedback during the writing process improves not only student attitude to writing but writing performance if students ...

The influence of natural barriers in shaping the genetic structure of Maharashtra populations.

Science.gov (United States)

Thangaraj, Kumarasamy; Naidu, B Prathap; Crivellaro, Federica; Tamang, Rakesh; Upadhyay, Shashank; Sharma, Varun Kumar; Reddy, Alla G; Walimbe, S R; Chaubey, Gyaneshwer; Kivisild, Toomas; Singh, Lalji

2010-12-20

The geographical position of Maharashtra state makes it rather essential to study the dispersal of modern humans in South Asia. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain the cultural, linguistic and geographical affinity of the populations living in Maharashtra state with other South Asian populations. The genetic origin of populations living in this state is poorly understood and hitherto been described at low molecular resolution level. To address this issue, we have analyzed the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of 185 individuals and NRY (non-recombining region of Y chromosome) of 98 individuals belonging to two major tribal populations of Maharashtra, and compared their molecular variations with that of 54 South Asian contemporary populations of adjacent states. Inter and intra population comparisons reveal that the maternal gene pool of Maharashtra state populations is composed of mainly South Asian haplogroups with traces of east and west Eurasian haplogroups, while the paternal haplogroups comprise the South Asian as well as signature of near eastern specific haplogroup J2a. Our analysis suggests that Indian populations, including Maharashtra state, are largely derived from Paleolithic ancient settlers; however, a more recent (∼10 Ky older) detectable paternal gene flow from west Asia is well reflected in the present study. These findings reveal movement of populations to Maharashtra through the western coast rather than mainland where Western Ghats-Vindhya Mountains and Narmada-Tapti rivers might have acted as a natural barrier. Comparing the Maharastrian populations with other South Asian populations reveals that they have a closer affinity with the South Indian than with the Central Indian populations.

Barbus meridionalis Risso, 1827 populations status in the Vişeu River basin (Maramureş Mountains Nature Park

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bănăduc Doru

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The ecological state of lotic ecosystems occupied naturally by Barbus meridionalis, in the Vişeu Basin within the Maramureş Mountains Natural Park, vary among good to reduced. The inventoried human activities which negatively influence the ecologic state of the Barbus meridionalis species habitats and populations are the organic and mining pollution, and poaching. The habitats with low and inadequate conditions created a reduced status of the Barbus meridionalis populations; the status of Barbus meridionalis populations is not so much affected in the cases of habitats of average to good condition. Barbus meridionalis is considered a relatively common fish species in the researched watershed despite the fact that its populations ecological status has decreased from 2007-2015, but the restoration potential in the area for improving this species status is high.

Age differences in feedback reactions: The roles of employee feedback orientation on social awareness and utility.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Mo; Burlacu, Gabriela; Truxillo, Donald; James, Keith; Yao, Xiang

2015-07-01

Organizations worldwide are currently experiencing shifts in the age composition of their workforces. The workforce is aging and becoming increasingly age-diverse, suggesting that organizational researchers and practitioners need to better understand how age differences may manifest in the workplace and the implications for human resource practice. Integrating socioemotional selectivity theory with the performance feedback literature and using a time-lagged design, the current study examined age differences in moderating the relationships between the characteristics of performance feedback and employee reactions to the feedback event. The results suggest that older workers had higher levels of feedback orientation on social awareness, but lower levels of feedback orientation on utility than younger workers. Furthermore, the positive associations between favorability of feedback and feedback delivery and feedback reactions were stronger for older workers than for younger workers, whereas the positive association between feedback quality and feedback reactions was stronger for younger workers than for older workers. Finally, the current study revealed that age-related differences in employee feedback orientation could explain the different patterns of relationships between feedback characteristics and feedback reactions across older and younger workers. These findings have both theoretical and practical implications for building theory about workplace aging and improving ways that performance feedback is managed across employees from diverse age groups. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Sonification and haptic feedback in addition to visual feedback enhances complex motor task learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Sigrist, Roland; Rauter, Georg; Marchal-Crespo, Laura; Riener, Robert; Wolf, Peter

2015-03-01

Concurrent augmented feedback has been shown to be less effective for learning simple motor tasks than for complex tasks. However, as mostly artificial tasks have been investigated, transfer of results to tasks in sports and rehabilitation remains unknown. Therefore, in this study, the effect of different concurrent feedback was evaluated in trunk-arm rowing. It was then investigated whether multimodal audiovisual and visuohaptic feedback are more effective for learning than visual feedback only. Naïve subjects (N = 24) trained in three groups on a highly realistic virtual reality-based rowing simulator. In the visual feedback group, the subject's oar was superimposed to the target oar, which continuously became more transparent when the deviation between the oars decreased. Moreover, a trace of the subject's trajectory emerged if deviations exceeded a threshold. The audiovisual feedback group trained with oar movement sonification in addition to visual feedback to facilitate learning of the velocity profile. In the visuohaptic group, the oar movement was inhibited by path deviation-dependent braking forces to enhance learning of spatial aspects. All groups significantly decreased the spatial error (tendency in visual group) and velocity error from baseline to the retention tests. Audiovisual feedback fostered learning of the velocity profile significantly more than visuohaptic feedback. The study revealed that well-designed concurrent feedback fosters complex task learning, especially if the advantages of different modalities are exploited. Further studies should analyze the impact of within-feedback design parameters and the transferability of the results to other tasks in sports and rehabilitation.

Feedback in Clinical Education, Part I: Characteristics of Feedback Provided by Approved Clinical Instructors

Science.gov (United States)

Nottingham, Sara; Henning, Jolene

2014-01-01

Context Providing students with feedback is an important component of athletic training clinical education; however, little information is known about the feedback that Approved Clinical Instructors (ACIs; now known as preceptors) currently provide to athletic training students (ATSs). Objective To characterize the feedback provided by ACIs to ATSs during clinical education experiences. Design Qualitative study. Setting One National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I athletic training facility and 1 outpatient rehabilitation clinic that were clinical sites for 1 entry-level master's degree program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education. Patients or Other Participants A total of 4 ACIs with various experience levels and 4 second-year ATSs. Data Collection and Analysis Extensive field observations were audio recorded, transcribed, and integrated with field notes for analysis. The constant comparative approach of open, axial, and selective coding was used to inductively analyze data and develop codes and categories. Member checking, triangulation, and peer debriefing were used to promote trustworthiness of the study. Results The ACIs gave 88 feedback statements in 45 hours and 10 minutes of observation. Characteristics of feedback categories included purpose, timing, specificity, content, form, and privacy. Conclusions Feedback that ACIs provided included several components that made each feedback exchange unique. The ACIs in our study provided feedback that is supported by the literature, suggesting that ACIs are using current recommendations for providing feedback. Feedback needs to be investigated across multiple athletic training education programs to gain more understanding of certain areas of feedback, including frequency, privacy, and form. PMID:24143902

Feed-forward and feedback projections of midbrain reticular formation neurons in the cat

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eddie ePerkins

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Gaze changes involving the eyes and head are orchestrated by brainstem gaze centers found within the superior colliculus (SC, paramedian pontine reticular formation (PPRF, and medullary reticular formation (MdRF. The mesencephalic reticular formation (MRF also plays a role in gaze. It receives a major input from the ipsilateral SC and contains cells that fire in relation to gaze changes. Moreover, it provides a feedback projection to the SC and feed-forward projections to the PPRF and MdRF. We sought to determine whether these MRF feedback and feed-forward projections originate from the same or different neuronal populations by utilizing paired fluorescent retrograde tracers in cats. Specifically, we tested: 1. whether MRF neurons that control eye movements form a single population by injecting the SC and PPRF with different tracers, and 2. whether MRF neurons that control head movements form a single population by injecting the SC and MdRF with different tracers. In neither case were double labeled neurons observed, indicating that feedback and feed-forward projections originate from separate MRF populations. In both cases, the labeled reticulotectal and reticuloreticular neurons were distributed bilaterally in the MRF. However, neurons projecting to the MdRF were generally constrained to the medial half of the MRF, while those projecting to the PPRF, like MRF reticulotectal neurons, were spread throughout the mediolateral axis. Thus, the medial MRF may be specialized for control of head movements, with control of eye movements being more widespread in this structure.

STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THEIR REFLECTIVE ESSAY WRITING EXPERIENCE AND TEACHER FEEDBACK COMMENTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Asiah Mohd Sharif

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Reflection which encompasses critical and analytical capabilities is a critical 21st century skill for students to develop. To ensure students are equipped with this skill, reflective writing has been identified as a possible tool. Teacher feedback on students’ written output therefore plays a role in developing students’ reflective skills. This study asks two questions: How do students perceive their experience writing reflective essays? What is the nature of the teacher’s feedback comments on students’ reflective essays and how do students perceive them? To answer these questions, nineteen ESL students in an entry-level Medical programme completed a questionnaire concerning their experiences writing reflective essays and perceptions of teacher feedback on these essays. Interviews were conducted with two students to follow-up on questionnaire responses. The content analysis showed that the students believed reflective writing played a small contribution to their language learning. Further investigation into the students’ perspectives of their teachers’ feedback comments suggests that even though the teachers’ feedback was positive, the students also referred to the comments as inadequate and ineffective. Pedagogical implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Instructor feedback versus no instructor feedback on performance in a laparoscopic virtual reality simulator: a randomized educational trial

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oestergaard Jeanett

2012-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Several studies have found a positive effect on the learning curve as well as the improvement of basic psychomotor skills in the operating room after virtual reality training. Despite this, the majority of surgical and gynecological departments encounter hurdles when implementing this form of training. This is mainly due to lack of knowledge concerning the time and human resources needed to train novice surgeons to an adequate level. The purpose of this trial is to investigate the impact of instructor feedback regarding time, repetitions and self-perception when training complex operational tasks on a virtual reality simulator. Methods/Design The study population consists of medical students on their 4th to 6th year without prior laparoscopic experience. The study is conducted in a skills laboratory at a centralized university hospital. Based on a sample size estimation 98 participants will be randomized to an intervention group or a control group. Both groups have to achieve a predefined proficiency level when conducting a laparoscopic salpingectomy using a surgical virtual reality simulator. The intervention group receives standardized instructor feedback of 10 to 12 min a maximum of three times. The control group receives no instructor feedback. Both groups receive the automated feedback generated by the virtual reality simulator. The study follows the CONSORT Statement for randomized trials. Main outcome measures are time and repetitions to reach the predefined proficiency level on the simulator. We include focus on potential sex differences, computer gaming experience and self-perception. Discussion The findings will contribute to a better understanding of optimal training methods in surgical education. Trial Registration NCT01497782

Instructor feedback versus no instructor feedback on performance in a laparoscopic virtual reality simulator: a randomized educational trial

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-01

Abstract Background Several studies have found a positive effect on the learning curve as well as the improvement of basic psychomotor skills in the operating room after virtual reality training. Despite this, the majority of surgical and gynecological departments encounter hurdles when implementing this form of training. This is mainly due to lack of knowledge concerning the time and human resources needed to train novice surgeons to an adequate level. The purpose of this trial is to investigate the impact of instructor feedback regarding time, repetitions and self-perception when training complex operational tasks on a virtual reality simulator. Methods/Design The study population consists of medical students on their 4th to 6th year without prior laparoscopic experience. The study is conducted in a skills laboratory at a centralized university hospital. Based on a sample size estimation 98 participants will be randomized to an intervention group or a control group. Both groups have to achieve a predefined proficiency level when conducting a laparoscopic salpingectomy using a surgical virtual reality simulator. The intervention group receives standardized instructor feedback of 10 to 12 min a maximum of three times. The control group receives no instructor feedback. Both groups receive the automated feedback generated by the virtual reality simulator. The study follows the CONSORT Statement for randomized trials. Main outcome measures are time and repetitions to reach the predefined proficiency level on the simulator. We include focus on potential sex differences, computer gaming experience and self-perception. Discussion The findings will contribute to a better understanding of optimal training methods in surgical education. Trial Registration NCT01497782 PMID:22373062

Feedback and Incentives:

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Eriksson, Tor Viking; Poulsen, Anders; Villeval, Marie-Claire

This paper experimentally investigates the impact of different pay and relative performance information policies on employee effort. We explore three information policies: No feedback about relative performance, feedback given halfway through the production period, and continuously updated feedba...... of positive peer effects since the underdogs almost never quit the competition even when lagging significantly behind, and frontrunners do not slack off. Moreover, in both pay schemes information feedback reduces the quality of the low performers' work....

Brugbar peer feedback

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hvass, Helle; Heger, Stine

Studerende kan være medskabere af undervisning i akademisk skrivning, når de modtager og giver feedback til hinandens ufærdige akademiske tekster. Det ser vi i et udviklingsprojekt, hvor vi afprøver kollektive vejledningsformater. Vi har dog erfaret: 1. at studerende mangler træning i at give og ...... modtage feedback 2. at den manglende træning kan stå i vejen for realiseringen af læringspotentialet ved peer feedback....

Response of Students to Statement Bank Feedback: The Impact of Assessment Literacy on Performances in Summative Tasks

Science.gov (United States)

Denton, Philip; McIlroy, David

2018-01-01

Efficiency gains arising from the use of electronic marking tools that allow tutors to select comments from a statement bank are well documented, but how students use this type of feedback remains under explored. Natural science students (N = 161) were emailed feedback reports on a spreadsheet assessment that included an invitation to reply placed…

A New Population of High-z, Dusty Lyman-alpha Emitters and Blobs Discovered by WISE: Feedback Caught in the Act?

Science.gov (United States)

Bridge, Carrie R.; Blain, Andrew; Borys, Colin J. K.; Petty, Sara; Benford, Dominic; Eisenhardt, Peter; Farrah, Duncan; Griffith, Roger, L.; Jarrett, Tom; Lonsdale, Carol;

Global climate feedbacks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Manowitz, B.

1990-10-01

The important physical, chemical, and biological events that affect global climate change occur on a mesoscale -- requiring high spatial resolution for their analysis. The Department of Energy has formulated two major initiatives under the US Global Change Program: ARM (Atmospheric Radiation Measurements), and CHAMMP (Computer Hardware Advanced Mathematics and Model Physics). ARM is designed to use ground and air-craft based observations to document profiles of atmospheric composition, clouds, and radiative fluxes. With research and models of important physical processes, ARM will delineate the relationships between trace gases, aerosol and cloud structure, and radiative transfer in the atmosphere, and will improve the parameterization of global circulation models. The present GCMs do not model important feedbacks, including those from clouds, oceans, and land processes. The purpose of this workshop is to identify such potential feedbacks, to evaluate the uncertainties in the feedback processes (and, if possible, to parameterize the feedback processes so that they can be treated in a GCM), and to recommend research programs that will reduce the uncertainties in important feedback processes. Individual reports are processed separately for the data bases.

Integral control for population management.

Science.gov (United States)

Guiver, Chris; Logemann, Hartmut; Rebarber, Richard; Bill, Adam; Tenhumberg, Brigitte; Hodgson, Dave; Townley, Stuart

2015-04-01

We present a novel management methodology for restocking a declining population. The strategy uses integral control, a concept ubiquitous in control theory which has not been applied to population dynamics. Integral control is based on dynamic feedback-using measurements of the population to inform management strategies and is robust to model uncertainty, an important consideration for ecological models. We demonstrate from first principles why such an approach to population management is suitable via theory and examples.

Hvad siger forskningen om feedback?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Holdt Christensen, Peter

2016-01-01

”Feedback skal serveres ligesom en gammeldags sandwich. Først lidt brød, så det lidt sejere kød og til sidst igen til lidt brød”. Sådan nogenlunde lyder en pragmatisk løsning på udfordringerne ved at give feedback. Når medarbejdere skal have negativ feedback, skal denne altså pakkes ind, så...... feedbacken indledes med let fordøjeligt positiv feedback, derefter kommer den negative – og noget sværere fordøjelige – feedback, og til sidst afrundes feedbacken med en god udgangsreplik, nemlig den positive feedback....

Comparing Simulations and Observations of Galaxy Evolution: Methods for Constraining the Nature of Stellar Feedback

Science.gov (United States)

Hummels, Cameron

Computational hydrodynamical simulations are a very useful tool for understanding how galaxies form and evolve over cosmological timescales not easily revealed through observations. However, they are only useful if they reproduce the sorts of galaxies that we see in the real universe. One of the ways in which simulations of this sort tend to fail is in the prescription of stellar feedback, the process by which nascent stars return material and energy to their immediate environments. Careful treatment of this interaction in subgrid models, so-called because they operate on scales below the resolution of the simulation, is crucial for the development of realistic galaxy models. Equally important is developing effective methods for comparing simulation data against observations to ensure galaxy models which mimic reality and inform us about natural phenomena. This thesis examines the formation and evolution of galaxies and the observable characteristics of the resulting systems. We employ extensive use of cosmological hydrodynamical simulations in order to simulate and interpret the evolution of massive spiral galaxies like our own Milky Way. First, we create a method for producing synthetic photometric images of grid-based hydrodynamical models for use in a direct comparison against observations in a variety of filter bands. We apply this method to a simulation of a cluster of galaxies to investigate the nature of the red-sequence/blue-cloud dichotomy in the galaxy color-magnitude diagram. Second, we implement several subgrid models governing the complex behavior of gas and stars on small scales in our galaxy models. Several numerical simulations are conducted with similar initial conditions, where we systematically vary the subgrid models, afterward assessing their efficacy through comparisons of their internal kinematics with observed systems. Third, we generate an additional method to compare observations with simulations, focusing on the tenuous circumgalactic

Influence of feedback characteristics on perceived learning value of feedback in clerkships: does culture matter?

Science.gov (United States)

Suhoyo, Yoyo; Van Hell, Elisabeth A; Kerdijk, Wouter; Emilia, Ova; Schönrock-Adema, Johanna; Kuks, Jan B M; Cohen-Schotanus, Janke

2017-04-05

Various feedback characteristics have been suggested to positively influence student learning. It is not clear how these feedback characteristics contribute to students' perceived learning value of feedback in cultures classified low on the cultural dimension of individualism and high on power distance. This study was conducted to validate the influence of five feedback characteristics on students' perceived learning value of feedback in an Indonesian clerkship context. We asked clerks in Neurology (n = 169) and Internal Medicine (n = 132) to assess on a 5-point Likert scale the learning value of the feedback they received. We asked them to record whether the feedback provider (1) informed the student what went well, (2) mentioned which aspects of performance needed improvement, (3) compared the student's performance to a standard, (4) further explained or demonstrated the correct performance, and (5) prepared an action plan with the student to improve performance. Data were analyzed using multilevel regression. A total of 250 students participated in this study, 131 from Internal Medicine (response rate 99%) and 119 from Neurology (response rate 70%). Of these participants, 225 respondents (44% males, 56% females) completed the form and reported 889 feedback moments. Students perceived feedback as more valuable when the feedback provider mentioned their weaknesses (β = 0.153, p learning value of feedback. No gender differences were found for perceived learning value. In Indonesia, we could validate four out of the five characteristics for effective feedback. We argue that our findings relate to culture, in particular to the levels of individualism and power distance. The recognized characteristics of what constitutes effective feedback should be validated across cultures.

Preliminary results of measurement of natural environmental radiation levels and doses to population in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Qiliang; He Miaoting; Shu Qi

1985-01-01

In this paper the preliminary results of measurement of natural environmental radiation levels in China with RSS-111 high pressure ionization chamber and estimated doses to population are reported. A total of 2,723 indoor locales throughout China were measured. The results showed that the average absorbed dose rates in air due to gamma radiation for indoors and outdoors were 11.0 x 10 -8 Gy.h -1 and 7.4 x 10 -8 Gy.h -1 , respectively, and those due to cosmic rays were 3.2 x 10 -8 Gy.h -1 and 3.7 x 10 -8 Gy.h -1 , respectively. The annual average effective dose equivalent to population was 919 μSv, including 630 μSv from natural gamma radiation and 289 μSv from cosmic rays

Development of the Teacher Feedback Observation Scheme: evaluating the quality of feedback in peer groups

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Thurlings, Marieke; Vermeulen, Marjan; Kreijns, Karel; Bastiaens, Theo; Stijnen, Sjef

2018-01-01

Research suggests that feedback is an essential element in learning. This study focuses on feedback that teachers provide in reciprocal peer groups to improve their performance in the classroom. The Teacher Feedback Observation Scheme (TFOS) was developed to identify feedback patterns, which

Feedback System Theory

Science.gov (United States)

1978-11-01

R 2. GOVT A $ SION NO. 3 RIEqLPýIVT’S.;TALOG NUMBER r/ 4. TITLE (and wbiFflT, -L M4 1 , FEEDBACK SYSTEM THEORY ~r Inter in- 6. PERFORMING ORG. REPORT...ANNUAL REPORT FEEDBACK SYSTEM THEORY AFOSR GRANT NO. 76-2946B Air Force Office of Scientific Research for year ending October 31, 1978 79 02 08 L|I...re less stringent than in other synthesis techniques which cannot handle significant parameter uncertainty. _I FEEDBACK SYSTEM THEORY 1. Introduction

Actual problems of management of territory and natural objects in the zone of population relocation at the Chernobyl' NPP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arkhipov, N.P.; Meshalkin, G.S.; Arkhipov, A.N.; Burov, N.I.; Mishenkov, N.N.; Fedotov, I.S.; Tursukova, T.A.; Kulikov, V.V.; Loginova, L.S.

1989-01-01

Basing on experimental data and using the research results and estimates of other authors an attempt is made to argue and formulate the principles of management for natural and agricultural lands, which can form the basis for development of the conception for use of the population relocation zone. The list of the first-priority works dealing with the problem of rational management of the zone natural objects is given. The necessity of development of the basis for organization of radioecologic nature, reserve, is shown. The scheme of organization of territory use in the population relocation zone is given. 2 figs.; 1 tab

MOLECULAR CLOUD EVOLUTION. III. ACCRETION VERSUS STELLAR FEEDBACK

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vazquez-Semadeni, Enrique; ColIn, Pedro; Gomez, Gilberto C.; Ballesteros-Paredes, Javier; Watson, Alan W.

2010-01-01

We numerically investigate the effect of feedback from the ionization heating from massive stars on the evolution of giant molecular clouds (GMCs) and their star formation efficiency (SFE), which we treat as an instantaneous, time-dependent quantity. We follow the GMCs' evolution from their formation to advanced star-forming stages. After an initial period of contraction, the collapsing clouds begin forming stars, whose feedback evaporates part of the clouds' mass, opposing the continuing accretion from the infalling gas. Our results are as follows: (1) in the presence of feedback, the clouds attain levels of the SFE that are consistent at all times with observational determinations for regions of comparable star formation rates. (2) However, the dense gas mass is larger in general in the presence of feedback, while the total mass (dense gas + stars) is nearly insensitive to the presence of feedback, suggesting that it is determined mainly by the accretion, while the feedback inhibits mainly the conversion of dense gas to stars, because it acts directly to reheat and disperse the gas that is directly on its way to forming stars. (3) The factor by which the SFE is reduced upon the inclusion of feedback is a decreasing function of the cloud's mass, for clouds of size ∼10 pc. This naturally explains the larger observed SFEs of massive-star-forming regions. (4) The clouds may attain a pseudo-virialized state, with a value of the virial mass very similar to the actual cloud mass. However, this state differs from true virialization in that the clouds, rather than being equilibrium entities, are the centers of a larger-scale collapse, in which accretion replenishes the mass consumed by star formation. (5) The higher-density regions within the clouds are in a similar situation, accreting gas infalling from the less-dense, more extended regions of the clouds. (6) The density probability density functions of the regions containing the clouds in general exhibit a shape

CAN AGN FEEDBACK BREAK THE SELF-SIMILARITY OF GALAXIES, GROUPS, AND CLUSTERS?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gaspari, M.; Brighenti, F.; Temi, P.; Ettori, S.

2014-01-01

It is commonly thought that active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback can break the self-similar scaling relations of galaxies, groups, and clusters. Using high-resolution three-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations, we isolate the impact of AGN feedback on the L x -T x relation, testing the two archetypal and common regimes, self-regulated mechanical feedback and a quasar thermal blast. We find that AGN feedback has severe difficulty in breaking the relation in a consistent way. The similarity breaking is directly linked to the gas evacuation within R 500 , while the central cooling times are inversely proportional to the core density. Breaking self-similarity thus implies breaking the cool core, morphing all systems to non-cool-core objects, which is in clear contradiction with the observed data populated by several cool-core systems. Self-regulated feedback, which quenches cooling flows and preserves cool cores, prevents dramatic evacuation and similarity breaking at any scale; the relation scatter is also limited. The impulsive thermal blast can break the core-included L x -T x at T 500 ≲ 1 keV, but substantially empties and overheats the halo, generating a perennial non-cool-core group, as experienced by cosmological simulations. Even with partial evacuation, massive systems remain overheated. We show that the action of purely AGN feedback is to lower the luminosity and heat the gas, perpendicular to the fit

Stabilization of Large Generalized Lotka-Volterra Foodwebs By Evolutionary Feedback

Science.gov (United States)

Ackland, G. J.; Gallagher, I. D.

2004-10-01

Conventional ecological models show that complexity destabilizes foodwebs, suggesting that foodwebs should have neither large numbers of species nor a large number of interactions. However, in nature the opposite appears to be the case. Here we show that if the interactions between species are allowed to evolve within a generalized Lotka-Volterra model such stabilizing feedbacks and weak interactions emerge automatically. Moreover, we show that trophic levels also emerge spontaneously from the evolutionary approach, and the efficiency of the unperturbed ecosystem increases with time. The key to stability in large foodwebs appears to arise not from complexity perse but from evolution at the level of the ecosystem which favors stabilizing (negative) feedbacks.

The influence of natural barriers in shaping the genetic structure of Maharashtra populations.

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Kumarasamy Thangaraj

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The geographical position of Maharashtra state makes it rather essential to study the dispersal of modern humans in South Asia. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain the cultural, linguistic and geographical affinity of the populations living in Maharashtra state with other South Asian populations. The genetic origin of populations living in this state is poorly understood and hitherto been described at low molecular resolution level. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: To address this issue, we have analyzed the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA of 185 individuals and NRY (non-recombining region of Y chromosome of 98 individuals belonging to two major tribal populations of Maharashtra, and compared their molecular variations with that of 54 South Asian contemporary populations of adjacent states. Inter and intra population comparisons reveal that the maternal gene pool of Maharashtra state populations is composed of mainly South Asian haplogroups with traces of east and west Eurasian haplogroups, while the paternal haplogroups comprise the South Asian as well as signature of near eastern specific haplogroup J2a. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our analysis suggests that Indian populations, including Maharashtra state, are largely derived from Paleolithic ancient settlers; however, a more recent (∼10 Ky older detectable paternal gene flow from west Asia is well reflected in the present study. These findings reveal movement of populations to Maharashtra through the western coast rather than mainland where Western Ghats-Vindhya Mountains and Narmada-Tapti rivers might have acted as a natural barrier. Comparing the Maharastrian populations with other South Asian populations reveals that they have a closer affinity with the South Indian than with the Central Indian populations.

Finding Positive Feedback Loops in Environmental Models: A Mathematical Investigation

Science.gov (United States)

Sheikholeslami, R.; Razavi, S.

2016-12-01

Dynamics of most earth and environmental systems are generally governed by interactions between several hydrological (e.g., soil moisture and precipitation), geological (e.g., and erosion), geochemical (e.g., nutrient loading), and atmospheric (e.g., temperature) processes which operate on a range of spatio-temporal scales. These interactions create numerous feedback mechanisms with complex behaviours, and their understanding and representation can vary depending on the scale in space and/or time at which the system is analyzed. One of the most crucial characteristics of such complex systems is the existence of positive feedback loops. The presence of positive feedbacks may increase complexity, accelerate change, or trigger multiple stable states in the underlying dynamical system. Furthermore, because of the inherent non-linearity, it is often very difficult to obtain a general idea of their complex dynamics. Feedback loops in environmental systems have been well recognized and qualitatively discussed. With a quantitative/mathematical view, in this presentation, we address the question of how the positive feedback loops can be identified/implemented in environmental models. We investigate the nature of different feedback mechanisms and dynamics of simple example case studies that underlie fundamental processes such as vegetation, precipitation and soil moisture. To do this, we apply the concept of "interaction graph" from mathematics which is built from the Jacobian matrix of the dynamical system. The Jacobian matrix contains information on how variations of one state variable depends on variations of other variables, and thus can be used to understand the dynamical possibilities of feedback mechanisms in the underlying system. Moreover, this study highlights that there are some situations where the existence of positive feedback loops can cause multiple stable states, and thereby regime shifts in environmental systems. Systems with multiple stable states are

Atmospheric radiative feedbacks associated with transient climate change and climate variability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Colman, Robert A.; Power, Scott B. [Bureau of Meteorology, Centre for Australian Weather and Climate Research, GPO Box 1289, Melbourne, VIC (Australia)

2010-06-15

This study examines in detail the 'atmospheric' radiative feedbacks operating in a coupled General Circulation Model (GCM). These feedbacks (defined as the change in top of atmosphere radiation per degree of global surface temperature change) are due to responses in water vapour, lapse rate, clouds and surface albedo. Two types of radiative feedback in particular are considered: those arising from century scale 'transient' warming (from a 1% per annum compounded CO{sub 2} increase), and those operating under the model's own unforced 'natural' variability. The time evolution of the transient (or 'secular') feedbacks is first examined. It is found that both the global strength and the latitudinal distributions of these feedbacks are established within the first two or three decades of warming, and thereafter change relatively little out to 100 years. They also closely approximate those found under equilibrium warming from a 'mixed layer' ocean version of the same model forced by a doubling of CO{sub 2}. These secular feedbacks are then compared with those operating under unforced (interannual) variability. For water vapour, the interannual feedback is only around two-thirds the strength of the secular feedback. The pattern reveals widespread regions of negative feedback in the interannual case, in turn resulting from patterns of circulation change and regions of decreasing as well as increasing surface temperature. Considering the vertical structure of the two, it is found that although positive net mid to upper tropospheric contributions dominate both, they are weaker (and occur lower) under interannual variability than under secular change and are more narrowly confined to the tropics. Lapse rate feedback from variability shows weak negative feedback over low latitudes combined with strong positive feedback in mid-to-high latitudes resulting in no net global feedback - in contrast to the dominant negative low

Feedback characteristics between implantable microphone and transducer in middle ear cavity.

Science.gov (United States)

Arman Woo, S H; Woo, Seong Tak; Song, Byung Seop; Cho, Jin-Ho

2013-10-01

With the advent of implantable hearing aids, implementation and acoustic sensing strategy of the implantable microphone becomes an important issue; among the many types of implantable microphone, placing the microphone in middle ear cavity (MEC) has advantages including simple operation and insensitive to skin touching or chewing motion. In this paper, an implantable microphone was implemented and researched feedback characteristic when both the implantable microphone and the transducer were placed in the MEC. Analytical and finite element analysis were conducted to design the microphone to have a natural frequency of 7 kHz and showed good characteristics of SNR and sensitivity. For the feedback test, simple analytical and finite element analysis were calculated and compared with in vitro experiments (n = 4). From the experiments, the open-loop gain and feedback factor were measured and the minimum gain margin measured as 14.3 dB.

Genetic diversity and population structure of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subspecies bulgaricus isolated from naturally fermented dairy foods.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Yuqin; Sun, Zhihong; Guo, Chenyi; Wu, Yarong; Liu, Wenjun; Yu, Jie; Menghe, Bilige; Yang, Ruifu; Zhang, Heping

2016-03-04

Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus is one of the most widely used starter culture strains in industrial fermented dairy manufacture. It is also common in naturally fermented dairy foods made using traditional methods. The subsp. bulgaricus strains found in naturally fermented foods may be useful for improving current industrial starter cultures; however, little is known regarding its genetic diversity and population structure. Here, a collection of 298 L. delbrueckii strains from naturally fermented products in Mongolia, Russia, and West China was analyzed by multi-locus sequence typing based on eight conserved genes. The 251 confirmed subsp. bulgaricus strains produced 106 unique sequence types, the majority of which were assigned to five clonal complexes (CCs). The geographical distribution of CCs was uneven, with CC1 dominated by Mongolian and Russian isolates, and CC2-CC5 isolates exclusively from Xinjiang, China. Population structure analysis suggested six lineages, L1-L6, with various homologous recombination rates. Although L2-L5 were mainly restricted within specific regions, strains belonging to L1 and L6 were observed in diverse regions, suggesting historical transmission events. These results greatly enhance our knowledge of the population diversity of subsp. bulgaricus strains, and suggest that strains from CC1 and L4 may be useful as starter strains in industrial fermentation.

Meiotic sex ratio variation in natural populations of Ceratodon purpureus (Ditrichaceae).

Science.gov (United States)

Norrell, Tatum E; Jones, Kelly S; Payton, Adam C; McDaniel, Stuart F

2014-09-01

• Sex ratio variation is a common but often unexplained phenomenon in species across the tree of life. Here we evaluate the hypothesis that meiotic sex ratio variation can contribute to the biased sex ratios found in natural populations of the moss Ceratodon purpureus.• We obtained sporophytes from several populations of C. purpureus from eastern North America. From each sporophyte, we estimated the mean spore viability by germinating replicate samples on agar plates. We estimated the meiotic sex ratio of each sporophyte by inferring the sex of a random sample of germinated spores (mean = 77) using a PCR-RFLP test. We tested for among-sporophyte variation in viability using an ANOVA and for deviations from 1:1 sex ratio using a χ(2)-test and evaluated the relationship between these quantities using a linear regression.• We found among-sporophyte variation in spore viability and meiotic sex ratio, suggesting that genetic variants that contribute to variation in both of these traits segregate within populations of this species. However, we found no relationship between these quantities, suggesting that factors other than sex ratio distorters contribute to variation in spore viability within populations.• These results demonstrate that sex ratio distortion may partially explain the population sex ratio variation seen in C. purpureus, but more generally that genetic conflict over meiotic segregation may contribute to fitness variation in this species. Overall, this study lays the groundwork for future studies on the genetic basis of meiotic sex ratio variation. © 2014 Botanical Society of America, Inc.

Low genetic diversity and local adaptive divergence of Dracaena cambodiana (Liliaceae) populations associated with historical population bottlenecks and natural selection: an endangered long-lived tree endemic to Hainan Island, China.

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, D-J; Xie, L-S; Zhu, J-H; Zhang, Z-L

2012-09-01

Historical population bottlenecks and natural selection have important effects on the current genetic diversity and structure of long-lived trees. Dracaena cambodiana is an endangered, long-lived tree endemic to Hainan Island, China. Our field investigations showed that only 10 populations remain on Hainan Island and that almost all have been seriously isolated and grow in distinct habitats. A considerable amount of genetic variation at the species level, but little variation at the population level, and a high level of genetic differentiation among the populations with limited gene flow in D. cambodiana were detected using inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analyses. No significant correlation was found between genetic diversity and actual population size, as the genetic diversities were similar regardless of population size. The Mantel test revealed that there was no correlation between genetic and geographic distances among the 10 populations. The UPGMA, PCoA and Bayesian analyses showed that local adaptive divergence has occurred among the D. cambodiana populations, which was further supported by habitat-private fragments. We suggest that the current genetic diversity and population differentiation of D. cambodiana resulted from historical population bottlenecks and natural selection followed by historical isolation. However, the lack of natural regeneration of D. cambodiana indicates that former local adaptations with low genetic diversity may have been genetically weak and are unable to adapt to the current ecological environments. © 2012 German Botanical Society and The Royal Botanical Society of the Netherlands.

The Mythology of Feedback

Science.gov (United States)

Adcroft, Andy

2011-01-01

Much of the general education and discipline-specific literature on feedback suggests that it is a central and important element of student learning. This paper examines feedback from a social process perspective and suggests that feedback is best understood through an analysis of the interactions between academics and students. The paper argues…

The Effects of Writing Anxiety and Motivation on EFL College Students' Self-Evaluative Judgments of Corrective Feedback.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsao, Jui-Jung; Tseng, Wen-Ta; Wang, Chaochang

2017-04-01

Feedback is regarded as a way to foster students' motivation and to ensure linguistic accuracy. However, mixed findings are reported in the research on written corrective feedback because of its multifaceted nature and its correlations with learners' individual differences. It is necessary, therefore, to conduct further research on corrective feedback from the student's perspective and to examine how individual differences in terms of factors such as writing anxiety and motivation predict learners' self-evaluative judgments of both teacher-corrected and peer-corrected feedback. For this study, 158 Taiwanese college sophomores participated in a survey that comprised three questionnaires. Results demonstrated that intrinsic motivation and different types of writing anxiety predicted English as foreign language learners' evaluative judgments of teacher and peer feedback. The findings have implications for English-writing instruction.

Restoring natural sensory feedback in real-time bidirectional hand prostheses

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Raspopovic, Stanisa; Capogrosso, Marco; Petrini, Francesco Maria

2014-01-01

Hand loss is a highly disabling event that markedly affects the quality of life. To achieve a close to natural replacement for the lost hand, the user should be provided with the rich sensations that we naturally perceive when grasping or manipulating an object. Ideal bidirectional hand prosthese...

From Static Output Feedback to Structured Robust Static Output Feedback: A Survey

OpenAIRE

Sadabadi , Mahdieh ,; Peaucelle , Dimitri

2016-01-01

This paper reviews the vast literature on static output feedback design for linear time-invariant systems including classical results and recent developments. In particular, we focus on static output feedback synthesis with performance specifications, structured static output feedback, and robustness. The paper provides a comprehensive review on existing design approaches including iterative linear matrix inequalities heuristics, linear matrix inequalities with rank constraints, methods with ...

Movement retraining using real-time feedback of performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Hunt, Michael Anthony

2013-01-17

Any modification of movement - especially movement patterns that have been honed over a number of years - requires re-organization of the neuromuscular patterns responsible for governing the movement performance. This motor learning can be enhanced through a number of methods that are utilized in research and clinical settings alike. In general, verbal feedback of performance in real-time or knowledge of results following movement is commonly used clinically as a preliminary means of instilling motor learning. Depending on patient preference and learning style, visual feedback (e.g. through use of a mirror or different types of video) or proprioceptive guidance utilizing therapist touch, are used to supplement verbal instructions from the therapist. Indeed, a combination of these forms of feedback is commonplace in the clinical setting to facilitate motor learning and optimize outcomes. Laboratory-based, quantitative motion analysis has been a mainstay in research settings to provide accurate and objective analysis of a variety of movements in healthy and injured populations. While the actual mechanisms of capturing the movements may differ, all current motion analysis systems rely on the ability to track the movement of body segments and joints and to use established equations of motion to quantify key movement patterns. Due to limitations in acquisition and processing speed, analysis and description of the movements has traditionally occurred offline after completion of a given testing session. This paper will highlight a new supplement to standard motion analysis techniques that relies on the near instantaneous assessment and quantification of movement patterns and the display of specific movement characteristics to the patient during a movement analysis session. As a result, this novel technique can provide a new method of feedback delivery that has advantages over currently used feedback methods.

Deep sequencing of natural and experimental populations of Drosophila melanogaster reveals biases in the spectrum of new mutations.

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Assaf, Zoe June; Tilk, Susanne; Park, Jane; Siegal, Mark L; Petrov, Dmitri A

2017-12-01

Mutations provide the raw material of evolution, and thus our ability to study evolution depends fundamentally on having precise measurements of mutational rates and patterns. We generate a data set for this purpose using (1) de novo mutations from mutation accumulation experiments and (2) extremely rare polymorphisms from natural populations. The first, mutation accumulation (MA) lines are the product of maintaining flies in tiny populations for many generations, therefore rendering natural selection ineffective and allowing new mutations to accrue in the genome. The second, rare genetic variation from natural populations allows the study of mutation because extremely rare polymorphisms are relatively unaffected by the filter of natural selection. We use both methods in Drosophila melanogaster , first generating our own novel data set of sequenced MA lines and performing a meta-analysis of all published MA mutations (∼2000 events) and then identifying a high quality set of ∼70,000 extremely rare (≤0.1%) polymorphisms that are fully validated with resequencing. We use these data sets to precisely measure mutational rates and patterns. Highlights of our results include: a high rate of multinucleotide mutation events at both short (∼5 bp) and long (∼1 kb) genomic distances, showing that mutation drives GC content lower in already GC-poor regions, and using our precise context-dependent mutation rates to predict long-term evolutionary patterns at synonymous sites. We also show that de novo mutations from independent MA experiments display similar patterns of single nucleotide mutation and well match the patterns of mutation found in natural populations. © 2017 Assaf et al.; Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.

Assessment of Habitat Suitability Is Affected by Plant-Soil Feedback: Comparison of Field and Garden Experiment.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lucie Hemrová

Full Text Available Field translocation experiments (i.e., the introduction of seeds or seedlings of different species into different localities are commonly used to study habitat associations of species, as well as factors limiting species distributions and local abundances. Species planted or sown in sites where they naturally occur are expected to perform better or equally well compared to sites at which they do not occur or are rare. This, however, contrasts with the predictions of the Janzen-Connell hypothesis and commonly reported intraspecific negative plant-soil feedback. The few previous studies indicating poorer performance of plants at sites where they naturally occur did not explore the mechanisms behind this pattern.In this study, we used field translocation experiments established using both seeds and seedlings to study the determinants of local abundance of four dominant species in grasslands. To explore the possible effects of intraspecific negative plant-soil feedback on our results, we tested the effect of local species abundance on the performance of the plants in the field experiment. In addition, we set up a garden experiment to explore the intensity of intraspecific as well as interspecific feedback between the dominants used in the experiment.In some cases, the distribution and local abundances of the species were partly driven by habitat conditions at the sites, and species performed better at their own sites. However, the prevailing pattern was that the local dominants performed worse at sites where they naturally occur than at any other sites. Moreover, the success of plants in the field experiment was lower in the case of higher intraspecific abundance prior to experimental setup. In the garden feedback experiment, two of the species performed significantly worse in soils conditioned by their species than in soils conditioned by the other species. In addition, the performance of the plants was significantly correlated between the two

Ancestry variation and footprints of natural selection along the genome in Latin American populations.

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Deng, Lian; Ruiz-Linares, Andrés; Xu, Shuhua; Wang, Sijia

2016-02-18

Latin American populations stem from the admixture of Europeans, Africans and Native Americans, which started over 400 years ago and had lasted for several centuries. Extreme deviation over the genome-wide average in ancestry estimations at certain genomic locations could reflect recent natural selection. We evaluated the distribution of ancestry estimations using 678 genome-wide microsatellite markers in 249 individuals from 13 admixed populations across Latin America. We found significant deviations in ancestry estimations including three locations with more than 3.5 times standard deviations from the genome-wide average: an excess of European ancestry at 1p36 and 14q32, and an excess of African ancestry at 6p22. Using simulations, we could show that at least the deviation at 6p22 was unlikely to result from genetic drift alone. By applying different linguistic groups as well as the most likely ancestral Native American populations as the ancestry, we showed that the choice of Native American ancestry could affect the local ancestry estimation. However, the signal at 6p22 consistently appeared in most of the analyses using various ancestral groups. This study provided important insights for recent natural selection in the context of the unique history of the New World and implications for disease mapping.

Feedback as Real-Time Constructions

Science.gov (United States)

Keiding, Tina Bering; Qvortrup, Ane

2014-01-01

This article offers a re-description of feedback and the significance of time in feedback constructions based on systems theory. It describes feedback as internal, real-time constructions in a learning system. From this perspective, feedback is neither immediate nor delayed, but occurs in the very moment it takes place. This article argues for a…

Evolution of premating reproductive isolation among conspecific populations of the sea rock-pool beetle Ochthebius urbanelliae driven by reinforcing natural selection.

Science.gov (United States)

Porretta, Daniele; Urbanelli, Sandra

2012-04-01

How natural selection might be involved in speciation remains a fundamental question in evolutionary biology. When two or more species co-occur in the same areas, natural selection may favor divergence in mating traits. By acting in sympatric but not allopatric populations, natural selection can also affect mate choice within species and ultimately initiate speciation among conspecific populations. Here, we address this potential effect in the sea rock-pool beetles Ochthebius quadricollis and O. urbanelliae. The two species, which inhabit the Mediterranean coasts, co-occurr syntopically in an area along the Italian Tyrrhenian coast and completed reproductive isolation by reinforcement. In this article, through mating trials under laboratory conditions between conspecific populations, we found in O. quadricollis no deviations from random mating. Conversely, in O. urbanelliae, we found a clear pattern of premating isolation between the reinforced populations sympatric with O. quadricollis and those nonreinforced allopatric. This pattern is consistent with the view that natural selection, which completed the reproductive isolation between the two species in sympatry, led incidentally also to partial premating reproductive isolation (I(PSI) estimator from 0.683 to 0.792) between conspecific populations of O. urbanelliae. This case study supports an until recently underappreciated role of natural selection resulting from species interactions in initiating speciation. © 2011 The Author(s). Evolution© 2011 The Society for the Study of Evolution.

Single generation cycles and delayed feedback cycles are not separate phenomena.

Science.gov (United States)

Pfaff, T; Brechtel, A; Drossel, B; Guill, C

2014-12-01

We study a simple model for generation cycles, which are oscillations with a period of one or a few generation times of the species. The model is formulated in terms of a single delay-differential equation for the population density of an adult stage, with recruitment to the adult stage depending on the intensity of competition during the juvenile phase. This model is a simplified version of a group of models proposed by Gurney and Nisbet, who were the first to distinguish between single-generation cycles and delayed-feedback cycles. According to these authors, the two oscillation types are caused by different mechanisms and have periods in different intervals, which are one to two generation times for single-generation cycles and two to four generation times for delayed-feedback cycles. By abolishing the strict coupling between the maturation time and the time delay between competition and its effect on the population dynamics, we find that single-generation cycles and delayed-feedback cycles occur in the same model version, with a gradual transition between the two as the model parameters are varied over a sufficiently large range. Furthermore, cycle periods are not bounded to lie within single octaves. This implies that a clear distinction between different types of generation cycles is not possible. Cycles of all periods and even chaos can be generated by varying the parameters that determine the time during which individuals from different cohorts compete with each other. This suggests that life-cycle features in the juvenile stage and during the transition to the adult stage are important determinants of the dynamics of density limited populations. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Ambulatory Feedback System

Science.gov (United States)

Finger, Herbert; Weeks, Bill

1985-01-01

This presentation discusses instrumentation that will be used for a specific event, which we hope will carry on to future events within the Space Shuttle program. The experiment is the Autogenic Feedback Training Experiment (AFTE) scheduled for Spacelab 3, currently scheduled to be launched in November, 1984. The objectives of the AFTE are to determine the effectiveness of autogenic feedback in preventing or reducing space adaptation syndrome (SAS), to monitor and record in-flight data from the crew, to determine if prediction criteria for SAS can be established, and, finally, to develop an ambulatory instrument package to mount the crew throughout the mission. The purpose of the Ambulatory Feedback System (AFS) is to record the responses of the subject during a provocative event in space and provide a real-time feedback display to reinforce the training.

The Impact of Incentivizing the Use of Feedback on Learning and Performance in Educational Videogames

Science.gov (United States)

Delacruz, Girlie C.

2012-01-01

Educational videogames can be designed to provide instructional feedback responsive to specific actions. However, existing research indicates that students tend to ignore the feedback provided. That is, students often use ineffective help-seeking strategies. Research on the topic of help-seeking in learning environments have primarily focused on the role of cognitive factors, the nature of the help, or issues of timing and frequency. There is a noticeable gap in understanding how to motivate the use provided feedback. This study examined the relation between incentivizing the use of feedback and providing an explanation of the game's scoring rules on math learning in a pre-algebra videogame. A randomized-control design was used, comparing learning outcomes of students who received the incentive with those who did not. Results indicated that students given the incentive to use feedback had significantly higher normalized change scores on math items (d = .53), with stronger effects for students with low academic intrinsic motivation (d = .88 - 1.17).

Feedback på tekst i grupper

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hvass, Helle; Heger, Stine

2017-01-01

med temaet Feedback på tekst i grupper er via aktiviteter at gøre de studerende bevidste om, at feedback er noget, de skal lære, og noget, de skal øve sig på. De forskellige aktiviteter sætter de studerende i gang med at skabe rammer for feedback, at træne feedback og at give og modtage feedback på...... hinandens tekster. Temaet er bygget op omkring 2 forskellige elementer: 1) forberedelse af feedback og 2) udførelse af feedback....

Genetic Diversity and Structure of Natural Quercus variabilis Population in China as Revealed by Microsatellites Markers

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Xiaomeng Shi

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Quercus variabilis is a tree species of ecological and economic value that is widely distributed in China. To effectively evaluate, use, and conserve resources, we applied 25 pairs of simple sequence repeat (SSR primers to study its genetic diversity and genetic structure in 19 natural forest or natural secondary forest populations of Q. variabilis (a total of 879 samples. A total of 277 alleles were detected. Overall, the average expected heterozygosity (He was 0.707 and average allelic richness (AR was 7.79. Q. variabilis manifested a loss of heterozygosity, and the mean of inbreeding coefficient (FIS was 0.044. Less differentiation among populations was observed, and the genetic differentiation coefficient (FST was 0.063. Bayesian clustering analysis indicated that the 19 studied populations could be divided into three groups based on their genetic makeup, namely, the Southwest group, Central group, and Northeastern group. The Central group, compared to the populations of the Southwest and Northeast group, showed higher genetic diversities and lower genetic differentiations. As a widely distributed species, the historical migration of Q. variabilis contributed to its genetic differentiation.

Understanding feedback: A learning theory perspective

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Thurlings, Marieke; Vermeulen, Marjan; Bastiaens, Theo; Stijnen, Sjef

2018-01-01

This article aims to review literature on feedback to teachers. Because research has hardly focused on feedback among teachers, the review’s scope also includes feedback in class- rooms. The review proposes that the effectiveness of feedback and feedback processes depend on the learning theory

The impact of divergence time on the nature of population structure: an example from Iceland.

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Alkes L Price

2009-06-01

Full Text Available The Icelandic population has been sampled in many disease association studies, providing a strong motivation to understand the structure of this population and its ramifications for disease gene mapping. Previous work using 40 microsatellites showed that the Icelandic population is relatively homogeneous, but exhibits subtle population structure that can bias disease association statistics. Here, we show that regional geographic ancestries of individuals from Iceland can be distinguished using 292,289 autosomal single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs. We further show that subpopulation differences are due to genetic drift since the settlement of Iceland 1100 years ago, and not to varying contributions from different ancestral populations. A consequence of the recent origin of Icelandic population structure is that allele frequency differences follow a null distribution devoid of outliers, so that the risk of false positive associations due to stratification is minimal. Our results highlight an important distinction between population differences attributable to recent drift and those arising from more ancient divergence, which has implications both for association studies and for efforts to detect natural selection using population differentiation.

Styrket feedback gennem studerendes selvevaluering

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Lars Bo

2016-01-01

Studerende er ofte utilfredse med såvel kvaliteten som kvantiteten af feedback på skriftligt arbejde. Ligeledes kan det som underviser være svært at afgive feedback, der tager udgangspunkt i de studerendes respektive læringssituationer, hvis man ikke har andet afsæt end opgavetekster. Denne artikel...... beskriver derfor to eksperimenter med brug af selvevaluering som kvalificerende mellemled i ekstern feedback på skriveøvelser. Eksperimenternes formål er at styrke den formative læring ved skriftligt arbejde. I det første eksperiment bestod feedbacken af underviser-feedback, mens det andet eksperiment...... indebar peer-feedback og fælles feedback. I begge tilfælde blev selvevalueringen foretaget med udgangspunkt i en kriteriebaseret retteguide. Eksperimenterne medførte, at den eksterne feedback blev målrettet og kvalificeret i forhold til den enkelte studerende, mens selve skriveprocessen mod forventning...

Biomarkers in natural fish populations indicate adverse biological effects of offshore oil production.

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Lennart Balk

Full Text Available Despite the growing awareness of the necessity of a sustainable development, the global economy continues to depend largely on the consumption of non-renewable energy resources. One such energy resource is fossil oil extracted from the seabed at offshore oil platforms. This type of oil production causes continuous environmental pollution from drilling waste, discharge of large amounts of produced water, and accidental spills.Samples from natural populations of haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus and Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua in two North Sea areas with extensive oil production were investigated. Exposure to and uptake of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs were demonstrated, and biomarker analyses revealed adverse biological effects, including induction of biotransformation enzymes, oxidative stress, altered fatty acid composition, and genotoxicity. Genotoxicity was reflected by a hepatic DNA adduct pattern typical for exposure to a mixture of PAHs. Control material was collected from a North Sea area without oil production and from remote Icelandic waters. The difference between the two control areas indicates significant background pollution in the North Sea.It is most remarkable to obtain biomarker responses in natural fish populations in the open sea that are similar to the biomarker responses in fish from highly polluted areas close to a point source. Risk assessment of various threats to the marine fish populations in the North Sea, such as overfishing, global warming, and eutrophication, should also take into account the ecologically relevant impact of offshore oil production.

The Effect of Combination of Video Feedback and Audience Feedback on Social Anxiety: Preliminary Findings.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Junwen; Mak, Rebecca; Fujita, Satoko

2015-09-01

Although video feedback (VF) is shown to improve appraisals of social performance in socially anxious individuals, its impact on state anxiety during a social situation is mixed. The current study investigated the effect of combined video feedback and audience feedback (AF) on self-perceptions of performance and bodily sensations as well as state anxiety pertaining to a speech task. Forty-one socially anxious students were randomly allocated to combined video feedback with audience feedback (VF + AF), video feedback only (VF), audience feedback only (AF), or a control condition. Following a 3-min speech, participants in the VF + AF, VF, and AF conditions watched the videotape of their speech with cognitive preparation in the presence of three confederates who served as audience, and/or received feedback from the confederates, while the control group watched their videotaped speech without cognitive preparation. Both VF + AF and AF conditions improved distorted appraisal of performance and bodily sensations as well as state anxiety. The clinical implications of these findings are discussed. © The Author(s) 2015.

Innovation and the growth of human population.

Science.gov (United States)

Weinberger, V P; Quiñinao, C; Marquet, P A

2017-12-05

Biodiversity is sustained by and is essential to the services that ecosystems provide. Different species would use these services in different ways, or adaptive strategies, which are sustained in time by continuous innovations. Using this framework, we postulate a model for a biological species ( Homo sapiens ) in a finite world where innovations, aimed at increasing the flux of ecosystem services (a measure of habitat quality), increase with population size, and have positive effects on the generation of new innovations (positive feedback) as well as costs in terms of negatively affecting the provision of ecosystem services. We applied this model to human populations, where technological innovations are driven by cumulative cultural evolution. Our model shows that depending on the net impact of a technology on the provision of ecosystem services ( θ ), and the strength of technological feedback ( ξ ), different regimes can result. Among them, the human population can fill the entire planet while maximizing their well-being, but not exhaust ecosystem services. However, this outcome requires positive or green technologies that increase the provision of ecosystem services with few negative externalities or environmental costs, and that have a strong positive feedback in generating new technologies of the same kind. If the feedback is small, then the technological stock can collapse together with the human population. Scenarios where technological innovations generate net negative impacts may be associated with a limited technological stock as well as a limited human population at equilibrium and the potential for collapse. The only way to fill the planet with humans under this scenario of negative technologies is by reducing the technological stock to a minimum. Otherwise, the only feasible equilibrium is associated with population collapse. Our model points out that technological innovations per se may not help humans to grow and dominate the planet. Instead

Comparison of squashing and self-consistent input-output models of quantum feedback

Science.gov (United States)

Peřinová, V.; Lukš, A.; Křepelka, J.

2018-03-01

The paper (Yanagisawa and Hope, 2010) opens with two ways of analysis of a measurement-based quantum feedback. The scheme of the feedback includes, along with the homodyne detector, a modulator and a beamsplitter, which does not enable one to extract the nonclassical field. In the present scheme, the beamsplitter is replaced by the quantum noise evader, which makes it possible to extract the nonclassical field. We re-approach the comparison of two models related to the same scheme. The first one admits that in the feedback loop between the photon annihilation and creation operators, unusual commutation relations hold. As a consequence, in the feedback loop, squashing of the light occurs. In the second one, the description arrives at the feedback loop via unitary transformations. But it is obvious that the unitary transformation which describes the modulator changes even the annihilation operator of the mode which passes by the modulator which is not natural. The first model could be called "squashing model" and the second one could be named "self-consistent model". Although the predictions of the two models differ only a little and both the ways of analysis have their advantages, they have also their drawbacks and further investigation is possible.

Investigating Non-engagement with Feedback in Higher Education as a Social Practice

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Bente Mosgaard

2018-01-01

Quality in feedback processes rests on students' engagement with them. A crucial question is therefore why students do not always engage. Scholars have defined engagement as a social practice pointing to the influence of context but without explaining the nature thereof. The article's purpose...

Feedback is good or bad? Medical residents’ points of view on feedback in clinical education

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LEILA BAZRAFKAN

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Feedback is very important in education and can help quality in the training process and orient the trainees in clinical contexts. This study aimed to assess the residents’ points of view about feedback in clinical education at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. Methods: The sample of this study included 170 medical residents attending medical workshops in Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. The residents filled a valid and reliable questionnaire containing 21 items on their perceptions of the feedback they got throughout the workshops. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 14. Results: The study revealed that residents, generally, have a positive perception of feedback in their training. The highest score belonged to the items such as “feedback was applicable to future work”, “feedback corrected my behavior”, “feedback worked as a motivation for education” and “feedback was specific in one subject”. Residents who had a negative feedback experience also increased their efforts to learn. The Surgery residents acquired the highest scores while radiology residents got the lowest. The difference between these groups was statistically significant (P = 0.000. Conclusion: The highest mean score belonged to internal medicine residents. This shows that residents believe that obstetrics & gynecology ward is a ward in which the formative assessment is much more powerful in comparison to the other three major wards. The surgery ward received the lowest score for formative assessment and this shows that the feedback in surgery ward is very low.

On the Differential Effects of Computer-Mediated and Metalinguistic Corrective Feedback on Iranian EFL Learners’ Writing Accuracy

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Mir Ayyoob Tabatabaei

2017-07-01

Full Text Available The present study investigated differential effect of two types of feedback namely, computer-mediated and metalinguistic, on Iranian EFL learners’ writing accuracy. To this end, based on Nelson Proficiency Test (300 A, 69 Iranian advanced EFL learners, including 45 males and 24 females, aged between 17 and 24, learning English in language institutes in Salmas, were selected randomly out of the total population of 121 EFL learners and then divided into three groups. The participants in the two experimental groups received metalinguistic and computer-mediated feedback separately while those in the control group received no feedback. The analyses of the results obtained through a pre-test and a post-test indicated that both feedback types significantly influenced learners’ writing accuracy. However, analysis of the participants’ performances on the post-test demonstrated that metalinguistic group outperformed computer-mediated one. Thus, the effect of metalinguistic feedback was more than that of computer-mediated feedback. In addition, both of them were more influential than no-feedback instruction. The findings of the present study can be fruitful for syllabus designers and EFL teachers.

THE FIRST GALAXIES: ASSEMBLY WITH BLACK HOLE FEEDBACK

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jeon, Myoungwon; Pawlik, Andreas H.; Bromm, Volker; Milosavljević, Miloš; Greif, Thomas H.; Glover, Simon C. O.; Klessen, Ralf S.

2012-01-01

We study how the first galaxies were assembled under feedback from the accretion onto a central black hole (BH) that is left behind by the first generation of metal-free stars through self-consistent, cosmological simulations. X-ray radiation from the accretion of gas onto BH remnants of Population III (Pop III) stars, or from high-mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs), again involving Pop III stars, influences the mode of second generation star formation. We track the evolution of the BH accretion rate and the associated X-ray feedback starting with the death of the Pop III progenitor star inside a minihalo and following the subsequent evolution of the BH as the minihalo grows to become an atomically cooling galaxy. We find that X-ray photoionization heating from a stellar-mass BH is able to quench further star formation in the host halo at all times before the halo enters the atomic cooling phase. X-ray radiation from an HMXB, assuming a luminosity close to the Eddington value, exerts an even stronger, and more diverse, feedback on star formation. It photoheats the gas inside the host halo, but also promotes the formation of molecular hydrogen and cooling of gas in the intergalactic medium and in nearby minihalos, leading to a net increase in the number of stars formed at early times. Our simulations further show that the radiative feedback from the first BHs may strongly suppress early BH growth, thus constraining models for the formation of supermassive BHs.

The First Galaxies: Assembly with Black Hole Feedback

Science.gov (United States)

Jeon, Myoungwon; Pawlik, Andreas H.; Greif, Thomas H.; Glover, Simon C. O.; Bromm, Volker; Milosavljević, Miloš; Klessen, Ralf S.

2012-07-01

We study how the first galaxies were assembled under feedback from the accretion onto a central black hole (BH) that is left behind by the first generation of metal-free stars through self-consistent, cosmological simulations. X-ray radiation from the accretion of gas onto BH remnants of Population III (Pop III) stars, or from high-mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs), again involving Pop III stars, influences the mode of second generation star formation. We track the evolution of the BH accretion rate and the associated X-ray feedback starting with the death of the Pop III progenitor star inside a minihalo and following the subsequent evolution of the BH as the minihalo grows to become an atomically cooling galaxy. We find that X-ray photoionization heating from a stellar-mass BH is able to quench further star formation in the host halo at all times before the halo enters the atomic cooling phase. X-ray radiation from an HMXB, assuming a luminosity close to the Eddington value, exerts an even stronger, and more diverse, feedback on star formation. It photoheats the gas inside the host halo, but also promotes the formation of molecular hydrogen and cooling of gas in the intergalactic medium and in nearby minihalos, leading to a net increase in the number of stars formed at early times. Our simulations further show that the radiative feedback from the first BHs may strongly suppress early BH growth, thus constraining models for the formation of supermassive BHs.

Feedback For Helpers

Science.gov (United States)

Stromer, Walter F.

1975-01-01

The author offers some feedback to those in the helping professions in three areas: (1) forms and letters; (2) jumping to conclusions; and (3) blaming and belittling, in hopes of stimulating more feedback as well as more positive ways of performing their services. (HMV)

Training effectiveness feedback

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wiggin, N.A.

1987-01-01

A formal method of getting feedback about the job performance of employees is a necessary part of all the authors training programs. The formal process may prove to be inadequate if it is the only process in use. There are many ways and many opportunities to get good feedback about employee performance. It is important to document these methods and specific instances to supplement the more formalized process. The key is to identify them, encourage them, use them, and document the training actions that result from them. This paper describes one plant's method of getting feedback about performance of technicians in the field

Teacher feedback in the classroom. Analyzing and developing teachers' feedback behavior in secondary education

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Voerman, A.

2014-01-01

Providing feedback is one of the most influential means of teachers to enhance student learning. In this dissertation, we first focused on what is known from research about effective (i.e. learning-enhancing) feedback. Effective feedback, mostly studied from a cognitive psychologist point of view,

[Fitness of sexual reproduction of Toona ciliata var. pubescens natural populations and their sexual reproduction and regeneration].

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Hong Lan; Zhang, Lu; Jia, Li Ming; Liang, Yue-Long; Cai, Jun Huo

2018-04-01

To examine the reproduction fitness coefficients and individual-level fitness of Toona ciliata var. pubescens, their sexual reproduction and natural regeneration were investigated during 2006-2016, with four natural populations in Jiulianshan National Reserve as test objects. The results showed that there were only 2-10 trees for the natural populations of T. ciliata var. pubescens with a small initial number of fruiting plants (3-9 trees), which were from the initial fruiting plants or their first/second generation. The sexual reproduction of these isolated populations were significantly different, and their seed production capacities tended to decline over time. With the maturing of communities, soil seed banks and seed germinations were extremely poor, and the number of trees that could be growing to mature stage was nearly zero. The optimum maturity age of T. ciliata var. pubescens was about 40 a, and the fitness coefficients (2.0-2.8) rapidly increased in early development stage, but then was sharply reduced (0.3-0.5), and then gradually dropped to almost 0. There were significant differences in the fitness at individual level (0-14 tree·cm -2 ) among different populations, but their values were low (close to zero). Based on the existing reproduction rate, the actual values of sexual reproduction and regeneration fitness were much lower than the predicted ones. Due to the low level of genetic fitness, the sexual reproductive ability of different populations all showed decreasing trends. The natural sexual regeneration ability tended to decline, while the fitness of T. ciliata var. pubescens further decreased. All those factors suggested higher investment risks. Therefore, the systems of sexual reproduction became unbalanced and deteriorating. We proposed that more studies, including breeding mating, pollination, seed setting, and genetic diversity evaluation, are needed. Moreover, we should provide suitable forest environment through cleaning up litter in the

Feedback Networks

OpenAIRE

Zamir, Amir R.; Wu, Te-Lin; Sun, Lin; Shen, William; Malik, Jitendra; Savarese, Silvio

2016-01-01

Currently, the most successful learning models in computer vision are based on learning successive representations followed by a decision layer. This is usually actualized through feedforward multilayer neural networks, e.g. ConvNets, where each layer forms one of such successive representations. However, an alternative that can achieve the same goal is a feedback based approach in which the representation is formed in an iterative manner based on a feedback received from previous iteration's...

Malaysian Tertiary Level ESL Students’ Perceptions toward Teacher Feedback, Peer Feedback and Self-assessment in their Writing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kayatri Vasu

2016-09-01

Full Text Available In Malaysia, teacher feedback is highly preferred by students, who often believe that teachers know best. Teacher feedback shows them their teacher’s idea of an ideal writing. However, excessive dependence on teachers adds to their workload. Therefore, teachers are increasingly promoting two other alternative methods that are gradually gaining importance. These methods are peer feedback and self-assessment. This study investigates ESL students’ perceptions toward teacher feedback, peer feedback and self-assessment in students’ writing process. Questionnaires, adapted from the instruments in the literature, were administered to 107 randomly selected students in a private local university in Malaysia. Students found feedback given to the content and organization of their writing more useful than feedback provided for their vocabulary and grammar. It was also found that students perceived feedback from teacher, peers and self-assessment all as highly useful. Additionally the results indicated while there was no significant difference (p > .05 between the students’ perceptions toward teacher feedback and self-assessment, they were both perceived as significantly more useful (p < .001 than peer feedback. The students also perceived explicit feedback as significantly more useful (p < .001 than implicit feedback. The results of this study have implications for English language learning-teaching practitioners and researchers. They shed light on the options preferred by students in revising their writing in ESL writing classrooms. Future research on the effects of teacher feedback, peer feedback and self-assessment on students’ writing performance will provide better insight on the preferred methods in ESL writing classrooms in similar settings.

GIVING AND RECEIVING CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK

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Ірина Олійник

2015-05-01

Full Text Available The article scrutinizes the notion of feedback applicable in classrooms where team teaching is provided. The experience of giving and receiving feedback has been a good practice in cooperation between a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer and a Ukrainian counterpart. Giving and receiving feedback is an effective means of classroom observation that provides better insight into the process of teaching a foreign language. The article discusses the stages of feedback and explicates the notion of sharing experience between two teachers working simultaneously in the same classroom. The guidelines for giving and receiving feedback have been provided as well as the most commonly used vocabulary items have been listed. It has been proved that mutual feedback leads to improving teaching methods and using various teaching styles and techniques.

Moving Feedback Forward: Theory to Practice

Science.gov (United States)

Orsmond, Paul; Maw, Stephen J.; Park, Julian R.; Gomez, Stephen; Crook, Anne C.

2013-01-01

There is substantial research interest in tutor feedback and students' perception and use of such feedback. This paper considers some of the major issues raised in relation to tutor feedback and student learning. We explore some of the current feedback drivers, most notably the need for feedback to move away from simply a monologue from a tutor to…

One size does not fit all: Establishing the need for targeted eco-feedback

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khosrowpour, Ardalan; Xie, Yimeng; Taylor, John E.; Hong, Yili

2016-01-01

these programs. The contribution of this paper is two-fold: (1) reporting that the effectiveness of the notifications in eco-feedback programs are initially highly dependent on the type and the nature of the program, and then the interval and the content of the notification, and (2) demonstrating the variability of occupants’ behavioral responses under the same normative comparison eco-feedback program. These findings indicate the need for a shift in focus toward targeted and tailored feedback programs which treat occupants based on their characteristics. Moreover, they highlight the need for eco-feedback design, development, testing and implementation research that acknowledges and addresses differences in occupant responses to feedback.

CAN AGN FEEDBACK BREAK THE SELF-SIMILARITY OF GALAXIES, GROUPS, AND CLUSTERS?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gaspari, M. [Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics, Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 1, D-85741 Garching (Germany); Brighenti, F. [Astronomy Department, University of Bologna, Via Ranzani 1, I-40127 Bologna (Italy); Temi, P. [Astrophysics Branch, NASA/Ames Research Center, MS 245-6, Moffett Field, CA 94035 (United States); Ettori, S., E-mail: mgaspari@mpa-garching.mpg.de [INAF, Osservatorio Astronomico di Bologna, Via Ranzani 1, I-40127 Bologna (Italy)

2014-03-01

It is commonly thought that active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback can break the self-similar scaling relations of galaxies, groups, and clusters. Using high-resolution three-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations, we isolate the impact of AGN feedback on the L {sub x}-T {sub x} relation, testing the two archetypal and common regimes, self-regulated mechanical feedback and a quasar thermal blast. We find that AGN feedback has severe difficulty in breaking the relation in a consistent way. The similarity breaking is directly linked to the gas evacuation within R {sub 500}, while the central cooling times are inversely proportional to the core density. Breaking self-similarity thus implies breaking the cool core, morphing all systems to non-cool-core objects, which is in clear contradiction with the observed data populated by several cool-core systems. Self-regulated feedback, which quenches cooling flows and preserves cool cores, prevents dramatic evacuation and similarity breaking at any scale; the relation scatter is also limited. The impulsive thermal blast can break the core-included L {sub x}-T {sub x} at T {sub 500} ≲ 1 keV, but substantially empties and overheats the halo, generating a perennial non-cool-core group, as experienced by cosmological simulations. Even with partial evacuation, massive systems remain overheated. We show that the action of purely AGN feedback is to lower the luminosity and heat the gas, perpendicular to the fit.

RF feedback for KEKB

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ezura, Eizi; Yoshimoto, Shin-ichi; Akai, Kazunori [National Lab. for High Energy Physics, Tsukuba, Ibaraki (Japan)

1996-08-01

This paper describes the present status of the RF feedback development for the KEK B-Factory (KEKB). A preliminary experiment concerning the RF feedback using a parallel comb-filter was performed through a choke-mode cavity and a klystron. The RF feedback has been tested using the beam of the TRISTAN Main Ring, and has proved to be effective in damping the beam instability. (author)

The effects of self-controlled video feedback on the learning of the basketball set shot

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christopher Adam Aiken

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Allowing learners to control some aspect of instructional support (e.g., augmented feedback appears to facilitate motor skill acquisition. No studies, however, have examined self-controlled (SC video feedback without the provision of additional attentional cueing. The purpose of this study was to extend previous SC research using video feedback about movement form for the basketball set shot without explicitly directing attention to specific aspects of the movement. The SC group requested video feedback of their performance following any trial during the acquisition phase. The yoked (YK group received feedback according to a schedule created by a SC counterpart. During acquisition participants were also allowed to view written instructional cues at any time. Results revealed that the SC group had significantly higher form scores during the transfer phase and utilized the instructional cues more frequently during acquisition. Post-training questionnaire responses indicated no preference for requesting or receiving feedback following good trials as reported by Chiviacowsky and Wulf (2002, 2005. The nature of the task was such that participants could have assigned both positive and negative evaluations to different aspects of the movement during the same trial. Thus, the lack of preferences along with the similarity in scores for feedback and no-feedback trials may simply have reflected this complexity. Importantly, however, the results indicated that SC video feedback conferred a learning benefit without the provision of explicit additional attentional cueing.

Natural occurrence of baculoviruses in populations of some Heliconiini (Lepidoptera; Nymphalidae with symptomatological notes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. F. S. Andrade

1983-01-01

Full Text Available Natural occurrence of nuclear polyhedrosis viruses were detected in populations of some Heliconiini in the field as well as in the laboratory. The epizootics appeared under field conditions in populations of Dione juno juno, D. moneta and Agraulis vanillae maculosa. In the laboratory, however, larvae of Heliconius numata mirus, H. hecale vetustus and H. erato phyllis in addition to two hybrids and Eueides Isabella dianasa, all suffered the same disease. The effect of several factors which might contribute to the occurrence of the disease are discussed. Symptoms, histopathology and description of viral particles and polyhedra are given.

Populations, not clones, are the unit of vibrio pathogenesis in naturally infected oysters.

Science.gov (United States)

Lemire, Astrid; Goudenège, David; Versigny, Typhaine; Petton, Bruno; Calteau, Alexandra; Labreuche, Yannick; Le Roux, Frédérique

2015-07-01

Disease in oysters has been steadily rising over the past decade, threatening the long-term survival of commercial and natural stocks. Our understanding and management of such diseases are of critical importance as aquaculture is an important aspect of dealing with the approaching worldwide food shortage. Although some bacteria of the Vibrio genus isolated from diseased oysters have been demonstrated to be pathogenic by experimental infection, direct causality has not been established. Little is known about the dynamics of how the bacterial population hosted by oysters changes during disease progression. Combining experimental ecology, a high-throughput infection assay and genome sequencing, we show that the onset of disease in oysters is associated with progressive replacement of diverse benign colonizers by members of a phylogenetically coherent virulent population. Although the virulent population is genetically diverse, all members of that population can cause disease. Comparative genomics across virulent and nonvirulent populations identified candidate virulence factors that were clustered in population-specific genomic regions. Genetic analyses revealed that one gene for a candidate virulent factor, a putative outer membrane protein, is necessary for infection of oysters. Finally, analyses of oyster mortality following experimental infection suggest that disease onset can be facilitated by the presence of nonvirulent strains. This is a new form of polymicrobial disease, in which nonpathogenic strains contribute to increase mortality.

A conceptual framework to evaluate human-wildlife interactions within coupled human and natural systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anita T. Morzillo

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Landscape characteristics affect human-wildlife interactions. However, there is a need to better understand mechanisms that drive those interactions, particularly feedbacks that exist between wildlife-related impacts, human reaction to and behavior as a result of those impacts, and how land use and landscape characteristics may influence those components within coupled human and natural systems. Current conceptual models of human-wildlife interactions often focus on species population size as the independent variable driving those interactions. Such an approach potentially overlooks important feedbacks among and drivers of human-wildlife interactions that result from mere wildlife presence versus absence. We describe an emerging conceptual framework that focuses on wildlife as a driver of human behavior and allows us to better understand linkages between humans, wildlife, and the broader landscape. We also present results of a pilot analysis related to our own ongoing study of urban rodent control behavior to illustrate one application of this framework within a study of urban landscapes.

Altered Sensory Feedbacks in Pianist's Dystonia: the altered auditory feedback paradigm and the glove effect

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Felicia Pei-Hsin Cheng

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Background: This study investigates the effect of altered auditory feedback (AAF in musician's dystonia (MD and discusses whether altered auditory feedback can be considered as a sensory trick in MD. Furthermore, the effect of AAF is compared with altered tactile feedback, which can serve as a sensory trick in several other forms of focal dystonia. Methods: The method is based on scale analysis (Jabusch et al. 2004. Experiment 1 employs synchronization paradigm: 12 MD patients and 25 healthy pianists had to repeatedly play C-major scales in synchrony with a metronome on a MIDI-piano with 3 auditory feedback conditions: 1. normal feedback; 2. no feedback; 3. constant delayed feedback. Experiment 2 employs synchronization-continuation paradigm: 12 MD patients and 12 healthy pianists had to repeatedly play C-major scales in two phases: first in synchrony with a metronome, secondly continue the established tempo without the metronome. There are 4 experimental conditions, among them 3 are the same altered auditory feedback as in Experiment 1 and 1 is related to altered tactile sensory input. The coefficient of variation of inter-onset intervals of the key depressions was calculated to evaluate fine motor control. Results: In both experiments, the healthy controls and the patients behaved very similarly. There is no difference in the regularity of playing between the two groups under any condition, and neither did AAF nor did altered tactile feedback have a beneficial effect on patients’ fine motor control. Conclusions: The results of the two experiments suggest that in the context of our experimental designs, AAF and altered tactile feedback play a minor role in motor coordination in patients with musicians' dystonia. We propose that altered auditory and tactile feedback do not serve as effective sensory tricks and may not temporarily reduce the symptoms of patients suffering from MD in this experimental context.

Who wants feedback? An investigation of the variables influencing residents' feedback-seeking behavior in relation to night shifts.

Science.gov (United States)

Teunissen, Pim W; Stapel, Diederik A; van der Vleuten, Cees; Scherpbier, Albert; Boor, Klarke; Scheele, Fedde

2009-07-01

The literature on feedback in clinical medical education has predominantly treated trainees as passive recipients. Past research has focused on how clinical supervisors can use feedback to improve a trainee's performance. On the basis of research in social and organizational psychology, the authors reconceptualized residents as active seekers of feedback. They investigated what individual and situational variables influence residents' feedback-seeking behavior on night shifts. Early in 2008, the authors sent obstetrics-gynecology residents in the Netherlands--both those in their first two years of graduate training and those gaining experience between undergraduate and graduate training--a questionnaire that assessed four predictor variables (learning and performance goal orientation, and instrumental and supportive leadership), two mediator variables (perceived feedback benefits and costs), and two outcome variables (frequency of feedback inquiry and monitoring). They used structural equation modeling software to test a hypothesized model of relationships between variables. The response rate was 76.5%. Results showed that residents who perceive more feedback benefits report a higher frequency of feedback inquiry and monitoring. More perceived feedback costs result mainly in more feedback monitoring. Residents with a higher learning goal orientation perceive more feedback benefits and fewer costs. Residents with a higher performance goal orientation perceive more feedback costs. Supportive physicians lead residents to perceive more feedback benefits and fewer costs. This study showed that some residents actively seek feedback. Residents' feedback-seeking behavior partially depends on attending physicians' supervisory style. Residents' goal orientations influence their perceptions of the benefits and costs of feedback-seeking.

Development of a longitudinal feedback cavity for the beam feedback system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang Gang; Chen Huaibi; Huang Wenhui; Tong Dechun; Lin Yuzheng; Zhao Zhentang

2003-01-01

Longitudinal beam feedback system is widely used to damp coupling bunch instability. Kicker is one of the key components of the longitudinal feedback system. A prototype cavity of longitudinal feedback kicker is developed according to the parameter of BEPC II. The usage of nose cone in the kicker design increased the shunt impedance. In order to avoid the extra tapper in the storage ring, the racetrack shape beam pipe is applied in the kicker. The impedance and the bandwidth of the kicker is measured by the coaxial line impedance measurement platform and the result achieved the design goals

Optimal allocation of reviewers for peer feedback

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wind, David Kofoed; Jensen, Ulf Aslak; Jørgensen, Rasmus Malthe

2017-01-01

feedback to be effective students should give and receive useful feedback. A key challenge in peer feedback is allocating the feedback givers in a good way. It is important that reviewers are allocated to submissions such that the feedback distribution is fair - meaning that all students receive good......Peer feedback is the act of letting students give feedback to each other on submitted work. There are multiple reasons to use peer feedback, including students getting more feedback, time saving for teachers and increased learning by letting students reflect on work by others. In order for peer...... indicated the quality of the feedback. Using this model together with historical data we calculate the feedback-giving skill of each student and uses that as input to an allocation algorithm that assigns submissions to reviewers, in order to optimize the feedback quality for all students. We test...

Feedback Systems for Linear Colliders

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1999-01-01

Feedback systems are essential for stable operation of a linear collider, providing a cost-effective method for relaxing tight tolerances. In the Stanford Linear Collider (SLC), feedback controls beam parameters such as trajectory, energy, and intensity throughout the accelerator. A novel dithering optimization system which adjusts final focus parameters to maximize luminosity contributed to achieving record performance in the 1997-98 run. Performance limitations of the steering feedback have been investigated, and improvements have been made. For the Next Linear Collider (NLC), extensive feedback systems are planned as an integral part of the design. Feedback requirements for JLC (the Japanese Linear Collider) are essentially identical to NLC; some of the TESLA requirements are similar but there are significant differences. For NLC, algorithms which incorporate improvements upon the SLC implementation are being prototyped. Specialized systems for the damping rings, rf and interaction point will operate at high bandwidth and fast response. To correct for the motion of individual bunches within a train, both feedforward and feedback systems are planned. SLC experience has shown that feedback systems are an invaluable operational tool for decoupling systems, allowing precision tuning, and providing pulse-to-pulse diagnostics. Feedback systems for the NLC will incorporate the key SLC features and the benefits of advancing technologies

Epigenetic Differentiation of Natural Populations of Lilium bosniacum Associated with Contrasting Habitat Conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Zoldoš, Vlatka; Biruš, Ivan; Muratovic, Edina; Šatovic, Zlatko; Vojta, Aleksandar; Robin, Odile; Pustahija, Fatima; Bogunic, Faruk; Vicic Bockor, Vedrana; Siljak-Yakovlev, Sonja

2018-01-01

Epigenetic variation in natural populations with contrasting habitats might be an important element, in addition to the genetic variation, in plant adaptation to environmental stress. Here, we assessed genetic, epigenetic, and cytogenetic structure of the three Lilium bosniacum populations growing on distinct habitats. One population was growing under habitual ecological conditions for this species and the other two were growing under stress associated with high altitude and serpentine soil. Amplified fragment length polymorphism and methylation-sensitive amplification polymorphism analyses revealed that the three populations did not differentiate genetically, but were clearly separated in three distinct clusters according to DNA methylation profiles. Principal coordinate analysis showed that overall epigenetic variation was closely related to habitat conditions. A new methylation-sensitive amplification polymorphism scoring approach allowed identification of mainly unmethylated (φST = 0.190) and fully CpG methylated (φST = 0.118) subepiloci playing a role in overall population differentiation, in comparison with hemimethylated sites (φST = 0.073). In addition, unusual rDNA repatterning and the presence of B chromosomes bearing 5S rDNA loci were recorded in the population growing on serpentine soil, suggesting dynamic chromosome rearrangements probably linked to global genome demethylation, which might have reactivated some mobile elements. We discuss our results considering our earlier data on morphology and leaf anatomy of several L. bosniacum populations, and suggest a possible role of epigenetics as a key element in population differentiation associated with environmental stress in these particular lily populations. © The Author(s) 2018. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution.

Feedback systems in the SLC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thompson, K.A.; Jobe, R.K.; Johnson, R.; Phinney, N.

1987-02-01

Two classes of computer-controlled feedback have been implemented to stabilize parameters in subsystems of the SLC: (1) ''slow'' (time scales ∼ minutes) feedback, and (2) ''fast'', i.e., pulse-to-pulse, feedback. The slow loops run in a single FEEDBACK process in the SLC host VAX, which acquires signals and sets control parameters via communication with the database and the network of normal SLC microprocessors. Slow loops exist to stabilize beam energy and energy spread, beam position and angle, and timing of kicker magnets, and to compensate for changes in the phase length of the rf drive line. The fast loops run in dedicated microprocessors, and may sample and/or feedback on particular parameters as often as every pulse of the SLC beam. The first implementations of fast feedback are to control transverse beam blow-up and to stabilize the energy and energy spread of bunches going into the SLC arcs. The overall architecture of the feedback software and the operator interface for controlling loops are discussed

Rapid Economic Growth and Natural Gas Consumption Nexus: Looking forward from Perspective of 11th Malaysian Plan

Science.gov (United States)

Bekhet, H. A.; Yasmin, T.

2016-03-01

The present study investigates the relationship between economic growth and energy consumption by incorporating CO2 emissions, natural gas consumption and population in Malaysia. Annual data and F-bound test and granger causality have applied to test the existence of long run relationship between the series. The results show that variables are cointegrated for long run relationship. The results also indicate that natural gas consumption is an important contributing factor to energy demand and hence economic growth in case of Malaysia. The causality analysis highlights that the feedback hypothesis exists between economic growth and energy consumption. While, conservative hypothesis is validated between natural gas consumption and economic growth which implies that economic growth will push natural gas consumption policies in future. This study opens up new direction for policy makers to formulate a comprehensive natural gas policy to sustain environment for long span of time in case to achieve 11th MP targets.

All about the money – External performance monitoring is affected by monetary, but not by socially conveyed feedback cues in more antisocial individuals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniela Melitta Pfabigan

2011-09-01

Full Text Available This study investigated the relationship between feedback processing and antisocial personality traits measured by the PSSI questionnaire (Kuhl & Kazén, 1997 in a healthy undergraduate sample. While event-related potentials (Feedback Related Negativity [FRN], P300 were recorded, participants encountered expected and unexpected feedback during a gambling task. As recent findings suggest learning problems and deficiencies during feedback processing in clinical populations of antisocial individuals, we performed two experiments with different healthy participants in which feedback about monetary gains or losses consisted either of social-emotional (facial emotion displays or non-social cues (numerical stimuli. Since the FRN and P300 are both sensitive to different aspects of feedback processing we hypothesized that they might help to differentiate between individuals scoring high and low on an antisocial trait measure.In line with previous evidence FRN amplitudes were enhanced after negative and after unexpected feedback stimuli. Crucially, participants scoring high on antisocial traits displayed larger FRN amplitudes than those scoring low only in response to expected and unexpected negative numerical feedback, but not in response to social-emotional feedback - irrespective of expectancy. P300 amplitudes were not modulated by antisocial traits at all, but by subjective reward probabilities. The present findings indicate that individuals scoring high on antisociality attribute higher motivational salience to monetary compared to emotional-social feedback which is reflected in FRN amplitude enhancement. Contrary to recent findings, however, no processing deficiencies concerning social-emotional feedback stimuli were apparent in those individuals. This indicates that stimulus salience is an important aspect in learning and feedback processes in individuals with antisocial traits which has potential implications for therapeutic interventions in

Emotional feedback for mobile devices

CERN Document Server

Seebode, Julia

2015-01-01

This book investigates the functional adequacy as well as the affective impression made by feedback messages on mobile devices. It presents an easily adoptable experimental setup to examine context effects on various feedback messages, and applies it to auditory, tactile and auditory-tactile feedback messages. This approach provides insights into the relationship between the affective impression and functional applicability of these messages as well as an understanding of the influence of unimodal components on the perception of multimodal feedback messages. The developed paradigm can also be extended to investigate other aspects of context and used to investigate feedback messages in modalities other than those presented. The book uses questionnaires implemented on a Smartphone, which can easily be adopted for field studies to broaden the scope even wider. Finally, the book offers guidelines for the design of system feedback.

Multi-bunch feedback systems

CERN Document Server

Lonza, M

2008-01-01

Coupled-bunch instabilities excited by the interaction of the particle beam with its surroundings can seriously limit the performance of circular particle accelerators. These instabilities can be cured by the use of active feedback systems based on sensors capable of detecting the unwanted beam motion and actuators that apply the feedback correction to the beam. The advances in electronic technology now allow the implementation of feedback loops using programmable digital systems. Besides important advantages in terms of flexibility and reproducibility, digital systems open the way to the use of novel diagnostic tools and additional features. The lecture will first introduce coupled-bunch instabilities analysing the equation of motion of charged particles and the different modes of oscillation of a multi-bunch beam, showing how they can be observed and measured. Different types of feedbacks systems will then be presented as examples of real implementations that belong to the history of multi-bunch feedback sy...

Multi-bunch Feedback Systems

CERN Document Server

Lonza, M.

2014-12-19

Coupled-bunch instabilities excited by the interaction of the particle beam with its surroundings can seriously limit the performance of circular particle accelerators. These instabilities can be cured by the use of active feedback systems based on sensors capable of detecting the unwanted beam motion and actuators that apply the feedback correction to the beam. Advances in electronic technology now allow the implementation of feedback loops using programmable digital systems. Besides important advantages in terms of flexibility and reproducibility, digital systems open the way to the use of novel diagnostic tools and additional features. We first introduce coupled-bunch instabilities, analysing the equation of motion of charged particles and the different modes of oscillation of a multi-bunch beam, showing how they can be observed and measured. Different types of feedback systems will then be presented as examples of real implementations that belong to the history of multi-bunch feedback systems. The main co...

Natural history of TPA-untreated minor stroke in the North Dublin population stroke study

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Marnane, M

2011-05-01

Introduction: Current guidelines recommend caution when considering emergency tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) therapy for patients with minor neurological deficits. However few data exist regarding the “natural history” (without tPA) of stroke in unselected population-based cohorts. We sought to evaluate the risk of long term disability in “minor stroke” patients.\\r\

Providing Feedback: Practical Skills and Strategies.

Science.gov (United States)

Sarkany, David; Deitte, Lori

2017-06-01

Feedback is an essential component of education. It is designed to influence, reinforce, and change behaviors, concepts, and attitudes in learners. Although providing constructive feedback can be challenging, it is a learnable skill. The negative consequences of destructive feedback or lack of feedback all together are far-reaching. This article summarizes the components of constructive feedback and provides readers with tangible skills to enhance their ability to give effective feedback to learners and peers. Copyright © 2017 The Association of University Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Training Peer-Feedback Skills on Geometric Construction Tasks: Role of Domain Knowledge and Peer-Feedback Levels

Science.gov (United States)

Alqassab, Maryam; Strijbos, Jan-Willem; Ufer, Stefan

2018-01-01

Peer feedback is widely used to train assessment skills and to support collaborative learning of various learning tasks, but research on peer feedback in the domain of mathematics is limited. Although domain knowledge seems to be a prerequisite for peer-feedback provision, it only recently received attention in the peer-feedback literature. In…

SOME ASPECTS OF FEATURES CONCEPT AND NATURE OF ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY LIFE URBAN POPULATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kirova M.

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Proved the concept and nature of the environmental safety of life of the urban population. A structural levels in the list of objects to enter the security levels of urban or rural communities of local communities, which changes the nature of the institutional environment environmental security. In assessing the quality of life of urban society used many parameters of socio-economic and environmental. General rules on the prevention of environmental degradation and risks to human health set forth in the applicable law "On Environmental Protection", on the basis of which developed a number of legal documents. As for the capital of Ukraine - Kyiv, it is a great cultural, historical and commercial and industrial center. So we can safely say that Kyiv is characterized by all the environmental problems that are inherent in all large cities. This, above all, traffic pollution, changes in the air quality, noise pollution, emissions of chemicals into the atmosphere, pollution, toxic waste, the problem of waste. But a special place in this region occupies a radioactive problem due to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Also, nearby, in the Kyiv region Kiev reservoir are with not the best environmental conditions. The most important components of ecosystems: the air of the city, urban and suburban water sources, soil city. International experts conducted a study in 215 cities around the world. Kyiv international ranking is 29 in place pollution. Thus, the problem of environmental security for the population of the city. Kyiv, as many large cities in Ukraine is quite relevant. In this regard, the article studies that the environmental safety of life of the urban population in the context of national security - a state of effective security systems (environment interconnected structural levels of the individual, the local community, society, state and international (global community of aggregate factors that endanger or threaten the very existence of which

Transcription profiles of mitochondrial genes correlate with mitochondrial DNA haplotypes in a natural population of Silene vulgaris

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Olson Matthew S

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Although rapid changes in copy number and gene order are common within plant mitochondrial genomes, associated patterns of gene transcription are underinvestigated. Previous studies have shown that the gynodioecious plant species Silene vulgaris exhibits high mitochondrial diversity and occasional paternal inheritance of mitochondrial markers. Here we address whether variation in DNA molecular markers is correlated with variation in transcription of mitochondrial genes in S. vulgaris collected from natural populations. Results We analyzed RFLP variation in two mitochondrial genes, cox1 and atp1, in offspring of ten plants from a natural population of S. vulgaris in Central Europe. We also investigated transcription profiles of the atp1 and cox1 genes. Most DNA haplotypes and transcription profiles were maternally inherited; for these, transcription profiles were associated with specific mitochondrial DNA haplotypes. One individual exhibited a pattern consistent with paternal inheritance of mitochondrial DNA; this individual exhibited a transcription profile suggestive of paternal but inconsistent with maternal inheritance. We found no associations between gender and transcript profiles. Conclusions Specific transcription profiles of mitochondrial genes were associated with specific mitochondrial DNA haplotypes in a natural population of a gynodioecious species S. vulgaris. Our findings suggest the potential for a causal association between rearrangements in the plant mt genome and transcription product variation.

Evidence for AGN feedback in low-mass galaxies

Science.gov (United States)

Masters, Karen; Penny, Sam; Smethurst, Rebecca; Krawczyk, Coleman; Nichol, Bob; SDSS-IV MaNGA

2018-01-01

Despite being the dominant galaxy population by number in groups and clusters, the formation and quenching mechanism of dwarf galaxies remains unknown. We present evidence for AGN feedback in a subset of 69 quenched low-mass galaxies (M* less than 5e9 Msun, fainter than Mr = -19) selected from the first two years of the MaNGA survey. The majority (85 per cent) of these quenched galaxies appear to reside in a group environment. We find 6 galaxies in our sample that appear to have an active AGN that is preventing on-going star-formation; this is the first time such a feedback mechanism has been observed in this mass range. Interestingly, five of these six galaxies have an ionised gas component that is kinematically offset from their stellar component, suggesting the gas is either recently accreted or outflowing. We hypothesise these six galaxies are low-mass equivalents to the “red geysers” observed in more massive galaxies. Of the other 62 galaxies in the sample, we find 8 do appear to have some low-level, residual star formation, or emission from hot, evolved stars. The remaining galaxies in our sample have no detectable ionised gas emission throughout their structures, consistent with them being quenched. I will show that despite being the "simplest" galaxies in our current models of galaxy formation, these quenched dwarf galaxies are a diverse population.

Sustainable feedback: students’ and tutors’ perceptions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Geitz, Gerry; Joosten-ten Brinke, Desirée; Kirschner, Paul A.

2018-01-01

Feedback has been shown to substantially influence students’ learning. However, not everything characterized as feedback is effective. Sustainable feedback places students in an active role in which they generate and use feedback from peers, self or others and aims at developing lifelong learning

Multi-bunch Feedback Systems

OpenAIRE

Lonza, M.; Schmickler, H.

2016-01-01

Coupled-bunch instabilities excited by the interaction of the particle beam with its surroundings can seriously limit the performance of circular particle accelerators. These instabilities can be cured by the use of active feedback systems based on sensors capable of detecting the unwanted beam motion and actuators that apply the feedback correction to the beam. Advances in electronic technology now allow the implementation of feedback loops using programmable digital systems. Besides importa...

Fire feedbacks over geological time and the evolution of atmospheric oxygen concentration

Science.gov (United States)

Mills, B.; Belcher, C.; Lenton, T. M.

2017-12-01

During the 4.5 billion year history of the Earth, the concentration of oxygen in the atmosphere has risen from trace levels to today's 21%. Yet over the last 400 million years, O2 concentration appears to have remained within a relatively narrow range (around 15% - 30%), despite dramatic changes in the nature of global biogeochemical cycling. This stability has been crucial for continued animal evolution, and is thought to have arisen through feedbacks between oxygen, wildfire and plant productivity: the strong oxygen- dependence of fire initiation and spread means that global photosynthetic primary productivity is suppressed when oxygen levels are high, and enhanced when levels are low. We present biogeochemical modelling of the long term carbon and oxygen cycles, which aims to capture the operation of the wildfire feedback alongside other key processes. We find that wildfire can effectively stabilize long term oxygen concentrations, but that the nature of this feedback has changed as plant evolution has provided different fuels. Specifically, the evolution of early angiosperms during the Cretaceous period provided new understory fuels that more easily facilitated crown and canopy fires. Adding these dynamics to our model produces a more stable system over long timescales, and the model predicts that oxygen concentration has declined towards the present day - a prediction that is supported by other independent estimates.

Cytogenetic analysis of the effect of chronic irradiation on natural Vicia Cracca L. populations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bondar', L.M.; Popova, O.N.; AN SSSR, Syktyvkar

1989-01-01

The study of microsporogenesis in Vicia cracca L. from chronically irradiated natural populations has demonstrated an increased number of wholly or partially sterile buds and reduced and damaged anthers. Both the number and the spectrum of chromosome and cell pathology increasing radiation dose, the exposed plants exhibiting meiosis disturbances that are not found in the controls

Natural carcinogenic fiber and pleural plaques assessment in a general population: A cross-sectional study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ledda, Caterina, E-mail: cledda@unict.it [Occupational Medicine, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, Catania (Italy); Hygiene and Public Health, Department Medical Sciences, Surgical and Advanced Technologies “GF Ingrassia”, University of Catania, Catania (Italy); Pomara, Cristoforo [Legal Medicine, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Foggia, Foggia (Italy); Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, University of Malta, Msida (Malta); Bracci, Massimo [Occupational Medicine, Department of Clinical and Molecular Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona (Italy); Mangano, Dario [Occupational Medicine, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, Catania (Italy); Ricceri, Vincenzo [Division of Radiology - Hospital of Biancavilla “Maria SS. Addolorata”, ASP Catania, Biancavilla (Italy); Musumeci, Andrea [Division of Radiology – University Hospital “Policlinico – Vittorio Emanuele”, University of Catania, Catania (Italy); Ferrante, Margherita [Hygiene and Public Health, Department Medical Sciences, Surgical and Advanced Technologies “GF Ingrassia”, University of Catania, Catania (Italy); Musumeci, Giuseppe; Loreto, Carla [Human Anatomy and Histology, Department of Biomedical and Biotechnology Sciences, University of Catania, Catania (Italy); Fenga, Concettina [Occupational Medicine, Department of the Environment, Safety, Territory, Food and Health Sciences, University of Messina, Messina (Italy); Santarelli, Lory [Occupational Medicine, Department of Clinical and Molecular Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona (Italy); Rapisarda, Venerando [Occupational Medicine, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, Catania (Italy)

2016-10-15

Natural carcinogenic fibers are asbestos and asbestiform fibers present as a natural component of soils or rocks. These fibers are released into the environment resulting in exposure of the general population. Environmental contamination by fibers are those cases occurred in: rural regions of Turkey, in Mediterranean countries and in other sites of the world, including northern Europe, USA and China. Fluoro-edenite(FE) is a natural mineral species first isolated in Biancavilla, Sicily. The fibers are similar in size and morphology to some amphibolic asbestos fibers, whose inhalation can cause chronic inflammation and cancer. The aim of the current study is to assess the presence and features of pleural plaques (PPs) in Biancavilla's general population exposed to FE through a retrospective cross-sectional study. All High-Resolution Computed Tomography (HRCT) chest scans carried out between June 2009 and June 2015 in Biancavilla municipality hospital site (exposed subjects) were reviewed. The exposed groups were 1:1 subjects, matched according to age and sex distributions, with unexposed subjects (n.1.240) randomly selected among HRCT chest scans carried out in a Hospital 30 km away from Biancavilla. Subjects from Biancavilla with PPs were significantly more numerous than the control group ones (218 vs 38). Average age of either group was >60 years; the age of exposed subjects was significantly (p=0.0312) lesser than the unexposed group. In exposed subjects, in most PPs thickness ranged between 2 and 4.9 cm(38%, n=83); while in unexposed ones PPs thickness was less than 2 cm (55%, n=21). As to the size of PPs in exposed subjects, in most cases it ranged between 1 cm and 24% of chest wall (53%, n=116); while in unexposed ones the size of PPs was lesser than 1 cm (23%, n=58). Among exposed subjects, 36 cases (17%) PPs were detected with calcification, whereas in unexposed ones only three (8%) presented calcification. 137 lung parenchymal abnormalities were

Influence of feedback characteristics on perceived learning value of feedback in clerkships : does culture matter?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Suhoyo, Yoyo; Van Hell, Elisabeth A.; Kerdijk, Wouter; Emilia, Ova; Schonrock-Adema, Johanna; Kuks, Jan B. M.; Cohen-Schotanus, Janke

2017-01-01

Background: Various feedback characteristics have been suggested to positively influence student learning. It is not clear how these feedback characteristics contribute to students' perceived learning value of feedback in cultures classified low on the cultural dimension of individualism and high on

Influence of feedback characteristics on perceived learning value of feedback in clerkships : does culture matter?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Suhoyo, Yoyo; Van Hell, Elisabeth A; Kerdijk, Wouter; Emilia, Ova; Schönrock-Adema, Johanna; Kuks, Jan B M; Cohen-Schotanus, Janke

2017-01-01

BACKGROUND: Various feedback characteristics have been suggested to positively influence student learning. It is not clear how these feedback characteristics contribute to students' perceived learning value of feedback in cultures classified low on the cultural dimension of individualism and high on

"Are You Listening Please?" The Advantages of Electronic Audio Feedback Compared to Written Feedback

Science.gov (United States)

Lunt, Tom; Curran, John

2010-01-01

Feedback on students' work is, probably, one of the most important aspects of learning, yet students' report, according to the National Union of Students (NUS) Survey of 2008, unhappiness with the feedback process. Students were unhappy with the quality, detail and timing of feedback. This paper examines the benefits of using audio, as opposed to…

The Impact of Middle-School Students' Feedback Choices and Performance on Their Feedback Memory

Science.gov (United States)

Cutumisu, Maria; Schwartz, Daniel L.

2016-01-01

This paper presents a novel examination of the impact of students' feedback choices and performance on their feedback memory. An empirical study was designed to collect the choices to seek critical feedback from a hundred and six Grade 8 middle-school students via Posterlet, a digital assessment game in which students design posters. Upon…

Land market feedbacks can undermine biodiversity conservation.

Science.gov (United States)

Armsworth, Paul R; Daily, Gretchen C; Kareiva, Peter; Sanchirico, James N

2006-04-04

The full or partial purchase of land has become a cornerstone of efforts to conserve biodiversity in countries with strong private property rights. Methods used to target areas for acquisition typically ignore land market dynamics. We show how conservation purchases affect land prices and generate feedbacks that can undermine conservation goals, either by displacing development toward biologically valuable areas or by accelerating its pace. The impact of these market feedbacks on the effectiveness of conservation depends on the ecological value of land outside nature reserves. Traditional, noneconomic approaches to site prioritization should perform adequately in places where land outside reserves supports little biodiversity. However, these approaches will perform poorly in locations where the countryside surrounding reserves is important for species' persistence. Conservation investments can sometimes even be counterproductive, condemning more species than they save. Conservation is most likely to be compromised in the absence of accurate information on species distributions, which provides a strong argument for improving inventories of biodiversity. Accounting for land market dynamics in conservation planning is crucial for making smart investment decisions.

Feedback, Incentives and Peer Effects

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Eriksson, Tor Viking; Poulsen, Anders; Villeval, Marie Claire

This paper experimentally investigates the impact of different pay and relative performance information policies on employee effort. We explore three information policies: No feedback, feedback given halfway through the production period, and continuously updated feedback about relative performan...... behind, and frontrunners do not slack off....

Natural areas and urban populations: communication and environmental education challenges and actions in outdoor recreation

Science.gov (United States)

Deborah J. Chavez

2005-01-01

Challenges, opportunities, and actions exist in areas where large urban populations interface with natural areas, such as outdoor recreation sites in southern California. Challenges in the interface include intense recreation use, public safety issues, and complex information strategies. Research results on communications and environmental education offer opportunities...

Evolution of natural populations in the Drosophila melanogaster sigma virus system I. Languedoc (southern France).

Science.gov (United States)

Fleuriet, A; Periquet, G; Anxolabéhère, D

1990-01-01

In natural populations of Drosophila melanogaster, sigma virus is usually present in a minority of individuals. The virus is transmitted transovarially but is not contagious from fly to fly. Two viral Types (I and II) are found in populations. One of them (Type II) is better adapted to an allele for resistance to the virus, present as a polymorphism in fly populations. Previous observations have led to the hypothesis that a viral Type II originating in central France might be invading populations. The study of Languedoc populations was undertaken to examine this hypothesis. Two striking phenomena were observed. The strong increase in Type II clones frequency (from 0.53 to 0.91) confirmed that there was invasion in this region. The frequency of infected flies also increased dramatically, at levels never observed elsewhere yet, which indicates that Languedoc should present some unusual characteristics. The epidemiological consequences of such a burst, in the case of a pathogenic virus would have to be taken into consideration. Significant changes in other viral characteristics, from 1983 to 1987, in Languedoc populations have also been documented.

The role of plant-soil feedbacks in driving native-species recovery.

Science.gov (United States)

Yelenik, Stephanie G; Levine, Jonathan M

2011-01-01

The impacts of exotic plants on soil nutrient cycling are often hypothesized to reinforce their dominance, but this mechanism is rarely tested, especially in relation to other ecological factors. In this manuscript we evaluate the influence of biogeochemically mediated plant-soil feedbacks on native shrub recovery in an invaded island ecosystem. The introduction of exotic grasses and grazing to Santa Cruz Island, California, USA, converted native shrublands (dominated by Artemisia californica and Eriogonum arborescens) into exotic-dominated grasslands (dominated by Avena barbata) over a century ago, altering nutrient-cycling regimes. To test the hypothesis that exotic grass impacts on soils alter reestablishment of native plants, we implemented a field-based soil transplant experiment in three years that varied widely in rainfall. Our results showed that growth of Avena and Artemisia seedlings was greater on soils influenced by their heterospecific competitor. Theory suggests that the resulting plant-soil feedback should facilitate the recovery of Artemisia in grasslands, although four years of monitoring showed no such recovery, despite ample seed rain. By contrast, we found that species effects on soils lead to weak to negligible feedbacks for Eriogonum arborescens, yet this shrub readily colonized the grasslands. Thus, plant-soil feedbacks quantified under natural climate and competitive conditions did not match native-plant recovery patterns. We also found that feedbacks changed with climate and competition regimes, and that these latter factors generally had stronger effects on seedling growth than species effects on soils. We conclude that even when plant-soil feedbacks influence the balance between native and exotic species, their influence may be small relative to other ecological processes.

Temperature extremes in a changing climate: Drivers and feedbacks (Invited)

Science.gov (United States)

Seneviratne, S. I.; Davin, E. L.; Hirschi, M.; Mueller, B.; Orlowsky, B.; Orth, R.; Wilhelm, M.

2013-12-01

Global warming increases the occurrence probability of hot extremes, and improving the predictability of such events is thus becoming of critical importance (e.g. Seneviratne et al. 2012). This presentation provides an overview of past and projected changes in hot extremes on the global and regional scale, and of the respective drivers and feedbacks responsible for their occurrence. In particular, soil moisture-temperature feedbacks have been identified as major drivers for hot extremes (e.g. Seneviratne et al. 2006, 2010; Hirschi et al. 2011). Recently, a global study (Mueller and Seneviratne 2012) has shown that wide areas of the world display a strong relationship between the number of hot days in the regions' hottest month and preceding precipitation deficits. These findings suggest that effects of soil moisture-temperature coupling are geographically more widespread than commonly assumed, with for instance large hot spots of soil moisture-temperature coupling in the Southern Hemisphere. Further results indicate that this relationship could be better used in the context of seasonal forecasting, allowing an early warning of impending hot summers (Mueller and Seneviratne 2012, Orth and Seneviratne 2013). In addition, the role of soil moisture-climate feedbacks for climate projections will also be discussed (e.g. Orlowsky and Seneviratne 2012; Seneviratne et al., 2013). Finally, we will address the relevance of the identified feedbacks in the context of urban climate, as well as potential relevant impacts of other land-climate interactions (e.g. from modifications in surface albedo). References: Hirschi, M., et al., 2011: Observational evidence for soil-moisture impact on hot extremes in southeastern Europe. Nature Geosci., 4, 17-21, doi:10.1038/ngeo1032. Mueller, B., and S.I. Seneviratne, 2012: Hot days induced by precipitation deficits at the global scale. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci., 109 (31), 12398-12403, doi: 10.1073/pnas.1204330109. Orth, R. and S.I. Seneviratne

"Proprioceptive signature" of cursive writing in humans: a multi-population coding.

Science.gov (United States)

Roll, Jean-Pierre; Albert, Frédéric; Ribot-Ciscar, Edith; Bergenheim, Mikael

2004-08-01

The goal of the present study was to investigate the firing behavior of populations of muscle spindle afferents in all the muscles acting on the ankle while this joint was being subjected to "writing-like" movements. First it was proposed to determine whether the ensemble of muscle spindles give rise to a unique, specific, and reproducible feedback information characterizing each letter, number or short word. Secondly, we analyzed how the proprioceptive feedback on the whole encodes the spatial and temporal characteristics of writing movements using the "vector population model". The unitary activity of 51 primary and secondary muscle spindle afferents was recorded in the tibial and common peroneal nerves at the level of the popliteal fossea, using the microneurographic method. The units recorded from belonged to the tibialis anterior, the extensor digitorum longus, the extensor hallucis longus, the peroneus lateralis, the gastrocnemius-soleus and the tibialis posterior muscles. The "writing-like" movements were randomly imposed at a "natural" velocity via a computer-controlled machine in a two-dimensional space. In general, muscle spindle afferents from any of the six muscles responded according to the tuning properties of the parent muscle, i.e. increasing their discharge rate during the phases where the direction of movement was within the preferred sensory sector of the parent muscle. The whole trajectory of the writing movements was coded in turn by the activity of Ia afferents arising from all the muscles acting on the joint. Both single afferent responses and population responses were found to be highly specific and reproducible with each graphic sign. The complex multi-muscle afferent pattern involved, with its timing and distribution in the muscle space, seems to constitute a true "proprioceptive signature" for each graphic symbol. The ensemble of muscle spindle afferents were therefore found to encode the instantaneous direction and velocity of writing

Using a Feedback Environment to Improve Creative Performance: A Dynamic Affect Perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Gong, Zhenxing; Zhang, Na

2017-01-01

Prior research on feedback and creative performance has neglected the dynamic nature of affect and has focused only on the influence of positive affect. We argue that creative performance is the result of a dynamic process in which a person experiences a phase of negative affect and subsequently enters a state of high positive affect that is influenced by the feedback environment. Hierarchical regression was used to analyze a sample of 264 employees from seven industry firms. The results indicate that employees' perceptions of a supportive supervisor feedback environment indirectly influence their level of creative performance through positive affect (t2); the negative affect (t1) moderates the relationship between positive affect (t2) and creative performance (t2), rendering the relationship more positive if negative affect (t1) is high. The change in positive affect mediates the relationship between the supervisor feedback environment and creative performance; a decrease in negative affect moderates the relationship between increased positive affect and creative performance, rendering the relationship more positive if the decrease in negative affect is large. The implications for improving the creative performances of employees are further discussed.

Using a Feedback Environment to Improve Creative Performance: A Dynamic Affect Perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhenxing Gong

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Prior research on feedback and creative performance has neglected the dynamic nature of affect and has focused only on the influence of positive affect. We argue that creative performance is the result of a dynamic process in which a person experiences a phase of negative affect and subsequently enters a state of high positive affect that is influenced by the feedback environment. Hierarchical regression was used to analyze a sample of 264 employees from seven industry firms. The results indicate that employees’ perceptions of a supportive supervisor feedback environment indirectly influence their level of creative performance through positive affect (t2; the negative affect (t1 moderates the relationship between positive affect (t2 and creative performance (t2, rendering the relationship more positive if negative affect (t1 is high. The change in positive affect mediates the relationship between the supervisor feedback environment and creative performance; a decrease in negative affect moderates the relationship between increased positive affect and creative performance, rendering the relationship more positive if the decrease in negative affect is large. The implications for improving the creative performances of employees are further discussed.

Competition overwhelms the positive plant-soil feedback generated by an invasive plant.

Science.gov (United States)

Crawford, Kerri M; Knight, Tiffany M

2017-01-01

Invasive plant species can modify soils in a way that benefits their fitness more than the fitness of native species. However, it is unclear how competition among plant species alters the strength and direction of plant-soil feedbacks. We tested how community context altered plant-soil feedback between the non-native invasive forb Lespedeza cuneata and nine co-occurring native prairie species. In a series of greenhouse experiments, we grew plants individually and in communities with soils that differed in soil origin (invaded or uninvaded by L. cuneata) and in soils that were live vs. sterilized. In the absence of competition, L. cuneata produced over 60% more biomass in invaded than uninvaded soils, while native species performance was unaffected. The absence of a soil origin effect in sterile soil suggests that the positive plant-soil feedback was caused by differences in the soil biota. However, in the presence of competition, the positive effect of soil origin on L. cuneata growth disappeared. These results suggest that L. cuneata may benefit from positive plant-soil feedback when establishing populations in disturbed landscapes with few interspecific competitors, but does not support the hypothesis that plant-soil feedbacks influence competitive outcomes between L. cuneata and native plant species. These results highlight the importance of considering whether competition influences the outcome of interactions between plants and soils.

Common-Message Broadcast Channels with Feedback in the Nonasymptotic Regime: Full Feedback

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Trillingsgaard, Kasper Fløe; Yang, Wei; Durisi, Giuseppe

2018-01-01

We investigate the maximum coding rate achievable on a two-user broadcast channel for the case where a common message is transmitted with feedback using either fixed-blocklength codes or variable-length codes. For the fixed-blocklength-code setup, we establish nonasymptotic converse and achievabi......We investigate the maximum coding rate achievable on a two-user broadcast channel for the case where a common message is transmitted with feedback using either fixed-blocklength codes or variable-length codes. For the fixed-blocklength-code setup, we establish nonasymptotic converse...... and achievability bounds. An asymptotic analysis of these bounds reveals that feedback improves the second-order term compared to the no-feedback case. In particular, for a certain class of anti-symmetric broadcast channels, we show that the dispersion is halved. For the variable-length-code setup, we demonstrate...

The hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid axis in teleosts and amphibians: Endocrine disruption and its consequences to natural populations

Science.gov (United States)

Carr, J.A.; Patino, R.

2011-01-01

Teleosts and pond-breeding amphibians may be exposed to a wide variety of anthropogenic, waterborne contaminants that affect the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis. Because thyroid hormone is required for their normal development and reproduction, the potential impact of HPT-disrupting contaminants on natural teleost and amphibian populations raises special concern. There is laboratory evidence indicating that persistent organic pollutants, heavy metals, pharmaceutical and personal care products, agricultural chemicals, and aerospace products may alter HPT activity, development, and reproduction in teleosts and amphibians. However, at present there is no evidence to clearly link contaminant-induced HPT alterations to impairments in teleost or amphibian population health in the field. Also, with the exception of perchlorate for which laboratory studies have shown a direct link between HPT disruption and adverse impacts on development and reproductive physiology, little is known about if or how other HPT-disrupting contaminants affect organismal performance. Future field studies should focus on establishing temporal associations between the presence of HPT-disrupting chemicals, the occurrence of HPT alterations, and adverse effects on development and reproduction in natural populations; as well as determining how complex mixtures of HPT contaminants affect organismal and population health. ?? 2010 Elsevier Inc.

The hypothalamus–pituitary–thyroid axis in teleosts and amphibians: Endocrine disruption and its consequences to natural populations

Science.gov (United States)

Carr, J.A.; Patino, Reynaldo

2011-01-01

Teleosts and pond-breeding amphibians may be exposed to a wide variety of anthropogenic, waterborne contaminants that affect the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis. Because thyroid hormone is required for their normal development and reproduction, the potential impact of HPT-disrupting contaminants on natural teleost and amphibian populations raises special concern. There is laboratory evidence indicating that persistent organic pollutants, heavy metals, pharmaceutical and personal care products, agricultural chemicals, and aerospace products may alter HPT activity, development, and reproduction in teleosts and amphibians. However, at present there is no evidence to clearly link contaminant-induced HPT alterations to impairments in teleost or amphibian population health in the field. Also, with the exception of perchlorate for which laboratory studies have shown a direct link between HPT disruption and adverse impacts on development and reproductive physiology, little is known about if or how other HPT-disrupting contaminants affect organismal performance. Future field studies should focus on establishing temporal associations between the presence of HPT-disrupting chemicals, the occurrence of HPT alterations, and adverse effects on development and reproduction in natural populations; as well as determining how complex mixtures of HPT contaminants affect organismal and population health.

Pyff - a pythonic framework for feedback applications and stimulus presentation in neuroscience.

Science.gov (United States)

Venthur, Bastian; Scholler, Simon; Williamson, John; Dähne, Sven; Treder, Matthias S; Kramarek, Maria T; Müller, Klaus-Robert; Blankertz, Benjamin

2010-01-01

This paper introduces Pyff, the Pythonic feedback framework for feedback applications and stimulus presentation. Pyff provides a platform-independent framework that allows users to develop and run neuroscientific experiments in the programming language Python. Existing solutions have mostly been implemented in C++, which makes for a rather tedious programming task for non-computer-scientists, or in Matlab, which is not well suited for more advanced visual or auditory applications. Pyff was designed to make experimental paradigms (i.e., feedback and stimulus applications) easily programmable. It includes base classes for various types of common feedbacks and stimuli as well as useful libraries for external hardware such as eyetrackers. Pyff is also equipped with a steadily growing set of ready-to-use feedbacks and stimuli. It can be used as a standalone application, for instance providing stimulus presentation in psychophysics experiments, or within a closed loop such as in biofeedback or brain-computer interfacing experiments. Pyff communicates with other systems via a standardized communication protocol and is therefore suitable to be used with any system that may be adapted to send its data in the specified format. Having such a general, open-source framework will help foster a fruitful exchange of experimental paradigms between research groups. In particular, it will decrease the need of reprogramming standard paradigms, ease the reproducibility of published results, and naturally entail some standardization of stimulus presentation.

The Effects of Post-observational Feedback Modes on Teaching Beliefs : Peer vs. Teacher-Mediated Feedback

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

İlknur Yuksel

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to investigate whether the pre-service teachers' language teaching beliefs changed as a result of two different post-observational reşective feedback modes; teacher mediated and peer feedback, during their teaching practice. For each post-observational feedback mode, two groups of eight Turkish pre-service language teachers attending to the final year at English Language Teaching Department at Anadolu University, totally 16 pre-service teachers participated in the study. The qualitative and quantitative data was collected at the beginning and end of the different feedback treatments from each group. The results indicated that the feedback modes on pre-service teachers’ teaching practice could influence their beliefs about teaching. Peer feedback had a potential to change the teachers’ beliefs through critical reşection skills that were fostered as a result of collaboration within the peer group

Feedback as real-time constructions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Keiding, Tina Bering; Qvortrup, Ane

2014-01-01

instant it takes place. This article argues for a clear distinction between the timing of communicative events, such as responses that are provided as help for feedback constructions, and the feedback construction itself as an event in a psychic system. Although feedback is described as an internal...

Bunch by bunch feedback systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tobiyama, Makoto

2006-01-01

Outlines of bunch-by-bunch feedback systems for suppressing multibunch instabilities in electron/positron storage rings are presented. The design principles and functions of the feedback components are reviewed. Recent topics of applying very fast and dense FPGA as feedback signal processor are also shown. (author)

On deciphering the book of nature: human communication in psychotherapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Goodheart, W B

1992-10-01

The tools of contemporary applied mathematics reveal important hidden regularities amidst the ongoing interactive feedback phenomena occurring in interactional or dynamical systems in nature where everything affects everything else. Badalamenti and Langs investigate each therapy session as a continuous sequential emergence of interrelated communicative events (or communicative states) which meet the criteria of a dynamical system. Applying mathematical modeling the authors demonstrate how otherwise hidden regularities occurring between patients and therapists become accessible to us that are unavailable to our unaided powers of observation, intuition, and thought. This is a systems or population investigation of clinical interaction that begins in a qualitative or domain mode, but which opens immediately toward statistical and formal modes of discussion. It can lead to statements of properties and laws that meet the criteria of scientific dialogue and validity. It provides the clinician with guidelines for making interpretations and for assessing their immediate subsequent effect. It is distinguished from the essentialist approach at the foundation of traditional clinical thought which provides no access to such feedback phenomena and their properties. Communicative Psychoanalysts have adopted the systems perspective and are evolving a clinical language and treatment based upon its principles and discoveries.

Vibrotactile Feedback Alters Dynamics Of Static Postural Control In Persons With Parkinson's Disease But Not Older Adults At High Fall Risk.

Science.gov (United States)

High, Carleigh M; McHugh, Hannah F; Mills, Stephen C; Amano, Shinichi; Freund, Jane E; Vallabhajosula, Srikant

2018-06-01

Aging and Parkinson's disease are often associated with impaired postural control. Providing extrinsic feedback via vibrotactile sensation could supplement intrinsic feedback to maintain postural control. We investigated the postural control response to vibrotactile feedback provided at the trunk during challenging stance conditions in older adults at high fall risk and individuals with Parkinson's disease compared to healthy older adults. Nine older adults at high fall risk, 9 persons with Parkinson's disease and 10 healthy older adults performed 30s quiet standing on a force platform under five challenging stance conditions with eyes open/closed and standing on firm/foam surface with feet together, each with and without vibrotactile feedback. During vibrotactile feedback trials, feedback was provided when participants swayed >10% over the center of their base of support. Participants were instructed vibrations would be in response to their movement. Magnitude of postural sway was estimated using center of pressure path length, velocity, and sway area. Dynamics of individuals' postural control was evaluated using detrended fluctuation analysis. Results showed that vibrotactile feedback induced a change in postural control dynamics among persons with Parkinson's disease when standing with intact intrinsic visual input and altered intrinsic somatosensory input, but there was no change in sway magnitude. However, use of vibrotactile feedback did not significantly alter dynamics of postural control in older adults with high risk of falling or reduce the magnitude of sway. Considering the effects of vibrotactile feedback were dependent on the population and stance condition, designing an optimal therapeutic regimen for balance training should be carefully considered and be specific to a target population. Furthermore, our results suggest that explicit instructions on how to respond to the vibrotactile feedback could affect training outcome. Copyright © 2018 The

Feedback Providing Improvement Strategies and Reflection on Feedback Use: Effects on Students' Writing Motivation, Process, and Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Duijnhouwer, Hendrien; Prins, Frans J.; Stokking, Karel M.

2012-01-01

This study investigated the effects of feedback providing improvement strategies and a reflection assignment on students' writing motivation, process, and performance. Students in the experimental feedback condition (n = 41) received feedback including improvement strategies, whereas students in the control feedback condition (n = 41) received…

Assessing farmers' community readiness towards the enhancement of natural enemy population in rice fields in Malacca

Science.gov (United States)

Fairuz, K.; Idris, A. G.; Syahrizan, S.; Hatijah, K.

2018-04-01

Malacca has committed to be a green technology state by the year 2020. Agriculture is one of the main industries that have been highlighted to achieve this goal especially rice farming activities. Some limitations for this issue have restricted the accomplishment of the plan including pesticide usage among rice farmers. The use of chemicals in rice field need to be reduced significantly in order to support the goal. One of the indicators to the successfulness of pesticide reduction is the increasing numbers of natural enemies' species abundance and population in the rice field. Natural enemies were important to regulate pest populations in rice field naturally. Farmers' readiness to participate in this issue is very important to ensure the successfulness. The level of readiness of farmers' community will determine whether they are ready or not to execute the plan. Unfortunately, such information in rice farmers' community was not properly measured. Thus this study was aimed to assess the readiness level of rice farmers' community to change in order to enhance natural enemies in their rice field. This study was adapting the CR model as its theoretical framework. Three rice farming area in Malacca were involved in this study namely, Jasin, Melaka Tengah and Alor Gajah. Questionnaires were used as major instrument and were randomly distributed to 224 farmers. Data collected were tested for their reliability, significance and level of readiness. Knowledge of issue, knowledge of effort and resources dimensions were found influencing the readiness dimension significantly, whilst the attitude and leadership dimensions were not. Generally, the level of readiness for farmers' community in Malacca was found in the sixth or initial stage, where some of them initially have started to practice a few related activities to enhance the natural enemies' population in their rice field. Continuous support and assistant from the leaders and local authorities are crucially needed in

Evolution of the Drosophila melanogaster-sigma virus system in a natural population from Tübingen.

Science.gov (United States)

Fleuriet, A; Sperlich, D

1992-11-01

In natural populations of D. melanogaster, usually, a minority of individuals are infected by a Rhabdovirus called sigma. This virus is not contagious but is vertically transmitted through the gametes. In D. melanogaster, a polymorphism for two alleles (O, permissive and P, restrictive) of a gene responsible for resistance to the virus is regularly observed in the wild. On the virus side two types are found, which differ in their sensitivity to the P allele: Type I is very sensitive, and Type II more resistant. Previous findings had led to the hypothesis that an invasion of Type II clones, starting from central France, might be spreading over European populations. This replacement of viral Type I by viral Type II in natural populations could be observed in Languedoc (southern France), where it led to a dramatic increase in the frequency of infected flies. The invasion hypothesis is confirmed by the data from samples collected at Tübingen, where the frequency of Type II clones increased from 0.27 to 0.93 over a 6-year period (1985-1991). However, over the same period, no increase in the frequency of infected flies was observed. The evolution of other viral characteristics is discussed.

Natural radiation level and doses to population in Anhui province

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1985-01-01

The absorbed dose rates in air 1 m above the ground from natural radiation and terrestrial gamma radiation in Anhui Province were surveyed. One measurement was made in every area of 90 km 2 . The absorbed dose rates in air from terrestrial radiation range from 54 to 90 nGy.h -1 with an average of 70 nGy.h -1 . The ratios of indoors-to-outdoors and of roads-to-outdoors are 1.5 and 0.9 respectively. The annual effective dose equivalent from external radiation is 0.68-1.05 mSv. The population-weighted average values for mountain area, plain, hilly land, and the Changjiang River basin as well as the annual collective effective dose equivalent were calculated

Competition as a source of constraint on life history evolution in natural populations.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, A J

2014-01-01

Competition among individuals is central to our understanding of ecology and population dynamics. However, it could also have major implications for the evolution of resource-dependent life history traits (for example, growth, fecundity) that are important determinants of fitness in natural populations. This is because when competition occurs, the phenotype of each individual will be causally influenced by the phenotypes, and so the genotypes, of competitors. Theory tells us that indirect genetic effects arising from competitive interactions will give rise to the phenomenon of 'evolutionary environmental deterioration', and act as a source of evolutionary constraint on resource-dependent traits under natural selection. However, just how important this constraint is remains an unanswered question. This article seeks to stimulate empirical research in this area, first highlighting some patterns emerging from life history studies that are consistent with a competition-based model of evolutionary constraint, before describing several quantitative modelling strategies that could be usefully applied. A recurrent theme is that rigorous quantification of a competition's impact on life history evolution will require an understanding of the causal pathways and behavioural processes by which genetic (co)variance structures arise. Knowledge of the G-matrix among life history traits is not, in and of itself, sufficient to identify the constraints caused by competition.

Can corrective feedback improve recognition memory?

Science.gov (United States)

Kantner, Justin; Lindsay, D Stephen

2010-06-01

An understanding of the effects of corrective feedback on recognition memory can inform both recognition theory and memory training programs, but few published studies have investigated the issue. Although the evidence to date suggests that feedback does not improve recognition accuracy, few studies have directly examined its effect on sensitivity, and fewer have created conditions that facilitate a feedback advantage by encouraging controlled processing at test. In Experiment 1, null effects of feedback were observed following both deep and shallow encoding of categorized study lists. In Experiment 2, feedback robustly influenced response bias by allowing participants to discern highly uneven base rates of old and new items, but sensitivity remained unaffected. In Experiment 3, a false-memory procedure, feedback failed to attenuate false recognition of critical lures. In Experiment 4, participants were unable to use feedback to learn a simple category rule separating old items from new items, despite the fact that feedback was of substantial benefit in a nearly identical categorization task. The recognition system, despite a documented ability to utilize controlled strategic or inferential decision-making processes, appears largely impenetrable to a benefit of corrective feedback.

Engaging Students with Audio Feedback

Science.gov (United States)

Cann, Alan

2014-01-01

Students express widespread dissatisfaction with academic feedback. Teaching staff perceive a frequent lack of student engagement with written feedback, much of which goes uncollected or unread. Published evidence shows that audio feedback is highly acceptable to students but is underused. This paper explores methods to produce and deliver audio…

Eco-feedback for non-consumption

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lim, V.; Jense, A.; Janmaat, J.; Funk, M.

2014-01-01

Eco-feedback is a strategy to increase awareness of resource use and to encourage conservation. We applied eco-feedback on household food waste with the prospective to increase awareness and explore its impact on food related decision-making. In this paper we present a prototype of an eco-feedback

A Journey towards Sustainable Feedback

Science.gov (United States)

Mutch, Allyson; Young, Charlotte; Davey, Tamzyn; Fitzgerald, Lisa

2018-01-01

Meeting students' expectations associated with the provision of feedback is a perennial challenge for tertiary education. Efforts to provide comprehensive, timely feedback within our own first year undergraduate public health courses have not always met students' expectations. In response, we sought to develop peer feedback activities to support…

Does Feedback Design Matter? A Neurofeedback Study Comparing Immersive Virtual Reality and Traditional Training Screens in Elderly

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Silvia Erika Kober

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Neurofeedback (NF is a Brain-Computer Interface (BCI application, in which the brain activity is fed back to the user in real-time enabling voluntary brain control. In this context, the significance of the feedback design is mainly unexplored. Highly immersive feedback scenarios using virtual reality (VR technique are available. However, their effects on subjective user experience as well as on objective outcome measures remain open. In the present article, we discuss the general pros and cons of using VR as feedback modality in BCI applications. Furthermore, we report on the results of an empirical study, in which the effects of traditional two-dimensional and three-dimensional VR based feedback scenarios on NF training performance and user experience in healthy older individuals and neurologic patients were compared. In conclusion, we suggest indications and contraindications of immersive VR feedback designs in BCI applications. Our results show that findings in healthy individuals are not always transferable to patient populations having an impact on serious game and feedback design.

Control of conducting polymer actuators without physical feedback: simulated feedback control approach with particle swarm optimization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xiang, Xingcan; Mutlu, Rahim; Alici, Gursel; Li, Weihua

2014-01-01

Conducting polymer actuators have shown significant potential in articulating micro instruments, manipulation devices, and robotics. However, implementing a feedback control strategy to enhance their positioning ability and accuracy in any application requires a feedback sensor, which is extremely large in size compared to the size of the actuators. Therefore, this paper proposes a new sensorless control scheme without the use of a position feedback sensor. With the help of the system identification technique and particle swarm optimization, the control scheme, which we call the simulated feedback control system, showed a satisfactory command tracking performance for the conducting polymer actuator’s step and dynamic displacement responses, especially under a disturbance, without needing a physical feedback loop, but using a simulated feedback loop. The primary contribution of this study is to propose and experimentally evaluate the simulated feedback control scheme for a class of the conducting polymer actuators known as tri-layer polymer actuators, which can operate both in dry and wet media. This control approach can also be extended to other smart actuators or systems, for which the feedback control based on external sensing is impractical. (paper)

The effects of feedback self-consistency, therapist status, and attitude toward therapy on reaction to personality feedback.

Science.gov (United States)

Collins, David R; Stukas, Arthur A

2006-08-01

Individuals' reactions to interpersonal feedback may depend on characteristics of the feedback and the feedback source. The present authors examined the effects of experimentally manipulated personality feedback that they--in the guise of therapists--e-mailed to participants on the degree of their acceptance of the feedback. Consistent with Self-Verification Theory (W. B. Swann Jr., 1987), participants accepted feedback that was consistent with their self-views more readily than they did feedback that was inconsistent with their self-views. Furthermore, the authors found main effects for therapist's status and participant's attitude toward therapy. Significant interactions showed effects in which high-status therapists and positive client attitudes increased acceptance of self-inconsistent feedback, effects that were only partially mediated by clients' perceptions of therapist competence. The present results indicate the possibility that participants may be susceptible to self-concept change or to self-fulfilling prophecy effects in therapy when they have a positive attitude toward therapy or are working with a high-status therapist.

The Effects of Source, Revision Possibility, and Amount of Feedback on Marketing Students' Impressions of Feedback on an Assignment

Science.gov (United States)

Ackerman, David S.; Dommeyer, Curt J.; Gross, Barbara L.

2017-01-01

This study examines how three factors affect students' reactions to critical feedback on an assignment--amount of feedback (none vs. low amount vs. high amount), source of feedback (instructor-provided feedback vs. peer-provided feedback), and the situational context of the feedback (revision of paper is or is not possible). An incomplete 3 × 2 ×…

Feedback en educación médica Feedback in medical education

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J.M. Fornells

2008-03-01

Full Text Available La propuesta de un modelo centrado en la persona que aprende y el desarrollo de estrategias de aprender a aprender persigue que los estudiantes sean más reflexivos y más autónomos en su propio proceso de aprendizaje y que se conviertan en los protagonistas de dicho proceso. Se trata, en definitiva, de dar los elementos necesarios a los estudiantes para que puedan autogestionar un proceso de aprendizaje permanente a lo largo de toda su vida profesional, una cuestión crucial en un contexto de evolución constante de los conocimientos. El feedback sería el retorno de información sobre su proceso de aprendizaje de acuerdo con unos objetivos preestablecidos. El feedback presenta información y no juicio, a diferencia de la evaluación, en consecuencia siempre es formativo. El feedback no es un fin en sí mismo sino un instrumento que informa al estudiante sobre su proceso de aprendizaje y facilita los cambios necesarios. El feedback estructurado y centrado en quien aprende se caracteriza por: autorreflexión del estudiante, centrado en quien aprende, preparación previa y relación de confianza tutor-residente.The proposal of a learner-centered model and the development of strategies for learning to learn, intends that students are more reflective and more independent in their own learning process and that they become the protagonists of this process. It really tries to give the students the necessary elements so that they can selfmanage a process of permanent learning throughout their professional life, a crucial question in a context of constant evolution of the knowledge. The return of information on the process of learning, in agreement with preestablished objectives. Feedback presents/displays information and is nonjudgemental, unlike the evaluation. Feedback always is formative. Feedback is not an aim in itself, but an instrument that informs the student on its process of learning and facilitates the necessary changes. Structured and

Drafting and acting on feedback supports student learning when writing essay assignments.

Science.gov (United States)

Freestone, Nicholas

2009-06-01

A diverse student population is a relatively recent feature of the higher education system in the United Kingdom. Consequently, it may be thought that more "traditional" types of assessment based around essay writing skills for science undergraduates may be of decreasing value and relevance to contemporary students. This article describes a study in which the process of feedback on, and associated redrafting of, an essay was closely supervised to improve essay writing skills and subsequent exam performance. The results of this study show that students can significantly improve their learning and academic performance, as assessed by final examination mark, by a process that more closely mimics a "real-world" situation of review and redrafting. Additionally, the data show that students benefit from feedback only when this is used appropriately by the student. The article also discusses the continuing importance and relevance of essay writing skills so that writing, and acting upon feedback to do with that writing, remains an integral part of the process of learning.

Neural cryptography with feedback.

Science.gov (United States)

Ruttor, Andreas; Kinzel, Wolfgang; Shacham, Lanir; Kanter, Ido

2004-04-01

Neural cryptography is based on a competition between attractive and repulsive stochastic forces. A feedback mechanism is added to neural cryptography which increases the repulsive forces. Using numerical simulations and an analytic approach, the probability of a successful attack is calculated for different model parameters. Scaling laws are derived which show that feedback improves the security of the system. In addition, a network with feedback generates a pseudorandom bit sequence which can be used to encrypt and decrypt a secret message.

Det ved vi om Feedback

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Vibeke; Bærenholdt, Jørgen

Præsentation af forskningsviden om feedback i forskellige personkonstellationer i undervisningen: Feedback fra lærer til elev, fra elever til lærer, fra elev til elev og elevens eget arbejde med feedback til sig selv. De præsenterede forskningsresultater er udvalgt dels inden for en kognitivistisk...

Genetic, epigenetic, and HPLC fingerprint differentiation between natural and ex situ populations of Rhodiola sachalinensis from Changbai Mountain, China.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Wei; Shi, Xiaozheng; Li, Jiangnan; Guo, Wei; Liu, Chengbai; Chen, Xia

2014-01-01

Rhodiola sachalinensis is an endangered species with important medicinal value. We used inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) and methylation-sensitive amplified polymorphism (MSAP) markers to analyze genetic and epigenetic differentiation in different populations of R. sachalinensis, including three natural populations and an ex situ population. Chromatographic fingerprint was used to reveal HPLC fingerprint differentiation. According to our results, the ex situ population of R. sachalinensis has higher level genetic diversity and greater HPLC fingerprint variation than natural populations, but shows lower epigenetic diversity. Most genetic variation (54.88%) was found to be distributed within populations, and epigenetic variation was primarily distributed among populations (63.87%). UPGMA cluster analysis of ISSR and MSAP data showed identical results, with individuals from each given population grouping together. The results of UPGMA cluster analysis of HPLC fingerprint patterns was significantly different from results obtained from ISSR and MSAP data. Correlation analysis revealed close relationships among altitude, genetic structure, epigenetic structure, and HPLC fingerprint patterns (R2 = 0.98 for genetic and epigenetic distance; R2 = 0.90 for DNA methylation level and altitude; R2 = -0.95 for HPLC fingerprint and altitude). Taken together, our results indicate that ex situ population of R. sachalinensis show significantly different genetic and epigenetic population structures and HPLC fingerprint patterns. Along with other potential explanations, these findings suggest that the ex situ environmental factors caused by different altitude play an important role in keeping hereditary characteristic of R. sachalinensis.

Continuous parametric feedback cooling of a single atom in an optical cavity

Science.gov (United States)

Sames, C.; Hamsen, C.; Chibani, H.; Altin, P. A.; Wilk, T.; Rempe, G.

2018-05-01

We demonstrate a feedback algorithm to cool a single neutral atom trapped inside a standing-wave optical cavity. The algorithm is based on parametric modulation of the confining potential at twice the natural oscillation frequency of the atom, in combination with fast and repetitive atomic position measurements. The latter serve to continuously adjust the modulation phase to a value for which parametric excitation of the atomic motion is avoided. Cooling is limited by the measurement backaction which decoheres the atomic motion after only a few oscillations. Nonetheless, applying this feedback scheme to an ˜5 -kHz oscillation mode increases the average storage time of a single atom in the cavity by a factor of 60 to more than 2 s. In contrast to previous feedback schemes, our algorithm is also capable of cooling a much faster ˜500 -kHz oscillation mode within just microseconds. This demonstrates that parametric cooling is a powerful technique that can be applied in all experiments where optical access is limited.

Random distributed feedback fibre lasers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Turitsyn, Sergei K., E-mail: s.k.turitsyn@aston.ac.uk [Aston Institute of Photonic Technologies, Aston University, Birmingham B4 7ET (United Kingdom); Novosibirsk State University, 2 Pirogova str., 630090, Novosibirsk (Russian Federation); Babin, Sergey A. [Novosibirsk State University, 2 Pirogova str., 630090, Novosibirsk (Russian Federation); Institute of Automation and Electrometry SB RAS, 1 Ac. Koptug. ave., 630090, Novosibirsk (Russian Federation); Churkin, Dmitry V. [Aston Institute of Photonic Technologies, Aston University, Birmingham B4 7ET (United Kingdom); Novosibirsk State University, 2 Pirogova str., 630090, Novosibirsk (Russian Federation); Institute of Automation and Electrometry SB RAS, 1 Ac. Koptug. ave., 630090, Novosibirsk (Russian Federation); Vatnik, Ilya D.; Nikulin, Maxim [Institute of Automation and Electrometry SB RAS, 1 Ac. Koptug. ave., 630090, Novosibirsk (Russian Federation); Podivilov, Evgenii V. [Novosibirsk State University, 2 Pirogova str., 630090, Novosibirsk (Russian Federation); Institute of Automation and Electrometry SB RAS, 1 Ac. Koptug. ave., 630090, Novosibirsk (Russian Federation)

2014-09-10

The concept of random lasers exploiting multiple scattering of photons in an amplifying disordered medium in order to generate coherent light without a traditional laser resonator has attracted a great deal of attention in recent years. This research area lies at the interface of the fundamental theory of disordered systems and laser science. The idea was originally proposed in the context of astrophysics in the 1960s by V.S. Letokhov, who studied scattering with “negative absorption” of the interstellar molecular clouds. Research on random lasers has since developed into a mature experimental and theoretical field. A simple design of such lasers would be promising for potential applications. However, in traditional random lasers the properties of the output radiation are typically characterized by complex features in the spatial, spectral and time domains, making them less attractive than standard laser systems in terms of practical applications. Recently, an interesting and novel type of one-dimensional random laser that operates in a conventional telecommunication fibre without any pre-designed resonator mirrors–random distributed feedback fibre laser–was demonstrated. The positive feedback required for laser generation in random fibre lasers is provided by the Rayleigh scattering from the inhomogeneities of the refractive index that are naturally present in silica glass. In the proposed laser concept, the randomly backscattered light is amplified through the Raman effect, providing distributed gain over distances up to 100 km. Although an effective reflection due to the Rayleigh scattering is extremely small (∼0.1%), the lasing threshold may be exceeded when a sufficiently large distributed Raman gain is provided. Such a random distributed feedback fibre laser has a number of interesting and attractive features. The fibre waveguide geometry provides transverse confinement, and effectively one-dimensional random distributed feedback leads to the

Random distributed feedback fibre lasers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Turitsyn, Sergei K.; Babin, Sergey A.; Churkin, Dmitry V.; Vatnik, Ilya D.; Nikulin, Maxim; Podivilov, Evgenii V.

2014-01-01

The concept of random lasers exploiting multiple scattering of photons in an amplifying disordered medium in order to generate coherent light without a traditional laser resonator has attracted a great deal of attention in recent years. This research area lies at the interface of the fundamental theory of disordered systems and laser science. The idea was originally proposed in the context of astrophysics in the 1960s by V.S. Letokhov, who studied scattering with “negative absorption” of the interstellar molecular clouds. Research on random lasers has since developed into a mature experimental and theoretical field. A simple design of such lasers would be promising for potential applications. However, in traditional random lasers the properties of the output radiation are typically characterized by complex features in the spatial, spectral and time domains, making them less attractive than standard laser systems in terms of practical applications. Recently, an interesting and novel type of one-dimensional random laser that operates in a conventional telecommunication fibre without any pre-designed resonator mirrors–random distributed feedback fibre laser–was demonstrated. The positive feedback required for laser generation in random fibre lasers is provided by the Rayleigh scattering from the inhomogeneities of the refractive index that are naturally present in silica glass. In the proposed laser concept, the randomly backscattered light is amplified through the Raman effect, providing distributed gain over distances up to 100 km. Although an effective reflection due to the Rayleigh scattering is extremely small (∼0.1%), the lasing threshold may be exceeded when a sufficiently large distributed Raman gain is provided. Such a random distributed feedback fibre laser has a number of interesting and attractive features. The fibre waveguide geometry provides transverse confinement, and effectively one-dimensional random distributed feedback leads to the

Multiple greenhouse gas feedbacks from the land biosphere under future climate change scenarios

Science.gov (United States)

Stocker, Benjamin; Roth, Raphael; Joos, Fortunat; Spahni, Renato; Steinacher, Marco; Zaehle, Soenke; Bouwman, Lex; Xu-Ri, Xu-Ri; Prentice, Colin

2013-04-01

Atmospheric concentrations of the three important greenhouse gases (GHG) CO2, CH4, and N2O are mediated by processes in the terrestrial biosphere. The sensitivity of terrestrial GHG emissions to climate and CO2 contributed to the sharp rise in atmospheric GHG concentrations since preindustrial times and leads to multiple feedbacks between the terrestrial biosphere and the climate system. The strength of these feedbacks is determined by (i) the sensitivity of terrestrial GHG emissions to climate and CO2 and (ii) the greenhouse warming potential of the respective gas. Here, we quantify feedbacks from CO2, CH4, N2O, and land surface albedo in a consistent and comprehensive framework based on a large set of simulations conducted with an Earth System Model of Intermediate Complexity. The modeled sensitivities of CH4 and N2O emissions are tested, demonstrating that independent data for non-land (anthropogenic, oceanic, etc.) GHG emissions, combined with simulated emissions from natural and agricultural land reproduces historical atmospheric budgets within their uncertainties. 21st-century scenarios for climate, land use change and reactive nitrogen inputs (Nr) are applied to investigate future GHG emissions. Results suggest that in a business-as-usual scenario, terrestrial N2O emissions increase from 9.0 by today to 9.8-11.1 (RCP 2.6) and 14.2-17.0 TgN2O-N/yr by 2100 (RCP 8.5). Without anthropogenic Nr inputs, the amplification is reduced by 24-32%. Soil CH4 emissions increase from 221 at present to 228-245 in RCP 2.6 and to 303-343 TgCH4/yr in RCP 8.5, and the land becomes a net source of C by 2100 AD. Feedbacks from land imply an additional warming of 1.3-1.5°C by 2300 in RCP 8.5, 0.4-0.5°C of which are due to N2O and CH4. The combined effect of multiple GHGs and albedo represents an increasingly positive total feedback to anthropogenic climate change with positive individual feedbacks from CH4, N2O, and albedo outweighing the diminishing negative feedback from CO2

Reproduction in Cage Populations of a Polymorphism Regularly Observed in the Natural Populations of DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER in France.

Science.gov (United States)

Fleuriet, A

1978-04-01

Polymorphism for both alleles of a gene ref(2)P, which is a usual trait of French natural populations of Drosophila melanogaster , can be reproduced in experimental conditions. ref(2)P is a gene for resistance to the hereditary, noncontagious Rhabdovirus sigma, responsible for CO(2) sensitivity in Drosophila melanogaster . The equilibrium frequencies observed in cages are the same as in the wild, whether sigma virus is present or not. The rapid rate of return to these equilibrium frequencies indicates that strong forces, which remain to be determined, are responsible for the maintenance of this polymorphism.

Similar patterns of rDNA evolution in synthetic and recently formed natural populations of Tragopogon (Asteraceae allotetraploids

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Soltis Pamela S

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Tragopogon mirus and T. miscellus are allotetraploids (2n = 24 that formed repeatedly during the past 80 years in eastern Washington and adjacent Idaho (USA following the introduction of the diploids T. dubius, T. porrifolius, and T. pratensis (2n = 12 from Europe. In most natural populations of T. mirus and T. miscellus, there are far fewer 35S rRNA genes (rDNA of T. dubius than there are of the other diploid parent (T. porrifolius or T. pratensis. We studied the inheritance of parental rDNA loci in allotetraploids resynthesized from diploid accessions. We investigate the dynamics and directionality of these rDNA losses, as well as the contribution of gene copy number variation in the parental diploids to rDNA variation in the derived tetraploids. Results Using Southern blot hybridization and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH, we analyzed copy numbers and distribution of these highly reiterated genes in seven lines of synthetic T. mirus (110 individuals and four lines of synthetic T. miscellus (71 individuals. Variation among diploid parents accounted for most of the observed gene imbalances detected in F1 hybrids but cannot explain frequent deviations from repeat additivity seen in the allotetraploid lines. Polyploid lineages involving the same diploid parents differed in rDNA genotype, indicating that conditions immediately following genome doubling are crucial for rDNA changes. About 19% of the resynthesized allotetraploid individuals had equal rDNA contributions from the diploid parents, 74% were skewed towards either T. porrifolius or T. pratensis-type units, and only 7% had more rDNA copies of T. dubius-origin compared to the other two parents. Similar genotype frequencies were observed among natural populations. Despite directional reduction of units, the additivity of 35S rDNA locus number is maintained in 82% of the synthetic lines and in all natural allotetraploids. Conclusions Uniparental reductions of

Tactile feedback improves auditory spatial localization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Monica eGori

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Our recent studies suggest that congenitally blind adults have severely impaired thresholds in an auditory spatial-bisection task, pointing to the importance of vision in constructing complex auditory spatial maps (Gori et al., 2014. To explore strategies that may improve the auditory spatial sense in visually impaired people, we investigated the impact of tactile feedback on spatial auditory localization in 48 blindfolded sighted subjects. We measured auditory spatial bisection thresholds before and after training, either with tactile feedback, verbal feedback or no feedback. Audio thresholds were first measured with a spatial bisection task: subjects judged whether the second sound of a three sound sequence was spatially closer to the first or the third sound. The tactile-feedback group underwent two audio-tactile feedback sessions of 100 trials, where each auditory trial was followed by the same spatial sequence played on the subject’s forearm; auditory spatial bisection thresholds were evaluated after each session. In the verbal-feedback condition, the positions of the sounds were verbally reported to the subject after each feedback trial. The no-feedback group did the same sequence of trials, with no feedback. Performance improved significantly only after audio-tactile feedback. The results suggest that direct tactile feedback interacts with the auditory spatial localization system, possibly by a process of cross-sensory recalibration. Control tests with the subject rotated suggested that this effect occurs only when the tactile and acoustic sequences are spatially coherent. Our results suggest that the tactile system can be used to recalibrate the auditory sense of space. These results encourage the possibility of designing rehabilitation programs to help blind persons establish a robust auditory sense of space, through training with the tactile modality.

Feedback to Managers, Volume II: A Review and Comparison of Sixteen Multi-Rater Feedback Instruments.

Science.gov (United States)

Van Velsor, Ellen; Leslie, Jean Brittain

"Feedback to Managers" is a two-volume report. Volume 2 compares 16 of the better feedback instruments available. The following are the instruments: (1) ACUMEN Group Feedback; (2) BENCHMARKS; (3) the Campbell Leadership Index; (4) COMPASS: the Managerial Practices Survey; (5) the Executive Success Profile; (6) Leader Behavior Analysis…

Mother-offspring data in a study of the mating system in a natural population of Bulinus globosus (Gastropoda: Planorbidae) in Zimbabwe

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mukaratira, S.; Chandiwana, S.K.; Siegismund, Hans Redlef

1996-01-01

The mating system of a natural population of Bulinus globosus from the Chiweshe area, Zimbabwe, was studied with mother-offspring data using isozyme genetic markers. The study was done in response to work on the genetic structure of this population which suggested a limited extent of cross......-fertilization. Of the 24 adults whose progenies were analysed, at least 15 showed evidence of outcrossing and 9 had results consistent with selfing. These results show that the two modes of reproduction are important under natural conditions and the mating system of this population is considered to be ‘partially-selfing'....

ABCDEFG IS - the principle of constructive feedback.

Science.gov (United States)

Bhattarai, M

2007-01-01

Feedback is an integral part of any learning experience. Constructive feedback is a powerful instrument and facilitates the learner's professional and personal development. "ABCDEFG IS", a mnemonic for the principles of constructive feedback, stands for Amount of the information, Benefit of the trainees, Change behaviour, Descriptive language, Environment, Focused, Group check, Interpretation check, and Sharing information. The eight important steps of feedback are: Ensure prior information, Collect data, Make appropriate meeting arrangement, Begin by encouraging self assessment by the trainee, Highlight areas where the trainee is doing well, Give feedback, Handle reaction maintaining the dignity and Plan actions. Communication and reflection also share many of the principles and steps of constructive feedback and giving regular feedback, thus, helps to improve communication and reflection. The feedback provider would be able to provide genuine feedback by following the appropriate steps and principles of constructive feedback and realize how important and rewarding its role is in teaching learning activities.

The relativistic feedback discharge model of terrestrial gamma ray flashes

Science.gov (United States)

Dwyer, Joseph R.

2012-02-01

As thunderclouds charge, the large-scale fields may approach the relativistic feedback threshold, above which the production of relativistic runaway electron avalanches becomes self-sustaining through the generation of backward propagating runaway positrons and backscattered X-rays. Positive intracloud (IC) lightning may force the large-scale electric fields inside thunderclouds above the relativistic feedback threshold, causing the number of runaway electrons, and the resulting X-ray and gamma ray emission, to grow exponentially, producing very large fluxes of energetic radiation. As the flux of runaway electrons increases, ionization eventually causes the electric field to discharge, bringing the field below the relativistic feedback threshold again and reducing the flux of runaway electrons. These processes are investigated with a new model that includes the production, propagation, diffusion, and avalanche multiplication of runaway electrons; the production and propagation of X-rays and gamma rays; and the production, propagation, and annihilation of runaway positrons. In this model, referred to as the relativistic feedback discharge model, the large-scale electric fields are calculated self-consistently from the charge motion of the drifting low-energy electrons and ions, produced from the ionization of air by the runaway electrons, including two- and three-body attachment and recombination. Simulation results show that when relativistic feedback is considered, bright gamma ray flashes are a natural consequence of upward +IC lightning propagating in large-scale thundercloud fields. Furthermore, these flashes have the same time structures, including both single and multiple pulses, intensities, angular distributions, current moments, and energy spectra as terrestrial gamma ray flashes, and produce large current moments that should be observable in radio waves.