Search results for "Alis"

Out in the open : behavior’s effect on predation risk and thermoregulation by aposematic caterpillars

2020

Abstract Warning coloration should be under strong stabilizing selection but often displays considerable intraspecific variation. Opposing selection on color by predators and temperature is one potential explanation for this seeming paradox. Despite the importance of behavior for both predator avoidance and thermoregulation, its role in mediating selection by predators and temperature on warning coloration has received little attention. Wood tiger moth caterpillars, Arctia plantaginis, have aposematic coloration, an orange patch on the black body. The size of the orange patch varies considerably: individuals with larger patches are safer from predators, but having a small patch is beneficia…

Social learning within and across predator species reduces attacks on novel aposematic prey

2020

Abstract To make adaptive foraging decisions, predators need to gather information about the profitability of prey. As well as learning from prey encounters, recent studies show that predators can learn about prey defences by observing the negative foraging experiences of conspecifics. However, predator communities are complex. While observing heterospecifics may increase learning opportunities, we know little about how social information use varies across predator species.Social transmission of avoidance among predators also has potential consequences for defended prey. Conspicuous aposematic prey are assumed to be an easy target for naïve predators, but this cost may be reduced if multipl…

Direct and transgenerational effects of an experimental heatwave on early life stages in a freshwater snail

2019

1. Global climate change imposes a serious threat to natural populations of many species. Estimates of the effects of climate change‐mediated environmental stresses are, however, often based only on their direct effects on organisms, and neglect the potential transgenerational (e.g. maternal) effects. 2. We tested whether high temperature (i.e. an experimental heatwave), which is known to reduce the performance of adult Lymnaea stagnalis snails, affects the produced offspring (eggs and hatchlings) through maternal effects, and how strong these effects are compared with the effects of direct exposure of offspring to high temperature. We examined the effect of maternal thermal environment (15…

What a line can say : Investigating the semiotic potential of the connecting line in data visualizations

2020

The line is a graphical element widely used in data visualizations, its purpose often being to signal a connection between other visual elements. Based on social semiotic theory, this article investigates what semiotic functions connecting lines can have and how these functions can be related to variations in form. The results show that, in addition to the basic function of connecting elements, such lines can also indicate the level of certainty, direct the viewer to read the information either as a narrative or a conceptual claim, indicate patterns of cohesion, and regulate the viewer’s position. These findings allow for further empirical research on the formation of visual conventions.

Peer-to-peer cooperative GNSS-based localization for stationary reference nodes in wireless sensor networks

2017

Most localization algorithms in wireless sensor networks rely on a few reference nodes with known locations to estimate the locations of unknown nodes. The locations of reference nodes can be either manually configured or, more practically, obtained by means of some satellite-based positioning system(s). However, satellite-based locations may be inaccurate and imprecise, which results in reduced location accuracy of localization algorithms. This paper proposes a peer-to-peer cooperative GNSS-based localization algorithm for stationary reference nodes to improve their relative location accuracy and precision. The algorithm applies simple statistical methods and GNSS-based information from mu…

Four steps to identify mechanisms of ICT4D: A critical realism-based methodology

2018

Teaching clinical reasoning and decision-making skills to nursing students: Design, development, and usability evaluation of a serious game

2016

Background\ud \ud Serious games (SGs) are a type of simulation technology that may provide nursing students with the opportunity to practice their clinical reasoning and decision-making skills in a safe and authentic environment. Despite the growing number of SGs developed for healthcare professionals, few SGs are video based or address the domain of home health care.\ud \ud Aims\ud \ud This paper aims to describe the design, development, and usability evaluation of a video based SG for teaching clinical reasoning and decision-making skills to nursing students who care for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in home healthcare settings.\ud \ud Methods\ud \ud A prototy…

Usability and acceptability assessment of an empathic virtual agent to prevent major depression

2016

In Human-Computer Interaction, the adaptation of the content and the way of how this content is communicated to the users in interactive sessions is a critical issue to promote the acceptability and usability of any computational system. We present a user-adapted interactive platform to identify and provide an early intervention for symptoms of depression and suicide. In particular, we describe the work performed to assess users' system acceptability and usability. An empathic Virtual Agent is the main interface with the user, and it has been designed to generate the appropriate dialogues and emotions during the interactions according to the detected user's specific needs. This personalizat…

A laplace type problem for three lattices with non-convex cell

2016

In this paper we consider three lattices with cells represented in Fig. 1, 3 and 5 and we determine the probability that a random segment of constant length intersects a side of lattice. c ⃝2016 All rights reserved.

Game Theoretic Decentralized Feedback Controls in Markov Jump Processes

2017

This paper studies a decentralized routing problem over a network, using the paradigm of mean-field games with large number of players. Building on a state-space extension technique, we turn the problem into an optimal control one for each single player. The main contribution is an explicit expression of the optimal decentralized control which guarantees the convergence both to local and to global equilibrium points. Furthermore, we study the stability of the system also in the presence of a delay which we model using an hysteresis operator. As a result of the hysteresis, we prove existence of multiple equilibrium points and analyze convergence conditions. The stability of the system is ill…