Search results for "Models"

Spatial representations of the future in Homeric Greek

The aim of this paper is to investigate the space-time mapping of the future in Homeric Greek. It is widely accepted that the spatial adverbs πρόσσω ‘in front’ and ὀπίσσω ‘behind’ in the Homeric poems are used to portray temporal events located in a sequence of aligned entities that follow one after the other on the same path (Dunkel 1983: 66). In such a temporal sequence, or Time-RP model, those adverbs are associated respectively to past and future events in a dichotomous spatial representation of time, without involving a deictic ego-experiencer. After analyzing data from the Homeric poems in a cognitive linguistic perspective, it is found that some temporal uses of the preposition πρό ‘…

Statistical analysis of latency outcomes in behavioral experiments

2011

In experimental designs of animal models, memory is often assessed by the time for a performance measure to occur (latency). Depending on the cognitive test, this may be the time it takes an animal to escape to a hidden platform (water maze), an escape tunnel (Barnes maze) or to enter a dark component (passive avoidance test). Latency outcomes are usually statistically analyzed using ANOVAs. Besides strong distributional assumptions, ANOVA cannot properly deal with animals not showing the performance measure within the trial time, potentially causing biased and misleading results. We propose an alternative approach for statistical analyses of latency outcomes. These analyses have less distr…

Modelagem espacial bayesiana para riqueza de elasmobrânquios do extremo sul do Brasil

2019

Compreender a distribuição espacial de espécies vulneráveis a exploração pesqueira pode subsidiar ações de manejo e conservação. O objetivo deste estudo foi mapear possíveis habitats essenciais para riqueza de elasmobrânquios no sul do Brasil. Os dados são oriundos de cruzeiro científico realizado em fevereiro de 2005 entre o arroio Chuí (33°45'S) e o Cabo de Santa Marta Grande (28°36'S). As informações disponíveis são posições georeferenciadas de 64 estações oceanográficas, a quantificação das capturas de elasmobrânquios e teleósteos com pesca de arrasto de fundo e o registro dos parâmetros ambientais de profundidade, temperatura e salinidade. Os dados foram ajustados a um Modelo Linear Ge…

Molecular phylogenetics and historical biogeography of the west-palearctic common toads (Bufo bufo species complex)

2012

In most pan-Eurasiatic species complexes, two phenomena have been traditionally considered key processes of their cladogenesis and biogeography. First, it is hypothesized that the origin and development of the Central Asian Deserts generated a biogeographic barrier that fragmented past continuous distributions in Eastern and Western domains. Second, Pleistocene glaciations have been proposed as the main process driving the regional diversification within each of these domains. The European common toad and its closest relatives provide an interesting opportunity to examine the relative contributions of these paleogeographic and paleoclimatic events to the phylogeny and biogeography of a wide…

Characterizing a hybrid zone between a cryptic species pair of freshwater snails.

2015

Characterizing hybrid zones and their dynamics is a central goal in evolutionary biology, but this is particularly challenging for morphologically cryptic species. The lack of conspicuous divergence between parental types means intermediate hybrid forms often go undetected. We aimed to detect and characterize a suspected hybrid zone between a pair of morphologically cryptic lineages of the freshwater snail, Radix. We sampled Radix from across a contact zone between two mitochondrial lineages (Radix balthica and an undescribed lineage termed 'MOTU3') and detected admixture between two nuclear genotype clusters, which were significantly but not categorically associated with the mitochondrial …

The age and evolution of sociality in Stegodyphus spiders: a molecular phylogenetic perspective

2006

Social, cooperative breeding behaviour is rare in spiders and generally characterized by inbreeding, skewed sex ratios and high rates of colony turnover, processes that when combined may reduce genetic variation and lower individual fitness quickly. On these grounds, social spider species have been suggested to be unstable in evolutionary time, and hence sociality a rare phenomenon in spiders. Based on a partial molecular phylogeny of the genus Stegodyphus , we address the hypothesis that social spiders in this genus are evolutionary transient. We estimate the age of the three social species, test whether they represent an ancestral or derived state and assess diversification relative to s…

Rapid whole protein quantitation of staphylococcal enterotoxins A and B by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry

2012

Abstract Staphylococcus aureus is an important pathogen and has been indicated as the fifth causative agent of food-borne human illness throughout the world. Staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) are toxic compounds excreted mainly by strains of S. aureus. Among these toxins, enterotoxins A (SEA) and B (SEB) are both of the most prevalent compounds in staphylococcal food poisoning. In this work, reverse phase liquid chromatography coupled to ESI mass spectrometry (LC–ESI/MS) has been applied for its rapid identification and quantification. Limit of detection (LOD) values were 0.5 and 0.2 ng for SEA and SEB, respectively and limit of quantification (LOQ) value was 1 ng for both enterotoxins. SEA…

Determination of aerobic-anaerobic metabolism-related compounds in aChaoborus flavicans population by infusion ion trap mass spectrometry of extracts…

2006

In a daily migration, the aquatic larvae of Chaoborus flavicans (a phantom midge) alternate oxygen-saturated and anoxic lake strata. To investigate this cycle, larvae were collected at a natural environment, and acetate, propionate, pyruvate, lactate, glycerol, phosphate, maleate, succinate, glucose and citrate were determined. Each larva was homogenized with 200 microL water and deproteinized with a spin-filter; 50 microL aliquots were mixed with 50 microL of a buffer containing 80 mM propylamine, 20 mM HCl and 0.06 mM 2,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid (internal standard) in methanol. The extracts were infused in an electrospray ionization ion-trap mass spectrometer. The limits of detection for th…

Fragmentation Pathways of Polycyclic Polyisoprenylated Benzophenones and Degradation Profile of Nemorosone by Multiple-Stage Tandem Mass Spectrometry

2009

Nemorosone is a polycyclic polyisoprenylated benzophenone (PPBs) with strong cytotoxic activity. It is the major constituent of Clusia rosea floral resin and brown Cuban propolis. Other PPBs found in Cuban propolis are oxidized and cyclized derivatives of nemorosone. The instability of PPBs carrying an enolizable 1,3-diketone system has been suggested, and the elucidation of this aspect is very fundamental for the evaluation of their biologic activity. Electrospray ionization multistage tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MSn) was employed to shed light on the origin of these derivatives of nemorosone and to define the stability of this natural product. For this purpose, we initially performed MS…

Synthesis, electrochemical and theoretical studies of the Au(i)-Cu(i) heterometallic clusters bearing ferrocenyl groups

2009

Treatment of the polymeric alkynyl compounds (AuC2R)n (R = Fc, C6H4Fc; Fc = ferrocenyl) with the diphosphine PPh2C6H4PPh2 gave complexes (RC2Au)PPh2C6H4PPh2(AuC2R) (1, R = Fc; 2, R = C6H4Fc) with end-capped ferrocenyl groups. The reactions of 1 or 2 with Cu(NCMe)4PF6 result in formation of the heterotrimetallic aggregates [{Au3Cu2(C2R)6}Au3(PPh2C6H4PPh2)3](PF6)2 (3, R = Fc; 4, R = C6H4Fc), which consist of the alkynyl clusters [Au3Cu2(C2R)6]−“wrapped” by the cationic [Au3(PPh2C6H4PPh2)3]3+“belt”. The novel compounds were characterized by NMR spectroscopy and ESI-MS measurements. The solid state structure of 3 is reported. Electrochemical properties of the complexes 1–4 have been studied. Th…