Search results for "Research articles"
showing 10 items of 366 documents
The interplay between cooperativity and diversity in model threshold ensembles
2014
The interplay between cooperativity and diversity is crucial for biological ensembles because single molecule experiments show a significant degree of heterogeneity and also for artificial nanostructures because of the high individual variability characteristic of nanoscale units. We study the cross-effects between cooperativity and diversity in model threshold ensembles composed of individually different units that show a cooperative behaviour. The units are modelled as statistical distributions of parameters (the individual threshold potentials here) characterized by central and width distribution values. The simulations show that the interplay between cooperativity and diversity results …
Social, health and rehabilitation sector educators’ competence in evidence-based practice : A cross-sectional study
2021
Aim: The purpose of the study was to identify and describe the characteristic profiles of evidence-based practice competence of educators in the social, health and rehabilitation sectors and to establish relevant background factors. Design: This study was carried out as a descriptive cross-sectional study. Methods: Data were collected from social, health and rehabilitation sector educators working in the 21 Finnish universities of applied sciences and seven vocational colleges (n = 422; N = 2,330). A self-assessment instrument measuring evidence-based practice competence was used. Competence profiles were formed using a K-cluster grouping analysis. Results: Three distinct competence profile…
Droplet digital PCR as a tool for investigating dynamics of cryptic symbionts
2021
Abstract Interactions among symbiotic organisms and their hosts are major drivers of ecological and evolutionary processes. Monitoring the infection patterns among natural populations and identifying factors affecting these interactions are critical for understanding symbiont–host relationships. However, many of these interactions remain understudied since the knowledge about the symbiont species is lacking, which hinders the development of appropriate tools. In this study, we developed a digital droplet PCR (ddPCR) assay based on apicomplexan COX1 gene to detect an undescribed agamococcidian symbiont. We show that the method gives precise and reproducible results and enables detecting cryp…
Synergistic Anticancer Therapy by Ovalbumin Encapsulation-Enabled Tandem Reactive Oxygen Species Generation
2020
Abstract The anticancer efficacy of photodynamic therapy (PDT) is limited due to the hypoxic features of solid tumors. We report synergistic PDT/chemotherapy with integrated tandem Fenton reactions mediated by ovalbumin encapsulation for improved in vivo anticancer therapy via an enhanced reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation mechanism. O2 .− produced by the PDT is converted to H2O2 by superoxide dismutase, followed by the transformation of H2O2 to the highly toxic .OH via Fenton reactions by Fe2+ originating from the dissolution of co‐loaded Fe3O4 nanoparticles. The PDT process further facilitates the endosomal/lysosomal escape of the active agents and enhances their intracellular deliv…
Should dispersers be fast learners? Modeling the role of cognition in dispersal syndromes.
2021
Abstract Both cognitive abilities and dispersal tendencies can vary strongly between individuals. Since cognitive abilities may help dealing with unknown circumstances, it is conceivable that dispersers may rely more heavily on learning abilities than residents. However, cognitive abilities are costly and leaving a familiar place might result in losing the advantage of having learned to deal with local conditions. Thus, individuals which invested in learning to cope with local conditions may be better off staying at their natal place. In order to disentangle the complex relationship between dispersal and learning abilities, we implemented individual‐based simulations. By allowing for develo…
Extremophilic microbial communities on photovoltaic panel surfaces: a two‐year study
2020
Solar panel surfaces can be colonized by microorganisms adapted to desiccation, temperature fluctuations and solar radiation. Although the taxonomic and functional composition of these communities has been studied, the microbial colonization process remains unclear. In the present work, we have monitored this microbial colonization process during 24 months by performing weekly measurements of the photovoltaic efficiency, carrying out 16S rRNA gene high‐throughput sequencing, and studying the effect of antimicrobial compounds on the composition of the microbial biocenosis. This is the first time a long‐term study of the colonization process of solar panels has been performed, and our results…
Diverse societies are more productive: a lesson from ants
2012
The fitness consequences of animal personalities (also known as behavioural syndromes) have recently been studied in several solitary species. However, the adaptive significance of collective personalities in social insects and especially of behavioural variation among group members remains largely unexplored. Although intracolonial behavioural variation is an important component of division of labour, and as such a key feature for the success of societies, empirical links between behavioural variation and fitness are scarce. We investigated aggression, exploration and brood care behaviour in Temnothorax longispinosus ant colonies. We focused on two distinct aspects: intercolonial variabil…
Even violins can cry: specifically vocal emotional behaviours also drive the perception of emotions in non-vocal music.
2021
A wealth of theoretical and empirical arguments have suggested that music triggers emotional responses by resembling the inflections of expressive vocalizations, but have done so using low-level acoustic parameters (pitch, loudness, speed) that, in fact, may not be processed by the listener in reference to human voice. Here, we take the opportunity of the recent availability of computational models that allow the simulation of three specifically vocal emotional behaviours: smiling, vocal tremor and vocal roughness. When applied to musical material, we find that these three acoustic manipulations trigger emotional perceptions that are remarkably similar to those observed on speech and scream…
Utopianism in the Age of Capitalocene
2021
This article explores the social and political imagination of ‘the Anthropocene’ and the utopian counter images that can be derived from it. From the utopian studies perspective, I argue that the Anthropocene cannot provide sufficient societal alternatives for the current ecological predicament. This is due to the fact that the concept of Anthropocene relies too heavily on the image of abstract humanity to be able to offer real societal alternatives. It cannot name the social system we live in and, therefore, it cannot fundamentally challenge existing social arrangements. Based on utopian social theory, I conceptualize utopia as a counter image of the present motivated by a desire for bette…
Neprilysin inhibition, endorphin dynamics, and early symptomatic improvement in heart failure: a pilot study
2020
Altres ajuts: This work was supported in part by Fundació La Marató de TV3 (201516-10, 201502-30), Societat Catalana de Cardiologia, "la Caixa" Banking Foundation. Altres ajuts: PERIS/SLT002-16-00234 Sacubitril/valsartan is a first-in-class angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor developed for the treatment of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. Its benefits are achieved through the inhibition of neprilysin (NEP) and the specific blockade of the angiotensin receptor AT1. The many peptides metabolized by NEP suggest multifaceted potential consequences of its inhibition. We sought to evaluate the short-term changes in serum endorphin (EP) values and their relation with patients' p…