Search results for "adaptation"
showing 10 items of 1775 documents
Reinforcement learning in synthetic gene circuits.
2020
Synthetic gene circuits allow programming in DNA the expression of a phenotype at a given environmental condition. The recent integration of memory systems with gene circuits opens the door to their adaptation to new conditions and their re-programming. This lays the foundation to emulate neuromorphic behaviour and solve complex problems similarly to artificial neural networks. Cellular products such as DNA or proteins can be used to store memory in both digital and analog formats, allowing cells to be turned into living computing devices able to record information regarding their previous states. In particular, synthetic gene circuits with memory can be engineered into living systems to al…
Local adaptation in populations ofMycobacterium tuberculosisendemic to the Indian Ocean Rim
2020
AbstractLineage 1 (L1) and 3 (L3) are two lineages of theMycobacterium tuberculosiscomplex (MTBC), causing tuberculosis (TB) in humans. L1 and L3 are endemic to the Rim of the Indian Ocean, the region that accounts for most of the world’s new TB cases. Despite their relevance for this region, L1 and L3 remain understudied. Here we analyzed 2,938 L1 and 2,030 L3 whole genome sequences originating from 69 countries. We show that South Asia played a central role in the dispersion of these two lineages to neighboring regions. Moreover, we found that L1 exhibits signatures of local adaptation at theesxHlocus, a gene coding for a secreted effector that targets the human endosomal sorting complex,…
Surviving the heat: heterogeneity of response inSaccharomyces cerevisiaeprovides insight into thermal damage to the membrane
2015
Environmental heat stress impacts on the physiology and viability of microbial cells with concomitant implications for microbial activity and diversity. Previously, it has been demonstrated that gradual heating of Saccharomyces cerevisiae induces a degree of thermal resistance, whereas a heat shock results in a high level of cell death. Here, we show that the impact of exogenous nutrients on acquisition of thermal resistance differs between strains. Using single-cell methods, we demonstrate the extent of heterogeneity of the heat-stress response within populations of yeast cells and the presence of subpopulations that are reversibly damaged by heat stress. Such cells represent potential for…
Speech practices that facilitate patient participation in health counselling - A way to empowerment?
2003
Objective This study described nurse-patient communication during health counselling and focused on the linguistic realisations of empowering speech practices that emphasised patient participation. It aimed at a description of nurses' speech practices that facilitated the inclusion of patients' perspectives and preferences and encouraged patients to express themselves. Design and setting Thirty-eight videotaped nurse-patient health- counselling sessions that were conducted in a hospital were transcribed verbatim. Method The analysis of the videotaped data was based on the adaptation of Conversation Analysis (CA) and was carried out on a turn-by-turn basis. Results The research material rev…
Adaptive inputs in an interface for people with Dyskinetic Cerebral Palsy: Learning and usability
2016
This study concerns the difficulty in accessing computers faced by people with Dyskinetic Cerebral Palsy (DCP). Thus diminishing their opportunities to communicate or learn. This population usually needs an alternative input human-computer interface (HCI). The paper presents an alternative multimodal HCI that incorporates a head-mounted interface and superficial electromyography sensors (sEMG). The aim of the study is to assess the usability and the suitability of these two HCI devices. Six non-disabled subjects and ten subjects with DCP participated in the iterative process in which each test follows an improvement of an input. The results indicated that for both systems, the improvements …
University students’ learning approaches : An adaptation of the revised two-factor study process questionnaire to Norwegian
2020
This paper reports a Norwegian validation study of a widely used instrument to measure students’ approaches to learning, namely, Bigg’s revised two-factor study process questionnaire (R-SPQ-2F). Its cultural sensitivity and psychometry evaluations have provoked rigorous discussion among educators in different languages. A survey design was adopted involving 253 undergraduate engineering students across two universities. Confirmatory factor analyses were used to test six models hypothesized to reflect the factor structures of R-SPQ-2F and unidimensionality of its subscales. The results showed appropriate fits of a two-factor first-order model with 10 items measuring deep approach and 9 items…
Measuring stress in clinical and nonclinical subjects using a German adaptation of the Perceived Stress Scale
2020
ANTECEDENTES/OBJETIVO: El estrés se percibe de manera diferente entre los individuos, lo que podría ser particularmente cierto para los sujetos no clínicos y clínicos. Por esta razón, probamos una adaptación alemana de la Perceived Stress Scale de 10 ítems (PSS-10) para el ajuste del modelo y la invarianza de la medición en una gran muestra clínica y no clínica. MÉTODO: Realizamos (1) un análisis factorial confirmatorio múltiple (CFA) en 1.248 sujetos no clínicos y 575 pacientes ambulatorios, (2) invarianza de medición con CFA multigrupo, (3) correlaciones con constructos relevantes y (4) cálculos de la consistencia interna para la escala general y las subescalas Desvalidez y Autoeficacia. …
The Relational Mind in Couple Therapy : A Bateson-Inspired View of Human Life as an Embodied Stream
2018
Research on human intersubjectivity has found that humans participate in a dialogue throughout their life, and that this is manifested not only via language, but also nonverbally, with the entire body. Such an understanding of human life has brought into focus some basic systemic ideas concerning the human relational mind. For Gregory Bateson, the mind works as a system, formed from components that are in continuous interaction with each other. In our Relational Mind research project, we followed twelve couple therapy processes involving two therapists per session, looking at the ways in which the four participants attuned to each other with their bodies, including their autonomic nervous s…
Cognitively-Based Compassion Training (CBCT (R)) in Breast Cancer Survivors: A Randomized Clinical Trial Study
2018
Breast cancer (BC) requires a significant psychological adaptation once treatment is finished. There is growing evidence of how compassion training enhances psychological and physical well-being, however, there are very few studies analyzing the efficacy of compassion-based Interventions on BC survivors. Objective. To study the efficacy of the CognitivelyBased Compassion Training (CBCT) protocol in a BC survivor sample on quality of life, psychological well-being, fear of cancer recurrence, self-compassion, and compassion domains and mindfulness facets. Furthermore, enrollment, adherence, and satisfaction with the intervention were also analyzed. Methods. A randomized clinical trial was des…
Child maltreatment is linked to difficulties in identifying with social groups as a young adult.
2019
Subjective feelings of disconnectedness from social groups have been found to be detrimental to mental health. However, little is known about the factors determining people's ability to attach to groups. We contend that child maltreatment will impair people's ability to group identification across the lifespan, and present a cross-sectional study involving 396 young adults from Spain, aimed at testing this hypothesis. Results reveal that, as expected, a greater degree of maltreatment received before the age of 14 is linked to a lower number of social groups one identifies with, even after controlling for current levels of depression, anxiety, and borderline personality. Statement of contrib…