Search

Abstract In the first part of this series, we delve into the foundational aspects of “Message in a Bottle (MIAB)” (henceforth referred to as MIAB). This study builds upon the legacy of the Voyager Golden Records, launched aboard Voyager 1 and 2 in 1977, which aimed to communicate with intelligent species beyond our world. These records not only offer a snapshot of Earth and human civilization but also represent our desire to establish contact with advanced alien civilizations. Given the absence of mutually understood signs, symbols, and semiotic conventions, MIAB, like its predecessor, uses scientific methods to design an innovative means of communication that encapsulates the story of humanity. Our goal is to share our collective knowledge, emotions, innovations, and aspirations in a way that provides a universal, yet contextually relevant, understanding of human society, the evolution of life on Earth, and our hopes and concerns for the future. Through this time and space traveling capsule, we also strive to inspire and unify current and future generations to celebrate and safeguard our shared human experience.

Abstract Background The role of the Anopheles vector in malaria transmission and the effect of climate on Anopheles populations are well established. Models of the impact of climate change on the global malaria burden now have access to high-resolution climate data, but malaria surveillance data tends to be less precise, making model calibration problematic. Measurement of malaria response to fluctuations in climate variables offers a way to address these difficulties. Given the demonstrated sensitivity of malaria transmission to vector capacity, this work tests response functions to fluctuations in land surface temperature and precipitation. Methods This study of regional sensitivity of malaria incidence to year-to-year climate variations used an extended Macdonald Ross compartmental disease model (to compute malaria incidence) built on top of a global Anopheles vector capacity model (based on 10 years of satellite climate data). The predicted incidence was compared with estimates from the World Health Organization and the Malaria Atlas. The models and denominator data used are freely available through the Eclipse Foundation’s Spatiotemporal Epidemiological Modeller (STEM). Results Although the absolute scale factor relating reported malaria to absolute incidence is uncertain, there is a positive correlation between predicted and reported year-to-year variation in malaria burden with an averaged root mean square (RMS) error of 25% comparing normalized incidence across 86 countries. Based on this, the proposed measure of sensitivity of malaria to variations in climate variables indicates locations where malaria is most likely to increase or decrease in response to specific climate factors. Bootstrapping measures the increased uncertainty in predicting malaria sensitivity when reporting is restricted to national level and an annual basis. Results indicate a potential 20x improvement in accuracy if data were available at the level ISO 3166–2 national subdivisions and with monthly time sampling. Conclusions The high spatial resolution possible with state-of-the-art numerical models can identify regions most likely to require intervention due to climate changes. Higher-resolution surveillance data can provide a better understanding of how climate fluctuations affect malaria incidence and improve predictions. An open-source modelling framework, such as STEM, can be a valuable tool for the scientific community and provide a collaborative platform for developing such models.

Domestic dog breeds lose the wolf-like vocal and behavioural responses connected to howling as they become more genetically distant from wolves.

Abstract Background The rapid publication of important research in the biomedical literature makes it increasingly difficult for researchers to keep current with significant work in their area of interest. Results This paper reports a scalable method for the discovery of protein-protein interactions in Medline abstracts, using a combination of text analytics, statistical and graphical analysis, and a set of easily implemented rules. Applying these techniques to 12,300 abstracts, a precision of 0.61 and a recall of 0.97 were obtained, (f = 0.74) and when allowing for two-hop and three-hop relations discovered by graphical analysis, the precision was 0.74 (f = 0.83). Conclusion This combination of linguistic and statistical approaches appears to provide the highest precision and recall thus far reported in detecting protein-protein relations using text analytic approaches.

Purpose: Ableism is a pervasive set of beliefs that regard nondisabled bodies and minds as ideal and necessary to live a full life. Ableism manifests for people with aphasia as stigma and discrimination based on their language ability. We assert that ableism contributes to decreased quality of life for people with aphasia and should be actively challenged and disrupted by clinicians and researchers in the field. Method: We applied the Health Stigma and Discrimination Framework (HSDF) to outline how stigma and discrimination are perpetuated against people with aphasia on the basis of language ability and their downstream health and social consequences. We presented this framework at the Clinical Aphasiology Conference in 2023 and share themes and challenges that arose from this discussion and from our ongoing learning. Discussion: Applying the HSDF to aphasia outlined potential sequelae of ableism. We identified preliminary foci of future initiatives aimed at challenging ableist beliefs and practices and means to monitor the effectiveness of such interventions. Furthermore, we draw attention to the seeming tension between antiableist practices and traditional language rehabilitation goals. We assert that this tension may be a catalyst for fruitful discourse on how clinicians and researchers can resist ableism while honoring the lived experiences of people with aphasia and their goals for language rehabilitation. These discussions may be facilitated by existing models in disability studies (e.g., the political/relational model). Conclusions: Clinicians and researchers are well positioned to challenge ableism and minimize the resultant health and social impacts for people living with aphasia. Anti-ableist practices are not antithetical to aphasia rehabilitation and can be thoughtfully integrated into rehabilitation practices and discourse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundDementia with Lewy bodies (DLBs) is a common cause of dementia but has higher mortality than Alzheimer's disease (AD). The reasons for this are unclear, but antidementia drugs (including acetylcholinesterase inhibitors [AChEIs] and memantine) symptomatically benefit people with DLB and might improve outcomes. We investigated whether AChEIs and/or memantine were associated with reduced hospital admissions and mortality.Methods and findingsWe performed a retrospective cohort study of those diagnosed with DLB between 1 January 2005 and 31 December 2019, using data from electronic clinical records of secondary care mental health services in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT), United Kingdom (catchment area population approximately 0.86 million), as well as linked records from national Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data. Eligible patients were those who started AChEIs or memantine within 3 months of their diagnosis (cases) and those who never used AChEIs or memantine (controls). Outcomes included admission, length of stay, and mortality. Cox proportional hazard and linear regression models were used. Of 592 patients with DLB, 219 never took AChEIs or memantine, 100 took AChEIs only, and 273 took both AChEIs and memantine. The cohorts were followed up for an average of 896 days, 981 days, and 1,004 days, respectively. There were no significant differences in the cohorts' baseline characteristics, except for socioeconomic status that was lower in patients who never took AChEIs or memantine (χ2 = 23.34, P = 0.003). After controlling for confounding by sociodemographic factors (age, sex, marital status, ethnicity, socioeconomic status), antipsychotic use, antidepressant use, cognitive status, physical comorbidity, anticholinergic burden, and global health performance, compared with patients who never took AChEIs or memantine, patients taking AChEIs only or taking both had a significantly lower risk of death (adjusted hazard ratio (HR) = 0.67, 95% CI = 0.48 to 0.93, p = 0.02; adjusted HR = 0.64, 95% CI = 0.50 to 0.83, P = 0.001, respectively). Those taking AChEIs or both AChEIs and memantine had significantly shorter periods of unplanned hospital admission for physical disorders (adjusted coefficient -13.48, 95% CI = [-26.87, -0.09], P = 0.049; adjusted coefficient -14.21, 95% CI = [-24.58, -3.85], P = 0.007, respectively), but no difference in length of stay for planned admissions for physical disorders, or for admissions for mental health disorders. No significant additional associations of memantine on admission, length of stay, and mortality were found (all P > 0.05). The main limitation was that this was a naturalistic study and possible confounds cannot be fully controlled, and there may be selection bias resulting from nonrandom prescription behaviour in clinical practice. However, we mimicked the intention-to-treat design of clinical trials, and the majority of baseline characters were balanced between cohorts. In addition, our series of sensitivity analyses confirmed the consistency of our results.ConclusionIn this study, we observed that use of AChEIs with or without memantine in DLB was associated with shorter duration of hospital admissions and decreased risk of mortality. Although our study was naturalistic, it supports further the use of AChEIs in DLB.

Background Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLBs) is a common cause of dementia but has higher mortality than Alzheimer's disease (AD). The reasons for this are unclear, but antidementia drugs (including acetylcholinesterase inhibitors [AChEIs] and memantine) symptomatically benefit people with DLB and might improve outcomes. We investigated whether AChEIs and/or memantine were associated with reduced hospital admissions and mortality. Methods and findings We performed a retrospective cohort study of those diagnosed with DLB between 1 January 2005 and 31 December 2019, using data from electronic clinical records of secondary care mental health services in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT), United Kingdom (catchment area population approximately 0.86 million), as well as linked records from national Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data. Eligible patients were those who started AChEIs or memantine within 3 months of their diagnosis (cases) and those who never used AChEIs or memantine (controls). Outcomes included admission, length of stay, and mortality. Cox proportional hazard and linear regression models were used. Of 592 patients with DLB, 219 never took AChEIs or memantine, 100 took AChEIs only, and 273 took both AChEIs and memantine. The cohorts were followed up for an average of 896 days, 981 days, and 1,004 days, respectively. There were no significant differences in the cohorts' baseline characteristics, except for socioeconomic status that was lower in patients who never took AChEIs or memantine (X.sup.2 = 23.34, P = 0.003). After controlling for confounding by sociodemographic factors (age, sex, marital status, ethnicity, socioeconomic status), antipsychotic use, antidepressant use, cognitive status, physical comorbidity, anticholinergic burden, and global health performance, compared with patients who never took AChEIs or memantine, patients taking AChEIs only or taking both had a significantly lower risk of death (adjusted hazard ratio (HR) = 0.67, 95% CI = 0.48 to 0.93, p = 0.02; adjusted HR = 0.64, 95% CI = 0.50 to 0.83, P = 0.001, respectively). Those taking AChEIs or both AChEIs and memantine had significantly shorter periods of unplanned hospital admission for physical disorders (adjusted coefficient -13.48, 95% CI = [-26.87, -0.09], P = 0.049; adjusted coefficient -14.21, 95% CI = [-24.58, -3.85], P = 0.007, respectively), but no difference in length of stay for planned admissions for physical disorders, or for admissions for mental health disorders. No significant additional associations of memantine on admission, length of stay, and mortality were found (all P > 0.05). The main limitation was that this was a naturalistic study and possible confounds cannot be fully controlled, and there may be selection bias resulting from nonrandom prescription behaviour in clinical practice. However, we mimicked the intention-to-treat design of clinical trials, and the majority of baseline characters were balanced between cohorts. In addition, our series of sensitivity analyses confirmed the consistency of our results. Conclusion In this study, we observed that use of AChEIs with or without memantine in DLB was associated with shorter duration of hospital admissions and decreased risk of mortality. Although our study was naturalistic, it supports further the use of AChEIs in DLB., Author(s): Shanquan Chen 1,*, Annabel C. Price 1,2, Rudolf N. Cardinal 1,2, Sinéad Moylett 1,3, Anne D. Kershenbaum 2, James Fitzgerald 1,2, Christoph Mueller 4,5, Robert Stewart 4,5, John T. [...]

Abstract Understanding the relative importance of different sources of selection (e.g., the environment, social/sexual selection) on the divergence or convergence of reproductive communication can shed light on the origin, maintenance, or even disappearance of species boundaries. Using a multistep approach, we tested the hypothesis that two presumed sister species of wolf spider with overlapping ranges and microhabitat use, yet differing degrees of sexual dimorphism, have diverged in their reliance on modality‐specific courtship signaling. We predicted that male Schizocosa crassipalpata (no ornamentation) rely predominantly on diet‐dependent vibratory signaling for mating success. In contrast, we predicted that male S. bilineata (black foreleg brushes) rely on diet‐dependent visual signaling. We first tested and corroborated the sister‐species relationship between S. crassipalpata and S. bilineata using phylogenomic scale data. Next, we tested for species‐specific, diet‐dependent vibratory and visual signaling by manipulating subadult diet and subsequently quantifying adult morphology and mature male courtship signals. As predicted, vibratory signal form was diet‐dependent in S. crassipalpata, while visual ornamentation (brush area) was diet‐dependent in S. bilineata. We then compared the species‐specific reliance on vibratory and visual signaling by recording mating across artificially manipulated signaling environments (presence/absence of each modality in a 2 × 2 full factorial design). In accordance with our diet dependence results for S. crassipalpata, the presence of vibratory signaling was important for mating success. In contrast, the light and vibratory environment interacted to influence mating success in S. bilineata, with vibratory signaling being important only in the absence of light. We found no differences in overall activity patterns. Given that these species overlap in much of their range and microhabitat use, we suggest that competition for signaling space may have led to the divergence and differential use of sensory modalities between these sister species.

An algorithm for improving technical standards for the import substitution objects has been proposed in the article. The requirements of standards are considered as data arrays, the processing of which in a certain way allows developing new standards for oil and gas equipment. These standards make it possible to improve the competitiveness of Russian technology. The use of digital technologies can significantly reduce time costs, increase the objectivity of the results of document comparison and increase the reasonableness of decision-making in the development of new standards. As a methodology for comparing normative databases, a cluster analysis of the standards’ requirements has been applied.

To date, there is a paucity of information regarding the effect of COVID-19 or lockdown on mental disorders. We aimed to quantify the medium-term impact of lockdown on referrals to secondary care mental health clinical services. We conducted a controlled interrupted time series study using data from Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT), UK (catchment population ~0.86 million). The UK lockdown resulted in an instantaneous drop in mental health referrals but then a longer-term acceleration in the referral rate (by 1.21 referrals per day per day, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.41–2.02). This acceleration was primarily for urgent or emergency referrals (acceleration 0.96, CI 0.39–1.54), including referrals to liaison psychiatry (0.68, CI 0.35–1.02) and mental health crisis teams (0.61, CI 0.20–1.02). The acceleration was significant for females (0.56, CI 0.04–1.08), males (0.64, CI 0.05–1.22), working-age adults (0.93, CI 0.42–1.43), people of White ethnicity (0.98, CI 0.32–1.65), those living alone (1.26, CI 0.52–2.00), and those who had pre-existing depression (0.78, CI 0.19–1.38), severe mental illness (0.67, CI 0.19–1.15), hypertension/cardiovascular/cerebrovascular disease (0.56, CI 0.24–0.89), personality disorders (0.32, CI 0.12–0.51), asthma/chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (0.28, CI 0.08–0.49), dyslipidemia (0.26, CI 0.04–0.47), anxiety (0.21, CI 0.08–0.34), substance misuse (0.21, CI 0.08–0.34), or reactions to severe stress (0.17, CI 0.01–0.32). No significant post-lockdown acceleration was observed for children/adolescents, older adults, people of ethnic minorities, married/cohabiting people, and those who had previous/pre-existing dementia, diabetes, cancer, eating disorder, a history of self-harm, or intellectual disability. This evidence may help service planning and policy-making, including preparation for any future lockdown in response to outbreaks.

In the first part of this series, we delve into the foundational aspects of "Message in a Bottle (MIAB)" (henceforth referred to as MIAB). This study builds upon the legacy of the Voyager Golden Records, launched aboard Voyager 1 and 2 in 1977, which aimed to communicate with intelligent species beyond our world. These records not only offer a snapshot of Earth and human civilization but also represent our desire to establish contact with advanced alien civilizations. Given the absence of mutually understood signs, symbols, and semiotic conventions, MIAB, like its predecessor, uses scientific methods to design an innovative means of communication that encapsulates the story of humanity. Our goal is to share our collective knowledge, emotions, innovations, and aspirations in a way that provides a universal, yet contextually relevant, understanding of human society, the evolution of life on Earth, and our hopes and concerns for the future. Through this time and space traveling capsule, we also strive to inspire and unify current and future generations to celebrate and safeguard our shared human experience. Plain Language Summary: This article is the first in a series about "Message in a Bottle" (or MIAB for short) in a cosmic ocean. One may envision MIAB as an initiative towards the creation of a modern version of the special records sent into space in 1977 on the Voyager spacecrafts. Those records were like a hello from Earth, hoping to reach any smart beings out there in the universe. Since we are presently unaware of how these beings might communicate or what symbols they would possibly understand, we need to get creative in how we share our story. MIAB is our way of showing who we are, what we've learned, how we feel, and what we dream of for the future. It's not just for beings in space; we hope it helps people now and in the future come together and value our shared journey on Earth. Key Points: We're crafting a message for a future space mission, hoping to reach and chat with smart life forms beyond EarthThe message gives a broad but detailed view of today's human society, our planet's life story, and the big challenges aheadThis project is a brave step in showcasing the full richness and depth of human life and experience [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. The ecology of cryptic animals is difficult to study without invasive tagging approaches or labour-intensive field surveys. Acoustic localisation provides an effective way to locate vocalising animals using acoustic recorders. Combining this with land cover classification gives new insight into wild animal behaviour using non-invasive tools. Aims. This study aims to demonstrate how acoustic localisation – combined with high-resolution land cover classification – permits the study of the ecology of vocalising animals in the wild. We illustrate this technique by investigating the effect of land cover and distances to anthropogenic features on coyote and wolf vocal behaviour. Methods. We collected recordings over 13 days in Wisconsin, USA, and triangulated vocalising animals’ locations using acoustic localisation. We then mapped these locations onto land cover using a high-resolution land cover map we produced for the area. Key results. Neither coyotes nor wolves vocalised more in one habitat type over another. Coyotes vocalised significantly closer to all human features than expected by chance, whereas wolves vocalised significantly further away. When vocalising closer to human features, coyotes selected forests but wolves showed no habitat preference. Conclusions. This novel combination of two sophisticated, autonomous sensing-driven tools permits us to examine animal land use and behavioural ecology using passive sensors, with the aim of drawing ecologically important conclusions. Implications. We envisage that this method can be used at larger scales to aid monitoring of vocally active animals across landscapes. Firstly, it permits us to characterise habitat use while vocalising, which is an essential behaviour for many species. Furthermore, if combined with additional knowledge of how a species’ habitat selection while vocalising relates to its general habitat use, this method could permit the derivation of future conclusions on prevailing landscape use. In summary, this study demonstrates the potential of integrating acoustic localisation with land cover classification in ecological research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Does non‐human communication, like language, involve meaning? This question guides our focus through an interdisciplinary review of the theories and terminology used to study meaning across disciplines and species. Until now, it has been difficult to apply the concept of meaning to communication in non‐humans. This is partly because of the varied approaches to the study of meaning. Additionally, while there is a scholarly acknowledgement of potential meaning in non‐human cognition, there is also scepticism when the topic of communication arises. We organise some of the key literature into a coherent framework that can bridge disciplines and species, to ensure that aspects of meaning are accurately and fairly compared. We clarify the growing view in the literature that, rather than requiring multiple definitions or being split into different types, meaning is a multifaceted yet still unified concept. In so doing, we propose that meaning is an umbrella term. Meaning cannot be summed up with a short definition or list of features, but involves multiple complexities that are outlined in our framework. Specifically, three global facets are needed to describe meaning: a Signal Meaning Facet, an Interactant Meaning Facet, and a Resultant Meaning Facet. Most importantly, we show that such analyses are possible to apply as much to non‐humans as to humans. We also emphasise that meaning nuances differ among non‐human species, making a dichotomous approach to meaning questionable. Instead, we show that a multifaceted approach to meaning establishes how meaning appears within highly diverse examples of non‐human communication, in ways consistent with the phenomenon's presence in human non‐verbal communication and language(s). Therefore, without further recourse to 'functional' approaches that circumvent the critical question of whether any non‐human meaning exists, we show that the concept of meaning is suitable for evolutionary biologists, behavioural ecologists, and others to study, to establish exactly which species exhibit meaning in their communication and in what ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The study of animal vocal signals can either focus on the properties of distinct vocal elements or address the signal as a whole. Although some attention has been given to the continuous progression patterns of bird songs, such patterns in mammalian vocalisations have been largely overlooked. We examined temporal changes in structural and acoustic parameters in male rock hyrax songs. We found a gradual increase in call frequency and amplitude towards the song ending, as well as an abrupt increase in bout syntactic complexity, peaking in the last quintile of a song. In musical terms, such a pattern can be described as a crescendo (amplitude increase) with a terminal climax. In Western music, crescendos are used to maintain attention and direct the listeners towards a memorable highpoint of the musical piece. This structure may have an analogous function in animal communication, recruiting audience attention towards the climactic and potentially most informative part of the signal. Our playback experiments revealed that hyrax males tend to reply more to songs with a climactic ending, indicating that this progression pattern is important for hyrax communication. We suggest that animal vocal communication research can benefit from adding musical concepts to the analysis toolbox.

Changes in ecological preference, often driven by spatial and temporal variation in resource distribution, can expose populations to environments with divergent information content. This can lead to adaptive changes in the degree to which individuals invest in sensory systems and downstream processes, to optimize behavioural performance in different contexts. At the same time, environmental conditions can produce plastic responses in nervous system development and maturation, providing an alternative route to integrating neural and ecological variation. Here, we explore how these two processes play out across a community of Heliconius butterflies. Heliconius communities exhibit multiple Mullerian mimicry rings, associated with habitat partitioning across environmental gradients. These environmental differences have previously been linked to heritable divergence in brain morphology in parapatric species pairs. They also exhibit a unique dietary adaptation, known as pollen feeding, that relies heavily on learning foraging routes, or trap‐lines, between resources, which implies an important environmental influence on behavioural development. By comparing brain morphology across 133 wild‐caught and insectary‐reared individuals from seven Heliconius species, we find strong evidence for interspecific variation in patterns of neural investment. These largely fall into two distinct patterns of variation; first, we find consistent patterns of divergence in the size of visual brain components across both wild and insectary‐reared individuals, suggesting genetically encoded divergence in the visual pathway. Second, we find interspecific differences in mushroom body size, a central component of learning and memory systems, but only among wild caught individuals. The lack of this effect in common‐garden individuals suggests an extensive role for developmental plasticity in interspecific variation in the wild. Finally, we illustrate the impact of relatively small‐scale spatial effects on mushroom body plasticity by performing experiments altering the cage size and structure experienced by individual H. hecale. Our data provide a comprehensive survey of community level variation in brain structure, and demonstrate that genetic effects and developmental plasticity contribute to different axes of interspecific neural variation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genetic variation in drug detoxification pathways may influence outcomes in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). We evaluated relapse risk and 24 variants in 17 genes in 714 patients in CCG-1961. Three TPMT and 1 MTR variant were associated with increased risks of relapse (rs4712327, OR 3.3, 95%CI 1.2–8.6; rs2842947, OR 2.7, 95%CI 1.1–6.8; rs2842935, OR 2.5, 95%CI 1.1–5.0; rs10925235, OR 4.9, 95%CI 1.1–25.1). One variant in SLC19A1 showed a protective effect (rs4819128, OR 0.5, 95%CI 0.3–0.9). Our study provides data that relapse risk in pediatric ALL is associated with germline variations in TPMT, MTR and SLC19A1.

Background: Previous studies have shown reduced survival in Lewy body dementia (LBD) compared to Alzheimer’s disease (AD), but the reasons for this are not known. We identified cause of death categories accounting for the reduced survival in LBD. Methods: We linked cohorts of patients with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), Parkinson’s disease dementia (PDD) and AD, with proximal cause of death data. We examined mortality by dementia group and hazard ratios for each death category by dementia group in males and females separately. In a specific focus on the dementia group with the highest mortality rate versus reference, we examined cumulative incidence to identify the main causes of death accounting for the excess deaths. Results: Hazard ratios for death were higher in PDD and DLB compared to AD, for both males and females. PDD males had the highest hazard ratio for death across the dementia comparison groups (HR 2.7, 95% CI 2.2–3.3). Compared with AD, hazard ratios for “nervous system” causes of death were significantly elevated in all LBD groups. Additional significant cause‐of‐death categories included aspiration pneumonia, genitourinary causes, other respiratory causes, circulatory and a “symptoms and signs” category in PDD males; other respiratory causes in DLB males; mental disorders in PDD females; and aspiration pneumonia, genitourinary and other respiratory causes in DLB females. Conclusion: Further research and cohort development is required to investigate differences by age group, to extend cohort follow‐up to the whole population and to investigate the risk‐balance of interventions which may differ by dementia group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) produce many vocalisations, including whistles that are unique to the individual producing them. Such "signature whistles" play a role in individual recognition and maintaining group integrity. Previous work has shown that humans can successfully group the spectrographic representations of signature whistles according to the individual dolphins that produced them. However, attempts at using mathematical algorithms to perform a similar task have been less successful. A greater understanding of the encoding of identity information in signature whistles is important for assessing similarity of whistles and thus social influences on the development of these learned calls. We re-examined 400 signature whistles from 20 individual dolphins used in a previous study, and tested the performance of new mathematical algorithms. We compared the measure used in the original study (correlation matrix of evenly sampled frequency measurements) to one used in several previous studies (similarity matrix of time-warped whistles), and to a new algorithm based on the Parsons code, used in music retrieval databases. The Parsons code records the direction of frequency change at each time step, and is effective at capturing human perception of music. We analysed similarity matrices from each of these three techniques, as well as a random control, by unsupervised clustering using three separate techniques: k-means clustering, hierarchical clustering, and an adaptive resonance theory neural network. For each of the three clustering techniques, a seven-level Parsons algorithm provided better clustering than the correlation and dynamic time warping algorithms, and was closer to the near-perfect visual categorisations of human judges. Thus, the Parsons code captures much of the individual identity information present in signature whistles, and may prove useful in studies requiring quantification of whistle similarity.

Context: Synchronised acoustic recorders can be used as a non-invasive tool to detect and localise sounds of interest, including vocal wildlife and anthropogenic sounds. Due to the high cost of commercial synchronised recorders, acoustic localisation has typically been restricted to small or well funded surveys. Recently, low-cost acoustic recorders have been developed, but until now their efficacy has not been compared with higher specification recorders. Aims: The present study aimed to compare the efficacy of a newly developed low-cost recorder, the Conservation at Range through Audio Classification and Localisation (CARACAL), with an established, high-end recorder, the Wildlife Acoustics Song Meter (SM). Methods: Four recorders of each type were deployed in a paired set-up across five nights in Wisconsin, USA. The recordings allowed for manual identification of domestic dog (Canis familiaris), grey wolf (Canis lupus), coyote (Canis latrans) and barred owl (Strix varia) calls, and then the ability of each recorder type to detect and localise the vocalising animals was compared. Key results: The CARACALs were less sensitive, detecting only 47.5% of wolf, 55% of coyote, 65% of barred owl and 82.5% of dog vocalisations detected by the paired SMs. However, when the same vocalisations were detected on both recorders, localisation was comparable, with no significant difference in the precision or maximum detection ranges. Conclusions: Low-cost recording equipment can be used effectively for acoustic localisation of both wild and domestic animals. However, the lower sensitivity of the CARACALs means that a denser network of these recorders would be needed to achieve the same efficacy as the SMs. Deploying a greater number of cheaper recorders increases the labour time in the field and the quantity of data to process and store. Thus, there is a trade-off between cost and time to be considered. Implications: The ability to use low-cost recorders for acoustic localisation provides new avenues for tracking, managing and researching a wide range of wildlife species. Presently, CARACALs are more suited to monitoring species that have small home ranges and high amplitude vocalisations, and for when a large time investment for in situ equipment checks and data processing is feasible. Synchronised acoustic recorders can be used as a non-invasive tool to detect and localise sounds of interest, including vocal wildlife. This study compared the efficacy of a commercial, high-end acoustic recorder with a newly developed low-cost recorder, finding that although the commercial recorder was more sensitive, the acoustic localisation capabilities of the two were comparable. The ability to use low-cost recorders for acoustic localisation provides new avenues for tracking, managing and researching a wide range of wildlife species. Image by Bethany R. Smith. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We developed a model of 545 components (nodes) and 1259 interactions representing signaling pathways and cellular machines in the hippocampal CA1 neuron. Using graph theory methods, we analyzed ligand-induced signal flow through the system. Specification of input and output nodes allowed us to identify functional modules. Networking resulted in the emergence of regulatory motifs, such as positive and negative feedback and feedforward loops, that process information. Key regulators of plasticity were highly connected nodes required for the formation of regulatory motifs, indicating the potential importance of such motifs in determining cellular choices between homeostasis and plasticity., A mammalian cell may be considered as a central signaling network connected to various cellular machines that are responsible for phenotypic functions (1). Cellular machines such as transcriptional, translational, motility, [...]

Objectives: Previous studies have shown increased rates of death and dementia in older people in specific serious mental illnesses (SMI) such as bipolar disorder or depression. We examined the rates of death and dementia in older people referred into a secondary care psychiatric service across a range of SMIs. Methods: We used an anonymised dataset across 6 consecutive years with 28,340 patients aged 65 years and older from a single secondary care psychiatric trust in the United Kingdom. We identified deaths and incident dementia in patients with bipolar disorder/mania, schizophrenia, recurrent depression and anxiety disorders. We compared mortality and dementia rates between these diagnostic groups and in different treatment settings. We also examined mortality rates and dementia rates compared with general population rates. Results: Patients with schizophrenia showed the highest hazard rate for death compared to other groups with SMIs (hazard ratio, 1.58; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.18–2.1, with anxiety group the reference). Survival was reduced in patients referred to liaison psychiatry services. There were no significant differences between the SMI groups in terms of rates of dementia. However, risks of death and dementia were significantly increased compared to the general population (standardized mortality rates with 95% CI, 2.6(2.0–3.3), 3.5(2.6–4.5), 2.5(2.0–3.0) and 1.8 (1.4–2.2) and standardized dementia incidence rates with 95% CI, 2.7(1.5–4.1), 2.9(1.5–4.7), 3.8(2.6–5.2) and 4.3 (3.0–5.7) for bipolar disorder/mania, schizophrenia, recurrent depression and anxiety disorders respectively. Conclusions: Older adults referred into an old age psychiatry service show higher rates of dementia and death than those reported for the general population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information complexity in animals is an indicator of advanced communication and an intricate socio‐ecology. Zipf's Law of least effort has been used to assess the potential information content of animal repertoires, including whether or not a particular animal communication could be 'language‐like'. As all human languages follow Zipf's law, with a power law coefficient (PLC) close to −1, animal signals with similar probability distributions are postulated to possess similar information characteristics to language. However, estimation of the PLC from limited empirical datasets (e.g. most animal communication studies) is problematic because of biases from small sample sizes.The traditional approach to estimating Zipf's law PLC is to find the slope of a log–log rank‐frequency plot. Our alternative option uses the underlying equivalence between Shannon entropy (i.e. whether successive elements of a sequence are unpredictable, or repetitive) and PLC. Here, we test whether an entropy approach yields more robust estimates of Zipf's law PLC than the traditional approach.We examined the efficacy of the entropy approach in two ways. First, we estimated the PLC from synthetic datasets generated with a priori known power law probability distributions. This revealed that the estimated PLC using the traditional method is particularly inaccurate for highly stereotyped sequences, even at modest repertoire sizes. Estimation via Shannon entropy is accurate with modest sample sizes even for repertoires with thousands of distinct elements. Second, we applied these approaches to empirical data taken from 11 animal species. Shannon entropy produced a more robust estimate of PLC with lower variance than the traditional method, even when the true PLC is unknown. Our approach for the first time reveals Zipf's law operating in the vocal systems of multiple lineages: songbirds, hyraxes and cetaceans.As different methods of estimating the PLC can lead to misleading results in real data, estimating the balance of a communication system between simplicity and complexity is best performed using the entropy approach. This provides a more robust way to investigate the evolutionary constraints and processes that have acted on animal communication systems, and the parallels between these processes and the evolution of language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]