Search

Studies focusing on natural products have been conducted worldwide, and the results suggest that their natural ingredients effectively treat a wide range of illnesses. Baicalin (BIA) is a glycoside derived from the flavonoid baicalein present in Scutellaria baicalensis of the Lamiaceae family. Interestingly, BIA has been shown to protect the lungs in several animal models used in numerous studies. Therefore, we fully analyzed the data of the studies that focused on BIA's lung protective function against various injuries and included them in this review. Interestingly, BIA exhibits promising effects against acute lung injury, lung fibrosis, pulmonary embolism, and lung remodelling associated with COPD, LPS, and paraquat insecticide. BAI exhibits anticancer activity against lung cancer. Additionally, BIA potently attenuates lung damage associated with infections. BIA primarily exerts its therapeutic effects by suppressing inflammation, oxidative stress immune response, and apoptosis pathways. Nrf2/HO-1, PI3K/Akt, NF-κB, STAT3, MAPKs, TLR4, and NLRP3 are important targets in the pulmonary therapeutic effects of BIA on different lung disease models. Consequently, we recommend using it in future potential clinical applications, its contribution to treatment guidelines, and translating its promising effects to clinical practice in lung diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To improve fault diagnosis efficiency, a multidimensional denoising approach based on tensor decomposition is developed for solving multidimensional signal filtering. Methods: The monitoring signals are decomposed via truncated high-order singular value decomposition (T-HOSVD) to obtain their factor matrices. With L-curve criterion, the appropriate truncation parameters in the tensor factorization are determined to denoise and reduce dimension of signals. Then, the performance of sequentially truncated HOSVD (ST-HOSVD) is verified to quantify the correlation between the dimension of signal and computation complexity. The proposed ST-HOSVD approach is then applied to reduce noise in torque, current and vibration signals collected on bearing test rig, respectively. Results: Experimental results show that the performance of the T-HOSVD on signals denoising are poor with the dimension increasing. The ST-HOSVD approach can well remove noise and retain the working status features as much as possible. This tensor-based multidimensional signal filtering will be powerful tool for dealing with heterogeneous and multi-aspect data. Conclusion: The computation complexity of L-curve algorithm will increase sharply with the dimension of signal increasing while optimizing truncated parameters, but that of ST-HOSVD will not vary so much. When the dimension of the tensor model is not too high, the effectiveness of L-curve-T-HOSVD is higher. Otherwise, the computation cost of the ST-HOSVD is relatively lower. Therefore, the priority should be given to the ST-HOSVD for denoising the higher dimensional diagnostic data set about the rolling bearing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sexual selection pressures play a significant role in driving the evolution of color, morphological, and behavioral traits that serve as signals to communicate fighting ability between opponents. In lizards, body and head size often predict the outcome of male-male contests, but these morphological signals are static during and after the contest. However, coloration and behaviors may be dynamic traits that change during interactions being a potential mechanism of continuous evaluation of current or future opponents. In this study, we examine the function of color change as a signal in agonistic interactions between males of the Achala copper lizard. Also, we examine the relationship between fighting ability and multiple traits, including body size, head size, behaviors, and coloration. Furthermore, we explore the variability of agonistic encounters between reproductive and non-reproductive periods. We performed dyadic trials between males to evaluate behavior and measure dorsal color before and after the trials. Results show that Pristidactylus achalensis can modify the lightness of their skin during intrasexual interaction, with winners displaying lighter colors than losers. We observed dramatic changes from very light green to totally dark coloration. Notably, color difference between competitors was distinguishable only after the trial, not before. Winners also displayed more push-up behaviors, predicting the outcome of the agonistic interactions. Additionally, we did not find differences in the behavioral repertoire between periods (reproductive vs non-reproductive). We suggest that push-up behavior and color change are essential signals that allow contenders to assess their opponent's fighting ability from a distance without physical interaction and settle conflicts without escalating aggression. Significance statement: Animals may use multiple signals in agonistic interactions to facilite opponent assessment. Although body size and morphological sexual traits usually predict outcome, these traits are static but the dynamic of the coloration through fast color change add an extra factor to interpret the communication. We examine the function of color change as a signal and the relation between fighting ability of an endemic lizard from highlands of central Argentina. We demonstrated that males possess the ability to change their color, and winners show lighter colors than the losers. We suggest color changes together with push-up behavior are essential signals for the resolution of the conflict allowing the contenders to assess the opponent from a distance without physical interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grafting with pumpkin as rootstock could improve chilling tolerance of cucumber; however, the underlying mechanism of grafting-induced chilling tolerance remains unclear. Here, we analyzed the difference of physiological and transcriptional level between own-rooted (Cs/Cs) and hetero-grafted (Cs/Cm) cucumber seedlings under chilling stress. The results showed that grafting with pumpkin significantly alleviated the chilling injury as evidenced by slightly symptoms, lower contents of electrolyte leakage (EL), malondialdehyde (MDA), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and superoxide anion (O2-) and higher relative water content in Cs/Cm seedlings compared with Cs/Cs seedlings under chilling stress. RNA-seq data showed that grafting induced more DGEs at 8 °C/5 °C compared with 25 °C/18 °C. In accordance with the increase of the activities of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, POD, CAT, APX), grafting upregulated the expression of the regulated redox-related genes such as GST, SOD, and APX. Moreover, grafting increased the expression of genes participated in central carbon metabolism to promote the conversion and decomposition of sugar, which provided more energy for the growth of Cs/Cm seedlings under chilling stress. In addition, grafting regulated the genes involved in the intracellular signal transduction pathways such as calcium signal (CAML, CML, and CDPK) and inositol phospholipid signal (PLC), as well as changed the gene expression of plant hormone signal transduction pathways (ARF, GAI, ABF, and PYR/PYL). These results provide a physiological and transcriptional basis for the molecular mechanism of grafting-induced chilling tolerance of cucumber seedlings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Myocardial infarction (MI) is one of the cardiovascular diseases with high morbidity and mortality. MI causes large amounts of apoptotic and necrotic cells that need to be efficiently and instantly engulfed by macrophage to avoid second necrosis. Phagocytic macrophages can dampen or resolve inflammation to protect infarcted heart. Phagocytosis of macrophages is modulated by various factors including proteins, receptors, lncRNA and cytokines. A better understanding of mechanisms in phagocytosis will be beneficial to regulate macrophage phagocytosis capability towards a desired direction in cardioprotection after MI. In this review, we describe the phagocytosis effect of macrophages and summarize the latest reported signals regulating phagocytosis after MI, which will provide a new thinking about phagocytosis-dependent cardiac protection after MI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When we see or hear a spontaneous emotional expression, we usually immediately, effortlessly, and often correctly interpret it to mean happiness, sadness, or some other emotion as well as what this emotion is about. How do we do that? In this article, I evaluate how useful the concepts of natural meaning and probabilistic meaning are when it comes to explaining how we and other animals interpret emotional signs displayed without communicative intentions. I argue that Grice’s notion of natural meaning, because it is a factive relation, is too restrictive for this purpose. I then present the notion of probabilistic meaning. The latter seems adequate for analyzing our ability to interpret non-communicative emotional signs, but it faces several difficulties when it comes to analyzing how we and other animals interpret emotional signals, i.e. signs that have the function to communicate emotional information. I present three of these difficulties. En passant, I suggest that a teleosemantic notion may be better suited for these challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent proliferation of deepfakes and other digitally produced deceptive representations has revived the debate on the epistemic robustness of photography and other mechanically produced images. Authors such as Rini (2020) and Fallis (2021) claim that the proliferation of deepfakes pose a serious threat to the reliability and the epistemic value of photographs and videos. In particular, Fallis adopts a Skyrmsian account of how signals carry information (Skyrms, 2010) to argue that the existence of deepfakes significantly reduces the information that images carry about the world, which undermines their reliability as a source of evidence. In this paper, we focus on Fallis’ version of the challenge, but our results can be generalized to address similar pessimistic views such as Rini’s. More generally, we offer an account of the epistemic robustness of photography and videos that allows us to understand these systems of representation as continuous with other means of information transmission we find in nature. This account will then give us the necessary tools to put Fallis’ claims into perspective: using a richer approach to animal signaling based on the signaling model of communication (Maynard-Smith and Harper, 2003), we will claim that, while it might be true that deepfake technology increases the probability of obtaining false positives, the dimension of the epistemic threat involved might still be negligible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The discovery of adult neurogenesis in the middle of the past century is considered one of the most important breakthroughs in neuroscience. Despite its controversial nature, this discovery shaped our concept of neural plasticity, revolutionizing the way we look at our brains. In fact, after the discovery of adult neurogenesis, we started to consider the brain as something even more dynamic and highly adaptable. In neurogenic niches, adult neurogenesis is supported by neural stem cells (NSCs). These cells possess a unique set of characteristics such as being quiescent for long periods while actively sensing and reacting to their surroundings to influence a multitude of processes, including the generation of new neurons and glial cells. Therefore, NSCs can be viewed as sentinels to our brain’s homeostasis, being able to replace damaged cells and simultaneously secrete numerous factors that restore regular brain function. In addition, it is becoming increasingly evident that NSCs play a central role in memory formation and consolidation. In this review, we will dissect how NSCs influence their surroundings through paracrine and autocrine types of action. We will also depict the mechanism of action of each factor. Finally, we will describe how NSCs integrate different and often opposing signals to guide their fate.Different signaling pathways responsible for signal integration of NSCs-secreted autocrine/paracrine signals: Numerous superficial receptors are stimulated upon contact with NSCs-secreted factors. Interestingly, this schematic representation of the different pathways shows how different signals often converge into the same pathway. This allows the NSC to adopt the correct behavior in response to external stimuli.Graphical Abstract: The discovery of adult neurogenesis in the middle of the past century is considered one of the most important breakthroughs in neuroscience. Despite its controversial nature, this discovery shaped our concept of neural plasticity, revolutionizing the way we look at our brains. In fact, after the discovery of adult neurogenesis, we started to consider the brain as something even more dynamic and highly adaptable. In neurogenic niches, adult neurogenesis is supported by neural stem cells (NSCs). These cells possess a unique set of characteristics such as being quiescent for long periods while actively sensing and reacting to their surroundings to influence a multitude of processes, including the generation of new neurons and glial cells. Therefore, NSCs can be viewed as sentinels to our brain’s homeostasis, being able to replace damaged cells and simultaneously secrete numerous factors that restore regular brain function. In addition, it is becoming increasingly evident that NSCs play a central role in memory formation and consolidation. In this review, we will dissect how NSCs influence their surroundings through paracrine and autocrine types of action. We will also depict the mechanism of action of each factor. Finally, we will describe how NSCs integrate different and often opposing signals to guide their fate.Different signaling pathways responsible for signal integration of NSCs-secreted autocrine/paracrine signals: Numerous superficial receptors are stimulated upon contact with NSCs-secreted factors. Interestingly, this schematic representation of the different pathways shows how different signals often converge into the same pathway. This allows the NSC to adopt the correct behavior in response to external stimuli. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, I discuss two influential pictures of communication and the relation between them. One picture holds that successful communication requires identity of content: The speaker has a belief that she expresses with her utterance, and the hearer acquires a belief with the same content by understanding the utterance. The second picture was proposed by Lewis in his classic work Convention and then refined in “Languages and Language.” It sees communication as coordination among speakers—a technical notion that Lewis draws from game theory. Samuel Cumming has recently provided an elegant and insightful synthesis of the two pictures, arguing that Lewisian coordination among speakers is in fact a form of content identity. In this paper, my negative goal is to argue against Cumming’s attempt to construe coordination as content identity, showing that it yields incorrect predictions about certain cases of successful communication. My positive goal is to show how we can avoid Cumming’s problematic interpretation of coordination and still do justice to the relevant data within a coordination-based framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated how film franchise fans with varying levels of fanship perceive subtle versus explicit signals featured on fan-themed apparel products. A between-subjects experimental design was conducted with two fan-themed t-shirt designs (explicit vs. subtle) × fanship (low vs. high). In this study, the joint effect between subtle vs. explicit designs and fanship was examined to address perceived differentiation, social connection, and purchase intention. For perceived differentiation and social connection, fans with high fanship perceived the subtle design to be more effective than explicit designs. While fans with low fanship perceived the subtle design to be more effective for differentiation, they perceived that the explicit design facilitated social connection more than the subtle design. When fans perceived that signals featured on fan-themed apparel products differentiated themselves from others and facilitated social connection, their purchase intentions increased. The study yielded several theoretical and practical implications. First, the study contributed to the literature on signaling theory, extending the definition of subtle signals to include a more diverse range of design details, such as the content of graphics rather than the visibility and size of brand logos. The study also extended the use of signaling theory and optimal distinctiveness theory to new research areas of fan-themed products. Second, practical implications for producers, marketers, and retailers of fan-themed apparel included the consideration of developing fan-themed apparel with subtle signals, co-creating products with fans, and targeting female fans through more inclusive merchandising practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Communication in social insect colonies depends on signals accurately reflecting the identity and physiological state of the individuals. Such information is coded by the products of multiple exocrine glands, and the resulting blends reflect the species, sex, caste, age, task, reproductive status, and health of an individual, and may also contain caste-specific pheromones regulating the behavior and physiology of other individuals. Here we examined the composition of labial gland secretions in females of the bumble bee Bombus impatiens, of different castes, social condition, age, mating status, and ovarian activation. We show that active queens, gynes, and workers each produce caste-specific compounds that may serve different communicative functions. The composition and amounts of wax esters, mostly octyl esters produced by active queens, differed significantly between castes, mating, and social conditions, suggesting a social signaling role. Farnesyl esters were predominant in gynes and peaked at optimal mating age (6–10 days), suggesting their possible roles as sex pheromone components. Reproductive status of females and age across castes was reflected by the ratio between short- and long-chain hydrocarbons, suggesting that these compounds may serve as fertility signals. Our findings overall suggest that the labial gland composition in B. impatiens reflects different facets of female physiology. While further bioassays are required to determine the functions of these compounds, they are likely to have important roles in communication between individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In bi-parental species, reproduction is not only a crucial life-history stage where individuals must take fitness-related decisions, but these decisions also need to be adjusted to the behavioural strategies of other individuals. Hence, communication is required, which could be facilitated by informative signals. Yet, these signalling traits might have (co-)evolved in multiple contexts, as various family members usually meet and interact during reproduction. In this study, we experimentally explored for the first time whether a colourful plumage trait in adults acts as a signal that regulates multiple intra-family interactions in a bird species, the blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus). We expected that an experimental reduction of adults' UV/yellow reflectance (i.e. a reduction of apparent individual quality) should affect the behavioural strategies of all family members. We found evidence for this at least in adults, since the partners of UV-blocked individuals (either males or females) increased their parental investment — perhaps to compensate for the apparent lower condition of their mates. As the UV-blocked adult did not change its provisioning behaviour, the partner presumably responded to the manipulated signal and not to a behavioural change. However, the offspring did not co-adjust their begging intensity to the experimental treatment. It is thus possible that they responded to overall parental care rather than the signal. These results suggest that UV/yellow colouration of adult blue tits may act as quality signal revealing the rearing capacity to mates. Significance statement: How parents respond to signals of genetic or phenotypic quality of their mates has received significant attention. However, previous studies have primarily focused on the receiver's response and have not always controlled for the signaller's behaviour and its investment in reproduction. Our results provide the first experimental evidence that ultraviolet (UV)/yellow colouration acts as a signal of parental quality in the blue tit. Parents responded by increasing their effort when paired with UV-blocked (low-quality) mates, while controlling for the mate's behaviour. We argue that the reduced expression of the signal triggered a compensatory response in the mate. Interestingly, both males and females responded similarly to changes in mate's UV/yellow reflectance, suggesting similar rules over investment in response to this trait. However, nestlings, a potential (and often neglected) set of observers of parental signals, did not change their behaviour when raised by an UV-blocked (= low-quality) parent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Damage identification techniques are of essential importance to promote the efficiency, reliability and safety of any structural system. In recent years, many artificial intelligence (AI)-based approaches have been successfully applied to establish damage identification tools using sample structural responses. However, it is generally difficult to fully train a deep neural network, therefore, researchers usually use shallow neural networks, which is limited in terms of performance. Addressing these issues, this paper proposes a novel structural damage identification method based on the raw time-series structural response signals and a deep residual network (DRN). A deep residual network is designed for extracting features of the raw time-domain impedance responses signals that measured from steel beam under different damage conditions. In order to optimize the network's performance, a residual learning algorithm and the Bayesian optimization algorithm are proposed and implemented. The results show that different structural conditions have been identified accurately. Also, the proposed methodology is suitable for processing structural responses signal with variable sequential length. Reasonable knowledge is required in damage detection and signal processing, which increases the applicability of the established method. Thus, the introduced method offers significant improvement for structural health monitoring (SHM) in terms of different damage sizes and location detection. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work adopting DRN simultaneously on SHM non-image datasets of electro-mechanical impedance (EMI) signals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethnic markers are a prominent organizing feature of human society when individuals engage in significant anonymous interactions. However, identifying markers in natural settings is nontrivial. Although ad hoc assignment of markers to groups is widely documented in the ethnographic literature, predicting the membership of individuals based on stylistic variation is less clear. We argue that a more systematic approach is required to satisfy the basic assumptions made in ethnic marker theory. To this end we introduce a three-step ethnographic method to assess the presence, recognition, and transmission of markers of group identity: (1) continual scans, (2) a utilization survey, and (3) a comparative classification task. Applying the method to a study of culturally significant motifs in the South Pacific Island nation of Tonga, we provide evidence that the motif set satisfies basic theoretical assumptions and thus the motifs are likely expressions for social coordination. We also found that the coordinating role of each motif is variable and requires further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

C. S. Peirce defined the sign as a means to communicate a form or habit embodied in the object to the interpretant, thus constraining (through a sign) the behavior of an interpreter to a limited series of effects. This is part of the process of "semiotic scaffolding" in which sign relations interlock and reinforce one another, providing directionality to the process. In biological evolutionary studies canalization is defined as the adjustment of developmental pathways by natural selection to bring about a uniform result despite genetic and environmental variations. Establishing parallelism between the two concepts allows the possibility of understanding how semiotic processes introduce information from the environment resulting in canalization (and assimilation), determining "fixed" pathways to elaborate signal repertoires for particular species adapted to particular environments sensed by particular organs. This kind of sign action can produce an "encapsulation" process of the sign meaning, further affecting the meaning-making process developing in the receiver, a process affecting signal usage by animals, constraining agency of biological systems' behavior towards a definite sequence of events or signals and providing a certain orientation of the process ("semiotic canalization"). Therefore, we can also say that signs could potentially be built by senders (i.e. by the sign-vehicle) in a sort of pre-determined way and not extracted by the receiver from a "neutral" sender. Semiotic canalization is seen as a part of a more general process of scaffolding during development, acting mainly during some information exchanges between communicating subjects, providing adaptive responses to some standard communicative situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to shed light on the seismic response of complex industrial plants, advanced finite element models should take into account both multicomponents and relevant coupling effects. These models are usually computationally expensive and rely on significant computational resources. Moreover, the relationships between seismic action, system response and relevant damage levels are often characterized by a high level of nonlinearity, which requires a solid background of experimental data. Vulnerability and reliability analyses both depend on the adoption of a significant number of seismic waveforms that are generally not available when seismic risk evaluation is strictly site-specific. In addition, detection of most vulnerable components, i.e., pipe bends and welding points, is an important step to prevent leakage events. In order to handle these issues, a methodology based on a stochastic seismic ground motion model, hybrid simulation and acoustic emission is presented in this paper. The seismic model is able to generate synthetic ground motions coherent with site-specific analysis. In greater detail, the system is composed of a steel slender tank, i.e., the numerical substructure, and a piping network connected through a bolted flange joint, i.e., the physical substructure. Moreover, to monitor the seismic performance of the pipeline and harness the use of sensor technology, acoustic emission sensors are placed through the pipeline. Thus, real-time acoustic emission signals of the system under study are acquired using acoustic emission sensors. Moreover, in addition to seismic events, also a severe monotonic loading is exerted on the physical substructure. As a result, deformation levels of each critical component were investigated; and the processing of acoustic emission signals provided a more in-depth view of the damage of the analysed components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate the differences in reliability and costs of home respiratory polygraphy (HRP) when installed by the patient and by a nurse, in order to determine the factors affecting and to consider the possible generalization of self-setup procedure. Several HRP devices have been validated for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) diagnosis but convenience of a nurse intervention in HRP installation has been scarcely studied. Methods: This is a prospective and interventional study. About 301 participants were assigned to 2 groups: self-setup and nurse intervention. Sleep study, questionnaires, and diagnostic procedures were performed following the clinical practice in 2016. Signals were considered lost above 3 min, and success of the test was established according to guidelines. Costs were calculated according to a previous multicenter study. Results: Both groups (self-setup and nurse intervention) resulted homogeneous in age, gender, BMI, and final diagnosis of OSA. Signal losses during the test were similar in both groups. Slightly higher percentage of unsuccessful tests were obtained in the self-setup procedure (5.3 vs 2.0%, p = 0.121). The costs were similar (107 vs 105 €) in the self-setup group as compared to the nurse setup group. Conclusions: The setup of HRP by either the patient or nurse had similar costs and data acquisition. Both installation procedures of HRP were similar regarding test reliability and costs. Main findings are that self-installation by the patient could be similarly reliable and economic as installation by a nurse, as far as consensus guidelines are followed. This study demonstrates that self-setup of HRP is a potentially viable option for the diagnosis of OSA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The enhanced complexity and weight of conventional air data systems based on aerometric, aerodynamic, and vane sensor methods in using them on ultralight and small aircraft, is justified. The study reveals the theoretical foundations of the vortex method for measuring the incident air flow parameters and its implementation in the original system based on the vortex method using the original vortex sensor of the aerodynamic angle and true air speed. The algorithms of formation and processing of primary informative signals in the measuring channels of the aircraft air data system based on the vortex method are presented. The models are obtained and the quantitative estimation of instrumental errors of measuring channels is carried out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article studies the signals exchanged by potential spouses to overcome the uncertainty caused by limited pre-marital contact in the Saudi Arabian arranged marriage market. The article empirically analyses the characteristics that are seen as important in a spouse and the extent and nature of signals exchanged to ensure the partner has the desired characteristics. It was found that men valued the characteristics of honesty, obedience, kindness and caring most highly while women valued honesty, responsibility, caring and faithfulness as the most important. Signals were found to be used extensively in the marriage market. The signals exchanged fall into two categories: signals received directly and signals received through a third-party (e.g. relative). The third-party signals provide an economic explanation of why marriage to a close relative is common in Saudi Arabia, as it is easier to receive signals through a third-party when the spouse is a close relative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We define frames for a finite dimensional Hilbert space as the complete systems in The basic frame families are classified such as tight and Parseval frames,equal norm frames and equiangular frames. The well-known theorems proved by Naimark, Maltsev and Kashin have received a new interpretation in the frame theory. The explicit construction of the equal norm Parseval frames in for any is given in Theorem 3. Theorem 5 provides a simple proof of the Welch bound with the use of eigenvalues of the Gram matrix frame. There are examples of equiangular tight frames in the low-dimensional spaces. Sections 3 presents the definition of spark and the full spark systems and their usage in Compressed Sensing. There are examples of the full spark equiangular tight frames. In section 4 we use frames in Phase Reconstruction problem. The minimal number of measurable vectors in is found with the help of Kashin's stochastic matrix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Flexible couplings are widely used for accommodating various imprecisions such as misalignments and torque fluctuations in a diesel generator set. However, excessive vibration due to common engine misfires can cause premature failures in both the couplings and the whole generator set. Moreover, the coupling also affects detection performance and the occurrences of early misfires due to such faults in fuel injections and cylinder seals. In this paper, the torsional vibration along with the dynamic torque of the flexible coupling connecting a 6-cylinder diesel engine to a dynamometer is studied theoretically and experimentally. Methods: This system represents a common diesel generator set which is modeled into a torsional dynamic system with 10-degree of freedom (DOF) by the Lagrange equation method. After a verification of the model by the measurement of vibration responses at the free end and the coupling with a magnetic speed sensor and a wireless torque sensor, it is then used to predict the influences of different misfire conditions on the dynamic torque on the coupling, which helps in determining reliable diagnostic features for misfire detection and diagnosis. Results and Conclusions: Results show that the misfires of the diesel engine have significant influences (more than 5 times higher) on the torsional vibration and load of the flexible coupling than on the dynamic torque. Nevertheless, both the torsional vibration and torque of the flexible coupling can be used to detect the occurrence of the diesel engine misfires and the vibration provides slight better results in terms of localizing the misfired cylinders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In several species, the rusty color of hair or feathers is due to pheomelanin pigments, whose adaptive function is unknown. Pheomelanin may be costly because it is phototoxic and its production consumes a key intracellular antioxidant. Pheomelanin-based traits are, however, positively associated with individual quality in several bird species, where they have thus been suggested to have evolved through sexual selection. Here we investigated the signaling potential of the pheomelanin-based coloration of the crown feathers in the blue petrel. Although this pelagic seabird is nocturnal at the breeding colony and breeds within deep burrows, it might use visual communication when settled on the water during daytime. We tested the correlation between crown color and several fitness-related traits, and we found that higher-quality females displayed less-orange crown than poorer-quality females. This result is inconsistent with an adaptive function of pheomelanin-based coloration in inter-, or intra-, sexual selection in females. We suggest that it might, however, be in line with a signaling function of eumelanin-based coloration, if inter-individual variations in orange coloration are mainly due to eumelanin-to-pheomelanin ratio, rather than to pheomelanin quantity. In contrast to females, we did not find strong evidence for associations between melanin-based coloration and individual quality in males, suggesting sex-specific selective pressures on melanin-based traits in this species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The boundary-value problems of propagation of acoustic emission signals with the conjugation of two continuous media are considered. The main variables in the problems are the force that determines the origin of acoustic emission and displacement of particles of the medium that causes origin and propagation of elastic waves. The methodological substantiation of the solution of the boundary-value problem in conjugate media using the Green function and Fourier transforms is presented. The energy spectrum of acoustic emission is shown to be completely determined by the force constants of the material and forces that initiate the origin of acoustic emission signals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper describes the adaptive method of estimating the parameters of the distribution of the useful signal under the assumption that the noise distribution can be pre-estimated. It is based on the method of moving separation of the finite normal mixtures and implemented for the estimating both signal-noise and signal distribution parameters. We assume that the probability distribution of the signal, signal with noise and "pure" noise can be presented in form of finite normal mixtures. Also, a method for change point detection based on testing the homogeneity hypothesis using the Kolmogorov criterion is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to provide a philosophical and theoretical account of biological communication grounded in the notion of organisation. The organisational approach characterises living systems as organised in such a way that they are capable to self-produce and self-maintain while in constant interaction with the environment. To apply this theoretical framework to the study of biological communication, we focus on a specific approach, based on the notion of influence, according to which communication takes place when a signal emitted by a sender triggers a change in the behaviour of the receiver that is functional for the sender itself. We critically analyse the current formulations of this account, that interpret what is functional for the sender in terms of evolutionary adaptations. Specifically, the adoption of this etiological functional framework may lead to the exclusion of several phenomena usually studied as instances of communication, and possibly even of entire fields of investigation such as synthetic biology. As an alternative, we reframe the influence approach in organisational terms, characterising functions in terms of contributions to the current organisation of a biological system. We develop a theoretical account of biological communication in which communicative functions are distinguished from other types of biological functions described by the organisational account (e.g. metabolic, ecological, etc.). The resulting organisational-influence approach allows to carry out causal analyses of current instances of phenomena of communication, without the need to provide etiological explanations. In such a way it makes it possible to understand in terms of communication those phenomena which realise interactive patterns typical of signalling interactions—and are usually studied as such in scientific practice—despite not being the result of evolutionary adaptations. Moreover, this approach provides operational tools to design and study communicative interactions in experimental fields such as synthetic biology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mitochondrial malfunction is related to aging and to the onset of many diseases, such as obesity/diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. The molecular principles of biological and toxicological processes the mitochondria can regulate should be disease-specific, cell type-specific, and drug targetable. Mitochondrial biology and toxicology is evolving and undergoing a revolution through fast-developing biotechnologies garnering increasing attention due to the importance of targeted therapies. Mitochondrial energy production and metabolism are conducted via post-mitochondrial signaling, and are controlled by extra-mitochondrial pathways. Mitochondrial biology and toxicology has a history spanning over 30 years and is one of the main scientific focuses at Cell Biology and Toxicology. It is our aim to pioneer innovations of mitochondrial biology and toxicology to improve the understanding, highlight the latest development, and find mitochondria-based targets for therapies. It is expected to know how drugs can initiate mitochondrial dysfunction, the role of nuclear messages in regulating mitochondrial DNA (MtDNA), and how mitochondria communicate between or with other cells. Further studies are crucial to discover how mitochondria control the process of immune response, autophagy/mitophagy, genome activation, and cell interaction. It is also needed to innovate how the transcription is started and terminated within mitochondria, the cytosolic proteins and other organelles interact with mitochondria, and MtDNA regulates the function of mitochondrial respiratory megacomplexes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the RST Signalling Corpus (Das et al. in RST signalling corpus, LDC2015T10. https://catalog.ldc.upenn.edu/LDC2015T10, 2015), a corpus annotated for signals of coherence relations. The corpus is developed over the RST Discourse Treebank (Carlson et al. in RST Discourse Treebank, LDC2002T07. https://catalog.ldc.upenn.edu/LDC2002T07, 2002) which is annotated for coherence relations. In the RST Signalling Corpus, these relations are further annotated with signalling information. The corpus includes annotation not only for discourse markers which are considered to be the most typical (or sometimes the only type of) signals in discourse, but also for a wide array of other signals such as reference, lexical, semantic, syntactic, graphical and genre features as potential indicators of coherence relations. We describe the research underlying the development of the corpus and the annotation process, and provide details of the corpus. We also present the results of an inter-annotator agreement study, illustrating the validity and reproducibility of the annotation. The corpus is available through the Linguistic Data Consortium, and can be used to investigate the psycholinguistic mechanisms behind the interpretation of relations through signalling, and also to develop discourse-specific computational systems such as discourse parsing applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Differential-reinforcement-of-low-rate (DRL) schedules can be used to decrease, but not eliminate, excessive bids for teacher attention in a classroom. There are two primary methods of implementing a DRL: full session and spaced responding. Some research suggests that the full-session DRL may eliminate target responding. The purpose of the current study was to compare the effectiveness of and preference for the two DRL methods in a simulated preschool classroom. Three participants completed difficult puzzles in baseline, both DRL, and differential-reinforcement-of-other-behavior (DRO) conditions. In the spaced-responding and full-session DRL conditions, the optimal rate of bids for attention was approximately 75% (two participants) or 50% (one participant) of baseline responding. All participants requested attention near the optimal criterion in both DRL conditions and at a lower rate (near zero) in the DRO condition. Treatment preference of the students was assessed in a concurrent-chain arrangement. All participants preferred both types of DRL conditions to DRO, and two participants showed a preference for the full-session DRL. Results suggest that either DRL procedure may be suitable for a preschool classroom, but a full-session DRL may be ideal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Communication in archaeological artifacts is usually understood in terms of signs or signals, fleshed out under many guises. The notions of signs or signals that archaeologists employ often draw from Saussurean or Peircean semiotic theories from philosophy and linguistics. In this article I consider the consequences of whether we understand archaeological signals in terms of the Saussurean or Peircean framework, and highlight the fact that archaeologists have not always been precise in their use of relevant philosophical machinery. I will argue further that interpretation of archaeological artifacts should be supplemented by a notion of meaning that goes beyond signals and leads us to understand meaning in terms of a specific creator's communicative intention-which may deviate from how some signal was ordinarily used. This is what I call speaker meaning, drawing from philosophy of language. I then present specific examples from Egypt circa 1300 BC and 3500 BC and from France circa 12,000 BC that I argue are best treated with the proposed notion of speaker meaning. In the course of this discussion I consider questions that arise for current accounts of signals and metaphor in archaeology. Finally, I conclude by considering how my proposal relates to our understanding of decoration and style, humor, the advent of spoken language, and the nature of art. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to provide a basis for a systematic development of signaling theory on CSR initiatives. The paper (i) proposes signaling theory as a framework supportive of a strategic CSR approach; (ii) maps extant research on signaling through CSR initiatives; (iii) offers a comprehensive assessment of the most diffused CSR initiatives and discusses their eligibility as signaling devices; and (iv) outlines a research agenda to further develop and test signaling theory in business ethics. Specifically, the study reconsiders some key assumptions, identifies key gaps in empirical validation, and proposes directions to extend multiple signal, signaling pattern, and target cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The financial futures market in India is relatively new. The major advantage of derivatives as financial products is that their use minimizes the risks associated with securities. However, hedging effectiveness requires understanding key market signals such as trading margins, credit availability, and price discreteness. Methods: This study considers the Standard & Poor's CNX Nifty 50 Index futures for data analysis with the application of V-IGARCH (1, 1) two-stage model. The purpose for V-IGARCH (1, 1) is used to observe the positive effects of credit availability on the variance of futures returns. The first stage V-IGARCH (1, 1) endogenous mean and conditional variance returns are measured with exogenous factors from the second stage V-IGARCH (1, 1) models. The second stage V-IGARCH (1, 1) models specify the market participants' exogenous conditional probabilistic values for returns. Results: In the first stage, it was observed that returns and trading margins, as well as credit availability, were cointegrated, thereby indicating a long-term relationship between them. In the first stage of the V-IGARCH (1, 1) model, heteroscedasticity with the mean returns through residuals was observed, where the estimated coefficients were negative. This finding indicated that maximizing returns requires efficient use of trading margins as well as availability of credit positions. From the second stage regression estimation, it was observed that trading prices and total money supply were directly related, and thus had direct effects on returns. The total money supply increased gradually until the last trading hour. In the conditional variance equation, total money supply was related negatively to the availability of credit for market participants. Under these circumstances, the efficient interbank call interest rate was necessary to maintain the trading margin. In effect, efficient Nifty returns would be achieved. Conclusions: This study found that trading margins, credit availability, and price discreteness affect the variance of returns in the Indian futures markets. The study also found that market participation was inadequate as a result of endogenous and exogenous conditional probabilistic reasons. Efficient trading margins and effective credit availability positions were not realized. Price discreteness had a negative impact on returns, as trading prices and credit availability in each of the trading hours were inversely related. Trading risks, and hence losses, were not minimized by hedging positions. The monopoly power in the Nifty market was 8.9526. Given this monopoly power, returns were less elastic with respect to the existing trading margins, financial resources, and market microstructure (price discreteness) that were available for reinvestment. Therefore, before investing in derivatives (index futures), market investors should evaluate trading margins, credit availability positions, and price discreteness. Through these signals, investors will be able to gain essential market knowledge and participate accordingly in trading for efficient returns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The widespread communications between prokaryotes and eukaryotes via signaling molecules are believed to affect gene expression in both partners. During the communication process, the contacted organisms produce and release small molecules that establish communication channels between two kingdoms-this procedure is known as interkingdom signaling. Interkingdom communications are widespread between pathogenic or beneficial bacteria and their host plants, with diversified outcomes depending on the specific chemical-triggered signaling pathways. Deciphering the signals or language of this interkingdom communication and uncovering the underlying mechanisms are major current challenges in this field. It is evident that diverse signaling molecules can be produced or derived from bacteria and plants, and researchers have sought to identify these signals and explore the mechanisms of the signaling pathways. The results of such studies will lead to the development of strategies to improve plant disease resistance through controlling interkingdom signals, rather than directly killing the pathogenic bacteria. Also, the identification of signals produced by beneficial bacteria will be useful for agricultural applications. In this review, we summarize the recent progress of cross-kingdom interactions between plant and bacteria, and how LuxR-family transcription factors in plant associated bacterial quorum sensing system are involved in the interkingdom signaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional views of copulation and sperm transfer supposed that females are passive participants. Recent discoveries suggest, however, that females actively influence the chances that a copulation will result in fertilization of their eggs, and that they sometimes signal to males during copulation in order to elicit male responses. This paper concerns two apparent female signaling behaviors, wing vibration and body shaking, in the tsetse fly Glossina pallidipes, a species in which the male squeezes the female's abdomen rhythmically with his powerful genitalia. Vibration was associated with male squeezes at several levels of analysis. Its coordination with male behavior suggests that vibration functions as a signal that induces the male to interrupt squeezes, but that does not forcefully dislodge the male. The female tended to vibrate her wings soon after the male began a squeeze; and when the female vibrated her wings during a squeeze, the squeeze tended to be shorter. Female body shaking was usually elicited by especially powerful squeezes. Previous studies showed that stimuli from male structures that squeeze the female probably function to induce her to ovulate, to facilitate movement of sperm into her spermathecae, and to reject the sexual advances of additional males. This study is one of the first to document an exchange of signals between male and female insects during copulation, and extends the new field of research on copulatory dialogues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reproduction in social insect societies reflects a delicate balance between cooperation and conflict over offspring production, and worker reproduction is widespread even in species showing strong reproductive skew in favor of the queen. To navigate these conflicts, workers are predicted to develop the means to estimate the queen's fecundity - potentially through behavioral and/or chemical cues - and to adjust their reproduction to maximize their fitness. Here, we introduced bumble bee, Bombus impatiens, workers to queens of different mating and reproductive status and examined worker reproduction and expression levels of two genes which were previously shown to be sensitive to the presence of the queen, vitellogenin and Krüppel-homolog 1. We further explored whether the queen's chemical secretion alone is sufficient to regulate worker reproduction, aggression and gene expression. We found that worker ovary activation was inhibited only in the presence of egg-laying queens, regardless of their mating status. Workers reared in the presence of newly-mated queens showed intermediate vitellogenin expression levels relative to workers reared with mated egg-laying and virgin queens. However, none of the whole-body chemical extracts of any of the queen treatment groups affected ovary activation, aggressive behavior, or gene expression in workers. Our findings indicate that only the presence of a freely-behaving, egg-laying queen can fully inhibit worker reproduction. It remains to be determined if workers detect differences in queen mating status and fecundity through differences in the queens' behavior alone or through the queen's behavior in concert with fertility signals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Creation of a multichannel block of the 32nd-order bandpass recursive digital filters with a sampling frequency of 48 MHz is considered. Block diagrams of the unit and its component parts are presented. The detailed description of operation of the unit is given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are more than 20 amino acids used in Biology, and their utilization is enigmatic. Here, I propose that there was a prebiotic division of labor between two subsets of amino acids. The first set is the alpha-L set, which includes all the genetically encoded amino acids. These convey heritable information. The second set is all the remaining types, which includes the D-enantiomers incorporated in non-ribosomally encoded peptides and those used in signaling. These convey proximally mediated information about the environment. This division of labor became fixed early in the evolutionary history of life on the Earth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Naturalistic theories of representation seek to specify the conditions that must be met for an entity to represent another entity. Although these approaches have been relatively successful in certain areas, such as communication theory or genetics, many doubt that they can be employed to naturalize complex cognitive representations. In this essay I identify some of the difficulties for developing a teleosemantic theory of cognitive representations and provide a strategy for accommodating them: to look into models of signaling in evolutionary game theory. I show how these models can be used to formulate teleosemantics and expand it in new directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social vertebrates have a rich repertoire of communication signals and modalities. Recent work on the social insects has uncovered a diverse set of communication modalities including chemical, tactile, visual, and auditory signals to communicate a wide variety of information on the location of distant food sites, distress, and aggression. Here, we investigated abdominal wagging in the fire ant, Solenopsis invicta. We found that the abdominal 'wagging' that occurred inside the fire ant nests differed significantly from the abdominal 'flagging' that is known to occur outside the fire ant nests. Neither sounds nor venom was emitted during abdominal wagging inside the fire ant nests. Moreover, the incidence and duration of abdominal wagging was greater when workers were tending brood or ingesting food than when engaged in non-brood related tasks or in donating food. Lastly, inside the nests, abdominal wagging neither attracted nor repelled nearby workers. Thus, we speculate that wagging is an expression of pleasure while tending brood or ingesting food that falls along the continuum between the aggressive nature of abdominal flagging and the distress call of abdominal stridulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of TSG: Tijdschrift Voor Gezondheidswetenschappen is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Recent evidence suggests that nitric oxide (NO) signaling plays an important role in plant-pathogen interactions and that aconitase is a major target of NO. In the present study on the signaling role of NO in the elicitation of defense responses in peach fruit against Monilinia fructicola and subsequent effect on brown rot disease, 15 μM NO solution induced disease resistance in harvested peaches. As a potentiated elicitor, NO induced high levels of endogenous NO and superoxide (O), hydrogen peroxide (HO), and NADPH oxidase and Ca-ATPase activity in the fruit. Aconitase activity in peach fruit was inhibited by NO. Activity of partially purified aconitase was inhibited in vitro by sodium nitroprusside (SNP) and HO; however, the inhibition could be relieved by carboxy-2-phenyl-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl 3-oxide (cPTIO) or catalase (CAT), indicating that the defense response and signals induced by NO transduction depend on aconitase and conditions leading to elevated levels of NO; otherwise, HO would inactivate aconitase directly in fruit. Treatment with NO resulted in salicylic acid (SA) accumulating during storage. Higher levels of jasmonic acid (JA) were detected in NO-treated fruit 48 h after the treatment. But after NO was removed, the level of SA and JA were lower than in the control. The results suggest that exogenous NO enhances resistance of harvested peach fruit against the fungus by inducing signals such as endogenous NO, reactive oxygen species (ROS), SA and JA and by inhibiting aconitase activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of charismatic leadership on organizational performance is contested. Yet despite the lack of consistent evidence of the value of charismatic leadership to organizations, presidential searches have increasingly favored charismatic candidates. This study shows how organizational identity mediates the relationship between charismatic leadership and organizational performance. Among religious colleges, but not among private colleges considered overall, there is a positive relationship between presidents' charismatic leadership and the number of applications for enrollment and the amount of financial donations colleges receive. This suggests that among organizations with atypical identities, charismatic leadership can be interpreted as a meaningful signal of organizational performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we clarify the relationship between the information that an agent receives from a signal, from an experiment or from his own ability to determine the true state of nature that occurs and the information that an agent receives from a $$\sigma $$-algebra. We show that, for countably generated $$\sigma $$-algebras, the larger it is, the larger the information is. The same is true for general $$\sigma $$-algebras after the removal of a negligible set of states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are two fundamental problems for instituting a social contract. The first is cooperating to produce a surplus; the second is deciding how to divide this surplus. I represent each problem by a simple paradigm game, a Stag Hunt game for cooperating to produce a surplus, and a bargaining game for its division. I will discuss these simple games in isolation, and end by discussing their composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We discuss how the theoretical framework related to selection pressures on multi-component and multi-modal signalling introduced by the article of Wilson et al. in this special issue could usefully be built both theoretically and empirically. Theoretically, we suggest that the game theory approach of Wilson et al. could be generalised using the methodology of adaptive dynamics in order to indicate evolutionary trajectories and paths of evolution. This might indicate the relative likelihood of finding different equilibriums empirically in situations where the game theory explorations of Wilson et al. suggest that multiple equilibriums may exist for a given system. We also suggest how the work of Wilson et al. could be extended theoretically and empirically to further capture the effects of receiver psychology on selective pressures on multi-component and multi-modal signals. We also highlight the assumptions and predictions of the existing theory that would most benefit from and would be most amenable to empirical testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ancient Greece was wealthy enough to invent many of the foundations of Western Civilization. In order to accomplish this, they had to avoid the trap of dissipating wealth through continuous feuding. We contend that the ancient Olympics was one, of several, institutions that helped achieve this by acting as a signal of city-state strength. Although it could not prevent all battles, it provided information to reduce hostilities between competing cities. This hypothesis explains the rise and fall of the Olympics, and the unique and puzzling characteristics of the rules and events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comparative analysis of the frequency parameters of echo signals from artificial reflectors of different shapes and from a natural spill-type flaw has been performed. The use of the instantaneous frequencies of ultrasonic signals that correspond to certain instants inside a pulse was suggested as an informative parameter for determining the flaw type. Instantaneous frequency is estimated based on the algorithm of the continuous wavelet transform, which increases the noise immunity of the method. It is shown that for the algorithm to be practically implemented it is appropriate to present the results in the form of dimensionless parameters, namely, normalized frequency deviations determined between the pulse center, edge, and tail. Their joint application makes it possible, in particular, to reliably distinguish echo signals that are reflected at junction flaws that rise to the surface of a test object (notches, dihedral angles, and spills of the weld joints), flat specimen surfaces, and local flaws, such as cylindrical side through holes and flat bottom drills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present a model for the marketability of a Tribal artwork, and we test this model empirically using a unique hand-collected dataset, which comprises the worldwide Tribal art market auctions between 1999 and 2008. Our results show a significant relationship between the probability of an artwork to be sold and several signs and signals. The effect of the auction estimated prices on the probability of sales is nonlinear and allows us to divide the Tribal art market into two price regimes. In the low-price regime, the effect of the auction estimated price on the probability of sales is negative. In the high-price regime, the effect of the auction estimated price on the probability of sales is positive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]