Importance of sleep for avian vocal communication

Sleep is one of the few truly ubiquitous animal behaviours, and though many animals spend enormous periods of time asleep, we have only begun to understand the consequences of sleep disturbances. In humans, sleep is crucial for effective communication. Birds are classic models for understanding the evolution and mechanisms of human language and speech. Bird vocalizations are remarkably diverse, critical, fitness-related behaviours, and the way sleep affects vocalizations is likely similarly varied. However, research on the effects of sleep disturbances on avian vocalizations is shockingly scarce. Consequently, there is a critical gap in our understanding of the extent to which sleep disturbances disrupt communication. Here, we argue that sleep disturbances are likely to affect all birds'' vocal performance by interfering with motivation, memory consolidation and vocal maintenance. Further, we suggest that quality sleep is likely essential when learning new vocalizations and that sleep disturbances will have especially strong effects on learned vocalizations. Finally, we advocate for future research to address gaps in our understanding of how sleep influences vocal learning and performance in birds.     

如何上好“绪论”第一课：以“普通植物病理学”课程为例

“绪论”是高校所有课程的第一课,上好“绪论”第一课可第一时间在学生心中播下对该门学科的使命感、进取心和责任心的“种子”。作者通过多年的教学研究与实践,认为“绪论”教学的首要目的是激发学生的好奇心和求知欲,点燃学生的进取心和紧迫感,进而喜欢和会学这门课程。为达到上述教学目的,我们构建了“绪论”第一课授课内容、方法与目的三者相吻合的教学模式：首先,采用生动有趣和灵活多样的手段导入情景和实物,并设问;随后通过循循善诱和启迪独立思考,师生共同探究和感悟该学科属性、形成发展历史、目前研究现状及未来发展前景,以及教与学的目的、任务和方法等,从而让学生树立上进心和责任心,增强学好该课程的决心和信心。本文以普通植物病理学课程为例,展示了采用“绪论”第一课的教学模式开展的教学过程。多年的教学实践证明,“绪论”第一课教学模式导入的“绪论”内容规范、系统、全面、与教学目标相契合。并且,其内涵丰富、可操作性强、实施效果好,对提高教学质量十分奏效,适合推广应用。     

三峡库区消落带植被NPP估算——基于机器学习优化CASA模型

三峡库区蓄水后,其生态效应受到广泛关注。消落带植被固碳量作为衡量库区生态系统健康状态的重要指标,对库区碳循环与生态净化具有重要意义。针对消落带不同高程植被接受光照的时间有所差异,且受河流水位变化影响,传统的CASA模型在计算消落带植被固碳量时,存在对植物的光能利用率计算不够精确等问题。以三峡库区香溪河陡坡消落带为研究区域,提出了一种耦合RBFNN模型（Radial Basis Function Neural Network）与CASA模型（Carnegie-Ames-Stanford approach）的新方法（RBF-CASA）。基于RBFNN建立环境影响因子模型,借助高程数据及植被指数等特征计算适合消落带区域的环境影响因子。结合CASA模型中温度和水分胁迫因子,提高植被在像元尺度上的净初级生产力（Net Primary Productivity,NPP）的估算精度,并对反演结果进行验证。模型验证结果显示：RBF-CASA模型估算值与观测值的决定系数（Coefficient of determination, R²）为0.730（P<0.01, n=32）。对比原始CASA模型,平均绝对误差（Mean absolute error, MAE）降低10.991,均方根误差（Root mean square error, RMSE）降低了23.861,相对均方根误差（Relative root mean square error, RRMSE）降低5.10%,平均绝对百分误差（Mean absolute percentage error, MAPE）降低1.12%。使用提出的RBF-CASA模型在库区水位落干期（7-8月份）进行固碳量估算,结果表明：NPP月均值在66.234-134.144g C/m²之间,NPP随着高程的增加呈现起伏变化,其总量在150-155m之间达到峰值,均值在170m以上区域最高。在2021年9月植被NPP均值为35.883g C/m²,2022年9月植被NPP均值为25.964g C/m²,由于降雨量减少、长江水位下降,在2021-2022年间植被恢复情况较差。研究结果可为库区碳循环、生态净化及生态修复等决策提供科学依据。     

Machine learning models effectively distinguish attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder using event-related potentials

Accurate diagnosis of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a significant challenge. Misdiagnosis has significant negative medical side effects. Due to the complex nature of this disorder, there is no computational expert system for diagnosis. Recently, automatic diagnosis of ADHD by machine learning analysis of brain signals has received an increased attention. This paper aimed to achieve an accurate model to discriminate between ADHD patients and healthy controls by pattern discovery. Event-Related Potentials (ERP) data were collected from ADHD patients and healthy controls. After pre-processing, ERP signals were decomposed and features were calculated for different frequency bands. The classification was carried out based on each feature using seven machine learning algorithms. Important features were then selected and combined. To find specific patterns for each model, the classification was repeated using the proposed patterns. Results indicated that the combination of complementary features can significantly improve the performance of the predictive models. The newly developed features, defined based on band power, were able to provide the best classification using the Generalized Linear Model, Logistic Regression, and Deep Learning with the average accuracy and Receiver operating characteristic curve > %99.85 and > 0.999, respectively. High and low frequencies (Beta, Delta) performed better than the mid, frequencies in the discrimination of ADHD from control. Altogether, this study developed a machine learning expert system that minimises misdiagnosis of ADHD and is beneficial for the evaluation of treatment efficacy.Graphical abstract      

Conceptual Method of Temperature Sensation in Bionic Hand by Extraordinary Perceptual Phenomenon

Lack of temperature sensation of myoelectric prosthetic hand limits the daily activities of amputees.To this end,a non-invasive temperature sensation method is proposed to train amputees to sense temperature with psychophysical sensory substitution.In this study,22 healthy participants took part besides 5 amputee participants.The duration time of the study was 31 days with five test steps according to the Leitner technique.An adjustable temperature mug and a Peltier were used to change the temperature of the water/phantom digits to induce temperature to participants.Also,to isolate the surround-ings and show colors,a Virtual Reality(VR)glass was employed.The statistical results conducted are based on the response of participants with questionnaire method.Using Chi-square tests,it is concluded that participants answer the experiment significantly correctly using the Leitner technique(P value＜0.05).Also,by applying the"Repeated Measures ANOVA",it is noticed that the time of numbness felt by participants had significant(P value＜0.001)difference.Participants could remember lowest and highest temperatures significantly better than other temperatures(P value＜0.001);furthermore,the well-trained amputee participant practically using the prosthesis with 72.58％could identify object's temperature with only once time experimenting the color temperature.     

基因工程综合实训教学改革与创新

为培养学生的岗位职业能力,实现与岗位零对接,基因工程综合实训以工作任务为线索确定教学内容,以产品生产流程为载体设计教学过程,以职业能力为依据改革教学方法,以发展性评价为手段,强化技能形成。实践证明,"基因工程综合实训"教学改革,有利于培养学生的动手能力和实践创新能力,有利于促进以职业能力培养为核心的教育。     

利用网络平台辅助遗传学教学的探索与实践

随着新技术的发展, 教学方法日趋丰富。在传统的教学基础上, 网络技术为教学过程搭建了新的平台。在遗传学教学中, 应用网络平台指导学生进行学习, 为提高学生的学习兴趣和进行自主性学习提供了可能。本教研组多年的探索与应用过程表明, 网络教学是遗传学教学中有效的辅助手段之一, 具有传统教学不可比拟的优势。文章就网络教学平台的构建、网络教学的优势与不足以及相应的对策进行了介绍。     

HIV-1 Neutralizing Antibody Signatures and Application to Epitope-Targeted Vaccine Design

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葛根素对血管性痴呆大鼠海马突触传递长时程增强的影响

目的：探讨葛根素对血管性痴呆大鼠长时程增强（LTP）的影响。方法：采用Morris水迷宫和LTP诱导法检测血管性痴呆模型大鼠空间学习记忆能力和海马突触传递的改变。结果：模型组大鼠不同时间点测得的Morris水迷宫逃逸潜伏期均较假手术组明显延长,海马LTP诱导率明显降低,而药物组大鼠EL均短于模型组,但LTP诱导率明显增强。结论：葛根素可增强血管性痴呆大鼠突触传递功能,改善其长期存在的学习记忆障碍。     

Characterizing the socially transmitted foraging tactic “sponging” by bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops sp.) in the western gulf of Shark Bay,Western Australia

Individual foraging tactics are widespread in animals and have ecological and evolutionary implications. Indo‐Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops sp.) in Shark Bay, Western Australia, exhibit a foraging tactic involving tool use, called “sponging.” Sponging is vertically, socially transmitted through the matriline and, to date, has been described in detail in the eastern gulf of Shark Bay (ESB). Here, we characterize sponging in the western gulf of Shark Bay (WSB), in which a different matriline engages in the behavior. We identified 40 individual “spongers” in 9 mo of boat‐based surveys over three field seasons. As is the case in ESB, the majority of WSB spongers was female and engaged in sponging in deep channel habitats. In contrast to ESB, however, there was no difference in the number of associates between spongers and nonspongers in WSB, and activity budgets differed between spongers and deep‐water nonspongers; spongers foraged more frequently and rested less than nonspongers. Group sizes in deep channel habitat, where sponging was prevalent, were typically larger than those in shallow habitat, except for foraging, perhaps indicative of higher predator abundance and/or scattered prey distribution in deep‐water habitat. This research improves our understanding of within‐population foraging variations in bottlenose dolphins.