Optimal multiguidance integration in insect navigation

In the last decades, desert ants have become model organisms for the study of insect navigation. In finding their way, they use two major navigational routines: path integration using a celestial compass and landmark guidance based on sets of panoramic views of the terrestrial environment. It has been claimed that this information would enable the insect to acquire and use a centralized cognitive map of its foraging terrain. Here, we present a decentralized architecture, in which the concurrently operating path integration and landmark guidance routines contribute optimally to the directions to be steered, with “optimal” meaning maximizing the certainty (reliability) of the combined information. At any one time during its journey, the animal computes a path integration (global) vector and landmark guidance (local) vector, in which the length of each vector is proportional to the certainty of the individual estimates. Hence, these vectors represent the limited knowledge that the navigator has at any one place about the direction of the goal. The sum of the global and local vectors indicates the navigator’s optimal directional estimate. Wherever applied, this decentralized model architecture is sufficient to simulate the results of quite a number of diverse cue-conflict experiments, which have recently been performed in various behavioral contexts by different authors in both desert ants and honeybees. They include even those experiments that have deliberately been designed by former authors to strengthen the evidence for a metric cognitive map in bees.

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Faculty Opinions recommendation of Path integration and the neural basis of the 'cognitive map'.

Faculty Opinions – Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature ◽

10.3410/f.1033676.497917 ◽

2006 ◽

Author(s):

John Lisman

Keyword(s):

Path Integration ◽

Cognitive Map ◽

Neural Basis

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Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals the mesangial identity and species diversity of glomerular cell transcriptomes

Nature Communications ◽

10.1038/s41467-021-22331-9 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Bing He ◽

Ping Chen ◽

Sonia Zambrano ◽

Dina Dabaghie ◽

Yizhou Hu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Expression Profiles ◽

Gene Expression Profiles ◽

Human Kidney ◽

Cell Types ◽

Model Organisms ◽

Mural Cell ◽

Glomerular Cell ◽

Individual Gene ◽

The Individual

AbstractMolecular characterization of the individual cell types in human kidney as well as model organisms are critical in defining organ function and understanding translational aspects of biomedical research. Previous studies have uncovered gene expression profiles of several kidney glomerular cell types, however, important cells, including mesangial (MCs) and glomerular parietal epithelial cells (PECs), are missing or incompletely described, and a systematic comparison between mouse and human kidney is lacking. To this end, we use Smart-seq2 to profile 4332 individual glomerulus-associated cells isolated from human living donor renal biopsies and mouse kidney. The analysis reveals genetic programs for all four glomerular cell types (podocytes, glomerular endothelial cells, MCs and PECs) as well as rare glomerulus-associated macula densa cells. Importantly, we detect heterogeneity in glomerulus-associated Pdgfrb-expressing cells, including bona fide intraglomerular MCs with the functionally active phagocytic molecular machinery, as well as a unique mural cell type located in the central stalk region of the glomerulus tuft. Furthermore, we observe remarkable species differences in the individual gene expression profiles of defined glomerular cell types that highlight translational challenges in the field and provide a guide to design translational studies.

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Path Integration Provides a Scaffold for Landmark Learning in Desert Ants

Current Biology ◽

10.1016/j.cub.2010.06.035 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 20 (15) ◽

pp. 1368-1371 ◽

Cited By ~ 121

Author(s):

Martin Müller ◽

Rüdiger Wehner

Keyword(s):

Path Integration ◽

Desert Ants ◽

Landmark Learning

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Bilingual cognitive map in the space of teaching public administration: a russian case

Revista Tempos e Espaços em Educação ◽

10.20952/revtee.v9i20.5897 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 9 (20) ◽

pp. 81-88

Author(s):

Mariia Rubtcova ◽

Oleg Pavenkov ◽

Vladimir Pavenkov

Keyword(s):

National Identity ◽

Public Administration ◽

Cognitive Maps ◽

Cognitive Map ◽

Russian Language ◽

Bilingual Programs ◽

Closed Area ◽

The Subject ◽

The Individual ◽

Map Approach

The introduction of bilingual programs for future bureaucrats turned out to be a great challenge. In Russia this is one of the “classic” areas, in which the spirit of conservatism and collectivism prevails. In this area, the idea of teaching in English may be perceived with hatred: English can invade the closed area communication of offi cials, to make the excessive diversity of their contacts and violate patriotism and national identity. We used a cognitive map approach. It allows us to create diff erent kinds of cognitive maps and teaching materials for university students who need to learn in one course the terminology in both languages. The results show that the study of the subject/course in English is not harmful to the development of professional Russian language. It was confi rmed by the individual discussion in Russian. At the same time, the skills of reading articles in English were signifi cantly improved.

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Sustainability Assessment: Exploring the Frontiers and Paradigms of Indicator Approaches

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su11030824 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 824 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Tomás B. Ramos

Keyword(s):

Sustainability Assessment ◽

Scientific Development ◽

Assessment Procedure ◽

Exploratory Research ◽

Critical Perspective ◽

Current State ◽

Challenges And Opportunities ◽

Combination Of Methods ◽

The Individual ◽

Global And Local

Sustainability assessment approaches could support all levels of decision-making and policy processes (including strategies, policies, plans, programs, projects, and activities/operations), thus improving the management of natural and human systems. Sustainability Indicators (SIs) have been extensively used to assess and communicate the progress toward sustainable development. However, despite all the SI initiatives and the well-known advantages and popularity, several risks have been pointed out, so there is a need to rethink the current state of SIs and build visions that could reshape the indicator reality. The main goal of this research is to develop a constructive debate around the possible futures and paths of SIs’, by conducting a critical analysis of a set of challenges and opportunities identified by the literature. This was explored through a critical perspective and viewpoint article that discusses what could be some of the new frontiers and paradigms in SIs. Exploratory research supported by a combination of methods was conducted, consisting of a search of the literature and qualitative document analysis, followed by an assessment procedure based upon an evaluation ranking scale. The classification scale integrated three main criteria of valuation: Relevancy, feasibility, and societal impacts. The findings showed that most of the challenges and opportunities analyzed are old and mainly technically oriented, with a low potential impact on society, including end-users and practitioners. The majority of the challenges have low-to-medium feasibility, showing that there would be difficulty in implementing them, and so they should be improved or redesigned. A set of key questions on SIs’ futures is proposed, aiming to represent a critical view of the relevant challenges and opportunities analyzed, but underpinned and observed from a crosscutting angle, represented by the societal role. The SI research community should be ready to adapt ways of thinking and doing, responding to new global and local paradigms and using transdisciplinary collaborative scientific development and innovation as the foundations for the change process, wherein communities and the individual have central roles to play.

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