scholarly journals Modelling Animal Interactive Rhythms in Communication

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 117693431882355
Author(s):  
Andrea Ravignani ◽  
Koen de Reus
Keyword(s):  
Mathematical Models ◽  
Computational Models ◽  
Animal Communication ◽  
Animal Experiments ◽  
Simulated Data ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
Ecological Niches ◽  
Temporal Properties ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms

Time is one crucial dimension conveying information in animal communication. Evolution has shaped animals’ nervous systems to produce signals with temporal properties fitting their socio-ecological niches. Many quantitative models of mechanisms underlying rhythmic behaviour exist, spanning insects, crustaceans, birds, amphibians, and mammals. However, these computational and mathematical models are often presented in isolation. Here, we provide an overview of the main mathematical models employed in the study of animal rhythmic communication among conspecifics. After presenting basic definitions and mathematical formalisms, we discuss each individual model. These computational models are then compared using simulated data to uncover similarities and key differences in the underlying mechanisms found across species. Our review of the empirical literature is admittedly limited. We stress the need of using comparative computer simulations – both before and after animal experiments – to better understand animal timing in interaction. We hope this article will serve as a potential first step towards a common computational framework to describe temporal interactions in animals, including humans.

scholarly journals Does Social Exclusion Alter Sensory and Pain Thresholds in Children and Adolescents with Functional Abdominal Pain? – Results from a Preliminary Study

Pain Medicine ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (8) ◽  
pp. 1472-1478
Author(s):  
Marco Daniel Gulewitsch ◽  
Aiste Jusyte ◽  
Katja Weimer ◽  
Michael Schönenberg
Keyword(s):  
Abdominal Pain ◽  
Social Exclusion ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Childhood And Adolescence ◽  
Sensory Threshold ◽  
Functional Abdominal Pain ◽  
Pain Thresholds ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms

Abstract Objective Functional abdominal pain (AP) is a prevalent issue in childhood and adolescence. The contribution of psychosocial factors in the development and maintenance of this health problem is rather unclear, and experimental studies about underlying mechanisms are lacking. This study investigates whether experimentally induced social exclusion decreases sensory and pain thresholds in children suffering from AP. Subjects Twenty children/adolescents with AP and 22 healthy controls. Methods Children/adolescents participated in the Cyberball paradigm, which affects an experience of social exclusion. Thermal sensory and pain thresholds were measured before and after Cyberball. Results Children/adolescents with AP showed a divergent reaction regarding their sensory threshold after social exclusion: The control group exhibited a tendency toward a decreased sensory threshold whereas the AP group remained stable. Concerning the pain threshold, no effect of social exclusion could be identified. The increase of both thresholds (“numbing”) after Cyberball was positively correlated with symptoms of mental health issues. Conclusions This is the first study to investigate changes in sensory and pain thresholds following painful social interactions in a sample of children/adolescents with a chronic pain condition. Results suggest that AP and control children differ in their reaction of sensory thresholds, which might indicate an altered processing of social exclusion. Replication and further methodological improvements are needed.

scholarly journals Chronic pain relief after the exposure of nitrous oxide during dental treatment: longitudinal retrospective study

2015 ◽  
Vol 73 (7) ◽  
pp. 578-581 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco Moreira Mattos Júnior ◽  
Rafael Villanova Mattos ◽  
Manoel Jacobsen Teixeira ◽  
Silvia Regina Dowgan Tesseroli de Siqueira ◽  
Jose Tadeu Tesseroli de Siqueira
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Pain ◽  
Nitrous Oxide ◽  
Dental Treatment ◽  
Chronic Pain Patients ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Nitrous Oxide Oxygen ◽  
Oxygen Nitrous Oxide ◽  
Prevalence Of Pain ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
Pain Patients

The objective was to investigate the effect of nitrous/oxygen in chronic pain. Seventy-seven chronic pain patients referred to dental treatment with conscious sedation with nitrous oxide/oxygen had their records included in this research. Data were collected regarding the location and intensity of pain by the visual analogue scale before and after the treatment. Statistical analysis was performed comparing pre- and post-treatment findings. It was observed a remarkable decrease in the prevalence of pain in this sample (only 18 patients still had chronic pain, p < 0.001) and in its intensity (p < 0.001). Patients that needed fewer sessions received higher proportions of nitrous oxide/oxygen. Nitrous oxide may be a tool to be used in the treatment of chronic pain, and future prospective studies are necessary to understand the underlying mechanisms and the effect of nitrous oxide/oxygen in patients according to the pain diagnosis and other characteristics.

scholarly journals Patient and Therapist In-Session Cortisol as Predictor of Post-Session Patient Reported Affect

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 1483
Author(s):  
Eyal Levi ◽  
Susanne Fischer ◽  
Hadar Fisher ◽  
Roee Admon ◽  
Sigal Zilcha-Mano
Keyword(s):  
Positive Affect ◽  
Stress Hormone ◽  
Major Depressive ◽  
Retrospective Reports ◽  
The Social ◽  
Patient Reported ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Common ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms

The importance of the role of affect in psychotherapy for major depressive disorder (MDD) is well established, but the common use of self-reported measures may limit our understanding of its underlying mechanisms. A promising predictor of patient affect is the stress hormone cortisol. To date, no studies have studied in-session changes in cortisol in psychotherapy for MDD. We investigated whether an increase in patient cortisol over the course of a session correlated with higher negative and lower positive affect. Given previous findings on healthy individuals on the contagious nature of stress, an additional aim was to examine whether these relationships are moderated by therapist cortisol. To this end, 40 dyads (including 6 therapists) provided saliva samples before and after four pre-specified sessions (616 samples). After each session, the patients provided retrospective reports of in-session affect. We found no association between patient cortisol and affect. However, increases in patient cortisol predicted negative affect when the therapists exhibited decreases in cortisol, and increases in patient cortisol predicted positive affect when the therapists showed increases. Our study provides initial evidence for the importance of the social context in the cortisol–affect relationship in MDD.

scholarly journals History, observation and mathematical models in the seismic analysis of the Valadier abutment area in the Colosseum

1995 ◽  
Vol 38 (5-6) ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Croci ◽  
D. D'Ayala ◽  
R. Liburdi
Keyword(s):  
Mathematical Models ◽  
Seismic Analysis ◽  
Numerical Models ◽  
Time History ◽  
Historical Records ◽  
Direct Integration ◽  
Structural Behaviour ◽  
Seismic Behaviour ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Xix Century

The present work aimed to outline the need to investigate different fields of research to interpret the structural behaviour of a monument as complex as the Colosseum. It is shown how defining the numerical models first. then refining them, followed by interpretation of results. is strictly linked with the inforination gathered from historical records and observation of the ~nonumenta s it is today. The study is confined to the area of the Valadier abutment. analysing its state and its seismic behaviour before and after the XIX century restoration using different ilumerical tools, from the elastic modal analysis to the non linear step by step time history direct integration. The procedure comparati\ely evaluates the reliability in the interpretation of the results and identifies future lines or research.

scholarly journals Quantifying accuracy and heterogeneity in single-molecule super-resolution microscopy

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hesam Mazidi ◽  
Tianben Ding ◽  
Arye Nehorai ◽  
Matthew D. Lew
Keyword(s):  
Single Molecule ◽  
Computational Models ◽  
Amyloid Fibrils ◽  
Imaging System ◽  
Simulated Data ◽  
Super Resolution ◽  
Ground Truth ◽  
Localization Algorithm ◽  
Reconstruction Algorithms ◽  
Imaging Data

The resolution and accuracy of single-molecule localization micro-scopes (SMLMs) are routinely benchmarked using simulated data, calibration “rulers,” or comparisons to secondary imaging modalities. However, these methods cannot quantify the nanoscale accuracy of an arbitrary SMLM dataset. Here, we show that by computing localization stability under a well-chosen perturbation with accurate knowledge of the imaging system, we can robustly measure the confidence of individual localizations without ground-truth knowledge of the sample. We demonstrate that our method, termed Wasserstein-induced flux (WIF), measures the accuracy of various reconstruction algorithms directly on experimental 2D and 3D data of microtubules and amyloid fibrils. We further show that WIF confidences can be used to evaluate the mismatch between computational models and imaging data, enhance the accuracy and resolution of recon-structed structures, and discover hidden molecular heterogeneities. As a computational methodology, WIF is broadly applicable to any SMLM dataset, imaging system, and localization algorithm.

scholarly journals Fine-tuning citrate synthase flux potentiates and refines metabolic innovation in the Lenski evolution experiment

eLife ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erik M Quandt ◽  
Jimmy Gollihar ◽  
Zachary D Blount ◽  
Andrew D Ellington ◽  
George Georgiou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Citrate Synthase ◽  
Fine Tuning ◽  
Ecological Niches ◽  
Glta Gene ◽  
Evolutionary Changes ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Evolution Experiment ◽  
History Of ◽  
Second Wave

Evolutionary innovations that enable organisms to colonize new ecological niches are rare compared to gradual evolutionary changes in existing traits. We discovered that key mutations in the gltA gene, which encodes citrate synthase (CS), occurred both before and after Escherichia coli gained the ability to grow aerobically on citrate (Cit+ phenotype) during the Lenski long-term evolution experiment. The first gltA mutation, which increases CS activity by disrupting NADH-inhibition of this enzyme, is beneficial for growth on the acetate and contributed to preserving the rudimentary Cit+ trait from extinction when it first evolved. However, after Cit+ was refined by further mutations, this potentiating gltA mutation became deleterious to fitness. A second wave of beneficial gltA mutations then evolved that reduced CS activity to below the ancestral level. Thus, dynamic reorganization of central metabolism made colonizing this new nutrient niche contingent on both co-opting and overcoming a history of prior adaptation.

EMDR’s Neurobiological Mechanisms of Action: A Survey of 20 Years of Searching

2010 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Uri Bergmann
Keyword(s):  
Eye Movement ◽  
Mechanisms Of Action ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
Emdr Therapy

Historically, mechanisms of action have often been difficult to ascertain. Thus far, the definitive discovery of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)’s underlying mechanisms has been equally elusive. We review the neurobiological studies of EMDR, as well as the theoretically driven speculative models that have been posited to date. The speculative theoretically driven models are reviewed historically to illustrate their growth in neurobiological complexity and specificity. Alternatively, the neurobiological studies of EMDR are reviewed with regard to their object of investigation and categorized as follows: findings before and after EMDR therapy (neuroimaging and psychophysiological studies) and findings during the EMDR set (psychophysiological, neuroimaging, and qEEG studies).

Autoantibodies reacting with vasopressin and oxytocin in relation to cortisol secretion in major depression

2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (S2) ◽  
pp. 904-904
Author(s):  
F.D. Garcia ◽  
Q. Coquerel ◽  
E. Kiive ◽  
P. Déchelotte ◽  
J. Harro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Major Depression ◽  
Physical Exercise ◽  
Plasma Levels ◽  
Plasma Cortisol ◽  
Cortisol Response ◽  
Cortisol Secretion ◽  
Mild Depression ◽  
Moderate Depression ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms

IntroductionAbnormal vasopressin (VP) and oxytocin (OT) signaling may contribute to the altered activity of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in major depression; the underlying mechanisms remain uncertain.ObjectiveThis study characterized plasma levels and affinities of OT-and VP-reactive autoantibodies (autoAbs) with relation to disease severity and plasma cortisol response to physical exercise in patients with mild and moderate depression and healthy controls.MethodsPhysical exercise was used to elicit plasma cortisol response in 23 male depressive and 20 healthy subjects. All subjects were evaluated by the MADRS. Plasma levels VP-and OT-reactive IgG, IgA and IgM autoAbs were measured by ELISA, before and after the exercise, and affinity was measured by plasmon resonance.ResultsPlasma levels of OT-and VP-reactive total IgG autoAbs were lower in patients with moderate depression vs. controls and patients with mild depression. Both OT- and VP- free IgG autoAbs levels were negatively correlated with MADRS scores. Affinity values displayed 100 fold variability in both groups. Patients with moderate depression displayed blunted response of cortisol secretion to physical exercise. Baseline levels of VP total IgG and IgM autoAbs correlated negatively and of VP free IgG autoAbs correlated positively with plasma cortisol after physical exercise.ConclusionThese data show that changes of levels but not affinity of OT- and VP- reactive autoantibodies can be associated with the altered mood in subjects with moderate depression and that levels of VP-reactive autoAbs are associated with cortisol secretion.

scholarly journals Effect of electroconvulsive therapy on hippocampal and amygdala volumes: systematic review and meta-analysis

2018 ◽  
Vol 212 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akihiro Takamiya ◽  
Jun Ku Chung ◽  
Kuo-ching Liang ◽  
Ariel Graff-Guerrero ◽  
Masaru Mimura ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Electroconvulsive Therapy ◽  
Animal Studies ◽  
Brain Volume ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Brain Structures ◽  
Volume Increase ◽  
Left Hippocampus ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms

BackgroundElectroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is one of the most effective treatments for depression, although the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Animal studies have shown that electroconvulsive shock induced neuroplastic changes in the hippocampus.AimsTo summarise volumetric magnetic resonance imaging studies investigating the effects of ECT on limbic brain structures.MethodA systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to assess volumetric changes of each side of the hippocampus and amygdala before and after ECT. Standardised mean difference (SMD) was calculated.ResultsA total of 8 studies (n = 193) were selected for our analyses. Both right and left hippocampal and amygdala volumes increased after ECT. Meta-regression analyses revealed that age, percentage of those responding and percentage of those in remission were negatively associated with volume increases in the left hippocampus.ConclusionsECT increased brain volume in the limbic structures. The clinical relevance of volume increase needs further investigation.Declaration of interestNone.

Abstraction and Representational Capacity in Computational Structures

2019 ◽  
pp. 210-229
Author(s):  
Michael Weisberg
Keyword(s):  
Mathematical Models ◽  
Computational Models ◽  
Mathematical Structure ◽  
Narrative Form ◽  
Mathematical Structures ◽  
Computational Structure ◽  
Representational Capacity ◽  
Computational Structures

Michael Weisberg’s book Simulation and Similarity argued that although mathematical models are sometimes described in narrative form, they are best understood as interpreted mathematical structures. But how can a mathematical structure be causal, as many models described in narrative seem to be? This chapter argues that models with apparently narrative form are actually computational structures. It explores this suggestion in detail, examining what computational structure consists of, the resources it offers modelers, and why attempting to re-describe computational models as imaginary concrete systems fails even more dramatically than it does for mathematical models.

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