scholarly journals Factors enhancing the level of utilisation of research knowledge on ecosystems

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (7) ◽  
pp. e0254752
Author(s):  
René Eschen ◽  
Purity Rima Mbaabu ◽  
Bruno Salomon Ramamonjisoa ◽  
Carmenza Robledo-Abad
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Project Team ◽  
Statistical Hypothesis ◽  
Academic Institutions ◽  
Statistical Hypothesis Testing ◽  
Research Knowledge ◽  
Project Duration ◽  
Team Working ◽  
Funding Agencies ◽  
Survey Responses

The significant resource investment in research on ecosystems for development of the Global South does not necessarily result in high levels of research knowledge utilisation (RKU). Understanding the factors associated with various levels of RKU can inform funding agencies and researchers developing new projects. We applied a combination of a questionnaire survey and follow up interviews with members of research teams of multiple, broadly comparable projects to make an assessment of achieved RKU levels using a combination of quantitative statistical hypothesis testing and narrative description of survey responses. Research knowledge dissemination by members of the project team who work for non-academic institutions or champions, e.g. particularly motivated people that promote and facilitate implementation or adoption of the project results, and via television was associated with higher research knowledge utilization. By contrast, dissemination by members of the project team working for academic institutions and via peer-reviewed journals was associated with lower RKU. The achieved level of RKU was consistently lower than the targeted level of RKU across spatial scales. The discrepancy between the perceived level of RKU and the evidence provided by survey respondents indicates the need for better monitoring the utilisation of research knowledge in development pathways. Our results further suggest that three years project duration is too short to achieve high levels of RKU in socio-ecological systems. We recommend involvement of non-academic members of the project team in project design, leadership and dissemination for increasing RKU.

scholarly journals Thermodynamics of order and randomness in dopant distributions inferred from atomically resolved imaging

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lukas Vlcek ◽  
Shize Yang ◽  
Yongji Gong ◽  
Pulickel Ajayan ◽  
Wu Zhou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Effective Interaction ◽  
Mean Field ◽  
Interaction Model ◽  
Optimization Techniques ◽  
Statistical Hypothesis ◽  
Structure Property ◽  
Statistical Hypothesis Testing ◽  
Stochastic Representation ◽  
Scanning Transmission ◽  
Complex Structural

AbstractExploration of structure-property relationships as a function of dopant concentration is commonly based on mean field theories for solid solutions. However, such theories that work well for semiconductors tend to fail in materials with strong correlations, either in electronic behavior or chemical segregation. In these cases, the details of atomic arrangements are generally not explored and analyzed. The knowledge of the generative physics and chemistry of the material can obviate this problem, since defect configuration libraries as stochastic representation of atomic level structures can be generated, or parameters of mesoscopic thermodynamic models can be derived. To obtain such information for improved predictions, we use data from atomically resolved microscopic images that visualize complex structural correlations within the system and translate them into statistical mechanical models of structure formation. Given the significant uncertainties about the microscopic aspects of the material’s processing history along with the limited number of available images, we combine model optimization techniques with the principles of statistical hypothesis testing. We demonstrate the approach on data from a series of atomically-resolved scanning transmission electron microscopy images of MoxRe1-xS2 at varying ratios of Mo/Re stoichiometries, for which we propose an effective interaction model that is then used to generate atomic configurations and make testable predictions at a range of concentrations and formation temperatures.

scholarly journals Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Patients with Hidradenitis Suppurativa

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 1153
Author(s):  
Elysia Racanelli ◽  
Abdulhadi Jfri ◽  
Amnah Gefri ◽  
Elizabeth O’Brien ◽  
Ivan Litvinov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Squamous Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Squamous Cell ◽  
Hidradenitis Suppurativa ◽  
Case Reports ◽  
Rare Complication ◽  
Cox Proportional Hazards ◽  
Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Statistical Hypothesis ◽  
Statistical Hypothesis Testing

Background: Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) is a rare complication of hidradenitis suppurativa (HS). Objectives: To conduct a systematic review and an individual patient data (IPD) meta-analysis to describe the clinical characteristics of HS patients developing cSCC and determine predictors of poor outcome. Methods: Medline/PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science were searched for studies reporting cSCC arising in patients with HS from inception to December 2019. A routine descriptive analysis, statistical hypothesis testing, and Kaplan–Meier survival curves/Cox proportional hazards regression models were performed. Results: A total of 34 case reports and series including 138 patients were included in the study. The majority of patients were males (81.6%), White (83.3%), and smokers (n = 22/27 reported) with a mean age of 53.5 years. Most patients had gluteal (87.8%), Hurley stage 3 HS (88.6%). The mean time from the diagnosis of HS to the development of cSCC was 24.7 years. Human papillomavirus was identified in 12/38 patients tested. Almost 50% of individuals had nodal metastasis and 31.3% had distant metastases. Half of the patients succumbed to their disease. Conclusions: cSCC is a rare but life-threatening complication seen in HS patients, mainly occurring in White males who are smokers with severe, long-standing gluteal HS. Regular clinical examination and biopsy of any suspicious lesions in high-risk patients should be considered. The use of HPV vaccination as a preventive and possibly curative method needs to be explored.

scholarly journals sepal: identifying transcript profiles with spatial patterns by diffusion-based modeling

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alma Andersson ◽  
Joakim Lundeberg
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Patterns ◽  
Expression Profiles ◽  
Synthetic Data ◽  
Real Data ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Statistical Hypothesis ◽  
Supplementary Information ◽  
Statistical Hypothesis Testing ◽  
Transcriptomics Data ◽  
Transcript Profiles

Abstract Motivation Collection of spatial signals in large numbers has become a routine task in multiple omics-fields, but parsing of these rich datasets still pose certain challenges. In whole or near-full transcriptome spatial techniques, spurious expression profiles are intermixed with those exhibiting an organized structure. To distinguish profiles with spatial patterns from the background noise, a metric that enables quantification of spatial structure is desirable. Current methods designed for similar purposes tend to be built around a framework of statistical hypothesis testing, hence we were compelled to explore a fundamentally different strategy. Results We propose an unexplored approach to analyze spatial transcriptomics data, simulating diffusion of individual transcripts to extract genes with spatial patterns. The method performed as expected when presented with synthetic data. When applied to real data, it identified genes with distinct spatial profiles, involved in key biological processes or characteristic for certain cell types. Compared to existing methods, ours seemed to be less informed by the genes’ expression levels and showed better time performance when run with multiple cores. Availabilityand implementation Open-source Python package with a command line interface (CLI), freely available at https://github.com/almaan/sepal under an MIT licence. A mirror of the GitHub repository can be found at Zenodo, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.4573237. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

High‐resolution velocity determination: Statistical phase correlation and image processing

Geophysics ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 61 (4) ◽  
pp. 1115-1127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Igor B. Morozov ◽  
Scott B. Smithson
Keyword(s):  
Image Processing ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Phase Correlation ◽  
Statistical Hypothesis ◽  
Original Form ◽  
Velocity Spectrum ◽  
Statistical Hypothesis Testing ◽  
Simple Estimate ◽  
Optimal Velocity ◽  
Velocity Spectra

We address three areas of the problem of the stacking velocity determination: (1) the development of a new high‐resolution velocity determination technique, (2) the choice of an optimal velocity trial scenario, and (3) a unified approach to the comparison of time‐velocity spectra produced by various methods. We present a class of high‐resolution coherency measures providing five‐eight times better velocity resolution than conventional measures. The measure is based on the rigorous theory of statistical hypothesis testing and on the statistics of directional data. In its original form, our method analyzes only the phase distributions of the data, thus making unnecessary careful spherical divergence corrections and other normalization procedures. Besides the statistical one, we develop an “instantaneous” version of the conventional coherency measure. This measure is based on the concept of the trace envelope, thus eliminating the need for an averaging procedure. Finally, we design a hybrid high‐resolution coherency measure, incorporating the latter and the statistical one. Carrying out a systematic comparison of various measures of coherency, we present a simple estimate of an attainable velocity resolution. Based on this estimate, we define an optimal velocity grid, providing uniform coverage of all details of the time‐velocity spectrum. To facilitate quantitative comparisons of different coherency functions, we develop a unified normalization approach, based on techniques known in image processing. Described methods are tested on synthetic and field data. In both cases, we obtained a remarkable improvement in the time‐velocity resolution. The methods are general, very simple in implementation, and robust and reliable in application.

Improved resolution of recalcitrant nodes in the animal phylogeny through the analysis of genome gene content and morphology

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ksenia Juravel ◽  
Luis Porras ◽  
Sebastian Hoehna ◽  
Davide Pisani ◽  
Gert Wörheide
Keyword(s):  
Common Ancestor ◽  
Sister Group ◽  
The Other ◽  
Gene Content ◽  
Statistical Hypothesis ◽  
Phylogenetic Position ◽  
Last Common Ancestor ◽  
Statistical Hypothesis Testing ◽  
Animal Phylogeny ◽  
Phylogenetic Hypotheses

An accurate phylogeny of animals is needed to clarify their evolution, ecology, and impact on shaping the biosphere. Although multi-gene alignments of up to several hundred thousand amino acids are nowadays routinely used to test hypotheses of animal relationships, some nodes towards the root of the animal phylogeny are proving hard to resolve. While the relationships of the non-bilaterian lineages, primarily sponges (Porifera) and comb jellies (Ctenophora), have received much attention since more than a decade, controversies about the phylogenetic position of the worm-like bilaterian lineage Xenacoelomorpha and the monophyly of the "Superphylum" Deuterostomia have more recently emerged. Here we independently analyse novel genome gene content and morphological datasets to assess patterns of phylogenetic congruence with previous amino-acid derived phylogenetic hypotheses. Using statistical hypothesis testing, we show that both our datasets very strongly support sponges as the sister group of all the other animals, Xenoacoelomorpha as the sister group of the other Bilateria, and largely support monophyletic Deuterostomia. Based on these results, we conclude that the last common animal ancestor may have been a simple, filter-feeding organism without a nervous system and muscles, while the last common ancestor of Bilateria might have been a small, acoelomate-like worm without a through gut.

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