scholarly journals ManyBirds: A multi-site collaborative Open Science approach to avian cognition and behaviour research

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan Lambert ◽  
Benjamin George Farrar ◽  
Elias Garcia-Pelegrin ◽  
Stephan A. Reber ◽  
Rachael Miller
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Studies ◽  
Convergent Evolution ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Open Science ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Avian Cognition ◽  
Current State ◽  
Science Approach ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Representative Samples

Comparative cognitive and behaviour research aims to investigate cognitive evolution by comparing performance in different species to understand how these abilities have evolved. Ideally, this requires large and diverse samples, however, these can be difficult to obtain by single labs or institutions, leading to potential reproducibility and generalisation issues with small, less representative samples. To help mitigate these issues, we are establishing a multi-site collaborative Open Science approach called ManyBirds, with the aim of providing new insight into the evolution of avian cognition and behaviour through large-scale comparative studies, following the lead of exemplary ManyPrimates, ManyBabies and ManyDogs projects. Here, we outline a) why we should study birds, including the origin of modern birds, avian brains, convergent evolution of cognition, and the replicability crisis; b) the current state of the avian cognition field, including a ‘snapshot’ review; c) the ManyBirds project, with plans, infrastructure, limitations, implications and future directions. In sharing this process, we hope that this may be useful for other researchers in devising similar projects in other taxa, like non-avian reptiles or mammals, and to encourage further collaborations with ManyBirds and related ManyX projects. Ultimately, we hope to promote collaboration between ManyX projects to allow for wider investigation of the evolution of cognition across all animals, including potentially humans.

scholarly journals Genetic and Transcriptomic Biomarkers in Neurodegenerative Diseases: Current Situation and the Road Ahead

Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 1030
Author(s):  
Julie Lake ◽  
Catherine S. Storm ◽  
Mary B. Makarious ◽  
Sara Bandres-Ciga
Keyword(s):  
Neurodegenerative Diseases ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Disease Diagnosis ◽  
Open Science ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
The Road ◽  
Current State ◽  
Molecular Complexity ◽  
Science Framework ◽  
Lateral Sclerosis

Neurodegenerative diseases are etiologically and clinically heterogeneous conditions, often reflecting a spectrum of disease rather than well-defined disorders. The underlying molecular complexity of these diseases has made the discovery and validation of useful biomarkers challenging. The search of characteristic genetic and transcriptomic indicators for preclinical disease diagnosis, prognosis, or subtyping is an area of ongoing effort and interest. The next generation of biomarker studies holds promise by implementing meaningful longitudinal and multi-modal approaches in large scale biobank and healthcare system scale datasets. This work will only be possible in an open science framework. This review summarizes the current state of genetic and transcriptomic biomarkers in Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, providing a comprehensive landscape of recent literature and future directions.

scholarly journals The effects of increasing the number of taxa on inferences of molecular convergence

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregg W.C. Thomas ◽  
Matthew W. Hahn ◽  
Yoonsoo Hahn
Keyword(s):  
Positive Selection ◽  
Sample Size ◽  
Comparative Studies ◽  
Convergent Evolution ◽  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Marine Species ◽  
Original Analysis ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Molecular Convergence

AbstractConvergent evolution provides insight into the link between phenotype and genotype. Recently, large-scale comparative studies of convergent evolution have become possible, but researchers are still trying to determine the best way to design these types of analyses. One aspect of molecular convergence studies that has not yet been investigated is how taxonomic sample size affects inferences of molecular convergence. Here we show that increased sample size decreases the amount of inferred molecular convergence associated with the three convergent transitions to a marine environment in mammals. The sampling of more taxa—both with and without the convergent phenotype—reveals that alleles associated only with marine mammals in small datasets are actually more widespread, or are not shared by all marine species. The sampling of more taxa also allows finer resolution of ancestral substitutions, revealing that they are not in fact on lineages leading to solely marine species. We revisit a previous study on marine mammals and find that only 7 of the reported 43 genes with convergent substitutions still show signs of convergence with a larger number of background species. However, 4 of those 7 genes also showed signs of positive selection in the original analysis and may still be good candidates for adaptive convergence. Though our study is framed around the convergence of marine mammals, we expect our conclusions on taxonomic sampling are generalizable to any study of molecular convergence.

Electronic Procurement in the Construction Industry

2012 ◽  
pp. 118-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Eadie ◽  
Srinath Perera ◽  
George Heaney
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
The State ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Reference Guide ◽  
Electronic Procurement ◽  
Current State ◽  
Informed Decisions ◽  
The Status ◽  
Insight Into

The benefits of e-business have been widely promoted but the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) sector has lagged behind other sectors in the adoption of e-procurement. The prospective benefits for the AEC sector are suggested by the proven advantages of general e-procurement where adoption has been faster and deeper. However, several studies indicated that barely 20% of documentation is tendered electronically, suggesting there are barriers to e-procurement. In order to promote adoption of e-procurement in the AEC sector, it is important to establish the status of the industry and identify the drivers as well as barriers to e-procurement. This chapter provides a detailed discussion of the state of the industry and its drivers and barriers while ranking these according to its importance. It acts as a reference guide to allow those implementing e-procurement in construction to make informed decisions as to where to focus their efforts to achieve successful realisation incorporating the benefits and avoiding the pitfalls in the process. The chapter also provides some insight into the current state, trends, and future directions of e-procurement in the construction industry.

scholarly journals Predicting Long-term Disability in Multiple Sclerosis: A Narrative Review of Current Evidence and Future Directions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bianca Weinstock-Guttman ◽  
Maria Pia Sormani ◽  
Pavle Repovic
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Disease Progression ◽  
Panel Discussion ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Current State ◽  
Published Evidence ◽  
Disability Status ◽  
Insight Into

Abstract The ability to reliably monitor disease progression in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) is integral to patient care. The Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) is a commonly used tool to assess the disability status of patients with MS; however, it has limited sensitivity in detecting subtle changes in disability levels and, as a result, does not consistently provide clinicians with accurate insight into disease progression. At the 2019 European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis meeting in Stockholm, Sweden, a panel of neurologists met to discuss the limitations of the EDSS as a short-term predictor of MS progression. Prior to this panel discussion, a targeted literature review was conducted to evaluate published evidence on prognostic measures such as fatigue, physical assessments, and measures that are more taxing for patients, all of which may be useful to clinicians at different stages of the course of MS. This article summarizes currently available evidence in support of these measures. In addition, this article highlights the current state of expert clinical consensus regarding the current approaches used to predict and monitor disease progression and offers insight for future studies to assist clinicians in accurately monitoring disease progression in patients with MS.

Unique and Shared Relationship Benefits of Consensually Non-Monogamous and Monogamous Relationships

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy C. Moors ◽  
Jes L. Matsick ◽  
Heath A. Schechinger
Keyword(s):  
Personal Growth ◽  
Growth And Development ◽  
Interesting Case ◽  
Need Fulfillment ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Current State ◽  
Key Features ◽  
Relationship Benefits ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Common Misconceptions

Abstract. The increased media and public curiosity on the topic of consensual non-monogamy (CNM) presents an interesting case, given that these types of relationships are highly stigmatized. In the present review piece, we first situate common themes of benefits that people believe are afforded to them by their CNM relationships within the current state of the literature to provide insight into unique and shared (with monogamy) relationship benefits. This approach helps uncover relationship benefits and theoretical advances for research on CNM by highlighting some of the key features of CNM relationships that people find rewarding, including need fulfillment, variety of activities, and personal growth and development. Second, we discuss common misconceptions about CNM and stigma toward CNM. Finally, we conclude with future directions and recommendations for scholars interested in pursuing research on CNM.

scholarly journals OpenWorm: overview and recent advances in integrative biological simulation of Caenorhabditis elegans

2018 ◽  
Vol 373 (1758) ◽  
pp. 20170382 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gopal P. Sarma ◽  
Chee Wai Lee ◽  
Tom Portegys ◽  
Vahid Ghayoomie ◽  
Travis Jacobs ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Open Science ◽  
Independent Research ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
C Elegans ◽  
Science Management ◽  
Fundamental Biology ◽  
Biological Simulation

The adoption of powerful software tools and computational methods from the software industry by the scientific research community has resulted in a renewed interest in integrative, large-scale biological simulations. These typically involve the development of computational platforms to combine diverse, process-specific models into a coherent whole. The OpenWorm Foundation is an independent research organization working towards an integrative simulation of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans , with the aim of providing a powerful new tool to understand how the organism's behaviour arises from its fundamental biology. In this perspective, we give an overview of the history and philosophy of OpenWorm, descriptions of the constituent sub-projects and corresponding open-science management practices, and discuss current achievements of the project and future directions. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘Connectome to behaviour: modelling C. elegans at cellular resolution’.

Ambulatory Monitoring of Daily Voice Use

2011 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 56-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert E. Hillman ◽  
Daryush D. Mehta
Keyword(s):  
State Of The Art ◽  
Ambulatory Monitoring ◽  
Vocal Behavior ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Vocal Function ◽  
Current State ◽  
Voice Use ◽  
Insight Into

Many common voice disorders are chronic or recurring conditions likely to result from faulty and/or abusive patterns of vocal behavior. Such behaviorally based disorders can be difficult to assess accurately in the clinical setting and potentially could be much better characterized by long-term ambulatory monitoring of vocal function as individuals engage in their typical daily activities. Ambulatory monitoring also could provide new insight into the actual role of voice use in common disorders and missing quantitative data on what constitutes normal levels of daily voice use for different groups of individuals, activities, and occupations. This report describes the motivation, previous development efforts, current state-of-the-art technology, and future directions in ambulatory monitoring of voice use.

Mergers and Acquisitions Antecedents in BRICS

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 202-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evans Opoku-Mensah ◽  
Yuming Yin ◽  
Asantewaa Ampofo Sandra ◽  
Priscilla Tuffour
Keyword(s):  
Mergers And Acquisitions ◽  
Leadership Role ◽  
Dyadic Relationship ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Brics Countries ◽  
Current State ◽  
Self Interest ◽  
Merger And Acquisitions ◽  
State Of Research ◽  
Insight Into

This study proposes merger and acquisitions (M&A) antecedents’ model using observations from BRICS countries. It is expected that BRICS countries will remain a hotbed of M&A activity in the future and hence by analyzing BRICS research, we seek to provide a deeper insight into the current state of research, outline new insight, and propose future directions. Using a systematic literature review (SLR) method, we found that antecedents including top leadership role, self-interest of managers, targeted firm’s characteristics, and the dyadic relationship between M&A partners have been limited in BRICS research. We also found that less attention has been devoted to analyzing the antecedents of M&A in countries, such as Russia, Brazil, and South Africa. We construct M&A antecedent’s model with these findings.

Autonomous vehicles and freight traffic: towards better efficiency of road, rail or urban logistics?

2018 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Péter Bucsky
Keyword(s):  
Autonomous Vehicles ◽  
Road Transport ◽  
Transport Sector ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Car Industry ◽  
Level Of Automation ◽  
Current State ◽  
Freight Traffic ◽  
Levels Of Automation ◽  
Private Car

Abstract The freight transport sector is a low profit and high competition business and therefore has less ability to invest in research and development in the field of autonomous vehicles (AV) than the private car industry. There are already different levels of automation technologies in the transport industry, but most of these are serving niche demands and answers have yet to be found about whether it would be worthwhile to industrialise these technologies. New innovations from different fields are constantly changing the freight traffic industry but these are less disruptive than on other markets. The aim of this article is to show the current state of development of freight traffic with regards to AVs and analyse which future directions of development might be viable. The level of automation is very different in the case of different transport modes and most probably the technology will favour road transport over other, less environmentally harmful traffic modes.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document