Classical Paradigm Research Articles

Automated content analysis as a tool to compare content in sexual selection research with examples of sexual selection in evolutionary biology textbooks: implications for teaching the nature of science

Background We used college-level evolution textbooks to examine the presentation of sexual selection research—a field with ongoing debates related to sex, sexuality and gender identity. Many classic sexual selection concepts have been criticized for androcentrism and other forms of gender-sex bias, specifically for de-emphasizing the female role in reproductive behaviors and over-reliance on gender-sex binaries. These classic concepts are fundamentally captured in the idea that animal reproductive-related behaviors can be grouped in sex roles (e.g. competitive males and selective females). Recently developed alternative concepts provide a more nuanced understanding of the flexibility of sexual and reproductive-related behaviors, stemming in part from growing attention to a broader range of female behavior. To assess whether students are receiving content reflecting these insights, we measured the congruence between textbook content and the scientific literature, using insects as a case study because of the importance of this group in the development of sexual selection theory, its prevalence in current sexual selection research, and the number of insect examples included in textbooks. We first coded textbook content for sexual selection concepts. We used automated content analysis to analyze a database of citations, keywords and abstracts in sexual selection research published between 1990 and 2014, inclusive of the period covered by the textbooks.ResultsThe textbooks and research literatures prioritized the same taxa (e.g., fruit flies) and sex roles as embodied in classic sexual selection theory. Both the research literature and some textbooks acknowledge androcentrism and other forms of gender-sex bias in classic sexual selection paradigms, especially competitive male and selective female sex roles. Yet, while the research literature included alternative models, textbooks neglected these alternatives, even when researchers had studied both classic and alternative views in the same insect.Conclusions We recommend using this kind of analysis of textbook content to engage students in a conversation around the social factors that impact knowledge construction, a key part of the epistemological understanding they need for a robust grasp of the Nature of Science and of evolutionary theory.

A Survey of Learning Criteria Going beyond the Usual Risk (Abstract Reprint)

Virtually all machine learning tasks are characterized using some form of loss function, and "good performance" is typically stated in terms of a sufficiently small average loss, taken over the random draw of test data. While optimizing for performance on average is intuitive, convenient to analyze in theory, and easy to implement in practice, such a choice brings about trade-offs. In this work, we survey and introduce a wide variety of non-traditional criteria used to design and evaluate machine learning algorithms, place the classical paradigm within the proper historical context, and propose a view of learning problems which emphasizes the question of "what makes for a desirable loss distribution?" in place of tacit use of the expected loss.

Pupillary Responses Reflect Dynamic Changes in Multiple Cognitive Factors During Associative Learning in Primates.

Associative learning involves complex interactions of multiple cognitive factors. While adult subjects can articulate these factors verbally, for model animals such as macaques, we rely on behavioral outputs. In our study, we used pupillary responses as an alternative measure to capture these underlying cognitive changes. We recorded the dynamic changes in the pupils of three male macaques when they learned the associations between visual stimuli and reward sizes under the classical Pavlovian experimental paradigm. We found that during the long-term learning process, the gradual changes in the pupillary response reflect the changes in the cognitive state of the animals. The pupillary response can be explained by a linear combination of components corresponding to multiple cognitive factors. These components reflect the impact of visual stimuli on the pupils, the prediction of reward values associated with the visual stimuli, and the macaques' understanding of the current experimental reward rules. The changing patterns of these factors during interday and intraday learning clearly demonstrate the enhancement of current reward-stimulus association and the weakening of previous reward-stimulus association. Our study shows that the dynamic response of pupils can serve as an objective indicator to characterize the psychological changes of animals, understand their learning process, and provide important tools for exploring animal behavior during the learning process.

On the contribution of the top and bottom walls in micro-pillar array columns and related high-aspect ratio chromatography systems

We report on a steady-state based, and hence highly accurate numerical modelling study of the effect of the top and bottom wall in the current generation of micro-pillar array columns. These have a mesoporous retention layer that not only covers the pillar walls but also the bottom wall. Our results show that the performance of these columns can in general not be improved by also covering the top wall with the same layer, despite the increased column symmetry this approach would offer. The reason for this is that the local species retardation caused by a retentive layer is much stronger than the pure flow arresting effect of an uncovered wall. At least, this has a crucial impact in high aspect-ratio systems such as micro-pillar array columns because these require a small inter-pillar distance to promote mass transfer together with a large channel depth to enable a sufficiently high flow rate. On the other hand, a notable improvement could be made if micro-pillar array would be produced without having a retentive layer at the bottom. At Péclet number Pe = 50 and aspect ratio AR = 5 for flow-channels, this gain amounts up to about 4.5 h-units at a zone retention factor k’’ = 2 and 1.75 h-units at k’’ = 16 (gain scales almost linearly with Pe).To verify these results, we also considered another high aspect-ratio system with a simplified geometry: the open-tubular channel with a flat-rectangular cross-section. This led to very similar observations, thus confirming the findings for the micro-pillar array.The results produced in the present study also allow us to conclude that the classic modelling paradigm adopted in chromatography, which is based on the independency and hence additivity of the hCm- and hCs-contributions, can lead to large modelling errors in chromatographic systems with a high aspect-ratio, even when their geometry is so simple as that of a straight open-tubular channel with constant cross-section. Indeed, when both zones are treated independently, the analysis misses how the vertical diffusion through the retentive layer helps suppressing the vertical gradients in the mobile zone. The diffusion through this layer occurs in a ratio of k’’Ds/Dm (Dm being the diffusion coefficient in mobile phase zone and Ds being the diffusion coefficient in stationary phase zone), such that at high retention factors this diffusion contribution even becomes the dominant one.

Comparison of Measurements for Enhanced Diffusion Problem in Chemical Reaction Systems

Comprehensive SummaryThe problem of molecular diffusion in the soup of chemical reactions attracts mounting interest across fields ranging from chemistry to biophysics to material science. Chemical reactions involve bond breakup and formation, whose time scale is typically on the orders of fs to ps, while molecular diffusion occurs at time scales of μs to ms. The two processes are often considered orthogonal, given the vastly different scales. The serial results show that the enzyme's diffusion is enhanced in a substrate‐dependent manner, which was further extended to small molecule reaction systems, challenging this classical paradigm. However, the results from different groups using different techniques do not quantitatively agree, and a general mechanism is yet to be understood. We summarize experimental studies on diffusion problems and seek to reconcile the interpretation with understanding the limits of measurement tools and the chemical nature of reaction systems. Understanding molecular diffusion in chemical reactions will provide fresh thoughts in designing chemical systems such as molecular machines that harvest work at the nanoscale in a controllable manner.

Benefits of subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation on visually-guided saccades depend on stimulation side and classic paradigm in Parkinson’s disease

ObjectiveWe aimed to gain further insight into previously reported beneficial effects of subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS) on visually-guided saccades by examining the effects of unilateral compared to bilateral stimulation, paradigm, and target eccentricity on saccades in individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD). MethodsEleven participants with PD and STN-DBS completed the visually-guided saccade paradigms with OFF, RIGHT, LEFT, and BOTH stimulation. Rightward saccade performance was evaluated for three paradigms and two target eccentricities. ResultsFirst, we found that BOTH and LEFT increased gain, peak velocity, and duration compared to OFF stimulation. Second, we found that BOTH and LEFT stimulation decreased latency during the gap and step paradigms but had no effect on latency during the overlap paradigm. Third, we found that RIGHT was not different compared to OFF at benefiting rightward saccade performance. ConclusionsLeft unilateral and bilateral stimulation both improve the motor outcomes of rightward visually-guided saccades. Additionally, both improve latency, a cognitive-motor outcome, but only in paradigms when attention does not require disengagement from a present stimulus. SignificanceSTN-DBS primarily benefits motor and cognitive-motor aspects of visually-guided saccades related to reflexive attentional shifting, with the latter only evident when the fixation-related attentional system is not engaged.

Evidence for layered anisotropic stratified turbulence in a freely evolving horizontal shear flow

We present evidence for layered anisotropic stratified turbulence (LAST) and mixing produced in a freely evolving uniformly stratified shear layer where the direction of shear is orthogonal to gravity. As originally reported by Basak & Sarkar (J. Fluid. Mech., vol. 568, 2006, pp. 19–54), such a flow develops a rich three-dimensional structure in the form of interlocking columnar vortices formed by horizontal shear instability that remain coherent at large scales due to the stabilising vertical stratification. Here, we modify the initial velocity field by introducing additional small-amplitude vertical perturbations designed to be representative of pre-existing horizontal layers often observed in strongly stratified ocean environments. This reveals a novel finite amplitude, non-normal mode growth mechanism through which the vertical shear between layers may be rapidly amplified by its interaction with the horizontal shear layer prior to the growth of shear instability, leading to a rapid turbulent transition instigated by the subsequent interaction of the layers with the emerging columnar vortices. Through a consideration of relevant flow statistics and associated dimensionless parameters, we demonstrate that turbulence can enter the LAST regime, thereby indicating a generic mechanism leading to the transient development of regions of strongly stratified turbulence in the ocean. We discuss the properties of mixing and the parameterisation of mixing efficiency in terms of the relationship between turbulent length scales in the flow, in particular highlighting links to models based on the classical vertical shear instability paradigm typically associated with more weakly stratified flows that produce isolated turbulent ‘patches’.

Cosmological horizons from classical double copy

The classical doubly copy provides relations between classical solutions in gravitational theories and solutions in gauge theories. In this paper, we consider the cosmological horizons in the gravity side from the perspective of gauge theories in the classical double copy paradigm. After introducing the double copy procedure, we give several examples to show how to locate the cosmological horizons by using only the single- and zeroth-copy data on the base spacetime. It is found that the proposed double copy procedure holds not only for the case with flat base spacetime but also for the case with curved base spacetime.

The effects of mnemonic variability and spacing on memory over multiple timescales

The memory benefit that arises from distributing learning over time rather than in consecutive sessions is one of the most robust effects in cognitive psychology. While prior work has mainly focused on repeated exposures to the same information, in the real world, mnemonic content is dynamic, with some pieces of information staying stable while others vary. Thus, open questions remain about the efficacy of the spacing effect in the face of variability in the mnemonic content. Here, in two experiments, we investigated the contributions of mnemonic variability and the timescale of spacing intervals, ranging from seconds to days, to long-term memory. For item memory, both mnemonic variability and spacing intervals were beneficial for memory; however, mnemonic variability was greater at shorter spacing intervals. In contrast, for associative memory, repetition rather than mnemonic variability was beneficial for memory, and spacing benefits only emerged in the absence of mnemonic variability. These results highlight a critical role for mnemonic variability and the timescale of spacing intervals in the spacing effect, bringing this classic memory paradigm into more ecologically valid contexts.

The effect of part-list cuing on associative recognition.

The modulation of part-list cuing on item memory has been well-documented, whereas its impact on associative memory remains largely unknown. The present study explored the effect of part-list cuing on associative recognition and, more specifically, whether this forgetting effect caused by part-list cuing is more sensitive to recollection or familiarity in recognition memory. Experiments 1a and 1b combined the intact/rearranged/new judgement task of associative recognition with the classical part-list cuing paradigm, and the result showed that part-list cuing impaired the recognition accuracy of "intact" and "rearranged" face-scene pairs. Moreover, the discriminability score of relational recognition and item recognition was significantly decreased in the part-list cuing condition compared to the no-part-list cuing condition. Experiments 2a and 2b further used the Remember/Know/Guess task to explore which recognition processes (recollection vs. familiarity) were sensitive to the presentation of part-list cuing. The results showed that part-list cuing reduced the familiarity of relational recognition and the recollection and familiarity of item recognition. These findings suggest that part-list cuing was harmful to the recognition of relationships (familiarity) and items (recollection and familiarity) in associative memory.

Independence Reconceived

What makes a director independent? Scholars, regulators, and investors have grappled for decades with the fleeting notion of director independence. Originally conceived as guardians of shareholder interests that could safeguard a corporate board’s ability to check management’s power, independent directors have become a marquee feature of modern corporate governance. But do the corporate actions of directors that are considered “independent” under current standards comport with what we think independence requires? In many cases, the answer would seem to be “no.” From a lack of observable financial impact to the unabated flow of corporate scandals, independent directors seem to keep failing at the job they were championed to do.
 This Article addresses this puzzling tension, offering a novel theoretical and practical reframing of the decades-old discourse around independent directors. The historical focus on the classical managerial agency costs paradigm emphasized that directors who lack ties to the management team can prevent managerial slack or value extraction. However, this approach overlooks the critical role directors also have in curbing managerial overzealousness. In today’s governance ecosystem, directors are not only tasked with preventing managerial slack. They are increasingly tasked with preventing managerial overreach and misconduct even when such overreach or misconduct is compatible with promoting shareholder value. This has important theoretical and practical implications.
 This Article makes two key contributions to the literature. First, it reframes the question of what makes directors independent by supplementing the focus on agency costs as the driver for independence. By identifying a need to prevent boards from rubber-stamping managerial actions—even those taken in good faith—this Article suggests that a simple lack of ties to management fails as a litmus test for independence. Second, by reconceiving independence, this Article also provides tangible credence to the value of diversity on boards, the value and perils of hedge fund activism, and to the emerging discourse regarding ESG and stakeholderism.

Privacy preserving image registration

Image registration is a key task in medical imaging applications, allowing to represent medical images in a common spatial reference frame. Current approaches to image registration are generally based on the assumption that the content of the images is usually accessible in clear form, from which the spatial transformation is subsequently estimated. This common assumption may not be met in practical applications, since the sensitive nature of medical images may ultimately require their analysis under privacy constraints, preventing to openly share the image content. In this work, we formulate the problem of image registration under a privacy preserving regime, where images are assumed to be confidential and cannot be disclosed in clear. We derive our privacy preserving image registration framework by extending classical registration paradigms to account for advanced cryptographic tools, such as secure multi-party computation and homomorphic encryption, that enable the execution of operations without leaking the underlying data. To overcome the problem of performance and scalability of cryptographic tools in high dimensions, we propose several techniques to optimize the image registration operations by using gradient approximations, and by revisiting the use of homomorphic encryption trough packing, to allow the efficient encryption and multiplication of large matrices. We focus on registration methods of increasing complexity, including rigid, affine, and non-linear registration based on cubic splines or diffeomorphisms parameterized by time-varying velocity fields. In all these settings, we demonstrate how the registration problem can be naturally adapted for accounting to privacy-preserving operations, and illustrate the effectiveness of PPIR on a variety of registration tasks.

The Use of S. Khoruzhyi's Ideas of Energetic Heychasm in the Educational Strategies of Postmodern Society

Through the prism of the study of the theology of Hesychasm the authors of this article consider the philosophical work of S. Khoruzhyi as a present-day system of non-classical pedagogical paradigm. On the other hand, this paradigm is a philosophically framed historical tradition of Orthodox ontological experience of human existence, which in our time has gone beyond the end of history. Moving beyond confessional boundaries into a universal philosophical meta-anthropological project provides a heuristic effect for the construction of spiritual pedagogy as well as for its synergy with the educational strategies and spiritual practices of the common man of the postmodern era.
 The authors sought to identify the basic intentions of religion and postmodern consciousness, and to characterize S. Khoruzhyi's theosophical paradigm in terms of its unconscious and unintentional correlation with the social philosophy of pedagogical of postmodernism. For this purpose we used comparative typological and meaningful methinks, as well as elements of hermeneutics and intertextual analysis.
 As a result of the study the authors formulated a number of conclusions and results. The most general one defines the peculiarity of S. Khoruzhogo's narrative, in which the philosopher not only insists but also systematically embeds Hesychasm in the context of the post-non-classical philosophical and pedagogical paradigm. In essence, S. Khoruzhyi forms an alternative to the classical philosophical paradigm, which (even despite the author's formal objections) is open to a horizontal postmodern dialogue and constructed in a personal Hesychasm practice " bottom-up" from -because of "human energy".

A novel method for measuring perception of suprasegmental cues in speech

While the perception of segmental cues in speech has been extensively studied, evidence on the perception of suprasegmental cues is largely missing. A critical barrier in this area is the challenge in measuring listeners’ ability to perceive a combination of multiple acoustic cues. The classic paradigm of discrimination is limited by its heavy reliance on auditory short-term memory and a long testing time. This study aims at examining the utility of a novel measure that is potentially more efficient and offers a more fine-grained account of perception of suprasegmental cues. Built on the evidence that listeners can shadow and rapidly imitate speech cues faithfully, we use the degree of alignment between listeners’ rapid imitation of suprasegmental cues and that of the speech stimuli as an index of perception quality. This alignment is mathematically quantified by the dynamic time warping (DTW) method, which is modified to simultaneously account for both the intensity and the fundamental frequency sequences to render more reliable alignment results. Data to date provided rich information regarding individual differences in perception, and results obtained from rapid imitation showed improved utility over those from the discrimination. The theoretical and clinical implication of this work is also discussed.

A multi-modal assessment of fear conditioning in adolescent anorexia nervosa.

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a pernicious psychiatric disorder which is principally characterized by a fear of weight gain. Notwithstanding the centrality of fear in the psychopathology of AN, controlled assessments of negative valence systems are lacking. Herein we assess fear conditioning in adolescent females with AN. Adolescent girls (Mage = 14.6 years, ±1.57) with DSM-5 diagnoses of AN (N = 25) and age-matched control girls (Mage = 14.8 years, ±1.46) with no DSM-5 diagnoses (N = 25) completed structured clinical interviews and participated in a classical three-phase Pavlovian fear conditioning paradigm. Participants with comorbid anxiety disorders were excluded. Skin conductance response (SCR) was measured, alongside self-reported fear, valence, and fear expectancy ratings. Both groups demonstrated significant differential acquisition across all four measures. Regarding group comparisons, no differences emerged for self-reported fear, valence, and fear expectancy ratings during acquisition, although for SCR, those with AN demonstrated reduced physiological arousal relative to controls. Both groups demonstrated significant differential extinction for unconditioned stimuli (US) expectancy, self-report fear, and self-report valence. No statistically significant group differences were evident during extinction to the conditioned stimuli (CS)+, on any outcome measure. However, controls reported more positive valence to the CS- than those with AN. Contrary to our hypotheses, our preliminary assessment did not find support for elevated fear responding among adolescent girls with AN with regards to fear acquisition or extinction. These data suggest that AN in adolescent girls may not be associated with a heightened propensity to acquire fear, but conversely, may suggest that exposure treatments for AN may be helpful, since extinction learning is intact in AN. AN is characterized by fear-related symptoms, including food and weight-related fear, and behavioral avoidance, yet controlled studies assessing fear learning are limited. Our preliminary assessment of adolescent AN indicates no abnormalities in fear learning among adolescents with AN. These findings may inform existing mechanistic models of AN psychopathology, and the development of exposure-based treatments for AN.

Enhanced Modeling for Analysis of Fine Particulate Interactions with Coated Surfaces

The adhesion of Martian surface dust to solar panels has been a longstanding challenge for Mars mission researchers. Anti-dust coatings have been developed to deter the adsorption of dust particles onto these solar panels. However, current ground testing methods struggle to accurately verify and assess the coating’s ability to inhibit dust particle adsorption. Consequently, this paper introduces a computational model capable of calculating the contact force between fine particles and the coated surface. This model, grounded in the classical adhesive elastic interactions paradigm, establishes a normal force solution by approximating the pressure distribution on the contact area between the sphere and the coating, subsequently computing the composite force acting on the particle. Utilizing the API module of the EDEM simulation platform, we conducted simulations of the motion of fine particles on both smooth and coated plates. The results reveal that van der Waals forces are more prominent for light-mass particles, and the application of the coating can diminish the pull of these forces, facilitating easier detachment of dust particles from the plate surface.

Sensory Gating in the Auditory System: Classical and Novel Stimulus Paradigms.

Sensory gating is a phenomenon where the cortical response to the second stimulus in a pair of identical stimuli is inhibited. It is most often assessed in a conditioning-testing paradigm. Both active and passive neuronal mechanisms have been implicated in sensory gating. The present study aimed to assess if sensory gating is caused by an active neural mechanism associated with stimulus redundancy. The study was carried out on 20 young neurotypical adults. We assessed the gating phenomenon using identical and nonidentical stimuli pairs presented in an electrophysiological conditioning-testing paradigm. We hypothesized that the novel stimulus in the nonidentical stimulus pair would not exhibit the sensory gating effects (reduction in the amplitude of cortical potentials to the second stimuli in the pair), owing to stimulus novelty. Contrary to our expectations, the response analyses of the cortical auditory evoked potentials revealed that adults gated repetitive and novel stimuli similarly. The findings are discussed in relation to the significance of methodological factors in evaluating sensory gating. We believe that additional research using oddball presentation of novel stimuli along with appropriate analysis methods is necessary before drawing any conclusions on the mechanisms underlying sensory gating.

Paying Living Wages in Supply Chains: The Effects of Uncertainties, Coordination, and Competition

The living wage (LW) movement is part of the fight against forced labor: It aims to ensure that workers receive an income that can cover their daily subsistence needs. Our study expands the current understanding of LW pay by shifting from the traditional labor-capital view to an operations and supply chain management perspective. We use a game theoretical approach to explore the different responses of two competing supply chains to LW accreditation. We find that a moderate LW standard allows for Pareto optimality where key stakeholders (i.e., manufacturers, retailers, consumers, and workers) have a collective interest in promoting the LW movement. From a multistakeholder lens, the LW movement is only sustainable if the LW standard is neither too aggressive nor too conservative. We further demonstrate the following points. (1) Not all types of uncertainties are harmful to supply chains with LW pay. Yield uncertainty slows down the progress of the LW movement, whereas demand uncertainty encourages the voluntary adoption of LW pay among all stakeholders. (2) Supply chain coordination may slow the adoption of voluntary LW pay, which implies that the classic coordination paradigm is not a panacea in alleviating the plight of underpaid workers. (3) From the perspective of competition intensity, greater monopsony power hinders the progress of the LW movement, and we provide evidence for the positive effects of a competitive environment on incentivizing voluntary LW pay.

Characterization and classification of EEG signals evoked by different CAD models

AbstractThe past two decades have witnessed dramatic advancement in computer‐aided design (CAD). However, development of human–computer interfaces (HCI) for CAD have not kept up with these advances. Windows, Icons, Menus, Pointer (WIMP) is still the mainly used interface for CAD applications which limits the naturalness and intuitiveness of the CAD modeling process. As a novel interface, Brain–computer interfaces (BCIs) have great potential in the application of CAD modeling. Utilizing BCIs, the user can create CAD models just by thinking about it in principle, because BCIs provide an end‐to‐end interaction channel between users and CAD models. However, current related studies are mainly limited to the existing BCIs paradigms, while ignoring the relationship between electroencephalogram (EEG) signals and CAD models, which largely increases the cognitive load on the users. In this study, we aimed to explore the potential of using BCI to create CAD models directly independent of the classical BCIs paradigms. For this purpose, EEG signals evoked by six basic CAD models (i.e., point, square, trapezoid, line, triangle, and circle) were collected from 28 participants. After preprocessing and sub‐trial principal components analysis (st‐PCA) of recorded data, the peak, mean and time‐frequency energy features were extracted from EEG signals. By applying the one‐way repeated measures analysis of variance, we demonstrated that there were significant differences among these EEG features evoked by different CAD models. These features from EEG electrode channels ranked by mutual information were then used to train a discriminant classifier of genetic algorithm‐based support vector machine. The empirical result showed that this classifier can discriminate the CAD models with an average accuracy of about 72%, which turns out that EEG based model generation is feasible, and provides the technical and theoretical basis for building a novel BCI for CAD modeling.

Intervention Optimization: A Paradigm Shift and Its Potential Implications for Clinical Psychology.

To build a coherent knowledge base about what psychological intervention strategies work, develop interventions that have positive societal impact, and maintain and increase this impact over time, it is necessary to replace the classical treatment package research paradigm. The multiphase optimization strategy (MOST) is an alternative paradigm that integrates ideas from behavioral science, engineering, implementation science, economics, and decision science. MOST enables optimization of interventions to strategically balance effectiveness, affordability, scalability, and efficiency. In this review we provide an overview of MOST, discuss several experimental designs that can be used in intervention optimization, consider how the investigator can use experimental results to select components for inclusion in the optimized intervention, discuss the application of MOST in implementation science, and list future issues in this rapidly evolving field. We highlight the feasibility of adopting this new research paradigm as well as its potential to hasten the progress of psychological intervention science.