Cuckoo Research Articles

Phenotypic correlates between clock genes and phenology among populations of Diederik cuckoo, Chrysococcyx caprius.

The Diederik cuckoo, Chrysococcyx caprius, is a small Afrotropical bird in the family Cuculidae. It is taxonomically related to 13 other species within the genus Chrysococcyx and is migratory in sub-Saharan Africa. It has a unique breeding behaviour of being a brood parasite: Breeding pairs lay their eggs in the nests of a host species and hatchlings expel the eggs of the host species. The aim of the present study was to investigate diversity in two circadian clock genes, Clock and Adcyap1, to probe for a relationship between genetic polymorphisms and their role in circannual timing and habitat selection (phenology) in intra-African migrants. DNA extracted from blood was used for the PCR amplification and sequencing of clock genes in 30 Diederik cuckoos. Three alleles were detected for Clock with similar genotypes between individuals from the Northern and Southern breeding ranges while 10 alleles were detected for Adcyap1, having shorter alleles in the North and longer alleles in the South. Population genetic analyses, including allele frequency and zygosity analysis, showed distinctly higher frequencies for the most abundant Clock allele, containing 10 polyglutamine repeats, as well as a high degree of homozygosity. In contrast, all individuals were heterozygous for Adcyap1 and alleles from both regions showed distinct differences in abundance. Comparisons between both clock genes and phenology found several phenotypic correlations. This included evidence of a relationship between the shorter alleles and habitat selection as well as a relationship between longer alleles and timing. In both instances, evidence is provided that these effects may be sex-specific. Given that these genes drive some of the synchronicity between environments and the life cycles of birds, they provide valuable insight into the fitness of species facing global challenges including climate change, urbanisation and expanding agricultural practices.

Conceptual Metaphors in Psychotherapeutic Discourse (Using the Example of the Works of Art by Irwin Yalom and Ken Kesey)

Introduction. The article discusses the role and features of the conceptual metaphor in psychotherapeutic dis-course using the examples of fiction works by Irwin Yalom “The Schopenhauer Cure”, “Mommy and the Meaning of Life” and Ken Kesey “Over the Cuckoo's Nest” (translated by 2003 by D. Shepelev). The purpose of the article is to illustrate the metaphorical language of psychotherapeutic discourse (PD), involved in the fiction works. The widespread use of metaphor makes it possible to distinguish PD into an independent one. The relevance of linguistic analysis lies in expanding the language of discourses of helping professions.Methodology and sources. The article is based on the provisions of the theory of conceptual metaphor formulated by J. By Lakoff and M. Johnson. The methodological basis of the analysis are the works about PD and the metaphorical language of psychotherapy (I.V. Karasik, A.R. Markin, M.S. Grineva, E.V. Ermolaeva, etc.). Results and discussion. The article describes the characteristics of PD, describes the types of conceptual metaphors that are used in psychotherapeutic discourse based on the analysis of the fiction works. Among the main conceptual metaphors are the metaphors “dispute is war”, “time is money”, “psyche as a machine”, orientation metaphors, where UP is associated with the concept of mental health, well-being, altruism, strength, high status, rationality, and DOWN – with images of illness, failure, low social status, emotionality. Conclusion. The study shows the specifics of PD, primarily related to its metaphorical language. The examples of the conceptual metaphors highlighted by J. By Lakoff and M. Johnson illustrate the specific feature of PD of I. Yalom and K. Kesey.

K-Mean Based Hyper-Metaheuristic Grey Wolf and Cuckoo Search Optimizers for Automatic MRI Medical Image Clustering

In this paper a new clustering algorithm is proposed for optimal clustering of MRI medical image. In our proposed algorithm, the clustering process implemented by K-means clustering algorithm, due to its simplicity and speed. The optimization process was done by a well-known metaheuristic algorithms Grey Wolf Optimizer (GWO) and Cuckoo Search Optimizer. GWO is a metaheuristic algorithm inspired by the social hierarchy and hunting behavior of grey wolves. It mimics the leadership hierarchy and hunting strategies of wolves to explore the search space efficiently. GWO has shown promising performance in finding high-quality solutions compared to other well-established optimizers. It explores the solution space to find better cluster assignments that minimize the overall intra-cluster variance. By leveraging the exploration potential of GWO, the proposed algorithm aims to improve the quality of the clustering results. Furthermore, the Cuckoo Search Optimizer (CS) is combined with GWO to enhance the algorithm's ability to find a global solution. Cuckoo Search is a metaheuristic algorithm inspired by the breeding behavior of cuckoo birds. It employs random search and Levy flights to diversify the search process and avoid getting trapped in local optima. By combining CS with GWO, the proposed algorithm aims to increase the likelihood of finding the optimal clustering solution.

Unveiling the avian community structure, habitat preference, and conservation concerns in the sal forest of central bangladesh

A study on avifaunal diversity was conducted in Bhawal National Park, Gazipur, Bangladesh, from November 2020 to October 2021 using direct field observation. The study area was divided into five sites based on the habitat structure. A total of 138 bird species and 1,808 individuals were directly counted, representing 17 orders and 49 families. The order Passeriformes and the family Cuculidae had the highest number of species. During the winter season, the richness, abundance, and diversity was the maximum (116 species, 1132 individuals, H= 4.151, Ds= 0.976), with resident bird surpassing migratory species. Among the five study sites, the deep forest area exhibited the greatest number of bird species (75 species, H= 3.983, Ds= 0.975) and trees were the used microhabitat for the birds (101 species, 1521 individuals, H= 4.1, Ds= 0.977). Jungle Babbler (Turdoides striata) had the maximum relative abundance and the ten most abundant species constituted 36.7% of total individuals. A total of 25 habitat generalist species was observed using more than one habitat during the study, while the rest were found in single habitat. Among all the bird species, 136 were Least Concern, one was Near Threatened, and one was Data Deficient. Based on the observation status, it was determined that the majority of bird species (97 species, 70.28%) were classified as few, while 25 species (18.11%) were as uncommon, 12 species (8.69%) as common, and 4 species (2.89%) as very common. The area was noted for its widespread use for recreational activities, and the disturbance caused by visitors lacking awareness poses a significant threat to the local bird population and biodiversity.
 Dhaka Univ. J. Biol. Sci. 33(1): 1-21, 2024 (January)

Optimizing multimodal feature selection using binary reinforced cuckoo search algorithm for improved classification performance.

Feature selection is a vital process in data mining and machine learning approaches by determining which characteristics, out of the available features, are most appropriate for categorization or knowledge representation. However, the challenging task is finding a chosen subset of elements from a given set of features to represent or extract knowledge from raw data. The number of features selected should be appropriately limited and substantial to prevent results from deviating from accuracy. When it comes to the computational time cost, feature selection is crucial. A feature selection model is put out in this study to address the feature selection issue concerning multimodal. In this work, a novel optimization algorithm inspired by cuckoo birds' behavior is the Binary Reinforced Cuckoo Search Algorithm (BRCSA). In addition, we applied the proposed BRCSA-based classification approach for multimodal feature selection. The proposed method aims to select the most relevant features from multiple modalities to improve the model's classification performance. The BRCSA algorithm is used to optimize the feature selection process, and a binary encoding scheme is employed to represent the selected features. The experiments are conducted on several benchmark datasets, and the results are compared with other state-of-the-art feature selection methods to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed method. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed BRCSA-based approach outperforms other methods in terms of classification accuracy, indicating its potential applicability in real-world applications. In specific on accuracy of classification (average), the proposed algorithm outperforms the existing methods such as DGUFS with 32%, MBOICO with 24%, MBOLF with 29%, WOASAT 22%, BGSA with 28%, HGSA 39%, FS-BGSK 37%, FS-pBGSK 42%, and BSSA 40%.

Through Chief Bromden's Murky Lens: Deconstructing Sanity in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Through Chief Bromden's Murky Lens: Deconstructing Sanity in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Software Testing Using Cuckoo Search Algorithm with Machine Learning Techniques

Software testing are any errors, flaws, bugs, mistakes, failures in a piece of software that might cause the programme to produce incorrect or unexpected results. Testing in software almost always increase both the time and money needed to finish a project. And finding bugs and fixing them is a laborious and expensive software process in and of itself. While it's unrealistic to expect to completely eradicate all testing from a project, their severity may be mitigated. It is possible to predict where bugs may appear in software using a method known as software defect prediction (SDP). The goal of each software development project should be to provide a bug-free product. Predicting where bugs may appear in code, often known as software defect prediction (SDP), is an important part of fixing software. Software of a high calibre should have few bugs. A software metric is a quantitative or qualitative evaluation of some aspect of the programme or its requirements. One of the more recent population-based algorithms, Cuckoo Search (CS) was inspired by the flight patterns of some cuckoo species as well as the Lévy flying patterns of other birds and fruit flies. The needs for international convergence are met by CS. KNN is a significant non-parameter supervised learning technique. This paper presents an overview of Stochastic Diffusion Search (SDS) in the form of a social metaphor to illustrate the processes by which SDS allots resources. The best-fit pattern identification and matching difficulties were addressed by SDS using a novel probabilistic method. As a multiagent population-based global search and optimization method, SDS is a distributed model of computing that makes use of interaction amongst basic agents. The behaviour of SDS is described by studying its resource allocation, convergence to global optimum, resilience, minimum convergence criterion, and linear time complexity within a rigorous mathematical framework, setting it apart from many nature-inspired search algorithms. This paper proposes a hybrid optimization strategy based on CS-SDS techniques. By using the global search strategy solution of the SDS algorithm, this hybridization idea aims to enhance the cuckoo bird's search strategy for the optimum host nest. To that end, the SDS method would be used to place the cuckoo egg in the most advantageous location. When compared to other classifiers, PC2's improved performance may be attributed to its higher recall values. When compared to the Naive Bayes and Radial Bias Neural Network classifiers, the KNN performs 7.64% and 2.20% better, respectively.

Hybrid Encryption based Access Control Approach for Securing Cloud Computing

Cloud computing has become an integral part of modern technological infrastructure, facilitating the storage and processing of vast amounts of data. However, ensuring the security of sensitive information in the cloud remains a persistent challenge. This paper proposes a novel approach to enhance the security of cloud computing through hybrid encryption, leveraging the Whale Optimization Algorithm (WOA) and Cuckoo Search Optimization (CSO) algorithms. Hybrid encryption, combining symmetric and asymmetric cryptographic techniques, is employed to address the limitations of traditional encryption methods in cloud environments. The Whale Optimization Algorithm and Cuckoo Search Optimization are utilized to optimize key generation and management processes, enhancing the overall efficiency and security of the encryption scheme. The Whale Optimization Algorithm, inspired by the social behavior of humpback whales, is employed to optimize the parameters of the encryption algorithm. WOA's exploration and exploitation capabilities are leveraged to find an optimal balance in the encryption process, improving the overall robustness against potential attacks. Complementing WOA, the Cuckoo Search Optimization algorithm is applied to optimize the key distribution and update mechanisms. Modeled after the brood parasitism behavior of cuckoo birds, CSO excels in searching large solution spaces, making it suitable for refining the distribution of encryption keys and ensuring their constant adaptability to dynamic cloud environments.

THERAPEUTIC MODELS AND FEATURES OF THE PSYCHOTHERAPEUTIC DISCOURSE OF KEN KESEY’S NOVEL “ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST”

The article describes two models of psychotherapy and the language of the psychotherapeutic discourse in Ken Kesey’s novel “One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest” (translated from English by D. Shepelev). First raised by M. Foucault, the theme of psychotherapy in hospitals of mental disorders as a practice of power was described in medical, pedagogical, autobiographical literature. The paper compares two models of the psychotherapeutic approach to human socialisation, conditionally associated with the manipulative method of the senior nurse of the psychiatric clinic and the humanistic method of McMurphy, the patient. The two types of the psychotherapeutic discourse, techniques of psychotherapy, features of the language of agents and clients of therapy – all these things make it possible to conclude that the qualities of the psychotherapist himself, but not abstract clichés, are of decisive importance in psychotherapy, and literature, thanks to numerous expressive means, helps to attract a wide audience to the topic of human mental health.

Batswana’s Beliefs, Myths and Practices regarding Certain Birds

Batswana’s Beliefs, Myths and Practices regarding Certain Birds

Happy Birthday "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest": A Momentous Tale in the Quest for an Effective and Ethical Approach to Psychosurgery.

The anniversary of the publication of 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' by Ken Kesey offers an opportunity for reflection on the use of neurosurgery in psychiatry. We used a narrative, historical and dialectical method to deliver an account of the controversial subject. A balanced representation of the negative and positive aspects, acknowledging some of the questionable ethical practices while describing well-reasoned applications is provided. It includes neurosurgeons, psychiatrists who have embraced these procedures with unwarranted enthusiasm and those who have opposed. Neurosurgical techniques for the treatment of severe mental disorders have evolved from rudimentary procedures which were used to 'correct' unwanted behaviours associated with a wide range of severe mental disorders to more refined and selective approaches used as a last resort to treat specific mental health conditions. In the absence of specific aetiological models to guide ablative surgical targets, non-ablative, stimulatory techniques have more recently been developed to allow reversibility when surgical treatment fails to obtain a sizeable improvement in quality of life. The subject is concretely illustrated by two eloquent clinical images: one on a series of brain computed tomography scans carried out on a Canadian population of subjects, who underwent leukotomy decades ago, and the other more contemporary on an implantation surgery to epidural stimulation. Alongside technical advances in psychosurgery, a regulatory framework has gradually developed to ensure vigilance in the appropriateness of patients' selection. Nevertheless, harmonisation of protocols around the world is necessary to ensure consistency in obtaining and maintaining the highest possible ethical standards for the benefit of patients. If the neurosciences promise today, in their new, better framed, and reversible applications, to provide answers to unmet therapeutic needs, we still must remain attentive to drifts linked the introduction of intrusive technologies for purposes of domination or behaviour modification that would impede our individual freedom.

Role of Indigenous and local knowledge in seasonal forecasts and climate adaptation: A case study of smallholder farmers in Chiredzi, Zimbabwe

Accessible, reliable and diverse sources of climate information are needed to inform climate change adaptation at all levels of society, particularly for vulnerable sectors such as smallholder farming. Globally, many smallholder farmers use Indigenous knowledge (IK) and local knowledge (LK) to forecast weather and climate; however, less is known about how the use of these forecasts connects to decisions and actions for reducing climate risks. We examined the role of IK and LK in seasonal forecasting and the broader climate adaptation decision-making of smallholder farmers in Chiredzi, Zimbabwe. The data were collected from a sample of 100 smallholder farmers. Seventy-three of the 100 interviewed farmers used IK and LK weather and climate forecasts, and 32% relied solely on IK and LK forecasts for climate adaptation decision-making. Observations of cuckoo birds, leaf-sprouting of Mopane trees, high summer temperatures, and Nimbus clouds are the main indicators used for IK and LK forecasts. The use of IK and LK climate forecasts was significantly positively associated with increasing farmer age and farmland size. Farmers using IK and LK forecasts implemented, on average, triple the number of adaptation measures compared with farmers not using IK and LK. These findings demonstrate the widespread reliance of farmers on IK and LK for seasonal forecasts, and the strong positive link between the use of IK and LK and the implementation of climate adaptation actions. This positive association between IK and LK usage and the implementation of adaptation actions may be widespread in smallholder farming communities throughout Africa and globally. Recognition and inclusion of IK and LK in climate services is important to ensure their continued potential for enhancing climate change adaptation.

Cuckoo Search Algorithm: Review and its Application

Optimization techniques play a major role in real-world problems, As many cases in which decisions are made are based on random research. But choosing the optimization technology is a big challenge for the user. The cuckoo search algorithm is one of the modern optimization techniques that can replace many of the traditional techniques used, The cuckoo bird use a Levi's flight strategy based on the egg laying method to extract a solution to the problem. The presented work will provide a review of the original cuckoo search algorithm with mentioning some types of developed and hybrid cuckoo search algorithm as well as some of their applications.

Psychiatric Diseases of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

This short article summarized of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and lobotomy presented in the movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. ECT has established itself as an effective treatment despite many setbacks, and lobotomies are no longer performed. Medical professionals have a responsibility to look ahead to the future and establish reliable treatments.

First published record of rodent predation by guira cuckoo in Brazil: notes about vertebrate predation

Guira cuckoo (Guira guira) is a communal breeder bird species displaying a diversified diet. In this study, we report the first published predation event of a rodent by Guira cuckoo in Brazil. We searched for vertebrate predation by this bird species in Brazilian domains in the following databases: Google Scholar, SciELO, Scopus and Web of Science. We recorded the rodent predation event in a landscape composed of pasture and gallery forest in Campo Grande municipality, Mato Grosso do Sul, central-west Brazil. The predated rodent is a vesper mouse, Calomys sp. We found 19 vertebrate species predated by the Guira cuckoo, distributed in all Brazilian domains, within the orders: Anura (5 species), Passeriformes (1), Squamata (12), and Rodentia (1 - present study). Our result contributes to the natural history of the Guira cuckoo, and highlights that this cuckoo bird displays a generalist diet, feeding on a diversity of vertebrate species.

Complete mitogenome of the Common Koel Eudynamys scolopaceus Linnaeus 1758 (Aves: Cuculidae)

The Common Koel Eudynamys scolopaceus Linnaeus 1758, belongs to the family Cuculidae and order Cuculiformes. This omnivorous bird exhibits obligate nest parasitism. Here, the complete mitogenome of E. scolopaceus was determined and phylogenetically compared with those of other Cuculidae species. The newly sequenced complete mitogenome was a circular DNA molecule with a size of 17,610 bp (OM115963). This mitogenome had a higher A + T content (57.58%) than G + C content (42.42%). Phylogenetic analysis revealed that E. scolopaceus was most closely related to Eudynamys taitensis and the genus Cuculus, providing useful molecular information for further research on the phylogeny of the family Cuculidae.

An Analysis of Mcmurphy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest from the Perspective of the Liberalism

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest was directed by Milos Forman, based on Ken Kersey's 1962 novel. The quality of a film comes from all aspects. Foreign studies on this novel mainly focus on the 1960s and 1970s, respectively focusing on the religious color, realism, symbolism, gender composition, humor color and so on. Domestic experts and researchers also studied the novel from the perspectives of thematic research, counter-culture movement, psychology, feminism and existentialism. However, the study of liberalism is rarely mentioned. This paper discusses the expression of liberalism, and the classification of liberty to find out what is the liberalism and analyze the image of liberalism in this movie.

Mehaničko u romanu "Let iznad kukavičjeg gnezda"

The paper compares people and the living world with the mechanical and inanimate world in Ken Kesey's novel One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest. The use of mechanical terminology, comparison of men to robots, and human behavior and human relations to the work of a machine in an industrial environment is not unusual for the twentieth-century literature, especially science fiction, given the development of technology and science: connection of distant parts on the planet, conquering of the space, and splitting of the atom. The man has made a remarkable progress in the field of science, but the question arises whether he has remained the same during that process, or whether he has "gazed into the abyss" for too long. The analysis that follows raises the question whether the use of mechanical in the novel One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest is a metaphor or something more. To talk about metaphorical use, we will refer to the paper Metaphor and Mind Style in Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by authors Elena Semino and Kate Swindlehurst. On the other hand, we will refer to the ideas of Erich Fromm from a number of his books to show that the mentioned comparison is not only a stylistic figure, but the refection of the process of changing of human nature.

Pharmacy students' perceptions of the effectiveness of a film-based mental health elective course

IntroductionStigmatizing attitudes of pharmacists can contribute to poor outcomes in individuals with mental illness. Direct contact with patients during pharmacy experiential education helps establish positive attitudes toward people with mental illness yet may not be available to all students. The use of film in pharmacy education has the potential to facilitate learning and improve attitudes. MethodsWe evaluated students' perceptions regarding the impact of an elective course for pharmacy students which incorporated feature films about mental illnesses. Students completed surveys addressing their perceptions of each film's role in facilitation of learning, attitudes about mental illness, and comfort level for interacting with patients with mental illness. ResultsA total of 125 students completed a course featuring 17 films over the four-year study period. The films with the highest weighted positive rankings were Temple Grandin, Helen, As Good As It Gets, Born on the Fourth of July, Iris, A Beautiful Mind, and Silver Linings Playbook. Less favored films included One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Prozac Nation, and My Own Private Idaho. ConclusionsDirect contact with patients may best prepare future pharmacists to serve the needs of people with mental illness. This study suggests that students perceive feature films used in an elective course may have a positive impact on facilitating learning and improving attitudes of pharmacy students toward individuals with mental illness. Further well-designed studies are warranted, including in other health professions students, to substantiate and define the role of film as a tool to teach and address stigma.

A Competitive Nature-Inspired Cuckoo Search Algorithm for Solving the Resource Constrained Project Scheduling Problem

Since its advent, the resource constrained project scheduling problem has been a favorite NP-Hard problem studied by many researchers. In this paper, we examine this problem with a focus on the total project time minimization, usually known as the makespan minimization. To this end, a nature-inspired Cuckoo Search Algorithm (CSA) has been introduced that works by simulating the brooding parasitism of some cuckoo birds in nature. In a nutshell, the proposed cuckoo search algorithm has two main capabilities including: a) a global random search using Levy flights, and b) a local random refinement strategy. In addition, a double justification method has been employed to improve the generated solutions. Simultaneous use of these features can maximize the efficiency of resource searches in uncertain environments. Experimental results on the standard J30, J60, and J120 test sets from the PSPLIB are also presented, showing that the CSA has satisfying results compared with the other well-reported algorithms.