Natural Settings Research Articles

Community Advancement in Community Policing Within the Addis Ababa City Organization

Community development focuses on improving the quality of life and well-being of individuals and communities. This exploratory study used a descriptive research design and mixed methods research strategy. The study uses primary and secondary data, including questionnaires and interviews with front-line police, intermediate and senior officials, and unpublished documents from verified organizations such as the AAPC. The quantitative approach focuses on the degree to which community policing is applied, while qualitative approaches identify obstacles to successful deployment. This research aimed to provide unbiased descriptions of experiences in natural settings. However, the increase in crime has reduced public confidence and security, leading to low levels of human well-being. The Ethiopian government has worked to identify the root cause of the problem and implement initiatives to ensure smooth operations. Police have involved community participation in problem-solving partnerships, and various community programs have been organized to provide knowledge and skills in handling crime-related cases. This has enhanced community confidence and overall well-being.

Cyclic Electron Flow Alleviates the Stress of Light Fluctuation on Soybean Photosynthesis

Crops often face light intensity fluctuations in natural settings. Intercropping is widely used to improve crop yield and resource utilization worldwide, but crops suffer from high-frequency and high-intensity light fluctuations due to mutual crop influence. Soybean is an important legume crop and is often intercropped with other crops, but little is known about soybean’s response to light fluctuation environments. Herein, three fluctuation frequencies (1, 10, and 20 min/cycle) were used to analyze soybean photosynthesis responses by measuring leaf growth, chlorophyll content, gas exchange, and electron transfer. Our data revealed that faster fluctuation frequencies led to the stronger suppression of soybean morphology and photosynthesis, with significant reductions of 31.31% and 21.58%, respectively. Damage to photosystems II (PSII) and I (PSI) also intensified, with significant decreases of 18.52% and 18.38% in their effective quantum yields Y(II) and Y(I). Additionally, increased fluctuation frequency exacerbated the consumption of the plastoquinone pool and linear electron flow but enhanced the cyclic electron flow across the thylakoid membrane and, thus, increased heat dissipation in PSII. Our findings indicate that an increased fluctuation frequency inflicted more severe damage on the soybean photosynthesis system. However, PSI-enhanced CEF improved NPQ and coordinated photoprotection to some extent.

SPA Philosophy as a Tourism Support - Case Study on Thai SPA and Bali SPA

The SPA industry, a vital component of wellness tourism, offers unique experiences deeply rooted in cultural and natural contexts. This study explores thedistinctive philosophies of Thai and Balinese SPAs, examining their contributions totourism through a comparative analysis. Thai SPAs emphasize balance and energyflow, integrating traditional Thai massage techniques, herbal treatments, and Buddhistprinciples to create a holistic wellness experience. Conversely, Balinese SPAs focuson harmony with nature and spiritual serenity, reflecting the island's Hindu-Buddhistheritage. Treatments in Balinese SPAs often use local ingredients and are performedin serene natural settings, enhancing the connection between guests and the island’scultural and natural beauty. The methodology involved a comprehensive literaturereview and content analysis of academic articles, books, and industry reports, followedby a comparative analysis to highlight the unique features and commonalities betweenthe SPA philosophies of Thailand and Bali. The findings reveal that both SPAtraditions play a crucial role in enhancing cultural tourism by offering authenticexperiences that connect visitors with local traditions and practices. Additionally, theseSPAs contribute to sustainable tourism by utilizing local resources and supportingtraditional practices, which helps preserve cultural heritage and promotes economicgrowth in local communities. The study concludes that the distinctive philosophies ofThai and Balinese SPAs not only provide therapeutic benefits but also serve as culturalambassadors and promoters of sustainable tourism. As global interest in wellnesstourism continues to rise, these unique SPA experiences will remain pivotal inattracting tourists seeking comprehensive well-being experiences, thereby supportingthe overall sustainability and appeal of their respective destinations.

Spectral large deviations of sparse random matrices

AbstractEigenvalues of Wigner matrices has been a major topic of investigation. A particularly important subclass of such random matrices, useful in many applications, are what are known as sparse or diluted random matrices, where each entry in a Wigner matrix is multiplied by an independent Bernoulli random variable with mean . Alternatively, such a matrix can be viewed as the adjacency matrix of an Erdős–Rényi graph equipped with independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.) edge‐weights. An observable of particular interest is the largest eigenvalue. In this paper, we study the large deviations behavior of the largest eigenvalue of such matrices, a topic that has received considerable attention over the years. While certain techniques have been devised for the case when is fixed or perhaps going to zero not too fast with the matrix size, we focus on the case , that is, constant average degree regime of sparsity, which is a central example due to its connections to many models in statistical mechanics and other applications. Most known techniques break down in this regime and even the typical behavior of the spectrum of such random matrices is not very well understood. So far, results were known only for the Erdős–Rényi graph without edge‐weights and with Gaussian edge‐weights. In the present article, we consider the effect of general weight distributions. More specifically, we consider entry distributions whose tail probabilities decay at rate with , where the regimes and correspond to tails heavier and lighter than the Gaussian tail, respectively. While in many natural settings the large deviations behavior is expected to depend crucially on the entry distribution, we establish a surprising and rare universal behavior showing that this is not the case when . In contrast, in the case, the large deviation rate function is no longer universal and is given by the solution to a variational problem, the description of which involves a generalization of the Motzkin–Straus theorem, a classical result from spectral graph theory. As a byproduct of our large deviation results, we also establish the law of large numbers behavior for the largest eigenvalue, which also seems to be new and difficult to obtain using existing methods. In particular, we show that the typical value of the largest eigenvalue exhibits a phase transition at , that is, corresponding to the Gaussian distribution.

The Capture of Cadmium from Solution during the Replacement of Calcite by Apatite.

The capture of cadmium (Cd) from phosphate-containing solutions during the replacement of CaCO3 by phosphate phases such as hydroxylapatite (HAP) and tricalcium phosphate (TCP) has been studied under high and low temperature and pressure conditions using atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy equipped with an X-ray spectrometer and a backscattered electron detector, Raman spectroscopy, and microprobe analysis. Starting with cubes of Carrara Marble (polycrystalline calcite) and single crystals of calcite, a new solid phosphate phase was observed to incorporate Cd from solution, formed under different pressure and temperature conditions tested. Results showed that Cd precipitated in a new phase on the surface of all samples tested. In Carrara Marble, pseudomorphic replacement of CaCO3 is restricted possibly due to kinetic limitation caused by the adsorption of Cd complexes formed in solution at reactive surface sites and the variation of fluid composition inside the sample. However, on the sample surface, this kinetic limitation is less influential, so the new phase could incorporate higher amounts of Cd faster. Furthermore, this reaction at room temperature was found to have similar and/or better Cd-uptake efficiency as HAP and CaCO3 in pure Cd solution through the precipitation of Cd-containing phosphate crystals on the sample surface. Both reactions were able to capture Cd in the precipitating phase structure and could provide a mechanism for simultaneous Cd and phosphate removal from solutions contaminated with both, in industrial or natural settings.

Improving Mindfulness, Well-Being, and Stress: No Additional Benefits of Mindfulness Apps in Natural Settings—A Randomized Trial

Improving Mindfulness, Well-Being, and Stress: No Additional Benefits of Mindfulness Apps in Natural Settings—A Randomized Trial

Support for a right-wing populist party and subjective well-being: Experimental and survey evidence from Germany.

With the rise of populism in many countries, including Germany, it is more important than ever to better understand the causes and consequences of populist support. Using two experiments within the context of a large panel survey, we study how support for the German right-wing populist party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) is associated with subjective perceptions of personal and financial well-being. In both experiments, we rely on priming the identity of AfD supporters, once in a controlled manner and once in a natural setting. We document a causal relationship from AfD support to diminished well-being for new and marginal AfD supporters. Our findings challenge the prevailing assumption that causality moves unidirectionally, from life dissatisfaction to support for populist parties, and suggest that early interventions focusing on positive messages are particularly promising to win voters back into the mainstream.

Shredding artifacts: extracting brain activity in EEG from extreme artifacts during skateboarding using ASR and ICA.

To understand brain function in natural real-world settings, it is crucial to acquire brain activity data in noisy environments with diverse artifacts. Electroencephalography (EEG), while susceptible to environmental and physiological artifacts, can be cleaned using advanced signal processing techniques like Artifact Subspace Reconstruction (ASR) and Independent Component Analysis (ICA). This study aims to demonstrate that ASR and ICA can effectively extract brain activity from the substantial artifacts occurring while skateboarding on a half-pipe ramp. A dual-task paradigm was used, where subjects were presented with auditory stimuli during skateboarding and rest conditions. The effectiveness of ASR and ICA in cleaning artifacts was evaluated using a support vector machine to classify the presence or absence of a sound stimulus in single-trial EEG data. The study evaluated the effectiveness of ASR and ICA in artifact cleaning using five different pipelines: (1) Minimal cleaning (bandpass filtering), (2) ASR only, (3) ICA only, (4) ICA followed by ASR (ICAASR), and (5) ASR preceding ICA (ASRICA). Three skateboarders participated in the experiment. Results showed that all ICA-containing pipelines, especially ASRICA (69%, 68%, 63%), outperformed minimal cleaning (55%, 52%, 50%) in single-trial classification during skateboarding. The ASRICA pipeline performed significantly better than other pipelines containing ICA for two of the three subjects, with no other pipeline performing better than ASRICA. The superior performance of ASRICA likely results from ASR removing non-stationary artifacts, enhancing ICA decomposition. Evidenced by ASRICA identifying more brain components via ICLabel than ICA alone or ICAASR for all subjects. For the rest condition, with fewer artifacts, the ASRICA pipeline (71%, 82%, 75%) showed slight improvement over minimal cleaning (73%, 70%, 72%), performing significantly better for two subjects. This study demonstrates that ASRICA can effectively clean artifacts to extract single-trial brain activity during skateboarding. These findings affirm the feasibility of recording brain activity during physically demanding tasks involving substantial body movement, laying the groundwork for future research into the neural processes governing complex and coordinated body movements.

The Effectiveness of Historical and Cultural Heritage in Relation to Technological Innovation

This study investigates the effectiveness and technological innovation in historical and cultural heritage education across several Chinese universities, focusing on Yulin College, Shaanxi Normal University, Yan’an University, Weinan Normal University, and Shenmu Vocational and Technical Education Center. Utilizing a purposive sampling technique, the research involves 250 students who have taken history classes in these institutions. Data collection is conducted through a self-made questionnaire informed by extensive literature reviews. Employing a non-experimental quantitative design, this descriptive comparative correlational research examines the relationship between educational effectiveness and technological innovation. The study aims to provide a detailed depiction of the association between these variables within their natural educational settings. The findings reveal a diverse student demographic, with 56.1% females and 88.5% aged 16-20 years. Students rated the curriculum's comprehensiveness, engagement, pedagogical techniques, resource accessibility, and cultural value positively. While perceptions of educational effectiveness were consistent across genders, age-related differences highlighted varied experiences and expectations. Technological innovation, including digital resources, interactive platforms, and multimedia integration, received favorable evaluations from students, indicating a positive impact on their learning experience. The study found a strong positive correlation between curriculum comprehensiveness and technological innovation, suggesting that integrating technology enhances educational effectiveness. The study concludes that historical and cultural heritage education in the surveyed universities is effective, with students responding positively to curriculum and technological integration. Recommendations include developing age-inclusive strategies, expanding technological integration, enhancing digital skills, ensuring gender-inclusive education, evolving curricula, improving feedback tools, providing professional development for educators, and conducting ongoing research and evaluation.

Fast, accurate and accessible calculations of leaf temperature and its physiological consequences with NicheMapR

Abstract Mechanistic predictions of ecological niches are fundamentally based on energy and mass exchange processes that, to be realistic, must be linked to microclimate and incorporate behaviour and physiology. Estimates of leaf temperature and associated transpiration and net photosynthesis rates are fundamental in ecology, agriculture and global change biology. Equations for calculating leaf energy budgets have been available for over 60 years and complex models of stomatal behaviour have been developed. However, user‐friendly ways of estimating leaf temperature under realistic microclimatic regimes, including soil moisture effects, remain limited. Here we show that the integrated microclimate and ectotherm functions of the NicheMapR package for the R programming environment can be used to make fast and effective estimates of leaf temperature and associated rates of water loss and photosynthesis for a wide range of leaf functional types, root depths and microhabitats. Stomatal conductance may be constant or simulated to change dynamically (a) as a function of vapour pressure deficit and CO2 concentration, (b) as a function of soil water potential and (c) as a thermoregulatory mechanism to avoid heat stress. We tested the approach against hourly leaf temperature observations in summer from an arid shrubland in Australia, a temperate woodland in Montana USA, along an elevational gradient in Colorado USA, and at a botanical garden in Florida, USA. National or global gridded data sets can provide the required forcing data but local observational data or some combination of local and gridded data can be used. The global ERA5 and NCEP datasets allow historical leaf energy budget calculations to be made anywhere in the world and a Shiny app has been developed to facilitate use of the model with these datasets. Situated leaf energy budget calculations can be used to design informative field programs to collect much needed detailed temporal data on leaf temperature under natural settings, enabling better predictions and interpretations of how plants respond to environmental change.

Mechanism by which exogenous H2O2 improves main secondary metabolites contents in post-harvest fresh Ginkgo leaves through induced physiological responses mimicking stress

Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba L.) is widely cultivated for leaves containing flavonoids and ginkgolides with various bioactivities, achieving global sales of preparations exceeding $10 billion. Improving the secondary metabolites contents in Ginkgo leaves holds significant importance for health and socioeconomic aspects. In natural settings, moderate stress boosts the biosynthesis and accumulation of secondary metabolites. However, controlling stress during growth to improve secondary metabolites contents in Ginkgo leaves is impractical due to the multiple, complex, and uncontrollable field conditions. To address the trouble, this study employed exogenous hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), an essential substance that stress affects secondary metabolism, at concentrations of 20, 200, and 2000 mmol·L−1, applied to pre- and post-harvest fresh Ginkgo leaves. Parameters including reactive oxygen species, antioxidant enzymes, osmolytes, flavonoids, and ginkgolides were measured, and metabolomics and bioinformatics were conducted to analyze metabolites and fatty acid desaturase (FAD). As a result, superoxide radical, H2O2, and malondialdehyde significantly increased after treatment with exogenous H2O2, and antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase, catalase, and peroxidase, as well as osmolytes like proline, soluble protein, and soluble sugar, also notably increased. Concurrently, GbFAD was influenced, including stress-responsive elements, gene expression patterns, protein secondary structure, etc., leading to a significant upregulation of lipids and lipid-like molecules, which helped maintain cell membrane structure and function, facilitating secondary metabolism. Consequently, the secondary metabolites contents in post-harvest fresh Ginkgo leaves appreciably improved, particularly at 200 mmol·L−1, with quercetin, kaempferol, isorhamnetin, ginkgolide A, ginkgolide B, ginkgolide C, and bilobalide increasing by 68.01 %, 26.86 %, 42.99 %, 29.09 %, 39.60 %, 45.83 %, and 51.25 %, respectively. Exogenous H2O2 induces physiological responses in the post-harvest fresh Ginkgo leaves similar to those observed under pre-harvest stress, thereby improving flavonoids and ginkgolides contents. This groundbreaking discovery that exogenous H2O2 can induce stress in post-harvest fresh Ginkgo leaves to increase secondary metabolites contents on an industrial scale not only further advances the Ginkgo-related pharmaceutical industry but also provides a novel approach and perspective for improving secondary metabolites contents in other medicinal crops during post-harvest processing.

Biomechanical perspectives on bio-molecular environmental regulation: Long-term strategies

Environmentally conscious practices can be encouraged in many organisations through this study, which has the potential to change our understanding of bio-molecular interactions in natural systems. There is an immediate need for innovative approaches to environmentally responsible bio-molecule management due to the critical nature of environmental problems such as pollution, climate change, and resource depletion. Using state-of-the-art computational biomechanics and organic sciences, this study presents an approach to environmental governance known as Integrative Biomechanical Modelling for Environmental Governance Technique (IBM-EGT). A combination of environmental parameterization, advanced biomechanical modelling, and excellent data sets allows the IBM-EGT method to describe the behaviour of biomolecules in a wide variety of natural settings. By factoring in environmental variables like temperature, pH, and pollutant concentrations, IBM-EGT provides a comprehensive picture of bio-molecular dynamics in response to environmental stimuli. Biomaterials, bioremediation, pharmaceuticals, and even agriculture are just a few of the many potential sectors that can profit from IBM-EGT. Agricultural operations can be optimised, green medicines can be introduced, sustainable biomaterials can be developed, and diseased regions can be cleaned up with its help. Because it enables the prediction of bio-molecular interactions and behaviour in complex environmental contexts, simulation analysis is a fundamental topic of IBM-EGT. In an effort to find the best ways to conduct activities while reducing negative environmental impacts and increasing positive ones, IBM-EGT does scenario analysis based on simulations. The studies mentioned here help keep the environment and people healthy by elucidating the nature of the connection between Bio-Molecules and their herbal environment. Furthermore, it enables the development of plans for the distant future.

An enhanced multimode phase imaging method based on the transport of intensity equation.

Label-free biological cell imaging relies on rapid multimode phase imaging of biological samples in natural settings. To improve image contrast, phase is encoded into intensity information using the differential interference contrast (DIC) and Zernike phase contrast (ZPC) techniques. To enable multimode contrast-enhanced observation of unstained specimens, this paper proposes an improved multimode phase imaging method based on the transport of intensity equation (TIE), which combines conventional microscopy with computational imaging. The ZPC imaging module based on adaptive aperture adjustment is applied when the quantitative phase results of biological samples have been obtained by solving the TIE. Simultaneously, a rotationally symmetric shear-based technique is used that can yield isotropic DIC. In this paper, we describe numerical simulation and optical experiments carried out to validate the accuracy and viability of this technology. The calculated Michelson contrast of the ZPC image in the resolution plate experiment increased from 0.196 to 0.394.

Microreactor-Enhanced Enzymatic Breakdown: Janus microspheres with cutinase for nanoplastic removal during water treatment

While enzymatic degradation has proven to be an effective way of remediating nanoplastic-related pollution, the practical deployment of this technique is hampered by concerns over enzyme stability, costs, and the low concentration of nanoplastics in natural settings. In this study, we unveil a facile microreactor-enhanced method that improves the effective remediation capacity of cutinase for nanoplastic-polluted water systems. Our approach leverages the self-assembly capabilities of block copolymers within microfluidic droplets to fabricate Janus microspheres with distinct dual-porosity features, which have an enzyme loading capacity of up to 103.8 mg cutinase/g microsphere. The cutinase-anchored microspheres can act as microreactors to capture and degrade nanoplastics. Despite its lower enzymatic activity, the immobilized cutinase exhibits degradation performance comparable to that of its free enzyme counterpart. Moreover, it displays good operational stability over six degradation cycles. Therefore, our findings shed some light on achieving more efficient and cost-effective enzymatic nanoplastic remediation.

Mapping paleostress trajectories by means of the clustering of reduced stress tensors determined from homogeneous and heterogeneous data sets

It is easy to draw stress trajectories to investigate the present stress field by interpolating stress orientations determined at control points. However, challenges arise when we deal with the trajectories of paleostresses, because neighboring control points may have the stress orientations of different tectonic phases. We must choose coeval stresses to draw the trajectories. Recent stress inversion techniques can separate stresses from heterogeneous data from fault, dilational fractures, etc. Natural data sets from those structures are often heterogeneous, and age data are usually not enough to classify the stresses by age. As a result, an unsupervised classification problem of the inversion results must be solved to draw the trajectories. Here, we propose a simple and heuristic procedure for this problem. We assume smooth trajectories during each of the phases. The smoothness makes density-based clustering adoptable to solve the problem. The heterogeneity of data sets allows the additional partition of the clusters. As a worked exercise for this technique, the trajectories of minimum horizontal stress orientations were drawn based on the paleostresses determined from the attitudes of felsic dikes and quartz veins formed in mid Cretaceous orogeny in the North Kitakami Terrain, northern Japan. The orogen-parallel and orogen-perpendicular extensional stress fields delineated by the present technique were probably the manifestations, respectively, of the gravitational collapse of the orogen and of regional extensional tectonics in the Far East.

Yesterday's problems are here to stay: Invisible exposure to geogenic metal (loid)s of arsenic, boron, and lithium in the Atacama Desert

AbstractIn this paper, we review the three natural contaminants (arsenic, boron, and lithium) that affected the ancient Andean populations of northern Chile. We debate the natural setting and the toxicity of these elements upon ancient populations exposed and their biocultural significance. This review demonstrates that recent advances in sensitive analytical atomic and mass spectrometry methods have immensely contributed to understanding the extent of exposure to geogenic metal (loid)s by ancient Andeans using well preserved tissues such as hair, bones, and teeth. In addition, the synthesized evidence shows that ancient Atacama Desert populations were significantly affected simultaneously by multiple potentially toxic chronic endemic regional hydro contaminants. Last, we suggest that future archaeometric and archaeological analysis need to consider ancient multicontaminants as an important factor when analyzing diet and health conditions.

The feasibility of the PicPecc application as an mHealth tool: Reflections from South African children

Background: Access to technology (and data) through mobile health (mHealth) can alleviate some of the challenges children experience in accessing healthcare services. However, the South African context is unique with children living in under-resourced and rural communities, with limited transport, long commute times to reach clinics, and poor access to technology. Therefore, even though mHealth tools can be beneficial, researchers need to determine the feasibility of such an application for the South African context.Aim: The study focussed on determining the feasibility of the PicPecc application (app) (an mHealth tool) in South Africa for children requiring mental health support.Setting: The study included 20 children between the age of 7 years and 18 years in different mainstream schools and a special school.Methods: A qualitative research design was used to conduct structured interviews with children, either via an online meeting (e.g., Google Meet) or in a natural setting (in the child’s school or home context).Results: The data were analysed and themes were identified according to five dimensions of access to healthcare and technology, namely acceptability, availability, accessibility, affordability, and accommodation.Conclusion: This study found that the PicPecc app is promising for implementation in the South African clinical setting. Participants reported various advantages when utilising the app to self-report health symptoms and thus considered it feasible for implementation in the South African context.Contribution: The study highlights important considerations for the implementation of mHealth technologies in the South African context.

Exploring the benefits of outdoor activity participation in national parks: a case study of the Peak District National Park, England

ABSTRACT This study aims to explore the role that regular outdoor activity participation in national parks plays in subjective wellbeing (SWB). It also considers the influences on SWB, including the national park environment, resilience-building, coping skills, mental health and stress alleviation. There is a wealth of research on the benefits of outdoor recreation in natural settings, yet studies which specifically examine the impacts of regular activity engagement in national parks are scarcer. Using the Peak District National Park (England) as a case study, fifteen online stakeholder interviews were conducted, probing participants about their outdoor recreation experiences both during and before the onset of the pandemic. Findings suggest that frequent outdoor activity participation in the Park positively influences coping, resilience and subjective wellbeing, and, relatedly, helps to improve mental health, and alleviate stress. These outcomes are valuable for dealing with the vicissitudes of everyday life and in facilitating long term SWB.

Resource manipulation reveals interactive phenotype-dependent foraging in free-ranging lizards.

Recent evidence suggests that individuals differ in foraging tactics and this variation is often linked to an individual's behavioural type (BT). Yet, while foraging typically comprises a series of search and handling steps, empirical investigations have rarely considered BT-dependent effects across multiple stages of the foraging process, particularly in natural settings. In our long-term sleepy lizard (Tiliqua rugosa) study system, individuals exhibit behavioural consistency in boldness (measured as an individual's willingness to approach a novel food item in the presence of a threat) and aggressiveness (measured as an individual's response to an 'attack' by a conspecific dummy). These BTs are only weakly correlated and have previously been shown to have interactive effects on lizard space use and movement, suggesting that they could also affect lizard foraging performance, particularly in their search behaviour for food. To investigate how lizards' BTs affect their foraging process in the wild, we supplemented food in 123 patches across a 120-ha study site with three food abundance treatments (high, low and no-food controls). Patches were replenished twice a week over the species' entire spring activity season and feeding behaviours were quantified with camera traps at these patches. We tracked lizards using GPS to determine their home range (HR) size and repeatedly assayed their aggressiveness and boldness in designated assays. We hypothesised that bolder lizards would be more efficient foragers while aggressive ones would be less attentive to the quality of foraging patches. We found an interactive BT effect on overall foraging performance. Individuals that were both bold and aggressive ate the highest number of food items from the foraging array. Further dissection of the foraging process showed that aggressive lizards in general ate the fewest food items in part because they visited foraging patches less regularly, and because they discriminated less between high and low-quality patches when revisiting them. Bolder lizards, in contrast, ate more tomatoes because they visited foraging patches more regularly, and ate a higher proportion of the available tomatoes at patches during visits. Our study demonstrates that BTs can interact to affect different search and handling components of the foraging process, leading to within-population variation in foraging success. Given that individual differences in foraging and movement will influence social and ecological interactions, our results highlight the potential role of BT's in shaping individual fitness strategies and population dynamics.

Classification of gait variation under mental workload in big five personalities

BackgroundHuman behavior patterns involve mutual interactions among psychology, physiology, and stress, which are all associated with gait at different grades. Research questionsThe study aims to reveal the interrelationship among personality, mental workload, and gait patterns by capturing gait variations using inertial sensors. It also assesses individual personality traits and simulates stress to construct a gait classification model. MethodsSixty participants were instructed to perform regular, low, and high mental workload walking on the corridor to simulate a natural setting walking. Meanwhile inertial measurement units (IMUs) were placed on eight body parts. Mental workload was induced using the auditory n-back task, and their Big Five personality traits were evaluated. Gait data from IMUs were categorized into nine classifications of average, low, and high Big Five Inventory scores with three levels of mental workload walking. Subsequently, the segmentation gait data were used as input features for classifications in deep learning models, employing a sliding window long short-term memory network for nine classifications for different personality dimensions. ResultsThe results indicated average accuracies of nine classifications were 83.6 % for Openness, 84.4 % for Conscientiousness, 82.0 % for Extraversion, 85.2 % for Agreeableness, and 84.5 % for Neuroticism across all IMU placements. Remarkably, gait data from the lower back IMU achieved the highest model performance, with an average accuracy of 92.7 %, in classifying the different levels of personality and mental workload walking. In contrast, the left wrist and chest showed several misclassifications among regular, low, and high mental workload walking across personality traits. SignificanceSuccessful classification can help monitor an individual's mental state in real time and analyze personality dimensions, providing feedback and suggestions. The present study demonstrated that gait characteristics can contribute to more profound and personalized health information.