Differential Hypothesis Research Articles

Structure and possible functions of centriolar RNA with reference to the centriolar hypothesis of differentiation and replicative senescence

Structure and possible functions of centriolar RNA with reference to the centriolar hypothesis of differentiation and replicative senescence

Pseudo-n-multipliers and pseudo-n-Jordan multipliers

Abstract In this paper, we introduce the concepts of pseudo-n-multiplier and pseudo-n-Jordan multiplier on Banach algebras and compare those with the classical notions of n-multiplier and n-Jordan multiplier. We show that under special hypotheses every pseudo- ( n + 1 ) {(n+1)} -Jordan multiplier is a pseudo-n-Jordan multiplier and vice versa.

The centriolar hypothesis of differentiation and replicative senescence

The centriolar hypothesis of differentiation and replicative senescence

The interrelatedness of cognitive abilities in very preterm and full-term born children at 5.5 years of age: a psychometric network analysis approach.

Very preterm (VP) birth is associated with a considerable risk for cognitive impairment, putting children at a disadvantage in academic and everyday life. Despite lower cognitive ability on the group level, there are large individual differences among VP born children. Contemporary theories define intelligence as a network of reciprocally connected cognitive abilities. Therefore, intelligence was studied as a network of interrelated abilities to provide insight into interindividual differences. We described and compared the network of cognitive abilities, including strength of interrelations between and the relative importance of abilities, of VP and full-term (FT) born children and VP children with below-average and average-high intelligence at 5.5 years. A total of 2,253 VP children from the EPIPAGE-2 cohort and 578 FT controls who participated in the 5.5-year-follow-up were eligible for inclusion. The WPPSI-IV was used to measure verbal comprehension, visuospatial abilities, fluid reasoning, working memory, and processing speed. Psychometric network analysis was applied to analyse the data. Cognitive abilities were densely and positively interconnected in all networks, but the strength of connections differed between networks. The cognitive network of VP children was more strongly interconnected than that of FT children. Furthermore, VP children with below average IQ had a more strongly connected network than VP children with average-high IQ. Contrary to our expectations, working memory had the least central role in all networks. In line with the ability differentiation hypothesis, children with higher levels of cognitive ability had a less interconnected and more specialised cognitive structure. Composite intelligence scores may therefore mask domain-specific deficits, particularly in children at risk for cognitive impairments (e.g., VP born children), even when general intelligence is unimpaired. In children with strongly and densely connected networks, domain-specific deficits may have a larger overall impact, resulting in lower intelligence levels.

The evolution and diversification of growth strategies in abelisauroid theropods

ABSTRACT Theropods comprise a successful group of mostly predatory dinosaurs with varied growth rates that colonized all continents. Much research has addressed the histology of the Global North’s Mesozoic populations, especially coelurosaurians and allosauroids. However, little has been done to understand the histological patterns of the Gondwanan populations, especially abelisauroids. Previous studies detected disparate (parallel-fibered or fibrolamellar) bone profiles between noasaurids and abelisaurids but did not include broader quantitative analyses. Here we describe the femoral histology of a mid-sized abelisaurid from the Upper Cretaceous Serra da Galga Formation, Bauru Group, Southeast Brazil. Despite the harsh semiarid paleotropical context, our specimen shows a growth rate more similar to the Patagonian abelisaurids, challenging a previous hypothesis on environmental pressure selecting taxa with lower growth rates and parallel-fibered bone tissue. We also bring data to bear from several taxa to test the hypothesis of tissue differentiation within abelisauroid clades. Our logistic regression and correlation analyses show that the variation in histology in noasaurids and abelisaurids can be explained by body size and phylogeny when considering fibrolamellar tissue, but not parallel-fibered tissue. A decrease in growth rate through the deposition of parallel-fibered bone tissue may be an example of evolutionary convergence between noasaurids and some small-bodied sauropods.

Safety first, but for whom? Shifts in risk perception for self and others following COVID‐19 vaccination

AbstractVaccines can affect the mind as well as the body. Research on the psychological impact of vaccines has largely focused on risk‐related judgments and behaviors involving the recipient. Here, we extend this work to risk‐related judgments of others. In a prospective cohort study involving three samples and two timepoints (N = 588 adults), we tested competing hypotheses about the effects of receiving a COVID‐19 vaccine on perceived risks to the unvaccinated: (1) a self/other differentiation hypothesis (vaccination will lead to estimation of lower risk for the self but higher risk for others) versus (2) a self/other correspondence hypothesis (vaccination will lead to estimation of lower risk from contracting COVID‐19 for both self and others). Results revealed risk estimates as well as preferences for COVID‐related social policies more consistent with the former hypothesis. We discuss potential psychological mechanisms and implications of these findings.

Ribosome Specialization in Protozoa Parasites.

Ribosomes, in general, are viewed as constitutive macromolecular machines where protein synthesis takes place; however, this view has been recently challenged, supporting the hypothesis of ribosome specialization and opening a completely new field of research. Recent studies have demonstrated that ribosomes are heterogenous in their nature and can provide another layer of gene expression control by regulating translation. Heterogeneities in ribosomal RNA and ribosomal proteins that compose them favor the selective translation of different sub-pools of mRNAs and functional specialization. In recent years, the heterogeneity and specialization of ribosomes have been widely reported in different eukaryotic study models; however, few reports on this topic have been made on protozoa and even less on protozoa parasites of medical importance. This review analyzes heterogeneities of ribosomes in protozoa parasites highlighting the specialization in their functions and their importance in parasitism, in the transition between stages in their life cycle, in the change of host and in response to environmental conditions.

The relationship between ecology and economy in German public opinion, 1984–2019

ABSTRACT Based on data from the German Socio-Economic Panel for 1984–2019, this article investigates how changes in environmental concern are associated with changes in general and personal economic conditions. It examines the hypothesis of a trade-off between ecology and economy, i.e., that public concern about the environment increases under favorable economic circumstances, but erodes during unfavorable ones. On the aggregate level, trend analyses with yearly cross-sections of the data mainly support this trade-off hypothesis. On the individual level, analyses of the data with fixed-effects panel regression models yield similar, but more complex results – including contradictory findings. In addition to the trade-off hypothesis, our analyses confirm the more special hypothesis that the link between ecology and economy in public opinion has become weaker over time. This weakened relationship tends to create new opportunities for environmental politics because many citizens no longer follow the argument that ‘it hurts the economy.’

Some exact solutions of the nonlinear evolutionary equation for the spreading of a plastic layer on a plane

The problem of free spreading of a plastic layer between parallel approaching planes of tool bodies [1] is considered, which simulates the technological process of stamping thin-walled structural elements. To describe the specified flow of a thin plastic layer, A. Ilyushin proposed an effective two-dimensional mathematical model averaged over the layer thickness, to which the original three-dimensional problem of the flow of an ideally plastic body leads. The transition to a two-dimensional problem was carried out on the basis of special hypotheses proposed as a result of the analysis of the well-known Prandtl solution in the problem of upsetting a flat, in a vertical section, layer of plastic material [2]. On the contact surfaces, the condition of complete slippage of the material is assumed, and the shear stresses reach a maximum value equal to the shear yield strength of the layer material. Within the framework of this model, A. A. Ilyushin formulated a boundary value problem in a region with a moving boundary with respect to three unknown functions - contact pressure and two flow velocity components.

Contrasting parental roles shape sex differences in poison frog space use but not navigational performance.

Sex differences in vertebrate spatial abilities are typically interpreted under the adaptive specialization hypothesis, which posits that male reproductive success is linked to larger home ranges and better navigational skills. The androgen spillover hypothesis counters that enhanced male spatial performance may be a byproduct of higher androgen levels. Animal groups that include species where females are expected to outperform males based on life-history traits are key for disentangling these hypotheses. We investigated the association between sex differences in reproductive strategies, spatial behavior, and androgen levels in three species of poison frogs. We tracked individuals in natural environments to show that contrasting parental sex roles shape sex differences in space use, where the sex performing parental duties shows wider-ranging movements. We then translocated frogs from their home areas to test their navigational performance and found that the caring sex outperformed the non-caring sex only in one out of three species. In addition, males across species displayed more explorative behavior than females and androgen levels correlated with explorative behavior and homing accuracy. Overall, we reveal that poison frog reproductive strategies shape movement patterns but not necessarily navigational performance. Together this work suggests that prevailing adaptive hypotheses provide an incomplete explanation of sex differences in spatial abilities.

Auditory cognitive aging in amateur singers and non-singers

The notion that lifestyle factors, such as music-making activities, can affect cognitive functioning and reduce cognitive decline in aging is often referred to as the mental exercise hypothesis. One ubiquitous musical activity is choir singing. Like other musical activities, singing is hypothesized to impact cognitive and especially executive functions. Despite the commonness of choir singing, little is known about the extent to which singing can affect cognition in adulthood. In this cross-sectional group study, we examined the relationship between age and four auditory executive functions to test hypotheses about the relationship between the level of mental activity and cognitive functioning. We also examined pitch discrimination capabilities. A non-probabilistic sample of 147 cognitively healthy adults was recruited, which included 75 non-singers (mean age 52.5 ± 20.3; 20–98 years) and 72 singers (mean age 55.5 ± 19.2; 21–87 years). Tests of selective attention, processing speed, inhibitory control, and working memory were administered to all participants. Our main hypothesis was that executive functions and age would be negatively correlated, and that this relationship would be stronger in non-singers than singers, consistent with the differential preservation hypothesis. The alternative hypothesis - preserved differentiation – predicts that the difference between singers and non-singers in executive functions is unaffected by age. Our results reveal a detrimental effect of age on processing speed, selective attention, inhibitory control and working memory. The effect of singing was comparatively more limited, being positively associated only with frequency discrimination, processing speed, and, to some extent, inhibitory control. Evidence of differential preservation was limited to processing speed. We also found a circumscribed positive impact of age of onset and a negative impact of singing experience on cognitive functioning in singers. Together, these findings were interpreted as reflecting an age-related decline in executive function in cognitively healthy adults, with specific and limited positive impacts of singing, consistent with the preserved differentiation hypothesis, but not with the differential preservation hypothesis.

The Acquisition of “N + that” Appositive Clauses of Chinese EFL Learners: A Corpus-Based Study

The present research used a corpus-based method to investigate Chinese EFL learners’ acquisition of “N + that” appositive clauses by comparing data from the TECCL corpus of Chinese English learners and the NESSIE corpus of native English speakers. Quantitatively, the number of Ns (nouns) distributed in “N + that” appositive clauses in the TECCL has no significant difference from that in the NESSIE; but results of Chi-square tests revealed that the Ns that are frequently used by Chinese learners in these clauses are significantly different from those used by English native speakers, which may result from the grammatical drills in English teaching and learning in Chinese schools. Qualitatively, Errors occurring in the “N + that” appositive clauses in Chinese EFL learners’ compositions could be classified into two types: Errors in Vocabulary and Errors in Sentence Structure; and the errors could be explained by the Markedness Differential Hypothesis (Eckman, 1977, 1989) and the Interlanguage Theory (Selinker, 1972). This study may bring implications to the teaching and learning/acquisition of English appositive clauses.

On variational approaches for fractional differential equations

Abstract This paper deals with the existence and numerical estimates of solutions for a class of fractional differential equations, while the nonlinear part of the problem admits some Special hypotheses. In particular, for a precise localization of the parameter, the existence of a non-zero solution is established requiring the sublinearity of nonlinear part at origin and infinity. Moreover, theoretical and numerical examples of applications are provided.

Reflecting Customer - Brand Identification on Customers Brand Passion: An Applied Study of Smartphone Brands in Iraq

The main objective of the current study is to verify the role of customer-brand similarity in the brand passion for some brands of smartphones, as the sample study consisted of 296 customers, and therefore the problem of the study was formulated with regard to the relationship between the study variables, as a result of which the objectives of the study were defined. The study hypothesis chart crystallized the formulation of the special hypotheses tested in the statistical package to model structural equations in the least squares method (AMOS.V.25) and to analyze what the study tool provided, a set of statistical methods were used: The deterministic factor analysis, the alpha Kronbach coefficient, the determination coefficient (R2), and the normal distribution of data. The results of the study showed a clear and important perception of the relationship between customer-brand similarity and brand passion, and perhaps the most important results of the study are reflected in a positive statistical correlation and impact between customer-brand affinity and brand passion. Customers are familiar with their brand, which means a repeat purchase and a pride in keeping with it despite the presence of other brands. In the light of these findings, the study presented a series of recommendations, the most important of which is (strengthening the relationship between preferred brands and their customers by ensuring the strength and stability of the relationship between them in the light of ongoing marketing research).

Two is better than one: Coupling DNA metabarcoding and stable isotope analysis improves dietary characterizations for a riparian-obligate, migratory songbird.

While an increasing number of studies are adopting molecular and chemical methods for dietary characterization, these studies often employ only one of these laboratory-based techniques; this approach may yield an incomplete, or even biased, understanding of diet due to each method's inherent limitations. To explore the utility of coupling molecular and chemical techniques for dietary characterizations, we applied DNA metabarcoding alongside stable isotope analysis to characterize the dietary niche of breeding Louisiana waterthrush (Parkesia motacilla), a migratory songbird hypothesized to preferentially provision its offspring with pollution-intolerant, aquatic arthropod prey. While DNA metabarcoding was unable to determine if waterthrush provision aquatic and terrestrial prey in different abundances, we found that specific aquatic taxa were more likely to be detected in successive seasons than their terrestrial counterparts, thus supporting the aquatic specialization hypothesis. Our isotopic analysis added greater context to this hypothesis by concluding that breeding waterthrush provisioned Ephemeroptera and Plecoptera, two pollution-intolerant, aquatic orders, in higher quantities than other prey groups, and expanded their functional trophic niche when such prey were not abundantly provisioned. Finally, we found that the dietary characterizations from each approach were often uncorrelated, indicating that the results gleaned from a diet study can be particularly sensitive to the applied methodologies. Our findings contribute to a growing body of work indicating the importance of high-quality, aquatic habitats for both consumers and their pollution-intolerant prey, while also demonstrating how the application of multiple, laboratory-based techniques can provide insights not offered by either technique alone.

The Acquisition of Arabic and English Relative Clauses by L2 English and Arabic Learners

This study explored the acquisition of Arabic and English relative clauses by L2 English and Arabic learners. It examined the extent to which the Noun Phrase Accessibility Hierarchy (NPAH) (Keenan and Comrie 1977) and the Markedness Differential Hypothesis (MDH) (Eckman 1977) account for the acquisition of English and Arabic relative pronouns by English and Arabic L2 learners. Twenty Arabic-speaking learners of English and twenty English-speaking learners of Arabic were selected. To this end, four different tasks were used in this regard, namely the Sentence Combination task, the Multiple-Choice task, the Picture Description task, and the Grammaticality Judgement task. The results of this study showed that Arabic learners of English were able to comprehend and produce relative pronouns successfully. However, their performance was found to be affected by the system of relative pronouns of Arabic. For example, they were found better in producing who than whom. Additionally, the study found that the performance of Arabic learners of English was influenced by the type of the task (i.e., Sentence Combination Task is harder than the Multiple-Choice Task). On the other hand, the English-speaking learners of Arabic (i.e., the L2 Arabic group) produced and comprehended the Arabic relative pronouns easily despite their L1 language interference. The overall results showed that the NPAH and the MDH were able to predict the mistakes made by L2 learners of Arabic and English.

Predicting brain activation maps for arbitrary tasks with cognitive encoding models

A deep understanding of the neural architecture of mental function should enable the accurate prediction of a specific pattern of brain activity for any psychological task, based only on the cognitive functions known to be engaged by that task. Encoding models (EMs), which predict neural responses from known features (e.g., stimulus properties), have succeeded in circumscribed domains (e.g., visual neuroscience), but implementing domain-general EMs that predict brain-wide activity for arbitrary tasks has been limited mainly by availability of datasets that 1) sufficiently span a large space of psychological functions, and 2) are sufficiently annotated with such functions to allow robust EM specification. We examine the use of EMs based on a formal specification of psychological function, to predict cortical activation patterns across a broad range of tasks. We utilized the Multi-Domain Task Battery, a dataset in which 24 subjects completed 32 ten-minute fMRI scans, switching tasks every 35s and engaging in 44 total conditions of diverse psychological manipulations. Conditions were annotated by a group of experts using the Cognitive Atlas ontology to identify putatively engaged functions, and region-wise cognitive EMs (CEMs) were fit, for individual subjects, on neocortical responses. We found that CEMs predicted cortical activation maps of held-out tasks with high accuracy, outperforming a permutation-based null model while approaching the noise ceiling of the data, without being driven solely by either cognitive or perceptual-motor features. Hierarchical clustering on the similarity structure of CEM generalization errors revealed relationships amongst psychological functions. Spatial distributions of feature importances systematically overlapped with large-scale resting-state functional networks (RSNs), supporting the hypothesis of functional specialization within RSNs while grounding their function in an interpretable data-driven manner. Our implementation and validation of CEMs provides a proof of principle for the utility of formal ontologies in cognitive neuroscience and motivates the use of CEMs in the further testing of cognitive theories.

Sexual selection for flight performance in hummingbirds

AbstractAmong size-dimorphic animals, a few clades such as hummingbirds show “reversed” sexual size dimorphism: females tend to be the larger sex. What selects for this pattern? Sexual selection for flight performance could drive the evolution of smaller, more agile males, either for male-male combat or female choice for aerial courtship displays. Alternately, natural selection can select for female fecundity (e.g., egg size influences female body size), or sex differences in foraging niche could favor body size differences. The sexual selection hypotheses predict that dimorphism extends to other aspects of flight morphology (e.g., flight muscle size) whereas the natural selection hypotheses predict that male and female flight morphologies are isometric, and the niche differentiation hypothesis predicts that bill dimorphism is correlated with size dimorphism. We tested these predictions through phylogenetic comparative analyses of flight morphology, wingbeat frequency, and courtship behaviors, focused on 30 species within the “bee” hummingbird clade (tribe Mellisugini). There is no correlation between bill morphology and dimorphism. Relative to females, males tend to be smaller, have proportionately shorter wings and higher hovering wingbeat frequencies, but also longer keels and larger flight muscles. Male wingbeat frequencies are greatly elevated during aerial displays, and the species with the greatest wingbeat frequencies have the greatest dimorphism. Of the four hypotheses for dimorphism, the data best support the hypothesis that female choice for courtship displays has selected for aerial agility and small size in male hummingbirds.

Reliability of Knowledge Service Provider Attributes to Achieve Innovation in Green Products: An Analytical Study

The current study aimed to measure the reliability of knowledge service provider attributes of (Knowledge Embeddedness, knowledge distance) to achieve the innovation in green products of (Green Design, Green Operations) with a sample of employees of Al-Aitihad Industrial Company in Babylon Governorate, which included the study sample of the companys two employees (131) employees, Therefore, the problem of the study was formulated on the extent to which the characteristics of the knowledge provider to achieve innovation in green products in the research company. In order to achieve the studys objectives and indicate its problem, a hypothetical scheme was built to clarify the correlation and impact relationships between the study variables, and to elaborate on the formulation of special hypotheses measured in the statistical package of the program. (AMOS.V.27), also used a set of statistical methods of confirmatory working analysis, Cronbachs-alpha coefficient, and determination coefficient (R2), natural distribution of data, and descriptive statistics of computational medium and standard deviation, The results of the study showed the industrial companys awareness of the importance of attention to knowledge service provider attributes and innovation in green products to improve the performance of its work and preserve the environment. In addition to the companys interest in following environmental guidelines to instruct customers to pay attention to the environment and control the devices and tools that preserve the environment, as well as encouraging customers to take responsibility for their actions.

*Relationship Between Creativity and Intelligence: A Multimethod Investigation of Alternative Theoretical Assumptions in Two Samples of Secondary School Students

The threshold hypothesis and the necessary-but-not-sufficient hypothesis represent popular views on the relationship between intelligence and creativity. However, most studies investigating these hypotheses used suboptimal or even inappropriate statistical methods, calling into question the robustness of the available evidence. The ability differentiation hypothesis presents a third theoretical view on the relationship, but ability differentiation studies including creativity measures are scarce. In this study, the relationship between fluid intelligence as a core element of intelligence and divergent thinking as an important indicator of creativity was investigated in two large samples of secondary school students in Germany ( N = 1,328, Mage = 14.47; N = 524, Mage = 13.77). Four different statistical approaches were applied (i.e., test for heteroscedasticity, segmented regression analysis, local structural equation modeling, and necessary-but-not-sufficient condition analysis). The results did not support the threshold hypothesis or a nonlinear relationship as predicted by ability differentiation hypothesis and only partially supported the necessary-but-not-sufficient hypothesis.