Systematic Effects Research Articles

The Effect of Cooperation with Conspecifics on a Pigeon’s Behavior under the Random Ratio Schedule

Abstract Social behavior involves interactions among individuals of the same species, and the presence or behavior of other individuals plays important roles. An individual’s performance in any particular task is improved or facilitated when others are present. The phenomenon of social facilitation has been studied for over a century, and it has implications for important behaviors like substance use, gambling, or choice behavior. The present study aimed to explore how the presence of conspecifics affects the behaviors of pigeons under a random ratio schedule. Four homing pigeons were used in various conditions to analyze response rates and bout-pause patterns. Experimental conditions were set up to examine the effects of conspecifics based on the following factors: the mere presence of conspecifics, simultaneous engagement in the same task, and sharing gains. Pigeon performance in each condition was compared based on the response rate and bout-and-pause patterns of key pecking behavior. The results suggest that sharing gain would work as an abolishing operation, although it does not produce a systematic effect on bout-pause patterns.

SWOT Data Assimilation with Correlated Error Reduction: Fitting Model and Error Together

Abstract The Surface Water Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite mission provides high-resolution two-dimensional sea surface height (SSH) data with swath coverage. However, spatially correlated errors affect these SSH measurements, particularly in the cross-track direction. The scales of errors can be similar to the scales of ocean features. Conventionally, instrumental errors and ocean signals have been solved for independently in two stages. Here, we have developed a one-stage procedure that solves for the correlated error at the same time that data are assimilated into a dynamical ocean model. This uses the ocean dynamics to distinguish ocean signals from observation errors. We test its performance relative to the two-stage method using simplified dynamics and a data set consisting of westward propagating Rossby waves, along with correlated instrumental errors of varying magnitudes. In a series of tests, we found that the one-stage approach consistently outperforms the two-stage approach when estimating SSH signal and correlated errors. The one-stage approach can recover over 95% of the SSH signal, while skill for the two-stage approach drops significantly as error increases. Our findings suggest that solving for the correlated errors within the assimilation framework can provide an effective analysis approach, reducing the risks of confounding signal and instrument noise.

Do we feel colours? A systematic review of 128years of psychological research linking colours and emotions.

Colour is an integral part of natural and constructed environments. For many, it also has an aesthetic appeal, with some colours being more pleasant than others. Moreover, humans seem to systematically and reliably associate colours with emotions, such as yellow with joy, black with sadness, light colours with positive and dark colours with negative emotions. To systematise such colour-emotion correspondences, we identified 132 relevant peer-reviewed articles published in English between 1895 and 2022. These articles covered a total of 42,266 participants from 64 different countries. We found that all basic colour categories had systematic correspondences with affective dimensions (valence, arousal, power) as well as with discrete affective terms (e.g., love, happy, sad, bored). Most correspondences were many-to-many, with systematic effects driven by lightness, saturation, and hue ('colour temperature'). More specifically, (i) LIGHT and DARK colours were associated with positive and negative emotions, respectively; (ii) RED with empowering, high arousal positive and negative emotions; (iii) YELLOW and ORANGE with positive, high arousal emotions; (iv) BLUE, GREEN, GREEN-BLUE, and WHITE with positive, low arousal emotions; (v) PINK with positive emotions; (vi) PURPLE with empowering emotions; (vii) GREY with negative, low arousal emotions; and (viii) BLACK with negative, high arousal emotions. Shared communication needs might explain these consistencies across studies, making colour an excellent medium for communication of emotion. As most colour-emotion correspondences were tested on an abstract level (i.e., associations), it remains to be seen whether such correspondences translate to the impact of colour on experienced emotions and specific contexts.

Becoming as Open-Minded and Organized as My Classmates? Peer Effects on Self-Reported Personality Trait Development in the Classroom.

How does a student's personality development relate to the personality of their classmates? The school class builds a pertinent comparison group during adolescence that has been identified as a critical factor in students' development of abilities and self-perceptions. This study empirically tests the impact of classroom personality composition on changes in adolescents' Big Five personality traits. We hypothesized positive associations between class-level openness and conscientiousness and the individual development of these traits given their role in academic performance. To test these hypotheses and explore additional composition effects, we employed three approaches of multilevel structural equation modeling on two large longitudinal samples of German adolescents (N1 = 5470; N2 = 788). Our analyses yielded two principal findings: First, individual personality levels remained highly stable across different time periods. Second, contrary to our hypotheses, baseline class-level openness and conscientiousness were not positively linked to individual personality development. Instead, there were some indications that higher class-level openness was negatively linked to individual openness to experiences at the second measurement point. We discuss the absence of systematic composition effects at the classroom level and consider methodological challenges in investigating these effects.

The influence of body orientation on length judgements.

Perceiving the size of a visual object requires the combination of various sources of visual information. A recent paper by Kim et al. (Body Orientation Affects the Perceived Size of Objects. Perception 2022, 51: 25-36) concluded that body orientation played a substantial role. The present paper aims to answer the question of whether the reported effect of body orientation on visuo-haptic size matching was due to effects on the visual or the haptic judgements of size. To do so, we used a within-participant design combining an experiment using visuo-haptic size matching with two experiments that assessed the visual and haptic size-percept using free magnitude estimation. Our experiments produced a systematic visuo-haptic mismatch, but the sign of the mismatch was opposite to that of the original study. Moreover, our study did not reveal a systematic effect of body orientation on this mismatch. Thirdly, we found that the mismatch we determined from participants matching a visual and haptic percept was considerably smaller than the mismatch we derived from their visual and haptic size estimates. In summary, our results emphasise that conclusions about the perceived size of objects are very sensitive to details of the experimental approach.

Radiology resident competency in orthopedic trauma detection in simulated on-call scenarios.

To evaluate radiology residents' ability to accurately identify three specific types of orthopedic trauma using radiographic imaging within a simulated on-call environment. We utilized the Wisdom in Diagnostic Imaging Emergent/Critical Care Radiology Simulation (WIDI SIM) to assess residents' preparedness for independent radiology call. The simulation included 65 cases, with three focusing on orthopedic trauma: sacral ala, femoral neck, and pediatric tibial/Toddler's fractures. Faculty graded residents' responses using a standardized 10-point rubric and categorized errors as observational (failing to identify key findings) or interpretive (incorrect conclusions despite correct identification of findings). 321 residents evaluated sacral ala fracture radiographs and received an average score of 1.29/10, with 8.71 points lost to observational errors. Only 6% produced effective reports (scores ≥ 7), while 80% made critical errors (scores < 2). For femoral neck fracture CT images (n = 316 residents), the average score was 2.48/10, with 6.71 points lost to observational errors. 25% produced effective reports, and 66% made critical errors. Pediatric tibial/Toddler's fracture radiographs (n = 197 residents) yielded an average score of 2.94/10, with 6.60 points lost to observational errors. 29% generated effective reports, while 71% made critical errors. Radiology residents demonstrated significant difficulty in identifying these orthopedic trauma cases, with errors primarily attributed to observational deficiencies. These findings suggest a need for targeted educational interventions in radiology residency programs to improve the identification of these fractures.

Red Stellar Populations and Dust Extinction toward W3

We explore red stellar populations toward the W3 giant molecular cloud through the use of optical-to-infrared (IR) photometry and Gaia DR 3 data, simultaneously characterizing stellar content and properties of dust in the molecular medium. We use a Rayleigh–Jeans color excess method modified to de-redden stellar observations of both red giants (RGs) and OB stars, and construct an IR Hertzsprung–Russell diagram validated against the Besançon Galactic model. Taking advantage of the near-universal IR interstellar extinction law and precise Gaia measurements, we develop a method for obtaining the spectral classification, foreground extinction, and distance moduli of stars, validated by spectroscopically confirmed OB stars. We constrain the observed parallax and proper motion of OB stars in W3, demonstrating the importance of considering systematic effects in the parallax bias, and assign parallax- and proper-motion-based cloud membership to our stellar samples. While it has been assumed that all spectroscopic OB stars are inside the W3 cloud, we find evidence of seven background B stars and three potential runaway OB stars. The methods developed here, which are based on known stellar populations, enable us to identify 82 new OB candidates that are confidently within the cloud. We quantify several dust-to-dust empirical correlations, in particular the IR color excess E(H − [4.5]) and the optical depth τ 1 of submillimeter dust emission at 1 THz using RGs behind W3, measuring a best fit of E(H−[4.5])=(1.07±0.04)×103τ1,HOTT+(0.00±0.02)mag .

Effects of Altered Haptic Feedback Gain Upon Balance Are Explained by Sensory Conflict Estimation.

Lightly touching a solid object reduces postural sway. Here, we determine the effect of artificially modifying haptic feedback for balance. Participants stood with their eyes closed, lightly gripping a manipulandum that moved synchronously with body sway to systematically enhance or attenuate feedback gain between +2 and -2, corresponding to motion in the same or opposite direction to the body, respectively. This intervention had a systematic effect on postural sway, which exhibited an asymmetric u-shape function with respect to haptic feedback gain. Sway was minimal around zero gain, corresponding to a static object. Sway increased slightly at gains below -0.25 but increased greatly at gains above +0.25. At +2, it was approximately double that of a no-touch condition. Mean interaction force between the hand and manipulandum remained < 0.9 N throughout, although it increased slightly at extreme gains. Cross-correlations between hand force and trunk position were highest during conditions of least sway, suggesting that higher quality haptic feedback is associated with greater sway reduction. We successfully replicated the sway behaviour using a feedback control model that attenuated haptic feedback signals when the discrepancy between haptic and proprioceptive signals reached a threshold. Our findings suggests the CNS can utilise augmented haptic feedback for balance, but only with relatively small changes to natural feedback gain. In healthy volunteers, it offers minimal benefit over a static object. Haptic feedback is therefore optimal when motion is physiologically realistic and subtle enough to be misinterpreted as self-motion.

Fractional-order Sliding Mode Control of Manipulator Combined with Disturbance and State Observer

A fractional-order sliding mode control (FSMC) method for a manipulator based on disturbance and state observers is proposed. First, a state estimator is designed that can estimate the velocity and acceleration, and only joint position feedback and the mathematical model of the manipulator are needed. The state estimator converges in finite time. Then, the disturbance observer is designed. By designing the nominal system model of the manipulator, a disturbance observation error is introduced into the closed-loop control so that the performance of the manipulator can track the nominal system. Finally, a sliding mode controller (SMC) based on the fractional differential operator theory is also designed. The value of the sliding mode variable in the derivation of the controller is composed of the fractional derivative of the trajectory tracking error of the manipulator, whereas the fractional differentiation operation uses integration in its realization, and the integration is a low-pass filter, thus, high-frequency noise is suppressed. In the experimental section, the method designed is compared with the conventional sliding mode, which further reveals the rapidity and control accuracy of FSMC.

Testing the robustness of the BAO determination in the presence of massive neutrinos

We study the robustness of the Baryon Acoustic Oscillation (BAO) feature in the large-scale structure in the presence of massive neutrinos. In the standard BAO analysis pipeline a reference cosmological model is assumed to boost the BAO peak through the so-called reconstruction technique and in the modelling of the BAO feature to extract the cosmological information. State-of-the art spectroscopic BAO measurements, such as the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument claim an aggregate precision of 0.52% on the BAO scale, with a systematic error of 0.1% associated to the assumption of a reference cosmology when measuring and analyzing the BAO feature. While the systematic effect induced by this arbitrary choice of fiducial cosmology has been studied for a wide range of ΛCDM-like models, it has not yet been tested for reference cosmologies with massive neutrinos with the precision afforded by next generation surveys. In this context, we employ the Quijote high-resolution dark-matter simulations with haloes above a mass of M ∼ 2×1013 h -1 M ⊙, with different values for the total sum of neutrinos masses, ∑mν [eV] = 0, 0.1, 0,2, 0.4 to study and quantify the impact of the pipeline's built-in assumption of massless neutrinos on the measurement of the BAO signal, with a special focus on the BAO reconstruction technique. We determine that any additional systematic bias introduced by the assumption of massless neutrinos is no greater than 0.1% (0.2%) for the isotropic (anisotropic) measurement. We expect these conclusions also hold for galaxies provided that neutrino properties do not alter the galaxy-halo connection.

Tele-correlation: calibrating shear-shear correlation with real data

Abstract Tele-correlation refers to the correlation of galaxy shapes with large angular separations (e.g., &gt; 100 degrees). Since there are no astrophysical reasons causing such a correlation on cosmological scales, any detected tele-correlation could disclose systematic effects in shear-shear correlation measurement. If the shear estimators are measured on single exposures, we show that the field distortion (FD) signal associated with the galaxy position on the CCD can be retained and used in tele-correlation to help us directly calibrate the multiplicative and additive biases in shear-shear correlations. We use the DECaLS shear catalog produced by the Fourier_Quad pipeline to demonstrate this idea. To our surprise, we find that significant multiplicative biases can arise (up to more than 10%) due to redshift binning of the galaxies. Correction for this bias leads to about 1σ increase of the best-fit value of S 8 from 0.760+0.015 -0.017 to 0.777+0.016 -0.019 in our tomography study.

A spatial-statistical model to analyse historical rutting data

ABSTRACT Pavement rutting poses a significant challenge in flexible pavements, necessitating costly asphalt resurfacing. To address this issue comprehensively, we propose an advanced Bayesian hierarchical framework of latent Gaussian models with spatial components. Our model provides a thorough diagnostic analysis, pinpointing areas exhibiting unexpectedly high rutting rates. Incorporating spatial and random components, and important explanatory variables like annual average daily traffic (traffic intensity), asphalt type, rut depth and lane width, our proposed models account for and estimate the influence of these variables on rutting. This approach not only quantifies uncertainties and discerns locations at the highest risk of requiring maintenance, but also uncover spatial dependencies in rutting (millimetre/year). We apply our models to a data set spanning eleven years (2010–2020). Our findings emphasise the systematic unexplained spatial rutting effect, where some of the rutting variability is accounted for by spatial components, asphalt type, in conjunction with traffic intensity, is also found to be the primary driver of rutting. Furthermore, the spatial dependencies uncovered reveal road sections experiencing more than 1 millimeter of rutting beyond annual expectations. This leads to a halving of the expected pavement lifespan in these areas. Our study offers valuable insights, presenting maps indicating expected rutting, and identifying locations with accelerated rutting rates, resulting in a reduction in pavement life expectancy of at least 10 years.

Modeling the Center-to-limb Systematic in Normal-mode Coupling Measurements

Solar meridional circulation (MC), which manifests as poleward flow near the surface, is a relatively weak flow. While MC has been measured through various local helioseismic techniques, there is a lack of consensus about the nature of the depth profile and location of return flow, owing to its small amplitude and poor signal-to-noise ratio in observations. The measurements are strongly hampered by systematic effects whose amplitudes are comparable to the signal induced by the flow, and modeling them is therefore crucial. The removal of the center-to-limb (C2L) systematic, which is the largest known feature hampering the inference of meridional flow, has been heuristically performed in helioseismic analyses, but its effect on global modes is not fully understood or modeled. Here, we propose both a way to model the C2L systematic and a method for estimation of meridional flow using global helioseismic cross-spectral analysis. We demonstrate that the systematic cannot be ignored while modeling the mode-coupling cross-spectral measurement, and thus is critical for the inference of MC. We also show that inclusion of a model for the C2L systematic improves shallow MC estimates from cross-spectral analysis.

The Utilization of Model Output Statistic (MOS) in Improving Weather Prediction Model Accuracy of Integrated Forecasting System (IFS)

Introduction/Main Objectives: Integrated Forecasting System (IFS) is one of the most accurate numerical weather prediction (NWP) model for Indonesia region. Background Problems: However, in fact, each model always has bias potential against observation which causes inaccuracy in weather prediction. Novelty: This research intends to overcome this problem by building a weather prediction model based on Model Output Statistic (MOS) to minimize bias and improve NWP accuracy. Research Methods: Provide an outline of the research method(s) and data used in this paper. Explain how did you go about doing this research. Again, avoid unnecessary content and do not make any speculation(s). Finding/Results: Analysis result states that compared to IFS, MOS fluctuation pattern is more relevant to observation. MOS has higher correlation to observation and lower error. However, the variance of observation value tends to be better represented by IFS. The test result of heavy rain cases prove that the application of MOS is able to provide fairly accurate prediction. This weather prediction will be able to be the basis for decision-making and preventive measure in dealing with extreme condition that may occur.

Technical evaluation of the InBios Strongy Detect IgG ELISA assay for the diagnosis of Strongyloides stercoralis infection

Abstract Background Strongyloidiasis is a neglected tropical disease (NTD) caused by the soil-transmitted helminth Strongyloides stercoralis, recently included in the 2030 targets of the World Health Organization for the control of STHs. Assessment of infection prevalence is fundamental for decision-making about the implementation of control programs, but diagnostic assays to be applied in such context require evaluation. Seroassays based on recombinant antigens, which could be produced in a standardized and scalable manner, are particularly appealing for use in control programs. In this study, we performed a technical evaluation of the InBios Strongy Detect IgG ELISA, based on recombinant antigens NIE and SsIR, which has shown promising for field use. Methods A total of 46 plasma samples from Ethiopian children were used for this technical evaluation. Repeatability was evaluated on duplicate samples per plate, on four plates per day for 3 days using Bland–Altman plots, analysis of residuals, and variance components analysis. Three samples were selected for evaluation of the uniformity of test results within a single plate (border effect) by two-sided t-test. Correlation between samples and internal ELISA positive controls was analyzed using Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient applied on the results of 777 samples analyzed with the assay in a previous field-based study. Results Within and between plate residuals ranged from −0.05 to + 0.05 and −0.1 to + 0.1, respectively. Total variance was estimated at 0.327; 99.6% of variation could be attributed to the samples. There was no systematic border effect and a negligible correlation between positive internal control and samples results (R2 = 0.213; p &lt; 0.001). Conclusion The results obtained in this study, in highly controlled conditions, point toward the InBios Strongy Detect IgG ELISA assay being reproducible, with no systematic border effect. These results encourage further assay’s development and evaluation for use in practice, including determination of preset cutoff values for positivity, which is currently not provided. Graphical Abstract

Physicochemical and Biological Evaluation of gem-Difluorinated Saturated Oxygen Heterocycles as Bioisosteres for Drug Discovery.

A comprehensive study on the physicochemical properties of gem-fluorinated O-heterocyclic substituents is reported. Systematic additive effects of introducing O- and gem-CF2 group introduction on acidic properties (pKa) of the corresponding carboxylic acids/protonated primary amines were demonstrated. The impact of the O/CF2 moieties on lipophilicity (LogP) was found to be complex; significant mutual influence of the corresponding polar moieties governed the compound's overall properties in this case. Biological evaluation of MAPK kinase inhibitors incorporating the title substituents demonstrated their utility as promising fragments for bioisosteric replacements in drug discovery campaigns.

Principal Trotter observation error with truncated commutators

Principal Trotter observation error with truncated commutators

Cystoid macular edema prophylaxis in cataract surgery: A protocol for network meta-analysis.

Cataracts are the leading cause of global preventable and treatable blindness. Cystoid macular edema (CME) is among the most common complications following cataract surgery. The development of CME impacts patients' quality of life and has economic implications for patients and healthcare systems. The purpose of this review is to synthesize the evidence from randomized controlled trials evaluating patients receiving prophylactic treatment with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or corticosteroid medications to determine the comparative effectiveness of each specific regimen on retinal thickness, visual acuity, the development of CME, patient quality of life, intraocular pressure and adverse events following uncomplicated, age-related cataract surgery performed by phacoemulsification. A systematic review and random effects Bayesian network meta-analysis (NMA) will be performed and will be reported following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) extension statement for NMA. A comprehensive electronic search will be performed of the MEDLINE, EMBASE and CENTRAL databases, as well as of the ClinicalTrials.gov and World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registries. Data will be collected and synthesized for seven pre-specified outcomes at 6 weeks and 3 months following surgery: i) change in central retinal thickness measured by optical coherence tomography (OCT), ii) best-recorded visual acuity iii) the rate of CME measured by OCT, and fluorescein angiography (FA) iv) the rate of patients experiencing clinically significant macular edema defined as the presence of CME and pre-specified thresholds for decreased visual acuity, v) patient quality of life, vi) intraocular pressure and vii) the number of patients experiencing one or more pre-specified adverse events. The certainty of evidence for each outcome will be assessed using GRADE NMA guidelines. The results of this NMA will provide a comprehensive evaluation of the evidence for this critical question with significant clinical equipoise. Systematic Review Registration: PROSPERO Registration Number: CRD42024531150.

Refinable modeling for unbinned SMEFT analyses

Abstract We present methods to estimate systematic uncertainties in unbinned LHC data analyses, focusing on constraining Wilson coefficients in the standard model effective field theory (SMEFT). Our approach also applies to broader parametric models of non-resonant phenomena beyond the standard model (BSM). By using machine-learned surrogates of the likelihood ratio, we extend well-established procedures from binned Poisson counting experiments to the unbinned case. This framework handles various theoretical, modeling, and experimental uncertainties, laying the foundation for future unbinned analyses at the LHC.&amp;#xD;We also introduce a tree-boosting algorithm that learns precise parametrizations of systematic effects, providing a robust, flexible alternative to neural networks for modeling systematics. We demonstrate this approach with an SMEFT analysis of highly energetic top quark pair production in proton-proton collisions.

NUMERICAL-ANALYTICAL METHOD OF DECOMPOSITION-AUTOCOMPENSATION FOR SOLVING THE SIGNAL RECOGNITION PROBLEM BASED ON INACCURATE OBSERVATIONS

A numerical-analytical method is developed to solve the problem of optimal recognition of a set of possible signals observed as an additive mixture containing not only a fluctuation observation error (with an unknown statistical distribution) but also a singular interference (with parametric uncertainty). The method allows for both the detection of signals present in the mixture and the estimation of their parameters within a specified quality criterion and associated constraints. The proposed method, based on the idea of generalized invariant-unbiased estimation of linear functional values, enables decomposition of the computational procedure and autocompensation of singular interference without resorting to the traditional expansion of the state space. Linear spectral decompositions in specified functional bases are used for the parametric finite-dimensional representation of signals and interference, while knowledge of the correlation matrix of the observation error is sufficient for error description. Random and systematic errors are analyzed, and an illustrative example is provided.