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Tensor-based unsupervised feature selection for error-robust handling of unbalanced incomplete multi-view data
No full text Recent advancements in multi-view unsupervised feature selection (MUFS) have been notable, yet two primary challenges persist. First, real-world datasets frequently consist of unbalanced incomplete multi-view data, a scenario not adequately addressed by current MUFS methodologies. Second, the inherent complexity and heterogeneity of multi-view data often introduce significant noise, an aspect largely neglected by existing approaches, compromising their noise robustness. To tackle these issues, this paper introduces a Tensor-Based Error Robust Unbalanced Incomplete Multi-view Unsupervised Feature Selection (TERUIMUFS) strategy. The proposed MUFS framework specifically caters to unbalanced incomplete multi-view data, incorporating self-representation learning with a tensor low-rank constraint and sample diversity learning. This approach not only mitigates errors in the self-representation process but also corrects errors in the self-representation tensor, significantly enhancing the model’s resilience to noise. Furthermore, graph learning serves as a pivotal link between MUFS and self-representation learning. An innovative iterative optimization algorithm is developed for TERUIMUFS, complete with a thorough analysis of its convergence and computational complexity. Experimental results demonstrate TERUIMUFS’s effectiveness and competitiveness in addressing unbalanced incomplete multi-view unsupervised feature selection (UIMUFS), marking a significant advancement in the field. </p
Above- and below-ground field study on the impacts of conventional and alternative mesoplastics on Hordeum vulgare growth and soil invertebrate communities
No full textPlastic plays an important role in agriculture, but its use has become a concerning source of pollution. While new (bio)degradable, alternative plastics are being developed and used as mulching films, their ecological impacts, in particular under field conditions, are not well understood. Furthermore, there is a notable lack of knowledge on how plastic pollution affects soil invertebrate communities. Most existing studies primarily focus on microplastics, often neglecting the impacts of mesoplastics. This study therefore compared the separate effects of two conventional (polyethylene and polypropylene) and two alternative (polyethylene containing biodegradable additives and compostable polylactic acid) mesoplastic films on plant performance (biomass, seed yield) and soil mesofaunal assemblages in a field experiment. The mesoplastics were applied at 0.1% (w/w), prior to soil being planted with Hordeum vulgare (spring barley), which was grown to maturity, for 11 weeks. Generally, there were no measurable differences between the conventional and alternative plastic treatments, however, barley exposed to mesoplastics showed reduced biomass, seed yield, and chlorophyll content, along with increased oxidative stress. Soil fauna, particularly Collembola, had lower richness and abundance when exposed to both plastic types, but assemblage structure and composition remained unchanged after 11 weeks. This study is pivotal in highlighting that both conventional and alternative plastics can similarly affect plant health and soil ecosystems. The evidence provided is essential for refining future risk assessments of agricultural plastic pollution and underscores the urgent need for more sustainable practices and materials in agriculture. </p
Role of machine learning algorithms in suicide risk prediction: a systematic review-meta analysis of clinical studies
No full textObjective: Suicide is a complex and multifactorial public health problem. Understanding and addressing the various factors associated with suicide is crucial for prevention and intervention efforts. Machine learning (ML) could enhance the prediction of suicide attempts. Method: A systematic review was performed using PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and SID databases. We aim to evaluate the performance of ML algorithms and summarize their effects, gather relevant and reliable information to synthesize existing evidence, identify knowledge gaps, and provide a comprehensive list of the suicide risk factors using mixed method approach. Results Forty-one studies published between 2011 and 2022, which matched inclusion criteria, were chosen as suitable. We included studies aimed at predicting the suicide risk by machine learning algorithms except natural language processing (NLP) and image processing. The neural network (NN) algorithm exhibited the lowest accuracy at 0.70, whereas the random forest demonstrated the highest accuracy, reaching 0.94. The study assessed the COX and random forest models and observed a minimum area under the curve (AUC) value of 0.54. In contrast, the XGBoost classifier yielded the highest AUC value, reaching 0.97. These specific AUC values emphasize the algorithm-specific performance in capturing the trade-off between sensitivity and specificity for suicide risk prediction. Furthermore, our investigation identified several common suicide risk factors, including age, gender, substance abuse, depression, anxiety, alcohol consumption, marital status, income, education, and occupation. This comprehensive analysis contributes valuable insights into the multifaceted nature of suicide risk, providing a foundation for targeted preventive strategies and intervention efforts. Conclusions: The effectiveness of ML algorithms and their application in predicting suicide risk has been controversial. There is a need for more studies on these algorithms in clinical settings, and the related ethical concerns require further clarification.</p
Physical activity and persistence of supra-threshold depressive symptoms in older adults: a ten-year cohort study
No full textFew multination-based studies have examined the longitudinal association between PA (physical activity) and persistence of supra-threshold depressive symptoms (SDS). This cohort study aimed to assess the influence of PA on persistence of SDS. Data were obtained from the Population Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). The cohort was composed of individuals with SDS at baseline. Depressive symptoms were ascertained using the EURO-D scale, with a value over 4 indicatives of SDS. The study included 6,631 participants with SDS. After adjusting for nine different covariates at baseline and the changes of PA level during the follow-up period, compared to very low PA, moderately high (OR=0.82; 95 %CI: 0.69–0.98; p = 0.03), and high (OR=0.80; 95 %CI: 0.66–0.95; p = 0.01) PA levels were associated with significantly reduced persistence of depressive symptoms. In a propensity score analysis, matching low and high PA level for baseline scores of EURO-D, people with high PA levels reported a lower EURO-D of 0.53 points (p < 0.0001). In conclusion, among adults with depression, higher levels of PA were associated with a reduced persistence of depression. These real-world data complement evidence on efficacy of exercise as a treatment for depression and can inform clinical guidelines. </p
‘Carefree enjoyment - can you tick that box?’ A story of thriving following experiences of abusive coaching in gymnastics
No full textWithin this paper, we aim to utilise a creative analytical practice to embody the experience of thriving and show the ways in which the coach-athlete relationship may influence an athlete’s ability to thrive. By using an evocative autoethnographic approach, we hope to connect the reader to the thoughts, emotions, and feelings of a gymnast. To achieve this, I, the first author, used three main strategies to build the story presented in this study: use of memory, memory writing, and emotional recall. I adopted the role of ‘storyteller’, and the story was constructed through an evocative autoethnography with the aim to show emotional experiences that encourage empathy, social awareness, and reflection within the reader. Four memory fragments depict my own gymnastics experience presented in relation to key moments of my performance and well-being. The story chronicles how the coach-athlete relationship affected my personal experiences of thriving, including initial interactions, navigating feelings of anxiety and panic at competitions, and finishing my university sporting experience. We’d like to invite you, the reader, to live the first author’s story and immerse yourself in her experience of how the coach-athlete relationship impacted her experiences of thriving as a gymnast.</p
Expectations and disadvantages: a case study approach exploring the mental health challenges of elite, student-athlete women
No full textElite athletes, student-athletes, and women are reported to have an increased risk of experiencing mental health concerns, yet little is known about how the intersectionality of these three factors affect the individual. The present study addressed this by interviewing members of an international women’s Junior World Cup hockey team. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to identify two triadic themes (i.e., challenges encompassing all three factors) and three dyadic themes (two of the three factors). These findings, and in particular, the triadic themes of “Pressure of Expectation” and “Comparative Disadvantages”, reveal the multifaceted nature of the challenges faced by this unique cohort. We identify possible explanations for our findings and discuss implications for optimising the experiences of elite, student-athlete women.</p
3D limb dynamics of flyball dogs turning on different box angles
No full textThere are no regulations for the flyball box angulation, which ranges from 45° to 89°. As such at present, the box turn is deemed to represent the greatest injury risk to competitors. The aim of this study was to understand the influence of box angle on kinematic variables during a flyball turn, by comparing dogs turning on three different angulations of flyball box (45°, 60° and 83°) to allow for recommendations to be made regarding the most appropriate box design in terms of limiting risk of injury across the sport, to increase both wellbeing and safety for competitors. Turning on a 45° box generates significantly more flexion in the forelimbs and carpus, whereas turning on an 83° box generates greater degrees of extension in the elbow, shoulder, hock and stifle. What our 3D analysis has shown is that the relationship between box angle and the physical demands placed on the dog are complex, and related mainly to asymmetrical nature of the sport, and as such no one angle may be more or less suitable for training and competition, but the 60° seems to be a mid-ground, whereas direction of turn may be fundamental in generating the potential for injury.</p
The horse's behavioural and welfare needs for optimal foraging opportunities
No full textHorses are herbivores and are designed to eat a diet high in fibre and low in starch, obtained through freedom of movement to select and forage from a diverse range of plants in the company of other horses. Forage fed to domesticated horses is often provided in various devices designed to replicate more natural feeding patterns, but can result in frustration behaviours even though horses are adept at learning to manipulate such devices to surmount feeding challenges. Because domesticated horses are often required to perform in a range of spheres, which in turn requires higher energy output, many horses have their fibre rations restricted in favour of feeding high-starch substrates. This can lead to significant changes in the microbial environment of the gut, which compromises gastrointestinal health and can cause a range of undesirable behaviours. Diet-related disorders such as gastric ulcers are commonly seen when restricting forage rations and/or overfeeding starch in the horse, and behavioural consequences include frustration-related behaviours, aggression and oral and locomotory stereotypies, all of which compromise the horse's welfare. Meeting the behavioural needs of the horse by giving them agency to access the 3 Fs – friends, forage and freedom – is inextricably linked with their natural feeding behaviour. It is fundamental to ensure that horses are provided with the opportunity for positive feeding experiences to improve both physical and mental welfare.</p
Polo-like Kinase 1 Inhibition in <i>KRAS</i>-Mutated Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
No full textSummary:
Inhibition of Polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) is a promising new target and therapeutic strategy in metastatic colorectal cancer, especially those with KRAS mutations. New data support further development of onvansertib, and highlights the role of circulating tumor DNA in phase I clinical trials.
See related article by Ahn et al., p. 2039</p
Bunching behavior in housed dairy cows at higher ambient temperatures
No full textBunching behavior in cattle may occur for several reasons including enabling social interactions, a response to stress or danger, or due to shared interest in resources such as feeding or watering areas. There is evidence in pasture grazed cattle that bunching may occur more frequently at higher ambient temperatures, possibly due to sharing of fly-load or to seek shade from the direct sun under heat stress conditions. Here we demonstrate how bunching behavior is associated with higher ambient temperatures in a barn-housed UK dairy herd. A real-time local positioning system was used, as part of a precision livestock farming (PLF) approach, to track the spatial position and activity of a commercial dairy herd (∼100 cows) in a freestall barn continuously at high temporal resolution for 4 mo between August and November 2014. Bunching was determined using 4 different spatial measures determined on an hourly basis: herd full and core range size, mean herd intercow distance (ICD), and mean herd nearest-neighbor distance (NND). For hourly mean ambient temperatures above 20°C, the herd showed higher bunching behavior with increasing ambient temperature (i.e., reduced full and core range size, ICD, and NND). Aggregated space-use intensity was found to positively correlate with localized variations in temperature across the barn (as measured by animal-mounted sensors), but the level of correlation decreased at higher ambient barn temperatures. Bunching behavior may increase localized temperatures experienced by individuals and hence may be a maladaptive behavioral response in housed dairy cattle, which are known to suffer heat stress at higher temperatures. Our study is the first to use high-resolution positional data to provide evidence of associations between bunching behavior and higher ambient temperatures for a barn-housed dairy herd in a temperate region (UK). Further studies are needed to explore the exact mechanisms for this response to inform both welfare and production management.</p
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