179566 research outputs found
Sort by
Predicting words across languages depends on language context:Evidence from visual world eye-tracking
No full textThere is good evidence that monolingual comprehenders can predict the form of upcoming words, and also that bilinguals often activate words from both languages in parallel during bottom-up language comprehension. But it is unclear whether bilinguals predict the form of upcoming words in the language that they are not hearing, and whether such predictions depend on whether or not they have recently encountered that language. We investigated these questions in two visual-world eye-tracking experiments by asking whether Mandarin Chinese (L1)-English (L2) bilinguals pre-activate Mandarin phonological representations of predictable words during English comprehension. Participants heard English sentences containing a highly predictable word while viewing a display. They fixated more on a competitor object whose Mandarin name was a homophone of the Mandarin translation of the predictable word than an unrelated object when both languages were used (Experiment 2) but not when just English was used (Experiment 1). Our findings suggest that bilinguals predict across languages when both languages are contextually relevant but not otherwise
Optimal placement of electric vehicle slow-charging stations: A continuous facility location problem under uncertainty
Get PDFElectric vehicles (EVs) are becoming a key mechanism to reduce emissions in the transportation industry, and hence contribute to the green transition. In this paper, we present a mathematical programming model which determines the optimal placement of EV charging stations such that chargers are placed in the most cost-efficient way possible for all stakeholders, assuming additionally that EV charging demand is inherently stochastic in nature. The model is formulated as a two-stage, continuous location–allocation model in the form of a generalised Weber problem in two dimensions. However, this formulation is non-convex and notoriously difficult to solve. We therefore propose a suitable discretisation procedure to find high quality solutions in suitable time. The discretisation procedure shows strong performance across a variety of computational experiments using randomly generated scenarios, maintaining robustness in terms of the objective value and overall solution quality.A part of this solution procedure was entered into the 15th AIMMS-MOPTA Optimisation Modelling Competition
Classification of donkey systems in Ethiopia
Get PDFWorking donkeys play a critical role in transportation, agriculture and household resilience in low- and middle-income countries. Other animals that are kept for production purposes, such as cattle, are often grouped into broad production system classes, such as dairy or pastoral, for comparison between and better understanding of the needs and outputs of animals within specific sectors. Despite the importance of working donkeys for sustaining livelihoods there are no systematic classifications of these populations. The aim of this study was to classify and characterise donkey systems in Ethiopia using household-level questionnaire data which included donkey ownership, husbandry, use and local environment data, through multiple factor and hierarchical cluster analysis. Household questionnaire data from 241 donkey-owning households in three districts of Ethiopia were used. Three distinct clusters of donkey ownership were identified: ‘Domestic-Pastoral’; ‘Domestic-Agricultural’ and ‘Commercial’. Differences between systems are primarily influenced by donkey purpose, environmental (agro-ecological) factors, and husbandry practices. Constraints associated with donkey ownership varied across clusters: households in the commercial system reported higher incidence of injuries and welfare concerns, in the pastoral system the main constraints were drought and feed shortage, and domestic-agricultural households reported infectious diseases as the main challenge. This new classification of donkey systems provides a framework for analysing donkey health and welfare data, enabling more context-specific needs assessments and facilitating the design of targeted interventions to improve equid health and household livelihoods
Dysbiosis of bacterial and fungal microbiomes affects the disease process and treatment outcome in fungal keratitis
Get PDFFungal keratitis (FK) is a severe eye infection mainly caused by Aspergillus flavus and Fusarium solani. We examined the changes in bacterial and fungal microbiome profiles over a week of disease progression, treatment, and clinical status using targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS). Samples were collected from infected and healthy contralateral eyes of 25 FK patients and one eye of 10 healthy, non-infected cataract controls. QIIME (Quantitative Insights into Microbial Ecology) and MicrobiomeAnalyst were utilised for the data analysis. There was a reduction in beneficial bacteria like Prevotella, Lactobacillus, and Leuconostoc in FK patients compared to the control samples. On the other hand, opportunistic bacteria including Clostridium, Bifidobacterium, and Pseudomonas increased in FK patients. Aspergillus, Colletotrichum, and Basidiobolus were more abundant in keratitis patients, whereas Malassezia and Trichoderma were less abundant. This dysbiosis was also evident in the uninfected contralateral eyes of FK patients. Treatment resulted in significant changes in bacterial genera like Dolosigranulum, Sutterella, and Akkermansia, and fungal genera such as Myrothecium, Corynespora, and Penicillium. Further, treatment returned them to the control group levels, except for Akkermansia and Corynespora. Among the treated patients, a large subset remains nonresponsive to treatment. This treatment outcome, responder versus non-responder, was reflected in the abundance of bacterial genera such as Tannerella, Sutterella, Odoribacter, and fungal genera such as Coprinellus and Volutella. This study highlights the clinical relevance of microbiome signatures in FK, demonstrating bilateral dysbiosis, integrated bacterial–fungal profiling, and correlations with treatment outcomes. These findings suggest potential for microbiome-informed diagnostics, prognostic biomarkers, and risk stratification
Adapting Global Coach Education Approaches within the Chinese Context: Coaches’ and Coach Developers’ Perceived Challenges, Cultural Influences and Pathways to Expertise
No full textBackground: Global coach education has shifted focus in recent decades, moving from prescriptive, competency-based training towards expertise-based approaches that prepares for complex coach–learner interactions. However, adopting one-size-fits-all coaching approaches across cultures is problematic, since there is potential to overlook important pedagogic and social norms. In China, coach education remains centrally administered and assessment-driven, with a structured certification hierarchy that contrasts starkly with Western approaches that centre on reflective practice. These contextual differences present a mismatch between China’s current competency-based system and the expertise-development approach emerging internationally. Purpose: This study investigates the cultural and pedagogical complexities of introducing a Western expertise-based coach education approach in China. It explores Chinese coach developers’ and coaches’ perceptions of (1) the current versus their ideal coach education systems, (2) how cultural factors (e.g., power distance, learning habits) influence these systems, and (3) the challenges in transitioning from the existing competency-based to an expertise-based approach. The aim is to better understand how cultural context and educational beliefs shape coach development opportunities, and to inform future coach education practice reforms. Methods: A mixed-methods (quantitative and qualitative) online survey required participants from China (N = 119; 87 coaches and 32 coach developers) to rate using a Likert-scale, items that addressed competency-based versus expertise-based coaching approaches in various scenarios, cultural factors (e.g., attitudes to authority, preference for structured learning) and potential transition challenges, plus open-ended questions for additional comments. Independent t-tests and MANOVA with post-hoc tests examined differences between coaches and coach developers, while thematic analysis was used to present qualitative feedback. Results: While participants showed interest in a more expertise-based approach, their overall preference remained for familiar, competency-based structures. Coach developers were significantly more inclined to view the current system as lacking in expertise-focus and to desire a more expertise-based system. Correspondingly, coach developers differed from coaches on several cultural attitude measures: notably, they reported emphasis on youth development being positive to coach education systems, whereas the attitude and behaviours towards uncertainty and learning habits/styles are relatively negative to the systems. Both groups, however, identified similar challenges to adopting an expertise-based approach, particularly a ‘need for more knowledge’ and difficulties with assessment and certification processes. Qualitative comments (from a subset of respondents) echoed concerns about entrenched habits, institutional resistance to change, and the lack of role models to exemplify the new approach. Discussion and Conclusion: Overall, this study highlights a clear mismatch between the current competency-based and an envisioned expertise-based approach. Data suggests that any transition in China towards an expertise-based coach education system will need to be gradual and culturally sensitive, blending new reflective practices into the existing structure to ensure buy-in and sustainability
Effect of movement goal on countermovement jump performance: An exploratory analysis of different sporting demands
No full textThis study explored the influence of different counter movement jump (CMJ) goals on performance, kinetic, and kinematic variables between 56 elite track and field (T&F), football, and futsal athletes. Within and between-sport difference were compared when using the goals: (a) “jump as high as possible” (CMJh) and (b) “jump as fast as possible” (CMJf), using a mixed MANOVA and follow-up univariate mixed ANOVAs. Movement goals had a significant main effect on all variables (p < .001). Compared to CMJh, CMJf elicited higher mean propulsive power normalized to body mass (MPPbm ) and reactive strength index (RSI), alongside lower jump height, contraction time (CT), propulsive displacement, and countermovement velocity (CMvelocity). Sport interaction analyses revealed that T&F athletes consistently outperformed the other sports in RSI across both movement goals. Significant differences in MPPbm and CT emerged between T&F and football. Additionally, a significant interaction between Movement goal and Sport was found for CMvelocity, indicated that T&F and football athletes increased their CM velocity under CMJh, while futsal players maintained similar downward velocities across both movement goals. In conclusion, movement goals significantly modify CMJ performance variables in elite athletes, and these effects are further influenced by sport specialization. Furthermore, adaptations in motor control processes according to the specific movement goals emphasize the need for task-specific and context-relevant communication. Coaches should align goal instructions with both the targeted task goals and the athletes’ sporting context to optimize training outcomes and athlete assessment
Climate change increases ammonia emissions, reducing the efficacy of mitigation actions (AMCLIM modelling results)
No full textTemperature sensitivity of agricultural ammonia emissions modelled by the AMCLIM model. Projected agricultural ammonia emissions in 2041-2050 and 2091-2100 under four different shared socio-economic pathways (SSPs): SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5, SSP3-7.0 and SSP5-8.5. Mitigation of agricultural ammonia emissions for the year 2010. Base run results are deposited under: https://datashare.ed.ac.uk/handle/10283/8753 https://datashare.ed.ac.uk/handle/10283/895
Meta-analyses of the global impact of non-antibiotic feed additives on livestock performance and health
No full textINTRODUCTION: The impact of non-antibiotic feed additives on livestock performance and health is contingent upon a multitude of variables, including the animal species, dosage and type of feed additives, and duration of oral administration. However, there is a paucity of knowledge regarding the relationship between these factors and the performance of livestock animals.OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to conduct a global meta-analysis based on a pool of empirical studies to investigate the effects of dietary additives on growth, production, blood metabolites, immunity, intestinal morphology, and the abundance of gut microbiota in livestock.METHODS: A meta-regression coupled with dose-effect analysis was performed to ascertain the optimal dosage and feeding duration for the optimal body function. A total of 71 papers, estimating 1, 035 effect size across 9 species and 7 types of non-antibiotic feed additives were recruited in our meta-dataset.RESULTS: Overall assessment confirmed that these additives in diet can significantly improve livestock production and immune function across species. Our findings indicated that the effects of additives on animal performance were more pronounced in herbivores than in omnivores. The dose-response results indicated that the overall optimal doses for antimicrobial peptides, enzymes, oligosaccharides, organic acids, phytogenic, probiotics and prebiotics were 100 mg/kg, 30 mg/kg, 200 mg/kg, 50 mg/kg, 200 mg/kg, 10⁶ CFU/kg, and 10 mg/kg, respectively. Oral administration of these additives for a 2-month period effectively improves livestock performance and health.CONCLUSION: This evidence-based approach provides a foundation for implementing customized feeding strategies designed to optimize livestock performance, enhance immunity and reduce feed costs. Our assessment shows that these feed additives are promising alternatives to antibiotics in reducing the use of antibiotics. Furthermore, these findings suggest that the use of these feed additives can lead to evidence-based recommendations for practical feeding strategies, providing livestock producers with a sustainable and cost-effective approach to animal health management.</p
Administrating crisis is just a transition:Interventions on bureaucratic activity in the United Kingdom, 1987-2022
Get PDFThe process of leaving the European Union set off a disruptive transformation of the UK’s system of government. Central to implementing this process was secondary legislation, called statutory instruments, which received unparalleled levels of attention by the public due to the government’s use of them to untangle UK and EU law. Yet, the legislative crisis caused by Brexit, appeared in many ways just another form of government transition. We propose that understanding how this process affected bureaucratic activity requires a broad theory of regular partisan transitions. Large changes in the ideological goals and demands of the government redirect the priority of policies developed through instruments. To examine this perspective, we analyse the most prominent partisan and political transitions in the UK from 1987 to 2022 using time series intervention analyses. The results indicate that crises and transitions alike led to lasting changes in the bureaucracy’s agenda. Transitions in 2010 and 2015 not only exhibited shifts in the topical focus of secondary legislation, but also dramatic reductions in productivity. This paper’s findings further suggest that partisan effects on issue attention may have more to do with the organisation of government than the broader distribution of issues addressed using public policy
Dec2016 ImageXpress backup
No full text## Access ## This dataset is held in the Edinburgh DataVault, directly accessible only to authorised University of Edinburgh users.The ImageXpress MicroXl platform is a high content instrument from Molecular Devices. Incorporation of a large sensor scientific CMOS camera together with LED solid light source provides enhanced optical sensitivity and image quality over standard high content systems. New MetaXpressTM software solutions such as a “Digital Confocal Option” and “Custom Module Editor” provides increased capability and flexibility to customize image analysis routines for quantification of defined phenotypes. The AcuityXpressTM software facilitates quality control assessment across multiple plates and tissue slides and incorporates multivariate statistical and similarity profiling tools to exploit multiparametric phenotypic data. The ImageXpress platform represents a fully equipped high content solution integrated with plate handling robotics (PAA Scara 4 robot), barcode reader and an extensive image-informatics suite (MetaXpressTM and AcuityXpressTM software) that stream-lines; complex high-content analysis routines; data analysis; image storage and review
Access Repository Dashboard
Do you manage Edinburgh Research Explorer? Access insider analytics, issue reports and manage access to outputs from your repository in the CORE Repository Dashboard!