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Trait-space disparity in fish communities spanning 380 million years from the Late Devonian to present
Get PDFThe diversity and distribution of species' traits in an ecological community determine how it functions. While modern fish communities conserve trait space across similar habitats, little is known about trait-space variation through deep time or across different habitats. We examined how fish trait diversity varies through space and time by comparing three Late Devonian fish communities — a tropical reef (Gogo, Australia), a tropical estuary (Miguasha, Canada), and a temperate freshwater system (Canowindra, Australia) — with six modern communities from diverse habitats. Trait-space metrics reflecting within-community diversity (functional richness) and species similarity (functional nearest-neighbour distance) indicated Late Devonian communities had scores similar to modern communities. However, they were less functionally rich than their closest modern analogues, and their species tended to be more functionally distinct from one another. Metrics describing location in trait space (centroid distances and hypervolume overlap) showed modern communities were similar to each other, Gogo and Miguasha were similar but distinct from modern communities, and Canowindra was distinct from all others. This pattern suggests period-associated differentiation and substantial heterogeneity among some Late Devonian communities. In addition to temporal changes, we found consistent differences associated with habitat type and climate zone. Reef and tropical communities were the most functionally rich, whereas functional nearest-neighbour scores were highest in estuarine and temperate communities. These results indicate fish community trait space varies with time, habitat and climate, suggesting (i) lability in fish trait space and (ii) that evolutionary history, environmental filtering, and stochasticity influence community assembly
Exploring Demographics, Depression, Anxiety, and Low Body Appreciation as Correlates of Suicide Among Transgender People in Pakistan
No full textTransgender individuals in Pakistan face physical and mental health challenges due to marginalization, discrimination, and victimization, which may increase their vulnerability to depression, anxiety, negative body image, and suicidal behaviors. This study aimed to examine the relationship between demographic factors, depression, anxiety, and low body appreciation with suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and suicide risk among transgender individuals in Pakistan. Demographic variables included age, gender assigned at birth, gender identity, profession, education, and socioeconomic status, assessed through a self-developed semistructured questionnaire. Psychological constructs were measured using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, Body Appreciation Scale-2, and Suicide Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised. Reliability of instruments was evaluated through Cronbach’s alpha. Data were collected from 135 participants through respondent-driven sampling using both online and in-person interviews after informed consent, ensuring anonymity and privacy. Analyses included questionnaire validation, frequencies, descriptive statistics, mean comparisons, bivariate correlations, and logistic regressions. Results indicated that demographic factors significantly influenced suicidal ideation and attempts. Correlation analyses showed significant associations between depression (r = 0.071), anxiety (r = 0.147), low body appreciation (r = 0.110), and suicidal behaviors (r = 0.008). Depression, anxiety, and low body appreciation were significantly related to past suicidal ideation (R² = 0.395), attempts (R² = 0.376), and future suicide risk (R² = 0.415). Regression analysis further revealed that depression (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.024, p = 0.001) and low body appreciation (AOR = 1.071, p = 0.044) were associated with a higher number of past suicide attempts. These findings highlight the need for culturally sensitive mental health interventions for transgender individuals in Pakistan
Understanding Vivaldi's cognitive and neurobiological effects through behavioral and neuroimaging biomarker lenses: A narrative review
Get PDFResearch has demonstrated that Antonio Vivaldi's Four Seasons concertos boost attention and working memory in young and older populations. Neuroimaging biomarkers derived from electroencephalography, functional magnetic resonance imaging, and other neurophysiological techniques have illustrated that Vivaldi's cheerful "Spring" concerto accelerates reaction times, heightens alertness, and stimulates brain activity in regions related to emotion and memory. Quantitative electroencephalography biomarkers reveal enhanced P3a and P3b components during music exposure, indicating improved novelty detection and memory updating processes. Functional connectivity analyses demonstrate that Baroque music stimulates the auditory, motor, and limbic brain circuits due to the repetitive rhythm characteristic of this musical form. Neuroimaging biomarkers of dopaminergic activity show increased activation in reward pathways while listening to Vivaldi's music, which is correlated with improved cognitive performance. In particular, Vivaldi's music has been incorporated into assisted therapy for the elderly to enhance memory, decrease cortisol levels and reduce stress, and aid those with brain injuries in neurorehabilitation, with neuroimaging biomarkers providing objective measures of therapeutic efficacy. Although some studies have conflicting conclusions and benefits that may vary depending on the participants and task context, there is sufficient evidence that Vivaldi's Baroque repertoire is relevant to cognitive psychology and neuroscience. This article aims to give a comprehensive review of the neurobiological mechanisms, neuroimaging biomarkers, and cognitive effects of Vivaldi's music. It presents some contradictory perspectives and research gaps, discussing the future of music therapy and the use of artificial intelligence in interpreting music-brain effects. This review is unique in its focus on the cognitive and neurobiological effects of Baroque music, particularly Vivaldi's Four Seasons, a masterpiece that has received very limited dedicated research despite its global recognition
Fusion for high-dimensional linear-optical quantum computing with improved success probability
Get PDFType-II fusion is a probabilistic entangling measurement that is essential to measurement-based linear-optical quantum computing and can be used for quantum teleportation more broadly. However, it remains under-explored for high-dimensional qudits. Our main result gives a Type-II fusion protocol with proven success probability approximately 2/d2 for qudits of arbitrary dimension d. This generalizes a previous method that only applied to even-dimensional qudits. We believe this protocol to be the most efficient known protocol for Type-II fusion, with the d=5 case beating the previous record by a factor of approximately 723. We discuss the construction of the required (d-2)-qudit ancillary state using a silicon spin-qudit ancilla coupled to a microwave cavity through time-bin multiplexing. We then introduce a general framework of extra-dimensional corrections, a natural technique in linear optics that can be used to nondeterministically correct nonmaximally entangled projections into Bell measurements. We use this method to analyze and improve several different circuits for high-dimensional Type-II fusion and compare their benefits and drawbacks
When Prognosis Is Extremely Short: Approach to Depression Care in the Last Days to Weeks of Life.
No full textClinically significant depressive symptoms are prevalent in advanced life-limiting illnesses. The assessment and management of such illness can be challenging for clinicians when prognoses are extremely short (days to weeks). Currently, evidence to guide practice is lacking, and there exists no guideline that specifically addresses depression care in this patient population. An approach, illustrated by the mnemonic "SCREENIN," is proposed in this commentary to optimize the care of individuals with depression when prognoses are extremely short. Even when prognosis is short, depression should still be routinely screened and promptly assessed, with proactive care delivered. There is an urgent need for clinician training, service linkage, research, and cultural change in this area through better collaboration between palliative care and psychiatry
Are beliefs about low back pain associated with central sensitization inventory in patients with low back pain? A cross-sectional study.
Get PDFBACKGROUND: The Central Sensitization Inventory is a tool used to identify patients with central sensitization (CS) symptoms. The Central Sensitization Inventory has shown to be associated with psychosocial and cognitive factors commonly thought to contribute to and sustain the mechanism of central sensitization. Another potential factor that might play a role in central sensitization is beliefs about low back pain (LBP). OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether beliefs about LBP are associated with Central Sensitization Inventory in patients with chronic LBP. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. PARTICIPANTS: 119 patients with nonspecific chronic LBP seeking physical therapy care in outpatient clinics. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Demographic data and clinical characteristics such as pain intensity, disability, back pain beliefs (i.e., measured with Back Beliefs Questionnaire) and CS-related symptoms (i.e., measured with Central Sensitization Inventory) were collected. Multivariable linear regression analysis was used in the analysis. RESULTS: Most participants (60%) were classified as having subclinical or mild severity levels according to the Central Sensitization Inventory. Multivariable regression analysis showed that LBP beliefs not aligned with the current evidence were associated with higher scores of Central Sensitization Inventory, after controlling for sex, pain intensity and disability. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with LBP beliefs not aligned with the current evidence were more likely to present with higher scores on the Central Sensitization Inventory. CONTRIBUTION OF THE PAPER
The impact of breast cancer on fears of exercise and exercise identity.
No full textOBJECTIVES: Low exercise adherence is common amongst breast cancer (BC) patients. This study aimed to understand BC patients exercise identity and fears of exercise to identify barriers to exercise participation. METHODS: Women (18 years plus) currently undergoing, or completed (in remission), chemotherapy for BC, and women (18 years plus) with no cancer history completed three validated questionnaires: Exercise Identity Scale (EI), Exercise Fear Avoidance Scale (EFAS) and Fear of Physical Activity/Exercise Scale - Breast Cancer. RESULTS: 86 women were included (BC: n = 51 - non-cancer: n = 35). There were no significant differences between groups when comparing overall EI (p = 0.240; d=0.127) and EFAS (p = 0.060; d=0.203) scores. BC reported significantly higher scores on specific questions related to fear during exercise (EFAS 2,3, and 5; p = <0.005). Associations were observed between EI and EFAS questionnaire scores in BC (r = -0.342; p = 0.014), and EI scores and exercise levels in both groups (BC, r = 0.527; p = <0.001; non-cancer, r = 0.639; p = <0.001). CONCLUSION: Results suggest women with BC may have specific concerns and fears of exercise compared to age-matched controls. Education may mitigate fears, increase exercise identity, and promote exercise uptake. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Education provided by clinicians at BC diagnosis regarding the benefits and safety of exercise may help mitigate fear and promote exercise identity
Do Domain-Specific LLMs Keep Secrets? An Empirical Study of Privacy Risks and Membership Inference Attacks
No full textThe integration of Large Language Models (LLMs) into specialized domain applications offers promising avenues for personalized and contextually relevant experiences. However, deploying domain-specific LLMs-particularly those fine-tuned on sensitive data or enhanced via Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)-introduces significant privacy concerns. In this paper, we explore how vulnerable these domain-specific LLMs are to data leakage, with a focus on Membership Inference Attacks (MIAs). Using datasets containing sensitive domain-specific information, we compare the privacy risks of fine-tuned models versus RAG-based ones, revealing different patterns of exposure for each. Our results show that existing privacy protections often fall short when applied to models trained in specialized settings. We argue for the need to develop privacy-preserving techniques that are suitable for specific domains. This work provides novel insights into safeguarding sensitive information while exploiting the advantages offered by domain-specific LLMs, laying the groundwork for future research into secure and custom model deployments
Development of a parabolic trough collector-based solar oven with heat pipe for efficient drying of kitchen spices
Get PDFSolar drying is an effective and sustainable method for food preservation, yet conventional systems face significant challenges, including uneven heat distribution, high energy losses, and dependence on liquid-based heat transfer fluids (HTFs) that require external circulation pumps. This study proposes a novel parabolic trough collector (PTC)-based solar oven integrated with a heat pipe, designed to enhance heat transfer efficiency and drying performance while eliminating the need for additional energy input. Unlike conventional systems, this design employs passive heat transfer via heat pipes, ensuring uniform thermal distribution and improved energy utilization. Experimental analysis was conducted under two drying modes: active (with a fan) and passive (without a fan), with bilimbi fruit (Averrhoa bilimbi) as the test sample. Results demonstrated that the heat pipe effectively transferred heat, maintaining a minimal 0.6 °C temperature difference between the evaporator and condenser. The receiver-to-drying object temperature difference reached 9.4 °C, ensuring efficient heat transfer. The system reduced moisture content by 55.57 % (with fan) and 38.7 % (without fan), achieving an overall energy efficiency of 22.65 % and 17.13 %, respectively. Exergy efficiency was 7.95 % and 4.4 %, while the drying cost per kilogram was 15.21 USD/kg (with fan) and 15.44 USD/kg (without fan). Beyond food preservation, this system has potential applications in sustainable building environments, particularly in off-grid food processing facilities, decentralized solar-powered kitchens, and urban rooftop drying systems. This study provides a more energy-efficient, cost-effective, and scalable drying solution for the built environment by integrating heat pipe technology into a PTC-based solar oven. Further research should explore integration with energy-efficient building designs and automated tracking mechanisms to optimize system performance
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