Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Digital Commons Network™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

University of Plymouth

Discipline
Keyword
Publication Year
Publication
Publication Type
File Type

Articles 5491 - 5520 of 6794

Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network

Behavioural Analysis Of Marine Predator Movements In Relation To Heterogeneous Environments, Nicolas Edmund Humphries Jan 2013

Behavioural Analysis Of Marine Predator Movements In Relation To Heterogeneous Environments, Nicolas Edmund Humphries

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

An understanding of the spatio-temporal dynamics of marine predator populations is essential for the sustainable management of marine resources. Tagging studies are providing ever more information about the movements and migrations of marine predators and much has been learned about where these predators spend their time. However little is known about their underlying motivations, making it difficult to make predictions about how apex predators will respond to changing environments. While much progress has been made in behavioural ecology through the use of optimality models, in the marine environment the necessary costs and benefits are difficult to quantify making this approach …


Polymer Micro-Grippers With An Integrated Force Sensor For Biological Manipulation, Re Mackay, Hr Le, S Clark, Ja Williams Jan 2013

Polymer Micro-Grippers With An Integrated Force Sensor For Biological Manipulation, Re Mackay, Hr Le, S Clark, Ja Williams

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

The development of a novel micro-system integrating SU-8 polymer micro-grippers with a tensile force sensor for handling and characterizing the mechanical properties of delicate biological materials, such as fibrils, is presented. The micro-grippers are actuated by the electro-thermal effect and have gripping forces comparable to the common 'hot-and-cold-arm' grippers. A robust finite element model was developed to investigate system performance and validated experimentally. A new micro-mechanical calibration method using a piezoelectric manipulator with a micro-force measurement system was successfully applied to test the structure. Both FEA simulation and micro-mechanical testing results indicated that the system could fulfil the requirements for …


Novel Polyomaviruses Of Nonhuman Primates: Genetic And Serological Predictors For The Existence Of Multiple Unknown Polyomaviruses Within The Human Population, Nelly Scuda, Nadege Freda Madinda, Chantal Akoua-Koffi, Edgard Valerie Adjogoua, Diana Wevers, Jörg Hofmann, Kenneth N. Cameron, Saj Leendertz, Emmanuel Couacy-Hymann, Martha Robbins, Christophe Boesch, Michael A. Jarvis, Ugo Moens, Lawrence Mugisha, Sébastien Calvignac-Spencer, Fh Leendertz, Bernhard Ehlers Jan 2013

Novel Polyomaviruses Of Nonhuman Primates: Genetic And Serological Predictors For The Existence Of Multiple Unknown Polyomaviruses Within The Human Population, Nelly Scuda, Nadege Freda Madinda, Chantal Akoua-Koffi, Edgard Valerie Adjogoua, Diana Wevers, Jörg Hofmann, Kenneth N. Cameron, Saj Leendertz, Emmanuel Couacy-Hymann, Martha Robbins, Christophe Boesch, Michael A. Jarvis, Ugo Moens, Lawrence Mugisha, Sébastien Calvignac-Spencer, Fh Leendertz, Bernhard Ehlers

School of Biomedical Sciences

No abstract provided.


A Fimh Inhibitor Prevents Acute Bladder Infection And Treats Chronic Cystitis Caused By Multidrug-Resistant Uropathogenic Escherichia Coli St131., Makrina Totsika, Maria Kostakioti, Thomas J. Hannan, Mathew Upton, Scott A. Beatson, James W. Janetka, Scott J. Hultgren, Mark A. Schembri Jan 2013

A Fimh Inhibitor Prevents Acute Bladder Infection And Treats Chronic Cystitis Caused By Multidrug-Resistant Uropathogenic Escherichia Coli St131., Makrina Totsika, Maria Kostakioti, Thomas J. Hannan, Mathew Upton, Scott A. Beatson, James W. Janetka, Scott J. Hultgren, Mark A. Schembri

School of Biomedical Sciences

BACKGROUND: Escherichia coli O25b:H4-ST131 represents a predominant clone of multidrug-resistant uropathogens currently circulating worldwide in hospitals and the community. Urinary tract infections (UTIs) caused by E. coli ST131 are typically associated with limited treatment options and are often recurrent. METHODS: Using established mouse models of acute and chronic UTI, we mapped the pathogenic trajectory of the reference E. coli ST131 UTI isolate, strain EC958. RESULTS: We demonstrated that E. coli EC958 can invade bladder epithelial cells and form intracellular bacterial communities early during acute UTI. Moreover, E. coli EC958 persisted in the bladder and established chronic UTI. Prophylactic antibiotic administration …


Visual And Linguistic Cues To Graspable Objects, Andriy Myachykov, Rob Ellis, Angelo Cangelosi, Martin H. Fischer Jan 2013

Visual And Linguistic Cues To Graspable Objects, Andriy Myachykov, Rob Ellis, Angelo Cangelosi, Martin H. Fischer

School of Psychology

No abstract provided.


Diamondoid Diacids (′O4′ Species) In Oil Sands Process-Affected Water, Sabine K. Lengger, Alan G. Scarlett, Charles E. West, Steven J. Rowland Jan 2013

Diamondoid Diacids (′O4′ Species) In Oil Sands Process-Affected Water, Sabine K. Lengger, Alan G. Scarlett, Charles E. West, Steven J. Rowland

More Faculty of Science and Engineering Research

No abstract provided.


A Robust Sound Perception Model Suitable For Neuromorphic Implementation., Martin Coath, Sadique Sheik, Elisabetta Chicca, Giacomo Indiveri, Susan L. Denham, Thomas Wennekers Jan 2013

A Robust Sound Perception Model Suitable For Neuromorphic Implementation., Martin Coath, Sadique Sheik, Elisabetta Chicca, Giacomo Indiveri, Susan L. Denham, Thomas Wennekers

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

We have recently demonstrated the emergence of dynamic feature sensitivity through exposure to formative stimuli in a real-time neuromorphic system implementing a hybrid analog/digital network of spiking neurons. This network, inspired by models of auditory processing in mammals, includes several mutually connected layers with distance-dependent transmission delays and learning in the form of spike timing dependent plasticity, which effects stimulus-driven changes in the network connectivity. Here we present results that demonstrate that the network is robust to a range of variations in the stimulus pattern, such as are found in naturalistic stimuli and neural responses. This robustness is a property …


Signature Verification Based On Moments Technique, Shaymaa Al-Juboori Jan 2013

Signature Verification Based On Moments Technique, Shaymaa Al-Juboori

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

In this research we will present the signature as a key to the biometric authentication technique. I shall use moment invariants as a tool to make a decision about any signature which is belonging to the certain person or not. Eighteen voluntaries give 108 signatures as a sample to test the proposed system, six samples belong to each person were taken. Moment invariants are used to build a feature vector stored in this system. Euclidean distance measure used to compute the distance between the specific signatures of persons saved in this system and with new sample acquired to same persons …


The Effect Of Contextual Cues On The Encoding Of Motor Memories., Ian S. Howard, Daniel M. Wolpert, David W. Franklin Jan 2013

The Effect Of Contextual Cues On The Encoding Of Motor Memories., Ian S. Howard, Daniel M. Wolpert, David W. Franklin

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

Several studies have shown that sensory contextual cues can reduce the interference observed during learning of opposing force fields. However, because each study examined a small set of cues, often in a unique paradigm, the relative efficacy of different sensory contextual cues is unclear. In the present study we quantify how seven contextual cues, some investigated previously and some novel, affect the formation and recall of motor memories. Subjects made movements in a velocity-dependent curl field, with direction varying randomly from trial to trial but always associated with a unique contextual cue. Linking field direction to the cursor or background …


An Interactive Channel Model Of The Basal Ganglia: Bifurcation Analysis Under Healthy And Parkinsonian Conditions, R Merrison-Hort, N Yousif, F Njap, Et Al Jan 2013

An Interactive Channel Model Of The Basal Ganglia: Bifurcation Analysis Under Healthy And Parkinsonian Conditions, R Merrison-Hort, N Yousif, F Njap, Et Al

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

Oscillations in the basal ganglia are an active area of research and have been shown to relate to the hypokinetic motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease. We study oscillations in a multi-channel mean field model, where each channel consists of an interconnected pair of subthalamic nucleus and globus pallidus sub-populations.To study how the channels interact, we perform two-dimensional bifurcation analysis of a model of an individual channel, which reveals the critical boundaries in parameter space that separate different dynamical modes; these modes include steady-state, oscillatory, and bi-stable behaviour. Without self-excitation in the subthalamic nucleus a single channel cannot generate oscillations, yet …


The Emergence Of Two Anti-Phase Oscillatory Neural Populations In A Computational Model Of The Parkinsonian Globus Pallidus, R Merrison-Hort, R Borisyuk Jan 2013

The Emergence Of Two Anti-Phase Oscillatory Neural Populations In A Computational Model Of The Parkinsonian Globus Pallidus, R Merrison-Hort, R Borisyuk

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

Experiments in rodent models of Parkinson's disease have demonstrated a prominent increase of oscillatory firing patterns in neurons within the Parkinsonian globus pallidus (GP) which may underlie some of the motor symptoms of the disease. There are two main pathways from the cortex to GP: via the striatum and via the subthalamic nucleus (STN), but it is not known how these inputs sculpt the pathological pallidal firing patterns. To study this we developed a novel neural network model of conductance-based spiking pallidal neurons with cortex-modulated input from STN neurons. Our results support the hypothesis that entrainment occurs primarily via the …


Event-Driven Visual Attention For The Humanoid Robot Icub, F Rea, G Metta, C Bartolozzi Jan 2013

Event-Driven Visual Attention For The Humanoid Robot Icub, F Rea, G Metta, C Bartolozzi

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

Fast reaction to sudden and potentially interesting stimuli is a crucial feature for safe and reliable interaction with the environment. Here we present a biologically inspired attention system developed for the humanoid robot iCub. It is based on input from unconventional event-driven vision sensors and an efficient computational method. The resulting system shows low-latency and fast determination of the location of the focus of attention. The performance is benchmarked against an instance of the state of the art in robotics artificial attention system used in robotics. Results show that the proposed system is two orders of magnitude faster that the …


Interactive Concept Acquisition For Embodied Artificial Agents, Joachim De Greeff Jan 2013

Interactive Concept Acquisition For Embodied Artificial Agents, Joachim De Greeff

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

An important capacity that is still lacking in intelligent systems such as robots, is the ability to use concepts in a human-like manner. Indeed, the use of concepts has been recognised as being fundamental to a wide range of cognitive skills, including classification, reasoning and memory. Intricately intertwined with language, concepts are at the core of human cognition; but despite a large body or research, their functioning is as of yet not well understood. Nevertheless it remains clear that if intelligent systems are to achieve a level of cognition comparable to humans, they will have to posses the ability to …


Self Organisation And Hierarchical Concept Representation In Networks Of Spiking Neurons, Timothy Rumbell Jan 2013

Self Organisation And Hierarchical Concept Representation In Networks Of Spiking Neurons, Timothy Rumbell

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

The aim of this work is to introduce modular processing mechanisms for cortical functions implemented in networks of spiking neurons. Neural maps are a feature of cortical processing found to be generic throughout sensory cortical areas, and self-organisation to the fundamental properties of input spike trains has been shown to be an important property of cortical organisation. Additionally, oscillatory behaviour, temporal coding of information, and learning through spike timing dependent plasticity are all frequently observed in the cortex. The traditional self-organising map (SOM) algorithm attempts to capture the computational properties of this cortical self-organisation in a neural network. As such, …


Bayesian Pathway Analysis In Epigenetics, Alan Wright Jan 2013

Bayesian Pathway Analysis In Epigenetics, Alan Wright

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

A typical gene expression data set consists of measurements of a large number of gene expressions, on a relatively small number of subjects, classified according to two or more outcomes, for example cancer or non-cancer. The identification of associations between gene expressions and outcome is a huge multiple testing problem. Early approaches to this problem involved the application of thousands of univariate tests with corrections for multiplicity. Over the past decade, numerous studies have demonstrated that analyzing gene expression data structured into predefined gene sets can produce benefits in terms of statistical power and robustness when compared to alternative approaches. …


Distributed Control For Collective Behaviour In Micro-Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, Fabio Ruini Jan 2013

Distributed Control For Collective Behaviour In Micro-Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, Fabio Ruini

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

The work presented herein focuses on the design of distributed autonomous controllers for collective behaviour of Micro-unmanned Aerial Vehicles (MAVs). Two alternative approaches to this topic are introduced: one based upon the Evolutionary Robotics (ER) paradigm, the other one upon flocking principles. Three computer simulators have been developed in order to carry out the required experiments, all of them having their focus on the modelling of fixed-wing aircraft flight dynamics. The employment of fixed-wing aircraft rather than the omni-directional robots typically employed in collective robotics significantly increases the complexity of the challenges that an autonomous controller has to face. This …


Bayesian Stochastic Differential Equation Modelling With Application To Finance, Muhannad Al-Saadony Jan 2013

Bayesian Stochastic Differential Equation Modelling With Application To Finance, Muhannad Al-Saadony

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

In this thesis, we consider some popular stochastic differential equation models used in finance, such as the Vasicek Interest Rate model, the Heston model and a new fractional Heston model. We discuss how to perform inference about unknown quantities associated with these models in the Bayesian framework. We describe sequential importance sampling, the particle filter and the auxiliary particle filter. We apply these inference methods to the Vasicek Interest Rate model and the standard stochastic volatility model, both to sample from the posterior distribution of the underlying processes and to update the posterior distribution of the parameters sequentially, as data …


An Investigation Of Electromyographic (Emg) Control Of Dextrous Hand Prostheses For Transradial Amputees, Ali Hussian Ali Jan 2013

An Investigation Of Electromyographic (Emg) Control Of Dextrous Hand Prostheses For Transradial Amputees, Ali Hussian Ali

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

There are many amputees around the world who have lost a limb through conflict, disease or an accident. Upper-limb prostheses controlled using surface Electromyography (sEMG) offer a solution to help the amputees; however, their functionality is limited by the small number of movements they can perform and their slow reaction times. Pattern recognition (PR)-based EMG control has been proposed to improve the functional performance of prostheses. It is a very promising approach, offering intuitive control, fast reaction times and the ability to control a large number of degrees of freedom (DOF). However, prostheses controlled with PR systems are not available …


The Development Of Bio-Inspired Cortical Feature Maps For Robot Sensorimotor Controllers, Samantha Adams Jan 2013

The Development Of Bio-Inspired Cortical Feature Maps For Robot Sensorimotor Controllers, Samantha Adams

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

This project applies principles from the field of Computational Neuroscience to Robotics research, in particular to develop systems inspired by how nature manages to solve sensorimotor coordination tasks. The overall aim has been to build a self-organising sensorimotor system using biologically inspired techniques based upon human cortical development which can in the future be implemented in neuromorphic hardware. This can then deliver the benefits of low power consumption and real time operation but with flexible learning onboard autonomous robots. A core principle is the Self-Organising Feature Map which is based upon the theory of how 2D maps develop in real …


Marine Renewable Energies: Perspectives And Implications For Marine Ecosystems, Arianna Azzellino, Daniel Conley, Diego Vicinanza, Jens Peter Kofoed Jan 2013

Marine Renewable Energies: Perspectives And Implications For Marine Ecosystems, Arianna Azzellino, Daniel Conley, Diego Vicinanza, Jens Peter Kofoed

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

No abstract provided.


Hurricane-Driven Patterns Of Clonality In An Ecosystem Engineer: The Caribbean Coral Montastraea Annularis, Nicola L. Foster, Iliana B. Baums, Juan A. Sanchez, Claire B. Paris, Iliana Chollett, Claudia L. Agudelo, Mark J.A. Vermeij, Peter J. Mumby Jan 2013

Hurricane-Driven Patterns Of Clonality In An Ecosystem Engineer: The Caribbean Coral Montastraea Annularis, Nicola L. Foster, Iliana B. Baums, Juan A. Sanchez, Claire B. Paris, Iliana Chollett, Claudia L. Agudelo, Mark J.A. Vermeij, Peter J. Mumby

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

No abstract provided.


Probiotic Pediococcus Acidilactici Modulates Both Localised Intestinal- And Peripheral-Immunity In Tilapia (Oreochromis Niloticus)., B. T. Standen, M. D. Rawling, S. J. Davies, M. Castex, A. Foey, G. Gioacchini, O. Carnevali, D. L. Merrifield Jan 2013

Probiotic Pediococcus Acidilactici Modulates Both Localised Intestinal- And Peripheral-Immunity In Tilapia (Oreochromis Niloticus)., B. T. Standen, M. D. Rawling, S. J. Davies, M. Castex, A. Foey, G. Gioacchini, O. Carnevali, D. L. Merrifield

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

The application of probiotics in aquaculture has received concerted research efforts but the localised intestinal immunological response of fish to probiotic bacteria is poorly understood. Therefore, a study was conducted to evaluate the probiotic effect of Pediococcus acidilactici on Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) with specific emphasis on intestinal health and probiotic levels as well as system level responses such as growth performance, feed utilization and haemato-immunological parameters under non-challenged conditions. Fish (9.19 ± 0.04 g) were fed either a control diet or a P. acidilactici supplemented diet (at 2.81 × 10(6) CFU g(-)(1)) for six weeks. At the end of …


Tolerance Of Sponge Assemblages To Temperature Anomalies: Resilience And Proliferation Of Sponges Following The 1997-8 El-Niño Southern Oscillation., Francisco Kelmo, James J. Bell, Martin J. Attrill Jan 2013

Tolerance Of Sponge Assemblages To Temperature Anomalies: Resilience And Proliferation Of Sponges Following The 1997-8 El-Niño Southern Oscillation., Francisco Kelmo, James J. Bell, Martin J. Attrill

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Coral reefs across the world are under threat from a range of stressors, and while there has been considerable focus on the impacts of these stressors on corals, far less is known about their effect on other reef organisms. The 1997-8 El-Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) had notable and severe impacts on coral reefs worldwide, but not all reef organisms were negatively impacted by this large-scale event. Here we describe how the sponge fauna at Bahia, Brazil was influenced by the 1997-8 ENSO event. Sponge assemblages from three contrasting reef habitats (reef tops, walls and shallow banks) at four sites were …


Self-Sensing Surface Plasmon Resonance For The Detection Of Metallic Nanoparticles, Nh Salah, D Jenkins, L Panina, R Handy, G Pan, Sa Awan Jan 2013

Self-Sensing Surface Plasmon Resonance For The Detection Of Metallic Nanoparticles, Nh Salah, D Jenkins, L Panina, R Handy, G Pan, Sa Awan

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) is an established technique for label free sensing of bio-molecular species, including time-dependent reaction analysis. Unlike previous research by other workers, who have used gold or silver nanoparticles to enhance sensitivity by inducing LSPR, this study involves the theoretical development of a Localised SPR (LSPR) system where a glass prism is considered with multilayer films to enable the detection of metallic nanoparticles. Silver nanoparticles with a volume concentration 0.25 % can be clearly detected from both amplitude and phase, according to the results of these simulations. The model presented is rigorous in that it accounts for …


Modeling Speech Imitation And Ecological Learning Of Auditory-Motor Maps, C Canevari, L Badino, A D'Ausilio, L Fadiga, G Metta Jan 2013

Modeling Speech Imitation And Ecological Learning Of Auditory-Motor Maps, C Canevari, L Badino, A D'Ausilio, L Fadiga, G Metta

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

Classical models of speech consider an antero-posterior distinction between perceptive and productive functions. However, the selective alteration of neural activity in speech motor centers, via transcranial magnetic stimulation, was shown to affect speech discrimination. On the automatic speech recognition (ASR) side, the recognition systems have classically relied solely on acoustic data, achieving rather good performance in optimal listening conditions. The main limitations of current ASR are mainly evident in the realistic use of such systems. These limitations can be partly reduced by using normalization strategies that minimize inter-speaker variability by either explicitly removing speakers' peculiarities or adapting different speakers to …


Network Position: A Key Component In The Characterization Of Social Personality Types, Alexander D.M. Wilson, S Krause, Niels J. Dingemanse, J Krause Jan 2013

Network Position: A Key Component In The Characterization Of Social Personality Types, Alexander D.M. Wilson, S Krause, Niels J. Dingemanse, J Krause

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

No abstract provided.


Site Fidelity And Localised Homing Behaviour In Three-Spined Sticklebacks (Gasterosteus Aculeatus), A. J.W. Ward, R. James, A. D.M. Wilson, M. M. Webster Jan 2013

Site Fidelity And Localised Homing Behaviour In Three-Spined Sticklebacks (Gasterosteus Aculeatus), A. J.W. Ward, R. James, A. D.M. Wilson, M. M. Webster

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

The ability of animals to disperse towards their original home range following displacement has been demonstrated in a number of species. However, little is known about the homing ability of three-spine sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus), an important model species in behavioural ecology. In addition, few studies have examined the role of social facilitation in relation to homing behaviour in fishes. We examined homing behaviour of sticklebacks displaced over distances of between 80 m and 160 m in land-drains with directional water flow. Fish were translocated from their original capture site, tagged and then released either in groups or solitarily. We performed …


Epibenthic Assessment Of A Renewable Tidal Energy Site, Emma V. Sheehan, Sarah C. Gall, Sophie L. Cousens, Martin J. Attrill Jan 2013

Epibenthic Assessment Of A Renewable Tidal Energy Site, Emma V. Sheehan, Sarah C. Gall, Sophie L. Cousens, Martin J. Attrill

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Concern over global climate change as a result of fossil fuel use has resulted in energy production from renewable sources. Marine renewable energy devices provide clean electricity but can also cause physical disturbance to the local environment. There is a considerable paucity of ecological data at potential marine renewable energy sites that is needed to assess potential future impacts and allow optimal siting of devices. Here, we provide a baseline benthic survey for the Big Russel in Guernsey, UK, a potential site for tidal energy development. To assess the suitability of proposed sites for marine renewable energy in the Big …


Responses Of Marine Benthic Microalgae To Elevated Co2, V. R. Johnson, C. Brownlee, R. E.M. Rickaby, M. Graziano, M. Milazzo, J. M. Hall-Spencer Jan 2013

Responses Of Marine Benthic Microalgae To Elevated Co2, V. R. Johnson, C. Brownlee, R. E.M. Rickaby, M. Graziano, M. Milazzo, J. M. Hall-Spencer

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

No abstract provided.


Climate Change And Marine Life, Aj Richardson, Cj Brown, K Brander, Jf Bruno, Et Al Dec 2012

Climate Change And Marine Life, Aj Richardson, Cj Brown, K Brander, Jf Bruno, Et Al

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

A Marine Climate Impacts Workshop was held from 29 April to 3 May 2012 at the US National Center of Ecological Analysis and Synthesis in Santa Barbara. This workshop was the culmination of a series of six meetings over the past three years, which had brought together 25 experts in climate change ecology, analysis of large datasets, palaeontology, marine ecology and physical oceanography. Aims of these workshops were to produce a global synthesis of climate impacts on marine biota, to identify sensitive habitats and taxa, to inform the current Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) process, and to strengthen research …