Article
Ecology
David Frei, Rishi De-Kayne, Oliver M. Selz, Ole Seehausen, Philine G. D. Feulner
Summary: Environmental change can lead to species extinction through speciation reversal and hybridization, but the genomic analysis of an Alpine whitefish radiation shows that the genome of an extinct species can persist within surviving species due to introgressive hybridization.
NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Aurore Canoville, Anusuya Chinsamy, Delphine Angst
Summary: This study investigates whether bone microanatomy can be used to infer the locomotion mode of large terrestrial birds and provides new insights into the histological diversity and growth strategies of flightless birds. The results show that extinct graviportal birds have thicker diaphyseal cortices and more bony trabeculae in the medullary region compared to cursorial birds. Growth marks and outer circumferential layers are also observed in the cortices of extant ratites. The high incidence of pathologies in modern ratites is attributed to their long lifespan.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Timothy J. Gaudin, Kaitlyn M. Smith, John R. Wible
Summary: The skeletal anatomy of the anterior narial region in mammals is complex, and preservation of this area in extant and extinct specimens is often incomplete. A study found a diverse series of unusual narial elements in sloths, including internasal bone, ossified nasal septum, and ossified processus lateralis ventralis, but the significance of these features is still unclear due to preservation issues. Further research is needed to fully understand the variation and potential significance of these features in the skull of sloths and anteaters.
JOURNAL OF MAMMALIAN EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Biology
Megan R. Woolley, Anusuya Chinsamy, Romala Govender, Marthan N. Bester
Summary: The study investigated three presumed fractured phocid seal bones, finding that one of the bones was actually affected by osteosarcoma, while histology of the other two bones showed similar bone tissue at the fracture sites. Additionally, the discovery of a birth line on the mandible of the elephant seal highlighted its young age.
HISTORICAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Mathematics, Interdisciplinary Applications
Baba Seidu, Oluwole D. Makinde, Joshua Kiddy K. Asamoah
Summary: This paper presents a novel algebraic method, named as Jacobian-Determinant method, for constructing Lyapunov functions to study the global stability of disease-free equilibrium points in deterministic epidemic ordinary differential equation models. The method relies on a direct algebraic procedure and determines a threshold quantity, R'0, which is analogous to the basic reproduction number, R0. The method is applied to various models and reveals that the threshold quantity is related to the basic reproduction numbers obtained using the next-generation matrix method, even for models that do not use standard or mass action incidence.
CHAOS SOLITONS & FRACTALS
(2023)
Article
Operations Research & Management Science
Abdessamad Barbara
Summary: In this paper, a family of affine scaling interior point algorithms, based on a large class of differential barrier functions, is proposed. These algorithms are shown to be an extension and generalization of the classical affine scaling algorithm based on the log barrier function. After conducting a complete convergence analysis, some of these algorithms are selected for comparison with the classical affine scaling algorithm using the Netlib test set.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Haifa Bin Jebreen, Carlo Cattani
Summary: This paper presents an innovative and efficient technique for solving space-time fractional differential equations (STFPDEs). By applying the Tau method and interpolating scaling functions (ISFs), the operational matrix for the Caputo fractional derivative is introduced to reduce computation costs. Numerical implementations demonstrate the effectiveness of this method in solving such equations.
Article
Anatomy & Morphology
Camille Bader, Arnaud Delapre, Alexandra Houssaye
Summary: This study investigates the shape variation of the six limb long bones in Asian elephants and African savanna elephants using three-dimensional geometric morphometrics and qualitative comparisons. The results show that bone robustness increases with body mass in both species, and Asian elephants have enlarged areas of muscular insertions compared to African savanna elephants. This suggests a higher limb compliance and dexterity in Asian elephants, possibly related to their habitat and foraging habits.
JOURNAL OF ANATOMY
(2023)
Article
Automation & Control Systems
Matteo Della Rossa, Aneel Tanwani, Luca Zaccarian
Summary: This article discusses the robustness analysis of interconnections between two dynamical systems using a generalized notion of derivatives associated with locally Lipschitz Lyapunov functions. The article provides sufficient conditions for input-to-state stability for differential inclusions, which are less conservative than commonly used Clarke derivative-based conditions. The results are applied to state-dependent switched systems and the interconnection of two differential inclusions. An observer-based controller is proposed for a certain nonlinear two-mode state-dependent switched systems as an example.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON AUTOMATIC CONTROL
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Zhen Cheng, Zeng Cui, Jianjun Shi, Yu Liu, Kimberly J. La Pierre, Gao-Lin Wu
Summary: Higher mean annual precipitation significantly increased plant species diversity and grassland ecosystem functions across different precipitation gradients. Allocation of above- and below-ground plant biomass shifted to aboveground as the ecosystem transitioned from arid to humid zones, with the largest trade-off between above- and below-ground plant biomass observed in the semi-humid zone. Grass-dominated communities mainly drove plant biomass in arid, semi-arid, and semi-humid zones, while sedge- and forb-dominated communities were dominant in the humid zone. The effects of precipitation on ecosystem functions were mediated by either aboveground plant biomass or species diversity in different plant functional types-dominated communities.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Gemma L. Johnson, Morgan B. Glasser, Julia F. Charles, Jeffrey Duryea, Jessica A. Lehoczky
Summary: En1 and Lmx1b are re-expressed during mouse digit tip regeneration, but do not affect dorsal-ventral patterning. Genetic deletion of En1 or Lmx1b has a modest impact on bone regeneration in the digit tip.
Article
Mathematics, Applied
Sedigheh Sabermahani, Yadollah Ordokhani, Hossein Hassani
Summary: This paper studies a numerical technique for solving general variable-order partial differential equations, presenting general variable-order pseudo-operational matrices that are applied to general Lagrange scaling functions. By implementing these matrices and an optimization method, the problem is reduced to a system of nonlinear algebraic equations. The convergence analysis and numerical examples demonstrate its good performance.
COMPUTATIONAL & APPLIED MATHEMATICS
(2021)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Zhijie Yu, Zhongya Lin, Yueguang Wei
Summary: Indentation scaling relationships were established based on numerical results, providing high accuracy in understanding material properties and indentation responses. The closed-form expressions derived in this study greatly enhanced the value of cross-scale indentation scaling relationships.
PHILOSOPHICAL MAGAZINE
(2021)
Review
Zoology
Francois J. Meunier, Camila Cupello, Marc Herbin, Gael Clement, Paulo M. Brito
Summary: "Recent studies have confirmed the homology between the lungs of fossil and extant coelacanths, raising new questions about the origins of the lung in Latimeria."
Article
Engineering, Multidisciplinary
Guangcai Zhang, Chunfeng Wan, Xiaobing Xiong, Liyu Xie, Mohammad Noori, Songtao Xue
Summary: A novel hybrid algorithm based on Jaya and differential evolution algorithm (HJDEA) is proposed in this paper to solve the optimization-based structural damage identification problem. The algorithm effectively combines the local exploitation capacity of Jaya algorithm and the global exploration capability of differential evolution to detect, locate and quantify structural damages. Hammersley sequence initialization and Levy flight search mechanism are introduced to further improve the performance of the algorithm. Numerical examples and an experimental study are conducted to evaluate the proposed algorithm, and the results demonstrate its accuracy, efficiency and robustness in identifying structural damages.