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Pollination Patterns by Green-Backed Firecrown Hummingbirds

Freeland et al. | May 28, 2020

Pollination Patterns by Green-Backed Firecrown Hummingbirds

The Green-backed Firecrown hummingbird is an essential pollinator in the temperate rainforests of southern South America. However, little is known about the ecology of these birds. Authors examined the foraging patterns of these birds identifying interesting differences in foraging patterns among season, age and sex.

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Overcoming The Uncanny Valley Through Shared Stressful Experience with a Humanoid Robot

Bing et al. | Jun 12, 2018

Overcoming The Uncanny Valley Through Shared Stressful Experience with a Humanoid Robot

The "Uncanny Valley" is a phenomenon in which humans feel discomfort in the presence of objects that are almost, but not quite, human-like. In this study, the authors tested whether this phenomenon could be overcome by sharing a stressful experience with a humanoid robot. They found that human subjects more readily accepted a robot partner that they had previously shared a stressful experience with, suggesting a potential method for increasing the effectiveness of beneficial human-robot interactions by reducing the Uncanny Valley effect.

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Using NLP to ascertain changes in the fast-fashion industry based on UN sustainable development goals

Chadha et al. | Sep 11, 2023

Using NLP to ascertain changes in the fast-fashion industry based on UN sustainable development goals
Image credit: Prudence Earl

Here, the authors sought to evaluate the efforts of fast fashion clothing companies towards sustainability, specifically in regards to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The authors used natural language processing to investigate the sustainability reports of fast fashion companies focusing on terms established by the UN. They found that the most consistently addressed areas were related to sustainable consumption/production, with a focus on health and well-being emerging during the recent pandemic.

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How CAFOs affect Escherichia coli contents in surrounding water sources

Lieberman et al. | Feb 24, 2023

How CAFOs affect <i>Escherichia coli</i> contents in surrounding water sources
Image credit: CDC

Commercial Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) produce large quantities of waste material from the animals being housed in them. These feedlots found across the United States contain livestock that produce waste that results in hazardous runoff. This study examines how CAFOs affect water sources by testing for Escherichia Coli (E. coli) content in bodies of water near CAFOs.

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Evaluating machine learning algorithms to classify forest tree species through satellite imagery

Gupta et al. | Mar 18, 2023

Evaluating machine learning algorithms to classify forest tree species through satellite imagery
Image credit: Sergei A

Here, seeking to identify an optimal method to classify tree species through remote sensing, the authors used a few machine learning algorithms to classify forest tree species through multispectral satellite imagery. They found the Random Forest algorithm to most accurately classify tree species, with the potential to improve model training and inference based on the inclusion of other tree properties.

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FCRL3 Gene Association with Asthma and Allergic Rhinitis

Sheikh et al. | Aug 05, 2020

FCRL3 Gene Association with Asthma and Allergic Rhinitis

This study sought to determine if there is an association between the single nucleotide polymorphism rs7528684 of the Fc receptor-like-3 (FCRL3) gene and asthma or allergic rhinitis (AR). Based on previous studies in an Asian population, we hypothesized that participants with an AA genotype of FCRL3 would be more likely to have asthma and/or allergic rhinitis. To test the hypothesis, surveys were administered to participants, and genotyping was performed on spit samples via PCR, restriction digest, and gel electrophoresis.

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Analyzing market dynamics and optimizing sales performance with machine learning

Kamat et al. | May 31, 2025

Analyzing market dynamics and optimizing sales performance with machine learning

This study uses interpretable machine learning models, lasso and ridge regression with Shapley analysis, to identify key sales drivers for Corporación Favorita, Ecuador’s largest grocery chain. The results show that macroeconomic factors, especially labor force size, have the greatest impact on sales, though geographic and seasonal variables like city altitude and holiday proximity also play important roles. These insights can help businesses focus on the most influential market conditions to enhance competitiveness and profitability.

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Survival analysis in cardiovascular epidemiology: nexus between heart disease and mortality

Lachwani et al. | Oct 23, 2024

Survival analysis in cardiovascular epidemiology: nexus between heart disease and mortality

In 2021, over 20 million people died from cardiovascular diseases, highlighting the need for a deeper understanding of factors influencing heart failure outcomes. This study examined multiple variables affecting mortality after heart failure, using random forest models to identify time, serum creatinine, and ejection fraction as key predictors. These findings could contribute to personalized medicine, improving survival rates by tailoring treatment strategies for heart failure patients.

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