University of Lincoln

About: University of Lincoln is a education organization based out in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, United Kingdom. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Higher education. The organization has 2341 authors who have published 7025 publications receiving 124797 citations.

The effects of spatial restriction on the behavior of rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus)

Abstract: Companion rabbits can be housed in a wide variety of accommodations including hutches of smaller dimensions as compared with those that are legally required for laboratory and farmed rabbits. Small rabbit enclosures may restrict behavior patterns including hopping, stretching, and rearing and may compromise rabbit welfare especially when these activities are important to the rabbits. To investigate this possibility, 19 rabbits of different sizes and breeds were housed in small pens equivalent to floor areas of hutches (0.88 m 2 ), medium pens approximately twice the floor area of conventional hutches (1.68 m 2 ), and large pens approximately 4 times the floor area of conventional hutches (3.35 m 2 ). Through scan sampling, 24-hour time budgets of the rabbits were determined and their response to a change in enclosure size was assessed by continuously sampling their behavior for 2 hours after their transfer into different-sized pens. Mixed model analysis using rabbit as the repeated measure found that rabbits were generally more active and interacted more with environmental resources in larger pens compared with smaller pens ( P P

Analysis of amino acids in latent fingerprint residue by capillary electrophoresis‐mass spectrometry

Abstract: The analysis of the chemical composition of fingerprints is important for the development and improvement of existing fingerprint enhancement techniques. This study demonstrates the first analysis of a latent fingerprint sample, using an optimized CE-MS method. In total 12 amino acids were detected in the fingerprint sample. MS/MS fragmentation was used to provide additional identity confirmation, for which eight of the twelve detected amino acids generated confirmatory product ions. Nine amino acids were quantified and their relative abundances were consistent with previous studies with serine and glycine being the most abundant. The successful detection of amino acids from latent fingerprints demonstrates that CE-MS is a potential future technique for further study of such compounds in fingerprint samples.

Artificial Intelligence for Long-Term Robot Autonomy: A Survey

Abstract: Autonomous systems will play an essential role in many applications across diverse domains including space, marine, air, field, road, and service robotics. They will assist us in our daily routines and perform dangerous, dirty and dull tasks. However, enabling robotic systems to perform autonomously in complex, real-world scenarios over extended time periods (i.e. weeks, months, or years) poses many challenges. Some of these have been investigated by sub-disciplines of Artificial Intelligence (AI) including navigation & mapping, perception, knowledge representation & reasoning, planning, interaction, and learning. The different sub-disciplines have developed techniques that, when re-integrated within an autonomous system, can enable robots to operate effectively in complex, long-term scenarios. In this paper, we survey and discuss AI techniques as 'enablers' for long-term robot autonomy, current progress in integrating these techniques within long-running robotic systems, and the future challenges and opportunities for AI in long-term autonomy.

Adult Bone-Marrow Stem Cells and Their Potential in Medicine:

Abstract: An area of research that today generates great optimism is the use of stem cells for therapy of human diseases. Much of the excitement centres on embryonic stem cells, but this approach remains controversial for ethical reasons; moreover, routine clinical application of this strategy is many years away. By contrast, haematopoietic stem cells from adult bone marrow are well characterized and have long been used therapeutically.1 An adult weighing 70 kg has a functional haematopoietic marrow volume of about 1.75 L and upon increased demands such as infection or haemorrhage it can increase sixfold.1,2 No moral controversy surrounds the use of these cells since they are either autologous or collected from a consenting donor. The potential applications of adult bone marrow cells have gained momentum with discoveries relating to the mesenchymal stem cell.