bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Morcellement d’une aire protégée en agglomération urbaine : le cas du parc national du Banco (Côte d’Ivoire)
Authors: Tia Lazare , Dago Dohouri Rose
Published: September 2016

La volonté de préserver et de conserver les ressources forestières en leur état naturel est à l’origine de la création des parcs nationaux et réserves naturelles, en Côte d’Ivoire. Ce processus fut entamé avec le parc national (PN) du Banco, qui est passé du statut de station forestière, en 1926, à celui de parc national, en 1953. De par sa situation géographique, le PN du Banco est classé parmi les parcs urbains du monde. Ce riche patrimoine naturel est l’objet de dégradations et pollutions diverses. Les résultats d’une enquête exhaustive montrent que la conjugaison de plusieurs facteurs a contribué au morcellement du parc dans sa partie nord-est, connue comme le Triangle de Sagbé (52 ha). Parmi ces facteurs on note les fortes pressions démographique et foncière urbaine, ainsi que les crises socioéconomiques et politicomilitaires doublées d’une faiblesse institutionnelle. Au total, 1134 acteurs économiques informels s’y sont installés par vagues successives, de 1987 à 2013. La quasi totalité des exploitants (95,6 %) des sites du Triangle de Sagbé sont bien disposés à libérer les lieux, mais ils s’y maintiennent à la faveur de la passivité et de la réduction du rôle régalien de l’État dans la protection des aires protégées. Pour garantir une conservation durable du parc, des mesures coercitives de déguerpissement, la construction d’au moins 14,2 km de clôture et l’application du système de gestion participative sont nécessaires.
Arènes décisionnelles dans les régimes coutumiers du Bénin et territorialité de la participation
Authors: Lanmafankpotin Georges , André Pierre
Published: September 2016

Deux grands ensembles socioculturels de gestion traditionnelle du pouvoir, au Bénin, couvrent différentes réalités participatives selon que les décisions se prennent dans une société hiérarchisée à structure verticale ou dans une société acéphale à structure horizontale. À l’intérieur de ces structures et en fonction des aires culturelles, les dispositifs participatifs peuvent aller des plus simples et démocratiques aux plus complexes et très réservés à une clientèle particulière. On distingue leDaŋnoude Sètrah, lesHon-Togbassa,TokplékpléetTogbéssod’Abomey, l’Atunşede Kétou et l’Aruzumade Nikki. Ces dispositifs visent l’amélioration de l’efficacité de la gouvernance par l’association du citoyen à la prise de décision et par l’acquisition de l’onction populaire à l’action publique. Dans ces sociétés à gestion communautaire du type de celles rencontrées au Bénin, la participation rythme la vie, et les décisions prises sont en général largement partagées, quoique des mécanismes institutionnalisés soient en place pour assurer que chaque membre de la communauté se retrouve dans les décisions qui engagent l’ensemble des populations.
A BIOFILOSOFIA DOS GRAUS DO ORGÂNICO: ARNOLD GEHLEN E A ONTOLOGIA DE NICOLAI HARTMANN
Authors: De Almeida Cleber Ranieri Ribas
Published: September 2016

O propósito deste artigo é investigar os fundamentos da antropobiologia de Arnold Gehlen de modo a demonstrar como o esquema darwiniano da evolução das espécies fora aí substituído pela biofilosofia dos graus do orgânico de Nicolai Hartmann. Esta substituição permitiu que Gehlen distinguisse claramente entre as Leis Estruturais da Constituição Humana (LECH) e as Operações Humanas (OPHU). Segundo Gehlen, a ação conjunta (handlung zuzammen) entre estruturas e operações humanas forma um circuito inconsútil no qual as carências vitais do homem (mängelwesen) são supridas mediante ações de descarga. A observação fenomenológica das leis de descarga (entlastungsgefahren) se dá na fabricação do mundo (Welt). Malgrado seus notáveis progressos no que diz respeito à explicação não-zoológica do homem, o modelo gehleniano reduziu a percepção fenomenológica do humano a uma mecânica de operações e estruturas. A substituição do esquema darwiniano pela ontologia de Nicolai Hartmann nos provê uma explicação holística e singular do homem, porém, sob pena da redução mecânica das operações simbólicas e numênicas.

 
TP53 drives invasion through expression of its Δ133p53β variant
Authors: Gadea Gilles , Arsic Nikola , Fernandes Kenneth , Diot Alexandra , Joruiz Sébastien M , Abdallah Samer , Meuray Valerie , Vinot Stéphanie , Anguille Christelle , Remenyi Judit , Khoury Marie P , Quinlan Philip R , Purdie Colin A , Jordan Lee B , Fuller-Pace Frances V , de Toledo Marion , Cren Maïlys , Thompson Alastair M , Bourdon Jean-Christophe , Roux Pierre
Published: September 2016

TP53 is conventionally thought to prevent cancer formation and progression to metastasis, while mutant TP53 has transforming activities. However, in the clinic, TP53 mutation status does not accurately predict cancer progression. Here we report, based on clinical analysis corroborated with experimental data, that the p53 isoform Δ133p53β promotes cancer cell invasion, regardless of TP53 mutation status. Δ133p53β increases risk of cancer recurrence and death in breast cancer patients. Furthermore Δ133p53β is critical to define invasiveness in a panel of breast and colon cell lines, expressing WT or mutant TP53. Endogenous mutant Δ133p53β depletion prevents invasiveness without affecting mutant full-length p53 protein expression. Mechanistically WT and mutant Δ133p53β induces EMT. Our findings provide explanations to 2 long-lasting and important clinical conundrums: how WT TP53 can promote cancer cell invasion and reciprocally why mutant TP53 gene does not systematically induce cancer progression.
Replacing the PDZ-interacting C-termini of DSCAM and DSCAML1 with epitope tags causes different phenotypic severity in different cell populations
Authors: Garrett Andrew M , Tadenev Abigail LD , Hammond Yuna T , Fuerst Peter G , Burgess Robert W
Published: September 2016

Different types of neurons in the retina are organized vertically into layers and horizontally in a mosaic pattern that helps ensure proper neural network formation and information processing throughout the visual field. The vertebrate Dscams (DSCAM and DSCAML1) are cell adhesion molecules that support the development of this organization by promoting self-avoidance at the level of cell types, promoting normal developmental cell death, and directing vertical neurite stratification. To understand the molecular interactions required for these activities, we tested the functional significance of the interaction between the C-terminus of the Dscams and multi-PDZ domain-containing scaffolding proteins in mouse. We hypothesized that this PDZ-interacting domain would mediate a subset of the Dscams’ functions. Instead, we found that in the absence of these interactions, some cell types developed almost normally, while others resembled complete loss of function. Thus, we show differential dependence on this domain for Dscams’ functions in different cell types.
Dissociated sequential activity and stimulus encoding in the dorsomedial striatum during spatial working memory
Authors: Akhlaghpour Hessameddin , Wiskerke Joost , Choi Jung Yoon , Taliaferro Joshua P , Au Jennifer , Witten Ilana B
Published: September 2016

Several lines of evidence suggest that the striatum has an important role in spatial working memory. The neural dynamics in the striatum have been described in tasks with short delay periods (1–4 s), but remain largely uncharacterized for tasks with longer delay periods. We collected and analyzed single unit recordings from the dorsomedial striatum of rats performing a spatial working memory task with delays up to 10 s. We found that neurons were activated sequentially, with the sequences spanning the entire delay period. Surprisingly, this sequential activity was dissociated from stimulus encoding activity, which was present in the same neurons, but preferentially appeared towards the onset of the delay period. These observations contrast with descriptions of sequential dynamics during similar tasks in other brains areas, and clarify the contribution of the striatum to spatial working memory.
Photocurrent enhancement of chemically synthesized Ag nanoparticle-embedded BiFeO3 thin films
Authors: Maruyama Rika , Sakamoto Wataru , Yuitoo Isamu , Takeuchi Teruaki , Hayashi Koichiro , Yogo Toshinobu
Published: September 2016

BiFeO3 and Ag nanoparticle-embedded BiFeO3 thin films were prepared on Pt/TiO
x
/SiO2/Si and MgO(100) substrates using colloidal silver and BiFeO3 metal–organic precursor solutions. Colloidal silver solution was prepared by a chemical reductive method using NaBH4 as a reductant. The prepared Ag nanoparticles exhibited characteristic optical absorption properties based on their surface plasmon resonance related to particle size. The synthesized BiFeO3 and Ag nanoparticle/BiFeO3 thin films demonstrated rapid on/off responses of photocurrent to visible light. The Ag nanoparticle-incorporated BiFeO3 film exhibited a 2–4-fold higher photocurrent than the BiFeO3 film. Optical and ferroelectric properties did not change markedly even when Ag nanoparticles were embedded in the BiFeO3 thin film within the quantities of this study. Furthermore, in the Ag nanoparticle/BiFeO3 composite structure, Ag nanoparticles were introduced in the near-metallic state with maintained their nanometer size. In the Ag nanoparticle-embedded BiFeO3 film, photoinduced charge separation and transport of photoexcited carriers were enhanced by the surface plasmon effect of nanosized Ag particles as well as the internal bias electric field existed in the narrow-bandgap BiFeO3 thin film.
Sign Language Translation Approach to Sinhalese
Language
Authors: Fernando Pumudu , Wimalaratne Prasad
Published: September 2016

Sign language is used for communication between deaf persons while Sinhalese language is used by normal hearing persons whose first language is Sinhalese in Sri Lanka. This research focuses on an approach for a real-time translation from Sri Lankan sign language to Sinhalese language which will bridge the communication gap between deaf and ordinary communities. This study further focuses on a novel methodology of enabling distance communication between deaf and ordinary persons. Once the sign based gestures captured by depth sensing camera, series of feature extraction techniques will be used to identify essential attributes in gesture frame. Identified feature frame will be compared with pre-trained gesture dictionary based on classification techniques, in order to identify gesture based word. Detected word will be displayed for ordinary user or could be used for communication between two individuals in two different geographic locations. Proposed prototype has provided an overall recognition rate of 94.2% for a dictionary of fifteen signs in Sri Lankan sign language.
Arabic Text Categorization Using Support vector machine, Naïve Bayes and Neural Network
Authors: Mohammad Adel Hamdan , Alwada‘n Tariq , Al-Momani Omar
Published: September 2016

Text classification is a very important area in information retrieval. Text classification techniques used to classify documents into a set of predefined categories. There are several techniques and methods used to classify data and in fact there are many researches talks about English text classification. Unfortunately, few researches talks about Arabic text classification. This paper talks about three well-known techniques used to classify data. These three well-known techniques are applied on Arabic data set. A comparative study is made between these three techniques. Also this study used fixed number of documents for all categories of documents in training and testing phase. The result shows that the Support Vector machine gives the best results.
Integrated analysis of ischemic stroke datasets revealed sex and age difference in anti-stroke targets
Authors: Li Wen-Xing , Dai Shao-Xing , Wang Qian , Guo Yi-Cheng , Hong Yi , Zheng Jun-Juan , Liu Jia-Qian , Liu Dahai , Li Gong-Hua , Huang Jing-Fei
Published: September 2016

Ischemic stroke is a common neurological disorder and the burden in the world is growing. This study aims to explore the effect of sex and age difference on ischemic stroke using integrated microarray datasets. The results showed a dramatic difference in whole gene expression profiles and influenced pathways between males and females, and also in the old and young individuals. Furthermore, compared with old males, old female patients showed more serious biological function damage. However, females showed less affected pathways than males in young subjects. Functional interaction networks showed these differential expression genes were mostly related to immune and inflammation-related functions. In addition, we found ARG1 and MMP9 were up-regulated in total and all subgroups. Importantly, IL1A, ILAB, IL6 and TNF and other anti-stroke target genes were up-regulated in males. However, these anti-stroke target genes showed low expression in females. This study found huge sex and age differences in ischemic stroke especially the opposite expression of anti-stroke target genes. Future studies are needed to uncover these pathological mechanisms, and to take appropriate pre-prevention, treatment and rehabilitation measures.
The Prognostic Factors and Outcome of Adult Medulloblastoma: Where We Stand
Authors: Ibis Kamuran , Karadeniz Ahmet , Meral Rasim , Guveli Murat , Basaran Mert , Bavbek Sevil , Ekenel Meltem , Agaoglu Fulya , Darendeliler Emin , Altun Musa
Published: September 2016

We designed our study to analyze the prognostic factors and treatment outcomes of adult medulloblastoma patients who received postoperative craniospinal irradiation. Fourty-three patients who were treated due to medulloblastoma at Istanbul University, Institute of Oncology between 1990 and 2013 were retrospectively analyzed. All of the patients were older than 18 years, with a median age of 27 years (range, 18–51 years). In 40 (93%) patients, total resection of the tumor was achieved, and 3 (7%) patients had undergone a subtotal tumoral resection. Risk assessment revealed 7 high-risk and 36 standard-risk patients. All patients received postoperative craniospinal irradiation, delivering a median craniospinal dose of 36 Gy, with an additional boost to the posterior fossa up to 54 Gy. Fifteen patients received chemotherapy. The median follow-up was 62 months (range, 3–213 months). The 5-year, 10-year, overall, and disease-free survival rates were 63%, 51%, 66%, and 55%, respectively. Univariate analysis revealed that hydrocephalus, initial local recurrence, subtotal resection in primary surgery, initial Karnofsky performance status ≤70, duration of symptoms shorter than 30 days, and primary site dose < 54 Gy were found to be negative prognostic factors. Toxicity was moderate. The main therapy in adult medulloblatoms is craniospinal irradiation following surgery. The prognostic factors and outcomes of the patients in our study are concordant with previous reports in the literature.
Layered Organic‐Inorganic Materials
Authors: Brunet Ernesto , de Victoria‐Rodríguez María , García‐Patrón Laura Jiménez , Cerro Carlos , Alhendawi Hussein , Rodríguez‐Payán Elena , Rodríguez‐Ubis Juan Carlos , Juanes Olga
Published: September 2016

“What would the properties of materials be if we could really arrange the atoms (molecules) the way we want them?” Besides, Feynman conjectured “What could we do with layered structures with just the right layers?” The chemistry of layered zirconium phosphate (ZrP) gives excellent possibilities to achieve the goal of designing porous solids of controlled molecular geometry, a challenge of enormous technological and scientific importance. The placing of organic molecules between the layers of ZrP is quite straightforward, can easily be controlled, and leads to enduring solid materials where the confinement makes the organic molecules to show new properties at the supramolecular level. The chemistry of metal phosphates/phosphonates will be detailed in relation with the following topics: (i) molecular recognition; (ii) chemically driven porosity changes; (iii) chiral memory and supramolecular chirality; (iv) luminescence signaling; (v) photoinduced electron‐transfer processes; (vi) hydrogen storage; and (vii) confinement of drugs.
Error characterization in iQuam SSTs using triple collocations with satellite measurements
Authors: Xu Feng , Ignatov Alexander
Published: September 2016

Various types of in situ sea surface temperature (SST) measurements have dominated during different periods of the satellite era. Their corresponding errors should be characterized to curtail the nonuniformities in calibration and validation of reprocessed historical satellite SST data. SSTs from several major in situ platform types reported in the NOAA in situ Quality Monitor (iQuam) system have been collocated with NOAA‐17 Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) and Envisat Advanced Along Track Scanning Radiometer (AATSR) satellite SSTs from 2003 to 2009, produced by the European Space Agency (ESA) Climate Change Initiative (CCI) program. The standard deviations of errors in iQuam in situ and nighttime satellite CCI SSTs estimated using triple‐collocation analyses are 0.75 K for ships, 0.21–0.22 K for drifters and Argo floats, 0.17 K and 0.40 K for tropical and coastal moorings, 0.35–0.38 K for AVHRR, and 0.15–0.30 K for AATSR. The distribution of in situ and satellite errors in space and time is also analyzed, along with their single‐sensor error distributions.
The 2013 Wyoming upper mantle earthquakes: Tomography and tectonic implications
Authors: Wang Xinyang , Zhao Dapeng , Li Jiabiao
Published: September 2016

On 21 September 2013 two earthquakes (M 4.8 and 3.0, focal depths >70 km) occurred in the lithospheric mantle beneath central Wyoming, which provide a rare opportunity to investigate the lithosphere rheology and dynamics. We determined a detailed 3‐D P wave tomography in the source area of the Wyoming earthquakes using a large number of high‐quality traveltime data of local earthquakes and teleseismic events. Our results show that the 2013 Wyoming earthquakes occurred in an isolated high‐velocity (high‐V) anomaly which extends down to a depth of ~160 km. We propose two possible scenarios about the cause of the 2013 Wyoming earthquakes. One is that the high‐V anomaly reflects a remnant of the subducted Farallon slab which fractured under long‐term negative buoyancy and heating by the infilling asthenosphere. The other is removing of a dense mantle lithospheric root. The present results shed new light on the rheology and seismotectonics of the continental lithosphere.
Impacts of mesoscale activity on the water masses and circulation in the Coral Sea
Authors: Rousselet L. , Doglioli A. M. , Maes C. , Blanke B. , Petrenko A. A.
Published: September 2016

The climatological vision of the circulation within the Coral Sea is today well established with the westward circulation of two main jets, the North Caledonian Jet (NCJ) and the North Vanuatu Jet (NVJ) as a consequence of the separation of the South Equatorial Current (SEC) on the islands of New Caledonia, Vanuatu, and Fiji. Each jet has its own dynamic and transports different water masses across the Coral Sea. The influence of mesoscale activity on mean flow and on water mass exchanges is not yet fully explored in this region of intense activity. Our study relies on the analysis of in situ, satellite, and numerical data. Indeed, we first use in situ data from the Bifurcation cruise and from an Argo float, jointly with satellite‐derived velocities, to study the eddy influence on the Coral Sea dynamics. We identify an anticyclonic eddy as participating in the transport of NVJ‐like water masses into the theoretical pathway of NCJ waters. This transfer from the NVJ to the NCJ is confirmed over the long term by a Lagrangian analysis. In particular, this numerical analysis shows that anticyclonic eddies can contribute up to 70–90% of the overall eddy transfer between those seemingly independent jets. Finally, transports calculated using S‐ADCP measurements (0–500 m) show an eddy‐induced sensitivity that can reach up to 15 Sv, i.e., the order of the transport of the jets.
Red Algae
Authors: Fredericq Suzanne , Schmidt William E
Published: September 2016

Red algae are a phylum of about 7100 mostly marine, unicellular and multicellular photosynthetic eukaryotes that belong to the Supergroup Plantae. Multicellular taxa consist exclusively of a filamentous construction lacking true tissues despite their often superficially complex plant body. This group is unique in the Tree of Life in lacking both flagella and centrioles with a 9 + 2 microtubule arrangement in all stages of the life history.

They include species with elaborate life cycles, significant ecological importance and extensive economical applications. The oldest known taxonomically resolved eukaryotic fossil, ca. 1250–1100 million years ago, is a red alga.

Key Concepts

Red algae are crucial organisms for understanding the evolution of sex and life cycles.

Red algae are crucial organisms to understand the evolution of multicellularity since the oldest eukaryote on record is a red alga.

Red algae are important in the evolution of photosynthetic eukaryotes since their ancestor hosted a cyanobacterium that became the plastid through the event of primary endosymbiosis.

Mitochondrial genomes among multicellular red algae are highly conserved, supporting the notion of a rapid radiation among the morphologically divergent multicellular lineages.

The calcifying coralline red algae are widespread, long‐lived barometers of ocean health and real‐time indicators of global warming and ocean acidification impacts.
Haeme Biosynthesis
Authors: Moghe Akshata , Phillips John D , Anderson Karl E
Published: September 2016

Haeme is a cofactor required for the function of many key haemoproteins in living organisms. The pathway for haeme synthesis consists of eight enzymes and their substrates and products. Pathway intermediates include an amino acid, a pyrrole and a series of porphyrins that undergo decarboxylations followed by insertion of iron to form haeme (iron protoporphyrinIX). When activities of enzymes in the haeme biosynthetic pathway are altered by mutations or inhibitors, pathway intermediates may accumulate and cause skin photosensitivity and neurological dysfunction, as found in the porphyrias. Closely related pathways in plants and bacteria provide chlorophylls and other tetrapyrrolic pigments important for harvesting energy from light.

Key Concepts

Haeme is essential as a cofactor for proteins involved in key biological processes such as oxidations, oxygen transport and storage and electron transport.

The haeme biosynthetic pathway consists of eight enzymes, which have been characterised and their genes sequenced in many species including humans.

Closely related pathways in plants and bacteria synthesise chlorophyll and other light‐harvesting pigments.

Key stages in haeme biosynthesis are the synthesis of the precursor amino acid ALA, formation of the cyclic tetrapyrroles uroporphyrinogen III, decarboxylation to form protoporphyrinogen IX, oxidation to protoporphyrin IX and insertion of iron to complete haeme synthesis.

ALA is synthesised from glycine and succinyl‐coenzyme A in animals, yeast and some bacteria, but from glutamate in plants, algae, archaea and some other bacteria.

In mammals, the tissues that are most active in haeme synthesis are the bone marrow, where haeme is used primarily for haemoglobin; and the liver, which synthesises large amounts of cytochrome P450 enzymes and smaller amounts of many other haemoproteins.

The initial enzyme ALAS1 is rate limiting for haeme biosynthesis in mammalian liver, and this enzyme is downregulated by the endproduct haeme.

Synthesis of pathway enzymes in the marrow is coordinated by erythroid‐specific transcription factors and iron.
Immunotoxicology
Authors: Hartung Thomas
Published: September 2016

The immune system can be the target of many chemicals, with potentially adverse effects on the host's health. Over the past two decades, little has changed in the practice of immunotoxicity testing for regulatory purposes. Current guidelines still rely on animal tests, which include some immune endpoints in repeated dose tests and call for dedicated tests when alerts indicate a problem. At the same time, a wealth of
in vitro
approaches has been developed, but little has been adopted for routine testing. The extent to which immunotoxicity of chemicals represents a health problem at low levels of exposure is not clear: it appears that responses of healthy individuals to immunological challenges differ widely and most immunomodulators have little adverse effects, except when coinciding with an infectious or malignant challenge or when exposure early in life is expected, where the odds of progressing into infection and autoimmune diseases as well as cancer can be changed. The enormous overcapacity of immune defense, the presence of compensatory mechanisms and their fast restoration contribute to limiting health threats for the individual, although on a population base minor immunomodulations might also result in increased morbidities.
In vitro
alternative approaches might offer an opportunity to screen for problematic substances and prioritising them for
in vivo
testing.

Key Concepts

Chemicals and drugs have been associated with various types of immune modulation including allergy/sensitisation, autoimmunity, inflammation and immunosuppression, mainly in high‐dose animal experiments.

The majority of substances has never been tested as to immune effects.

It is not clear to which extent immuntoxicity of environmental chemicals produces public health effects, especially for immunosuppression.

The guidance how to test is limited, mainly based on assessment of immune organs in repeated dose (chronic) animal tests.

A number of
in vitro
tests have become available but only few have been pre‐validated so far.

Immunotoxicity and inflammation should be part of future integrated testing strategies.
Sexual Conflict
Authors: Bonduriansky Russell
Published: September 2016

Although females and males share a common interest in successful reproduction, the sexes often maximise their reproductive success (fitness) in mutually incompatible ways. Two types of sexual conflict are recognised:
Interlocus sexual conflict
reflects a conflict of interest over the outcome of an interaction between sexes (e.g. to mate or not?), with some genetic loci evolving to enhance male fitness at females' expense and other loci evolving to promote female fitness by mitigating male‐imposed harm. This conflict drives the evolution of sexually antagonistic male strategies such as coercive behaviours and morphologies, toxic ejaculates and infanticide and female counteradaptations that confer resistance to males.
Intralocus sexual conflict
reflects divergent selection on a shared trait whose expression is influenced by the same loci in both sexes, such that selection on one sex can displace the other sex from its phenotypic optimum. Both forms of sexual conflict drive the evolution of sexual dimorphism.

Key Concepts

Sexual conflict arises because strategies that maximise the fitness of one sex can reduce the fitness of the other sex.

Two basic forms of sexual conflict are recognised:
interlocus
(between genetic loci) and
intralocus
(within a genetic locus).

Interlocus sexual conflict is a conflict of interest over the outcome of some interaction (e.g. to mate or not?), mediated by different genetic loci in each sex.

Interlocus sexual conflict can lead to sexual ‘arms races’, whereby adaptations that benefit males at females' expense select for counteradaptations in females that mitigate male‐imposed harm.

Interlocus sexual conflict is manifested in a variety of traits that increase male reproductive success but harm females in the process, including behavioural harassment and coercion, morphological traits such as genital spines and chemical manipulation via ejaculate components or pheromones.

Intralocus sexual conflict is a conflict of interest over the expression of a shared trait that is subject to sex‐specific selection but influenced by the same genetic loci in both sexes.

Intralocus sexual conflict selects for modifications to the genetic basis of trait expression that allow each sex to evolve towards its phenotypic optimum, resulting in sexual dimorphism.

Intralocus sexual conflict challenges the ‘good genes’ model of sexual selection because females that mate with high‐quality males may produce low‐quality daughters.

Sexual conflict may increase the costs of sexual reproduction, reduce mean fitness in populations and (in theory) even promote population extinction.

The study of sexual conflict has become one of the most important and dynamic areas in evolutionary biology.
Ecological Genetics
Authors: Urban Mark C
Published: September 2016

Ecological genetics is the study of how ecologically relevant traits evolve in natural populations. Early research in ecological genetics demonstrated that natural selection often is strong enough to generate rapid adaptive changes in nature. Current work has expanded our understanding of the temporal and spatial scales at which natural selection can operate in nature. Modern ecological geneticists combine field observations, laboratory experiments and rapidly improving laboratory techniques to further our understanding about how traits evolve in nature. Genomic techniques are rapidly providing tools to identify regions under selection or that have changed through evolution. Ecological geneticists increasingly explore how evolutionary dynamics shape ecological properties. Consequently, ecological genetics is highly relevant to practical questions that lie at the interface of ecology and evolution.

Key Concepts

Ecological genetics is concerned with how traits evolve in natural populations.

Ecological geneticists apply a combination of natural surveys and experiments in the laboratory and in the field to discern genetic from plastic phenotypic variation and the agents of natural selection that determine this variation.

The ecological geneticist seeks to determine the dominant agents of selection in an environment and associate genetic variation to these selective agents and random drift.

Ecological genetics is concerned both with the spatial and temporal scales over which evolution can occur in nature and the constraints that prevent it.

Genomic methods provide new tools to gain a more complete understanding of genetic variation in nature as well as the agents of natural selection; genomics has so permeated ecological genetics that ecological genomics increasingly is used in place of ecological genetics.

Recent research has revealed evidence for adaptations in natural populations over rapid timescales and fine spatial scales.

This evidence for rapid or microgeographic adaptation argues for an increasing understanding of how evolution in nature affects ecological dynamics and patterns.

Most natural populations exchange genes and many habitats undergo recurrent extinction and colonisation dynamics, arguing for a metapopulation approach that incorporates a spatial perspective.

Species interactions often create strong selection on traits, and when two or more species adapt reciprocally to the other's evolving traits, coevolution occurs.

Ecological genetics can inform applied questions such as when natural pests or pathogens interact with agriculture or adaptation determines the dynamics of fisheries, thus making it relevant to human economy and welfare.
Stable Isotopes as Tools in Ecological Research
Authors: Newton Jason
Published: September 2016

Stable isotope analysis has proved to be an extremely useful tool in elucidating many ecological problems, with stable isotope ecology comprising the theme of a series of international conferences (
http://www.isoecol.org
). Stable isotopes can be used as biological tracers in the following ways: (1) to identify sources, for instance in determining the identity of basal carbon in a food web; (2) to distinguish sources, for example to determine whether a breeding animal is using local resources or its own reserves, or when an animal migrates/disperses from one location to another and (3) to quantify relative inputs in a system, for example determining the proportions of different prey items to a consumer's diet. When utilised carefully, stable isotope analysis provides some advantages over conventional methods and an additional device for the ecologist.

Key Concepts

Stable isotopes are useful tracers of ecological processes.

Carbon stable isotopes are useful tools in plant physiology and for tracing carbon sources.

Nitrogen stable isotope ratios in animal tissues are useful indicators of trophic level.

Combined carbon, nitrogen and sulfur isotope ratios in animal tissues elucidate food webs and trophic niche.

Hydrogen and oxygen isotope ratios in animals reflect those of local precipitation.

Care is needed when planning isotope food web studies.
Molecular Genetics of Renal Cancer
Authors: Klasson Timothy D , Giles Rachel H
Published: September 2016

Renal cancer affects 300 000 people worldwide, with about 75% of those cases being of the clear cell phenotype, which is characterised by somatic mutations acquired in the Von Hippel–Lindau (
VHL
)
tumour suppressor gene
(
TSG
). Most approved therapies for renal cancers have stemmed from understanding the molecular genetics of clear cell renal cancer, the study of which has entirely focused on VHL biology until recently. The remaining 25% of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has distinct, yet related, molecular mechanisms, which are just beginning to be understood. For example, Type 1 papillary RCC is associated with mutations in the
MET
protooncogene and therapies targeting this pathway in these patients appear to be effective. Personalised medicine aims to tailor treatments to suit patients based on individual molecular signatures. With the increased availability of next generation sequencing in the clinical setting, the molecular genetics of primary and metastasised RCC will help determine treatment options available.

Key Concepts

There are several subtypes of renal cell carcinoma (RCC), each associated with distinct molecular genetics.

The most common type of RCC is the clear cell subtype, which is typically associated with inactivating mutations of the von Hippel–Lindau tumour suppressor on chromosome 3p.

3p deletion can also affect other tumour suppressors commonly mutated in RCC: PBRM1, SETD2 and BAP1, all chromatin remodelling factors.

Type 1 and 2 papillary renal cell carcinoma are also associated with their own mutations in the genes
MET
and
FH
, respectively

Understanding the molecular genetics of RCC is essential for the development of targeted therapies.
Vertebrate Embryo: Development of the Skin and Its Appendages
Authors: Lei Mingxing , Inaba Masafumi , Chuong Cheng‐Ming
Published: September 2016

Vertebrate skin consists of epidermis and dermis, both of which are characterised as highly heterogeneous suborgan/tissues containing complex structures with diverse functions. Skin epidermis starts to stratify during embryogenesis. It plays pivotal barrier functions in protecting the organism from water loss and environmental insults during postnatal life. The dermis is a connective tissue that is separated with the epidermis by a deposition of extracellular matrix called the basement membrane. During skin development, many skin appendages are also induced. Those include epidermal appendages such as feather follicles, hair follicles, sebaceous glands and sweat glands and dermal appendages such as the arrector pili muscle. More and more stem cell populations are characterised in these appendages recently. In addition, considerable progress has been made in identifying molecules and pathways that regulate development and regeneration of skin and its appendages.

Key Concepts

During chick skin development, feathered areas are formed in the skin with high‐cell density of dermal cells and naked areas are formed in low‐cell density regions.

Feather and hair development begins from thickening of epidermis and condensation of dermal cells, which is associated with the interaction among morphogens such as FGFs and BMPs.

The mechanism by which feather buds are arranged in a periodic pattern on the skin and branching formation within each bud might be explained by reaction–diffusion model, one of the mathematical models.

Feather follicles are differentiated from feather buds with the invaginated epidermis and the feathers have an ability of regeneration throughout lifetime owing to feather stem cells.

Development and regeneration of hair follicle involve reciprocal epidermal and dermal cell interactions.

Sequential activation of molecules including Wnt‐Eda‐Shh et al. is required for hair follicle development.

Secondary hair germ cells first response, followed by bulge stem cell activation during hair regeneration.

Regenerative hair cycling is regulated by epigenetic, microenvironment and macroenvironment factors.
Loss of Heterozygosity
Authors: Gorringe Kylie L
Published: September 2016

Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) is a genetic event frequently observed in many cancer types. The loss of one allele of a genetic locus can have multiple possible functional effects including haploinsufficiency, loss of gene expression and being the second ‘hit’ that unmasks a recessive tumour suppressor gene. LOH can be caused by mitotic errors, chromothripsis, gene conversion and inappropriate repair of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) breaks. The methods for detecting LOH are evolving from single locus assays such as microsatellite analysis, to accurate and sensitive genome‐wide assays including single‐nucleotide polymorphism arrays and massively parallel DNA sequencing. LOH is an important tool to aid in the discovery of novel tumour suppressor genes and now is gaining importance as a biomarker for clinical decision making in certain contexts.

Key Concepts

Loss of heterozygosity is a common genetic event in cancer whereby one allele is lost, leading to part of the genome appearing homozygous in the tumour where heterozygous in matching normal DNA.

Allelic imbalance is different from LOH: both alleles are still present but are in different numbers of copies.

Regions of LOH can be copy number neutral or show copy number loss.

Whole‐chromosome LOH can be caused by mitotic nondisjunction.

Defects in homologous recombination repair lead to increased levels of LOH in cancer.

The two‐hit hypothesis describes the inactivation of both copies of a recessive tumour suppressor gene in cancer; LOH can be one such hit.

Haplo‐insufficiency is where a gene cannot perform its function normally when present as only one copy and is a likely reason for selection of some LOH events.
Genome Evolution in Plants
Authors: Marchant D Blaine , Soltis Douglas E , Soltis Pamela S
Published: September 2016

The genomes of land plants vary dramatically in size and chromosome number, and ongoing studies are clarifying the processes that shape their composition, structure and function. Polyploidy produces an entirely duplicated genome where the processes of nonfunctionalisation, subfunctionalisation and neofunctionalisation occur at individual loci or across entire genetic pathways, with both short‐ and long‐term effects. Transposable elements mould and alter genomes via a wide array of direct and indirect mechanisms extending well beyond their capacity to move throughout genomes. Horizontal gene transfer affects genome evolution of a lineage by incorporating novel genetic material from a separate lineage. Alternative splicing results in the inclusion and exclusion of a gene's exons and introns in processed messenger ribonucleic acid, altering the amino acid sequence and increasing an organism's protein repertoire without altering gene number. The impacts of these processes on plant genome evolution are just beginning to emerge as nonmodel genomes are sequenced.

Key Concepts

Polyploidy, or whole‐genome duplication, can result in immediate genomic and genetic variation.

Gene retention or loss following polyploidy may depend on gene function and expression levels.

Transposable elements can actively or passively alter genome composition and genetic networks via a variety of processes.

Horizontal gene transfer has been most commonly found in plant mitochondrial genomes, although more cases are being found in nuclear genomes.

Alternative splicing can provide multiple gene products from a single nucleotide sequence.

The conservation and evolutionary significance of alternative splicing patterns are just beginning to be elucidated in plants.

Genome size in plants varies from among the smallest eukaryotic genomes to the largest eukaryotic genomes yet determined.
Rare Earth Recycling fromNdFeB
Authors: Hua Zhongsheng
Published: September 2016

Rare earths are becoming increasingly important in modern industry due to their essential role in permanent magnets, nickel metal‐hydride batteries, lamp phosphors, catalysts, glass industry, and in other applications. Recycling is one of the main approaches by which to acquire rare earth metals for new production, and shows prominent advantages over processing natural ores with regard to separation process, economic effectiveness, and operator's health. Recycling of rare earths from NdFeB magnet scrap has attracted more attention because of the ever‐increasing demand for neodymium magnets. Presently, only in‐plant NdFeB magnet scrap has been recovered by manufacturers, and the out‐of‐plant scrap from end‐of‐life is hardly recycled. This is mainly attributed to inefficient collection, technological disadvantages, and lack of policy supports. The establishment of efficient, fully integrated recycling technologies free of new waste is highly needed and can probably be realized in the future by taking advantage of current literature on rare earth recycling from NdFeB magnet scrap. In this paper, the state of the art in preprocessing end‐of‐life products containing NdFeB magnets and the final rare earth extraction is reviewed, with the main attention to the fundamental understanding of chemistry in the recycling process.
Fluorous Hydrocarbon Oxidation
Authors: Pozzi Gianluca , Quici Silvio
Published: September 2016

Numerous examples of easily separable fluorous catalysts and reagents have been reported in the past two decades, with interesting applications in major classes of organic transformations, including hydrocarbon oxidation processes. The initial motivation for the development of fluorous chemistry was for catalyst recycling via liquid–liquid biphase protocols, which are based on the mutual immiscibility of organic solvents and nonpolar, perfluorinated saturated inert fluids, known as perfluorocarbons, at room temperature. Because of the chemical inertness of perfluorocarbons and their ability to solubilize significant volumes of molecular oxygen, fluorous biphasic catalysis was readily recognized as a very attractive procedure for alkane and alkene oxidative functionalization. Recyclable catalytic systems for the epoxidation or allylic oxidation of olefins and for the aerobic oxidation of cycloalkanes and alkylated aromatic hydrocarbons, mostly based on transition metal complexes of robust fluorous nitrogen ligands designed to be selectively soluble in perfluorocarbons, have been developed starting from the late 1990s. Since then, fluorous chemistry has continued to evolve to include separation and recycling strategies that do not necessarily demand the use of perfluorocarbons at the reaction stage. The viability of fluorous protocols as alternatives to the classical liquid–liquid biphase scheme has been demonstrated for selective hydrocarbon oxidation reactions run under environmentally benign conditions. The development of this field of research is outlined here.
Mobile Apps for Green Chemistry
Authors: Clark Alex M. , Williams Antony J. , Ekins Sean
Published: September 2016

Mobile apps are being used in many areas of business productivity as well as in science in general and are normally focused on one task or provide data in a narrow area (e.g., periodic tables). Mobile apps also represent an alternative approach to provide information on green chemistry information as well as concepts to scientists. We describe three apps, Green Solvents, Lab Solvents, and Green Lab Notebook and their utility for green chemistry. Green Solvents and Lab Solvents deliver public data on solvents and their scores for safety, health, environment (air, water, and waste) categories. These would help a scientist substitute particular solvents with those that are greener. The Green Lab Notebook is a structure‐centric tool designed for capturing chemical reactions. Green chemistry metrics are always displayed for a reaction whenever there is enough information to calculate them. These represent first attempts at developing standalone mobile apps for Apple and Android devices. Such apps represent useful tools in the lab and will likely be extended in future.
Catalytic Cyclic Carbonate Synthesis with Sustainable Metals
Authors: Comerford James W. , Ingram Ian D.V. , North Michael , Wu Xiao
Published: September 2016

Cyclic carbonates, which are useful and nontoxic electrolytes, solvents, and chemical intermediates, can be produced by the 100% atom efficient addition of carbon dioxide to epoxides. In this chapter, we discuss the use of sustainable catalysts based on earth‐abundant metals potassium, aluminum, and iron for this reaction, showcasing the most important and recent examples and their mechanism of operation.
Sustainable Synthesis of Metal Oxide Nanostructures
Authors: Nasir Baig R.B. , Nadagouda Mallikarjuna N. , Polshettiwar Vivek
Published: September 2016

The importance of metal oxide nanostructures and their synthetic methods have been highlighted. The selected applications of metal oxide nanostructures have been discussed in different sections. The structure–activity relationship (SAR) and
in silico
study for the prediction of metal oxide nanostructure zeta potential have been accentuated.
Radical Reactions in Aqueous Media
Authors: Perchyonok Victoria T.
Published: September 2016

The recent focus in the field of biomaterials has been on the design of intelligent materials. Toward this goal, materials have been developed, which can provide specific bioactive signals to control the biological environment around them during the process of materials integration and wound healing. In addition, materials have been developed that can respond to changes in their environment, such as a change in pH or cell‐associated enzymatic activity. In designing such novel biomaterials, researchers have sought not merely to create bioinert materials, but rather materials that can respond to the cellular environment around them to improve device integration and tissue regeneration. Since their discovery, β‐cyclodextrins (CDs) and, more recently, chitosan have served as prototypes for novel host compounds and catalysts. The use of CDs and chitosan as microvessels to perform chemical reactions has attracted the interest of chemists since the 1960s. This review mainly concentrates on the recent developments of organic reactions mediated by native or simply modified CDs and chitosan and in the use of the CDs as well as chitosan as the extra reaction field rather than the enzyme model in aqueous and alternative media as well as the recent use of the materials as bioactive restorative materials in dentistry, highlighting the enormous potential of such materials in biomedical applications and health sciences in general.