bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An energetics-based honeybee nectar-foraging model used to assess the potential for landscape-level pesticide exposure dilution
Authors: Baveco Johannes M. , Focks Andreas , Belgers Dick , van der Steen Jozef J.M. , Boesten Jos J.T.I. , Roessink Ivo
Published: August 2016

Estimating the exposure of honeybees to pesticides on a landscape scale requires models of their spatial foraging behaviour. For this purpose, we developed a mechanistic, energetics-based model for a single day of nectar foraging in complex landscape mosaics. Net energetic efficiency determined resource patch choice. In one version of the model a single optimal patch was selected each hour. In another version, recruitment of foragers was simulated and several patches could be exploited simultaneously. Resource availability changed during the day due to depletion and/or intrinsic properties of the resource (anthesis). The model accounted for the impact of patch distance and size, resource depletion and replenishment, competition with other nectar foragers, and seasonal and diurnal patterns in availability of nectar-providing crops and wild flowers. From the model we derived simple rules for resource patch selection, e.g., for landscapes with mass-flowering crops only, net energetic efficiency would be proportional to the ratio of the energetic content of the nectar divided by distance to the hive. We also determined maximum distances at which resources like oilseed rape and clover were still energetically attractive. We used the model to assess the potential for pesticide exposure dilution in landscapes of different composition and complexity. Dilution means a lower concentration in nectar arriving at the hive compared to the concentration in nectar at a treated field and can result from foraging effort being diverted away from treated fields. Applying the model for all possible hive locations over a large area, distributions of dilution factors were obtained that were characterised by their 90-percentile value. For an area for which detailed spatial data on crops and off-field semi-natural habitats were available, we tested three landscape management scenarios that were expected to lead to exposure dilution: providing alternative resources than the target crop (oilseed rape) in the form of (i) other untreated crop fields, (ii) flower strips of different widths at field edges (off-crop in-field resources), and (iii) resources on off-field (semi-natural) habitats. For both model versions, significant dilution occurred only when alternative resource patches were equal or more attractive than oilseed rape, nearby and numerous and only in case of flower strips and off-field habitats. On an area-base, flower strips were more than one order of magnitude more effective than off-field habitats, the main reason being that flower strips had an optimal location. The two model versions differed in the predicted number of resource patches exploited over the day, but mainly in landscapes with numerous small resource patches. In landscapes consisting of few large resource patches (crop fields) both versions predicted the use of a small number of patches.
Arktocara yakataga, a new fossil odontocete (Mammalia, Cetacea) from the Oligocene of Alaska and the antiquity of Platanistoidea
Authors: Boersma Alexandra T. , Pyenson Nicholas D.
Published: August 2016

The diversification of crown cetacean lineages (i.e., crown Odontoceti and crown Mysticeti) occurred throughout the Oligocene, but it remains an ongoing challenge to resolve the phylogenetic pattern of their origins, especially with respect to stem lineages. One extant monotypic lineage,Platanista gangetica(the Ganges and Indus river dolphin), is the sole surviving member of the broader group Platanistoidea, with many fossil relatives that range from Oligocene to Miocene in age. Curiously, the highly threatenedPlatanistais restricted today to freshwater river systems of South Asia, yet nearly all fossil platanistoids are known globally from marine rocks, suggesting a marine ancestry for this group. In recent years, studies on the phylogenetic relationships in Platanistoidea have reached a general consensus about the membership of different sub-clades and putative extinct groups, although the position of some platanistoid groups (e.g., Waipatiidae) has been contested. Here we describe a new genus and species of fossil platanistoid,Arktocara yakataga, gen. et sp. nov. from the Oligocene of Alaska, USA. The type and only known specimen was collected from the marine Poul Creek Formation, a unit known to include Oligocene strata, exposed in the Yakutat City and Borough of Southeast Alaska. In our phylogenetic analysis of stem and node-based Platanistoidea,Arktocarafalls within the node-based sub-clade Allodelphinidae as the sister taxon toAllodelphis pratti. With a geochronologic age between ∼29–24 million years old,Arktocarais among the oldest crown Odontoceti, reinforcing the long-standing view that the diversification for crown lineages must have occurred no later than the early Oligocene.
The health care and life sciences community profile for dataset descriptions
Authors: Dumontier Michel , Gray Alasdair J.G. , Marshall M. Scott , Alexiev Vladimir , Ansell Peter , Bader Gary , Baran Joachim , Bolleman Jerven T. , Callahan Alison , Cruz-Toledo José , Gaudet Pascale , Gombocz Erich A. , Gonzalez-Beltran Alejandra N. , Groth Paul , Haendel Melissa , Ito Maori , Jupp Simon , Juty Nick , Katayama Toshiaki , Kobayashi Norio , Krishnaswami Kalpana , Laibe Camille , Le Novère Nicolas , Lin Simon , Malone James , Miller Michael , Mungall Christopher J. , Rietveld Laurens , Wimalaratne Sarala M. , Yamaguchi Atsuko
Published: August 2016

Access to consistent, high-quality metadata is critical to finding, understanding, and reusing scientific data. However, while there are many relevant vocabularies for the annotation of a dataset, none sufficiently captures all the necessary metadata. This prevents uniform indexing and querying of dataset repositories. Towards providing a practical guide for producing a high quality description of biomedical datasets, the W3C Semantic Web for Health Care and the Life Sciences Interest Group (HCLSIG) identified Resource Description Framework (RDF) vocabularies that could be used to specify common metadata elements and their value sets. The resulting guideline covers elements of description, identification, attribution, versioning, provenance, and content summarization. This guideline reuses existing vocabularies, and is intended to meet key functional requirements including indexing, discovery, exchange, query, and retrieval of datasets, thereby enabling the publication of FAIR data. The resulting metadata profile is generic and could be used by other domains with an interest in providing machine readable descriptions of versioned datasets.
Evolution of morphological and climatic adaptations inVeronica L.(Plantaginaceae)
Authors: Wang Jian-Cheng , Pan Bo-Rong , Albach Dirk C.
Published: August 2016

Perennials and annuals apply different strategies to adapt to the adverse environment, based on ‘tolerance’ and ‘avoidance’, respectively. To understand lifespan evolution and its impact on plant adaptability, we carried out a comparative study of perennials and annuals in the genusVeronicafrom a phylogenetic perspective. The results showed that ancestors of the genusVeronicawere likely to be perennial plants. Annual life history ofVeronicahas evolved multiple times and subtrees with more annual species have a higher substitution rate. Annuals can adapt to more xeric habitats than perennials. This indicates that annuals are more drought-resistant than their perennial relatives. Due to adaptation to similar selective pressures, parallel evolution occurs in morphological characters among annual species ofVeronica.
Microwave Photonics
Authors: Capmany and José , Gasulla Ivana
Published: August 2016

We review the fundamental principles, components, functionalities, and applications of microwave photonics. This symbiotic field, which exploits the best of the radio frequency and photonic worlds, is expected to have a significant role in various scenarios where wireless and wired signals must coexist and be interfaced. This not only cover the future 5G telecommunications but also the emerging field of the Internet of Things and others such as biophotonics and broadband instrumentation.
Controlling Electromagnetic Wavefronts Using Huygens' Metasurfaces
Authors: Eleftheriades George V. , Michael Selvanayagam
Published: August 2016

An electric and a magnetic dipole that are superimposed and orthogonal to each other have interesting properties, since the dipoles can be designed to radiate primarily into one half of space only. Such a configuration is referred to as a Huygens’ source. Both active and passive configurations of Huygens’ sources can be envisioned. In this article, the properties of such arrays of passive and active Huygens’ sources are investigated for electromagnetic wavefront manipulation. These arrays are referred to as Huygens’ surfaces and are interesting because they can be designed to implement, thin, low‐profile devices that is desirable for RF/microwave hardware. The design of active and passive Huygens’ surfaces is investigated for three specific applications in the microwave frequency range: cloaking, refraction, and polarization control.

For the problem of refraction, the synthesis and analysis of a passive Huygens’ surface to refract a plane wave is discussed for the application of thin microwave lenses. Equivalent circuit models and the implementation of such refracting Huygens’ metasurfaces are discussed. On the problem of polarization control, the design of passive Huygens’ metasurfaces is examined from theoretical, numerical, and measurement perspectives to demonstrate polarization manipulation. Passive Huygens’ surfaces are constructed to perform polarization conversion and chiral polarization effects (circular birefringence). This idea of implementing chiral surfaces is further examined by looking at the design and measurement of surfaces consisting of an electric response only. Finally for the problem of cloaking, active Huygens’ surfaces are investigated to implement a cloak that suppresses scattering from an object in all directions. Both theoretical and experimental aspects are examined and limitations and possible workarounds of active cloaking are briefly discussed.

These kinds of Huygens’ metasurfaces have applications in radar, imaging, and point‐to‐point links such as in satellite communications.
Robot Localization: An Introduction
Authors: Huang Shoudong , Dissanayake Gamini
Published: August 2016

Robot localization is the process of determining where a mobile robot is located with respect to its environment. Localization is one of the most fundamental competencies required by an autonomous robot as the knowledge of the robot's own location is an essential precursor to making decisions about future actions. In a typical robot localization scenario, a map of the environment is available and the robot is equipped with sensors that observe the environment as well as monitor its own motion. The localization problem then becomes one of estimating the robot position and orientation within the map using information gathered from these sensors. Robot localization techniques need to be able to deal with noisy observations and generate not only an estimate of the robot location but also a measure of the uncertainty of the location estimate. This article provides an introduction to estimation of theoretic solutions to the robot localization problem. It begins by discussing the mathematical models used to describe the robot motion and observations from the sensors. Two of the most common probabilistic techniques, the extended Kalman filter and the particle filter, that can be used to combine information from sensors to compute an estimate of the robot location are then discussed in detail and illustrated by simple examples. A brief summary of the large body of literature on robot localization is presented next. Appendices that present the essential mathematical background and alternative techniques are provided. The MATLAB code of the localization algorithms is also available.
Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) From Space – Laser Altimeters
Authors: Sun Xiaoli
Published: August 2016

Light detection and ranging, or lidars, have emerged as a type of powerful tools in remote sensing from space. Compared with radars, lidars operate at a much shorter wavelength with a much narrower beam and smaller transmitter and receiver. Compared with passive remote sensing instruments, lidars carry their own light sources and can continue measurement day and night, and over polar region. Compared with spectrometers, lidars offer a much higher spectral resolution and consistent illumination and observation angles. This article gives a brief review of the development of space lidars used in planetary surface elevation and reflection measurements, including the history of laser altimeters in space, basic instrument design, and the trend of the technology development.
Optic Flow‐Based Robotics
Authors: Serres Julien , Ruffier Franck
Published: August 2016

Flying insects and birds are able to fly smartly in an unpredictable environment. Many animals have been found to rely mainly on optic flow. Optic flow can be defined as the vector field of the apparent motion of objects, surfaces, and edges in a visual scene generated by the relative motion between an observer (an eye or a camera) and the scene. Optic flow is particularly useful for short‐range navigation because it depends on the ratio between (i) the relative linear speed of the visual scene with respect to the observer and (ii) the distance of the observer from obstacles in the surrounding environment. However, this does not require any actual measurement of either speed or distance. Optic flow is therefore suitable for various navigational tasks, such as takeoff or landing along vertical or longitudinal axes, terrain following, speed control in a cluttered environment, lateral and frontal obstacle avoidance, and visual odometry. This article focuses on feedback loops that use optic flow to control robots in the same way as the Gibsonian approach, which sometimes enhances robot perception, by a distance or speed measurement, even though the direct measurement of distance or linear speed does not exist in flying insects and birds. Optic flow is likely to be one of the most important visual cues that could be used during the next decade to enhance robot reactivity in unpredictable environments. Conversely, the biorobotic approach can therefore help to better understand how flying animals can move smartly in such an environment.
Mutations affecting the internal equilibrium of the reaction catalyzed by 6‐aminohexanoate‐dimer hydrolase
Authors: Negoro Seiji , Kawashima Yasuyuki , Shibata Naoki , Kobayashi Tatsuya , Baba Takeshi , Lee Young‐Ho , Kamiya Katsumasa , Shigeta Yasuteru , Nagai Keisuke , Takehara Ikki , Kato Dai‐ichiro , Takeo Masahiro , Higuchi Yoshiki
Published: August 2016

The enzyme 6‐aminohexanoate‐dimer hydrolase catalyzes amide synthesis. The yield of this reverse reaction in 90% t‐butyl alcohol was found to vary drastically when enzyme mutants with substitutions of several amino acids located at the entrance of the catalytic cleft were used. Movement of the loop region and the flip‐flop of Tyr170 generate a local hydrophobic environment at the catalytic center of the enzyme. Here, we propose that the shift of the internal equilibrium between the enzyme–substrate complex and enzyme–product complex by the ‘water‐excluding effect’ alters the rate of the forward and reverse reactions. Moreover, we suggest that the local hydrophobic environment potentially provides a reaction center suitable for efficient amide synthesis.

Database

PDB code 3VWL: Hyb‐24DNY‐S187

PDB code 3VWM: Hyb‐24DNY‐A187

PDB code 3VWN: Hyb‐24DNY‐G187

PDB code 3A65: Hyb‐24DN‐A112/Ahx complex

PDB code 3A66: Hyb‐24DNY‐A112/Ahx complex

PDB code 3VWP: Hyb‐24DNY‐S187A112/Ahx complex

PDB code 3VWQ: Hyb‐24DNY‐A187A112/Ahx complex

PDB code 3VWR: Hyb‐24DNY‐G187A112/Ahx complex
Structural evidence of intramolecular propeptide inhibition of the aspzincin metalloendopeptidase AsaP1
Authors: Bogdanović Xenia , Palm Gottfried J. , Schwenteit Johanna , Singh Rajesh K. , Gudmundsdóttir Bjarnheidur K. , Hinrichs Winfried
Published: August 2016

The Gram‐negative bacterium Aeromonas salmonicida is a fish pathogen for various fish species worldwide. Aeromonas salmonicida subsp. achromogenes produces the extracellular, toxic zinc endopeptidase AsaP1. Crystal structure analyses at 2.0 Å resolution of two proteolytically inactive AsaP1 variants show the polypeptide folding of the protease domain and the propeptide domain. These first crystal structure analyses of a precursor of a deuterolysin‐like aspzincin protease provide insights into propeptide function, and specific substrate binding. A lysine side chain of the propeptide binds in the hydrophobic S1’‐pocket interacting with three carboxylate side chains. An AsaP1 variant with a lysine to alanine exchange identifies the chaperone function of the propeptide.
A study on the variability of ionospheric total electron content over the East African low‐latitude region and storm time ionospheric variations
Authors: Olwendo O. J. , Yamazaki Yosuke , Cilliers P. J. , Baki P. , Doherty P.
Published: August 2016

The variation of total electron content (TEC) derived from the International Global Navigation Satellite Systems Service receiver (formerly IGS) over the East African low‐latitude region from up to 12 observation stations for the period 2012 was analyzed. The diurnal and annual TEC contour plots generated from data over the region show that the equatorial anomaly crests manifest remarkable seasonal variations. The crest of the equatorial ionization anomaly is fully formed and yields the maximum values of TEC during the equinoxes (March/April and September/October) and minimum in the solstice (June/July and November/December). The results of this observation show that the crest develops between 12:00 and 16:00 LT and is greatly dependent on the time when the ionosphere is uplifted at the dip equator via the E × B drift force. The postsunset TEC enhancements at stations away from dip equator depict the ionospheric plasma density diffusion (flow) from the dip equator leading to the formation of ionization anomaly crests that lasts for few hours after the sunset local time. The ionospheric response to the strong geomagnetic storm of the March 2015 has also been examined. The ionospheric response to the geomagnetic storms has shown a strong thermosphere‐ionosphere coupling. The negative storm effect that occurred over the anomaly crest region is more likely due to the composition disturbances associated with high energy deposits.
Long‐term predictability of soil moisture dynamics at the global scale: Persistence versus large‐scale drivers
Authors: Nicolai‐Shaw Nadine , Gudmundsson Lukas , Hirschi Martin , Seneviratne Sonia I.
Published: August 2016

Here we investigate factors that influence the long lead time predictability of soil moisture variability using standard statistical methods. As predictors we first consider soil moisture persistence only, using two independent global soil moisture data sets. In a second step we include three teleconnection indices indicative of the main northern, tropical, and southern atmospheric modes, i.e., the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI), and the Antarctic Oscillation (AAO). For many regions results show significant skill in predicting soil moisture variability with lead times up to 5 months. Soil moisture persistence plays a key role at monthly to subseasonal time scales. With increasing lead times large‐scale atmospheric drivers become more important, and areas influenced by teleconnection indices show higher predictability. This long lead time predictability of soil moisture may help to improve early warning systems for important natural hazards, such as heat waves, droughts, wildfires, and floods.
Foreshock migration preceding the 2016 Mw 7.0 Kumamoto earthquake, Japan
Authors: Kato Aitaro , Fukuda Jun'ichi , Nakagawa Shigeki , Obara Kazushige
Published: August 2016

We investigated the spatiotemporal evolution of an earthquake sequence following a series of large shallow intraplate earthquakes, including a Mw 6.2 foreshock and Mw 7.0 main shock, in the Kumamoto area of Kyushu, SW Japan. To more precisely characterize the evolution of the earthquake sequences, we applied a matched filter technique to continuous waveform data, using template events obtained via a double‐difference relocation algorithm. Migrations of seismicity fronts along the directions of fault strike and dip are clearly seen, starting immediately after the Mw 6.2 foreshock. These migrations are interpreted to result from aseismic slip triggered by the foreshock, propagating toward the nucleation point of the subsequent Mw 7.0 main shock rupture. When combined with static stress changes induced by the Mw 6.2 foreshock, it is likely that stress transfer from both aseismic and seismic slip during the foreshock sequence loaded stress onto the main shock rupture faults, bringing them closer to failure.
Conjugate observations of quasiperiodic emissions by the Cluster, Van Allen Probes, and THEMIS spacecraft
Authors: Němec F. , Hospodarsky G. , Pickett J. S. , Santolík O. , Kurth W. S. , Kletzing C.
Published: August 2016

We present results of a detailed analysis of two electromagnetic wave events observed in the inner magnetosphere at frequencies of a few kilohertz, which exhibit a quasiperiodic (QP) time modulation of the wave intensity. The events were observed by the Cluster and Van Allen Probes spacecraft and in one event also by the THEMIS E spacecraft. The spacecraft were significantly separated in magnetic local time, demonstrating a huge azimuthal extent of the events. Geomagnetic conditions at the times of the observations were very quiet, and the events occurred inside the plasmasphere. The modulation period observed by the Van Allen Probes and THEMIS E spacecraft (duskside) was in both events about twice larger than the modulation period observed by the Cluster spacecraft (dawnside). Moreover, individual QP elements occur about 15 s earlier on THEMIS E than on Van Allen Probes, which might be related to a finite propagation speed of a modulating ULF wave.
A new multimodel ensemble method using nonlinear genetic algorithm: An application to boreal winter surface air temperature and precipitation prediction
Authors: Ahn Joong‐Bae , Lee Joonlee
Published: August 2016

A new multimodel ensemble (MME) method that uses a genetic algorithm (GA) is developed and applied to the prediction of winter surface air temperature (SAT) and precipitation. The GA based on the biological process of natural evolution is a nonlinear method which solves nonlinear optimization problems. Hindcast data of winter SAT and precipitation from the six coupled general circulation models participating in the seasonal MME prediction system of the Asia‐Pacific Economic Conference Climate Center are used. Three MME methods using GA (MME/GAs) are examined in comparison with a simple composite MME strategy (MS0): MS1 which applies GA to single‐model ensembles (SMEs), MS2 which applies GA to each ensemble member and then performs a simple composite method for MME, and MS3 which applies GA to both MME and SME. MS3 shows the highest predictability compared to MS0, MS1, and MS2 for both winter SAT and precipitation. These results indicate that biases of ensemble members of each model and model ensemble are more reduced with MS3 than with other MME/GAs and MS0. The predictability of the MME/GAs shows a greater improvement than that of MS0, particularly in higher‐latitude land areas. The reason for the more improved increase of predictability over the land area, particularly in MS3, seems to be the fact that GA is more efficient in finding an optimum solution in a complex region where nonlinear physical properties are evident.
Joint identification of contaminant source location, initial release time, and initial solute concentration in an aquifer via ensemble Kalman filtering
Authors: Xu Teng , Gómez‐Hernández J. Jaime
Published: August 2016

When a contaminant is detected in a drinking well, source location, initial contaminant release time, and initial contaminant concentration are, in many cases, unknown; the responsible party may have disappeared and the identification of when and where the contamination happened may become difficult. Although contaminant source identification has been studied extensively in the last decades, we propose—to our knowledge, for the first time—the use of the ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF), which has proven to be a powerful algorithm for inverse modeling. The EnKF is tested in a two‐dimensional synthetic deterministic aquifer, identifying, satisfactorily, the source location, the release time, and the release concentration, together with an assessment of the uncertainty associated with this identification.
Three‐dimensional dense distributed temperature sensing for measuring layered thermohaline systems
Authors: Hilgersom K. P. , van de Giesen N. C. , de Louw P. G. B. , Zijlema M.
Published: August 2016

Distributed temperature sensing has proven a useful technique for geoscientists to obtain spatially distributed temperature data. When studies require high‐resolution temperature data in three spatial dimensions, current practices to enhance the spatial resolution do not suffice. For example, double‐diffusive phenomena induce sharp and small‐scale temperature patterns in water bodies subject to thermohaline gradients. This article presents a novel approach for a 3‐D dense distributed temperature sensing setup, the design of which can be customized to the required spatial resolution in each dimension. Temperature is measured along fiber‐optic cables that can be arranged as needed. In this case, we built a dense cage of very thin (1.6 mm) cables to ensure that interference with flow patterns was minimal. Application in water bodies with double‐diffusion‐induced sharp temperature gradients shows that the setup is well able to capture small‐scale temperature patterns and even detects small unsuspected seeps and potential salt‐fingers. However, the potential effect of the setup on the flow patterns requires further study.
Landscape controls on spatiotemporal discharge variability in a boreal catchment
Authors: Karlsen R. H. , Grabs T. , Bishop K. , Buffam I. , Laudon H. , Seibert J.
Published: August 2016

Improving the understanding of how stream flow dynamics are influenced by landscape characteristics, such as soils, vegetation and terrain, is a central endeavor of catchment hydrology. Here we investigate how spatial variability in stream flow is related to landscape characteristics using specific discharge time series from 14 partly nested subcatchments in the Krycklan basin (0.12 – 68 km2). Multivariate principal component analyses combined with univariate analyses showed that while variability in landscape characteristics and specific discharge were strongly related, the spatial patterns varied with season and wetness conditions. During spring snowmelt and at the annual scale, specific discharge was positively related to the sum of wetland and lake area. During summer, when flows are lowest, specific discharge was negatively related to catchment tree volume, but positively related to deeper sediment deposits and catchment area. The results indicate how more densely forested areas on till soils become relatively drier during summer months, while wet areas and deeper sediment soils maintain a higher summer base flow. Annual and seasonal differences in specific discharge can therefore be explained to a large extent by expected variability in evapotranspiration fluxes and snow accumulation. These analyses provide an organizing principle for how specific discharge varies spatially across the boreal landscape, and how this variation is manifested for different wetness conditions, seasons and time scales.
Ring Species and Speciation
Authors: Pruett Christin L
Published: August 2016

A ring species is a monophyletic group whose range has expanded around a geographic barrier producing a ring‐shaped distribution. Populations that make up the ring should be contiguous and without barriers to gene flow except at one location where two reproductively isolated populations co‐occur. Ring species that meet this definition provide an opportunity for studying how speciation occurs through the gradual accrual of differences leading to reproductive isolation. However, few if any of the species that have a ring‐shaped distribution meet these requirements. The most studied species, greenish warblerPhylloscopus trochiloidesandEnsatina eschscholtziisalamanders, fail to exhibit all of the characteristics of a strict ring species. However, the study of species with ring distributions has provided information about the processes that cause population divergence through time, and the use of new genomics and modelling tools could provide valuable insights into how geographic speciation, with or without adaptive divergence, could occur.

Key Concepts

Few organisms exhibit all of the requirements to be considered a true ring species.

Ring species are helpful tools that can be used to help elucidate evolutionary processes.

The preponderance of terrestrial and temperate ring species may be an ascertainment bias.

New methods in genomics and modelling will provide answers to questions about ring species formation and the processes of speciation.

Species from a wide range of taxa, other than birds and mammals, are now being examined as possible ring species.
Dormancy in Plants
Authors: Soppe Wim JJ , Bentsink Leónie
Published: August 2016

Dormancy is a strategy of higher plants to survive adverse conditions by pausing growth and development, which can occur in different organs like seeds and buds. Dormancy is controlled both by genetic and environmental factors and most of our knowledge about its regulation has been obtained by studying seeds. Seed dormancy is an important adaptive trait in wild plants and has been under negative selection during domestication. The plant hormone abscisic acid has been shown to play a crucial role in the establishment and maintenance of dormancy, whereas gibberellins promote germination. Additional regulators include reactive oxygen species and epigenetic modifications. Large differences in seed dormancy have been found within species and the identification of the underlying genes revealed several novel genes that specifically regulate dormancy.

Key Concepts

Dormancy allows plants to hold life when conditions do not favour growth.

Dormancy is one of the main determinants of timing in the plant life cycle.

Dormancy is an adaptive trait with strong variation between and within plant species.

Dormancy is regulated both by (epi)genetic and environmental factors.

The plant hormone abscisic acid has a crucial role in the establishment and maintenance of dormancy.

Specific dormancy regulators show haplotype variation in nature.
Data Protection Legislation
Authors: Holm Søren
Published: August 2016

Data protection legislation regulates the acquisition, storage, transfer and processing of personal data of all kinds. The article introduces the key distinction between data security and wider data protection, and further explores the key legal requirements for data protection. The approach to data protection differs between the European Union and the United States. These differences and the rules for transfer of data between different data protection regimes are explained. In both Europe and the United States, personal health data are seen as a particularly sensitive type of data and they are therefore protected more strictly than most other types of data. This has implications for the type of consent needed to collect health data, and the type of anonymisation techniques needed to make them non‐identifiable.

Key Concepts

The purpose of data protection legislation is to ensure (1) the security of the data, (2) that the acquisition and processing of data is lawful and (3) that the data subjects have an appropriate degree of control over the use of their data.

Data acquisition usually requires informed consent from the data subject.

There are different rules for the processing of identifiable and non‐identifiable personal data.

There are specific protections in relation to sensitive data, including health data.

Identifiability is only absent if deductive identification is very difficult.

The approach to data protection differs significantly between the European Union and the United States.
Genetic Counselling: Psychological Issues
Authors: Biesecker Barbara B
Published: August 2016

Psychological issues in genetic counselling arise from the genetic risk or condition affecting patients. Genetic counselling is psycho‐educational but the practice has a psychotherapeutic approach that attends to the cognitive, affective and behavioural aspects of the genetic information. As such, genetic counselling strives to help clients make informed choices and when there is no choice to make, to cope effectively, and ultimately adapt, to their risk or condition. The psychological issues emanate from the nature of the condition, clients' informational needs and risk perceptions, as well as their lived experiences, personality traits and socioeconomic resources. Overall, evidence suggests that most clients and patients cope with the stress of a risk or condition successfully and adapt over time. Genetic counselling can be instrumental in facilitating that process through helping clients capitalise on their personal strengths and resources. Psychologically vulnerable clients may be referred for longer‐term psychotherapy.

Key Concepts

Genetic counselling is psychoeducational as clients learn how genetics contributes to their health risks and then process what this means and how it feels.

Genetic counselling clients experience genetic conditions or risk according to their own illness perceptions and this predicts their overall quality of life.

Genetic counselling clients often have to make a decision on whether to use genetic testing to help them manage a familial risk for disease.

Shared decision‐making may enhance informed choice among genetic counselling clients.

Genetic counselling aims to help clients adapt to living with a genetic condition or risk, often by enhancing coping effectiveness.
MicroRNAs
(
miRNAs
) and Plant Development
Authors: Blein Thomas , Laufs Patrick
Published: August 2016

Development in plants is a continuous process during which new tissues and organs are formed all along its life cycle. Development involves the coordination of both time and space of complex cellular processes such as proliferation, expansion and differentiation following endogenous programmes and in response to environmental signals. Since their discovery in 2002, plant microRNAs (miRNAs), a class of small single‐stranded regulatory ribonucleic acids (RNAs) have emerged as important nodes in regulatory networks controlling plant development. For instance, miRNAs play important roles for cell fate determination during the patterning of organs and contribute to the regulation of their growth. In addition, miRNAs integrate different signals to regulate the life cycle of plants. Finally, miRNAs appear as molecular links between environmental signals and plant development and may constitute levers to modify plant development in crops.

Key Concepts

miRNAs are essential for plant development as mutants affecting miRNA biogenesis or function are embryo lethal or show severe pleiotropic defects.

miRNA precursors are mostly produced from independent genetic units and are processed into mature miRNAs via a complex core machinery.

miRNAs can have different effects on the expression of their target genes, controlling their spatial pattern, their level of expression or the timing of their expression.

miRNAs are regulating many different developmental processes, including pattern formation, morphogenesis and differentiation at all stages of a plant's life.

Most of the miRNAs regulating plant development are evolutionary conserved and target evolutionary conserved transcription factors.

miRNAs can act non‐cell‐autonomously, generating a mobile signal that contributes to pattern formation through the regulation of the expression pattern of their targets.

miRNAs are integrated into complex regulatory networks and their expression is regulated by both endogenous and exogenous signals.
TGF
‐β Signalling and Its Role in Cancer Progression and Metastasis
Authors: Santibanez Juan F , Krstic Jelena , Quintanilla Miguel , Bernabeu Carmelo
Published: August 2016

Normal body cells grow, proliferate and die in an orderly manner. By contrast, cancer cells grow out of control and can invade other tissues. The process of tumour progression and metastasis results from a complex molecular cascade that allows cancer cells to leave the site of the primary tumour mass and disseminate to distant anatomical sites where they proliferate and form secondary tumour foci. Disseminated disease is the most usual cause of death in cancer patients and is, therefore, a very serious clinical problem. Transforming growth factor beta (TGF‐β) has a dual role in tumour progression, acting as a tumour suppressor in early stages of carcinogenesis, and exerting a pro‐oncogenic role in the last steps of metastatic disease. TGF‐β induces the epithelial mesenchymal transition of transformed cells, which contributes to tumour invasion and metastasis, and is frequently overexpressed in cancer cells.

Key Concepts

TGF‐βs and their signalling components are widely expressed in all tissues and play a major role in human diseases.

The canonical signalling pathway triggered by TGF‐βs involves the activation of Smad proteins by the TGF‐β receptors and their translocation into the nucleus. In addition, TGF‐β receptors can activate Smad‐independent (non‐canonical) pathways, including MAPKs and Rho GTPases, among others.

Canonical and noncanonical TGF‐β signal transduction participates in and explains the broad spectrum of TGF‐β effects on tumour progression.

TGF‐β is postulated as a dual factor in cancer since it can act either as a tumour suppressor in early stages of tumourigenesis or as a tumour promoter in late stages of tumour progression.

One of the hallmarks at late stages of tumour progression is that cancer cells become refractory to the TGF‐β cell growth inhibitory response.

Many types of cancer cells leaving primary carcinomas appear to depend on EMT to facilitate execution of most of the steps of the invasion–metastasis process.

TGF‐β affects not only the tumour cells themselves but also the surrounding stroma by inhibiting cell adhesion, inducing immunosuppression and angiogenesis, and by promoting the degradation of the extracellular matrix, further modulating the metastatic process.

Induction of EMT by TGF‐β generates cancer cells with stem‐like properties.

By regulating TGF‐β expression and its canonical and noncanonical intracellular signalling, it may be possible to control the tumour microenvironment, including angiogenesis, immunosurveillance escape and activation of stromal fibroblasts resulting in cancer‐associated fibroblasts (CAFs), tumour‐stroma interactions and EMT.
Genetics of Mathematical Aptitude
Authors: Warrier Varun , Baron‐Cohen Simon
Published: August 2016

Normative variation in mathematical aptitude (MA) is relevant to many aspects of societal functioning, in particular for occupations in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Though elements of numerosity have been identified in some animals, complex MA is uniquely human. Several studies, using a variety of designs, have investigated the heritability of MA, and the extreme ends of the dimension of this trait – mathematics learning disability (MLD) and mathematical talent (MT). Initial estimates of the heritability of MA ranged from 0.2 to 0.9, while later studies identify more modest heritabilities for MA. Modest heritabilities have also been identified for MLD and MT. Despite this, genome‐wide association studies have had limited success. Additionally, MA may have similar genetic architectures to MLD and MT. Finally, while existing studies have tried to understand the genetic architecture of MA as a whole, different domains within MA may have different genetic architectures.

Key Concepts

Mathematical aptitude (MA) is important for STEM occupations.

Aspects of MA such as numerosity and conservation are seen in some animals and young infants.

Different researchers use different instruments to measure MA and to define mathematics learning disability (MLD) and mathematical talent (MT).

MA, MLD and MT are all moderately heritable and likely to be polygenic.

It is unclear if MA is genetically distinct from MLD and MT.

Sex‐differences in heritabilities of MA have not been identified.

Genome‐wide association studies of MA have yielded inconsistent results.
Do beliefs about gender roles moderate the relationship between exposure to misogynistic song lyrics and men's female‐directed aggression?
Authors: Hyatt Courtland S. , Berke Danielle S. , Miller Joshua D. , Zeichner Amos
Published: August 2016

Although independent lines of research have identified misogynistic lyrical content and traditional gender role beliefs as reliable predictors of men's female‐directed aggression, more research is needed to understand the extent to which these variables may function in synthesis to potentiate aggression. In the current study, men (N = 193), who completed questionnaires relevant to their conformity to masculine norms and level of hostile and benevolent sexism, were exposed to either misogynistic or neutral lyrics before having the opportunity to shock an ostensible female confederate in a bogus reaction time task that, in effect, measured aggression. Results indicated that misogynistic lyrics and hostile sexism significantly predicted both unprovoked and provoked aggression against a female target. Contrary to expectations, moderating effects of gender role beliefs on the relationship between misogynistic lyrics and men's aggression were not found. Implications are discussed in terms of the costs of misogyny in media for women's lives. Aggr. Behav. 43:123–132, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Reducible‐Shell‐Derived Pure‐Copper‐Nanowire Network and Its Application to Transparent Conducting Electrodes
Authors: Hwang Hyewon , Kim Areum , Zhong Zhaoyang , Kwon Hyeok‐Chan , Jeong Sunho , Moon Jooho
Published: August 2016

The concept of using core Cu nanowires (CuNWs) that are conformally encapsulated by a reducible fugitive material for transparent conducting electrodes (TCEs) with high oxidation stability is presented. By the chemical reaction of an acid with surface oxide and hydroxide, a uniform surface shell layer is readily obtained on each CuNW upon adding lactic acid to the CuNW dispersion. The Cu lactate shell prevents the core CuNW from oxidizing during storage and film formation, enabling the core Cu nanowires to maintain their characteristic optoelectronic properties. Through simple thermal annealing under a nitrogen atmosphere, the Cu lactate shell is easily decomposed to expose the underlying pure Cu, providing an effective way to produce a pure‐CuNW‐network TCE with a sheet resistance of 19.8 Ω sq−1 and an optical transmittance of 85.5% at 550 nm. The application of the CuNW‐based TCE to the transparent top electrode in organometallic halide perovskite solar cells is further demonstrated for the first time, yielding a power‐conversion efficiency 9.88% as compared to that of 13.39% for conventional perovskite solar cells with an indium–tin‐oxide electrode. This study proposes the high feasibility of these CuNWs as a vacuum‐free and noble‐metal‐free transparent‐window electrode in perovskite solar cells.
High‐Temperature BiScO3‐PbTiO3 Piezoelectric Vibration Energy Harvester
Authors: Wu Jingen , Shi Huaduo , Zhao Tianlong , Yu Yang , Dong Shuxiang
Published: August 2016

Conventionally, effective mechanical vibration energy harvesting is based on (Pb,Zr)TiO3 (PZT) ceramics, poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) polymers or PVDF/PZT or other piezoelectric composite materials, and their working temperature is normally limited to room temperature (R‐T) or below 150 °C. Here, bismuth scandium lead titanate (BiScO3‐PbTiO3, abbreviated as BSPT) ceramic is reported which has a high Curie temperature point around 450 °C and its application for high‐temperature (H‐T) vibration energy harvesting. Experimental results show that it exhibits an excellent H‐T piezoelectricity, converting mechanical vibration energy into electric power effectively in a wide temperature range from R‐T till 250 °C. This research shows the BSPT piezoelectric energy harvester having the potential application for self‐power source of wireless sensor network system in high temperature circumstance.
“Plug‐and‐Go”‐Type Liquid Diode: Integrated Mesh with Janus Superwetting Properties
Authors: Li Hao , Cao Moyuan , Ma Xiaoyan , Zhang Yaxin , Jin Xu , Liu Kesong , Jiang Lei
Published: August 2016

Unidirectional liquid transportation is an essential process for some creatures, and it has important applications in the field of wastewater purification, liquid manipulation, etc. However, existing materials capable of unidirectional liquid transportation are rare and lack diversity and composability of membrane pore size. A novel Janus superwetting mesh is fabricated by integrating superoleophobic and superoleophilic surfaces underwater. Oil droplets can penetrate through the Janus mesh from the superoleophobic side to the superoleophilic side but are blocked from the reverse direction underwater. This Janus mesh can be assembled into a valvelike liquid diode, which makes it convenient for use in underwater unidirectional oil transportation. This work should serve as a source of inspiration for the construction of novel materials and corresponding devices with practical applications in oil/water separation, microfluidics, and other intelligent systems.
Cellulose‐Based Solid Fluorescent Materials
Authors: Tian Weiguo , Zhang Jinming , Yu Jian , Wu Jin , Nawaz Haq , Zhang Jun , He Jiasong , Wang Fosong
Published: August 2016

Organic solid‐state fluorescent materials have exhibited great potential application in optoelectronics, imaging, sensing, and security printing. However, the conventional conjugated luminogens such as perylene and pyrene derivatives are not highly recommended for preparation of the solid fluorescent materials because they always undergo fluorescence self‐quenching in solid state, i.e., aggregation caused quenching (ACQ) phenomenon. Herein, a series of solid materials with excellent fluorescent emission have been realized via covalently bonding the ACQ luminogens onto the cellulose chains and subsequently ionizing process. The synergy between the anchoring and diluting effect on luminogens of cellulose skeleton and the electrostatic repulsion among the ACQ luminogens efficiently inhibits the aggregation and the self‐quenching of luminogens. Such a general strategy is suitable for different ACQ luminogens and various partially substituted cellulose derivatives. Furthermore, the prepared fluorescent solids preserve the excellent properties of original cellulose derivatives such as good solubility and processibility. Therefore, they can be readily processed into materials in different forms, including printing pattern, coating, film, fiber, colloid, etc. This simple and effective strategy gives added impetus to the applications of solid fluorescent materials in practice.