nils-herrmann/clean_scirepeval huggingface dataset:
From the first intention movement to the last joiner: macaques combine mimetic rules to optimize their collective decisions
Venue: Proceedings of The Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

Mechanisms related to collective decision making have recently been found in almost all animal reigns from amoebae to worms, insects and vertebrates, including human beings. Decision-making mechanisms related to collective movements—including pre-departure and joining—have already been studied at different steps of the movement process, but these studies were always carried out separately. We therefore have no understanding of how these different processes are related when they underlie the same collective decision-making event. Here, we consider the whole departure process of two groups of Tonkean macaques (Macaca tonkeana), using a stochastic model. When several exclusive choices are proposed, macaques vote and choose the majority. Individuals then join the movement according to a mimetism based on affiliative relationships. The pre-departure quorum and the joining mimetic mechanism are probably linked, but we have not yet identified which transition mechanism is used. This study shows that decision-making related to macaque group movements is governed by a quorum rule combined with a selective mimetism at departure. This is the first time that transition mechanisms have been described in mammals, which consequently helps understand how a voting process leads to social amplification. Our study also provides the first complete proof that there is continuity in the decision-making processes underlying collective movements in mammals from the first intention movement right through to the last joiner.
Reorientation of daffodil(Narcissus: Amaryllidaceae) flowers inwind: drag reduction andtorsional flexibility.
Venue: American Journal of Botany

Daffodil flowers extend laterally from the long axes of their stems; as a result, wind on a flower exerts torsional as well as flexural stress on the stem. Stems respond by twisting, and thus flowers reorient to face downwind in moderate winds, in the process reducing their drag by ∼30%. This repositioning is facilitated by the stems' relatively low torsional stiffness. Daffodil stems have a ratio of flexural to torsional stiffness of 13.27 ± 0.96 (SD), compared with 8.33 ± 3.20 (SD) for tulip stems, which bear flowers as symmetrical extensions of their long axes, and compared with 1.5 for isotropic, incompressible, circular cylinders.
Aspilia spp. Leaves: A puzzle in the feeding behavior of wild chimpanzees
Venue: Primates

Unlike other chimpanzee food items, the leaves ofAspilia pluriseta, A. rudis and A. mossambicensis (Compositae) are eaten without being chewed. Moreover,A. pluriseta andA. rudis are eaten slowly and singly and particularly in the early morning. This unusual behavior suggests thatAspilia leaves offer peculiar stimuli, perhaps with pharmacological effects.
Efficacy and safety of catnip (Nepeta cataria) as a novel filth fly repellent *
Venue: Medical and Veterinary Entomology

Catnip (Nepeta cataria) is known for its pseudo‐narcotic effects on cats. Recently, it has been reported as an effective mosquito repellent against several Aedes and Culex species, both topically and spatially. Our laboratory bioassays showed that catnip essential oil (at a dosage of 20 mg) resulted in average repellency rates of 96% against stable flies, Stomoxys calcitrans (L.) and 79% against houseflies, Musca domestica (L.), respectively. This finding suggested that the application of repellent could be used as part of filth fly management. Further evaluations of catnip oil toxicity were conducted to provide a broad‐spectrum safety profile of catnip oil use as a potential biting and nuisance insect repellent in urban settings. Acute oral, dermal, inhalation, primary dermal and eye irritation toxicity tests were performed. The acute oral LD50 of catnip oil was found to be 3160 mg/kg body weight (BW) and 2710 mg/kg BW in female and male rats, respectively. The acute dermal LD50 was > 5000 mg/kg BW. The acute inhalation LD50 was observed to be > 10 000 mg/m3. Primary skin irritation tested on New Zealand white rabbits showed that catnip oil is a moderate irritant. Catnip oil was classified as practically non‐irritating to the eye. In comparison with other U.S. Environmental Protection Agency‐approved mosquito repellents (DEET, picaridin and p‐menthane‐3,8‐diol), catnip oil can be considered as a relatively safe repellent, which may cause minor skin irritation.
Platelet interlocks are the key to toughness and strength in nacre
Venue: Journal of Materials Research

Nacre, the inner layer of mollusk shells is a composite made of platelets of mineral aragonitic calcium carbonate with a few weight percent organic material sandwiched in between. The organic and nanostructural nuances are often suggested to be the reason for the extreme toughness of nacre. Here we report the presence of interlocks between platelets of nacre from red abalone. We also report and show, using three-dimensional finite element modeling, that interlocks are the key mechanism for the high toughness and strength of nacre. The observed rotation between platelet layers, which were earlier reported as defects of structure, are necessary for the formation of interlocks.
Architecture and material properties of diatom shells provide effective mechanical protection
Venue: Nature

Diatoms are the major contributors to phytoplankton blooms in lakes and in the sea and hence are central in aquatic ecosystems and the global carbon cycle. All free-living diatoms differ from other phytoplankton groups in having silicified cell walls in the form of two ‘shells’ (the frustule) of manifold shape and intricate architecture whose function and role, if any, in contributing to the evolutionary success of diatoms is under debate. We explored the defence potential of the frustules as armour against predators by measuring their strength. Real and virtual loading tests (using calibrated glass microneedles and finite element analysis) were performed on centric and pennate diatom cells. Here we show that the frustules are remarkably strong by virtue of their architecture and the material properties of the diatom silica. We conclude that diatom frustules have evolved as mechanical protection for the cells because exceptional force is required to break them. The evolutionary arms race between diatoms and their specialized predators will have had considerable influence in structuring pelagic food webs and biogeochemical cycles.
An overview on plant cuticle biomechanics.
Venue: Plant Science

Plant biomechanics combines the principles of physics, chemistry and engineering to answer questions about plant growth, development and interaction with the environment. The epidermal-growth-control theory, postulated in 1867 and verified in 2007, states that epidermal cells determine the rate of organ elongation since they are under tension, while inner tissues are under compression. The lipid cuticle layer is deposited on the surface of outer epidermal cell walls and modifies the chemical and mechanical nature of these cell walls. Thus, the plant cuticle plays a key role in plant interaction with the environment and in controlling organ expansion. Rheological analyses indicate that the cuticle is a mostly viscoelastic and strain-hardening material that stiffens the comparatively more elastic epidermal cell walls. Cuticle stiffness can be attributed to polysaccharides and flavonoids present in the cuticle whereas a cutin matrix is mainly responsible for its extensibility. Environmental conditions such as temperature and relative humidity have a plasticizing effect on the mechanical properties of cuticle since they lower cuticle stiffness and strength. The external appearance of agricultural commodities, especially fruits, is of great economic value. Mechanical properties of the cuticle can have a positive or negative effect on disorders like fruit cracking, fungal pathogen penetration and pest infestation. Cuticle rheology has significant variability within a species and thus can be subjected to selection in order to breed cultivars resistant to pests, infestation and disorders.
The thermogenic center in social wasps.
Venue: Journal of Electron Microscopy

In the social wasps Vespa orientalis and Paravespula germanica (Hymenoptera, Vespinae), a thermogenic center has been found in the dorsal part of the first thoracic segment. The temperature in this region of the prothorax is higher by 6-9 degrees C than that at the tip of the abdomen, and this in actively flying hornets outside the nest (workers, males or queens) as well as in hornets inside the nest that attend to the brood in the combs. On viewing the region from the outside, one discerns a canal or rather a fissure in the cuticle, which commences at the center of the dorsal surface of the prothorax and extends till the mesothorax. Thus the length of this canal or fissure is approximately 5-7 mm and it is seen to contain numerous thin hairs whose shape varies from that of the hairs alongside the structure. Beneath the cuticle in this region there are dorsoventral as well as longitudinal muscles in abundance, much the same as the musculature in the remaining thoracic segments (i.e. the meso- and metathorax), which activate the two pairs of wings. The canal-bearing segment is of course devoid of wings, and its dorsoventral muscles are attached to the cuticle, which in this region resembles a bowl harboring several layers of epithelium that boasts numerous butterfly-shaped tracheal branches. Additionally there are layers that display lymph-filled spaces and also perforated layers and depressions, and beneath all these is a lace-like layer that also coats the cuticle's hollows. Underneath the cuticle proper, there are numerous large mitochondria and tracheae, which occupy a considerable part of the cuticular epithelium surface. These abundant mitochondria are, most probably, the main element of heat production in the thermogenic center.
Surface Properties of the Skin of the Pilot Whale Globicephala melas
Venue: Biofouling

On the skin surface of delphinids small biofoulers are challenged to high shear water flow and liquid-vapor interfaces of air-bubbles during jumping. This state of self-cleaning is supported by the even, nano-rough gel-coated epidermal surface of the skin. The present study focussed on the intercellular evolution of gel formation and the chemical composition of the gel smoothing the skin surface of the pilot whale, Globicephala melas , using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) in combination with cryo-scanning electron microscopy (CSM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). In the superficial layer of the epidermis, the stratum corneum, intercellular material was shown by electron optical methods to assemble from smaller into larger covalently cross-linked aggregates during the transit of the corneocytes towards the skin surface. XPS measurements showed that the surface of the skin and the intercellular gel included approximately the same amounts of polar groups (especially, free amines and amides) and non-polar groups, corresponding to the presence of lipid droplets dispersed within the jelly material. It was concluded from the results that the gel-coat of the skin surface is a chemically heterogeneous skin product. The advantages of chemically heterogeneous patches contributing to the ablation of traces of the biofouling process are discussed.
How pine cones open
Venue: Nature

The scales of seed-bearing pine cones move in response to changes in relative humidity. The scales gape open when it is dry, releasing the cone's seeds. When it is damp, the scales close up. The cells in a mature cone are dead, so the mechanism is passive: the structure of the scale and the walls of the cells composing the scale respond to changing relative humidity. Dissection of cones from the Monterey pine, Pinus radiata, revealed to us two types of scale growing from the main body of the cone — the ovuliferous scale and the bract scale. The larger ovuliferous scales respond to changes in relative humidity when removed from the body of the cone.
Regulation of water absorption in the frog skins by two vasotocin-dependent water-channel aquaporins, AQP-h2 and AQP-h3.
Venue: Endocrinology

A new frog aquaporin (AQP) cDNA was cloned from a cDNA library constructed from the ventral skin of the tree frog Hyla japonica. This AQP (Hyla AQP-h2) consisted of 268 amino acid residues with a high homology to mammalian AQP2. The predicted amino acid sequence contained the two conserved Asn-Pro-Ala motifs found in all the major intrinsic protein family members and the putative six transmembrane domains. The sequence also contained a mercurial compound: cysteine, one potential N-glycosylation site at Asn-124, and a putative phosphorylation site recognized by protein kinase A at Ser-262. In a swelling assay using Xenopus oocytes, AQP-h2 facilitated water permeability, especially in response to cAMP. Expression of AQP-h2 mRNA was restricted to several tissues including the ventral skin, kidney, and urinary bladder; but with immunofluorescence staining using an antipeptide antibody (ST-140) against the AQP-h2 protein, immunopositive cells were found only in the ventral skin and urinary bladder. In the ventral pelvic skin, the label for AQP-h2 was localized in the entire plasma membrane of the granular cells beneath the outmost layer of the skin and in the basolateral membrane of the granular cells in this layer. In response to vasotocin, however, the label for AQP-h2 became more intense in the apical membrane in the granular cells of the outermost layer, similar to the case for the earlier studied AQP-h3, which was specifically expressed in the ventral skin. Taken together, these findings suggest that not only AQP-h3, but also AQP-h2 acts as a regulator of the water balance in this frog.
Direct uptake of soil nitrogen by mosses
Venue: Biology Letters

Mosses are one of the most diverse and widespread groups of plants and often form the dominant vegetation in montane, boreal and arctic ecosystems. However, unlike higher plants, mosses lack developed root and vascular systems, which is thought to limit their access to soil nutrients. Here, we test the ability of two physiologically and taxonomically distinct moss species to take up soil- and wet deposition-derived nitrogen (N) in natural intact turfs using stable isotopic techniques (15N). Both species exhibited increased concentrations of shoot 15N when exposed to either soil- or wet deposition-derived 15N, demonstrating conclusively and for the first time, that mosses derive N from the soil. Given the broad physiological and taxonomic differences between these moss species, we suggest soil N uptake may be common among mosses, although further studies are required to test this prediction. Soil N uptake by moss species may allow them to compete for soil N in a wide range of ecosystems. Moreover, since many terrestrial ecosystems are N limited, soil N uptake by mosses may have implications for plant community structure and nutrient cycling. Finally, soil N uptake may place some moss species at greater risk from N pollution than previously appreciated.
Root contraction helps protect the "living rock" cactus Ariocarpus fissuratus from lethal high temperatures when growing in rocky soil.
Venue: American Journal of Botany

UNLABELLED



PREMISE OF THE STUDY
We investigated how the "living rock" cactus Ariocarpus fissuratus, like other low-growing desert plants, can endure potentially lethal high temperatures at the soil surface. Specifically, we examined how shoot descent by root contraction in the presence or absence of soil rocks influences shoot temperatures and transpiration. •



Root contraction was identified by measuring shoot descent and anatomical analysis. Temperatures and transpiration were measured for plants at two heights in sandy and rocky soil, and temperature tolerances were determined by vital staining. 
Plants embedded in rocky soil survived an extreme heat episode, unlike plants in sandy soil, though rocks did not moderate low temperatures. Root contraction occurred regardless of season and soil moisture. Xylem conduits (wide-band tracheids) formed a compressible lattice that decreased root length as rays enlarged the root base radially. Plant position in the soil did not affect transpiration. •



Contractile roots pulled plants of A. fissuratus into the soil at rates of 6-30 mm yr(-1). Maintaining shoots level with the soil surface kept plant temperatures below the high lethal temperature and improved survivorship in soil shaded by surface rocks.
Skin Structure and Wiping Behavior of Phyllomedusine Frogs
Venue: Copeia

Four species of the genus Phyllomedusa (sauvagei, iherengi, pailona and hypochondrialis) were found to have previously undescribed integumental alveolar glands which contain lipid material. No lipid glands were observed in Agalychnis annae and very few in Pachymedusa dacnicolor, two other members of the subfamily Phyllomedusinae. The four species of Phyllomedusa demonstrate a complex and stereotyped wiping of the body surface immediately after the secretion of lipid. These frogs demonstrate very low evaporative water loss through the skin. The low water loss is associated with a constellation of behavioral and physiological characters: the selection of a permanent perch where the frogs remain during the day, the secretion of lipid by skin glands, wiping behavior and the assumption of torpor. Light and electron microscopy of the integument of these frogs demonstrated a typical anuran skin, with the exception of the presence of lipid glands. The impermeability of the skin is attributed to the formation of a lipid layer on the skin surface.
DAY NEUTRAL FLOWERING Represses CONSTANS to Prevent Arabidopsis Flowering Early in Short Days[W][OA]
Venue: The Plant Cell

This work describes the flowering time gene DAY NEUTRAL FLOWERING (DNF), which acts in the same flowering pathway as CONSTANS (CO). DNF is a membrane-bound E3 ligase that represses CO expression and plays an important role in maintaining low levels of CO expression in short days; it is thus essential for the ability of the Arabidopsis plant to have a different flowering response in long and short days. The photoperiodic response in Arabidopsis thaliana requires the precise regulation of CONSTANS (CO) expression in relation to the light period during the day. In short days (SDs) levels of CO expression are normally low during the light period, and this results in delayed flowering compared with long days (LDs) when CO expression rises to high levels before the end of the light period. We identified a novel flowering time gene called DAY NEUTRAL FLOWERING (DNF) that acts in the same flowering pathway as CO. DNF is a membrane-bound E3 ligase that represses CO expression and plays an important role in maintaining low levels of CO expression in SDs. The effect of DNF on the rhythm of CO expression is essential for the photoperiodic response of Arabidopsis, enabling it to have a different flowering response in LDs and SDs.
Effect of Angle on Flow-Induced Vibrations of Pinniped Vibrissae
Venue: PLOS ONE

Two types of vibrissal surface structures, undulated and smooth, exist among pinnipeds. Most Phocidae have vibrissae with undulated surfaces, while Otariidae, Odobenidae, and a few phocid species possess vibrissae with smooth surfaces. Variations in cross-sectional profile and orientation of the vibrissae also exist between pinniped species. These factors may influence the way that the vibrissae behave when exposed to water flow. This study investigated the effect that vibrissal surface structure and orientation have on flow-induced vibrations of pinniped vibrissae. Laser vibrometry was used to record vibrations along the whisker shaft from the undulated vibrissae of harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) and northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) and the smooth vibrissae of California sea lions (Zalophus californianus). Vibrations along the whisker shaft were measured in a flume tank, at three orientations (0°, 45°, 90°) to the water flow. The results show that vibration frequency and velocity ranges were similar for both undulated and smooth vibrissae. Angle of orientation, rather than surface structure, had the greatest effect on flow-induced vibrations. Vibration velocity was up to 60 times higher when the wide, flat aspect of the whisker faced into the flow (90°), compared to when the thin edge faced into the flow (0°). Vibration frequency was also dependent on angle of orientation. Peak frequencies were measured up to 270 Hz and were highest at the 0° orientation for all whiskers. Furthermore, CT scanning was used to quantify the three-dimensional structure of pinniped vibrissae that may influence flow interactions. The CT data provide evidence that all vibrissae are flattened in cross-section to some extent and that differences exist in the orientation of this profile with respect to the major curvature of the hair shaft. These data support the hypothesis that a compressed cross-sectional profile may play a key role in reducing self-noise of the vibrissae.
Pygmy mole crickets jump from water
Venue: Current Biology

Animals that live or repeatedly alight on the surface of water often need to escape from predators or return to land. We show that flightless pygmy mole crickets use a new strategy to jump rapidly from water. Their powerful hind legs are moved so quickly that they penetrate the surface and as they move through the water, unique arrays of spring-loaded paddles and spurs fan out to increase surface area. This enables these insects to propel a large volume of water downwards in a laminar flow, so that they are launched upwards into the air.
The aerodynamic effects of wing–wing interaction in flapping insect wings
Venue: The Journal of Experimental Biology

We employed a dynamically scaled mechanical model of the small fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster (Reynolds number 100–200) to investigate force enhancement due to contralateral wing interactions during stroke reversal (the `clap-and-fling'). The results suggest that lift enhancement during clap-and-fling requires an angular separation between the two wings of no more than 10–12°. Within the limitations of the robotic apparatus, the clap-and-fling augmented total lift production by up to 17%, but depended strongly on stroke kinematics. The time course of the interaction between the wings was quite complex. For example, wing interaction attenuated total force during the initial part of the wing clap, but slightly enhanced force at the end of the clap phase. We measured two temporally transient peaks of both lift and drag enhancement during the fling phase: a prominent peak during the initial phase of the fling motion, which accounts for most of the benefit in lift production, and a smaller peak of force enhancement at the end fling when the wings started to move apart. A detailed digital particle image velocimetry (DPIV) analysis during clap-and-fling showed that the most obvious effect of the bilateral `image' wing on flow occurs during the early phase of the fling, due to a strong fluid influx between the wings as they separate. The DPIV analysis revealed, moreover, that circulation induced by a leading edge vortex (LEV) during the early fling phase was smaller than predicted by inviscid two-dimensional analytical models, whereas circulation of LEV nearly matched the predictions of Weis-Fogh's inviscid model at late fling phase. In addition, the presence of the image wing presumably causes subtle modifications in both the wake capture and viscous forces. Collectively, these effects explain some of the changes in total force and lift production during the fling. Quite surprisingly, the effect of clap-and-fling is not restricted to the dorsal part of the stroke cycle but extends to the beginning of upstroke, suggesting that the presence of the image wing distorts the gross wake structure throughout the stroke cycle.