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Presents a list of forthcoming papers to be published in 1980 issues of the "European Journal of Biochemistry." Subjects; Authors.

The Ocean Tracking Network (OTN) is a global project which is using acoustic telemetry to enable tracking of endangered fish and marine mammal species. In terms of scientific research, the project has enjoyed a seven-year lifespan, bridging one successful renewal in 2013. The early stages of projects like this focus on creating national and international cooperation, and distributing technology in accordance with formal agreements. The project, both nationally and internationally, has an ambitious set of technical, scientific, and policy aims. Given the logical ordering of the project's development, it should come as no surprise that the scientific aims have only recently come to fruition, while the policy goals remain largely in abeyance. The opening stages of the project have been discussed in two earlier papers (Apostle 2009, 2014). This paper covers the years initially intended to mark the conclusion of the project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this editorial, we briefly summarized the International Conference on Intelligent Biology and Medicine 2019 (ICIBM 2019) that was held on June 9–11, 2019 at Columbus, Ohio, USA. We further introduced the 19 research articles included in this supplement issue, covering four major areas, namely computational method development, genomics analysis, network-based analysis and biomarker prediction. The selected papers perform cutting edge computational research applied to a broad range of human diseases such as cancer, neural degenerative and chronic inflammatory disease. They also proposed solutions for fundamental medical genomics problems range from basic data processing and quality control to functional interpretation, biomarker and drug prediction, and database releasing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to investigate whether multi/inter-disciplinary research activities are related to research impact and publication counts of scholars. Since researchers with very high levels of multi/inter-disciplinarity might be able to target complex problems, we would expect them to receive more credits than their colleagues with a stronger disciplinary orientation. We analysed Web of Science (WoS) indexed publications of all associate and full professors from a random sample of Australian universities in physics, chemistry and biology (1980–2014). Australian Fields of Research (FoR) codes assigned to journals were used to calculate the diversification of authors' publications. The number of citations in the first 3 years, number of 10% most frequently cited papers, and citation impact percentile were used for impact assessment. A few indicators were used to measure the diversity including 'extent of diversification (ED)' (number of distinct FoR codes divided by the number of publications) and 'diversification ratio (DR)' (ratio of the publications falling outside the dominant code to the total number of publications). A total of 47.76% of biologists' publications, 35.23% of physicists' publications and 20.36% of chemists' publications were published in journals assigned to fields other than the Australian associate and full professors' fields. Publications from biologists had the largest values of diversification. Women (compared with men) and associate professors (compared with full professors) in chemistry, biology and overall were more probably to publish diversely. ED was negatively correlated with output and citation impact. DR also had a negative but weak correlation with the number of publications and 10% most frequently cited paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, in the continental and marine waters of the Earth, there are over 33,400 species of fish. Over time, naturalists, and specialists in ichthyology have proposed several variants of systematic classification of fish. Thanks to new methods and advanced scientific research equipment, 300-500 new species are discovered every year. This explains the fact that in just 20 years (1998-2017), 7,436 species were described. In 2004, the scientific organization Integrated Taxonomic Information System published ITIS Report, in which a complete taxonomic hierarchy of the genus Alosa is presented. Alosa immaculata (Pontic shad), is an important fish species in the ecological system of the Danube-Delta-Black Sea, with a significant economic value due to the high catches and to the nutritional qualities of meat. The knowledge of the essential elements regarding the biology and the exploitation of the species contributes to ensuring the necessary information for the conservation of the species and the management of the stocks. The current level of knowledge on the biology of the Pontic shad is known from the researches of the Romanian and Russian specialists from the years 1960-1970, but in the last 30 years, numerous changes have occurred in the environmental and exploitation conditions of the species. In this context, the aim of this paper is to present as updated information as possible regarding the biology and exploitation of the Pontic shad, under the new environmental conditions, to meet the current objective of species conservation in the requirements of the sustainable exploitation of the stocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the paper is to assess the impact of using specific teaching tools to students regarding the role and functions of the grassland ecosystem so that they understand the functioning of this ecosystem without anthropogenic intervention. It is important for students to know the role, structure and functioning of this ecosystem because it is one of the richest resources of semi-natural grassland still existing in Europe. These are classified as grasslands with high natural value and high biodiversity. In the sciences of life or biology, we can say that phenomena are understood by students when they can operate with the knowledge acquired in contexts other than those presented in the lesson. Also, in biology lessons we must also focus on what is useful for the further development and activity of the individual. In order to illustrate and explain the grassland ecosystem so that the students can understand and retain it, a division of methods was used, with an informational-operational, but especially participatory-nonparticipatory weight. As a case study, the present paper tried to approach the educational process, life, practical activity. The training through the case mediates a confrontation with a real life situation, authentic, taken as a typical representative example for a general state of affairs. The direct results obtained were analyzed by the increased interest of the students in the lesson about the grassland ecosystem due to the multiple attraction systems generated by its functions as landscape, habitat for rare species of animals and plants, present near houses in the form of lawn, etc. We can appreciate that in the future the presentation of lesson topics in attractive interactive forms will both as a teaching method and as content will contribute to increasing the interest of the students towards the school but you have chosen the life sciences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Significance: The performance of traditional approaches to decoding movement intent from electromyograms (EMGs) and other biological signals commonly degrade over time. Furthermore, conventional algorithms for training neural network based decoders may not perform well outside the domain of the state transitions observed during training. The work presented in this paper mitigates both these problems, resulting in an approach that has the potential to substantially improve the quality of life of the people with limb loss. Objective: This paper presents and evaluates the performance of four decoding methods for volitional movement intent from intramuscular EMG signals. Methods: The decoders are trained using the dataset aggregation (DAgger) algorithm, in which the training dataset is augmented during each training iteration based on the decoded estimates from previous iterations. Four competing decoding methods, namely polynomial Kalman filters (KFs), multilayer perceptron (MLP) networks, convolutional neural networks (CNN), and long short-term memory (LSTM) networks, were developed. The performances of the four decoding methods were evaluated using EMG datasets recorded from two human volunteers with transradial amputation. Short-term analyses, in which the training and cross-validation data came from the same dataset, and long-term analyses, in which the training and testing were done in different datasets, were performed. Results: Short-term analyses of the decoders demonstrated that CNN and MLP decoders performed significantly better than KF and LSTM decoders, showing an improvement of up to 60% in the normalized mean-square decoding error in cross-validation tests. Long-term analyses indicated that the CNN, MLP, and LSTM decoders performed significantly better than a KF-based decoder at most analyzed cases of temporal separations (0–150 days) between the acquisition of the training and testing datasets. Conclusion: The short-term and long-term performances of MLP- and CNN-based decoders trained with DAgger demonstrated their potential to provide more accurate and naturalistic control of prosthetic hands than alternate approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With respect to harmonic generation measurements in isotropic materials, the amplitude of the third-harmonic wave generally depends on both $\beta ^{2}$ (the square of the second-order nonlinear parameter $\beta $) and $\gamma $ (the third-order nonlinear parameter). Therefore, some care should be taken when measuring these parameters using the third-harmonic amplitude. The purpose of this paper is to investigate detailed theoretical and measurement techniques for the accurate determination of $\beta ^{2}$ which dominates the third-harmonic amplitude in most biological fluids and crystalline solids. The theory deals with harmonic generation in materials with cubic nonlinearity and defines the formula for measuring $\beta ^{2}$ with corrections for diffraction and attenuation. These corrections are derived from the Westervelt equation and play an important role in the measurement of nonlinear parameters. The third-harmonic amplitude that varies with the distance in water is obtained for the measurement of $\beta ^{2}$. $\beta $ is also measured from the second-harmonic amplitude for comparison. We also confirm the required input voltage to stably generate the third harmonic and discuss the effects of diffraction and attenuation correction on the $\beta ^{2}$ determination. The measured $\beta ^{2}$ in the propagation range of 0.05–0.2 m agrees well with the square of the measured $\beta $ , revealing that the third-harmonic amplitude is closely related to $\beta ^{2}$ , not $\gamma $. This paper covers comprehensive theories, experimentation, and analysis related to the measurement of third-harmonic generation in isotropic media and can be immediately applied to crystalline solids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of protons and heavy ions for the treatment of tumors is increasing since it provides a better relative biological effectiveness (RBE) than traditional radiotherapy. Accurate knowledge of the energy deposition at submicrometric scales is paramount for RBE characterization. This paper shows the latest version of the silicon cylindrical microdosimeter array developed by the Instituto de Microelectrónica de Barcelona, Centro Nacional de Microelectrónica (IMB-CNM, Spain). The detector consists of a matrix of $11 \times 11$ cylindrical sensitive unit cells with individual readout etched within the silicon substrate available in different diameters and pitches between detectors. The detector employed in this paper had a diameter of $15~\mu \text{m}$ , a pitch of $200~\mu \text{m}$ , and a thickness of $5.5~\mu \text{m}$. The detectors were tested in the clinical facilities of Fondazione Centro Nazionale di Adronterapia Oncologica (CNAO) (Pavia, Italy) employing a 12C pencil beam at a therapeutic beam fluence rate. Microdosimetric spectra of lineal energy were measured in different depths of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) up to the Bragg peak. Results were then compared with Monte Carlo simulations using the FLUKA particle transport code, showing an excellent agreement between experimental and simulated microdosimetric distributions even at the high fluence rates associated with clinical beams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research focuses on BioScientist, a digital game-based, inquiry-based learning program embedded in the biology curriculum that develops inquiry skills in 8th-grade students. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate a combination of elements of digital game-based learning (DGBL) with inquiry-based learning (IBL) through BioScientist and to report on its implementation. We examined whether inquiry skills and biology learning motivation change due to BioScientist. A total of 257 eighth graders participated in the research (Nexp. = 132, Ncontrol = 125). Students in the experimental group used BioScientist at home and in the classroom. The teachers in the control group did not change their teaching practices. Students’ inquiry skills were measured using the Inquiry Skills Test, and their biology learning motivation was measured using the Biology Motivation Questionnaire II. The experimental group and teachers were asked to evaluate BioScientist. The results indicated BioScientist digital game is suitable for developing inquiry skills, with the effect size being close to medium (Cohen’s d = 0.46). However, biology learning motivation was not developed. Student feedback on the BioScientist game and its use for learning is favourable. Based on the teachers’ responses, BioScientist can be used well in teaching biology. This research provides evidence that combining elements of digital game-based and inquiry-based learning is effective in developing inquiry skills. The game can be effectively integrated into the teaching practice, in line with the content of the biology curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• I briefly describe the Boolean modeling approach to investigate gene regulatory networks (GRNs). • I discuss the foundational contributions by the three seminal manuscripts more than 15 years ago. • Finally, the applications of the Boolean modeling approach to the large-scale omics data is discussed. Boolean modeling is a mathematical modeling framework used for defining and studying gene-regulatory networks (GRNs). It serves as a means to develop mechanistic models, offering insights into the trajectories and dynamic properties of GRNs. In this review, I delve into seminal papers published in the Journal of Theoretical Biology that have spearheaded this field. Additionally, I explore the application of these modeling methods in the current era of data-intensive science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a novel lysosome-targeted Cys fluorescent probe, LN-NCS , was synthesized by introducing an isothiocyanate (ITC) moiety as a recognition site for Cys in the naphthalimide fluorophore and combining it with a morpholine moiety for targeting the lysosome. The probe LN-NCS has a large Stokes shift (140 nm), low cytotoxicity, low detection limit (16.3 nM), and high selectivity, and probe LN-NCS reacts with Cys to produce the compound LN-NH 2 with good fluorescence quantum yield (Ф = 0.81). Probe LN-NCS can be used to detect Cys in cells, zebrafish, plant roots, food samples, and environmental water samples. In addition, by mimicking cellular inflammation, the probe LN-NCS was shown to detect changes in Cys concentration induced by cellular inflammation, providing a potential tool to better study the cellular inflammatory environment. [Display omitted] • LN-NCS is a novel Cys probe with the function of targeting lysosomes. • LN-NCS is capable of detecting Cys in food samples and water samples. • LN-NCS allows detection of Cys in cells, zebrafish and Arabidopsis. • LN-NCS was able to detect inflammation-induced changes in Cys concentration. Cysteine (Cys) is a sulfur-containing amino acid that plays an important role in living systems. The most common way to supplement the body with exogenous Cys is through the consumption of Cys-rich foods. Therefore, it is important to detect and analyze Cys in living systems and food samples. However, most of the Cys fluorescent probes developed so far are limited to the detection of the cellular environment only, and very few probes can take into account the detection of Cys in plant roots and food samples. In this paper, a novel fluorescent probe LN-NCS targeting the detection of Cys in lysosomes was designed and synthesized by modifying the naphthalimide fluorophore. The probe LN-NCS has a large Stokes shift (140 nm), low cytotoxicity, low detection limit (16.3 nM), and high selectivity, and probe LN-NCS reacts with Cys to produce the compound LN-NH 2 with good fluorescence quantum yield (Ф = 0.81). Probe LN-NCS can be used to detect Cys in cells, zebrafish, plant roots, food samples, and environmental water samples. In addition, by modeling cellular inflammation, we have demonstrated that probe LN-NCS can detect changes in Cys concentration induced by cellular inflammation, providing a potential tool to better study the cellular inflammatory environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A range of studies published in the last few decades promotes the cognitive aspects of life: all organisms, from bacteria to mammals, are capable of sensing/perception, decision-making, problem-solving, learning, and other cognitive functions, including sentience and consciousness. In this paper I present a scientific and philosophical synthesis of these studies, leading to an integrated view of cognitive biology. This view is expressed through the four principles applicable to all living systems: (1) sentience and consciousness, (2) autopoiesis, (3) free energy principle and relational biology, and (4) cognitive repertoire. The principles are circular, and they reinforce themselves. The circularity is not rigid, meaning that hierarchical and heterarchical shifts are widespread in the biosphere. The above principles emerged at the dawn of life, with the first cells, bacteria and archaea. All biogenic forms and functions that emerged since then can be traced to the first cells – indivisible units of biological agency. Following these principles, I developed the concept of biocivilisations to explain various forms of social intelligence in different kingdoms of life. The term biociviloisations draws on the human interpretation of the concept of civilisation, which searches for non-human equivalents of communication, engineering, science, medicine, art, and agriculture, in all kingdoms of life by applying the principles of cognitive biology. Potential avenues for testing the concept of biocivilisations are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spots of blood are routinely collected from newborn babies onto filter paper called Guthrie cards and used to screen for metabolic and genetic disorders. The archived dried blood spots are an important and precious resource for genomic research. Whole genome amplification of dried blood spot DNA has been used to provide DNA for genome-wide SNP genotyping. Here we describe a 96 well format procedure to extract DNA from a portion of a dried blood spot that provides sufficient unamplified genomic DNA for genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping. We show that SNP genotyping of the unamplified DNA is more robust than genotyping amplified dried blood spot DNA, is comparable in cost, and can be done with thousands of samples. This procedure can be used for genome-wide association studies and other large-scale genomic analyses that require robust, high-accuracy genotyping of dried blood spot DNA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The features of the biology, ecology, and annual cycle of the Redpoll in the near-Ob forest–tundra and subarctic tundra of Yamal are considered: distribution, habitats, nesting density, timing and nature of spring migration, pre-nesting period. The characteristics of reproduction are given: the timing of nesting at different latitudes, nest construction, location and arrangement of nests, nesting material, the order of laying eggs, clutch size, the duration of incubation and feeding of chicks, and the second and third clutches. The description of the post-nesting period contains information about the duration of stay in the vicinity of the nest and the transition to migrations and the course of molting in young and adult birds under natural lighting and in the experiments with an artificial photoperiod. This paper studies the state of migration and the course of autumn migration, the influence of environmental conditions on it, and the transition to winter migrations. It has been confirmed that redpolls have no fidelity to nesting and birth sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The organization of the living world covers a vast range of spatiotemporal scales, from molecules to the biosphere, seconds to centuries. Biologists working within specialized subdisciplines tend to focus on different ranges of scales. Therefore, developing frameworks that enable testing questions and predictions of scaling requires sufficient understanding of complex processes across biological subdisciplines and spatiotemporal scales. Frameworks that enable scaling across subdisciplines would ideally allow us to test hypotheses about the degree to which explicit integration across spatiotemporal scales is needed for predicting the outcome of biological processes. For instance, how does genomic variation within populations allow us to explain community structure? How do the dynamics of cellular metabolism translate to our understanding of whole-ecosystem metabolism? Do patterns and processes operate seamlessly across biological scales, or are there fundamental laws of biological scaling that limit our ability to make predictions from one scale to another? Similarly, can sub-organismal structures and processes be sufficiently understood in isolation of potential feedbacks from the population, community, or ecosystem levels? And can we infer the sub-organismal processes from data on the population, community, or ecosystem scale? Concerted efforts to develop more cross-disciplinary frameworks will open doors to a more fully integrated field of biology. In this paper, we discuss how we might integrate across scales, specifically by (1) identifying scales and boundaries, (2) determining analogous units and processes across scales, (3) developing frameworks to unite multiple scales, and (4) extending frameworks to new empirical systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite efforts to integrate research across different subdisciplines of biology, the scale of integration remains limited. We hypothesize that future generations of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies specifically adapted for biological sciences will help enable the reintegration of biology. AI technologies will allow us not only to collect, connect, and analyze data at unprecedented scales, but also to build comprehensive predictive models that span various subdisciplines. They will make possible both targeted (testing specific hypotheses) and untargeted discoveries. AI for biology will be the cross-cutting technology that will enhance our ability to do biological research at every scale. We expect AI to revolutionize biology in the 21st century much like statistics transformed biology in the 20th century. The difficulties, however, are many, including data curation and assembly, development of new science in the form of theories that connect the subdisciplines, and new predictive and interpretable AI models that are more suited to biology than existing machine learning and AI techniques. Development efforts will require strong collaborations between biological and computational scientists. This white paper provides a vision for AI for Biology and highlights some challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two hallmarks of biological processes are complexity and time. While complexity can have many meanings, in this paper we propose an explicit link to the flow of time and how it is experienced by the organism. While the flow of time is rooted in constraints of fundamental physics, understanding the operation of biological systems in terms of processual flow and tempo is more elusive. Fortunately, the convergence of new computational and methodological perspectives will provide a means to transform complicated, nonlinear paths between related phenomena at different time scales into dynamic four-dimensional perspectives. According to the complex temporal biology approach, information flow between time scales of multiple lengths is a transformational process that acts to regulate life's complexity. Interactions between temporal intervals of differing magnitude and otherwise loosely-related mechanisms can be understood as inter-timescale information flow. We further propose that informational flow between time scales is the glue that binds the multiple vertical layers of biocomplexity, as well as yielding surprising outcomes ranging from complex behaviors to the persistence of lineages. Building a foundation of rules based on common interactions between orders of time and common experiential contexts would help to reintegrate biology. Emerging methodologies such as state-of-the-art imaging, visualization techniques, and computational data analysis can help us uncover these interactions. In conclusion, we propose educational and community-level changes that would better enable our vision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both mathematical models and biological model systems stand as tractable representations of complex biological systems or behaviors. They facilitate research and provide insights, and they can describe general rules. Models that represent biological processes or formalize general hypotheses are essential to any broad understanding. Mathematical or biological models necessarily omit details of the natural systems and thus may ultimately be "incorrect" representations. A key challenge is that tractability requires relatively simple models but simplification can result in models that are incorrect in their qualitative, broad implications if the abstracted details matter. Our paper discusses this tension, and how we can improve our inferences from models. We advocate for further efforts dedicated to model development, improvement, and acceptance by the scientific community, all of which may necessitate a more explicit discussion of the purpose and power of models. We argue that models should play a central role in reintegrating biology as a way to test our integrated understanding of how molecules, cells, organs, organisms, populations, and ecosystems function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this vision paper is to investigate the possible role that advanced machine learning techniques, especially deep learning (DL), could play in the reintegration of various biological disciplines. To achieve this goal, a series of operational, but admittedly very simplistic, conceptualizations have been introduced: Life has been taken as a multidimensional phenomenon that inhabits three physical dimensions (time, space, and scale) and biological research as establishing connection between different points in the domain of life. Each of these points hence denotes a position in time, space, and scale at which a life phenomenon of interest takes place. Using these conceptualizations, fragmentation of biology can be seen as the result of too few and especially too short-ranged connections. Reintegrating biology could then be accomplished by establishing more, longer ranged connections. DL methods appear to be very well suited for addressing this particular need at this particular time. Notwithstanding the numerous unsubstantiated claims regarding the capabilities of AI, DL networks represent a major advance in the ability to find complex relationships inside large data sets that would have not been accessible with traditional data analytic methods or to a human observer. In addition, ongoing advances in the automation of taking measurements from phenomena on all levels of biological organization continue to increase the number of large quantitative data sets that are available. These increasingly common data sets could serve as anchor points for making long-range connections by virtue of DL. However, connections within the domain of life are likely to be structured in a highly nonuniform fashion and hence it is necessary to develop methods, for example, theoretical, computational, and experimental, to determine linkage of biological data sets most likely to provide useful insights on a biological problem using DL. Finally, specific DL approaches and architectures should be developed to match the needs of reintegrating biology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Samba dance is a factional part of sports dance. It forms a sports dance system with modern dance. According to the method of sports biomechanics experiment, the dynamic parameters and changing rules of fork foot pressure dynamic distribution characteristics are summarised, which can provide theoretical reference for further study of the basic law of samba dance. From the point of view of sports biomechanics, this paper analyses the rotation of athletes, and combines the knowledge of biomechanics with the rotation characteristics of samba dance. Studies have shown that in the comparison of general parameters, the different indicators of the foot pressure have a certain regularity in different action stages. There were no significant differences between the test group and the control group in terms of walking speed, relative speed, step size, relative step size, foot contact area time, and duration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The land snail taxon Helix straminea Briganti, 1825 has been reintroduced as a valid species in 2014. We provide here a comprehensive account of its taxonomy, distribution, anatomy, phylogeny and karyology in Italy. An overview of the historical views on the validity of the species is presented and faunistic data are reviewed and implemented with new records from Campania and Basilicata. A lectotype is fixed for H. straminea from the syntypes stored in the Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle of Genève, as well as for three other taxa (Helix straminiformis Bourguignat, 1876, Helix yleobia Bourguignat, 1883 and Helix straminea ssp. elongata Bourguignat, 1860). Genital system, radula and karyotype are described for the first time. Molecular analysis of two mitochondrial genes combining GenBank data and the new sequences presented in this paper showed no differentiation between the northern and southern Italian populations. The conservation status of the species and its possible threats are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper describes investigations on the reproduction biology (nesting, clutching, hatching, fledglings' departure) of the Common Redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus) in artificial nest boxes (AN) in Northeastern Ukraine. There were three sites of research: Hetman NNP, NPP "Gomilshansky Forests", and RLP "Feldman Ecopark". The research was performed during the nesting period from the first week of April to the first week of July in 2015‒2020. Annually, 5‒8 bird counts were conducted at each site. The first complete egg clutches at Hetman NNP were observed from 08.05 to 17.05 (2015‒2020) and at NPP "Gomilshansky Forests" from 02.05 to28.05 (2017‒2020). Dates of the first egg laying, at various conditions, had inter-annual variability because of unstable weather conditions in May. The average parameters of nests in AN at Hetman NNP were the following: diameter of nests (D) ‒ 124.1±6.3 mm; diameter of trays (d) ‒ 61.5±1.7 mm; nest height (H) ‒ 63.5±9.4 mm; depth of trays (h) ‒ 48.6±2.7 mm; nest mass (m) ‒ 43.7±3.8 mm. The size of complete clutches in Northeastern Ukraine was calculated when eggs were incubated. According to the average indicators, during 2015‒2020, the average size of the clutch was 6.9±0.3 (5‒8) eggs at Hetman NNP, 6.2±0.4 (6‒8) eggs at NPP "Gomilshansky Forests" and 8.5±0.5 (8‒9) eggs at RLP "Feldman Ecopark". Incubation period of Ph. phoenicurus lasted on average for 15‒20 days. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

First-year majors organismal biology courses are frequently taught as survey courses that promote memorization rather than synthesis of biological concepts. To address the shortcomings of this approach, we redesigned the organismal portion of our introductory biology curriculum to create a "Foundations of Form and Function" course. Foundations of Form and Function introduces different organismal forms and focuses on the relationship between those forms and the execution of key physiological functions. Goals of our new course include the following: developing student recognition of common characteristics that unite living organisms as well as features that distinguish taxonomic groups, facilitating student understanding of how organisms accomplish similar functions through different forms, and reinforcing course themes with independent student research. In this paper, we describe course learning outcomes, organization, content, assessment, and laboratory activities. We also present student perspectives and outcomes of our course design based on data from four years of student evaluations. Finally, we explain how we modified our course to meet remote learning and social-distancing challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The demand and high market price for sea cucumber has led to the collapse of wild stocks for many traditional species in Asia and the Indo-Pacific. New species have therefore been introduced to the markets over recent decades, including Cucumaria frondosa. A fishery for C. frondosa emerged in the USA in the 1980s and quickly developed in Iceland, Canada and Russia. Commercial products include frozen and dry body wall (beche-de-mer), frozen muscle bands, dry aquapharyngeal bulb (flower), along with various pharmaceutical and nutraceutical extracts. This species is also a candidate for aquaculture due to its high marketability for food and bioactive products. Despite its naturally high abundance, C. frondosa is a temperate-polar slow-growing species with annual spawning; therefore, a precautionary approach must be taken to develop best practices for management of this resource. The present contribution reviews the biology, ecology, biochemical properties, harvesting and trade, and the potential aquaculture of C. frondosa. This comprehensive synthesis, including 10 theses, 197 scientific papers and 47 reports, aims to provide a framework for future research by highlighting areas of concern for academic studies, fishery management, and aquaculture of cold-water sea cucumber species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nanoparticle's synthesis had its tipping point at the beginning of the 21st century, opening up the possibility of manufacturing nanoparticles with almost every imaginable shape and size [[1]]. This paper indicates that the Si/MoS SB 2 sb core-shell nanoparticles arrays are excellent SERS substrates with great potential, remaining possible to expand the application of these 2D material core-shell nanostructure to biomolecules detection. As can be comprehended in the literature and part of the manuscripts of this Special Issue, most of the substrates synthesized using plasmonic nanoparticles are used for the detection of biomolecules or contaminants by SERS spectroscopy. [Extracted from the article]

Metaphors play a crucial role in the understanding of science. Since antiquity, metaphors have been used in technical texts to describe structures unknown or unnamed; besides establishing a terminology of science, metaphors are also important for the expression of concepts. However, a concise terminology to classify metaphors in the language of science has not been established yet. But in the context of studying the history of a science and its concepts, a precise typology of metaphors can be helpful. Metaphors have a lot in common with models in science, as has been observed already. In this paper, therefore, I suggest a typology of metaphor in ancient science to fill this terminological gap by using concepts applied to the classification of models in science, as coined by Rom Harré. I propose to differentiate between homeoconceptual metaphors (with the same conceptual frame between source and target) and paraconceptual metaphors (mapped via a different conceptual frame). Furthermore, functional and structural aspects of metaphors in ancient science are taken into account. Case studies from ancient texts displaying metaphors in ancient science are presented and classified following the outlined typology of metaphors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some thrips species are considered as model insect organisms to study reproductive biology since some closely related (sub) species were mainly reproducing by arrhenotoky, thelytoky and in some rare cases as deuterotoky. As other insect species, thrips are associated with endosymbiotic bacteria and this bacteria has led to manipulating their reproductive biology. The main goal of this paper is to review the reproductive modes, potential reproductive manipulators and their strategies to change the reproductive biology of thrips species. Thrips species are reproducing through, arrhenotoky, thelytoky and deuterotoky. Wolbachia, Cardinium, Rickettsia and Spiroplasma have been detected in the reproductive organs of some thrips species and the most common insect reproductive manipulators by causing cytoplasmic incompatibility, thelytokous parthenogenesis, male killing and feminization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synthesiomyia nudiseta (van der Wulp, 1883) is a synanthropic muscid found in tropical and subtropical zones around the world. The larvae of this species are a secondary agent of myiasis with necrophagous habits and play an important role in forensic entomology, as they are used as an indicator of post-mortem interval. Adults can be considered vectors of etiological agents such as Escherichia coli and Shigella dysenteriae. Due to its ability to adapt to different environmental conditions, its high dispersal capacity (shown by its introduction to Europe), its predatory habits in the last larval stage and the difficulty of identifying it, a very important goal is to update our knowledge about this species. Therefore, the main objective of this paper is to review the identification, geographical distribution and biology of this species in order to provide better support to investigations involving this fly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This Special Issue presents the outcomes from the 23rd African Association of Insect Scientists' Conference held in Cote D'Ivoire, in connection with similar initiatives within and outside Africa. Over 65 scientific papers from several countries, worldwide, were submitted, of which about 40 were accepted and published. The issue focused on new advances in the value chain of edible insects in Africa and beyond. An innovative light-emitting diode technology for mass harvesting of edible grasshopper has been developed. The nutrient composition of insects such as the desert locust has been evaluated. Organic waste streams have been found to affect insect productivity and nutritional value. Insect-based feed increases the nutritional quality of poultry meat. Conventional processing methods reduce microbiological hazards in edible insects. Bioaccumulation of heavy metals, excessive microbial loads and pesticides residues threaten safety of some edible insects, if quality control measures are not developed. Climate change will impede availability of edible insects; hence, necessitating upscaling of mass production technologies and sound conservation practices. Safety and hygiene, on the other hand, hamper the acceptability of insects as food and/or feed, particularly in developed countries. Food fortification with insects and isolation of bioactive compounds from them are new highlights in the Special Issue, which were previously under-explored in Africa. The application of modern food processing technology in the development of new products and the medicinal or commercial value derivable from edible insects and their therapeutic functions are excellent opportunities for expanding the sector. Since disgust factors exist, mass sensitisation on the benefits of consuming insects and insect-based products is a must. We believe that the new frontiers on insects for food, feed and other uses that have been presented in this special issue will undoubtedly stimulate more debates and collaborations in the sector within Africa and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ground pearls (Hemiptera: Margarodidae), so called for their shiny spherical cyst stage, are important root-feeding pests of a broad range of plants predominantly belonging to the family Poaceae. In the tropical and subtropical regions of eastern Australia, ground pearl species cause significant damage on sugarcane and turf grasses and have been identified at multiple sites of pasture dieback in Queensland. The potential impact of ground pearls on pasture production in Australia and elsewhere is largely unknown. This paper reviews Australian and international literature on the biology and management of this poorly understood group of pests. Ground pearls have several features that make control difficult, including a resilient cyst which provides resistance to drought and excessive moisture, a relative impermeability to insecticides, and ease of dispersal through movement of soil. Ground pearls can also modulate the period of encystment to survive adverse environmental conditions, with some species capable of surviving for years while disassociated from a host. No insecticide effectively controls ground pearl cysts. Biological control agents have been identified for some species; however, these pathogens are relatively ineffective on subterranean ground pearl cysts. Cultural control methods such as cultivation and fallowing have helped to reduce ground pearl populations in sugarcane. In turf, practices that maintain plant health such as adequate irrigation and nutrition can mask signs of ground pearl infestation. The paucity of research conducted on the biology and impact of ground pearls represents a constraint to improving management of this pest. Ground pearls are important pests of a broad range of plants predominantly belonging to the grass family (Poaceae). In eastern Australia, they cause significant damage on sugarcane and turf grasses, and have recently been found in pasture situations in Queensland, but their impacts are unknown. This work reviews Australian and international literature on the biology and management of ground pearls, finding that relatively little research has been undertaken and several knowledge gaps remain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Covering: July 2012 to December 2019 Over the last seven years, expanding research efforts focused on sesterterpenoids has led to the isolation, identification, and characterization of numerous structurally novel and biologically active sesterterpenoids. These newly reported sesterterpenoids provide diverse structures that often incorporate unprecedented ring systems and new carbon skeletons, as well as unusual functional group arrays. Biological activities of potential biomedical importance including suppression of cancer cell growth, inhibition of enzymatic activity, and modulation of receptor signaling, as well as ecologically important functions such as antimicrobial effects and deterrence of herbivorous insects have been associated with a variety of sesterterpenoids. There has also been a rapid growth in our knowledge of the genomics, enzymology, and specific pathways associated with sesterterpene biosynthesis. This has opened up new opportunities for future sesterterpene discovery and diversification through the expression of new cryptic metabolites and the engineered manipulation of associated biosynthetic machinery and processes. In this paper we reviewed 498 new sesterterpenoids, including their structures, source organisms, country of origin, relevant bioactivities, and biosynthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

I summarize here the history of the use of abbreviations, mostly in subject areas related to dyes, stains and fluorescent probes used in biology and medicine. The dozen most popular abbreviations in these fields are identified and their salient characteristics noted. The pros and cons of each abbreviation are discussed with relevant citations. Certain abbreviations that are not in the list, e.g., AZAN and LN, are mentioned because they have an unusual origin; while others, i.e., INEPT and INADEQUATE are presented because they are bizarre. A related topic is abbreviations used for citations, which require further efforts to decipher. In the past, brevity helped conserve materials, such as ink and paper, and promoted more rapid publishing. I suggest that the use of many abbreviations in the current era of electronic publishing may not be necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article makes available some early letters chronicling the relationship between the biologist Joseph H. Woodger and the logician Alfred Tarski. Using twenty-five unpublished letters from Tarski to Woodger preserved in the Woodger Papers at University College, London, I reconstruct their relationship for the period 1935–1950. The scientific aspects of the correspondence concern, among other things, Tarski’s reports on the work he is doing, his interests, and his — sometimes critical but always well-meaning — reactions to Woodger’s attempts at axiomatizing and formalizing biology using the system of Principia Mathematica. Perhaps the most interesting letter from a philosophical point of view is a very informative letter on nominalism dated November 21, 1948. But just as fascinating are the personal elements, the dramatic period leading to the second world war, their reaction to the war events, Tarski’s anguish for his family stranded back in Poland, the financial worries, and his first reports on life in the East Coast and, as of 1942, at the University of California, Berkeley. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we have established the concept of mutant soft set for algebraic formalization of biological mutation, and examined its structural properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents information on forthcoming papers and review topics, in January 2003 issue of the journal 'Munksgaard International Publishers.' Review topics to be released, starting from February to December 2003; Papers on organelle acidification and disease; Protein structure and import into the peroxisomal matrix.

The article invites papers on biology for publication in the journal.

Musk, the dried secretion from the musk sac gland which is located between the navel and genitals of mature male musk deer, is utilized as oriental medicine in east Asia. It has been utilized to treat conditions such as stroke, coma, neurasthenia, convulsions, and heart diseases in China since ancient times. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive overview of musk in zoology, chemical composition, pharmacology, clinical applications, and quality control according to the up-to-date literature. Studies found that musk mainly contains macrocyclic ketones, pyridine, steroids, fatty acids, amino acids, peptides, and proteins, whilst the main active ingredient is muscone. Modern pharmacological studies have proven that musk possesses potent anti-inflammatory effects, neuroprotective effects, anti-cancer effects, antioxidant effects, etc. Moreover, muscone, the main active ingredient, possesses anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, antioxidant, and other pharmacological effects. In the quality control of musk, muscone is usually the main detection indicator, and the common analytical method is GC, and researchers have established novel and convenient methods such as HPLC-RI, RP-UPLC-ELSD, and Single-Sweep Polarography. In addition, quality evaluation methods based on steroids and the bioactivity of musk have been established. As for the identification of musk, due to various objective factors such as the availability of synthetic Muscone, it is not sufficient to rely on muscone alone as an identification index. To date, some novel technologies have also been introduced into the identification of musk, such as the electronic nose and DNA barcoding technology. In future research, more in vivo experiments and clinical studies are encouraged to fully explain the pharmacological effects and toxicity of musk, and more comprehensive methods are needed to evaluate and control the quality of musk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evolutionary epistemology (EE) has experienced a continuous rise over the last decades. Important new theoretical considerations and novel empirical findings have been integrated into the existing framework (Gontier and Bradie 2018). In this paper, I would like to suggest three lines of research that I believe will significantly contribute to further advance EE: (1) ontogenetic considerations, (2) key ideas from cognitive biology, and (3) the framework of the Extended Evolutionary Synthesis. (1) EE, in particular the program of the evolution of epistemological mechanisms (EEM), seeks to provide a phylogenetic account of the generation of cognitive processes underlying knowledge creation (Bradie and Harms 2017). Traditionally, EE and EEM have been oriented towards an account of evolutionary theory that mainly drew from the tenets of the Modern Synthesis. The Modern Synthesis largely dismisses ontogenetic processes and considers them irrelevant for evolutionary explanations. If anything, the role of development in evolution is believed to be that of a constraint. There is, however, ample evidence for a tight intertwinement of developmental and evolutionary processes. Organisms employ their cognitive apparatus to interact with the environment in order to achieve a fully functioning perceptual and cognitive nervous system. Also, ontogeny provides generative potentials to enable variations that natural selection can act upon. EEM's agenda may, therefore, strongly benefit from bringing together ontogenetic and phylogenetic approaches. To grapple with this challenge, an alternative vision of the evolutionary theory termed Extended Evolutionary Synthesis (Pigliucci and Müller 2010) could be used. This extended evolutionary theory explores relationships between the processes of individual development and phenotypic change during evolution (i.e., EvoDevo) and can provide a more suitable framework for EEM to draw from. (2) In recent years, cognitive biology has gained momentum as an independent research field. Cognitive biology builds on the concepts of EEM and understands knowledge as a biogenic phenomenon. Its main objective is also the formulation of substantiated interrelations between cognition and evolution but it focuses on cognitive functionality at all levels of biological organization. It thus employs a "vertical" approach that encompasses nested hierarchies which span from single molecules, cells, and tissues to the organismal level, communities, and societies. In contrast to cognitive biology, EEM is here understood to adopt a "horizontal" approach that focuses on phylogenetic explanations of cognition and knowledge acquisition (Kovac 2006). Linking EEM with the key ideas of cognitive biology could make EEM's research program stronger as it can more easily accommodate phylogenetic and ontogenetic questions within a hierarchical, multilevel perspective. This is of particular importance for a more comprehensive account of cognition since living systems are subject to context-dependent causal influences from different organizational levels. (3) In addition to EEM, there is a second program of EE. This program has been labeled evolutionary epistemology of theories (EET) and understands the increase in human knowledge, such as scientific theories, as naturalistic accounts of evolution. Both, EEM and EET initially drew from the core concepts of the Modern Synthesis. Several scholars have severely criticized the analogies made between EET and the Neo-Darwinian key processes of evolution. In particular processes of random mutation, the rate of variation, natural selection as the unique driving force, and the adaptationist agenda are believed to reveal disanalogies. In contrast to the Modern Synthesis, the Extended Evolutionary Synthesis not only recognizes developmental processes but also ecological interactions and systems dynamics as well as social and cultural evolutionary reciprocity as important evolutionary processes. Concepts of the Extended Evolutionary Synthesis are therefore expected to be more fruitful for re-conceptualizing parallels between scientific theorizing and biological evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The way in which computer code is perceived and used in biological research has been a source of some controversy and confusion, and has resulted in sub-optimal outcomes related to reproducibility, scalability and productivity. We suggest that the confusion is due in part to a misunderstanding of the function of code when applied to the life sciences. Code has many roles, and in this paper we present a three-dimensional taxonomy to classify those roles and map them specifically to the life sciences. We identify a "sweet spot" in the taxonomy—a convergence where bioinformaticians should concentrate their efforts in order to derive the most value from the time they spend using code. We suggest the use of the "inverse Conway maneuver" to shape a research team so as to allow dedicated software engineers to interface with researchers working in this "sweet spot." We conclude that in order to address current issues in the use of software in life science research such as reproducibility and scalability, the field must reevaluate its relationship with software engineering, and adapt its research structures to overcome current issues in bioinformatics such as reproducibility, scalability and productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

James H. Brown's "Mammals on mountaintops: nonequilibrium insular biogeography," published in 1971 in The American Naturalist, documented distributional patterns of small mammal species in the mountaintop islands of the Great Basin, USA. Distributional patterns suggested that this island-like system was not in equilibrium and represented some of the first evidence contradicting the seminal Theory of Island Biogeography. Brown's findings suggested that ecological and historical mechanisms were integral to community assembly and maintenance in island-like systems, broadening the focus of research related to biogeographical patterns in islands. The work further highlighted the importance of species traits on distributional patterns. Here, I review the paper and its contributions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ophioderma appressum is a common and abundant ophiuroid species in tropical reef communities. Nevertheless, few studies analyse and describe its biology. In this paper, we evaluate and describe the diet of this species collected at Seixas reefs, João Pessoa, Brazil. Monthly diurnal samples were obtained between September 2018 and July 2019. In total, 143 individuals were analysed. The recorded diet was variable and consisted of 24 taxa and two additional items. Most material represented unidentifiable and/or digested remains, foraminiferans, crustacean fragments, and sediment particles, indicating omnivory. The number of individuals with stomach contents varied along the year (from two to 13 specimens per month). There was also significant temporal variation in the composition of the stomach contents. The months September 2018, May 2019 and June 2019 had the highest variety of items during the study. Our results suggest generalist and opportunistic feeding behaviour and highlight the role of O. appressum as an active predator on prey of diverse taxa and body size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The free energy principle (FEP) portends to provide a unifying principle for the biological and cognitive sciences. It states that for a system to maintain non-equilibrium steady-state with its environment it must minimise its (information-theoretic) free energy. Under the FEP, to minimise free energy is equivalent to engaging in approximate Bayesian inference. According to the FEP, therefore, inference is at the explanatory base of biology and cognition. In this paper, we discuss a specific challenge to this inferential formulation of adaptive self-organisation. We call it the universal ethology challenge: it states that the FEP cannot unify biology and cognition, for life itself (or adaptive self-organisation) does not require inferential routines to select adaptive solutions to environmental pressures (as mandated by the FEP). We show that it is possible to overcome the universal ethology challenge by providing a cautious and exploratory treatment of inference under the FEP. We conclude that there are good reasons for thinking that the FEP can unify biology and cognition under the notion of approximate Bayesian inference, even if further challenges must be addressed to properly draw such a conclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Calls for research papers on the role of arabidopsis in modern biology.

Major service change in healthcare – whereby the distribution of services is reconfigured at a local or regional level - is often a contested, political and poorly understood set of processes. This paper contributes to the theoretical understanding of major service change by demonstrating the utility of interpreting health service reconfiguration as a biopolitical intervention. Such an approach orients the analytical focus towards an exploration of the spatial and the population – crucial factors in major service change. Drawing on a qualitative study from 2011–12 of major service change in the English NHS combining documentary analyses of historically relevant policy papers and contemporary policy documentation (n = 125) with semi-structured interviews (n = 20) we highlight how a particular 'geography of stroke' in London was created building upon multiple types of knowledge: medical, epidemiological, economic, demographic, managerial and organisational. These informed particular spatial practices of government providing legitimation for the significant political upheaval that accompanies NHS service reconfiguration by problematizing existing variation in outcomes and making these visible. We suggest that major service change may be analysed as a 'practice of security' – a way of redefining a case, conceiving of risks and dangers, and averting potential crises in the interests of the population. • Foucault's work on biopolitics is applied to analyse major service change. • The reconfiguration of stroke services in London is explored. • Empirical and theoretical implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change, land clearing and invasive species are affecting ecosystems in concert, so effective management requires knowledge sharing and collaboration across multiple fields of applied ecological research.We provide an examination of the growth and interconnectivity of four major subfields of applied ecology: climate change biology, conservation biology, invasion biology and restoration ecology; estimated using citations from the entire population of peer‐reviewed journal articles published between 1990 and 2017.Over this period applied ecological research has grown from 2% of new ecology papers to over 20%. The subfields each represented c. 6% of new ecology publications in 2017, with the exception of restoration ecology at c. 3%. Inter‐subfield citation probabilities also increased consistently over our study period.Despite these positive trends, we identified apparent barriers to future integration of these research areas. While the probability that citations in one subfield would include at least one paper from another subfield was high, the magnitude of cross‐subfield citations was low. Subfields also exhibited segregated publishing habits, asynchronous research foci and a strong preference for citing application over theory.Synthesis and applications. Despite strong overall growth in applied ecological research, segregation of subfields in papers and journals may limit opportunities to identify co‐benefits and complementary theoretical frameworks. This has the potential to result in suboptimal ecological management outcomes. Despite strong overall growth in applied ecological research, segregation of subfields in papers and journals may limit opportunities to identify co‐benefits and complementary theoretical frameworks. This has the potential to result in suboptimal ecological management outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]