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The advancement of science, as well as scientific careers, depends upon good and clear scientific writing. Science is the most democratic of human endeavours because, in principle, anyone can replicate a scientific discovery. In order for this to continue, writing must be clear enough to be understood well enough to allow replication, either in principle or in fact. In this paper I will present data on the publication process in Evolutionary Ecology, use it to illustrate some of the problems in scientific papers, make some general remarks about writing scientific papers, summarise two new paper categories in the journal which will fill gaps that appear to be expanding in the literature, and summarise new journal policies to help mitigate existing problems. Most of the suggestions about writing would apply to any scientific journal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physical paper, in its various forms (e.g. books, leaflets, catalogues), is extensively used in everyday activities, despite any advancements in digital technology and ICT. Inspired by the popularity of this medium, several research efforts have envisioned and pursued a new era of interactive paper, however several challenges still remain to be addressed. On the other hand, recent advancements towards Ambient Intelligence (AmI) and Smart environments, bear the promise of seamless integration of the physical and digital worlds in an intuitive and user-friendly manner. This paper presents InPrinted, a systematic and generic framework supporting physical paper augmentation and user interaction in Ambient intelligence environments. InPrinted enables natural multimodal user interaction with any kind of printed matter in smart environments, providing context aware and anticipation mechanisms, as well as tools and interaction techniques that support the development of applications incorporating printed matter augmentation. InPrinted has been put to practice in the development of various systems, including the Interactive Maps system, facilitating interaction with printed maps as well as their augmentation with digital information. The results of an in-situ observation experiment of the Interactive Maps system are reported, highlighting that interacting with augmented paper is quite easy and natural, while the overall User Experience is positive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global number of papers in different areas has increased over the years. Additionally, changes in academic production scenarios, such as the decrease in the relative number of single-authored (SA) papers, have been observed. Thus, the aims of this study are to assess the trend of SA papers in four subareas of biology and also to estimate the year when 0.1 % of papers in these subareas will be SA (considering two adjusted models). The subareas investigated were Ecology, Genetics, Zoology and Botany. Our hypothesis is that all subareas show a decay in the number of SA papers. However, this pattern is more pronounced in subareas that were originally interdisciplinary (Genetics and Ecology) than in disciplinary areas (Zoology and Botany). In fact, SA papers have declined over the years in all subareas of biology, and according to the best model (Akaike Criteria), the first area that will have 0.1 % SA papers is Genetics, followed by Ecology. A partial regression indicates that the decrease in SA papers can be related to the increase in the number of authors and number of citations, suggesting the greater scientific impact of interdisciplinary research. However, other variables (e.g., political, linguistic and behavioral) can contribute to the decrease in SA papers. We lastly conclude that the number of SA papers in all subareas of biology in the coming years might continue decreasing and becoming rare, perhaps even to the point of extinction (to use a very common term in biology). In addition, all subareas of biology have become more interdisciplinary, combining the knowledge of various authors (and perhaps authors from different areas). The consequence of this approach is increasingly collaborative work, which may facilitate the increased success of the group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecological research and practice are crucial to understanding and guiding more positive relationships between people and ecosystems. However, ecology as a discipline and the diversity of those who call themselves ecologists have also been shaped and held back by often exclusionary Western approaches to knowing and doing ecology. To overcome these historical constraints and to make ecology inclusive of the diverse peoples inhabiting Earth's varied ecosystems, ecologists must expand their knowledge, both in theory and practice, to incorporate varied perspectives, approaches and interpretations from, with and within the natural environment and across global systems. We outline five shifts that could help to transform academic ecological practice: decolonize your mind; know your histories; decolonize access; decolonize expertise; and practise ethical ecology in inclusive teams. We challenge the discipline to become more inclusive, creative and ethical at a moment when the perils of entrenched thinking have never been clearer., (© 2021. Springer Nature Limited.)

This paper focuses on in-service teacher education as a crucial agent in driving educational paradigm shifts for the teaching and learning of mathematical modelling. Our paper presents empirical research based on two case studies, examining training courses for in-service secondary school mathematics teachers. The first course integrates different modelling approaches, while the second one is based on the anthropological theory of the didactic and uses the proposal of the study and research paths for teacher education. Both experiences conclude with teachers working on the design of modelling tasks to be implemented in secondary schools. Both courses are analysed through the lenses of how teachers progress on the collective identification of conditions and constraints for modelling, when teachers deal with the design of modelling tasks and analyse their implementations. First, the results show the kind of modelling tasks teachers design and the level of disciplinary specificity at which they plan modelling to be implemented. Second, we analyse how teachers address the "ecological analysis", that is, the identification of conditions and constraints that facilitate or hinder the integration of modelling in secondary school classrooms after their experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Applied ecology has traditionally approached management problems through a simplified, single-species lens. Repeated failures of single-species management have led us to a new paradigm - managing at the ecosystem level. Ecosystem management involves a complex array of interacting organisms, processes and scientific disciplines. Accounting for interactions, feedback loops and dependencies between ecosystem components is therefore fundamental to understanding and managing ecosystems. We provide an overview of the main types of ecosystem models and their uses, and discuss challenges related to modelling complex ecological systems. Existing modelling approaches typically attempt to do one or more of the following: describe and disentangle ecosystem components and interactions; make predictions about future ecosystem states; and inform decision making by comparing alternative strategies and identifying important uncertainties. Modelling ecosystems is challenging, particularly when balancing the desire to represent many components of an ecosystem with the limitations of available data and the modelling objective. Explicitly considering different forms of uncertainty is therefore a primary concern. We provide some recommended strategies (such as ensemble ecosystem models and multi-model approaches) to aid the explicit consideration of uncertainty while also meeting the challenges of modelling ecosystems.

There have been numerous environmental geochemistry studies using chemical, geological, ecological, and toxicological methods but each of these fields requires more subject specialist rigour than has generally been applied so far. Field-specific terminology has been misused and the resulting interpretations rendered inaccurate. In this paper, we propose a series of suggestions, based on our experience as teachers, researchers, reviewers, and editorial board members, to help authors to avoid pitfalls. Many scientific inaccuracies continue to be unchecked and are repeatedly republished by the scientific community. These recommendations should help our colleagues and editorial board members, as well as reviewers, to avoid the numerous inaccuracies and misconceptions currently in circulation and establish a trend towards greater rigour in scientific writing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recycling lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have become increasingly important in response to expanding electromobility. This paper is focused on evaluating the environmental impacts (EIs) of recycling pre-treatment of three types of LIBs with black mass as its product. A detailed gate-to-gate Life Cycle Assessment study was conducted to obtain EIs of the recycling process. The benefits of LIBs recycling pre-treatment and significant recovery of secondary aluminum for compared battery types are highlighted in the analysis. This paper points out that the varying chemistry of the compared LIBs does not affect the resulting EIs of the recycling pre-treatment procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Besides the spread of knowledge, publications are often related to promotions and academic progression, so timing is vital. Among students in universities, there is a belief that a journal's high impact factor means fast publishing time in ecology journals, such as the time between submission to acceptance and subsequent online posting in journal's Web sites. Here we tested this assumption, and we also examined if a journal's charges, paper length and the number of papers published per year were related to publishing time, specifically the period between submission and online availability of the accepted manuscript. After a thorough survey in 29 ecology journals, we found that publishing time was negatively and significantly related to journal's impact factor, and also negatively (but non-significantly) to the number of paper published per year per journal and positively (but also not significantly) to paper length. Publishing time depended also on journal identity, but there was a large variation from the time between manuscript submission to final acceptance and online posting among journals. Several factors with a high degree of unpredictability and randomness are involved in the publication process, and here we found that journals with high impact factor publish the papers faster compared to journals with low factors. Even with substantial publishing time, e.g., on average 167 days between submission to acceptance and 223 days for online posting, editorial delays in ecology journals are quicker than journals in other disciplines/sciences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first paper in this issue, by Gilbert and Yeakel, is the first in what will be an ongoing series of papers in Theoretical Ecology revisiting an impactful paper in theoretical ecology and explaining how it relates to current and future research. This paper focuses on Levin's classic 1974 paper on spatial ecology. [Extracted from the article]

Climate change is an important issue for cities today and in the future. At present, China has a large population and complex climate conditions, and cities are also vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change (Tian, Environ Sustain Dev 6: 153-155 2020). Three-dimensional greening can not only improve the green space system of a city but also have a far-reaching impact on the ecology, image, and economic benefits of a city. Therefore, the study of urban three-dimensional greening is an effective means to deal with climate change strategies. By exploring the influence of traditional greening and three-dimensional greening on Local Climate in Beilin District of Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, the mechanism of three-dimensional greening on urban ecological environment was discussed, and the ecological theory, urban three-dimensional greening theory, and urban local climate zone (LCZ) were referred to. Based on the methods of national climate monitoring, ENVI-met simulation, and field independent measurement, this paper selected a research sample site in the east section of Jianshe Road, Beilin District, Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province, China, and applied ENVI-met software to simulate the thermal stress relationship among building exterior surfaces, plants, and air in the street; quantified the overall ecology of the area; and used measuring instruments. The influence of different types of greening in the base on the site temperature, humidity, CO2 (carbon dioxide) concentration, wind speed, and other climate factors data was, respectively, measured and analyzed. The grid analysis was used to compare the traditional greening and three-dimensional greening, then the numerical differences of each impact factor were sorted out, and the effect of three-dimensional greening on the improvement of urban ecological environment was discussed by analyzing the climate factors with greater impact. The results show that (1) three-dimensional greening plus traditional greening is the most beneficial mode; (2) in the same environment, according to the parameter of 1.5 m from the ground in the model environment, it can be seen that the temperature of the space treated with three-dimensional greening of buildings is reduced by 3.5–3.6 ℃ compared with the control group, the relative humidity is different by 7–8%, the CO2 concentration is reduced by about 5%, and the spatial wind speed is relatively small. (3) When the urban green coverage rate is more than 40%, the improvement of temperature is more obvious, if it reaches 50%, the cool phenomenon in summer can be fundamentally changed. From the perspective of human perception, the PMV index increased by 0.27 on average. This paper discusses and analyzes the three-dimensional greening of urban streets in Beilin District, Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province, China, and studies its influence on urban ecology to different degrees. The conclusions are as follows: Different types of greening have different degrees of influence on urban climate. Meanwhile, the experimental results of this paper show that in cities like Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China, where summer is hot, adding three-dimensional greening to traditional street greening can significantly improve the environmental microclimate, which is an effective means to cope with climate change, improve the site environment, and stabilize the urban ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Repetitive Behaviours Questionnaire for Adults (RBQ-2A) measures two factors of restricted and repetitive behaviours (RRBs) associated with autism. However, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) provides four criteria for RRBs: repetitive motor behaviours, insistence on sameness, restricted interests, and interest in sensory aspects of the environment (or atypical sensitivity). The current paper aimed to examine whether the RBQ-2A is a psychometrically sound measure of these four factors. Study 1 had university students (N = 368) complete the RBQ-2A and other related measures online and revealed that the RBQ-2A can assess the factors highlighted in the DSM-5 and that these four factors comprise a general RRB construct. Study 2 had individuals disclosing a diagnosis of autism (N = 283) complete the RBQ-2A and other related measures online and supported that this four-factor structure provided good psychometric properties. While the current paper provides findings for an online autistic population, further research is needed to generalize these findings to autistic individuals less likely to partake in online studies (e.g., those with intellectual or language disabilities). Overall, the results suggest that the RBQ-2A reliably and validly assesses RRBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is widely acknowledged that the agrarian nature of rural economy, combined with policy biases and institutional limits, has contributed to low productivity and slow growth in the Indian agriculture sector. With changing climate and market conditions, the Indian agriculture sector requires an adequate transition in cropping patterns to ensure the sector's viability and the inclusion of land-constrained farmers in the intensification process. The necessity for crop pattern shift has been emphasized further. Besides, input-intensive agricultural practices have resulted in biodiversity losses, groundwater depletion, and soil degradation, raising severe worries about the sector's sustainability, particularly in rainfed areas. This study carried out in the setting of West Bengal, India, which has a substantial population of land-constrained farmers. The objectives of the study include examining the changes in irrigation sources and cropping practices, understanding their implications for the agriculture sector with its local ecology, and assessing the role of the local level institutions in management and use of irrigation facilities and conservation of natural resources. Using standard descriptive statistics from various secondary sources for the period 2004–05 to 2014–15, graphical techniques and policy review the paper identifies crop diversification, crop concentration, cropping intensification, sources of irrigation, fertilizer use, rainfall pattern, and changes in wetland area as the major drivers of the agrarian transition in favor of non-food grains. The study, therefore, suggests that initiatives should be taken for guiding the farmers towards appropriate farming practices for judicious use of water and other natural resources. Moreover, the findings appear to point to the need for additional infrastructure development, they also provide insights into designing organic and more resilient policies and institutions to promote ecology-centric participatory irrigation and farming practices for the long-term growth of agrarian sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information about several reports presented at the EcoHealth ONE meeting held in October 2006 in Madison Wisconsin are presented. United Nations Millennium Development Goals were reviewed at the workshop including goals to promote poverty reduction, maternal health, universal education, and gender equality, and to combat AIDS, child mortality, and other epidemic diseases.

In applications such as mobile workstations during disaster relief operations, or specific military applications, the only energy sources used nowadays are gas or diesel generators, which could be replaced by more environmentally friendly renewable energy sources. The presented paper aims to provide insight into key elements and design principles for modular PV system design. Furthermore, two such proposed designs, which focus on modularity and mobility, are evaluated as a replacement for the generator-only solution that is used nowadays. We also propose ways of further optimization of the systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Light with decreased red:far-red (R:FR) ratios may signal neighbor presence and trigger plant developmental responses. There is some evidence that plant canopies forage towards increased R:FR ratios, but it is unclear to what extent R:FR versus the total amount of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) influences canopy foraging responses among forest trees. The objective of this study was to examine the relative importance of PAR and R:FR as photosensory cues leading to tree canopy foraging responses. Seedlings of Betula papyrifera Marshall (paper birch) were grown in an experimental garden. Each seedling was germinated and grown in its own shading structure and exposed to two spatially separated light environments, in a factorial design of PAR and R:FR. Plant canopy foraging was evaluated at the end of one growing season in terms of canopy displacement, canopy area, leaf number, direction of stem lean, petiole aspect, and lamina aspect with respect to experimental light treatments. Leaf number and canopy area were greater on the high PAR sides of plants, irrespective of the R:FR treatment. Seedling canopies were displaced towards the direction of high PAR, but this relationship was not significant across all treatments. Petiole aspect was random and showed no significant directedness towards any of the light treatments. Lamina aspect and the direction of stem lean were distributed towards the direction of high PAR, irrespective of the R:FR treatment. Overall, first-year B. papyrifera seedlings used PAR, rather than R:FR ratio, as a photosensory cue for canopy light foraging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rising atmospheric CO2 may stimulate future forest productivity, possibly increasing carbon storage in terrestrial ecosystems, but how tropospheric ozone will modify this response is unknown. Because of the importance of fine roots to the belowground C cycle, we monitored fine-root biomass and associated C fluxes in regenerating stands of trembling aspen, and mixed stands of trembling aspen and paper birch at FACTS-II, the Aspen FACE project in Rhinelander, Wisconsin. Free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE) was used to elevate concentrations of CO2 (average enrichment concentration 535 µl l–1) and O3 (53 nl l–1) in developing forest stands in 1998 and 1999. Soil respiration, soil pCO2, and dissolved organic carbon in soil solution (DOC) were monitored biweekly. Soil respiration was measured with a portable infrared gas analyzer. Soil pCO2 and DOC samples were collected from soil gas wells and tension lysimeters, respectively, at depths of 15, 30, and 125 cm. Fine-root biomass averaged 263 g m–2 in control plots and increased 96% under elevated CO2. The increased root biomass was accompanied by a 39% increase in soil respiration and a 27% increase in soil pCO2. Both soil respiration and pCO2 exhibited a strong seasonal signal, which was positively correlated with soil temperature. DOC concentrations in soil solution averaged ~12 mg l–1 in surface horizons, declined with depth, and were little affected by the treatments. A simplified belowground C budget for the site indicated that native soil organic matter still dominated the system, and that soil respiration was by far the largest flux. Ozone decreased the above responses to elevated CO2, but effects were rarely statistically significant. We conclude that regenerating stands of northern hardwoods have the potential for substantially greater C input to soil due to greater fine-root production under elevated CO2. Greater fine-root biomass will be accompanied by greater soil C efflux as soil respiration, but leaching losses of C will probably be unaffected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses articles in the issue on topics including mine water, environment, and information regarding periodical editors.

The aquatic environment is particularly at risk of exposure to ENPs, as it acts as a sink for most environmental contaminants. That is why there is also an urgent need for the advancement of tools and techniques that can accurately quantify and visualize uptake of nanoparticles into biological tissues. The article focuses on modeling and visualizing nano- and micro-particles created by underwater welding in seawater from the Ajax Bay water area in the Sea of Japan. The study includes visualization of these particles and defense mechanisms of living organisms against the invasion of anthropogenic particles. Interactions between proteins and nanoparticles were modeled using the molecular docking method with AutoDock software (version 4.20). The paper presents findings from an in silico study on the molecular interactions between ZnO nanoparticles (1, 2, and 2.5 nm in size) and liver target proteins ALDOB, HAO1, KNG1, and RDH16. The study demonstrates the formation of stable nanoparticle-protein complexes with binding energies that range from − 11.85 to − 4.35 kcal/mol. For complexes of nanoparticles with ALDOB, HAO1, and KNG1 proteins, there is a classical trend of increased affinity with increasing nanoparticle size. However, for the RDH16 enzyme, there is a contradictory trend which is not supported by experimental data. The potential biochemical impacts of the studied nanoparticles are discussed. The predicted protein-nanoparticle complexes may aid in the investigation of pathophysiological models of cytotoxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antarctic subglacial lakes have, over the past few years, been hypothesised to house unique forms of life and hold detailed sedimentary records of past climate change. Testing this hypothesis requires in situ examinations. The direct measurement of subglacial lakes has been considered ever since the largest and best-known lake, named Lake Vostok, was identified as having a deep water-column. The Subglacial Antarctic Lake Environments (SALE) programme, set up by the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) to oversee subglacial lakes research, state that prior exploration of smaller lakes would be a “prudent way forward”. Over 145 subglacial lakes are known to exist in Antarctica, but one lake in West Antarctica, officially named Ellsworth Subglacial Lake (referred to hereafter as Lake Ellsworth), stands out as a candidate for early exploration. A consortium of over 20 scientists from seven countries and 14 institutions has been assembled to plan the exploration of Lake Ellsworth. An eight-year programme is envisaged: 3 years for a geophysical survey, 2 years for equipment development and testing, 1 year for field planning and operation, and 2 years for sample analysis and data interpretation. The science experiment is simple in concept but complex in execution. Lake Ellsworth will be accessed using hot water drilling. Once lake access is achieved, a probe will be lowered down the borehole and into the lake. The probe will contain a series of instruments to measure biological, chemical and physical characteristics of the lake water and sediments, and will utilise a tether to the ice surface through which power, communication and data will be transmitted. The probe will pass through the water column to the lake floor. The probe will then be pulled up and out of the lake, measuring its environment continually as this is done. Once at the ice surface, any water samples collected will be taken from the probe for laboratory analysis (to take place over subsequent years). The duration of the science mission, from deployment of the probe to its retrieval, is likely to take between 24 and 36 h. Measurements to be taken by the probe will provide data about the following: depth, pressure, conductivity and temperature; pH levels; biomolecules (using life marker chips); anions (using a chemical analyzer); visualisation of the environment (using cameras and light sources); dissolved gases (using chromatography); and morphology of the lake floor and sediment structures (using sonar). After the probe has been retrieved, a sediment corer may be dropped into the lake to recover material from the lake floor. Finally, if time permits, a thermistor string may be left in the lake water to take time-dependent measurements of the lake’s water column over subsequent years. Given that the comprehensive geophysical survey of the lake will take place in two seasons during 2007–2009, a two-year instrument and logistic development phase from 2008 (after the lake’s bathymetry has been assessed) makes it possible that the exploration of Lake Ellsworth could take place at the beginning of the next decade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exposure and experience with ethical dilemmas and controversial socioscientific issues provide a link to students' lives or a pathway for sympathy/empathy and care, where youth use emotion to engage with the scenario and develop critical thinking skills to respond to ethical issues. For this theoretical paper, I focus on how informal science can be used in science classes to provide such exposure and experience, creating spaces for students to foster erotic relationships with the nature-Other and their local environment. More specifically, this paper aims to discuss how educators can use these informal science experiences, and in this case—those involving marine mammals, to find value for natural phenomena through erotic generosity and phenomenological experiences within the environment and use their knowledge and power to act responsibly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We conducted a bibliometric analysis in order to quantify and characterize the scientific knowledge about threatened freshwater fish species in Brazil based in studies published in peer-reviewed journals from Web of Science database from Clarivate Analytics. We verified an increase in the number of papers for threatened freshwater fish species in Brazil, especially in the last eleven years of studied period. The journals with the most papers were Neotropical Ichthyology, Environmental Biology of Fishes, and Journal of Fish Biology. The number of publications among the Brazilian regions and states is not homogeneous. The most studied threatened fish was piracanjuba Brycon orbignyanus. Some important gaps in scientific knowledge need to be addressed, such as the relatively small number and/or lack of studies conducted Brazilian states and with threatened freshwater fish species in Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Homeownership rates have declined in several countries including Denmark and Turkey since 2010. A majority of the decline in homeownership has been observed among low income holders. This variation finding comparative case study compares similar patterns of neoliberal housing policies to examine wealth inequalities based on homeownership despite fundamental differences in housing markets and welfare state provision. The comparison of Denmark and Turkey reveals similar adoption of policies that support financialization as a strategy to recover from financial crises. This paper examines how states have supported financialization with policies that allowed deregulations in the housing market to create an enabling environment for construction and real estate-specific growth, and how neoliberal housing policies positioned homeownership, a wealth symbol, as the core tenet of asset-based welfare that increased wealth inequalities. The outcome of this paper shows that neoliberal housing policies have generated new forms of inequality between low and high-income earners to access housing in both countries in different ways to produce a similar outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence from tropical forests suggests understory habitats are associated with a high risk of disease, which may prevent the establishment of vulnerable tree species; in contrast, canopy gaps can act as refuges from these pathogens. However, few studies have investigated the impacts of pathogens on regeneration in temperate forests. To determine whether losses to fungi of seeds of Betula papyrifera, a light-loving species, varied between habitats that differed in their degree of openness, we applied fungicide to seeds buried in old fields, treefall gaps, and forest understory sites. We found that the application of fungicide significantly reduced losses in all habitats, relative to control values. This effect was habitat-dependent: the benefit of fungicide was greater in forest understory than in openings. This suggests that B. papyrifera is prevented from establishing in understory environments in part by its susceptibility to pathogen attack, and not solely because of a high light requirement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mycorrhizas are the most important mutualistic symbioses on earth. The most prevalent type are the arbuscular mycorrhizas (AMs) that develop between roots of most terrestrial plants and fungal species of the Zygomycota. The AM fungi are able to grow into the root cortex forming intercellular hyphae from which highly branched structures, arbuscules, originate within cortex cells. The arbuscules are responsible for nutrient exchange between the host and the symbiont, transporting carbohydrates from the plant to the fungus and mineral nutrients, especially phosphate, and water from the fungus to the plant. Plants adapt their phosphate uptake to the interaction with the AM fungus by synthesis of specific phosphate transporters. Colonization of root cells induces dramatic changes in the cytoplasmic organization: vacuole fragmentation, transformation of the plasma membrane to a periarbnscular membrane covering the arbnscule, increase of the cytoplasm volume and numbers of cell organelles, as well as movement of the nucleus into a central position. The plastids form a dense network covering the symbiotic interface. In some of these changes, microtubules are most likely involved. With regard to the molecular cross talk between the two organisms, a number of phytohormones (cytokinins, abscisic acid, jasmonate) as well as various secondary metabolites have been examined: (i) Jasmonates occur at elevated level, which is accompanied by cell-specific expression of genes involved in jasmonate biosynthesis that might be linked to strong carbohydrate sink function of AM roots and induced defense reactions; (ii) apocarotenoids (derivatives of mycorradicin and glycosylated cyclohexenones) accumulate in most mycomhizal roots examined so far. Their biosynthesis via the nonmevalonate methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway has been studied resulting in new insights into AMspecific gene expression and biosynthesis of secondary isoprenoids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most information on rotifers living in lake sands comes from the 1930s, when the first reports on this subject by Jerzy Wiszniewski appeared. After some decline in the interest in lake psammon in the following years, research on lake psammon returned in the last decade of the twentieth century. The last comprehensive review of ecology of psammon Rotifera was included in the excellent 1998 publication by Schmid-Araya on Rotifera in interstitial sediments. More than 20 papers have been published since that time. So far, research conducted almost exclusively in the northern hemisphere have dealt with issues related to distribution of rotifers, their species structure and diversity as well as to their relation to abiotic and biotic factors. The aim of the present study was to collect all available information on psammon rotifers, assess the shortcomings in our knowledge and fill these gaps with the results of some of my recent research. The results of the study show that the species richness of this group in geographical terms is still unknown. It means we also do not know the level of endemism among the psammon rotifers. The role of psammon rotifers in benthic food webs is another issue requiring research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This research analyses collaboration among members of an insurance supply chains network based on a social network analysis (SNA) approach. A case study strategy is employed, and data are collected from the firm's accounts in an enterprise online social network via the Yammer® platform. Several SNA techniques (cohesion analysis, multidimensional scaling analysis, cluster analysis) are applied. Firstly, this paper emphasises who the most involved suppliers are and with whom they collaborate. Secondly, it confirms that collaboration appears both within and between supply chain levels. Thirdly, it highlights firms' tendency to focus on the external environment. Suppliers are interested in not only collaborating with the focal firm, but also with other suppliers situated at the same or a different level. This work has implications for academics and practitioners as it presents a new approach to evaluate and improve collaboration among the members of a multilevel supply chains network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of environmental justice is well established in the literature; however, scholars still battle to agree on what it really means. This concept has become more relevant to the studies of informal settlements amongst others. The location and environmental variables in informal settlements suggests a variety of injustices that comes with location, limited access to water, poor or lack of sanitation, challenges with transport availability, accessibility, affordability, and lack of other social amenities. These and many other socio-economic needs forms part of the value chain of environmental justice debates across the world. This paper deals with environmental justice in the informal settlements of Kosmos, in the Madibeng Local Municipality, Bojanala Region in the North-West Province of South Africa. The paper highlights some of the environmental challenges faced by the informal settlement residents such as pollution, waste management (landfill sites, waste collection) sanitation and water provision. The paper explores how the Kosmos informal settlement community has been excluded from decision making processes regarding their own environment and considers the levels of environmental injustices commonly associated with this kind of practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The probabilistic linguistic term set (PLTS) shows great superiority in expressing decision-makers' opinions. The multi-attribute decision-making (MADM) problem under a PLTS environment has gained attention from numerous scholars. However, the majority of current studies are not precise enough in capturing information on PLTS. To address this problem, this paper presents a preference ranking organization method for enrichment of evaluations (PROMETHEE) based on the redefined PLTS and novel score function to solve MADM problems under a PLTS environment. First, an asymmetric normalized PLTS based on prospect theory (ANPLTSPT) is developed. Compared with the PLTS, ANPLTSPT offers a more realistic portrayal of decision-makers' psychological state while ensuring the superiority of the PLTS. Second, regarding the structural complexity of ANPLTSPT, this paper attempts to simplify the computational process through a score function that can embody the characteristics of ANPLTSPT. Inspired by previously formulated score functions, a novel score function called Score-InInHe is developed, the corresponding definitions are given, and some further properties are discussed. With the support of the proposed Score-InInHe, the total score entropy is defined and an objective method to determine the attribute weights is proposed. Finally, the proposed approach is applied to the selection of a green supplier and the determination of air quality. The validity and realistic applicability of the proposed approach are demonstrated through comparative analyses and discussions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanism design theory can be applied not only in the economy but also in many fields, such as politics and military affairs, which has important practical and strategic significance for countries in the period of system innovation and transformation. As Nobel Laureate Paul said, the complexity of the real economy makes it difficult for "Unorganized Markets" to ensure supply-demand balance and the efficient allocation of resources. When traditional economic theory cannot explain and calculate the complex scenes of reality, we require a high-performance computing solution based on traditional theory to evaluate the mechanisms, meanwhile, get better social welfare. The mechanism design theory is undoubtedly the best option. Different from other existing works, which are based on the theoretical exploration of optimal solutions or single perspective analysis of scenarios, this paper focuses on the more real and complex markets. It explores to discover the common difficulties and feasible solutions for the applications. Firstly, we review the history of traditional mechanism design and algorithm mechanism design. Subsequently, we present the main challenges in designing the actual data-driven market mechanisms, including the inherent challenges in the mechanism design theory, the challenges brought by new markets and the common challenges faced by both. In addition, we also comb and discuss theoretical support and computer-aided methods in detail. This paper guides cross-disciplinary researchers who wish to explore the resource allocation problem in real markets for the first time and offers a different perspective for researchers struggling to solve complex social problems. Finally, we discuss and propose new ideas and look to the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The availability of videos has grown rapidly in recent years. Finding and browsing relevant information to be automatically extracted from videos is not an easy task, but today it is an indispensable feature due to the immense number of digital products available. In this paper, we present a system which provides a process to automatically extract information from videos. We describe a system solution that uses a re-trained OpenNLP model to locate all the places and famous people included in a specific video. The system obtains information from the Google Knowledge Graph related to relevant named entities such as places or famous people. In this paper we will also present the Automatic Georeferencing Video (AGV) system developed by RAI (Radiotelevisione italiana, which is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance) Teche for the European Project "La Città Educante" (The Educating City: teaching and learning processes in cross-media ecosystem) Our system contributes to The Educating City project by providing the technological environment to create statistical models for automatic named entity recognition (NER), and has been implemented in the field of education, in Italian initially. The system has been applied to the learning challenges facing the world of educational media and has demonstrated how beneficial combining topical news content with scientific content can be in education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the new era, the key measure to accelerate the construction of smart city, so as to promote the modernization of urban governance system and governance capacity, is to establish a good urban innovation ecosystem, and guide its continuous evolution to the direction of the highest efficiency and the best performance. Focusing on solving the practical problem of "how the urban innovation ecosystem evolves", this paper develops a NK algorithm using BP neural network and DEMATEL method. First, through literature research, constructing the urban innovation ecosystem including five subsystems of innovation talents, innovation subjects, innovation resources, innovation environment and innovation network. Then, taking Beijing as an example, the weights and the number of epistatic relationships of each subsystem in its innovation ecosystem are calculated by BP neural network and DEMATEL method, and the NK model is modified; on this basis, the fitness values corresponding to different states of the system are calculated using MATLAB software, and the optimal evolution path of Beijing innovation ecosystem is determined through the comparison of 100,000 simulation results. The results show that the optimal evolution path of Beijing's innovation ecosystem is to create a favorable environment and culture for innovation first; then increase the input of innovation resources; and then promote the development of innovation network assets; on this basis, cultivate, attract and retain innovative talents; and finally strengthen the construction of innovation subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses scientific investigations of the concept that biological evolution can affect ecology. Research on the freshwater threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) by biologist Luke Harmon is highlighted. He concludes that the feeding habits of two subspecies it evolved into influence the size of dissolved organic carbon matter found in each one's ecosystem.

The article presents a guideline for contributors in the submission of papers to the "Pharmaceutical Chemistry Journal." It is indicated that the papers must contain recent investigations executed at a modern scientific way in fields like molecular biology and biochemistry and other technological experiments and ecological innovations.

The article focuses on the use of modern photocatalytic systems to clean the air from the industrial buildings of coke- and coal- chemicals plants. The problem of cleaning the air inside factory buildings has stimulated research at several scientific and technical institutes that study industrial and medical ecology. The close scrutiny this matter is receiving is due in part to social problems related to the rapid rise in the incidence of illness among factory workers and the local population in connection with pollution of the air in industrial buildings.

Along with the increasing damage of cyberattacks, cyber risk management remains one of the most crucial proactive measures. Risk management aims to identify potential risks, evaluate their attributes, and implement countermeasures to reduce their damages. The cyber security industry and the research literature have established frameworks and platforms for cyber risk management. However, a risk management framework is required to ensure a practical and secure service for multiple collaborating organizations. In this paper, we overview numerous risk management frameworks and platforms established for various sectors. Then, we investigate the security issues facing the established platforms. After that, we propose a decentralized framework for cyber risk management using blockchain technology in order to serve multiple organizations including governmental ones. In addition, we present a proof of concept implementation using Hyperledger Fabric. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A popular theory about how trees cooperate has enchanted the public and raised the profile of forest conservation. But some ecologists think its scientific basis has been oversold. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Direct observation, through surveys, underpins nearly all aspects of environmental sciences. Survey design theory has evolved to make sure that sampling is as efficient as possible whilst remaining robust and fit-for-purpose. However, these methods frequently focus on theoretical aspects and often increase the logistical difficulty of performing the survey. Usually, the survey design process will place individual sampling locations one-by-one throughout the sampling area (e.g. random sampling). A consequence of these approaches is that there is usually a large cost in travel time between locations. This can be a huge problem for surveys that are large in spatial scale or are in inhospitable environments where travel is difficult and/or costly. Our solution is to constrain the sampling process so that the sample consists of spatially clustered observations, with all sites within a cluster lying within a predefined distance. The spatial clustering is achieved by a two-stage sampling process: first cluster centres are sampled and then sites within clusters are sampled. A novelty of our approach is that these clusters are allowed to overlap and we present the necessary calculations required to adjust the specified inclusion probabilities so that they are respected in the clustered sample. The process is illustrated with a real and on-going large-scale ecological survey. We also present simulation results to assess the methods performance. Spatially clustered survey design provides a formal statistical framework for grouping sample sites in space whilst maintaining multiple levels of spatial-balance. These designs reduce the logistical burden placed on field workers by decreasing total travel time and logistical overheads.Supplementary materials accompanying this paper appear on-line. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The field of mycology has grown from an underappreciated subset of botany, to a valuable, modern scientific discipline. As this field of study has grown, there have been significant contributions to science, technology, and industry, highlighting the value of fungi in the modern era. This paper looks at the current research, along with the existing limitations, and suggests future areas where scientists can focus their efforts, in the field mycology. We show how fungi have become important emerging diseases in medical mycology. We discuss current trends and the potential of fungi in drug and novel compound discovery. We explore the current trends in phylogenomics, its potential, and outcomes and address the question of how phylogenomics can be applied in fungal ecology. In addition, the trends in functional genomics studies of fungi are discussed with their importance in unravelling the intricate mechanisms underlying fungal behaviour, interactions, and adaptations, paving the way for a comprehensive understanding of fungal biology. We look at the current research in building materials, how they can be used as carbon sinks, and how fungi can be used in biocircular economies. The numbers of fungi have always been of great interest and have often been written about and estimates have varied greatly. Thus, we discuss current trends and future research needs in order to obtain more reliable estimates. We address the aspects of machine learning (AI) and how it can be used in mycological research. Plant pathogens are affecting food production systems on a global scale, and as such, we look at the current trends and future research needed in this area, particularly in disease detection. We look at the latest data from High Throughput Sequencing studies and question if we are still gaining new knowledge at the same rate as before. A review of current trends in nanotechnology is provided and its future potential is addressed. The importance of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi is addressed and future trends are acknowledged. Fungal databases are becoming more and more important, and we therefore provide a review of the current major databases. Edible and medicinal fungi have a huge potential as food and medicines, especially in Asia and their prospects are discussed. Lifestyle changes in fungi (e.g., from endophytes, to pathogens, and/or saprobes) are also extremely important and a current research trend and are therefore addressed in this special issue of Fungal Diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to apply a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) framework to evaluate the environmental performance of the medical service supply chain using a case study in India. An application of MCDM method, the fuzzy TOPSIS (Technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution) model, is used for Medical Support Service Provide firms (MSSPF) environmental performance evaluation. We require multiple and conflicting criteria to fix real-life decision-making challenges, which in turn led to the inception of (MCDM). However, MCDM is contracted with various contradictory requirements in which the knowledge of decision-makers is generally vague and thereby more challenging. In this situation, inclusions of fuzzy set theory in MCDM Methods would be good to solve the MCDM problem. In this study, the authors used a fuzzy TOPSIS MCDM model to solve the evaluation framework. Data were collected from the experts from the MSSPF about the more perfect criteria to assess environmental performance using a questionnaire. Case assesses the environmental performance, based on defined criteria, of three MSSPF by the experts. Fuzzy TOPSIS Method ranks three MSSPF according to environmental performance in the following order: Firm B, Firm A and Firm C. The result suggested that 'Firm B' performed superior environmental performance followed by 'Firm A' and 'Firm C'. This evaluation framework will help MSSPF to identify potential areas of further improvement in Environmental performance, and thereby creates strategies to overcome and formulate new innovations. Notably, this is one of the few studies to have used this method to gauge the environmental performance of the medical service supply chain in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tecoma stans is a widely distributed tall ornamental shrub in the plains of Indian subcontinent and is considered an invasive species across Argentina, Australia, South Africa, Pacific Islands and tropical regions of Asia. Besides having an ornamental significance, T. stans has been extensively investigated for its pharmaceutical applications as a source of bioactive compounds. In addition, the shrub is cultivated commercially as a potted flowering plant. We believe that T. stans, being a hardy, invasive and aggressively growing species, holds a considerable potential and a promising solution for re-greening waste and degraded lands outside its invasive range, due to its wider adaptability and drought tolerant characteristics. The shrub is an excellent source of pollen and nectar, that attracts diverse insect-pollinators and several species of birds. The prudent plantation of this shrub has the potential to restore the ecology of barren landscapes, that can change its perspective of 'being invasive' to 'being ecologically healthy' across the tropical, semi-arid and subtropical regions worldwide. This paper reviews the current updates on ecology, life cycle including morphology, plant growth characteristics, flowering phenology, reproductive biology, breeding system and fruiting of T. stans. In addition, details on insect-pollinator diversity and natural regeneration potential have also been discussed, besides highlighting its therapeutic and landscape use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional citation-based indicators and activities on Online Social Media Platforms (OnSMP; e.g. Twitter) have been used to assess the impact of scientific research. However, the association between traditional indicators (i.e., number of citations and journal impact factor) and the new OnSMP metrics still deserve further investigations. Here, we used multivariate models to evaluate the relative influence of collaboration, time since publication and traditional indicators on the interest of 2863 papers published in five ecological journals from 2013 to 2015 as given by nine OnSMP. We found that most activities were concentrated on Twitter and Mendeley and that activities in these two OnSMP are highly correlated. Our results indicate that traditional indicators explained most of the variation in OnSMP activity. Considering that OnSMP activities are high as soon as the articles are made available online, contrasting with the slow pace in which the citations are accumulated, our results support the use of activities on OnSMP as an early signal of research impact of ecological articles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The edge federation meets the needs of different users through resource allocation and service configuration across edge-independent computing providers and clouds, promoting the better collaboration of resources among edge clusters and effectively improving the user service quality. Existing edge federation solutions focus mainly on enabling resource sharing to satisfy users with different resource requirements, ignoring the actual profits of edge service providers (ESPs) and the fact that many resource owners may not be motivated to work with other providers in edge federation environments. In this paper, we are the first to consider a situation in that ESPs rent resources from other ESPs under specific circumstances in edge federation environments, and a reasonable rental price determines the participation and profitability of ESPs. Therefore, we propose three pricing mechanisms based on economic models to reasonably set ESPs' external rental resources prices to maximize the service providers' profit. Extensive simulation studies evaluate the effectiveness of the algorithms and revenue models and also demonstrate that pricing mechanism 2 (PriM2) is the closest to the optimal solution, and ESPs adopt PriM2 to bring higher revenue than no pricing mechanism and pricing mechanism 1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The features of the annual cycles and ecology of buntings from the Lower Ob region and Yamal Peninsula have been compared in this paper. Annual cycles have much in common in buntings. The differences in the programs of the annual cycle are generally observed in the post-breeding period. These differences concern the timing of the onset of the postjuvenile molt and its completeness, the type of molt control (photoperiodic or endogenic type), the duration of molts, the degree of the combination of postnuptial molt with nesting, and the combination of the state of migration and molting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Malacologists took notice of tree snails in the genus Liguus during the last decades of the nineteenth century. Since then, Liguus have undergone repeated shifts in identity as members of species, states, shell collections, backyard gardens, and engineered wildernesses. To understand what Liguus are, this paper examines snail enthusiasts, collectors, researchers, and conservationists—collectively self-identified as Liggers—in their varied landscapes. I argue that Liguus, both in the scientific imaginary and in the material landscape, mediated knowledge-making processes that circulated among amateur and professional malacologists across the United States and Cuba during the twentieth century. Beginning with an examination of early Liggers' work in Florida and Cuba, this paper demonstrates how notions of taxonomy and biogeography informed later efforts to understand Liguus hybridization and conservation. A heterogeneous community of Liggers has had varied and at times contradictory commitments informed by shifting physical, social, and scientific landscapes. Genealogizing those commitments illuminates the factors underpinning a decision to undertake the until now little-chronicled large-scale and sustained transplantation of every living Floridian form of Liguus fasciatus into Everglades National Park. The social history of Liggers and Liguus fundamentally blurs distinctions between professional scientists and amateur naturalists. The experiences of a diverse cast of Liggers and their Liguus snails historicize the complex character of human-animal relations and speak to the increasing endangerment of many similarly range-restricted invertebrates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]