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We asked (1) whether there is a relationship between the magnitude of PSF and the extent to which droughts induce PSF ( I Question One i ), and (2) whether it is possible to link drought-induced alterations in PSF to belowground plant traits ( I Question Two i ). Direction of plant-soil feedback determines plant responses to drought Keywords: drought; ecological succession; meta-analysis; plant-soil feedbacks; precipitation anomalies; rooting depth EN drought ecological succession meta-analysis plant-soil feedbacks precipitation anomalies rooting depth 3995 3997 3 06/08/22 20220701 NES 220701 Droughts exarcerbate Plant-soil feedbacks (PSFs) making positive PSFs more positive and negative PSFs more negative. [Extracted from the article]

This study proposes a method to assess the accuracy limit of the measurements of physical variables to formulate a model, from the perspective of storing, transmitting, processing, and using of information by an observer. The results show the existence of a problem that advanced statistical methods are provably incapable of solving due to the presence of initial and inevitable model uncertainties arising from a qualitative set of base quantities and the number of variables which are considered, even before verifying the different sources of the uncertainties and executing any experimental measurements or computer calculations. The information contained in the model can be used theoretically and practically to test the solutions to a wide range of problems. Revealing the measurement accuracy limit (in addition to the Heisenberg inequality) with the help of the information transmitted from the studied phenomenon to the observer, which is then stored in the model, helps to perform two additional tasks: choosing the preferred method for measuring a particular physical constant, in physics; and calculating the exact value of the threshold discrepancy between the model and the measured object, in measurement theory. Further research indicates the possibility of allying these methods in biological and medical sciences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Statistical inference is constructed upon a statistical model consisting of a parameterised family of probability distributions, which forms a manifold. It is important to study the geometry of the manifold. It was Professor C. R. Rao who initiated information geometry in his monumental paper published in 1945. It not only included fundamentals of statistical inference such as the Cramér–Rao theorem and Rao–Blackwell theorem but also proposed differential geometry of a manifold of probability distributions. It is a Riemannian manifold where Fisher–Rao information plays the role of the metric tensor. It took decades for the importance of the geometrical structure to be recognised. The present article reviews the structure of the manifold of probability distributions and its applications and shows how the original idea of Professor Rao has been developed and popularised in the wide sense of statistical sciences including AI, signal processing, physical sciences and others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID‐19 pandemic has forced many people, including those in the fields of science and engineering, to work from home. The new working environment caused by the pandemic is assumed to have a different impact on the amount of work that women and men can do from home. Particularly, if the major burden of child and other types of care is still predominantly on the shoulders of women. As such, a survey was conducted to assess the main issues that biomedical engineers, medical physicists (academics and professionals), and other similar professionals have been facing when working from home during the pandemic. A survey was created and disseminated worldwide. It originated from a committee of International Union for Physical and Engineering Sciences in Medicine (IUPESM; Women in Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering Task Group) and supported by the Union. The ethics clearance was received from Carleton University. The survey was deployed on the Survey Monkey platform and the results were analyzed using IBM SPSS software. The analyses mainly consisted of frequency of the demographic parameters and the cross‐tabulation of gender with all relevant variables describing the impact of work at home. A total of 921 responses from biomedical professions in 76 countries were received: 339 males, 573 females, and nine prefer‐not‐tosay/ other. Regarding marital/partnership status, 85% of males were married or in partnership, and 15% were single, whereas 72% of females were married or in partnership, and 26% were single. More women were working from home during the pandemic (68%) versus 50% of men. More men had access to an office at home (68%) versus 64% for women. The proportion of men spending more than 3 h on child care and schooling per day was 12%, while for women it was 22%; for household duties, 8% of men spent more than 3 h; for women, this was 12.5%. It is interesting to note that 44% of men spent between 1 and 3 h per day on household duties, while for women, it was 55%. The high number of survey responses can be considered excellent. It is interesting to note that men participate in childcare and household duties in a relatively high percentage; although this corresponds to less hours daily than for women. It is far more than can be found 2 and 3 decades ago. This may reflect the situation in the developed countries only—as majority of responses (75%) was received from these countries. It is evident that the burden of childcare and household duties will have a negative impact on the careers of women if the burden is not more similar for both sexes. It is important to recognize that a change in policies of organizations that hire them may be required to provide accommodation and compensation to minimize the negative impact on the professional status and career of men and women who work in STEM fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a significant gap between the descriptions of Lean used by industry practitioners and the various bodies of academic research that have studied the theory and application of Lean. There is also a gap between applied research on Lean and basic research in the mathematical, physical and social sciences. As a result, Lean practice is based largely on trial‐and‐error experience while potentially valuable research results remain locked away unused in archival journals. This paper attempts to close these gaps by describing four "Lenses of Lean," each of which aligns with a practical perspective and rests on a distinct body of conceptual research. Our hope is that this framework will provide a useful construct for Lean training and implementation and will also spur academic research that is relevant to advancing Lean practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The slope through the centre of parameter space marks a change in cloud behaviour from drizzling, cloud growth into the sub-cloud layer to deepening of the boundary layer with rising, evaporating clouds. As such, all cloud droplets contain aerosol particles and the properties of the cloud, such as brightness and cloud cover, are altered when more aerosol enters or leaves the cloud. GLO:65TF/01jun21:wea4001-toc-0001.jpg PHOTO (COLOR): . gl Why do we need to model stratocumulus clouds? The cooler sub-cloud air encouraged more condensation of cloud droplets in this area of parameter space which created convection and cloud growth in the sub-cloud layer. [Extracted from the article]

Key points: Letters to the editor are important to science because they are a form of post‐publication review.Examination of 3,203 letters published in exercise science and physical therapy journals revealed letters are indexed inconsistently.Issues exist with letter titles, letter authorship, and letter digital object identifiers (DOIs) and PubMed identifiers (PMIDs).Implications are that some letters are difficult to discover and cite, and some letter writers are not recognized for their intellectual contributions.Resolutions include indexing letters in PubMed under the "letter" [pt] search term and indexing each letter with the author's name, a distinct but consistently formatted title, and a unique DOI and PMID. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Framework for K‐12 science education (The Framework) and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) emphasize the usefulness of learning progressions in helping align curriculum, instruction, and assessment to organize the learning process. The Framework defines three dimensions of science as the basis of theoretical learning progressions described in the document and used to develop NGSS. The three dimensions include disciplinary core ideas, scientific and engineering practices, and crosscutting concepts. The Framework defines three‐dimensional learning (3D learning) as integrating scientific and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and disciplinary core ideas to make sense of phenomena. Three‐dimensional learning leads to the development of a deep, useable understanding of big ideas that students can apply to explain phenomena and solve real‐life problems. While the Framework describes the theoretical basis of 3D learning, and NGSS outlines possible theoretical learning progressions for the three dimensions across grades, we currently have very limited empirical evidence to show that a learning progression for 3D learning can be developed and validated in practice. In this paper, we demonstrate the feasibility of developing a 3D learning progression (3D LP) supported by qualitative and quantitative validity evidence. We first present a hypothetical 3D LP aligned to a previously designed NGSS‐based curriculum. We further present multiple sources of validity evidence for the hypothetical 3D LP, including interview analysis and item response theory (IRT) analysis to show validity evidence for the 3D LP. Finally, we demonstrate the feasibility of using the assessment tool designed to probe levels of the 3D LP for assigning 3D LP levels to individual student answers, which is essential for the practical applicability of any LP. This work demonstrates the usefulness of validated 3D LP for organizing the learning process in the NGSS classroom, which is essential for the successful implementation of NGSS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The annual Materials Research Society (MRS) Fall Meeting took place in Boston, Massachusetts, USA from November 27 to December 1, 2023. With over 5000 attendees, it is one of the largest materials science conferences in the world. The theme of the conference was quantum-based materials and devices, reflecting recent funding rounds for research in this area. The conference featured talks and posters on various topics, including microscopy and thermoelectric structure-property relationships. Plenary talks were given by Nobel Prize winner Moungi Bawendi and Takashi Taniguchi. The author, a PhD student, presented their work and had engaging discussions with colleagues. They expressed gratitude to the RMS for financial assistance in attending the conference. [Extracted from the article]

The article titled "RMS Summer Studentships 2024 - still time to apply!" announces that applications are still open for the RMS Summer Studentship scheme. The scheme offers £2,000 awards to undergraduate students conducting summer projects in the physical sciences, biological sciences, and interdisciplinary fields. Applicants must include a significant microscopy component in their projects and be nominated by a suitable host academic. The deadline for applications is March 31, 2024, and a 500-word project report and a two-to-five-minute recording about the experience are required. The article also mentions that first and final-year students are not eligible, and the applicant must be a Member or Fellow of the Royal Microscopical Society. [Extracted from the article]

Carbon cycling, climate change, ecosystem drought, birch effect, eddy covariance, soil moisture, ecosystems, soil microorganisms Do the respiration pulses induced by drying-rewetting matter for the soil-atmosphere carbon balance? Keywords: birch effect; carbon cycling; climate change; ecosystem drought; ecosystems; eddy covariance; soil microorganisms; soil moisture EN birch effect carbon cycling climate change ecosystem drought ecosystems eddy covariance soil microorganisms soil moisture 3486 3488 3 05/05/22 20220601 NES 220601 We show that the explosive microbial and biogeochemical dynamics triggered by rewetting dry soil in laboratory experiments also has relevance in intact ecosystems. [Extracted from the article]

The DPR's Ku-band measurements and precipitation rate estimates (panels a and c) show precipitation structures that exceed 10km in height, with the reflectivity profile clearly highlighting regions of stratiform and convective precipitation (rectangular and oval boxes, respectively). The precipitation rates show convective precipitation to be much more intense than stratiform precipitation. Whereas IMERG typically estimates more precipitation relative to the GPCC gauge product and the GPCP satellite-gauge product, estimates of less precipitation compared to ERA5 are more prevalent. A combination of the IMERG global-gridded precipitation product and NOAA hurricane data is used to understand how precipitation evolves across the lifetime of a hurricane. [Extracted from the article]

In March 2023, the IPCC Sixth Assessment (AR6) was released. The AR6 unequivocally stated the imperative need for expeditious energy transitions to avoid dire ecological, economic, social and health consequences on human welfare and well-being as well as on the indispensable ecosystem functions. Footnotes 1 ASEAN State of Climate Change Report: Current status and outlook of the ASEAN region towards the ASEAN climate vision 2050 through https://asean.org/book/asean-state-of-climate-change-report/. [Extracted from the article]

Another example of a potential climate tipping point, the collapse of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), is deemed "very unlikely" (10% or less probability) to occur by 2100, although it is still likely that the AMOC will weaken over this time (IPCC, 2021). The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) releases periodic "Assessment Reports" which provide a current state of the climate and climate projections from modelling centres. The use of climate projections is important in determining Earth's future and our place in it. [Extracted from the article]

It is distinctly unusual to observe fresh surface-based convection, sufficient to generate heavy showers, developing inland around the winter solstice over Britain, due to the weakness of insolation. The superimposed parcel construction shows that the profile would readily support moist convection up to 650hPa thereby generating heavy showers, given reported widespread surface temperatures of 11-12°C and dew points of 9-10°C (Figure 5). Outside of this period, inland convection is usually entirely due to pre-existing showers moving inland from adjacent seas and coasts before dissipating, as happens, for example, across western Britain in unstable westerlies. [Extracted from the article]

In game theory, Parrondo's paradox describes the possibility of achieving winning outcomes by alternating between losing strategies. The framework had been conceptualized from a physical phenomenon termed flashing Brownian ratchets, but has since been useful in understanding a broad range of phenomena in the physical and life sciences, including the behavior of ecological systems and evolutionary trends. A minimal representation of the paradox is that of a pair of games played in random order; unfortunately, closed‐form solutions general in all parameters remain elusive. Here, we present explicit solutions for capital statistics and outcome conditions for a generalized game pair. The methodology is general and can be applied to the development of analytical methods across ratchet‐type models, and of Parrondo's paradox in general, which have wide‐ranging applications across physical and biological systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 28th annual symposium of the International Isotope Society's United Kingdom Group took place at the Møller Centre, Churchill College, Cambridge, UK, on Friday 8 November 2019. One of the most promising of the new methods photoredox with tritiated water and a catalyst. SP 1,2 sp As one of the major suppliers of tritiated compounds to the radiochemical community, it is essential for us to be able to apply the latest methods and provide a service for our clients. New challenges are arising in the field of deuterium labelling, where compounds bearing deuterium ( SP 2 sp H) at well-defined positions are required. We place this biocatalyst system as a complementary technique alongside the existing hydrogen isotope exchange catalysts adding more flexibility into synthetic strategies for generating chiral, deuterium-labelled molecules. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses metal-organic frameworks have versatile structures made up of metal ions connected to organic ligands, forming one-, two, or three-dimensional compounds. Topics include the team, led by Monash University and Australia's Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, developed 2D nanosheets; and queen reports that the spongelike material offering Cr(VI) uptake capacities reported to date, and rapid extraction rates.

With the advent of climate change as a major challenge of our time, Earth system modeling has become highly policy‐relevant regulatory science. In this situation, the social mechanisms that play a role in any scientific endeavor become particularly exposed. By discussing historical, philosophical, and sociological (HPS) aspects of the field's current "cultures of prediction" together with the physical science community in a physical science journal, we aim to provide an entry point into HPS reasoning for climate scientists interested in reflecting on their field and science in general. This paper, first, introduces our perspective on "science as culture" and climate modeling as "regulatory science" and, second, highlights and connects relevant ideas from the three commentaries that follow it. In so doing, we hope to give a fuller picture of climate science, the interplay it engenders between HPS and the physical sciences, the distinctions that it gives rise to as compared to some of the more traditional, exact, sciences in which it is rooted and its place in society including its role in scientific policy advice. Key Points: With the advent of climate change as a major challenge of our time, Earth system modeling has become highly policy relevantIn this situation, the social mechanisms that play a role in any scientific endeavor become particularly exposedThis paper introduces perspectives on "science as culture" and highlights relevant ideas from the three subsequent commentaries [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This highly influential piece was co-authored by a human geographer and physical geographer and delivered a timely opinion relating to women undertaking physical geography fieldwork. Physical and environmental geography colleagues typically work within large and often international teams; we might consider connecting here with the wider research context and culture. [Extracted from the article]

This essay presents analogies between the development of historical writing and of physical science during the early modern period. Its necessarily spotty coverage runs from the mid sixteenth century to the beginning of the eighteenth. The analogies include arising from practical concerns; preferring material documents and experimental inquiries over texts; making use of mathematical auxiliary sciences; distinguishing between primary and secondary elements; establishing new fundamental principles; undermining the traditional world system; and devising methods to control rapidly multiplying knowledge. A history of learning that meets today's standards of historical scholarship should identify and exploit such parallels, not only because of scholarly interest and responsibility, but also because an understanding of the historical importance of linkages between distant branches of learning may help redress the increasing imbalance in resources among the natural sciences, the social sciences, and the humanities in our higher schools and universities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kevin I. Booker-Milburn; Helen M. Betts; R. Angus O'Connor; Judith A. Christian; Vidhiya Vinayakamoorthy; Karen Foweraker; Abigail C. Pascoe; Alain C. Perkins; Markus Artelsmair; Patricia M. Azpiazu; Lee Kingston; Jonas Bergare; Magnus Schou; Andrea Varrone; Charles S. Elmore; Nicholas J. Long; David Hesk; Sean P. Bew; Neil J. Each; Chris J. Winfield; Allan Urbach; Scott H. Wilkinson; Stephen Thompson; Yanyan Zhao; Ole Tietz; Matthew McCammant; Melanie S. Sanford; Peter J.H. Scott; Franklin I. Aigbirhio; Jon Bloom; David R. Spring; Andreas Irmer; Niccolo A.E. Venanzi; William J.S. Lockley; Adele Queen; William Kerr; David Lindsay; Colin Lam; Ed Sherer; Antonio Dell'isola; Sean L. Kitson; Jason Syvret; Bala Upeandran; William H. Watters Meeting Summary The 27th annual symposium of the International Isotope Society UK Group took place at the Møller Centre, Churchill College, Cambridge, UK, on Friday November 2, 2018. Clinical hypoxia imaging with PET Helen M. Betts (helen.betts@nottingham.ac.uk)* SP 1 sp , R. Angus O'Connor SP 1 sp , Judith A. Christian SP 1 sp , Vidhiya Vinayakamoorthy SP 1 sp , Karen Foweraker SP 1 sp , Abigail C. Pascoe SP 1 sp and Alan C. Perkins SP 2 sp SP 1 sp I Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham City Hospital, Nottingham, UK; i SP 2 sp I Queen's Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK i Hypoxia is a common characteristic of solid tumours that arises when oxygen demand exceeds supply. Chen L, Zhang Z, Kolb HC, Walsh JC, Zhang J, Guan Y. SP 18 sp F-HX4 hypoxia imaging with PET/CT in head and neck cancer, Nucl Med Commun 2012, 33, 1096-1102, SP 18 sp F-HX4 hypoxia imaging with PET/CT in head and neck cancer. [Extracted from the article]

Research groups are the cornerstone of scientific research, yet little is known about how these groups are formed and how their organization is influenced by the gender of the research group leader. This represents an important gap in our understanding of the processes shaping gender structure within universities and the academic fields they represent. Here, we report the results of an email survey sent to department chairs and discipline‐specific listservs. We received responses from 275 female and 175 male research group leaders. Most respondents were biologists (n = 328) but psychology (n = 27), chemistry (n = 16), physics (n = 32), and mathematics (n = 30) were also relatively well represented. We found that men were self‐reported as overrepresented in research groups in the physical sciences, particularly at later career stages. Within biology, male and female group leaders reported supervising a disproportionate number of same‐gender trainees (students and postdoctoral fellows), particularly early in their careers. These self‐reported patterns were driven primarily by gender‐based differences in the pool of students applying to their research groups, while gender differences in acceptance rates played a seemingly smaller role. We discuss the implications of our results for women continuing into the professoriate and for the recruitment of young scientists into research groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, we describe a novel peroxin, Pex37, in the yeast Hansenula polymorpha. H. polymorpha Pex37 is a peroxisomal membrane protein, which belongs to a protein family that includes, among others, the Neurospora crassa Woronin body protein Wsc, the human peroxisomal membrane protein PXMP2, the Saccharomyces cerevisiae mitochondrial inner membrane protein Sym1, and its mammalian homologue MPV17. We show that deletion of H. polymorpha PEX37 does not appear to have a significant effect on peroxisome biogenesis or proliferation in cells grown at peroxisome‐inducing growth conditions (methanol). However, the absence of Pex37 results in a reduction in peroxisome numbers and a defect in peroxisome segregation in cells grown at peroxisome‐repressing conditions (glucose). Conversely, overproduction of Pex37 in glucose‐grown cells results in an increase in peroxisome numbers in conjunction with a decrease in their size. The increase in numbers in PEX37‐overexpressing cells depends on the dynamin‐related protein Dnm1. Together our data suggest that Pex37 is involved in peroxisome fission in glucose‐grown cells. Introduction of human PXMP2 in H. polymorpha pex37 cells partially restored the peroxisomal phenotype, indicating that PXMP2 represents a functional homologue of Pex37. H.polymorpha pex37 cells did not show aberrant growth on any of the tested carbon and nitrogen sources that are metabolized by peroxisomal enzymes, suggesting that Pex37 may not fulfill an essential function in transport of these substrates or compounds required for their metabolism across the peroxisomal membrane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Structural Maintenance of Chromosomes 2 (SMC2) and Structural Maintenance of Chromosomes 4 (SMC4) are the core components of the condensin complexes, which are required for chromosome assembly and faithful segregation during cell division. Because of the crucial functions of both proteins in cell division, much work has been done in various vertebrates, but little information is known about their roles in plants. Here, we identified ZmSMC2 and ZmSMC4 in maize (Zea mays) and confirmed that ZmSMC2 associates with ZmSMC4 via their hinge domains. Immunostaining revealed that both proteins showed dynamic localization during mitosis. ZmSMC2 and ZmSMC4 are essential for proper chromosome segregation and for H3 phosphorylation at Serine 10 (H3S10ph) at pericentromeres during mitotic division. The loss of function of ZmSMC2 and ZmSMC4 enlarges mitotic chromosome volume and impairs sister chromatid separation to the opposite poles. Taken together, these findings confirm and extend the coordinated role of ZmSMC2 and ZmSMC4 in maintenance of normal chromosome architecture and accurate segregation during mitosis. Significance Statement: ZmSMC2 and ZmSMC4, the important subunits of condensin, interact with each other to guarantee normal chromosome architecture and accurate segregation during mitosis. Deletion of both proteins affects the mitotic chromosome architecture, which leads to mislocalization of H3S10 phosphorylation at metaphase and subsequent improper chromosome segregation with the presence of chromosome bridges at anaphase. These findings further reveal the effect of normal chromosome condensation on the accurate chromosome segregation during mitosis in plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the question of geoscientisation and its consequences for the discipline of geography. By geoscientisation, I am referring to the ways in which geography, under conditions of top‐down managerial neoliberalisation, has been subject to a range of administrative (re)locations in colleges and faculties of science and engineering and to forced mergers with programmes and departments in the physical sciences, most notably geology, earth sciences and environmental sciences/studies. It argues for a greater understanding of the forms of epistemic erasure and other negative consequences that geoscientisation engenders, especially for critical human geographers who find themselves in such administrative arrangements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on how scientist use technologies to tackle air pollution. Topics discussed include information on air pollution as the biggest environmental health risk in the world; attitudes of Europeans toward the environment; and need for approach that exiles cars from cities and reclaims the streets for people.

Iron is critical for life. Nature capitalizes on the physical attributes of iron biominerals for functional, structural, and sensory applications. Iron biomineralization is well exemplified by the magnetite‐bearing radula of chitons, the hardest known biomineral of any animal. Although magnetism is an integral property of iron biominerals, limited information exists on the magnetic state, structure, and orientation of these nanoscale materials during mineralization. The advent of quantum‐based magnetic microscopy provides a new avenue to probe these biological systems directly, providing detailed magnetic information of the iron oxide structures. Here two complementary quantum magnetic microscopy methods are applied, based on nitrogen‐vacancy centers in diamond, to spatially map the mineral phases ferrihydrite and magnetite in the developing teeth of the chiton Acanthopleura hirtosa. The images reveal previously undiscovered long‐range magnetic order, established at the onset of magnetite mineralization. This is in contrast to electron microscopy studies that show no strong common crystallographic orientation. The implications of these results are important, not just for the insights gained in biomineralization of the target organism, but also for the study of a broad range of iron minerals in the physical and biological sciences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tetraaryltetrabenzoporphyrins (TATBPs) show, due to their optoelectronic properties, rising potential as dyes in various fields of physical and biomedical sciences. However, unlike in the case of porphyrins, the potential structural diversity of TATBPs has been explored only to little extent, owed mainly to synthetic hurdles. Herein, we prepared a comprehensive library of 30 TATBPs and investigated their fundamental properties. We elucidated structural properties by X‐ray crystallography and found explanations for physical properties such as solubility. Fundamental electronic aspects were studied by optical spectroscopy as well as by electrochemistry and brought in context to the stability of the molecules. Finally, we were able to develop a universal synthetic protocol, utilizing a readily established isoindole synthon, which gives TATBPs in high yields, regardless of the nature of the used arylaldehyde and without meticulous chromatographic purifications steps. This work serves as point of orientation for scientists, that aim to utilize these molecules in materials, nanotechnological, and biomedical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oligomeric bi‐soft segment isocyanate‐terminated polyurethanes (ITPUs) are semi‐finished goods crucial for the fabrication of various polyurethane (PU) products such as foams, thermoplastics, adhesives, dispersions, and elastomers. Incompatibilities and thus phase segregation phenomena play an essential role in tailoring the properties of the final products. In this work, the evolution of reaction‐induced phase segregation (RIPS) in ITPUs is explored in terms of composition and morphology of the phase segregated products as well as competing second order kinetics of the reaction. The results suggest that mechanism and extent of the phase segregation are thermodynamically controlled following the ternary phase diagram of the reactants. A comprehensive description of the phase behavior during the reaction is provided demonstrating excellent control over the morphology of ITPUs by means of appropriate adjustment of the initial reactant composition. These results are fundamental for tailored morphology design as it is employed for instance in membrane synthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers science related new briefs. Topics discussed include the compound halicin discovered by scientists at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), plans of energy company Shell of building grid storage battery project in Europe and a study of Greenland ice cores reports fossil methane emissions from human activity as far higher than previously estimated.

River management based solely on physical science has proven to be unsustainable and unsuccessful, evidenced by the fact that the problems this approach intended to solve (e.g., flood hazards, water scarcity, and channel instability) have not been solved and long‐term deterioration in river environments has reduced the capacity of rivers to continue meeting the needs of society. In response, there has been a paradigm shift in management over the past few decades, towards river restoration. But the ecological, morphological, and societal benefits of river restoration have, on the whole, been disappointing. We believe that this stems from the fact that restoration overrelies on the same physical analyses and approaches, with flowing water still regarded as the universally predominant driver of channel form and structural intervention seen as essential to influencing fluvial processes. We argue that if river restoration is to reverse long‐standing declines in river functions, it is necessary to recognize the influence of biology on river forms and processes and re‐envisage what it means to restore a river. This entails shifting the focus of river restoration from designing and constructing stable channels that mimic natural forms to reconnecting streams within balanced and healthy biomes, and so levering the power of biology to influence river processes. We define this new approach as biomic river restoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How can we understand climate change from a sociological perspective? In asking this question, we assume that Sociology has something to contribute to such an enterprise. The argument that we put forward is twofold: We argue that Sociology provides a much needed alternative to two dominant approaches that have influenced public discourse, behaviorist theories, mainly employed in Economics, and a belief in the centrality of science in policy making ("evidence first"), mainly entertained by physical scientists. We critically discuss both approaches, showing the limits of behaviorism and the linear model of policy making and provide an alternative framework, which emphasizes the role of social action, of organizations, and of structural differences between different social worlds. We then apply our framework to assess the role of evidence at the climate science‐policy interface and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) as a boundary organization in particular. We argue that science and politics follow different logics and that the IPCC is simultaneously both more political and less policy relevant than its self‐description as "policy‐relevant, never policy prescriptive" tries to make us believe. We conclude that a depoliticization of politics by IPCC expert advice and a politicization of climate science occur simultaneously and mutually reinforce one another. The result is a lack of progress in climate policy as science has taken center stage but is unable to offer political solutions. Key Points: Applying sociological concepts, we assess how climate change has been framed by two influential disciplines (economics and the physical sciences)We provide an alternative framework which emphasizes the role of social action, of organizations, and of structural differences between different social worldsWe conclude that science and politics follow different logics and that boundary organizations such as the IPCC cannot escape this harsh reality [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Having a history of 25 years, with the first PBC taking place in Montpellier (France) in 1994 and the most recent one in Montreal (Canada) in 2018, the PBC sessions mirror, on the one hand, the most exciting research areas in plant biomechanics over the last quarter of a century and, on the other, may help to answer the question "Quo vadis plant biomechanics?" Appearing at (almost) all PBCs, the sessions Trees & Wood (9/164); Cells, Cell Walls & Tissues (9/160); Ecology & Evolution (9/112); Morphogenesis & Growth (8/97); and Applied Biomechanics & Biomimetics (8/93) can be considered as the core topics that are of ongoing scientific interest for the plant biomechanics community. The increasing flexibility in older liana stems is always achieved by the production of a less-dense, flexible secondary wood with huge-diameter vessels that additionally enable sufficient water conduction within the slender liana stems, which are often several hundreds of meters long (Fig.). In particular, we wish to inspire molecular biologists to join the bandwagon of biomechanics and to converge the newest molecular approaches and results with questions concerning (whole plant) organismic botany as addressed in biomechanics. [Extracted from the article]

The dataset is based on air temperature measurements from weather stations and sea-surface temperature measurements from buoys and ships in the Voluntary Observing Ship programme (Kent I et al i ., [22]). The central aim of the Paris Agreement (https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement/the-paris-agreement) is ' I to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change by keeping a global temperature rise this century well below 2 i °C I above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 i °C'. Land areas with below-average temperature included Central Asia, central North America, and western South America, but only in a small portion of South America were the temperatures unusually low, that is, below the 10 SP th sp percentile of the 1961-1990 period. GLO:65TF/01oct19:wea3600-fig-0008.jpg PHOTO (COLOR): Surface air temperature anomalies for Europe and sea-surface temperature anomalies for neighbouring waters (degC, relative to 1961-1990) for December 2017 to February 2018, March to May 2018, June to August 2018 and September to November 2018. [Extracted from the article]

The article offers information on importance of photochemistry. Topics discussed include information on canataxpropellane, a relative of the widely used anti-cancer drug taxol; photochemical synthesis of the marine polyketide hippolachnin A from the sponge Hippospongia lachne; and use of photochemical methods in industry that allow more sustainable production, saving energy and valuable resources.

The Koshihikari allele of I MP3 i in a near-isogenic line (NIL) in the Takanari genetic background produced 19% more panicles and 12-20% more spikelets (Takai et al., [4]). In conclusion, the authors propose that mild alleles such as I MP3 i , which moderately increase panicle number, combined with large-sized panicle varieties can be used to create high-yielding varieties adapted to rising CO SB 2 sb levels. [Extracted from the article]