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The article presents the discussion on socrates, philosophy and politics have been in close communication often in harsh conflict, with each other. Topics include communication and cross-fertilization between philosophy and politics are made difficult if not impossible by science; and paramount role played these days by economics, computer science, operational research, medicine, and biology.

This article aims to contribute to discussions held by the academic community that has extensively researched the EU's green transition. The author underlines that a transdisciplinary approach involving legal, economic, and political tools provide a comprehensive cross-fertilisation methodology. The article observes implications related to EU green policies and public management instruments from two perspectives: the broadening of green transition to socio economic dimensions; and the role of government intervention in economic and green business development to illustrate examples of relevant practices in the EU. The author argues that such a methodological approach can help one to assess the actions and measures related to the green economic and business development trends that require societal support as well as the improvement of economic efficiency at the EU and national level. This contribution offers insights into the concept of green economic transitions and innovation as well as the impact of public services focused on societal change. The article concludes that a decision-making process that is based on a cross-fertilisation approach allows the implementation of green policies in national economies in the most effective manner and, in turn, provides welfare effects due to the enhancement of public administration services in their coordinated actions with entrepreneurial activities and business investments. On a wider regional scale, government/private business green partnership represents a tool that inevitably helps increase the environmental and green competitiveness of the EU and its Member States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abiotic stress such as high temperature at flowering is one of many conditions reducing yield of corn (Zea mays L.). Mixing corn cultivars with diverse functional traits increases within-crop diversity and provides a potential means of mitigating yield losses under stress conditions. We conducted a three-year field study to investigate the effects of cultivar mixtures on kernel setting rate, pollen sources, and yield. This study consisted of six treatments, including two high temperature-tolerant (HTT) monocrops of WK702 and DH701, two high temperature-sensitive (HTS) monocrops of DH605 and DH662, and two HTT-HTS mixtures of WK702-DH605 and DH701-DH662. The anthesis-silking interval (ASI) was 0.9-1.6 days shorter in mixtures than in monocrops. Kernel setting rate was increased in mixtures (86.4%-88.7%) compared with those in monocrops (74.7%-84.1%) as a result of synchrony and complementarity of pollination. Grain yields of the HTT-HTS mixtures increased by 13.3%-18.7%, equivalent to 1169 to 1605 kg ha-1, in comparison with HTS corn monocrops. The results of SSR markers showed that crossfertilization percentage in corn cultivar mixtures ranged from 29.3% to 47.8%, partially explaining yield improvement. Land equivalent ratio (LER) was 1.12 for corn mixtures and the partial land equivalent ratio (e.g., > 0.5) showed the complementary benefits in corn mixtures. The results indicated that mixing corn cultivars with diverse flowering and drought-tolerance traits increased yields via pollination synchrony. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the 1960s, the black world has experienced the rise of political and ideological drama by LeRoi Jones, known as Amiri Baraka, who is well-known for his cultural, social, and ideological art movements. This study determines to discover the roles of ressentiment, the effects of ideology, and creolization in A Black Mass, double consciousness and epidermalization in Dutchman, revolt and victimization in The Slave, and Cross-fertilization and transculturation in Madheart while considering the blacks' experiences in Baraka's plays. Through the interdisciplinary viewpoint, the aim of this paper is to study the social and political characteristics of black people and the identity of them through ethno-psycho-ideological disciplines, to investigate the sources of deculturation and acculturation presented in the subjects of ideology. Baraka's plays are illustrations of the traditional and modern slavery, as well as marginalization of black people in multicultural zones. To enrich the present study, the researcher has applied Frantz Fanon's psychological and revolutionary ideas against white colonial societies, and Slavoj Zizek's psycho-ideological definitions. This paper shows the worthless 'Civil Rights' in the dominant societies, so the blacks' main intentions are to combat whites for decolonization. Baraka's attempts have flourished the black art and shaped the Black Arts Movement, which are stated as political and revolutionary concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction to articles published within the issue is presented in which the editors discuss topics on the phenomenon of cross-fertilization, the connection between medicine and literature, and strategies of self-care.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Christian education and spiritual formation existed in an uneasy tension, running on parallel tracks but also developing mutual points of intersection. This article traces the growing connections between these movements in the last two decades of the twentieth century, the changing emphases in this relationship since 2000, and the need for further cross-fertilization between the two fields as ministries face the challenges of the twenty-first century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A variety of ancient Jewish and Christian sources refer to a sexual liaison between Satan and Eve, a union that resulted in the birth of Cain. This article assembles these texts, and then considers whether the Greek and Latin Lives of Adam and Eve are also aware of this union, and whether these texts have been influenced by the tradition of the Watchers sleeping with the daughters of men. While scholars have been divided on these issues for the last century, this article determines that the Greek Life does not allude or refer to any sexual liaison. The Latin Vita (perhaps in dependence on a different archetype) could allow for the notion, but it is only Latin P that uses language pointing to a literal sexual union. These findings suggest that the Greek and Latin lives did not originally contain a sexual seduction of Eve by the devil. It was only latterly that the narratives were influenced by the Watchers' narrative or attempts to account for Cain's maleficent nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The field of Critical Discourse Studies (CDS) needs to extend its analytical scope and cross-fertilize with interactional accounts of identity. One the one hand, there is a constant and reflexive re-crafting of identities in late modernity. On the other hand, interaction is considered to be the major lens through which such identities in flux are studied. To this aim, I propose an analytical framework based on a synthesis of well-established CDS analytical tools with interaction-oriented ones, which results in the formation of ‘discursive strategies of identity construction in interaction’. I put the proposed synthesis under a ‘multiperspectival’ research agenda, which involves the compilation of a ‘package’ based on different approaches, on the condition that the theoretical and epistemological assumptions of each approach are taken into account. By way of illustration, I briefly discuss fictional interactions from two Greek TV commercials for the representation of age identities. It is shown that fictional data, which involve represented identities in talk by institutional agents, could become one possible ‘meeting point’ of CDS with interaction-oriented discourse analytical strands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diverse forms of material expressions can be achieved through practices that cross-fertilize biology and design. Growing Design is one such practice in which designers grow materials from living organisms, such as bacteria, algae or fungi. While this emerging practice may facilitate novel product ideas, the grown materials, to date, are often used in applications as surrogates for conventional materials. A recently introduced method, Material Driven Design (MDD) (Karana, Barati, Rognoli, & Zeeuw van der Laan, 2015), can support designers in finding novel application ideas for a material in development, by providing the ways in which the unique technical and experiential qualities of the material are emphasized and bridged in an appropriate and creative manner. The present paper explores the journey of a product design master's student, who followed the MDD method through a six-month graduation project, in search of a product application idea for a material that is intentionally grown for design purposes, namely, mycelium-based materials. We provide a practical understanding of how the material-driven design process evolves when the material grows, and elaborate on the product application concept through the lens of materials experience, which is the main motivation for the research and design activities throughout the project. We further speculate on the tools and activities that the student incorporated in the design process to tackle uncertainty as to the micro-organism's agency, its unique temporality, and the acceptance of the material in society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The workshop "What Can Synthetic Biology Offer to Artificial Intelligence?," hosted by the 14th European Conference on Artificial Life (Lyon, France, 4-8 September 2017), brought together specialists from different disciplines to discuss the possibility of generating synergies between synthetic biology (SB) and artificial intelligence (AI). The specific goal was the exploration of cognition through "understanding-bybuilding" strategies. The workshop participants were asked to define potentially effective roles that SB could play in the development of the "embodied approach" that characterizes contemporary cognitive science and AI, with a focus on frontier research on minimal artificial life and cognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study advances an innovative conceptualization of the marketing strategies developed by Port Authorities (PAs), framing a relevant case of hybrid organisation into a business marketing perspective. PAs have transformed to hybrid organizations mostly disassociated from operational activities and port services provision. Still, they maintain a key role as managing bodies advancing the prospects of respective port and associate clusters. Marketing is among the functions working towards this end. Aiming to advance theoretical constructs and related empirical research, the paper employs business marketing perspectives and their applications in hybrid organisations to introduce a novel conceptualization of PA marketing strategies. Within this theoretical angle, the study builds a multi-dimensional framework on PA strategic positioning that combines (a) PAs’ marketing objectives in various Strategic Business Areas (SBAs), (b) the multi-faceted geography of the targeted salient stakeholders, and (c) the induced portfolio of marketing actions, whose ramifications unveil virtuous cross-fertilization effects (CFEs) and fuel the success of PA marketing strategies. This model enables to identify five different patterns of market coverage across diverse SBAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Distyly is a floral polymorphism characterized by the presence of two discrete morphs with reciprocal positioning of anthers and stigmas in flowers on different plants in the same population. For a distylous system to function effectively, the presence of suitable pollinators that transfer pollen from the two morphs (a short-styled S-morph and a long-styled L-morph) on separate locations of their body is required. In this study, we surveyed pollinator communities visiting flowers of the distylous Primula veris in two different natural habitats (grassland and forest). Previous research has shown differences in the positioning of the anthers and stigmas between flowers of forest and grassland populations, possibly impacting on patterns of pollen transfer and seed set. To test this hypothesis, we measured anther-stigma separation in the two habitats, assessed pollen uptake on the head and proboscis of each of the pollinator species observed, and compared stigmatic pollen deposition and subsequent seed set between shortstyled and long-styled flowers of P. veris. More specifically, we tested the hypothesis that the ratio of pollen morph uptake by pollinators is related to the length of their proboscis and to differences in floral morphology and that this in turn is related to the efficiency with which legitimate pollen is deposited on S- and L-morph stigmas. The forest and grassland P. veris populations contained distinct pollinator communities. Pollen from L-morph flowers was more abundantly deposited on the proboscis than on the head of the pollinator, whereas the opposite was observed for pollen of short-styled flowers. Tongue length seemed to be a determining characteristic for the predisposition of a pollinator for pollen uptake of a certain pollen morph on the proboscis or head. Proboscis length was positively correlated with proportional uptake of pollen of long-styled flowers, but negatively correlated with the uptake of pollen of short-styled flowers on the head. Long-styled stigmas captured more pollen grains in total, but short-styled stigmas contained proportionally more legitimate pollen. Pollen proficiencies were higher in the grassland habitat, but seed set did not significantly differ between habitats. Overall, these results suggest that that long- and short-tongued insects complement each other in the legitimate pollination of a distylous plant species and that differences in floral morphology do not impact on reproductive success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Floral monosymmetry appears to be a derived condition, arising independently many times, with a multiplicity of forms, and related to both, pollinator and plant diversification. It reduces interference between sexual functions in flowers and increases cross-pollination and allogamy. But since the description and assessment of the functioning of those floral features depend on fresh material and field observations, the number of groups thoroughly observed is limited. In the mostly Neotropical and actinomorphic Melastomataceae, monosymmetric flowers seem to be derived and the resulting herkogamy may constitute a mechanism to avoid anther-stigma interference and self-pollination. Here we studied Tococa guianensis, a Neotropical widespread shrub or treelet well known for its leaf-domatia ant interaction, but still lacking details on its breeding biology. We studied a population in Uberlândia, Central Brazil, observing floral biology features, diversity of visitors and breeding system. Flowers showed diurnal anthesis and a single-day life span. Pollen was the only floral resource offered, and poricidal anthers were clustered in the centre of the flower, while style was bent away from flower axis creating a transient herkogamy and flower monosymmetry. Style moves towards the floral axis during the day facilitating pollination. To date we do not know other Tococa species displaying such stylar features, which may be an intermediate form between the actinomorphic Miconieae and specialized zygomorphic Tococa. Contrasting with previous studies, the self-incompatibility found in T. guianensis indicates that transient herkogamy may function to avoid stigma clogging with self-pollen and allow flexible use of specialized buzz-pollinating bees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a clear need to maximize the genetic diversity of plant material used in restorations to ensure restored populations are equipped to handle current and future conditions. This increasingly translates to focused efforts to intentionally increase the genetic diversity of seed sources in production and/or restoration settings. For example, multiple populations may be brought together to create plant materials with more genetic diversity than is present in any single population. Recent literature showing minimal risk of outbreeding depression and extensive benefits of genetic rescue has helped justify this approach, with the exception of mixing populations with fixed chromosomal differences. In these cases, extensive loss of fertility may occur after mixing. Some types of incompatible chromosomal differences are difficult to detect and therefore have unknown occurrence and distribution within and among species. However, the most extreme form of chromosomal differences—intraspecific ploidy variation (IPV)—is relatively easy to quantify with current technology and known to be fairly common in angiosperms. To encourage more systematic consideration of IPV in native plant restoration, we used available data on IPV to estimate its incidence in 115 species widely used for restoration in the United States. Over one‐third have IPV. Additional focused research is needed to understand the consequences of IPV for restoration, particularly given the current trend toward mixing natural collections for materials development and use. We provide recommendations to explicitly incorporate the reality of IPV into the production and use of genetically diverse plant materials for restoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vascular biology is an important scientific domain that has gradually penetrated many medical and scientific fields. Scientists are most often focused on present problems in their daily scientific work and lack awareness regarding the evolution of their domain throughout history and of how philosophical issues are related to their research field. In this article, I provide a personal view with an attempt to conceptualize vascular development research that articulates lessons taken from history, philosophy, biology and medicine. I discuss selected aspects related to the history and the philosophy of sciences that can be extracted from the study of vascular development and how conceptual progress in this research field has been made. I will analyze paradigm shifts, cross-fertilization of different fields, technological advances and its impact on angiogenesis and discuss issues related to evolutionary biology, proximity of different molecular systems and scientific methodologies. Finally, I discuss briefly my views where the field is heading in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over 50 avian Plasmodium species have been described. However, PCR-based information shows much broader diversity of genetic lineages in these parasites. This discrepancy indicates insufficient knowledge about taxonomic diversity and boundaries of a single species in avian Plasmodium species. In recent taxonomy, most of genetically closely related lineages that share the same morphology and development patterns are attributed to the same biological species, but there is no information if these lineages are able to cross. This information is crucial to understand if these lineages form single or multiple evolutionary units. Due to presence of sexual process and sporogonic development of Plasmodium parasites in mosquitoes, self and cross-fertilization can occur and be identified during the oocyst stage. We initiated in vivo hybridization experiments of two widespread Plasmodium relictum lineages (pSGS1 and pGRW11) in experimentally infected Culex pipiens pipiens form molestus mosquitoes. To study putative hybrid oocysts, we used a laser microdissection technique together with PCR-based analyses of mitochondrial and nuclear genes. We demonstrate that both pSGS1 and pGRW11 lineages develop in infected mosquitoes in parallel, but also form hybrid oocysts of these two lineages. Our results are in accord to a recent global phylogeographic study of P. relictum that suggested that cross-fertilization between pSGS1 and pGRW11 might occur. This information helps to understand population structure, gene flow and the evolutionary process of haemosporidian parasites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A first European Conference on Computational Nanotoxicology, CompNanoTox, was held in November 2015 in Benahavís, Spain with the objectives to disseminate and integrate results from the European modeling and database projects (NanoPUZZLES, ModENPTox, PreNanoTox, MembraneNanoPart, MODERN, eNanoMapper and EU COST TD1204 MODENA) as well as to create synergies within the European NanoSafety Cluster. This conference was supported by the COST Action TD1204 MODENA on developing computational methods for toxicological risk assessment of engineered nanoparticles and provided a unique opportunity for cross fertilization among complementary disciplines. The efforts to develop and validate computational models crucially depend on high quality experimental data and relevant assays which will be the basis to identify relevant descriptors. The ambitious overarching goal of this conference was to promote predictive nanotoxicology, which can only be achieved by a close collaboration between the computational scientists (e.g. database experts, modeling experts for structure, (eco) toxicological effects, performance and interaction of nanomaterials) and experimentalists from different areas (in particular toxicologists, biologists, chemists and material scientists, among others). The main outcome and new perspectives of this conference are summarized here. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The need for an interdisciplinary and integrative approach for doing research on business strategies and climate change is gaining increasing recognition. However, there is a consensus that such cross-fertilization is currently missing. Multilevel research methods by virtue of being interdisciplinary in nature may address this need. This paper proposes to advance the adoption of multilevel research approach in the context of business strategies and climate change. As a guide for conducting multilevel assessment, a flexible analytical framework is presented. The framework is developed through a process of structured literature review. The framework consists of thirteen contextual factors spread across five levels and identifies the key multilevel relationships that moderate organisational level climate change related strategy formulation. Level specificities of several theories across these five levels are also identified to facilitate application of the framework in building multilevel hypotheses for business strategies on climate change. In addition, a concise summary of the fundamental concepts of multilevel modelling techniques is provided to help researchers in selecting suitable multilevel models during the operationalization of the framework. The operationalization of the framework is demonstrated by building and testing a three level hypotheses on corporate lobbying activities on climate change issues. It is observed that irrespective of their locations, financially underperforming companies with a larger workforce and belonging to sectors with higher Green House Gas emission intensities particularly lobby intensely on climate change issues. In conclusion, the potential challenges and opportunities in applying the framework for building multilevel theories in the context of business strategies and climate change are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The notion of context has been considered for a long time in different areas of Computer Science. This article considers the use of context-based reasoning from the earlier perspective of artificial intelligence as well as the newer developments in ubiquitous computing. Both communities have been somehow interested in the potential of context-reasoning to support real-time meaningful reactions from systems. We explain how the concept evolved in each of these different approaches. We found initially that each of them considered this topic quite independently and separated from each other; however, latest developments have started to show signs of cross-fertilization amongst these areas. The aim of our survey is to provide an understanding on the way context and context-reasoning were approached, to show that work in each area is complementary, and to highlight there are positive synergies arising amongst them. The overarching goal of this article is to encourage further and longer term synergies between those interested in further understanding and using context-based reasoning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We develop a novel, biologically detailed neural model of reinforcement learning (RL) processes in the brain. This model incorporates a broad range of biological features that pose challenges to neural RL, such as temporally extended action sequences, continuous environments involving unknown time delays, and noisy/imprecise computations. Most significantly, we expand the model into the realm of hierarchical reinforcement learning (HRL), which divides the RL process into a hierarchy of actions at different levels of abstraction. Here we implement all the major components of HRL in a neural model that captures a variety of known anatomical and physiological properties of the brain. We demonstrate the performance of the model in a range of different environments, in order to emphasize the aim of understanding the brain’s general reinforcement learning ability. These results show that the model compares well to previous modelling work and demonstrates improved performance as a result of its hierarchical ability. We also show that the model’s behaviour is consistent with available data on human hierarchical RL, and generate several novel predictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reduced fitness of admixed individuals is typically attributed to genetic incompatibilities. Although mismatched genomes can lead to fitness changes, in some cases the reduction in hybrid fitness is subtle. The potential role of transcriptional regulation in admixed genomes could provide a mechanistic explanation for these discrepancies, but evidence is lacking for nonmodel organisms. Here, we explored the intersection of genetics and gene regulation in admixed genomes derived from an experimental cross between a western gray wolf and western coyote. We found a significant positive association between methylation and wolf ancestry, and identified outlier genes that have been previously implicated in inbreeding-related, or otherwise deleterious, phenotypes. We describe a pattern of site-specific, rather than genome-wide, methylation driven by inter-specific hybridization. Epigenetic variation is thus suggested to play a nontrivial role in both maintaining and combating mismatched genotypes through putative transcriptional mechanisms. We conclude that the regulation of gene expression is an underappreciated key component of hybrid genome functioning, but could also act as a potential source of novel and beneficial adaptive variation in hybrid offspring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the role of the sugar transporter OsSWEET11 during the early stage of rice caryopsis development using b-glucoronidase (GUS) to represent its expression, together with clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats-CRISPR-associated protein 9 (CRISPR- Cas9)-mediated knockout, cross-fertilization and RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analyses. The results showed that OsSWEET11 was expressed strongly in developing caryopsis, particularly in the ovular vascular trace, nucellar epidermis and cross cells. The knockout of OsSWEET11 significantly decreased the sucrose concentration in the mutant embryo sacs and led to defective grain filling compared with that of the wild-type (WT) plant. Moreover, the expression of 2,549 genes in the mutant caryopsis was affected. The grain weight and seed setting percentage were also decreased in the mutants. The cross-fertilization of the mutant and WT rice revealed that the mutated maternal donor induced defective grain filling. These results strongly suggested that OsSWEET11 played an important role in sucrose release from maternal tissue to the maternal-filial interface during the early stage of caryopsis development. It might also induce sucrose release from the ovular vascular trace and cross cells of developing caryopsis. These findings bridge the gap in the understanding of post-phloem sugar transport during the early stage of rice caryopsis development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Better integration of resilience and climate change adaptation can help building climate-resilient development. Yet, resilience and adaptation to climate change have evolved largely along parallel paths with little cross-fertilization. Conceptual vagueness around resilience makes it challenging to ascertain what elements of resilience thinking have the greatest potential to enhance climate change adaptation and contribute to broader sustainable development goals. This article distills nine principles from the resilience literature to build a framework to assess 224 climate change adaptation strategies proposed by researchers and practitioners in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Our analysis concludes that adaptation strategies in this data set emphasize initiatives that increase social and ecological diversity, strengthen learning processes, build functional redundancy, enhance connectivity between social and ecological elements, pay attention to the management of slow variables, and provide mechanisms for increasing participation and polycentric governance. At the same time, the adaptation options examined generally lacked a system's perspective, suggesting that there is still important work ahead to move toward a climate-resilient development model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The biology of the widely occurring but poorly known terrestrial snail Allopeas gracile (Hutton, 1834) (Gastropoda: Subulinidae) was determined, emphasizing food relationships. Isolated snails reproduced without cross fertilization. These snails deposited small clusters of eggs (3-7 per d) totaling about 20 per mo once oviposition commenced (after about 50 d). The snails grew rapidly for 50 d, attaining a mass of about 25 mg, then grew more slowly, eventually attaining a mass of about 50 mg after 250 d. Hatching occurred over a wide range of temperatures. The mean duration of the egg stage decreased from 18.7 to 8.0 d as the temperature increased from 19.5 to 32.0 °C. Allopeas gracile was omnivorous, feeding on green plants (vegetables, weeds, and flowers), fungi (cultivated mushroom and sooty mold), and animal matter (dead cockroaches and earthworms), but not decaying vegetation (tree leaves). Although this species is omnivorous, many plants allowed only maintenance, not fostering rapid growth. These small snails consumed only about 1.5 cm2 per d of favored food (lettuce) at maturity, and considerably less of most plants offered. This invasive snail does not seem to be destined to be a significant pest except perhaps under restricted circumstances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fasciola hepatica , the liver fluke, is a trematode parasite of considerable economic importance to the livestock industry and is a re-emerging zoonosis that poses a risk to human health in F. hepatica -endemic areas worldwide. Drug resistance is a substantial threat to the current and future control of F. hepatica , yet little is known about how the biology of the parasite influences the development and spread of resistance. Given that F. hepatica can self-fertilise and therefore inbreed, there is the potential for greater population differentiation and an increased likelihood of recessive alleles, such as drug resistance genes, coming together. This could be compounded by clonal expansion within the snail intermediate host and aggregation of parasites of the same genotype on pasture. Alternatively, widespread movement of animals that typically occurs in the UK could promote high levels of gene flow and prevent population differentiation. We identified clonal parasites with identical multilocus genotypes in 61% of hosts. Despite this, 84% of 1579 adult parasites had unique multilocus genotypes, which supports high levels of genotypic diversity within F. hepatica populations. Our analyses indicate a selfing rate no greater than 2%, suggesting that this diversity is in part due to the propensity for F. hepatica to cross-fertilise. Finally, although we identified high genetic diversity within a given host, there was little evidence for differentiation between populations from different hosts, indicating a single panmictic population. This implies that, once those emerge, anthelmintic resistance genes have the potential to spread rapidly through liver fluke populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fields of telomere biology and DNA repair have enjoyed a great deal of cross-fertilization and convergence in recent years. Telomeres function at chromosome ends to prevent them from being falsely recognized as chromosome breaks by the DNA damage response and repair machineries. Conversely, both canonical and nonconical functions of numerous DNA repair proteins have been found to be critical for preserving telomere structure and function. In 2009, Elizabeth Blackburn, Carol Greider and Jack Szostak were awarded the Nobel prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery of telomeres and telomerase. Four years later, pioneers in the field of DNA repair, Aziz Sancar, Tomas Lindahl and Paul Modrich were recognized for their seminal contributions by being awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. This review is part of a special issue meant to celebrate this amazing achievement, and will focus in particular on the convergence of nucleotide excision repair and telomere biology, and will discuss the profound implications for human health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genetic diversity in a population of Ziziphus mistol was analysed using molecular markers. The DNA polymorphism among 31 genotypes obtained from 10 parental trees was assessed using seven inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) primers. The analysed population showed low percen- tage of polymorphic bands and low genetic diversity. However, all genotypes were different in cluster analysis based on genetic distances. The molecular variance analysis (AMOVA) showed a higher proportion of variance explained within progenies. Paternal amplicons allowed to determi- ne the cross-fertilizing origin for all progenies analysed. These results con fi rm the ef fi cacy of the mechanisms favoring allogamy in this species. Possible implications of low genetic diversity in this population and the need to extend the analysis to other populations are discussed in order to elaborate and implement management strategies for conservation and use of this genetic resource. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most fields of paleosciences are becoming more and more interdisciplinary, but studies that produce paleo-data are often limited to publishing their results as scientific articles in journals with a so-called "paleo"-prefix. While it is important to reach wider audiences with your publications, many early-career researchers do not receive any advice on how to publish outside their own field of research. Publishing your research in journals outside of the prefix "paleo" requires special strategies and can be very challenging, especially for early-career researchers. These challenges include the contrasting nature of methods used, specific terminology, and the diverse background of palaeoscientists (e.g., geologists, ecologists, oceanographers), all hampering the crucial scientific cross-fertilization among disciplines that have time in its core approach. Here, we present the results from a community-based effort to gather the ten most important tips or rules to successfully publish your research in journals outside your research field, with a focus on the field of Ecology. In the Spring of 2021, we sent out a call to different online platforms (e.g., PAGES community, BESpalaeo community) to receive community-based input with the best strategies and how to publish your research in broader journals, specifically outside of the prefix "paleo". Responses from more than 40 people were summarized and turned into ten simple rules which apply to anyone who wants to publish outside their own sub-field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study we present the first approach to exploration of the genetic diversity of Cuban Fasciola hepatica populations using microsatellite markers, coupled with observed prevalence in slaughterhouses. Nine populations of flukes recovered from cows and buffalos were studied in the central-western region of Cuba. The observed infection rates of definitive hosts (bovines) were 70–100% in most cases. An important amount of polymorphism was found in the four loci explored. However, no apparent genetic differences were found between populations from different provinces or bovine species. The absence of deviations from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium suggests a high rate of cross-fertilization between F. hepatica individuals. This result was confirmed when all multilocus genotypes were tested for clonal reproduction and only four individuals differed statistically (Psex< 0.05). High values of expected heterozygosity coupled with highly probable mixing among strains make the metapopulation genetically diversified but similar in terms of certain alleles (low FST values). These results suggest a close relationship between parasite diversity and cattle management in Cuba. Our findings should be taken into consideration by veterinary authorities to help mitigate fasciolosis transmission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An essay is presented on calls into a standard comparative framework used by civil rights historians and Ethnic Studies scholars alike by black and Filipino workers in the Alaska Cannery Workers Association. It discusses the concept of racial cross-fertilization. It provides blues epistemology of the United Construction Workers Association, explores an experiment in multiracial solidarity during the June First Movement, and discusses the enduring histories of cross-fertilization.

W.D. Hamilton's Inclusive Fitness Theory explains the conditions that favor the emergence and maintenance of social cooperation. Today we know that these include direct and indirect benefits an agent obtains by its actions, and through interactions with kin and with genetically unrelated individuals. That is, in addition to kin-selection, assortation or homophily, and social synergies drive the evolution of cooperation. An Extended Inclusive Fitness Theory (EIFT) synthesizes the natural selection forces acting on biological evolution and on human economic interactions by assuming that natural selection driven by inclusive fitness produces agents with utility functions that exploit assortation and synergistic opportunities. This formulation allows to estimate sustainable cost/benefit threshold ratios of cooperation among organisms and/or economic agents, using existent analytical tools, illuminating our understanding of the dynamic nature of society, the evolution of cooperation among kin and non-kin, inter-specific cooperation, co-evolution, symbioses, division of labor and social synergies. EIFT helps to promote an interdisciplinary cross fertilization of the understanding of synergy by, for example, allowing to describe the role for division of labor in the emergence of social synergies, providing an integrated framework for the study of both, biological evolution of social behavior and economic market dynamics. Another example is a bio-economic understanding of the motivations of terrorists, which identifies different forms of terrorism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to compare the physicochemical and nutritional properties of breast and thigh meat from commercial Chinese crossbred chickens (817 Crossbred chicken, 817C), imported commercial broilers (Arbor Acres broiler, AAB), and commercial spent hens (Hyline Brown, HLB). The crossbred chickens, commercial broilers and spent hens were slaughtered at their typical market ages of 45 d, 40 d, and 560 d, respectively. The results revealed that several different characteristic features for the three breeds. The meat of the 817C was darker than that of the other two genotypes. The 817C were also characterized by higher protein, lower intramuscular fat, and better texture attributes (cooking loss, pressing loss and Warner-Bratzler shear force [WBSF]) compared with AAB and HLB. The meat of the spent hens (i.e. HLB) was higher in WBSF and total collagen content than meat of the crossbred chickens and imported broilers. Furthermore, correlation analysis and principal component analysis revealed that there was a clear relationship among physicochemical properties of chicken meats. With regard to nutritional properties, it was found that 817C and HLB exhibited higher contents of essential amino acids and essential/non-essential amino acid ratios. In addition, 817C were noted to have highest content of microelements whereas AAB have highest content of potassium. Besides, 817C birds had particularly higher proportions of desirable fatty acids, essential fatty acids, polyunsaturated/saturated and (18:0+18:1)/16:0 ratios. The present study also revealed that there were significant differences on breast meat and thigh meat for the physicochemical and nutritional properties, regardless of chicken breeds. In conclusion, meat of crossbred chickens has some unique features and exhibited more advantages over commercial broilers and spent hens. Therefore, the current investigation would provide valuable information for the chicken meat product processing, and influence the consumption of different chicken meat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most hinnies (female donkey?male horse) and mules (female horse?male donkey) are sterile with few reports of equine fertile hybrids. The main cause of this sterility is thought to be a meiotic block to spermatogenesis and oogenesis. This study compared the developmental features of the testes and a histological analyses of spermatogenesis in a male hinny with those of a normal, fertile stallion and Jack donkey. Hinny testes showed a thicker tunica albuginea, fewer blood vessels and more connective tissue in the testis parenchyma than those of the stallion and Jack donkey. Although the mean number of seminiferous tubules was significantly higher in stallion and hinny than Jack donkey (p<0.01), the mean proportion of seminiferous tubules was lower in the hinny (p<0.01) which resulted in a smaller diameter of seminiferous tubules. The mean number of spermatogonia and spermatocytes per unit area were significantly lower in hinny testis (p<0.01) and no spermatids or mature spermatozoa cells were found during immunofluorescent analyses. These results indicated that defects in seminiferous tubule development and structure occur in the testis of hinnies. Furthermore, most spermatogonia and spermatocytes cease development in synapsis during mid-meiosis of spermatocytes, which results in a block to spermatogenesis that prevents the formation of spermatids and matured spermatozoa during meiosis in male hinnies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a number of crop species hybrids are able to outperform line varieties. The anthers of the autogamous bread wheat plant are normally extruded post anthesis, a trait which is unfavourable for the production of F1 hybrid grain. Higher anther extrusion (AE) promotes cross fertilization for more efficient hybrid seed production. Therefore, this study aimed at the genetic dissection of AE by genome wide association studies (GWAS) and determination of the main effect QTL. We applied GWAS approach to identify DArT markers potentially linked to AE to unfold its genetic basis in a panel of spring wheat accessions. Phenotypic data were collected for three years and best linear unbiased estimate (BLUE) values were calculated across all years. The extent of the AE correlation between growing years and BLUE values ranged from r = +0.56 (2013 vs 2015) to 0.91 (2014 vs BLUE values). The broad sense heritability was 0.84 across all years. Six accessions displayed stable AE >80% across all the years. Genotyping data included 2,575 DArT markers (with minimum of 0.05 minor allele frequency applied). AE was influenced both by genotype and by the growing environment. In all, 131 significant marker trait associations (MTAs) (|log10 (P)| >FDR) were established for AE. AE behaved as a quantitative trait, with five consistently significant markers (significant across at least two years with a significant BLUE value) contributing a minor to modest proportion (4.29% to 8.61%) of the phenotypic variance and affecting the trait either positively or negatively. For this reason, there is potential for breeding for improved AE by gene pyramiding. The consistently significant markers linked to AE could be helpful for marker assisted selection to transfer AE to high yielding varieties allowing to promote the exploitation of hybrid-heterosis in the key crop wheat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concerted evolution is often assumed to be the evolutionary force driving multi-family genes, including those from ribosomal DNA (rDNA) repeat, to complete homogenization within a species, although cases of non-concerted evolution have been also documented. In this study, sequence variation of 28S and ITS ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes in the genus Cephalenchus is assessed at three different levels, intragenomic, intraspecific, and interspecific. The findings suggest that not all Cephalenchus species undergo concerted evolution. High levels of intraspecific polymorphism, mostly due to intragenomic variation, are found in Cephalenchus sp1 (BRA-01). Secondary structure analyses of both rRNA genes and across different species show a similar substitution pattern, including mostly compensatory (CBC) and semi-compensatory (SBC) base changes, thus suggesting the functionality of these rRNA copies despite the variation found in some species. This view is also supported by low sequence variation in the 5.8S gene in relation to the flanking ITS-1 and ITS-2 as well as by the existence of conserved motifs in the former gene. It is suggested that potential cross-fertilization in some Cephalenchus species, based on inspection of female reproductive system, might contribute to both intragenomic and intraspecific polymorphism of their rRNA genes. These results reinforce the potential implications of intragenomic and intraspecific genetic diversity on species delimitation, especially in biodiversity studies based solely on metagenetic approaches. Knowledge of sequence variation will be crucial for accurate species diversity estimation using molecular methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Basic models of mating-system evolution predict that hermaphroditic organisms should mostly either cross-fertilize, or self-fertilize, due to self-reinforcing coevolution of inbreeding depression and outcrossing rates. However transitions between mating systems occur. A plausible scenario for such transitions assumes that a decrease in pollinator or mate availability temporarily constrains outcrossing populations to self-fertilize as a reproductive assurance strategy. This should trigger a purge of inbreeding depression, which in turn encourages individuals to self-fertilize more often and finally to reduce male allocation. We tested the predictions of this scenario using the freshwater snail Physa acuta, a self-compatible hermaphrodite that preferentially outcrosses and exhibits high inbreeding depression in natural populations. From an outbred population, we built two types of experimental evolution lines, controls (outcrossing every generation) and constrained lines (in which mates were often unavailable, forcing individuals to self-fertilize). After ca. 20 generations, individuals from constrained lines initiated self-fertilization earlier in life and had purged most of their inbreeding depression compared to controls. However, their male allocation remained unchanged. Our study suggests that the mating system can rapidly evolve as a response to reduced mating opportunities, supporting the reproductive assurance scenario of transitions from outcrossing to selfing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pesticide risk analysis process is well regulated in the EU, especially in relation to placing on the market authorisation procedures, but in order to avoid risks for human health and environment in the use phase, information on how these substances are employed and on socio-behavioural factors that can influence the exposure have to be taken into account. To better explore reasons about the gap between risk assessment and risk management, within the EU FP7 Health and Environmental Risks: Organisation, Integration and Cross-fertilisation of Scientific Knowledge (HEROIC) project, a stepwise stakeholder's consultation process was developed using a mixed approach in two different phases (survey and roundtable). We elicited stakeholder views regarding factors that could limit the pesticide risk assessment phase linked on how the knowledge is produced and the way the data are used in risk management and in risk communication, also taking into account qualitative factors such as responsibility, trust and behaviours, which could have impact on risk assessment policies. Activities deployed indicate that some changes and interaction are needed to better define the problems at the formulation stage, and the type of information risk assessor has to provide, to better inform risk manager in addressing different societal needs, to strengthen the credibility of the process of risk assessment and improve the effectiveness of policies. Integrations between disciplines may initially increase the complexity but in turn will provide a better and more useful estimation of the risk, reinforce transparency and drive a more efficient use of risk management resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protists thrive in polar oceans, where they represent a major driving force for globally important biogeochemical cycles and a key food-web component. Their biogeography is frequently associated to bipolar patterns of distribution. Although conceptually well supported by apparently unrestricted migration rates, the experimental certification of these patterns copes with the protist paucity of morphological characters with taxonomic value and difficulties in applying conventional species concepts. We studied three marine species of the ciliate Euplotes, E. euryhalinus, E. nobilii, and E. petzi, for their bipolar distribution by comparing the SSU-rRNA gene sequences and mating interactions of Antarctic, Patagonian, and Arctic strains. Each species was analogously found not to carry significantly varied SSU-rRNA gene sequences, implying a common occurrence of trans-equatorial genetic mixing. However, mating analyses revealed significant inter-species differences. Scarce Antarctic × Arctic strain mating compatibility distinguished E. petzi from E. euryhalinus and E. nobilii, in which mating pairs between Antarctic and Arctic strains were successfully induced. Yet, E. nobilii was the only one of the two species to show cross-fertilizing and fertile mating pairs. Taking the biological concept of species as discriminatory, it was thus concluded that only E. nobilii warrants the definition of genuine bipolar species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kryptolebias marmoratus, a small killifish that lives in mangrove habitat from southern Florida to Brazil, is one of the planet's only known self-fertilizing hermaphroditic vertebrates. Generation after generation, hermaphroditic individuals simultaneously produce sperm and eggs and internally self-fertilize to produce what are, in effect, highly inbred clones of themselves. Although populations are composed primarily of hermaphrodites, they also contain some true males. The frequency of males in a population varies geographically, from <2% in Florida to as high as 25% in Belize. Males are known to mate occasionally with hermaphrodites, thereby releasing genetic variation that has profound consequences for population genetic structure. However, it is unknown whether hermaphrodites can or do sporadically mate with each other also. Here, we test whether hermaphroditic individuals of the killifish Kryptolebias marmoratus are capable of crossing with one another, in addition to their much more common habits of self-fertilization and occasional outcrossing with pure males. We employ an experimental design in which replicate hermaphrodite pairs were housed together and allowed to reproduce naturally. Among 173 embryos screened at diagnostic microsatellite loci, all were found to result from selfing (i.e., no embryos were the product of a hermaphrodite cross). We thus conclude that hermaphrodite pairs are unlikely to cross, or do so exceedingly rarely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large-scale production of therapeutic proteins in transgenic plants has several advantages over other expression systems such as mammalian cell lines. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) recognize several specific epitopes highly expressed on the surface of cancer cells and can enhance the anticancer efficacy of antibody-mediated targeted immunotherapy. We describe the expressions of multiple mAbs in a single F tobacco line obtained through cross-pollination between a transgenic line expressing anticancer mAb CO17-1A (mAb CO) and another expressing anticancer mAb BR55 (mAb BR), which recognize GA733 and Lewis-Y antigens, respectively, which are found on human colorectal cancer cells. The presence of heavy chains (HCs) and light chains (LCs) in mAbs and their protein sizes were confirmed by immunoblotting analysis. N-glycan structure analysis showed similar glycan structure profiles between individually expressed mAbs (mAb CO and mAb BR) and multiple mAbs (mAb CO × BR). The interaction of GA733 with mAb CO was tested using surface plasmon resonance, and the results showed that mAb CO × BR had lower binding affinity to the antigen compared to individual mAb CO. Boyden chamber assay indicated that mAb CO, mAb CO, and mAb CO × BR had similar inhibitory properties against migration of colon cancer cell. The antibody-dependent cell-mediated cyctotoxicity assay showed a significant synergistic effect of mAb CO × BR on colorectal cancer cell. These results suggested that the F plants produced both mAb CO and mAb BR, but the HCs and LCs of mAb CO and mAb BR were randomly assembled in a single plant, resulting in chimeric HC and LC assemblies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hybridization between tetraploids and their related diploids is generally unsuccessful in Centaurea, hence natural formation of triploid hybrids is rare. In contrast, the diploid Centaurea aspera and the allotetraploid C. seridis coexist in several contact zones where a high frequency of triploid hybrids is found. We analyzed the floral biology of the three taxa to identify reproductive isolation mechanisms that allow their coexistence. Flowering phenology was recorded, and controlled pollinations within and between the three taxa were performed in the field. Ploidy level and germination of progeny were also assessed. There was a 50% flowering overlap which indicated a phenological shift. Diploids were strictly allogamous and did not display mentor effects, while tetraploids were found to be highly autogamous. This breakdown of self-incompatibility by polyploids is first described in Centaurea. The asymmetrical formation of the hybrid was also found: all the triploid intact cypselae came from the diploid mothers pollinated by the pollen of tetraploids. Pollen and eggs from triploids were totally sterile, acting as a strong triploid block. These prezygotic isolation mechanisms ensured higher assortative mating in tetraploids than in diploids, improving their persistence in the contact zones. However these mechanisms can also be the cause of the low genetic diversity and high genetic structure observed in C. seridis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers several rules for establishing International research collaborations. It mentions the need of starting research collaborations regarding cross-fertilization and use of interdisciplinary and methodologies in contemporary science. It states the need to define characteristics of research collaborations like cultural differences, languages and communication, and need of practical approaches in establishing relationship between graduate student and senior professor.

The article focuses on Cosmopolitan Hellenism that includes change in religion that means one can become Greek even though he is not born in a Greek family anywhere in the world and plays the role of cosmopolitanism in Greek poet Constantine Cavafy's life. Topics discussed include Greek poet Constantine Cavafy being a Mediterranean cosmopolites, interest in religion and culture and intimate cross-fertilizations, and several Julian poems.

Reciprocal crosses between the inbred lines New Hampshire ( NHI) and White Leghorn ( WL77) comprising 579 F2 individuals were used to map QTL for body weight and composition. Here, we examine the growth performance until 20 weeks of age. Linkage analysis provided evidence for highly significant QTL on GGA1, 2, 4, 10 and 27 which had specific effects on early or late growth. The highest QTL effects, accounting for 4.6-25.6% of the phenotypic F2 variance, were found on the distal region of GGA4 between 142 and 170 cM ( F ≥ 13.68). The NHI QTL allele increased body mass by 141.86 g at 20 weeks. Using body weight as a covariate in the analysis of body composition traits provided evidence for genes in the GGA4 QTL region affecting fat mass independently of body mass. The QTL effect size differed between sexes and depended on the direction of cross. TBC1D1, CCKAR and PPARGC1A are functional candidate genes in the QTL peak region. Our study confirmed the importance of the distal GGA4 region for chicken growth performance. The strong effect of the GGA4 QTL makes fine mapping and gene discovery feasible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The malaria parasite develops sexually in the mosquito midgut upon entry with the ingested blood meal before it can invade the midgut epithelium and embark on sporogony. Recent data have identified a number of distinct transcriptional programmes operating during this critical phase of the parasite life cycle. We aimed at characterizing the parental contribution to these transcriptional programmes and establish the genetic framework that would guide further studies of P lasmodium zygotic development and ookinete-to-oocyst transition. To achieve this we used in vitro and in vivo cross-fertilization experiments of various parasite lines expressing fluorescent reporters under the control of constitutive and stage-specific promoters. The results revealed that the zygote/ookinete stage exhibits a maternal phenotype with respect to constitutively expressed reporters, which is derived from either maternal mRNA inheritance or transcription of the maternal allele. The respective paternal alleles are silenced in the zygote/ookinete but reactivated after midgut invasion and transformation to oocyst. Transcripts specifically produced in the zygote/ookinete are synthesized de novo by both parental alleles. These findings highlight a putative role of epigenetic regulation of P lasmodium zygotic development and add substantially to the emerging picture of the molecular mechanisms regulating this important stage of malaria transmission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prohibition on torture in international human rights law seems a fairly straightforward candidate for productive use in international criminal law. The Convention against Torture contains an elaborate definition of torture and human rights institutions have developed substantial jurisprudence on the prohibition and definition of torture. Indeed, the ad hoc Tribunals and the drafters of the Rome Statute have employed the human rights law approach to torture to varying degrees. But the conception of torture reached by human rights bodies is problematic and unsuitable for usage where individual criminal responsibility is sought. It is unsuitable because the human rights law understanding of torture is subjective and victim-derived. Human rights bodies do not scrutinize intent, purpose and perpetration, central aspects of international criminal legal reasoning. The communication on torture between these bodies of law to date shows that cross-fertilisation, without detailed reasoning, is inappropriate - because rights are different to crimes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article picks up on a term ('cross-fertilisation') often exploited in debates on the interaction of international laws and legal practices, especially in the context of international criminal law. Two questions are addressed: (1) What is the meaning of 'crossfertilisation'? (2) What are its conditions? As the article argues, 'cross-fertilisation' pertains to the understanding of legal utterances relative to other such utterances. The concept assumes that if an agent wishes to understand the meaning or significance of a legal utterance, his understanding may profit by bringing the analysis of this utterance to bear on its assumed relationship with other legal utterances. Any assumption of a relationship between two legal utterances requires justification, however, or else it will not meet acceptance in international legal discourse. Consequently, when an agent brings the analysis of a legal utterance to bear on its relationship with some other legal utterance, as this article argues, cross-fertilisation will occur on two conditions. First, there has to be recognition of the relationship between the two utterances by a rule, principle, or informal convention pertinent to international legal discourse. Second, the agent must have grasped the precise nature of this same relationship. Based on this proposition, the article ends with six examples illustrating the kind of problems that might obstruct cross-fertilisation proper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]