Collections‐based science in the 21st Century

Discoveries from collections‐based science change the way we perceive ourselves, our environment, and our place in the universe. The 18^th Century saw the beginning of formal classification with Linnaeus proposing a system to classify all of life. The 19^th Century ushered in the age of exploration as naturalists undertook large‐scale collecting expeditions leading to major scientific advances (the founding of Physical Geography, Meteorology, Ecology, Biogeography, and Evolution) and challenging long held beliefs about nature. In the 20^th Century collections were central to paradigm shifts, including theories of Continental Drift and Phylogenetic Systematics; Molecular Phylogenetics added testable hypotheses, and computerized specimen records gave rise to the field of Biodiversity. In the first 15 years of the 21^st Century we have seen tree‐thinking pervade the life sciences, leading to the emergence of Evolutionary Medicine, Evolutionary Ecology, and new Food Safety methods. More advances are on the way: (i) Open access to large amounts of specimen data & images, (ii) Linking of collections and climate data to phylogenies on a global scale, and (iii) Production of vast quantities of genomic data allowing us to address big evolutionary questions. As a result of collections‐based science people see themselves not as the center of all things but rather as part of a complex universe. It is essential that we integrate new discoveries with knowledge from the past (e.g., collections) in order to understand this planet we all inhabit. To ensure the health of collections‐based science we must come together and plan for the future.     

Taking the long view: an emerging framework for translational psychiatric science

Understood in their historical context, current debates about psychiatric classification, prompted by the publication of the DSM‐5, open up new opportunities for improved translational research in psychiatry. In this paper, we draw lessons for translational research from three time slices of 20th century psychiatry. From the first time slice, 1913 and the publication of Jaspers' General Psychopathology, the lesson is that translational research in psychiatry requires a pluralistic approach encompassing equally the sciences of mind (including the social sciences) and of brain. From the second time slice, 1959 and a conference in New York from which our present symptom‐based classifications are derived, the lesson is that, while reliability remains the basis of psychiatry as an observational science, validity too is essential to effective translation. From the third time slice, 1997 and a conference on psychiatric classification in Dallas that brought together patients and carers with researchers and clinicians, the lesson is that we need to build further on collaborative models of research combining expertise‐by‐training with expertise‐by‐experience. This is important if we are to meet the specific challenges to translation presented by the complexity of the concept of mental disorder, particularly as reflected in the diversity of desired treatment outcomes. Taken together, these three lessons – a pluralistic approach, reliability and validity, and closer collaboration among relevant stakeholders – provide an emerging framework for more effective translation of research into practice in 21st century psychiatry.     

Broadening the voice of science: Promoting scientific communication in the undergraduate classroom

Effective and accurate communication of scientific findings is essential. Unfortunately, scientists are not always well trained in how to best communicate their results with other scientists nor do all appreciate the importance of speaking with the public. Here, we provide an example of how the development of oral communication skills can be integrated with research experiences at the undergraduate level. We describe our experiences developing, running, and evaluating a course for undergraduates that complemented their existing undergraduate research experiences with instruction on the nature of science and intensive training on the development of science communication skills. Students delivered science talks, research monologues, and poster presentations about the ecological and evolutionary research in which they were involved. We evaluated the effectiveness of our approach using the CURE survey and a focus group. As expected, undergraduates reported strong benefits to communication skills and confidence. We provide guidance for college researchers, instructors, and administrators interested in motivating and equipping the next generation of scientists to be excellent science communicators.     

Bioinspiration as a method of problem‐based STEM education: A case study with a class structured around the COVID‐19 crisis

Bioinspiration is a promising lens for biology instruction as it allows the instructor to focus on current issues, such as the COVID‐19 pandemic. From social distancing to oxygen stress, organisms have been tackling pandemic‐related problems for millions of years. What can we learn from such diverse adaptations in our own applications? This review uses a seminar course on the COVID‐19 crisis to illustrate bioinspiration as an approach to teaching biology content. At the start of the class, students mind‐mapped the entire problem; this range of subproblems was used to structure the biology content throughout the entire class. Students came to individual classes with a brainstormed list of biological systems that could serve as inspiration for a particular problem (e.g., absorptive leaves in response to the problem of toilet paper shortages). After exploration of relevant biology content, discussion returned to the focal problem. Students dug deeper into the literature in a group project on mask design and biological systems relevant to filtration and transparency. This class structure was an engaging way for students to learn principles from ecology, evolution, behavior, and physiology. Challenges with this course design revolved around the interdisciplinary and creative nature of the structure; for instance, the knowledge of the participants was often stretched by engineering details. While the present class was focused on the COVID‐19 crisis, a course structured through a bioinspired approach can be applied to other focal problems, or subject areas, giving instructors a powerful method to deliver interdisciplinary content in an integrated and inquiry‐driven way.     

In the eye (and ears) of the beholder: Receiver psychology and human signal design

Although the study of signals has been part of human behavioral ecology since the field's inception,¹ only recently has signaling theory become important to the evolutionary study of human behavior and culture.² Signaling theory's rise to prominence has been propelled mainly by applications of costly signaling theory,³ which has shed light on a wide variety of human behaviors ranging from hunting⁴ to religion.^5,6 Costly signaling rests on the idea that wasteful but highly visible traits and behaviors can be explained as honest indicators of underlying qualities that are otherwise difficult to detect. For example, a laborious hunting technique may serve as a display of skill on the part of the hunter, who may then be favorably perceived by potential mates and allies.⁴ The costs of the activity ensure that the signal is honest, since unskilled hunters will not be able to perform as well. Despite the usefulness of this perspective, many such studies begin by documenting a costly behavior that is then explained with reference to costly signaling theory. Because such behaviors are easy to detect, they may be overemphasized in the literature.⁷ Moreover, costly signaling theory by itself can explain neither all signals nor all aspects of signal design. In this review, we argue that a focus on the role that the psychology of the intended receiver plays in signal design can expand the scope of signaling theory as a promising avenue to explain human behavior.     

An artificial bird nest experiment in urban environments: Lessons from a school‐based citizen science programme

Maintaining suitable vegetation within urban environments is crucial for wildlife conservation in the face of anthropogenic habitat change. Here, we report on a citizen science project, involving students from seven schools across south‐eastern Australia, that investigated the effectiveness of urban vegetation as habitat for bird nests. The ‘nest concealment hypothesis’ posits that vegetation should obscure the nest from predator detection, thus reducing the likelihood of predation. To test this, participating school‐aged citizen scientists constructed artificial nests, which were placed in garden trees within school grounds and monitored for signs of predation. We found no evidence to support the nest concealment hypothesis, with no relationship between the density of vegetation immediately surrounding a nest and its likelihood of predation (binomial model:  = 1.714, P = 0.190). It was observed that 80% of the nests experienced predation. This aligns with mounting evidence suggesting that other factors, such as olfaction and adult defence, may be more important factors in the protection of bird nests. It is important to note that artificial nests are unreliable, and therefore, the veracity of the overall conclusions is limited. However, in conducting this experiment, we demonstrate the suitability of this method as a school‐based citizen science activity. This study exemplifies that field‐based experiments can used to engage future generations with conservation science.     

An at‐home laboratory in plant biology designed to engage students in the process of science

The COVID‐19 pandemic prompted a transition to remote delivery of courses that lack immersive hands‐on research experiences for undergraduate science students, resulting in a scientific research skills gap. In this report, we present an option for an inclusive and authentic, hands‐on research experience that all students can perform off‐campus. Biology students in a semester‐long (13 weeks) sophomore plant physiology course participated in an at‐home laboratory designed to study the impacts of nitrogen addition on growth rates and root nodulation by wild nitrogen‐fixing Rhizobia in Pisum sativum (Pea) plants. This undergraduate research experience, piloted in the fall semester of 2020 in a class with 90 students, was created to help participants learn and practice scientific research skills during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Specifically, the learning outcomes associated with this at‐home research experience were: (1) generate a testable hypothesis, (2) design an experiment to test the hypothesis, (3) explain the importance of biological replication, (4) perform meaningful statistical analyses using R, and (5) compose a research paper to effectively communicate findings to a general biology audience. Students were provided with an at‐home laboratory kit containing the required materials and reagents, which were chosen to be accessible and affordable in case students were unable to access our laboratory kit. Students were guided through all aspects of research, including hypothesis generation, data collection, and data analysis, with video tutorials and live virtual sessions. This at‐home laboratory provided students an opportunity to practice hands‐on research with the flexibility to collect and analyze their own data in a remote setting during the COVID‐19 pandemic. This, or similar laboratories, could also be used as part of distance learning biology courses.     

Faith in Art

Individual creativity is ubiquitous. New technologies both enable and urge fresh approaches to creativity in the context of education. University-level education offers a natural place to adjust pedagogical structures in favor of a more individual approach to learning that organizes the intellectual community into new patters of interaction and time allocation. This direction is made possible by the vast improvements in access to information, data, knowledge, and opinion. College students live in this world of access, in an ever-expanding sea of material. Networking second-by-second is central to their zeitgeist. The result is far more than social. Interaction and collaboration are now important in most workplaces, and are expected to be even more important in the future. Higher education needs to use its natural resources in ways that develop content knowledge and skills in a culture infused at new levels by investigation, cooperation, connection, integration, and synthesis. Creativity is necessary to accomplish this goal. When central and culturally pervasive, creativity becomes exemplified and enhanced for every student. Problem solving becomes the driving pedagogy. Problem solving is a technique that can be advanced through practice, but practice takes time. Universities must meet the challenge of reapportioning time if suggested changes are to occur. These matters are important to P–12 arts education, because colleges prepare teachers and citizens who then provide leadership. Possibilities abound for changing paradigms that now hold arts education back in many policy situations. It is important to take advantage of opportunities inherent in the coincidence of present conditions, youthful energy, technological capabilities, and interest in creativity.     

Threshold‐based spraying decision programmes for the red spider mite Tetranychus marianae on eggplant

The red spider mite, Tetranychus marianae McGregor (Acari: Tetranychidae), has been an important pest of eggplant Solanum melongena L. (Solanaceae) and other vegetables in the Mariana Islands. The damage due to T. marianae has been severe and caused huge economic losses. Because no threshold levels are available for T. marianae, many growers are applying up to 12 chemical applications per eggplant cropping period. This is not only expensive, but also results in lower yields because of extensive foliar damage and development of resistance in mites to chemicals. To diminish the calendar‐based chemical applications and to preclude damage to foliage and fruit quality, this study was undertaken for the development of a threshold level for optimum timing of chemical applications for T. marianae. In the direction of this aim, an attempt was made to generate different threshold levels by applying chemical spray (Sun‐spray 6E, 5 ml/l) within 12 h after reaching the threshold levels at 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 mites/leaf, as well as current recommended calendar‐based sprays and non‐sprayed control in a replicated block design for the dry and wet seasons of 2010 at two locations (Yigo and Inaranjan) in Guam (USA). Based on T. marianae‐infested leaves, incidence of T. marianae and yield levels, the plots sprayed at 2 or 4 mites/leaf in the dry season and 2–8 mites/leaf during the wet season had significantly lower leaf damage and incidence of T. marianae compared with a greater number of mites/leaf in calendar‐based sprays and control plots. At the greater threshold levels, the mean yield was significantly reduced in comparison with the mean yield obtained when plots were sprayed at a threshold of 2–8 mites/leaf. Therefore, it is concluded that the optimum threshold chemical spray for T. marianae on eggplant is 4 mites/leaf during the dry season and 8 mites/leaf in the wet season.     

实验诊断学PBL教学案例的设计原则

由临床检验专业人员承担的《实验诊断学》教学应以临床检验学为教学重点,案例的教学目标及学习重点应围绕临床检验基本原理,检验结果质量保证和检验结果影响因素三方面进行。案例选择应遵循以下原则：①选择质量保证的过程中容易出现问题的环节;②选择物质代谢过程清楚,相关疾病的病理生理改变明确的检验项目,如血糖;③选择在,临床检验中应用较多的方法,比如酶的连续监测法。     

Ranking predicted protein structures with support vector regression

Protein structure prediction is an important problem of both intellectual and practical interest. Most protein structure prediction approaches generate multiple candidate models first, and then use a scoring function to select the best model among these candidates. In this work, we develop a scoring function using support vector regression (SVR). Both consensus-based features and features from individual structures are extracted from a training data set containing native protein structures and predicted structural models submitted to CASP5 and CASP6. The SVR learns a scoring function that is a linear combination of these features. We test this scoring function on two data sets. First, when used to rank server models submitted to CASP7, the SVR score selects predictions that are comparable to the best performing server in CASP7, Zhang-Server, and significantly better than all the other servers. Even if the SVR score is not allowed to select Zhang-Server models, the SVR score still selects predictions that are significantly better than all the other servers. In addition, the SVR is able to select significantly better models and yield significantly better Pearson correlation coefficients than the two best Quality Assessment groups in CASP7, QA556 (LEE), and QA634 (Pcons). Second, this work aims to improve the ability of the Robetta server to select best models, and hence we evaluate the performance of the SVR score on ranking the Robetta server template-based models for the CASP7 targets. The SVR selects significantly better models than the Robetta K*Sync consensus alignment score.     

CBL教学法结合PBL教学法在肝胆外科教学中的应用

目的:研究以案例为基础的学习(CBL)教学法结合以问题为基础的学习(PBL)教学法在肝胆外科教学中的应用,为临床教学提供依据。方法:选取2014年1月到2015年6月我院肝胆外科实习生270例为研究对象,按照随机数字表法将实习生分为I组、II组和III组,每组90例,I组给予PBL联合CBL教学法,II组给予PBL教学法,III组给予传统学习(LBL)教学法,比较三组教学效果。结果:I组和II组学习兴趣、自主学习能力以及课堂氛围评分显著高于III组,I组知识理解评分显著高于II组和III组,II组显著高于III组,比较差异具有统计学意义(P0.05);I组基础知识分显著高于II组和III组,I组和II组临床技能评分显著高于III组,比较差异具有统计学意义(P0.05);I组和II组调查满意度显著高于III组,且I组显著高于II组,比较差异具有统计学意义(P0.05)。结论:PBL联合CBL教学法用于肝胆外科教学中能显著提高实习生的知识理解能力和满意度。     

Uncovering the spatio-temporal dynamics of value-based decision-making in the human brain: a combined fMRI–EEG study

While there is a growing body of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) evidence implicating a corpus of brain regions in value-based decision-making in humans, the limited temporal resolution of fMRI cannot address the relative temporal precedence of different brain regions in decision-making. To address this question, we adopted a computational model-based approach to electroencephalography (EEG) data acquired during a simple binary choice task. fMRI data were also acquired from the same participants for source localization. Post-decision value signals emerged 200 ms post-stimulus in a predominantly posterior source in the vicinity of the intraparietal sulcus and posterior temporal lobe cortex, alongside a weaker anterior locus. The signal then shifted to a predominantly anterior locus 850 ms following the trial onset, localized to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and lateral prefrontal cortex. Comparison signals between unchosen and chosen options emerged late in the trial at 1050 ms in dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, suggesting that such comparison signals may not be directly associated with the decision itself but rather may play a role in post-decision action selection. Taken together, these results provide us new insights into the temporal dynamics of decision-making in the brain, suggesting that for a simple binary choice task, decisions may be encoded predominantly in posterior areas such as intraparietal sulcus, before shifting anteriorly.     

利用文献精读教学新模式优化遗传学教学

《遗传学》是生命科学相关专业本科阶段最重要的课程之一。近年来,随着生命科学领域研究的不断深入,新知识与新技术也在不断更新。但遗传学的教学模式目前仍以理论讲授为主,这使得抽象的原理难以被学生理解接受,直接影响了教学效果。因此探索新的教学模式尤为必要。2010年以来我校在生物技术专业《微生物遗传学》教学中开展了新教学模式——文献精读,文章从文献精读的前期课程基础,如何选择专业文献,怎样组织教学过程,开展文献精读对学生和教师的意义等方面全面分析了实施情况和应用价值,指出该教学模式体现了“前沿”和“经典”的结合,使书本的知识在实践中具体化,既提高学生的学习效果,激发学习兴趣,又开拓了学生的思路,锻炼其能力。这种教学模式为《遗传学》教学授课不断探索新的模式、在“精准医疗”时代下如何培养兼具临床与科研能力的医疗人才提供新思路。